Evening Sky

Princess feet

With her head held high

She spots a dolphin
In the evening sky!

मौसम-ए-साज़ पे थिरकता मन-मयूर

मौसम ने छेड़ा कुछ ऐसा साज़,

कि बादलों का टूटा ठहराव,

झूम के बरसी फिर ये घटा काली,

आसमानी जलतरंग ने फैलाई फिर धरती पर  हरियाली,

मिटटी का हर कण उछल-उछल कर भीगा,

इसकी सोंधी खुशबू ने फिर किया आलम को मदमस्त और रंगीला,

देख भूधरा का भीगा आँचल, 

ठंडी हवा भी संग लहराई,

हर चित्त जो था गर्मी से व्याकुल,

इस बहार-ए-बरखा ने ठंडक पहुचाई,

पंछियों ने भी खूब उठाया आनंद इस घड़ी का,

गाये गान प्यार के, फड़-फड़ाए पंख इकरार के,

भूल के हर बात, अगली-पिछली,

प्यास बुझाई चित्त और आत्मा की, 

देखो इस झड़ी ने क्या है रंग लगाये,

मन्न जो हो उठे चंचल, तो फिर कहीं लग ना पाए,

हर दम अब नया कोई नगमा ये दिल गुन-गुनाता है,

अल्फाजों के पर लगा, दूर तक घूम के आता है,

गुज़रते हुए यादों के बगीचों से,

ये कभी सूखी पढ़ी, खुशियों की डालों पर आँख का पानी छलकाता है,

तो कभी गीलें ग़मों के पत्तों को, मुस्कान की धुप से सुखाता है,

इस मौसम-ए-साज़ की तरन्नुम को सुन, 

देखो कैसे जिया भावुक हो जाता है,

इन बादलों के संग बरसने से,

कई बार ये मन भी हल्का हो जाता है,

समेट फिर ज़िन्दगी का सार,

संग हो हर रंग फिर एक बार,

आसमान फिर सुकून का ध्वज लहराता है,

देख उस इन्द्रधनुष को, मन-मयूर फिर आशावादी हो थिरकने लग जाता है. 

Battle of the Ages!

If you were to take a sneak peek into my state of mind at the moment, you’d find a cocktail of thoughts and emotions. Seems like I am stuck in the legendary battle of the ages, between two sets of generations. One B.M. (before M.E.) and other A.M. (after M.E.); where M.E. is My Era.

Irrespective of which category you fall in, I’m sure you’d be nodding your heads in affirmation. Coz I know almost every individual at some point in time has felt the same.

Yes! This has been the dilemma of one and all generations. More the gap, larger is the difference in value system and beliefs. But amazingly all are right. And as I quote ‘right’, here’s another debatable topic- What’s right? Who defines it? Is there a base to which the comparison can be drawn? And the moment we begin to set base, representatives from all ages would have whole lot of interjections to make. And there will be comments on circumstances, availability of resources, education, mind set, exposure, etc. and each would go on defining: ‘right’.

Nevertheless, the most common and favourite dialogue between the 2-gens remains the same.

B.M. : We had limited or less resources & education but we had strong value systems, quality thoughts, qualitative education with strong basics and immense patience. We respected elders, never raised our voice in front of them. We were hardworking and focused in life.

But the M.E.’s and A.M.’s lack in all of them despite abundance in resources and education. They have no routine, don’t take healthy diet, are always after gadgets and don’t value what we say but are always after friends. We say things out of our experience, but they think we are fools!

A.M. : We have more resources & exposure that’s why we are more technologically sound, broad minded and outgoing. We like taking risks & stretching our limits. We look at other options than just being doctors, engineers, lawyers and professors. And we know, even you wanted to do so but then you did not talk back to your elders, not even to put your point across.

‘Respect’, we give to those only who deserve it, who give us respect too and we do not believe in showing it off.

Routine is boring to us. We do same things at different times and different things, each time, every other day. Hardworking is passé; we work smart. For you G.K. was General Knowledge, but G.K. to us it is Google Knowledge or Greater Kailash market.

Healthy diets: we have more packed products, more junk, adulterated food, busy and fast times. But don’t worry, we are coping up well.

And thanks for your advice, though we appreciate it more when we ask for it, which we seldom do because we listen to friends more.

Everyday you want us home coz its paradise. And if you think of yourselves as fools, we are definitely living is Fool’s Paradise.

M.E. : (Speechless)

(Not because, it is hard for us to take our stand. Not because we relate to some of both sides. But because all are ‘right’ in their perspectives and given circumstances. Agreeing to both the generations at different points, and trying to make our both world’s meet, we fight our own struggle.

The moment we back A.M.’s, we are told that we’d face the same situation some day and then we (M.E.’s) will realize the sentiments of B.M.’s. And just when we support B.M.’s, an anecdote from our lives is tossed towards us by A.M.’s, where we had defied the B.M.’s and they had given into our demands.

And we stand there ‘tongue tied’ between the ‘battle of the ages’.)

We all know that ‘change is constant’, yet we find it hard to acknowledge. With every passing phase in life, our expectations are soaring high. We start looking up at our experiences & achievements, but never forget to look down on that of others.

Why this battle of the ages???

Will it ever end???

Or we all will keep it alive and keep striving???

Guess ‘showdown’ is basic human nature.

They keep contemplating the past and manipulating the future, while the present if they look at is ‘decent’.

Mighty One: MINUS ONE!

One step can lead.

One thought can inspire.

One idea can trigger.

One moment can create.

One dream can awaken.

One move can win.

One nod can embolden.

One word can touch.

One drop can quench.

One act can evolve.

One story can inspire.

One smile can speak.

One song can heal.

One belief can win.

Such is the power of ONE.

And one such initiative is ‘minus 1’.

Be a part of this GREEN MOVEMENT.

And ADD your bit towards MINUS 1.

Go Green, Go MINUS 1.

What a bright idea. Something very relevant to our daily lives. So, we don't have to stop taking print outs, yet do something about saving paper, saving trees, saving environment and saving earth. Thus contributing in our way to a better future. ONE brilliant idea.

Also, we must start using both sides of the paper. And instead of getting fresh notepads issued from office or buying them, we can customize one for our daily scribblings.

My Fantishes!

Oh! How I wish I could,

Lie in the stillness of a stream by a moonlit calm night; do nothing but stare back at the glaring stars.

Oh! How I wish I could,

Relax on the cottony clouds on a pleasant day; enjoy the scene around and look at the tiny toys on the ground.

Oh! How I wish I could,

Take a dip into a dew drop and sun bath on a plush green velvety leaf; lay calm in the lap of nature.

Oh! How I wish I could,

Ride on a butterfly and touch every flower; bask in their beauty and fresh fragrance.

Oh! How I wish I could,

Bungee jump with the rain drops and fall on a frogs head, already on a hop.

Oh! How I wish I could,

Be a guest at the bumble-bees, dine with them for honey; all stuffed and drenched in golden nectar.

Oh! How I wish I could,

Dance with a slim-snowman and ski through vanilla snow; ice cream all around and chocolate hung on trees.

Oh! How I wish I could,

Take you on my flying book, escorting you to my land of fantasies, so you can see my wishes ripe.

Un-ignored ME!

Flipping through several pages on web, my focus I feel is a little out of place. After long my mind is set free from work and I’m finding it hard to write for myself.

Weird are these words coming from a person who is a writer by profession but that’s what I believe happens to most of us. A conflict like this is a peculiar scenario, especially for those who have creative instincts, whom I quote as Unstable Creative Elements (UCE).

I often wonder how one can survive with myriad of thoughts jostling in your head. The moment you grab one idea and begin to pull it through, you are beckoned by another in an insidious manner. Trying not to let go off the first one, we stretch to grab an end of the second one too and snap goes the sound in your head… as if a third thought flash-passed through you, giving you a swooning fit. Whew!

Yes, it is true little focus and lots to do. Priority shifts position every second.

These dissipated rays of innovation, hope collate some day, to illumine an unseen path, so I can take a sound walk with my thoughts in peace, listening to them and crafting their untold stories. They have longed my attention and even I’ve waited for them till long… Hope someday I find peace in the lap of nature, brimmed with tranquility, feeling one and complete…all by myself, with an un-ignored ME!

Perils of the Sea, make the Pearl worthy!!!

For this who don't understand this language of the sea!!!....try diving into deep waters of LIFE that bring you challenging tides, dangerous-jaws and unimaginable hazards…and once you reach the sea bed and touch the pearl lazing in an oyster you feel you heart palpitate in absolute amazement and achievement!!!!

And you feel so not only because of the beauty of the pearl but…for the efforts you put in to find this rare craft of nature which not all can dare to fathom. Thus pearl is a pearl coz it’s rare to find had it been easily available on a roadside it would cost nothing but peanuts!

That’s why I say “Perils of the sea, make the pearl worthy”!!!!