And shattered hopes,
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| Pic Courtesy: reuters |
Enough for the girl and mother
All that you want in a blog
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| Pic Courtesy: reuters |
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| Pic Courtesy: Totally Cool Pix |
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Reproduction of a poem I wrote in May 1999 when Pakistan perpetrated the most heinous infiltration into Kargil, the Indian side of Line of Control (LOC):
जाना है तुमको आज इक फ़र्ज़ निभाने की खातिर,
इस देश की मिटटी का क़र्ज़ चुकाने की खातिर,
उठो ए जवानो सर पे बाँध लो कफ़न,
शहीदों में अपना नाम दर्ज़ कराने की खातिर I
दुश्मन ने इक बार है फिर तुम्हे ललकारा,
दोस्ती के नाम पे है फिर तमाचा मारा,
क्या भूल गया वो इक मुसलमान शायर का कहना:
सारे जहाँ से अच्छा है हिन्दोस्तान हमारा I
विजय हो तुम्हारी ये देश की है कामना,
करना वीरता से तुम दुश्मनों का सामना,
उठो ए जवानो सर पे बांध लो कफ़न,
सारा जहाँ करेगा तुम्हारी वीरता की सराहना I
इस देश के लिए मिट जायेंगे मर जायेंगे हम,
इक इंच भी अपनी ज़मीन का होने न देंगे कम,
सुनो नवाज़, सुनो मुशर्रफ, सुनो ए सरताज,
सीने यहाँ फौलाद के और बाज़ुयों में है दम I
अब कभी इस तरफ न डालो नज़रें बुरी,
इक तरफ लाहौर यात्रा, और बगल में हो छुरी,
इस बार छोड़ देंगे अपने पे काबू करके,
अगली बार LOC पार न करने की, शायद न हो मजबूरी I
जय हिन्द हमारा नारा है, हिन्द हमारी शान है,
खून का हर तिप्का हिन्द के लिए कुर्बान है,
तुमने सोये शेर को जगा डाला है मूर्ख,
दुश्मन, अब तू चन्द दिनों का मेहमान है I
Jaana hai tumko aaj ik farz nibhane ki khatir,
Is desh ki mitti ka karz chukaane ki khatir,
Utho ai jawaano sar pe bandh lo kafan,
Shahidon mein apna naam darz karane ki khatir.
Dushman ne ik baar, phir tumhen lalkara,
Dosti ke naam pe hai phir tamacha maara,
Kya bhool gaya vo ik musalmaan kavi ka kehna:
“Saare jahan se achha hindostan hamaara”?
Vijay ho tumhaari ye desh ki hai kaamna,
Karna veerta se tum dushmano ka saamna,
Dekho bach ke paaye na ab yeh ghuspathiye,
Saara jahan karega tumhari veerta ki sarahana.
Is desh ke liye mit jaayenge mar jayenge hum,
Ik inch bhi apni zameen ka hone na denge kum,
Suno Nawaz, suno Musharraf, suno ai Sartaz,
Seene yahan faulad ke aur baazuyon mein hai dum.
Ab kabhi is taraf na daalo nazrein buri,
Ik taraf Lahore Yaatra, aur bagal mein ho chhuri,
Is baar chhod denge apne pe kaabu karke,
Agli baar LOC paar na karne ki, shayad na ho majboori.
Jai Hind hamaara naara hai, Hind hamaari shaan hai,
Khoon ka her tipka Hind ke liye qurbaan hai,
Tumne soye sher ko jaga daala hai moorkh,
Dushman, ab tu chand dino ka mehmaan hai.
Sometimes I feel life is blasé
An alluring mirage that I chase.
Sounds of fun and laughter are
Like gunshots
Piercing through my heart.
Sometimes I feel I lost you long ago
You were near and yet so far;
Knowing that I needed you
But imagining that I’d live without you.
“Let me, then, throw another dart.”
The last time, our last time, when we talked,
I found you far, very far.
I wanted this, I wanted that,
I wanted nothing;
And you had nothing to give me, on your part.
I could hear many voices,
I could see many sneering faces,
And you sitting with them,
Laughing and chatting,
Your cunning perfected to an art.
If only….
If only, I could sit with you
And talk to you
And look into your eyes
And find me there.
As the only one in your heart.
If only…
If only, I could die.
And mingle with the breeze
And touch you anywhere, anytime;
And caress you within and without
Without seeing you apart.
If only….
They’d destroy the world,
Leaving just the two of us alive.
If only, God Himself would command
You and I
To be a new world’s start.
God, do me a great favour
Offering to you I will hike,
Let people read the stuff I put up,
And not just press the ‘Like’.
Also, God, this is straight from heart,
With no offences meant,
Why don’t you goad them on sometimes,
To press the button called ‘Comment’?
There are others who don’t even ‘Like’ God,
So, those who do are better;
But, whilst I like their spirit God,
I also want to see their letter.
If we are not careful, God,
We’ll soon reach a time,
When people will press buttons at random,
With no real reason or rhyme.
So, let everyone who likes this post,
Tell us his own valued point;
So that rather than being one-sided,
This effort will be joint.
Who knows, while doing so,
We may actually discover the gold;
That is hidden somewhere in the heart,
But is patiently waiting to be told?
Lets have one day of the week,
When we shall actually share our thought,
And simply not press the button ‘Like’,
And hope to convey all we’ve got.
It frightens me? Nay it can’t,
And destroy the world
This post is devoted to a friend of mine who remarked to me that writing poems is as easy as twiddling thumbs and that he could give me a run for money. Here goes:
मनकोटिया जी अपने आप को कहते थे कवी,
एक दिन इसी बात पे झड़प बैठा रवि,
कहने लगा, “शायरी क्या है, कविता क्या है कुछ तो जानते हो,
के तुक्के को ही कविता का रूप मानते हो?”
“यारों पे व्यंग करने के और भी रास्ते हैं,
कई और साधन हास परिहास के वास्ते हैं,
इस लिए कविता पर ही क्यूँ अत्याचार करते हो,
अपना और दोस्तों का समय बर्बाद करते हो”
“कविता लिखने के लिए पेन पेपर सब कुछ है आपके पास,
लेकिन दिमाग में आपके भरी हुई है घास,
ऐसे दिमाग की प्रेरणा को गधे ही भा सकते हैं,
पड़ने के बाद कम से कम पेपर तो खा सकते हैं.”
“लिखना ही है तो मान लो मुझे अपना गुरु,
और मेरे निर्देशन में कविता लिखना करो शुरू,
खीर खाने के बहाने हमें घर पे बुलाया करो,
भाभी के हाथ के माल्पुरे खिलाया करो”
“पिक्चर और डिस्को हमें रोज़ ले जाया करो,
थक जाएँ तो हमारे पैर दबाया करो,
दो तीन महीने में आप कविता सीख जायेंगे,
और रवि को सब कवियों का राजा मान जायेंगे.”
Mankotia ji apne aap ko kehte the kavi,
Ek din issi baat pe jhadap baitha Ravi;
Kehne laga, “Shayari kya hai, kavita kya hai kuchh to jaante ho,
Ke tukke ko hi kavita ka roop maante ho?”
“Yaaron pe vayang karne ke aur bhi raaste hain,
Kyi aur saadhan haas parihaas ke vaaste hain.
Is liye kavita per hi kyun atyachaar karte ho,
Apna aur doston ka samay barbaad karte ho?”
“Kavita likhne ke liye pen paper sab kuchh hai aapke paas,
Lekin dimaag mein aapke bhari hui hai ghaas.
Aise dimaag ki prerna ko gadhe hi bha sakte hain,
Padne ke baad kam se kam kaagaz to kha sakte hain.”
“Likhna hi hai to aaj se maan lo mujhe apna guru,
Aur mere nirdeshan mein kavita likhna karo shuru;
Kheer khaane ke bahaane hamein ghar pe bulwaya karo,
Bhabhi ke haath ke maalpure khilwaya karo.”
“Picture aur disco hamein roz le jaaya karo,
Thak jaayen to hamare pair dabaya karo.
Do teen mahino mein aap kavita seekh jayago,
Aur Ravi ko sab kaviyon kaa raja maan jayoge.”
Like a gentle rain
On a placid pond in wilderness
The memory of our tryst forms
Never dying ripples
Each one capturing
Those brief moments of togetherness.
Did you at that time know
That the twinkle in your eyes
The softness of your lips
Your looks, your scent, your laughter
Would remain with me forever?
Indelible…unfading.
And I would search for these
In the pearl drops on lotus leaves,
In yellow flowers of joy
By the gurgling brooks;
In the haunting song of cuckoo
Pervading the silent secrets of woods.
Did you know that I would
Eternalize each whisper,
Each colour, each touch, each look
Each song, and each ditty
And treasure them
As a Life Time’s Achievement Award
For my undying love for you?
Here is the first of the collections of my rhymes of the day. These are primarily topical; though some are based on my mood of the day. You can get their full flavour if you recall the news of the day; for example, massacre of Maradonna’s Argentina by Germany in the last Football World Cup.
Those were the days my friend,
We didn’t have Cut, Copy, Paste and Send.
I could not sleep the whole night long;
Thinking of how every Right just went Wrong;
I wish I could sing a happy song.
Can big teams play BIG football?
Well, the only thing BIG is their fall.
So low are the ways of Indian leaders;
That virtually they are corruption breeders;
Or in other words nation bleeders.
I like the sun, the moon and the flowers;
But, what I like best are the monsoon showers.
Sundays are for rising late,
Sundays are for rest;
But God, when I watch the world cup,
Don’t send any visitor or guest.
England did not have it in them to win;
But they made enough din;
For Lampard’s goal that went in the bin.
Nice to be witness to Brazilian magic;
Thrice Chile was fooled by their trick;
All field goals and no penalty kick.
One is born, works, eats, plays, sleeps, and dies;
Is there nothing else to our lives?
What about Love, its joys and sighs?
“I too want a degree”
Said the Paki son to his dad;
“Okay” said the father, “I can buy BA, MA,
But Phd is the current fad”.
Rain, rain don’t go away;
Please come every day;
Little Rooney never wants to play.
The Samba boys are finally out,
Being done in by the Dutch;
Dont you feel the Brazilians,
Had lost their magic touch?
Massacre of Argentina was a subject,
Klose to Germany’s heart;
And Messi? Well, he,
just proved to be a fart!
“When will India excel in Soccer?”
Asked of his father a son.
He replied, “Only after,
With Cricket, we have done”.
When will realise strikes don’t help;
Except those who, like dogs, yelp.
Muttiah Muralitharan is,
The best off-spinner we ever had;
Now that he is retiring,
We can’t help feeling sad.
People come into your life for a reason.
But, whether or not they stay depends upon the season!
How lovely to have children around;
Oh, don’t we all love the sound,
Of their little feet on floor or ground?
Let’s not make a big fuss,
About Paul the Octopus;
If he was really so bright,
He’d be emitting an Oranje light!
I remember the days they’re small;
And used to see me as a hero.
But now that my kids have grown up,
I ‘ve become closer to a zero.
Come be my love till the end of Time;
But, at least be mine till the end of this rhyme.
‘Tis better not to fall in love,
And keep a steady head;
For she will surely pull the plug,
And leave you cold and dead.
Now that we have found Higgs Bosun,
Can we do without God?
But, after all is said and done,
What if it turns out to be fraud?
Peace with our neighbour Pakistan,
Will never get a chance;
So long as they feel that hatred,
Is the best political stance.
I thought I could live without friends,
And I believed it was true;
But thank God I was wrong,
For I can’t live without you.
The best days are Sundays,
’cause they have my name (Ravi);
Without them there won’t be fun days,
And life would not be the same.
Of all things life makes you learn,
This one you shouldn’t forget;
When you, with envy burn;
You have already lost the bet.
India and Pakistan will always be,
Strange bedfellows;
Who want to get along famously,
But take offence to even “hellos”.
Sometimes you tweet and tweet,
And you still can’t be heard;
Like as if your best feat,
Is simply absurd.
How many total moods are there,
Happy, pining, buoyant and sad?
Counting gets you nowhere,
It only makes you mad.
Every morning I get up,
With resolve to do a lot;
Every night I go to sleep with,
‘Is this all I’ve got?’
Pakistan is part of Western plan,
To keep India in check;
Today Kayani is their man,
Tomorrow it’d be another smart Aleck.
Those who can’t see,
Because they are blind;
Are still better than those,
Who can’t see because of closed mind.
Their sacrifices are in vain,
If we ever forget Kargil;
To fight like that was insane,
Yet they captured Tiger Hill.
Why do we require Wikileaks,
To tell us what we knew all along;
That Pakistan’s support for Taliban,
Took US for a song?