Brown

You call me brown

But I feel like purple now

Although yesterday I was blue

And tomorrow I might be yellow.

I thought there was something wrong with me

So, I reached out to others 

They said they felt the same  

Like

Green, red, grey and orange

But are always, always called brown

Like it is a dirty colour 

When I grew wiser I understood otherwise

Maybe brown is a beautiful colour

So is purple, blue, yellow, green, red, grey, orange, black, white and any and every other.

So when they tell you 

only purple is beautiful or red or white or black

Don't fall for that trap

They use it to divide 

what was created from the same canvas

When the only truth is -

equality in diversity

You are beautiful 

They are beautiful 

Brown is beautiful 

Every colour is beautiful

Choose your reality

I am not a genius.

I really like posting things. And quite often.

From the morning hues to nature greens,

Backpack travel to sipping tea;

If the moment's clickable, it will feature in my feed.

Never mind Google's algorithm.

Our perception of people's lives has reduced to what they post on their socials.

Everything is picture-perfect, but often too good to be true.

We soak in this blurred reality and complain our lives are not enough.

Little do we realize -

all that glitters is not gold.

While there is nothing wrong with painting a pretty picture on social media,

it can often be misleading.

The fine line separating what's real from what's not

is blurred.

And so is our vision.

Bottom line -

take everything with a pinch of salt.

We all put our best foot forward while posting things,

but not everything needs to be taken at face value.

What exists for our entertainment

should plainly remain so.

Comparisons might be inevitable, but you do know better.

Don't be blindsided -

CHOOSE 

YOUR 

REALITY.

सुकून

क्या तुम्हारे जीवन में भी सुकून का यही मायना है? 

कभी आँखों से तुम्हारे आँसुओं का 

बह जाना सुकून है

तो कभी उनका रह जाना

कभी चार पन्नों की कविता लिखना 

तो कभी उन्हीं चार पन्नों को तकते रहना 

मगर कुछ न लिख पाना

कभी सब कुछ बेझिझक बोल देना

तो कभी सैकड़ों विचारों के सैलाब में 

उलझकर कुछ न बोल पाना

कभी लंबी सैर पर जाना

तो कभी पैर पसार कर आराम करना

कभी लंबे तनाव के बाद एक पल राहत

तो कभी लंबे आराम के बाद थोड़ी मेहनत

हर पहलू में सुकून पाने के कई मायने हैं -

कभी जो चीज़ हमें सुकून देती है, 

कभी और उससे दूर कर देती है।

तो जहाँ भी हो, 

सुकून भरे लम्हें बटोरते चलो!

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।