What love means?

गौरी के साथ खड़े होने के लिए 

शिव होना पड़ता है 

गंगा को भी धरना हो तो 

गंगाधर होना ज़रूरी है

(बनना नहीं, होना) 

कृष्ण को तो 

राधा भी नहीं मिलती। 

#StrengthOfCharacter 

In Indian mythology, Shiva stands for steadfastness, lack of guile, and straightforward communication. 

Shiva, who was not ostentatious, had Shakti herself perform penance to have him as her husband. 

When she jumped into the fire of her father's sacred yagya, a distraught Shiva carried her body until the Gods were forced to intervene. Every place that a part of her body fell, is a Shaktipeeth temple (a seat of power). 

Shiva is not known to have any other wives. 

Krishna stands for demonstrative, evident, but non-exclusive love. In mythology, Krishna has 8 wives, 16,000 consorts, but not Radha. 

The piece is trying to say that for a worthy woman to choose you, you have to be worthy on the inside. You cannot try to be a person worth having. You have to inherently BE that person. A person who is demonstrative can become folklore, but cannot have the love in real life. That takes demonstrated character every single day. 

For someone to trust you (Ganga trusted Shiva to hold and support her as she descends from the heavens to Earth), you have to BE trustworthy. You cannot learn it, you have to BE it. 

Was talking to some colleagues and the question came up - what does love mean to you? Hence the title. 

Dear Canva 

My Teams Pro subscription expired primarily because I just wasn't using you enough. 

You discontinued the Teams package altogether and upped the cost to 5x for the same work. Not bad. 

There is no customer support to talk to. So, no, not gonna sign up. 

The desktop app is a very nice touch. Not needed, but nice touch. 

The way you deleted all my content, however, is another story.  

The difference between having a human to talk to and not having a human to talk to - is the subscription revenue of folks who don't really need your service, but take it all the same. And customers who wanted to talk to someone before moving to competition (which, by the way, is free).  

Regards

Currently-Disgruntled-Ex-Customer 

Tumhare liye

 सुनो, जान! 

तुम झूठ मत बोला करो - 

एक तो तुम प्यारे नहीं लगते 

और दूसरा 

तुम पकड़े जाते हो। 

Book Review: Umr 45 Batlayi Gayi thi उम्र पैंतालीस बतलाई गई थी

 

कहानी या कविता, लेखक/कवि के बच्चे जैसी होती है। किसी के बच्चे की आलोचना करना अच्छा नहीं लगता। अधिकाधिक हम यह कह देते हैं कि हमारे type की किताब नहीं थी। 

कभी यूं भी होता है कि किसी लेखक के नकारात्मक विचार हमारे विचारों से मेल नहीं खाते परंतु हम उन्हें उस लेखक का यथार्थ समझ सकते हैं। 

यह पुस्तक समीक्षा उन दोनों वर्गों में नहीं आती। 

******** 

कहानी के कुछ अनिवार्य तत्व होते हैं - एक नायक, एक खलनायक, कुछ घटनाएँ, अंत में, सभी सिरों को जोड़ता हुआ एक समाधान। 

इस पुस्तक की कहानियों में केवल खलनायक हैं। लोग या तो बुरे हैं या बेचारे। 

चलिए ठीक, नायक, खलनायक न सही। तो कहानी में रह जाती है - घटनाक्रम की रोचकता, भाषा की सुंदरता... 

घटनाक्रम कभी जाम में फांसी गाड़ी की गति से बढ़ता है, कभी लूनी नदी की तरह घुमावदार, किन्तु अंत में रेगिस्तान में ही विलीन होता है - किसी गंतव्य तक नहीं पहुंचता। यह कहा जा सकता है कि रेगिस्तान ही लूनी का गंतव्य है। यह तर्क की दृष्टि से ठीक है, पाठक के अनुभव के लिए सर्वथा निरर्थक। 

रही भाषा की रोचकता, वह यहाँ नहीं है। यदि कुछ रूपक आदि हैं भी तो पुराने। 

इन कहानियों में पढ़ने जैसा कुछ भी नहीं है। न भाषा, न पात्र, न घटनाक्रम। है तो केवल सबके लिए उगले जाने वाला विष। 

*************** 

कुछ रचनाएँ बच्चे नहीं होतीं, ना ही किसी का अनुभव/यथार्थ होती हैं। वे बस विष के बीज होती हैं। ये कहानियाँ उस तीसरी श्रेणी की हैं। 

आंकलन / Evaluation

बस इतना भर ही जानना है मुझे 

जो तुम्हारे किसी काम का नहीं, 

उसके तुम किस काम के हो 

जो तुम्हारा कुछ नहीं बिगाड़ सकता, 

उसका तुम क्या बिगाड़ते हो 

#आंकलन 

Thoughts on modern relationships

When I left my mother's house, it meant that my parents had no day to day interference in my marital life. It also meant that i was free to visit my parents whenever i wanted, have mom-daughter dates, sis-bro time, daughter dad activities. 

It also meant that my husband never asked me - "So, what did you discuss at home?" That was my prerogative. He also never asked about what was happening in my house. I never told him. 

Here is how it looks when u flip the script: 

His parents have zero say in how you two run your house. His parents can only come visit if BOTH of you accept that they should come. OR if both of you have a policy of anyone-can-invite-guests-over. No concept of "bete ka ghar" 

He is free to visit his parents whenever he wants. He can have mom-son chats, sibling or cousin time, and dad-son dates, shared internal jokes that only they get, to which you are not privy. You are not "joining a family". You are "creating a new family with your husband." You and your husband are both parts of two families - the birth family and the marital family. 

You do not ask him what he talks at home, you have no idea what is going on with the rest of the family. What he discusses with them is his business. 

******* 

Both of us prioritise the time we spend on our careers, and expect the relationship to flourish (or make do) with whatever time is left after our work, long hours, etc. Now, leisure/weekend belongs to both of us equally. If one chooses to go out with friends on that weekend, or sleep in, that is their right. 

What I find is that some partners tend to blame their partner for "not spending time with them" or "not investing in the relationship" if they prioritise other activities. That is not fair. Stress hits everyone differently and 48 hours of stress busting is personal time. It is not fair for one to bully the other. 

***** 

Mother in law rules 

As a boy's mother, i expect to have no relationship with his wife. I do not expect her to extend me anything more than courtesy, just as I plan to extend nothing more than that. The prerogative of initiating a deeper reln is yours, the privilege of accepting, is mine. 

They are not welcome to my assets, home, or labour at their convenience. My son is always welcome, bcs i gave birth to him. I did not give birth to his partner. i am not responsible for her. When she is in my house, she is treated as a valued guest. She will conduct herself as one conducts oneself with a house host. 

I do not want a daughter. You are not my daughter. You are my son's partner. He is the intersection between two family units, just as you are the intersection between two family units - your birth family and your husband.  

Do we meet on family occasions? Will you be invited to larger family gatherings or weddings? Will you be expected to behave in a certain way there? I am not sure. A lot depends on your comfort. If you are not comfortable doing the trad, my son can come alone. 

I do not expect you to learn or further "family traditions". You do you.  

It is every couple's right to have the wedding ceremony of their choice. So, at the wedding, my son will get a lumpsum amount from me. He can choose to do anything with it - buy wife jewelry, make a downpayment on a house, conduct a destination wedding... their call. What we will not do is spend money, time and effort to make your dream of a wedding real. You want a 3 lakh Tarun Tahiliani lehnga? By all means. You want a white and purple orchid theme for pheras? Of course!  Pay for it, arrange for it, break your head with the florist. Good luck! 

Accept the fact that his father and I are separated. You do not get to comment on that separation, just as we don't get to comment on your relationship with your husband. 

Irrespective of what Gibran says, your children ARE your children. No free babysitting. 

If you are dieting or have special food needs, pls carry your food and help yourself when we are all meeting. No pressure to eat what everyone else is eating, no snide remarks, nothing. 

You are almost guaranteed to have a better reln with your fil than with your husband or me. Please refrain from telling us what a wonderful human being he is. Trust me, we KNOW. We are backstage, you are in the audience. We're not the same. 

My son and I should ideally continue to have mom-son dates without you. At least once a month. There was a reln that lasted his whole life. Now, it must change, but it cannot disappear. 

Pls know that i WILL support my son like a rock if the reln turns abusive. And if i suspect that he is the source of abuse, I will reach out to you and talk, irrespective of our non-existent reln. 

What you wear, who you meet, how you manage your career and finances, is between the two of you. How you treat us if we ever visit, that's on you.

Just like I will not tell my son slimy things about you behind your back, you will not do "your mom" complaints behind my back. You have an issue? Talk to me. I have an issue? I will talk to you. Usually, its just communication gaps which become bigger when we go via someone.

If ANYONE in the family is mean to you, or is perceived as mean by you, pls respond to them as you would respond to someone in your own family/extended circle. You are under no obligation to maintain a relationship with them. Relationship building works both ways. If they are offended and bring it up with me, I will handle it. 

 

On the BRICS Summit and other random thoughts

 

Only one of these 2 headlines is correct. In case there was any confusion, it is the second one. The PM of India got Xi Jinping to India, and then raised to his face, the issue of weaponising rare earth minerals. 

I don't think people have quite understand the magnitude of what happened at the BRICS Summit, so let me lay it out a little bit. 

1. Xi Jinping and Putin are two global leaders who are on the target list of every terror orgn and state led assassination agencies (except, perhaps, N Korea). These leaders do not "tour". Their security is a 24*7*365 race. 

India managed to bring these and other global leaders on a single stage, managed their security, without any incident. If RAW needed a coming of age certificate, this is IT. 

2. These leaders also do not issue statements. They do not share their thoughts. Ever. They are intensely private and very action oriented. 

These leaders came to a central platform and issued a JOINT, consensual statement with India, Iran, and other countries. These countries do not always see eye to eye on the global stage. India did this under clear and present threat of US Sanctions. Getting these leaders to SPEAK, and issue a joint statement, is not something that is easily achieved. 

Putin, as usual, slayed in one sentence - BRICS is 40% of the world's GDP, G7 is 29%. Why do they call themselves "great". 

3. The issue is not the use of the term G7 or % of GDP being the only metric for a country's economy. The issue is - the world has been benefitting purely from spotlight for a long time. When you remove the greasepaint, the substance beneath the paint has to be good. And more people are asking - Is it?

Is as much as the spotlight is on BRICS and who is in the room, it is also, imho, on the people who were NOT in that room. 

Completely off-topic:

As a random person, this week, my thoughts took me to a very different tangent - many great economies have been undone by democracy, but none as much as the UK. Yet, in ancient India, democracy was the norm. The janapadas were the first known political system. As the size and complexity grew, they had to move to monarchies and central control with ONE person. There were checks and balances - the Rajguru whose curse scared even the king, the group of ministers who exuded the same pressure that Gandhi exuded on the British. 

What, then, is the future of democracies like India and the US? These are great countries. And democracy is easily the best political system for the people. So, why do these two not lead to synergy? In Switzerland, by contrast, direct democracy has led to a country that is efficient, well-regulated, and extremely rich. What did Switzerland do so right that the rest of the world can learn from? How can we make democracy relevant, and also powerful? 

We are not the same

You read the AI generated summary of a research paper and then share it, expound on it, and use it to base an argument. 

I read the first 5 paragraphs of the paper and realise that: 

A.  The Sample is inadequate (2676 people representing 1.4 bn)

B. The sample is also incredibly skewed (one population group comprising 75% of population while paper claiming to represent the entire universal set of study) 

C. The stratification employed is irrelevant. 

We are not the same. 

PS: 

1. If you use a paper to base an entire argument, at least read the damn paper. When I call you out on it, don't say - eyes hurt, can't read more at the moment.  

2. Do NOT come to me with AI generated content. We can ALL tell AI content from the first 2 paragraphs. If i wanted to know what AI thinks, I would ask the AI. 

तुम्हारे बारे में

तुम्हारे बारे में पूछते होंगे 

वो सब लोग जिन से हंस कर मिला करती थीं तुम। 

वो कुछ लोग 

जो तुमसे मिल कर हंस दिया करते थे 

वो तुम्हारे बारे में 

अब पूछ नहीं सकते। 

Katran: Breakup ke baad

 कहाँ गई थीं?

कुछ सामान खरीदना था, तो आशीष साथ में चल पड़ा था।

हम्म। अच्छा, तो मैं चलता हूँ।

अरे? अचानक?

चाय पिलाने के लिए रवि, समान खरीदवाने के लिए आशीष, बातें सुनने के लिए राहुल। मेरे हर रोल में कोई न कोई नाम भर गया है। अब मेरी क्या जगह है यहाँ?

तुम्हारा एक ही रोल था हमेशा से – तुम। और उस रोल को कोई नहीं भर पाएगा।  

The Poverty Mindset (On Poverty - II)

This is the second part. The first part of the post is here. 

So, in doing some fieldwork, I have noticed a few things that ARE common to families that either remain in poverty, or enter poverty from a more affluent class. 

The Victim Mindset and...

This is the TOP common denominator. EVERYONE who remains in poverty has expressed deep anguish at being wronged - the agent of wrongdoing varies - the state, the community, the world, the family. But they are ALL victims. They have been wronged by the world. 

BUT not everyone who has a victim mindset remains poor. There is one more factor which has to be added to the mix - they truly believe that the wrong must be recompensed before they can do anything. I call this the victimhood paralysis - they find that they are unable/unwilling to act until the wrong done to them has been "corrected" or they have been somehow compensated. 

Entitlement

The second common factor is - they feel entitled to abuse - public infrastructure, other people. I stop people who are spitting and ask them - Why did you spit here? 

Some of them express surface level remorse. Only a few stop to really think. Most of them look at me like i am an alien. To them, defacing public property is the most natural thing to do. Their answer is the same as Hillary's answer to "Why climb a mountain?" - Because it is there!

And then I notice that in my most underprivileged contacts, the same mindset extends to people. They do not feel bad about abusing their network for short term gain, then wonder why they have "no friends" and why "no one supports them" 

Maybe there are more factors. But this is what I know so far. Every time I meet someone underprivileged, I ask "Why is this family poor?" (Because poverty is not an individual phenomenon. One is not poor alone. The lowest unit of poverty is the family. If one person gets out of poverty, they may get out alone. But if one person in the family becomes poor, the whole immediate family definitely follows suit.) 

On exodus

The exodus is rarely quick or en masse. Some people leave first - the ones who can see the shape of things to come. They make arrangements quietly, perhaps move the family first, and then move - lock, stock, and barrel. 

Then, some perceptive relatives and friends start asking themselves the same question - is this daily hate worth it? 

Then, the waves begin. 

The only ones who remain are the ones who do not have a choice. 

This is true of all types of exodus: 

A. Before partition, when the writing was on the wall but patriotism and Congress had made us blind. (And then, in Syria, Lebanon, etc.) 

B. When a country (or, in case of India, a state) runs anti-immigration campaigns 

C. When a company is doing layoffs. 

The conversation was not about politics. It was about why I was watching Filmfare and not National Film Awards, back in 1999. 

"Both the National Film Awards and the Padma awards were such a joke back then - only for political patronage. No one even read who got these awards. We only followed Filmfare awards. Now I really want to know the work done by Padma awardees because they are real changemakers. But back then we would not even read them for quizzes." 

.. And i paused.

We have gotten so used to living in an India where progress happens, that we have forgotten what India felt like before 2014. Of course, Cockroach Party reminds us once in a while, as do "public" protests. But in general, the experience of India has changed so much that its hard to remember what we lived through. 

Perhaps it is time to take a minute to appreciate how far we have come, India. 

On poverty - I

I am going to get brickbats for this one. 

Recently, i was at a railway station. India now has brilliant public infrastructure. The railway station was no exception. 

We have to climb stairs to reach platforms. At least 5 people walking in front of me spat or littered on their way to the platform. Without a care. 

And that anger led to a tsunami of processing data points that have been silently accumulated over decades. 

********** 

In 1947, Muslims from India reached Pakistan but instead of being welcomed, they were labelled Muhajirs. 

Hindus and Sikhs who managed to reach India alive were rich in their towns and villages (you had to be rich enough to pay for safe passage and reach this side alive, that is why every Punjabi in Delhi had grandparents who spoke about being wealthy. They were), but were put here in refugee camps in squalor, food itself being a luxury doled out at infrequent intervals. 

But, in 2004, the president of Pakistan was a Muhajir, and the Prime Minister of India was a refugee. 

They were not exceptional - on both sides of the border, the communities of these "refugees" had done well financially. 

********** 

In the 1960s -1970s India, lakhs of young men and women left homes for PSU jobs, govt jobs, IIT education, IIM education. They went on to reach "escape velocity" from poverty. 

********* 

When we speak about poverty, we address it as a single story - poverty is a result of circumstances out of an individual's control. It is a result of the evil capitalistic/oligarchic/regal system, which rely/ies on suppressing the poor for the benefit of the rich. 

Here is what is wrong with that single story: 

1. There ISN'T a single story of poverty. Poverty is a multi-headed hydra. There isn't a single cause of poverty. 

2. The narrative of capitalism/oligarchy/monarchy being solely responsible for poverty comes from socio-economic structures that truly did not have space for what is now called the "middle classes" - people who fill the middle role through education or specialised skill. In India, which was a mercantile civilisation from the start, trade was a good way to reach the middle class and this class has been a ubiquitous feature of our civilisation. 

3. There are people who exit poverty and take their families along. There are people who exit but do not take the family along. And then there are families that stay in the same loop - generation after generation. And families that enter the loop - from one of the "upper" classes. We know what helps those who reach escape velocity - education, enterprise, opportunity, community, etc. We never ask - what, if anything, is common to families that remain poor? Why is a poor person poor? 

************** 

So, let's ask the question - Why is a poor person poor? 

And i call this, the Poverty mindset. 

More in the next post. 

I am aware of my spiritual potential but not ready to live that truth. 

I take baby steps and my meditation waits. :) In a really really long existence, a few decades to accept one's spiritual place is not a catastrophe. Slows down the soul, yes, but not a catastrophe. The only casualty are the ppl who know they belong in ur journey, but you don't know that yet. 

Sometimes, your meditation deliberately derails you, like its having its fun with you. Maya. 

2 thoughts on relationships

 1. 

The currency of a relationship is not money, address, or education. It is how well two people communicate, how valued they make each other feel - communication, respect, love, passion, chemistry? 

With age, the relative importance of biodata elements like money, title, education etc. reduces even more. Now all we need is someone to sit with, someone to talk to, and someone to trust/lean on. 

In youth, what is important is - will this person stand up for you? Will they support or criticise you when you fail, or lose a job, or hit a wall? Will they lend a hand in the backbreaking work of raising a family while managing finances, relatives, expectations? Or will they stand on the side and guilt trip you? 

Yet, we continue to evaluate potential partners on currencies that are not completely valid. Educational compatibility is a good indicator of some other things - like a non medico may not understand the idea of 36 hour shifts. But it can lead to false positives and false negatives - not all medicos will get it, and its not that only medicos will get it. They may not have lived 36 hour shifts, but they see you do them and see you come home exhausted. 

2. In offices, when doing DEI trainings, we almost always present a variant of this picture: 

Yet, when talking to our partners, we expect equality - I value honesty, so I must offer honesty. I value time spent together doing things, so I must offer to do things my partner enjoys, even if I dont like them that much. 

But quid pro quo rarely works. Love your partner the way they want to be loved, not the way you want to love. And ask to be loved in a way that works for you. 

In a relationship, equity means - the ability to love the way your partner wants, and the security to ask to be loved in the way your heart desires. 

To borrow from St. Francis of Assisi: 

To be understood, as to understand. 

Chemistry Lesson

Electrons 

are lighter 

than protons. 

And they circulate on the periphery - never 

at the center of things. 

Negativity can be preponderous 

Not significant. 

Err on the side of caution, but throwing caution to the winds

Preface: Bulle Shah wrote: 

ज़हर वेख के पीता, ते की पीता
इश्क सोच के कीता, ते की कीता
दिल देके, दिल लेन दी आस रखी

वे बुल्ले्या प्यार इहो जिया कीता, ते की कीता?

AND this: 

नी मैं कमली यार दी कमली 

राँझा राँझा करदी नी मैं आपे राँझा होई 

सद्दो नी मैनू दीदो राँझा हीर न आखो कोई 

 i wrote this with some reference to the lines above: 

बिन सोच दा चा वे सजना 

या ते बुल्ला, या कोई कमला 

ते जेड़ा कर लैसी, 

सो कमला थी जासी - 

- न कुज खट्टे, न कुज पल्ले। 

दाना बनके कमला होईं । 

ਬਿਨੁ ਸੋਚ ਦਾ ਚਾਹ ਵੇ ਸੱਜਣਾ 

ਯਾ ਤੇ ਬੁੱਲ਼੍ਆ, ਯਾ ਕੋਈ ਕਮਲਾ 

ਯਾ ਜੇਡਾ ਕਰ ਲਾਇਸੀ

ਸੋ ਕਮਲਾ ਧੀ ਜਾਸੀ 

ਨ ਕੁਜ ਖੱਟੇ, ਨ ਕੁਜ ਪੱਲੇ। 

ਦਾਣਾ ਬਣ ਕੇ ਕਮਲਾ ਹੋਈਂ। 

The same thing in Hindi: 

परिमाण = proportion   

परिमाण में प्रेम करना 

प्रेम में 

परिमाण रखना 

बेतहाशा चाहने से 

बेहिसी ही मिलती है 

In English 

Love 

Proportionately 

Keep proportion in love 

Loving like crazy 

usually works out 

exactly that way. 

 

तुम्हारे लिए रास्ता था 

तुम्हें गुज़रना था 

मेरे लिए घर था 

मुझे ठहर जाना था। 

#हमारारिश्ता 

Only accounting students will get this

बहुत प्रेम करता हूँ तुमसे 

थोड़ा सा प्रेम, तुम भी कर लो मुझ से  

अगर कर सको तो। 

नहीं  कर पाओ तो 

कोई बात नहीं 

प्रेम बहता रहेगा 

मुझ से तुम तक 

तुम्हारी खैर की दुआओं में 

तुम्हारे जन्मदिन की पूजाओं में 

अंत में 

Balance हो जाते हैं 

सभी खाते 

और कुछ नहीं तो 

balance carried forward से। 

The malleability of pain

पीड़ा का अपना कोई पदार्थ या भार नहीं होता। 

वह जिस हाथ में होती है, उसके आधार पर उसका पदार्थ और भार निर्धारित हो जाता है। 

मेरे हाथ में रखी मेरी पीड़ा युरेनीअम की होती है - बहुत, बहुत भारी, और बहुत, बहुत विरली, rare, दुनिया में सबसे अलग। 

किसी मित्र के हाथ में जा कर, सोने की हो जाती है - कीमती, युरेनीअम से कम भारी, थोड़ी सी कम rare, पर अब भी असाधारण। 

प्रेम के हाथ में पड़ते ही, मोती बन जाती है। वह देख पाता है, वह सारी पीड़ा, जो इस पीड़ा से भी पहले सही गई। उसके हाथों में, दुख भी सुंदर हो जाता है। 

रिश्तेदारों के हाथ में अपनी पीड़ा हो जाती है ऊन की गेंद - एक बहुत आम सी, रोजमर्रा की चीज़, जिस से या तो कहानियाँ बुनी जा सकती हैं, या जिसे फरोल-फरोल कर उस से खेला जा सकता है  - अगला खिलौना मिलने तक। 

और किसी बेकदरे के हाथ में, पीड़ा बन जाती है कमरे के कोने की धूल - जिसे केवल अनदेखा किया जाना चाहिए। जिस पर हाथ भी नहीं फेरना चाहिए। न वज़न रह जाता है, न मोल। केवल उपेक्षा। 

Katran: Prem

 

प्यार न, swimming pool के जैसा होता है। लगता है, इतना सा तो पानी है, वो तो रही ज़मीन। इस में तो आराम से सीधे खड़े हो जाएंगे। गहराई कहाँ है?

फिर हम  उस में पैर रखते हैं और गोता खाने लगते हैं। तब सच्चाई समझ में आती है। इस तरण ताल में, किसी को तैरना नहीं आता। क्यूंकि तुम कितने भी पारंगत खिलाड़ी रहे हो, ये तरण ताल हमेशा उस से ज़्यादा गहरा निकलता है।

और इसे नियति समझने वाले?   

मेरे सीने में एक खलिश सी है 

सुघड़ खलिश है, अनुभवी है 

न भरती है, न घटती है, न रह पाती है अनछुई 

सांस दर सांस बीतते हैं हफ्ते, महीने, साल 

घड़ी की टिकटिक 

धीरे धीरे 

हो गई है बेमानी। 

ये खलिश 

घर के मेधावी प्रेत सी है 

जकड़ लेती है 

कभी अलमारी को, जिस में 

रिसाले रखे थे उन दोस्तों के 

जिन्हें अब whatsapp text भी लिखने नहीं आते 

कभी रसोई घर की उस कड़छी को 

जिस से दाल बनाई थी

किसी खास इंसान के साथ 

हर चीज़, हर कोना, हर शब्द 

कुछ देर के लिए 

खो देते हैं अपना मानी 

और बन जाते हैं खलिश 

फिर ये 

कूद कर आ बैठती है 

मन के भीतर - अपने कोठर में 

क्यूंकि 

घर से दूर 

प्रेत भी नहीं रह पाते। 

 

Book Review: Play to Kill by Puja Mukherjee Khattri

What an incredible book this is! 

A lot of cases involving a simple case of drugging the victim - nothing more. harmless at one level. Except, a kid is kidnapped, a lady loses an important contract because she missed a flight, and a TV Producer is badly injured. Not that harmless any more. 

The case meanders through the usual route of sleuthing - following leads, red herrings, missed opportunities and disappointments, until a chance encounter opens their eyes to something bizarre - and sinister. 

The writing is gripping from the word Go. The stories - and there are quite a few of them - are all well woven, with no loose ends, no obvious plotholes, and a lot of substance. 

The final plot is incredibly well drawn. It is a cautionary late - because it is sooo real today. No spoilers, but this is a plot that one totally needs to read. The love story slowly brewing on the side doesn't hurt. The story reads like a screenplay, and its easy to imagine events as they are unfolding. The book is not too long. Its a lovely, breezy read and is truly unputdownable - even for screen hardened folks who find it hard to concentrate, and that's saying something!  

Book Review: Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E Frankl

 

The book is divided into two parts. The first part is the author's account of life in Nazi camps  - as a prisoner. The perspective, however, is very different. It does not focus on the living conditions, the torture, or the uncertainty of not knowing what is happening to one's family. It focuses on what individuals did with all of that - how they interpreted the conditions, their mental processes. The signal of smoking as a last pleasant thing before they decide to die. 

The second part of the book introduces logotherapy - a system of therapy that believes that one who has a Why to live can manage any How. 

Since I don't have a Why to live, i cant really identify with the premise of the book, but the book has enough cases of people who discovered their mojo once they were able to find the purpose of their lives. The author says that it may not apply to everyone, but does apply to most people, and to that extent, i do agree. People with purpose in their lives might be happier and more content. 

The second part does not read like a textbook. Only an introductory primer. It is not pedantic, pontificating, or pestilent in its persistence that logotherapy is the one best kind of therapy. That is a relief. It gives the reader an opportunity to explore and mildly understand the idea, read some cases where it helped, and then leaves one to think. 

The book is brief and is a good, engaging read. 

 

On grieving a friend

This is not grief 

that will settle 

in a day, week, or month. 

This will hit 

while riding a bike 

or driving a car 

at random traffic signals 

Tears welling up 

out of nowhere 

as i wait 

for the signal to turn green

Wondering 

whether they have 

traffic lights in heaven

and why 

they don't allow U turns. 

******* 

When a childhood friend dies, a part of our childhood dies with them. Sometimes, its a shard of glass. Sometimes, a waxx crayon. Sometimes, a shiny piece of plastic. 

कतरन

इस रिश्ते की सारी हदें तो तुम ही तय करती हो - ये नहीं कर सकती, ये नहीं कह सकती.. 

एक बार बेहद प्रेम किया था किसी से।  

उसी से सीखा - अपनी हद में रहा करो। 

******* 

Book Review: Laghukatha Saptak - II

 

If you have been wanting to start reading Hindi, this is the perfect kind of book. It has short stories that range from half page to two pages.

But don't be fooled by the word count. Each story manages to do its job - make the reader feel, think, or both.

The book is a compilation of short stories written by Suryakant Nagar, Bhagirath, Dr. Satishraj Pushkarna, Shyamsundar Agrawal, Dr. Ramnivas 'Maanav', Dr. Kamal Chopra, and Sukesh Sahni.

11 stories of each author have been selected, making this a compendium of 77 stories in a very compact 134 pages.

The language is easy and the writing flows. You wont experience it as a compilation because there is no jarring difference between the styles of individual authors. One doesn't get the sense of reading Christie and Thomas Hardy in the same book. And for that, the editor, Dr. Ramkumar Ghotad, deserves credit.

The stories span pretty much the entire spectrum of human conditions and emotions. From love in an elderly couple to crime in a village, it is all there.

The book is not available in print, afaik.
Friends can borrow my copy though, or you could try the publishers - Sahityagaar (Jaipur).

Happy Fathers' Day

लोगों को जीवन में 

पहले 

पिता मिलते हैं 

और फिर वे  पिता बनते हैं 

कुछ लोगों को 

नहीं मिलते पिता 

वे सीधा 

पिता बनते हैं 

ज़्यादातर लोगों को 

जो पिता मिलते हैं 

वो पिता 

वे बन नहीं सकते 

पिता बन जाने 

का  

लंबा रास्ता है 

कोई नक्शा नहीं होता। 

Most people

first get a father 

before becoming one. 

Sometimes 

you don't get a father

You just have to 

become one 

when the time comes. 

Usually 

the father we get 

is not the father 

we are allowed (or want) to become.

Fatherhood 

is a long road 

No maps available. 

Happy Fathers' Day 

Today's notes from meditation

You came into the world to create love as a base for all human interactions. To make the experience of this love more broad based, not just as a part of a spiritual experience. That is why, in this birth, you will not go into teaching of any kind. That is the anti path to the one you chose. 

The reason it did not succeed is this: Just as the Earth's environment is not one gas, but a mixture of many gases, the spiritual environment also is a mixture of multiple human emotions. In Kaliyuga, the negative emotions dominate, just like nitrogen dominates the Earth's atmosphere. It is through the अति of negative emotions that an appreciation for Satya Yuga emerges. The appreciation and clamour for Satya Yuga has to precede the coming of the Yuga itself. 

What you did was not ineffective. The 3% gas of love has to come from some sources, and you were one of the sources. Your hypothesis was bound to fail, but the spirit - of wanting to change the world - that will not fair. None of us is powerful enough to change the whole world. But we are all powerful enough to change the parts around us. 

******** 

A age gap is the earthly version of the spiritual distance between two people. It is the most stark earthly reminder that there is a gap and it needs to be patched. Whether to patch it or let it go, is an individual decision. The spiritual path is not an escalator. One can always come back to meet a friend who is left behind. But that turning back does not always have a positive outcome and in this case, it very likely wont, bcs the importance of the gap needs to be acknowledged AND the decision to patch it must be made. In other words, the said friend must call us to turn back and help. 

*********** 

The word of the day is उत्थान। Not for you to think of someone's salvation, but for you to think of the concept of उत्थान. Like several thinkers have already pointed out, there is no Utopia. But the idea of Utopia is as necessary for human existence as its absolute physical absence. 

******** 

 

Today clarified a lot of concepts that i was struggling with. 

Bachpan - II

बचपन में 

हर बच्चा बनाता तो है

उगता सूरज 

एक नदी, दो पहाड़, एक रास्ता 

एक पेड़ 

एक घर 

पर बचपन में 

हर बच्चा पाता नहीं है

उगता सूरज, 

नदी, पहाड़, रास्ता, 

पेड़ 

और कभी-कभी 

घर 

Reference to Context: 

The first painting of every child 

include 

a rising sun 

mountains 

a river 

a path 

a tree 

and a house 

But the first years of every child 

do not always include 

a rising sun 

mountains 

a river 

a path 

a tree 

or sometimes 

even a house. 

Book Review: A Song of Comfortable Chairs by Alexander McCall Smith

 

We always pick up an Alexander McCall Smith book. Because he writes great stories, he creates well-etched characters, and he states deep truths - simply. 

I think of him more as an author that belongs in the simplicity of my childhood - upholding the value of human connection and kindness - things we valued as children but lost as adults. 

BUT... Alexander McCall Smith writes short stories far better than he writes novels. Maybe it is my reduced attention span. But i prefer the format where each story solved a mystery and Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi solved them together, with help from Charlie. This time, the mystery is loooong drawn out, intertwined with another, rather unrelated mystery, and honestly, they are more family/business problems than mysteries. 

At 230 pages (and large print) the book is a languid, easy read. If you are looking for an action packed adventure, this is not it. This book is a soap opera on paper - where the lives of the characters walk in and out of the frame, and things happen to and through them. If you want to lose yourself in the lives of other people for a while, this one is perfect.

Chaand

मुझे रख लो काम पर 

तुम्हें लतीफ़े सुना कर 

खूब हँसाया करूंगा 

और तुम बदले में मुझे 

अपनी छत से 

चाँद ताकने देना 

Let me come work for you 

My job 

will be to make you laugh

till your sides hurt 

And your payment 

is to let me see the moon 

from your rooftop. 

हक

हर बचपन में होनी चाहिए 

एक नदी 

या पोखर 

या पहाड़ 

और इन में से कुछ भी न हो सके तो 

कम-अस-कम 

एक बड़ा सा 

पेड़/  

क्यूंकि

बचपन की यादें 

जब maypole के रंग बिरंगे रिबनों सी 

स्मृति की हवा में 

लहलहाती है 

तब 

उन्हें आवश्यकता होती है 

एक स्तम्भ की 

जिस से 

उन सब का स्थायित्व 

महसूस किया जा सके 

हर बचपन में होनी चाहिए 

ऐसी नदी 

पोखर 

पहाड़ 

या फिर 

कम-अस-कम 

एक बड़ा सा पेड़। 

********* 

Every childhood deserves 

a river 

or a lake 

or a mountain 

or at least 

a really big tree. 

When

childhood memories 

flutter  

like Maypole ribbons 

(colourful, but chaotic) 

That is when 

they need 

the pole 

to peg themselves 

in the real-ness 

of the physical world.

That is why 

every childhood deserves 

a river 

a lake 

a mountain 

or at least 

a really big tree.

*****

I am most certainly regressing.

But I had a really amusing encounter today and since this blog is my memory box of small things, where else would one post such a sweet little thing? 

Remember when we were younger and boys would do different things to get our co-ordinates? (Email id, phone no., linkedin, facebook. etc.?) I used to find that so cute - the confusion, the hesitation, the attempt, the gentle smile, etc? 

So, today, i was in a flight. A morning flight. Which means i had not slept well. Which means i was not feeling well. So I had only one agenda in that flight - to sleep. As soon as take off happened, I closed my eyes rather involuntarily.

Sometime during the flight, the person in the next seat and i got talking. I cant remember how. He was just coming from a trip and i was going to one. We spoke about a lot of things - his business, my work, the kind of holidays we like, good places to visit solo, etc. 

Towards the end of the flight, he just turned to me and asked, "Are you on insta? What's your id?" 

And that, dear reader, has not happened to me in a loooong time. 

:) 

उदास आदमी

उदास आदमी 

ज़्यादा से ज़्यादा क्या कर सकता है? 

फांसी लगा सकता है 

कोने में लाश की तरह पड़ा रह सकता है 

एक बंद कमरे में आलसी का तमगा लटका कर लेट सकता है 

उदास आदमी 

अंतत: 

उदास होने से ज़्यादा 

कुछ नहीं कर सकता। 

****** 

Today's gratitude is for my guardian angel. 

In general, i have been rather ungrateful lately. 

A lot of things that could have gone wrong, did not go wrong. Instead of being grateful for the magic (and dare one say, the hard work) that goes into ensuring this, I was resentful. 

And just now, getting a minor taste of how much work it takes to keep things ok, i am very grateful. 

Tomorrow, I might resent the larger issue, but this - ensuring that so many things that could (and should) have gone wrong, did not - is something i will remain grateful for. 

Things that never happened

उस दिन फिल्म देखने गए थे। 

मेरी आँखों में आँसू आ गए। हाथ में रुमाल नहीं था 

आँसू रुक नहीं रहे थे। 

तुम्हारी कमीज़ की बाज़ू पर आँखें पोंछी थीं 

एक काली सी लाइन छूट गई थी उस पर 

*This is a new series. A lot of times, we see a scene - irl, in a book, or on screen, and we imagine it differently. Like Katran, the format is short and self-explanatory. 

So, i m keeping the categroy as Katran only. 

जिनकी प्रेम कहानियाँ असफल रहीं 

वे बने 

कवि  

जो अपने प्रेम के लिए लिख गए

सुंदर कविताएँ 

जिल्द वाली किताबें  

जिनकी प्रेम कहानियां सफल हो गईं 

वे बने 

पति 

जो अपने प्रेम के लिए लाये 

घर आते हुए ताज़ी तरकारी, और हरा धनिया 

सुनो,

मेरे लिए तुम 

धनिया वाले ही बनना। 

***** 

Love stories that fail 

make poets 

who write 

sonnets 

for their love. 

Love stories that succeed

make husbands 

who bring 

fresh groceries 

on their way home. 

My love 

I wish you 

fresh groceries. 

*********** 

 

Book Review: Tumhaare Baare mein keh raha tha by Amit Goswami

राजपाल प्रकाशन यूं तो हिन्दी के सर्वोत्तम प्रकाशकों में से है, पर पिछले दशक के दौरान नये लेखक वाणी प्रकाशन, पंक्तियाँ प्रकाशन, और कुछ छोटे प्रकाशकों के द्वारा पढ़ने को मिले। 

इसलिए, राजपाल से ये नई किताब देखना अच्छा लगा। 

अमित गोस्वामी सरोद वादक हैं, और कवि भी। यह पूरी पुस्तक प्रेम के बारे में है। 

100 पन्नों की पुस्तक में गज़लें हैं, नज़्में हैं, और कत'आत हैं। 

प्रेम की अभिव्यक्ति यूं भी दुनिया में बुकोव्स्की और इंस्टाग्राम भर में सीमित रह गई है। कुछ आवाज़ें तो चाहिए, जो ओं से अलहदा हों। 

प्रेम है भी ऐसी भावना, जिसके बारे में जितना लिखा जाए कम ही है। 

कुछ चुनिंदा शेर: 

उसे गंवा के कुछ ऐसे जिया हूँ मर मर कर 

कि अब मैं जहर भी पी लूँगा तो मरूँगा नहीं 

* 

लरजते लब पे जो इकरार था, वो और था कुछ 

तुम्हारी आँखों में था इंतज़ार, प्यार न था 

* 

जिसे छूकर हकीकत की तहें खुलने लगी थीं 

कहानी का कोई किरदार होगा, क्या पता था 

** 

रखती है वो गिन कर मेरी ना-करदा खता भी 

कल को कभी झगड़ूँ, तो गिनाने ही में काम आए। 

** 

वो जो बस मेरा था, वो ख्वाब हमारे लिखता 

मेरा बस चलता तो मैं खुद को तुम्हारा लिखता 

*** 

हमको नाहक ही तोड़ कर फेंका 

ज़र्द पत्ते थे, यूं भी झड़ जाते 

******** 

बदन धुआँ था, सो काला लिबास होना था 

उदास दिल था तो चेहरा उदास होना था 

मैं खुद से दूर था, दुनिया भी दूर है मुझसे 

अब ऐसे में तो तुम्हें मेरे पास होना था। 

************ 

 

Kavi aur Kavyitri

कवि लिख कर सुना सकता है 

बीवी बच्चों को: 

"वो 16 वें साल का लम्स 

जब तुम 

अमलतास सी झुकीं थी मुझ पर 

और मैं

आंच सा उठा था..." 

कवयित्री 

"दरवाज़े से दरीचे तक*"  

भी नहीं। 

कवि लिख सकता है - 

"सुनो द्रौपदी शस्त्र उठा लो 

अब गोविंद ना आएंगे**" 

कवयित्री

"तुम्हारे साथ खाना मुझे अच्छा लगता है 

तुम्हारे जूठे बर्तन उठाना नहीं। ***" 

भी नहीं। 

कवि कविता लिखने से पहले 

चाय पीता है 

कवयित्री 

रसोई समेटती है 

कवि और कवयित्री होना 

समान नहीं है। 

******* 

Notes: 

* - Darwaze se dareeche tak is a nazm by the Urdu poetess - Dr. Tarannum Riyaaz. It speaks about the loneliness felt by a woman her whole life as her husband ignores her and leaves her alone to manage the house, kids, and her own loneliness. The poetess mentioned, while reciting this piece, that she is questioned every time she recites this one, because the audience knows both her and her husband. Even though she said it in jest, the sheer pain in the nazm was raw and real. Many years later, what remains with me is not just the brilliance of the piece itself, but also her having to preface it with "Don't question me after this. Every time i recite the nazm, the audience knows both the husband and me, and there is a QnA." Unfortunately, I am not able to find that nazm anywhere. I only heard it from her once in a private poetry gathering.  

** A poem by Nepali poet - Pushyamitra Upadhyaya, exhorting women to bear arms, with reference to a narrative from the Mahabharata. The text of the poem is: 

सुनो द्राैपदी ! शस्त्र उठालो अब गोविंद ना आएंगे...
छोड़ो मेहंदी खड्ग संभालो
खुद ही अपना चीर बचा लो
द्यूत बिछाए बैठे शकुनि,
...मस्तक सब बिक जाएंगे
सुनो द्राैपदी ! शस्त्र उठालो अब गोविंद ना आएंगे...
कब तक आस लगाओगी तुम
कब तक आस लगाओगी तुम, बिक़े हुए अखबारों से
कैसी रक्षा मांग रही हो दुःशासन दरबारों से
स्वयं जो लज्जाहीन पड़े हैं
वे क्या लाज बचाएंगे
सुनो द्राैपदी ! शस्त्र उठालो अब गोविंद ना आएंगे...
तुम ही कहो ये अंश्रु तुम्हारे
कल तक केवल अंधा राजा, अब गूंगा-बहरा भी है
होंठ सिल दिए हैं जनता के, कानों पर पहरा भी है
तुम ही कहो ये अंश्रु तुम्हारे,
किसको क्या समझाएंगे?
सुनो द्राैपदी ! शस्त्र उठालो अब गोविंद ना आएंगे...

- पुष्यमित्र उपाध्याय

*** Another poem by a poetess that I read on facebook. The poem speaks about micro daily inequity. The wife writes that she loves eating with her husband, but not picking up his dirty plate after him every day. She loves going out with him, but not picking up his shoes and taking them from the sofa to the shoe rack.. and so on. Again, cannot find the poem online. 
 

********** 

I have recited this poem: 

What will you do?

So, all these geniuses telling us how they were able to make this or that in such a short time using AI? 

It reminds me of a story i read in a book long time ago. It was in Africa. The author was going.. I think.. to Addis Ababa. He saw an old man walking on the side of the road. He was in a car. 

"Where are you going?" 

"To Addis ababa" 

"How long will it take you?"

"Five days." 

The author thought about it for a while. He was going to reach that city much sooner. 

"Why don't you come with me? We will get there much faster!" 

"How will that help?" 

"You will save five days!"

"What will I do with the saved five days?" 

- It is the last question, that we are not pausing to ask. 

And, imho, we should. 

If the purpose of life is to live, then how does saving time on one activity help the process of living? Living, by definition, IS the act of doing things.. not saving time doing this thing so you can jump to the next thing, and then the next. 

* IRL, i do work with AI - extensively. That is why this observation. 

Venting

And once more, the internet

A. Took a holistic view of the symptoms and results. 

B. Gave me a plausible, real diagnosis that I could work with. 

C. Gave a clear follow up plan. 

Consistently, i have been failed by doctors. Every single time. 

A recurrent UTI that was actually an autoimmune disorder? - Undiagnosed for 12 years. I finally got sick of it and sat and researched on my own. Hundreds of patient experiences recounting how their doctors misdiagnosed, trivialised their experience, and prescribed antibiotics where none were needed. Literally hundreds of them! All with the same autoimmune disorder that either a doctor somewhere or the patients themselves diagnosed. 

Fatigue that was unexplained - Undiagnosed for more than a decade. A full cardiac checkup later, i was told about hallucination, losing weight, and other useless suggestions. ONE patient, on a patient support group discussion board named the condition ACCURATELY. THEN, I went to a doctor and said, "Treat me for this. I am responsible for the outcomes." She did. I responded to the treatment immediately. After 10 years of being on a blood thinner with no answer other than "You are fat." OR "This happens." 

And now, the same fatigue. Blood tests ordered but not considered before putting me on a "Lose weight and see" treatment. The report said - Grade 1 diastolic dysfunction. The doctor said, "Everything is fine. I can't do anything more." and refused to do further investigation on blockages, if any. My accompanying friend even said, "Some blockage will anyway be there." What they forgot to say? I am not supposed to have Grade 1 diastolic dysfunction at this age. Grok took ALL my reports - the heart, the blood work, and created a viable next step. It told me a likely diagnosis, and two follow up tests that will help me rule out the condition or confirm it. Tests that my doctor neither mentioned nor considered EVEN when i was literally asking him, "So why am I unable to exercise as i could even two weeks ago?" 

A friend who says, "Why are you fussing so much over your health?" 

Another adult in the house, who generally does not care, responding with, "But why would a doctor NOT give more investigation? In corporate hospitals, they are the first to investigate MORE, not less." 

I don't know. I don't care. All I know is that doctors have failed me and thousands of patients like me. And the internet has not. 

And this is why doctors do not have my vote. Not in the campaign against AI, not in the campaign of "Look how hard they work." They might work. They just didn't work for me. It is God's grace that i need a doctor rarely. But every single time, i have only met with trivialisation and lack of genuine listening. 

And God save you if you ever tell a doctor they are fucking wrong. Because God can be wrong, but not Doc. 

The small earthen gullak

Today's gratitude is for a small earthen gullak. 

In the temple of the house, we have a small earthen gullak. Some days, after we pray, we put a currency note in it. 

When we feel that the gullak is full, we wait. 

When someone calls for financial support for a medical/health/rehabilitation need, we break open the gullak and whatever is there in that, is transferred. The thought is that this money carries also our prayers. So, its not just the money. We also, in spirit, transfer prayers for healing.

Over the years, I have made 2-3 simple practices - when an ambulance passes, i send up a prayer. While passing a hospital, i send a prayer. (Like people do with a temple or gurudwara). 

But it is with this gullak that the power of prayer really manifests. Over the years, everyone we have given the gullak to, we have shared the back story also. Every single time, they choked up on the part where we shared that this is our prayers. Not on the money. On the prayers. 

Last week, my guruji came home. His grandson had just had a severed finger in a domestic accident. For the first time, I brought the gullak out, not for the money, but for the prayers it contained. And for the first time in a decade of knowing him, I saw this 74-year-old person cry. 

The grandson is healing. Slowly.

A lady whose husband had been in and out of the hospital for more than 2 years, and a 16-year-old teen to manage at home, cried when i told her about the prayers. "No one prays for me. No one. Handling the husband is one thing. Handling a 16-year-old, is another. We don't have money for her birthday party also! I am... so tired." She did not need prayers. She needed the idea that someone was praying for her and her family. That someone cared. We are still in touch (coincidentally, my son was 16 at that time too, so i completely understood the challenge). 

 A poetry friend whose relative needed this help, said thank you when i asked for the account details. But when i told him the concept of the gullak, he paused. Like, really paused. He is generally a very articulate person, but this time, after a while, he said, "Did you teach this to your son too? To keep a gullak for wellness?" When i said that we have always done it this way, he said, "That is the most beautiful home practice that I have heard. You must tell more people about this." 

And that is how, this post is being written. A few months after he asked me to write it. 

About yesterday's poetry gathering

I am still reeling under the effect of yesterday's conversations. 

When we decided to discuss poets and what they mean to us, I was not too enthused because I routinely find such "explanations" get too scholarly and for me, poetry is about emotion, about taking that tornado that has been sleeping in your soul and making it real. 

But yesterday I realised something new - when we take words and add what they did to us, the conversation becomes real for EVERYONE. When Minal spoke about how Harivanshrai Bachchan was the first serious interest in poetry - both for her and for her son, it was not just appreciation of classic poetry. It was that invisible thread that ties us to each other. For parents and children, especially, the cultural reference points are seldom same. The music that shapes them is different, the books they read are different, even the language used to express emotions is not the same.  

In discussing Sahir, what stood out for me was how deeply one poet can enter another. It is not the same as "being under the influence of". It is like someone enters your soul and helps you understand and express yourself. I got the sense that that is what Sahir has done for Harsh. 

Jaun Eliya, of course, was reimagined for all of us. Many years ago, a friend introduced me to Jaun. He then gifted a book of Jaun which i read and was hugely underwhelmed. I really did not understand what all the fuss was about. But EVERY single time someone recites Jaun Eliya, I find the words to be magical. Hearing someone else recite him acts as the catalyst that brings the poet alive. 

But what Sankalp did with Jaun was not just interpret the intrepid nature of Jaun's poetry or his universally known irreverence. He brought that irreverence into us. For a while, we threw the world to the wind and felt exactly as Jaun would have liked us to feel. "Nahi to" remains a highlight of yday's renditions. 

The poetry that flows from the poet is always super special. Kavita mein shabd se bhi zyada, i observe what the poet goes through as they put their words out. And its always heartwarming to see that. :) 

kshanika

पतझड़ और शिशिर के बाद 

पेड़ों को मिलता है 

बसंत 

पत्तों को 

सद्गति। 

पेड़ या पत्ता होना 

नियति भी हो सकती है 

और निर्णय भी 

Kshanika

भूकंप के बाद 

घर वाले 

फोन कर के पूछते हैं, 

"सब ठीक है न?" 

भूकंप. के.        बाद.  

स्मृति और विस्मृति

 तुम्हारे जाने पर 

मैंने शोक संदेश नहीं लिखा 

न भावभीनी श्रद्धांजलि 

न ज़्यादा गला फाड़ कर रोना 

तुम्हारे तन को 

पवित्र अग्नि को अर्पित किया 

और तुम्हें 

अपने भीतर बिठा कर 

अपने घर ले आई। 

पहले पूजा घर में 

फिर रसोई में 

अब पूरे घर में 

रहते हो तुम, 

पिता। 

मेरे मरने पर 

मेरी मिट्टी को 

अग्नि के सुपुर्द करना

और मुझे  

नदी में बहा आना, 

बेटे। 

Hamaare baare mein

मुझे लगता था तुम आक* हो, और मैं पानी। 

एक को दूसरे को खाली होने तक सींचना होगा, और फिर खाली हाथ वापिस मुड़ जाना होगा।  

पर हम और तुम, धतूरा और आक हैं। साथ में उगते हैं। कोई पालने नहीं आता, पर ज़रूरत के समय हम से लेने में कोई संकोच नहीं करता^। 

ऊपर से देखने पर हम में कोई समानता नहीं है, पर भीतर ही भीतर - जड़ों से और वायु(+) से, हम एक दूसरे का पोषण करते हैं। 

ये कहानी आगे नहीं बढ़ती, हम पर खत्म हो जाती है। पर क्षणभंगुर कहानी को भी होने का अधिकार है। 

RTC: 

+https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyOTlBlFEuo

^ धतूरा और आक दोनों शिवरात्रि पर शिव को चढ़ाए जाते हैं। कुछ वैद्य दोनों का उपयोग दावा में करते हैं और कुछ पशुओं के लिए ये खाद्य हैं। इसलिए इन्हें घर पर उगाया नहीं जाता, पोषित नहीं किया जाता, पर इन से लिया जाता है। 

*आक एक खरपतवार (weed) स्वत: उगने वाला पौधा है। इसके पत्ते बकरियों के लिए उत्तम हैं परंतु मनुष्य के लिए ज़हरीले हैं। इसे प्राय: घरों में न उगाया जाता है न उगने दिया जाता है। पौधा बहुत सख्तजान होता है। रेगिस्तान में भी आसानी से उगता और पनपता है। इसलिए राजस्थान जैसे रेतीले क्षेत्रों में बहुधा पाया जाता है।   

On doomscrolling

 Doomscrolling 3 तरह की होती है : 

1. की बनु दुनिया दा? - Worry for the world (war, ecology, ur apocalypse of choice) 

2. मेरा क्या होगा कालिया? - I am doomed. 

3. बाद में? बाद में सिर्फ... - There is no hope anyway. We are all doomed. In the long run, we are all dead. 

So, what's your favourite flavour of doomscrolling? 

1. Pineapple Apocalypse (Stings with every bite but we go on nonetheless) 

2. Syrupy Self doom (Oh, the sweet, sweet taste of self-predicted failure!) 

3. Chocolate No Hope (100% bitter cocoa, and so addictive!)  

Book Review: Khushboo sa bikharna mera by Amita Parsuram 'Meeta'

इस पुस्तक में अक्षर, गज़लें, और नज़्में है। शायरा की अपनी आवाज़ भी है, और बहर भी है। 

71 ग़ज़लें, 17 नज़्में, और 45 अकेले शेर 140 पन्नों की किताब में समाए हैं। 

लेखिका की आवाज़ उनकी अपनी है। चोट, चोट से निकलता खून, खून पर जमती पपड़ी, और पपड़ी का धीरे धीरे ठीक हो कर गिर जाना - सब कुछ उतनी ही संक्षिप्तता या विस्तार से लिखा गया है, जितना वे लिखना चाहती थीं। 

शेर सीधे दिल में उतरते हैं। यहाँ wordplay नहीं है, लफ़्ज़ों की कारीगरी नहीं है, लफ़्ज़ बस कारगर हैं। 

सब से अच्छा शेर ये लगा: 

रास्ता दूजे का चलते हो  

मंज़िल अपनी ढूंढ रहे हो  

एक शेर जो जॉन एलिया की याद दिलाता है: 

क्या गज़ब है कि मैं तो ज़िंदा हूँ 

और तारीफ हो रही है मेरी 

****** 

कुछ और पसंदीदा शेर: 

दफना दिया था जिनको हर सिम्त गूंजती अब 

मेरी खामोशियों को आवाज़ मिल गई है 

******* 

आँखों मे जब सपने चमके 

जो ओझल थे रस्ते चमके 

**** 

खुद से हार चुका जो मीता 

और भला क्या खो सकता है 

** 

दिल ने जब जब ख्वाब बुने हैं 

ताबीरों ने स्वांग रचे हैं 

रिश्तों के ताने बाने से 

हमने क्या क्या जाल बुने हैं 

******* 

रात की चादर ओढ़ने वालों, 

ऐसे भी क्या दिन रुकते हैं? 

** 

दिल में उतरे लहज़ा लहज़ा 

दिल से उतरे बस इक पल में 

मानो तो सच हो जाता है 

रब मिल जाता है पीपल में 

******* 

जब खुद निकल ना पाया वो दुनिया की कैद से 

खोला कफ़स को और परिंदा उड़ा गया 

** 

उस से दूर बहुत रहना था 

जिस दुनिया में उलझी हूँ मैं 

****** 

This is one of FOUR pending book reviews...and 2 books that are partially read! Onwards, then!