Oct 25, 2016

A Fire...


Outside on the mountains
A fire reigns with splendor,
The heart cries, what a sight to behold
Red-orange vast spread of the
Colors of the autumn!

Inside, within me, deep in the core
A fire ablaze, in a streak or two
Sometimes volcanic
Picking up the dried crust
Like an oasis in desert!


Image Courtesy: Google 

May 17, 2016

Ariel Matic or Magic!



Husband and wife
Just like the wheels align
Move forward holding hands
Their home's a loving shrine!

No more fights
My turn or your turn, 
Despite the endless responsibilities
forget the endless churn!

Sharing the love
Rationing the responsibilities
Their journey now serene
Peaceful as the beautiful dove!

Miya-biwi ab kare kamal
Welcoming the new Ariel Matic
Smilingly cleaning the laundry 
Finishing the load like a trick in magic!


It seems it's not only Delhi being helped by the number game, but the odd-even rule could be for couples too. I am taking part in the #LaundryGoesOddEven Challenge by Ariel India at BlogAdda. It was fun trying the product with calendar dates which means pre-set responsibilities. Try it and see for yourself!



May 16, 2016

Memories!



Image result for memories

Haphazard
Zigzagged
Crazy
Painful
Mad
Lovable
Unforgettable
Random
Soulful...

They come back
without him,
She, Sighs
Opens her eyes
A tear drop stops at her eyelid
The one big enough
to wet her soul,
Deep enough
to let her words leave
But 
May be, she learnt a lesson
She closes her eyes
and shuts them,
the Memories!

***

Image Source: Google

May 10, 2016

Just "You"!


The hues radiating
through my feelings,
The metaphors dancing
in my words,
The rays of hope
adorning my syllables,
The love almost unescapable
from my scribbles,
The heart, the soul
contained in my poems...

It's You,
Everywhere, just "You"

***


Image Source: Google

May 7, 2016

बूढ़ी माँ ....



बूढ़ी माँ अकेली रह गई
परिंदों से उड़ चले बच्चे
तिनका-तिनका बना घोंसला
आज खाली बेजान रह गया,
बूढ़ी माँ बरबस देखती रह गई।

हाथों में लिए उम्र की झुर्रियां
होठों पर बस स्नेहाशीष-शब्द
काया कोमल जर्जर दीन-हीन
बस रह गई उसके साथ आज
बूढ़ी माँ मात्र शरीर रह गई।

यादों में जला कर बीते दिन के दीये
करती प्रकाश अपने जीवन में वो
आज में न जन्म लेती कोई नई याद
छिन-सा जाता हर पल, सुख-सा आज
बूढ़ी माँ नीर बहाती रह गई।

जोड़ कर अपने कपकपाते हाथ
ईश्वर से बस एक ही दुआ माँगती-
बच्चों का उम्र-भर सुख ऐश्वर्य
और अपने लिए एक नया धाम मांगती
बूढ़ी माँ अभी से स्वर्गगामिनी हो गई।

***

The new generation, I am not talking about the generation next to me or even the one after that, I am pointing out to the generation of kids to any parents. Yes, this new generation, parent's progeny are often impatient and always in a hurry.  The older generation, the parents are weak and old. The one who taught us how to walk, we don't have time to take a walk with them. We are busy, earning our money, too occupied in our struggles, in our progeny and network, and myriads of innumerous tasks that are unending. But what is ending every moment is the remains of the youth or energy within our old parents. They keep getting older by seconds. We, the new generation too. 

Give a thought, what do they ask? Riches, wealth, car, furniture! No, they just ask for a moment of togetherness with us, they want to smile and laugh with us and only demand attention and respect. The new generation can't even give them this? Is it the upbringing they received? Start this Mother's day with a solemn pledge and a staunch thought to care for the mothers (and fathers) you have neglected, spoken to in high volume and thought them as inexperienced with modern ways of life. They need you, today more than ever!

"At least they are happy", Bibhu Sharma's story!


Image and Video Source: HelpAge India, #WhySupportElders

May 4, 2016

Kissed by Hope...



A road lies ahead
Turbulent at times
Often running deep,
Accompanied with obstacles
All shapes and sizes
Almost every bit of the way.

What's different today!
Unswerved by the terrain 
I keep moving,
Even if just an inch
 I do not forget to at least drag,
I embrace the beauty 
Hidden in the chest of efforts
I enjoy the serenity
Taking birth every time I fall,
I gulp the storms
Life throws at me
I do not give up
For today, I am kissed by hope!

***

Image: From my eyes and iPhone at Avalon, Catalina Island, California.

Apr 28, 2016

Vacation!


Drop them!
Those who don't recognize you,
Those who leave your hands on a crossroad,
Those who do not value your heart
Life's too short to have them!

Embrace a new Sun
Take a dip in the Mediterranean
Dress up like you never did before!
Wear those white shoes that take you miles
The satin-laced bra you never tried
The shirt that pictures the universe
The shorts that makes you feel young
The necklace that touches your heart
Put on the glares
that filter the unnecessary
Yes, drape them all and drop 'them' all
Go on a Vacation with your new self!

Picture Source


Mar 11, 2016

The Last Letter...


You left me alone
One more time
Like last time and the times before.

The mad lover in me
Every time broken
Picks her pieces
Still tries to find you
In the shattered pieces of my heart.

The shards of memories
Shine like diamond
But pain immeasurable
From every angle
Showing me glimpses of time
Spent madly thinking of you
Often Day dreaming
Every possible moment.

What it takes for u
To throw me away from your life
Your ease is my agony
Our separation my fate
But like a phoenix arising out of ashes
Should my hope never die?
I write one last time all my love
Yes, I kiss it with all my heart.

My audacity as you may call
I no longer wait for you to come back
To kindle once again what we had,
To start once again
A life full of true love!
But today I make a solemn promise
The fire which burnt my soul
The love which spirited my being
Left me bereft, naked in my own eyes
Never to trust anyone else
Again
Ever again....



***


PS: Wrote this piece for Magpie Tales #308

Mar 2, 2016

Women's Day & Dowry & Marriages...

Shaifali Gupta Dreams Blog
Image Source: Google
इस साल के फिर हम उस दिन के करीब आ गए जिसे पूरी दुनिया International Women's Day, इंटरनेशनल वीमेन’स डे के नाम से मनाती है। आजकल मार्केटिंग के चलते हर कोई वीमेन’स डे मानाने लगा है, फिर चाहे हम अपनी माँ को, या फिर अपनी बहिन को ही कोई तोहफा क्यों न दे. बॉयफ्रेंड गर्लफ्रेंड भी अब वीमेन’स डे मनाने लगे है। मनाये, कोई गलत  बात नहीं। मुद्दा है एक ही दिन का। ये सम्मान सिर्फ एक ही दिन क्यों जताया जाए, और सम्मान का सही अर्थ क्या है?  औरत होना आसान नहीं , खासकर माँ बनने के बाद औरत के कर्तव्य निभाना एक चुनौती है। मेरी दो बच्चियाँ है, और उन दोनों का हर दिन कुछ नयापन लिए हो, वे हर दिन कुछ नया सीखे, इसी जद्दोजहद में मेरा हर दिन बीतता है (इसके अलावा घर और घर ही मेरा ऑफिस बना, वाले कई अनगिनत काम)।


लेकिन मेरा ये ब्लॉग शिकायती नहीं की माँ होना कितना मुश्किल है। वक्त के साथ मैंने बहुत कुछ सुना, देखा, समझा, पढ़ा और महसूस किया। बीते कई सालों में मेरी सोच बदली, मेरे मन के कई डर गुज़र गए, कॉन्फिडेंस बढ़ा लेकिन काफी आक्रोश भी मेरे मन में पैदा हुआ।आक्रोश शायद इस बात से जुड़ा है की मैं समाज जी बहुत सी प्रणालियों से सहमत नहीं हो पाती।


हर लड़की के माता पिता, खासकर भारत में, ताउम्र लड़की की शादी के लिए गहने, सोना जोड़ने में लगे होते है। मेरे माँ-पिता ने भी कुछ अलग नहीं किया। आज मैं सोचती हूँ क्यों ! मेरे माता पिता बहुत ही प्रोग्रेसिव है और हमेशा से रहे, अच्छी शिक्षा जीवन के लिए कितनी महत्वपूर्ण है ये जानते हुए उन्होंने हमेशा मुझे अच्छी शिक्षा के लिए प्रेरित किया और उसके लिए हर अवसर दिया। मेरी स्कूल की कई सहेलियों के परिवारवालों ने भी ऐसा किया, सभी अच्छे शिक्षित परिवार से थी, लेकिन कहीं न कहीं, समाज के आगे सभी परिवार वाले झुके। क्यों ताउम्र शादी के लिए अर्थ संजोया जाए ? आखिर शादियों में इतना खर्चा क्यों ? ऊपर से दहेज़ की माँग क्यों?


ये एक ट्रेंड बनता जा रहा है,आगे- ऊँचा और ऊँचा बढ़ता ही जा रहा है। इतना पैसा बहता है शादियों में, और जिनके पास नहीं है वे भी बेचारे इस ट्रेंड के तहत मजबूर है। और तो और दहेज़ का क्या काम? दहेज़ की प्रथा कोई नयी नहीं, सदियों पुरानी है। हमें स्कूल में छुटपन से ही सिखाया जाता है की चोरी का मतलब है जो चीज़ पर हमारा अधिकार नहीं, उसे गलत रूप से पा लेना, तो क्या दहेज़ भी चोरी नहीं हुआ? दहेज़ लेने वाले क्या चोर नहीं हुए? जो पैसा आपने नहीं कमाया, जिसके लिए आपने दिन रात एक नहीं किये, उस दौलत पर आपका क्या अधिकार? उसे मांगते हुए या उसकी इच्छा रखते हुए क्या आप चोर नहीं हुए?


लड़के के माता-पिता है तो क्या दहेज़ पर जन्मसिद्ध अधिकार जीवनसाथी तो लड़के और लड़की दोनों को ही मिल रहा है। एक समझदार, सौम्य, शांत और प्यार करने वाला जीवनसाथी पाने से बेहतर क्या ससुराल का धन, कार, शादी में की जाने वाली खातिरदारी इम्पोर्टेन्ट है?  लेकिन नहीं, दहेज़ तो हमें चाहिए ही, बोले या अनबोले। दहेज़ पर तो हमारा अधिकार तब से ही हो गया जबसे हमने एक बेटा पैदा किया… बेचारे वो जिनकी सिर्फ लड़कियाँ है उनका क्या? वे कैसे ऐसा धन जोड़ेंगे?

दहेज़ लेना चोरी है, आज के ज़माने में हम कितना ही कह ले, वक्त बदल रहा है। लड़के और लड़की का भेद कम हो रहा है, लेकिन शादी के वक्त तो पढ़ी लिखी लड़की भी अपने माँ-बाप का पैसा शादी में खर्च कराती है। क्यों? क्यूँकि वह यही देखती है, यही सुनती है। इस सोच में बदलाव लाना बहुत जरुरी है। हमें अपनी बच्चियों को ये सिखाना बहुत महत्वपूर्ण है की कोई भी गलत काम के आगे ना झुके, ना सहे। उनकी तालीम ऐसी हो, जो उन्हें हिम्मतवान बनाये, आगे और ऊँचा बढ़ने का हौसला और जूनून दे। उन्हें समझ दे की असली जीवनसाथी पैसे में नहीं, प्यार में तुलता है। जिस दिन देश के कोने कोने में औरत इतनी शक्तिशाली हो जाएगी, वीमेन’स डे उस दिन मनाने में कोई हर्ज़ा नहीं। उस दिन अलग से कोई तोहफा खरीदने की भी जरुरत नहीं।

कुछ ऐसे उदाहरण है, जो मन को शान्ति पहुँचाते है कहीं ना कहीं शायद समय और मानसकिता बदल रही है, कैसे,शादी में होने वाला अनावश्यक खर्च बचा के किसानो की मदद की गयी, यह बात तारीफ और दुआओं के काबिल है, Hats Off !

वीमेन'स डे मनाने के पहले सोचे की इस दिन का आपके लिए क्या अर्थ है और जिस नारी शक्ति को आप सम्मानित करने जा रहे है उसे आपके सम्मान-साथ या आर्थिक तोहफों की भेंट स्वीकार्य होगी?

Feb 11, 2016

Guarded!

Photo by Caroline Knopf

Guarded she stands
Once an ardent lover
Her heart made of embellished gold
Body pure as peace of dove
Love breathed in the red of her body,
'In the soul of her being!

She dreamt, she acted
She touched, she kissed
She made love to love
But grief, a constant part of life
Just like waves to shore
'Lost all she had
Rather she thought she had
Gone was the one she believed
She understood a 'soulmate'
But above all
Lost was the capacity to love 

Today,
 Guarded she stands
By the very shore of life
No one can touch her
No one can break her
ANYMORE!


PS: Loved writing this poem for Magpie Tales #305

Jan 15, 2016

उस दीवार के पीछे...

Image Source

कुछ लोग रहते है उस दीवार के पीछे
होते है मेरी ही तरह बने हुए,
करता है शिरकत लाल ही खून उनकी रगों में,
बसते है ख्वाब भी उनकी आँखों में,
होते है उनके भी कुछ दुःख दर्द, आंसूँ और गम,
हाँ! कुछ लोग रहते है उस दीवार के पीछे
होते है मेरी ही तरह बने हुए.

है वो भी किसी राखी का रेशम,
किसी घर का सुनहरा दीपक
किसी के दिल का आराम होते है वो भी
पर मालूम न चल सका क्यों दी बंदूके उन्हें?
चाहते तो थे वे भी इक मिला जुला संसार
फिर क्यों?
आखिर क्यूँ बदल दिया उनका रास्ता चल पड़ने के पहले ही?
हाँ! कुछ लोग रहते है उस दीवार के पीछे
होते है मेरी ही तरह बने हुए.

'उन' पीछे वालों को थमा तो दी विनाश-सामग्री 
पर न सोचा क्या उन्होंने न गाया कोई सुखी गान?
क्या नहीं स्वर दिया विश्व एकता के भावों को?
नहीं हुई तमन्ना फूलों और भवरों की उन्हें?
फिर क्यों?
आखिर क्यूँ बदल दिया उनका रास्ता चल पड़ने के पहले ही?
हाँ! कुछ लोग रहते है उस दीवार के पीछे
होते है मेरी ही तरह बने हुए.


Jan 12, 2016

Those eyes...

Photo by Ed Ross

Ah! There she is
How gorgeous beauty!
With roses pinned in her tresses
Fragrance has a new name today.

Her lips so full
Colored in blood, all inviting
Many a men set out to play
This game of flesh & desire.

Her body all adorned
Prepared she is, as a martyr
Every moment she is killed
By her acts sensuous & seductive.

Hungry eyes gnawing at her
Every inch scanned n lusted for
Who remembers if she has a soul
All she remains, a pretty object.

For once peek in the eyes
Screaming they will be, begging 
Leave me alone, let me go
For once let me smell
The fragrance of those roses in my hair!


P.S.: Loved writing this for Magpie-Tales #301

Jan 9, 2016

The Body, the Excess Baggage and 2016!


Yay! This New Year post was written for Blogadda's #TalesOf2015! activity and scored a place in the top 20 entries. Here is the list

Time is the only eternal change in universe. It never stops changing. The moment which we call present will become past in blink of an eye. Months, weeks and days become memories with each breath we take. Yes, like every other year, 2015 has also bid adieu and we welcomed 2016 with hopes and aspirations anew. Changing years mark not only change in calendar but provide us with a new beginning. Sometimes, I wonder if these are meant to give us fresh perspective in the monotony of life and everyday struggles.


I love new years because this is my shot at change. It’s a standard day to look back, a day to smile and learn. The biggest smile that 2015 brought to me was when I became a mom (again). Believe me, it’s so much harder to be mothering more than one. I am growing everyday as a person. Every day I am learning to be a mother, all over again. To understand and tend to the needs of two children, one being a baby who can’t speak and the other one, all expressive and letting you know she requires attention like before! Oh! It’s like walking on a tightrope and you can’t fall. But the runs between Ballet classes to diaper changes, the clock ticking with feeding times to early morning school preparations, this adrenalin rush brings a bliss of its own kind and will give birth to a lifetime of memories. Amen!



With this expected joy came lot of unexpected events. All related to my physical being! I never imagined this would affect my family in ways I never knew. This included my own expectations from myself, as a new mother. It was no less than an encounter with the End and yes, the saying, ‘health is wealth’, for the very first time in my left made sense. It’s so important to be healthy. Lying helplessly on the hospital bed, I was only thinking of myself, my body. It is all what matters in the end- the physical presence. Till Oxygen reaches your lung and you exhale Carbon-Dioxide, you are very much alive and yes, we are responsible to keep doing this beautifully for as long as possible. In those unhealthy moments, days and weeks, I took a solemn pledge to earn as much as wealth of health as possible, each day of my life now onwards. So, 2016 is all about the physical body because everything else just follows.


Like every year, I am not going to make a book full of resolutions. I think a lot of us do that and then after a few enthusiastic days, we shrink back in our efforts. 2016, this year, it will be something good, something healthy, at least one minute a day. In one of the books I read last year, they gave this amazing power of one-minute in my hands. Yes, this one-minute everyday will gradually bring us countless minutes without sulking, getting demotivated or just plain lazy. We all do that at some point.

For this, I am going to do as much as with my power, and all that which is in my power. Starting with, 2016, I am just going to let go of the 'excess baggage'! All the excess baggage that has cluttered my being has to go away this year (with a hope to learn to minimize accumulation of this clutter the rest of my life). As human beings we are hoarders. We hoard material things, abstract ideas, dead relationships and tons of memories. We as human beings can achieve so much, only if we find our inner symmetry. The perfect symmetry of the body with the mind. Starting with my physical body, I am going to reach to my mastermind. I am glad 2015 hit me hard and posed before me a few very basic yet very big questions-

Do I know how to breathe?
Google Image 
We all breathe to live. Have you ever thought to live to breathe? A few of us who practice various breathing exercises or those who practice meditation through breathing right knows the bliss in प्राण वायु ('praan vayu', the oxygen that keeps us kicking and writing). 2016 I am going to let go of all the unforgiving air my lungs receive. Yes, breathing right is an art, and this year I want to learn it from scratch, unlearning everything unnecessary. I am going to reward my lungs by opening them fully, breathing the essence of human existence. Easy it may seem to read but very difficult to achieve it if you have been doing it wrong all your lives. The trick is to learn it mindfully, not to lose hope and practice everyday. 

Is my mind free from fear?
There is a certain fear in my mind that may not make sense to a lot of you. Imagine a dangerous situation and you have to run for life. The only problem is I can't run! 2016 I am going to let go of the fear of being unable to run. Yes, unbelievable it may seem but I am bad at running. I gasp for air after a few minutes. Yes, I need to work on my breathing but I also need stamina. 2016 I am going to let go of the excess flab I have accumulated without being in need of it. I am not a polar bear who eats and hibernates. I am just storing, not even hibernating. I dream of fitting in my old clothes. My old pictures haunt me. To achieve these wishes, I have decided to lock horns with my weakness and signed up for a 5K run. I am practicing every day with a professional plan. Oh boy! it's hard to run for 1 minute for me and 5K is a 30-minute estimate. The trick is not to give up, let the oxygen in and keep running.

Do I have endless disk space?
Equally important for physical well being is to declutter those memoirs, endless burdening emotions and people/acquaintances/so-called friends which do not provide any life-juice. Our heads often are filled with lots of old memories that wrap us tight and make it impossible to make new beginnings. We consicously and unconsciously make comparisons, become envious, nag and whine. This all takes away many useful moments from our life, which can be creative and productive as well as helpful for others. 2016 I am going to let go of unnecessary burden from my mind and heart. This is in the form of emotional baggage. By making space in my heart, I am going to value the valuables, save time for tasks that will let me grow as a person and I will show gratitude to at least one thing/person every day. Decluttering may be hard but so important.



Do I need everything that I own?
To further let go of the excess baggage, I am planning to target to lighten my house. Giving away the
From Google Images
gently used clothes to the needy and homeless, the books read over and over again would be donated to the local library, thus spreading the love of reading. Toys would go to a orphanage and many other accumulated material things would have to go away this year.
2016 I am going to let go of everything material I am not using, and can be reused by someone in need.

As I list all my let-go(s) of 2016, I am starting to visualize how much light my body and my mind would be feeling. I just can't wait to actually make it happen. I know I am dreaming big but 2015 taught me the importance of right things, and 2016 will see the body changing and the excess baggage exiting my being. Amen!

This was my world in a recap and a glimpse of my dreams and goals for 2016. Enjoy, if you want a recap of our world in the year just went by-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEzyex2HvqA

P.S.-“I’m sharing my #TalesOf2015 with BlogAdda.”

Jan 6, 2016

Love, I Ran After...

Charing Cross Road, 1937 by Wolfgang Suschitzky

Is it all we had?
Affection, love, joy
Where is it now we that shared?

Eyes as big as yours
Remember, I wanted to drown in
Dive in the love I called 'first',
Talks as sweet as yours
Intoxicated I was at every syllable
I wonder it was the love-nectar.

We held hands often
Clenched each other's emotions
Stole a touch, here & there
Hallucinating was the love
I, hypnotized to a world
Completely different, completely new.

Today, It's as if I woke up
The world once again, completely new,
A world devoid of you,
Unbearable, unfathomable
Excruciating desperateness 
A pain so dark, inside me .

Yet, I wonder
What goes inside you
Your eyes notice any of it!
Or, was I just a ripple in the rain
in a world grey and black
Was I the one running blindly
on a road slippery!
Whatever it was,
"It" stays in my heart
Imprinted on my soul
To go away with my ashes....



P.S.: Penned for the image prompt provided by Magpie tales, Mag 300

Jan 5, 2016

"Be Yourself"


A closed box
Stifled breaths
Grabbing holds
A very restless mind...

Lock it someday
Drop it from the highest peak.

You were once a swimmer newborn
dive deep in the soothing turquoise,
Quench the child in you
blow the dandelion,
Immerse in the melody of nature
stomp on the fall-leaves,
Move the inflexible do the difficult
dance on your favorite tune,
Throw away the glooms
dress up in Saffron-Orange,
Let the Earth be your piano
wear the symphony of anklets,
Dry the tears in your eyes
Adorn them with the deep of kohl.

...Yes, for once "Be Yourself"
Today, let the mask drop
let the truth reign
let the soul be free!


This poem is written for the Poets on the Page's first prompt-January 2016. It was to explore yourself, un-become what you are not, drop everything that isn't you and embrace the real you.