June 11, 2012

Wind Beneath My Wings - Poem




You are the wind beneath my wings,
You are the sky I want to fly,
You are the song I want to sing,
You are the truth I can never lie.

You are the love in my veins,
You are the thought that remains,
You are the cloud when it rains,
You are the memory that never feigns.

You are the milestone I run
You are the path that I walk
You are the shadow under the scorching sun,
You are the words when I talk.

You are the calmness in the storm,
Your are the anchor in the deep,
You are the destiny where my love begins and ends,
You are the wind beneath my wings.





Gyanban Thoughts - this poem is an ode to the story...

June 4, 2012

Wind Beneath My Wings - VIII




Read from the begining.



Suddenly everything was clear and he recalled his past. As love possessed him, he wanted to become a better man, forsake all evil and become good once again. He was tired of being the agent of death. The bonus was immortality and eternal youth, but no love made it all worthless. He craved for some love, some life. He craved for one touch, one kiss, just one embrace, to feel her, to be with hereto love her like never before or ever since.

Those four years of watching Rosalyn were just magical for him, the best memories of his life, and he will cherish them forever – forever ,well, that’s something he cannot say anymore I guess.

As time passed, his restlessness grew and when he could bear it no more, he took a decision to forsake his immortality to go back to Earth and win her over, just to spend the rest of his mortal life with her.

Finally, the story of my life perhaps didn’t need a twist – but I can hardly complain as I have been behind numerous such twists and turn of other’s lives.

As I floated over Jatin Das Park, I finally saw Rosalyn walking up to me. She looked beautiful as ever, even  though there was blood spattered on her dress. I could tell she was hurt not just physically, but mentally. She looked at me with piercing eyes – for leaving her four years ago.
We looked at each other for a few seconds and then finally she spoke –

‘Gerald where have you been all this while – I have missed you so intensely?’

‘Darling I’ve found just the dream place for you and me in heaven’.

‘What did you do all these years?’

‘Well, to begin with, I was assisting Apollyon with his job and repaying for the sins I committed on earth before finding a small place in heaven.

You know that’s when I learned the sinister events on February the 14th four years ago. Apollyon,the angel of death fell in love with you and orchestrated the accident, and instead of you he took me with him. I was fortunate the Lord Almighty, his father, our father, was watching over all that happened. Rest as they say is history.’

‘But who was Mr.White?’

‘Well that was just a loving father trying to help his son.’

As for Apollyon, well, like he has done this many times before, the same will happen to him, he will not remember any of this in a few minutes, and he will resume his mortal life on earth till realization strikes him after his death.

Just like it did to you and me.





Gyanban Thoughts - Final and concluding part of the mini series. I enjoyed writing this and originally had a different ending,  I started the story hoping to write a love story without any twists or turns.Then I turned  to write a sombre love story, a father son saga,finally after re reading hundred times chose a paranormal  angle to it. Therefore if you read the series in one go, you will find these elements in the narration. A good story needs a good scene description,so you find a detailed account of Rosalyn's life.A good needs attention to detail,so i spent sometime developing Gabriel and Roaslyn's personalities.A good story needs research  so when I was trying to design a super natural thriller an element of research was required to add to the authenticity of the narration - all of these  were critical..Rosalyn, Gerald, Apollyon all mythical characters dating back to pre and post christianity evolution.
The resultant mix of all these elements, gave birth to Wind Beneath my Wings. I enjoyed writing this, hope you had an equally good time reading this.
Till next time....ciao.


Read from the begining.

June 1, 2012

Wind Beneath My Wings - VII


Read from the begining.


 ‘Listen Gabriel, I think you should go home, I am sorry  - if I’ve been rude. But I do think you need help. Besides, I don’t recall seeing you at Gerald’s funeral, not that I was in my complete senses, but  I am quite certain you are mistaking me for someone else.’

‘Gerald never spoke about you – how were you his friend? I did know most of his friends. I mean I ve never seen you, I don’t know you, and now you appear out of no where and expect me to get off the train and then spend my entire life with you?’
‘Do you realize this is what people refer to as insanity?’ She ended her practicality spiel with a hint of sarcasm.’

Every word she spoke made perfect sense, yet something in him kept bothering about the time. His watch read 10:05 PM. He couldn’t quite place what was bothering him more, that rank stranger who asked him to get off the train before ten past ten or the fact that he was running out of options to convince Rosalyn of his love.

In the meanwhile, the train started to approach Jatin Das Park, the penultimate station before Kalighat. As the train slowed down, he realized that the conversation was going no where and soon he would run out of time.
He thought of a last resort – as an act of desperation -to pull her out of the train by force. There weren’t too many people awake to witness, but if she resisted then it could get dicey. Yet not doing it, would translate to a regret for the rest of his mortal life, and he wasn’t prepared to live like that.’

He looked into her eyes, and pleaded one last time with all his heart and soul –

‘Rosalyn – I want you to know – that I love you and I’d do anything for you’.

Rosalyn was startled. How did he know her name?

What happened next is something, which turns this simple love story into a whirlpool, something which makes it surreal.As the train stopped at Jatin Das Park, she stood up to run away from him, he latched on to her right hand trying to pull her back. The door was just a couple of feet away. She resisted and a scuffle ensued. Rosalyn slammed the bags with her left hand on his head.He fell down, a little away from the door. The sliding doors opened swiftly and  she jumped out of the  compartment and started to run ahead. Having a rather high-heeled shoe didn’t help the pace.
 She twisted her ankle a few coaches ahead.Just then the rogue overhead announcement system, urged the passengers to stay away from the doors, as they were about to close. Meanwhile he had to get up quickly and get out of the coach before the doors closed in exactly 30 seconds.He dragged himself out of the train just in time – 15 seconds for the doors to close.As he rolled over on to the platform he saw Rosalyn trying to get up and run with the shoes in her hand.He shouted –‘Rosalyn don’t leave me’. 5 seconds for the doors to close.She turned around to look at him once, and  that was the last time he saw those wonderful eyes. As he hunched on his knees he saw her jump back on to the train as the doors closed.
A lump in his throat threatened to burst, tears welled up and his heart sank as he watched the train leave Jatin Das Park station. Each passing compartment took away the last ounce of hope he had left of seeing Rosalyn.He slumped back and sat down on the platform wondering why did he do this at all ? He hadn’t seen his watch in all this commotion. 

The watch showed 10:10PM – and that is when he  heard a huge explosion inside the tunnel ahead. A not so distant burst of flames engulfed the tunnel with smoke.Alarm bells went off and he could hear distant commotion from the street above, people screaming and running, and the mind was fuzzy. He just couldn’t get up and walk.Just then someone helped him get up. It was the same stranger on the train. He was at a loss for words.He broke the ice again.‘Gabriel I am sorry, this is how it had to happen – I had to do my job.’‘I am sure you realize I had a new role to play and there was no way I couldn’t execute it.’ ‘A job which you excelled and something which I never wanted to do – I did it only because I couldn’t stand and watch you suffer, you are one of my own – do you remember now?’

‘I had to take her with me since you refused the last time. Her time was up. I’ve been trying to warn her all day long – I tried to cancel her trip to office – but she just wouldn’t budge. I tried to delay everything on her way, thinking this might dissuade her from getting out of her home, which was the only hope for another extension. But she was persistent.’

‘I must say, being the angel of death is tougher than I’d imagined.’

‘And look at you – you gave away eternity for this woman?’ ‘Don’t tell me that I didn’t warn you back then – I tried – but you were in love and you wouldn’t listen to any of us’.

Father knew this would happen, and if He let you know in advance, then it would make Him unfair to the rest, and you and I both know, that is impossible. Or perhaps, if He agreed, then He would have to do this for all of humanity – which is not such a smart thing to do isn’t it?

‘I did ask Him to stop you from doing this but He said that though He is sad, but He will never stop you from your free will and choice. You’ll have to own up to your actions and their consequences’

The stranger’s words were slowly entering his sphere of consciousness. It all came back to him.

Mr.White, the stranger in the white suite was his replacement as the angel of death.




Gyanban thoughts - The story heads into climax in the following episode.

Read part I
Read part II
Read part III

Read Part IV

Sands of time

The scorching sun follows me Hot dunes burn my feet I know you are waiting for me As I leave the last oasis. A grain of sand tears my skin T...