rainy days

Ai kaash ...

2009-02-13T02:00:00.002+06:00

Ai kaash kabhi aisa ho, ke sama jaau main tujhme,
Chup jau, kho jau sabki nazro se dur teri aagosh me.
Bekhabar behosh ho hum, na fark ho gham aur khushi me,
Madhosh itna ho tera ehsaas, mehfil hojaaye sannate me.

Yeh duniya na hume jaane, na hum pehechaane iss duniya ko,
Laakho ki beedh me, so jau main sar rakh kar tere seene me.
Na sawaal puchhe koi, na ungli uthaye, na jawab koi de hum,
Base ho tum mere rag rag me, aur main ram jau tujhme.
Ai kaash…..

Itne akele khade hain bazaar me, ab parchhayi bhi nahi dikhti,
Aakar jo thaam lo tum, to bas pyar hi pyar ho zindagi me.
Tukdo me ruh jo jeeti hai humaari, yun dard bhare do badan me
Bas woh bhi lipat jaaye, ek ho jaaye, bas jaaye ek dusre me.
Ai kaash….

Mockery of the highest civilian award

2008-02-05T17:44:00.000+06:00

India’s highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna, is awarded for exceptional degree of national service, in the field of literature or arts or scientific achievement or even public service. But a civilian award title being conferred in a democratic country has been the target of controversy ever since its inception. Right from nomination of awardees, their validity to small technical misconceptions has plagued this award for more than 5 decades now.

40 such titles have been given away till now, but never to the Father of our Nation, Mahatma Gandhi! After 38 years of its inception it was finally conferred on Subhash Chandra Bose (posthumously), only to be withdrawn due a PIL claiming that his death cannot be proved! Since the criterion does not require the awardee to be an Indian citizen, in 1992 it was even given to Nelson Mandela. It’s a matter of thought what this great man has done for Bharat in particular (to be eligible to be its Ratna or Gem)? And in that case why all other great leaders of the world were left behind?

Questions have also been raised on its validity to be nominated by our political powers, as in that case it is bound influenced by the power group in Delhi. Many a times the nominations are labeled as politically bend.

The last recipients of this award were classical maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan and playback singer Lata Mangeshkar, in 2001. But this year its has been a race among our political parties to suggest the nomination of leader of their interest for these awards, even though some names are never heard of while others have scores of charges pending against them of corruption, extortion and murder.

It all started with the Congressman Veerappa Moily rallying the name of veteran CPI(M) leader Jyoti Basu, though his party is maintaining safe distance from all the hype. Then came the much highlighted letter of LK Advani to the Prime Minister suggesting the name of Atal Bihari Bajpayee for Bharat Ratna. This kicked off the race.

Navin Patnaik from BJD is suggesting his father’s name Biju Patnaik, BSP’s Mayawati wants her mentor Kanshi Ram to be Bharat Ratna this time, RJD demanded the award for Karpoori Thakur, Assam unit of the Samajwadi Party put forward the name of Mulayam Singh Yadav, RLD’s choice is Chawdhury Charan Singh.

Ms Mayawati said “Kanshi Ram should also be conferred Bharat Ratna for his invaluable contributions in the uplift of dalits and the oppressed”. SP’s Ratul Kumar Choudhury wrote about Yadav that "He is the only secular leader of our country who has worked with Mahatma Gandhi, Jai Prakash Narain and Ram Manohar Lohia and he is the only leader who can save the nation and its people in the coming years". It should be noted here that neither Gandhi nor Lohia have been honoured with Bharat ratna yet. RLD’s spokesman Anil Dubey said, "Charan Singh did a lot of works for the poor and backwards besides devoting his life for the cause of farmers. He deserves the award".

Feeling quite left out of it Union minister Ramvilas Paswan said it should be given to Jagjivan Ram, Mohammed Rafi and Jyotiba Phule, the reasons being simple that it should not be given to a political person.

This is sheer mockery of this award. Is our ruling body the right one to choose the individual who has contributed most to India? This privilege should go a private body, away from political interference.

Aag was all icy....!!!

2008-02-05T17:25:00.000+06:00

Aag was all ice cold for me. It has neither emotion nor action. It can be compared to a street side depiction of the majestic Sholey. Not only every actor underplayed their roles, they killed the actual characters. No mention of the hopeless Nisha Kothari (replacing the chul-buli Basanti) when Amitabh and Ajay Dewgan too couldn’t stand up to the expectations. Babban (as Gabbar) was more of a demon than a gangster, who delighted in cutting and killing humans in new and innovative ways.

All the charm and serenity was gauged out of the love scenes. Mohanlal’s character (The Thakur) was reduced to a dancing bear at places. Even the story of Sachin going out for work was reduced to a love mock. The great Holi sequence in the original was turned into a cheap Diwali gimmick.

Over all RGV’s Aag is a sheer waste of money and may cause headache and depression to die hard SHOLEY fans. So, better stay away.

coming back....

2007-11-14T19:02:00.000+06:00

It’s been a long time that I have shared anything here. It’s been a fast n busy n happy n turbulent time all these months..... But now am back to the old e-space from a now place....
It’s a new turn... a new horizon... ready to be explored..... Posing many challenges... and promising new adventures....
and am ready to cruise.... God bless.... :)

Ai Jal.......

2007-08-29T21:36:00.000+06:00

Ai jal dooba mujhe tujhme…

Pi jaa, baha de mujhe…..

Bhar de mera man,

Jal thal ho jaaye sab…

Jal hi jal ho charo or,

Aur sama jaau main….

Dhul jaaye saari mitti…
Bas ruh ho meri…

Saaf ho sheetal ho…

Swachh ho mera man…

Ai jal dooba mujhe tujhme…

Pi jaa, baha de mujhe…..

Jal, de mujhe jeevan…

Behe chalu main tujhme…

Le chal mujhe…

Mere saagar tak….

Pyaasi hu main….

Par aaj pila mat …

Basja tu mere….

Kan kan me....

Ai jal dooba mujhe tujhme…

Pi jaa, baha de mujhe…..

Waiting for the rain…..

2007-06-20T17:38:00.000+06:00

The scorching heat of the summer has drained all life….
The unforgiving sun has burned everything….

Oh! Its dry and its all dead..
Within me and outside it.
Its all erased…. And its all clean,
Ready for a new beginning…..

I know its coming…. I can smell the damp….
I see it coming…. The clouds far above…
Gone are the heat… and the death…
And now its closing in…. for a new birth.

O rain, o rain…. I want to shout….
We wait for u…..Its time to sprout….

Give water to the earth …. And fill my world…..
With all that’s happy…. And fresh and new…..
I am struck and I am bound…..
Show me the way, to move around…

Rains… I trust,
Pour joy into me…….
They always show me the way,
Filling laughter and gay….

I drench… I run ….and also I scram…..
Coz it gives me all the joy…. that I dream……

Love and its changing faces

2007-06-20T17:30:00.000+06:00

When I was born, everyone cuddled me, tickled me, fed me, amused me
I thought it was love.

As I grew up, mom cared for me, dad adored me, friends played with me
And teachers encouraged me
I thought that was love.

Time passed and I got many friends.
They read with me, played with me and shared with me.
They said and advised me, things they cannot do to anyone else.
We were so close and happy and world didn’t matter
I thought THAT was love.

And lo! I was 19 …..
Young and beautiful… People glanced in admiration…..
Oh yea! It was love... !!!

The dream world passed and I was into the real world now... struggling to make a life
There were new friend now.. Working with me, enjoying together and flirting too
Oh my! Is this love??......

And then one fine day, comes my world to me
And I forget and give up everything for him. I want him like never before
Oh yes! Now I know… all that’s gone was false
And this is…Yes; this is nothing, but love
Only love.

I enter a new world, of my own.
My home, my family, my dream, my hopes.
And I have a small doll now, to love and care for.
Love? Yes, this is love.
I don’t doubt it now.

In her love, I spend my years… feeding, caring, loving, playing, scolding, teaching.
My life centers around her.
I cry in her grief and be proud at her triumph.
I live in her, because she lived in me.
And now I know what love is! How self less it is? How enjoyable it is?

And then, the day comes, when she’s gone.
Gone away.
Gone into her own life…… in her own world.
My life is empty now and so, I doubt it again.
Was that love?
Temples, I go to…. Searching peace and love, within rocks.
It sooths me….. It calms me.
They tell me there…. That it was all false.
There is no love… its only “maya”
They tell me, that no one’s mine and all are alone.

Oh! No….. It’s not true…
There was love, all over my life….And there it is, inside me now.
What if I doubted it? Didn’t recognize or didn’t accept it!
But it was love…. All of it….
Everywhere, all my life… I loved and I was loved….

Defining Art

2007-05-24T17:49:00.000+06:00

“Art” has always been a very controversial subject to discuss about. There have been varied opinions, discussions and even debates, on what exactly is a beautiful piece of art? Something that is appreciable to one person can be disgusting to the other!

Art has many forms; be it painting, singing, dancing, writing or acting; but none of it is acceptable to all. The artist, who creates it, may have an entirely different perspective of his work than its critics. Even when it is considered to be appreciable, it can be analyzed and explained in different view-points! So, how can it be defined? How can any one brand “Art” as good or bad, acceptable or unacceptable, art or non-art?

Many a people claim to or are known to “understand art” and others are condemned of “having no sense of it”. It is another debatable topic, as everybody has at least some opinion, about any piece of art.

“Art is ruled uniquely by the imagination.” ….... Benedetto Croce.

Yes, its just imagination; imagination of the artist, of the critics, of any layman. Emily Carr says “Art is an aspect of God and there is only one God, but different people see Him in different ways. Though He is always the same He doesn't always look the same.” That’s very philosophical, but the idea is very true.

Any form of art produced, is a sincere feeling of its creator; the artist. It is a form of his expression, a form of satisfaction, a form of rebellion, a form of acknowledgement, a form of love, a form of thought, a form of his passion and his persona.

Can we judge any personality? Can we judge his emotion? Are we capable of doing it? …….. No!

Art is free. And so, let it be.

Any form of creation, is beyond definition. It cannot be caged by rules or locked up in chains. It’s a feeling; feel it, if you can or else just don’t bother, please.

Change

2007-05-24T13:10:00.000+06:00

Rolling Stones does not gather moss

Change is synonymous to time. Time forces everything to change. Also there is a lot of learning and self realization linked to change.

What we are discussing here is change in the attitudes of people towards society, believes, relations, independence, religion, needs, righteousness etc. that has been witnessed over a period of time.

Let’s go to the causes first. The last century has witnessed a sharp shift in the source of earning of people all over the globe, from agriculture to industry. Also the average income per person has seen a steep increase. This has come from the enormous scientific and technological developments achieved by human species.

As a result of all this, individuals and then families have been moving out of their native places and relocating to newly emerging centers of civilization; that is, our ever growing cities. The family-sizes went on decreasing, which has now come to one! Today every one lives and spends, just for one-self. Money has become the center of attention. Today we are ready to move out of our families, just for the sake of earning more, which was unthinkable, even a few decades ago. Family bonds exist just for the sake of it and society does not exist all together.

But in spite of all this individuality and breaking away from bonds, this new generation of people is much more matured, determined, independent, rational and understanding than their ancestors. These big cities house people of all cultures, languages, religions and from all parts of world. They have made its residents very open and accommodating. People have left behind rituals and become very rational, left behind traditions and become global.

But what about the families they have left behind? They are not the part of this global community. They still follow rituals, are very strict on traditions, value societal rules and are resistant to change!

So how does this global population connect to their extended families back home? The answer is that they cannot. It is very difficult to match these two generations or mentalities. People on either side believe that they are right and are unwilling to listen or accept each other’s views or decisions. These clashes always result in either break-up or compromise of one side but no one is ready to understand the other’s point of view. As a result either the parents are left crying for their rebellious children or the children sulk all their lives.

Why has this situation arisen? Why is the gap so broad that we can’t connect to our own families? Why is nobody ready to sit and reason logically? We need to give time. Give time to our selves and to our parents. We need to sit together and discuss, leaving behind our egos.

There is love but there is a larger ego, which is snapping all the bonds between these small towns and big cities.

We need to change this. We need to reunite, with love respect and trust for each other. It’s again a time for change. Change for good and change for peace.

Family beyond home

2007-04-30T15:27:00.000+06:00

Living here, away from home n alone, I miss my parents, brother….. but here too, I have a family... a family beyond home… family of my friends!!!

We all are away from home, live alone, for our work… and our own lives… we have our own place in the world and still we all miss that touch of home… so we have created a home away from home….. we love each other, care for each other, pester others to take food on time, to come home on time…. We share our days, our secrets…. If some one goes out, we miss them too...

Isn’t it a home?.... we were not born in the same family, but somehow we are a family…!!!.... destiny has brought us together… our jobs, our apartments or simply friends of friends….. but we are a family…. J

But that’s not all…..

There’s another family too….. the virtual family….the unseen friends, who are so much into our lives all the time… we speak to them all day and we speak our hearts out…. We share with them, that we couldn’t with anyone else…. So they too are too close to us… we know them, know them so well… yet, may be we have never met… so, can anyone question this trust and friendship?... and say its not true?.....

No, I have made best of my friends like this…. I have found my soul mates like this… this may be virtual to the world, but its real to me…. I live there….

Alone and away from home, they are my family… who I live with.

A thought about a thought

2007-04-24T13:52:00.000+06:00

A thought is a plant,
Whose seed creates out of experience
And is planted in your mind.
It penetrates deep and germinates there.
Slowly when it breaks open,
It is small and tender and fresh and green.
Then you water and nurture it,
With your own “can be” ‘s and “cannot be” ‘s.
And it grows, grows into a tree.
Spreads its branches all over you
And then, then it gives the fruit.
Which is the sweetest
Because its yours, only yours

The fruit: its colour, its content, its smell
Is all yours.
It is what you are.
It is what you have grown
And you have made.

So the thought about the thought is the thought,
That a thought is only a thought,
Which is thought, very thoughtfully.
And which is brought up by you,
Along with the air, water and sunlight,
Which are external.
Still the thought is yours
And it belongs only to you.

This is only a thought.