Sapna

Ajeeb sapna tha!

Tum saath the mere
Chup si baarish;
Maano khaamoshi ko todna gunaah ho!

Kashish, qurbat, chubhan, raahat
Khaamoshi ki sharaarat ko
Jyon ishq ki bhi panaah ho!

Gum se lamhon se bani shaam
Chup se khwaabon se saji shaam
Woh shaam hazaaron boondo ki

Ajeeb sapna tha!

Agli subah dekha - na jaane kaise
Baarish ki boondein takiye par thiin
Aankhon se chhalak gayin hon jaise

Bheega, nanha woh sapna -
Uneendi palkon se roka nahin gaya

(Kashish: Attraction; Qurbat: Closeness; Jyon: as if; Uneendi: Sleepy)

Khamoshi

Lafz kuchh fizool, kuchh na-paak se lagte hain
Ek shakhs se khaamoshi baanti thi maine

*

Zindagi

*

Guzara din ka kaarvaan bemaani sa
Phir anjaan shahar mein raat ka paDaav

Jhulasti dupehari mein waqt oonghta sa
Siharti chaandni ka bujhta sa alaav

Aakhiri mukaam ko dhoondhne nikla
Zindagi ki nadii ka maddham bahaav

*

Andhera

Zindagi ke peele panne
Aur diya tere naam ka
Kuchh sawaal parchhaiyon ke
Yeh imtehaan tanhaaiyon ke!

Tanha sa peela chaand bhi
Khoya hai kaale bhanvron mein
Teri aankhon ki gehraaiyon ke
Yeh imtehaan tanhaaiyon ke!

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Kal Raat

Ek dhaaga aur liya teri yaad ka
Ek sapna aur buna kal raat humne

Tanhaayi, khaamoshi ke kisse ka
Ek lamha aur suna kal raat humne

:)

Happy Holi!

:)

Kabhie

kisi shab chaand baatein kare
kabhie tum ek sher kaho
kabhie hum shaam dekha karein
kabhie tum dhoop-chhanv hanso

ki phir pedon se panchhi ude
kabhie saanson mei aanch chale
kabhie saawan ki barsi ghata
kahin baahon ke jhoole pade

kisi ke sard aangan mein
andheri raat taare jalein
dilon ki mehfilon mein daur
tere naam ka chale

Girl-talk ;)

So, you've been this super-girlfriend who's ready to do anything for The-One-for-Her? A girl proud, a girl happy, a girl-who-thinks-she's-lucky to have found the right One? You think you're cool 'coz you've turned from the girl that you were to his girl?

Well, how about you go get some life? How about being loved for what you are? How about being trusted, respected, cared for and not being governed? How about not being sorry about what you've said, done or been? Just once in a while, how about it?

When was it last that you were right in an argument? When was it that there was no argument? When was it that you had others to argue with?

And no, you're not being adviced to break-up/get divorced or something. But give yourself a break, girl! What's the hurry? You have the entire life to forget the way you wanted to live your life. But while you still can, why not remember that you can eat like pigs, dance like crazies and live like tribes? If that's your idea of fun, go do that!

Men and women are as different as they could be. Chalk & cheese, oil & water or maybe heart & mind. That they still have to live together is a blunder iGod made, and we put up with. If man can come up with an instrument that would help men understand women and vice-versa, that'd be the greatest discovery of our time. Till then, may there be peace.

And girls, "Live. Your time starts now."

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PS: This post was mostly written out of frustration (so most of it is not how I feel all the time), but I'd still like to remember how I felt at that certain moment. Hence this blog, w/o any changes. :-)

Nothing to do

Well, the server crashed!

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Mood: Not really happy
Music: None

Izhaar-e-ishq

Likhe the aasmaani kaagaz pe
Baadalon ki syaahi se, bikhre hue kuchh harfe
Chaand ka ek phool bheja tha
Subah tak woh bhi murjha ke gir gaya
...
Izhaar-e-ishq humein karna nahin aaya!

Tehreer (Writing)

Duniya ke saare shahron ka culture yaksaan
Aabaadi, tanhaayi banti jaati hai.
(All the cities in the world have the same story to tell -
The more crowded it is, the lonelier people become)

~ Bashir Badr

(A poor attempt at translating the sher (meaning couplet, plural ashaar (pronounced ash-aar)), but I hope it conveys the basic idea.)
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By the way, I like the word 'Tehreer', which means writing. I also like the phrase 'Ret pe Tehreer', meaning 'Writing on the Sand'. :-)

I wish

I wish I were more at ease with myself, more in control of things. Why's it that words/thoughts desert me when/where they matter the most? It feels so dumb!

...I wish I were smarter 8-|

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Live. Your time starts now.

DoorDarshan

Today, while sitting in the office, I found myself humming

"Ek kahaani kahte-kahte ek kahaani aur mili
Dil ki Dagar pe chalte-chalte, ek nishaani aur mili"

and suddenly the memories of good ol' DoorDarshan days came rushing back to me.

Some of you may still remember, it was the title track of a serial based on Gulzar's short stories, "Ek Kahaani". Such a bunch of heart-warming little stories they were! Then there were serials based on short-stories/novels by Chekhov, Maupassant, Tagore, Sharatchandra, Premchandra, Satyajit Ray, RK Narayanan, Ruskin Bond, Rahi Masoom Raza and names I might have forgotten.

"Chekhov Ki Kahaaniyaan" used to be one of my favorite serials. The stories were so touching, and had this quality of making your heart go out to the characters. No other serials have been able to capture childhood fantasies and present them in the manner RK Narayan's "Malgudi Days" and Ruskin Bond's "Ek Tha Rusty" did.

Or even the serials based on old indian stories like Vikram-Betaal or Sinhaasan Battisi - they were too dramatic at times, but made their point nevertheless. And then, there was this series for kids, "Kahaaniyon ka Guchchha" - its title track makes all the more sense now -

"Khatti ho to namak lagaake
Gale mein aTke paani le lo
Guchchha hai bhai guchchha hai
Kahaaniyon ka guchchha hai
Kahaani le lo"

:) Isn't that so very true about life as well?

I was not old enough at the time of Hum Log or Nukkad. But the other serials I remember watching and loving are Farmaan, Circus, Dekh Bhai Dekh, Vyomkesh Bakshi and Aarohan. Even Shekhar Suman's Reporter was something I remember our family waiting eagerly for, every monday at 9 pm, if I remember it right.

Not only the stories, even the actors and the characters they've played have became immortal in the history of indian television. Be it Pankaj Kapoor as KaramChand or Vijay Anand as Sam D'silva in Tehkikaat, it's hard to imagine someone else playing the characters.

Despite a hundred music channels, no programme has equalled the popularity of Chitrahaar, which made people forget all their assignments and sit glued to the TV at 7:30, every Wednesday and Friday. Or even Rangoli, which made us get up at 7, even on Sundays.

*sigh* I can go on and on writing about these serials, and how they always managed to bring the whole family together for lunch or dinner. I do miss the golden DoorDarshan days!

"Sadiyon sadiyon wahi tamaasha
Rasta-rasta lambi khoj
Lekin jab woh mil jaata hai
Kho jaata hai jaane Kaun"

:)

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Beautilful, isn't it?

Khalish

.
Khanjar se haathon pe lakeerein
Koi bhala kya likh paaya
Humne magar is paagalpan mein
Khud ko chhala hai seene mein
.

Rishte

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Rishte - I

Bheegi ret mein seepii chunte, chaand mein chehre dhoondhte
Khud mein hi hanste-muskaate, paagal se yeh rishte hain

Teri hansi ki dhoop ke jaise, narm meherbaan roshan yeh
Sarson ke peele kheton se, lahke se yeh rishte hain

Har dhadkan mein saanse lete, har halchal mein mil jaate
Aahon mein bante-bujhte se, pighle se yeh rishte hain

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Rishte - II

Kheench ke suljhaana chaaha tha, kuchh gaanThein hi haath lagi
Resham ki naazuk doron se, uljhe se yeh rishte hain

Maine jab bhi rokna chaaha, haath chhuDa ke bhaag gaye
Anjaane logon mein bachchon se sahme yeh rishte hain

Sambhal ke rakhna paaon zameen pe, sannate na chubh jaayein
Is ghar ke zarre-zarre mein, bikhre se yeh rishte hain

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Pal

..
Kabhie zindagi ki daud mein
Tezi se bhaagta hua
Phir teri hansti aankhon mein
Wohi pal mila hai ruka hua

Dekho zara is waqt ka
Bhi bachpana hai gaya nahin
Sab dhoondhte hain yahan-wahan
Hansta kahin, yeh chhupa hua

Tumse bataao kisliye
Yeh dushmani hai waqt ki
Tum aaye, aur woh chal diya
Jo tha lamha kab se thama hua

Pichhli mulaqaat mein
Kuchh pal tum bhool aaye the
Chaukhat ke shayad paas hai
Ek pal abhi bhi pada hua

Alsaaya sust ek pal
Aangan mein dhoop senkta
Ik bhoola-bisra lamha hai
Choolhe pe sulagta hua

Satrangi shaam bhi to yeh
Guncha hai rangeen phoolon ka
Yeh lamha tere naam ka
Hai indradhanush mein bandha hua

Tu hansta hai to saath mein
Yeh bhi to khilkhilaata hai
Gusse mein teri baaton se
Phir dil ko cheerta hua

Humne to intezaar mein
Dariya yeh baandh rakha tha
Tumhe yaad karte hi bah chala
Jo yuun hua, to kya hua

Aa jaao ki din thak gaya
Sooraj ne aankhein moond lii
Dekho diya hai bujh raha
Pal uD rahe hain dhuaan-dhuaan
.

Baadalon Mein Sona

Baadalon mein sona, kaisa lagta hoga?

Kya taare kuchh paas nazar aayenge?
Kya chaandani kuchh zyada thandi hogi?
Jheeni chaadar ka kona, kaisa lagta hoga?

Baadalon mein bhi,
Ret-se ghar bante-bigadte hain
Aur sooraj ka khilauna, kaisa lagta hoga?

Tanha se kuchh sur, gar mann udaas karte hon
Paani se bane narm takiyon mein
Muh chhupa ke rona, kaisa lagta hoga?

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Rainbow

Who stole the colors? Where’re the violets, indigos and blues? Why didn’t I notice the green fading away? Lost my yellow, orange and red somewhere along the way.

I see the world in a kaleidoscope of grey. The kid’s soft pink cheeks are now white. The pretty librarian doesn’t smile with her shining sea-green eyes anymore.

People don’t turn green with envy and purple with rage. Blushing red and gloomy blues are long forgotten.

I still see a silvery desert on a black moonless night, the golden sky above an ashen grey sea, and sparkling diamonds on pale, bleached faces – but, oh, where’re the colors?

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