Taruna Ghera

Come, rest your head on my shoulder, for this feels grey, warm and older. no other language I know except for this,  this very moment is a moment of bliss. I know that you're tired and hurt now, but I promise we'll make it somehow. Through all the days that leave us colder, Come, rest your head on my shoulder. I know how heavy at times it feels, I miss our conversations and shared meals. Now that I miss the place I called my home once, where we shared our thoughts and stolen glance. I can see that you want it, all of it, Don't want to put this to waste, even a bit, So let the world grow quiet for a while, come, rest your head, and stay awhile. After a while, you found a place to rest, called out my name, said this feeling's the best. I could see that you were relieved from the stress, Well! that was the whole point of it, I guess! It was time for us to finally leave,  mix of emotions, but hardest was to grieve, of this moment, of us, of your head on my shoulder, want hi...

He came in like an uninvited guest, yet somehow, his arrival felt like fate at its best. Nothing was planned, nothing was known, yet somehow their hearts found a way of their own. It started with teasing, a smile and a stare, then slowly became something neither could spare. What began as a joke, light, playful, and sweet, soon turned into something that felt incomplete. Whenever they parted, whenever they strayed, as though every distance made them afraid. There was honey on lips, there was light in their eyes, a sweetness that neither could quite disguise. They carried their own glow, their own golden hue, yet somehow the sweetest thing was what they both knew. Morning came softly, reminding them to part, but they stole one last sweetness straight from the heart. They had work, they had people, they had places to be, yet somehow, they always found time secretly. They fought and disagreed, they stumbled, they fell, but ran back to each other, as if under a spell. Back then, love was w...

“Yeah, my flight is tomorrow evening, and there’s still so much left to do. I’m gonna call you back,” I said to someone from work, before turning back to the checklist that still had far too many boxes left unchecked. “Iru?” Maa called from the kitchen. “Kal raste ke liye kya bana doon?” “Maa, flight mein hi kha lungi . Don’t worry.” Right then, my phone rang. Aditya calling... “Hey! What’s up? How’s the packing going?” “Don’t ask. Tiring. Confusing. Even worse than getting a CSAT at work. But who am I complaining to? The top performer of the month? Huh! What do you know?” I said, rolling my eyes even though he couldn’t see me. “I didn’t call you to discuss work, silly. You’re leaving tomorrow. I’m getting anxious, but I’m also happy for you. Seeing you happy makes me happy. But tell me honestly, Ira. Are you really happy?” There was something about the conviction in his voice that made lying feel impossible. “Ads, to be really honest, I do want what I’m about to get tomorrow. Once I t...

I walked to where you lay, wrapped in a quiet kind of grey. "Are you okay?" you gave a nod, a silent sway. I called you over to my place. You came, and settled close enough for the world to lose its pace. "If you need to rest, then rest with me." You smiled, as though that's where you'd always wished to be. My hand found your face without a sound. For a moment, it felt like home had finally been found. I pulled away. You opened your eyes and softly said, "Leave it there." So, I did. My fingertips wandered every line, every curve, every trace, trying to memorize the poetry of your face. It felt too gentle, too tender, too true, like a dream that somehow had learned how to come into view. You kept your eyes closed, then opened them slow, just enough to let me know that peace had found you too. "Sleep," I whispered. "I'll be here when you wake." You wrapped yourself inside my rug, then reached for my hand with effortless love. ...

"How old are you?  (I hope she does not mind me asking that) "Uh! I am 22". "You're WHAT!?!" "Uh-oh! Why is that shocking?" "Nothing, it just is, I don't know!" The next day, I saved her a seat on the left side of me, and that was it. It took me 7 seconds to get to know her, because you see, obviously we got along over Taylor Swift's songs and might have shook a leg on Gallan Goodiyan too.  I neither know her from school, where you can count the years, we've known each other for, nor do I know her from college, where we have bunked classes together. She just randomly decided to share her darkest secrets with me, and I had shared even darkest of the secrets with her, and that was it, bonded by the trauma.  She finds me very smart, and funny, deep thinker that tends to have brain of a 7-year-old. She keeps telling me the way I look so good in her eyes and the way our minds just *click*. The kind of telepathy that only my other ...

there’s nothing that I don’t know already, how I wanted my life slow and steady. I have been so calm for the longest time, but also leaving my wisdom and prime. but maybe silence was just a test, to see if I’d rise when life said rest. rest? the inner chaos or the memories, that came with tears worn like accessories. but accessories were meant to enhance the beauty, family, life, career- my prioritized duty. duty I did not consider a priority at first, started feeling like I was maybe cursed. cursed for those who did not let me shine, never from those whom I actually called mine. mine, not for them, maybe just for me, their love so pure, yet too hidden to see. now, I have set my priorities straight, not opening any more new gates. even the windows are shut tight, so, friends can no longer backbite. not really worried about the marks they leave, though they still make me ache, still make me grieve. for a love like that, I won’t grieve now,  I finally found me, again, somehow. - Taru...

"Excuse me? Hi!"   I turned around and saw a boy, sweaty and tired. His eyes showed that he had been walking for a long time. "Hieee!" I said, with an even wider smile. "Could you please help me with this address and the exact location? I am new to this place."  "Of course, go straight and take a right turn...(I proceeded to explain him the address he was looking for)." "Thank you. By the way, I am Vayu." "Vayu!? With an A or two As?" "With two As. And you are?"  "I am Taruna."  "Karuna?" "No, Taruna, with a T." "Oh, Taruna, okay. What an unusual name! What does it mean?"  (With a smile) "It means, a young beautiful tree." "Hmm...a young beautiful tree!" I boarded the metro at 6:04 pm. Exhausted. Tired. Toggling inside. I reached home.  Told my mother about the entire day and how I spent it, which mostly included fighting over an extra laddoo with my collea...

एक कमरा है। वही, छोटा सा, किराये का कमरा।  पता नहीं, कितने ही लोग, कितने ही परिवार उसमें रहकर चले गए।  लोग- हर जाती, हर धर्म, हर शख्सियत, हर किरदार के लोग।  उन सब में और हम में, प्यार तो था, पर तकरार ज़्यादा थी। कभी पानी को लेकर, कभी बिजली को लेकर, कभी कपड़े सूखने- सुखाने की जगह को लेकर। क्या करते! छोटा था न वो कमरा।  ताज्जुब की बात है कि उस कमरे में रहने वाली सारी औरतें ही रहीं- कोई ब्याही, कोई बिन-ब्याही, सब अपने परिवारों से दूर।  फिर एक दिन आया, जब उस कमरे में मुझे ठहरना पड़ा।  इस कमरे में रहते हुए मुझे अभी कुछ हफ़्ते ही हुए हैं। यह कमरा देखने में खास सुंदर नहीं है, और इसकी दीवारें भी टूटी-फूटी सी हैं- कहीं से सीमेंट उखड़ा हुआ है, कहीं दीवारों में छोटे-बड़े छेद हैं। मगर फिर भी, मैंने इसे बहुत सहेजकर रखा है।  यह कमरा उतना ही बड़ा है जितनी हमारी ज़िन्दगी- रहने की जगह तो हर किसी को मिल जाती है, मगर उसे सहेजकर रखना, यह औरतों का ही हुनर है।  इस कमरे में मुझे उन सभी औरतों की हँसी की गूँज सुनाई देती है। उनकी धीमी, थकी हुई हँसी, उनके बे...

सत्ताईस साल हो गए उसे।  सत्ताईस साल।  एक पेड़ है, ठीक मेरे कमरे की बालकॉनी के बाहर।  कितने तूफ़ान, कितनी आँधियाँ, कितनी तीखी-चिलमिलाती धूप देखी होगी उसने... ...पर फिर भी वह खड़ा हुआ है, वहीं, उसी जगह, उसी वातावरण में, उन्ही अन्य पेड़ों के बीच।  ताज्जुब की बात है कि उस पेड़ पर हर साल आम आते हैं। और हम हर साल उन रसीले आमों का लुत्फ़ उठाते हैं।   वो कहते हैं न, "पेड़ कभी खुद अपने फल नहीं खा सकता",  शायद इसीलिए उसकी जड़ें इतनी गहरी होती हैं, ताकि वो अपना सर्वस्व देने में ही जी सके, लेने में नहीं। बरसों से उसने अपनी छाँव दी, अपने फल दिए, यहाँ तक कि अपनी डालों में परिंदों का घर भी बसा लिया, पर कभी किसी से कुछ माँगा नहीं। सिर्फ खड़ा रहा, चुपचाप, सब सहते हुए। मैं अक्सर, सुबह उठ कर, अपनी बालकॉनी में जाकर, उस पेड़ के सामने खड़ी हो जाती हूँ। मेरा घर चौथे माले पर है और इस पेड़ का कद भी कुछ इतना ही है। मैं उस से कुछ ख़ास कहती तो नहीं, बस उसे देखती रहती हूँ ।  सोचती कुछ नहीं पर बहुत कुछ सोच लेती हूँ।   मुझे पता है, उससे बातें करके कोई ...

(Beyond the Cracks- Hindi) मेरे कप में पड़ी दरारें मुझे एहसास कराती हैं... ...कि हर दरार, एक बीता लम्हा, एक जिया हुआ दिन, जो कभी गरम चाय सा उबला, तो कभी ठंडी खामोशी में भीग गया। ज़िंदगी भी तो ऐसी ही होती है ना,  हर रोज़ इस्तेमाल होती है, कभी थकती नहीं, चाहे उसमें कितनी ही बार दरारें क्यों न पड़ी हों। कोई नहीं पूछता कि कितनी बार टूटी, कितनी बार खुद को समेटा, कितनी बार खुद को धोकर फिर से तैयार किया, बस ये देखा जाता है कि आज फिर क्या वो मुस्कराकर सामने आई या नहीं। वक़्त की गर्माहट, हालातों की तपिश, रिश्तों की भीगती शामें,  सबने मिलकर इसे कुछ ना कुछ दिया है। और वो सब इन दरारों में कैद है, बिना शोर, बिना शिकायत। अब लगता है, दरारों का होना टूटने की निशानी नहीं, बल्कि जीने का सबूत है। हर निशान कहता है, 'मैं आज भी यहाँ हूँ, टूटा हूँ, मगर थमा नहीं, घिसा हूँ, मगर रुका नहीं।' ज़िंदगी- एक पुराना कप है शायद, जिसमें हर सुबह की चाय बस यूँ ही नहीं बनती, वो दरारों से होकर ही अपना स्वाद पाती है। - तरुणा घेरा  🤍 Beyond the Cracks (English translation) The cracks in my cup remind me......

I’ve stopped keeping track of how many fictional men I’ve fallen for. Bold of me to accept it :P... ...not in the fangirl way. Not in a poster-on-the-wall, quote-in-the-bio kind of way. But in the quiet, irreversible way- the kind where you realize: "Oh. No one in real life feels like that." And probably never will. There was Qais Bhat , who made madness look like worship. He didn’t love Laila gently- he became her grief. He didn’t recover. He transcended. And while everyone around me romanticizes healing and moving on, I admired the man who stayed broken for love and called it devotion. Then there was Joe . A man of few words, but a memory sharp enough to hurt. He noticed everything. He remembered what Georgia forgot she ever said. He didn’t push. Didn’t demand space. He just... existed, quietly waiting, like a lighthouse in someone else’s storm. I don’t know if that’s love- But it’s the kind of presence you don’t find anymore. And yes- even Ryle . Flawed beyo...

To think I had the most of you, After all that you put me through. What exactly did you want from me? Was I not enough, or was there another "she"?   I sit here still, contemplating what we had, At least I met you, and for that, I’m always glad. Yet sometimes, I wish our paths had never crossed, Maybe then, I wouldn’t feel so lost .   It seems destiny had its role to play, You and I weren’t meant to stay. Perhaps “right person, wrong time” is true, Your silence still stings like blood and lime, do.   You made me meet your family and friends, I never thought  that here, it all ends. Of all the times we had in the dark, To me, it was always the brightest, full of spark.   You were the light, you always have been, The love I had for you was never seen. If you'd let me, I would’ve bled dry, Letting you go, my hardest goodbye.   I hope that someday we’ll meet with intend, For one last "Hey!", long overdue, my friend. I’d remind you of that day, if ...

Come to me if you ever feel alone, Or I'll come to you, wherever we've flown. For love is not a path only you can pursue, If you let me, darling, I'll show a vivid hue. To cherish you, as you, was effortlessly done, You stand out amongst them, second to none. They came crying for my attention and love, While I was busy loving you, lifting you above. "Would you still love me at my worst?" "Love you at your worst", always comes first. To love you through your brightest days and dark, Not every love must bear a painful mark. Loving you ran through my veins like a river, Of boundless love and mysteries yet to deliver. Being with you felt like a home in human form, Where echoes of two hearts make this place warm. Warm like your breath on a winter's Sunday, That feels comfortable in the way you say, That I'm all yours and you're all mine, Like roots in earth, our souls intertwine. Your love is something that makes me believe, Why I’ve always worn m...

So many faces, so many minds, Yet none with whom my soul entwines. Perhaps it is you, the one I may call mine, Or should I wait for the stars to realign? But never have I met a mind so rare, A smile so tender, a gaze so debonair. Should I silence this ache before it begins, Or surrender once more to love’s cruel whims? Older I am, if only by years, Yet time bows not to age, nor to fears. We stand not where spring's blossoms unfurl, And I do not wish to claim or be claimed, my girl. Meeting him felt like a whisper of fate, A love from before, patient, innate. Since that moment, his shadow lingers, Perhaps I am bound by karma’s fingers. And here I write of you and me, Not as Donne’s Flea, nor love's decree. I seek no pretense, no grand display, But a verse to echo Rumi’s way. As now I feel a sudden shift in the weather, Happy is the moment when we sit together, With two forms, two faces, yet one soul, you and me. Your talks and laughs sound like a lullaby. - Taruna Ghera.

When the eyes meet across the room, It all feels like spring and flowers bloom. Is this what they mean by butterflies? Loving someone comes with a huge price.   Being unaware of God's plans, Not once did I pray with joined hands. Maybe that's why I am here crying in my room, Spring never came, and the flowers didn't bloom.   Perhaps it was more than just our fate, Perhaps I was nothing more than bait. Or perhaps, in love, heartbreak is the price. For you needed more, and I couldn't suffice.   So, here I am writing about us, smiling, While the endless memories started dialing, The moments we've had, once, together, Loving you in silence was lighter than a feather.   Now you're just a shadow of time long gone, Yet, like dusk, I'll recall you with every dawn, And when at night I miss you and those lullabies, My face has a smile, but my heart always cries.   Maybe someday my mind will let this all go, When my heart smiles, my face might cry though, Of the heartb...

Oh! Here it is, again, Left me with hope and in vain. To say that all is well,  I still remember those eyes and the smell. Oh! Here it is, again, Left me with hope and in vain. To say that it was a one-time thing,  Like lemon and blood, your love sting. Oh dear! I found myself thinking, How would it feel to stop sinking, Into the memories and the long wait, Didn't expect this to be my fate. Now that it is here again,  Full of hope, love and pain. The tears are not just salty water, But echoes of dreams left to falter. Dreams like sipping coffee beside you, All along I didn't have a clue,  That it's not always what it seems,  To be with you was all in my dreams.   Perhaps, one day I'll find the key, Where you and I, both, will agree. That my heart is where your heart lies, Yet you left me with watercolor eyes. - Taruna Ghera.

It's 2025! A whole year has passed by and yet, it still feels like yesterday, doesn't it? One good thing about the new year is we get to crack the same old joke again, "I'll see you next year", on the night of 31st December and the fact that no one even gets mad at it makes it relatable even more.  As the laughter fades, though, it’s worth pausing to think about what the new year truly means for everyone. Did we really make it to a "new year", or is it just a moment where people share their achievements and reflect on what they could afford to do? Well, it's good to have achieved things you have always wanted to, but before sharing it with anyone, pause for a moment and think of all the times you were still stuck somewhere, and your peers were achieving the things you once wished to. Is it fair to overlook those still struggling to make sense of life, survival, and existence? While it's wonderful to celebrate personal victories, it's equally ...

There are certain days you wish would never end, like a birthday, for instance. Imagine if such a day could stretch to 72 hours, packed with endless joy, cherished memories, and all the things that make you feel truly alive. These are the moments that remind us of the essence of living, a sense of fulfillment, a discovery of something we didn’t even know we were seeking, a glimpse of life at its most vibrant. But here’s the thing: while I could write about these feelings endlessly, and trust me, I have, more times than I can count, I keep coming back to one question: how much is too much? Is there ever a limit to expressing something you love purely with all your heart and soul? Does talking about it, sharing it, and writing about it over and over somehow dilute its meaning? Maybe the answer lies not in how often we express it, but in how deeply it resonates each time. If the emotion is genuine, its meaning doesn’t fade, it evolves, adding new layers of understanding and connection. A...

Today felt like any other day. I woke up, made myself  the-specifically-accurate-proportion-of-coffee-sugar-mix, logged  into my laptop and got ready to type. But just as I was about to press the first letter, something unusual struck me: I remembered something. Now, that's rare for me- remembering something, especially a  dream . Even more unusual was the fact that this dream involved my one constant friend, the person I turn to for everything from minor inconveniences to major dilemmas. The beauty of student life is that you don’t have to report to anyone at a fixed time. So, with that luxury in mind, I picked up my phone and called him. I narrated the dream, and soon, we were laughing hysterically. It was one of those laughs that stays with you, even after the conversation ends.  As we both returned to our routines, I noticed something lingering- a smile on my face. It wasn't intentional or conscious, but it was there, a testament to the joy of having someone wh...

One thing I have realized over the years, being impatiently impatient and wanting to get the results immediately after accomplishing a certain task, that no matter what you do, with how much dedication you put into it, you will see the results when they're meant to be seen. No other force in this world, nor you could take things under your control and make them happen. This realization didn’t come easy. I have, like most of us, found myself frustrated, questioning why my hard work didn’t yield instant outcomes. It felt as though the universe was ignoring my effort. But with time, I learned to see the bigger picture that every action sets things in motion, but the outcomes align with a timeline greater than my own. It’s like planting a seed; no matter how much water or sunlight you provide, the seed will sprout only when it’s ready. Well, this wasn't a thought that struck me over night. Perhaps, one of the ideas that gave birth to this realization was the fact that I always end ...