An Unusual Dream

Yesterday I had a dream. An unusual dream. Unusual 'coz I don't get dreams in my sleep. I don't remember having a dream, not because I don't remember, but simply because I have a very sound sleep - a dreamless sleep. But this was a welcome change. I got a dream and I remembered it too.

Now coming to the dream. Lets start with a flashback.

After a hectic day's work, as I rested myself on the bed, I turned on the TV. Nothing interesting being aired on the idiot box. So flipped on to what I like the most - the news channels - to get updated on what's going on in the world. I stuck to one channel (won't name it, nahi to free ki publicity ho jaayegi....) which showed a news byte regarding swine flu deaths. I was keenly watching the statistics of the deaths caused due to swine flu. I don't remember when I slept.

I woke up and found myself in a different world. Although it was quite familiar place, but it definitely wasn't my bed room. I was lying on a footpath. I had no idea how I was there. I had no idea what I was doing in the middle of some odd place in my night wear. And to add to my woes, I had no cell phone and no wallet, not even some change.

I regained my senses and saw a shop's signboard. I dug my eyes into the last few words on that board. It read "PUNE-2". Now, it was yet another shocker. How the hell was I in Pune? Although I had my relatives in the city, I had no distant plan of visiting Pune. But then, I had to call up at home and give them my whereabouts and tell them that I was safe and then go back home. But going back home and calling up were another distant dreams as I had no money in my pockets and no cell phone too.

I tried to recollect the numbers of my relatives in Pune. But all in vain. I started cursing the modern day inventions, to be specific the mobile phone. Mobile phones have made our life miserable. I used to remember the phone numbers of all my close relatives before I got my cell. And mobile phones gave us the ease of having a phonebook, so that we need not remember the numbers. I had a faint idea where my relatives lived, so I proceeded in a random direction. I decided to ask someone the way to the nearest relative's house.

As it was early morning, only a few people were visible. And ninety-nine percent of the people I saw, had masks on their faces. Then I realised that I was in the city where the effect of the dangerous 'swine flu' is maximum. I asked a few people the address, but people stayed away from me. I guess it was 'coz I was walking without any mask. People were hesitating in talkin to me. I didn't even have any handkerchief to cover my mouth and/or nose (even a hankie can be used, as the various TV channels claim). I tore off a piece of cloth from my shirt and tied it around my face. A make-shift face mask.

Moving ahead, I saw a beggar. He wasn't wearing a mask. This time I was scared. I decided to ask him the directions. As I knew only a li'l bit of Marathi and English was out of option as he was a beggar, I stuck to Hindi, which fortunately he also knew. After asking the directions, I continued talking with him so as to make him aware of the deadly flu in the city.

Me : Tumko swine flu ke baare mein pata hai. Poona mein kitne log mar rahe hai. Poore desh mein fail gaya hai ye.

Beggar : Pata hai saahab... pata hai.

M : Pata hai to mask lagana chahiye na. Marna hai kya tumko bhi?

B : Saahab. Swine flu se to nahi, bhookh se zarur mar jaaunga.

M : Bhookh se marne pe koi media wala nahi aayega. Government ko bhi bhookh se marne walo ki parwah nahi hai. Bas swine flu se mat marna, warna faltu mein bawaal ho jayega. Mask laga le yaar.

B : Saahab. Yahaan khaane ke paise nahi hai, mask kya lagau? Chaar din se bhookha hoon, do rupaye de do. Chaai pi ke thoda jaan aa jayegi.

M : Do rupaye??? Mehengai sach mein bahut badh gayi hai... Ab to bheekh ke rate bhi badh gayi hai.

B : Saahab. Dene ho to do, kam se kam mazaak to mat udaao.

As I was talking, someone came (a masked man, of course) and dropped a two-rupee coin in his bheekh-ka-katora. I was amazed that people have accepted the new begging rates. He continued talking.

B : Saahab, is swine flu ki bimari ne to hum logo ko duvidha mein daal diya hai. Ab jo paise de ke jaata hai, usko dua kaise doon? Chehra to dikhta nahi.

M : Ek raasta hai. Sab mask waalo ko swine flu se bachane ki dua maango.

B : Sirf mask waale hi kyun? Hum bina mask wale mar jaaye kya? Is se achha to sab ke liye hi na maang lu dua?

M : Ye bhi theek baat hai. Sab ke liye hi maang lo.

B : Saahab. Sab ke liye maang lu, to fir mujhe bheekh dene wale ka kya? Fir to dene wala aur na dene wala sab baraabar ho gaye.

M : Ye baat bhi sahi hai. Lekin mask laga le yaar.

B : Mask lagane se kya aadmi ko ye bimari nahi hogi?

M : Kehte to hain. Apne ko lagane mein kya jaata hai?

B : Kitne log mar gaye honge ab tak is bimari se?

M : Poore desh mein yehi koi 60-70.

B : Itne to har mahine mar jaate honge bhookh se. Sarkaar ko unki koi chinta nahi hai.

M : Wo alag baat hai yaar.

B : Alag baat kyun? Maut to maut hai. Bhookh se ho ya swine flu se. Swine flu se marne waalo ke liye itna shor sharaba. Aur bhookh se marne waalo ke liye koi media nahi, koi sarkaar nahi.

M : Tum bilkul sach keh rahe ho, par aam aadmi kya kar sakta hai?

While having this conversation, I heard some words followed by some music. It was getting louder and louder. I can now hear the words clearly, "Jaago Mohan Pyaare....". It sounds something familiar. It was my alarm tone. I shook my head and got up suddenly. And I was back in my bedroom. Everything intact. My cellphone was loudly playing the song. I could not believe what I had just experienced in my dream.

It was a bitter truth. I had mixed emotions, happy that I was back home and not in Pune, and a li'l gloomy 'coz of that conversation in the dream.

Noor

उन्हें कैसे भुला सकते हैं हम,
जिन की हँसी पे हम मरते हैं.
कैसे कर दें उन्हें ख़ुद से जुदा,
उनकी आवाज़ से भी हम प्यार करते हैं.

हर राह उनकी तरफ़ मुडती नज़र आती है,
हर साँस उनकी याद दिलाती है.
कैसे समझाएं अपने दिल को,
ये धड़कता है, तो उन्ही की याद आती है.

दिल को धड़कना सिखा दिया,
इसे प्यार करना सिखा दिया.
हो गए थे हम इस ज़िन्दगी से रुसवा,
पर उन्होंने हमें जीना सिखा दिया.

हम को दीवाना कर गए हैं वो,
यूँ यादों में बस गए हैं वो.
खो गए हम उनकी बातों में इस तरह,
की हमारी आंखों का नूर बन गए हैं वो.

Zaroor tha....

न उसकी आँखों का, न मेरे दिल का कसूर था
मैं उसका न सही, वो मेरा प्यार ज़रूर था

न वो मुझ से दूर थी, न मैं उस से दूर था
कुछ दूर था, तो वो नज़र का कसूर था

कोई प्यार तो मेरे दिल में ज़रूर था
शायद उसे ना सही, पर मुझे ज़रूर था

बात जब हुई, तो कुछ न था
पर जब मिली नज़रें, तो दिल को कुछ गुरूर था

अब उनकी आँखों को क्या करें बयाँ
हम पर भी छा गया इतना सुरूर था

फ़िर छाई ज़िन्दगी में बहार ऐसी
कि जिंदा रहने के लिए उनके करीब आना ज़रूर था

BJP v/s Democracy?

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seems to be in a state of shock since its defeat in the 2009 general elections. And instead of recuperating from the shock, its taking steps which can not be called democratic or wise or both.

Lets take two cases, both equally important, both related in some way to my state Rajasthan, and both tackled equally in undemocratic ways. We'll deal with both of them in chronological order.

The first example is of ex-CM of Rajasthan, Vasundhara Raje. As everybody knows, all of a sudden she was told by the 'high-command' to quit the post of the Leader of Opposition in Rajasthan Assembly. For the sake of information let me tell you, the BJP has 78 MLAs out of the total strength of 200 in the state assembly. And out of these 78, more than 50 MLAs stood for Raje (that's nearly two-thirds majority) and these MLAs even tried to review the order. They travelled to New Delhi to meet party's top leader L K Advani and party president Rajnath Singh. Advani refused to meet them. Later, two of Raje's staunch supporters Rajendra Rathore and Gyan Dev Ahuja were expelled from the party on the grounds of indiscipline. (dude.... if being in majority is indiscipline, then i guess the BJP top brass need to review 'their definition' of indiscipline....)

Another example is a more recent one. Its regarding another senior BJP leader. Coincidentally, even he belongs to Rajasthan. He is the ex-armyman ex-Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh. And the basis of his ouster from the BJP is supposed to be his latest book "Jinnah : India, Partition, Independence" based on his personal research depicting his views on the partition. Well, here I jump again to comment on this issue. If expressing one's views is a crime, then BJP stands nowhere. BJP is okay with communal remarks of Varun Gandhi against a community. But BJP isn't okay with expression of views.

Jaswant Singh did not release his book as a party document, he released it as an independent author. Its disheartening to see such senior leaders of a party being treated in such a disgraceful manner. What was the fault of Jaswant Singh? That he praised Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who is the father of nation of Pakistan. That he felt that Nehru was more to be blamed for the partition than Jinnah. Even the then-PM-in-waiting Advani praised Jinnah. He was also criticised for that. But he wasn't expelled. He wasn't sidelined. Well, whatever be the story, the conclusion is somewhat clear : The BJP has lost it !!!

Ab jo kaam karna chahiye, wo to karte nahi hai.... BJP needs to find a replacement for Lal Krishna Advani. It has so far failed to find young faces to represent itself. And the Congress on the other side, has developed its new bunch of young politicians.

And in a recent series of twists and turns, Advani camp is reportedly wooing Vasundhara Raje to quit and fill the place left void by the exit of Jaswant Singh. Looks like - Saam Daam Dand Bhed - all the tricks in the book are being tried and tested.

I am not a supporter of any political party. I am just putting my thoughts forth on the issue as any other Indian. Hope this era of 'undemocratic politics' end here.

If she were mine....

If she were mine,
I would take her up the skies
through the clouds of love
into the heaven of her dreams and beyond.

If she were mine,
I would always protect her
from the shadows of sadness,
keeping it always glowing.

If she were mine,
I would always be the one
pushing her harms away,
wiping her tears away.

If she were mine,
I would always be there for her.
A friend. A lover.
I would be the one she needs me to be.

If she were mine,
I would show her the dreams coming true.
I would show her the meaning of true love.

Aazadiiiiiii......

Independence Day wishes to start with.... Today seems to be a special day.... And it is indeed a special day. I'm feeling like a kid who's having his birthday. After all, I am a part of my country. And I'm proud of it.

Actually, I have been thinking to write a post for the Independence Day since almost a week. But somehow I couldn't. I either had no time, or when I had time, I had no idea as such. And a few thoughts which were doing the rounds of my mind, have already been expressed by me in my Republic Day post 'Patriotism', and I had no intentions of repeating them. And don't be in an illusion that what I expressed in that post have changed. I still think the SAME. So, here I am, writing an extempore blog post. Go on guys, have a read. It won't be that bad. If it were bad, I myself would've trashed it :)

Well.... Its a week filled with fever.... Don't think I'm talking about the deadly flu caused by the H1N1 virus, which most of the people call 'Swine Flu' or 'Swine flew' (God.... kya zamaana hai... even swines have started flying... for those who don't know, swine = pig.... with due respect... lol) or whatever.... I'm talking about the independence fever. Although, it has been overshadowed by the sick news of swine flu. Its disheartening to see people dying and the stupid media making fuss out of it. Instead of creating awareness among the public, the Indian media is creating a panic situation. I got a bit carried away. Lets stick to the topic.

As I said, its the week of Independence Day, so one sees a sudden change in the behaviour of people. They suddenly start feeling patriotic, they start the preparation for the celebration. You can see flags everywhere. You hear patriotic songs like 'Mere desh ki dharti...' and 'Saare jahaan se achha Hindustaan humara....' more often. You can see school kids all gearing up and practising for the I-Day march and performances. All looks so good. Its a sudden outburst of patriotic emotions, which happens only at either Independence Day or Republic Day or in case the country is in crisis. Still, we know, we all love India. Its just that we don't show it.

Although I don't like our 'back-biting' neighbour much, still I take this opportunity to wish all the people across the border in Pakistan a warm Independence Day. Guys, its high time. Ab toh sudhar jaao. I know the common Pakistani people don't have that harsh feeling against India, as we don't have against them. Its just that some bloody politicians (on both sides of the LoC) still want to maintain the gap between India and Pakistan.

If I go on citing the negativities of India, you might tag me a pessimist. But since I'm not one, I'd like to tell you that "I AM PROUD TO BE AN INDIAN". I always have this pride to have been born in a country with such a vast culture and varied heritage. As it is said, nothing is perfect. We too have some drawbacks, and I'm sure we shall overcome....

I'll leave you with a pic of the 15th August 1947 edition of the Times of India.

JAI HIND !!!

Pyaar Kya Hai....

प्यार क्या है…
एक एहसास, या एक मीठी सी चुभन,
दर्द का सैलाब, या दो दिलों का मिलन.
शायद प्यार एक खामोशी है,
जिसे आँखें ही पढ़ सकती हैं.
या दिल से दिल की बात है,
जो धड़कने ही समझती हैं.
प्यार जो आंखों से झलकता है,
और मन में तड़पता है.
प्यार एक खुशबू है,
जिससे ये जहाँ महकता है.
उन हाथों की छुअन है,
जिनसे ये तन सिहरता है.
अरमानो का सागर है,
दिल जिन में डूबता उतरता है.
प्यार एक आरज़ू है,
जिसमे कुछ नही चाहा जाता.
प्यार एक त्याग है,
जिसमे सब कुछ है दिया जाता.
या प्यार एक रिश्ता है,
जिसे कोई नाम नही दिया जाता...

Sisters, Thank You !

There could be no better day than this to thank your sisters. And in this post, I'm just doing that.

I take this opportunity to thank all my sisters : Rekha didi, Rita didi, Yukta, Honey and Komal. Apart from these, there's one more sister I'd like to thank, my 'rakhi' sister, who was always there for me, Anshu.

I thank you all for always being there for me, supporting me in the best and the worst situations, bearing me and my feelings (coz I've been an over-sensitive and over-emotional guy) and for all that you have been to me. Well, I always feel short of words when I wanna express something about my close ones.

Today, on the day of Rakshabandhan, even though I tried to be there with 'most' of my sisters, there are always a few of them who I can't be with. But that doesn't mean I am not close to them. I'm equally close to all my sisters.

And I just don't understand when someone asks me about the sisters being 'real' or 'cousin'. I just feel that a sister is a sister. Who can understand it better than me? I feel equally attached to all of them. I can never categorise them under 'real' and 'cousin'.

Distance has never been a deterrent in rhe bond we share. None of my sisters are at a stone's throw. Almost all of them are a thousand kilometres apart from me. But this distance has never been a hurdle. I trust my sisters, and share my deepest and darkest secrets with them and I'm glad even they equally trust me.

Actually, I had not planned this post earlier. While tying 'rakhi' on my wrist today, I felt nostalgic about all those good and bad times when my sisters lent their unconditional support to me. Thats when I thougt of thanking my sisters 'in my way'. But now I don't have much words to express that feeling. And I think I should rest this post here.

Once again, thank you all my sisters for all that you've been to me. Be the same. You rock :)

Whenever I look at you....

I know I am not lost,
And I am not so,
But whenever I look at you,
It seems as if you are the only one I know.

I know I am not alone,
There is a large world around me,
But whenever I look at you,
It seems as if you are the only one I see.

I know there is no time,
There is much work to start,
But whenever I look at you,
It seems as if I forget what is what.

I know there is much happiness,
I know I can enjoy,
But whenever I look at you,
It seems as if you are the only joy.

I know I have
Many people to love,
But whenever I look at you,
It seems as if you are the only one I love.