जियो!

 क्योंकि जीना जरूरी है! 

आज बिल्कुल सच बात साझा करती हूँ 

हाँ, ज़िंदा रखा होगा ज्ञान ने

पर ज़िंदादिल रखा नादानी ने

ख़ुद को ज़्यादा गंभीरता से न तोलना

ज़्यादा हँसना, और भी ज़्यादा - जब हँसने 

का कोई कारण दिखाई न दे

और लगे कि मायूसी ही सच्चाई है

क्योंकि यही है एक ज़िंदादिल जीवन 

का मूल मंत्र|

जीवन क्षणभंगुर है और इसलिए ही ज़रूरी 

है हर क्षण जीया जाए 

कभी हंसते हुए, कभी उसकी कोशिश 

करते हुए

९०% चीज़ें डटे रहने से हो जाती है

निरंतर चलना, बिना रुके, किसी भी 

रुकावट के रहते 

यही जीत है

हमेशा आगे रहना एक भ्रांति है, आगे 

बढ़ना - सच्चाई 

चाहे कछुए या खरगोश की गति से -

जीवन दौड़ नहीं है बस एक प्रक्रिया 

तो दोस्त चलो, मुस्कुराओ और जियो!

Learnings...

Dancing, singing, writing, and playing, respectively... 

(In collage and in life, in general)

The past few months have witnessed my growth -

Just the way they have since my birth,

And yet I feel I have felt my most mercurial  during these months -

From executing a career switch to barely escaping 

conforming to society's standards,

I will admit it has been tough and yet rewarding.

With all the little and big handicaps one is plagued with and empowered by

Well to be fair, mostly empowered by...

Because it is not the problem that propagates, 

rather your perspective of it;

Positivity always empowers even when the situation 

seems outrageously negative -

Philosophy is something that gets me by at the end of the day;

They say it's all in the head -

Words of wisdom might as well make it worthwhile all the while;

Surprising how something as intangible as philosophy 

can be so concrete 

To mould our lives and how!

Circling back to the past few months -

When I wrote little, thought more;

Cribbed little (at least tried to), lived more;

Always awed by how freedom can liberate and evoke responsibility, 

both, at the same time 

One write-up wouldn't do complete justice to the myriad learnings from the moments gone by

So, I promise to continue evolving this writing journey 

(and otherwise too) with you

Until next time!

Adios!!

Mumbai diaries

An ode marking my recent trips to Mumbai...

Sitting in a chair in a locality where nothing changes

At least nothing that meets the eye

The past few days colored the same as another few distant days

Everything is the same

In contrast to the hustle and bustle of a city that consumed me 

Head to toe

All of my senses

Aamchi Mumbai - a city as vibrant and colorful as chaos itself

The city is always alive with the constant chatter of its people and livestock...

Even the desolate ant is busy climbing a mountain

The ant that is me and the mountain that is the forever consuming schedule 

Tending to one errand after the other

And to top it - even in this chaotic madness, nature and life - 

find a way to survive, to prosper -

To build a livelihood that is self sustaining...

A proof of the fact that even in the extremities - nature and life thrive

The more you push yourself the greater you become

Because it's not really you - it is the law of survival at all odds 

And I am sure while I am consumed by thinking and jotting all of this down, 

Mumbai must still be dancing in its rhythm to the tunes of a zillion hearts that keep the city alive, and an ecosystem that forever thrives...

The reader

A tribute to the reader in each one of us...

Meet the reader -

In a small corner of the busy room

Absorbed in his new muse - a new book, turning every page meticulously 

Furrowing his brow - 

At every turn of event the story unfolds

Trying to put sense to every word the author has written

Oblivious to what is happening around him - 

The natural scheme of things

To him, the book is the divine Lord, he must perceive to understand through the tale the author - his disciple narrates.

And the journey of reading no less than seeking the divine - 

equivalent to no more, no less than his life

I have signed a silent pact with this reader

To try and understand him -

And, dare say 

Become him -

In the time that follows 

By succumbing to the silent devotion,

The reader partakes to seek the one.

Rise from the ashes!

Finding hope and at the same time, acknowledging the importance of 'dark' days...

While good days have not always been my saviour...

Bad days have.

In life's darkest moments, when hope seems scanty, the light of dark days keeps me going —

Because...

Dark days aren't all dark, they are made of teeny-weeny fragments of light —

You have to look for;

And if you see beyond your pain, your suffering, these teeny-weeny bits flood you, trust me —

Because you refuse to bend down, no matter what

Like a phoenix rises from its ashes,

And reclaims what's hers...

It is in these dark moments, I see God

When life's sailing smoothly and everything is picture-perfect

I tend to lose the sight of God, the bigger picture, take him for granted...

But when the times are dark and I embrace them, feel more deeply, 

I can see God's hand resting on my shoulder, telling me — everything is ok

And everything really is, you just have to shift your perspective 

The glass that is half-empty is waiting to be filled 

And while dark days might be a ton, they aren't devoid of light

You just have to look hard enough, see through them

For it is then you witness the miracle that is God, who is carrying you in his arms,

Guiding you towards light and hope and life

For, if you don't embrace darkness, how will you appreciate the light?

Amen!

The little things

Driving home the importance of little things...

Feeling the warmth of the sunlight lightening my face

The breeze gently caressing my hair

The birds twittering and hopping from tree to tree

The surprising sound of sheer stillness surrounding me

God has his ways of enthralling you

If only we let ourselves be, let our hearts see, soak in the nature's glee

Spreading the twinkle in our eyes, paving it's way to our lips 

Further more smiling from ear to ear

Showing our teeth, painting a pretty laughter 

On one of God's canvases—our faces and ourselves 

It is the little things that multiply into bigger, better things

A tiny, toddler drop orchestrates and ornaments the gigantic ocean 

If we are present every moment, 

through every cell encompassing our being, 

we create a life worth living, 

cherishing every second in its entirety...

So if we take care of just this moment, it will exponentiate into trillion others 

Creating a song that will resonate with generations

It's that simple and might I say—difficult as well

The simple things in life are ironically, extraordinarily the most difficult

And yet if we consistently nurture our conviction, keep hustling, keep toiling 

Turning each little thing into a timeless larger scheme of things...

Every moment magnifies into a masterpiece,

The masterpiece that was once a momentary marvel...

Gratitude

For gratitude results from practice, we  should all cultivate...

Whatever there is, is a gift.

The present we must value - every present moment.

But as humans we tend to forget it.

Take everything for granted.

That is why we have to constantly remind ourselves -

Cultivate an attitude of gratitude 

For all that's beautiful in this world.

We are here for sometime

Let us be grateful for all there is, for our existence, for mother nature, for fellow humans, for anything and everything, now and forever!

When we acknowledge the larger scheme of things

There is a shift in our mindset too

Which is why being grateful holds so much importance 

While one might complain, I have nothing to be grateful for, think again -

Really, you have every reason to be grateful,

And you have to consistently build the habit

It's not about what you have but the practice.

So, if you are reading this, I urge you to close your eyes for one minute 

And remind yourself of three good things you are grateful for -

Now, don't be stingy, we all have abundance, we just have to soak that in -

And after you are done, open your eyes with a big bright smile on your face.

Now, how did that feel? Grateful, powerful, isn't it?

And I am grateful to you for taking this time to acknowledge our blessings.

And also, goes without saying, reading my posts and providing your inputs, big and small...

More power to us and this simple yet powerful act of gratitude 🙏 

छत

आज जब घर की छत पर आई

तो मुलाकात हुई उसी अनुभव से जो पुराने घर की छत सा था

जिसकी आँखों से देखो तो आसमान हजारों ख़्वाब लिए चमकता था

और पहली बारिश की बूंदें उसी तरह मुझे तरोताज़ा करती थीं 

बस हम बच्चों की किलकारियों की जगह सड़कों पर चल रहीं गाड़ियों के हॉर्न में कब तब्दील हो गई?

जहाँ एक पूरा जाना पहचाना सा मोहल्ला एक नए अपरिचित शहर की जगह ले चुका है

और वही जानी पहचानी सी गली न जाने किस ओर जा चली है

तारे अब भी उसी स्वरूप में टिमटिमाते हैं इस छत से भी यह देख कर कुछ सुकून सा मिलता है

जो बहुत यत्नों के बाद महसूस मालूम पड़ता है 

जैसे पिछला घर छत का पर्यायवाची था

यह घर बगीचे का

जिसका एहसास इस छत से भी महसूस होता ही है 

शाम रात में तब्दील हो चली है

और हवाऐं मुझे अपने साथ उन्हीं यादों में बहाकर ले चली हैं

जिनका अस्तित्व मेरे अंतर्मन में आज भी एक महक सा चहक रहा है।

Miss Funnybones

This one is primarily for all the laughs...

I don't require your validation to proclaim I am a genius!

Nor my brain's chemical imbalance that, duh, reiterates the prophecy!

I was proclaimed as the Almighty's offspring the second I was born,

Blessed with beauty even Aishwarya Rai lacked, and brains second only to Albert Einstein!

Nevermind the pompous attitude displayed from time to time!

Jack of all trades but master of none!

I start everything yet stop before the work's done?

Glowing skin? Maybe, but grey hair!

Sorry, no takers!

O have mercy, only (Greek) God can save her!

For, genius or no genius, miserable you are!

Specially abled maybe, cruelly labelled - aah!

With all that was said and least that was understood!

Goes without saying and some soul stirring,

Still, all I want is nothing less than everything!

युद्ध

I

एक युद्ध ऐसा भी

महाभारत जैसा ही

भाई पर भाई टूटेंगे

मर्यादा के भाग फूटेंगे

एक बाज़ी लगाई जाएगी

स्त्री दांव पर खेली जायेगी

कृष्ण उसे बचाने आयेंगे 

जब सब विकल्प मिट जाएंगे

घोर अन्याय बचाएगा 

जब अर्जुन शस्त्र उठाएगा

कृष्ण को बनाकर अपना सारथी

जटिल युद्ध का पार्थी 

उसके भी हाथ फूले थे 

सोचने में विवश डूबे थे

कैसा युद्ध है बताओ कृष्ण

अपनों पर जहां वार भीषण

अर्जुन को व्याकुल पाया

अपना रूप विराट दिखाया

हरि की छवि को देख

अर्जुन का शांत हुआ विवेक

कमरकस तैयार हुआ रण 

जो भी हो अब जीवन या मरण

बाणों पर बाण चले

धनुर्धर विकराल मुर्छित पड़े 

कैसा संग्राम बहा लहु अचल

जीत हुई पुनः सत्य की अटल।

II

एक युद्ध ऐसा ही

महाभारत जैसा ही

धारणा पर धारणा टूटेगी

व्याकुलता मन में फूटेगी

फिर घोर अन्याय तुम बचाना 

सेज सत्य की फिर सजाना 

बौखलाना, ढांढस खोना 

फिर संभल जाना, कमर कसना 

उठाना विवेक रूपी शस्त्र

कर देना मूर्छित तनाव 

जीवन का विराट रूप देख

पुनः अपना साहस लपेट 

सूझबूझ और ज्ञान तमाम समेट 

हरा देना दुराचारी अन्याय 

सत्य सदैव स्थापित होगा 

मनुज वहीं प्रकाशित होगा।।

Words take your breath away!

It's only words and words that all I have to take your breath away!!!

Who said that these are just ink blots on paper -

Words have the power to transcend

To lift you off from your feet

To make your mind take flight

All the while you are seated with your toes firmly planted on the ground

Books have that magic

The writer is a magician

He will plant a seed 

That will reap

Bloom into a flower in no time

And you'll be a witness to it

She will be

They will be

All will witness

The beauty of words

That mean so much more than their mere presence

They have the ability 

To put you to tears

To lift you from misery

To evoke your emotions

To paint your pretty laughter

Yes, words and books make that difference

The difference to you and me that is what's laid in front of you right here that you are -

Reading,

Seeking,

Imbibing!