प्राण प्रतिष्ठा

काठ की गुड़िया 
केवल सिर हिलाती है,
बोल नहीं पाती है ।
पर मोल लेने वालों को 
ऐसी ही मूक प्रतिमा 
बेहद पसंद आती है ।

काठ की गुड़िया 
अनेक प्रकार की, 
सारी दुनिया में 
पाई जाती है । 
कई नामों से 
जानी जाती है ।

मिट्टी की गुड़िया ।
मोम की  गुड़िया। 
प्लास्टर ऑफ़ पेरिस की तो 
ग़ज़ब ढाती है । 
नाक - नक़्श महीन 
और मुँह में ज़बान नहीं । 
और क्या चाहिए जी ?

हामी भरती हुई 
बेजान चीज़ भी 
बड़ी आकर्षक और 
मनभावन होती है ।
खूबसूरती की 
मिसाल होती है।  
कुल मिला कर 
कमाल होती है !

जिस दिन ये गुड़िया 
बोलने लगेगी,
ना जाने क्या-क्या 
कह देगी । 

सब की भलाई 
इसी में है,
ये गुड़िया घर में 
सजावट के लिए ही रहे ।
इसके बोलने में 
बड़ा खतरा है।  

काठ की गुड़िया  . . 
मिट्टी की गुड़िया  . .
कांच की गुड़िया  . . 
रबर की गुड़िया  . . 

जिस दिन ये गुड़िया 
बोलने लगेगी,
सुन्दर दिखे ना दिखे  . . 
अच्छी लगे ना लगे  . . 
दुनिया बदल देगी ।   

आत्मबल

कब तक 

माँ दुर्गा ही 

महिषासुर मर्दन करेंगी ?

कब तक 

राजा राम ही 

रावण से युद्ध करेंगे ?

यदि महिषासुर 

और दशानन 

हमारे भीतर की ही 

दशाएं हैं, 

तो हम अपनी लड़ाई 

खुद कब लड़ेंगे ?

सामर्थ्य और 

दायित्व बोध जो 

प्रसाद में पाया हमने 

कब उस आत्मबल से 

स्वयं अपने 

मन के क्लेश 

हरेंगे हम ?

पत्तों को चुपचाप झरते देखा

पतझड़ में 
एक एक करके 
हरे-भरे 
कुछ-कुछ पीले हो चुके 
पेड़ों से 
पत्तों को चुपचाप 
झरते देखा,
तो मन में 
पल्लवित हुई 
एक इच्छा ।

स्वेच्छा से,
यदि मन में 
गहरे पैठे 
पूर्वाग्रह और कुंठाएं 
यूँ ही आप झर जाएं,
नई संभावनाओं के लिए 
जगह बनाएं,
तो क्या खूब हो !

सहर्ष परिवर्तन का स्वागत हो !
जीवन में नित नया वसंत हो !

   

दायित्व

अपने अपने आले में, 
दीपक बन के 
जलते रहें ।

इतना भी बहुत है, 
अंधकार में 
उजाला लाने के लिए । 

कही कविता

बचपन से ही कविता को    
संकट के कठिन समय में 
संजीवनी बूटी बनते देखा। 
सुख के चंचल चपल दिनों में 
अहाते में चौकड़ी भरते देखा। 
घर भर के कोने - कोने में 
कविता को रचते - बसते देखा । 

माँ को सदा गृहस्थी के 
उलटे - सीधे फंदों में 
रहीम के दोहे बुनते देखा। 
दाल-भात, खीर और फुल्के 
रसखान के रस में पगते देखा। 

दादा को हर दिन सुबह-सबेरे
चौपाइयों से आचमन करते देखा। 
सूरदास की पदावली में 
ठाकुर दर्शन होते देखा। 

आँखों की नमी को नज़्म होते देखा। 
डूबती नब्ज़ थामने को ग़ज़ल होते देखा। 

कविता से बाँटी मन की पीड़ा। 
जो भी सीखा,कविता से ही सीखा। 

जीवन में लोग आए - गए ,
घटनाक्रम चलते रहे। 
पर कविता ने कभी भी 
साथ नहीं छोड़ा। 

कविता को घर आँगन की 
पावन तुलसी बनते देखा। 
देखा बनते 
सीता मैया की लक्ष्मण रेखा। 
और अर्जुन के लिए 
कृष्ण की गीता। 
कविता से ही सीखा 
जीने का सलीका। 

जब जब ठोकर लगी 
कविता ने ही संभाला। 
कविता जैसा ना पाया 
मनमीत कोई दूजा। 

माँ की गोद से जब उतरे 
कविता की ऊँगली पकड़ के ही 
हमने चलना सीखा। 

कविता से पाई जीवन ने गरिमा। 
कविता से पाई ह्रदय ने ऊष्मा। 

कविता की दृष्टि से ही 
समस्त सृष्टि को देखा। 
कविता में जी को पिरो कर ही 
कविता को जी कर देखा। 

कविता जब सूझी

कविता जब सूझी, 

झट लिख दी । 

बौद्धिक श्रृंगार किया नहीं ।

शब्दों को संजोया नहीं । 

बेवजह मंथन किया नहीं ।

चाँद - सितारे जड़े नहीं ।   

नाप - तोल के देखा नहीं,

लाग - लपेट में पड़े नहीं । 

बस जैसी मन में उपजी, 

वैसी ही अर्पित कर दी। 

भावना सच्ची थी। 

बस इतनी गुणवत्ता थी। 

वर्ना बात ही तो थी ,

कहनी थी कह दी। 

जीवन तो अपने विवेक से जीना है

भई, तुमसे किसने कहा था !

किसने कहा था कि किस्मत से उलझो ?
बल्कि समझाया था ..
वक्त की नज़ाकत समझो !
जो होता है होने दो !
होनी को कौन टाल पाया है ?
सब प्रभु की माया है !
कुछ भी ऊल-जलूल मत बको !
देखो अपनी हद में रहो ..
पर तुम्हें तो जीवन की
पोथी को बांचना है !
ज़िंदगी के हर इम्तिहान की
कॉपी को जांचना है !
भाग्य से लङ कर गढ़ जीतना है !
अपने जीवट का जौहर दिखाना है !
नट का नाच
सीखना और सिखाना है !
जमूरा नहीं.. उस्ताद बन कर
खेल दिखाना है !
खैर..देखो अब नतीजा क्या निकलता है !
तुम्हारा माद्दा पास या फ़ेल होता है !
कब तक टिकोगे बहाव के आगे ?
डूबते हैं जो बाज़ नहीं आते !

अच्छा जाओ.. जो मन में आये करो !
अभिमन्यु की तरह चक़व्यूह से लङो !
पराक़म करो !
जिसका जो होना है सो होना है !
पर तुम्हें भी जो करना है सो करना है !
जीवन की ये कैसी विडंबना है !

पर तुम्हारा ये कहना है -
विडंबनाओं को साथ लेकर जीना है.
विसंगतियों को स्वीकार करना है..
और फिर परास्त करना है.

तो ठीक है..
अब जैसा तुम कहो.

कोई चमत्कार हो ना हो, 
मन का माना हो ना हो,
जीवन तो अपने विवेक से जीना है.

जीवन तो अपने विवेक से जीना है.

करारनामा

करारनामा १ 
जब से ...

तुम्हारे नाम लिखी चिट्ठी
जब से डाक में
लौट आई है,
तब से मैंने तुम्हें
चिट्ठी लिखना
छोड़ दिया है.

अब मैंने
अपने नाम आई
हर चिट्ठी को
सहेजना,
बार-बार पढना
शुरू कर दिया है.


करारनामा २ 
अब ..

जब से तुमने
मेरे प्यार का इज़हार,
इश्तहार से भी बेकार
करार दिया है ;
तब से मैंने
तक़दीर से तकरार
करना छोड़ दिया है.
पर अब.. मैं प्यार
देने वालों को
बेबस लाचार,
चेष्टा अनाधिकार
करने वाला..
नहीं समझता.
अब मैं
ज़रा-सा भी
प्यार-दुलार
मिले तो
बेझिझक अपनाता हूँ.
उत्सव मनाता हूँ.
जिसका स्नेह मिले,
उसका आभार
मानता हूँ.
जो आत्मीयता से
अपना कहे,
उसे हृदय से लगाता हूँ.


करारनामा ३ 
करार

जानते हो क्यों ?
क्योंकि बहुत कुछ खो कर
मैंने पाना सीखा है.
अवहेलना सह कर
भावनाओं का
आदर करना सीखा है.
कोई समझ क्यों नहीं पाता . .
इस उलझन को सुलझा कर
अव्यक्त को समझ लेना सीखा है.

जो मुझे नहीं मिला
मैंने देना सीखा है.

वैष्णव जन तो तेने कहिये

बापू ने कहा, 
हमने सुना । 
शास्त्रीजी ने कहा,
हमने सुना । 
सुना और 
जिल्द बाँध कर 
ताक पर धर दिया । 

जिन्होंने ऐसा नहीं किया,
केवल उन्होंने 
इन महापुरुषों का 
कहा किया । 
सुना और गुना । 
मान किया । 

वे महापुरुष थे,
सिर्फ़ इसलिए नहीं ।   
इसलिए कि उन्होंने 
बड़ा सोचा,
और वही किया । 

और उनकी सोच को 
जिस - जिसने जिया, 
उसी ने उनका 
वास्तविक आदर किया ।   

The Bookmark

It was a cold night. And very quiet. Everyone had gone to bed after a tiring day. But sleep is evasive in old age. That day also I woke up in the middle of the night and sat on the bed wondering what to do. You know I can tell you from experience that whenever you feel kind of blank with no idea what to do next....just get up to drink water or visit the loo. By the time you are done, you know what to do! I am not kidding. Try it out. 

As I walked towards the kitchen, I passed my grandson  Abhiram's room. The door was closed but....I could see the light peeping from the crevices. This boy. He always falls asleep with a book in his hands and the lights on. Good, I woke up.

I opened the door slowly to avoid making any noise. In winters, even the slightest sound, especially during nights can be heard loud and clear. On opening the door, I found that Abhiram was awake. He was dreamily looking out of the window. A book lay open in his lap. The full moon was sitting on the window sill in all its splendour. Suddenly, he became aware of my presence and gave me a startled look.

"Still reading Abhiram? Is that a very interesting book?"

"Yes, Dadi." His face lit up and there was a twinkle in his eyes.

"What is it Abhiram? Will you tell me about the book ?" 

"Something more than the book Dadi", he said in an excited voice. Then suddenly he realized that it may not be a good idea to reveal the secret. So, he became serious and he said,"Nothing Dadi. Just something funny in the book." He looked away. He was on his guards now.

I sat down on the bed and told him that I was keen to know about the "something more" and wouldn't it be fun to share a secret with Dadi who was as curious as he was to know about strange or weird or adventurous things. This relaxed him a bit. He turned towards me. When he felt reassured, he moved closer to me and snuggled against me as he put the book aside. 

We sat quietly for a few moments savouring the warmth of the quilt and imbibing the calm of the night. Then I said, " How about calling Ma and Papa also so we can all enjoy your secret?"

There was a look of alarm on his face and he exclaimed softly, "Shhh! Don't tell anyone!"

Now I was kind of worried. What was the matter?

Abhiram smiled when he saw the puzzled look on my face and said," Dadi, there is nothing to worry about. But I want to tell you only because it is about books and only you understand and love books like me."

As the frown disappeared from my face, Abhiram started talking and it felt as if a boat had set sail in the river on a moonlit night.

"Dadi, remember you used to read to me every night when I was very small and could not read myself?  I simply related your narration to the pictures in the book and the whole thing became very real for me. When I grew up and started reading on my own, the stories I read actually started unfolding in front of my eyes whenever I sat alone and thought about them"

"Dadi, it was like magic! Even without any pictures in the book, the stories presented themselves just like a movie to me. I loved it."

"One night I woke up in the middle of the night and saw that the characters I had read about before going to sleep were sitting all around me. They smiled amiably and started talking to me. They were very wise. They answered many of my questions and taught me so many things. I started enjoying their company."

"Every night the magic starts when everyone falls asleep and the house is quiet. I look forward to these meetings and I don't want them to end."

Abhiram was silent for a while as I looked indulgently at him.

He spoke again, "Dadi, I tried telling Ma and Pa once but they laughed it off. Even my friends call me crazy. But you believe me, don't you Dadi ?"

I patted Abhiram's head gently and thought how the two book lovers in the family bonded together in a way only they could understand. 

My eyes were moist as I told Abhiram that I did believe him and that he could trust me completely. This is exactly what happened with me too when I was a child like him. There was nothing wrong with it. Books that are written straight from the heart connect you to the characters and thoughts enclosed between the pages. They become as true for the reader as they were to the writer. This is how a legacy of knowledge and perception is passed on from generation to generation. 

Books from all over the world help you to discover new worlds within you. Reading a book is exploring your inner landscape. Not all can experience this drama of emotions. Those who can, have a fertile imagination. A thought is sown and it grows by and by to bear fruit in the flowering season. You are a lucky boy to have been blessed with the special ability to communicate in this manner.

But remember that just like the seasons change, so do the experiences of life. One day you will grow up with this secret in your pocket. If you learn from the books you have read and don't forget to translate images and thoughts into action, you will always have this magic wand between the pages of your life which is called a bookmark.

Abhiram and me, the two conspirators in the night smiled knowingly at each other. We felt embraced by the warm glow in our hearts. We were all ready to turn the page! 

‘This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.’ 

And Then You Will Know

Yes. The time has come to talk about shoes first of all. If you ask me why? Here is the reason. Only when you wear your shoes, you come to know where it pinches and pinches the most. Let me tell you if you don't fix that it will be impossible for you to walk another step. And if you can't walk at all, what is the point of talking about anything else? So, the whole point is to take care of your shoes and they will take care of your journey. Any journey in life begins with small steps you take wearing your own shoes.

That is about being comfortable in your own shoes. But sometimes you need to try others' shoes as well. Sounds funny? Eh ? It should not actually. For unless you step into someone else's shoes once in a while, you become complacent and you start being judgemental about others. Others' behaviour, others' thought process and why others did what they did. 

So what? You might say. Well, it is important to understand others to lead a life well understood by others. To be fair to others so they can be fair to you. A life of understanding is that of happiness and peace of mind.

Reminds me of what Linda Goodman has said in the introduction to her book on zodiac signs. The study of the zodiac signs is to help people understand one another. Why people are, the way they are. What she meant was probably that every person has a different nature which is unique to him or her. Taking the point further, the other factor that goes into the making of a personality is the social environment that one lives in. We could also say that what happens in one's life and how he responds or reacts to it; makes people look who they are in our eyes.

What Elvis Presley sang about long ago is the same thing. Walk a mile in my shoes.......and so on. In a nutshell, he also said that if you try on my shoes or live my life for a day; you would stop judging me harshly. You would be more forgiving, more tolerant and more accepting of people who don't think like you or live like you.

How true! If only we could remember this all the time how easy we would be on others. Life would be more peaceful on this planet if we started appreciating others' philosophy of living while living our own lives as we wish. There would be less of a nuisance of our own making in this world.

Imagine. A husband would be more understanding of his wife. Colleagues would be more straightforward. The students would be more attentive to what their teachers taught. Religions would be more tolerant of one another. Countries would be more cooperative among themselves.

The experience of all great people through ages has crystallized into one thought. Being more understanding and less judgemental would help us live a more constructive life without coming in one another's way. The Bible also says - Do unto others what you would do to yourself.

It is all a matter of perception, my dear. So walk a mile in my shoes and then you will know...

‘This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.’

मित्रता

गले लगाया उसने मुझे 

और कहा,

जैसी भी तुम हो 

मुझे भाती हो । 

तुमने मुझे 

कुछ कम पाया

और जताया,

रंग तुम्हारे फीके हैं,

और कई जगह दरार है,

कुछ करो ।

उसकी दरियादिली,

तुम्हारी नुक्ताचीनी,

दोनों मुझे स्वीकार हैं ।

मन में आभार है ।

उसने मुझे अपनाया ।

तुमने सजग बनाया ।

दोनों से रिश्ता बरकरार है ।

तकरार में मनुहार है ।

मेरे बारे में तुमने 

सोचा तो सही !

ये भी कम नहीं ।

दोनों तटों के बीच 

स्नेह की नदी 

कल कल बहती है ।

दो मुंडेरों के बीच  

जैसे मित्रता के खेत 

लहलहाते हों ।

सहृदयता के सरोवर में 

मानो कृतज्ञता के 

कमल खिले हों ।

विचार और व्यवहार के 

दो सूत्र जहाँ जुड़ते हों,

संवेदना के उस क्षितिज पर 

अपनत्व का सूर्य 

अस्त और उदय होता है ।

Healthy And Happy In My Own Way

 It's always one thing after the other. No rest.That's life in big cities. Always a mad rush. And for the working women ? No less than a madhouse. Heard of Mumbai Madness ? Ask me !

You have to rise before the sunrise to set the ball rolling. You spin around the house like a top, quickly ticking the morning rituals. Getting ready for the office, helping all others at home to get ready, cooking breakfast and lunch for tiffin. All this in jet speed to catch the train to your workplace on time. 

In the office, meeting after meeting or working at your desk.

Reverse gear in the evening. Immediately after reaching home, you start cooking dinner, help children with their homework and projects and other endless household chores. Not to forget the numerous social commitments as well. Sounds familiar ? 

No wonder ! Wonder Woman is a fictional character mind you ! The Real Woman is caught in a whirlwind all through the day, every day.

How are you supposed to feel when your doctor tells you one fine day that you are becoming overweight, the lipid profile and other values do not look good, so you need to exercise regularly and religiously. 

What do you mean ? Am I not working too hard already ? ?

No, not really. 

What ??? As the minions would say.

Good Lord ! When do I find the time to WORKOUT ? As if I am not overloaded with work already. But then, since it is the doctor's verdict, you can't ignore.

Wondering what to do and how to do, I chanced upon the Saffola #ApneTareekeSeHealthy creative.

Hmmm...That did make sense to me and set me thinking. Slowly I started getting ideas with exercise on my mind all the time. 

An advisory was issued by the Home Ministry. Dos and Don'ts. Because everyone's health had to be taken care of. Not just me. Here you go ! Wanna try ?

I spend a lot of time standing in the kitchen while cooking goes on. Instead of just standing while the gas burners did the actual cooking, I started jogging on one spot, sometimes even flapping my arms. 

Yogasanas in standing postures, sitting postures, while lying down also. 

I discovered that sweeping and mopping the floor burns a lot of calories. So apart from the cleaning by the domestic help once a day, I stopped leaving the mess to be cleared next day. Mess up as much as you want but clean up immediately.

Dusting is a must in the land of Heat and Dust. More is less. By the time you finish one round of dusting, another layer of dust settles down on all surface. So the rule is... shake a leg while you are at it and the music is on...

Extra points for getting up to answer the doorbell every time it rings and to fetch your own glass of water. Get up ! That's the fitness mantra !

I turned all our office parties and social get-togethers into dance parties. That turned out to be a lot of fun ! 

The path from the local train station to my office is lined with lush green trees. I calculated and realized that the time I took to walk from the station to office was the same as the time bus took to navigate through the traffic !

When I accompanied my children to the swimming sessions, I started walking around the swimming pool while the children trained.

On the weekends, I played and cycled with my kids. 

I also made it a point to do yoga mudras and acupressure while commuting. That gave me the mental strength to fight the daily stress.

Eat everything but not too much of anything. Choose wisely. Even the minions patronize the bananas !

Soon it made a difference in my stamina. It took me lesser time to do strenuous jobs. Above all, I felt cheerful all day.

I had learned my lesson. It is next to impossible to find time exclusively for a strict regimen. But it makes life more full of life if you just play along. Behave as if you are a participant in a reality show. Minus the melodrama of course ! 

The challenge is to be healthy and happy. 

Having fun all the time !

I am joining Saffola #ApneTareekeSeHealthy initiative and sharing my ways of being healthy in association with BlogAdda

The Box

The doorbell rang. The shrill note woke him up from his reverie.

Raghav had been sitting on the balcony watching the shades of twilight. His mind was blank and his heart seemed to sink with the sunset. The doorbell sound saved him from drowning in sadness.

Raghav walked up to the door and opened it. It was the courier boy who greeted him with a grin and handed him a big box. As Raghav retired again to the balcony carrying the box, he wondered who must have sent the box and what was inside it.

He sat down heavily and looked at the box with indifference. He did not feel like opening it. But then he wanted to be done with it, so he started opening it slowly removing all the tape which was all over the surprise box.

As he listlessly did the job he thought how passive and lifeless his life had become after Revati had separated from him. Their only child Reeva was now in the boarding school as her parents tried to figure out what had gone wrong between them and how to deal with it. Differences had overcome the common bond between them which was love. How and why did that happen ? Neither of them had a clue. It just happened and shattered their happiness.

The box was now open. There were many smaller boxes or packets inside. All of different shapes and sizes. What was there in those boxes? Who had sent them? What for?

As he took out the boxes one by one, he noticed they were all sort of DIY - Do It Yourself kits. At the bottom of the box was an envelope. He picked it up. There was a note inside by....Reeva ? Oh ! so the box was from Reeva. What was the need for her to send him this box with a note? Raghav started reading the note eagerly.

"My dearest Papa,

I don't know why Ma and you have stopped living together. What I know is that living away from each other has made both of you sadder than you were before separation. Papa, I do not want to put pressure on you to be together because of me. But I want to tell you all the same that I am happy living together as a family with both of you. Do you think we can give ourselves one more chance ?

Here is the deal. I am sending both of you a couple of DIY kits. I have been very upset in the last few months. So are you. Both of you. The difference is that I am in a school. So I am still learning. Learning the tricks of the trade ? Well ! You could say that. One day our class teacher gave us an assignment which was a kind of DIY stuff, an assortment of all sorts of things. We were asked to create something out of it. Points for the originality of the idea. 

It was fun Papa. The results surprising. Every one of us had made something we could be proud of. The teacher said, " That was the whole idea children. What you have in life is what you make of what you have. "

That's it, Papa. All of a sudden it struck me. Life is a box of assorted Do It Yourself toolkits. Not everything is to our liking. Whatever it is, it belongs to us. Life provides the stuff. The ideas have to be our own. We can do our best and make out of it what we can. And have fun while we work on it.

Perhaps, it will not be a perfect situation. But Papa can we not try to have fun together working on our own things to do ? You and Ma know better of course !   

If life is a box of individual assignments and assessments, can we not try to figure it out together ?

‘This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.’