“9/7”..ANOTHER WEDNESDAY..

Another “kaala divas” for our country, yet another question mark on the so highlighted “SYSTEM” and its working…Sometimes one is so compelled to think about how the hay days must be looking like!!…for the condition of our country is all black these days..all smoke..formed by the chemicals of corruption, terrorism, and perhaps a Political system which was although designed to clear it, only manages to add to the darkness of it…The smoke, which chokes the people off their breathe and their VOICE, which is trying to find newer and better ways to showcase the complaining hearts and get heard big time...But this smoke carries explosions as well..one too many, and loud enough to get that voice subdued..no matter if it comes from a billion odd people's  simultaneous crying…

The image above shows the ground-level reality of our GOLDEN BIRD..whose feathers today get trimmed as soon as they look like growing for a new flight..Another blast at the same venue just after 3 months and 13 days...The political zeals are flourishing once again emphasizing on “we should all face this moment of crisis together”..the EXCLUSIVE REPORT bringing media is on its toes..Zakhmiyon ke khun ki garmaahat me sabki rotiyaan senki ja chuki hain..jin-jinki gas(life) khatam ho gai unhe muaafza(the relief which itself is from the tax payer’s fund and in all means, the victim’s money) de dia jaega..and that’s how deeply the condolence and togetherness of NETA JI for his bholi janta remain hand in hand..

There is a lot to recollect, think and cry upon from our near past as far as these accidents or catastrophes are concerned..let’s not get into it for that’s in no way the  motive of this writing..all I want to throw light upon is what we learnt from these incidents..and how much have things changed..Doesn’t this show our inability and helplessness to change something we so desparately want to..or is it the lack of INTENT actually??..Just a few days back, a Ship intruded our water boundaries near Juhu beach...and his highness Mr Ajmal Amir Kasaab is yet to be sentenced for a similar act(the consequences of which we all know)..a MIG Crash has become so damn common as is a road accident to this country..no matter how many Rang De Basantis are made out of them..the government and to a very large extent We, The People have learnt to take them as just another happening in our big country..bade bade deshon ki chhoti chhoti baaten…What are our leaders, our Security forces doing to avoid them??..what's the point of those meaningless security checks at parking and entrances, conducted by those who are only a part of us-the sufferers?

Today, I learnt one simple message from all this stuff..we have probably grown so deeply unconcerned and apathetic towards the 'other' guy; that we tend to forget -it is the many “I”s which form that WE..the unity and integrity which is so talked and boasted of!!...the number of blood donors at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital exemplifies this(less than 10 people came forward after nearly 4 hours of the blast)..a few who realize, ACT…but only for a tiny moment of compassion or half-hearted sympathy...and the conundrum remains unanswered..!! A Lucknowite can excuse himself saying what could I do from here...right, but to a very minute extent for he really can if he wishes to..But why, what’s the need?? Aren’t the 14 million odd Delhites enough…can’t they take care of a 100 ailing people…what about those hospital-visiting, peace-appealing politicians…Kya unki ragon me sirf paisa hi behta hai..!!..jab ghar ki safaai me haath gande hone ka dar is qadar dil me baitha hai…then we are only preparing ourselves for more of the dust..and that Smoke..!! And to those who are still able to escape it, it’s due to God’s grace than anything else...for they too haven’t acted much for it..

Yun bhi is desh ki har jaan ki haisiyat Rs 54,000 saalaana se kuchh hi zyada aanki gai hai(SAALAANAA!!!), magar us jaan ki asal keemat shayad isse bhi kam hai..iska andaaza humein ye haadse baaar baar dilaate rahe hain…Jee haan!! Badhti abaadi ne zindagi ka mol bhi kaafi hadd tak Sastaa kar diya hai..84 lakh yoniyon ke baad milne waali nemat kaudiyon ke bhaav!!...jitni chaahe daanw pe lagaiye, ghaata bahot chuninda logon(sage-sambandhiyon) ke hisse me hi aata hai...!!!

Aazaadi ki Raat..

15 अगस्त 1947 की रात क्या माहौल रहा होगा इसका अंदाज़ा हम नहीं लगा सकते..शायद आप भी नहीं..

पर जो भी उस पल को जीने वाले ख़ुशनसीब थे..और उनसे भी ज़्यादा उस पल के लिए मरने वाले...उनका कलेजा गदगद हो उठा होगा!..

देश में पटाखे जलाने भर के पैसे तो शायद अंग्रेजों ने  छोड़े ही न होंगे..पर मेरा दिल कहता है..उस रात भले किसी रसोई में चूल्हा न जला हो..हर घर की देहलीज़ पे एक दिया ज़रूर जला होगा..और उस दिए की आग ने उन अनगिनत बहनों, माओं, और बेवाओं के ज़ख्मों को कुछ ठंडक दी होगी..जिनके अपनों ने उनका, हमारा(नेताजी! आपका भी) कल बेहतर बनाने  के लिए बलिदान दिया..

आज 15 अगस्त 2011, देश कुछ अलग तरह के झंझावातों से जूझ रहा है…पर लड़ाई अब भी शायद आज़ादी के लिए ही लड़ी जा रही है..हाँ ये आज़ादी हमें किसी और से नहीं..खुद से ही पानी है..अपनी अवसरवादी, काम चलाऊ सोच से और न जाने अपने ही भीतर छिपे किन किन आतताइयों से…कल तक जो कांग्रेस और बीजेपी के नाम पे लड़ रहे थे..उन्ही में से कई होंगे जो आज अन्ना हजारे के नाम पे लड़ रहे हैं..बस बैनर बदल लिया है..जन लोकपाल चाहिए  सबको, पर जो आज आँखें बंद करके उसका समर्थन (और एक हद तक वे भी जो विरोध) करते हैं..उन्हें शायद ये ख़याल नहीं आ रहा कि ये कानून सरकार के नहीं, भ्रष्टाचार के खिलाफ है ..और भाई साहब भ्रष्टाचार का लाइसेन्स  सिर्फ सरकारों के पास नहीं है..इसके चंगुल में हमारे "आज़ाद देश" कि जड़ें जकड़ चुकी  हैं..चालान  की रसीद न लीजिये..दरोगा जी पैसे कम लेंगे..आपको नेता होने की ज़रुरत नहीं.. बच्चा पास नहीं हो पाया..अगले क्लास में बढ़ाना हो..हाथ पैर जोड़ लीजिये ( जी! सिर्फ पैसे देने से भी बात यूँही नहीं बन जाती)..ऐसे और न जाने कैसे कैसे सच इस आज़ाद भारत में आज़ादी से निभाई जाने वाली परंपरा के रूप में उभर के सामने आए हैं…

अभी रंग दे बसंती देखी..फिल्म तो 2006 की है..भावोत्प्रेरित इस फिल्म ने तब भी किया था..पर कुछ घंटों बाद जो बात ज़हन में बनी रही वो थी “सु”कर मेरे मन को (मेरे कुछ हुमराज़ों कि आँखें चमक उठी होंगी)..आज पर वापस आते हैं..अबकी फिल्म देखी तो एक नयी नवेली बात याद आई..कुछ ही दिन पहले एक MIG और एक Jaguar  विमान तकनीकी खराबी के कारण दुर्घटनाग्रस्त हो गए..चालक मारे  गए..पर क्या यूँ बेमौत मारे जाना ही वो हसरत थी जो उन्हें वायुसेना तक खींच कर ले गई..?? शायद...बिल्कुल नहीं..!!

फिल्म अच्छी है…देख कर दिल का खून उबल उठता है..शायद ये लेख उसी का असर हो!!..पर पता नहीं क्यों इस उबलते खून की छींटें दिमाग़ तक नहीं पहुँच  पातीं..!!

आज 15 अगस्त की रात है..देश आज़ाद है..इसी दिन की सुबह कल फिर आएगी..और मैं!! देर रात  तक जागा हूँ तो शायद नींद अच्छी आएगी..बस इन उनींदी आँखों में एक सवाल लेकर सोऊंगा..कि उस रात से इस रात तक का सफ़र मैंने..हममे से ज़्यादातर ने क्या वाकई आज़ादी में गुज़ारा है??..इस तरह स्वार्थी न सही..स्वकेंद्रित होकर !!..खैर! जवाब मिले न मिले, 65 साल के इस देश कि अब याददाश्त कमज़ोर  हो चली है..सवाल फिर नहीं पूछा जाएगा..और रोज़ कि तरह ये रात भी बीत जाएगी..हाँ मैं देर रात तक जागा हूँ, तो नींद अच्छी आएगी!!

Kuchh yun hi saa!!!

शराब ना छूने की मैंने कसम जो खा रखी है,

आज पानी से ही इक अजब सी उम्मीद लगा रखी है ..

ऐसा लगता है तेरी याद में जिए जा रहा हूँ ,

और "देवदासियत"  में पानी ही पिए जा रहा हूँ ..

मकसद इतना है की खुल के  तुझे याद कर सकूँ,

फिर एक बार आज खुद को मैं बर्बाद कर सकूँ,

रोक पाएं न ज़माने की नसीहतें  कुछ पल ;

मैं खुल के तेरे ख़यालों को आबाद कर सकूँ..

होश में तो तुझे मांगने की हसरत भी मर चुकी है,

बेहोशी में हो सकता है ये फ़रियाद कर सकूँ..

पर अभी..बीते पल फिर एक नया  एहसास हुआ है,

के  ये ख़याल महज़ खून की रवानी भर थे ..

और ये जो हाथों में थामी है बोतल मैंने;

इससे उम्मीद क्या ये कतरा-ए -पानी भर थे..

देवदासियत का ख़ुमार तो  लिखने भर में उतरा..

अब समझ आया ये सब बारिश की बूँदों के असर थे...!!

No Title..

By the time I post this, most of us would probably be done with our old and newly found techniques of celebrating Father's day..Sms, facebook and twitter-thanks to you 3 giants, that someone like me who has never been so keen, got to know a lot more than the week days and HOLIDAYs..which too are almost alike these days..:)

Now lets swiftly switch over to the motive behind this post..first the "NO TITLE"..only because I could not find a word..or may be I didn't want my title to look different from the title that any proud kid would like to give his/her Father..and now I beg your pardon for another switch-over..on the language front..

Aaj baaton ko angreziyat ki chaashni me lapet kar likhne ka dil nahin hai..Hindustaani dil zoron se dhadak raha to kyun naa iski kaifiyat usi zubaan me bayaan ho jisme isne khayaalon ki shakl li..bade shayar to hum thehre nahiin..ki shabdon se khilwaad khoon me bas chuka ho..haan jazbaati hain..isliye purzor koshish ki hai k jahaan tak ho sake ye lafz is dil ki baat baaki dilon tak pahoncha saken..Koshish! ek saadhaaran bete ki taraf se apne asaadhaaran Pita..aur apne se jude har us insaan k asaadhaaran Pita/Abba/Father ka Shukriyaa adaa karne ki..jo is zindagi ko is pal tak pahochane me bhaagidaar rahe..

Zara muskurao..Khuda ka Shukra manaao..

K aaj tumhare sar pe.. armaanon ki jo chhat hai,

Gar sochte ho tumko ye kismat ne dii..to gaflat hai..

Jo tumko subah choom k nikalte hain roz ghar se..

Dost mere! Ye chhat unhi hazrat ki mehnat hai..

Jo khwaab aaj tumne apne haseen kal ke hain bune..

Wo unke hi paseene ki siyaahi me likhe khat hain..

Tumhare picchadte hue kadmon  ko jab waqt kam lagaa,

To do kadam aur chal paane ki  wo thodi si mohlat hain..

K jab jab kisi baat pe thi haar tumne maani,

Wo fir tumhare jhuke kandhon ke uthne ki himmat hain..

Budhape ki laathi tumhe wo maante to hain..

Par tum zameen pe na aao..khud unki sabse badi hasrat hai..

Duniya ki tab-o-taab me unhe bhool na jaana,

Ye aaj k beton ki badii aam si fitrat hai..

Ghamgeen jo hote hain islye ki Wo ab saath naa rahe..

Unhe itna kahunga bas ki bhai “ye khayaal to Galat hai”..

Haan aankhen kholne par wo Roobaru na hon,

Par saansen na dikhna bhi to Khuda ki hi Qudrat hai...

The Virtue of PATIENCE

A Thank you in advance to all those who’ve been  patient enough to read this one..:-)

Being patient is something which nobody likes to do by choice..especially, the guys n gals of our times..Come On! We belong to GenX, we are the impatient(incorrigible too, to some extent) ones..and we feel quite “YO” about it..right!! And how can a society that exists on instant mashed potatoes, packaged cake mixes, frozen dinners, and instant cameras- teach patience to its youth?

I begin with this simple example- Sachin Tendulkar, a phenomenon who carries almost all the major records of the cricketing world in his kitty, couldn’t see India through to his dream World Cup-2003..it was a moment of utter disappointment for him despite the way he performed..and he could have easily given it up then..with probably no regrets on the personal records front..after all it was He who almost single-handedly took us to the verge of it..but how frequently do we Imagine! What if he had hung up his boots then, or any time later(he had many reasons namely injuries, form)..Then Dear friends! we won’t have witnessed a Double ton in a One day game..and more importantly “the joy of living the moment of our lives and HIS as well”-the World Cup2011 win.

He achieved all this because of his patience and the will to cross that ‘verge’..which he knew would make him feel Complete like nothing else. He didn’t take God's delays as God's denials..but also kept in mind the fact that vision must be followed by venture.  It’s not enough to stare at the steps - one needs to step up the stairs..and for those who thought Sachin’s ‘peak’ as a thing of past by 2004, He redefined and rescaled that term.

Patience carries a lot of challenges along as well.. For most of us, it more or less becomes the ability to count down before blasting off. There is too stiff a competition..“zaalim duniya jeene nahin degi saahab”..it leaves no stone unturned to make you feel shattered after any and every failure..to make you step back and get out of the race..But you have to come back that much stronger every time, telling and reassuring yourself that the dreams of the broken are mightier than the wishes of the dead.

Though we have to accept that we can’t go back and make a brand new start everytime..but on the same hand, there  is always this moment “now”- from which we can always head to a brand new ending.

Few of us keep blaming our circumstances for what we couldn’t..we tend to forget that those who didn’t have high rising houses with ac ki thandi hawa and geyser ka garam paani have also been successful in this very world..and I say this with no grudges to those who have these privileges, for I know they have their own BIG issues..all I mean to say is- To Get on in this world, we need to  look for the circumstances we want, and if they can’t be found, we’ve to create them..for those who say it’s all impossible- Nothing can be worse than a Bad Loser..:-P 

Don't let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it.  The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use..instead of undoing ourselves by impatience. We forget that expiry date term..that Misfortunes too have their life and their limits, their sickness and their health..and probably this is why they say You already need a lot of patience to learn to have patience..

Don’t stop that chase..Go for it and Keep going!..not for the sake of proving a point to the “zaalim duniya”..but to prove to yourself that You can do it..you always could! Work hard even harder after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.

I want to know if we can learn from our failures
This much soon...
That we stand at the edge of the lake
Shouting "Yes.!".. to the silver of the full moon.

From Boys to Men..Almost Engineers..

From Boys to Men..Almost Engineers..

Scientists investigate that which already is, Engineers create that which has never been…and  I feel memories aint out of this either..atleast for me as an engineer, they are the only thing which can prove it right..

I can still visualise those last days at school- our very own duo of Chand-Mund as witnesses of the disastrous physics practical..and thereon to the one of my admission here in Engineering, after the ‘Councelling Extravaganza’ J..Four years have passed in a flash, and its hard to sink in that those moments have become history now..though they became so just when they passed..but, like THIS, forever..yeah college life has ended..and so have some incomparable experiences..i know we didn’t enjoy literally every moment of it; nor did all we came across became close friends..few who became had to part mid-way...and not so strangely, few of the acquaintances remained so till the very end of it.. For the sufferers of the devil course, there might have been few really forgettable moments (as professional failures carry personal problems too)…but, Still each one of us possesses a handful of good memories at the end of these 4 years..to make us smile when we think of it.. make our eyes shine brighter for an instance..and which, you show it or not friend, DO make the parting a bit tougher..

Bade utavle the yahaan se jaane ko 
Zindagi ka agla padaav paane ko ..

I am too normal a human being to avoid or overcome emotions (to the extent that my friends blame and claim me of living in the past)..probably that tells why amidst all the tension and hoopla during the final semester exams- the only time when an engineer is so damn serious to be the proud owner of those “super 30”..i had my own mixed bag of feelings, sort of sidelining those exam fears..though the “fever” was there, the temperatures inside were soaring despite the stormy rain on the night of the last paper..the heart was beating faster too..but not because I was at the verge of defeating a ‘death defying course’..for me it was because of these last times a group of lads n lasses was going to share their anxieties and excitements...iske baad zindagi imtehaan legi aur important bataane wala bhi koi nahin hoga..A few days break and  then Welcome to the School of Life!!

Rukhsat hote hain tumse lo sambhalo ye saaz,

Chhedo naye taraane ki mere naghmon ko neend aati hai…

Friends, who definitely owe a mention (I mean a lot more than just a mention) were everything here. Bunking classes was more into schedule than attending them and taking part in extra-curricular and out-of-curriculum activities formed the major part of the day..they were the foundations to this mansion of  laughter, luck(for exams) and melodrama(before and after the exams)..

Kaun kahega saale tere joke pe hansi nahin aai 
Kaun peeche se bula ke kahega..Arre aage dekh bhai ..

I will not miss these days, I will not miss those undeclared “lunch time” conversations (which were mostly nonsense and stretched till the end of that ‘working’ day), I will not miss those hangouts, those movies…and I will not miss those people..as they live IN ME and my moments for this time..and will do so probably till the end of it..Trying to give it a better end, I will take help from these lines…

As we go on, we remember all the times we had together..
And as our lives change, Come whatever..
We will still be Friends Forever…..