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Wednesday, October 27, 2010

A CUP OF TEA

They are all bright and spotless,
colorful and proud
they sit on the glass shelf
waiting for the manicured fingers
to hold them gently.

I am an old shade of white
chipped on a spot or two.
I sit hidden in the bottom shelf
waiting for her old fingers
to pour an over-sweetened
large dose of evening tea into me.

I am sure
the young ones only get
sugarfree decaf....

Thursday, October 21, 2010

DELHI -SNAPSHOTS

You were a legendary name
from history textbooks,
probably the first general knowledge answer
drilled into my four-year-old brain

DELHI- the big place
of the fabled Lutyens
and the revered Mir and Ghalib.


Now almost three decades later
you are a part of my being....

the first smells of a huge shopping mall
fresh,new but alien.

the first trip on the dreaded blue-monster
on your long, confusing,historic roads.

the realisation of you as living
pulsating,changing.

It is here I learnt that
tears are the best ink
to wrench out pain in words.

It is here that I experienced
passion for causes,trees,
but not people.

The familiar which was cruel,
heartless and rude
and the stranger who was kind
thoughtful and polite.

The restless and the ruthless
on the road
the homeless and the content
on the sidewalk.

The loner with the
most expensive beer in the world
and the beggar sharing roti
with some dog-friends.

The late-night party
which often spills over
the morning
and the
sufi shrine
where all hours are similar.

DELHI ,my dear old lady
you the most young at heart
the foods,the smells and the sights
trust me ,I'll carry them all.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

मेरी बेटी

चलो कोई बात नहीं
अगली बार अच्छा सही
यह तो पराया धन है
सब किस्मत का खेल है

लडकियां कहाँ लड़कों से कम हैं
अब तो सब बराबर है

कब तक
हम चुपचाप सुनेगे
अपनी बेटियों के लिए
ऐसी बातें

कब तब होते रहेंगे
झूठे  दिलासे
झूठी मुबारकें

चाहे तुम न स्वीकार करो

मत करो तुम उसकी तुलना
क्यों बने वो बेटे जैसी
उसे बेटी ही है रहना


नहीं है वो बेटा
पर वो भी मेरा गर्व है
उसमे भी बसते हैं
मेरे प्राण
वो भी मेरा
स्वाभिमान है

Monday, October 18, 2010

TIME

Time I was told
is a good healer...
and on my own
I discovered it
to be a great teacher first.


I guess it taught me chemistry
as definitions
melted and blurred...

I learnt a lot of
history and literature,
fine arts and psychology
as time the great teacher
just ticked-tocked.


The calculations
speculations and formulas
were all laid bare
as it threw me face down
into world and relatinships.

Time the healer
heals only what it teaches....
subtly but surely.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

नया घोंसला

एक वह दिन था जब
दूर-दूर से एक-एक
तिनका लाके
था यह घोंसला  सजाया

एक यह दिन है
जब नए सिरे से
नए पेड़ पर
है जा बसना

समय तो नदी है
और हैं  सपने उड़ते पंछी
पर  मन तो मेरा
यह समझ न पाता

बार-बार है प्रशन उठाता
क्या ले जा पाएंगे
हम यह यादें सारी?
क्या इस घर के कोने में धुल बन चुके
आंसू  अब सुख गए हैं?
क्या इस घर में पीछे भी
गूंजेगी किलकारी?

क्या आँचल में
समां पाएंगे सारे लम्हे
सारी बातें खट्टी - मीठी?

नहीं जानती
बस ये चाहती हूँ
बड़ा सा आँचल मुझको देना
और दिल में थोड़ी और जगह कर देना
जिससे कुछ भी पीछे न रह जाए

नए घोंसले में सब मेरे साथ ही जाये