Love

[https://assets1.cdn-mw.com/mw/images/article/art-global-footer-recirc/dictionary-love-1825@1x.jpg]

Mutuality of concern

Mindfulness of understanding 

Celebration of togetherness

Centrality of purpose.

Marriage of trust,

Devoid of all insecurities

Heart and soul in unison

Absence of self

Presence of play 

It's all eternal they say.

Believe me

My name is Love.

=======

Life

Time

Shadow We Need

Scenic, picturesque and serene

Coconut trees, grazing cattle

Well orchestrated dividers

Black top roads absorbing the sun

Presence of vernacular all around

Shadow we need

However shallow our interests be.

-

Pale, parsimonious and pampered

Ponds, plains and peels

Reassuring oneness 

Mosques, temples and churches

Shadow we need

However shallow our interests be

--

Bricks, bridges and beliefs

Sun, salt and sundry

Serving one taste

North, east and south

Shadow we need 

However shallow our interests be

---

Mango laden trees

Plantains in bloom

Smiling watermelons as if enjoying 

the sleep in the sun

Glassy constructions 

telling tales of modernity

Shadow we need

However shallow our interests be

----

Beaches, breaches and beacons

Sand, saplings and sundae

Free from French

Fermenting flavors

Shadow we need 

However shallow our interests be

Will to Survive

[picture borrowed from Ms Babita Asthana's Facebook Wall]

============

1

==

Life torn into pieces

Flood Full of furies and frames

Nature 

Testing their appetite to survive

Will to survive at any cost

Keeps their eyes occupied

Permutations and combinations

Possibilities and hope

Determination and drive

Scanning their brain waves

Sense of togetherness 

Energising them

Sense of expectation

Forcing them

Sense of existence

Reminding them

Thorns on the way

To better tomorrow

Shall surely lead them

To tackle

Atrocities

Complexities and 

Uncertainties

Shall surely assure them

Survival 

Learning

Living and 

Leading Life.

===========

2

==

Water they say

Gives life

Water they say

Saves life

But we see

Water

Taking lives

Destroying age old
Held beliefs
And
Redefining
Relationship
Between Water and Life.

Mirror

Dust settled for ages
even when dressed in
best of the best clothes
in the makeup of
expectations and expressions
gems-jewels
all in perfect place, shape and size
usually
they forget to see the mirror
and at times
they stand infront of that dusty mirror
where dirt has made its haven.

They put efforts
just to carry
makeup-jewels-gems
and make
no efforts for
little dusting of the mirror.

They come
just do nothing
take off dust and dirt
show you your own mirror
your own precious possessions
and you see
your own face
which looks much different
from its earlier avtar of being haven
from its earlier reflections.

Does one really need
someone to come and
clear the mirror off dust and dirt
someone to
tell us
in which attire we look best
in which pose we look better?

Unfortunately
we depend on someone
to come our way
and let us know that.

We need to stand up
move out
get a mirror
and carry it with us
every time
religiously
and keep looking at it
periodically
keep observing
how do I look better
can we change
that person in the mirror.

Everything depends
on how often we use mirror
how often we wipe it
(if we see the dust settling there)
how often we put efforts
to not allow any kind of dust
to get settled there.

Everything starts
with the man in the mirror
Everything improves
through the efforts
to see the mirror often
and
at times may be to allow others
to show us mirror.

They come and do nothing
Except showing us mirror
so lets carry it through
and start
with
the man in the mirror.

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)

Parking Reserved for Landlords

Craving to park my thoughts
Cornering from obvious places
Turning to the fresh looking sides
Listening to my inner voice
Exploring possibilities at the marked lines
And vacating satisfiers
For a while
Needed to park my thoughts
My ideas
Genuinely honest concern
Without a slightest view of
The Board Reading
'Parking Reserved for Landlords'
And me
Being no lord of my thoughts
In Bewilderment
Requesting The Lords
Please
Please provide me a space
For Parking
For Parking my Thoughts.

(10th Nov, 2012, Mumbai, ICA Conference)

मैं इतना सोच सकता हूँ - 2

मैं इतना सोच सकता हूँ ... १ से ६ तक पडें यहाँ क्लिक करें

७.

मुझे जब भूख लगती है, मेरी पत्नी बताती है
मगर इस भाव से मुझको, न जाने क्यों सताती है
तेरी पूजा, मेरा जीवन, मेरी पूजा, तेरा जीवन
मैं इतना सोच सकता हूँ, मेरा जीवन सजाती है.
८.
मैं क्यों घर से निकलता हूँ, वो क्यों घर मे पसरते हैं
मगर जब संघ सच्चा हो, सभी सपने संवरते हैं
मेरी आशा, मेरा आग्रह, तेरी सीमा, तेरा वादा
मैं इतना सोच सकता हूँ, गरज बादल बरसते हैं.
९.
मैं जब कविता सुनाता हूँ, वो अक्सर टाल जाती है
मगर मेरी यही दुनिया, वो इसको मान जाती है
मेरी कविता, मेरा जीवन, तेरा जीवन मेरी कविता
मैं इतना सोच सकता हूँ, वो कवितायेँ पकाती है.
१०.
मैं पत्थर जोड़ लेता हूँ, वो मट्टी को बनाते हैं
मगर मट्टी बिना पत्थर, बिना पानी सजाते हैं
तेरे पत्थर, मेरी मट्टी, मेरा पानी, तेरे करतब
मैं इतना सोच सकता हूँ, नहीं आकार पाते हैं.
११.
मैं इंग्लिश मे पढाता  हूँ, न हिंदी भूल जाता हूँ
मगर फिर भी कहीं खुद मे, मैं उसका मूल पाता हूँ
मेरी भाषा, मेरी बोली, मेरा शिक्षण, मेरी टोली
मैं इतना सोच सकता हूँ, नहीं मां भूल पाता हूँ.