महँगी होती इंसानियत

हँस लो यारो
हँसी तुम्हारे आईफोन से भी महँगी होने वाली है
आज लोग आईफोन को तरसते हैं
कल हँसी को तरसेंगे
वो दिन दूर नहीं
जब कह रहे होंगे हम
कि यारो!
साँस ले लो
ऑक्सीजन की कीमत चुकाने का
वक़्त आ गया है
हर चीज़ जिस की कीमत
आज नहीं मालूम है तुम्हें
हर उस चीज़ पर जान लुटाओगे तुम
फिर भी कीमत नहीं
चुका पाओगे तुम
खुद को इंसान कहने वाले ही
प्रकृति की इंसानियत
के बोझ तले
दबे हैं
और कितना खुद को नीचे
गिराओगे तुम
ये जो नाम मिला है तुम्हें
इसने नदी, हवा, धरती, अंबर
मन, शरीर, विचार, शब्द
सबको गंदा कर दिया है
हाँ वो दिन भी दूर नहीं
जब इंसान भी
न कहलाओगे तुम

सरहदें

कल जो बातें जोड़ती थी हमें
आज उन्होंने ही सरहदें बना दी है
लगता ही नहीं की इंसान हैं हम
शायद सरहदें देखकर
पड़ोसी देश हो चले हैं हम
जो लाईन ऑफ़ कंट्रोल से
एक दूसरे पर नज़र रखते हैं
सामने कोई हरकत होने पर
जवाबी हमला भी करते हैं
पर कोई पूछ ले हम से
एक-दूसरे के बारे में
तो यूँ मुँह फेर लेते हैं
मानो कोई वास्ता ही न हो
एक दूसरे से
सच! सरहदें बाँट देती हैं
पर खुद कभी नहीं बँटती
तो क्यों न सरहदें ही बन जाए हम
एक दूसरे की
पड़ोसी देशों की सरहदें एक होती हैं न
सरहदों की तो सरहद नहीं होती न
तो आओ चलो सरहद बन जाए
आओ चलो एक हो जाए
और सारी दुनिया को
पड़ोसी देश बना ले अपने

खुद को भी इंसान बनाकर बताओ तो जाने

हाँ पंख नहीं है तुम पे
फिर भी आकाश में उड़ना आसान है
कभी ज़मीन पर बिन लड़खड़ाये
चलकर बताओ तो जाने

हर वक़्त दौड़ते फिरते हो
आगे बढ़ने की होड़ में
एक लम्हा थमकर
जीकर बताओ तो जाने

चेहरे पे चेहरे लगा रखे हैं
कचरे से चेहरा सजाये बैठे हो
कभी अपने-आप को भी सबको
दिखाकर बताओ तो जाने

ईंटों से दीवार बनाते जा रहे
सपनों के संसार बनाते जा रहे
कभी मिट्टी के टीले
बनाकर बताओ तो जाने

हर रोज़ नए मकान सजाते रहते हो
रिश्तों के बाज़ार बनाते जा रहे
मकान तो हर कोई बना लेता है
अपनों से घरबार
बनाकर बताओ तो जाने

I Think

I think and think and think
At times when I'm alone
At times when people look at me
At times when no one's watching
Though my thoughts
Don't appear on my face
But the process is reflected well
Still, I think
I think I'm the master of my own world
Though I'm not
In fact, I have several masters to be named
And no
They aren't my parents
Or my teachers at school or college
No they aren't my friends
Or the experiences of my life
Those masters are
Pretty close actually
My masters are my fears
And my anxieties
They are the rules that bind me
My master is the society
And the famous chaar log
My master are the norms
That some nobody created
Yes, I'm the master of no one
In fact, I'm a slave to my masters
I'm a slave at service
A slave on duty
But don't you misjudge me
My duty is not bowing to my weaknesses
My duty is to rise up above
My duty is to grow enough
To be a student
And not a slave
I think of my hairs
Long and open
Free to be tangled by the wind
I think of my lips
Not trembling with fear
But murmuring the lyrics of a song
I think of those invisible wings
That grow on me
And take me to the skies
I think, because I'm the controller
Of my thoughts
If not the master of my world
I think again
Because there's no 'my world '
I think
Because I'm free to think

खत

वो खतों का दौर था
जब लोगों की बातें होती थी
अब दौर वो है आ गया
जब बातों से लोग होते हैं

वो इंतज़ार एक पन्ने का
वो कागज़ में लिपटी हुई बातें
वो बेसब्र से लम्हें
वो हल्की-फुल्की यादें

रातो को करवट लेना
साँसों का यूँ ही बस ऊपर-नीचे होना
वो तेज़-सी धड़कन और बंद-सी ज़ुबान
सब उस स्पर्श का हिस्सा है
जो पन्ना एक कराता था

हर शब्द में दिल के राज़ थे
कुछ अनसुलझे-से ख्वाब थे
अब बातों से ही लोग हैं
तब लोगों से कुछ बातें थी 

Half A Bite

I don't understand what it feels like to humiliate others. The kind of pleasure derived from such things is unacceptable to me. People being good on the front and disgusting beyond words behind the back is almost the most common sight now. I understand being double faced gives one an opportunity to be versatile in his/her nature but creativity without logic is so not productive. In my opinion, one can at least be half faced, if a single face is not affordable for them. Wait, half faced!! Yes, half faced. I believe it's better to hide a part of you than revealing what is more than enough. A half face would at least hide one's insecurities. But dual faces would actually EXPOSE a person in ways that could be lethal to his ego.

So I suggest, be half faced. Reveal what is required and lock your other self or SELVES behind the bars of your brain. Be half but be complete. Be a part but the best one. Being a large vessel, but cracked won't serve any purpose. Remember, half a meal is better than overeating.

#The_Perfect_Half

Because They Are Humans Afterall

She was wearing that skirt

Blue and white sky on it

Slightly above her knees

And guess what?

Her very own character was decided,

Judged by people she didn’t even know

She was called names

Bitch, slut, whore

And what do they mean?

Who is a slut?

A woman with the attributes of a man

She cannot wear what she wants to

She cannot behave as she wishes to

She cannot laugh freely

Is she allowed to breathe at least?

Just if she’s not judged for it

It were never you to be judged, you men!

Why aren’t you judged for those words on your mouth

If not for the pieces of clothing on your body?

Your are not an angel in disguise

And she, definitely is not a demon in paradise

So who decides who is a bitch or a dog or a slut?

When everyone stands on the same platform?

Nobody is a master and no one’s a slave

Nobody is a prostitute and no one’s a sage

They are all humans

No, not even that

They are all mere creatures with a little brain

Which they use to find ways to slut shame others

And their brain, their primary asset

Does not tell them

‘Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.’

And so they become what they speak of

They become their own demons and angels

Their own friend and foe

They spend sleepless nights

Trying to know themselves

By thinking about other men and women

Their own character is lost

and so they judge others

Men judge women

And women judge men

But never themselves

They feel more accomplished

By building walls

Walls of feminism and of masculinity

The one who is not feminine is not a woman

One who is not masculine is not a man

And who exactly is a man or a woman?

The ones who are loyal to their gender roles?

Roles decided and designated by the same so-called men and women nobody knows?

And above everything else, who are humans?

Gods in disguise! As they say?

Or just flesh and bones?

No, they are none of themselves

They are more than flesh and bones

And less than Gods

They are creatures with a purpose to fulfill in their lives

Which they often loose sight of

The ones who get lost

Who wander in infinity

Reaching no where

Having no destination

They raise their voices

Yes, they know how to do that

But they do it for themselves

And against each other

Taking pride in what they do

Not realizing that they would be the soil

They have risen from

And then? They keep repeating the same mistakes

Because man is the maker of his own destiny

And mistakes are the makers of a man

The Last Glare

She was holding his hand in her own. She did not want him to go any far for even a moment. Having lost almost everything already, she did not have the courage to deal with a new loss. Though she knew she would not be there for long to loose anything now, still she had hope. In her 84 years of life, she had been hurt for almost 55 years. Within a year of her marriage, her parents died in a road accident. Then she lost her first child when it was only 5 years old. And now she had just one person with herself, her husband- her only support, her entire life. Though she had her child, the second one, she didn’t really know where he was. Despite of loving him so much, he had abandoned them years ago when they badly needed him. And here it was, the present day. She lying on the hospital bed, suffering from a deadly disease which was eating her up all this while. To the limits of her satisfaction, she was still happy with the little things she had. With her husband’s hand in hers, she was smiling..and smiling. Both were smiling at each other. This was the last glare they shared with each other. And the time came. Her wish to meet her child remained unfulfilled and she lost her breadth. He was still holding her hand but there was no movement in her body. Her heartbeat had stopped. And..he was still holding her hand but this time, with tears in his eyes. Having left him alone, empty and incomplete, she had gone. She was no more.

To Dream Is To Enlighten, To Enlighten Is To Educate

My books- my world

My world- a dream

all I wish, I can achieve

I can find for myself

a world of my own

I wonder how they

who don’t have access

to books and dreams

feel the realization, their life is gone

To be educated is such a big thing

like a singer’s chorus and a bird’s song

no pens in hand

and stress on mind

they strive to seek

some literature- sober and kind

Their eyes glitter

their wishes scatter

they sleep on rugs

and dream of paper

The ink they love

its patches they save

with fear and hard work

their paths they pave

Yes, they wish to be educated

and they wish by others to be stated

their only wish is to set an example

and have no hopes set for being pampered

The light of education reaches all

this is my dream- not big, so small

to enlighten ourselves is all we need

the knowledge we gain we have to feed

We need to read and we need to write

we need to plan our future bright

yes, we need to be educated

yes, we need to dream and hold it tight


 

Sex Is Cheap, Love An Expensive Lie

Today is the time when people form connections just for the sake of the fulfillment of their physical needs. They need adventure and thrill. They are immature and unsure. They have no confidence and are also scared and so they want to hide their vulnerabilities in the darkness of night. Looking for fun, excitement and no responsibility, they choose the easy path of sex. Sex to them is a way to become free from worldly stress and havoc. And not wanting to give commitment, one night stands or friends with benefits are easy ways for them. They are so unsure about themselves and their capabilities that they cease to carry forward any relationship for more than a little period. They are falling out of love everyday. Sex is free and a relationship requires sacrifices and compromises. They are addicted to smartphones. It has brought people closer and hearts farther away. Love to them is not more than just a word. They are so much into each other that there is nothing left to talk about or share. They believe in meeting people and not knowing them. They believe in bodies and not in souls. They are so habituated of seeing relationships fall out that they are no more affected by them.

But, they need to understand that love is expensive but not a lie. Yes it is expensive, to be more precise, precious. It requires honesty, care, forgiveness, acceptance, trust and understanding. And these are worth no money, in fact priceless. Whereas, sex seems cheap, but can cost many lives. It is eating up people, laying a trap of addiction. A pit that has no way out. They need to know that all that glitters is not gold. Sex is not a solution to every problem in their lives. It is in fact the problem itself.

People need to get out of these hallucinations that they have themselves created. There is life beyond sex and that is worth living. And love is not just a word, it's the core of life around which the world revolves. There is love between the sun and the planets, the planets and the starts, human beings and animals, and hence they exist in complete harmony with each other. Gravity exists, but what binds everyone together is love. Sex is a pleasure, the reason of life, but it's not life. And that is what one needs to understand.