Thrown away carrom men
Hunting for the queen
Grey white turqoise marbles
a spinning top on the table
an electric motor a gadget then
bifid nibbed fountain pen
Cassette wheels and a chip of steel
ran faster than ritzy hotwheels
tazos and trumps spurred triumphant jumps
peacock clay in redolent sandalwood
I collected and carry in the treasure of childhood

I want to know where we come from
And when you tell me that
You can place me anywhere and I 'll carrom
Back to the start

So cute my Daughter, so cute my Son,
Whole day you make a noise, whole day you both run:
You quarrel and play and shout and sing,
Rock till night from early morning.

You are crazy for carrom, you are lazy for ball!
Now sit to study, learn, cram and recall;
You are greater than us. more precious than us.
Your Guardians for you, are so anxious.

Will you fulfill our dreams, make new schemes?
Will the sun of your Dreams cast new beams?
And herald new trends, soothing high and low?
We are sure you will, so prepare, perspire and cheerful go...!!

When we were children
Of age nine or ten
In a small town far away,
Life was simple then

No mobile phones we had seen,
Internet was never there.
Summers in the river fishing,
A childhood without care

We played gilli danda in the mud
plucked mangoes by the dozen
Monsoons meant wet football
Shivered gleefully in the winter season

Little boys in half pants
And girls in pigtails
Of visits to the circus
Making paperboats and catching snails

A simple happy world,
Of cozy Sunday lunch.
A game of carrom in the eve
Or music with which we danced

Life has changed a lot
For the better, thats what people say
All i know is that,
I do miss those golden days!

The bongo drums of his thought carrom across the cosmos,
revenanting across the dawn with nodules of coltan from beyond.
A clear channel for reading the universe:
"When you come to a fork in the road, take it."
"Thank you for making this day necessary."
"It's déjà vu all over again."
"You can observe a lot by watching."
“Ninety percent of the game is half mental.”
“Pair up in threes.”

The smell of a quantum of disconnect,
the taste of the magenta of non-sequitur,
the  sight of logic colliding with chaos,
the touch of an insightful short-circuit,
the music of senseless syntax that says it all.

Coinciluckily, the saving grace: "I really didn't say everything I said."
"Always go to other people's funerals; otherwise they won't go to yours."
Who else would say, “You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you are going, because you might not get there.”
Que sera, sera - "It ain't over till it's over."

I love you, dear brother
And for you, will I always be there
Always, have we been close
Right from our school days
Playing a lot of street cricket
Having loads of entertainment
In the form of masala movies
Listening to AR Rahman classics
Debating on Harry Potter-related topics
Playing carrom and chess
The list used to be endless!

I love you, dear brother
So much fun, have we had together
As children, teenagers, adults
Indeed, have we had many a memorable moment
Playing cricket inside the house
And creating a fair amount of chaos
Racking up highly unrealistic totals in book cricket
Going up to the terrace in the evening
And in the process, watching bats
A fair amount of travelling
Especially when it came to trains
Playing the game "20 Questions"
In regards to both cricket and Harry Potter
Going on talking and talking till the wee hours
On a variety of topics
Seriously, were those days epic!!

I love you, dear brother
For me, have you always been there
Advising me from time to time
Always managing to stay calm
Whenever have I gone on ranting and ranting
Taking time out for me while working
Being a shoulder to cry on
Checking on me often
Bringing out the best in me
Not to mention, I'm sure you will agree
It was thanks to you
That I became such an ardent fan of Harris Jayaraj!!

I love you, dear brother
You are going to have an exciting future
So happy am I, for you
Now, is a treat due
Soon, will we meet
Wish you all the very best
And may God bless you
With a truckload of love, happiness, peace and prosperity!!

Anything, just do something,

Watch a movie or two,
Or read a book written for you,

Listen to a podcast to learn,
Or make a painting for fun,

Dance to your favorite playlist,
Or learn a language to add to your list,

Exercise - be it cardio or weights,
Or go into the yogic meditation state,

Learn an instrument - be it with spoons and plates,
Or play a game like carrom and chess,

Reorganize your room and your wardrobe too,
Or cook some food for the people around you,

And of course you could write a book
Or some poems here on HP too,

Anything, just do something!

~ S.G

A busy lane
Narrow frame
Two cars could not cross
At the same time
Chaos and confusion reigned Supreme

An obscure building
Wouldn't catch your attention
Housed a club premises
Of two varying interests
Table Tennis and Cards

A small door
Along with it the canals odour
Dimly lit indoors
With not a single window

Toilet and a phone
Also housed a carrom zone
4 tables lined in order
Next room housed the card player

Mylapore Gymkhana club
Diminutive in appearance
With a small parking space in the front
A place of historical importance
Produced Champion after Champion

Tables numbered in order
Determined the quality of the player
Senior Junior and Sub Junior
Played with their respective partners

The air filled with Positivity
Sportsmanship and equality
Will to win in every player
Who played at every layer

Ability to play the game
on any given day
Weighed on a justice scale
Determined which table you play

Background never mattered
Wealth and Influence nobody cared
Integrity to the game noticed
Absolutely no prejudice

Play with your peers only rule
Any attempt to spar with a better player met with ridicule
Improvement in game the only consideration
To play with a better paddler
At his dispensation

No Coach present
Learn by being observant
Want to raise in the ranks
Show performance in the match

Legends of the game
Proud to lend their name
Respected their place of practice
From novice all the way to winning the Championship

All tables with players
Learning and playing with each other
Each a ladder to another
Owed a lot to one another

Discipline present
With no one to Discipline
Coached in the game
With no one to Coach
System of competence
Endeared
With no one to judge
Dedication to the game integral
With no one to Enforce

Booked its place
In the history of the sport
A paradox of a place
Which can never be replaced

Visited the club everyday
To see paddlers play
Great opportunity presented to me
For this was what meant to be

7 years from 77
Club was heaven
Watching and learning
Took to the Sport 2 years coming

Thankful to the men
Who gave me attention
Helped shape my character
Life became a lot easier

Became a coach
Of the same Sport
Nostalgia for the club
Reason I got the job

Teaching avid learners
Imparting sporting values
Every player who I watched in action
I dedicate all my success to them with devotion

Each player a personality
I thank each personally
For the love and affection showered
Considering my age I could have easily been ignored

The opportunity to visit the club
Greatest gift God showered
Getting to know players if that calibre
Solely determined my future