बिके हुए लोग

दूसरों के कंधो पे टिके हुए लोग

अपनी परछाईं से छुपे हुए लोग

समझते है ख़ुद को मसीहा

ये कौड़ी कौड़ी में बिके हुए लोग

अपनी सच्चाई से डरे हुए लोग

ढहती दीवार पर खड़े हुए लोग

रौंद देते है नीचे सपने कई

अपनी ऊँचाई से भरे हुए लोग

कीड़ों की तरह छितराए हुए लोग

सत्ता के घमंड में इठलाए हुए लोग

अपनी अपंगता से मजबूर

दूसरों पर चिपकाए हुए लोग

भूल जाते है हर शय को एक मात होती है

हर चिंगारी एक दिन राख होती है

उपरवाले की दुआ में ना सही

मजलूम की आह में आवाज़ होती है

अपनी बर्बादी के मंज़र ख़ुद तराशते है

ये अंधे बहरों से नज़र आने वाले लोग 

तुम

आज मन बड़ा उदास है, सोचती हूँ तुम होते तो कहते बैठो मैं चाय बना देता हु

रसोई से आवाज़ लगाते, कहते कुछ खाओगी क्या।

मेरे मना करने पर गरम चाय का मग मुझे पकड़ाते ओर मेरे पास आकर बैठ जाते

हाँ अब बोलो क्या हुआ

मैं रोआंसी सी कहती कुछ नहीं

तुम मेरा हाथ अपने हाथ में लेते ओर हौले से कहते बताओ भी

मैं तुम्हारे कंधे पर सर रखती और फफ़क पड़ती

तुम मेरे चुप होने का इन्तेज़ार करते

मेरा हाथ सहलाते और कहते पहले चाय पी लो,

तुम्हें ठंडी चाय पसंद नहीं है ना

मैं मुस्कुराती और तुम्हारी नज़रों में झाँकती

तुम्हारी नज़रें मेरी नज़रों से अठखेलियाँ करती

तुम पूछते आज फिर बॉस से लड़ाई हुई

मैं हाँ में सिर हिलाती

तुम अपने अन्दाज़ में ठहाका लगाते ओर कहते

देखा मैं तुम्हें कितने अच्छे से जानता हूँ

अच्छा चलो बताओ क्या हुआ

आधा घंटा मेरी बकबक सुनने के बाद तुम धीरे से सिर हिलाते

मुझे छेड़ते हुए कहते मैडम मेरे अलावा तुम्हें कोई नहीं झेल सकता

मेरा ग़ुस्सा पल में काफ़ूर हो जाता

पर आज, आज ऐसा नहीं है

तुम नहीं हो, तुम्हारी वो बातें नहीं है

चाय गरम है पर शायद मन नहीं है

ये क्या की ज़िंदगी गुज़रती जा रही है

ये क्या की सब कुछ वही है, पर कुछ पीछे भूल आए

ये क्या की ताउम्र कोशिश की, पर आज फिर तुम याद आए 

India Shining is India whining

For past couple of years I have not celebrated my birthday with as much vigour as I have started to look forward to national days of honor.  The 69^th Republic day that went by yesterday offered me numerous reasons to celebrate. I list below just some of them that made my heart swell with pride and assuredly somebody else’s chest to 56”.

·   Padmavat: In a nation packed with people in every nook and corner, it was heart warming how the forces united to fight against a seemingly real portrayal of ancient historical characters that could have possibly been a well chalked out threat to the aan, baan and shaan of a particular community. If Padmavat could irk and ignite such fire why did movies like black Friday, matrabhoomi die a silent death. Well, it is not in everyone to exalt art to the level of jingoism and patriotism.

   Gauri Lankesh: Just like Jessica, no one killed Gauri Lankesh. She was a victim of her own ‘right’ opinions. The unity which some of us showed in silencing voices which do not resonate with ours was impressive. I salute the unity once again.

·   Attack on Swiss couple: My hindi teacher in school would repeatedly emphasize on ‘Athiti devo bhav’ as one of our cultural tenets in India. I assumed it was meant for the guests who would come and demand repeated cups of chai thereby robbing me of my playtime. I learnt to be good to them. After so many years my thought stands affirmed in the wake of attacks on swiss couple around agra. Well, anything which does not belongs to us should be looked at with contempt and suspicion.

·     Ban on safe sex advertisements: Like I said in India people are everywhere. It gives me the feeling of being in an overcrowded space where everyone knows what the other did and every action is constantly being judged for…..read over vigilant parents J. Well, the broadcasting ministry suddenly decided to double up as moral police by banning ads on safe sex. ‘Sahi kiya’, Sex is taboo, these ads are an embarrassment to the social fabric. I was a little wayward to think some of them were very asthetically shot and made for some good lunch time discussion with my gang.

·     Lynching: Yup, lynching…absolutely worth for the protection of cows because ‘Gai humari mata hai’. Suddenly from ‘chai pe charcha’ nation drifted to ‘gai pe charcha’. After humans, cows make for the biggest population in the country. One of my Aussie general managers used to call my house a zoo just because the road used to be packed with heards of cows sitting, cud chewing, pooping, blocking traffic. He would often question the ‘gaushalas’ who left the cows out in the morning to gorge on plastic and other garbage. Poor him, how were I to explain to him this does not lessen our respect for the holy cow. Cows can eat anything, breed anywhere, die anyhow but this does not gives anybody a right to kill them for reasons well known.

Trolling: National pastime. Everybody’s first love, right to free speech. No one and nothing can or should curb it. Slut shaming, victim shaming, figure shaming are all so closely real now. And why not…like I said it has given numerous invisible Indians a tongue to be wagged and some refined words to be spouted as venom.

What!! wait a second…my friend just called. I am being royally trolled on twitter. What did I tweet? “69 never worked for anyone” but I sure meant that for our republic.