Book Review: Khushwant Singh Joke Book 6

 

These books are now out of print, but I loved them so much as a child that I have collected them from all over. 

This particular one has a lot of chuckles and many of them are family friendly. 

The political poetry contributed by Mr. Salil from Delhi may have been topical at one point, but the editors should have, imho, cut them out of the book. 

Most jokes may be known to folks who read jokes. But even if they are predictable, most of them are intelligent AND funny! 

If you get your hands on this book, it's a keepsake, primarily because it has all these classic jokes! 

Boohe Baariyaan

ਬੂਹੇ ਬਾਰੀਆਂ 

ਆਪਾਂ ਬਨਾਏ ਤੇ ਸੀ 

ਹਵਾ ਦੇ ਆਨ ਜਾਨ ਲਈ 

ਪਰ ਇਸਤੇਮਾਲ ਕੀਤੇ 

ਸਾਹ ਘੁੱਟਣ ਨੂਂ 

Boohe Baariyaan 

Apaan banaaye te si 

Hawa de aan jaan layi 

Par istemaal kitte 

Saah ghuttan nu 

***********

Doors and windows

were made 

to keep the air flowing 

but were used  

to suffocate. 

 

Akele Sher

जितना सुधार दिया है खुद को मैंने 

उतना तो मैं खराब भी नहीं था 

जिस बेरहमी से तोड़ा है ज़िंदगी तूने 

उतना बड़ा तो मेरा ख्वाब भी नहीं था 

- From the Insta of Saima123. Don't know the name of the poet. 

Haldi

मैं हल्दी सी हूँ। 

चोट लग जाए, तो खुद को पीस कर चोट पर लगा देती हूँ, 

और सारा दर्द सोख लेती हूँ। 

I am like turmeric. 

If you get hurt, I will crush myself and apply a poultice 

To take all the hurt away. 

*The translation does no justice to the original. 

Punjabi version: 

ਮੈਂ ਹਲਦੀ ਗੰਡੇ ਦੀ ਪੋਟਲੀ ਹਾਣਿਆ

ਕਿਤੇ ਲੱਗ ਜਾਵੇ ਸੱਟ 

ਤੇ ਆਪ ਸੜ ਕੇ 

ਸਾਰੀ ਪੀੜ ਪੀ ਲੈਸਾਂ। 

 

Main Haldi Gande dee potli Haaniyaa 

Kite lagg jaave satt 

Te aap sadd ke 

saaree Peed Pee Laisaan 

Meme

 

Don't bother Insta... he's sleeping inside. 

Meme

My Insta trying to warn me every day: 

Me, who sleeps at 3 am every day and is completely fucked up for entirely different reasons: 

Book Review: Bodies from the Library - 4

 

That crime is my fave genre is obvious. 

This series of short stories and novellas from the golden age of crime - early 1900s, has been quite the favorite. 

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy the 4th book quite as much as the others. 

Child's play by Edmund Crispin and Passengers by Ethel Lina White stand out.

As for the other stories, the less said the better. The longest story in the book is Shadowed Sunlight (or something similar). The plot is great but the execution is excruciating. 

I also used to love the language in writing from this time. These stories, maybe it was just me, missed the mark on that too. 

I would not recommend this as the book with which you start the series. And if you miss this one, you wouldn't have missed a lot. But if it is in your hands, give it a weekend. It might be a good weekend read. 

Meena Kumari ki Shayari - 1

मांगी - तांगी हुई सी कुछ बात 

दिन की झोली में भीख की रातें 

मेरी दहलीज़ पर भी लाई थी 

ज़िंदगी दे गई है सौगातें 

************ 

चाँद तन्हा है आसमान तन्हा 

दिल मेरा है कहाँ कहाँ तन्हा 

बुझ गई आस, छुप गया तारा 

थरथराता रहा धुआँ तन्हा 

ज़िंदगी क्या इसी को कहते हैं 

जिस्म तन्हा है और जां तन्हा 

हमसफ़र  कोई 'गर कोई मिले भी कहीं 

दोनों चलते रहें यहाँ तन्हा 

जलती बुझती सी रोशनी के पड़े 

सिमटा सिमटा सा इक मकां तन्हा 

राह देखा करेगा सदियों तक 

छोड़ जाएंगे ये जहां तन्हा 

*********** 

टुकड़े टुकड़े दिन बीता, धज्जी धज्जी रात मिली 

जिसका जितना आँचल था, उतनी ही सौगात मिली 

रिमझिम रिमझिम बूंदों में, ज़हर भी है और अमृत भी 

आँखें हंस दीं, दिल रोया, ये अच्छी बरसात मिली 

जब चाहा दिल को समझें, हंसने की आवाज सुनी 

जैसे कोई कहता हो, ले फिर तुझको मात मिली 

मातें कैसी घातें क्या, चलते रहना आठ पहर 

दिल-सा साथी जब पाया, बेचैनी भी साथ मिली 

होंठों तक आते- आते, जाने कितने रूप भरे 

जलती बुझती आँखों में, सादा सी जो बात मिली 

********** 

  

Today's meditation conversation

Today, in meditation, I got to speaking about space - that dead place just beyond our atmosphere. 

"I have told you before - there is no such thing as a dead place. You have just not tapped into the consciousness that exists in those entities yet. They are not talking to you. Does not mean that they are not talking." 

The rocks, the nebulae, the darkness, the galaxies - they are all ALIVE? 

There is no other way of being. How can a dead thing revolve? Rotate? How can it maintain consistent movement around a central core? How can all these entities remain moving in synergy, if they are not syncing with each other? What is the source of their endless energy? 

They are all conscious. They are all communicating. You have experienced the Universe as a dark place, but it is, in fact, full of light. You know it to be dead, but it is alive and pulsating. Your consciousness is limited. Think of it as two radio stations not being able to listen to each other because they exist on different frequencies. It is similar. The radio stations CAN learn to sync with each other. 

Human consciousness does not sync with animal or plant consciousness either. In fact, without spoken or written senses, it does not even communicate with other humans. But these other conscious entities are sentient. They are ALIVE. 

What then, is the best way to communicate with the Universe? To make our connection with that large world outside richer?  

What will you do with richer consciousness? Have you ever considered tapping into the consciousness of your fellow living beings? Humans and non humans? It is there, just believe it. You may not be able to sync with it just yet, but it is there. Humans have known it before. Energy has always known it.