Alright... this is a very interesting story ....
Now, for a long time, Orkut had deprived me of this particular facility of typing scraps in hindi... (dunno why tho.. of all people/ things in this world.. Orkutting is something that I indulge in religiously; I certainly dont deserve such step motherly treatment!) *makes a face*
sooo.... it would tear a hole in my heart to receive hindi scraps from KanNOTchan ... (n her msgs...are like ..they really provoke me to respond, in the same vein..n here u go... I would be dying to hit back, but would be handicappped by the fact that I was not one of the Chosen Ones in the Orkut list of 'Users Who Get TO Type Scraps In Hindi'!!)

And then.. one fine dayyy ...(a FINE day indeed :)) .. wat do I see? A completely unexpected, pleasant surprise...

Orkut had taken me into its fold ; I was granted the option of typing scraps in Hindi ......

and of course, as usual I lost it! Went overboard with it.. scrapped everyone I could think of ...
and announced my BIG news with the lettered equivalent of a drumroll ...

Sample this scrap that I wrote in Arpita's Srapbook:

हे इ गोट थिस हिंदी स्क्रेप्पिंग ओप्शन नो!! इट्स अवेसोमे!!! (hey I got this hindi scpng option now)
ये!! yay!
ये!
ये!
वो! आईएम गोइंग क्रेजी! [:D] (I am going crazY!)

(I wrote the translations for easy reading :P )


To which she replied:

wow shruti... i've known it for yrs now..ki tere ko jyada stimulus nahi chahiye hota hai "crazy" ho jane ke liye....

or shld i say, तेरे को ज्यादा स्तिमुलुस नहीं चाहिए होता है "क्रेजी" हो जाने के लिए!!!!!








And then, While playing around with Hindi Scraps, the Pseudo-Columbus in my batch suggested to me that I could actually write in hindi on my 'About me' by typing stuff out in the scrapbook.

Lo! and Behold! .... in a flash of a second, u had this :D :D :D

वाह!! कितना कूल है यह!! :D :D

थिस इस सूओऊ एक्स्सितिंग!!!

(this is so exciting!!)

मेरा मतलब है की आज ही ऑरकुट ने मुझे यह हिंदी टाइपिंग की सुविधा उपलब्ध करायी है!
और मैं इसे लेके बहुत ज्यादा एक्स्सितेद (उत्साहित/excited) हूँ!!
और मुझे हमारे batch के नकली-कोलंबस (pseudo-Columbus) ने यह आईडिया दिया की मैं अपने "अबाउट मी"
पर भी इसका उपयोग कर सकती हूँ!!
शुक्रिया कोलंबस!!
वाह! इसमें तोह मैं बहुत सारी कलाकारी (read:creativity) कर सकती हूँ!!
बहुत जल्दी, मैं यहाँ कुछ अच्छा सा लिखूँगी!!
तब तक के लिए,
Happy Hindi reading/Typing!!! :D

..whoa! here is one of my fav poems by Maithili Sharan Gupt.
lemme type it down in hindi :D

-- दोनों ओर प्रेम पलता है

दोनों ओर प्रेम पलता है...
पतंग भी जलता है सखी,
हा दीपक भी जलता है,
दोनों ओर प्रेम पलता है.

शीश हिलाकर दीपक कहता,
बंधू वृथा ही तू क्यूँ देहता;
पर पतंग पड कर ही रहता-
कैसी विह्वलता है!
दोनों ओर प्रेम पलता है.

कहता है पतंग मन मारे
तुम महान, मैं लघु पर प्यारे
क्या ना मरण भी हाथ हमारे?
शरण किसे छलता है
दोनों ओर प्रेम पलता है

बचकर हाय पतंग करे क्या!
प्रणय छोड़कर प्राण धरे क्या!
मरे नहीं तो मरा करे क्या !!
क्या यह असफलता है?
दोनों ओर प्रेम पलता है...

दीपक के जलने में, आली
फिर भी है जीवन की लाली
पर पतंग भाग्य लिपि काली-
किसका वश चलता है...
दोनों ओर प्रेम पलता है.

जगती वनिक्वृत्ति है रखती
उसे चाहती जिसे चकती
काम नहीं, परिणाम निरखती
मुझे यही खलता है..
दोनों ओर प्रेम पलता है...

(hmm... in case you are wondering Arpita, Ritz and Shilpi, as to what-the-hell-has-gotten-into-her-head-that-shes-putting-up-sissy-
hindi-poetry-on PREM of all things :D :D, Well........
I actually like this one a lot.
Let me explain the context and meaning of this verse by Maithili Sharan Gupt.
It is a depiction of a scene from the Ramayana (again, a bit of imagination on the part of the poet.
When Prince Rama is ordered by his Father to spend fourteen years in 'vanvaas' or life as an ordinary bhikshu, in the forest, his wife Sita promptly declares that she will follow suit. Despite Lord Rama's entreaties to her that this sentence was meant only for him, and that there is no compelling reason for her to suffer with him, Sita does not relent. She would not be able to survive without her husband anyway, she points out; Mata Sita, of course is the ideal hindu wife - who would stand by her husband - in sickness as in health, in happiness or in suffering.
Then of course, Rama's brother Laxman insists upon accompanying them; after much resistance from the elder brother, He becomes a part of the troupe.
But then there is Urmila, Laxman's wife. She too insists, pleads with her husband to let her go with him. However, Laxman puts his foot down. One, he probably feels that he could not condemn her to a life of toil and suffering.Two, he reminds her that it is her Dharam to stay back and look after his family, as the daughter-in-law of the house.
Urmila's spent tears go unnoticed.
Here the poet tries to highlight the fact that perhaps Urmila's sacrifice was greater than that of Sita- since, for a (Hindu) woman, there is no greater joy, privilege or blesssing than to serve her husband and stay with him at all times. Separation from him is nothing short of a curse or suffering.
Here, Urmila is relating her plight to her friend (referred to as "aali" meaning "sakhi"/ friend) ..
however, with a blind devotion and reverence for her husband, which is so typical of a Hindu Wife, Urmila is justifying Laxman's decision of condemning her to this life of separation and suffering, by pointing out that his own suffering because of this separation is no less.
She draws an analogy with the relationship between a firefly ('patanga') and an oil lamp (diya or Deepak)
The attraction of the Firefly towards the flame of the deepak is said to be so intense that it cannot bear the pain of separation from the latter, and eventually it plunges into the fire, immolating itself. Urmila points out that the Deepak too reciprocates the love of the former and suffers in the process - for if the patanga burns itself to death, the deepak itself continuously burns too. However, the intensity of love and devotion is higher in the case of the patanga, and the manner in which both burn themselves eventually into nothingness, is also vastly different; One burns insignificantly into ashes, while the other at least spreads light and energy and hence is held in higher regard and esteem by the materialistic/uilitarian mindset of the society.

And of course, u have to actually READ the poem to get its depth and meaning.
Though personally, its the rhythm and rhyme of the poem that really strikes a chord with me.

Wow.. u must be thinking I have totally lost it....

but then..when did I actually "have it"?? :D Food for thought ?

On that note...
signing off,

Shruti