Wednesday, August 30, 2017

पेड़ / Trees

हरे हरे हरियाले पेड़
आँखों को लगें प्यारे पेड़


फूल, फल, छाया और लकड़ी
कितना सब दे जाते पेड़


वन से वायु, वन से वृष्टि
आओ हम सब लगाएं पेड़

Monday, August 28, 2017

Love: I


I have learnt
that love
is like sunshine.
You don't have to do anything to get it
except
opening the doors and windows
of the heart.
And if you don't,
It will warm the heart
from the outside
awaiting its time
day after day.






Love: II

I have learnt
that love
is like air
Its invisible
yet
everywhere.
The only time it becomes unbearable
is when
its not allowed to breathe.
Some days
like a breeze
it creates just the right weather
to be in.
Some days
it turns everything
topsy turvy
and annihilates.

Love: III

I have learnt
that love
is like water
It fills up
whatever it is put into.
It quenches
an ancient, primal thirst
That nothing else can.

Sunday, August 27, 2017

Quote

Anything that can be bought for money or power is already too cheap.


With age, I become aware of the sheer uselessness of money and power beyond a point. But when we invest of ourselves, our own time, our own commitment and our own passion... that's the most precious resource we have. And when something asks us to invest that, what they are truly asking for, is to be a part of the core of our existence.

Saturday, August 26, 2017

Saas Bahu


If you want to understand how Saas bahu fights lead to divorces among couples, please learn from the Narayan Murthy-Vishal Sikka-Infosys story.

Friday, August 25, 2017

हम जो लोग हैं/ People like us

हम जो बावरे से लोग हैं,
बस कविता ही में रहते हैं 
कविता में आती हैं सांसें 
कविता में मर जाते हैं .


सब्ज़ी, भाजी, रोज़गार 
सब पचड़े पाल के रखे हैं 
देह हमारी मुर्दा मुर्दा 
हम जीवित बच जाते हैं .


एक स्वप्न के झूले पर 
सौर मंडल के पार निकलते हैं 
पिकनिक शब्दों संग मना कर 
फिर दुनिया में आ जाते हैं. 


पेड़ों के संग बैठक - अड्डा 
लोगों में सकुचाते हैं 
हम जो लोग हैं कविता वाले 
बस, ऐसे ही बतियाते हैं। 

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Rubber Bands

Rubber Bands
snap
according to
their strength.


Some just fray
some get cut
some break under pressure
some get too old
and lose their ability
to get back to their former shape.


Its the same
with people.

Sunday, August 20, 2017

Accidently

It was always a fragile peace
like 2 warring tribes
sharing the same mountain
or gangs
sharing
the same neighbourhood.




One slap, one drunken outburst
One day of intolerance
of the "couldn't-help-myself" behaviour
is all it takes
to start the war again
Then, seeing the bloodshed
a temporary truce called in
by the police
or the "social worker"


And that
is how one dies
after 20 years of marriage.
Or 7.
Or 2.



Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Disilusioned? Ignore that cacophony!

From 1930 to 1947, a gradual, but definite radicalisation was done. This radicalisation took in its fold rational intellectuals like Allama Iqbal (who went from translating the Gayatri Mantra to insisting on offering namaaz at a converted cathedral) and Md. Ali Jinnah(who went from being staunchly anti Pakistan in 1936 to being the Qaid-e-azam of Pakistan) - people who had grown up in cosmopolitan surroundings, had friends from all faiths and nationalities.


Even they were converted to radicalism by this paranoia of "Muslims cannot co exist with Hindus without living in perpetual fear." As a result of this, not one but 2 separate and new countries were created, for Muslims to live in peace, without fear and with freedom to practice their religion.


It has now been 70 years. History has seen the result of the 2 theories - that Muslims will live in fear in a Hindu country, and that Muslims will live well in a country of their own.


Today, I see the replay of that paranoia. I hear the same cacophony that played from 1930 to 1947. So, as a survivor of 1947, here is my humble request to you:


If you feel that Muslims are not secure or free to live as they please in India, please understand that this is not a new or original thought. With exactly this fear in mind, Jinnah has created 2 countries for Muslims to live free and happy. All you need to do is, prepare your citizenship papers, then go to the country of your choice, and tell them, "My forefathers made a mistake when they decided to continue living in India. Jinnah was right. Muslims cannot live in a Hindu India without fearing for their life and belief. Please don't punish me for the wrong decision of my grandparents. I need to join the dream that Jinnah saw for us."


But please, do NOT poison the air that we breathe. Because when I turn off your cacophony and look around me, I see Muslim craftsmen making Jain marble temples. I see maids saying "Didi I wont come tomorrow, its my Eid, and the Hindu didi putting enough money to cover the Eidi of all the maid's children. I see a national Muslim body saying they will sing Saare Jahaan se accha instead of Vande Mataram, and no one batting an eyelid.


This poison is worse than you can imagine in your wildest dreams. It killed millions of people in a gory, bloody journey, displaced millions, created orphans and widows who didn't care about religion in the first place. Just honest men and women concerned with earning their daily bread. My family went through this and By God , I do not want to go through this again. So please, unless you can control the consequences of your short term power hunger(and you cannot): SHUT THE FUCK UP.

Sunday, August 13, 2017

Janmashtami poem for kids

प्यारे कृष्णा आओ न!
माखन हमें खिलाओ न
अम्मा नटखट बनने न देती
नटखट हमें बनाओ न!


आज करें हम मस्ती सारी
जन्माष्टमी है आज हमारी!


झूला झुलाएं, पकवान खाएं
कृष्णा के संग मौज मनाएं!



Thursday, August 10, 2017

The contribution of the Congress Party to the Sikhs

The Indian National Congress has played a very important role in modern Sikh history. There are 3 landmarks that must be remembered:


1. 1947 : As Amardeep Singh says in his book , the rioters during the partition came with the slogan - Hindu ka zar aur sardaar ka sar (Loot the Hindu and kill the Sikh), the Sikhs suffered more fatalities. This was because the Sikhs were considered more capable of fighting back and needed to be killed.


2. The partition of Punjab: The Congress party prevented the Sikhs from creating a strong regional party by convincing Master Tara Singh that he had a seat at the table and that Sikh concerns will be heard and absorbed in the partition talks. Instead, the Punjabi sooba was most mercilessly partitioned with no consideration for the ethnic mix. Most sacred Sikh shrines were handed over to Pakistan, where they now rot and are written about by Amardeep Singh. Not only that, the Sikhs were largely land owning farmers. Their wealth was stripped off them and remained in Pakistan as they escaped with nothing but their lives.


3. Post independence, Punjab was the first state to be broken into smaller states - even though Punjabi was spoken all the way from Delhi to Jammu - the original extent of the Punjab state. First Himachal, and then Haryana were carved out of Punjab with exactly one objective - the weakening of the Punjab state.


4. Who can forget Bhindrawale? Just to ensure that the Akalis do not get power on the basis of their allegiance to the Sikh panth, she created a monster that plunged Punjab into a decade of pointless, violent and inhuman terrorism. She should have been tried for the worst crime against humanity. 


5. After that, the 1984 riots happened. 3000 people were killed in 3 days on the streets of the national capital of India. Their bodies were swept away and rewarded with 1000 rs by the aakas of the riots. Read H. S Phoolka's book to know more on the subject. It has now been 33 years, and we are still waiting for the Indian judicial system to do its constitutional duty. In spite of 1984, no Sikh ever retaliated with violence. Not in 33 years.


And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the contribution of the Congress to modern Sikh history. This video sums it up rather well:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_Kp8gsdne0&feature=youtu.be

On bullying and assertiveness


आज मैंने अपने बेटे को सिखाया 
डराओ मत, पर 
डरो भी मत 


हराओ नहीं 
पर 
हारो भी मत 

Why i worship Gurdas Mann

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_Kp8gsdne0&feature=youtu.be




47 ਵਿਚੋਂ ਲੰਗ ਕੇ ਆਈ ਸੀ, ਤੂੰ 84 ਦੇ ਦਿੱਤਾ..
ਹੁਣ ਖੌਰੇ ਕੇਦਾ ਵਰਯਾ ਦੇਣਾ ਈ




ਕੀ ਖਟਿਆ ਮੈਂ ਤੇਰੀ ਹੀਰ ਬਣ ਕੇ...

Sunday, August 06, 2017

Indian Marriages

कितनी शादियां बचाई हैं
रातों की तन्हाई के डर ने

"जाऊंगी कहाँ? करूंगी क्या?" ने

"मैं तुम्हे दहेज़ के मामले में अंदर करवा दूँगी" ने

कितनी शादियां बचायी हैं
डर , मजबूरी, और खलिश ने.










Poorly translated, but here goes:

So many marriages have been saved
by the fear of lonely nights
"What will I do?" s
"I will get you arrested for dowry." s

So many marriages have been saved
by fear, emptiness and helplessness.
("saved" is satirical)