खाली घोंसला - for a friend experiencing the empty nest

एक छोटे से पेड़ से
शुरू हुई मेरी कहानी
साथी संग मैंने
अपना घोंसला सजाया

और फिर हमारे जीवन मे
वह आया
हम जैसा ,एक छोटा सा
हमारा साया

दिन बीते
और बीते साल
अपनी आँखों से
हमने उसको दुनिया दिखाई
अपने परों पर हर उसकी
ज़रुरत उठाई

आज वह हमसे आके बोला
माँ वह देखो
दूर उस पेड़ पर
बनाऊंगा मैं
अपना एक घोंसला
ढून्ढूगा अपना एक साथी

मैं अचानक
कुछ घबरायी
क्या वह अब चला जायेगा
कहीं और ही बस जायेगा
मुझे भूलके अब मेरा बेटा
किसी और को अपनाएगा

फिर मैंने सोचा
यह तो अच्छी बात है पगली
तेरा बेटा सीखा
अपने परों से उड़ना
अपना जीवन ख़ुशी से जीना

कल जब वह
ऊँची उडान भरेगा
अपने घोंसले को ख़ुशी से भरेगा
क्या मेरा मन न हर्शाएगा
उसके नए जीवन मैं ही
यह नया जीवन पायेगा !

Panjab University

The moment the car turned right
My heart skipped a beat

this was home a few years ago
my hostel...my space

dreams...aspirations,friends
all had one address

roommate who became
a friend for life

support staff
who were God's best lesson in
smile and serve.

meaningless discussions
about a new dress or
the more profound ones
about Foucault and Sartre
till midnight

the rushed breakfast...
the much-awaited special lunches
calls on the only fixed line around
no cellphones to replace 2 a.m friends

the small queer market
to buy everything from dustbins to
samosas and stationery

the lone phone booth
the long wait to make the call home

Nostalgia can't get better than this
Panjab university....thanks
for all this and
much more.

The Birkin Affect

Perceptions are like a messed up cake recipe,there is little that can be done to change both suitably.In the modern world the Media, our major source of the information affects how people shape their conceptions of self, others and the world.
Unfortunately media does little to break the age old gender prejudices even when it comes to public figures.Women politicians always receive less issue-related coverage and are more likely to be discussed in terms of their roles as mothers and their marital status.A female politician is first and foremost seen as a woman, a wife and a mother. Her profession is rarely separated from her gender.
Sadly the so-called progressive Indian media did little to break stereotypes during the recent visit of Pakistan minister Hina Rabbani Khar.National newspaper headlines proclaimed that Pakistan had put its "best face forward" and other such puns. Facebook statuses hailed her as Pakistan’s best export. Tweets ranged from comparing her to Kate Middleton to commenting on her Cavalli sunglasses and black Birkin bag.

Alright, she is a fashionista and restaurateur.She is from an affluent and political background,owns a popular restaurant in Lahore and several horses,but wasn't she here to discuss matters far greater in influence than a Birkin bag?
A birkin is a symbol of obvious wealth and exclusivity but issues concerning Pakistan are certainly much intense than this.The meeting of the two ministers was detrimental to south-Asia's future but the whole focus was on Hina's dresses and accessories.
Will the Birkin overshadow Kashmir?
Will Hina Rabbani Khar see indo-pak relations in a better light through her Roberto Cavilli glasses?
Marcel Proust had once said,"The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes."So lets hope Khar does some breakthrough work in indo-pak relations and next time around the media is compelled to shift focus from the birkin.

The first Alphabet

An unsteady scrawl
on the lined page

the next stage
after standing lines,
sleeping lines,
slanting lines,
full circles and half
curves of all shapes
and dimensions

She tells me proudly
'This is A mama'

and in one instant
the little girl me
30 years ago
is learning A for apple

and the next moment
that A on paper
stands for
hopes and memories
a smile with a tinge of tears
and a love
special to both of us.