欧宝娱乐

“Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.”
― William Ernest Henley, Invictus

“Trees talk if you care to listen. I know that now but back then, I had only heard the old oak tree outside my window back home. I鈥檇 heard it breathe. Yes, breathe. On the cold nights when I sat up prepping for my exams, when the rest of the world fell into a deep slumber, I heard the Old Oak: a bit eerie, like an old man, its breathing, laboured and arrhythmic.
I wasn鈥檛 hallucinating; Picking up my stopwatch, I checked if there was a pattern and there was one. A clear and loud inhalation and exhalation, almost human-like. I wondered if the Old Oak was trying to communicate with me. Tell me its story?”
― Nidhie Sharma, INVICTUS

“In love with Tawang. I still am.
I鈥檝e clung on to every bit of its wonder within the snow globe of my memory, whilst an instrumental piece of music plays in the background. It was a CD that my father played often in his room at the barracks. I had read somewhere that every memory has a soundtrack of its own. 鈥橳is true! Th at
piece of instrumental music and Tawang are inextricably entwined in my head.”
― Nidhie Sharma, INVICTUS

“Bhalu looked like an unkempt, wild version of the most majestic dog I had ever laid eyes on 鈥� her name was Grace.
My Grace. A German shepherd, a monster puppy who grew up to be a lady. Forever remembered fondly (by me) for taking regular puppy-sized dumps in Neha鈥檚 slippers and shoes, for being the reason Neha and I would have to figure innovative ways to save ourselves and run for cover if she were in the
vicinity, for chewing up our toes like her life depended on it, for shredding curtains, socks, shoes and anything she could get a hold of with rare delight, for a bark so fierce yet feminine that people feared pressing the bell at our gates.”
― Nidhie Sharma, INVICTUS

“As we continued walking, the pebbles by the bank made a pleasant crunching sound under our feet. Their edges were polished to perfection by the continual friction of the water 鈥� revealing their innermost colours like polished diamonds.
A particular stone caught my attention. It was shining
among a sea of smooth grey ones. Picking it up, I gaped at it. This one was grey in colour like all the others except it had bands of iridescent blue running across its width. The
bands were the same magnifi cent hue of blue as the skies above. Did it break and fall from the skies and soak up the grey from its common companions? Was this some kind of fall from grace, because it really didn鈥檛 seem to belong where I found it.
I smiled at the treasure I had chanced upon and popped it in the bag on my shoulder. This was going back with me.
A forever memory of this day.”
― Nidhie Sharma, INVICTUS

“Neha鈥檚 walk across the river felt excruciatingly long. Like a rubber band stretched to its limits.
It is peculiar how moments of happiness and euphoria seem to pass over like greased lightning when compared to the ones filled with pain or anxiety. I often ask myself if happiness is genuinely fleeting or if we are hardwired to believe that human beings are born to suffer, and for that very reason tend to sadistically amplify and stretch our anxieties? Could our age old conditioning be in cahoots with Loki? Maybe, maybe not. I am still debating this, internally...”
― Nidhie Sharma, INVICTUS

“You're like an arrow in my soul. If I pull you out, I'll bleed to death.”
― Greyana, Invictus