Cold November

कभी सुबह की, कभी शाम की, कभी तो शिकस्त हो इस नाम की, यह क्या सज़ा है दोस्तों, न सुध है दीनो ईमान की, जो तन के वो है चल रहे बीचो बीच बाज़ार के हम छुपते फिरते है अपने जज्बात ले के किनारों पे यह कैसी खुदाई तूने दी इन बेशर्म लोगों को जो बेसबब कुचलते हैं दिल के एहसासों को कभी तो तुमको भी मिले एक ऐसी सज़ा खुदा से कभी तुम भी लेके दिल फिरो इन अँधेरे गलियारों में दर्द-एह-कोफ़्त दिल को हो और हस्ते रहों तुम यारों में फीर ढूँढो तुम हमें भी लेके चिराग हाथों में

बहुत से फलसफे है ज़िन्दगी के कितनी खामोशियों के बीच पैदा हुए इतने घुटे हुए अरमान है अपने ही अरमानों की शक्ल नज़र नही आती इस धुंधले शीशे पर कुछ गुंजाइश बची थी शायद जो धूल का एक ढेर आया और एक नई परत जमा गया टूटे मिटटी भरे आईने में कुछ देखने का अरमान ही नही कौन कहता है गालिब के सिवा और अभी और अभी

उस सूनी ईमारत की टूटी हुई खिड़की पर बारिश की बूंदे गिर गिर कर जाने किसको देती हैं आवाजें कोई आएगा कौन आएगा क्यूँ है इतना इंतज़ार किन ख्वाबों का गीलापन सूख गया वो गिर के टूट गए कितने ही हसीं लम्हों का हर पल खुशी का डूब गया हर रोज़ जो सूरज डूबता हैं इक दिन तो नया उभरता है इस मन के अंधेरे पलों का पर नया सूरज नही उभरेगा इतना ही है, कितना ही है साथ हमारा तुम्हारा तो फ़िर टूट नहीं जाते क्यूँ ये बंधन अनजाने सब उड़ते फिरते अरमानो का इस वक्त ही घोट दो गला क्यूँ बार बार इस चिंगारी को मिलती है फ़िर यूँ हवा

I clearly remember the first day I met her in college. Tall, broad frame, straight hair, bulbous nose, lively eyes. She always looked as if she was hiding some mischief in those eyes, ready to laugh and spread the joy around. It was very easy to become her friend with her ready wit. A true joie de vivre was shining from her, always. I still remember the day when the most good looking guy in college fell to her charms and we were all left gasping. What has she got that we haven't? We didn't really see what men saw in her. She was as good looking as the rest of us were. What was it about her that so many boys made a beeline for her, wanting to chat her up, be her friend, be more ... And it was always her who wanted out of every crush first. She set the terms and dictated it. Not because she was high handed. She was in fact quite caring but she just always happened to fall out of love almost as soon as she fell in it, or maybe 6 months later, a typical Libran. We lost touch after...

So, How do you define love? you get hit by a lightning and feel "wow, this is it. I am in love." or do you take it slow, give it time, become a friend first and than think that it's the right time to make a move. or Do you take it so slow that 5 years pass by before your realize, in all your dumbness, "Omigod, was THAT love?" Well, it takes all kinds to make this world. For some Love is for keeps. For others its an ongoing process.... It happens, again and again, and then they can't really understand which is what? We are lucky to find love. Some confuse it with lust. Most men do. But I guess love cannot happen without lust. You need to have the basic chemistry right. Is companionship 'love'? Most married couples do have a lot of companionship. They tend to each other, care and do like each other a lot. I guess that's the essence of marriage, at least in traditional societies. It's a different ballgame, however, in more modern societies, ...

I Can't Make You Love Me Lyrics Artist: Bonnie Raitt Turn down the lights, turn down the bed Turn down these voices inside my head Lay down with me, tell me no lies Just hold me close, don't patronize - don't patronize me Cause I can't make you love me if you don't You can't make your heart feel something it won't Here in the dark, in these final hours I will lay down my heart and I'll feel the power But you won't, no you won't 'Cause I can't make you love me, if you don't I'll close my eyes, then I won't see The love you don't feel when you're holding me Morning will come and I'll do what's right Just give me till then to give up this fight And I will give up this fight Cause I can't make you love me if you don't You can't make your heart feel something it won't Here in the dark, in these lonely hours I will lay down my heart and I'll feel the power But you won't, no you won't '...

Freedom means so much to us Free to make choices in our life, love and profession Free to be passionate about anything under the sun And never give a thought to how we won this freedom How many people died and gave their blood to the struggle When India was born, we were not even around Yet we never fail to criticize how things could have been better Well, it’s your chance today; Make a pledge on this Independence Day That you will make things better, rather than waiting for someone to do it To make India free from poverty, illiteracy, pollution and corruption Wish you all a very Happy Independence day

Written a few lines on the Indian independence day coming up on 15th August in Hindi and English... कैसा गहरा नाता है, इस मिटटी की गंध से उस नीम की निम्बोली की कड़वी सुगंध से उस पंद्रह अगस्त की उड़ती पतंग से इस देश की बोली और महकी उमंग से कुछ हमारे जोश ने और कुछ तुम्हारे जूनून ने भारत को ला कर रखा है आज इस कगार पे मुबारक हो आप सब को भारत की वर्षगाँठ ये Wish you all a very Happy Independence day.

What's happening with people and morality nowadays? Seems to me, they spell it like c-o-n-v-e-n-i-e-n-c-e. The buzzword for bedding anyone now is ‘fondness’. You just need to be fond of the other person to make out. Toe-dipping into relationships is so “in”. In fact, relationship is a big word for these alliances that get made and broken with alarming convenience - that word again! A sample scenario in a typical MNC runs like this: Mrs Mehta is involved with Mr. Pande who in turn is also eyeing the new joinee Mrs Bhatnagar, while Ms Mathur can be treated a likely prospect. However, the non-married (and some married ones also) people create just too much hassles hankering for love, commitment, marriage and God knows where they will stop. It’s much better to stick with the tried and tested Mrs. Mehta who doesn’t demand much, just as much as she gets. Everything happens for a reason: let’s get closer; we were destined to meet… so on and so forth. Some of the cheesy pick-up...

Read Advaita Kala’s ‘Almost Single’ chic lit over the weekend. It is well written and can be called a page turner in the loosest sense of the word. Despite that you come away with an unfulfilled feeling from the book, an incomplete experience, so to say. First of all, the author needs to understand that pseudonym writing on any industry is a no-no. You get caught in many ways. The way author has described the workings of a guest relation officer in a hotel industry leaves much to be desired. She has rolled in jobs of receptionist, concierge, banquets, lobby manager and cash desk into an all-in-one guest relations executive (GRE) profile depending on her convenience. A GRE does not handle lobby activities in a five star hotel, a lobby manager does. Neither does she handle wedding preparations, however important the guest is. No self respecting banquet manager would let a GRE step on his toes! Neither does she exchange money, even if it is for a prominent Pakistani cri...

यहाँ हम जान दीये बैठे हैं ईमान दीये बैठे हैं और उन्हें न फीक्र है न फुर्सत जींदगी उसी तेज रफ्तार से चली जाती है बस देखने का नजरीया बदल गया सब कुछ दर्द के रंग में लीपट दीखता है अब एक फलसफा सी बन गई है जींदगी हर फलसफे में दीलासा धुन्ड़ते फीरते है हम इसी उम्मीद में जीते हैं की शायद यह मंज़र भी गुज़र जाएगा की अब दर्द कम होगा त्ब होगा झूठी तसलिया देते फीरते हैं की हम भूल गए उन्हें , उब़र गए इस दलदल से फीर उसी मंज्र पे आके खड़ा हो जाता है कारवां जहाँ से निक्ला था ये रास्ता भूल गए है हम बस एक शून्य है जो घुम्हाये जाता हैं हमे बहुत गुमान था हमे अपने ऊपर सब बिखर गया , टूट गया एक दर्द है बस जो नही जाता कहते है वक्त बहुत बलवान होता है हम भी दुआ कर रहे है की वक्त इतना बलवान हो की हम इस दर्द की न्हर से निकले और जिन्द्गि की तरफ़ चले न जाने कब हो ये पर होगा तो इसी उम्मीद पे जीये जाते हैं दर्द सीने में पीये जाते हैं ..

“Who Cares?” he says I do…. A lot…….. I care when you are happy, sad or angry when you are too busy or when you are unwell when you travel so much I fret about your health I care When I can’t see you or decide not to see you For days on end Sometimes happy sometimes sad for my own decisions I care When I see you and decide to ignore you Or feel that you have ignored me I feel bad When our egos collide my ego gets the better of me Or your ego gets the better of you When I won’t acknowledge your presence Or you don’t mine I still care... a lot When I see you but can’t talk to you Sitting at the same table Chitchatting with others About life, food, movies, your opinions I care... a lot When I hate you Want to hit you Scream at you I still care... When you get drunk And squeeze my arm When you pass me by I am confused I wait, for something more to go on... But you don’t give me any more to go on with….. And my courage fails me, to try again Can’t risk rejection so many times Now it is your...

There are times when I feel that humans have a basic intelligence to understand at least what is good for them in the long run rather than just acting on your basic instincts and thinking about me, me and me all the time. But I see an overwhelming proof otherwise everyday. Why is it so difficult for us to live in harmony with our nature, fellows beings, animals ? Why is that media only plays out strife and stressed out stories to the point that I dont want to read the newspaper in the morning to avoid spoiling my day ? Why do we fill our days with so much clutter and noise that it is difficult to listen to ourselves? Is it difficult to understand that we should respect and love nature, that we should not try and manipulate colleagues to earn brownie points, that we should try and accept love into our life rather than convenience as an option.