These are words that I heard at home, but are not in popular use any more.
ਤਰਖਾਣ - तरखान - Tarkhaan - Carpenter
ਬਜਾਜ - बजाज - Bajaj - Cloth Seller
ਹੜ - हड़ - Hadd - Flood
ਲਾਊਡੇ ਵੇਲੇ - लौडे वेले - Laude vele - Dawn
ਤਰਕਾਲਾਂ ਵੇਲੇ - तरकालां वेले - Tarkalaan Vele - Dusk
ਮਾਹੀ/ ਮਾਹੀਵਾਲ - माही/माहीवाल Mahiwal / Mahi - Goatsherd / Shepherd / Cowherd
और फिर मैंने
तुम्हारी नाप के कपड़े पहनने छोड़ दिए
और अपना नाप
दर्जी को दे आई।
And then
I stopped tailoring myself
to fit you.
तने से तीली बनी
तीली से दियासलाई
दियासलाई माचिस भरी
टके-टके में पाई।
तना
कुछ भी बन सकता था
मूर्ति, कुर्सी, बिस्तर
पर वह
माचिस बना।
यह किस्मत का सोना नहीं
भाग्य का उदय होना था।
माचिस
बहुरूपी अवतार की कोई देवी है
जो वह रूप धारण कर सकती है
जिसकी आवश्यकता हो
क्रांति
आशा
प्रकाश
विश्वास
माचिस
कुछ भी बन सकती है
बच्चों का खेल
तिनकों का घर
किसी तस्वीर का
मनोहर पुल
आरती की प्रथम क्रिया
अर्थी को अंतिम प्रणाम
माचिस
सब हो सकती है
घर बसाने वाला चूल्हा
घर उजाड़ने वाली बीड़ी
दोनों
माचिस पर निर्भर
माचिस होना
किस्मत का सोना नहीं,
भाग्य का उदय होना था।
Rough translation
The trunk
could have become anything
a comfortable chair
a bed
but it became
a matchbox.
It was not
the end of life
It was
the rise of destiny.
A matchbox
is a Goddess
that takes the form
that is needed
by the world.
it can be
a revolution
hope
light
faith.
A matchbox
can be anything.
Children's matchstick riddles
and tiny matchstick houses
or the beautiful bridge
on a painting sublime
The start of the arati
the final goodbye
to a cremation pile
A matchbox
does everything.
The hearth that keeps a home
and the cigarette that destroys it
Are both no use
without the match.
Oh, to be a matchbox,
And rule the world!
The date on the book reads - 3rd July, 1977. That was the year i was born! Someone was reading this book that year!
The book is a thriller from the word go. It is perhaps his second book or something, because the cover mentions another book.
The plot revolves around a psychoanalyst who is marked for death and a classic case of hunted becoming the detective to find out who is behind the attacks.
The various threads come together. Some of the maturity that we see in later works is missing, but the crisp dialogues and one liners to live by more than make up for it.
I would recommend this book. It can be read in one go, and its wonderful.
Oh yes, there is some criticism of the fact that the book believes in curing homosexuality, but pls remember.. this is 1977.
Today, I worked as if i am going to die tomorrow.
You know, that distinct feeling u have when you just know something very bad is about to happen?
That one.
So, I washed (by hand, in Delhi winters) a 8 kilo polyfill duvet.
Ran 2 loads of laundry.
Cleaned up the spice cabinet (mostly bcs i was looking for the red chilli powder that the cook was not supposed to have but was distinctly present in my dal tonight).
And also, cleared up my accounts.
And now, Waiting for Tomorrow.
एक बार, बहुत दिनों तक तुम्हारा कोई खत नहीं आया। उन दिनों फोन नहीं हुआ करते थे। मैं तुम्हारे परिवार से नहीं थी, तो तुम्हारे मुतालिक कोई तार भी मुझ तक नहीं पहुंचना था। पता नहीं था कि तुम लाम पर जीते हो या मर गए।
पर एक दिन मुझे समझ आ गया - न तार चाहिए, न फोन, और चिट्ठी भी ना आए तो कोई बड़ी बात नहीं। तुम जीते हो या मर गए, ये जानने के लिए किसी तीसरे की कोई ज़रूरत ही नहीं है।
बहुत महीनों बाद, तुम्हारी चिट्ठी आई। तुम जिस काम पर भेजे गए थे, वहाँ से कोई सन्देस भेजने या पाने की इजाजत नहीं थी।
"तू डरी नहीं?" तुमने चिट्ठी में पूछा था।
"डरना क्यूँ था?" मैंने जवाब भेजा।
**************
There was this time when there were no letters from you - for a long time. This was before we had phones.
I was not a part of your family, so no telegrams about you would reach me. Nor news from your family.
We had no idea if you were alive or dead.
And then, one day, I realised - I don' t need a phone call, telegram, or even letters from you to know if you are alive or dead.
We finally got a letter from you - after months. You were alive (of course), and were on a project which required zero contact with anyone.
You explained this in your letter, and then asked, by way of placating, "I hope you did not fear for me."
I wrote back, "Why would I fear?"
************
इक बड़े मज़े की बात है, ज़रा सुनियो जी
मीठे मीठे जज़्बात हैं, ज़रा सुनियो जी!
तुम देती हो पूरणपोली, मैं खाता मीठी रोटी
तुम देती हो ताना, मैं पाता प्रेम का बाना
तुम लाज से होतीं गुलाबी, मन हो जाता नवाबी,
बस ऐसे हों दिन रात जी, ज़रा सुनियो जी!
जब होती कभी लड़ाई, तुम करने लगतीं कढ़ाई
जब होता प्रेम संवाद, तुम बिछा देतीं अनुराग
सुबह को झिड़की शाम को, मेरी पसंद की साड़ी जी
बस ऐसे हों तकरार जी, ज़रा सुनियो जी!
इक बड़े मज़े की बात है, ज़रा सुनियो जी
मीठे मीठे जज़्बात हैं, ज़रा सुनियो जी!
This lyrical poem is written in response to a prompt given on a poetry group. The prompt is - Silent Conversation.
This is a new format for me. I don't usually write lyrical content that can be recited (not sung) to a meter.
Only in one place is the meter broken, but I am happy with it. If a better alternative comes to mind later, will change.
Since the CONgress got voted in Karnataka and Telangana, there has been hajaar debate in India on North and South Indian voters and how North and South Indians are inherently different.
So, I thought I might as well list a comparison between north and south Indians.
Here goes:
*****************
North Indians depend on their sons to take care of them in old age.
South Indians depend on their sons to take care of them in old age.
***********
North Indians do not educate their daughters so they can be married off easily.
South Indians educate their daughters so they can be married off easily.
**********
North Indian films have women doing pelvic thrusts and gyrations to bawdy lyrics.
South Indian films have women doing pelvic thrusts and gyrations to bawdy lyrics.
*********
North Indians believe that South Indians are strange.
South Indians believe that North Indians are strange.
***********
North Indians give dowry to their daughters.
South Indians give dowry to their daughters.
********
North Indians follow the caste + religion system.
South Indians follow the caste + religion system.
*****************
North Indians believe in Mother Goddess in many forms - Vaishno. Durga, Amba...
South Indians believe in Mother Goddess in many forms - Minakshi Ammal, Chamudeshwari, Mariyamma...
**********
North Indian dalits+ converted buddhists want reservations.
South Indian dalits + converted christians + converted buddhists + converted muslims want reservations.
************
North Indians believe South Indians are space scientists or IITians.
South Indians believe North Indians are businessmen or crooks.
*************
North Indians know Hindi and want to learn English.
South Indians know English but don't want to learn Hindi.
*************
North Indians want daughters-in-law to adjust to their family and culture.
South Indians want daughters-in-law to adjust to their family and culture.
********************
North Indians love South Indian food as a specialty.
South Indians love North Indian food as a specialty.
********************
North Indian women wear sarees. Men wear dhotis.
South Indian women wear sarees. Men wear veshtis (also a wraparound lower garment like the dhoti, but the South Indians think it is somehow more dignified than the North Indian version of wraparound).
*********
North Indian parents get their self-concept from children being obedient and successful in life.
South Indians parents get their self-concept from children being obedient and successful in life.
*****************
North Indians spend lavishly at weddings and funerals, but the bulk of the expense goes towards feeding others.
South Indians spend lavishly at weddings and funerals, but the bulk of the expense goes towards gold necklaces that are longer than the bride and groom.
***********
North Indians go to a wedding to eat and gossip.
South Indians go to a wedding to eat and gossip.
*************
North Indians break traffic rules when they can.
South Indians break traffic rules when they think they can.
**************
North Indians are loud because they think they are God's gift to mankind.
South Indians are soft-spoken because they think they are God's gift to mankind.
*************
North Indian men beat their wives.
South Indian men beat their wives.
*********
North Indians vote for 'people like us'
South Indians vote ONLY for 'people like us'.
(Regional parties are far stronger in the Southern states)
*****************
North Indians think South India is hostile for young adults and North Indian young people.
South Indians think North India is unsafe for women.
************
North Indians think South Indians are well-educated.
South Indians think North Indians are illiterate.
******************
In short, they are both hypocrites, shallow, and generally xenophobic, racist, and painful.
Being an Indian, I have lived in both - North and South.
And my experience of both has been good or bad, independent of location. It has always been about the people.
On a more serious note, i think the fact that South Indians only read English media, which is funded extensively by George Soros, and they have a much higher religious conversion rate than North India, has a lot to do with the victory of the Congress than any real manifesto reading. No one put that education to use reading any manifestos.
************
There is someone who hurts me and other people - intentionally, and all the time.
I feel vindictive. I want to stop their toxic behaviour. What should I do?
Answer:
If they are only inflicting pain on everyone around them, imagine how much torment there must be in their own soul? Even sadists who actually feel happy after torturing others, depend on that torture to feel happy. For a very basic emotion - happiness, they have to depend on others!
Let me give you another example. A dog that is biting anyone that approaches it, is itself in pain. A dog at peace will not bite. It will take food, reproduce, and sleep.
So, if someone is biting everyone's head off, hurting other people, they are not at peace at all. No greater torment can be wished upon them than they are already suffering.
What is the only way to make a biting dog stop biting?
It is to stop its pain. When the pain is over, then it will see that all it needs to be happy is food, water, sleep, reproduction. It is the same with sadistic, toxic people. The only way to stop the hurt that they are causing others is to wish that their own hurting stops. Only then can they realise how useless hurting others is.
Let me give you one more example. We might think that a terminally ill patient would be very grateful to their caretakers - because those people are letting go of their healthy lives just to provide care and pain relief. Usually, work like that takes a lot of love. But what really happens is that the person being cared for is usually irritable, grumpy, and all round pain to be with. Why? Are they not aware of the sacrifice of the caregiver? Of course they are! But they are in pain 24*7! That pain makes them detest the whole world and their own lives. It all comes out on the caregiver, who is closest at hand.
What is the way to end this abuse? It is for the patient to be pain free. That is the only way. No amount of explanation or realisation will change the behaviour of the patient while they are in constant pain. You might reduce caregiving to "teach them a lesson." What effect will that have? The exact opposite, no?
