Saturday 10 September 2011

for friends!!


Dosti bhi ajab jazba hai...dost bhi kamaal hain!

Jinka dava tha ke khamoshi ko samajh lete hain 
unke sath ab khamoshi ka hi bawal hai!!
waqt guzra hai dil ka haal kahe,
waqt milna bhi bada sawal hai!
jab umar bhar ka raha hai sath
phir kyun chhoti chhoti baaton ka malal hai?
kuch bhi gile sahi dil me magar
Asal me, dil ko to phir bhi khayal hai
Hazaar baaton ke kehne ke baad bhi
Woh jo baat thi kehna muhaal hai!
Dil ke rishton ko lafzo me kehna nahi hai asaan,
In me talatum to hai par inko nahi zawal hai!
Yaaro hum roti sabzi k khane wale hain
kab ye poochha h ke boti haram h ke Halal h?
Har ek apne taur se zindgi ko jeeta hai,
Sharab ya shabab, sab faltu ka wabal hai.
kuch na milega, Jahan ke laal o jawahar lekar,
Maut se pehle maarne ki, ye sab chaal hai
Jab saare milkar khilaf bolte hain,
Zehen yehi sochta hai,isme kya koi Jaal h?
Aap ko galat kahen hum, tauba- tauba
Arre janab, hamari kahan ye majaal hai??
tv ke purane show ka naam vikram aur betal hai
& French open ka champion Nadal h (sorry!!rhyming over!)

talatum (disturbance) Zawal (khatam)



& here goes Ghalib..

Koi ummeed bar nahi aati
Koi surat nazar nahi aati
 maut ka ek din muayyun hai 
neend kyon raat bhar nahi aati
aage aati thi haal e dil pe hansi
ab kisi baat par nahi aati
hum wahan hain jahan se hum ko bhi
khud hamari khabar nahi aati
Kaaba kis munh se jaoge Ghalib
sharam tum ko magar nahi aati....


Ranj ka khoogar ho insan to mit jata hai gham
mushkilen mujh par padi itni ke aasan ho gayi..

Ramblings

 
Insecurity
Ehsaas ajab rehta hai
tumhari aisi baaton ke baad
Na paaon ke neeche zameen ..
na sar par koi aasmaan hota hai
na maaazi ki koi yaad ka lamha baqi
na hi mustaqbil se koi ummeed
Aur kabhi zameen dete ho to
aasmaan le lete ho
kabhi aasmaan diya to zameen kheench li
kabhi kabhi dono maujood
Aur kabhi dono gayab....




woh jin par hum sab kuch lutaaye baithe hain
wohi hum se nazrain phiraye baithe hain
kaise karen aapse hi hum aap ki be rukhi ka gila
ke aap hi hum ko rulaaye baithe hain
ponchhe kaun kis ke aansoo
sab hi ek doosre ko sataye baithe hain
kis tarah paayen bandgi ka sukoon
ke sab apne alag Khuda banaye baithe hain
shab ko guzarenge kis taur se jana
ke aap ke hi khwab hum ko jagaye baithe hain
 woh baat jo chhupani thi dil ki aapse
 wohi baat hum aapko bataye baithe hain!!






My eyes are not beautiful!
They just look lovely
when they long for you..
They just sparkle
when they spot you..
They just laugh
when you are around them
They just cry
when you are away from them..
My eyes become the most beautiful eyes in the world..
When you are in them!!!

Khamoshiyan bhi sitam karti hain
ab zara ilzam ko alfaz bhi dijiye
khata hamari sangeen sahi par
ab zara faisla suna bhi dijiye!!


Palko par thehre aansoo hi saughat hain chahat ke
zindagi ki nami ko mehsoos karke to dekho!



Thursday 25 August 2011

mohabbat me buri niyat se kuch socha nahi jata
 kaha jata h usko bewafa samjha nahi jata
 tumhare sath me gar kuch nayapan hai to yeh h
bahut dard deta hai magar chhoda nahi jata!!



Kaun chahega tumhe meri tarah
Ab kisi se na mohabbat karna!


hamara yeh tajurba k khush hona mohabbat me
kabhi mushkil nahi hota kabhi asaan nahi hota!!



aadat

Saans lena bhi kaisi aadat hai?
jeeye jana bhi kya rawayat hai?
koi aahat nahi badan me kahin
koi saaya nahi aankhon me
paon be-his hain chalte jaate hain
ek safar hai jo bahut rehta hai
kitne barson se kitni sadiyon se
jiye jaate hain, jiye jaate hain
Aadaten bhi ajeeb hoti hain!  Gulzar

Khwab

Khwab marte nahi..
Khwab dil hain, na aankhen na saanse k jo
reza reza hue to bikhar jayenge
Jism ki maut se yeh bhi mar jayenge
khwab marte nahi
khwab to roshni hain, nawa hain, hawa hain
Jo kaale paharo se rukte nahi
zulm k dozakhon se bhi phukte nahi
Roshni aur nawa aur hawa k aalam
maqtalon me bhi pahunch kar ye jhukte nahi
khwab to hurf hain
khwab to nuur hain
khwab to suqrat hain (socrates)
khwab mansoor hain!

Ahmad Faraz

Invictus by William Ernest Henley

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.

poetry- some stolen some own

Raat yun dil me teri khoyee hui yaad aayi
Jaise veerane me chupke se bahaar aa jaaye
jaise sehraon me haule se chale baad e naseem (hawa)
jaise beemar ko bewajah qarar aa jaaye. (Faiz)

Ye tajurba bhi khud par aazmaoon main
k usko yaad karoon khud ko bhool jaoon main!

Ye rang anokhe hain ye jazbe nirale hain
jo tumne diye hain lamhe wo bolne wale hain
iss dil ki daulat ka mol nahi hai pyaare
iss daulat k rakhne wale sab hi diwale hain
har lamhe me ji lete hain jo poori zingani
wo log hi zinda hain wo log jiyale hain
iss dard ki behshat me aana nahi h aasaan
aansoo jo hain nikle wo ab samandar k hawale hain
har raat ko mar ke rehte hain ye zinda
parwane hi sachche aashiq deewane hain..



Zindgi khel hai, aur khel me agar
chot lag jaaye to rona kaisa
kuch na paane par shikayat kaisi
kuch na paaya to khona kaisa




Saturday 6 August 2011

The Oriya Outsider





The Oriya Outsider



  For the uninitiated…this is not a review of Camus novel by the same name. It is just an outsiders’ perspective on the ‘sons of the soil’, and here I mean the Oriyas. Having been born and brought up in the national capital I must confess I did not know much about Oriya species till my college when I discovered them. I must admit, not as spectacular as the discovery of America by Columbus, but nonetheless significant. It was more like alien life which I knew existed somewhere, out there, but had never encountered. Here, I would like to share my encounters with the Oriya kind and experiences I have had with them.
  
   For me it was just one of the many Indian states whose capital was Bhubaneswar, situated in the south of West Bengal where people experienced extreme summers- the typical third standard general knowledge stuff. Being a true blue cricket freak I remember a decade back a bowler Debashish Mohanty had come to the Indian cricket team from Orissa and had left without making a mark (I consider myself lucky to have witnessed it, a once in a lifetime thing- as Oriyas are rarely into sports. Now a few are coming up though).
  
   Orissa gets mentioned in the national news very rarely, more for accidents than for accomplishments. Like for the natural calamities cyclones, etc. which hit its coasts from time to time. Or for the famous mango kernels, which thanks to Orissa highlighted poverty in India worldwide (and got money for the impoverished Indian NGOs!) Recently Hindutva brigade has taken it upon themselves to make it famous all the way up to the Vatican. Orissa also suffers from lack of a news-making personality, for example- No Shah Rukh/ Rakhi Sawant/ Mallika Sherawat/ Lalu Yadav/ Raj Thackeray to boast of.

  Now I know why it is so because these are generally seen as non-serious fields (sports/ show biz, etc.), and Oriyas are Serious people. The famous Joker line from the film “A Dark Knight”, “Why so Serious son??” seems to have been written with Oriyas in mind!! They just do not believe in wasting their time in ‘Pursuit of Lazyness’. The first impression about most, is that they are intelligent beings (mostly nerds!), very hard working souls and always very serious about studies. They have no time for fun as mostly all Oriyas are usually very busy trying to become Civil Servants, and they very seriously attempt it.  

   Not exactly known for their sartorial sense - Oriyas always wear formals (indicative of the Seriousness). Mostly full sleeved shirts buttoned till their throats in all seasons- summers/winters/spring/autumn. Even in present times, when most Delhi girls' seem to run ‘save clothes’ and ‘less is more’ campaigns, and Delhi guys move around in their low-waist (see how deep my crack is!) jeans, its nice to see Oriya men not showing any skin. They mostly wear serious, dark and sober colors showing partiality towards colors like yellows, greys, browns and blacks (on not exactly fair and lovely complexions).

   Oriyas stand out not just because of their heights but for their pronunciations too. Always getting stuck with their ‘kaf’ and ‘qafs’, “ja” “za” and ‘khes’. (Murdering urdu based Bollywood songs). Not exactly known for their poetic or literary skills either. (No Amitav Ghosh/ Tagore). Many are serious movie and music buffs and insist on singing the Hindi film songs with wrong lyrics and pronunciations spoiling many songs in the process.     

   Most Oriyas are just simple and sweet people. Many simple hearted souls new to the city narrate the stories of how fast paced life of the city baffles them. Some boys fall in love with the girls of Delhi (Seriously, of course!). Some love stories are successful and some just end in serious heartbreaks for the poor souls. While the affairs are on, some brave ones flaunt their girlfriends around, and splurge on them, making their other state mates jealous who have not yet got the taste of the Real city life (i.e. girls). Oriyas are usually not seen as flirts or very good with girls as most are very shy. Most silent love stories start with an Oriya boy staring at a girl and usually end there too. With them still staring till she gets married to someone else. Oriyas are usually not known to be big splurgers of money; they spend sensibly so usually just avoid having the extra ‘kharcha’ of a girlfriend.
  
   Oriyas are very kind hearted people, helping anyone in need. And, if it happens to be someone from the fair sex then kindness seriously flows. A trait not limited only to Oriyas but to men of all nationalities.   
     
   Oriyas have a strong sense of community. Those who are successful try to help other like minded serious state mates too in the city. A lot of them are in academics, having been serious students all their lives. Most are very good with technology too, and make good techies. They like living low-key lives. Going on with their daily routines and trying to preserve their culture in the changing world around them. They are seen as traditional people with values. Trying to be civil in a city not known for its civility.
 
   As they stay away from homes most guys learn to cook and are great cooks. The impression has stuck, having enjoyed many meals cooked by the Oriyas.
 
  I would like to apologize for the gender disparity here. Very few Oriya girls come to Delhi, though my interactions with them have been limited but few that I have come across, share the typical Oriya trait of seriousness. They are simple, shy and properly/fully clothed as well.

   This account is based purely on personal experiences I have had with Oriyas. If I have hurt the feelings of friends or countrymen (i.e. Oriyas) it was not intended. I was not trying to offend the Oriya sensibilities, it was all written in good Humor (Another thing that Oriyas seriously lack. But, it is a very nice place with simple people one of whom I married, surprise surprise for his sense of humor!!





                                      


traffic signal


Traffic signal

 Madhur Bhandarkar made a movie by the name of ‘traffic signal’ to show the chaos around this place which is in existence to create order on city’s roads. 

  All of us have witnessed the changes that have occurred on the traffic signals. There have been changes not just in terms of numbers and types of vehicles but also in the kind of people for whom it is their workplace. Earlier, we used to see beggars either old/handicapped/ women with young children. Now in addition to these we have kids doing all kinds of jigs, or selling magazines/ novels and other paraphernalia sellers. Then there are some who come and insist on cleaning glasses of your vehicles.
Recently these people have been joined by eunuchs. They feel that God has not been kind to them so it is the collective responsibility of the society to undo this wrong done to them by giving generous money to them. If you are not kind to them then God save you from their curses. They do not beg they ‘demand’ money from you. And no, one or two rupees will not do, they order you to give them from five rupees (if you are lucky!) to ten  to twenty rupees.
If it is a signal near a hospital then you would find people asking for sympathy (money again!!) for a close relative who is ill. Yours truly met a 60 plus woman who was crying for her son who had met with an accident and now she had no money for his treatment. It was a rare moment of smartness when I stumped her when I said that I had met her at the same place a day before as well when she had said the same thing. She just made a face and left without saying a word. It amused auto driver but he gave me no concession!!
  There are also women and kids who sell their stuff with pleadings like they have not eaten so if you buy their product they can buy a meal for themselves. Thinking that, well, they are not begging at least, I have bought numerous agarbattis, pencils, tissue paper boxes and God knows what not. Usually things that I do not need or would never require. Always, return home sheepishly usually with the same story and different stuff to an amused husband!!

Beedi Peeti Aurat

 बीड़ी पीती औरत   अंकुश लगती है घूरती निगाहों को समाज नकारता है कुढ़ता है उसकी बेईमानी पर   उसके कर्त्तव्य याद दिलाता है   ये उसका हक़ नहीं   इ...