Aasteen Ke Saanp (आस्तीन के साँप)

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)

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

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

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

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.