O My dear! my name is-" HOPE"

O My  dear! my name is-" HOPE"

You often meet me-

Amid the gloom

You can't cope.

Quite often you see me –

Bruised at the hands of "Despair"

But in the month of "Autumn"

I make with it - a lovely pair.

So many times,

You see the' river of destiny'

Changing its course.

But never-ever you find me

Knelt down even before

the mightiest Force.

There is 'something' -

Which you never resign

My abode is your heart

Where I always outshine.

Just a tender smile

And I never drain

Just a simple one more step

And I never go in vain.

It often comes-

When you cease to remain prime.

In your yester moments,

When,your magic was sublime.

There I step in-

To rekindle your lost pride.

With a purpose

Simply so divine.

I stay there-

until you stand up

and with few words

 gently leave your past behind.

O My  dear! my name is-" HOPE"

You often meet me-

Amid the gloom

You can't cope.

'तस्वीरें' - अक्सर बोलती हैं.

तस्वीरें-
अक्सर बोलती हैं.
होंठों पर तैरती कोई अनकही बात
दिल की तलहटी में दबे कोई राज़
जब - तब वो अक्सर खोलती हैं

तस्वीरें जब भी सामने आती हैं
वो नए लफ़्ज़ों में रक्स करती हैं
कभी इस लम्हे को 'उस पर पार' ले जाना
कभी 'उस पार के लम्हे' को करीब ले आना
तसवीरें  यादों से अक्सर खेलती हैं

आशना हो कोई मुस्कराहट
या हो कोई अजनबी सी चाहत
तस्वीरें हर पयाम समझ लेती हैं

जब कभी- भी हो पीछे मुड़ कर,
 देखने  की चाहत
या अपने माजी को ,
 फिर से जीने की छटपटाहट   
तस्वीरें 'आज' के बियाँबान में
' कल' के गुलशन को रोशन कर देती हैं

 वक़्त से हार जाना,
 जिनकी फितरत नहीं
पर वक़्त से जीत जाना,
 जिनकी चाहत नहीं
ये तस्वीरें वक़्त से भी इश्क कर लेती हैं

चाहे किसी मुस्कराहट का टुकड़ा,
 गिर गया  हो
या किसी बात का सिलसिला,
 टूट गया हो
आँखों के किसी कोने में
शुक्र है !
कुछ तस्वीरें अब  भी हैं
जो मुलाक़ात होने पर अक्सर बोलती हैं

'तस्वीरें' -
अक्सर बोलती हैं.


तस्वीरें-
अक्सर बोलती हैं.
होंठों पर तैरती कोई अनकही बात
दिल की तलहटी में दबे कोई राज़
जब - तब वो अक्सर खोलती हैं






आशना - परिचित ( someone/ something who/which is known)
पयाम  -  सन्देश  (message) 
रक्स  - नृत्य        ( dance )

बियाबान - जंगल  ( jungle, forest)

INDEPENDENCE DAY

The moment the slave resolve that he will no longer be a slave, his fetters fall . He frees himself and shows the ways to others. Freedom and slavery are mental states - Mahatma Gandhi



Today we are meeting with this historic day once again. It is a time when the tide of  patriotism surges exponentially. It is a time when we acknowledge ourselves as a nation ( although for rest of the year it is the states, religion, and  geographical areas which represents  and governs us).

The magic of this date 15, August is such that the  years accompanying this date fade away in the sand of time but 15 Aug outshines as always. Perhaps because of its worth . Perhaps because it deserves. It is not an ordinary date embedded in the calendar with a red hue indicating a – holiday, rather a symbol of great ‘turning point’ in the world’s history which redefined and showcased many things to the world simultaneously –‘ freedom and democracy with dignity’.

The day 15 august 1947 is unparalleled in the history of our nation. We are enjoying the fruits of liberty, just because our freedom  warriors who dared to sow the seeds of freedom into the brazen land of  slave mind.
 

Even as, we are observing and celebrating ‘our Independence Day’, we must pause and introspect  for few reasons in such ways ; what kind ( quality ) of freedom are we enjoying ? Is it just that we can roam around anywhere , speak anything, express anything or business anywhere? Is the freedom merely means the absence of slavery from white skinned foreigners  who were strangers  to us for all those long years?

While exploring these few questions, we would obviously land on a big – NO. What we are consuming  ( let alone enjoying ) today, is the  superficial and subverted form of  our most hallowed Freedom , which was bestowed on us by our forefathers through their unparallelled sacrifices.

If we flip through the pages of oxford dictionary for the word freedom, we would find some comprehensive definitions of it. Which reveals an astonishing contrast and strange paradox of our own defined freedom.

1-      The state of not being prisoner or slave-

Although, today we may not be equated or counted as slave or prisoners as a whole . Yet , if not half, then a significant part of that half population comprising of women  are forced to live under the clouds of different  modern sorts of slavery and virtual prisons.The remaining vestiges of feudal mindset, rotten social norms, and unbridled patriarchal structure are swift enough to overpower  and enslave the aspiration of women belonging to different age groups from all strata of society.

2-      The state of not being affected by the things – Fear/ Pain/ Hunger.

In his speech  in Jauary1958, Martin Niemoller a  German anti-Nazi  theologian said ,” Ask the first man you meet what he means by defending freedom, he will tell you privately he means defending the standard of living”.

We must concede this brutal truth that we are still a nation of helpless poor people. Despite of, the glitz of globalization and enticing GDP figures, this poor man is striving really very hard - first to fend for himself and family and then maintaining a standard of living. Few fortunate , today , enjoys an stable standard of living. Few gadgets in hands and increased purchasing power can not, in any way, outdo the quality of standard of living”. 

3-      The right to do or say what you want without anyone stopping you -

 As George Orwell says, ‘ freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two  make  four . if that is granted, all else follows.’ .What is visible today, a few mortals  enjoy special prerogative to say ‘two plus two makes four’.

 Merely executing the rituals of “ independence day “ is as hypocritical as worshiping the idol without addressing the ever present soul behind it. It makes the entire process futile. Number of years  does not guarantee the true wisdom. This we have to understand  first as an individual and as a nation as well.

The pillar of democracy  can not stand on the sand of shallow and rotten values but on the rocks of true national wisdom, which emanates from  the mental  liberty of an individual.The onus lies on our shoulder to preserve the  few remaining traces of our glorious past, which always taught us to value and celebrate  the freedom of an individual which results into an unfading – National Emancipation .

A Song of Freedom.....

A molten beauty

of an evening

in the cage of a tyrant scorching day

a heart 

in a solitude 

finds itself in a timeless dismay.

they say-

there is a carnival 

to the other side of the wall

O wind!

sway me-

 to the other side 

before the joy of-

dancing spring 

silently decay ........

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY !!!!

THE LEGEND 'MILKHA'- THE LEGEND 'SINGH'

‘Bhag Milkha Bhag’-an incredibly crafted, sheer real and gritty biopic of a living legend- Milkha Singh. A movie which is running to the packed house in the country, has given a chance to the common people  from every walk of life, to experience the real life of “the legend” on a reel screen.

This taut and gripping movie portrays the indomitable spirit of a deeply wounded young chap under unimaginable harrowing circumstances. It spontaneously depicts that how the fighter Milkha Singh soldiered on crushing all the invincible hurdles under his feet.

Thanks to Rakeys Om Prakash Mehra, the director of this movie and of course Farhan Akhtar who just lived this role beyond imagination, that from now onwards no school going student will have to regurgitate his name against his sport and the title conferred on him.

Although there are endless books of biography, autobiography of legendary sports persons available but a biopic makes a difference. The sound, visuals and emotions, becomes so lively and animated that they directly find a place in the conscious and subconscious in our mind. Probably that is why a man who has hardly turned the sports page of a newspaper or stepped into play ground, suddenly plunge into pondering about a person for whom - quality, morality, ethics, values, are the only assets.

Although we are celebrating and acknowledging the feat of Milkha Sing and himself which he has achieved years ago. But we know him by different names –Major Dhyan Chand, P.T. Usha, Kapil Dev, Vijay Amritraj  and list goes on, who not only hoisted the Indian flag on foreign soil many times but also wrote a new definition of Honor and Dignity for themselves and the nation. They did it many times with flying colors, especially when the world looked upon us as a nation of snakes, jungles, naked sadhus and savages. They earned honor and respect from every corner of the world, even from those who despised them. But what kind of honor? .The honor which we, today  weigh in the “taraazoo” of monetary gain and so called social standard or the one which simply means  “ the courage to look into our own eyes without any shame and guilt despite of  piling social stigma.”

If Major Dhayn Chand had created such honor and dignity, Milkha Sing gave them the wings of aggression and the legacy was carried on by contemporaries legends – Kapil dev, P.T. Usha , Sachin Tendulkar. This is still on.

Here I must quote Milkha Singh in his own words –

“Milkha Singh didn’t know anything about athletics before he started running in the army. But once he found out he didn’t settle for anything less than excellence. After coming back from the 1956 malbourne games I pledged to myself that I shall not rest till I have matched the Olympic record. I worked no stop in my pursuit of excellence. Buckets used to fill up with sweat, blood flowed from my nose and urine.I was on the death bed many times but kept pushing myself. Unfortunately I don’t see that commitment anymore.”(Times of India, Friday 19, 2013, page 16)

His word becomes more important and alarming in the time when, wee see dilution and subversion of sportsmanship in almost every discipline of games right from cricket to athletics. Fixing, spot fixing, and doping were alien concepts for such legends.

It was the inherent fire of self ignited honor and dignity which sailed major Dhyan  Chand right from Amsterdam (1928) to Los Angles  (1932) to Berlin (1936) Olympics. It was his indefatigable spirit which won him 3 gold medals in the Olympic on the trot.

After seeing this magical performance by the wizard of hockey, Hitler tried to lure him by offering the citizenship of Germany and other incentives. It is not easy to first distinguish and then choose between dignity and fame. But for him it was the honor which always stood first and firmly. So was for Milkha Singh.

Now lets’ get back to the movie- most of us must have watched this legendary movie, and couldn’t contain ourselves without flooding the Facebook  wall with adjectives like – stunning , fantabulous , fabulous, out of the world , fantastic , and many more-  associate with this movie.  For few days, the movie and its story will remain in buzz and later on will fade away into the glitz of ever presented social     pretensions and hoity -toity .

 But there is an essential question which must legitimately and reasonably rise in every mind irrespective of age bar  that  what makes such legends like Milkha Singh , Pan Singh Tomer, Major Dhayn Chand  P.T. Usha  way different from us . The answer lies in whether we choose stairs over lift to reach 13th floor or not..

ENIGMA....

कभी नई अभिलाषा बनकर
कभी तो, नई परिभाषा बनकर
तुम ह्रदय - ज्वार जगा जाते हो.

निर्दयी कोलाहल - रंजित इस दुनिया में
तुम मृदु स्वर से-
 परिचय करा जाते हो.

आते हो नैराश्य हरने कभी -
कभी तो -
बेचैनी जगा जाते हो ..

कभी स्वप्न लोक की दुनिया में
तुम यथार्थ को भी ले आते हो
कभी यथार्थ के  मरुधर पर
तुम स्वप्नों की वृष्टि करा जाते हो.

वेदनाओं  का अंधड़ हो
या रक्त रंजित कोई  क्षण हो
संवेदनाओं  का रूप धर कर
कभी तुम अक्षुण  मित्र बन जाते हो . 

मिलना होता है तुमसे  जब भी
बस एक विचार बनकर आ जाते  हो
और एकाकी ह्रदय के उपवन में
मेरे कदमो से कदम  मिलाते  हो........

एक परिंदा बाकी है.

शाम हो चुकी है बेशक पर-
आसमान में एक परिंदा बाकी है
उड़ रहा है अनंत दिशा में
जबकि कोशिशें नाकाफी है

एक  गाँव जल था परसों - नरसों
ख़ाक मिटटी तक हो गई थी
पर, वो गाँव कह रहा है अब भी -
वहां एक बाशिंदा बाकी है .

कई इम्तेहानों के शोलों  से
बेपरवाह गुज़रे हैं अक्सर ,
सामने शायद धुआं - सा है
यही आखिरी इम्तेहान बाकी है

किसी  दूजे जहाँ की खुशब अक्सर
हवाओं में बहती आती है
दिल के दरवाज़े खोल दो-
 अब बस इसका मचलना बाकी है .....

शाम हो चुकी है बेशक पर-
 आसमान में एक परिंदा बाकी है......

नया आसमां

चलो, इस ज़िन्दगी में -
इक नया आसमां,
खुद का बनाएं ..
कई सूरज -
जो दिन को रोशन करें
कई आफ़ताब -
जो रातों को सुरमयी बनाएं ..

रातों की गहराईयों से ,
जिनकी हम वाकिफ हों
सुबह की भीनी रौशनी में
हम खुद को ढूँढ पाएं..
चलो, इक नया आसमां-
खुद का बनाएं

जो हुक्मरानों सा तानाशाह न हो
जो हमारे माजी के ,
हर ज़र्रे को दिल से लगाये
चलो,ऐसा  इक नया आसमां
खुद का बनाएं

जो छु लें हम अपने आसमान को
जब कभी भी दिल करे
जब कभी ज़मीं पर
हम उससे इश्क फरमायें ..
चलो, इक नया आसमां
खुद का बनाएं

जब दुनियां में राजदान ,
कोई मिल न  पाए
किसी कुफ्र के दर से
खुद भी नज़रें चुराए
तब, अब्र का तकिया ,
जो हमारे सिराहने रख दे
और रातों के ज़रिये
हमारे भूले सपनो को बुलाये
चलो, इस ज़िन्दगी में ,
 ऐसा ही, इक नया आसमां,
खुद का बनाएं ..........................





 अब्र :- बादल ( clouds)
कुफ्र: -  ईश्वर की निंदा , अनैतिकता   (all the things unacceptable and offensive to god, infidelity )
माजी :-  अतीत ( past )
आफ़ताब : -  चाँद  ( moon )

चलो अब शाम होने दो

 इस उजाले को सोना है

अँधेरे के गोद में .

चलो अब शाम होने दो ...

उठेगा ये, जो अगली सुबह

कोई ख़ूबसूरत - सी  रौशनी बनकर

चलो अब इस रात को संवरने - निखरने दो ...

ये , की हर बार लफ़्ज़ों से भी ,

बे- इन्तेहाँ उम्मीद बेमानी है

चलो इस बार उनको भी

खामोशियों की बाँहों में सुकून लेने दो ....

अब कितने राजों को दबाना होगा

दिल की गहरी तलहटी में ?

कोई तो है - जो है वहां भी

ये बेज़ान कोशिशें अब जाया होने दो ...

ज़ज्बातों के तूफ़ान में

मुलाकातों  का दम तोडना ,

अक्सर लाज़मी है

शायद ये तूफ़ान अभी ज़ोरों पर है

चलो, इस तूफ़ान को अब थमने दो........

इस उजाले को सोना है

अँधेरे के गोद में .

चलो अब शाम होने दो .........

DIGNITY > LOVE?

 In the film English Vinglish , Shashi Godbole ( Shri Devi )  when asked by her niece  if she also likes that French man, she says with deep emotion  but with firm conviction, “ mujhe pyaar ke nahain thodi izzat kee zarurat hai”. (I don’t need love but some respect and dignity). Well, it was one of the well crafted dialogues in this quite engaging and educating film, but there was enough scope to read between this dialogue, to realize the subtle difference and tender balance between requirement of love and dignity. Did Shashi really need dignity, respect than love and protected care? Perhaps, justifiably yes!

 Like Shashi, there are many housewives who are inordinately self sacrificing and self deprecating when it comes to their family. They revoke all their personal ambitions just to invoke the dreams of their husband and  children. They are the essential and inseparable element if one wishes to define a family. But when it comes to their importance in the family, the same above statement can be used but in antonyms form. 

We cannot define a nation or realize a society if we fail to address and accept the individuality and importance of Shashi who lives in mangy slums as well as in gaudy mansions. For a not well educated and modern Shashi, there are many hurdles which she has to face on daily basis. Right from trivial negligence from her husband, who on the other hand is well- versed in all sophistry which society demands, to her  English medium- convent school going children. She is left with no choice but to take refuge in her daily never- ending domestic chores. But, on the other hand  if, that Shashi is well educated ,modern and confident, then, may be not in all families, but she has to relegate her priorities if it conflicts with her husband’s. For, it is rare to see if a husband takes a transfer or relinquishes his job just because his wife has been posted or transferred somewhere else. It is well evident fact that women are better manager than man, be it to manage a company or a family. But acceptance of this fact in the every corner of the society tries to make it a myth.

For a rotten society devoid of any moral fabric, it is essential that the first reform must begin from home. But, for this, we must first recognize the sole reformer (women), already clad in uncomfortable heavy veils, chained in the archaic moth rotten customs, who is still counted as non performing assets in the family. It is indeed necessary to first go down to the depth of understanding of what makes it a woman so unique in this world. What inspires her to remain serene either in stress or in distress?how does she play a solid role to integrate many souls while retaining her tenderness from inside?

It does not take a skill of rocket science to pay heed to her demand – some thorns of respect over roses of love. Today, when this world is  turning out to be more like a hell, all it lies in the hand of a woman to restore  its ethereal form. Because it is worth noticing fact that any war mongering nation and war ridden state is not run by any women .If it does so, there would be no trace of any rouge state or war mongering nation.

 Anyway, the story of Shashi  Godbole in that film ends in a soul raising manner. By learning just another language (English) through her pure perseverance, remarkable faculties’ and unflinching faith in her, she elevated herself to a level from where she could show her worth to the world.  Just before the end of the of film, she gives an astounding original speech in front of a gathering and her family about the  worth of marriage and having a family. No one but Shashi Godbole for herself, thereby, claimed her due dignity and respect and that was really more important than any form of love given by anybody .And, herein, lays a simple lesson and message for every woman, irrespective of any background to reclaim respect, dignity, confidence by and for her own, because dignity is something which if, given by someone else, often loses its  worth and purpose……………………………………..