आज यूँ ही

आज यूँ ही बैठे बैठे याद उनकी चली आयी है।

फिर मुसकुराहट वो प्यारी लौटी है,

फिर आँख मेरी भर आयी है।

यूँ तो नज़र में रहता है उनका चेहरा हर पहर,

बात भी दिल में होती है उनसे शाम सहर।

मग़र आज शायद बात कुछ ख़ास हो आयी है,

ज़िक्र उनका कुछ ख़ास हुआ है दिल की गहराई में

जो आज यूँ ही बैठे बैठे याद उनकी चली आयी है।

फिर मुसकुराहट वो प्यारी लौटी है,

फिर आँख मेरी भर आयी है।

आँख मेरी भर आयी है।।

ये अधूरा सा जहाँ

तुमसे बिछड़े हम जो कल, मिल सकें फिर कहाँ।

साथ बीते थे जो पल, अब नहीं, पर कशिश उनकी बाक़ी है।

साथ बीते थे जो, कुछ पल, चाह उनकी अब भी बाक़ी है।

महक साथ बीते हुए हर पल की, हर तरफ़ बाक़ी है।

पर हो नहीं जो इसमें तुम, है अधूरा बहुत ये जहाँ!

तुमसे बिछड़े हम जो कल, मिल सकें फिर कहाँ।

परे हमसे बहुत हो तुम, है अधूरा बहुत ये जहाँ!

Our Sun -- An Elegy

Cold!
Cold was thy brow to touch,
No warm hand anymore,
For us to clutch!

No sun did set,
Nor rose a moon.
We came to thee but
Thou hath left er too soon!

We grope for thee,
Oh, Thou art gone!
Er we saw,
Thou had passed on!

All hope dashed
It's now just tears
Unhealed hearts,
For years...and years!

Oh, come back Thee!
We pine, we long.
Come sing to us
Just one more song!

Sweet smiles no more.
No more thy touch!
No warm hand
For us to clutch!

No light anymore
No peace, just tears.
No light anymore
Our Sun, thou hast set!

जो छू कर गुज़रती है मुझे

जो छू कर गुज़रती है मुझे, हवा,
आँचल तेरा भी छू जाती तो होगी।
के याद करता है तुझे हर घड़ी कोई,
कानों में तेरे कह जाती तो होगी।

सिहर उठता हूँ बारिश की जिन चंद बूँदों से मैं,
तेरे दामन में भी मोती यादों  के भर जाती तो होंगी।
जो तड़प के बरस उठती हैं आँगन में मेरे, घटा,
आँगन तेरा भी अश्को से भिगो जाती तो होंगी।

काँप उठती है जिनके छूने से कायनाथ मेरी,
होठों को तेरे भी यादें वो थरथराती तो होंगी।
जो सिसकती, मचलती हैं मेरे आसमाँ में बिजलियाँ,
रोशन तेरे घर को कहीं कर जाती तो होंगी।

जो जलाती, है चिराग निगाहों में उम्मीद के मेरी, चांदनी,
तेरे दिल को भी सुकूँ दे जाती तो होगी।
जिनसे रौशन है हर घड़ी दुनिया मेरी, यादें ,
चिराग दिल में तेरे भी जला जाती तो होंगी।

भरोसा कर लिया मैंने...

चला कुछ सिलसिला ऐसा, उन बिछड़ों को पाने का,
भरोसा कर लिया मैंने तुम्हारे लौट आने का।
आये चार दिन को तुम, बहाना था मनाने का,
तुम्हें हक़ दे दिया मैंने, मेरा फिर दिल दुखाने का।

देकर वास्ता मुझको उन रूठे ज़मानों का,
पता फिर ले लिया मुझसे मेरे दिल के ठिकानों का।
भरोसा फिर किया मैंने, न देखा थे वही, तुम तो,
मौका फिर दिया तुमने तो खुद को आज़माने का।

शुरू फिर सिलसिला है अब, नयी यादें भूलाने का,
तुम्हें न याद करने को, भुलाना उन फ़सानों का
कहा माना नहीं मैंने, कहा दिल ने, "संभल जा" तो,
सज़ा ख़ुदको है दी मैंने, तुम्हें बस नाम बहाने का।

भरोसा फिर किया मैंने, न देखा थे वही, तुम तो,
मौका फिर दिया तुमने तो खुद को आज़माने का।
टूटा दिल मेरा फिर से, भरोसा भी मेरा ही तो;
कुसूर इसमें तुम्हारा क्या, मैं मारा हूँ ज़माने का।

A menace of its kind

"It's been irking me ever since I read in the news about a youth being thrown out of the train by eunuchs, today!" I wrote, on May 27, 11, but couldn't go on, for some inexplicable reason/s!


The sight of a drunk 'eunuch' trying to cajole money off any and every guy that he passed by, by clinging to them, and even pecking some odd guy brought it all back!


A winter afternoon on board the A.P. Express, en route to Delhi. I bring out a couple of poories and some vegetable fry, of my meager meal, and before I can lay my hands on it, a eunuch has turned up, and taken a bite out of my plate! Not just this, he has the audacity to tell me that he had just had a bite, to taste it, asking me to have the rest of it! He didn't like my idea of taking it all since he'd already 'tasted' from it!


At least I got away just with eating two poories less! The men in the train have to bear with their flirting and stuff and part with some of their money, or handle abuses and curses hurled at them, in generous measures!


As kids we saw eunuchs come over (uninvited of course) to people's houses if they had a baby boy or married off a son. They'd sing and dance to the tunes of dholak and manjire and bollywood songs. They'd bless the baby/the newlywed and their family and then, demand exorbitant 'inaam' (presents) in cash or gold!! Refusing them entailed inciting their wrath, and bearing with their threats of unclothing themselves right there, in public, to humiliate the unrelenting 'host'! People ended up parting with quite some money, food grains, even a piece of jewelery at times, other than some hours' time, in the name of saving their integrity!


The nuisance has taken a much colossal and uglier shape by now, what with their presence spreading its wings to trains, and even traffic signals now! With them knowing no bounds, from embarrassing everyone around, to even harassing them and now, pushing them out of running trains, things have really gone out of hand!


Yea, and they go scot-free, of course, given our superstitious, eunuch-fearing  society--police et al.!

The ants 'episode'!

The other day I saw a patch of black on my bathroom wall, with specks of white in it. The sight transported me back into time...

A little girl crouched on the ground, next to a black patch on it, watching it closely--perplexed, amused, intrigued...Her mom, seeing her glued to the spot came over, to see what was going on with her daughter. The girl couldn't hold back further, and soon her mother was showered with a volley of questions! "What's wrong with these ants?" "Where are they all going?" How did sooo many ants get together?" "Are the little white things they are carrying, their luggage?"

Mom, her smile wider now, said "The ants have their own mechanism to know that the monsoons are round the corner, and it'll start raining after some time. So, they move from their current colony to a safer place. This is what these ants are doing right now. And, the little white things they are carrying are their grub which will hatch one day, and become ants like these ones."

The girl had sheer awe writ large on her face...her mom must have been thrilled at that priceless sight! (I'd have said here "wish I had a way to find out for sure" but I won't...any mom would have felt this way!)

The girl didn't forget what her mom told her, and not many days after the 'ant' episode, she came dashing to her mom, straight into her arms and said "can i go to the terrace and bathe in the rain?" Of course her mom couldn't say "no"! She never could, when her daughter asked to go get drenched in the rain...she even joined her if she could, at times!

I woke up to the sounds of pouring rain this afternoon...and that little girl from the past came bounding out! "Wow!! the ant thing worked this time too!! I knew it would!" She smiled...thrilled beyond measure!

"Wow! Am so happy! Am thrilled! :)" I texted my friend (my rain and clouds advisor :P) "It's been raining for almost an hour :) n its so cool! :) Is this monsoon?"

"Wow! I think so." He replied. "Visit www.imd.gov.in to see the satellite picture."

I did...checked the 'infrared' images per his instructions, and thought..."it must be monsoon!"

Out peeked the little girl then..."didn't you see all those ants with their grubs? This 'is' monsoon!"

They're so close to the nature, they don't need satellite images and sophesticated instruments and gadgets to figure this out--the ants! We do! We've come such a long way...so far away from nature, we can't hear her anymore!

from a different plane...

You probably can steal my smile that's yet to come from happy moments spent with you;
but can't rob those that I have safe in my memory vault, from happy moments gone by!
And...until then,
I'm rich...for I have made safe deposits of precious memories as I earned them, dear World! :)

In the darkest of dark depths where hand sees not hand,
I live in the light of these smiles, I thrive!
so come not to me if u so wish.
I'm gud by myself as can be!
for I live in the light of these smiles and I thrive!
for I have made safe deposits of precious memories as I earned them, dear World!

याद आ गया आज यूं ही अचानक...

हर स्टेशन पे उतरकर यूँ ही खड़े होना,
गर्मी में जा जा वो मुँह धोना.
वो ऊंघना दिन भर, बस और सोना,
वो नापना क़दमों से ट्रेन का हर कोना!
वो चाय का आना, वो बच्चों का रोना,
याद आ गया सब आज यूँ ही अचानक...
वो दरवाज़े पे ट्रेन के घंटों खड़े होना!

वो खाने की खुशबुएँ जो थी उड़ती
तो खाने को घर के कुछ और तरसना!
वो गोलाई में जब ट्रेन थी मुड़ती
उसे देख बच्चों का वो शोर करना
वो दूर शहरों की बत्तियाँ चमकती,
और सुनसान जंगलों से भी निकलना.
याद आ गया सब आज यूँ ही अचानक...
वो ताली बजाते हिजड़ों का गुज़रना!