The Home Awaits

Travelers
in uniform
returning
on their annual mission
their own wedding
their daughter’s or son’s
their brother’s or sister’s

on their annual mission
for
planting the seed
or may be
for
implanting the saplings

some
are just preparing
themselves
to deal with the
awe
and obliqueness
as they
rushed after
getting the call
from home

fearing the presence
of irreparable loss

or
after having known
loss is already done

pretending
or showing as if
pretending

carrying the baggage
from far flung places
baggage of
not being able
to have seen the last
of their beloved
of not being able
to have been present
during the last ritual

sharing their bounties
their taste of alcohol
with co travelers
with contractors of food
with government paid
railway staff
for pretentious call
knowing fully well
there are eyes
waiting for them
waiting for the last rites in cases
waiting for making the payments
waiting for partaking
waiting to speak
eye to eye
ear to ear
about the last ride
the battle and the ammunition
the realities of life

these men in uniform
guarding the fence at the borders
dealing with the
atrocities of places
and of unbearable
weather conditions
defending
the self of the state
with pride
under the pressure of
survival and yearning
for life

travel in this train
using this vehicle
to carry
the weight of their tears
the length of their imagination
the diction of their command
the reach of their aspirations
the call

the destination is all same
for all of us
we perhaps
know it well
we use same vehicle
we undertake same journey
we savor same taste
hot and sweet
salty and sour

the train
displaying perfect indifference
to different travelers
to each one of us
with no bias
distributing in perfect proportion
its offerings

it just looks
as if our destinations
are different

i am fully convinced
our destination is same
literally and
practically

and the train
shall take us there
without
our knowledge
irrespective of the destination
mentioned on our paper ticket

it is the journey
which shall decide the destination
and we
thinking
just the other way
concentrating on
the destination as mentioned
on the ticket
shall miss the taste of the journey
might forget to enjoy the journey
might regret later
of not having enjoyed
the speed of the vehicle
the ecstasy of ups and downs
and
the challenges of putting
the right feet
over the right path

the destination is home
which awaits
the arrival
and we
unnecessarily give it a name
home where we go
home
from where we came

for each one of us
the home awaits.

(15 December 2012, 9:50 PM, Rajdhani Express 12425…. Gty – Bareilly… I liked the comment of MrRoelHangsing, who commented on my Facebook status… and the home awaits … these three words caught my eye and helped me to pen down this piece… I have been strongly believing in Journey is more important than the destination, process is more important than the outcome, while I was composing these lines I learnt so vehemently that our destination is Home… we mistake it with the places that we buy the ticket for)

सड़क

सड़क पर कांच के टुकड़े पड़े कुछ बात कहते हैं

किसी की दौड़ मंजिल बिघ्न संशय पात कहते हैं

---

सभी गंतव्य सीधे हैं अगर हों साथ सच मोती

सड़क पथ द्रष्टि देती है सुझाये युक्ति नवज्योति

सड़क ले जाती है सबको सभी के घर स्वयं चलकर

मगर अपने उसूलों से वो टस से मस नहीं होती

मैं अक्सर देखकर गड्ढा सड़क पर चेत होता हूँ

मगर फिर भी मुसाफिर पर वो इक आंसूं नहीं रोती

जो सिगरट को दबाकर यों सड़क पर पीस देते हैं

वो उनकी वेदना को पढके हंसती है नहीं रोती

हमारी जिंदगी की बड रही रफ़्तार कहती है

सड़क बस सीख देती है कभी भी वो नहीं सोती

उसे गति गीत गाने से नहीं रोको नहीं टोको

कोई प्रतिफल नहीं सोचे न ही हीरे न ही मोती

सड़क ले जाती है सबको सभी के घर स्वयं चलकर

मगर अपने उसूलो से वो टस से मस नहीं होती

माचिस

हाथ में लेकर
माचिस
घूम रहे हैं
व्यस्त है
नुक्कड़ों पर
चौराहों पर
कैंटीन में
सभा में
हाथ में लेकर
माचिस

आजकल
रोजाना की
बरसात ने
कर दिया है
गीला
इन
माचिसों को

जब कभी
देखता हूँ
लोगों को
सेंकते धूप
एक साथ
समूह मे
मुझे लगता है
अब
माचिस का
गीलापन
कम हो रहा है
अपने
प्राकृतिक रूप में
आ रही है
माचिस

कौन नहीं जानता
माचिस का काम
होता है क्या