Radiance

Another of those long wintry moony nights,
And I walking by the streets alone,
A breeze playing on my forehead, light.
But not even a sound of phone.

The breeze takes a turn for a gale,
And I shiver by the cold.
Only to miss her company: hearty and hale,
And the warm wrapping-up-of-me into her arm-folds...

I walk further, unknowingly,
And lo! She happens to be there as an Angel, lovingly...

Emotions start an immediate exchange through our eyes,
Demands, Arguments and even tokens of gratitude.
The exchange slowly away dies,
Her mingling of hands with mine, being the sudden change in mood.

We walk some distance further, hand-in-hand,
With my senses enchanted by her fragrance…
She continues the soft-touching by her hands,
A warmer one against the chill, being her presence.

She seemingly emits a warm radiance,
I think of her as an other-worldly-being.
But then laugh for her similar striking resemblance,
With a Mother, just so caring.

Warm, she is…
Cold, I am…
Her radiance helps me get warmer…
And the soft touch of her lips on mine,
Is the happening of the versus-cold, armor.

Solace

Being big, being responsible, was what my heart always desired,

Unknown though 'twas of the li'l pains that got the mature ones tired.

Today I stand on the same path,

No way ahead I find.

Though there're thistles truly painful,

Very few satisfying fruits, I find.

I'm desparate, but am helpless.

I'm tired, but I need to walk on.

What joke this is,

I'm too careless to pay heed.

King, maybe I am,

But a King with a thorned crown.

I maybe am the one desired,

But only to satisfy their faces full o'frowns.

Don't do they understand?

There's also a Soul in me.

There's a soul weary of the happenings.

There's a soul tired o'being wary of the next.

This is a burden I can't carry on all along.

I want to shout at the one who has put it all on an incomplete note.

The one, who no longer resides among us.

The one, who now is resting in peace.

I feel as if the world has itself sunk on an abrupt note.

So why should I be responsible?

Why should I be mature enough to hide my tears?

Tears are precious, I do know.

But precious is something lost to me.

The real path now lies in front o'me.

It may not be easy.

It may not be gentle.

But that's something I've to endure,

And Carry on through the rest storms o'life.

(Lost my 40-year-old Uncle. A tribute to him.)

Language- And It's War

“India is country of many languages. Yet we all are united under the name of India.”

We had this in our school, and perhaps, even read this same line in many of the forth-coming contexts of our life. We proudly state that every language is the sister of any other language…any other Indian language. Yes, all the regional-languages that we speak, we converse in, are nothing but an Indian Language first. Whatever the pronunciation, whatever be the script the language is written in, every single language in India, has its roots as an Indian Language first before being anything else.

Years before, or perhaps in the current times too, we said and learnt that “Hindu-Muslim bhai-bhai”. Those times, we needed to stress on secularism. But if you look at the current scenario, it seems that there will soon be a need to stress on regional-unity. It doesn’t mean that the stress on secularism needs to be eased…perhaps its increasing as ever.

Recently Kannada and Telugu joined the “Elite Group of Classical Languages” as described and invented by some. The former languages were Tamil and Malayalam. What does this mean? What do people have to conclude from this? That all the south Indian languages have a classic and rich heritage and literature that the other languages don’t?

What happened to the other languages? What about Oriya, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi and even-The National Language-as we say-Hindi? Aren’t they all rich in literature? Aren’t they all classically cultured? This grouping of languages doesn’t promote anything, it-just-demotes-unity. And who are the people to decide what the specific language has and what others don’t?

Any Language, literally any, is invented from the basic need of man to converse with each other. Later, it evolves into many stages…it moulds itself according to the time, the type of people and the locations. The more it gets evolved, the more it gets spread accordingly. But that doesn’t mean that a language which hasn’t got many speakers around the world isn’t rich in heritage. Literature is the result of spontaneous flow of one’s emotions… the readers/the spectators/the audience later enjoy it as their source of entertainment. But who is the mother of all this? Yes, its language.

We’re currently engaged in another battle. The battle that some politicians theorize as “Son-of-the-soil.” Will anyone respect any language if it is burdened to be respected? Respect, as any other factor, is born out of self-realization towards any certain person or thing. It can't be burdened. It’s the same as a child… Will a child respect the one who scolds him every time that he has to respect him or the one who is soft-spoken to him and tries to convey his message in a not-so-loud-manner? In such case, the former one will see fear-no not respect- on the child’s face every time he sees him. On the other hand, the latter one will obviously enjoy his love and respect, both.

Its all back to terror again. Terror. Right from the Mughal Period to the English rule and to the Constant-terrorist-attacks to the current language-war scenario. Indians, as in the united name, are subjected to constant test of patience and terrorism since their forefathers’ age. One day these all emotions are bound to find a stream and we might even witness the handling of the law by the citizens. You say Iraq and Germany were the witnesses of a brutal dictatorship? And I say their pain will be nothing compared to the constant struggle endured by The Indians.

Where are we headed? What happened to the country that rose up against the British and threw them out? Is this the same country that had a famous rebellion of 1857? If this goes on like this for some period of time, we might even witness the forming of 27 new nations-all with different national languages. Someone needs to stop this. Whenever our National Anthem is played, we say proudly that this anthem is arguably the best one in the world. Remember what does it describe? The first line itself states the unity of the Indians to form a Country-INDIA…

What will the freedom-fighters, who endured tremendous struggle and constant vigilance to see the country free and united, say when they see the current scenario? We at least need to respect their sacrifices. We all are Indians… and we will be the same for the rest of our life before being anything else. Don’t just think, dare to act. Remember: No country itself is perfect; we need to make it perfect. But don’t apply the wrong means. That doesn’t help. What will the difference be then between you and the scenario which you’re trying to change?

Oh, our National Anthem it truly the best, I daresay….

“Jana Gana Mana Adhinayak Jaya Hey,
Bharat Bhagya Vidhata
Punjab Sindhu Gujarat Maratha
Dravid Utkala Banga…”.

“….and the truth shall set you free!!”

The Test of Time

Your face still dominates most o’my dreams,
Helpless, as I am, I can't do anything.
You were warm to me as any sun-beam,
But, it was prophesized, I think, Our Parting.

The time we had together,
The gossips…we had,
The jokes we shared, that were as light as any feather,
The pain of parting that made us both sad.

It wasn’t the mistake of mine,
Neither was it of you...
Perhaps it was the time…
Of which’s clutches, escape very few…

Something went wrong,
It was bound to be.
When someone’s so fond,
Of each other, you see.

These present days,
My eyes become full o’water suddenly from nowhere.
I find other ways,
But they aren’t good distraction means, not very fair.

I therefore, let my tears fall.
No reason to hide them, I find.
That time, can’t be recalled,
I again see your face, so kind…

They say “Time has all solutions”,
And I disagree with it once again.
For this isn’t any pain with a solution,
My friendship wasn’t e’er, vain.


I miss you, and everything that you were to me…
A bit more time for it, and we’ll be older enough to see it all,
We’ll have the lock then, but no key…
But will notice one thing:

Our Love will stand the test o’time and will ne’er fall.

Randomization

I am not living my life for someone else,

I neither am allowing it to:

and that's what's making the difference,

I'm expected not to live the life my own way....

I'm quite sentimental this way,

Breaking free of all the bonds.

I feel as if I'm suffocating in my own life-paths,

I feel there's some need for me to break-free today,

some need to have a breath of liberty today....

There's a randomization of thoughts all around:

My Mind's buzzed with confusion.

The so-far praised "Carefree-Me" has got lost somewhere,

For I think that I''m a mere puppet,

Governed by the expectant judgements of "people"

But my optimism helps myself bring back to me...

The positive side of life is still awake:

The path is laid, I just need to walk the distance,

My life is no one else's but mine,

And I have a rule o'er my own world.

(Thanks Sushrut for the last line)

Forsaken...

Somewhere deep in my heart,
A voice screams out….
A voice screams out,
Somewhere deep in my heart.

I want to hush all sounds today,
I want to listen my long-suppressed voice….
A voice that has been dominated since years,
But it won’t be left unnoticed today.

I want to stop all nonsense,
That I’ve been doing since ages,
I want to live for myself today,
I want to yell out my long-buried pains.

All my life I worked hard,
I loved my Family, Friends, and even my Job…
But what have I got today?
I today am alone in this forsaken place….
Accompanied by none but for this cursed old-age.

I want to live for myself today,
I want to do what my heart wants to….
I today want to get myself buried in these deep chasms of Earth…..

I today want to get buried in the deep chasms of Earth.

The Authentic Agony

O, this world is nothing but just Boasting,
As this song of Agony now I sing.

Show-offs, Make-ups and exaggerations,
Is there no room for Authentic Actions?

Even the friendship isn't free from its Clutches,
It's crippled, and needs some Crutches!

Boasting yourself, criticizing your Friends,
Does the world now rest on these loose ends?

Jealousy is now the best policy,
Infuriating someone being the Ecstasy.

Sometimes, I do get into a Habit of it,
And Start possessing them all like any Git!

No! I detour my Heart!!

For being Carefree would be a good solution to this Freaky-Mart!

Down In The Memory Lanes..

Pain is what I realized today,
Having remembered my old school days, gay.

Making up my mind,
I reached my old deserted school in a find.

I suddenly saw myself chattering with my friends,
And teachers, scattering away groups of Students, in tight bends.

Down and Down I went into my Memory Lanes,
Having no problem to rack my Brains!

I continued peeping into the solitary place,
Having already lost the track of time, I guess!

Reaching the playground then,
It was as if the whole ruin was alive again.

But time took me to the Truth-The Present again,
And I was disappointed to see the liveliness, slain.

I was suddenly standing amidst an ocean of books,
Having reached the library, where the past again started showing its looks!

The Cafeteria still carried the Odour of the Onion Soup,
As if it was just put on the gas by the Cook.

The Classrooms looked as if they have just had had some lectures,
The desks, the boards, the chairs, all have stood time’s fateful juncture.

A paper scroll lay there,
Crumbled very roughly, and not at all fair.

I reached and folded it open,
Suddenly surprised to see a Cartoon-Sketch of myself, staring at me with fun.

I don’t know from where my eyes suddenly got wet,
As with a Heavy Heart, I penned down this poem straight!

Water

Water in the river,
Water in the pond.
Water by the sewer,
Water, the great bond.

Water is a sweet song,
Water echoes in the valleys long.

Water is a God,
For those who worship it with a divine nod.

Water is a Home,
A Home sweet Home.

Water is life,
Ask the sands and will they not state it right?

Water is soothe,
Water is soft.
Water is cool,
Water is calm.

Water does always lend,
Water is a forever friend.

The Bond Of Friendship

A bond one ne'er understands,

But still maintains it for sure.

Some do it by tying bands,

While some, just from their hearts, pure.

This bond's very delicate,

Hurts one if it breaks!

It teaches us to share things,

With our best and closest mates!

The Bond of Friendship one ne'er understands,

A bond which everyone tries to maitain.

Yes, friendship's a bond which is very delicate,

Yes, it is a bond which teaches us to share.

So try that the ship of this bond,

Keeps sailing the Pond!