SEND SOME RAIN, SEND SOME LOVE..........

I always find this straight line (apparently) separating the sky from the earth, a line which is adorably called  'horizon' , very inspiring but frustratingly unattainable...What could be the reason ? Quite possibly, my past rather our past is hiding beyond that line!! The magnetic pull that I experience everytime I am on my balcony could be because of that past - childhood, adolescence, youth et al....the best moments, unquestionably. I strongly believe time never stops, never ends ...it either dons the garb of your past,or your present or lurks around every corner as your future,  not always with an intention to harm you though...We can try and beckon some moments from the past, no !! I  reckon , time has ears and a heart...( blabbering again ??...nooooo) 

The line where the twain meet

the green and the blue

beyond that?

Resides the girl that was me

my Cinderella shoes and 

my Snowwhite frock,

satin ribbons and lacy roses,

warmth of hand-knitted sweaters,

the dreams in all shades,

the fireflies which shone like stars,

the glistening droplets on the Taro leaves.

The clouds that were mine once

are now playing hide and seek .

Somewhere behind that curtain

is hiding the messenger boy,

and the droplets that melt relentlessly 

into streams of profound joy 

My heart beckons you little girl

please come or send some love

the soul is thirsty and earth is parched

send some rain,send some love

pic-google

TILASM....THE MAGICAL SPELL.... / तिलस्म ......

Us din

aisa kyun laga ki

jate jate kuchh raaz

apne saath liye ja rahe ho,

kuchh ehsaas dil ke kone mein

chhupakar le ja rahe ho....

Stambhit

ek nirvaak agantuk main,

mook darshak ki tarah,

tumhare manoram roop ko niharti

kyun nahin samajh payi 

tumhare tilasm ko?
karsaazi ko?

Achanak

sindoori nabh ke kone se

ardh-chandra ne kivad khola.

Samaksh paya pranay nivedan karta

satrangi indradhanush.

Na boondein,na megh, phir bhi tum?

Maine

anchal mein baandh tumhe,

muskurate ansuon ko samet liya.

Zahan mein kiya sadaa ke liye chitrit

us godhuli bela ka soundarya

aur anginat ankahe shabd,

jo ban gaye aajivan ke sangi...

Jante ho,

toot gaya tumhara tilasm

bhram mein uljhe mere khayal,

tandra ke jaal se nikalkar,

ab syahi mein doob,

likhna chahte hain,

ek poorn kavita....

उस दिन

ऐसा क्यूँ लगा कि 

जाते जाते कुछ राज़

अपने साथ लिए जा रहे हो,

कुछ एहसास दिल के कोने में

छुपाकर ले जा रहे हो....

स्तंभित 

एक निर्वाक आगंतुक, मैं

मूक दर्शक की तरह

तुम्हारे मनोरम रूप को निहारती

क्यूँ नहीं समझ पाई 

तुम्हारे तिलस्म को?
कारसाज़ी को?

अचानक 

सिंदूरी नभ के कोने से,

अर्ध-चंद्र ने किवाड़ खोला,और 

समक्ष पाया प्रणय निवेदन करता

सतरंगी इंद्रधनुष.

ना बूँदें,ना मेघ, फिर भी तुम?

मैने

आँचल में बाँध तुम्हें,

मुस्कुराते आँसुओं को समेट लिया.

ज़हन में किया सदा के लिए चित्रित

उस गोधुलि बेला का सौंदर्य

और अनगिनत अनकहे शब्द

जो बन गये आजीवन के संगी ...

जानते हो,

टूट गया तुम्हारा तिलस्म,

भ्रम में उलझे मेरे ख़याल,

तंद्रा के जाल से निकलकर

अब स्याही में डूब,

लिखना चाहते हैं,

एक पूर्ण कविता...

(Pic courtesy google)

VIBGYOR

 A sudden urge to walk my dog on the terrace...a beautiful sunset, an orangish sky, the sun suddenly seeming so humane as if trying to strike a conversation with me...and then it happened !! Someone or something tells me to turn around and there you are ! A picturesque and lively Vibgyor ...a flamboyant rainbow , splashing the joie de vivre of its seven colours from one end to the other and holding me a captive. It was as if  the limitless was telling me 'see , I can also write poetry' ....and how !! By the time I managed to reconnect with realism and decided to share the view with my better half and capture it permanently, it vanished.... Awestruck, I muttered 'God is so kind' ...
I did not strive even an iota to decipher the implication or the rationale behind such a fascinating occurrence at that point (16th May, 2013) but later ,that is precisely after two days, when I suffered a sudden and ferocious attack of bronchospasm and shortness of breath (respiratory distress) which almost choked me to death, I did manage to put all the pieces together and solve the puzzle...His kind-heartedness and heartlessness are never without any rhyme or reason. We should not take our life for granted ,because the vice versa is not at all fun.

Life has its own unique way of teaching us lessons from time to time,in a subtle or emphatic manner. Sometimes, it does not even bother to notify us. Something suddenly happens and we are pushed into the ocean of queries, wondering about the incessant 'whys' and 'hows'. We do succeed in finding the answers,or should I say we often succeed in manipulating the answers according to our convenience.'This happened because I had hurt him/her', or 'they suffered because they had started boasting too much of late', so on and so forth. But we often overlook the de facto.... life is way too powerful and way too complex an entity for us to comprehend. Life can hear us, life can react and life can make us dance to the tune of its choice, and we, the mortals, can only stare in disbelief or appreciate its bravado.

It is very difficult to presuppose the nature and face of death until you have seen it. Most of the time those who have seen it are never able to describe it because they are transported to 'the other side of the life, into the realm of spirits ' after their encounter that is. Luckily for me, I have survived that brief but terrible encounter with the other side of life. I can now describe the face,the attitude and the complexion of death. Believe me ,Death is not handsome, neither is he fair ,he is faceless yet has penetrating eyes, yes 'he' because it has a voice which is distinctly masculine, but Death has a heart of gold...he loves the language of love, he loves cajoling, he loves the weak, he loves to give if you are ready to beg with sincerety. if you have the ardency in your voice which can evoke the goodness in him then you can conquer  him.

Life has given me a second chance for the first time and I am going to cherish this moment for the rest of my life till death knocks again. For the first time I realised that a person is able to self-introspect better when confined to the four walls of a hospital room. Amidst the tinkling sound of various medicine bottles,needlles and other equipments, with full concentration, you will also get to hear the footsteps of life and death which are tiptoeing outside the wards with two things on their lips, a naughty smile and silence.

With every intravenous dose of antibiotic my body was afflicted with an unbearable pain.This oft-repeated pain made me a stronger person and reinstated my faith in the power of Karma, and the entire cycle of cause and effect was thus fortified by this faith. 

YEH MERA INDIA.............

image courtesy-google

When my son was in the junior school (South Point ) , in class one or two(don’t remember exactly), one day he came back from school and shared some words of wisdom that his teacher had taught him. He said “you know mamma,our teacher says it is very important to be a good hanuman being ( honuman being ) because a person with a heart of gold is loved and respected by everyone even if he is poor and not good in studies”….that day we laughed when he mispronounced human being as ' hanuman being ' ( bengalis often use the word 'honuman ' to refer to monkeys) ........but today , when I look back and think about that funny episode, I cannot but marvel at the correctness of that mistake.....

Yes, I say so because the circus which is telecast everyday on various channels ,by various factions of media is nothing but a bouquet of filthy politics, innumerable crimes and a horrific assorted bag of vandalism and  crimes against women...... Add to it the 'glorification' of a bollywood superstar who has been sentenced because of unlawful activities. With all those overenthusiastic media people,bodyguards and policemen surrounding him and the convoy of cars it was really hard to believe that he happens to be a bomb blast convict......and the mighty cricketers who have yet again proved that they are not only good wielders of the bat and ball but also very skilled in raking in the moolah by doing jumping jhapak on and off the field , and most importantly ,pretty efficient in striking deals with the bookies and underworld..
Are we shocked? Naah ...
The list is perhaps longer than this and those responsible for the present state of this nation are nothing but monkeys...really (do not intend to demean hanumanji as we worship him )... but what is the point? The so called law abiding citizenry of this country is as responsible as the dubious politicians and the custodians of  law......we are accepting everything as we do not want to fight.
Do I have a right to protest against such malpractice or even condemn the system when I am myself encouraging it? NO. A few days ago I paid a hefty amount as bribe because I wanted my passport to clear the hurdles of police verification without any hitch.....they demand ,we pay...and then we complain...why? Is not it a crime to pay a bribe? We all know ' both the giving and the receiving party of the bribe commit a crime '...still !!
What if I had not paid? The concerned department would have delayed the procedure or may have even left the file unopened....(that is what the official said...a polite threatening) wow! Aam Aadmi darr gaya ji.... this is the problem.... I am sure ,I am not alone...there are many like me out there who always pay some  EXTRA  as a ' price of convenience ' to get their work done and then lament within the four walls.... it is high time for some spirited soul to come forward and bring about the much needed change/reform which is long overdue....

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SCAMS TO FIVE YEAR OLD TO SARABJIT TO SANAULLAH TO CHINA TO INDIA TO SARADHA TO TADA TO MATCH FIXING....AM I SHOCKED? NAAH...

POLSTORM....

It is possible to tame lady luck...that is exactly what the aggressive all-rounder Pollard demonstrated yesterday...and how !! such effortless boundaries...or so they seemed !!! the last three overs were WOW  ...poora 'paisa wasool' for the Mumbaikars ... yesterday's match was indeed hit by POLSTORM....

MOTHERHOOD ...

Last month during one of the sessions , Javed Akhtar ji raised a very pertinent question in the parliament that , “Why do we often say there is heaven beneath a mother’s feet? Or for that matter, mothers are equivalent to the supreme power,God ? Then what about those women who have not attained ‘motherhood’ ? ”

Well , point to wonder about ………

The most ironical thing is the actuality that we Indians worship Durga,Kali etc etc as different forms of ‘Shakti’ , as ‘MA’, yet women are being subjected to heinous and horrific treatment every few seconds….

Coming back to the point , my heart echoes Javed sahab’s feelings. Motherhood or motherly affection is deeply embedded in every woman. It is not important for her to give birth to a child biologically to appreciate the essence of it. Apart from procreation, caring and sharing and of course sacrifice are the virtues bestowed upon womanhood ..…or else, how is  it possible for a woman to bond so well with her adopted child and shower him/her with all the love and affection?  

A moment ago came across an article in ‘THE TELEGRAPH’ which mentions various tribulations faced by single moms who intend to adopt and bring up the adopted chidren single-handedly… the best part is ,they succeed and their determination wins …..
Please do not elevate a woman  to the pedestal which belongs to God…rather treat every woman ,(mother ,sister,girlfriend or wife) with love and respect and this world will be a better place to live in…...

(picture courtesy- google)

KABHI HO,KABHI GUM HO......../ कभी हो , कभी गुम हो ........

image courtesy-google

Kachchi pakki dhoop mein

shaant ya garajte badalon mein

bahti hawa ke anukathan mein

raat-ki-raani ki madakta mein

kabhi ho..kabhi gum ho

mere astitva ka hissa ho

Aasman ki aagosh mein

chandni ke mehmaan ho

ek nirbheek amarbel ho

antarman ki abhivyakti ho

kabhi ho...kabhi gum ho

mere astitva ka hissa ho

Ek naav ki manzil ho

saahil pe bana ret ka teela 

registaan mein basaa 'cactus' 

ya sharad ka pashmeena ho!

kabhi ho...kabhi gum ho

mere astitva ka hissa ho

Sagar mein chhupe seep

basant ka darakht ho

ya vipushp patjhar ka rudan

tum meri kavita ke shabd ho

kabhi ho..kabhi gum ho

mere astitva ka hissa ho

(anukathan -conversation ,dialogue, madak -intoxicating, astitva-  existence ,identity, aagosh -embrace, nirbheek-unintimidated,bold, saahil- shore,sea-shore, darakht- tree, vipushp- devoid of flowers )

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कच्ची पक्की धूप में 

शांत या गरजते बादलों में

बहती हवा के अनुकथन में

रात -की- रानी की मादकता में

कभी हो , कभी गुम हो

मेरे अस्तित्व का हिस्सा हो

आसमान की आगोश में

चाँदनी के मेहमान हो

एक निर्भीक अमरबेल हो

अंतर्मन की अभिव्यक्ति हो

कभी हो , कभी गुम हो

मेरे अस्तित्व का हिस्सा हो

एक नाव की मंज़िल हो

साहिल पे बना रेत का टीला

रेगिस्तान में बसा 'कैक्टस '

या शरद का पश्मीना हो

कभी हो , कभी गुम हो

मेरे अस्तित्व का हिस्सा हो

सागर में छुपे सीप

बसंत का दरख़्त हो

या विपुष्प पतझड़ का रुदन

तुम मेरी कविता के शब्द हो

कभी हो , कभी गुम हो

मेरे अस्तित्व का हिस्सा हो

TAMANNA / तमन्ना

Aaj dil badi shiddat se charag jala raha hai
milne ki tamanna liye tumhe bula raha hai

Aftaab ne kab sukun diya hai hamein
tapish mein jalakar hasrat mita raha hai

Tareekh to yahi thi ,guzargah bhi yahi
khat bhi ab bejaan sa susta raha hai

Abra ka tukda roshandaan se jhaank raha hai
hamein baton mein uljhakar dil bahla raha hai

BayaN karna namumkin, ye sulook aisa
bachpana unka aaj behad sataa raha hai

Jazbaat bah gaye,betahasha, aabshar ki tarah
abohawa ki khushnumaii dekh dil muskura raha hai

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आज दिल बड़ी शिद्दत से चराग़ जला रहा है
मिलने की तमन्ना लिये तुम्हें बुला रहा है

आफ़्ताब ने कब सुकून दिया है हमें
तपिश में जलाकर हसरत मिटा रहा है

तारीख तो यही थी,गुज़रगाह भी यही
खत भी अब बेजान सा सुस्ता रहा है

अब्र का टुकड़ा रौशनदान से झाँक रहा है
हमें बातों में  उलझाकर दिल बहला रहा है

बयाँ करना नामुमकिन, ये सुलूक ऐसा
बचपना उनका आज बेहद सता रहा है

जज़्बात बह गये,बेतहाशा , आबशार की तरह
आबोहवा की खुशनुमाई देख दिल मुस्कुरा रहा है

RIP Sarabjit Singh.......

Well well…news channels are having a gala time these days…less hard work , yet their plates are full of ‘chatpata’ news….. Barkhas..Rajdeeps…Arnabs..and Sagarikas et al will now get busy in adding all the required ingredients to make their broth scrumptious and appetizing..and serve it at an appropriate time with a concoction of so called erudite politicians and dignitaries…

Me, as a citizen of this country will do my bit and pray for the departed soul.

RIP Sarabjit Singh………

( dil ye maan ne se inkaar kar raha hai ki maut ki vajah 'coma' mein chale jana thi.... ho sakta hai mujrim ko maarne ka naya tarika ijaat kiya gaya ho..pataa nahin...aajkal jo halaat hain ..kuchh bhi ho sakta hai... )

HAR FIKR KO DHUEIN MEIN UDATA CHALA GAYA .../ हर फ़िक्र को धुँए में उड़ाता चला गया ...

Kolkata mein nayi sarkar ke ate hi niyam banaya gaya ki har traffic signal pe Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore ke geet bajaye jayenge ,public address system ke liye jo loudspeaker lagaye gaye hain unse ...uddeshya ye ki rahgeeron ko tatha thake- hare pareshaan vahanchalakon ko thodi rahat milegi...nek khayal...dhanya ho ye gana select karne wale...dhajjiyaan udake rakh di gurudev ki......barsaat mein garmi ka, chait ke mahine mein baisakhi ka....sawan  mein sharad kal ka....kisi janemane hasti ki mrityu pe harshollas ka gana... .ityadi...
Jab ye bhi sah liya janata ne to ab sarkar kahti hai cigarette pijiye taki tax ke paise se Sharadha group walon ka kuchh bhala ho jaye....Khush hain bande...gharwale mana karein bhi to kaise !! Rajya ke sarvochcha neta ne hami bhari hai ab to... loudspeaker kharab ho gaye hain , aur Guru Rabindranath ji ne bhi cigarette jaise vishay par koi kavita nahin likhi...geet nahi racha ...
Ab to har traffic signal pe 'Hum Dono'  ka ye gana bajna chahiye 'Main zindagi ka saath nibhata chala gaya...Har fikr ko dhuein mein udata chala gaya'...

कोलकाता  में नयी सरकार के आते ही नियम बनाया गया कि हर ट्रैफिक सिग्नल पे गुरुदेव रविंद्रनाथ टैगोर के गीत बजाये जायेंगे  ...public address system के लिए जो loudspeaker लगाये गए हैं उनसे ....उद्देश्य ये की राहगीरों को तथा थके-हारे परेशान वाहनचालकों को थोड़ी राहत मिलेगी ....नेक ख़याल ....पर धन्य हों ये गाना select करने वाले ......धज्जियां उड़ाके  रख दी गुरुदेव की ...बरसात में गर्मी का ...चैत के महीने में बैसाखी का ....सावन में शरद काल का  ....किसी जानेमाने हस्ती की मृत्यु पे हर्षोल्लास का गाना इत्यादि .......
जब ये भी सह लिया जनता ने तो अब सरकार कहती है सिगरेट पीजिये ताकि टैक्स के पैसे से  Sharadha group वालों का कुछ भला हो जाये ...खुश हैं बन्दे ....घरवाले मना करें भी तो कैसे !! राज्य के सर्वोच्च नेता ने हामी भारी है अब तो ........loudspeaker खराब हो गए हैं , और गुरुदेव ने सिगरेट जैसे विषय पर कोई कविता नहीं लिखी ...कोई गीत नहीं रचा .....
अब तो हर ट्राफिक सिग्नल पे 'हम दोनों ' का  ये गाना बजना चाहिए -
'मैं ज़िन्दगी का साथ निभाता चला गया ...
हर फ़िक्र को धुँए में उड़ाता चला गया '.....

(image courtesy- google)