It was a Dream

It was a dream I hoped

The dark corners and the hard earth

The pain that lashed across my body

And the stain that grew without consent

Red became my nightmare

My screams died soon

It drained away with the rain

Leaving just a smear

Walk, I told myself

You will be safe soon

Don’t worry about the eyes

They can only stare

Hands remained by their sides

None were raised to help

Run, I told myself

Shelter is not too far away

Hidden under the blankets

Ears strained for any sounds

Twitching and moaning

I made it through that night

Another morning dawned

Shadows of nightmares remained

It all came crashing back

All that seemed a dream

A struggle to stand up

Another to standup tall

Be strong, I told myself

Atleast you are alive

You are sane and you are strong

And you can fight

I screamed last night

I will shout today

If I was scared yesterday

Fury has replaced it now

I will show the bruises

The map of black and blue

In the depth of these marks

I will show them the proof

You thought I will hide

But I stand tall right here.

There are many scars still

I have given them new meaning

I still fight everyday

To rebuild what you broke

You are free no more

But you curbed my freedom too

Days are darker at times

They are looking better now

I am learning again

To trust and smile

I promise I will

I promise I will

I see my body differently

With respect and love

It has felt so much

And still it is so strong

I refuse to give you the power,

The power to destroy me

It is mine as it always was

And I choose to raise it.

PLEASURE

A soft caress, lingering lips and wandering hands.

Its night again, back with its shadows and memories.

Slippery fingers that trailed a blazing path,

followed by wet kisses and whispered words.

I feel it now as I had then; a touch is all it takes.

Goosebumps on my skin and a pulse that is racing;

the silence broken by a gasp that betrays words.

The air is heavy and the sounds dampened.

Sweat gathered in the dip of my back,

the hollow of my throat; rising temperature

and the hard grip on my thighs.

A story unfolds here in the curve of my waist

and the messed up sheets of the bed.

Written with the entwined hands, entangled legs.

Arms that embrace sturdy shoulders,

gripping hard to pull closer, till no space remains.

A moment to memorize your eyes, your lips, your face.

A moment of simple ecstasy, of breathing together,

and of existing as one.

Explore

Believe me when I say that there are better things to do in life

than waiting for your prince charming.

There are books to read and new worlds to explore.

There are fictional characters to love and adore.

There is an artist in you begging to be released.

Maybe you can learn to dance or ever sing.

Sometimes the dreams we dream

can be changed into reality.

You just have to try once to realize,

that even the sky is within the limits.

Some try to write, stories or poetry even random lines.

I try to read them out loud.

If you want to travel, the world is huge.

You should start from somewhere soon.

I have more things to list,

but I see no fun in that.

Why don’t you go ahead and search

You might find the best of it yet. 

Media Convergence

If we look at the media trends of last ten years the most probable inference is that media forms are much more intertwined than they were earlier. There are no isolated departments of media anymore. Different media platforms like TV, radio and print have merged together to a large extent giving birth to an integrated form of media. How and what we see as media has undergone drastic changes since the internet has become a commonplace feature in everyday life. The internet functions as the bridge that fills the gaps between various media platforms. It has been the major game changer for convergent media.

 Henry Jenkins defines this form of media convergence by looking at it as five distinct processes namely, technological, organic, economic, cultural and global. Neither of the processes can evolve without the support of the others and hence are jointly seen as responsible for this concurrence of media forms in modern society. This phenomenon also includes the free flow of content which has been observed in the recent years. The question that arises is how the different forms of media as we know them have become integrated. As mentioned above, the internet functions as the buffer between different forms and becomes the common platform for all. The digitization of media products and services lies at the base of this 21^st century development. The extent to which digital media content can be sourced, distributed and accesses is dependent on the availability of high-speed broadband internet, which has seen tremendous growth in the last decade.

Convergence describes the contribution of all component platforms in the delivery of the information product to a web based operating system. It results in a simultaneous information sharing and enhancement.  The development of technology remains beneficial to media as it is for other fields. Decreasing software and product prices due to technological advancement allows easier and smoother introduction of one form of media into another. Collaborations in the industry have become prevalent as a result of this. A team trained to function within different forms of media armed with the equivalent technology reduces the manpower and resource consumption of any media company. This in turn reduces cost of human resources as well as technological resources for the media industry.

Convergent media is the coming together of all realms of media industry be it print, TV, radio or the more recent entries like internet and mobile phones. The concept of convergence has undergone scrutiny and fine tuning from media companies for a lot of time. They accept its growing importance and the need to adapt with the changing times. The fast paced life of today’s people reflects in their demands. Quick access to everything and constant connectivity remains is their main concern. Internet remains at the crux of it all. It makes possible the direct and quick access that audience nowadays desire.

Another important feature of convergent media is the increased user interaction and the user created content. The use of World Wide Web indicates a more active audience thus higher participation and user content. All forms of digital media formats like social media, social networking sites, mobile phones etc are included within the umbrella of convergent media.

How media convergence effect training for the field, is an essential question.  The integration that is being witnessed in the industry is reflected in institutes that train the next generation of professionals for the industry. Integrated courses with a fully rounded education and training for students of media are the norm in institutions now. Students are allowed the specialization in the field of their choice but are also pushed into learning the basics of all major media fields so as to be just as proficient as media has become in 21^st century.

Thus we can conclude that media convergence is not a phase in the industry but a change for a better future. It has been accepted by many and celebrated by others. After delving into convergent media it becomes important to know that the future of media involves an integrated singular format and the need for proper training is central to this future. 

Finding Faults

I have been trying to color within the lines of my colour book. 
Make sure that my hands don't cross any borders. 
I have been trying to write my alphabets within the lines.
Trying to keep my wayward pencil from moving out of the margin.
I have dotted my i's and crossed my t's.
But still I feel I have left something undone.
You are good at finding my faults,
do tell me if I am wrong.

I have been trying to keep myself from speaking.
My slurred speech has many mistakes.
I have been trying to say how I feel.
But the words get lost in my mind.
I learnt the letters by heart and recite them everyday.
Yet I feel my memory will abandon me.
You are good at finding my faults,
do tell me if I am wrong.

I have been trying to put my clothes on.
The kind that you approve.
I am covering myself up from others.
I suppose I am only yours to see.
I think I look proper.
But my errors have been many.
You are good at finding my faults,
do tell me if I am wrong.

I am trying to step within the boundaries.
The boundaries that you have set up for me.
I am trying to remain within the walls.
The walls that were erected by you.
I think I have followed all rules you setup.
But I have made mistakes before.
You are good at finding my faults,
do tell me if I am wrong.

Some more New Year Resolutions to kick start 2014

The New Year has come and the internet is flooded with New Year Resolutions that one should definitely have, and also those which should be avoided at any cost. It is a tradition that id followed with utmost devotion – to make resolutions that you may or may not follow through the year (it will be presumptuous of me to assume no one follows theirs).

After careful deliberation and a lack of anything more productive to you I decided that it will be good to document the few resolutions that are revolving around in my mind. So here it goes:

Want this to be on my table!

1) The BIG ONE: This is the year where I will start working, actually paying job, 9-5 (or something near enough) timing and all that jazz. I just hope that whatever I do I love. I don’t want to be one of those people who work for money and only money. It is important definitely but I want enough strength and presence of mind to know that this (whatever it turns out to be) is what I want to do.

2) As much as ‘growing up’ is fun I want to keep what little childish-ness I have intact for the rest of my life. It is fun and it is what I need when everything else gets to be too much to handle. If the prediction of work and deadlines and projects in the near future comes true then it’ll be my only weapon for keeping me sane and functional.

If they can do it then I want to try too. Not the family thing but
"hey we are adults and still crazy having fun" thing.

3) Learn how to drive: I know how to drive, have taken classes and practiced on and off for some time. Now what I need is regular practice and the gut to take the car out in Delhi traffic. This isn't me looking for easier transportation but simply learning a skill which can come handy in many situations. I just need to get over my phobia of getting into an accident or hurting someone.

I think this phobia is legit, no matter what others say!

4) Relax more: I realized that despite all my talks of being not very stressed I don’t take time out to spend it with a lot of my friends. We have crazy uncoordinated schedules but when I do meet them after a long time all I can think is that I should have done this earlier. So this year I am going to make sure that I meet the people I miss without waiting for them to come forward (meaning I will be less an ass and make the first move!!)

5) Make lots of future plans, each being more extravagant and unreal or almost unreal than the last. What is the fun in living if you can’t have unbelievable dreams that you want to make real? Be it an all out,  spending money like water trip to LAS VEGAS or buying a sprawling villa in the mountains/beach house, I want it all. It all comes back to the saying I have heard a million times – “Always aim for the Moon, even if you miss, you'll land among the stars”.

Maybe I am being a little too literal!

Noises and Silences

There is noise when I wake up and there is noise when I sleep.

We speak too much and we speak before we think.

Our day starts with either a simple good morning

while we smile and welcome the new day.

Or it is a groan of frustration,

on the sleep left unfinished once again.

As the day progresses the noise does not die down;

it builds like a crescendo,

which we expect to peak and crash at any moment.

We wait in anticipation till we can’t wait anymore;

we may scream to join in the noise,

or we may fight it with our silence.

If people decide to say less and do more,

this world might become as we wish for it to be.

It’s hard to separate the meaningful from the meaningless.

It’s all scrambled into nothing but noise.

I wish the noise of traffic and the ever present humanity

could fall down in its volume, and

we could enjoy that silent peace that

we travel thousands of miles to seek.

But then I realize this silence is no less noisy

because nature was not made for silence.

It has the chirping birds and the rustling trees;

it has our breathing as it has the blowing wind.

There is the noise of life and

then there is the white noise of silence.

In a city, early morning is a time of peace,

when the world is still muddled by its slumber.

Then too you can hear the gentle reminder

of life that continues even as we sleep.

This silence is not what I seek.

I seek a time when the voices of humanity

is what draws me in.

A silence where voices have meaning

and meanings are given a voice.

Where the noise can be filtered and

the meaning can be heard.

A silence which has hundreds of thoughts

and not just futile chatter filling it up.

A silence in which words still hold their value

which the noise does not disrupt.