किताबें झांकती हैं बंद अलमारी के शीशों से

कल रात अनमने से चैनल सर्फिंग करते हुए अचानक गुलज़ार साब लोकसभा टीवी पर नज़र आ गए. उनको देखकर अंगुलियाँ अपने आप ही रिमोट पर ठहर गयी और मैं मंत्रमुग्ध होकर मृणाल पाण्डेय और उनकी बातचीत देखती रही. शोर शराबे, गाली गलौच वाले रिअल्टी शोज़ से और सड़ी-गली ख़बरों की दुनिया से दूर उनकी नज्मों को उनकी आवाज़ में सुनना किसी सौगात से कम नहीं. गुलज़ार साब की एक नज़्म जो आज के दौर में बहुत मौजूं है..पेश-ऐ-खिदमत है

किताबें झांकती हैं बंद अलमारी के शीशों से
बड़ी हसरत से ताकती हैं
महीनो अब मुलाक़ात नहीं होती
जो शामें इनकी सोहबत में कटा करती थीं.. अब अक्सर
गुज़र जाती हैं कंप्यूटर के पर्दों पर
बड़ी बेचैन रहती हैं किताबें
ज़बान पर ज़ायका आता था जो इन सफ़े पलटने का
अब ऊँगली क्लिक करने से बस
इक झपकी गुज़रती है
बहुत कुछ तह-ब-तह खुलता चला जाता है परदे पर
किताबों से जो ज़ाती राबता था कट गया है
कभी सीने पे रख के लेट जाते थे
कभी गोदी में रखते थे
कभी घुटनों को अपने रहल की सूरत बना कर
नीम सजदे में पढ़ा करते थे, छूते थे जभी से
खुदा ने चाह तो वो सारा इल्म तो मिलता रहेगा बाद में भी
मगर वो जो किताबों में मिला करते थे सूखे फूल
किताबें मांगने, गिरने, उठाने के बहाने रिश्ते बनते थे
उनका क्या होगा
वो शायद अब नहीं होंगे!

तुम

मेरे जीवन के साथी तुम
नयी राह के पथगामी तुम
तुम से ही मैं सम्पूर्ण
तुम बिन मेरी ज़िन्दगी अपूर्ण
जब नहीं होते हो तुम पास
इतनी शिद्दत से आती है तुम्हारी याद
तुम्हारी छेड़खानीयां गुदगुदाती हैं मुझे
तुम्हारी मुस्कराहट लुभाती है मुझे
आज तुमसे एक ही वचन की है आस
जब भी जाएँ, जाएँ दोनों साथ
क्योंकि जन्म मरण के परे है हमारा साथ

घर से दूर चले जाने पर आती है घर की याद

घर से दूर चले जाने पर आती है घर की याद
माँ के आँचल की छाँव में गुज़ारे वो पल
और पापा का वो अनुशासित लाड प्यार
वो सुबह सुबह मंदिर से आती आरती की आवाज़
और नुक्कड़ वाली मस्जिद में होने वाली रोज़ की अज़ान
पड़ोस वाली चाची के चूल्हे से उठती रोटियों की महक
या हलवाई काका के खस्ते में पुदीने की चटनी का स्वाद
बाबा का गेट से चिल्लाना की ऑटो वाला आया
और बच्चों का रोना की आज फिर स्कूल नहीं जाना
सामने वाली आंटी का छत पर खुद को मेंटेन करने का प्रयास
और उसी समय शर्मा अंकल का अपनी मुंडेर पर योग का अभियान
तिवारी अंकल का तेज़ी से तैयार होकर ऑफिस जाना
और पीछे से आंटी का हडबडाते हुए टिफीन लेकर आना
कुछ ऐसी ही हैपेनिंग सुबह में अलसाये से हमारा उठना
पेपर और चाय का कप हाथ में लेकर बालकनी में धूप सेकना
आह...याद आती है वो सुबह जो तब हुआ करती थी रोज़ का किस्सा
वो घर जो पीछे छोड़ आये हम और बन गए दुनिया की इस भेड़-चाल का हिस्सा

karva chauth with a twist

Sourced from Times of India, this news piece shows how times have changed but traditions still continue in a novel way.
http://timesofindia .indiatimes. com/city/ chandigarh/ Not-straight- and-simple- Karva-Chauth/ articleshow/ 5100047.cms

Not straight and simple Karva Chauth
Supriya Bhardwaj, TNN 8 October 2009,

CHANDIGARH: Karva Chauth, which is the celebration of matrimonial love and devotion, is also changing as our society's definition of marriage evolves.

New facets of traditional relationships emerged, as city residents observed the festival on Wednesday.

Apart from married women, men also fasted on the day. But the most novel development of this year's festival was that homosexuals also became part of the celebrations. Paro, 19, a gay man from Manimajra, fasted for his "husband" on the day.

Clad in a salwar-kameez, Paro joined the women of his locality in listening to vrat katha and worshipping. Apart from participating in rituals with women, Paro was also excited about the gifts that his "husband" bestowed upon him.

"This Karva Chauth, my husband bought me a gold chain and silver anklets. The attitude of society is gradually changing regarding us," he said.

A gay couple in Panchkula also fasted for each other's longevity. They said the court's order relaxing rules under Section 377 of Indian Penal Code had made their lives easier. "After such a long time, we are enjoying a certain amount of freedom thanks to court's order. We are like any other couple and have normal feelings," said the "husband" on condition of anonymity.

Temples and parks emerged as hub of activity on Wednesday when women worshipped and listened to vrat katha. The wait for the moon led to roads in city being deserted in the evening. However, the night saw many visiting the markets.

Married men also continued the recent tradition of fasting for long lives of their wives.

Sector-44 resident Kavita Sharma, who tied the knot recently, said, "This time, my husband too decided to fast with me."

My Way..........

My Way is a beautiful song by Frank Sinatra.....sitting on the couch, listening to the song, I wonder if I would be able to proudly proclaim the wordings of this song when my end is near....

And now, the end is near;
And so I face the final curtain.
My friend, Ill say it clear,
Ill state my case, of which Im certain.

Ive lived a life thats full.
Ive traveled each and evry highway;
And more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

Regrets, Ive had a few;
But then again, too few to mention.
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption.

I planned each charted course;
Each careful step along the byway,
But more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

Yes, there were times, Im sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew.
But through it all, when there was doubt,
I ate it up and spit it out.
I faced it all and I stood tall;
And did it my way.

Ive loved, Ive laughed and cried.
Ive had my fill; my share of losing.
And now, as tears subside,
I find it all so amusing.

To think I did all that;
And may I say - not in a shy way,
No, oh no not me,
I did it my way.

For what is a man, what has he got?
If not himself, then he has naught.
To say the things he truly feels;
And not the words of one who kneels.
The record shows I took the blows -
And did it my way!

Kaminey....a master piece

Ye ishq nahi aasaan...aji aag ka dariya hai....patwar pehen jana hai! Nobody could dare to attempt Ghalib in the way Gulzar has used in the Fatak song of Kaminey and penning the whole song with AIDS at its core. Kaminey is eye revealing, proving that Indian cinema is finally leaving its shell behind and coming of age. Shahid's lisp and stammer are so much believable and his portraying the role of identical twins is as different as chalk and cheese.
Kaminey is dark, rustic with a liberal concoction of Marathi, Bengali, Hindi and foreign langauage minus the subtitles (giving the audience some food for thought and poles apart from no-brainers we get these days!)
Hats off to Vishal for daring to attempt a story bought from anon Cajetan Boy and turning it into a master-piece.

Tuesdays with Morrie

"Life is a series of pulls, back and forth. You want to do one thing but you are bound to do something else"

"Once you learn how to die, you learn how to live"

"There are a few rules I know to be true about love and marriage: If you don't respect the other person, you're gonna have a lot of trouble. If you don't know how to compromise, you're gonna have a lot of trouble. If you can't talk openly about what goes on between you, you're gonna have a lot of trouble. And if you don't have a common set of values in life, you're gonna have a lot of trouble. Your values must be alike"

"Death ends a life, not a relationship"

"...if you're trying to show off for people at the top, forget it. They will look down on you anyhow. And if you're trying to show off for people at the bottom, forget it. They will only envy you. Status will get you nowhere. Only an open heart will allow you to float equally between everyone"

"You have to find what's good and true and beautiful in your life as it is now. Looking back makes you competitive. And, age is not a competitive issue"

These are some of the gems from the book "Tuesdays with Morrie". It is the story of a teacher, a mentor Morrie Schwartz and his student Mitch Albom. The teacher is suffering from a degenerative disorder and before dying he wants to share his insights with his student.
"A must read to understand life and its lessons."

The Call

Nice and beautiful lyrics of the OST from the Chronicles of Narnia-Prince Caspian


It started out as a feeling
Which then grew into a hope
Which then turned into a quiet thought
Which then turned into a quiet word
And then that word grew louder and louder
'Til it was a battle cry
I'll come back
When you call me
No need to say goodbye
Just because every thing's changing
Doesn't mean it's never been this way before
All you can do is try to know
Who your friends are as you head off to the war
Pick a star on the dark horizon
And follow the light
You'll come back
When it's over
No need to say goodbye
You'll come back
When it's over
No need to say goodbye
Now, we're back to the beginning
It's just a feeling and no one knows yet
But just because they can't feel it too
Doesn't mean that you have to forget
Let your memories grow stronger and stronger
'Til they're before your eyes
You'll come back
When they call you
No need to say goodbye
You'll come back
When they call you
No need to say goodbye

Life-mate

Stumbling in life,shocked, amazed with the ways of the world,
Lost,confound, I met you while my visions were blurred
surreal, surreptitious, like refreshing breeze in a hot summer day
You blew my mind and took my heart away
Can't think of a way to thank you enough
I am glad that you gave me a reason to live, my love!

Pavagadh-Champaner trip

Weekends are a great time to escape frpm daily humdrums of life and what better way to explore some natural beauty. So, we packed our bags and headed off to Champaner which is around 50 kms from Vadodara. Champaner is a heritage site and Pavagadh is small hill with Mahakali temple on top off it.

A unique temple....

Stambheshwar Mahadev temple is situated at Kavi kamboi, 85 kms from Vadodara. This temple is unique as the shivling gets submerged in water everyday and one can have darshan for a limited period of time.