Wednesday, June 18, 2008

High Bread

A: Hmm....... So whats the story, where have you been?

B: Kahin nahi, here only I was, can you pass that slice of bread

A: Can you answer my question and not stare at your tea and bread like a moron

B: Ya.... question, your question, what about it.....I was around, as always

B: Can you pass some more bread, does the pot have any more tea ?

A: Dude, I am asking you....... where were you ?

A: Cut that assinine all knowing smirk, wtf do you think you are !

B: Some more bread please.................................................please !!

A: You come from middle of nowhere, act your usual self and expect me to sit and watch

B: Do I need a shave, would it hurt if I were to get close to her

B: BTW, does the stuble suit me ? I think it does, at least when it is dark

B: Someone needs to write about my stuble before its gone, oh god !

A: Ok, one last time - WHERE WERE YOU !

B: ......hh....calm down; there is lots more tea to go

A: I don't care my third foot for the tea and these bread crumbs hanging around your face, are you going to tell me or not !

B: You are scary, ever considered banking ?

B: Pass on some bread please

A: Tell me, I promise to be nice to you

B: The music is too loud, can someone lower the volume, change the language and retain the lyrics

A: Ok, allright! Here .... I have turned it off

B: Good, now....... pass some bread

A: No I can't, this is the last piece

B: When did you develop a liking for bread, pass it on

A: No I wont, you will leave once its over

B: To leave once its over is always the idea kid....... learn

B: Do ayurvedic docs take their own medicines

A: Ok, what should I do

B: Appreciate my stuble, tell me if you want me to get you something which I can't

B: Or....try using english next time

A: Do you have to go ?

B: Yes....there is no more bread

A: That was the biggest loaf so far........when do I see you next

B: Next.....when you have questions to ask and I need tea and bread

B: Tra la la....

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Kuch Nahi...Aise Hi...Aaj Mai Maun Hoon

Kahan kahan bhatak rahe hain shoonya chitt raaste

Tujhi ko dhoondh dhoondh ke huye hain past raaste

Too aaj bhi yaqeen hai, too aaj bhi chupa hua

Too aaj bhi dimag mei, hriday mei hai basa hua

Prshansaneeya hai mera tujhe yun dhoondhna guru

Tu woh kapaat hai prabhu jo khul ke na khula hua

Aseem tap kiye huye aadambari bhi dhoondhte

Achoot kehlate huye woh 'dalit' bhi hain poojte

Hai majal ki tere darshan mile kahin kabhi

Aaine ke saamne mai sadaiv tha khada hua

Ghee, doodh, naivedya, naye kahan se dhoondh laaun mai

Tere banaye phool hi tujh par chadhaun mai ?

Yeh khel hai, prem hai, ya rachnatmak lekh hai

Bahut kahaniyan suni, ab kaun sa yeh vesh hai

Prachand agni ki tarah kampit swar mein bol doon

Ya raag malhar mein chaashni sa ghol doon

Ek hi sawal hai, ek hi jaddojahet

Tu kaun hai, tera naam kya, tu kyon hai yun basa hua

Saturday, May 03, 2008

Aas...

With due apologies to BSJ and Faiz

Faiz se keh do kahin door ja marein
Itni jageh nahi hai dil-e-sharmsar mein
Kalam chala kar khushnaseeb zamindoz hain
Hum zakhm jhelte hain ulfat ke intezar mein

Friday, January 25, 2008

Khushnaseeb

Jaante ho..... kitne khushnaseeb ho tum
Allah ne tumhe sochne ke kabil hi na samjha

Sunday, August 05, 2007

Alfaaz ...


Husn-e-seerat ke ghar ka pata kisi ko na tha
Husn-e-soorat ke bazaar mei boliyan lagi

Tamaam raat teri yadon ka intezar kiya
Tamaam umr isi masroofiyat mei kati
Ki tune kitni betaqallufi se mujhe tamaam kiya
Sikhane wale ne ehsaan bhi tamaam kiya

Tazagi ki khushbhu hai, jumla sunte jaiye
Kahin kisi aur se suneinge, to
Mere hisse ki hansi mari jayegi

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Baarish

Garm khichadi ki bhaap mein pighalta ghee; din ke andhere mein baithak se aati Farida Khanum ki awaaz - aaj jaane ki zid na karo; stand par phaile adh-sookhe kapde; naraz samundar ke sur se sur milati tez lahrein; pahadi se neeche utarti maddham aur thandi hawa; badalon se aankh michauli khelta havai jahaz; table par rakhkhi Mr. God This is Anna, ke hawa mein palatate panne; ek ek inch khisakti gadi aur gadi ke bahar zindagi ka shor; masheeno ki tarah idhar udhar beparvah daudte log; Samundar ke kinare khada paani ki cheento se bheeg jaane ka intezar karta mai aur achanak kisi sajish ki tarah shuru hui baarish; baarish, jo kabhi thamne ka naam nahi leti, jo jeevan ke har ek zarre par apna haq samajhti aur jatati hai; baarish, jo jeevan samapt kar deti hai aur nav nirman karti hai; baarish, jo bepanah aur beparvah hai, jo kabhi muskurati to kabhi ghranit nigahon se dekhti hai; baarish, jiske saath mai rehna seekh raha hoon, yeh kehna seekh raha hoon - mere naye shaher ki nayi baarish aa tujhe aagosh mein le loon bebu ......

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Dhoop..... Intezar

Ek muththi aasman lekar aaj mai ghar se nikla, mausam karvat le raha tha, kisi koonchi mein naye rang bhare ja rahe the aur savere ki suhani dhoop atkheliyan kar rahi thi. December ki woh bachpan wali subahei yaad aa gayin, jab nariyal ke tel se sar ki maalish kara hum dhoop sekne ke liye chat par baithte the aur jadoo ki tarah garma garam doodh jalebi ya samose aa jate the.

Koi sawal javab kar raha tha mujhse –

Tumne kuch naya likha kyon nahi ?

Samay hi na mila

Samay hi nahi mila ya kuch aur hai, pehle bhi to itna hi samay hua karta tha tumhare paas?

Haan par pehle likhne ke liye karan bhi hua karte the, aisa kuch hua hi nahi ki mai likhoon

Tumhe kyon hamesha kisi reason ka intezar rehta hai

Aise hi.....generally, tumhara phone kahan tha?

Yahin tha, mere paas......


Dhoop, tumhara intezar tha, tumhe chookar dekha
Tum gunguni aur sunehri, meri hatheli par khel rahi thi
Tum mujhe kisi purane baag ki or dhakel rahi thi
Jahan sookhe patte kadmo ke neeche charmarate
Tum oonche darakhton ke beech aankh michauli khelti
Kabhi mai tumhe choo lele ki koshish karta
Kabhi tum mujhko khud mein dubo leti
Dhoop, tumhara intezar tha

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Hmm.... the proverbial muse

Junoon ke shikar ho, junoon ke raaste chalo
Bahut kadam rok liye, aaj mere vaaste chalo

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Aadha Rasta


On a portal called LSD, posted something long-long time ago. An attempt to recollect a bit in my mother tongue –

Saath chalogi mere? Aisi do pagdandiyan jo na dishaheen hain aur na hi unhe aakhiri manzil ka gyan hai, un par chaleinge hum. Saath saath par apne apne raaston par. December ki ek khushnuma subah ki dhoop mein, garm doodh mein ghulti haldi ka rang liye sookhe patte, hamare kadmo ke neeche cheentiyon se aankh michauli khel rahe honge.
Tum taktaki lagaye kabhi aasman to kabhi kshitij mein kuch talashogi, har woh koshish karogi ki meri nazron se apni nazar bacha lo. Hum purane gaane gungunayeinge aur Bharat ek Khoj mein Roshan Seth ke kirdar ko saraheinge, hum tumhari kavita ko jiyeinge aur meri tukbandi ko theek karne ki koshish kareinge, hum darkhton aur paththaron mein aakritiyan talasheinge aur jab achanak ek hi shabd saath saath boleinge to khil khila kar hans utheinge, haan shayad batana bhool gaya - hum baat bhi kareinge, albatta nazarein churate huye. Yeh pagdanadi badi albeli hai, raaste mein tum kanto ke painepan ko samjhoge aur phoolon par machalte bhanwaron par tumhe taras aayega, hume achanak se zor ki hawa chalne par haath pakadne padeinge aur thapedo se bachne ke liye kareeb chalna padega, shayad apne apne raston ko khud b khud kareeb lana padega.
Kabhi doston ke saath jamun ke ped ko zor se hilaya hai ? Hum kuch bachchon ko rah kinare yeh karte dekheinge, ret par girte jamun bator bachche charo taraf bhageinge, kuch hamari taraf aur kuch us nehar ki or. Hum kheton ki med par chaleinge, tum mujhe bataogi ki kahan kya boya hua hai, mai nazarein bachakar tumhe dekhne ki koshish karoonga.
Fir kabhi chaleinge dost, koi sahi kehta hai, mai man lagakar soch bhi nahi sakta, aalasya ghar kar gaya hai nas nas mein…..maalik

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Pocketful of Sunshine

Every living molecule of my being soaked in warm delight as electric sun rays danced on the exact spot that I stood. It was a sleepy, Sunday afternoon for most. But a testosterone submerged routine quarantines few from that luxury, and I am one of the privileged few. So I allowed myself to lapse into a mental conversation of sorts, before it would be time to yield to schedule.

A pocketful of sunshine is all it needs to send you plumbing crevices that hold jumbled-up memories of winters spent in a faraway tropical country that I call home. And where my thoughts and my mind still escape to. Garden-fresh gajar-matar ki subzi, countless afternoon hours spent sitting in the garden, shelling peanuts and then crunching them between your molars, watching the sky turn a burnt yellow and then a tired crimson, clutching tightly with both hands that adrak ki chai ka cup and letting it sear your palms in the most tender manner, and so much more.

By daytime, things are refreshingly different here too. And I see things in a different light, literally speaking! For instance, the neighbour’s curtains are beige coloured not brown as I always thought them to be. Innocuous specks of rust adorn barbed-wire fences everywhere in the world. Yes, even in America.

And that butterflies fluttering their rainbow wings still excite me. I am very tempted to break into a sprint and leap at them, as those lovely, winged creatures dodge my attempt… At that moment I think nothing of dropping to the ground my fancy overcoat, and the fancy contraptions that I carry. But that instant ticks away soon. Only if I could chase butterflies!
And then I told her.

Me: Now I know why weather, especially sunshine finds so much mention in firangs’ novels…
Her: Hmm… Okay
Me: What a tepid ‘okay’. Now I won’t tell you what I wanted to say
Her: What’s wrong with an ‘okay’. Plus, it was an encouraging one
Me: Who are you kidding?
Her: You
(silence)Me: Haan… so what was I saying? About weather…

Monday, January 01, 2007

The Critic

To recover from a work of art is an art in itself. You delve deep into the myriad possibilities created by the artist which he never takes the pain to enlist, project into a space with no ropes around to cling on to and take a shot at basically nothing - "Hmmm......beautiful, this is an extremely intense interplay of colors to highlight a symbiotic realisation vis a vis the protagonists' attempt at falsifying the fundamental reality behind narrator's take on psychic truth in the cultural ball" The only intelligible word being, ball. Ran into something extremely revolting, being praised by all and sundry, on probing an oblong shape and almost a bent arrow replied - "I don't know about art, but the food is good and so is wine and when high, I think I am a critic. " It feels nice to write in English at times.

Monday, December 25, 2006

Woh Hisse ...

Darmiyan sookhte darakhton ke, aaj jab nazar utha kar dekha toh kshitij par kahin door ek badal ka lihaf udta nazar aaya. Dagmagate kadam baarsih ki nirlajj boondon ko andekha kar badh chale, ki railing ke sahare tek lagayeinge aur oonchi imarton ko paani ke is taraf se samajhne ki koshish kareinge. mai chala, mere kadam badhe, par woh wahin reh gaya. Pehli baar nahi hua hai aisa, bahut baar peeche choot chuka hoon, is martaba baarish zor ki thi aur railing ki taraf badhti peeth zehen mein dar paida kar rahi thi. Hisse choddkar chal padna seerat na ban jaye kahin yeh dua har dar pe mang chuka hoon. Us adalat mein meri arzi pahunchti hi nahi aur jab bulayeinge tab yeh nahi dekheinge ki meri kitini koshishon ko unhone khud hi nazarandaz kar diya tha. Kaash mujhe sangeet ka gyan hota, kaash mai sur aur taal samajh sakta - kehte hain ki gaane wala apni rooh ka koi hissa chodd jata hai hamesha ke liye apni nazmo mein, kuch seekh leta ki har baar kam hote aap, kaise naye raaste tai kar lete hain ...................... mehfil-e-dard ke siva thikaane kaise mil jaate hain

Monday, December 11, 2006

Kafir ki Sangya

Mai shool nahi, pashan nahi, tarkash se nikala baan nahi
Mai tej nahi, abhiman nahi, mujhko bhasha ka gyan nahi
Mai bhoot nahi, mai yaad nahi, mai mrignayani ka aaj nahi
Mai karun vedna karte ... abhishapt yugon ka shrap nahi

Maine chaha tha man prasoon pulkit ho pehli kirno se
Maine chaha tha naav meri tar jaayein bhagwan charno se
Mai karm karoon, mai dhyan karoon, mai ras ka nav nirman karoon
Mai prem karoon, mai raag rachoo, mai sur ka nit - nit pan karoon

Mujhko vo kafir kehte hain, kehte hain mithya lobhi ho
Kanton se jhootha prem hai yeh, tum sarv karm sukh bhogi ho
Tum jhoothe chehre rakhte ho, jeevan ko manchit karte ho
Samidha ka dharan vesh kiye, tum chita prem ke jogi ho

Aisi aasha ka saath liye, na nikala tha jeevan path par
Aisa dveshlipt algaav liye, na natmastak tha tere dar par
Woh raah hi kuch aisi pakdi, woh ratein hi kuch kali thi
Tha takshshila ka rukh mera, kafir ki sangya pani thi
Tha takshshila ka rukh mera, kafir ki sangya pani thi



Jab parda girne wala hota hai, tab nepathya se jo sootradhar nikal kar aata hai use bhrankush kehte hain

Monday, December 04, 2006

Peele Kagaz aur Chelpark ki Ink

Aaj ek aur dhaga toot gaya, kal ki kuch yadon ko tatola to paya ki kahin khalipan sa tha. Kya mujhe koshish karni chahiye unhe fir se dhoondhne ki ? Kya unka itna mahatvv hai, kya ve zaroori hain mere astitv ke liye, kya mai matr ek sangya hoon bina unke ? Aise kai sawal zehen mein uthe aur kisi gaane ke aakhiri hisse mein doobte sangeet ki tarah dheere dheere khamosh ho gaye. Par yeh sawal un yadon ki tarah nahi hain, har baar panapte hain jab bhi koi dhaga toot jata hai. Ek nirantar chalti kriya hai, par mai anbhigyata ka dikhava karta andhere mein badha chala jata hoon. Gyan nahi ki path kahan le ja rahe hain aur kitne hain. Kai musafir milte hain aur bichadte hain, halanqi ab khushi is baat ki hai ki andhere mein koi dikhta nahi, woh kiska sparsh tha, woh kiske shabd the, na yaad rakhne ka prayatn hai na hi mansha. Yeh tiraskar hai ya badalte parivesh ko apnane ki antim pehel, mujhe nahi maloom, par jeevan ka satya hai. Kabhi path pradarshak hua karte the, kabhi mai raushani ke aagosh mein hasta khelta chala karta tha, na jaane kab aur kaise dhalte sooraj ke safar ko mehsoos nahi kar paya, kab pahar badle, kab shaam aayi aur kab andhere mein pehla kadam rakhkha.... pata hi nahi chala. Jab dhyan diya tab dhage tootne lage the, khud ko dilasa dena seekh liya tha aur peele kagaz par chelpark ki ink zaya ki ja rahi thi.

Sunday, December 03, 2006

....nahi

Woh chamak nahi woh prem nahi, ankhon ki bichti sej nahi

More aanchal mein rang bhar de, aisa koi rangrej nahi

Aate the roz hi vyapari, shabdon ki bikvali karne

Kahin kriya nahi, ras-svad nahi, shabdon ka khilta mel nahi

Aahutiyan dene aate the, bam bole kehkar gate the

Aise bhi kapalik dekhe jinke shareer par ret nahi

Sanidhya tumhara milta gar, mai bhi shayad kuch likh leta

Ab manthan na ho pata hai, mera vaisa parivesh nahi

Kya tum kavitavli-sanrakshak ka patr ada kar paaoge

Mere haathon se le jaao, ab lagta hai yeh khel nahi

Friday, November 17, 2006

Guroor Hota ....

Har lafz ko tarasha tune, har moti ko piroya

Har zazbe ko sambhala tune, har haar ko sanjoya

Kisi musafir se gairat ki ummeed bhi kar dali

Kisi bepanah hawa ko kabu karke bhi roya

Goya guroor hota to aaj sir chadh kar bolta

Tune to yahin paya hai aur yahin hai khoya

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Khuda Ki Bhool

This was strictly meant for private circulation till he forced me to share -


Hai kahan ki himaat-e-marda jo tum se joojh le

Hai kahan woh pak-e-seerat jo yeh daman choom le

Tum kisi Gomukh ki Ganga, tum subah ka phool ho

Tum oss ka patte pe girna, Tum khuda ki bhool ho

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Zafarnama

In Hasraton se keh do, kahin aur ja basein
Itni jageh kahan hai dil-e-daghdar mein
Kitna hai badnaseeb Zafar dafan ke liye
Do gaz zameen bhi na mili koo-e-yaar mein

Under house arrest, so wrote Bahadur Shah Zafar.

Dilli se Burma tak zafar ke safar par ek koshish kisi oonchi imarat mein baithkar -

Aa Jamuna chal chalte hai, mujhe door bahut hai jana
Tere bahav mein dhalte hain, mujhe fir hai sheesh jhukana
Dekho yeh Taj ki parchayi, jab tumko yun choo leti hai
Mano Mumtaz ki thandi yaad, ek aayat si keh leti hai

Tum mil jaogi ganga mein, kho dogi apna naam vahan
Mai bebas sangam dekhoonga, dhoondhoonga koi saath naya
Shayad makool yahi hoga ki parchayi ke saath chaloon
Jhukte kandhe, dhalti shaamein, khali jamon ka vaar sahoon......

Kabhi kisi kavita ko beech mein choddna nahi chahiye, aap fir kitni bhi koshish kar lein, woh khayal aur woh alfazon ka roomanipan laut kar nahi aata. Aisa lagta hai ki kahin koi apna choot gaya aur ab haath badhane par uski yaadein bhi kasmasakar door ja rahi hain, mano aapse nafrat ho unko.

Saturday, October 28, 2006

Galiyare - II

Khala ka zikr kiya tha usne, shayad apne dabte uthte roomanipan se kuch bharne ki bezuban koshish kar raha tha woh, maine use yeh likhkar bhej diya -

Taqazaa tha, ki ek tasawwuf si tishnagi jage, teri tasveer ke tasawwur se Ki tere taabish ki taasir, meri taqdeer ka ek talkh tamasha bane Ki zamindoz kar doon, mai woh taz-o-takht, woh shabab-e-seerat Ki teri nazron ke paimane, khuda ki panah ka paigam bane

Across the pond she ruminates over what was and what could have been, she isn't happy with the idea of giving him the freedom which he had already taken for granted and then she asks, "why do you write like this?"

Insaan jab bhi kuch likhta hai to shayad dil mein ek chahat hoti hai - koi ise padhe sarahe aur mujhe sunae, istemal kare in shabdon ka jahan yeh uchit hon. Aap likh kaisa bhi sakte hain, ya to gulazzar ki tarah sadharan shabdon mein ek muqqamal peshkash, ya mir taqi mir ki tarah zubani nafast se bhari nazm. Kuch yaad a raha hai -

Logon ne itni oonchi imartein bana di hain charon aur, ki woh mere hisse ka sooraj bhi kha gaye

Haan to hum baat khala ki kar rahe the, khala kyon aur kaise panapti hai -

Mere zehen ke nazdeek ek aahat si hui
Mujhe laga ki tere jism mein harkat si hui
Hasin makbare pe muqammal sa ek sher padha
Meri hokar bhi aye rab khala meri na hui

Har ek koshish ko ba-izzat darkinar karke, woh mere saath hi rehti rahi talkh-e-yaar ban ke
goya jism ko dhakne ki zaroorat thi kahin, woh nachati hi rahi mujhko sharmsar kar ke
Kisi ne pooch liya to hum bezuban nikale, usne samjha liya unhe mujh pe akhtiyar kar ke
Shayad khalayein aisi hi hoti ho ya rab.........

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Galiyare I

Nirantar mehsoos kar pana zindagi ke un lamho ko, jo aapke astitv ko ek mayane dete hain

Raat ke veerane mein ek kali nadi ke saamne sharmindagi se sir jhuka kar sadak kinare pade paththar ko dhakelte huye achanak muskura padna

Dariya ke us par raushani ki chakachoundh ko har roz dekh thoda sa ghabra jana, fir sambhalna aur khud ko dhandhas badhana

sadak par woh chirparichit gandagi dhoondhna - woh seedhiyon par paan ki peek aur gali ke mod par kareene se rakhkha koode ka dher

Yaad karna us pehle kalam ko jisne kavita likhne mein tumhara saath diya tha kayi saal

Gir gir kar uthna aur aansoo ki dabi boond ko apne ahankar ke neeche punah daba lena

Kaisi hai yeh khudai aur kaisi yeh narazgi - yeh khel khelna aur bandon ko pyade bana lena