इश्क हो जाता है

और कभी कभी वक्त बंध जाता है,

नज़रें ठहर जाती हैं,

और सांसें थम जाती हैं...

कभी कभी बस इश्क हो जाता है!

बस दो पल

और की हम भीख मांगते हैं...

पर पूरा दिन अकस्मात ढल जाता है,
कभी कभी बस इश्क हो जाता है!

जुदाई का समय करीब,

बेपनाह विरह अजीब,

बस एक चेहरा नज़र आता है...

कभी कभी बस इश्क हो जाता है!

नारी

नारी! क्या तू अबला है?
तो फिर शक्ति कौन है?
तू ही बता बिन तेरे
इन्सान की उक्ति कौन है?

इन्सान को बनाती है तू,
इन्सान को पलती-बहलाती है तू,
भूले भटके इंसान को
बड़े प्यार से फुसलाती समझाती है तू|

फिर ठुकराता तुझे  इन्सान

बेकार समझ भूलता तुम्हे इन्सान
धुंधली होती खामोश तस्वीर से
मिटाना चाहता तुम्हे इन्सान|

कभी सोचता हूँ की इस जग में
आखिर तुम्हारी ऐसी क्यों गति है
कुछ भी करता इन्सान...भटकता विरहता
और बनती तुम ही क्यों सती-सावित्री है?

हर मांग तुझसे ही है
हर आशा तुझसे ही है
फिर भी घिसे पिटे इस जीवन में
दुःख की हर परिभाषा तुझसे ही है!

समय आ गया है, मुंह खोलो,
समय आ गया है, कुछ तो बोलो,    
कब तक बैठोगी आंसू बहाते
उठो, अपनी किस्मत का टला खुद खोलो!

नारी! अपनी शक्ति का एहसास करो
निकलो! इस निर्लज्ज जग का परिहाश करो,
चलो प्रज्वलित करो अपनी दिव्याग्नी
न हो फिर कोई रेणुका, न जमदग्नि|

लो अपनी शक्ति अपने हाथों में
उठाओ कदम और निर्भय चलो तूफानों में
सुनो साहिल की...साहिल को है विश्वास
तुम सिर्फ अपनी नहीं, सम्पूर्ण जग की हो आस!

एक कहानी कृषक की

एक कहानी कृषक की कहता है भारतवर्ष 

कभी बाढ़ कभी सुखा रोता है भारतवर्ष|

सच क्या है क्या झूठ 

पूछता है भारतवर्ष 

कभी पानी मांगते खेत 

कभी पानी में सड़ते खेत 

कोसता है भारतवर्ष|

धुप हो या हो छाँव

सर्दी हो या गर्मी 

अथक मेहनत की तस्वीर

दिखाता है भारतवर्ष |

फसल अच्छी हुई 

तो क्षण भर को हर्षाता भारतवर्ष|

पर फिर ऋणों के बोझ में दब

झुक जाता भारतवर्ष |

देखो, वो जाता कृषक 

वो है मेरी जान 

स्वेद उसकी, है मेरी पहचान,

इतराता है भारतवर्ष|

पर फिर उसकी 

सुखी हड्डियों के 

टूटते ढाँचे को देख 

शर्माता भारतवर्ष|

अमीरों को खिलाता कृषक 

उसके बागों को सजाता कृषक 

उसकी खुशफहमियों की

नींव बनता कृषक

और खुद को हरदम बहलाता कृषक 

बताता है भारतवर्ष|

खुद भूखा तड़पता कृषक 

पुत्र हेतु दूध मांगता कृषक 

हर दुसरे रोज भूखा सो जाता कृषक 

अपनी किस्मत को कोसता कराहता कृषक 

कैसे जी रह वो 

छुपता है भारतवर्ष|

दो हाथ धोती में 

अपना तन छुपाता कृषक 

अर्धनग्न नयी तस्वीर 

ढूंढता सजाता कृषक 

खुद के दर्द को 

खेतों में दफनाता कृषक|

पर अपने अस्थि-वज्र से 

रोज सवेरे बनाता है वो भारतवर्ष |

यही है मेरी अमर कहानी 

बेशर्म हो सुनाता भारतवर्ष||

  

Hindi is Dead ... Long Live Hindustan!

सवेरा साँझ के ख्वाबों में डूबा जाता है,
विरह कि वेदना के गीत कोई गुनगुनाता है,
किसी के अश्क कि गर्मी हृदय को भेदे जाती है,
जुदाई के समय भी दिल के कोई पास आता है!

HINDI IS DEAD... LONG LIVE HINDUSTAN!

An eternity seems to have passed away. The lore of Hindi is now part of legends, the story of myths... comfortably forgotten now. The rare breed of the old enthusiasts now, just tell tales of a certain Premchanda, a Bhartendu Harishchandra, Jaishankar Prasad, Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, Maithilisharan Gupt and Mahadevi Verma, Who walked on this earth in bones and flesh on this land, played with juicy rhymes of Hindi poetry and created majestic and tranquilizing era of prose. But, then that is a page from another era... Once upon a time in the forgotten times of retrograde India. Their time is now long gone... only footprints are left... faded. Their reign is long over... only memories have survived... distorted! 

In the words of the late President, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, "If  we were not prepared to give Hindi and other native languages, the place of pride in their own land, what was the hurry for the independence?" 

True indeed. Hindi has today become a sidelined second class citizen in her own land, a second grade language in her own country. It has been demeaned... Her honor has shamelessly been sold for the sake of hip and hot couture of English spoken stature if pseudo development. Today, English gets the respect and awe from us, which should have been Hindi's.If you are able to speak flawless and fluent English, you are respected and marveled at!But, your love and expertise for Hindi will only get you categorized as an old ill-synchronized maniac who has refused to grow up with times. You shall be a subject of derision and incessant sarcasm.

And, what can be a better and greater instrument to symbolize this, than the fact that today I am trying to advocate the resurgence of Hindi, through the medium of English. Thanks for going through my thethrology and trying to bear with me, But, perhaps written in Hindi, the most would not even have bothered to take a look on it. Some might even have failed to understand the litany. 

Today, the talk of Indian literature bring up the mention of the likes of RK Narayan, Mulkraj Anand, Vikram Seth, Rohinton Mistry et al. No Hindi or for that matter any other litterateur from native languages form the part of the league!
English today completely dominates our life process. It is the language of the hip and the high. It is the language of ambition and pseudo sense of Hot couture. 

Parents take pride in striking a conversation with their kids in English and e reprimand is what follows if they find their wards talking in hindi. Why not? Even the ads presenting infants today, show them growing up with English rather than the Parental languages.

If the kids are able to memorize an English rhyme, that is certainly a job well done... worth a tasty chocolate treat. But, If found dangling with the words of Hindi, Parents immediately go into a huddle over their child's future.
Even the daily courtesies of Pranam, namaskar, ram-ram etc. has given way to the trendy "Good Mornings".
Or may be even... A Hi mom... Hi Dad.

Today, resurrection of Hindi is very essential for the development of the native pride and sense of India and its own great traditions. We need to give it the place she truly deserves. only then would India be able to become truly BHARAT... The India or Hindustan of Our Dreams! 

हिंदी है साथी, हिंदी ही हमसफ़र है,
सदियों का यह लम्बा सफर,
अकेले न यहाँ कोई बसर है, 
ऐ हिंदी, यह तो मेरा तेरा सफर है!

मेरे बिन तू नहीं, तेरे बिन मैं नहीं,
मैं हूँ भारत, कहते हैं मुझे हिंदुस्तान,
हिंदी, तुझमे ही है मेरा सम्मान,
... तुझसे ही है मेरा सम्मान! 

India and Hindi are two inseparable entities. The two cannot have an identity about the other. Its high time that we realize that the two cannot survive without the other. India's only path to realising its true and unique identity and breaking free the shackles of the British Raj resides in redemption of Hindi.

Let us come together, speak Hindi, Write Hindi, Encourage Hindi and ... Celebrate Hindi!

Long Live Hindi... Long Live Hindustan!  

Defied... And Devoured!

From woman, man is born;
within woman, man is conceived; to woman he is engaged and married.
Woman becomes his friend; through woman, the future generations come.
When his woman dies, he seeks another woman; to woman he is bound.
So why call her bad? From her, kings are born.
From woman, woman is born; without woman, there would be no one at all.

— Guru Nanak, Raag Aasaa Mehal 1, Page 473

We call her the better half, the half that your soul resides in. It is the half that keeps us balanced, It is the half that drives the passion and the inspiration in most of us. This half ultimately completes us. Without her, we might be unaware of life...separated from love in its most pious form. 

She in all her life has been a symbol of care and suffering. She has silently agreed the fate and we have so emphatically rejoiced the arrangement through the ages. When chips were down, we summoned a certain Lady called Rani Jhansi. When the walls were crumbling the brave-heart that held the forte was Ahilyabai Holkar. When the men of the cabinet failed, the only man that had balls of conviction was named Indira Gandhi. When the sons had failed... a certain Razia rose. When Mahisasur mauled the gods, It was Durga who descended on the battlefield to save the day. When the Gonds cried for their honor, It was Durgavati who stood unshaken. When the macho men of the empires had failed Chand Bibis and Noor Jahans held the reign so magnificently.  When the foreign forces had to be kept at bay, Jijabai inspired and bosoms of Begum Hajrat Mahal fired. And when none cared for you the leper, Mother Teresa was your angel who taught you life. The freedom came when some Sarojinis stepped out, some Kasturba suffered, some Laxmi Sehgals wielded the guns as the men did not dare do so.

And yet, the baptism by fire was Sita's, the vanquishing destiny was Renuka's and the curse was Ahalya's. 

We rejoiced... for they saved our honor... they kept our values pure... for we did not have to prove our worth for them. They took the pain silently, so that we could rejoice for ever.

Even today, the Ruchikas take the fall of the fate and The Nirbhayas face the fire... The Daminis have demonstrated the best dive that our instincts can display. And, yes! Even today, We won't stand. Even today, we would so willingly justify the idiotic statement in the intellectuals who require "Dented and Painted" mirrors for their soul. 

The men have lost the balls of conviction. Let the women stand. We men have forgotten our birth. We have forgotten mother's care and love. We will never know her nine month long agony. We will never know the effort that our sister put in the cake that she baked for our homecoming. Men will be men...  All that we have given our women is pain and tears and they must learn to expect the same for the time to come. 

She must learn to catch her tears in her own hands... We are impotent... Oh sorry... We are not... We can prove that by RAPING!!! But, yes we lack the balls. 

Let the women realise this stark truth... Let them fend for themselves...

नारी, क्या तू अबला है?

तो फिर शक्ति कौन है?

तू ही बता बिन तेरे 

इंसान की उक्ति कौन है?

My dear women... Come out of the kitchen... Rake up the streets. Stop slapping the molesters. Start jabbing them with your kitchen knives. Enough of waiting for the cheating husbands. Time to kick him out. Stop praying for a son every time you conceive... He might be just another coward in this world. Give existence to another Durga... She is the one our society needs today...

नारी!अपनी शक्ति का एहसास करो,

निकलो! इस निर्लज्ज जग का परिहास करो,

चलो प्रज्वलित करो अपनी दिव्याग्नी,

न हो फिर कोई रेणुका, ना जमदग्नि|

लो अपनी शक्ति अपने हाथों में

उठाओ कदम और निर्भय चलो तूफानों में,

आज तुम बस खुद पर करो विश्वास

तुम सिर्फ अपनी नहीं, सम्पूर्ण जग की हो आस!

And, yes! If the men do indeed desire and realize... Please, there are other and better ways to prove your potency. Time is now to show your balls by standing up for the women who gave up all that was theirs, just for you! 

Please Stand up for your women... The society that does not take care of its women is as good as doomed. It is better late than never... It is still not late... Let us change and make a world where our women... God's best creation can be a treasure to behold... not to be looted.