दोस्त

मेरी balcony से दिखता वो नीम का पेड़

आजकल बहुत खुश रहता है 

दोस्तों का आना-जाना लगा है इन दिनों

अक्सर जब उनके खिलखिलाने की आवाज़

मेरे कमरे तक आती है

सोचती हूँ

आखिर क्या बातें करते होंगे मिल कर..

वो नीम का पेड़, बारिश की बूँदें और सर्द-मंद हवायें।  :)

that constant thing!

you too came by,
you too will leave

what will stay
A lone eve.


no words will ease
no sound will please

none of the wisdom
will help relieve,

the pain that reaches
while you depart,

wish it could help,
hold thy heart !

धूल

बारिश की बूँदों से

फिर एक बार

कुछ अरसे से जमी धूल

साफ़ करने की

उम्मीद लगायी है ,

देखते है इस बार

कौन जीतता है

मिट्टी या पानी !

ऐतराज़

गीली घास पर नंगे पैर

,चलने की चुभन

बारिश की बूँदें पलकों पर

,गिरने की सिहरन 

अंधेरी ठंडी रात के

,मासूम से चाँद की जलन 

..हर बार.. हर शहर 

वैसी ही है ।

एक सुबह,
एक शाम,
एक रात ..
मुझसे ले जाती है।

और वापस नहीं करती
कुछ भी ।

मैं भी तो
न जाने क्यूँ
ऐतराज़ नही करती ।

Rape. Yet again.

Rape. Yet again.

Ironically, most of the times the girl used to be put under scanner; what happened this time?
Girls are not supposed to be gregarious.. are supposed to underplay to avoid getting over noticed.

But, what could a five year old have possibly done to cause this heinous crime?!!!

I have been resisting myself to write about Delhi victim but admitting here that I never really prayed for her survival. According to me there was no life left for her. All I wished for her was less pain(physical & emotional). However I was pretty sure that this wouldn't had happened by her coming back to the same society. If the relief  had to come via no-more-breaths-to-bear, let it may. And it happened.

No, I am not talking about physical recovery of hers that is too overt to mention. Following such incidents, the emotional and social factors are far more important. Even if I believe the claims that she wanted to live and indeed was a brave heart to overcome emotional trauma, the social factor alone would have been too torturous to live a normal life.

I might sound discouraging here but speaking the bitter truth- that is how our society is.
Just imagine yourself crossing her on a street, even in the best of your intellect, intention and gesture you would look at her once with sympathy/pity. You just wont ignore her like another passerby! And that, my hypocrite society, will revive the pain and leave the cut bleeding once again.
Or, for example take another immensely followed social norm- Marriage. I am damn sure no man would be manly enough to marry her.

Now.. what is the solution?
Honestly speaking I don't know and practically speaking there is no thumb rule.

Probably a mixture of the following would do some betterment: A 'justified' justice, wisdom to react in dicey situations, improved public security and the most important and difficult part - educate the youth to be socially responsible, remain humane and respect women!!!


May someday we have a safer society!

हाँ

तुम्हे भुलाने  की रस्म
कुछ ऐसे अदा की,

साथ सबके चली
किसी से ना रज़ा की ।

हर हाँ की कोशिश मेरी
तुम्हारी हाँ पर रुक गयी,

ज़ख्म चलते रहे ..
और खुद को सज़ा दी ।

दिन

एक दिन मुक़र्रर हुआ है क़त्ल का,

उससे पहले..

तुम्हारी कोशिशें कैसी
हमारा संभलना क्या ।

वार

सबको वजह मिली है

हर गुनाह की खुद के, 

बेवजह, बेगुनाह भी 

कुछ यूँ ही जायेंगे |

सिलसिला -ए - वार*

ये कभी तो रुके,

इंसानियत सिखाने भी

क्या अब खुद,

ख़ुदा या भगवान आयेंगे ?। 

*attack

आज, एक दिन

किसी ने किसी को किया propose
किसी ने दिया किसी को red rose

किसी की तारीफ में बजी तालियाँ
कहीं आरती को सजी थालियाँ

किसी ने किसी का छोड़ दिया साथ
कहीं थामा गया एक-दूसरे का हाथ

किसी ने इस दुनिया में खोली आँखें
कहीं किसी ने ली अंतिम सांसें

ज़िन्दगी, आज
कुछ को मिली
कुछ ने जी ली
और कुछ खो बैठे


मेरा भी एक दिन, आज
कुछ हल्के-भारी
हिसाब-किताब से गुजरता रहा ।


*written during valentine week

WE.

क्या हुआ अरे जो नारी हूँ
आखिर तो कृति तुम्हारी हूँ ,
देना ही होगा वो प्रकाश
जिसकी मैं भी अधिकारी हूँ।

I came across this note of mine in a recent home visit. These lines were written some 10-12 years back when for once my coaching class was shifted to my home just to avoid a crazy stalker.

I felt like being punished without any fault of mine. Although soon enough, I realized that my safety had been way too important for my family to taking the psycho to task and setting some example for the society (You never know what could be the stalker's next move!).

Saddened to see how time hasn't changed itself when it comes to dealing with feminism of the female race.
Though I am glad that girls have started talking about it publicly and raising voice against it, back then this too used to be a taboo.

But the burning question remains- When will WE be able to walk freely and where?