Category: Poems and Lyrics

BEYOND THE MIRAGE – A FAIRY TALE

Hungry and thirsty
Wandering in “the dreary desert sand of dead habit”
He finally came across a pool
Different from most Indian pools
It had lucid water
He could clearly see the base
It was unlike other bottomless pits.

The man was fascinated
He longed to drink of it
Have a dip in it
And come out clean and quenched
All sins forgiven and forgotten
Darkness of past merging with future’s shine
Despite living in the filth and mire of present.

Courtesy: surprisinglyamazing.com
Courtesy: surprisinglyamzing.com

He removed his clothes
Including the last shred of false decency
And stood naked but proud
That finally he could swim in purity and openness
A great weight was about to be lifted
As soon as he’d take the plunge
Into the pond of purgation.

“Stop”, he heard a commanding voice
Though he couldn’t see anyone
He looked all around him for the speaker
But, he couldn’t find anyone
Defeated he was about to give up
But then he noticed in a tree near the pond
A parakeet.

“Who are you?” he asked
“You are an Indian, you won’t know me”
Replied the parakeet sadly, “I am named ‘Charitra‘”
“Strange name” said the man, “Never heard of you”
“Yes, nowadays I am rare” said the parakeet,
“But, I nested all over India before I became extinct”
“I am the last of my species.”

The man was happy he saw something rare.
“Why did you stop me from jumping in the pool?
“This is a pool of honesty” said the bird
“People come out changed and pure;
But become misfits to survive”
“I don’t want you to die;
You may jump if you want to, though”

‘Washing away sins is one thing’ thought the man
‘But, dying in the process is undesirable’
Suddenly, a thought occurred to him
And he spoke it out loud:
“What can I do to survive a dip in the Honest Pool?”
“Simple” replied Charitra, “Don’t let me become extinct,
Return me to live with people.”

“What do I have to do for that?”
Asked the man confused
“Simple” said Charitra, “Go to people and ask them to own me,
To have me back.”
“It will take ages” bemoaned the man,
“I will be dead before they accept you back.”
“Try” said the parakeet, “I will give you wings to fly.”

The man flew with Charitra
And went to all classes and conditions of people
Netas, babus, doctors, engineers
Religious leaders, sports people, industrialists
Even media people and
Sadly no one wanted Charitra back
Having bartered it for money and fame.

“What can Charitra do for us” many asked,
“Why should we want it back?”
To this the man gave his recently learnt reply:
“It can make you have a dip in Honest Pool,
“And make you survive the plunge.”
“Not good enough” they all crowed,
“We have the best dips that money can buy.”

He kept flying with Charitra on his side
Only to become disillusioned, defeated, frustrated
‘Not one person in my country’ he thought
‘Has any use for this dying parakeet’
He wanted to have a dive in the pool
But, alone, he didn’t want to die
What could he do, he was alone and weak?

Suddenly, his powers to fly were gone
And he was grounded again
And the parakeet flew towards a sunset
And total darkness engulfed the nation
With people groping helplessly
Looking eastwards wistfully
For a golden sunrise
Bringing back Charitra, the elusive parakeet.

GODS MUST BE CRAZY

[lineate]
She was black
And fast and feline
“Stop” I screamed,
“Don’t cross and spoil my day”.
She heard me
Looked at me innocently
And stopped as if rooted.
“Now what?” her shining eyes seemed to ask.
“Don’t you remember”, I asked her,
“The first time you cast your spell,
It augured ill for me
I nearly failed in my exam.”
[/lineate]
 
[lineate]
She cooed sweetly,
They always do.
‘Practised innocence’ I thought.
“And the second time”
I continued, and in response she only sweetly purred,
“I nearly got me killed.”
Her eyes shone
She looked lovely.
[/lineate]
 
[lineate]

Just then a huge dog came
And looked at her menacingly.
She gave me a look
And made a dash
Without sharing any more of her
Looks and thoughts with me.
The dog went after her
In determined chase.
[/lineate]
 
[lineate]
But, what she shared
Was enough for me.
Each one of us have
Survival instinct against all threats
If you ain’t clever, cunning, deceiving
Against the larger dog in your life
You are finished.
[/lineate]
 
[lineate]

A snake is born out of an egg
And left to fend for itself
Without the parents nurturing it even once.
Poison is all that it has to survive.
It is limbless
No hands to ward off danger
No legs to kick and run.
Human beings are born differently,
But, are we really so different?
It is a cat and mouse game:
The survival of the fittest.
[/lineate]
 
P.S. Three days back, a man in Nepal bit a snake to death; angry at having been bitten by the snake.

HAPPY FRIENDSHIP DAY

दोस्ती सिर्फ तब ही नहीं जब फूल हैं
दोस्ती सिर्फ तब ही नहीं जब गले में  हार है
दोस्ती सीखने का कोई advanced स्कूल नहीं है
दोस्ती तो सिर्फ मोहब्बत है और प्यार है
दोस्ती में हम चाहे कुच्छ भी ना बोलें
दोस्ती में गुफ्तगू के ज़रिये हज़ार हैं
दोस्ती के गरम रहते हैं हरदम शोले
दोस्तों  को तो बस अपनी दोस्ती का खुमार है
आज Friendship Day का भी क्या हसीन  दिन है यारो
बारिश का दिन है और आज रविवार है
यानी  जैसे दोनों चंद्रमुखी और पारो
देवदास   पे  मर मिटने  को तैयार हैं
सब मेरे दोस्तों के लिए  लिखता हूँ अभिवादन
ये  sunbyanyname का अहम् इकरार है
सूरज के निकलने  का ना भी बने साधन
रवि  तो तुम पे जाने निसार है
हमारी दोस्ती रहे सलामत आज भी और हमेशा
दोस्तों के बिना जीना दुश्वार है
आज के दिन मेरे सब दोस्तों के नाम ये संदेशा:
आप हैं तो रौशन मेरा संसार है
खुदा  तुम्हें देदे अपनी सारी खुदाई
आपकी दोस्ती पर मुझे ऐतबार है
काश दोस्ती में ना लिखी हो कभी भी जुदाई
जब तक जान पे अपना इख्तियार है
Happy Friendship Day सब दोस्तों और यारो
आज के दिन तो दोस्ती की बहार है
इक नज़र हम पे दोस्ती की मारो
जहाँ तुम हो वहां ही करार है

LOVE AND A THREE LETTERED WORD

It sprang through woods and grass
Lively and playful
Now here, now there;
Through rains and clouds
Through sun and moon.
It braved rivulets and torrents
Birds and feral animals.
Everyone said:
How lovely it is
Like a new sprout
Like a young deer;
It looks so beautiful,
It looks so tender;
Lets call it Love.
She saw it too
In my eyes.
She heard it,
In my breathing.
Her eyes whispered to me:
“Love is all I wanted,
Thank you for giving it to me.”
We floated on clouds,
We swam in the sky
We walked on petals
And etched our names on the breeze.
We made melodies
We vowed, we cooed,
We laughed, we danced.Then one day
Just as unexpectedly as Love

A three lettered word came between us
And ruined our lives and us.
She was the first to utter it
She got obsessed with it
And I still rue its origin.
Courtesy: sat.collegeboard.org
I should have seen
The look in her eyes
When, through pouted lips
She uttered it for the first time
It hung between us
And I knew she’d want it more and more
She just relished its sound.I still remember the time

When she whispered it;
It was demanding, it was urgent
She couldn’t have waited.
How I long for our love before it,
Before she murmured it with a sigh
The three lettered word called, “Why?”

बीवी का नया नाम

हम बीवी को बुलाते थे जान, चाँद, सनम और रानी,
पर एक दिन सर के ऊपर से निकल गया पानी
नाम हमारे दिमाग में आये चार सौ अस्सी
और बीवी का नाम बड़े सोच के रखा “रस्सी”

“कया अजब नाम है?”  सोचा होगा आपने
आज तक ऐसा नाम नहीं रखा किसी के  बाप ने
“इसके क्या माईने हैं कुछ तो ससमझाईये
हमें  बुझारतों में इस तरह ना उलझायिये”

[हमने कहा, “इसमें बुझारत की क्या बात है?
“रस्सी” का मतलब बिलकुल साक्षात है:
यह जल जाती है पेर बल नहीं जाता
हमारी मेहबूबा का भी कल नहीं जाता”

“वो कल जब माईके में उन्का राज था
भाई काम करते थे और इनको ना कोई काज था
अब पति करता है  दिन रात इनकी सेवा
और ये खाती हैं मखमल पर बैठ के मेवा”

“मेरी गरदन में बड़े प्यार से पड़ जाती है
अच्छे भले मुलाजिम की जान निकल जाती है
हुमने सोचा था यह बनेगीं प्यार की डोरी
पर इन्हों ने रस्सी बनके की जोरा  जोरी”

Courtesy: heysko.com
यारो अगर बीवी भी बन जाये गले में फंदा
और तुम रहना चाह्ते हो इस जहान में ज़िन्दा
डोरी को कभी ना बनने दो रस्सी या संगल
तभी रहेंगे तुम्हारे  दिन व रात मंगल

LOVE BEYOND THE PAIN

Don’t love me, O’ sweet, when we meet,
For there is less
Glee in achieving than in yearning.
From here it’s alluring,
The scent of your tress;
I get my joys in burning,
In pining, in longing
And in sorrow,
And waiting for each tomorrow.

I don’t want to strangle my dreams to death,
You, alone, sit in my dream castle
On an island in a grieving river;
And far below
In a dark dungeon I am thrown.
I reach out my hands without catching ye,
Ye outside smile at me.
And, lo! I wish not my hands were free.

Courtesy: sweet-tea-theology.com
I shall wait…wait till the pains are so much,
That they burn themselves in their own scars,
The waters of grieving river’d calm down,
The cell would break its own bars.
Then you and I’ll live away from town,
In a small hut by a joyous brook.
We’d work, we’d eat, we’d play the deep
Game of love,
And thus at last we’d sleep.

हर तरफ तेरा जलवा

फिर मुझे पुकारा है…..
तेरी चाहत ने, तेरी आहट ने
तेरी आवाज़ ने, दिल के साज़ ने
तेरी धड़कन ने, तेरी उलझन ने
तेरी साँसों ने, तेरे अश्कों ने
तेरी आँखों ने, तेरे होंठों ने
तेरे हाथों के गरम छूने ने
तेरी याद ने, तेरी हसरत ने
तेरे प्यार ने, तेरी उल्फत ने
तेरे दर्द ने, तेरे ज़ख़्म ने
तेरे हसीन ख्यालों के वहम ने
तेरी हंसी ने, तेरे रोने ने
मेरे ज़हन में तेरे होने ने
तेरी आँखों  की मधुर मुस्कान ने
तेरे दिल में उमढ़ते तूफ़ान ने
तेरी आहों ने, तेरी राहों ने,
मेरे आगोश में उलझी बाहों ने
तेरे लबों से थिरकते गीत ने,
जो मिल के बनाया उस अतीत ने
उन वादीयों ने जो हमारे संग बहकती थी
उस कोयल ने जो हमें देख चहकती थी
उन फूलों ने जिस में तेरे प्यार का रंग था
उन हवाओं ने जिनका हमें संग था
उन बातों ने जो कभी ना होती थी खत्म
उस अदा ने जिसने ढाया था मुझपे सितम
तेरी मस्ती ने, तेरी हस्ती ने,
तेरी गलियों ने, तेरी बसती ने
तेरी खुशबु ने, तेरे खवाब ने
ऐ मेरे चाँद, तेरी माहताब ने
हर तरफ शोर है, फुसफुसाहट है
हर तरफ  तेरे क़दमों की ही आहट है
मेरा बस एक ही सवाल तुझसे है रूबरू:
“किस की मैं सुनूँ और किस की ना सुनूँ?”

KILL ME, CARMEN

I stand still on a rock, my rock
And watch the roaring sea
Reaching out to me
To reclaim and drench my soul.
The sea is just the opposite of me:
Calm in its depths and clamorous outside.
I stare at the clouds
Both within and in the sky
As they change shapes and moods:
Now a king, then a horse
And finally a hatted witch
Alluring small kids
With her trickster candy floss.
I look at the light-house
Standing witness to and guiding
Ships and boats till miles
Through its white beams
Fading into barely discernible plumes.
I see the fishing boats
Returning from a crimson sunset
White gulls meandering around
Like bees on honey-pots.
I see the crabs camouflaged
And tentacled to the slippery rocks.
And then…
Through the salty atomized vapour
I see her; yes, her.
The hem of her long yellow dress
Playing wantonly with the wetness of the sea.
I see me, boyish and breathless
Walking beside her
To the small boat half buried in the sand.
We upright the boat
Drag it into the water
And whilst it still tosses, like my heart
I lift her up and put her on the seat
And yank me up to the seat opposite her
And row the boat
Into the fading evening twilight.
Resting my oars
I look into her eyes
Ah, those kohl eyes
Of the fiery gypsy

Pic courtesy: en.wikipedia.org

Who stole my heart and left me
To be with her affable Escamillo.
Like an oar less dingy
I pitch and am adrift at sea
Of my precocious desires;Wanting to live
And longing to die.
Kill me………Carmen.

CURTAIN CALL

End of a drama,
A comedy, a farce;
The nice cosy chats we used to have.
And bartering of Love with
Your own version of Love.
No sounds, no whispers, no murmurs.
Except you who can hear
Little children playing in the street,
The ring tone of your phone.
The cackle of your innumerable friends,
The honking of cars,
The chirping of birds
The call of the milk vendor
And the squish of the newspaper
As it lands in front of your door.
Bringing you news
From far places.
I can’t hear anything; nor do I try to
I have lost a few senses
I don’t know how many
Since I’ve lost the sense to know.
But, I have to hand it to you,
You really played your part well.
I wish….
I knew
Your lines too
So I won’t have mixed
Real life with acting.
I stand unmoving
Speechless and frozen
Waiting for…….
………..applause?

PRAYER OF THE MAROONED

[lineate][/lineate]How’d you feel,[lineate][/lineate][lineate][/lineate]If one morning you wake up,[lineate][/lineate]And look around;[lineate][/lineate]But, there is no one in sight[lineate][/lineate]You feel you are marooned[lineate][/lineate]And indeed you are shipwrecked[lineate][/lineate]On a remote island[lineate][/lineate]No sounds but the waves breaking[lineate][/lineate]Against the rocks[lineate][/lineate]Or of distant birds and crickets[lineate][/lineate]Dotting the eerie silence?[lineate][/lineate]

 

Pic courtesy: artcyclopedia.com

 

[lineate][/lineate]There is sweat on your brow[lineate][/lineate]And fear in your guts[lineate][/lineate]The sun is out now and it scorches your skin[lineate][/lineate]Soon your lips are parched[lineate][/lineate]Hunger and thirst invade you[lineate][/lineate]Like powerful and wicked aliens from Mars[lineate][/lineate]How long would you last?[lineate][/lineate]Will they find you alive?[lineate][/lineate]Or many years later as a skeleton of bones?[lineate][/lineate]Is there any hope of survival?[lineate][/lineate]

But……

[lineate][/lineate]You have grit,[lineate][/lineate]You have faith[lineate][/lineate]You can’t give up so easily[lineate][/lineate]God gave you precious life for a purpose[lineate][/lineate]And lifting your weary arms above you[lineate][/lineate]You reach out to God[lineate][/lineate]And pray to Him:[lineate][/lineate]”God, all that I need here[lineate][/lineate]Is Internet[lineate][/lineate]To connect to my friends again.”[lineate][/lineate]

 

WHY THIS VALENTINE VALENTINE DI?

Yo boys I am singing song
Love song
Hate song
Why this Valentine Valentine di
Why this Valentine Valentine di
It feels “foreign“-uh
Why this Valentine Valentine di
No overboard please-uh
Why this Valentine..di
Guardian of moral-uh moral-uh
Moral-uh color-uh white-uh
White background porn-uh porn-uh
Porn-uh color-uh blue-uh
Why this Valentine Valentine di
Why this Valentine Valentine di
“Foreign” skin-uh girl-uh girl-uh
MLAs heart-uh black-uh
Phone-uh phone-uh watch-uh watch-uh
“Foreign” girl in stark-uh
Why this Valentine Valentine di
Why this Valentine Valentine di
No wishing V-Day, V-Day
“Foreign” culture spoil-uh spoil-uh
Watch-uh watch-uh porn-uh porn-uh
And-uh be good Indian boy-uh
Why this Valentine Valentine di
Why this Valentine Valentine di

PUNJABIS – THE WAY WE ARE

 Punjabis hain bahut great,
Ek beer ka de do inko crate,
Phir dekho kaise hota hai,
Inka ego inflate.
Pic courtesy: jokesprank.com

Punjabis are really great,
They have free love and hate,
Jab vada vo karte hain,
To nibhaate hain at any rate.

Punjabis are really great,
BA, MA aur matriculate,
No beating around the bush please,
Come to the point straight.

Punjabis are really great,
Matters nahin karte complicate,
“Don’t teach us the difficult way,
Why can’t you simplificate?”

Punjabis sachi hote hain great,
Ye detail hai thodi intricate,
No beating around the bush please,
Come to the point straight.

Punjabis hain bilkul great,
Even when in any state,
Thodi inki praise kar do,
Aur badh jaata hai inka weight.

Pic coutesy: thedesignershub.com
 Punjabi hote hain kaafi great,
Please don’t try to imitate,
They fight their way through,
Agar sitaution ho jaaye create.

Punjabis are really great,
Yeh unka hai etiquette,
Jiyo aur jeene do yaaro,
Life karo na suffocate.

A PLAY TITLED ‘NEW YEAR’

Cardboard cutouts of crepuscular birds
Silently flap their wings
In a jagged arrowhead
Over chaos, despondence, carnage
Riding into the dusk of 2011.
End of Act I; thank God it’s over.
The audience awaits the next Act
That would miraculously usher in:
A nation riding on wings of Hope
Justice, Equality, Dignity, Amity, Knowledge.

Act II; oh, how we awaited it?
Suddenly, there are no tears,
No poor and naked,
No hopeless suicides,
No communal violence
No rapes, no child molestations
No loot, no guns, no bombs.
No Hindus, Muslims, Christians and others
Telling us that their god is the only real God.

Suddenly, a tinsel sun is lowered on stage,

And glimmers over a ‘clear stream of reason’
Leading its way slowly but surely
‘Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit’
And young children waving tricolors
Appear singing, “Jai Hind”
To accompaniment of a gentle flute.

As a dazed audience starts leaving
From gallery, stalls and aisles;
The oft repeated comments,
In the applause, are:
“If a play called ‘New Year’
Can usher in all this,
Why can’t we stage it everyday?”

SEASON’S GREETINGS – 2011

Dear Friends,

Christmas is here again,
And so is New Year,
I go down memory lane,
And share our news here.

After retirement we made home,
In Kharghar, Navi Mumbai.
It’s neither Paris, nor Rome
Nor even London or Shanghai.


But it is our home and hence,
We are always in love with it,
It would give us joy immense,
When you honour us with a visit.

 

We have with us, my mother,
And it’s great blessing indeed.
To have at the table none other,
Than who gave me my first feed.

 

Arjun, our elder lives on his own,
He has emerged as a critic,
No, folks, don’t grunt or groan,
It’s only of Western & Pop music.

Arun, the younger is in Hyderabad,
As an animator in Rhythem & Hues,
Yes, mohawk is still his hair fad,
And he often blows our fuse.

Lyn, God bless, is as sweet,
As when we were newly wed,
To taste her cooking is still a treat,
She keeps us happy and well fed.

 

We miss our Roger dear,
The youngest of our boys,
He is not with us this year,
To share our smiles and joys.
(But, he will always be with us)

 

So that is about all of us,
We hope to hear from you, dear,
We wish you a very Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year.

With lots of love, regards and best wishes,
Mom, Lyn, Arjun, Arun, Roger and Me

SULAGTE AANSU

वो लौटा रहें हैं मेरा सामान,
और जला रहे हैं सब कुछ,
मेरी आरज़ू है सितमगर
मेरे अश्क भी जला दें

ताके दिल के समुन्दर में
वो तूफ़ान फिर ना उभरे;
जो मरहले खड़े थे
उन्हें ठोकर से मिटा दें

काश हम ना होते वो ना होते,
और ये आरज़ू ना होती
तेरी आँखों में जो सरूर था
वो सरूर भी हटा दें

मैं भूल गया हूँ सब कुछ,
तेरे प्यार की नज़र में
मेरी कौन सी है मंजिल
मुझे कुछ तो अब पता दें

अब दिल न हो, प्यार ना हो,
और ना रहे उनकी यादें,
कोई उनसे जाके कह दे,
मेरी हस्ती ही मिटा दें

Vo lauta rahe hain mera saamaan,
Aur jala rahen hain sab kuchh,
Meri araz hai sitamgar
Mere ashq bhi jala dein.

Taa ke dil ke samunder mein
Vo toofan phir na ubhre.
Jo marhale khade the
Unhein thokar se mita dein.

Kaash hum na hote vo na hote,
Aur ye aarzoo na hoti,
Teri aankhon mein jo saroor tha,
Vo saroor bhi hata dein.
 Main bhool gaya hoon sab kuchh,
Tere pyaar ki nazar mein.
Meri kaun si hai manzil,
Mujhe kuchh to ab pata dein.
Ab dil na ho, pyaar na ho,
Aur naa rahein unki yaadein,
Koi unse jaake keh de,
Meri hasti hi mita dein.
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