BEYOND BORDERS FEB 17

BEYOND
BORDERS
A BIGG PUSH INITIATIVE
FEBRUARY | 2017
A N I N T E R N A T I O N A L O N L I N E M A G A Z I N E
TV PARTNER
CELEBRATE
THE MONTH
OF LOVE
LIFESTYLE
CONSULTANT

CELEBRATE
THE MONTH
OF LOVE
Photoart by
Enjo Mathew
Dubai, UAE
https://www.facebook.com/
The.Eternal.Sunshine.Page

CONTENTS
Patron Council
Ralph Tabberer
J Rajmohan Pillai
Musthafa Zafeer
Ranjit Kumar
Chief Editor & Publisher
Sujil Chandra Bose
Editorial Board
Laxmi Menon
Francis Tharakan
Ken Brian
Anil George
Kris Iyer
Vigil Bose
Sub Editor
Pallavi Manoj
Photography
Enjo Mathew
Francis Tharakan
Lal TD
Design by
BIGG PUSH
ARTICLES
World of love
By Bindu Krishnakumar
Chasing no more
By Kushal Menghrajani
In love with the past
By Manoj Chiral
To have loved and lost
By Molvy Santhosh
Sunflowers
By Mariana Klinke
Loving, an inside job
By J Rajmohan Pillai
Reality
By Bindu Jood
When in love
By Vinita Surendran
Age of LOL
By Sachien Fernando
Love is all that exists
By Kavitha K Nair
Cupid's fallen arrow
by Pallavi Manoj
Paintings
Shivani Mathur
Kris Iyer
Photographs
Enjo Mathew
Abhilash Chemmannur
Shaji S Panicker
Sujil Chandra Bose
Marketed by
Turning Point
Dubai, UAE
Copyrights reserved by
BIGG PUSH
India, USA, UAE
All complaints and
communications regarding
the content shall be sent to
bigpushconsulting@gmail.com
For the love of all things Musical
By Neeraja Menon
Love Perfumery
By Kris Iyer
Is it worth it
By Navaneeth Narayanan
For now I truly yearn
By Shyam Vipin
While you were away
By Yeshasvi Mahadev
Love in the time of Militancy
by Dr.Rajshekhar G
JANUARY 2017
BEYOND
BORDERS
A BIGGPUSH SOCIAL INITIATIVE

E D I T O R ' S N O T E
CELEBRATE
THE MONTH
OF LOVE
“In the end, though, maybe
we must all give up trying to
pay back the people in this
world who sustain our lives.
In the end, maybe it's wiser
to surrender before the
miraculous scope of human
generosity and to just keep
saying thank you, forever
and sincerely, for as long as
we have voices.”
― Elizabeth Gilbert
This issue. we celebrate love
and its myriad expressions. It
is the only language, the only
human expression that has
stood and survived the test of
time.
People, regardless of age,
color, language or creed
continue to express
themselves overtly and
covertly. Faith or political
divides may sometimes play
spoilsport but in most cases,
we have found that the
existence has a way of staying
with love.
From a doting father to his
beloved daughter, from a
dutiful son to his beloved
mother, from a sacrificing
woman to her lover in the
distance to a pet dog that
shadows its master, we see
love of all kinds. Some of them
inspire us, some move us to
tears while some make us
smile.
Issue 04 | February. 2017
BEYOND
BORDERS
let us love without conditions,
without the bondage of ifs and
buts. Let us unite under this
banner with our hearts.
Let us love, forever.
Sujil Chandra Bose

CELEBRATE
THE MONTH
OF LOVE
Photograph by
Abhilash Chemmannur
Sydney, Australia
abilash.c@gmail.com

WORLD OF
LOVE
BY BINDU KRISHNAKUMAR, CHENNAI
The subject of LOVE is too vast to be compiled
in a few paragraphs, and if I decide to sit and
write on this beautiful emotion, then I might
just finish writing a book. So intense and rich
an emotion it is, that I would just summarize it
in a single quote – “Life on Earth begins,
survives and ends successfully only with
LOVE.”
I can define “love” as an extremely enriching
and rewarding emotion, without which no life
on earth is complete. Be it animals, plants or
humans, their capacity to create and express
love is what ultimately defines their nature,
character and lifestyle. I include plants
because even though they are not attributed
to possess feelings, they possess beauty and
harmony. According to John Keats ‘’a thing of
beauty is a joy forever ‘’. Thus, where there is
beauty and joy, there has to be love in its
creation. Love among humans is most
superior since it combines with intellect and
gets expressed in words, smiles, tears and
anger.
Love is the ultimate queen of all emotions and
every other feeling, response or reaction is
either an extension of LOVE or a product
deficient in love.
Love is forever accompanied by its closest friends’,
compassion and warmth. These three are never to be
parted. If separated, then each one loses its very core
energy of existence. The beauty of love is that it is the
single most positive and powerful emotion, which can
make or break anyone or anything. It can also trigger off
the most negative of emotions like hate, envy, ego and
anger. These negative emotions are the root cause of
every conflict and violence. Though Love is Peace, love
also leads to unrest and war. Even mythology quotes
Helen of Troy as the face that launched a 1000 ships
leading to the Trojan wars. Love can be categorised into
mainly three dimensions -emotional, physical and
spiritual. Love doesn’t require minutes, hours or days to
define it. LOVE is timeless and keeps you alive, active and
alert wherever you are and in whatever you do. Most of
the virtues like honesty, gratitude, sincerity and loyalty
have their foundations in LOVE. Different manifestations
of love can be seen among family members, friends,
neighbours, colleagues and also among the citizens of
every society, state, country, continent and the world as a
whole.
The modern concept of love is influenced by science and
technology. The intensity and true meaning of love is now
distorted and diluted and has given rise to enormous
social, religious and political evils, which now is chartering
the course of current world events and progress. The
doves of peace which symbolise love are now turning into
the vultures of war, which has taken the human populace
by storms of destruction. Love in its most extreme forms
can be dangerous as it invests too much in faith and
patriotism. Fanaticism in religion and politics are the byproducts
of such extreme feelings of love, which leads to
violence and irrational behaviour even in the sanest of
humans. The sensible, sane, spiritual minds who
understand the true meaning of love now find
themselves struggling against the tides of malicious
intolerance, gripped by money power and politics.
‘’God is Love ‘’ was divine to the ears of the soul, which
symbolised a life lived with hope, faith, knowledge and
wisdom. Now such a world which intends to progress
through love and peace appears as a distant dream to
many of us. May cupid with his arrows and help from his
brethren angels change the face of evil into love. AMEN.

CELEBRATE
THE MONTH
OF LOVE
Painting by
Shivani Mathur
Dubai, UAE
Adam & Eve

CELEBRATE
THE MONTH
OF LOVE
CHASING NO MORE
K U S H A L M E N G H R A J A N I , M U M B A I , I N D I A
When does it even begin?
Maybe it begins with the hesitation, the
confusion, the mind-numbing hassle.
The pace, that phase. A mad rat race.
Why is it never an unending chase?
Words which burn like a fire in my throat.
Words, my only superpower.
Words once unafraid.
Words now, never said.
Flirt. Flutter. Fall.
Kiss her, should I?
Beats within, beating faster.
I made her blush a wild blue.
A blue as wild as the ocean.
But do I wade through its shallows.
Or dive deep into hallows?
Strutting, trotting, crawling. And then running.
Running after something so unsure.
And still, I endure.
All I seek for is for the chase to end. Or do I?
Why is it love as long as it’s a chase?
Why love, why do you end the way you do?

FEATURE
IN LOVE WITH THE PAST
MANOJ CHIRAL, DUBAI, UAE
We usually come across the statement ‘Those were the days!’. Usually
the author is 60 plus, graying and bald with a dreamy expression.
Here he goes again! Rolling their eyes, the next generation around him
sighs. What’s in a world without internet, smart telephones, Facebook
and twitter?
These dreamy eyed senior citizens are in love with their past. At some
point in our lives, there is a reversal of this love process. We couldn’t
wait to finish school so that we get into a more happening university
life. When University gets boring too quickly, we want to get on with
our life – Job, love life, kids etc. This phase, let’s call the growing phase.
At this point, we were in love with our future – even though we
couldn’t predict what it held for us. We dreamt and fell in love with
possibilities. Time flies by so quickly that you fail to notice that the
reversal process is in place again. In your twenties, you will rarely
reminisce your school days. The same story feels much more likable
when you are fifty and above and life starts to slow down around you.
In a matter of three decades, you’ve turned into a greying stooge with
a glass of whisky, laughing out loud at the antics of the younger
generation.
At this stage, we try to hold on to our old memories closer than ever.
No amount of technological advancement in social media or internet
can overcome this feeling. Even the popular ‘Dad jokes’ were created
through such series of reminiscence and each greying stooge’s
personal sense of charm. Now you know how it’s done. So, next time
you say ‘LAME! DAD!’, Remember! The joke was funny around 3
decades ago. It’s vintage.
Some memories stay with you – crystal clear, even after many
decades. It may not even be significant events. The splatter of rain
pounding on your umbrella, the mud ridden walkway to your school,
the music we listened through a radio on top of the shelf, kept there
for non-interference from static and children alike. When we think
back to our past it feels just as good as how the millennials dream up
their future. We love our present, but sometimes we want to travel
back to our once fast paced life too.
This is nature’s way of keeping your spirits up when there is nothing
much to look forward to. So, next time someone says about their
glorious past, just humour him.
He is in love!

CELEBRATE
THE MONTH
OF LOVE
TO HAVE LOVED
AND LOST
M O L V Y S A N T H O S H , D U B A I , U A E
Time stands still,
By the window sill,
Your face shining,
And me crying.
You are moving on,
I’m still holding on,
As you float away,
With great grief, I stay.
My mind fills with pain,
Just staying in the rain,
Drops sliding down my cheeks,
For you my heart still seeks.
Happy days and memories,
Trying to move, not at ease,
My love is endless,
But now I am helpless.
Save me I am drowning,
Your memories still crowning,
Your lips, your hands, your face, your heart,
I will love you even when apart.

SUNFLOWERS
Mariana Klinke
Sao Paulo, Brazil
A white dress with an adjustable bodice and bouffant skirt. And inside... HER. The two, the dress and HER, go
among the car lights in the center of the big Avenue. Many pass by. Some look. No one stops. The panting
follows her. And with every breath, the memory.
The white dress and her walking through the empty hall filled with crystal glasses, china, and arrangements
made from the roses she didn't choose. She wanted sunflowers. But they told her that sunflowers wouldn’t go.
As they did with so many things. And SHE accepted. The roses. As they walk, the dress and HER, they become
one. Just as she had wished it would happen with the one who had wanted the roses.
The man of roses wasn't a bad. In fact, he was perfect. She had been raised to believe that every woman is in
wait for her prince charming. So, when he had asked her to be his valentine SHE accepted. It had been perfect.
As they walk, the dress and HER, they change. The blurred mascara develops into black spots on the pale face.
She couldn’t use waterproof products; she was allergic to them, just as she was allergic to so many things.
Since childhood, the red spots on her skin was a constant visitor. When something wasn’t right, the spots
sprouted. But no one ever understood. Ointment after ointment to no success. So, SHE hid, so did her spots.
As they walk, the dress and HER, they keep changing. Little by little, the white fabric dyes to red just as the
nervous skin had been dyed so many times before. The mother took care of what she thought she should. She
spread the ointment and covered her body. Not for protection, but to hide what the body was trying to show.
They said mothers are always right. So, SHE obeyed. The mother.
As they walk, the dress and HER, they start to give in. They give into the heavy breathing, searching for air. The
bodice moves frantically. The open wrists spill over the skirt. So many tears spilled. That day she fell in the
playground and hurt her knee. The first memory of salty water pouring from her eyes. There were so many
more of these waves to come. And SHE spilled them.
As they walk, the dress and HER, they lose their style. The green light releases the cars and tries to keep the
two off the Avenue. But this doesn't intimidate them anymore. How many times had she been intimidated? She
had stopped counting. She did what they said should be done. With a fear of disappointing, of hurting, of
injuring. SHE hurt herself. As they walk, the dress and HER, they decide: no one would tell them what to do, not
even the traffic. Thus, they follow. The feet and the hem crawl by the white lines painted on the floor.
Lights.
Horns.
Burnt rubber.
Screeching brakes.
The dress and HER, they no longer walk. From the car, HE gets out, a desperate stranger. The dress and HER,
are scooped up in his arms.
SHE: ‘Do you like sunflowers?’
HE: ‘Yes.’
In that second, SHE lived...

NOTICE
BOARD!
COVER: SARAH & MYTHREYEE
A Sujil Chandra Bose Click
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BOOK REVIEW
A MONSTER CALLS
PATRICK NESS.
Monster calls is a children’s novel that tells a moving
tale of love and compassion. It is the rightful nominee
and winner of various top children’s book awards.
The story is about the love of a child for his terminally ill
mother. The author beautifully unravels how a young
boy, Conor deals with his mother’s illness. While he is a
witness to the various stages of his mother’s failing
health, what he despises most, is the sympathy and
caution that the society displays towards him. When his
peers too start distancing themselves, he can’t help but
wish for the wait to end. The wait, he knows that ends
only with the death of his beloved mother.
Repeated visits by a monster who is part scary giant and
part wild yew tree, moves Conor to understand the true
meaning of love. Through the three stories told by the
tree, he begins to see that people have both good and
bad in them and that we are all grey, without a clear
distinction of black or white.
Love is not clinging along till the last minute, but it is in
understanding what’s best for the person you love. And
sometimes letting go is what lets you love again.
Although it is a dark and morose read, the book is
honest and compelling- A must read for children and
adults alike. Happy Reading!

“Too often we underestimate the
power of a touch, a smile, a kind
word, a listening ear, an honest
compliment, or the smallest act of
caring, all of which have the
potential to turn a life around.”
Photograph by
Shaji S Panicker
Doha, Qatar
― Leo Buscaglia

LOVING, AN
INSIDE JOB
By Dr. J Rajmohan Pillai
Hon. Member of the Patron Council
Personally I try to live my life by keeping the three simple rules in the forefront of my mind:
Love:love:love: It all starts with loving yourself. Only when you love yourself with all the flaws in
you, would you start loving others as no one is perfect. It is important to stay positive because
beauty comes from within. The search for the perfect person is fruitless. In moderation, there's a
perfect balance in this life.
Someone told me a few weeks ago that they are completely avoiding sex because they are now
on a spiritual path. Curious as to what sex has to do with being on your spiritual path, I asked the
obvious question, ‘Why?’ The person asked me "You know Hanuman?" I asked him how about
Rama? He gave me a strange look that said ‘Isn’t it obvious?’ I never got an answer as the person
turned away and the moment was gone. To restrict or deny yourself does not make you more or
less spiritual, nor does it fast-track you down the spiritual path. I believe that we are here to
experience life, not take the joy out of it because we choose a spiritual path.
I am a great believer in balance. I watch commercially successful movies and use whatsapp.
Initially, I was reluctant to share this bit about myself because I know from experience that some
spiritually minded people frown at the New Generation type of indulgence; exactly why I decided
to share this tit bit of information. I know that I enjoy it, and so I refuse to deny this part of myself
because I love and accept myself enough to own this indulgence, and I feel good about it. Does it
make me less spiritual? Certainly not! It just makes me someone who can appreciate spirituality in
all things. The Spirituality in the movie and people who are involved including the people watching
and the science in it.
Do I become a less centered and clear person if I enjoy a good fish curry? Absolutely not! But I do
spare a grateful thought to the fish. Do I become a less loving person if I allow anger or
frustration to show? No way! We are multi-faceted individuals with a huge array of emotions that
are to be experienced, not labelled as good and bad. You don’t need to suppress the so called
‘bad’ emotions simply because they don’t fit the worldly view of being a spiritual person. At our
core we are all spiritual beings, regardless of how we live our lives. If you are not pursuing
enlightenment, then enjoy your spiritual journey with a healthy dose of balance. Stop being
critical of yourself just because you’ve eaten two cookies instead of one, or because you’ve
enjoyed a glass of wine. You’re not a less spiritual person if you enjoy dancing in a nightclub or
reading a good thriller. Personally I try to live my life by keeping the three simple rules in the
forefront of my mind: Love, Love and Love: Everything else in life is open for discussion and
available to be experienced – the choice is mine or yours.
Let us, in the spirit of being spiritual, do no’t forget to have fun and do whatever makes your heart
sing. Take the limit off what it means to be spiritual. Remove the judgments. They don’t serve your
highest evolution. Being balanced is a healthy and wonderful way to live.

POETRY
THE REALITY
By BINDU JOOD.
Dubai, UAE
Of earth made and into earth will return
No more than a fizz is his tenure here
A fleck amid the billion known galaxies
Of no import his existence nor demise
Spiritual being on a diminutive dream
Verily to be woken up to the truth
Present voyage is but a fleeting jaunt
In the ever expansive time and space
Born in His image and turned a beast
With advancing time and futile wit
Master of all, he mulls over in vain
Ignorant of the impending reality
Brag and fib he does with no shame
I is the motto and venal his deeds
Fight and loot he will with conviction
Blinded by his own belief and reason
WHEN IN LOVE
BY VINITA SURENDRAN
DUBAI, UAE
Hopes adrift, dreams astray
She came into his life with a beam of desire;
Senses unsound, emotions unhinged
She unwavered it with her ceaseless fire;
Qualms uncleared, traumas unhealed
She unraveled it with her boundless ardor;
Love is blind, as you lose your mind
Once you’ve fallen you can never rewind;
Fall in love, its a beautiful feeling
To savor all the care and pampering
BEAM OF FIRE
When darkness and dimness hits the floor,
You come out as a ray of hope and more;
Unveiling the muddles that were hidden till date,
Through your beam of fire that lights all day;
Witness to all the bodes well moments of life,
Uniting two souls succumbed
To the feelings of their hearts.
Ever in a scurry to conquer and hoard
All that earth has in its bowels and plane
Dark alleys he treads to feed his flesh
Unwisely oblivious of the vainness of all
So say our holy men and the sacred verses
The route to bliss is to vibe with the divine
Look within and shun the doomed terrain
Dispel the cobwebs of ignorance and malice
Rout not the gentle chidings from within
Thou art a spark from the eternal flame
Walk worthy till you hear the final call
Only a flicker your time on this stage…

THOUGHTS
AGE OF LOL
SACHIEN FERNANDO
DUBAI, UAE
The English language has repeatedly changed over the past few
centuries. It began as a dialect spoken by a few, an infant in the
face of the bigger languages like Latin and French. It wasn't even
recognized by the Roman Catholic Church as a language back
then. It slowly grew in power after the fall of the Roman Empire,
and now is a language spoken almost worldwide (Except in
Antarctica, of course). It went through many phases. From classics
like Beowulf in Old English, the Canterbury Tales in Middle English
and the works of Shakespeare in Early Modern English, the
evolution of the English language can be much likened to that of a
butterfly.
Technology has ushered in a new age of English. It is not widely
recognized. In fact, it is not recognized at all. But it is very much
there. "It is The Age of the LOL". Teenagers and young adults
these days have a wonderful "talent" of conveying emotions that
authors of the ages past had used pages and even books for. It
started off as a way to reduce the typing time when chatting to
friends on social media. It has now become a part of the daily lives
of many people around the world. An abbreviation of "Laugh Out
Loud"(Which isn't even grammatically correct when used
practically), it is only one of the many abbreviations that pepper
the arsenal of the youth (including OMG, LMAO, YOLO and more).
It is now one of the most commonly used words in conversations
(Don't hold me to that fact) and has now a universal meaning. A
properly placed joke that would bring peals of laughter and that
would leave everyone clutching their stomachs and gasping for air
now usually brings nothing more than a half grin and a LOL.
It seems funny that for close to a millennium, we have been
looking for ways to increase our vocabulary and the words that we
could use for expressing emotions. Now, once that goal has been
completed, we are looking for ways to reduce our vocabulary and
omit unnecessary words from our world. In the not so distant
future, you will find that some "pioneer" in time saving decided
that speech itself is not necessary and that hand signals will
suffice.
Soon, we will be back where we started, cavemen and cave
women. Quite soon after that, we will get tired of the silence
(except for the occasional passing of gas) and begin the search for
literacy once again. Like one great man (one whose name I can't
be bothered to remember) once said, "Everything comes full
circle".
Or was it me?

THOUGHTS
LOVE IS ALL
THAT EXISTS
By KAVITHA K NAIR, Dubai, UAE
"Connect to yourself, know that you are loved by the universe"
-Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Life is nothing but love. Surrender yourself to nature and you
will start experiencing love in everything. It’s amazing and
beyond what words can describe.
Over the years I have come to realise that love, is letting go
and not holding on to a thought or a person. When you fill
yourself with unconditional love, you tend to attract
everything positive. And believe me, nature starts responding
to your vibrations.
Love makes everything seem effortless, like breathing. You are
aware, yet unaware. The feeling of blissful contentment is
inexplicable. One stops complaining and starts appreciating
the little things in life.
To fall in love with yourself is not easy, but once you find a
connection that you appreciate within yourself, you will
understand that there’s nothing beyond love. Your perception
of everything around yourself undergoes a change. It is a
magical transformation, almost as though seeing your life
through a happy and sunny filter.
At this point you start spreading love beyond yourself, beyond
family and beyond boundaries. Life becomes more meaningful
and fulfilling. And your presence itself starts radiating the
serenity you feel inside. As love and life becomes synonymous
you start living that merely existing.
Celebrate love, Celebrate life!

THOUGHTS
CUPID'S FALLEN
ARROW
By PALLAVI MANOJ, Bangalore, India
I float, above it all. The honking, the traffic, the fights and the frolic. Let me tell you, my job isn’t
easy anymore. And me? I keep flying around restless, no different from those below me. I sigh,
missing those days when I was truly above it all.
But there I see, a beautiful soul, eyes cast down and red hair blown around her face. I follow. Sure
of my track and my plan. I get set, arch my weapon at the right angle and hold my stance to fire. I
hear the twang of the bow and hit of the mark. The world around me moves along without a
change and so does she. I follow to see the outcome of a job well done. I sense something
different this time around. The old days are long gone, when you could see the feeling arise in a
person’s eyes and in the small upward tilt of their lips.
As she walks away, I stop, feeling disoriented. I wait for the bloom. It doesn’t come, in its place is
a grey patch, a patch that’s almost tangible but indescribable. Was something wrong with my
weapon? I look down at it. It seems fine enough, with its golden string and wooden arch. I look
around, a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I spot two souls walking hand in hand. I try again.
Thwak!
It hits them hard. But to no avail. They carry on. I panic. My mouth, dry as sand paper. I glide
through souls not pausing to differentiate between genders, colours, race, religion, age. I fire
away, desperately. Having to instil the bloom in as many as possible. I see hope at last! Two souls,
their eyes caught over a bar counter, one tougher than the other. No words spoken, yet there
they were. Moustaches bristling, longing in their eyes. But a huge rush of thoughts and crowd
barge into their private moment. The connection broken, it goes out. Extinguished as soon as it
had surfaced.
I see another bloom and another and another, extinguished one after the other. I cover my face
with my hands. The world had edged along, leaving me behind. Edged towards something that was
sure to break the balance and bring the end. I close my mind, reading thoughts, travelling fast.
‘Younger than me… Never!’
‘My family will never accept this’
‘If anyone else gets to know… I’m doomed’
‘I hate myself!’
‘I don’t need anyone. I’m best left alone’
‘Never again. Love is for fools’
‘His thoughts and my thoughts are different, just like our skin colour’
I felt all the thoughts boiling down to one.
‘We can’t fight anymore! We don’t want to’
It broke me. As the grey patch took over the world. I felt my bow fall and my arrows scatter to a
deafening silence.
Let’s not question futility when fighting for love. Let’s fight with all our might, because when love
wins everyone wins.

FOR THE LOVE OF
EXPERIENCE
ALL THINGS
MUSICAL
BY NEERAJA MENON, SINGAPORE
“Cause in a sky full of stars, I think I saw you." I was
introduced to music at a very young age, partly through my
genes and partly through my enthusiastic family. As I grew, my
love and admiration for music grew with me. Music and I have
almost become like two sides of the same coin. I cherish every
aspect of listening to a song - deciphering the underlying
meanings of its lyrics, memorizing a tricky tune, tapping my feet
to the peppy nature of its percussion. Music, to me, is like a book
full of stories - every song has a story behind it, and every song
that I listen to is a reminder of an unforgettable incident, phase,
or person in my life.
I have always felt like I have an inexplicable connection with
music. As a baby, I could be easily soothed with a melody when I
was irate or wailing. Even today, music brings in me emotions
that no person has ever been able to. Whilst listening to music,
an unknowing smile plays on my lips, the melody bringing back
memories of a good time. Music to me, is what others call love, it
is my solace and my escape. It transports me to a world where I
am free, unencumbered, where I can make my deepest desires
come true. They say people dream in color, but I dream
musically, so much so that there have been times when I’ve sleep
sung!
As in every Indian household, there was always a situation in
which I was nudged to sing in front of a random group of people.
Although awkward at first, I slowly started appreciating my
family who left no stone unturned to nourish my talent. Slowly,
my nervousness turned into elation. The adrenaline that pulses
through my body before entering a stage to perform is like
nothing I’ve ever felt. As I grew musically and otherwise, my
audience changed from friends and family members in a living
room to strangers in a concert hall.
Music has been the most constant of my companions, and I can
never be grateful enough for the magic it has weaved upon me.
Music is my way of spreading happiness to people around me
and it will always be so. My love and my partner forever more to
come.

LOVE PERFUMERY
PHILOSOPHY
By KRIS IYER, Dubai, UAE
Long after one has forgotten what a woman wore, the memory of her perfume lingers. —
Christian Dior
When was the last time a specific smell reminded you of someone?
When someone walks into a room, long before they come into your field of vision, their scent
wafts towards you. The scent even lingers after the person leaves. There are times we
remember a person by his/her scent. Memories of smells… of the oil our grandmothers used,
the freshness of perfume our mothers adorned.... The smell of aftershave or talc used by our
dads. Scents surely are seeds to memories.
It is interesting to note that every perfume has three notes: "Notes de tete," or top notes,
"notes de coeur," central or heart notes, and "notes de fond," base notes. Top notes usually
have fruity smells; central notes resemble aromatic flowers like rose and jasmine which provide
body to the scent; and base notes, usually woody, provides a lasting fragrance. More "notes," of
various smells, are further blended to create the unique perfume you use.
Is it not the same with love and relationships? Like the top notes of a perfume that lasts an
hour or two, the freshness in love is for the initial year or two. It is during this period that love
seems exciting and new. The heart notes stay for 6 to 8 hours and is the body of the fragrance.
The love which sustains the initial six to 8 years proves to be the body of the relationship. The
trust which is built over the years keeps the love strong. Then comes the base notes, which is
the enduring and endearing part- the relationships that last over 25 years. A love that
withstands the test of time.
Every relationship has the notes that create the unique scent of love and life. Our love when
blended right can create the best perfume. The efforts should be to create that perfume of life,
unique to you, which others would quote for generations to come.
The first step is to choose the right notes.

IS IT
THOUGHTS
WORTH IT?
By NAVANEETH NARAYANAN, BANGALORE, INDIA.
Please bear with me while I pose that cliched, age-old question: What is love?
Love. A word which we invented, using alphabets that were also invented by us. And then given
various meanings by us. It is an abstract concept that cannot be quantified in any way
whatsoever. It is the term we like to associate with certain feelings, sensations and emotions. For
the sake of this article, I’m going to talk solely about the most common kind of ‘Love’ that is
referred to in society (After the mother’s love for her child, of course), romantic love, which is
nothing but love between two individuals who happen to be sexually involved.
Human beings have been really good at fooling themselves as a species, since about 70,000 years
ago. Ever since then, we have embarked on a series of revolutions that made us separate from
the physical world. From that point on, we were living in two realities. The physical reality of
mountains, rivers and the Sun; and the fictional reality of gods, human rights and limited liability
companies. Largely due to our ability to believe in these fictions and to coordinate in large
numbers, we have ended up creating a tumultuous and exponentially expanding world for
ourselves. And thanks to the concept of industry, along with this world arises widely varying
attitudes, interests, opinions, values and desires among individuals.
A person might say to the significant other, “I love you”. What he/she says is “I love the concept of
you”.
“I love your attitude, interests, opinions, values and desires. Because they correspond to mine.
And I find that attractive”. But is it possible to find that one person that essentially needs to
fulfill what probably ten or more would be able to?
Physical attraction is key so long as we lived only in the physical world. It is still important,
there’s no doubt about that, because we also live in the physical reality. But today, it’s just not
enough to get your body to shoot that little dose of dopamine or oxytocin into your brain from
time to time. Not when you’re going to live with another individual for 50 years and more (thank
you, monogamy).
Fast forward to 2017. A world of tremendous scientific progress. A world of instant gratification.
A world dominated by social media. A world of image-crafting. A world of individuals and their
cyber-selves. Let’s face it, they are not the same.
Today, to love a person you must love them in all those different planes of realities. And that
includes their cyber-selves. That’s a lot of loving to do.
So, is it worth it?

SERBIA
MEXICO
UNITED KINGDOM
ITALY
UKRAINE
COLORS OF LIFE
ZABEEL PARK
February
CANADA

CELEBRATE
THE MONTH
OF LOVE
Photograph by
Sujil Chandra Bose
Dubai. UAE
sujilchandrabose@gmail.com

FOR NOW, I
TRULY YEARN
B y S H Y A M V I P I N , K O C H I
For Now, I Truly Yearn
For now I truly yearn,
to see my own smile;
that is filled with true joy,
and not a monotone display of enamel -
which too has faded with the tar
that burns from the rolls of white;
and incessantly burn me too.
For now I truly yearn,
to breathe in some life;
that is filled with scents of you,
and not with memories that stink -
of aged casks that drive me further
to the edge of nothingness;
where I have already arrived.
For now I truly yearn,
to be caressed by your touch;
and not by feathers that have
lost their softness under my head;
and neither by the long yarns of white
which still smell of the love we made.
For now I truly yearn,
to feel your tender kiss
and to hear you call my name;
not move my finger
over images on a screen -
for they have only captured
just moments; not the love in them.
For now I truly yearn
for a moment with you.
For now, I truly yearn
and can only yearn.

WHILE YOU
WERE AWAY
B Y Y E S H A S V I M A H A D E V , M I C H I G A N , U S A
I rushed out of the bedroom, determined not to cross paths with
him on my way out.
Too late; he was already brewing his morning coffee.
‘Morning,’ I mumbled, as I sat down across from him. He nodded,
before setting a plate of pancakes under my nose.
‘I didn’t hear you come in last night.’
‘I got home at three. I didn’t want to wake you so I took the couch.’
‘Oh.’ He never asked. I never said. I pulled the bathrobe around me a
little tighter. He ignored the two wine glasses in the sink from the
night before.
N O M A D I C | 2 4

CELEBRATE
THE MONTH
OF LOVE
Painting by
Kris Iyer
Dubai, UAE
Wings of hope
kris@kayeinc-dxb.com

LOVE IN TIME OF
MILITANCY
B Y D R , R A J S H E K A R G , D u b a i , U A E
This is the story my professor told me. He, a man of many talents; not only was he a senior neurologist,
he was a Stroke Fellow from the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, US. He graduated from a premier institute of
India in Chandigarh, and has had an illustrious career. In addition, he is a great singer, with a
mesmerizing voice. His love of music goes beyond borders - though from the Valley of Kashmir, he
worked with us in the southern city of Hyderabad, and loved the local music and movie songs, despite
not knowing a word of the vernacular.
He had another gift - that of story-telling: we used to wait for him to tell us one, and there was as much
joy in the telling as there was in the story itself. I may not be able to reproduce precisely the emotion
we felt at that time, and can do no justice to the style of narration, yet I thought it useful to send this
one here since it is an anthology of love stories - and this one deserves to be called that, more than
many others.
This was a story from way back, so you can mentally think of a “Once upon a time, long, long ago …”
situation - back from the days of his youth, and the Valley was never short of love-stories; but this one,
it appears, happened right in front of them.
Those were days when the insurgency in the Valley had reared its ugly head, and the family of my
professor - than attending middle school - was determined to stay there for as long as it was possible -
they ultimately moved when he was in Medical school a few years later.
While they were still there, many people had been displaced, and this was the story of a young boy -
barely 18 years of age - whose family was evacuated from their village in a remote location, and had
started eking out a living in the metropolis of Delhi.
Now this youth, Ishaan was his name - was enamored of a girl - and dreamt of her day in and day out
despite many miles separating them. He started working as a laborer by the day - for that was the only
kind of work he was eligible for - and pined for her in the night. She was an angel, incredibly beautiful,
with hazel eyes, and long, flowing tresses. He had practically grown up with her, and in his mind, she
reciprocated, too.
One day, as the story goes, he got fed up with the hard labor, the cruel, low-paying master who kicked
and cursed him for being slow - and Ishaan ran away from the ghetto in which they had made their
home. In a matter of a few days, he was on the way to Srinagar, but once there, he faced his first major
difficulty. The militancy was at its peak, and transportation was practically impossible. The Indian
Armed forces were under stress and the soldiers were in no mood to comfort a love-lorn youth.
Iwith wounds, torn clothes, hungry from days of eating just fruits that he could steal from orchards.

C o n t i n u e d f r o m P a g e 2 6
t was a difficult time, because everyone was displaced; there was hardly any semblance of normal life,
and you didn’t know whom to trust. The army was on patrol practically the whole time, and it was wellnigh
impossible to cross the lines.
But somehow, Ishaan dodged the patrolling soldiers and made his way out of Srinagar and started his
long and arduous climb into Kashmir. Nobody knows how long it took him or how he survived the long
journey; when he finally appeared at the village, he was a complete wreck - bleeding,
The first thing the militants did was to put a bullet into him; luckily it was just his leg - so he lived,
though he could not walk. The militants initially thought of torturing him for information - some
accounts say he went through months of torture; but soon, they grew weary when they realized that
the only information he could give was available to them over the radio, anyway!!
They were incredulous when he told them his reason for having made this astounding journey. But
sometimes, the craziest stories are more believable, aren’t they? And the militants are crazy, anyway,
always willing to accept other crazy people!
So, they soon started helping him to search for the girl - not an easy task since everyone had been
displaced. It took weeks - months, some say - when finally she was found, living with an aunt a few 100
kms away.
Now comes the craziest part; because everyone wondered why this girl and her aunt alone stayed back
when entire villages had evacuated. And do you know what, friends? This girl was BLIND!
She had stayed back to take care of her elderly aunt, thinking that would be safer than making a
journey in the dark; she would only have slowed down and risked the lives of her family. The girl's
parents, though tearful, had fled, hoping the militants would somehow spare an old woman and her
blind companion.
Now you can imagine the situation: this boy had made an impossible journey for this girl; the militants
had taken time off from shooting people and blasting bombs to find her. So, when they came to know
she was blind, they were very upset. Impulsively, they almost shot the two lovers, thinking this was
some kind of put-on job; but then they reflected about it and came to the conclusion it was funny, so
they had great fun at the expense of the two young love-birds.
It may sound peculiar, how such cruel people who think nothing of shooting children, old people, and
women - had the heart to spare these two young lovers.
But then, the almanac of love stories (if one exists somewhere) is replete with strange stories. To me,
this account belonged up there among the rarest of rare gems - believable only because it was
recounted by none other than my trusted and much-beloved teacher.
I know I have told this in a matter-of-fact manner, practically without any drama - but let me leave that
for the movie!!

CELEBRATE
THE MONTH
OF LOVE
Radha & Krishna
by Shivani Mathur
Shivani is from New Delhi and currently reside in Dubai, UAE. She is a veteran artist
who regularly conducts Exhibitions and finds her work reviewed by connoisseurs
She can be contacted on
imshivanimathur@gmail.com

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