Gar raat na hoti!

Gar raat na hoti, Tanhaai na hoti....
Guzare palon ki....parchchayee naa hotee....

Yeh Sannaata na hota, Na rusvayi hoti....
Na koi shikaayat, na sunvaai hoti....

Na adhoore khwab hote, na koi iraade....
Na kisi ka intezaar, na sabr....

Shukr hai....
Shukr hai ki zindagi ke kayi raaz,
Isi raat mein dafan ho jaate hain !

Shukr hai....
Shukr hai ki phir nayee ummeed koi...
Isi raat mein jaag jati hai!

Shukr hai....
Shukr hai....ki inhe sajaate sajaate,
Subah ho hi jaati hai!

Gar raat na hoti,
Na kal khatm hota....aur na kal shuru....
Gar raat na hoti,
Na hum khatm hote....
Aur na shuru!

This world comes alive, only when I think of it!
The last tragedy, the next summit...
The raging battle, the lost pursuit....
This world comes alive, only when I think of it!

The hapless heartbreaks, the tranquil green lakes,
the castles I build, and later forsake...
cleansing my soul, the sins I commit.....
This world comes alive, only when I think of it!

The endless urge, to wholly withstand,
the treacheries of life or victories so grand,
Proclaim to people, fancy my grit.....
This world comes alive, only when I think of it!

I am Nobody, just matter in space,
sometimes the failure, sometimes the ace,
why join? this mad race.....that does not exist,
This world comes alive, 
Because......I think of it!

Tamanna

Gar tamanna karti hum par aitbaar, 
na yeh naapti jeet ya haar,
na badhti-bejhijak-beshumaar, 
isi pal use azaad kar dete....na karte inkaar!

lekin yeh hume sataati hai, ek....aur hazaaron ko jagaati hai,
nahi padna iske bakhere mein, iski neeyat hume lalchaati hai.

gar hoti yeh tamanna anoothi, har aas ko kar deti poori,
humko milaati khud hi se, na hoti koi baat adhoori......

to hum zaroor chalte...use ruh mein milakar.....
to hum zaroor chalte...use zindagi banakar.....

Aakaashwani….

“You say it best, when you say nothing at all,” ended this soulful song (read love song) by Ronan Keating and just when I was expecting the next ‘escape to dreamnoid’ to be played on 107.1 megahertz….came a firm and clear voice which said, “Yeh aakaashwani hai. Ab aap hindi mein samaachaar suniye.” 

Is that a way of persuading people to listen to the news? That statement was more of a command than an effort to persuade – I thought. I was too tempted to change the radio station, but AIR Rainbow is the only one which plays great English numbers in Mumbai. So I hung around…..

The Hindi samaachar was read and as I was listening to it, I realized something very peculiar. There was no attempt to emote the news, make it sound sensational or something that I had to feel great or devastated about. It sounded so strange and yes, it also reminded me of how the news was read 50 years ago (my only access to that being the way it’s portrayed in Hindi movies).

So initially I felt uneasy, but later I was getting the hang of it. It was NEWS, an update and was merely being READ. I wondered why the initial hitch from my end and then came this whole understanding of IMPACT OF MEDIA ON OUR MINDS. I choose to limit myself to new alone…..it’s good to be focused.

So today there are more than dozens of news channels, each one fighting to raise their TRPs, working hard to churn out new ideas, looking for ‘The BREAKING NEWS’ (how should it matter to us who BROKE it as long as we get the accurate information), covering a plethora of fields…..trying to make an impact, awakening the masses, forcing them to think, Phew!!! Indeed the media guys have come a long way.

Now what is the ultimate purpose of media? I wondered….I am too small to talk about it. But I could look at two primary objectives –

1.       INFORM

2.       SENSITISE

Everything else is just a gimmick or to be more rational a means to be in business!!

Going back to Aakaashwani, I appreciated the way in which news was merely ‘READ’ and allowed the receiver to do whatever he wanted with the data. I think such news will make a person think rather than forcing them to think in a particular manner. This can be allowed to a particular extent….health, social issues, politics, business- it’s alright, but what about fashion, entertainment and the likes.

We are made to believe what is NOT to be true. MEDIA gives us a direction, not parents, not teachers, not books, not mentors….

Among many beliefs that these news channels instill in us, the most dangerous is the FEAR instilled in us.

It happens so slowly and subtly that we just begin to believe that this place is in such a chaos. Some even choose to end their LIFE. Ridiculous!!

With growing negativities around us, people are becoming more and more insecure about living. Think! How a news channel flashes gory pictures, states the information, over and over again until a viewer switches off the TV screen or succumbs to the projected ‘reality’. What does it leave him with?? As long as it is to SENSITISE, it is great. But I am sure the number of people who do something about it are much lesser than the ones who develop fears and insecurities.

Not to forget, how the medium of television is aiding this process (with a new technology being introduced every couple of months – just for us to have a real life experience!!) Literal REAL LIFE EXPERIENCE – seems to have become a dream with the advent of technology. Anyways…these are all inter-related but I don’t wish to digress.

Aakaashwani taught me detachment, treat news as news and think ‘What can I do about it?’ Their job is to deliver news and my job is to figure out what to do with the news!!! 

JAI HIND!

The many .doc files which only had names are finally getting liberated…… as I type these words in them. Tathastu – so be it!!

Tathastu is a Sanskrit word that indicates that our wishes would be granted. It’s an assurance we get when we offer prayers or seek blessings of Lord Almighty and our elders.

Well!! That makes me happy as I have been assured that ‘my wishes would be granted’….but then

When? Where? How? How much? By whom? 

Hey relax!! I would say if I were I kid. When I know that nothing’s gonna go wrong ever and life is as beautiful as I am. Why would I worry?

But time does its job…..I grow and no kidding now…I want to see things happen.

Like hello!!! This ‘Tathastu’ stuff is so not fair…I am supposed to be hopeful and have faith that, ‘Yes! my wishes shall be granted’ and that’s it??  Period??

When? Where? How? How much? By whom? Can anyone tell me pleassssssssseeeeeeeeee……

I live in an age of instant communication, instant weight loss, instant love, JET Speed….that’s my pace…and you want me to sit back and wait for a wish to be granted…just like that!!! Forget it!!!

I’ll make it work! I am sure I can!! I must!! After all it’s all mine! Isn’t it – the wishes and stuff?

So even before I make a list of wishes, I start working. Working towards making each one a reality.

One by one, every effort is focused, carefully planned, integrated into the real world of logical and practicality. And guess what?

Yes!! It works!!….my techniques work, my approach works, I am on my way to success, attain happiness!  If  I have achieved what I wanted with all my struggle and toil then why can’t  I make all my dreams come true? Sure I can! And there I go….

Work and work and only work, desperately waiting for things to happen! Until one fine day…

That day, when I find myself tired, exhausted, reaching not even half way through…..

Whatever happened to me? I wonder. What about ‘Tathastu’?? was that a lie? (some sudden hope!)

Strangely each time I reached a stage like this, I had a choice….to go on or to give up. And I always gave up.

LIFE IS UNFAIR – I proclaimed. (We are so good at it….passing judgement at anything and everything – that’s how we are conditioned to think!! So we got to beware!)

So strangely each time I gave up. And strangely all that I had wanted – really bad –  came to me --  in a platter. Much later…in a much more magnificient way…..more than I had ever asked…..more than I could have ever imagined!!!

Why couldn’t I wait, why did I have to test my life, ask for guarantee and assurances….what happened to ‘faith’, why such insecurity, what happened to ‘Tathasthu’???? am I at fault? (To live with a question can be scarier than death!!)

But Hey!! I did get my answer. Eventually realized that I had not let ‘Tathasthu’ happen…..I was so much in a rush to make things happen. Was it me or was it the instant coffee, instant meal and instant insanity I got into…..not sure...

But the many  .doc files, that today got liberation, remind me just one thing---to remain in silence until things happen....

Tathastu

So much to say n words disappear,

question the need to act ~

Is it a thought of faith or fear?

Can't he just be? wait? detach....

Can't he just be, carefully see,

the shadows of times-passing by....

Pasts of futures, presents of pasts

playing around-

like a naughty child : )

Playing around until that moment,

when the knower ceases to suspect-

playing around until that moment,

of a revelation......

Nothing to express.

Time Warp

Without warning, when sun disappeared,


Everything looked so clearly weird;

Time had stopped, space smeared,

Dusk all day, night seemed so near-



A feeling of losing our race against time,

We did our best and only earned a dime,

As if today was a failure, a gruesome crime,

Lost in thefocus—that which was prime.



From somewhere that moment, a timepiece played-

A sigh of relief, each one was graced,

A time warp it seemed-we had unknowingly made,

We stood at the same point—yet delayed……..

Sea breeze....

The sea fails to touch her….wonders why?


Has it ever been so hot? so dry?



Like a rock who doesn’t let, anyone in,

Distinctly porous…though destined to sink!



Loosen up! Wither—give in to time…..

Forces! Weather—transcend the grind….



If that’s where she’s….meant to be;

It ain’t her fault but the sea’s,

Thankfully by the end—before she leaves,

Someone touches her….she feels the breeze.

Destiny!!!

Each morning-- influx energy.


Churn, squeeze, grill, grind, then drain out—

Into dreamanoid –escape, flee!!!



Each morning—influx energy,

Lost directions, altered goals,

A life called destiny!!!

This isn't me!

Am not in the best of my spirits,

I think you know why,

But we have learnt this since conception

-to fight and not to cry.

So I am just waiting-a silent warrior in me,

Waiting for the storm to subside-to undoubtedly agree-

That someone’s watching-this trial with no sympathy,

A strange war of faith-

If it’s more in us than it’s in thee….

To survive, surrender dutifully,

Live through this lie….called destiny!

Though it’s only for a while-it looks like eternity,

It’s how soon you want to know, how far you can see,

I say….until then…..

Let’s just be,

let’s just be….

Accept this heartache called reality….