Showing posts with label special. Show all posts
Showing posts with label special. Show all posts

November 22, 2019

Crossing 400 out of 1000Sher

After crossing 200 posts on this blog,  I have recently crossed 400 posts on my poetry blog 1000Sher.in too :) Again a very happy moment and a great milestone for me.

As I have written in the past too, this blog is a project to write 1000 small/big compositions in English/Hindi/Urdu over a period of life time. This was started in November 2011, so exactly 8 years later, we stand at 402 posts. While I don't know whether the project will get completed but a milestone of 400 definitely gives hope. 

It's also a great proof of what a long term persistent work looks like. That's one thing I like about blogs ( or any body of work ) that we can go back and see how far we have come. I don't know how good my compositions have been (although friends have appreciated quite a few of them, in the past ). But I am definitely proud of the efforts I have put in last 8 years. 

Yes, the frequency has come down tremendously in past few years. I am a family man now, so I don't get that much time to think and express myself in poetry form. This is one of the regrets I have for sure, but I am trying my best to get back into the groove. This daily writing experiment is a part of that thought process/plan. 

The thing with poetry for me is that I just can't write any shit like I do here on my blog. I must myself feel the content to be worth sharing even if it is 2 lines long. In the past (4-5 years ago) I use to sue  my free time in the cab to and from office to think and compose something. Most of poems that you may read on 1000Sher are written in multiple sessions of thinking and editing. But I don't get that luxury now. So now, I only write when I feel really inspired or frustrated. 

By this rate, I will probably reach the 1000 mark in next 12-15 years. But I am not in any hurry, as long as I am progressing towards that goal. 

Nowadays, I am taking help of my good friend Akshita (she was also the editor of my Novella too) to review all the past posts. With her excellent analytical skills and great command on language, I hope to make this blog error proof (or at least reach somewhere close by ). 

1000Sher has been an attempt to prove myself that I am much more than just a programmer or a good student. I am not even aspiring to be called a great poet, as long as my poetry resonates with someone's feelings and acts as a medium of self-expression. 

Hope you have a look at the blog especially the posts of last few months. Please visit the archive and see if you find something worth your taste. I am sure something will definitely click. And while you are at it, please do let me know if you find any spelling/grammatical mistakes. 

Now onto 500. Let's begin!

November 12, 2019

Post #200

Yes you read that right. This is my 200th published post on this blog! Quite happy having achieved this feat and rebooting this blog. I must have written about the story of this blog earlier too, but let me write it again from what my memory serves.

So this goes all the way back to 2006, when I had just finished school. That's when I first read about blogs for the first time (by the way,blog is short for Web-log). I was sold about its prospects. But internet was in its infancy at that time and I would get a connection of my own 4 years later.

Never mind, with the rise of Orkut etc. I was getting a hang of Internet. So, I also created a blog of my own around 2007-08. It was on this Blogger platform only. I don't even remember the name of the blog now, but I distinctly remember it had a light pink theme! Anyways, I wrote something like "It's my first post and great things are gonna come soon". Well those great things never came because I never wrote anything else there. 

Meanwhile my school friends started their own blogs and writing posts and poems etc. I would diligently read them during my weekly cyber-cafe visits and give elaborate comments. Then came Twitter and Google Buzz etc. and I was very active there. So we can say my blogging journey kinda started through those comments on various social platforms.

Then came 2010 and I finally got an internet connection of my own (no more having to go to Cyber cafe for limited time. Hurray!). And I immediately started my own blog. It was a slow but steady start. My initial plan was to write once a week, and while I took double that time on an average, it was still a fair start. With encouragements from friends, I was just happy having a place of my own to write.

Design wise also this blog has gone with many permutations and combinations . I have spent literally hours tweaking this blog by moving the widgets around and fibling with the fonts. Now, I try to keep the blog to its bare minimum design, with only the 'Essentials'.  I think now the blog gets out of the way of the reader and lets anyone interested read without any distraction. If you don't agree with my assessment, do let me know. I may do something it, probably.

This blog has seen many ups and down since 2010. Some years I have been on a roll, some not so much. The blog all of a sudden came to a stand still since last 3 years and I just couldn't make myself break the shackles. But hopefully, I have done it now.  

Of course any writer would like dozens(hundreds/thousands/millions)  of readers lapping up whatever she writes. I am no exception. I crave interaction. But even if no one reads or comments, I am just happy and grateful for this opportunity to bare out my mind. That's why this blog is called 'An Open Source Mind' i.e. AnOSM Blog !

I don't know what the future holds for this blog, but let's hope I get serve you a lot of interesting posts .  Meanwhile, for nostalgia sake, read the one from where the journey began. If you ever read and appreciated even a single post of mine - Thank You.


PS : Don't forget to checkout my other blogs : the one for poetry and the one for short posts. Not updated them for a while but 'sabka time aayega'. 

February 15, 2014

Aur Roti Fir Jal Gayi

Subah utha to sir ka dard kuch kam tha. Aaj shanivaar tha to ek ghanta jyada sone ko mila. Jab shanivaar, itvaar ko chutti milti hai to lagta hai is duniya me sach me bhagwaan hain.

Kal Valentine Day ka paawan divas tha. Is din ko kuch log bade chaav se manaate hain. Unke saathi to aksar badal jaate hain, lekin tyohaar ka din aur josh har saal vaise hi kaayam rehta hai. Aur ye log aapko yaad dilana nahi bhoolte ki aaj Valentine Day hai, jaise aapko calender dekhna na aata ho. Kabhi kabhi to aisa lagta hai ki ye din un logon ko jalane ke liye banaya gaya hai jinke paas apni koi personal girlfriend ya boyfriend nahi hai. Kaash, girlfriend-boyfriend bhaade pe milte to ek din ke liye saath rakh lete. Kam se kam logon ko is baat par bhi jaleel karne ka mauka to na hi milta.

Khair, mujhe in sab cheejon se farak nahi padta. Agar girlfriend na hone ki beijjati hi karni hai to aapko 14 February tak rukne ki jarorat nahi hai. Aap kisi bhi din sare aam jillat thop sakte hain. Mere ek param-vairaagi dost ka kehna hai, pyaar vyaar sab moh maaya hota hai. Aur mera maana hai ki maaya ke moh me hi Valentine Day manaya jaata hai.

Uth kar socha, bahut din hue, aaj chhole bhature khaaye jayen. Lekin wallet nikala to bas 10 hi Rupye the. Fir yaad aaya ki meri girlfriend na hone ki asli vajah kya hai. Lagta hai aaj bhi apne haathon ki jali roti hi naseeb hogi. 1 Km door ATM jaane ki jehmat ab bhala kaun hi uthata. Phone uthaya to dekha ek dost ka message aaya hua tha. "Yaar lagta  hai saali se fir breakup ho gaya". 

Kal maine din me use phone kiya tha. Uska kuch din pehle uski girlfriend se break up hua tha. Use santavana ki jaroorat thi, aur mujhe Valentine Diwas par updesh ke liye ek shrota ki. Maine phone kar uski girlfriend ko khoob gaaliyaan di. Socha use accha lagega. "Valentine Diwas bajaarwaad ki upaj hai" vishay par ek behtareeen bhasan bhi de maara. Usne bina kuch kahe sab chup chaap suna. Fir aag babula ho bola "Haraamkhor teri bhabhi hai. Uske saath mera fir se make up ho gaya hai. Agli baar use kuch kaha to goli se uda dunga. Aur baajaarwadi duniya nahi, tu baajaru aadmi hai." Kehkar usne phone kaat diya. Beech me kahin usne "naach na jaane aangan theda" muhvara bhi prayog kiya tha jo mujhe ab yaad nahi. 

Pata nahi ek din me uski girlfriend "saali" se "teri bhabhi" kaise ban gayi. Aur fir agle hi din fir "saali" ban gayi. Lekin main uski dasha samajh sakta hoon. Log kehte hain pyaar andha hota hai. Mujhe to lagta hai andhe log pyaar kar baithte hain. Kameeno ko ye dikhai nahi deta ki kaun si girt me girne jaa rahe hain.

Maine thaali pakdi aur fir usme 3 katori aata daala. Canestar me aata bhi ab naa ke baraabar tha lekin aaj ka kaam chal hi jaana tha. Kal ki kal dekhi jaayegi. Jab aate-daal ka bhaav pata chalta hai to fir pyaar ko koi bhaav nahi deta. Jo log kehte hain ki vo sirf pyaar ke sahare reh sakte hain, shayad vo log roti nahi khaate. Pyaar khaate hain. Khair mujhe apne haath ki jali rotiyaan hi pasand hain.

Aata thaali me daalkar maine usme gilaas se naap kar bade dhyaan se paani milaya. Aur fir aata goonthna shuru kiya. Pichle kuch dino se maine paani ki sahi matra pehchaan li thi. Varna hamesha aata gila hokar halwa ban jaata tha. Aur fir apna khud ka haal bhi, gareebi me aata geela jaisa hi tha. 

Pados ke Mishra ji ko radio tej avaaj me sunane ki aadat thi. Agar kabhi unhe tok do to vo aavaaj aur badha dete the, fir kehte arrey maine suna nahi. Aata goonthate goonthte radio par khabar aayi ki Dilli ke mukhymantri ne gat raat apne pad se isteefa de diya. Sunkar bura laga. Mukhyamantri ji Dilli vaalon ko Valentine Day par Jan Lokayukta bill ka tohfa dena chahte the. Vo baat alag hai ki pyaar karne vaalon ko bhrastachaar se koi farak nahi padta. Unka dimaag to pyaar ne pehle hi bhrast kar rakha hai. Lekin kuch logon ke liye unka isteefa bhi Valentine Day ke gift se kam nahi tha. AAP vaale apni faaltu raajneeti se Dilli ke logon ka BAAP banana chahte the, lekin Dilli ke logon ne  dikha diya ki yahan asli baap kaun hai. 

Maine apna aata ghoonthna khatam kiya aur tava stove par chadaya. Aata sahi nahi guntha tha, lagta tha Congress aur BJP ka gathbandhan ho. Aadha  geela aadha sookha. Lekin Aap ko kya parvaah thi. Apne ko to bas is gathjod se nikali rotiyan sekni thi.. 

Pehle ek chota sa nivala nikaal kar tave par chadaya. Maa ne sikhaya tha ki pehli roti bhagwaan ko chadai jaati hai. Achaa hi hai bhagwaan ko bhookh kam lagti hai. Varna itne aate me to ek hi jan ki bhookh mit sakti thi. 

Doosre stove par chay ka pateela chadha diya. Sabji, daal ki jaroorat nahi thi. Banane vaale ne Jam bhi acchi cheej banai hai.  Fridge se nikaal kar Jam ki bottle table par rakhi. Dheemi aanch par teen chaar rotiyan bel kar sab saath me hi chadha di. Ab bhookh sehen nahi ho rahi thi. Jo bhi tha jaldi pakaana tha. 

Is mahine TV, akhbaar, gaano se tauba kar rakhi thi. To time paas karne ka jariya hi nahi tha. Gussa aur badh raha tha. Apne aap ko aise ool jalool pachdon me daalne ke liye 4-5 baar kosa. Fir jaakar, kursi par baith kuch fal kaatne laga. Fal kaatata kam aur khaata jyada. 

Fir Roma ka phone aaya. Baachen khil gayi. Din me usase ek baar baat na ho to dinn hi poora nahi hota. Aap soch rahe honge ki Roma meri girlfriend hai. Chee chee, aap aisa socha bhi kaise sakte hain. Nahi aisa bilkul nahi hai. Hum to sirf ghanist mitra hain. Ek baar maine Roma ko kaha ki main tumse bahut pyaar karta hoon. To Roma tunak kar boli, "No, we are just close friends". Tabse Roma meri ghanist mitra bin gayi.

Roma ko shor pasand nahi tha aur Mishra ji radio band karne ke mood me nahi lag rahe the, to maine chhat par jaakar uska phone uthaya. Oopar halki halki baarish ho rahi thi. Phone uthate hi chillane lagi ki phone uthane me itni der kyon lag gayi. Jab bataya ki main rotiyaan bel raha tha to kuch shaant hui. Fir boli ki kal ek bhi ladke se use phool nahi mila (dhatt tere ki.). Sun kar khed prakat kiya ki meri ghanist mitra ka koi boyfriend nahi hai. Fir use bhi "Valentine Diwas bajaarwaad ki upaj hai" vishay par apna bhaashan sunaya. Use kuch samajh nahi aayi. Boli, laal phool na sahi koi peela vaala hi de deta. Main samjha gaya bhains ke aage been bajaane ka koi faayada nahi hai. 

Bola ki shaam ko milo, chalke tumhare liye ek gamla khareedte hain. To vo hans ke boli nahi aaj to bahut kaam hai, kal milte hain. Fir usne kal ka ghatnakram vistaar poorvak sunaya. Usse baat karne me khud bolne ka mauka kam hi milta hai, lekin mujhe bhi uski avaaj sunana pasand hai to main kabhi sikhayat nahi karta. Aakhri me usne "Happy Belated Valentine Day" bol kar phone rakh diya. 

Phone par Roma ki tasveer fir se dekhi. Kuch pata nahi chala ki khus houn ya dukhi. Baarish bhi tej ho chuki thi. Fir yaad aaya ki main to neeche rotiyan chadha kar aaya tha. Bhaagkar neeche pahuncha to dekha ki chai kaashi nadi ki tarah ufaan par thi. Aur rotiyan jalkar koyla ho chuki thi.

Aur kuch is tarah aaj fir roti jal gayi. Aaj rotiyan aur dino se jyada hi jali hui thi. Inko khane ka matlab apna shanivaar aur itvaar dono kharaab karna tha. Rotiyan dustbin me fainki aur kitchen saaf kiya. Ab to chai peene ka  bhi mann nahi kar raha tha.

Ab ek hi chaara tha. Maine bhagwaan ko roti khilai thi, ab unke karz utaarne ka samay aa gaya tha.  

Paas ke gurudwaare me langar ka samay ho raha tha. Maine ghar ke darwaaje par taala lagaya aur gurudwaare ki aur chal pada. 

November 03, 2013

"साहब केसुआ"

घर पहुँचने में देर हो चुकी थी। गुड़िया वहाँ परेशान हो रही होगी, उसने ही तो मुझे पठाखे लाने के लिए भेजा था। खुद भी आना चाहती थी लेकिन उसे गोद में लेकर पूरा बाजार घूमने के झंझट से बचने के लिए मैंने ही मना कर दिया। अब दीवाली के दिन तो कोई न कोई मिल ही जाता है। फिर उनसे दो घडी बात न करो तो वो भी बुरा मान जाते हैं। बस यही करते-करते दो घंटे बीत चुके थे। अब घर पहुँच कर मेरी शामत ही थी। मिसेज़ जी तो आज गला ही दबा देंगी।पिछले एक घंटे में 3 बार कॉल कर चुकी थी।घर पर मेहमान आ रहे थे और मैं यहाँ बाजार-हाट ही कर रहा हूँ। आखिर मैंने ये सब खरीदारी कल ही क्योँ न ख़त्म कर ली।उफ़...

यही सब सोचता हुआ मैं तेजी से बाजार कि तंग गालियां से होता हुआ घर को भागा जा रहा था।गलियोँ में तो आज मानो सारा संसार ही उमड़ आया था।अगर यहाँ जरा भी भगदड़ मच जाए तो लेने के देने पड़ जाएँ।मुझे एहसास हुआ कि लेट-लतीफी का शिकार मैं ही नहीं, पूरा इलाका था !

ठाकुर साहब दिवाली मुबारक हो! अपना पान तो लेते जाईये ! - लाला साहब पान वाले ने मुझे गली के दूसरे छोर से अपने खोखे में बैठे-बैठे ही आवाज दी।
नहीं लाला साहब आज घर पर बहुत मार पड़ने वाली है, मुझे इजाजत दीजिये। कल आता हूँ - मैं भी सलाम ठोक कर आगे बढ़ गया।
लाला साहब मन मसोस कर रह गए।लगता था आज उनकी दुकान बहुत ज्यादा नहीं चली थी।

 आज कॉलोनी देखते ही बनती थी। लोगों ने कितने प्यार से अपने घरों को सजाया था।किसी ने बल्बों कि लड़ियाँ तो किसी ने फूलों कि माला से अपना घर पाट ही दिया था।और अब जैसे जैसे सूरज देवता विदा होने लगे थे, वैसे वैसे आकाश में आतिशबाजियों का सिलसिला शुरू होता जा रहा था। वाह! क्या खुशनुमा दिन था। लोगों के चेहरे पर कितनी ख़ुशी थी।अपने अपने दुखों को भुला कर कितने प्यार से एक-दूसरे से गले मिल रहे थे।ये दिन रोज ही क्यों नहीं आता?

साहब! - मैं सड़क पार करने की कोशिश में जुटा था कि तभी किसी ने मुझे आवाज दी।मैंने पीछे मुड़कर देखा तो एक 9-10 साल का लड़का मेरी तरफ देख रहा था। मैले कुचले फटे से कपडे , नंगे पाँव, धूल से सना बदन, बिखरे लम्बे बाल। दीवाली के दिन तो ऐसे लोगों को दुनिया से ओझल ही हो जाना चाहिए। मैंने जुन्झुला कर पूछा - क्या है ?

लड़का कुछ सोच में पड़ गया।मुझसे रहा नहीं गया - देख लड़के अगर तुझे  पैसे चाहिए तो ये ले पांच रूपये और दफा हो। मेरी बेटी घर पर मेरा इन्तेजार कर रही है, मेरा पिंड छोड़।

इतना कह कर मैंने पांच रूपये का एक सिक्का उसकी तरफ फेंक दिया।लड़के ने जमीन से सिक्का उठाया और मुझे वापस कर दिया।

साहब मुझे पैसे नहीं चाहिए, हो सके तो कुछ खरीद कर खिला दीजिये। आज पूरे दिन से कुछ नहीं खाया।

भाई, तो एक काम कर तू ये 50 रूपये का नोट ले और खुद ही कुछ खरीद कर खा लियो।

नहीं साहब, मैं ये रूपये नहीं ले सकता। वो पीछे वो बब्बन खड़ा है न पीछे, वो मुझसे ये पैसे छीन लेगा।आप ही कुछ खरीद कर खिला दीजिये साहब।- लड़के ने मुझे क़तर नज़रों से देखा।

मैंने पीछे देखा तो एक करीब 16 - 17 साल का लड़का कुछ और लड़कों के साथ खड़ा हमारी और ही देख रहा था।

कौन है ये बब्बन? - मुझे देर तो हो रही थी लेकिन मैं फंस चुका था।

साहब, इसके बाबू मेरे चाचा लगते हैं। मैं इन्ही के परिवार के साथ वो स्टेशन के पीछे जुग्गी - झोपड़ियों में रहता हूँ। दिन भर कूड़ा करकट उठा कर शाम को किसी कबाड़ कि दूकान पर बेच देते हैं, तो उसी से 30-50 रूपये कि कमाई हो जाती है।लेकिन ये बब्बन हमेशा मेरे आधे पैसे छीन लेता है।आज तो कुछ कमाई भी नहीं हुई, और भूख से मरा जा रहा हूँ। कुछ खिला दो न साहब।

मैंने घडी कि तरफ देखा।7 लगभग बज ही चुके थे।लेकिन आज दीवाली के दिन किसी कि हाय लेना भी ठीक नहीं था।मैं उसे बगल के एक ढाबे पर ले गया।

आर्डर लेने के लिए एक अधेड़ महाशय पधारे। लड़के को देखते ही आग बबूला हो गए  - ओये तू क्या यहाँ कर रहा है ? चल भाग यहाँ से हरामी सूयर। 

तमीज से बात करो। ये मेरे साथ है - मैंने आवाज ऊंची करके कहा।

महाशय सकते में आ गए - लेकिन ...

लेकिन वेकिन कुछ नहीं , एक काम कीजिये एक वेज़ थाली और एक कप चाय जल्दी ले आईये। - महाशय आँखें तरेरते हुए चले गए।

हाँ भाई, तो तेरे  माता पिता कहाँ हैं ? - मैंने समय काटने के लिए पुछा।

बाबूजी तो बहुत पहले ही चल बसे थे। बस माँ हैं मेरे गाँव में, लेकिन वो भी अक्सर बीमार ही रहती हैं। डॉक्टर कहते हैं कि वो भी ज्यादा दिन नहीं बचेंगी। तो माँ ने मुझे यहाँ पढ़ने लिखने के लिए जबर्दस्ती चाचा के परिवार के साथ दिल्ली भेज दिया।

इतने में खाना आ गया।खाना कोई और ही ले कर आया, महाशय ने आना ठीक नहीं समझा। लड़के कि तरफ थाली कर मैं अपनी चाय  पीने लगा। लड़का कुछ सकुचाया। मैंने पूछे - अब खाता क्यों नहीं?

जी - कह कर वो धीरे धीरे रोटी का निवाला मुंह में डालने लगा। पहले निवाला अभी मुंह में गया ही था कि लड़का सिसकने लगा।

क्या हुआ? रो क्यों रहा है ?

कुछ नहीं साहब। मैंने आज तक कभी भीख नहीं मांगी।गाँव में गरीब होते हुए भी हमेशा माँ ने मुझे रोटी खिलायी है। मगर आज सबह से कुछ नहीं खाया, बहुत भूख लग रही है।मुझे माँ के पास जाना है - इतना कह कर लड़का जोर - जोर से रोने लगा।

मैंने उसे चुप कराने की कोशिश की, लेकिन वो माँ के पास जाने कि ही रट लगाये हुए था।फिर बड़ी मशक्कत के बाद मैंने किसी तरह उसे चुप करा कर, खाना खाने को कहा।

माँ ने चाचा चाची के साथ यह सोच कर भेजा था कि 8-10 तक पढ़कर कोई नौकरी कर लूंगा यहाँ। लेकिन चाचा तो यहाँ सुध भी नहीं लेते।पढ़ना-लिखना तो दूर यहाँ खाना तक मिलना दूभर हो जाता है। ऊपर से वो बब्बन मेरे पैसे मुझसे छीन लेता है। वो तो चोरी भी करता है अपने दोस्तों के साथ मिलकर। लेकिन  चाचा उसी कि तरफदारी करते हैं।मुझे माँ के पास जाना है।

लगता था मानो उसे खाने कि नहीं, किसी के कानो कि जरूरत थी, जिसे वो अपनी कहानी, अपन दर्द सुना सके। मैंने कुछ भी बोलना मुनासिब नहीं समझा।लड़के ने खाना ख़त्म किया और पानी पीकर उठ खड़ा हुआ।

और कुछ नहीं लेगा?

नहीं साहब, बस।

चल भाई फिर अब घर को चलें। - मैंने काउंटर पर जा कर हिसाब चुकता किया और साथ ही उन महाशय को तमीज कि तामील भी मुफ्त दे आया।

और तेरा नाम क्या है?

साहब केसुआ।

केसुआ?

माँ ने नाम केशव कुमार रखा था, यहाँ सब केसुआ ही बुलाते हैं।

अच्छा भाई केशव , अब तू अपना रास्ता पकड़, मैं पाना अपना रास्ता नापता हूँ। - इतना कह कर मैंने उसे रवाना किया।

कुछ दूर पहुंचा ही था कि वो फिर सामने आ गया।

साहब मैं भीख नहीं लेता साहब। अगर आपके घर में साफ़ सफ़ाई के लिए कोई जरूरत हो तो मुझे बुला लेना साहब। वर्ना मैं पैसे जोड़कर आपको 40 रूपये दे जाऊँगा। आप अपना घर बता दो साहब। - मैं लड़के की स्वाभिमानिता देख कर दंग रह गया।

भाई मेरे घर में तो ऐसा कोई काम नहीं है, और तुझे पैसे देने कि भी कोई जरूरत नहीं है। फिर भी घर जरूरत पड़े तो  मेरा घर अगली गली मैं चौथे नंबर पर है।

ठीक है साहब, भगवान् आपको खूब तरक्की दे साहब।- कह कर लड़का दूसरी और मुड़ गया।

मैं उसे जाता हुआ कुछ देर देखता रहा, और फिर अपने घर कि ओर चल पड़ा।

रात हो चुकी थी। मोहल्ले में पटाखों और आतिशबाजियों का दौर शुरू हो चुका था,  लेकिन मेरे अंदर कुछ और ही चल रहा था। हमें ईश्वर ने क्या नहीं दिया लेकिन फिर भी हम छोटी छोटी बातों को लेकर परेशान रहते हैं। जरा जरा सी बात पर एक दुसरे से सालों तक बात नहीं करते। और यहाँ ये लड़का अपनी माँ से मिलने के लिए मरा जा रहा है।अपने पिता का चेहरा तक याद नहीं है।पढ़ना चाहता है लेकिन खाने तक के पैसे नहीं हैं।

मैं घर पहुंचा तो गुड़िया गेट पर ही बैठी थी। मुझे देखते ही चहक उठी। सामान रख कर मैंने उसे गोद में भर लिया।कम से कम मेरी गुड़िया के पास तो उसके पिता थे।

February 03, 2013

The Life Philosophers!

In yet another attempt to crowd-source views on a common topic, I asked people (known to me):

"What philosophy/rule that you follow to live your life? Is there any idea at the core of your way of living". 

And as always, I got some really interesting (and not so interesting!) views. This time I have kept the contributions anonymous (as far as possible), to make it more interesting. I have presented them (almost) unedited so as to show what people think about their life. Thank you all who contributed. It of course, wasn't possible without you. Indulge!



"Waqt se pehle taqdeer se jada kabhi kuch ni milta...
But waqt or takdeer dono badle ja skte hain if u have it!

My funda of life"



"My reason to be alive is to live. . Dreams, aims ambitions, sacrifice, dnt excite me, my ultimate goal is to live"



"Mine is " i hv a class to maintain" i keep telling myself this whn nyone does does nything low/ ethically wrong/ with me, i feel like responding in tht same manner ( which i knw, i m capable of) but i cant stoop to their level n keep reminding my self of "i hv a class to maintain" this stops me from taking revenge many at times n keeps my morals in check. Its like " mujmein n doosron mein kya farak hain?". "class ka farak hain""



"THERE IS NOTHING STATIC IN THIS WORLD.
That's what I hav learnt from my life.
Everythng will change one day...
Wheather its climate or the situtions.
Itwill definately change one day..
So we need to create our own ethtics to tackle those circumstances.
After the things we do reflects how much capable weare in the test of life."



"one of them whch always inspires me n even changes my way of thnkng over life, can say motivates me when i got depressed is
" zndgi mohtaz nahi manjilonki , waqt har manjil dikha deta h, koi marta nahi kisi k bichhadne se, waqt sbko jeena sikha deta h.""



"There are actually lots of them! One of them which immediately came into my mind after reading the quote you mentioned goes like: 
"Good things usually happen, bad things sometimes happen" 
- Dr. House (Episode-Nobody's Fault)"



"my personal favourite is dont worry, take it easy, be happy, god bless u"



"Necessity is the mother of invention"



"Life is beautiful when we make it beautiful,its all depends upon us.so make life beautiful......"



"'Average' is my philosophy....everything is average (neither good nor bad)"



"Heaven and hell are two things.its depends upon you what you want....make life like heaven."

LEGO® philosophers
Lego Philosophers from Helico. Taken under CC license.


"Philosophy/Rule : Work hard,leave past, live in present & wait for d future.

Quote/Saying : To become old and intelligent, you need to be young and stupid

Idea(Way of living) : I will make the REST of my LIFE, the BEST of my LIFE."



" Life is not fair. Just know that and deal with it. Things are messed up. People are messed up. Nothing is perfect. But what's there to live in a Utopia either? For all I know for now is that I would be frustrated after a few days (months tops) if my life becomes "perfect". It is the challenges, a hunt for something, search for answers that makes life worthwhile for me. I am Prashant Khajotia and this is my philosophy. "



"i do what i want to do in a particular situation, and i dnt bother what others are doing regarding the same thing"



"Philosophy/rule : well i live for all that all what happen in your life is all for ur own good .... 

Quote/Saying : that all your hardship and hard work in your past will make your future good, caring and happy !!! 

Idea : Be good and hlpful to ur loved one nd work hard.. u will surely get a n njoyable life !!"



"dont run here and there like a mouse. Make sure you bell the CAT before you die."



"Love (of bf/gf type) is the most selfish feeling in this world..... thats why stay away from it..... flirting is quite genereous on other hand....."



"Every minute, every second, everything in between those seconds, i only think and dream about you. Whatever i do, it is with the thought of our beautiful future that I wish we will one day share together. Before I met you, I never thought I could be with one person. Now, i can't think of being without the one person, that is you."



"Well my take is simple Ravi, be loyal to your friends and family and play fair if possible and foul if necessary."

January 27, 2013

Ethics: Absolute or Relative?

I love collaborations, more so if it's in writing! This Monday I asked some of my friends (after being asked by one of my friends) the following question:

"Are ethics absolute or relative/circumstantial?"

Here is what they replied back (in the order of their reception):

Abhishek Garg (via SMS)
I thnk ethics are absolute in themselves bt as far as pple are concerned, they are circumstancial.


Namrata R (via email)
ETHICS, to put plainly, is the differentiation between right and wrong. When the question of conduct comes, it is not absolute. But when character comes into picture, its absolute.

So, according to me, ethics can be both absolute and relative.
To elaborate on my point, a vegan may find eating meat as unethical. Whereas, for an inuit, it is their only mode of survival. But that does not mean, murder/rape or such crime can be allowed the benefit of relativity. Morals cannot be relative!


Varsha Dholpuria (via email)
i dnt have second thots abt drinking bt since i hav always been told its a bad habbit ..  i dnt du it .. its not in our culture ..i get to hear it !!

i had  someone_(then)_special in my life ;) .. i wud have simply wanted to introduce it out to my family irrespective of the fact of the longetivity of d  relationship or whtsoevr ..bt  i cudnt .. jus in case i have one in future i wont be :D coz thts nt hw things works moraly ...AOUCH !!

My manager sometyms.. many a  tyms does not appreciate or take into consideration efforts i put in  .. Still i dnt agrue .. Coz after all he is d boss and d boss has rights to be bosssy all d tym !!!

Contrary

whn i hear a great news .. whn i party around .. whn its my parents annivery .. we champagne it out .. sometyms grab a beer .. vodka shot were never tht exciting  unless my friend jus j turned his dream dream fancy relation to actual one .. i Drink :) .. i shout aloud n say cheers ..lyk  as if m learning to pronounce it hard  ;) !!

Whn i used to go out on  weekends .. whn d phone rang .. d special tone was heard ... d name on the cell phone read .. ever1 giggles .. i blushed ..
We all know it .. mum knws .. dad knws .. sibling literally tease you ................stiillllllll ....... HYPO~~~CRACY ... HYPO ~~~CRAZY  !!!

Appraisal days gone .. We are back in buisness ..... We shoot mails disrespecting each other .. I highlight my work to others And abuse him  :D .. We argue many a tyms :) !!

 Somewhere its all situational .. Different people different perception different reaction ..... !!

Had it been Absolute .. there would have been No term as SELF DEFENCE to KILLING :) !!!!!!

World seems  more deadly whn it has to be that strict ... atleast in my case .. !!

For me ..Say it Easier  or call it Happier .....way to lead a life .. " JUST  LIVE IN D SITUATION " !!

Keep Dsmile awn !1



PK (via email)

Definitions (from http://oxforddictionaries.com)

ethics:

            [usually treated as plural] moral principles that govern a person's behaviour or the  conducting of an activity

moral:
            concerned with the principles of right and wrong behaviour

 
So basically ethics are the principles that tell a person what is right or wrong

Now, of all the (very few) things that I have understood in life, one of them is that almost nothing has a definite white or black. Things most often lie in the grey area. And thus, I believe the same is the case with ethics. The answer to the question will obviously depend on the person answering the question. I think ethics are relative/circumstatial. That means  what is right/wrong at some point of time, depends on the environment, the people, the circumstances and so on, at that point. On the contrary "absolute ethics" would mean: If something is wrong/right than it is wrong/right, no matter what, which seems kind of absurd to me (that might be because I cannot imagine myself function that way).

Here are some examples I could think of in support of my opinion:

1. Lying is wrong (at least that is what all my elders said when I was a kid), but you gotta admit, it does feel the right thing to do sometimes. Also, everybody lies.

2. Stealing is immoral, but what about someone stealing food for his starving family. Or stealing from someone very rich to provide to someone very poor. (Who else likes Robin Hood?)

3. Taking a life is definitely unethical! Oh wait, but we wanted the terrorist executed so that's not it either.

I have always adhered to the notion that ethics are relative, I just didn't knew that (until a few days ago). And why would I not stick to this idea, it has always given me the excuse to lie to a liar and cheat a cheater without eating away at my conscience. 


That Way
From JustinBaedar. Taken under CC license.

Katy Pandey (via email)
Einstein's theory of relativity holds good here as well. To me, ethics are relative in nature. What my grandpa considers unethical may not be unethical to me. Ethics vary according to geography, era and race. They are a byproduct of human psyche. Influence of external environment,education & life experiences  shape our value system and construct our ethical code of conduct. They change with time, but only for the betterment of self. I feel nothing is absolute, not even the world that we see around us. Ethics should not be imposed on oneself rather they should be experienced and weighed on our own intellect. 


Anshul Vir (via WhatsApp)
Ethics are all about your personal sense of right & wrong. This sense is gathered through experiences mostly. Now, one can live by these ethics until you come upon new experiences that make you question or prove one of these beliefs wrong. Then you might try to readjust yourself to this new experience or not but it will keep a lurking sense of discomfort based on knowing otherwise. You ponder it in your head as your entire functioning depends on it. Have i been living wrong or restricting myself? Would adopting this ideology have made me enjoy life a little more & efficiently? Then by extension, you question your other beliefs, "What if all the other things i know only half baked ideas that I've based my life on?" Shit. But hey, that's what life is about. Learning & evolving gradually. So, that's ok. Hence one must be aware at all times to learn as much to get a good idea of how & what they base their ideas on. So with such ever changing existence, one can't truly say anything is absolute, let alone ethics.


RavS
Ethics for me are personal moral rules that we create in order to give meaning to our lives. And as every person is different they will have different sets of rules, which sometimes may be contradicting to others' ethics. So, from that point of view ethics can't be absolute; there can't be one silver bullet for all. 

But if you consider a single person and his ethics, they have to be absolute and not depend on other person or situation. Hence, they can't be circumstantial either! Confusing, right?!

Let me give you an example: I for instance have taken a pledge to be a non-smoker and non-drinker for life. Because my ethics say that they are not good for me and my near & dear ones. But many of my friends smoke and drink. I do not support it, but I don't oppose it either. Because according to their ethics it's totally fine if done in control. So, you can make a law on smoking and drinking (by setting an age limit for example), but you can't tell people that non-drinking and non-smoking is the absolute right way to live. It's up to them to decide.

Similarly, if I have decided that I won't smoke and drink, I just have to stand by and defend it no matter what. Even if that means I am laughed on 'still being a kid' or not considered 'coo!' by friends. I can't drink or smoke just this one time and be alright about it. Those are not ethics. Those would be conveniences.

Deciding your ethics and staying by them in all situations may be difficult in some circumstances but they do make your life easier in the long run.


PS: All the above views are completely unedited and uninfluenced. If you have your own views on the above question, please do leave a comment below to let us know what you feel. Thank you all who participated!

December 30, 2012

I LOL* YOU!

[*LOL: Love Only Love]

 Caution: This mostly contains slap-stick low-level comedy, with a lot of inside jokes involving close friends. So if you don't already know about it, you should probably skip reading it. You have been warned!!


Prologue: This is an imaginary story heavily inspired by real life friends. No animals (or friends) were harmed while making this story. This story was started by Skand and has been completed by RavS as part of a challenge.



(Skand's version...)

Part 1 : गधे का प्यार

"I luv u... think I like u..."

ऐसा  एक  गधे  ने  एक  गधी  को  कहा...

सुन  कर  ये  गधी  तो भाव खाने लगी..

गधा  बोला: ओए गधी...मैं  घोड़ी  पटाने  वाला  गधा  हूँ... वो तो  तेरी  किस्मत  अच्छी   है .... और  तू  साली   भाव  ही  खाए  जा  री  है...

गधी : हम्म  हम्म ........सुनाई नि दिया....ज़रा फिर कहो..

गधा: जा साली गधी....एक गधी का बाप बनने से  तो  अच्छा  है  एक  खच्चर  का  पापा  बनूँ ...

(RavS version starts here.. :)

ये  कह  कर  गधा  वहां  से  निकल  लेता  है .



Part 2: गधे  का  अफ़सोस

(गधा  जा  कर  DTC के  बस  स्टॉप  पर  बैठ  जाता  है . उसे  कुछ  सुकून  चाहिए . वैसे  भी  DTC की  बस  1-2 घंटे  से  पहले  कहाँ आती है).

गधा  अपने  आप  से : एक  तो  दिन  भर  गधो  की  तरह  काम  करो  फिर  इस  गधी  के  नखरे  सहो. उसके  पापा  ने  तो  Merc भी  नहीं  दिलाई . बाद  में  दिला  दूंगा , बाद  में  दिला  दूंगा कह  कर  मुझे  तो  गधा ही बना  दिया .
हे  भगवान्  अगले  जनम  मुझे  गधा  न  कीजो ...

इतना कह कर गधा वहां बैठे बैठे अपनी फूटी किस्मत और बेकार प्लेसमेंट को लेकर रोने लगता है .



Part 3: गधे  का  दोस्त 

(कहते  हैं , कुत्ता  इंसान  का  सबसे  वफादार  दोस्त  होता  है . गलत! कुत्ता  गधे  का best friend होता  है . (इसलिए जो लोग  कुत्ता  पालते  हैं, उन्हें लोग  गधा  कहते  हैं (no offence to Dog Owners))).

गधे  का  दोस्त  कुतियन  अपनी मस्ती  में  जा  रहा  था, तभी  उसने  गधे  को  परेशान  देखा.

कुतियन: और  भाई, गधे  क्या  बात  है ? यहाँ  मुहं   लटकाए  क्यूँ  बैठे  हो?

गधा: कुछ  नहीं  यार , धरम -पत्नी  से  ego clash हो  गया  आज . चल  मेरी  छड , तू  सुना , कहाँ  था  इतने  दिन?

कुतियन: कहीं  नहीं  यार , वो  मेरे  IPeeU के  पेपर  चल  रहे  थे| पेपर  दे -दे  के  कुत्ते  जैसी  हालत  हो  गयी, by God. But अब  जब  exams ख़तम  हो  गए  हैं  तो  बेरोजगार  हूँ , और  आवारा  कुत्तों  की  तरह  इधर  उधर  घूम  रहा  हूँ .



Part 4: गधी  की  पीड़ा

(जैसे  ही गधा  घर  से  बाहर  निकला, गधी  रोने  लगी )

गधी  मन  में : ये  भी  मेरी  भावनाएं  नहीं  समझते। मुझे  आज  कल  सुनने  में  परेशानी होती है  (नोट: ऐसा  फुल  वोलूम  में  दिन -रात  सास  बहु  देखने  से  हुआ था।) और  इन्होने  तो  गलत  ही  समझ  लिया . कहाँ  आ  कर  फँस  गयी  हूँ . आखिर  मैं  एक  गधी  हूँ , मेरे  भी  कुछ  rights हैं.

इनसे  कहा  मेरा  बड्डे आने  वाला  है अगले सितम्बर  में . मुझे  एक  Android phone, Kindle ebook reader, और एक Macbook Pro चाहिए , कोई  गिफ्ट  कर  देना  प्लीज़.

कहते  हैं , "do u think I am A Raja? इतने  पैसे  कहाँ  से  आयेंगे ? तेरे  बाप  ने  मुझे  Merc तो  दिलाई  नहीं ". अब  इन्हें  क्या  पता  मेरे  बाप  ने  मुझे  कभी  एक  Perk नहीं  दिलाई, Merc  तो  दूर  की  बात  है .



Part 5: कुतियन  का  आईडिया

कुतियन : यार  ये  अब  इतना  उदास  मत  हो , चल  तेरा  मूड रंगीन करता  हूँ, let's go to India gate! मैंने  सुना  कोई  latest बाबा  वहां  पर  भूक -हड़ताल  कर  रहे  हैं , और  लोगोँ  को  बुलाने  के  लिए  भंडार  लगवाया  है , वहीँ  चल  के  मुंह   मारते  हैं। व्हाट  से  ब्रो!!

गधा : लेकिन  मुझे  कुछ  काम  है  अभी।

कुतियन : प्लीज़  चल  ले  यार, प्लीज़, इसके  बाद  कुछ  नहीं  मांगूंगा तुझसे। आज  कल  वैसे  ही  घर  पर  बैठे -बैठे  बोर  हो  गया  हूँ। घर  वाले  भी  ताने  मारते  हैं, तेरे सब  कुत्ते दोस्तोँ  की  placement हो  गयी, तुझे  क्या  municipality वाले भरती करेंगे?

गधा : चल  ठीक  है, बट  बस  तो  आने  दे . मेरे पास पास है।

कुतियन: कर  दी  न  गधों   वाली  बात। यार  डेल्ही  में  रह  कर  मेट्रो  में  नहीं  जाएगा  तो  क्या  फायदा?



Part 6: Talk in a Metro

(मेट्रो  में  इतनी   भीड़  होती  है , असली  ‘cattle class’ तो  इसमें  ही  मिलती  है )

गधा: और  सुना  लाइफ  में  क्या  चल  रहा  है ? और  कोई  गर्लफ्रेंड  बनायीं  या  नहीं? You promised me 2 years ago. याद  है ?

कुतियन: हाँ  यार  याद  है। लेकिन , गर्लफ्रेंड  कोई  किराने  की  दूकान पर  तो  मिलती  नहीं। वेल , मेरा  किसी  पे  crush था। लेकिन  सब  उसे  bitch कहते  थे। So, I dropped the idea.

गधा: क्या  बकवास  है|

कुतियन: GF की  बातें  छोड़। और  सुना  कोई  मूवी वगेरह  देखी recently?

गधा : हाँ  अभी  3-4 movies डाउनलोड  की  हैं  लेटेस्ट. चक्रव्यूह, बर्फी, वेदम, उड़ान, गब्बर सिंह, सिंघम , राजनीटी, The Dark Knight Rises, Senna, 127 Hours, TED. अगली  बार  मिलेंगे तो  Pen Drive ले  आना, और खुद की भी मूवीज लेके आना .  OK?

कुतियन: LOL.

गधा: अबे  तेरी  बात-बात  पे  LOL कहने  की  आदत  नहीं  गयी  अभी तक?

कुतियन: ओह , सॉरी। वो  OK कहना  था, LOL निकल  गया। LOL.

गधा: बकवास  बंद  कर। और  तू  कुछ  लेता  क्योँ  नहीं? क्या  मरियल  कुत्ते  जैसी  हालत  बना  रखी  है|

कुतियन : Well जॉब  लगते  ही  घर  वाले  शादी  करा  देंगे. मैंने  सुना  है, marriage के  बाद  सब मोटे  हो  जाते  हैं. तुझे  ही  देख  लो. LOL.

गधा : साले, नाम  मत  ले  उस  गधी  का ...

कुतियन: :D

गधा: ये :D क्या है?

कुतियन: अबे ये LOL का smiley है, तुझे programming से फुर्सत मिले तब पता होगा ना! लोल.



Part 7: भैंस  की... एंट्री!

 (किसी  तरह  गिरते  पड़ते  दोनो  इंडिया  गेट  पहुंचते  हैं... )

 कुतियन: Shit man, बाबा  को  ओसामा  का  चाचा  घोषित  कर  पुलिस  उठा  ले  गयी. और भंडारा  भी  cancel हो  गया. Govt. का  कहना  हैं, खाना  बनाने  के  पीछे  विदेशी ताकतों के गंदे हाथ  हैं|

(गधा  उदास  हो  जाता  है , सुबह  से  कुछ  नहीं  खाया  था ... जो  थोडा  भोत  लंच  था  वो  हमेशा  की  तरह  दोस्तोँ  ने  खा-पी  कर  चट  कर  दिया  था)

कुतियन: अबे  उदास  मत  हो, मेरे  पास  5 MegaPixel का  फ़ोन है, मस्त  फोटो  खीचते  हैं  3-4 घंटे! पहले  मैं  तेरी  खीचूँगा, फिर  तू  उसी  पोसे  में  मेरी.

(थोड़ी  देर  फोटो-सेशन  चलता  है...
.
.
.
अभी  भी  चल  रहा  है...
.
.
.
अभी  थोड़ी  देर  और ...
.
.
.
Narrator: यार  बंद  करो , भैंस  की  एंट्री  भी  होने  दो  X-(
.
.
फोटो  खीचते  हुवे, कुतियन की  नजर  दूर  घडी  भैंस  पे  जाती  है

Narrator: Yay! ;-)
)

कुतियन: अबे  गधे  वो  देख , क्या  हॉट  भैंस  है!

गधा: हाँ  यार! फिगर  कोई  Britney से  कम  नहीं  होगा। आज  कल  की  भैंसें  खुद  को  मेन्टेन  रखने  के  लिए  सिर्फ  सलाद  (घास) खाती  हैं!

कुतियन: इसे  देख  कर  तो  लगता  है  की  काश  मैं  “He & She” का  He होता  और  वो She. Happy   ending होती , By God. LOL.

गधा: अबे  अपनी  height  देख  और  उसकी height.

कुतियन: अबे  वैसे  भी  मुझे  हमेशा  से , अपने  से  बड़ी  साइज़  की  ही  चाहिए  थी!



Part 8: घर  में  गधी

(यहाँ  गधी  का  रो -रो  कर  बुरा  हाल  था. नोट : गधी  actually एक  भारतीय  गधी  है , जो  गाल  पे  आंसूं  बर्दाश्त  कर  सकती  है, पर  होटो  पे  किसी  की  दी  हुई  एक  शिकन  तक  बर्दाश्त   नहीं  करेगी ))

गधी: ये  गधे  भी  सही  बावड़ी  पूँछ  होते हैं. एक  फ़ोन  तक  नहीं  खरीद  सकते. जब  फ़ोन  लेने  के  लिए  कहा, तो  blog post लिख  डाला "Why I don't have a Mobile". सुबह  से  गए  हुए  हैं, खाना  भी  दोस्त  चट  कर  जाते  हैं. पता  नहीं  कैसे  होँगे.

गधी : आज  अपनी  दोस्त  भैंस-की,  याद  आ  रही  है| उससे  कहा  FB ज्वाइन  कर  ले,  रोज  चेट  करेंगे , लेकिन  उसे  भी  Twitter से  फुर्सत  मिले  तब  न. कहती  है , FB गधो  के  dump करने  की  जगह  है.



Part 9: एक मुलाक़ात (जो हो न सकी )

(इधर इंडिया गेट पर देर रात होने के बावजूद, गधा और कुतियन भैंस की पीछे पीछे इधर उधर घूम रहे थे।)

But जैसे ही वो दोनों गाढ़ी से बात ही वो दोनों भैंस से बात करने के लिए पास पहुंचे, भैंस-की phone बीच में आ गया।

भैंस on phone (not literally!): Hello, who on blue-green hell is this? ओह, गधी! कैसी है?

गधी  (on the other side of line): बस सब सही चल रहा है, सोचा तुझसे बात करूँ। बड़े दिन हो गए बात करे हुए।

(फिर एक-दो घंटे चिक-चिक चलती है। गधा और कुतियन दोनों उनकी बातें ध्यान से सुन रहे होते हैं .)

भैंस : और सुना उस गधे के क्या हाल हैं?... क्या तूने उसे बताया... कि  तुझे... आज कल सुनाई नहीं देता?

(इतना सुन कर गधे की आँखों में आँसूं आ जाते हैं।)

कुतियन : व्हाट दा एफ यार, साल तू तो टीवी सीरियल की बहु की तरह रो रहा है . जो दिन रात रोटी रहती है, लेकिन make up की एक परत तक नहीं निकलती।


Part 10: The End.

भैंस-की बातें सुन कर गधा वहां से Usain Bolt की तरह भागता है लेकिन आधा km दौड़कर रुक जाता है (नोट : Usain bolt कोई  marathon रेसर तो नहीं है ना!)

वो इतनी जल्दी में होते हैं की उन्हें ये भी याद नहीं रहता की वो मेट्रो के escalator की उलटी direction में चल रहे हैं!

दोनों close-circuit camera में पकडे जाते हैं। फिर दोनों को आधा घंटा मेट्रो परिसर में दंडनिय अपराध के लिए दंड देना पड़ता है।

Anyways, finally दोनों गधी  के घर पहुंचाते हैं?

गधा: क्या जो तुमने भैंस से कहा वो सच है?

गधी : तुम भैंस को कैसे जानते हो ?

गधा : That's not relevant. क्या तुम सच में बहरी हो?

गधी : हाँ.

गधा: OMG Ubuntu!

गधी : व्हाट ?

गधा: Nothing. I just want to say, I love only love you.

इतना कह कर गधा ख़ुशी के मारे मर जाता है!

कुतियन : LOL.



* * * * * THE END * * * * *

December 29, 2012

Experiment: Now Giving 50 Rs. Daily

I recently reached 100 posts on this blog. Although I am pretty happy with what I have achieved, I'm a tad disappointed as well. It's been 978 days since my first post here and it took me 132 days since the 100th one. While a lot of excuses for not writing enough can be given, there is no denying the fact that these stats could have been much better.

I read somewhere that a writer will do anything to excuse himself from writing and I suffer from the same difficulty. Writing is all about inertia. When you are writing good, you feel good, which gives a positive feedback to write more good stuffs. Similarly you are not writing, a lot of (unfounded) negative emotions come in, which makes it even more difficult to write.

I want to take my writing more seriously now. In fact, I want to reach the next 100 mark in 1/3rd of the time it took this time. And that obviously will require tremendous amount of self discipline and dedication.

Starting January 1, I want to make it a habit of writing uninterrupted for half an hour daily, doesn't matter what. And this is where I want an Accountability Partner (AP).

Here is what I want to try:
  1. I try to write for (at least) half an hour daily preferably between 10 to 10.30 am.
  2. The Accountability Partner checks DAILY if I am maintaining the habit.
  3. The AP will make sure to remind me daily block half an hour in the 'busy' schedule to write.
  4. In case, I am not able to write for 30 mins (not a minute less), I give 50 Rs. to AP for that day, to be given to them at the end of the month as lump sum.
  5. Though, I am not required to show it to the AP what I wrote.
Of course, there is a scope of cheating here. But then there has to be a degree of trust for this experiment to pass. And while 50 Rs. in a day may not be that big an amount, totalling it for 30 days will make it 1500 which does become a significant amount for me.

If anybody is interested to become a Writing Accountability Partner for me for this January, please let me know. I am pretty serious about it, and would like someone who can honestly help me out.

July 12, 2012

लौट आओ , बस एक बार

सालों  बीत गए,
लेकिन आज भी,
कभी कभी दर्द उठता है,
कभी कभी चुभन होती है,
जब अचानक तुम्हारी याद आती है.

लोग कहते हैं,

समय बड़ा बलवान होता है,
सारे घाव भर देता है,
शायद सच भी है,
क्योंकि अब खून नहीं रिसता,
अब आँसू नहीं निकलते.

पर दर्द तो आज भी होता,

साँसों में तड़प तो आज भी होती है,
काश बाहर के घाव नहीं भरते,
काश आँखें नहीं सूखती,
शायद कोई ये तकलीफ देख पाता,
शायद कोई दर्द कम कर पाता.

तुम्हारे जाने का गम नहीं,

जाना तो आखिर सभी को है,
गिला बस इतना है तुमसे,
तुम चली गयीं, और मुझे इत्तेला भी ना किया,
या शायद... शायद बतलाया भी हो कभी,
शायद मैं बदनसीब ही समझ ना सका.

हँसता हूँ किस्मत पर अपनी कभी कभी,

इतने साल लगा दिए तुम्हें समझने में,
और जब तक समझा,
तुमने रुकना मुनासिब नहीं समझा,
तुम रहती थी तो जलन होती थी,
और  आज नहीं हो तो चुभन होती है.

तुम्हें जाना था, तुम चली गयीं,

तुम्हें रोकने का शायद हक भी मुझे ना था,
पर यादें तो तुम अपनी यही छोड़ गयीं,
कहो ये हक तुम्हें किसने दिया?
अब तुम ही बताओ, इन यादों का मैं करूँ,
ये यादें मुझे जीने नहीं देतीं.

धीरे धीरे ही सही, तुम बिन जीना सीख रहा हूँ,

घुट घुट ही सही, सांसे लेना सीख रहा हूँ,
जो खुशियाँ तुम्हें ना दे पाया,
जिस सुकून के लिए तुम तडपती रही,
वो अब अपनों को देना सीख रहा हूँ.

लौट आओ, बस एक बार,
अगर हो सके तो,
गलती मेरी क्या थी, मुझे बता दो.
अरे गलत तो तुम हो,
तुम कभी अकेली नहीं थी,
अकेला तो तुम मुझे कर गयीं.

July 11, 2012

तू ही बता...

  • मुहब्बत  
  • मुरव्वत
  • शरारत
  • नजाकत
  • इनायत
  • इबादत
  • इबारत
  • बगावत
  • आक़बत
  • अमानत
  • फुर्सत 
  • फुरक़त
  • बसारत
  • तहारत
  • शिकायत
  • हिकायत
  • निहायत 
  • नेमत 
  • निस्बत 
  • इशरत 
  • अतिफत
  • जन्नत 
  • आयत 
  • बरकत 

...तू ही बता... तुझे मैं आज क्या नाम दूँ ...



The rough meanings of above words as I understand:

Muhabbat (Love)
Murowwat (Gentility)
Shararat (Mischief)
Najakat (Softness)
Inayat (Grace)
Ibadat (Worship)
Ibarat (Writings at religious places)
Bagawat (Rebellion)
Aaqabat (Life after death)
Amaanat (Someone's belonging)
Fursat (Free time)
Furqat (Separation)
Basaarat (Vision)
Tahaarat (Purity)
Shikaayat (Complaint)
Hikaayat (A story)
Nihaayat (Extreme)
Nemat (Gift)
Nisbat (Connection)
Ishrat (Revelry)
Atifat (Kindness)
Jannat (Heaven)
Aayat (A couplet in Quran)
Barkat (Blessing)

June 25, 2012

Now Introducing: 1000 Sher

Being one dimensional sucks. I never ever wanted to be "just a techie guy". That's why I started blogging. Another thing that I have always wanted to do is to compose stuffs. Write poems, write lyrics, write stories, write dramas, write satires...

Somewhere towards the end of last year, I started writing shers (a form of poetry). The small 2, 4, 8 liners (and sometimes odd numbered). Like most other successes I have achieved, it started as an experiment. But as I kept on writing, got encouragement, applause and criticism, now it has become something that I enjoy doing.

And from there comes the dream of one day writing 1000 shers. Why 1000? Because 1000 feels really challenging enough and is definitely going to take years of constant composition to achieve but it is even not a number big enough to be declared unachievable.

Today I introduce my dream blog 1000sher.tumblr.com. With this I want to write 1000 compositions of varied length, content, feelings, languages and styles. I have deliberately kept the style of this blog as minimal, so as to just focus on the words and nothing else.

I am most comfortable writing in Hindi/Urdu (and shers are usually written in that language only), so most of the compositions will be in that language. But I do plan to write in English and may be at some point of time, even in Punjabi and Bhojpuri! ( and Telugu?)

I am aware that some of the readers may not be able to understand the compositions written in Hindi. So will be translating all shers in Hindi into English.

One last point, Ek Hazaar Sher will not contain full fledged poems. They will continue to be written on this blog only.

Hope you will like what I have create, and hope you will be there to cheer me up as I scale up the mountain of 1000 shers! Impatiently awaiting your feedback on the look, feel and content of this new blog and any suggestions/criticism you may have.

February 16, 2012

Untitled: Part 1 (Fiction)

It was a Sunday morning. She had been sitting on the bench at the bus stop for last 10 minutes. She seemed a little stressed, waiting anxiously for the bus. She kept fiddling with the pen in her fingers, clicking it rapidly. In fact, I was a little worried about the pen in her hands. For every bus that came on the stop her eyes would lit up, only to glow down realizing it's not what she was looking for. For a moment I thought of asking what bus she was looking for, only to realize that it won't matter anyway.

I was so glued to watching her anticipating her carriage that I forgot to take my own bus. No, not forgotten to be honest, but pretended to forget! At least 5 buses would have gone by, by that time, but my mind was struggling to rationalize why not to take any of them: "Hey that's a little crowded... Oh, that bus doesn't seem to have proper seats. Hmm... that would take me through the longer route, I will definitely take the next one...". But somewhere I knew the real reason why I was ready to be late for the meeting!

After about 17 minutes, bus with route no. 341 came and stopped at the stand. It was that old modelled state corporation buses, that should have retired at least a decade ago but like the presidents of the sports associations in our country, they just refused to go away. She got up and hastily moved towards it. It was a rude shock for me, for I thought her bus would never come and I would enjoy her nervous waiting forever... But as they say "forever is too long to be true".

So, that was the little one sided meeting I had and from here onwards we were to supposed to go our own separate ways. Except, that I felt a deep anxiety in my heart, and the thought of never seeing that stranger ever again was surprisingly unbearable! Just as I saw that stupid old bus starting to dance its way on the road, I knew it was now or never decision I had to make. I rarely do things impulsively, but this time I found myself running madly behind the bus- which I had no idea, where it was going- shouting "Stoooppp! Myy Busss!".

The bus would have moved at least 50 metres away when I started my sprint, but thank God for that old 'khataara' bus that I hopped into it within next 50 metres. As I struggled to catch my breath while hanging at the gate steps, I realized that other passengers were staring at me, passing me that weird "what a lunatic, was he sleeping when the bus was standing at the stop?" look. 


There was also that troubling thought of not reaching my own destination on time, but I chose to throw those useless thoughts out of window, and searched frantically inside the bus. There was that teenaged couple standing near the gate talking teenaged-nonsense, there was that aunty haggling with the conductor over the petty fair just ahead of me, and also that old man looking out of the window with his glum eyes... but where was she? Did I... Did I hop into the wrong bus?

[To be continued]

February 04, 2012

तुझे जगाने का मन नहीं करता...

सर रक्खा है मेरे कांधे पर, 
जाना था कहीं,
पर तुझे जगाने का मन नहीं करता.

Untitled From Michi003, Creative Commons
सहा नहीं जाता,
इतना सुकूं है तेरे चेहरे पर,
पर इसे हटाने का मन नहीं करता.

तेरे जुल्फें खेलती हैं मेरे गालों से, 
हारना है पसंद,
पर इन्हें हराने का मन नहीं करता.

दुआ है रब से,
ये पल कभी खत्म ना हो,
इस पल से आगे जाने का मन नहीं करता.

अब ऐसा होना तो मुमकिन नहीं,
की हर बार मेरा कंधा तेरा तकिया बन सके,
पर ऐसा ना चाहने का भी मन नहीं करता.


~ रवि

January 22, 2012

... तो अच्छा लगता है.

[Translated version here]

जब तुम मुंह बनाती हो,
तो अच्छा लगता है.
जब तुम मुस्कुराती हो,
तो अच्छा लगता है.

जब तुम खुद भूल जाती हो
तो अच्छा लगता है.
और फिर मुझे याद कराती हो
तो अच्छा लगता है.
Courtesy Demi-Brooke

जब तुम समझ नहीं पाती हो ,
तो अच्छा लगता है.
क्योंकि तुम्हें समझाना भी
तो अच्छा लगता है.

जब पढ़ने में दिल लगाती हो ,
तो अच्छा लगता है.
और कभी पढ़ते पढ़ते योंही सो जाती हो ,
तो अच्छा लगता है.

जब जाते हुए रोक लेती हो ,
तो अच्छा लगता है.
और जब खुद जाते रुक जाती हो ,
तो अच्छा लगता है.

तुम्हारा सॉरी कहना तो नहीं ,
मगर जब तुम सॉरी कहती हो ,
तो अच्छा लगता है.

जब सोते वक्त तुम्हारा ख्याल आता है
तो अच्छा लगता है.
और जब उठते ही दिल तुम्हारी याद दिलाता है
तो अच्छा लगता है.

लाल, कला, नीला, बैंगनी,
किसे परवाह.
कुछ भी पहनो, तुम पर सब कुछ ही
तो अच्छा लगता है.

मेरे सिवा कोई और तुमसे बात करे ,
मुझे पसंद नहीं.
लेकिन तुम जिस किसी से बात करती हो ,
तो, वो भी अच्छा लगता है.

कई बार कोशिश की पास बैठूं ,
लेकिन हिम्मत ही ना कर पाया.
तो तुम्हें दूर से देख भी लूं ,
तो अच्छा लगता है.

जब एक नजर देख भी लेती हो ,
तो अच्छा लगता है.
और जब उन्ही नज़रों को याद कर दिन भर खिलखिलाता हूँ ,
तो अच्छा लगता है.

अच्छा तो लगता है,
पर डर भी लगता है.
बेचैनी होती है ,
और दर्द बढ़ जाता है .

कुछ दिनों में तुम नहीं होगी पास ,
कहीं दूर चली जाओगी .
तुम तो ना रहोगी ,
बस तुम्हारीं यादें रह जायेंगीं.
और जो बातें आज अच्छी लगती हैं ,
कल वही बातें रुलायेंगी.

January 15, 2012

I smile.


I smile.
Because it takes away all the sadness at that very moment.


I smile.
Because it makes me feel happy, instantly.


I smile.
Because it's essential for me, just like breathing.






I smile.
Because smiling is an art
 and I want to perfect it.


I smile.
Just to keep seeing, if I can still smile.



I smile.
Because it's a habit, it's automatic.



I smile.
Because not smiling sucks.


I smile.
Because I like to smile.



I smile.
Because there is a huge scarcity of smiles in this world.


I smile.
Because I have the best smile in the world, and I know it!



I smile.
Because a lot of others' smile depends on it.


I smile.
Because it never hurts.


I smile.
Because they asked me to do so.
And I am just keeping my promise.


I smile.
I just don't know the exact reason.


I smile.
Whenever I remember her.


I smile.
That's how I defeat my enemies.


I smile.
While talking or walking.
While eating or drinking.
While doing anything and everything.



I smile.
When I wake up, and when I go to sleep.
And a lot many times in between.



I smile.
Because I just don't know how NOT to smile.


I smile.
Because I believe in miracles a genuine smile can perform.


I smile.
Because smiling is my favorite.


I smile.
Because everyone just love to see me smile.



I smile.
...Today because I don't know if I would be there to smile tomorrow.



I smile.
Because it's precious, but still no one can steal it from me.




I smile.
Because world walks with me when I smile.
And when I frown,
they leave me alone.


I smile.
Because I belong to those rare species who can.




I smile.
Because I want to lessen the hatred in this world. 


I smile.
Because God made life to be lived this way only.


I smile.
Because it is a must to get ahead in career ...and in life.


I smile.
Because it's safe and has no side effects.



I smile.
But I won't tell why.
Because smiling is something I don't need to justify.


I smile.
In the hope that she will find me, one day. And I want to be found smiling.


I smile.
Because it's one thing I don't need a reason to do.






I smile.
Because sometimes, laughing is politically incorrect.



I smile.
Because I don't want to regret not smiling later on.



I smile.
Because it makes me appear approachable.



I smile.
Because I like baffling people with my smile.


I smile.
Because there is no better exercise for my face.





I smile.
Because it's infectious.




I smile.
Because I want to remind those who have forgotten to smile.


I smile.
Because it doesn't cost me anything.




I smile.
Because it makes everyone's day.



I smile.
Because it's the best make up I can ever have.





I smile.
Because it shields the pain inside.






I smile.
But it's not my fault, it makes me look cute. 



I smile.
Because I have missed a lot of opportunities to do so before.
But I am not missing any more.



I smile.
Period.







... Dedicated to (and courtesy) my new found friends. Keep smiling :)