First Rain

Yesterday, it rained in the evening. Though it was a small shower, it was enough to drench the earth.

The whole atmosphere was full of the smell of the freshness of the earth, i felt as if monsoon was around though summers has not even set in properly.

There is something about the smell of the first rain and of the wet earth. There is some kind of magic in it. It made me feel alive even at the end of a tiresome day.

The rumblings of the clouds roused an inexplicable feeling within. How I wished I could step out of the house.....fling my arms wide open under the drizzling blue expanse and twirl as if in a trance with my eyes closed.....feel the droplets kiss my body and wash away all my worries and fatigue.

Feeling Outdated

Just a day after starting my blog with a lot of enthusiasm, I was surfing and then I realized that there was not one or two but quite a many blog which had a similar blog name i.e. Scribblings on the Wall. I felt so weird, stale and outdated because I had not surfed or checked for the name elsewhere. It had just come to my mind. I hadn’t thought while christening my blog that somebody could have thought about it before. But to my surprise there were more than one and it was disheartening to discover that.

I had thought of the present blog title because I wanted a simple, funky or a trivial one which would reflect the state of my mind rather than a very philosophical one. As am in the habit of scribbling on bits and pieces of paper or on the empty sides of newspapers so, I thought what could be more better than 'scribbling on the wall'. Because I used to scribble almost every stray thought, on whatever that came my way be it a book or newspaper or my table. I used to put it down fast, afraid that I may forget it later or may not be able to recall it the way I had thought about it for the first time. I had thought of other names such as ‘fragments of time’, ‘scattered memories’, ‘scattered leaves of time’, etc, but these did not appeal to me nor my friend much. So, I settled down with ‘scribblings on the wall’ because blogging would become a mere extension of my scribbling habit.

This may have happened with many during discussions and meetings that the moment one would think of raising one’s hand to make a point or contribute to the discussion, one would hear almost exactly the same point being raised by someone else. And one is left with nothing but to simply nod one’s head in agreement and say ‘ya, even I thought the same’ but deep inside one would feel like killing self for not being quick enough to speak out before others snatched that moment of glory.

Now I feel that what ever thought may come to my mind for the first time may not be really the first time because it may have crossed somebody else’s mind before. So, where’s the novelty or how can one ascertain that whatever I or somebody else may think may not have been thought of earlier. I don't know if there is anything that can be done about it rather than feel outdated…………………

Scribblings on the Wall

As a child i remember scribbling on the wall and watch the crooked letters cover the bare wall. I was fascinated by the stray dark lines and strokes that my pencil left on the white base as i moved my pencil on the wall. Those scribbles were not mere scribbles for me, they were my signature, my painting, my creation, my imagination, my art. They were no less important or less valuable than any of the masterstrokes of Picasso or M. F. Husain. To me the wall was a wide canvas and those scribbles an expression of the self.

If we look around our own surroundings we find things scribbled here and there whether it is the back of a bus seat, wall of a public loo, monuments, trees, etc. But these are not the doings of a small child but that of a grown up. At times its hilarious, thought provoking, silly and annoying. Slangs are common and mostly found on loo walls, bus seats and heritage walls. Trees have to bear the pain as passionate lovers carve the names of their beloveds with a lot of art. Campus walls have words etched on it like freedom, andolan, strike and revolution by zealous youths who think that it is only them who can change the world. Most of the universities and colleges have provided the students a space known as the 'wall of democracy' where the students can write whatever they like or stick bills or posters of campaign. It is a way to recognise and also to stop these young adults from dirtying the campus with their mature scribbles.

These insignificant scribbles turn into the writings on the wall when they belie the simplicity or the ordinariness of the words scribbled and enflame the mind of the readers. When it evokes strong sentiments of love, hate, anger, protest and joy resulting into a cry or revolution; it doesn't remain in the realm of childish ignorance but becomes political. So, the scribblings on the wall like garibi hatao, freedom from religion, stop ragging, justice, peace, etc have the potential to turn into the writings on the wall and hence, become slogans of change and awakening.