FÜHRER

Adieu...

2010-07-01T18:23:00.002+05:30

Hi...

I guess I should officially declare this now. I'll not be blogging any more. It's been a nice long journey which came to a halt as soon as I joined Infosys in January this year. I came back home but I guess I have lost touch now. So now I think I should say it a good bye. I'll not be writing any more. Perhaps this is one of many costs of doing that work one does not like.

Aaj Tumhara Janmdin Hai (आज तुम्हारा जन्मदिन है)

2010-05-27T19:12:00.001+05:30

आज वो दिन आया है,

जिसका सभी को इंतज़ार था,

आज का दिन तुम्हारा दिन है,

आज तुम्हारा जन्मदिन है।

खुशियों से भरा ये लम्हा है,

चारों तरफ़ एक रौनक है,

मुबारक हो तुम्हें ये हसीन पल,

आज तुम्हारा जन्मदिन है।

आज तो जश्न की रात है,

तुम्हारे लिए कुछ खास है,

संजो के रखना ये पल,

आज तुम्हारा जन्मदिन है।

आज तो मस्ती में खोना है,

संग तुम्हारे झूमना है,

साल में सिर्फ़ एक बार है आता,

आज तुम्हारा जन्मदिन है।

सोचा तुम्हें क्या दूँ,

ऐसा मेरे पास क्या है,

ये कविता है तुम्हारा तोहफ़ा,

आज तुम्हारा जन्मदिन है।

-प्रत्यूष गर्ग

२२-०३-२०१०

Bojh (बोझ)

2010-05-27T18:49:00.001+05:30

उम्मीदों के बोझ तले दबे ये कंधे,

और उन पर टिका ये मस्तक,

जिस पर गहराती लकीरों के पीछे से झांकती मायूसी,

शायद यही बयां करती है कि कुछ ठीक नहीं है।

अनसुलझे प्रश्नों के भंवर में फंसा ये मन,

जिसमें चिंतन की लहरें उठती तो हैं,

परंतु तट तक पहुँचने से पहले ही,

दम तोड़ देती हैं।

गर्म रेत की चादर पर फैली,

पथरीली चट्टानों सी घबराहट को इंतज़ार है,

पश्चिम की उस बयार का जो अपने साथ बादलों का झुंड लाए,

और प्यासी धरती की आग बुझाए।

तरसता हूँ मैं आज उस मासूम मुस्कुराहट के लिए,

जिसकी खनखनाहट सुन कभी मेरा सवेरा होता था,

अब तो जूझता हूँ मैं अपने ही आप से,

कि शाम ढले किसी तरह अपने डेरे तक पहुँच जाऊँ।

-प्रत्यूष गर्ग

१२-०२-२०१०

Baazaar (बाज़ार)

2009-11-16T12:37:00.002+05:30

देवियों और सज्जनों,

आइए आइए यहाँ पर बाज़ार लगा है,

जहाँ सब कुछ बिकता है।

चमकीले लिबासों में सजा,

यहाँ सब कुछ मिलता है।

यहाँ हर चीज़ की कीमत है,

बस चुकाने वाला चाहिए।

दिल को बड़ा कर बोली लगाइए,

फिर कीमत चुकाइए,

और घर ले जाइए।

यहाँ इंसान बिकते हैं,

और उनके अरमान भी,

ज़मीर खरीदे बेचे जाते हैं।

कीमत मिलने का वायदा मिले,

तो जज़्बात भी बिक जाते हैं।

ये बाज़ार बड़ा ज़ालिम है बाबू,

जो दिखता है बस वही बिकता है।

यहाँ जंगल का कानून है लागू,

जो गिरा पड़ा है,

वो रौंद दिया जाता है।

इसकी हवा में एक नशा है,

जो यहाँ आता है,

वो धुत हो जाता है।

संयम और समझदारी से ही,

इस से बचा जा सकता है।

-प्रत्यूष गर्ग Pratyush Garg

१६-११-२००९ 16-11-2009

Pagli Ladki (पगली लड़की)

2009-11-14T18:14:00.004+05:30

This poem is one of the earliest and best written by our own renowned Hindi poet Dr. Kumar Vishwas. Enjoy...

अमावस की काली रातों में, दिल का दरवाज़ा खुलता है,

जब दर्द की प्याली रातों में, गम आँसू के संग घुलता है,

जब पिछवाड़े के कमरे में, हम निपट अकेले होते हैं,

जब घड़ियाँ टिक टिक चलती हैं, सब सोते हैं हम रोते हैं,

जब बार बार दोहराने से, सारी यादें चुभ जाती हैं,

जब ऊँच नीच समझाने में, माथे की नस दुख जाती है,

तब इक पगली लड़की के बिन, जीना गद्दारी लगता है,

और उस पगली लड़की के बिन, मरना भी भारी लगता है।

जब पोथे खाली होते हैं, जब हर्फ़ सवाली होते हैं,

जब गज़लें रास नहीं आतीं, अफ़साने गाली होते हैं,

जब बासी फीकी धूप समेटे, दिन जल्दी ढल जाता है,

जब सूरज का लश्कर छत से, गलियों में देर से जाता है,

जब जल्दी घर जाने की इच्छा, मन ही मन घुट जाती है,

जब कालेज से घर लाने वाली, पहली बस छुट जाती है,

जब बेमन से खाना खाने पर माँ, गुस्सा हो जाती है,

जब लाख मना करने पर भी, पारो पढ़ने आ जाती है,

जब अपना मनचाहा हर काम, कोई लाचारी लगता है,

तब इक पगली लड़की के बिन, जीना गद्दारी लगता है,

और उस पगली लड़की के बिन, मरना भी भारी लगता है।

जब कमरे में सन्नाटे की, आवाज़ सुनाई देती है,

जब दर्पण में आँखों के नीचे, झांई दिखाई देती है,

जब बड़की भाभी कहती हैं, कुछ सेहत का भी ध्यान करो,

क्या लिखते हो लल्ला दिन भर, कुछ सपनों का सम्मान करो,

जब बाबा वाली बैठक में, कुछ रिश्ते वाले आते हैं,

जब बाबा हमें बुलाते हैं, हम जाते में घबराते हैं,

जब साड़ी पहने लड़की का, एक फ़ोटो लाया जाता है,

जब भाभी हमें मनाती हैं, फ़ोटो दिखलाया जाता है,

जब सारे घर का समझाना, हम को फ़नकारी लगता है,

तब इक पगली लड़की के बिन, जीना गद्दारी लगता है,

और उस पगली लड़की के बिन, मरना भी भारी लगता है।

दीदी कहती हैं कि, उस पगली लड़की की कुछ औकात नहीं,

उसके दिल में भैय्या, तेरे जैसे प्यारे जस्बात नहीं,

वो पगली लड़की मेरे खातिर, नौ दिन भूखी रहती है,

चुप चुप सारे व्रत करती है, पर मुझ से कभी न कहती है,

जो पगली लड़की कहती है, मैं प्यार तुम्हीं से करती हूँ,

लेकिन मैं हूँ मजबूर बहुत, अम्मा बाबा से डरती हूँ,

उस पगली लड़की पर अपना, कुछ भी अधिकार नहीं बाबा,

ये कथा कहानी किस्से हैं, कुछ भी तो सार नहीं बाबा,

बस उस पगली लड़की के संग, जीना फुलवारी लगता है,

और उस पगली लड़की के बिन, मरना भी भारी लगता है।

- डा० कुमार विश्वास

Jana Gana Rann (जन गण रण)

2009-11-11T22:08:00.005+05:30

This song 'Jana Gana Rann' is from an upcoming Ram Gopal Varma's movie 'Rann'. The lyrics is striking and I was shaken when I first heard it. It shares a distinct similarity with our National Anthem which makes it so appealing. I will not be surprised if there are objections raised over this song and the movie in future. Have a look and please do listen to the song before they ban it.

जन गण मन रण है इस रण में,

ज़ख्मी भारत का भाग्यविधाता।

पंजाब सिंधु गुजरात मराठा,

इक दूसरे से लड़ के मर रहे हैं।

इस देश ने हम को एक किया और हम देश के टुकड़े कर रहे,

द्राविड़ उत्कल बंगा।

खून बहा कर एक रंग का कर दिया हमने तिरंगा,

सरहदों पे जंग और गलियों में फसाद रंगा।

विंध हिमाचल यमुना गंगा,

में तेज़ाब उबल रहा है|

मर गया सबका ज़मीर,

जाने कब ज़िंदा हो आगे।

फिर भी तब शबनम में जागे,

तव शुभ आशीष माँगे।

आग में जल कर चीख रहा है फिर भी कोई नहीं बचाता,

गाहे तव जय गाथा।

देश का ऐसा हाल है लेकिन,

आपस में लड़ रहे नेता।

जन गण मंगलदायक जय हे,

भारत को बचा ले विधाता।

जय हे या ये मरण है,

जन गण मन रण है।

Aaj Vo Dukhi Hai (आज वो दुखी है)

2009-11-09T08:27:00.002+05:30

आज वो दुखी है,

उसका दिल टूटा है,

उसका कोई अपना,

आज उस से रूठा है।

आज रिश्तों के कुछ,

मज़बूत बंधन टूटे हैं,

पुराने कुछ धागे उसके,

हाथों से छूटे हैं।

क्या करे वो कहाँ जाए,

किसको अपनी पीड़ा बतलाए,

घर उसके खुशी की दस्तक हुए,

आज एक अरसा बीता है।

नादान था वो,

अभी तक बच्चा था,

सही गलत पहचानने में,

अभी थोड़ा कच्चा था।

वो जिसे अपना समझ,

ताउम्र झुलसता रहा,

वही दगाबाज उसे,

हमेशा ही डसता रहा।

पर अब इंसानी फितरत को,

उसने बखूबी भाँप लिया है,

और संभलने का प्रण कर,

वो दोबारा चल पड़ा है।

-प्रत्यूष गर्ग Pratyush Garg

०९-११-२००९ 09-11-2009

An Unforgettable Night

2009-10-25T14:53:00.003+05:30

After that night, I told to myself that I’ll never share that experience with my readers on my blog. Actually it was a very depressing period of my life and I was at my weakest. I seriously thought that night that I’ll not be able to see the next morning sun. Nevertheless, after around one year, I finally decided to break those mental shackles and write about the darkest night of my life. And which better place to write about the experience than the place from where it all began, the train from Bareilly to Ghaziabad by which I returned to college today after Diwali vacations.

I should start from the morning of 5th January, 2009, or otherwise the whole situation will not be clear. It was a chilly winter morning and I boarded the train from Bareilly to Ghaziabad, to resume college for the 6th semester. Mom insisted on wearing a jacket over the thin sweater I was wearing but I had a tendency to act like ‘Phantom’ in winters, so I refused. And then the journey started, which changed my life for ever.

I was allotted a window seat and despite all my efforts to keep that damn thing closed, it repeatedly unlocked itself and let the chilly breeze in. And as predicted by mom, soon I was shivering like hell. After three hours of journey, I felt some relief when the sun was finally out from. But it was still cold.

Around noon, I reached the college campus and was glad to be back. I took a nap as I was tired after the journey. It was not until in the evening around 6pm, I felt something is wrong within. I had started to shiver and was feeling weak. In addition, I felt some fever too. So, after dinner, I took a Paracetamol and hoped that I’ll be fine.

But by the time the clock struck 9, I knew that it is not just an ordinary fever. I was shivering uncontrollably. My limbs were numb, my forehead was burning, was having fits of cough with sputum, was unable to breathe, and there was no way I could fell asleep.

After three hours of suffering, I decided to repeat the medication as it was obvious that the previous dose had no effect. I took a Vicks Action 500 in order to get some relief from cold apart from fever. But nothing seemed to have been working that night. After an hour or so, I was now spitting blood! At this moment, I wished that God should take my life away so that my suffering could end.

It was 4am and I hadn’t slept a bit. My condition was worse than ever, and the constant shivering was making my life miserable. I am not a religious person, but at that time, I was thinking that if there is God somewhere, He is taking into account for all the sins I have committed in my entire life. All my memories were flashing in front of me, as I waited for the morning sun. Meanwhile, I took another tablet, although I knew I should not because there should be enough gaps between doses.

At 7:30am I some how moved to the mess, so that I could have something for breakfast, because all the medicines I took were not required to take on empty stomach. With utter difficulty, I had a bowl of dalia. And now I had to wait for the campus doctor to come to his clinic.

After 10am, when the doctor arrived, I told him my symptoms, and not to my surprise, he was baffled and immediately referred me to Fortis hospital with number of blood, urine and sputum tests. Later in the afternoon, finally, I was diagnosed of Acute Bronchitis and was put on heavy medication for 7 days.

These two days and the night between them were pretty hard on me. The more I try to forget them, the more they haunt me. The only positive came out of all this fiasco was that I started valuing and respecting life which God has given me. Today, I strongly believe that there was some invisible force, some power, which despite of all my miseries, helped me to pass out that period of agony and suffering and gave me a sort of rebirth in this beautiful world. May God don’t let this happen to anyone what happened to me that night.

Madhushala (मधुशाला)

2009-10-13T13:26:00.002+05:30

Madhushala is an epic work of late Shri. Harivansh Rai Bachchan. Consisiting of 135 rubaai (verses of four lines) and 4 were added later, the poet tries to explain the complexity of life in a highly metaphorical way. When first published, it met criticism from many people for its apparent praise of alcohol, but later when the hidden meaning of the verses were understood, it was an instant hit. Below are the few rubaaiaa which are my favorites. Enjoy...

धर्मग्रन्थ सब जला चुकी है, जिसके अंतर की ज्वाला,

मंदिर, मसजिद, गिरिजे, सब को तोड़ चुका जो मतवाला,

पंडित, मोमिन, पादिरयों के फंदों को जो काट चुका,

कर सकती है आज उसी का स्वागत मेरी मधुशाला।

एक बरस में, एक बार ही जगती होली की ज्वाला,

एक बार ही लगती बाज़ी, जलती दीपों की माला,

दुनियावालों, किन्तु, किसी दिन आ मदिरालय में देखो,

दिन को होली, रात दिवाली, रोज़ मनाती मधुशाला।

सूर्य बने मधु का विक्रेता, सिंधु बने घट, जल, हाला,

बादल बन-बन आए साकी, भूमि बने मधु का प्याला,

झड़ी लगाकर बरसे मदिरा रिमझिम, रिमझिम, रिमझिम कर,

बेलि, विटप, तृण बन मैं पीऊँ, वर्षा ऋतु हो मधुशाला।

दुतकारा मस्जिद ने मुझको कहकर है पीनेवाला,

ठुकराया ठाकुरद्वारे ने देख हथेली पर प्याला,

कहाँ ठिकाना मिलता जग में भला अभागे काफिर को?

शरणस्थल बनकर न मुझे यदि अपना लेती मधुशाला।

मुसलमान औ' हिन्दू है दो, एक, मगर, उनका प्याला,

एक, मगर, उनका मदिरालय, एक, मगर, उनकी हाला,

दोनों रहते एक न जब तक मस्जिद मन्दिर में जाते,

बैर बढ़ाते मस्जिद मन्दिर मेल कराती मधुशाला!

छोटे-से जीवन में कितना प्यार करुँ, पी लूँ हाला,

आने के ही साथ जगत में कहलाया 'जानेवाला',

स्वागत के ही साथ विदा की होती देखी तैयारी,

बंद लगी होने खुलते ही मेरी जीवन-मधुशाला।

मेरे अधरों पर हो अंतिम वस्तु न तुलसीदल प्याला

मेरी जीव्हा पर हो अंतिम वस्तु न गंगाजल हाला,

मेरे शव के पीछे चलने वालों याद इसे रखना

राम नाम है सत्य न कहना, कहना सच्ची मधुशाला।

मेरे शव पर वह रोये, हो जिसके आंसू में हाला

आह भरे वो, जो हो सुरिभत मदिरा पी कर मतवाला,

दे मुझको वो कान्धा जिनके पग मद डगमग होते हों

और जलूं उस ठौर जहां पर कभी रही हो मधुशाला।

और चिता पर जाये उंढेला पत्र न घ्रित का, पर प्याला

कंठ बंधे अंगूर लता में मध्य न जल हो, पर हाला,

प्राण प्रिये यदि श्राध करो तुम मेरा तो ऐसे करना

पीने वालों को बुलवा कऱ खुलवा देना मधुशाला।

नाम अगर कोई पूछे तो, कहना बस पीनेवाला

काम ढालना, और ढालना सबको मदिरा का प्याला,

जाति प्रिये, पूछे यदि कोई कह देना दीवानों की

धर्म बताना प्यालों की ले माला जपना मधुशाला।

शांत सकी हो अब तक, साकी, पीकर किस उर की ज्वाला,

'और, और' की रटन लगाता जाता हर पीनेवाला,

कितनी इच्छाएँ हर जानेवाला छोड़ यहाँ जाता!

कितने अरमानों की बनकर कब्र खड़ी है मधुशाला।

कितनी आई और गई पी इस मदिरालय में हाला,

टूट चुकी अब तक कितने ही मादक प्यालों की माला,

कितने साकी अपना अपना काम खतम कर दूर गए,

कितने पीनेवाले आए, किन्तु वही है मधुशाला।

मैं मदिरालय के अंदर हूँ, मेरे हाथों में प्याला,

प्याले में मदिरालय बिंबित करनेवाली है हाला,

इस उधेड़-बुन में ही मेरा सारा जीवन बीत गया -

मैं मधुशाला के अंदर या मेरे अंदर मधुशाला!

जितनी दिल की गहराई हो उतना गहरा है प्याला,

जितनी मन की मादकता हो उतनी मादक है हाला,

जितनी उर की भावुकता हो उतना सुन्दर साकी है,

जितना ही जो रिसक, उसे है उतनी रसमय मधुशाला।

कुचल हसरतें कितनी अपनी, हाय, बना पाया हाला,

कितने अरमानों को करके ख़ाक बना पाया प्याला!

पी पीनेवाले चल देंगे, हाय, न कोई जानेगा,

कितने मन के महल ढहे तब खड़ी हुई यह मधुशाला!

स्वयं नहीं पीता, औरों को, किन्तु पिला देता हाला,

स्वयं नहीं छूता, औरों को, पर पकड़ा देता प्याला,

पर उपदेश कुशल बहुतेरों से मैंने यह सीखा है,

स्वयं नहीं जाता, औरों को पहुंचा देता मधुशाला।

- हरिवंश राय बच्चन

How To Live A Happy And Satisfied Life

2009-10-10T00:03:00.002+05:30

This article is courtesy: http://www.enotalone.com/article/2295.html

I found it interesting so I'm posting it here on my blog.

In each day that passes by, we stand by and witness how our lives are being lived without the full happiness and satisfaction we crave and need. Most people spend their time stressed out, worried and on a constant panic about what needs to be done for their futures, raising their children, wired up over work, school, along with everything else. Does this sound familiar? Well if it does, it is because so many people live with this style and pattern. When you can start living that fully happy and satisfied life?

The only way you can live a happy and satisfied life, is when you start doing things that make you happy and satisfied. Sure, it sounds easy, and can be easy if you just remember to make yourself one of your top priorities. Too many people neglect themselves, feeling that it would be selfish if they took any time out to focus on their own being. While it is good to take care of others and other important things going on in your life, it is mandatory that you never forget about yourself. Discover who you really are and what matters most to you. Living a great life does not just happen. It requires, planning and following those plans to a life that reflects who you truly are.

Most people avoid planning goals and dreams in their lives because they may have a fear of committing to it or failing. They feel that by officially writing it down, they would actually have to go through with pursuing it. This is where you need to rate the importance of your life missions. What is most important to you? Is it losing a certain amount of weight? Getting your degree? Spending more time with your spouse or children? Whatever the reason or reasons may be, just write all of them down. You may feel that making a mental note of your goals and dreams is enough, but you could very well be setting yourself up for disappointment and failure. By writing it down, you will become a visual witness of those goals. Try writing them in an organizer, with a little reminder written in each day.

Setting deadlines for these goals would be a great way to assure they will be accomplished. Avoid disappointment by setting realistic deadlines. For example, if you wanted to lose 10 pounds, do not give yourself a week to do so. You will only torture yourself and become depressed when the week is over and see that you did not come even close to losing the 10 pounds. In fact, you may give up losing weight altogether because of the failure you experienced, simply because your deadline was unrealistic. Take some time everyday to look over your goals and remind yourself of how important they really are to you. Ask yourself why they are important to you too. Knowing that something is important is not enough. You must know the reasons behind the importance of the dreams and goals you have, so that your mind can see it more clearly and understand exactly why it is so necessary to go through with your missions.

Excuses are demons you must learn to fight off if you wish to start living a happy and satisfied life. Most people claim to have many dreams, but say they just do not have the time to approach them. Stop making excuses! You are the only one who holds the power to make a real difference in your life. Sure, we all have busy lives with our careers and families, but nothing takes up 24 hours of your day. So if something is truly important to you, you will be sure to make the time to work on it. You can do this by replacing it with something less important. For example, if you claim you do not have the time to work on the other important goals in your life, perhaps it is time for you to start making close observations on the way you spend your time. If you spend several hours of the day working, studying, and then several hours taking care of house chores and family, what else are you doing with the rest of your day? If you spend a good portion watching television, then you need to cut back on that and use that time to begin and follow an exercise plan you have been thinking to focus on for a long time (or whatever goal it is you have).

Making yourself one of your first priorities is not selfish. It actually is obligatory to do so in order to succeed in the other subjects of your life. Without a happy and satisfied you, there will be no happy and satisfied life, because you will be stressed out and unhappy. You might be consciously ignoring your needs and desires, but your subconscious mind has not forgotten about you and will constantly remind you through stress, anger, sadness, insecurity and feelings of failure.

Mrityu Ki Godd Mein (मृत्यु की गोद में)

2009-10-03T12:42:00.003+05:30

एक दिन ऐसा आएगा,

जब ये सब कुछ नहीं रहेगा,

रह जाएगा तो बस एक पिंजर,

और उसमें कैद एक रूह।

रूह भी इस ताक में कि,

कब मौका मिले तो फुर्र हो,

और पिंजर का क्या है,

उसे तो ख़ाक में ही मिलना है।

मुद्दा ये नहीं कि क्या किया,

मुद्दा ये कि क्या करना रह गया,

ईश्वर द्वारा दिए गए सीमित समय में,

कौन काज संवरना रह गया।

हे बंधुजन, ये सुनो!

मृत्यु की गोद में समाने से पहले,

अपने मकसद को पहचानो,

और उस दिशा में आगे बढ़ो,

क्या पता कल हो न हो।

-प्रत्यूष गर्ग Pratyush Garg

०३-१०-०९ 03-10-2009

Safar (सफ़र)

2009-10-01T01:02:00.004+05:30

My friend's parents are celebrating their 25th marriage anniversary this week and he asked me to write a poem for that occasion. So here it is, my first "On Demand" poem.

वक्त अपनी रफ़्तार से चलता रहा और हम मंज़िल की तलाश में भटकते रहे,

इस बीच एक हमसफ़र मिला तो सोचा साथ चलेंगे तो राहें आसान होंगी।

पता ही न चला कि कब मंज़िल से ज़्यादा राहें प्यारी हो चलीं,

क्योंकि इस बहाने हमसफ़र के साथ चलने का बहाना मिल गया।

ज़िंदगी है ही ना खत्म होने वाला सफ़र,

जिसमें गर कोई साथी मिले तो मज़ा ही कुछ और है।

आज मुड़ कर देखते हैं तो सफ़र के निशां दिखते हैं,

हमारे साथ के गवाह हमारे अपने साथ दिखते हैं।

सैंकड़ों खट्टी मीठी यादों के सहारे हम,

२५ सालों के इस ठहराव पर आ पहुँचे हैं।

अब बस यही दुआ है खुदा से कि इस ठहराव को मंज़िल का नाम न मिले,

और जब तक चल रही हैं साँसें या खुदा ये सफ़र भी यूँ ही चलता रहे।

-प्रत्यूष गर्ग Pratyush Garg

०१-१०-०९ 01-10-2009

Ravan (रावण)

2009-09-28T10:01:00.002+05:30

Today is Dussehra (Vijay Dashmi). So, I thought to celebrate it by writing a poem.

कहते हैं कि आज के दिन,

श्री राम ने रावण का वध किया था।

घोर बुराई का अंत कर,

संसार को पाप मुक्त किया था।

दस सिरों वाले राक्षस की,

नाभि भेद उसका संहार किया था।

तब से लेकर अब तक हर वर्ष,

हम ये प्रथा निभाते हैं।

कागज़ का रावण बना कर,

उसे हम फिर जलाते हैं।

और इसे बुराई पर अच्छाई की जीत

समझ कर हम खुश हो जाते हैं।

पर कब हम अपने भीतर पलते,

सहस्त्र सिरों वाले रावण को मारेंगे।

नाभि भेद उस राक्षस की अपने,

अंतर्मन को पावन करेंगे।

जिस क्षण ऐसा कुछ हम करेंगे,

उस क्षण दशहरे को हम चरितार्थ करेंगे।

-प्रत्यूष गर्ग Pratyush Garg

२८-०९-०९ 28-09-2009

Ardhangini (अर्धांगिनी)

2009-09-25T20:08:00.003+05:30

This poem is dedicated to my mother, Dr. Shashi Gupta.

वो जो हर पुरुष की पूरक है,

करती उसके लिए व्रत है।

वो जो ममता का सागर है,

वही जो प्रेम की गागर है।

वो जो गरिमा की मिसाल है,

वही जो ज्ञान का भंडार है।

वो जो कहती कुछ नहीं,

वही जो सहती सब कुछ है।

वो जिसे खुद कुछ चाह नहीं,

पर उसे सबकी चाहत का ख्याल है।

वही तो परिवार चलाती है,

हर मुसीबत से भिड़ जाती है।

वो जब दबी-कुचली जाती है,

तब वही रण-चंडी बन आती है।

वो जो करोड़ो में एक है,

वही जो सबसे नेक है।

उसकी उपस्थिति मंगलमय है,

वही जो सर्वप्रिय है।

वो जो समाज का आधार है,

वह और कोई नहीं अर्धांगिनी है।

-प्रत्यूष गर्ग Pratyush Garg

२५-०९-०९ 25-09-2009

Maine Use Kavi Bante Hue Dekha Hai (मैंने उसे कवि बनते हुए देखा है)

2009-09-06T19:02:00.004+05:30

I feel delighted to present to you all, the poem which is written by my dear friend Aishwarya Gupta. He wrote this poem keeping in mind my life incidences and described them in a very beautiful way. He gave this poem to me as a present for completing 100 posts on my blog. I could not resist to post this poem here. Thank You very much Aishwarya for such a wonderful present.

एक समय था जब वो भी सबकी तरह,

वक्त की ओखली में पिसा करता था।

बहुत डरा करता था आने वाले समय से,

अपने मन के खिलाफ़ सारे काम किए जा रहा था।

भ्रमित हो रखा था वो अपने जीवन के लक्ष्य से,

नहीं मिल रही थी वो राह जिस पर हमेशा के लिए चलता रहे।

मतलब की चादर ओढ़े दुश्मन रूपी दोस्त दुश्मन बनते चले गए,

अपने विचारों के साथ वो अकेला रह गया।

धीरे-धीरे उसी अकेलेपन में मिल गई उसे वो राह,

वो चाह जिसे ढूँढने वो अकेला हो चला था।

एक सुबह बनी उमंगों की ऐसी ’इमारत’,

टूट गया उसकी कलम का व्रत।

आज चेहरे पर दिखती है संतुष्टि,

मुस्कान में एक गौरव, आने वाले जीवन से बेफिक्र,

वो लिखता चला जा रहा है,

उसकी कलम का असर किसी और पर ना सही उस पर दिखता जा रहा है।

मैंने कीचड़ में उगते हुए कमल को नहीं देखा पर,

मैंने उसे कवि बनते हुए देखा है।

ऐश्वर्य गुप्ता

०६-०९-०९

जेपी विश्वविद्यालय

The Centenary Post

2009-09-06T09:17:00.004+05:30

Ahh!! Finally, it is the 100th! Awesome feeling! I can't believe it myself. I am not known to hang in there to anything for so long. And when I started writing, I never knew there would be a day in my life, when I'll write the centenary post of my blog. But somehow, here I am, after more than 13 months from the day I first wrote on the blog, still pretty active in the bloggers' world.

Frankly speaking, I started blogging to get rid of the LAN gaming addiction. Counter Strike was killing me. All I thought was about the CS maps, guns, strategies etc. and was drifting away from the real world. Then one day, I gave it a long thought and decided that it was enough. I quit CS. But then what to do next? How to kill spare time? Reading and writing was my childhood hobby but it got neglected after school days. Then came a wild idea! Why not create a blog and start writing in such a way, that the whole world can read it? And that’s how my blog was born.

The feeling you get when you see your name flashing in the Google results with some meaningful information attached to it is awesome. I realized this when I first saw it for myself. Another great feeling is when some stranger, after arriving at your blog and reading it, leaves a word of appreciation as a comment. It seems that a bond has been created between me and that stranger through that comment. And now, I have one more person in the world, who cares for what I write. I feel as if now I have transformed from 'a nobody' to 'a somebody'.

I know its been a long and boring post with relatively no useful information what so ever, but I cannot wind it up without giving a vote of thanks to a few people, who read whatever I wrote, and occasionally advised me how to improve myself. Their each criticism brought a new zeal in me, to deliver better than the previous effort. Their every appreciation worked as an inspiration for me. Thank You Vaibhav Jain Sir, Aishwarya Gupta, Sudhir Kumar, Divyanshu Tripathi, Pallavi Singh, Taniya Garg, Anand Advani, Utkarsh Mishra, Piyush Yadav & Mudit Singh. I hope my tryst with pen lasts for some more wonderful moments and you are all there to share them with me. Thank You!!

How A Software Project Starts

2009-09-06T08:43:00.005+05:30

After studying the specifications and requirements of the project the Programmer tells the Team Leader.

Programmer to Team Leader: "We can't do this proposed project. It will involve a major design change and no one in our team knows the design of this legacy system. And above that, nobody in our company knows the language in which this application has been written. So even if somebody wants to work on it, they can't. If you ask my personal opinion, the company should never take this type of project."

**********

The Team Leader is then summoned by the Project Manager.

Team Leader to Project Manager: "This project will involve a design change. Currently, we don't have any staff who has experience in this type of work. Also, the language is unfamiliar to us, so we will have to arrange for some training if we take this project. In my personal opinion, we are not ready to take on a project of this nature."

**********

The Project Manager then moves the word to the Director.

Project Manager to Director: "This project involves a design change in the system and we don't have much experience in that area. Also, not many people in our company are appropriately trained for it. In my personal opinion, we might be able to do the project but we would need more time than usual to complete it."

**********

The Director then calls the Vice President.

Director to Vice President: "This project involves design re-engineering. We have some people who have worked in this area and others who know the implementation language. So they can train other people. In my personal opinion we should take this project, but with caution."

**********

The Vice President then explains the situation to the CEO.

Vice President to CEO: "This project will demonstrate to the industry our capabilities in remodeling the design of a complete legacy system. We have all the necessary skills and people to execute this project successfully. Some people have already given in-house training in this area to other staff members. In my personal opinion, we should not let this project slip by us under any circumstances."

**********

The CEO's assurance to the Client.

CEO to Client: "This is the type of project in which our company specializes. We have executed many projects of the same nature for many large clients. Trust me when I say that we are the most competent firm in the industry for doing this kind of work. It is my personal opinion that we can execute this project successfully and well within the given time frame."

**********

And that is how a Software Project starts. Hell Yeah!!

Shaurya Kya Hai? (शौर्य क्या है?)

2009-09-04T00:59:00.003+05:30

These lines are from the film "Shaurya". Javed Akhtar wrote these lines, and they are narrated by Shah Rukh Khan in the film's casting at the end.

शौर्य क्या है?

थरथराती इस धरती को रौंदती फ़ौजियों की एक पलटन का शोर,

या सहमे से आसमान को चीरता हुआ बंदूकों की सलामी का शोर।

शौर्य क्या है?

हरी वर्दी पर चमकते हुए चंद पीतल के सितारे,

या सरहद का नाम देकर अनदेखी कुछ लकीरों की नुमाइश।

शौर्य क्या है?

दूर उड़ते खामोश परिंदे को गोलियों से भून देने का एहसास,

या शोलों की बरसात से पल भर में एक शहर को शमशान बना देने का एहसास।

शौर्य,

बहती बियास में किसी के गर्म खून का हौले से सुर्ख हो जाना,

या अनजानी किसी जन्नत की फ़िराक में पल पल का दोज़ख बनते जाना,

बारूदों से धुंधलाए इस आसमान में शौर्य क्या है?

वादियों में गूंजते किसी गाँव के मातम में शौर्य क्या है?

शौर्य,

शायद एक हौसला शायद एक हिम्मत हमारे बहुत अंदर,

मज़हब के बनाए नारे को तोड़ कर किसी का हाथ थाम लेने की हिम्मत,

गोलियों के बेतहाशा शोर को अपनी खामोशी से चुनौती दे पाने की हिम्मत,

मरती मारती इस दुनिया में निहत्थे डटे रहने की हिम्मत।

शौर्य,

आने वाले कल की खातिर अपने हिस्से की कायनात को आज बचा लेने की हिम्मत।

शौर्य क्या है?

Shrapit Jeevan (श्रापित जीवन)

2009-09-02T10:22:00.003+05:30

कन्या भ्रूण हत्या की असंख्य घटनाओं से द्रवित हो लिखी गई है ये कविता।

मैं अभी छोटी थी,

बहुत छोटी, नन्हीं सी।

मैनें कभी सूर्य के उजाले को,

देखा तक नहीं था।

ना ही कभी फूलों की खुशबू,

को महसूस किया था।

अभी बहुत कुछ करना था मुझे,

गुड्डे-गुड़ियों की शादी करनी थी,

घर-घर खेलना था।

जल्दी से बड़ा हो और,

खूब पढ़ाई कर,

डाक्टर बनना था।

पर शायद मेरे माँ-बापू,

भैय्या चाहते थे।

मेरे अंदर होने का जब उन्हें पता लगा,

उनका उल्लास काफ़ूर हो चला था।

और मेरे पैदा होने से पहले ही,

मुझे मार दिया गया।

मैं चीखी, चिल्लाई,

पर शायद किसी को भी,

मेरी सिसकी नहीं दी सुनाई।

आखिर मेरा कसूर क्या था,

जो मुझे खुले आसमान के नीचे,

साँस लेने से महरूम किया गया।

मरते मरते भी माँ-बापू,

मैं चाहती थी आपसे ये पूछना,

भैय्या की ही तरह क्यों नहीं दिया,

मुझे भी एक भय रहित उन्मुक्त वातावरण।

और आखिर क्यों दिया मुझे,

ऐसा अधूरा और श्रापित जीवन।

-प्रत्यूष गर्ग Pratyush Garg

०२-०९-०९ 02-09-09

A Thousand Desires

2009-09-01T21:11:00.008+05:30

These lines are narrated in one of the sound tracks of the film "Hazaaron Khwahishen Aisi". I found them amusing. The lyrics and narration is done by Mr. Pritish Nandy, the CEO of Pritish Nandy Communications. It is the same banner who produced the film.

A thousand desires such as these,

A thousand moments to set this night on fire.

Reach out and you can touch them,

You can touch them with your silences,

You can reach them with your lust.

Rivers, mountains, rain.

Rain against the torrid hill's cape,

A thousand,

A thousand desires such as these.

I loved rain as a child,

As a lost young man,

Empty landscapes bleached by a tired sun.

And then,

And then suddenly it came like

A dark unknown woman.

Her eyes scorched my silences,

Her body wrapped itself around me

Like a summer without end.

Pause me,

Hold me,

Reach me where no man has gone.

Crossing the seven seas,

With the wings of fire,

I fly towards nowhere.

And you,

Rivers, mountains, rain.

Rain against the scorched landscape of pain.

A thousand desires such as these,

A thousand moments to set this night on fire.

Reach out and you can touch them,

You can touch them with your silences,

You can reach them with your lust.

Rivers, mountains, rain.

Rain against the torrid hill's cape,

A thousand,

A thousand desires such as these.

Premarth (प्रेमार्थ)

2009-08-30T09:20:00.002+05:30

This poem is loosely based on "The Seven Stages Of Love" which I described earlier.

प्रेम का अर्थ जाने बिन,
कहते हैं लोग कि उन्हें भी,
बहना है प्रेम की धारा में,
रहना है प्रेम की छाया में।

आकर्षण की जिस आंधी को,
लोग प्रेम का नाम हैं देते,
वो न जाने असल प्रेम की,
छवि को धूमिल ही वो करते।

मोह की मदिरा में डूब,
क्या जानेंगे वो लोग,
कि आखिर किस एहसास में,
प्रेम छिपा है किस विश्वास में।

प्रेम तो है जैसे पवन,
जो निरंतर बहती है,
प्रेम तो है जैसे नदी,
जो कलकल करती चलती है।

प्रेम तो है जैसे पूजा,
जो कभी न खाली जाती है,
प्रेम तो है वो जुनूनी ताकत,
जो सदा ही हावी रहती है।

प्रेम तो है वो आशा,
जो मृत्यु के बाद भी जीवित है,
प्रेम की है यही परिभाषा,
जो ना समझे वो मूर्ख है।

-प्रत्यूष गर्ग Pratyush Garg
३०-०८-०९ 30-08-09

Than Gayi! (ठन गई!)

2009-08-28T20:44:00.003+05:30

This poem is written by ex-Prime Minister of India and an esteemed poet, Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee. During the period of Emergency (1975-77), he was put in to Bangalore Jail, where he fell extremely ill. He was then admitted to AIIMS, New Delhi where he wrote this poem.

ठन गई! मौत से ठन गई!

जूझने का मेरा इरादा न था,
मोड़ पर मिलेंगे इसका वादा न था,
रास्ता रोक कर वह खड़ी हो गई,
यों लगा ज़िन्दगी से बड़ी हो गई।

मौत की उम्र क्या है?
दो पल भी नहीं,
ज़िन्दगी है सिलसिला,
आज कल की नहीं।

मैं जी भर जिया,
मैं मन से मरूँ,
लौटकर आऊँगा,
कूच से क्यों डरूँ?

तू दबे पाँव,
चोरी-छिपे से न आ,
सामने वार कर,
फिर मुझे आज़मा।

मौत से बेख़बर,
ज़िन्दगी का सफ़र,
शाम हर सुरमई,
रात बंसी का स्वर।

बात ऐसी नहीं कि कोई ग़म ही नहीं,
दर्द अपने-पराए कुछ कम भी नहीं।
प्यार इतना परायों से मुझको मिला,
न अपनों से बाक़ी हैं कोई गिला।

हर चुनौती से दो हाथ मैंने किये,
आंधियों में जलाए हैं बुझते दिए।
आज झकझोरता तेज़ तूफ़ान है,
नाव भँवरों की बाँहों में मेहमान है।
पार पाने का क़ायम मगर हौसला,
देख तेवर तूफ़ाँ का, त्योरी तन गई।

ठन गई! मौत से ठन गई!

-अटल बिहारी वाजपेयी

Is Baar Nahi (इस बार नहीं)

2009-08-22T22:12:00.002+05:30

This poem was written by Mr. Prasoon Joshi after the Mumbai attacks of 26th November. I found it worth posting on my blog.

इस बार जब वो छोटी सी बच्ची मेरे पास अपनी
खरोंच ले कर आएगी,
मैं उसे फूँ फूँ कर नहीं बहलाऊँगा,
पनपने दूँगा उसकी टीस को,
इस बार नहीं।

इस बार जब मैं चेहरों पर दर्द लिखा देखूँगा,
नहीं गाऊँगा गीत पीड़ा भुला देने वाले,
दर्द को रिसने दूँगा, उतरने दूँगा अंदर गहरे,
इस बार नहीं।

इस बार मैं ना मरहम लगाऊँगा,
ना ही उठाऊँगा रुई के फाहे,
और ना ही कहूँगा कि तुम आँखें बंद कर लो,
गर्दन उधर कर लो मैं दवा लगाता हूँ,
देखने दूँगा सबको हम सबको खुले नंगे घाव,
इस बार नही।

इस बार जब उलझनें देखूँगा, छटपटाहट देखूँगा,
नहीं दौड़ूगा उलझी डोर लपेटने,
उलझने दूँगा जब तक उलझ सके,
इस बार नहीं।

इस बार कर्म का हवाला दे कर नहीं उठाऊँगा औज़ार,
नहीं करूँगा फ़िर से एक नयी शुरूआत,
नहीं बनूँगा मिसाल एक कर्मयोगी की,
नहीं आने दूँगा ज़िंदगी को आसानी से पटरी पर,
उतरने दूँगा उसे कीचड़ में, टेढ़े मेढ़े रास्तों पर,
नहीं सूखने दूँगा दीवारों पर लगा खून,
हल्का नहीं पड़ने दूँगा उसका रंग,
इस बार नहीं बनने दूँगा उसे इतना लाचार,
कि पान की पीक और खून का फ़र्क की खत्म हो जाए,
इस बार नहीं।

इस बार घावों को देखना गौर से,
थोड़े लंबे वक्त तक,
कुछ फ़ैसले,
और उसके बाद हौसले,
कहीं तो शुरूआत करनी ही होगी,
इस बार यही तय किया है।

-प्रसून जोशी

Dhoomketu (धूमकेतु)

2009-08-19T22:59:00.002+05:30

This poem is dedicated to my good friend Sudhir Kumar, without whom it was never going to be complete.

पल में चमक पल में अंधकार,
क्षण में जीत क्षण में हार,
ये मेरा धूमकेतु सा जीवन ।

अपने ही पथ पर घूमता,
जैसे हर घड़ी कुछ ढूँढता,
ये मेरा धूमकेतु सा जीवन ।

अग्नि सा जलता तन,
अलाव की राख़ से आँसू,
ये मेरा धूमकेतु सा जीवन ।

कुछ रास्ते छोड़ता कुछ रिश्ते जोड़ता,
तब भी अपने में सुलगता,
ये मेरा धूमकेतु सा जीवन ।

परम सत्य की तलाश में,
झूठ से घायल आकाश में,
ये मेरा धूमकेतु सा जीवन ।

देखा है मैंने धर्म को जलते हुए,
आस्था की आँच पर ईश्वर-अल्लाह को ढलते हुए,
अब ना जाने कितना जलेगा,
ये मेरा धूमकेतु सा जीवन ।

-प्रत्यूष गर्ग Pratyush Garg
१९-०८-०९ 19-08-09

Punarjanm (पुनर्जन्म)

2009-08-19T13:57:00.002+05:30

This poem is inspired by the book "Many Lives Many Masters" written by Dr. Brian Weiss. Also, this poem is dedicated to my dear friend Divyanshu Tripathi, who made me read that awesome book.

किसी विद्वान से सुना था मैंने कभी,
हर जीवित तन में है आत्मा का वास,
तन नष्ट हो जाते हैं फ़िर भी,
पहुँचे न आत्मा को क्षति कुछ खास ।

समय बदले तन बदले,
आज यहाँ कल वहाँ विराजे,
अलग योनि अलग रूप में,
हर बार संसार को साजे ।

परंतु कर्मों की छाया से,
हो उज्जवलित और धूमिल,
और सारे निर्णयों का फल,
हो अगले जीवन में शामिल ।

विरले होते हैं वो जिनको,
याद रहे ये अगला पिछला,
अपनी आप बीती सुनाने का,
मिले मौका ये निराला ।

कठिन है बहुत स्वीकारना,
इस जीवन-दर्शन को,
पर जिस क्षण हो एहसास,
संजोना उस पल को ।

-प्रत्यूष गर्ग Pratyush Garg
१९-०८-०९ 19-08-09

Khushi (खुशी)

2009-08-18T17:34:00.002+05:30

आज मेरे मन-मस्तिष्क में,
ये विचार कौंधा कि,
आखिर जिसे कहते हैं खुशी,
वो एहसास क्या है?

क्या वो क्षणिक आनंद,
जो हमें कभी मिला था;
उसे खुशी की श्रेणी में,
रखा जा सकता है?

या वो क्षणभंगुर नशा,
जो किसी जीत के बाद
चढ़ा था; वो खुशी की
गरिमा बढ़ा सकता है?

बहुत चिंतन के बाद,
निष्कर्ष ये निकला कि,
जो निश्चल और निरंकार है,
उसी में खुशी का सार है।

जिसका कोई अंत नहीं,
जिसे अमरता का वरदान है,
जिसे कोई बांध नहीं सकता,
वही खुशी का एहसास है।

-प्रत्यूष गर्ग Pratyush Garg
१८-०८-०९ 18-08-09

Ragging - A Necessary Evil

2009-07-25T19:09:00.000+05:30

After 3 years of college life and entering in the 4th year as the super senior in the college, it is indeed a moment of pride and happiness for me. But it is accompanied with a sense of responsibility. Now, we are the senior most of all and this means that we have no one to look out for us but ourselves and also we have to look out for all the juniors as well. But then, when everything is as crystal clear as that, where lies the damn problem? Let me show it to you. In common parlance it is known as 'Ragging' but I call it 'Attitude Adjustment'. Yes, the same old 'devil', which has haunted the colleges for years and will haunt them in future as well.

The Government, with the help of judicial system and college management has tried to curb this menace and is successful to a large extent. Now, after this decision that anybody found indulged in any form of ragging will be suspended from the college for life, and he/she will not get admission in any other college/university throughout the country, this 'djinn' is some how contained in its bottle. But, as they say, there are two sides of every coin and this one is no exception. People only saw the one side of the coin and passed their judgement on the basis of that.

I think, by stopping this 'evil' to the level of extent that a senior student is scared even to ask the name and background of a junior student in college premises is absurd. He is afraid he might be booked under the severe norms of ragging. The spirit of healthy interaction amongst students with different financial and social backgrounds is completely vanished. Now, no senior student is curious to know how many freshers came from his city this year. And not only is it social interaction, which is affected. The feeling of brotherhood is hampered to this extent that both seniors and juniors see the other guy with suspicion and do not want to be seen together.

The frequent visits to the seniors' rooms for help during the exams and project submissions do not happen any more as the 'bonding period' during which juniors came to know about the seniors has been banned. The honour and respect which the juniors used to give their seniors is no longer seen and which in the long run reflect in the lives of students, when they come out of the colleges in to the corporate world, and they are not used to give such respect to their bosses there. This could be a problem very well known as 'Attitude Problem'.

The bottom line is, as I see it, that physical or mental ragging in any form is not justified at all, and should be dealt with seriously. But social interaction and getting to know each other, to spread the word of friendship, brotherhood and love should not be prevented in order to curb ragging. There should be some border line to which it should be allowed. Otherwise, we will be developing a society of dumb people who will not be fit to work in a society with people different from themselves.

Drive (ड्राइव)

2009-05-24T10:24:00.002+05:30

This poem is written by one of my friends, Mr. Ghanshyam Das Ahuja, who lives in Navi Mumbai. It is written in context with the traffic police's drive against the vehicles which litter on the streets. It is indeed a realistic and motivating attempt.

ट्रेफ़िक पुलिस का ये ड्राइव यकीनन लाएगा रंग,
मानसून ही क्यों हमेशा यही रहे उमंग,
इसी संदर्भ में मेरा है एक बेशकीमती सुझाव,
दुकानदार जो करते हैं कचरा उन पर भी खाओ ताव।

कईयों को मैंने कचरा फेंकते देखा है,
देखा ही नहीं कई बार उन्हें टोका है,
पर जब तलक पड़ेगा नहीं कानून का डंडा,
साफ़ सुथरी रोड के बजाय माहौल रहेगा गंदा।

पार्क/गार्डन में जो लोग करते हैं कचरा,
उन लोगों से है हमारे समाज को खतरा,
काश हर इंसान सलीके से रह सबकी सोचता,
मैं ये कविता ना लिख कुछ और सोचता।

-घनश्याम दास आहुजा

Aishwarya's Journey Through Cannes

2009-05-21T14:37:00.010+05:30

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

Haara Nahi Mai (हारा नहीं मैं)

2009-05-18T17:36:00.005+05:30

Today I was browsing through election news on rediff.com and found this awesome poem in the discussion board segment. It was so good that I could not resist sharing it with you. The poet did not give the title so I gave it one. The name of the poet is Deepank Singhal (as flashing on rediff.com). I assume he wrote it himself and did not copied it from some where which makes him the poet.

हैरान हूँ मैं, पर हताश नहीं हूँ,
परेशान हूँ मैं, पर निराश नहीं हूँ।
फ़िर उगेगा सूरज, पर दिशा अलग होगी,
फ़िर बहेंगी नदियाँ, पर राह अलग होगी।
फ़िर चहचहाएँगे पक्षी, पर चहचहाहट अलग होगी,
फ़िर खिलखिलाएँगे बच्चे, पर खिलखिलाहट अलग होगी।
फ़िज़ा बदलेगी, हवा बदलेगी,
आने वाली सुबह, देश का समां बदलेगी।
आज मैं हारा नहीं हूँ, बस मेरा ’हार’ गया है,
कल मैं फ़िर जीतूँगा, ये वक़्त मुझसे कह गया है।
बदलाव तो विकास का प्रतीक है,
प्रयोग तो लोकतंत्र की नींव है।
करने दो प्रयोग उन्हें, ज़रा वो भी आज़मा लें,
इसी में भारत की जीत है, इसी में मेरी जीत है।

- दीपांक शिंघल

Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na Karo (आज जाने की ज़िद ना करो)

2009-05-17T19:14:00.004+05:30

This beautiful ghazal was sung by renowned Pakistani ghazal singer Fareeda Khanum. This is one of her master-piece and was duplicated several times all over the world. Asha Bhonsle also sung it for a music album. Most recently, the original version of this ghazal was used in the movie Monsoon Wedding by Meera Nair. Here are the lyrics (which was originally given by Fayyaz Hashmi) for this evergreen and legendary ghazal which has stolen my heart for quite some time now.

आज जाने की ज़िद ना करो,
यूँ ही पहलू में बैठे रहो,
आज जाने की ज़िद ना करो,
हाय मर जाएंगे,
हम तो लुट जाएंगे,
ऐसी बातें किया ना करो,
आज जाने की ज़िद ना करो।

तुम ही सोचो ज़रा,
क्यों ना रोके तुम्हें,
जान जाती है जब,
उठ के जाते हो तुम,
तुम को अपनी कसम जाने-जां,
बात इतनी मेरी मान लो,
आज जाने की ज़िद ना करो।

वक्त की कैद में,
ज़िंदगी है मगर,
चंद घड़ियाँ यही हैं,
जो आज़ाद हैं,
इन को खो कर मेरी जाने-जां,
उम्र भर ना तरसते रहो,
आज जाने की ज़िद ना करो।

कितना मासूम,
रंगीन है ये समां,
हुस्न और इश्क की,
आज में राज है,
कल की किसको खबर जाने-जां,
रोक लो आज की रात को,
आज जाने की ज़िद ना करो।

आज जाने की ज़िद ना करो,
यूँ ही पहलू में बैठे रहो,
आज जाने की ज़िद ना करो,
हाय मर जाएंगे,
हम तो लुट जाएंगे,
ऐसी बातें किया ना करो,
आज जाने की ज़िद ना करो।

Hum (हम)

2009-05-13T22:13:00.001+05:30

मैं और तुम,
हम दोनों,
दुनिया की नज़र में,
दो अलग जिस्म,
दो अलग जान हम।

तुम शायद ना जानो,
शायद ना मानो,
कि हम बने हैं साथ
रहने के लिए,
साथ जीने के लिए।

मेरी आँखें खुली हैं सदा,
इसी इंतज़ार में कि कब,
तुम्हें इल्म हो कि अब,
हम एक हो यही सही है,
वक्त की ज़रूरत है।

कोई गम नहीं मुझे,
अगर वक्त मेरा साथ ना दे,
मोहब्बत में शर्त कैसी?
ये तो है एक पाक एहसास,
जो है ना किसी का मोहताज़।

मुझे फ़िक्र नहीं दुनिया की,
यहाँ सब मतलब के साथी,
अगर हम साथ तो,
हर मुश्किल हर परेशानी,
फूलों की सेज सरीखी।

तुम बस एक बार एक नज़र भर,
कह दो कि मैं और तुम अब हैं हम,
तुम्हारी कसम,
उस पल से पुराने सब किस्से खत्म,
और नए आयाम छूने उड़ चले हम।

-प्रत्यूष गर्ग Pratyush Garg
१३-०५-०९ 13-05-09

Jeevan-Darshan (जीवन-दर्शन)

2009-05-05T13:34:00.002+05:30

लोग पूछें रे ये बतलावो,
जीवन-दर्शन ये क्या बला है?
आखिर किसने इधर-उधर कब,
कौन नया रूप ढला है?

सबरे पूछें हैरत के मारे,
ऐसा कैसा ये खेल भयो?
कौन खिलाड़ी इसका है,
और कौन खिलाने वाला है?

मैं बोलयो रे मूरख प्राणी,
ये क्या पूछ लिया तूने?
इसका उत्तर देवे ऐसा,
कोई क्या कभी बना है?

संत महात्मा साधू राजे,
सबरे हारे इसके आगे,
हम तुम तुच्छ प्राणी,
भला कहाँ ठहरेंगे सारे?

आज ये समझो बस तुम इतना,
खेल खिलावे ऊपर वाला,
नियम कायदे सारे उसके,
खेलन वाले हम सब सारे।

इस खेल का एक नियम है,
जो खेले सो हर दम हारे,
गर कभी कोई जीत जावे,
"उसका" अवतार होगा वो प्यारे।

-प्रत्यूष गर्ग Pratyush Garg
०५-०५-२००९ 05-05-2009

Kahin Door Jab Din Dhal Jaaye (कहीं दूर जब दिन ढल जाए)

2009-04-29T08:48:00.002+05:30

Movie: Anand
Singer: Mukesh
Lyrics: Salil Chowdhury
Actor: Rajesh Khanna

कहीं दूर जब दिन ढल जाए,
साँझ की दुल्हन बदन चुराए,
चुपके से आए,
कहीं दूर जब दिन ढल जाए,
साँझ की दुल्हन बदन चुराए,
चुपके से आए,
मेरे ख्यालों के आँगन में,
कोई सपनों के दीप जलाए,
दीप जलाए,
कहीं दूर जब दिन ढल जाए,
साँझ की दुल्हन बदन चुराए,
चुपके से आए...

कभी यूँ ही जब हुयीं बोझिल साँसें,
भर आयीं बैठे बैठे जब यूँ ही आँखें,
कभी यूँ ही जब हुयीं बोझिल साँसें,
भर आयीं बैठे बैठे जब यूँ ही आँखें,
कभी मचल के, प्यार से चल के,
छुए कोई मुझे, पर नज़र ना आए,
नज़र ना आए,
कहीं दूर जब दिन ढल जाए,
साँझ की दुल्हन बदन चुराए,
चुपके से आए...

कहीं तो ये दिल कभी मिल नहीं पाते,
कहीं पे निकल आए जन्मों के नाते,
कहीं तो ये दिल कभी मिल नहीं पाते,
कहीं पे निकल आए जन्मों के नाते,
है मीठी उलझन, वैरी अपना मन,
अपना ही हो के, सहे दर्द पराए,
दर्द पराए,
कहीं दूर जब दिन ढल जाए,
साँझ की दुल्हन बदन चुराए,
चुपके से आए...

दिल जाने मेरे सारे भेद ये गहरे,
हो गए कैसे मेरे सपने सुनहरे,
दिल जाने मेरे सारे भेद ये गहरे,
हो गए कैसे मेरे सपने सुनहरे,
ये मेरे सपने, यहीं तो हैं अपने,
मुझसे जुदा ना होंगे, इनके ये साए,
इनके ये साए,
कहीं दूर जब दिन ढल जाए,
साँझ की दुल्हन बदन चुराए,
चुपके से आए,
मेरे ख्यालों के आँगन में,
कोई सपनों के दीप जलाए,
दीप जलाए,
कहीं दूर जब दिन ढल जाए,
साँझ की दुल्हन बदन चुराए,
चुपके से आए...

Cricket Mania

2009-04-14T19:24:00.005+05:30

There are very few things in India which are not affected by the recent economic slowdown or recession or meltdown, occurrence of natural disasters or any man-made tragedies. They go on for ever. Other than Bollywood and Politics, one such thing is Cricket. People here in India are just crazy about it. They might even not be knowing the names of the players playing for the national teams of other sports such as hockey, football or basketball etc. but can easily give you the full description of every cricketer playing in national team with all the brief statistics related to him. Such is the madness for the sport down here.

This was not the case from the beginning. In fact Cricket was a 'dying' sport as people were loosing interest in it. The Test Cricket format i.e. the purest form of the 'Gentlemen's Game', which stretched for five days, was killing the fan following because people could not find time to watch it continuously for six hours a day, for five days. Other sports such as hockey or football are finished well under 2-3 hours and because of their fast pace, the excitement lasts throughout the match. This was missing in Cricket and was the biggest drawback of this format of the sport. So in a desperate attempt to save Cricket, the big guns of the sport came up with new and unique format.

This format was the One Day International or the ODI (50-over game each side) and was introduced in early 70's. To promote it, the ICC organized a World Cup in 1975, in which all test playing nations and few associate members participated. That trend is religiously followed till date every four years. In India, Cricket regained its glory after their World Cup win in 1983. Since the beginning of this format, much new advancements are made, many new rules were introduced. Many wonderful techniques for the TV coverage were introduced so that public can have a better understanding of the sport. Players started playing in colorful attires adding in to the excitement. They started playing in the evening under artificial lights so that more spectators can enjoy the sport after hours. These all efforts were made to spice up the sport from time to time. But after around thirty years of its successful run, people started getting bored and found it tedious again, as it also took around eight hours. So, the spectators again started to drift away from the sport. Cricket needed a boost again and this time it was difficult job. But the big guns struck again and came up with yet another revolutionary format.

This format was known as Twenty-Twenty or T20 (20-over game each side). This format revolutionized everything. The sport which was once known for its decency has now changed so much, that it is difficult to recognize the good old Cricket. More money than ever, glamour, pomp and show, cheerleaders, franchisee teams in which players from all nations play together and against each other. Amongst all this, I feel the real spirit of the sport is somewhat vanished. I sometimes wonder if Test Cricket was considered to be a Bollywood actress of the 50's clad in a saaree and ODI was like an actress of the 90's wearing skimpy outfit, then T20 would be like today's model showing off in a bikini (No offence but it is true).

But I still believe that this change is of some worth. Not because it did something good for the sport in itself, but because this change gave the people at least one more reason to cheer, to have fun, to dance to the tune of any boundary or six hit and just forget about their tension and miseries of the life for at least some time. Although I still believe that Test Cricket is the best form of the sport but we all should respect the change and enjoy the upcoming Indian Premiere League Season 2 followed by the T20 World Cup 2009 with full enthusiasm as before.

A Soldier's Life

2009-04-13T16:16:00.002+05:30

I recently watched the movie 'We Were Soldiers' which inspired me to write this article.

Right from the ancient period, foreign invaders and rulers were attracted towards the riches of the Indian civilization and constantly tried to invade Indian soil. This resulted into insecure borders and in order to counter these attackers, the rules of various provinces in India took hefty measures by deploying huge army with large number of soldiers. More over, there were feuds amongst the local rulers as well from time to time, and thus to cope with rivals, they needed to be prepared for a prospective war any time. Hundreds of wars were fought since then which resulted in the deaths of millions of soldiers who fought for the pride and honor of their country and its rulers. Talking of today, wars happen now as well, but fewer in frequency. But the causality in terms of lives and money is immense when compared to the past.

Skipping all that which is buried under the layers of time, today I just want to discuss about the present scenario of wars and soldiers who are involved in them. And by soldiers, I not only mean Indian soldiers deployed on the Kashmir border, but to all those soldiers who are fighting for their country around the globe. Now, just for a moment, imagine a war scene. Two soldiers from rival armies are fighting with each other. One even don't know the name of that person with whom one is fighting. In fact, there is a big possibility that one don't even know the exact reason why one is trying to kill the other one. Just because somebody sitting in the administration pointed him towards a certain section and stated that they are the enemies, and ordered them to shoot the person from that section. That administrator might have some political or financial benefits out of the war, but he tries to pretend to be concerned about the security and integrity of the country. So, thousands of soldiers of his army and the rival's were butchered to fulfill the whims and fancies of the administrator. Again, consider this, those two guys are not on the war front (they still don't know each other). They meet in some club or social gathering. Possibility is that, they might end up being friends of each other, sharing a drink or two. Human tendency facilitates them to interact with each other.

These were the two aspects which I wanted to highlight. But, on a more realistic note, what about these soldiers after the war is over? Many of them die and thousands are left disabled, making them useless for any physical activity. What about their family? Who will take care of them now? Governments announce some nominal pension for their families, which is in no way sufficient for their survival. The whole point is, wars are not the only alternative to settle a disagreement. In order to prevent the massacre, one should think of other alternatives. Political interests should not come in the way of the right of the citizens to live in a peaceful environment. And the soldiers are not the only ones who die. The innocent citizens from both sides also face the fallacy and their scars from the war never fade. Therefore, I appeal to all the governments, rulers, administrators who are currently into wars or facing a war-like situation or fueling them in any way, to think over the humanitarian aspect of living and stop the barbaric act of destroying the human civilization.

Aakhiri Faisala (आखिरी फ़ैसला)

2009-04-11T10:48:00.003+05:30

ये कहानी प्रेरित है एक सच्ची घटना से जो कुछ साल पहले कोलकाता में घटी थी। मुझे इसका पता अखबारों से लगा था और तब मैंने इस बारे में विचार किया कि ऐसा हुआ तो आखिर क्यों? कहानी के किरदार असल ज़िंदगी से लिए गए हैं और उनके साथ जो कुछ हुआ वो भी असलियत है, बस उसको प्रस्तुत करने के काम में मुझे अपनी कल्पना के मोती भी जोड़ने पड़े हैं।

हमारी कहानी के मुख्य पात्र एक सेवानिवृत सरकारी कर्मचारी हैं, जो कि अपने कार्यकाल में अपनी ईमानदारी और कर्तव्यपरायणता के लिए प्रसिद्ध थे। उनके साफ़ सुथरे व्यक्तित्व का सब आदर करते थे। उनकी पत्नी एक सीधी साधी और पूजा पाठ करने वाली साधारण महिला थी। वे ज़्यादा पढ़ी लिखी नहीं थीं परंतु अपने श्रीमान के साथ हर सुख दुख में डट कर साथ खड़ी रहीं और अपने पति के हर फ़ैसले का सम्मान किया। वैसे उन दोनों को किसी भी तरह की कोई कमी नहीं थी, परंतु अगर कुछ नहीं था उनके पास तो कोई ऐसा जिसे अपनी औलाद कह सकें। बहुत सालों पहले उन्हें पुत्र रत्न की प्राप्ति हुई थी पर वो बेचारा कुछ महीनों में ही भगवान को प्यारा हो गया। आज अगर होता तो कोई २४-२५ वर्ष का होता। उसके जाने के बाद श्रीमति जी ने हर संभव प्रयास किया कि उन्हें ये सौभाग्य प्राप्त हो पर कोई खास परिणाम नहीं निकला। बहरहाल, दोनों ने अब तक किसी तरह एक दूसरे के सहारे जीवन यापन किया। पर कहीं न कहीं एक कसक दिल में बाकी रह ही गई, कि जीवन भर जो इतनी मेहनत की, वो किस काम की, जब कोई वारिस ही नहीं, कोई ऐसा ही नहीं जिसे अपना कह सकें, जिसे प्रेम से गले लगा सकें। कोई ऐसा है ही नहीं, जो राम जी के पास पहुँचने पर उनकी चिता को अग्नि भी दे सके।

सेवानिवृत जीवन का सबसे बड़ा अभिशाप यह है कि ना चाहते हुए भी मन उन बातों की तरफ़ भटकता है जिनके बारे में सोचने से पीड़ा होती है। और स्थिति की विडंबना ये है कि जब हम कामकाज में व्यस्त होते हैं तो सोचते हैं कि कब इस सब से छुट्टी मिले तो कुछ आराम किया जाए। बस इसी विकट समस्या ने हमारे मुख्य पात्र को घेर रखा था। श्रीमति जी तो फ़िर भी ईश्वर के चरणों में समर्पित थीं तो उनका समय कट जाया करता था, परंतु श्रीमान क्या करें? कोई पुराना शौक भी नही जिससे दिल बहला लें। बस अब रह रह के यही ख्याल आता कि अब जियें तो किसके लिए। ऐसे ही एक अलसाई सुबह श्रीमान जी उठे, तो थोड़े विचलित थे। श्रीमति जी का ध्यान उस ओर गया पर उन्होंने उनसे इस बारे में कुछ भी नहीं पूछा। तीस साल साथ रहने के बाद आपको अपने साथी के स्वभाव का बखूबी अंदाज़ा लग जाता है। वो जानती थीं कि आज कल श्रीमान की मनोस्थिति कैसी चल रही है, इसीलिए उन्होंने उनको उनके हाल पर छो़ड़ना ही उचित समझा। परंतु शाम होते होते बात अपने आप ही साफ़ हो गई। श्रीमान जी उनके पास आए और बताया, "आज सुबह से ही मेरा मन बड़ा विचलित है। मुझे एक अजीब सी जकड़न महसूस हो रही है जो मुझे चैन नहीं लेने दे रही। भीतर कुछ ऐसा है जो मुझे मन ही मन कचोट रहा है। असल बात यह है कि अब मेरी जीने की इच्छा समाप्त हो गई है।" पूरी बात सुन श्रीमति जी परेशान हो उठीं। उनकी समझ में नहीं आ रहा था कि वो श्रीमान जी को कैसे समझायें। खैर उन्होंने अपने पति से कहा, " देखिये, बीती बातों को भूल जाइए और अपने बाकी के जीवन को, जो है उसी में गुज़ारने की कोशिश कीजिए।" बात आयी गयी हो गई।

इस बीच श्रीमान जी का मन अब पूरी तरह उखड़ चुका था। उनके मन में तरह तरह के विचार पनपने लगे। उनके दांपत्य जीवन पर भी इसका सीधा प्रभाव पड़ा और वो अपनी पत्नी को, जिनसे उन्होंने इससे पहले कभी ऊँची आवाज़ में बात तक नहीं की थी, बात बात पर झिड़क देते। शायद उन्हें ये गलतफ़हमी हो गई थी कि कहीं न कहीं उनकी इस अवस्था का कारण उनकी पत्नी भी हैं। अब उन्हें ये कौन समझाये कि होनी को जो मंज़ूर था वही हुआ, इसमें बेचारी श्रीमति जी का क्या दोष? पर इतना सब होने के बाद भी बेचारी ने उफ़ तक नहीं की। शायद उन्होंने इसे अपनी नियति मान कर स्वीकार कर लिया था। दिन गुज़रते गए और हालात बद से बदतर होते रहे।

एक शाम श्रीमान जी अपनी पत्नी से बोले, "देखो भाग्यवान, आज हावड़ा ब्रिज घूमने चलते हैं। सैर की सैर हो जाएगी और मन भी बहल जाएगा।" श्रीमति जी अचानक आए इस परिवर्तन से बहुत प्रसन्न हुयीं। उन्हें लगा कि शायद अब श्रीमान जी पहले की तरह ही सामान्य हो रहे हैं और उन्होंने अपने कष्टों से समझौता कर लिया है। वे तुरंत राज़ी हो गयीं और जल्दी से तैयार हो कर चल पड़ीं। परंतु उन्हें अपने पति के इरादों का ज़रा भी अंदाज़ा नहीं था। इस घूमने ले जाने के पीछे एक बड़ा राज़ छिपा था। हावड़ा ब्रिज पहुँचने पर श्रीमान जी ने अपने इरादे ज़ाहिर किए। वे बोले, " मैं आज यहाँ अपना जीवन समाप्त करने आया हूँ। मुझे ऐसा प्रतीत होता है कि अब मेरे जीने का कोई औचित्य नहीं बनता। मैं जिन भी कामों के लिए इस दुनिया में आया था वो पूरे हो चुके हैं और अब मैं ये संसार त्यागना चाहता हूँ। मैं ये भी चाहता हूँ कि जैसे तुमने अब तक किए गए मेरे सारे फ़ैसलों में मेरा साथ दिया है, इस आखिरी फ़ैसले में भी मेरा साथ दो। मैं तुमसे अभी भी उतना ही प्रेम करता हूँ जितना कि पहले करता था। मैंने पिछले कुछ समय में नासमझी में कुछ गलत कहा हो या किया हो तो मुझे माफ़ कर दो।" ये सब सुन कर श्रीमति जी सकते में आ गयीं। उन्होंने कभी सपने में भी नहीं सोचा था कि श्रीमान जी ऐसा कदम उठाने की भी सोच सकते हैं। उन्होंने रोते हुए कहा, "प्रिय, आप ऐसी बातें न कीजिये। मेरा आपके सिवा और कोई नहीं है। क्या आपने ये भी नहीं सोचा कि आपके बाद मेरा क्या होगा? मैं आपके बिना एक पल नहीं रह सकती। मैं आपको ये कदम उठाते नहीं देख सकती।" इस पर श्रीमान जी बोले, " मेरे पास और कोई रास्ता नहीं हैं। मैं अब एक पल नही रह सकता। मुझे मेरे फ़ैसले पर अमल कर लेने दो और तुम घर वापस लौट जाओ।" फ़िर कुछ सोचने के बाद श्रीमति जी ने कहा, " ठीक है। अगर आप अपनी बात पर अडिग हैं तो मैं भी अचल हूँ। पूरा जीवन आपके साथ बिताने का वचन दिया था तो आपके साथ मरने को भी तैयार हूँ। वैसे भी आपके अलावा मेरा ना कोई ओर है ना छोर। मैं भी आपके साथ अपना जीवन समाप्त करना चाहती हूँ"। अब रोने की बारी श्रीमान जी की थी। उन्होंने भी कभी नहीं सोचा था कि श्रीमति जी ऐसा कुछ करने को तैयार हो जाएँगी। उन्होंने बहुत समझाया पर वो नहीं मानी। आखिरकार दोनों ने ही पुल से छलांग लगा दी।

कहानी यहीं खत्म हो जाती तो मुझे थोड़ा कम दुख होता। पर आगे की बात जान कर कलेजा मुँह को आ गया। नदी में कूदने पर श्रीमान जी का सामना जब सचमुच की मौत से हुआ तो उनको पता चला कि अपनी जान देना इतना आसान काम नहीं है। कहाँ तो वो इतने दिनों से प्राण त्यागने की बात सोच रहे थे और कहाँ अब उनके मन में किसी तरह से बचने का ख्याल आ गया। वे तैरना जानते थे, इसीलिये किसी तरह से किनारे तक आ गए। परंतु श्रीमति जी के शरीर को अगले दिन गोताखोरों की मदद से ही निकाला जा सका। नदी किनारे अपना सिर पकड़े श्रीमान जी बैठे हैं और सोच रहे हैं कि उन्होंने ये आखिरी फ़ैसला आखिर क्यों लिया? पहले वो तन्हा थे, अब... पहले से भी ज़्यादा...

Hothon Se Choo Lo Tum (होठों से छू लो तुम)

2009-04-08T07:08:00.005+05:30

Jagjit Singh belongs to an elite class of singers whose work cannot be reviewed, rated or compared to anybody else's work. He is a maestro and has his own league. But if I somehow weight his entire work and was to pick one ghazal of all times, I will choose ’होठों से छू लो तुम’. It is my personal favorite. This ghazal was originally sung for the movie 'Prem Geet' released in 1981. The song was pictured on Raj Babbar, as he sings it in a party. After that, it became so popular that no live concert of Jagjit Singh is completed without the request for this one. Here is the lyrics which was originally given by Indeevar (1924-1999). Enjoy and be mesmerized by the magic of the words.

होठों से छू लो तुम, मेरा गीत अमर कर दो।
होठों से छू लो तुम, मेरा गीत अमर कर दो।
बन जाओ मीत मेरे, मेरी प्रीत अमर कर दो।
होठों से छू लो तुम, मेरा गीत अमर कर दो।

ना उम्र की सीमा हो, ना जन्म का हो बंधन।
ना उम्र की सीमा हो, ना जन्म का हो बंधन।
जब प्यार करे कोई, तो देखे केवल मन।
नई रीत चला कर तुम, ये रीत अमर कर दो।
नई रीत चला कर तुम, ये रीत अमर कर दो।

आकाश का सूनापन, मेरे तन्हा मन में।
आकाश का सूनापन, मेरे तन्हा मन में।
पायल छनकाती तुम, आ जाओ जीवन में।
साँसें देकर अपनी, संगीत अमर कर दो।
संगीत अमर कर दो, मेरा गीत अमर कर दो।

जग ने छीना मुझसे, मुझे जो भी लगा प्यारा।
जग ने छीना मुझसे, मुझे जो भी लगा प्यारा।
सब जीता किए मुझसे, मैं हर दम ही हारा।
तुम हार के दिल अपना, मेरी जीत अमर कर दो।
तुम हार के दिल अपना, मेरी जीत अमर कर दो।

होठों से छू लो तुम, मेरा गीत अमर कर दो।
बन जाओ मीत मेरे, मेरी प्रीत अमर कर दो।

Mahasangram - 2009 (महासंग्राम - 2009)

2009-04-01T17:18:00.002+05:30

एक समय था जब भारतीय राजनीति की पटकथा बहुत सरल, सुलझी और साफ़ हुआ करती थी। बड़े राष्ट्रीय दलों के नाम पर सिर्फ़ कांग्रेस का ही बोलबाला था और हर लोकसभा चुनाव में उन्हें 543 में से 300-350 सीटें मिलना एक आम बात थी। फ़िर 1977 में स्थिति कुछ हद तक बदली जब 1975 में इंदिरा सरकार द्वारा लगाया गए आपातकाल के बाद लोकसभा चुनावों में सभी छोटे दलों ने एकजुट होकर कांग्रेस के खिलाफ़ मोर्चा खोला। तभी भारतीय लोक दल (बाद में जनता पार्टी) का जन्म हुआ। उनके रूप में आपातकाल की त्रासदी झेल चुकी जनता को आशा की एक नई किरण दिखाई दी। उनका रोष आंदोलन में बदल हो गया और जनता ने कांग्रेस को सत्ता से उखाड़ फ़ेंका। उत्तर प्रदेश, बिहार, दिल्ली, गुजरात, उड़ीसा इत्यादि राज्यों में कांग्रेस एक सीट भी नहीं जीत पाई। यहाँ तक कि श्रीमती इंदिरा गांधी भी अपनी चिरपरिचित सीट रायबरेली से हार गयीं। उनके पुत्र और उस समय के कद्दावर नेता संजय गांधी भी अमेठी सीट से मुँह की खा गए। भारतीय लोक दल को बहुमत प्राप्त हुआ और उन्होंने सरकार बनाई। पर ये सरकार ज़्यादा दिनों तक नहीं चल पाई क्योंकि कुछ ही समय में भारतीय लोक दल के सदस्यों के आपसी मतभेद सतह पर आ गए। इसका ये नतीजा हुआ कि 1980 में फ़िर से चुनाव हुए और उसमें कांग्रेस की बड़ी जीत हुई। 1984 में इंदिरा गांधी की हत्या के चलते जो सहानुभूति की लहर उठी, उसकी वजह से कांग्रेस एक बार फ़िर धमाकेदार जीत के साथ वापस आई।

बस उस चुनाव के बाद आज तक कभी भी कोई बिना गठबंधन स्थाई सरकार नहीं बन पाई। 1989 से लेकर 2004 तक छह लोकसभा चुनाव हुए। हर बार कुछ नए समीकरण उभर के सामने आए। कोई भी दल बहुमत प्राप्त नहीं कर पाया और उसकी वजह से गठबंधन सरकार का दौर चल गया जो अब तक बदसतूर जारी है। इसका प्रमुख कारण क्षेत्रीय दलों की लोकसभा चुनावों में बढ़ी भागेदारी है। जब क्षेत्रीय दल अपने अपने राज्यों में सीटें जीतने लगे तो उसका दुष्परिणाम ये हुआ कि चुनाव बाद गठबंधन में सांसदों की खरीद-फ़रोख्त बहुत बढ़ गई। 1996 के बाद हुए चुनाव इसका प्रमाण हैं।

आज (2009) की स्थिति ये है कि बड़े राष्ट्रीय दल जैसे कांग्रेस और भारतीय जनता पार्टी को छोटे क्षेत्रीय दलों के साथ चुनाव पूर्व हाथ मिलाना पड़ रहा है। उन्हें इन दलों के साथ विभिन्न राज्यों में सीटों का बंटवारा करना पड़ रहा है और साझा उम्मीदवार खड़ा करने की कवायद शुरू हो चुकी है। इसमें कोई गलत बात नहीं है परंतु जब ये क्षेत्रीय दल अपने समर्थन के बदले आर्थिक लेनदेन और मंत्री पद की लालसा व्यक्त करते हैं तो ये गठबंधन एक गंदी राजनीति का रूप ले लेता है। और इस खरीद-फ़रोख्त और बंटवारे का मौकापरस्त नेता खूब लाभ उठाते हैं। उदहारण के तौर पर लोक जनशक्ति पार्टी के अध्यक्ष राम विलास पासवान 1999 की भाजपा शासित राष्ट्रीय लोकतांत्रिक गठबंधन की सरकार में मंत्री थे। फ़िर 2004 के चुनावों के बाद वे कांग्रेस शासित संयुक्त प्रगतिशील गठबंधन की सरकार में भी मंत्री हैं। है ना कमाल? ऎन मौके पर पाला बदल कर दोनों हाथों में लड्डू लिए पिछले दस सालों से मौज कर रहे हैं। शायद इसी को कहते हैं दसों उंगलियाँ घी में और सिर कढ़ाई में।

अब सवाल उठता है कि इस समस्या का समाधान क्या है? किसी भी दल के चुनाव लड़ने के मौलिक अधिकार को तो छीना नहीं जा सकता। पर समझदारी से मतदान तो किया ही जा सकता है। आम जनता को चाहिये कि वो अपने बुद्धि-विवेक से मतदान करे और ऐसे उम्मीदवार को जिताए जो दल-बदल की राजनीति में विश्वास ना रखता हो। ऐसा करने से स्थिति में सुधार होगा और चुनाव बाद की खरीद-फ़रोख्त पर लगाम लग सकेगी। साथ ही देश को एक गंभीर और स्थिर सरकार मिलेगी जो देश की समस्याओं को सुलझाने में ज़्यादा सक्षम होगी। तो आने वाले लोकसभा चुनाव-2009 में अपने मतदान के अधिकार का प्रयोग समझदारी से आँख-कान और बुद्धि के पट खुले रख कर करें और देश एंव समाज के प्रति अपने कर्तव्य का निर्वाहन करें।

जागो रे!!!!!

Subah (सुबह)

2009-03-31T14:35:00.003+05:30

मेरे प्रिय मित्र मुदित सिंह को समर्पित। भगवान उसे सदबुद्धि दे।

अलसाई सी सुबह में अंगड़ाई लेता कोई,
और उसकी अधखुली आँखों में,
नए दिन के लिए देखे सपनों की झलकी,
याद दिलाती उसे कि आज फ़िर उसकी,
मंज़िल काफ़ी दूर अपना डेरा है डाले बैठी।

मंज़िल की चाह में फ़ुर्ती से उठ बैठा वो,
शीघ्रता से मन को किया कड़ा,
और सुबह की हसीन नींद के आनंद को त्यागा,
उस निश्चल निर्विघ्न नदी की भांति,
जो सागर से मिलने से पहले दम भी नहीं भरती।

आज उसकी वो मेहनत रंग लाई और वो,
कामयाबी की ऊँचाइयों को छूता हल्के से मुस्कुराता,
बीते दिनों की यादों में खोता यही सोचता,
कि कहीं उस रोज़ वो आलस कर बैठता,
तो आज ये हसीन मंज़र उसे ताउम्र नसीब न होता।

-प्रत्यूष गर्ग Pratyush Garg
३१-०३-२००९ 31-03-2009

Mood Swings

2009-03-30T14:02:00.004+05:30

'Mood Swing' refers to a state of mind in which one's behavior changes from one state to another rapidly and in an unexpected way. This is a very frustrating yet interesting phenomenon which I am observing in me. This phase shift in my life sometimes leads to many behavioral disasters. One moment, I am happy thinking about something or somebody close to me, the other moment, a sad annoying thought from my past grapples my attention leaving me in an absolutely different mood.

Lately, this is one of my personality traits and thus, my point of concern. Why? Let me explain you with some real life example. Consider this, I am with my friends hanging out and having fun. Suddenly, one of my friends plays a prank on me, on which otherwise I would have laughed it off with all others. But now days, it happens that I freak out over such incident. This causes an adverse effect on my friendship with that guy. Also, the jovial environment in which we were before is completely ruined. Perhaps this happens because of some bad or painful memory attached to that similar prank or incident.

Until now, this trait was affecting my relationship with other people, and because of this I was falling short of trustworthy friends. But the problem worsens when it affects my physical or mental capability. Because of this, I fail to meet my academic deadlines, which directly affect my grades. When my mood is good, I can work twice of what I can normally perform. During this course I feel hearty and satisfied. But sometimes, when my mood is bad, I falter doing simple jobs, which in turn frustrates me and I falter more. Then comes the stage of deadlock and I finally succumb to the situation. The worst part is that these mood swings can be triggered by trivial issues like the loss of Indian Cricket Team, a bad day in college, degraded quality of mess food, or feeling ignored by people who are special to me.

If someone has a suggestion for me; how to counter this problem or you have an idea how to eliminate this, please leave that suggestion in the form of comments. I will be highly grateful.

Why UPA Should NOT Return To Power

2009-03-27T12:46:00.003+05:30

Results of General Elections in 2004 were a shock to most of the political analysts, who predicted a thumping win of BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government. But it was the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) who won the Elections and formed the Coalition Government under Dr. Man Mohan Singh (MMS). I, on my personal behalf, was doubtful whether this coalition will last five years of their tenure smoothly, because of the vested interests of various different poles of Indian Politics with different ideologies came together (e.g. Communists supported UPA from outside). But they proved me wrong by completing their tenure, although in the later half Communists withdrew their support over Nuclear Deal with the US, leaving MMS in a state of dilemma. Whatever be the case, if we observe the overall performance of the UPA Government, they will get a negative review all the way long. Perhaps MMS was the weakest PM India has ever seen. He failed on every front. Below are the various reasons why I think UPA should not return to power.

1. TERRORISM: This is perhaps the biggest issue in their tale of failures. UPA scrapped the Prevention Of Terrorism Act (POTA) formed by NDA as soon as they gained charge. This resulted into increase in terrorist activities throughout the country with exponential rate. Deaths due to terrorist attacks were at all time high and Mumbai terror attack of 26/11 was termed as the worst attack ever in the history. New targets in the form of small cities were formed by terrorists and every now and then there was chaos. The police and Intelligence agencies were feeling helpless in front of these cruel 'Death Traders'.

2. PRICE HIKE: The prices of every commodity increased to its maximum level ever during these past five years. Rate of Inflation rose to new heights breaking the backs of common man. Government was unable to control it. The basic food items like grains, fruits, spices etc. were out of the reach of the public. Interest Rates for Home Loans etc. increased drastically and the middle class felt the heat of it.

3. VOLATILE MARKET: Unscrupulous speculation and predictions by the Finance Minister (FM) led to more volatile share markets. First, it rose to its new heights which attracted scores of new investors. But due to loose policies it came down crashing causing millions of investors to loose their hard earned money. Many suicide cases all over the country were observed due to loss in shares. Many people lost their jobs because of resource shredding followed by companies to match their losses. FM was unable to stabilize markets and every measure he took to improve conditions backfired.

4. CASTE BASED RESERVATION: I strongly believe that if this stunt of 'vote politics' did not happen, I would not have been ended up rotting in JIIT. Reservations in Higher Education Entrance Exams and Jobs on the basis of caste led to many violent protests all over the country, but our HRD minister did not change his decision. Perhaps he was eyeing the long term political benefits. This decision increased the hatred among the different sections of society which is divided on the basis of caste. I believe this Jinn of Reservation which was released can prove to be the last nail in the coffin of UPA.

5. DUMMY PM: The funniest part of the tale is the formation of MMS as PM. After their win in the Elections in 2004, speculations were made that the next PM will be Mrs. Sonia Gandhi (SG), although protests in other political arena over her foreign origin was vibrant. She shocked the world by stepping aside stating 'her inner voice' and appointed MMS to take charge. No one had thought of her long term plan to place MMS as a dummy PM and gaining the title of 'Raajmata' alongside. In reality, the Government acted from 10, Janpath (Residence of SG) and MMS proved to be a 'Rubber Stamp' PM. The best example of his Political Impotency was the 'Cash For Vote' scam where in their desperation to save the government after Communists left, they allegedly purchased the MPs from other parties to vote in their favor when No-Confidence Motion was forced. They ended up somehow saving their government, but it was pathetic.

After all these reasons which I just stated, I don't think there is any need to explain any more. I believe every reader, or every citizen who is eligible to vote is directly or indirectly linked to any or all of these reasons. So, when you go to vote, keep these reasons in mind and choose the worthier candidate.

Comments Invited.

Giddh (गिद्ध)

2009-03-26T14:20:00.002+05:30

The recent incidences which occurred in our campus' hostels inspired me to write this story.

एक समय की बात है, एक शहर के गिद्धों में भुखमरी फैली थी। गिद्धों का राजा हैरान, परेशान। ऐसी स्थिति उसकी समझ से परे थी। उसकी प्रजा में हाहाकार मचा था और वो बेबस हो इधर उधर टहल रहा था। तभी उसे अपने मंत्रियों की याद आई। उसने एक आपातकाल बैठक बुलाने की सोची। आनन-फ़ानन में सभी मंत्रियों को संदेश भेज कर बुलवाया गया। राजा ने सभी मंत्रियों के सामने स्थिति की गंभीरता का जायज़ा लिया और सभी से इस बारे में उपाय करने की अपील की। अंत में एक मंत्री ने इस विकट परिस्थिति से निपटने का उपाय सुझाया। पूरा उपाय सुनने के बाद सभी उपस्थित गिद्धों ने सहमति जताई और बैठक खुशी खुशी संपन्न हुई।

अगले दिन मुँह अंधेरे कुछ गिद्धों ने शहर की तरफ़ प्रस्थान किया और वहाँ बीचों-बीच स्थित मनुष्यों के एक समुदाय के प्राथना स्थल को अपने पंजों और चोंचो से क्षतिग्रस्त कर दिया। दूसरी ओर कुछ और गिद्धों ने एक दूसरे समुदाय के प्राथना स्थल के साथ भी ऐसा ही किया। काम निपटाने के बाद सभी गिद्ध अपने ठिकानों पर जाकर बैठ गए और सुबह होने का इंतज़ार करने लगे।

सुबह हुई तो शहर में तबाही का मंज़र था। दोनों समुदाय के मनुष्य आपस में ऐसे मार-काट कर रहे थे जैसे उन्हें बरसों से इस दिन का इंतज़ार हो। चारों ओर अफ़रातफ़री का माहौल था। कुछ ही देर में पूरे शहर की गलियाँ मनुष्यों के लहू से लाल थीं। हर तरफ़ एक भयभीत कर देने वाला सन्नाटा पसरा था। दोपहर तक गिद्धों के सारे झुंड शहर की तरफ़ कूँच कर दिए और वहाँ पहुँच कर मनुषयों की लाशों पर जम कर जीमे।

अब गिद्ध कभी भूखे नहीं रहते। उन्हें एक अटूट उपाय जो मिल गया है।

पुनश्चः - उस गिद्ध मंत्री, जिसने वो उपाय सुझाया था, को उसकी सेवाओं के लिए गिद्धों के उच्चतम सम्मान "गिद्ध रत्न" से सम्मानित किया गया।

Nano Aayi - Khushiyan Laayi? (नैनो आई - खुशियाँ लाई?)

2009-03-24T11:44:00.003+05:30

आखिरकार वो दिन आ ही गया, जिस दिन का हर भारतीय आम आदमी को बरसों से इंतज़ार था। २३ मार्च, २००९ को टाटा ने अपनी नवीनतम, सबसे किफ़ायती और आम जनता की पहुँच वाली कार 'नैनो' का अनावरण कर दिया। अब वो दिन लद गए जब स्कूटर से जाते समय बारिश की वजह से आपका सामान और किताबें इत्यादि भीग कर खराब हो जाया करता था। और लाल बत्ती पर किसी अमीरज़ादे की गाड़ी देख कर आप मन ही मन सोचा करते थे कि काश मेरे पास भी एक कार होती। काश मैं भी अपने परिवार के साथ इस शानदार सवारी का आनंद ले सकता। तो लीजिये जनाब, जो वादा श्री रतन टाटा ने कुछ वर्षों पहले भारत की जनता से किया था कि एक दिन वो भारतीय बाज़ारों में 'लखटकिया' कार लेकर आएँगे वो आज पूरा हो चला है। अब कोई भी साधारण नौकरी पेशा और मध्यमवर्गीय परिवार गर्व से कह सकता है कि वो भी 'कार वाले' हैं।

पर इन सब सपनों के बीच एक हकीकत का आईना है जिसे देख मैं थोड़ा विचलित हूँ। आप कह सकते हैं कि मैं एक निराशावादी की तरह सोच रहा हूँ परंतु इस ओर भी गौर करना आवश्यक है। मुझे अभी टाटा नैनो की विश्वसनीयता पर संदेह है। जैसे कि, क्या ये कार जिसका रंग-रूप और आकार उसके नाम के अनुरूप ही काफ़ी छोटा और नाज़ुक सा दिखता है, भारतीय सड़कों के साथ न्याय कर पाएगा? अर्थात, क्या ये कार भारतीय परिस्थितियों में, जो कि काफ़ी कठिन हैं, उन्हें सह पाएगी? और सड़क पर इसमें बैठे परिवार की सुरक्षा की क्या गारंटी है? इसके अतिरिक्त क्या पर्यावरण पर खतरा और बढ़ नहीं जाएगा? जबकि इतनी कारें सड़कों पर हैं, इनके सस्ते नमूने उपलब्ध होने पर और हर किसी की पहुँच में आने पर क्या पर्यावरण इससे प्रभावित नहीं होगा? जो परिवार अभी तक सार्वजनिक परिवाहन इस्तेमाल करता था, वो भी कार में चलेगा तो इससे सड़कों पर मुसीबतें बढ़ने की पूरी संभावना है।

एक और बात है जो थोड़ी हास्यास्पद है परंतु यहाँ इसकी चर्चा करना अनुचित नहीं होगा। रतन जी ने वादा किया था कि वो 'लखटकिया' कार लाएँगे। पर नैनो के दाम, भले की काफ़ी कम हों, सहायक उपकरणों के साथ एक लाख से काफ़ी ज़्यादा हैं। तकनीकी रूप से सोचें तो 'लखटकिया' कार अभी भी 'मुंगेरीलाल के हसीन सपने' की तरह ही है। परंतु कोई कुछ भी कहे, या कितने ही तथ्यों का डंका पीटे, उस दिन भारतीय सड़कों पर क्रांतिकारी परिवर्तन के लिए तैयार रहें जिस दिन नैनो की पहली खेप ग्राहकों को जारी की जाएगी।

टिप्पणियां आमंत्रित।

Yeh Duniya Agar Mil Bhi Jaye To Kya Hai? (ये दुनिया अगर मिल भी जाए तो क्या है?)

2009-03-24T01:22:00.002+05:30

This song inspired Anurag Kashyap to make his best masterpiece till date, 'Gulaal'. So, I thought to share it with all. The particulars of the song are:
Movie-Pyaasa(1957)
Music-Sachin Dev Burman
Lyrics-Saahir Ludhiyanavi
Singer-Mohammad Rafi

ये महलों, ये तख्तों, ये ताजों की दुनिया,
ये इन्साँ के दुश्मन समाजों की दुनिया,
ये दौलत के भूखे रिवाज़ों की दुनिया,
ये दुनिया अगर मिल भी जाए तो क्या है?

हर एक जिस्म घायल, हर एक रूह प्यासी,
निगाहों में उलझन, दिलों में उदासी,
ये दुनिया है या आलम-ए-बदहवासी,
ये दुनिया अगर मिल भी जाए तो क्या है?

यहाँ एक खिलौना है इन्साँ की हस्ती,
यहाँ बसती है मुर्दा-परस्तों की बस्ती,
यहाँ तो जीवन से है मौत सस्ती,
ये दुनिया अगर मिल भी जाए तो क्या है?

जवानी भटकती है बदकार बन कर,
जवाँ जिस्म सजते हैं बाज़ार बन कर,
यहाँ प्यार होता है व्यापार बन कर,
ये दुनिया अगर मिल भी जाए तो क्या है?

ये दुनिया जहाँ आदमी कुछ नहीं है,
वफ़ा कुछ नहीं, दोस्ती कुछ नहीं है,
यहाँ प्यार की कद्र ही कुछ नहीं है,
ये दुनिया अगर मिल भी जाए तो क्या है?

जला दो इसे फूँक डालो ये दुनिया,
मेरे सामने से हटा लो ये दुनिया,
तुम्हारी है तुम ही सम्भालो ये दुनिया,
ये दुनिया अगर मिल भी जाए तो क्या है?

23rd March, 1931

2009-03-23T11:02:00.005+05:30

Today is the 79th martyrdom day (शहीद दिवस) of the three legends of Indian Independence Movement. Sardar Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and Shivaram Rajguru were hanged to death by the British Empire on 23rd March, 1931. No surprises if many of us did not remember it, as we are used to the freedom for which they laid their lives without even bothering about their personal interests, family etc. Anyways I thought of writing something in honor of these martyrs but was stuck with this song from 'Gulaal' movie. What is better homage to them, than to dedicate a song which might be in future become an anthem for another revolution in India. The awesome music and lyrics is given by Piyush Mishra.

आरंभ है प्रचंड, बोले मस्तकों के झुंड,
आज जंग की घड़ी की तुम गुहार दो,
आन बान शान या कि जान का हो दान आज,
एक धनुष के बाण पे उतार दो,
आरंभ है प्रचंड...

मन करे सो प्राण दे, जो मन करे सो प्राण ले,
वही तो एक सर्वशक्तिमान है,
विश्व की पुकार है ये भागवत का सार है कि,
युद्ध ही तो वीर का प्रमाण है,
कौरवों की भीड़ हो या पाँडवों का नीड़ हो,
जो लड़ सका है वो ही तो महान है,
जीत की हवस नहीं, किसी पे कोई वश नहीं,
क्या ज़िन्दगी है ठोकरों पे मार दो,
मौत अंत है नहीं तो मौत से भी क्यों डरें,
ये जा के आसमान में दहाड़ दो,
आरंभ है प्रचंड...

हो दया का भाव या कि शौर्य का चुनाव या कि,
हार का हो घाव तुम ये सोच लो,
या कि पूरे भाल पर जला रहे विजय का लाल,
लाल ये गुलाल तुम ये सोच लो,
रंग केसरी हो या मृदंग केसरी हो,
या कि केसरी हो काल तुम ये सोच लो,
जिस कवि की कल्पना में ज़िन्दगी हो प्रेम गीत,
उस कवि को आज तुम नकार दो,
भीगती मसों में आज फूलती रगों में आज,
आग की लपट का तुम बखार दो,
आरंभ है प्रचंड...

Shankhnaad (शंखनाद)

2009-03-03T14:02:00.006+05:30

This poem is written keeping in mind the General Elections in India which are going to be held in April-May 2009.

आज फ़िर वो घडी़ है आई,
युद्ध स्थल ने हुँकार लगाई;
चलो साथियों करो तैयारी,
क्योंकि अब है तुम्हारी बारी।

पाँच साल का शासन काला,
दुकानों पर लग गया ताला;
चारों ओर है मची तबाही,
बिना रीढ़ की सरकार थी आई।

टूटी सड़कें बिजली न पानी,
ऐसे ही जीते आए हम जानी;
भ्रष्टाचार से जूझती जनता,
पर करें क्या किसको चिंता?

आतंकवाद ने कहर बरसाया,
मासूमों का खून बहाया;
महंगाई बस में न समाई,
रोटी-दाल को तरसे भाई।

कुशासन का गुज़रा दौर,
आज हुई है नई भोर;
अब वो समय फ़िर है आया,
बाज़ी तुम्हारे हाथ में भाया।

जातिवाद का न हो आधार,
मतदान पर करो विचार;
बुद्धि-विवेक से तोलो तथ्य,
चुनो उसे जो बोले सत्य।

जागो रे !!!!!

-प्रत्यूष गर्ग Pratyush Garg
०३-०३-०९ 03-03-09

Rekhayein (रेखाएँ)

2009-02-27T13:24:00.003+05:30

मेरे हाथ की रेखाएँ
कुछ धुँधली कुछ उजली,
और उनके बीच छिपी
मेरे जीवन की पहेली ।

कहते हैं कि सबकी,
किस्मत की कुँजी इन
रेखाओं में ही कहीं,
दबी सी है रहती ।

मुद्दतों से सभी इनके
मायाजाल में हैं बंदी,
आज तलक कोई भी ना
सुलझा पाया ये गुत्थी ।

बचपन से यौवन तक
की मेरी ये कहानी,
जिसकी पटकथा है लिखी
इन रेखाओं की जुबानी ।

मेरे हाथ की रेखाएँ
कुछ उजली कुछ धुँधली,
और उनके बीच छिपी
मेरे जीवन की पहेली ।

-प्रत्यूष गर्ग Pratyush Garg
२७-०२-०९ 27-02-09

Shoonya (शून्य)

2009-02-26T14:13:00.002+05:30

शून्य क्या है?

अनंत ब्रह्मांड की गहराई
में ताकता मैं और उसके,
खालीपन का एहसास कराता
एक अजीब सा सन्नाटा जिसमें,
ना चाहते हुए भी मुझे,
समंदर में गोता लगाने के
समान आभास होता है ।

मैं बेचैन हो इधर-उधर उसकी,
तपिश से बचने की कोशिश
में अपने आप को समेटे,
भागने की तैयारी में लगा,
यही सोचते हुए कि किसी
तरह मैं उस से बच
निकलने में कामयाब हो जाऊँ ।

पर क्या कोई कभी अपने
आप से भी भाग सका है?
मेरे अस्तित्व का भूस्खलन इस
बात का जीता प्रमाण है,
अभी भी वही अनसुलझा हुआ,
आदि से लेकर अंत तक
बस यही एक प्रश्न;

शून्य क्या है?

-प्रत्यूष गर्ग Pratyush Garg
२६-०२-०९ 26-02-09

The "Kaala Bandar" In Me

2009-02-24T11:41:00.001+05:30

Yesterday, I got the privilege to watch Delhi-6. In whole of the movie, I was wondering what exactly this "Kaala Bandar" plot is up to. It is only after the movie ended that I realized that believe it or not, there is a "Kaala Bandar" inside every one of us out here.

It is not that people don't know that a "Kaala Bandar" resides inside them. It is just they don't wan to accept this fact. From my previous experiences with different sections of society, with people of different intellectual levels, different age groups etc, I came to know there was only one thing common among all these, that here people follow a 'Zero Tolerance Policy' against changing themselves. In other words, they have that "Kaala Bandar" inside them, but are not ready to eliminate it. Perhaps they don't have the guts to tackle it, or you can say their will power is so weak that even after recognizing and realizing the stature of "Kaala Bandar" they are not capable of removing it.

Talking about the "Kaala Bandar" inside me, it is practically huge. And it grows further when I treat some fellow citizens with hatred just because we are not of same religion or caste, when I commit something which I ought not to do, when I avoid any of my duties as a student, as a responsible citizen, or a son. I try not to ponder over this but sometimes it is so frustrating that I feel I am a criminal. It seems as if it is eating me up from inside. I feel as if I am hiding something under veils. I feel as if I am not true to myself. It is tough to get rid of it. In fact, it is tough for all of us to get rid of it.

The best we can do from now on in this situation is at least we can prevent its further growth. We can try not to fuel it with our deeds. In this way, the "Kaala Bandar" inside us will be dormant and ineffective. Who knows one day it might be vanished for ever.

The "Slumdog" Reality

2009-02-23T19:49:00.003+05:30

Finally, it happened. The day for which we were all waiting for so long. "Slumdog Millionaire" bags eight Academy (Oscar) awards out of the nine categories it was nominated in (In one category, two nominations were there making it a total of ten nominations). So, where is the big deal? The Oscars are given every year. But for India, it was a big deal. Out of the eight awards, three were bagged by Indian people. The Music Maestro AR Rahman got two (Original Song and Original Socre) and Resul Pookutty bagged the other one (Sound Mixing). And it is further a big deal because until now only two other Indians are able to win an Oscar each in the entire history.

But my point today is not related to Oscars at all. The relation is just that today, the awards are given, so I came up with an idea to write this post. Recently, and by that I mean, soon after its release world wide and gaining recognition in various Film festivals, many accusations were observed throughout the country by different people, celebrities and journalists. The whole point of their accusation was related to the portrayal of Indian society and culture, the condition of the people residing here, and all the illicit activities that take place at every corner of the suburban streets as well as in posh cities.

The likes of Amitabh Bachchan were seen quoting that they are "ashamed" of what has been shown, and it sends a very wrong signal to the world, about India as a whole. Another gentleman from the film critics' family, Mr. Rensil D' Souza of rediff.com exclaimed and disregarded the film as a regular flick and advised people to avoid it because it "misleads" the public. Mr. Tapeshwar Vishwakarma, a representative of a slum-dwellers' welfare group, filed a defamation lawsuit against the film producers, alleging that slum-dwellers were depicted in a bad light which would be a violation of their human rights. These are some of the objections of which I know. There are more.

Now to these people, I would like to suggest something. Those who think that it was misleading should take a day off and take a visit to the largest slum of Asia, the Dharavi. And there they will find the exact "picture". And believe me, it is lot worse than it is shown in the movie.

Those who think that India is a secular country with people of all religions has the liberty to live a free and fearless life should visit the minority colonies of Ahemdabad which were burnt down in the 2002 riots.

Those who think that street children and beggars are a mess and are a waste for the society read this link: http://fuehrer-pratyush.blogspot.com/2008/10/boot-polish.html.

And lastly, those who have not read the book "Q and A" by the Indian diplomat Mr. Vikas Swarup and on which Slumdog Millionaire is based, I would suggest you to please read it and then you'll find harsher realities about the "slums" and the "slumdogs". You will find out some incidents like a father raping his own daughter or a priest molesting young boys or a young boy dying of rabies without proper medical attention or a family forcing their most beautiful daughter into prostitution as a part of community ritual. All of these incidences were "thankfully" not shown in the film otherwise they would have banned it from screening in India.

The point for me to prove is that the reality is to come out in any way, and if it chooses to come out in this way, we are all for it. Stop accusing of what the film maker showed and what he did not show, or what he should show. Start working in a direction which helps eliminate all these things from our society so that when next time a foreigner decides to make a film on India, he is automatically forced to show what you want.

Comments are invited.

Tanha (तन्हा)

2009-02-12T12:13:00.003+05:30

जीवन के शिखर पर,
जब कोई पहुँच जाए;
तब भी कोई कमी,
कुछ खालीपन उसे सताए।

उसकी आँखों में सूखे,
कुछ उम्मीदों के सागर;
उसकी सांसों में तपते,
कुछ ख्वाहिशों के समंदर।

अपनी तमन्नाओं को मार,
लहू से जिनको सींचा;
उन्होंने ही किया वार,
मौत की तरफ़ खींचा।

अब वो अकेला तन्हा,
खड़ा है चौराहे पर;
सोचता है किधर जाए,
कोई ना उसका यहाँ पर।

-प्रत्यूष गर्ग Pratyush Garg
१२-०२-०९ 12-02-09

My Life post GV

2009-02-09T11:18:00.002+05:30

I quit Green Volunteers (GV) club about ten days ago. It was a very tough decision to make, because it was the only recognizable thing in which I was involved inside college campus. But now, its all over. Better not to discuss the causes which led me to take this painful decision. Discussing them will be the utter wastage of time. But it should be mentioned here that the after effects of that decision are really very harsh on me.

The main purpose of me, joining GV was to prevent young lads to involve themselves in the vicinity of tobacco in any form. I was also concerned about the illicit consumption of cigarettes in our hostel. So, I thought that if there is such organization which is keen to eradicate these malpractices, then I should better be the part of it so that my personal movement against it can get a big banner and a big name. And then my efforts will get an enormous boost and will be more effective. Believe me, our combined efforts brought drastic changes in the hostel environment. I was really glad to witness that.

But now, as I am not a part of GV, I try really hard not to care about whatever illegal and wrong happen in the campus. My mind tells me that it is none of my business, but my heart still forces me to step up, go there and tell them not to do that. It is a very bad feeling. Living with this feeling is really tough. But I am determined not to alter my decision. God knows what is there for me in future.

Dhokha (धोखा)

2009-02-02T10:33:00.004+05:30

पहली बार मेरे इतिहास में,
कुछ अच्छा हो रहा था ।
मैं सबसे ज़्यादा खुश था,
सब सच्चा हो रहा था ।

मैंने जी जान से कोशिश की,
कि कुछ गलत ना हो ।
मैं कुछ ऐसा ना करूँ,
जिससे किसी को दर्द हो ।

पर होनी कब टली है,
वही हुआ जिसका डर था ।
अंत में मैंने ये जाना,
मेरे साथ धोखा हुआ था ।

जो भी वो सब था,
क्षणिक था, क्षणभंगुर था ।
जब तक मुझे पता चलता,
सब समाप्त हो चला था ।

-प्रत्यूष गर्ग Pratyush Garg
०२-०२-२००९ 02-02-2009

Why Gandhi Was Assassinated?

2009-01-30T17:34:00.003+05:30

Sixty One years ago, on Jan. 30, 1948, Mohandas Gandhi was shot dead by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu extremist. Godse believed that the Mahatma, or the great soul, was responsible for the 1947 partition of India and the creation of Pakistan. Godse and his friend Narayan Apte were hanged. His brother Gopal Godse and two others were sentenced to life imprisonment for their part in the conspiracy. Gopal Godse remained in jail for 18 years and after that lived in a small apartment in Pune until his death on November 26th, 2005. In the February 14th, 2000 edition of the TIME magazine, an interview with Gopal Godse was published. During my research over why Gandhi was assassinated, I found that interview. Here is the excerpt from that interview which I think you will find really interesting and shocking simultaneously.

TIME: What happened in January 1948?
Godse: On Jan. 20, Madanlal Pahwa exploded a bomb at Gandhi's prayer meeting in Delhi. It was 50 meters away from Gandhi. The other conspirators ran away from the place. Madanlal was caught there. Then there was a tension in our minds that we had to finish the task before the police caught us. Then Nathuram took it on himself to do the thing. We only wanted destiny to help us i.e. we should not be get caught on the spot before he acted.

TIME: Why did you want to kill Gandhi?
Godse: Gandhi was a hypocrite. Even after the massacre of the Hindus by the Muslims, he was happy. The more the massacres of the Hindus, the taller his flag of secularism.

TIME: Can you explain how he created his mass following?
Godse: The credit goes to him for maneuvering the media. He captured the press. That was essential. How Gandhi walked, when he smiled, how he waved... All these minor details that the people did not require were imposed upon them to create an atmosphere around Gandhi. And the more ignorant the masses, the more popular was Gandhi. So they always tried to keep the masses ignorant.

TIME: But surely it takes more than good publicity to create a Gandhi?
Godse: There is another thing. Generally in the Indian masses, people are attracted toward saintism. Gandhi was shrewd to use his saintdom for politics. After his death the government used him. The government knew that he was an enemy of Hindus, but they wanted to show that he was a staunch Hindu. So the first act they did was to put "Hey Ram" into Gandhi's dead mouth.

TIME: You mean that he did not say "Hey Ram" as he died?
Godse: No, he did not say it. You see, it was an automatic pistol. It had a magazine for nine bullets but there were actually seven at that time. And once you pull the trigger, within a second, all the seven bullets had passed. When these bullets pass through crucial points like the heart, consciousness is finished. You have no strength. When Nathuram saw Gandhi was coming, he took out the pistol and folded his hands with the pistol inside it. There was one girl very close to Gandhi. He feared that he would hurt the girl. So he went forward and with his left hand pushed her aside and shot. It happened within one second. You see, there was a film and some Kingsley fellow (Ben Kingsley) had acted as Gandhi. Someone asked me whether Gandhi said "Hey Ram"? I said Kingsley did say it. But Gandhi did not. Because that was not a drama.

TIME: Many people think Gandhi deserved to be nominated TIME's Person of the Century. (He was one of two runners-up, after Albert Einstein).
Godse: I name him the most cruel person for Hindus in India. The most cruel person! That is how I term him.

TIME: Is that why Gandhi had to die?
Godse: Yes. For months he was advising Hindus that they must never be angry with the Muslims. What sort of ahimsa (non-violence) is this? His principle of peace was bogus. In any free country, a person like him would be shot dead officially because he was encouraging the Muslims to kill Hindus.

TIME: But his philosophy was of turning the other cheek. He felt one person had to stop the cycle of violence.
Godse: The world does not work that way.

TIME: Is there anything that you admire about Gandhi?
Godse: Firstly, the mass awakening that Gandhi did. In our school days Gandhi was our idol. Secondly, he removed the fear of prison. He said it is different to go into prison for a theft and different to go in for Satyagraha (Civil Disobedience). As youngsters, we had our enthusiasm, but we needed some channel. We took Gandhi to be our channel. We don't repent for that.

TIME: Did you not admire his principles of non-violence?
Godse: Non-violence is not a principle at all. He did not follow it. In politics you cannot follow non-violence. You cannot follow honesty. Every moment, you have to give a lie. Every moment you have to take a bullet in hand and kill someone. Why was he proved to be a hypocrite? Because he was in politics with his so-called principles. Is his non-violence followed anywhere? Not in the least. Nowhere.

TIME: What was the most difficult thing about killing Gandhi?
Godse: The greatest hurdle before us was not that of giving up our lives or going to the gallows. It was that we would be condemned both by the government and by the public. Because the public had been kept in the dark about what harm Gandhi had done to the nation. How he had fooled them!

TIME: Did the people condemn you?
Godse: Yes. People in general did. Because they had been kept ignorant.

Nothing really is left now to write or say. Gopal Godse said everything. Anyways if anyone of you have a different opinion or any comment over this, you are invited to do so.

Bharat Ratna - Really?

2009-01-28T22:54:00.003+05:30

Hey all ! Awfully long time since I wrote something new. And it would have been extended if I had not paid attention to something, I think, is really important.

Lately, there was much buzz about the Padma Awards as it was announced by the Home Ministry of India that dignitaries from various fields will receive these awards. Many reactions were observed and written all over the country by the journalists. So, falling to the natural quest I just googled about the highest Civilian Award of India i.e. the Bharat Ratna. It was first given in 1954. The reason to why I pondered about Bharat Ratna was that they are the awards which are given in the rare cases. For example, it was not given to anyone during the years 2001-2007. Anyways, I downloaded the list and found that only 41 persons until now have received this honor.

When I further studied the list, I found a very interesting pattern, which ran parallel to the pattern of the political parties which came to power in the Centre. As previously mentioned, every year this award is announced by the Home Ministry of India which is an integral part of the Central Government. So, it is but obvious that this factor influences the selection of the person to receive this award. But it will influence the selection procedure to this extent, I had never expected. Here I should mention that I am not questioning whether they deserved it or not (I am not really the judge), I just want to highlight the pattern.

The first interesting incident to mention is that in 1955, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru received the Bharat Ratna. No wonder, he did enormously during the freedom struggle and was a front runner in every campaign. But the thing is that when he was awarded the prestigious award, he was the sitting Prime Minister. Is it not ridiculous? It’s just like writing the exam and checking it yourself afterward.

The same was in the case of Mrs. Indira Gandhi who received it in 1971, during her tenure as the Prime Minister. Funny.

Now, as the demolition of Indian National Congress had started after Rajiv Gandhi's tenure in 1989, a hung assembly resulted in the formation of a Coalition Government in 1990, which eventually led to a minority Prime Minister, Mr. V P Singh. And as expected, the Messiah of Minority Communities in India, Dr. B R Ambedkar received the Bharat Ratna in 1990.

And as Congress returned to power in 1991 after the fall of the Coalition Government led by Mr. Chandra Shekhar and swept the elections due to the sympathy wave which blew across the country due to the assassination of Mr. Rajiv Gandhi, he had to be given his due. The then Prime Minister was Mr. P V Narshimha Rao and this year the Bharat Ratna was awarded posthumous to Mr. Rajiv Gandhi. The other recipient of this award in this year was Mr. Morarji Desai who was also a notable Congressman for years.

In 1992, in order to appease the industrialist brothers, the award was given to Mr. J R D Tata. The other person who received the award posthumous was Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, another notable Congressman.

And the final "trend". As soon as Bhartiya Janata Party returned to power in 1998 after the 13-day glitch in 1996. Jayaprakash Narayan, the patron of the Janata Party of 1970's which formed the first Non-Congress Government in India, and whose subsidiary is the present-day BJP, posthumous received the award for the year 1998. As if it was the due on BJP to give the award to him.

The whole purpose of writing this post and to do so much research was that I really wanted to share with you, the alleged anomalies which exist in the process of selecting persons for these awards. It is just a small example of what exactly happens in India before and during issuing the lists for these Civilian Awards. So, you can judge yourself whether or not some people who could not make to these lists, are not at all less talented than their counterparts who figure in the lists.

Comments Invited.

Review - Samvedna (By Atal Bihari Vajpayee & Jagjit Singh)

2008-12-09T10:41:00.009+05:30

If I admire any one in Indian Politics, then that person is Shri. Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji. He is the true Bheeshma Pitahmah of Indian Politics. And it is not just his political skills but the poetic skills as well which mesmerize me. And just imagine if you get to hear these poems in the divine voice of the Ghazal King Jagjit Singh, then it makes a perfect combination. This album "सम्वेदना" is the true example of two maestros of their fields blending together and producing a master piece. Although this album was released in 2002 but I got to hear it just now.

The speciality of the album and which makes it outstanding is the narration by Vajpayee ji. He narrates the incidents and reasons behind the creation of each poem. The period during the Emergency which was imposed on us in 1975 and later inspired quite a few poems and the former Prime Minister elucidates the reasons well before quoting a few introductory lines. The lines are simple and easy to understand. There is a sensitivity to each song and most of them are are thought provoking. And Jagjit Singh has tuned them melodiously bearing in mind the mood of each poem. Since most of them are stirred by real life incidents there is an element of melancholy and poignancy about them and Jagjit Singh's strains bring this alive. He, as usual, mesmerizes with his voice.

The first poem is "क्या खोया क्या पाया". The song contains a preface for the album by the legend himself Mr. Amitabh Bachchan. The poem has a philosophical angle which highlights what one loses and gains in his life. And at the last when the death arrives, one opens the doors for it to come himself. क्या खोया क्या पाया जग मे, मिलते और बिछडते मग मे, मुझे किसी से नही शिकायत, यद्यपि छला गया पग पग ।

The second poem is "एक बरस बीत गया". This poem was written after an year of Emergency, when all leaders including Atal ji were jailed and all rights and independence of the people was curbed by the Indira Government. The poem describes the hardships and life led by the people at that tough time. झुलसाता जेठ मास, शरद चान्दनी उदास, सिसकी भरते सावन का अन्तर्घट रीत गया, एक बरस बीत गया ।

The next one is "चौराहे पर". This one is my favourite. The prelude is too loaded with meaning. जो कल थे वे आज नही है, जो आज है वो कल नही होगे, होने ना होने का क्रम इसी तरह चलता रहेगा, हम है, हम रहेगे, ये भ्रम भी सदा पलता रहेगा, सत्य क्या है? होना या ना होना, या दोनो ही सत्य है, जो है उसका होना सत्य है, जो नही है उसका ना होना सत्य है, मुझे लगता है कि होना ना होना एक ही सत्य के दो आयाम है, शेष सब समझ का फ़ेर, बुद्धि के व्यायाम है ।

The next poem is "जीवन बीत चला". This poem was written by him on one of his birthday. He confesses that due to lack of time, he didnot write much, but when his birthday comes, he do write on his past experiences. The opening lines of "Jeevan Beet Chala" reflects the years gone by. जीवन की ढलने लगी सान्झ, उम्र घट गयी, डगर कट गयी, जीवन की ढलने लगी सान्झ, बदले है अर्थ, शब्द हुए व्यर्थ, शान्ति बिना खुशिया है बान्झ, जीवन की ढलने लगी सान्झ ।

"दूर कही कोई रोता है" was inspired by the crying sounds of people heard by Vajpayee ji when he was admitted to AIIMS, New Delhi. This happened during Emergency when he fell ill in the Bangalore jail. In the opening lines he narrates that every morning, he woke up by the crying sounds of the relatives of the patients who died at the night. That was the time when thier dead bodies were handed over by the hospital authorities to their beloved ones. This scenario tore his heart apart and he expressed his pain by writing this poem.

After Emergency, all the parties except Congress united together to form Janta Party under the leadership of Jayprakash Narayan to contest the election and vowed to work together at Raj Ghat, a memorial to Mahatma Gandhi, which marks the place of his cremation. But later, Janta Party broke up and the leaders couldnot keep their vows. This last poem "कदम मिला कर चलना होगा" brings out his sorrow at the breaking of the promise. क्षमा करो बापू तुम हमको, वचन भन्ग के हम अपराधी, राज घाट को किया अपावन, मन्ज़िल भूले, यात्रा आधी, जयप्रकाश जी रखो भरोसा, टूटे सपनो को जोडगे, चिता भस्म की चिन्गारी से, अन्धकार के गढ तोडगे ।

The album has to be heard in leisure, for each song to be enjoyed slowly. Every song has a deep meaning and overall it is a masterpiece. In the words of Vaibhav Sir... 5 on 5.

6th December, 1992: The Day India Changed

2008-12-06T16:38:00.012+05:30

Sixteen Years have passed since the Ayodhya incident but for those who know about it or witnessed it, it seems as if it was yesterday. What happened that day, was never happened before in the history of India. The Hindu-Muslim relations in India have never recovered since then and are always under threat.

The incident was not anonymous, nor it was accomplished under some instantaneous rage. Rather, it was all previously planned strategy of some religious leaders and political parties. The communal tension was at its peak and the controversial site where Babri Masjid stood was barricaded and security was tightened to avoid any mishap. Under the influence of Hindu Dharm Gurus and certain political groups, around 1.5 lac people were gathered in Ayodhya for the inauguration ceremony of the site and to lay the first bricks for the Ram Mandir at the Ram Janma Bhoomi. The day before the D-day, there was a mass rally organised by Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Shiv Sena under the leadership of Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Mr. Lal Krishna Advani. Many speakers gave infuriating speeches about the alledged existence of the Ram Mandir at the place where Babri Masjid stood, and also that at the time of Mughal rule, the mandir was demolished by Babur and converted to the masjid. This further gave fuel to the fire already ignited in the hearts of ignorant public.

Despite the Supreme Court order, that Babri Masjid should not be harmed in any way during the process of the ceremony, angry mob stormed into the masjid premises and demolished it alledgedly by pelting stones, sticks and trishuls they were having. Within no time, the masjid was rampaged to dust. The police and the security personnels felt helpless at the hands of the mob as the slogans of "Jai Shree Ram" rocked the atmosphere.

The aftermath of this incident resulted in the worst communal riots occured in India since the time of Independence in 1947. The country was under chaos and over 2000 innocent people were butchered in various cities. Curfew was imposed in the sensitive areas and all schools and colleges were closed. Daily life of the people was affected to a greater extent. The Muslim community was shocked by the incident and this feeling of anger and dissatisfaction led some youth of the community to go against the law. The biggest and the most devastating example of
this was serial bomb blasts that took place in Mumbai (then, Bombay) on March 12th, 1993 which shook the whole world, and was considered as one of the most organised terror attacks till then. The blasts claimed more than 250 lives and injuring hundreds others.

The Pakistan supported Terrorism which is the biggest problem faced by Indians today, is the result of that day. Pakistani intelligence Agency ISI and also their government under cover have exploited the anger and dissatisfaction amongst Muslims in India and used it against Indians itself. They fund these igonorant Indians and infuriate them against their own country and cause havoc. The country which was once known for its peace and brotherhood, and also for the Unity in Diversity, is now facing such difficulties in controlling and avoiding these terrorist activities because of some insiders who do not want the people here to live a peaceful and happy life. The seed of hatred and terror, which was sowed then and irrigated by the blood of innocent citizens has acquired a dangerously big tree, filled with fruits in the form of terrorist activities, explosions, deaths, killings, massacres...

GOD SAVE INDIA !!

Aasteen Ke Saanp (आस्तीन के साँप)

2008-11-30T01:34:00.009+05:30

Dedicated to all the martyrs of Mumbai Massacre. May their souls rest in peace.

उस रोज़ सुबह जब मैं जागा,
और अखबार में जो उलझा,
मैनें पाया फ़िर मायानगरी की हवा,
सर्द मौत के झोकों से तर हो,
सुर्ख लाल रंग में सनी,
सभी ओर फ़ैली है |

मैं चौंका, मैं झिझका,
सकते मे मैं फ़िर आया,
लगा सोचने आखिर क्यों,
फ़िर से ये तूफ़ान है आया,
मौत के सौदागरों का रुख,
इस ओर फ़िर हो आया ।

चीखों-चिल्लाहटों का दौर ये,
जो थमने का नाम न ले,
अपनों को खोने का ग़म,
जो फ़ूट-फ़ूट कर बाहर निकले,
ऐसा हमने क्या गुनाह किया,
जो फ़िर से ये दिन दिखलाया ।

इस मन्ज़रे-तबाही के ज़िम्मेदार,
चन्द आस्तीन के साँप हैं,
एहसान फ़रामोशी की ज़िन्दा मिसाल,
इनके कदम ही नापाक हैं,
ज़ख्मो को हरा करने फ़िर से,
यहाँ आने वाले गुस्ताख़ हैं ।

शेरदिल जवान अपने फ़िर से,
आखिरकार जीत ही गये,
उन साँपो को दोज़ख की राह,
बड़ी शान से दिखा गये,
पर कुछ अपने लोग भी,
इस आग में जा शहीद हुए ।

सवाल सिर्फ़ इतना है कि कुछ,
हासिल करने का ये कैसा तरीका है?
बेगुनाहों के खून से हाथ सान अपने,
जन्नते-हूर नसीब करने का क्या सपना है?

- प्रत्यूष गर्ग Pratyush Garg
३०-११-२००८ 30-11-2008

Koi Deewana Kehta Hai (कोई दीवाना कहता है)

2008-11-28T17:51:00.006+05:30

This poem is written by renowned Hindi poet of our time Dr. Kumar Vishwas. I really liked it, so I decided to share with all of you. So, here it is.

कोई दीवाना कहता है,
कोई पागल समझता है ।
मगर धरती की बेचैनी को,
बस "बादल" समझता है ।
मै तुझसे दूर कैसा हू,
तू मुझसे दूर कैसी है ?
ये तेरा दिल समझता है,
ये मेरा दिल समझता है ।

मोहब्बत एक एहसासो की,
पावन सी कहानी है ।
कभी कबीरा दीवाना था,
कभी मीरा दीवानी है ।
यहा सब लोग कहते है,
मेरी आँखों मे आँसू है ।
जो तू समझे तो मोती है,
जो ना समझे तो पानी है ।

समन्दर पीर का अन्दर है लेकिन,
रो नही सकता ।
ये आँसू प्यार का मोती है,
मै इसको खो नही सकता ।
मेरी चाहत को तू अपना बना लेना,
मगर सुन ले ।
जो मेरा हो नही पाया,
वो तेरा हो नही सकता ।

भ्रमर कोई कुमुदिनी पर,
मचल बैठा तो हन्गामा ।
हमारे दिल मे कोई ख्वाब,
पल बैठा तो हन्गामा ।
अभी तक डूब के सुनते थे,
सब किस्सा मोहब्ब्त का ।
मै किस्से को हकीकत मे,
बदल बैठा तो हन्गामा ।

कोई दीवाना कहता है,
कोई पागल समझता है ।
मगर धरती की बेचैनी को,
बस "बादल" समझता है ।

- डा० कुमार विश्वास

10 Things To Do Before I Die

2008-11-22T14:14:00.006+05:30

Today I watched Dasvidaniya movie and it made me realize that I have never given a deep and precise thought of doing things that are really important in my life. Then I discovered my extreme desires which I always have wished to fulfill. Here are the ten things which I have to do before I leave this world.

1. Buy a new big car.

2. Own a place which I can call home.

3. Find the love of my life and marry her.

4. Have a baby named Pratyaksh (प्रत्यक्ष) (if boy) or Pratiggya (प्रतिज्ञा) (if girl).

5. Attend the Live-in concert of Jagjit Singh.

6. Visit New York, Paris, and London.

7. Run an Indian restaurant with all the delicacies.

8. Contest any election from my Constituency (Bareilly).

9. Write and publish a book.

10. Hear "Son, I am proud of you !" from Papa.

Review - Monsoon Wedding

2008-11-13T09:42:00.004+05:30

Ahh!! A new post after a hell lot of time. I just didnot catch the mood every time I started writing about something. Anyways...

Monsoon Wedding was a much talked about movie but I was not able to watch it at its release in 2001. And when atlast I got the chance of watching it, I just couldnot resist. Mira Nair at her very best. I wonder how well she grasps the characters of the story and mould all the actors to perform them to perfection. Very few directors have this talent if we talk of Indian Cinema.

The movie potrays a typical arranged marriage in India. Troubled and stressed out father of the bride (Naseeruddin Shah), who just want everything to be perfect and trying to organize an enormous, chaotic and expensive wedding. Like all other brides' parents he is willing to spend more than his capabilities. The mother of the bride (Lillete Dubey) tries to blow off her stress by smoking in the toilet. The soon-to-be married bride (Vasundhara Das) who is not over with her affair with her ex-boss who is married, now feeling guilty and reluctant to marry a handsome young NRI (Prawin Dabas). The older cousin (Shefali Shah) of the bride, who is unmarried and tries to give an excuse of higher studies for the delay, but the actual reason is revealed later. The father's(Naseer) brother-in-law (Rajat Kapoor) and the family patriarch sexually abused her in her childhood but she didnot speak out until she witnesses his attempt to do the same with another young girl of the family. An event planner (Vijay Raaz) hired for the wedding, falls for the maid servant (Tillotama Shome) who is just too beautiful to be a maid (she understands English as well). And as is common in the weddings, young and beautiful relative (Neha Dubey) flirts with the Australia based cousin (Randeep Hooda) of the bride. The bride's brother (Ishaan Nair) struggles with his father's disapproval of his longing to be a chef, and the father is also doubtful of his son's sexuality (the boy is more of in trademark girlie activities like dancing, cooking). In all, every character is disturbed in some or the other way, providing the viewers a very comic situation to laugh about.

The tangling and untangling of the sub plots goes on until finally, every concerned person comes to know his part of the secrets and the wedding takes place with full pomp and color. Unlike Mira Nair's other movies, this one has a happy ending with two weddings completed (watch the movie to know about the other wedding) and the another two waiting in the pipeline.

Goddess turns 35

2008-11-01T12:38:00.004+05:30

The ever gorgeous, ever charming, former Miss World, and the most beautiful woman alive, Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan turns 35 today.

Born to a middle class family (as Aishwarya Rai) in Mangalore in 1973. She first rose to fame in 1994, when she was crowned Miss World, 94. It was a proud moment for every Indian. After her feat, she stepped into Indian Cinema. Soon, she was an established star in Bollywood. Many of her movies are considered to be evergreen classics and all-time hits. She lived each character to the fullest and made it look alive on the screen. Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Taal, Mohabbatein, Devdas, Chokher Bali (Bengali), Guru and Jodhaa Akbar are some of the gems in her kitty. Guess it was all; she acted in many Hollywood movies as well like Bride And Prejudice, Mistress Of Spices, Provoked and The Last Legion which were all acclaimed globally. Now she is popular and praised around the world and her wax statue in Madame Tussaud's Museum, London is a proof of that. She is linked with many charitable organisations and also spearheaded the eye donation campaign in India.

And as it happens to every celebrity in India, she was often framed in controversies. The rumours of her affair and later on a violent break-up with fellow actor Salman Khan, and also with Viveik Oberoi were frequently flashed in the media. Her on-screen kissing sequence with Hrithik Roshan was also much hyped. And if that was not all, the speculations over her marriage with Abhishek Bachchan after they got engaged were the daily dose for our prime time news channels for months.

But now, she is happily married to Abhishek and she is now the part of the biggest celeb family of India, the Bachchans. The frequency of her movies dropped low ever since she married in 2007, but currently she is working in some renowned projects. May the beauty of her blue-green eyes live for ever. She is undoubtedly the uncrowned Goddess Of Beauty.

History (Un)Revealed

2008-10-31T15:55:00.002+05:30

This story was told to me by one of my teahcers, Mr. Ajay Pratap Singh. I could not remember all the finer details but I can recall the gist of the story and which I think is worth telling.

Once there was a very learned man. He was a genius in every field. He had very keen interest in history and thus was always engrossed in it. The history of mankind was his favorite field but unfortunately that time the sources of history were dispersed and were not easily accessible. So our historian decided to compile the whole history of human race from the scratch. He studied and researched over every possible evidence and document he could find, and compiled them in order. He worked late nights and whole days for nearly thirty years. He published scores of volumes of his fine work, but as the time passed he realized that he has covered just a part of the whole lot. His zeal towards revealing and compiling history increased crest and folds with time.

One evening, he was preparing for his supper, when he heard unusual shouts and cries coming from across the street. In curiosity, he swiftly wrapped in his robes and rushed to see what exactly has happened. He saw there was a huge mob surrounding his second door neighbour's house. Now he was dying to know the exact situation.

Quickly, he reached near the mob and pulled out one onlooker and asked, "Bloke ! what has happened? Why all of you are gathered here? Why these sounds of shouting and crying coming from this house?". The young man gasped and answered, "There has been a murder committed by somebody. Your neighbour's son has been stabbed by someone. The murderer was seen running towards the woods". The historian heard and nodded. He further penetrated inside the crowd and again asked the same questions to another onlooker. The man replied, "There has been a murder. Your neighbour's son has been shot by a gang of dacoits. They looted your neighbour and escaped". The historian was taken by surprise. Just now, someone was telling that the boy was stabbed to death. Nevertheless, he moved further and asked the same questions to an elderly gentleman. He replied, "There was a scuffle between the father and son. In anger and fury, the father killed his son by drawing his sword right into the son's heart. And now the father is on the run". The historian was really pissed. But he thought of coming out with the exact truth. So he asked another person. That person too had a different story to tell. "The father and the son had a heated arguement over the illicit activities the son has been involved into. The father threatened his son to stop his activities or else he will complain to the police. The boy, after hearing his father silently returned to his room, where in disappointment and depression, he hanged himself to the roof. Now he is dead and the father has gone with the sheriff to record his statement".

And this was it !! The historian had lost it by now. He couldnot bear it any more. He returned to his house dejected and annoyed. He drank too much wine that night and thought in despair, "For thirty long years, I have been trying to compile the history of mankind, where as today I am not able to reach the correct conclusion to the murder which is committed couple of hours ago in my locality. How can I figure out what happened thousands of years ago was correct and authentic, when I am not able to figure out what is the truth about the incidence which took place couple of hours before from now !" So at last, finally he came to the conclusion for himself after much thinking. He piled up his work of last thirty years and put it on flames. He had never felt so relieved and satisfied before in his whole life.

Its My Birthday... Just Another Day

2008-10-27T00:01:00.007+05:30

Ahh... Am 21 today. What's the big deal? Umm... I am just another common human being on this planet whose existence doesnot matter much to anyone. Often people ask me why I don't celebrate my birthday? What should I reply? I am in a fix.

I try to ignore the question. Because the answer which is in my heart will not be palateable to them. Will the Sun rise from a different direction on that day? Will the wind change its course? Or will the Electricity Board will announce a "No Power Cut Day" in the city? Obvious answer, NO. So why hype so much? Its just another common day. Now, some will say that it should be special to me. Why? Will anything change in my life before and after the day? Will anything change around me before and after the day? All the due project submissions will remain as it is. Financial crisis in the family will remain the same. Relationship rifts involving me will be as wide as ever. So, what's so special about that?

I am sure by now many readers must be thinking I have lost it. "Is this bloke gone crazy?"; "What the heck is he talking about?"; blah blah... But my dear friends all these things apply to all of you as well. Whether or not you accept it. The difference is that I have realized it and some haven't. Now let me be more precise.

Consider my example. After 7671 days of existence I can barely remember few days on which I did something which is really considerable. The days when I lived to the fullest in order to do something which was significant for others. Everybody lives for one's own self. Just give it a thought and count the number of days you lived for others. Sounds crazy again? Why care for others? "Apni problems kam hain kya yaar? Baat karta hai !!" and yup... Its also true. But ever thought?... Even animals live for themselves. Then what's the difference between them and us humans? There is no end to this ordeal within oneself. Their conscience (if they have any) screams its heart out but people do what is best for them. Others go to hell. Who cares?

But I think the day I help someone, the day I bring back smile on someone's face, the day when I take away someone's pain and suffering, the day when somebody's lips chant a silent prayer for me, the day when I can proudly say that "Yeah !! Today I did something for someone for which that person will remember me for ever", that day my dear friends, I will celebrate my birthday. Beacuse that day will mark the moment which I want to cherish for the rest of my life. That day will be added in my list of considerable days. That day will make my life and existence worth it.

किसी की मुस्कुराहटो पे हो निसार,
किसी का दर्द मिल सके तो ले उधार,
किसी के वास्ते हो तेरे दिल मे प्यार,
जीना इसी का नाम है ।

Half Centenary Post

2008-10-26T08:38:00.003+05:30

This post is dedicated to Vaibhav Jain Sir.

And LOL !! Finally my blog has 50 posts. Its a great feeling. I never thought that the past time which I am taking up to kill spare time after I quit LAN Gaming will become a daily routine for me. Its been precisely three months and six days since I created my blog. Knowing practically nothing about it, Vaibhav sir helped me to know the basics of creating and maintaining the blog.

And there I was, on the doorstep of a new world. "The World Of Bloggers". For the first time, I saw my name in the search results of Google. Awesome feeling !! If felt great to be a part of the huge Internet. Within no time, the hobby became an obsession. The day I didnot write something, I felt as if a part of mine was incomplete.

A fresh and new Pratyush was born breaking the shackles of the old one. A new Pratyush... who can think, feel, observe, discuss and write. To observe something very closely and pen it down in your own style is a difficult job. I tried, failed. Again tried, failed until succeeded to draw the attention of atleast some people.

And changes began to happen. People started appreciating the work. Some suggested their view point. Some criticized mine. Some were impressed. And there I was, once desperately trying to find something meaningful in life, which I got in the form of my blog.

I can remember countless lectures of PU and MGO, trying to think and write on something, in which otherwise I would have fallen asleep as those lectures were damn boring. I know it sounds weird and unethical not to listen to the teacher in the lectures but the ground reality is that one cannot understand a word even if one try to. So, better do some constructive work.

Its been more than three months since its inception, but it feels as if it was yesterday. Every new post, article, poem, song, story, fact, personal experience rejuvenates my will to write more. I really consider myself successful if I make atleast one soul on this earth moved by my writing.

The time was not always good. A period came when I thought of quitting as I was getting no good response. And at that time one person stood by me and told me that whether or not anyone reads what I write, he will always be there to guide me, support me, appreciate me, criticize me, and will do anything what it takes to help me continue to pursue my passion. That person is Vaibhav Sir. Thank you sir for always be there with me.

And now I wish to take my passion to a greater and tougher level. Surely in the future, I will try to write and publish a book. The theme of the book will be related to my personal experiences. Lets see what is in store for me and my passion in future.

Taraazu (तराज़ू)

2008-10-20T17:39:00.006+05:30

मुहाने पर ज़िन्दगी के,
हाथों मे तराज़ू लिये,
सबका हिसाब करने को,
कोई इंतज़ार में है ।

इस पल से बेख़ौफ,
यहाँ लाखों की भीड़,
करोड़ो पाने की इस
जद्दोजहत में मशगूल हो,
सब कुछ भुला के,
कुछ भी करने को
बेकरार दिखती है ।
पर अपने कर्मों से
जो निशान पीछे छोड़े,
उसकी फ़िक्र ना है
किसी को ज़रा भी ।

कुछ हैं अभी भी,
जो नहीं भूले कि
जो किया है उसे,
तौलने वाला दूर कहीं है ।
शायद इसीलिये अभी भी
दुनिया मे कहीं कहीं,
इंसानियत के कुछ नमूने
नज़र आ जाते है ।

मुहाने पर ज़िन्दगी के,
हाथों मे तराज़ू लिये,
सबका हिसाब करने को,
कोई इंतज़ार में है ।

-प्रत्यूष गर्ग Pratyush Garg
२०-१०-२००८ 20-10-2008

The Circle

2008-10-18T11:28:00.002+05:30

In our childhood days there was a very famous question which I think almost everybody had faced. Does the egg came first or the chicken? And I am sure to answer that question will be difficult to some people even today. Anyways, I think now I know the answer. It can be answered in a philosophical way as "There is no corner in a circle". The meaning is clear.

The same analogy is true for life and death as well. Life and death are the ONLY two eternal truths in this whole Universe. No one can stop life and same is the case with death. You must be thinking why I am so philosophical today. Am I high or taken some booze? Well, sometimes in your life you tend to realize some reality which in a normal course you don't want to think over it. The "death" issue is the same. Normally, people wish to see the bright side of the life, and death is considered to be the dead end where everything finishes, stops and terminate. But if one observes closely, the former may not be true. Infact, death is a beginning of a new era for the individual. A new journey of the soul into the unexplored world, where one has not entered before. And I feel that the other side of the world is full of light and brighter than ever.

One should realize that the death is inevitable. If one has taken birth and has life, one day the course of death will also start. And at that point the living part in oneself will be eliminated. The circle will be completed by all means. If one accepts the fact and mould oneself accordingly then many every day problems and misfortunes can be avoided.

Let me give you one example, though it is fictional. When I was young I saw a movie "Jurassic Park". I am sure many of you would have seen it and may have liked it. It is shown that the scientists created the extinct species of Dinosaurs from their remains of their DNA. So as to monitor and control the birth(life) they created only the female members of the species and left them in their natural habitat. But against all their theories and assumptions, new life took place and bamboozled the scientists. "Life finds its own course and cannot be stopped and so does death". Or else how can those mighty creature died millions of years ago?

The gist of whole discussion is that one cannot fiddle with these issues. One should not think what going to happen in the future as it is not in one's hands. One should try to live life in a good way as it is a gift and don't worry about death as according to Albus Dumbledore (now please don't ask who is Albus Dumbledore) "Death is a next great adventure for a person with a well-organized mind".

Boot Polish

2008-10-13T11:45:00.006+05:30

It was yesterday when I was heading towards Noida in a train. It was an awkward feeling returning to the Karmabhoomi after being spending a weekfull of leisure time at home with the family, friends and amidst various festivals. Nevertheless, the tension of pending projects also creeped in. So, to lessen the guilt of not studying at all at home, I tried to read a research paper to pass time which we have to study for the OS term paper.

As the time passed and more and more passengers boarded, my compartment was jam packed when the train crossed Moradabad. It is a regular scene in the Indian trains where many vendors try to sell their stuff to the passengers. That day was no exception. The packaged drinking water man, tea and coffee man, chips and biscuits wallah, chaat wallah and many others roamed about the compartment from time to time.

Then came a little boy of around 6-7 years of age. Wearing a shirt torn from n number of places and was dirty as hell, the shorts which were just managing to cover his necessary parts. It seemed his face and hair had not touched water for months. He was carrying an old, outworn bag and was desperately searching for something on the floor as he moved on. He stopped infront of an elderly gentleman and then I came to know what exactly he was looking for. He asked the gentleman to let him polish his leather shoes. The man like a true businessman inquired what he will charge for that. The boy replied Rs 5 for a pair. The man told him that he didnot have change and so the boy moved on sadly only to return after half an hour and again asked him to let him polish the shoes. The boy told him that he had earned enough to return the change in case the man gives him a bigger note. Reluctantly, the man gave him his shoes and the boy, with his full heart and skill, polished them. After a lot of effort the shoes were polished and the boy handed them to the man and asked for his money. The man, looking at one of the shoes and pointed in an offensive and abusive language that it was not polished proplerly and demanded to repolish it in order to get the money for his labour. The boy with a sad and desperate look on his face took out his brushes again and was back to work. Finally after much hassle, the man paid him his due and the sad expression changed to the feeling of satisfaction.

Now the question is, all this labour, hard work and humiliation just for Rs. 5? Is it not unfair on the part of that little boy? In the age of attending school, and gaining knowledge he was forced to work and that too in such inhumane conditions. I was really startled to observe that. We all know these incidences happen on a regular basis in India but I realized it yesterday for real. I am not able to forget that sad and hungry look on the face of that little kid. Is this what we have achieved after 61 years of Independence? Only managed to offer lives of poverty, desolation, and humiliation to our next generation. I will not be surprised if that boy grow up and become a gangster and kill people for little money, or become a terrorist and plant bombs in the dustbins, or get killed in the tender age while falling from the train while attempting to remain stuck to the door. Can anybody give me the answer?

Comments invited.

Indian Idol 4... The Legacy Continues

2008-10-12T14:33:00.003+05:30

It has started again. This time with newer flavour and colour as two new judges are introduced. Anu Malek and Javed Akhtar who featured in the third season continue to rock the show and with the inclusion of Kailash Kher and Sonali Bendre Behl. They say that their quality and expectation bars are raised this time around and they will allow none but the best. And this was exhibited during the auditions when many good-looking voices were rejected and not given the chance to perform in the theatre round.

This time Indian Idol goes International. The auditions were also held in Great Britain and in Dubaim apart from several Indian cities. Thousands of young, enthusiastic and talented people participated in the auditions and exhibited their skills. And thats not all. The participants of final Gala round from Indian Idol 3 shared hands with the judges and chose the deserving voices from various small cities through mini auditions. Those selected were further invited to the main auditions in the nearby big city.

And their efforts clearly show that this time they are not leaving any stones unturned. They are trying to bring more and more genuine talent which resides in the Indian masses and is desperate to unwind their wings and fly in the glamorous sky of stardom and fame. Although I didnot have any objection on the judgement of Javed Saab and Anu (but Alisha Chinay in Seasin 3 was just for time pass showpiecing), this time true and sincere comments from Kailash and Sonali (she is here for personaltiy judgement) further scrutinize the voices.

They invited 157 out of thousands for the theatre round and after that 76 out of them were shortlisted for the next round(till date). The competition goes tougher and tougher as the show progresses and by the time it ends, many hearts will be broken, many eyes will be filled with tears and many hands will be pleading for one more chance. But the ultimate reality of this "Mother of all reality shows" is that it has given a chance to some people to see and live their dreams, those otherwise would never dare to even think of pursuing their dreams in the ugly world out there.

Bas Itna Sa Khwab Hai (बस इतना सा ख्वाब है)

2008-10-03T11:40:00.003+05:30

Singer: Abhijeet

जो भी चाहू वो मै पाऊ
ज़िन्दगी मे जीत जाऊ
चान्द तारे तोड लाऊ
सारी दुनिया पर मै छाऊ
बस इतना सा ख्वाब है
बस इतना सा ख्वाब है

यार तू भी सुन ज़रा
आरज़ू मेरी है क्या
मै क्या बन जाना चाहता हू
मै कहा खराब हू
मै तो लाजवाब हू
मै ये मनवाना चाहता हू
मान जा ऎ खुदा
इतनी सी है दुआ
मै बन जाऊ सबसे बडा

मेरे पीछे मेरे आगे
हाथ जोडे दुनिया भागे
बस इतना सा ख्वाब है
बस इतना सा ख्वाब है

शान से रहू सदा
मुझपे लोग हो फ़िदा
हसीनाये भी दिल हो खोती
दिल का ये कमल खिले
सोने का महल मिले
बरसने लगे हीरे मोती
मान जा ऎ खुदा
इतनी सी है दुआ
मै ज़्यादा नही मागता
मै ज़्यादा नही मागता

सारी दौलत सारी ताकत
सारी दुनिया पर हुकूमत
बस इतना सा ख्वाब है
बस इतना सा ख्वाब है

Welcome to the Stock Market

2008-09-30T19:20:00.008+05:30

Once upon a time in a village, a man appeared and announced that he would buy monkeys for Rs 10 each. The villagers went out to the forest and started catching monkeys. The man bought thousands at Rs 10 and as supply started to diminish, the villagers stopped their effort.
He further announced that he would now buy at Rs 20. This renewed the efforts of the villagers and they started catching monkeys again.
Soon the supply diminished even further and people started going back to their farms. The offer rate increased to Rs 25 and the supply of monkeys became so little that it was an effort to even see a monkey, let alone catch one.
The man now announced that he would buy monkeys at Rs 50. However, since he had to go to the city on some business, his assistant would now buy on behalf of him.
In the absence of the man, the assistant told the villagers, "Look at all these monkeys in the big cage (that the man had collected from the villagers itself). I will sell them to you at Rs 35 and when the man returns from the city, you can sell it to him for Rs 50."
The villagers squeezed up with all their savings and bought all the monkeys. Then they never saw the man nor his assistant, only many monkeys everywhere!
Welcome to the Stock Market.

This story is still incomplete.This happened in another village.

Replace the monkey with GOATS.
Though the Man and assistant never came back, the goat is a useful animal,though the villagers purchased it at higher rate, it gives milk and when goat becomes old it can sold for meat.

Moral of the story: When you get into stock market make sure you buy goats, not monkeys.

Celebrating 1st Anniversary Of India's T20 WC Win

2008-09-25T15:10:00.009+05:30

Its been an year when on 24th September, 2007, a bunch of young Indian lads created history by winning the first ever Twenty-Twenty (T20) Cricket World Cup (WC). And the icing on the cake, the team that lost was the arch rivals Pakistan. Matches between these two nations are something more than just matches. The pride and honour of both countries are at stake and loss means facing humiliation back home. And this was even bigger. First ever WC Final between these two teams.

The shameful exit of both teams from 50-50 WC left the fans and the followers in the state of shock and anger. Criticism flew all over and the national heroes became national villians in one night. Media was behind them and the team members were scared even of making a public appereance. So after few months, when T20 WC started, nobody took them seriously. India, in particular made heavy changes as all the senior players were left out from the final 15. The captaincy was on the shoulders of the new, young and dynamic wicket-keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

India had a bumpy ride initially in the tournament match against Scotland was washed off due to rain forcing them to divide the points. Then came Pakistan in the league match and it finished as an nail biting tie. Although, India was this time lucky scrapping the match in the bowl-out.

India lost the first match in Super 8 to New Zealand and was facing the danger of elimination. But then came Yuvraj Singh as the saviour and butchered England resulting in our emphatic win. His record 12-ball 50 and 6 sixes in a single over will never be forgotten by Indian fans as well as Stuart Broad. Hosts South Africa was also defeated convincingly because of exceptional bowling performance by Indian boys.

And now we were in the Semi-finals and the furious Australia was between India and the berth in the Finals. Yuvraj again showed his class and heart with a blistering 30-ball 70. Bowlers also did a good job. Australia succummed to the defeat and a page in the history books was ready to be written as India and Pakistan were in the Finals.

Then the D-day came and as expected the heat and crunchness reached its peak. India finished off with a low score on a good looking pitch and it seemed as if the dream of 1 billion Indians will be shattered. Pakistan had a shaky but blazing start. Wickets fell on regular intervals but runs also came in plenty. After all the drama, Misbah-ul-Haq miscued a paddle sweep looking shot and Sreesanth made no mistake at the short fine leg. And YESSSSS !!!! we were the first ever T20 WC Champions. It was party and champagne all night and days to come for Indians. After all, everyone was proved wrong. Hats off !! to our heroes.

TZP in race... An OSCAR in line?

2008-09-24T16:31:00.008+05:30

Taare Zameen Par (TZP) has been named as the official entry from India for the Academy Award (Oscars). The legacy of Aamir Khan continues as its the second time after Lagaan (2001), his film has been nominated to compete for the honour. Last time Lagaan lost to the competitor by a whisker. Some allegations of pre-fixing and that Asian movies are not given fair space and consideration were also heard.

This time, I think, there is a strong chance of TZP to win the award in Foreign Language Film category. A theme which is generally overlooked and considered off-beat, a superb script, exceptional screenplay, and the small wonder Darsheel Safari's acting are some plus points which can give the movie an edge over other competitors.

If somebody has observed the Indian education system and society build up carefully, one can easily tell that TZP is a very common experience within the masses. These days, the fad to leave others behind and be at the top is imposed on the kids right from early childhood. How can everyone be a topper? Secondly, Dyslexia is such type of disorder which is not easily diagnosed by any layman. The children suffering from Dyslexia require special counselling and care. Dyslexic children can also be the part of the mainstream society if taken care of delicately.

Regarding the movie TZP, I don't think there is anything to describe about. The perfectionist nature of the director cum actor Khan is visible from a mile. He had not left any stone unturned. Every aspect of the movie was taken care of and nothing was below perfect. An off-beat movie with grand commercial success is not India's cup of tea but TZP was an exception. Cities, big or small, multiplexes or the simple theatres, it was a big hit. A person with an average intellect can imagine himself in any of the characters of the movie (Ishaan's , mom's, dad's, teachers'). Such was a charisma of the movie as no one was left untouched by it. Personally, I cannot remember any movie other than TZP after Deepa Mehta's "Water" which brought tears to my eyes.

I will be pleased if this movie is acclaimed at the International level and wins the Oscar as it was acclaimed at the National level and swept almost every Filmfare award. Waiting for the results eagerly.

The Gift Of The Magi

2008-09-24T09:54:00.004+05:30

Today, I watched a music video " Aur Ahista Kijiye Baatein " featuring Pankaj Udhaas as the singer, and Sameera Reddy as the actor. I was delighted to observe that the stroy line was loosely based on short story " The gift of the Magi " by O. Henry, which we read as a part of our syllabus book in class 10th. It was, by far at that time, the most romantic story I had ever read.

A young couple who were very much in love with each other, but can barely afford their living due to their very bad economic condition. For Christmas, the girl decides to buy her husband a chain for his prized pocket watch given to him by his father. To raise the funds, she has her prized long hair cut off and sold to a wig maker. Meanwhile, the boy decides to sell his watch to buy his wife a beautiful set of combs for her lovely, knee-length hair. Although each is disappointed to find the gift they chose rendered useless, each is pleased with the gift they received, because it represents the other's love for them. O. Henry ends the story by clarifying the metaphor between the characters in the story and the Magi (Three Wise Men, said to have visited Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts).

In our hindi adaptation as a music video, Sameera plays the girl-next-door who is attaracted towards a boy in the locality. The boy is passionate towards the bike accessories, so the girl decides to present them but falls short of the money. Then she sell off her beautiful hair to fetch the remaining money, only to know that the boy, in order to gift her a beautiful saaree and a necklace, has sold off his most beloved bike.

The moral of the story is that physical possessions, however valuable they may be, are of little value in the grand scheme of things. The true unselfish love that the characters of the story share is greater than their possessions.

Ajeeb Dastan Hai Ye (अजीब दास्ता है ये)

2008-09-23T23:01:00.007+05:30

Singer: Lata Mangeshkar
Lyricist: Shailendra
Actor: Meena Kumari

अजीब दास्ता है ये,
कहा शुरू कहा खत्म ।
ये मन्ज़िले है कौन सी ?
ना वो समझ सके ना हम ।

ये रोशनी के साथ क्यो ?
धूआ उठा चिराग से ।
ये ख्वाब देखती हू मै,
कि जग पडी हू ख्वाब से ।

मुबारके तुम्हे कि तुम,
किसी के नूर हो गये ।
किसी के इतने पास हो,
कि सबसे दूर हो गये ।

किसी का प्यार ले के तुम,
नया जहान बसाओगे ।
ये शाम जब भी आयेगी,
तुम हमको याद आओगे ।

अजीब दास्ता है ये,
कहा शुरू कहा खत्म ।
ये मन्ज़िले है कौन सी ?
ना वो समझ सके ना हम ।

Myths and Realities About Blood Donation

2008-09-21T12:57:00.004+05:30

There are many myths and rumours spread about the blood donation, about the procedure and about the donors' health after donation. Here are some realities about the same.

Myth #1: Someone else will donate all the blood that's needed.
Reality #1: If only it were true. More than 10 million units of blood are required annually in the country against which only half of it is being procured. Lakhs of people, including accident victims, those suffering from various ailments and women during the childbirth, are dying annually in the country for want of blood.

Myth #2: It hurts.
Reality #2: Okay, maybe it does a little just like the mosquito bite. Far less than getting body pierced or tatooed, though, and only briefly. And remember that donating blood hurts a lot less than having someone you care about need blood and not get it because it's not there.

Myth #3: I don't have time.
Reality #3: It doesnot take long: about 30 minutes in all from arrival to departure.

Myth #4: They ask embarassing questions.
Reality #4: Okay, some of the questions are personal, but they have to be. The screening personnel are very professional and are not judgmental. Their only goal is to ensure a safe blood supply for the patients and a safe donation experience for the donors.

Myth #5: I might get some infection from donating.
Reality #5: In the standerd blood banks and donation camps, donations are drawn using sterile equipment that is disposed of after a single use, and the professionals who draw your blood wear sterile latex gloves that are disposed of immediately after use on a single patient. At no time will you come in contact with any piece of equipment or material that has had contact with someone else's blood or body fluids.

Myth #6: I take medication, so I can't donate.
Reality #6: Maybe you're right. Maybe you're not. Because the screening personnel asks about all the medications you are taking beofre hand. And if he feels that you are inappropriate for donation you are informed and blood is not taken.

Myth #7: I'm too old or I'm too young.
Reality #7: There is no upper age limit for donation. So long as you are healthy and weigh at least 45 kilogrammes, you can continue to donate as a lifelong contribution to the community.
Maybe you are too young, if you are under 18. But once you turn 18, if you're healthy and weigh at least 45 kilogrammes, you can make a real grown-up contribution to the community.

Myth #8: They will take too much of my blood and and I will feel weak.
Reality #8: The truth is that the amount they take is fixed to mere 450 mL. In general, no feeling of dizziness aur weakness is experienced by the donors. Also, new blood forms in the body very quickly and recovered in 2-3 days.

So the next time you get the opportunity to donate blood, feel free to do so. Be a regular donor(You can safely give blood every three months) and save lives. After all, sitting, talking and thinking about something doesnot help, if you didnot do anything for the same. Go, change something around you.

Self-satisfaction... The root of all downfalls

2008-09-20T13:50:00.007+05:30

Note: This post can hurt one's ego, so reader's discretion is adviced.

Self-satisfaction (आत्मतुष्टि) is a term which means "a feeling of fullness and complacency within oneself". The feeling normally surrounds one, when one acheive a short-term goal, and stops craving for the ultimate aim. In other words, the process of self-destruction starts budding then and one stops working hard in the same direction. This period of pseudo-fullness seem to be very pleasing and relaxing but is seldom short lived. After some time, when much water has passed through the bridge, one realises that now he (not gender specific) is left behind others who were with him before and couldnot cope up with them. And then the disasterous vicious cycle is created and one gets dipressed thinking that he is left behind others which further leads to lesser efficiency and again more depression creeps him.

This feeling is more prevelant in Indian subcontinent than in other rich parts of the world. I can post number of examples from the celeb sphere. You can pick any Indian cricketer who has done extremely well in the past and now he is failing in every form of the game. You can consider any movie star who was at the peak some time but now is out of the frame. But leave the celebs, poor they are always under our axe of scrutiny.

Just consider yourself, when you were preparing for the engineering or medical entrance exams. For few days or months, everything was pretty well and you worked very hard. But after some time everything changed. You became complacent and there she goes... landing up in some or the other private engineering or medical college with no guaranteed and promising bright future ahead.

Leave alone the entrance exams, most of the students here in JIITU, who come here with many plans for the new semester, but ending up screwing everything by the end of T-1. The feeling that "I have scored enough to clear the subject" creeps and then blows off everything.

Consider the general public who lives in our cities. They all are so fed up with the anarchy in the 'dead' system and feel shity every time the car bumps on the pothole, the electricity goes and leave them with the final delivery of the match to be bowled, the water supply disconnected amidst of a hearty bath and many other such incidences. But they will not even try to do something for all these discomforts they face the whole day, because they are preoccupied with the feeling of self-satisfaction. Have you ever tried to move an application for any complaint? Nopes will be the common answer... But believe me, I have tried and with some strong will and determination, it works !!

My whole point of discussion is: Why are we so flexible from inside ourselves? Why we mould ourselves for every discomfort that easily? Why the " भेड-चाल " is prevelant and we don't use our conscious to take our own decisions and stay rigid with them? This feeling of self-satisfaction is deteriorating the condition of our country from bad to worse. Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam (when in office as President of India) was tired of asking his countrymen to work hard in order to achieve their goals but a very few took him seriously. As a result, we ended up at the same place we started. It is high time when we start believing in ourselves, leave complacency and strive hard for perfection.

Comments Invited.

Additional Note: My ego was also hurt while writing this post so no offences.

Beer Blues... :)

2008-09-20T08:22:00.004+05:30

Pakistani Masood, Bangladeshi Irshad & OUR Indian Sardar Santa Singh are in a bar one night having a beer.

Masood drinks his beer and suddenly throws his glass in the air, pulls out a gun and shoots the glass to pieces, says "In Pakistan our glasses are so cheap that we don't need to drink from the same one twice."

The Irshad (obviously impressed by this) drinks his beer, throws his glass into the air, pulls out his gun and shoots the glass to pieces, says "In Bangladesh we have so much sand to make the glasses that we don't need to drink out of the same glass twice either."

OUR Santa Singh, cool as a cucumber, picks up his beer and drinks it, throws his glass into the air, pulls out his gun and shoots the Pakistani Masood and Bangladeshi Irshad, exclaims "In India we have so many Pakistanis and Bangladeshis that we don't need to drink with the same ones twice." Balle Balle!!!!

Ardh Satya (अर्धसत्य)

2008-09-18T19:41:00.014+05:30

Hindi poem by Dilip Chitre, spoken by Om Puri towards end of the film Ardh Satya, summarising the entire theme of the film, of feeling impotent, when one finds oneself part of the system, which one once revolted against.

चक्रव्यूह में घुसने से पहले कौन था मैं और कैसा था, यह मुझे याद ही ना रहे,

चक्रव्यूह में घुसने के बाद मेरे और चक्रव्यूह के बीच सिर्फ जानलेवा निकटता थी इसका मुझे पता ही नही,
चक्रव्यूह में घुसने से पहले कौन था मैं और कैसा था यह मुझे याद ही ना रहेगा,

चक्रव्यूह में घुसने के बाद मेरे और चक्रव्यूह के बीच सिर्फ जानलेवा निकटता थी इसका मुझे पता ही नहीं चलेगा,

चक्रव्यूह से बाहर निकलने पर मैं मुक्त हो जाऊं भले ही फिर भी चक्रव्यूह की रचना में फ़र्क ही ना
पड़ेगा,

मरूं या मारूं, मारा जाऊं या जान से मार दूं इसका फैसला कभी ना हो पायेगा,

सोया हुआ आदमी जब नींद में से उठ कर चलना शुरू करता है तब सपनों का संसार उसे दुबारा देख ही ना पाएगा,

इस रोशनी में जो निर्णय की रोशनी है सब कुछ समान होगा क्या?

एक पलडे में नपुंसकता, दूसरे पलडे में पौरुष,

और ठीक तराज़ू के कांटे पर अर्धसत्य ॥

Warren Buffett... A CEO with a difference

2008-09-18T19:41:00.013+05:30

Warren Edward Buffett (born August 30, 1930, in Omaha, Nebraska) is an American investor, businessman and philanthropist. He is regarded as one of the world's greatest investors and is the largest shareholder and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. With an estimated net worth of around US$62 billion, he was ranked by Forbes as the richest person in the world as of February 11, 2008 surpassing Bill Gates who reigned for 13 years. His annual salary which he gets from the company is a mere $100,000. Buffett announced in June 2006 that he would gradually give away 85% of his Berkshire holdings to five foundations in annual gifts of stock, starting in July 2006. The largest contribution would go to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Here are some very interesting aspects of his life:

* He bought his first share at age 11 and he now regrets that he started too late!

* He first filed his income tax return at the age 13.
* He bought a small farm at age 14 with savings from delivering newspapers.
* He still lives in the same small 3-bedroom house in mid-town Omaha, that he bought after he

got married 50 years ago. He says that he has everything he needs in that house. His house does not have a outer wall or a fence.

* He drives his own car everywhere and does not have a driver or security people around him.

* He never travels by private jet, although he owns the world's largest private jet company.

* His company, Berkshire Hathaway, owns 63 companies. He writes only one letter each year to the CEOs of these companies, giving them goals for the year.

* He never holds meetings or calls them on a regular basis. He has given his CEO's only two rules.

Rule number 1: Do not lose any of your share holder's money.

Rule number 2: Do not forget rule number 1.

* He does not socialize with the high society crowd. His past time after he gets home is to make himself some pop corn and watch Television.

* Bill Gates, the world's richest man (until 2007 according to Forbes) met him for the first time only 8 years ago. Bill Gates did not think he had anything in common with Warren Buffet. So he had scheduled his meeting only for half hour. But when Gates met him, the meeting lasted for ten hours and Bill Gates became a devotee of Warren Buffet.

* Warren Buffet does not carry a cell phone, nor has a computer on his desk.

* His words of advice to young people: "Stay away from credit cards and invest in yourself and remember:

A. Money doesn't create man but it is the man who created money.

B. Live your life as simple as you are.

C. Don't do what others say, just listen them, but do what you feel good.

D. Don't go on brand name; just wear those things in which u feel comfortable.

E. Don't waste your money on unnecessary things; just spend on them who really in need rather.

F. After all it's your life then why give chance to others to rule our life."

Seven Stages Of Love

2008-09-13T17:50:00.002+05:30

Today, browsing through internet I came across an interesting topic i.e. The seven stages of Love. Never thought of Love that way before. Basically, these stages are classified on the basis of the course of incidents which happen in one's life who falls in love. These stages in order of appereance are-

Urdu / Hindi / English

हब / आकर्षण / Attraction
उन्स / मोह / Infatuation
इश्क / प्रेम / Love
अकीदत / श्रद्धा / Reverence
इबादत / पूजा / Worship
जुनून / दीवानगी / Obsession
मौत / मृत्यु / Death

The satges can be described like this...

1. Attraction - It is the initial stage which occurs when one first see/meet the other concerned person. Normally, it happens in one's early life, i.e. in childhood or teenage. It is very common and most of the time it dies before maturing.

2. Infatuation - The budding period when attraction slowly transforms into this stage. The stage is accompanied by intense passion for someone. This can be short lived or long lived depending on the mental condition of the person.

3. Love - Stage where Infatuation transforms into strong feeling of affection, interest and pleasure. It is often linked with physical attraction. The relationship between two individuals is romantic and offten sexual.

4. Reverence - Love, when attains the feeling of intense respect, is the stage of reverence. The lust element dissappears and is not there any more.

5. Worship - The stage of reverence, when attains its saturation point, leads to worship. The feeling of great admiration and devotion for someone is what worship is all about.

6. Obsession - The 'grey' stage where the thought (for someone) dominates all other thoughts. It is disturbing and often leads to destruction.

7. Death - It denotes the end of everything. The end of love, relationship, life.

The description is purely on the basis of what I think it to be. Different individuals can have different opinions about the same. Comments invited.

Remembering BABA…

2008-09-13T00:01:00.002+05:30

13th September, 2003. The day when Baba left us. A never filling void was created in my life on that day. Generally, in Indian society, grand parents are the ones who build the character and generate the feeling of morality in the hearts of their grand children. He was no exception.

I remember, the daily visits to the nearby temple in my early childhood with him and when I started attending school, it was only the Sundays and the holidays when I got that privilege. It was him who generated the feeling of religiousness and spiritualism within me. On the contrary, today I don’t remember when I last visited the institute temple.

In my earlier days, if I had any query or problem related to any topic whether academic, historical, religious or any general problem, he always had an answer to it. After all, he was the gold medalist graduate from Roorkee University (now IIT, Roorkee). He was the top ranker at that institution where I always dreamt of getting admission. Tried real hard but could not get into it.

He instigated in me the habit of reading newspaper everyday. It may not look any extraordinary thing but I really think that it helped me gaining whatever little command I have on Hindi and English language.

I can never forget the daily Re.1 he gave us as our pocket money. Again, it was not a big thing but I remember how he advised me to save all of them and buy something significant and worthy at the end of the month or year.

It’s been five years since he left us, but it seems as it was yesterday. The life after that catastrophe was never the same. I wonder if he lived, then many events that took place in my life would not have been the same. Anyways, what he did for our family cannot be expressed in words. He was, and still is, my idol, my mentor, my life. I miss him. May his Soul rest in peace.

Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai (जीना इसी का नाम है)

2008-09-12T16:34:00.003+05:30

Starring: Raj Kapoor
Singer: Mukesh

किसी की मुस्कुराहटो पे हो निसार,
किसी क दर्द मिल सके तो ले उधार,
किसी के वास्ते हो तेरे दिल मे प्यार,
जीना इसी का नाम है ।

माना अपनी जेब से फ़कीर है,
फ़िर भी यारो दिल के हम अमीर है,
मिटे जो प्यार के लिये वो ज़िन्दगी,
जले बहार के लिये वो ज़िन्दगी,
किसी को हो न हो हमे है ऐतबार,
जीना इसी का नाम है ।

रिश्ता दिल से दिल के ऐतबार का,
ज़िन्दा है हमी से नाम प्यार का,
कि मर के भी किसी को याद आयेगे,
किसी के आन्सुओ मे मुस्कुराएगे,
कहेगा फ़ूल हर कली से बार बार,
जीना इसी का नाम है ।

I Just Called To Say I Love You

2008-09-09T17:20:00.006+05:30

No new years's day
To celebrate
No chocolate covered candy hearts to give away
No first of spring
No song to sing
In fact here's just another ordinary day
No April rain
No flowers bloom
No wedding saturday within the month of June
But what it is
Is something true
Made up of these three words that I must say to you.

I just called to say I love you
I just called to say how much I care
I just called to say I love you
And I mean it from the bottom of my heart.

No summer's high
No warm July
No harvest moon to light one tender August night
No autumn breeze
No falling leaves
No even time for birds to fly to southern skies
No libra sun
No Halloween
No giving thanks to all the Christmas joy you bring
But what it is
Though old so new
To fill your heart like no three words Could ever do.

I just called to say I love you
I just called to say how much I care
I just called to say I love you
And I mean it from the bottom of my heart.

-Stevie Wonder

Happy birthday... "Someone very special"

2008-09-09T00:03:00.007+05:30

९ सितम्बर । एक ऐसा दिन जो मै शायद कभी नही भूल सकता । और कुछ भी भूल जाऊ परन्तु ये दिन... कभी नही । ये जन्मदिन है उस खास इन्सान का, जो मेरे जीवन के चन्द हसीन, खुशनुमा पलो के लिये ज़िम्मेदार है । वो इन्सान, जिसने मेरी ज़िन्दगी के मायने ही बदल दिये ।

कभी सोचा नही था कि मै उसका जन्मदिन उसे बिना देखे, बिना उसकी आवाज़ सुने, बिना उसे महसूस करे मनाऊगा । पर आज मै यहा, उसकी यादो की गठरी के सहारे, उसे अपने मन से देखकर, मन से ही सुनकर और महसूस कर, उसके जन्मदिन का जश्न मना रहा हू ।

विडम्बना ये कि उसे पता भी नही कि मै ऐसा कुछ कर रहा हू । उसको इस बात का ज़रा भी इल्म नही कि वो मेरे लिये कितनी खास है । मेरी हर सान्स पर उसका नाम है, परन्तु उसे तो शायद मेरा नाम भी याद नही । मै हर पल उसे याद करता हू, परन्तु उसकी यादो मे मेरे लिये कोई स्थान नही । वो मेरे लिये सब कुछ है, परन्तु मै उसके लिये कुछ भी नही । वो मेरा ब्रह्मान्ड है, परन्तु मै उसका शून्य ।

जो भी है, जैसा भी है, परन्तु मुझे किसी बात का कोई रन्ज नही । शायद किस्मत को यही मन्ज़ूर था । और वैसे भी सबको सब कुछ तो नही मिलता । इसीलिये जो है, जितना है, उसी मे खुश रहना चाहिये । और मै अब खुश हू । सन्तुष्ट नही, तो दुखी भी नही । सान्सारिक बन्धनो से मुक्त । उसकी यादो के सहारे । उज्ज्वल भविष्य की आस मे । खुशनुमा पलो के इन्तज़ार मे...

"She was the nicest thing, that ever happened to me."

I Want It That Way ... (Backstreet Boys)

2008-09-07T08:50:00.005+05:30

One of my favourite songs.

********************

Yeah-eh-heah...

You are, my fire, The one, desire,

Believe, when I say, I want it that way,

But we, are two worlds apart,

Can't reach to your heart,

When you say,

That I want it that way,

Tell me why, Ain't nothin' but a heartache,

Tell me why, Ain't nothin' but a mistake,

Tell me why,

I never wanna hear you say,

I want it that way...

Am I, your fire?

Your one, desire,

Desire, it's too late,

But I want it that way,

Tell me why, Ain't nothin' but a heartache,

Tell me why, Ain't nothin' but a mistake,

Tell me why,

I never wanna hear you say,I want it that way...

Now I can see that we've fallen apart,

From the way that it used to be, Yeah,

No matter the distance, I want you to know,

That deep down inside of me...

You are, my fire, The one, desire,

You are (You are, You are, You are...)

Don't wanna hear you say,

Ain't nothin' but a heartache,

Ain't nothin' but a mistake,

(Don't wanna hear you say),

I never wanna hear you say,

I want it that way.

Tell me why, Ain't nothin' but a heartache,

Tell me why, Ain't nothin' but a mistake,

Tell me why,

I never wanna hear you say,

(Don't wanna hear you say),

I want it that way.

Tell me why...

Ain't nothin' but a heartache,

Ain't nothin' but a mistake,

Tell me why,

I never wanna hear you say,

(Never wanna hear you say it),

I want it that way,

Coz I want it that way...

********************

Dreams (Un)limited...

2008-09-05T18:18:00.005+05:30

Technically, a dream refers to "a series of images and feelings occurrings in a person's mind during sleep" courtesy Oxford Reference Dictionary. There are some other meanings of this word as well but my consideration for today is the one mentioned above. Sometimes, in common parlance, people say that "Eyes see dreams", but let me tell you that totally blind people by birth also see the dreams of the same intensity and quality just like any other normal people. So, that remark is discarded. So a safer remark can be that "Mind see dreams".

But my point of discussion is some what different. I am talking about the dreams which one sees and remembers, and then comes to know that the incident has happened. Normally people take it as a coincidence. I shall give you a latest example to explain the above thing. Days after India won their first gold in Beijing Olympics, 2008, three of our boxers, Akhil, Jeetendra and Vijender were in the quaterfinals in their respective categories. They were going to have their matches at the same day. I was really excited and so preoccupied with these thoughts that the night before I dreamt of Akhil losing and India finishing off with 1 gold and 2 bronze. Following day, Akhil and Jeetendra lost their matches but Vijender reached in the semifinals. Also, Sushil Kumar, the unknown wrestler won the bronze. Also, Vijender lost in the semifinals and end up with a bronze. Now, if we carefully analyze the scenario then my dream was kinda true. I saw Akhil losing and India finishing off with 1 gold and 2 bronze, which was what exactly happened. Although no reference of Sushil winning was there, neither of Vijender winning and Jeetendra losing.

Somebody can doubt of my authenticity, its his/her wish. I cannot really produce a proof of it. Somebody can say it was a coincidence, to which I cannot deny, because these type of things donot happen to me on a regular basis. But for sure, this incident compelled me to think over and write this blog, which is a good thing.

Anyways, a recent study in some university of California claims, that an average person can see upto ten thousands of dreams in a single night of sleep of eight hours. But this can vary person to person. Many of those dreams, one cannot recollect or remember, but a very few, are remembered by them and can be examined if they go right or wrong. Some scientists also claim that one only sees the things and places where one has visited before by any medium, i.e. in reality or through television. But then how can a blind person see and recollect those things. This question remains unanswered. Some scientists talk of the subconscious mind working in these cases, which can be considered true to some extent but this subconscious thing also explains the whole thing.

The conclusion to which I am upto is that, this thing (ability) of one to really predict the future can prove to be really fantastic if it can be controlled and nurtured. Many catastrophes can be predicted and the destruction of billions can be avoided. Although this seems to be a giant step today. But we should accept that the human mind is a very strong entity and capable to produce results which even cannot be imagined. The only thing is to control our mind and then do things which people call "MAGIC".

Pseudo-intellectualism

2008-09-01T00:47:00.007+05:30

Before starting, let me tell you the meaning of "Intellect". According to the Oxford Reference Dictionary, it means "the power of reasoning and understanding objectively". So, an intellectual is a person who has this quality. Therefore, a pseudo-intellectual is the one who fakes to have this quality. The trend set up by these people is now often stated as pseudo-intellectualism.

First up, the most common places to find these people: the next seat in the bus, the next berth in the train, a bunch of lads standing near a tea shop, teenagers sitting infront of a TV and many such places where people normally go for killing time. Yes, basically the motive of these pseudo-intellectuals is to kill time and at the same time impress some people (often of opposite sex) who don't seem to know much about the topic. They feel really thrilled to win some conversation with guys who are not smart enough. Interestingly, our "heros" generally back off to avoid humiliation and embarrassment if they sense that the listener is smarter than themselves.

The technique they generally practice is to make up facts and figures of their own. Normally, humans are obsessed with numbers, and if they are fed up with the right amount at the right time, they easily believe the shit. This property of the "Homo Sapiens" is very well exploited by our heros. Another thing they use are the stunning punch lines and self-made quotes, which they make the listeners believe, are from famous personalities, and try to mesmerize them. The most interesting part of all this is that if somebody from the audiences ever demand for the proof of what they are referring, these filthy people don't have one. But such incidences are really rare.

The hot topics, such people in India choose are Bollywood, Cricket, Music (preferably English), Girls, Sex, latest Technolgy, Medecine, Religion, Terrorism and everyday Politics. Once they start with a topic, believe me, they can extend their debate to any level possible and when that discussion finally ends, audiences don't know why and about what they actually began. Such is the "Charisma" of our heros.

So, next time you feel somebody is proving to be the pain in the a**, just try to vacate the place
immediately or else be prepared to loose your precious time.

If you think otherwise about anything mentioned, comments are invited.

Review - " Mumbai Meri Jaan "

2008-08-27T18:44:00.007+05:30

In India, still, there is no scope for Off-beat films comercially. "Mumbai Meri Jaan" is another such film which went unnoticed because the public here prefer to watch the 'Mallika Sherawat' and 'Rakhi Sawant' stuff. Anyways, this film portray the life of its characters during and after the serial bomb blasts that rocked our Business Capital, Mumbai on 11th July, 2006. The bombs were placed in the lifeline of the city i.e. the local trains and within eleven minutes, seven bombs exploded. The death toll crossed 200 and hundreds of others were left injured and crippled.

There are five main characters in the film. Soha Ali Khan is a reporter in a TV Channel. R. Madhvan is a software professional in one of the MNCs. Irrfan Khan is a tea-vendor. Paresh Rawal is an elderly policeman who is going to retire soon. Lastly, K.K. Menon is an unsuccessful computer salesman.

On the D-day, Soha's fiance is killed in the bomb blast, leaving her broken. The otherwise shrewd reporter who can do anything to raise the TRPs of the channel is so traumatised by the incident and the fact the that her boss wants to exploit her situation and wants to cover a programme on her tragdey (which indeed she was also doing before she came to know that she is also being victimised).

Madhvan, a person who thinks that Mumbai can be made a better place if he doesnot use a personal vehicle and prefer to travel by train, escapes a near life threatening blast when he travels in II class and his friend loses his right hand in I class where the bomb exploded. After this incident, Madhvan is afraid of travelling in the train but is forced to travel because his wife is in labour and the taxi driver refuses to take him to the hospital because of traffic.

Irrfan Khan, a poor tea-vendor is thrown out of the mall with his family because he tried one perfume. Feeling insulted, he makes several hoax calls to the police stating that there are bombs in different malls, creating chaos among the public and the police. Due to this chaos, an elderly person suffers acute cardiac arrest and is being hospitalised. Later on, Khan realises his mistake and goes to see the old man and presents him a flower.

Paresh Rawal is an experienced policeman and knows that the system is so tangled up that one should be realistic and not idealistic in dealing with it. A junior fellow (an idealistic one) is pissed of the system but Rawal explains him from time to time to be calm. Later on, because of blasts and the junior, Rawal also realises that his thirty six years of department service is a waste as he has not done a single big thing in his career.

K.K. Menon is a hardcore hindu and thinks that every muslim is a terrorist. After the blasts, he even chased one muslim lad in suspiction. His encounter with Rawal(who has changed by now) forces him to rethink on his agenda and then he realises that there is nothing correct in hatred. Thus, he ends up in friendship with that suspected guy.

The film basically describes that the people are really fed up and terrorised by these terrorist activities but are so helpless, that they cannot stop living their lives the way they were living before the blasts. Their helplessness is often mistook as the "Spirit" of the city but in reality it is not so. It is often said that "Life doesnot stop for anybody" and "The show must go on", but seriously, people should give it a halt and rethink about the whole scenario. It is portrayed in the film in the end as all of the Mumbai pays homage to the killed by keeping silence for two minutes. The film ends up with the famous song "Aye dil hai mushkil jeena yahan, ye hai bombay meri jaan" in the background.

Vo (वो)

2008-08-23T01:08:00.011+05:30

"उस" को समर्पित ।

जीवन के किसी मोड़ पे,
मुझे "वो" मिली थी ।
हमसफ़र बन कुछ दूर तलक,
साथ "वो" चली थी ।

उसकी हर हरकत सुनहरी,
हर अदा मस्तानी थी ।
तन का सौन्दर्य तो था अनुपम,
मन की बात ही निराली थी ।

उसकी मुस्कुराहट में नशा था,
जिसे देख मैं उस पर फ़िदा था ।
उसकी बोली में थी ऐसी मिठास,
जिसे सुन मैं बावरा हो चला था ।

उसकी आँखों की चमक, उसकी साँसों की महक,
उसकी पायल की खनक, उसकी ज़ुल्फ़ों की लटक ।
उसके कानों की बाली, उसके होठों की लाली,
बिन उसके दिन थे सूने, मेरी रातें थीं खाली ।

एक पल को थी वो यहीं,
न जाने फ़िर कहाँ ओझल हुई ।
मुझे लगा जैसे मेरे,
जिस्म से साँसें अलग हुई ।

कल ही सपने में आयी वो,
मैनें पूछा तुम कहाँ गयीं ?
उत्तर में अपनी आँखों से,
वो कुछ आँसू गिरा गयी ।

-प्रत्यूष गर्ग Pratyush Garg
२३-८-२००८ 23-08-2008

Dard-e-Dil (दर्द - ए - दिल)

2008-08-20T13:37:00.006+05:30

मोहब्बत के इस मौसम में,
तकदीर का ही सहारा है ।
वर्ना नाकाम आशिकों का जनाज़ा,
बड़ी धूम से सजाना है ।

मौसिकी भी अब पुरानी हुई,
साज़ो-सामान का अब क्या काम ।
हमारी आवाज़ भी उन्हें नागवार लगे,
कैसी बेवफ़ाई का ज़माना है ।

अब हमसे कुछ ना पूछो,
कि आखिर क्या खता हुई ।
शायद हमारा जीना भी उनकी,
नापसंदगी का निशाना है ।

कभी मुलाकात हो तो पूछेंगे,
आखिर हमने क्या गलत किया ।
मोहब्बत ही तो की थी हमने,
नफ़रत का क्यों नज़राना दिया ।

-प्रत्यूष गर्ग Pratyush Garg
२०-८-२००८ 20-08-2008

Michael Phelps - The Greatest Olympian Ever

2008-08-17T13:16:00.007+05:30

For those who STILL don't know who Michael Phelps is, let me tell you that he is a 23 year old lad from Baltimore, USA. His family history is not great like that of Abhinav Bindra, for whose one gold medal there is so much hue and cry all over the country (No offences please). Phelps comes from a broken home in Baltimore. His policeman father Fred and school teacher mother Debbie separated when he was only seven. Elder sister Whitney, also a swimmer, has written that she used the swimming pool as a refuge from the yelling. Michael Phelps was just eleven when his coach Bob Bowman called in his parents for a serious talk about their son's future. He told them the boy could become an Olympic champion if he just applied himself. Now, as a result, his career Olympic tally goes to whopping 14 gold medals (5 more than anybody else) and 2 bronze medals. (6 gold, 2 bronze in Athens, 2004 and 8 gold in Beijing, 2008).

The thing which makes this achievement even bigger is that, before landing in Beijing for the Olympics, he claimed that this time, unlike Athens, he will bag all 8 gold medals in every category he will take part. Mark Spitz, the legend from USA, currently having the record of 7 gold medals in one Olympics (total of 9) mocked his claim as "It is impossible for any living being to even equal my record of Munich, 1972". Now the same Spitz, after Phelps' feat exclaimed "Epic Performance!".

"It's been nothing but an upwards rollercoaster but it's been nothing but fun," Phelps said at his moment of triumph. "The biggest thing is nothing is impossible ... With so many people saying it couldn't be done, all it takes is an imagination.". What a sportsperson he is. All theories failed infront of him.

Now, let me tell you the secret of his success... In order to fuel his body for a gruelling six-days-a-week, five-hours-a-day training regime, the 23-year-old devours a whopping 12,000 calories per day, six times the recommended intake for a normal adult male. He claimes that he has not even taken a break from the training schedule even for Christmas for 10 years now. Same schedule for the last 10 years... and Yes !! it has paid off well to him. Evidently, Phelps recently told NBC that all he does is, "Eat, sleep and swim," he wasn't lying!

Atlast, for all those chaps who think the main reason for Indian Athletes not bringing home any medals, is that they don't have rich fathers (like Abhinav Bindra), Michael Phelps is a living example. Hats off to this young legend, and he is only 23. No one knows how many Olympic golds are waiting for him in future. Lets wait for the next Olympics... :)

Raj Kapoor - "The Real Show-Man"

2008-08-15T22:06:00.004+05:30

It’s foolish to introduce Raj Kapoor, if you are an Indian or Russian. Ranbirraj Kapoor was legendary, in true sense. If anybody introduced the so called Indian Cinema (Bollywood) to the world, it was him. Born to Prithviraj Kapoor and Rama Kapoor on December 14, 1924 in Peshawar (now in Pakistan), he had all the skills of film making inherited through genes. He was not interested in studies and knew from the very beginning that he is born to do something extra-ordinary.

Raj Kapoor is appreciated both by film critics and ordinary film fans. Film historians and movie buffs speak of him as the "Charlie Chaplin of Indian cinema”, since he often portrayed a tramp-like figure, who, despite adversity, was still cheerful and honest. His fame spread world-wide. He was adored by audiences in large parts of Africa, the Middle East, the former Soviet Union, China, and Southeast Asia; his movies were global commercial successes.

I can go on and on talking about the filmmaker. But, the best way to really get to know Raj Kapoor is to see his films. Here is of what I consider his greatest films with a brief summary of their fascinating plots. He made (and acted in) so many movies, in so many moods – that it is difficult to really name the very best!

Awara (1952): A story much deeper than it appears to be. When judge Prithviraj Kapoor pronounces dacoit Jaggu guilty merely on the grounds that “his father was a thief, so he too automatically must be a thief”, the dacoit swears revenge. Jaggu kidnaps the judge’s son (Raj Kapoor) and trains him to be a criminal. Raj, the awara (loafer) grows up and falls in love with lawyer Nargis. A crime he commits, lands him in the court where his father is the judge.

Shri 420 (l954): Tramp Raju whistles through his travails, with his theme song "Mera Joota hai Japani" (which became a giant hit in India and Russia – and remains till date, Raj’s signature tune). He falls in love with a simple schoolteacher (Nargis). But, he meets Maya (Nadira) who entices him with the bright lights of the city. Which side will win – high morals or his baser desires?

Anari (1959): Simpleton Raj shares a mother-son relationship with his landlady, Mrs. D’Souza (Lalita Pawar). He falls in love with Nutan, who hides from him the fact that she is the daughter of his boss. Her father’s factory is manufacturing spurious medicines. When one of the bogus drugs claims Mrs. D’Souza’s life, Raj sets out to expose his boss – but the cunning boss frames Raj instead!

Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hain (1961): Simpleton Raju stumbles on the hideout of a gang of dacoits and tries to reform then by love and reason. He made this movie after his split with Nargis (she was his love interest for a long time) and it became vital to show the world (and her) that he could still make great movies without her!

Mera Naam Joker (1970): This one broke the showman’s heart – this autobiographical musical melodrama that did not click with the public but acclaimed heavily by critics. The songs "Aye bhai jara dekh ke chalo", "Jeena yahan marna yahan" and "Kehta hai joker saara zamaana" have become immortal favourites.

Kal Aaj Aur Kal (1971): The film stars Prithviraj Kapoor, Raj Kapoor and his son Randhir Kapoor and describes the relationship between three generations. The so called “Generation Gap” is exhibited in its basic and classical form.

There are many films which could not make to this list because I did not get the chance to watch them. But believe me, some of them are real classics and were the examples of the true genius of Raj Kapoor. Please comment on the post if you think any film is left which deserves to be in the list. The consideration is for only those films on which Kapoor Saab acted (not the ones he merely produced or directed).

Are we really Independent?

2008-08-14T17:41:00.008+05:30

"At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awaken to life and freedom. A moment comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance... We end today a period of ill fortune, and India rediscovers herself again."

These were the words with which Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru addressed to the people of India and to the world, when finally, after much efforts India got independence at the midnight of 14th-15th August, 1947. Though seemed correct, Pt. Nehru made a horological mistake. The world was not sleeping when India was being made independent by the East India Company(British Empire). For example it was broad daylight in New York.

What I am trying to tell that it all started with a mistake. The mistake, which was made by our leader at that time. And today, 61 years after committing that mistake, we are at the quandary and trying to still believe… Are we really independent? Does this Independence really mean anything to the people of our country? Do the people feel that they are no longer bounded to the shackles of bondage? There is a series of unanswered questions which should be answered by someone. By someone, I refer to the people who take pride to state that they govern (rule?) this country and also the people who are governed by them.

Actually, the problem lies within us. I know it is hard to digest for some of you and some might think that I am sounding rebellious, to them let me tell you that Yes, I am sounding rebellious. I know it is really difficult to accept our own mistakes. It is, believe me. I also don’t easily accept them. But now, it’s high time that we should leave this old habit of ours and try to accept the hard fact that the whole problem of the system lies within us. In fact, we are the System.

Let me explain the whole point with an example. If something wrong happens, everybody blames the other person. If the garbage of our city has choked the sewer line, then the public blames the municipality for not taking proper actions, the municipality blames the state government for not releasing funds to clean up the mess, the state government blames the central government for not issuing special package for the state, the central government again blames the state government that it has not properly utilized the funds which were made available to them. And this crap goes on and on and on. Finally, the real problem i.e. the garbage was forgotten by all of them, and they start settling their personal scores with each other.

In the nutshell, if we really want to change the scenario, we should first change ourselves. We have to be independent from within ourselves. We have to realize that it’s our responsibility to accept the challenge to change the larger picture, by changing the smaller picture within ourselves. We have to prove the independence of our country through our independent lives. Before, thinking what is right for us, we must question that is it right for the country? Or else, forget about everything I just told, live life the way you were living it until now. But then please don’t complain for anything ever again.

Comments invited.