Tuesday, November 22, 2011

An ode to a lost friend..

Like the wispy mist that lingers
amongst the dark dense foliage
even though the sun shines bright..

Like dawn's strong steady fingers
sifting through the cloudy plumage
to pry open the doors of  night...

Like the lone star that flickers
uncowering, undaunted its courage
long after darkness has taken flight..

Like spring's last flowering asters
upright in their sprightly carriage
haunting the mind's eye with delight...

Like the raindrop that glitters
before surrender to earth's bondage
moving the soul; its destined plight...

memory within me glimmers
of every soul that left the harborage;
a beacon in my heart ever alight..



Monday, November 14, 2011

namanzuri..

जब कुर्ब का अंजाम बस कर्ब ही हो
तो खिल्वते ग़म  ही मंज़ूर रहे 
जिस की बज़्म में हर नज़्म महरूम हो
उस से बस फासलये हिज्र ही रहे
जिस उनवान में तारीक़ तमाम हो
ऐसी इब्तदा को तिश्नगी ही नसीब रहे
जब इबादत का खुदा बस संग ही हो
तो रुस्वते काफिर ही मंज़ूर रहे
जिसकी आश्नाई में इश्क बस मुन्तजिर ही हो
उस मरासिम को तुर्बत ही मंज़ूर रहे
जिस  मंजिल का  रास्ता  ही गुम हो
उस पर काफिले क्यूँ कर गुज़र रहे
जब मुक़द्दर लकीरों  में ही सिमटा हो
ऐसी किस्मत को दोज़ख ही मंज़ूर रहे
जो जज़्बात सुखन की कफस में ही हो
अब उसे वजूदे सराब ही मंज़ूर रहे




(कुर्ब = closeness, कर्ब = sorrow, खिलवाते ग़म = sorrow of seperation, उनवान = beginning,
संग = stone, मुन्तजिर = in waiting, तुर्बत = grave, सुखन = thoughts, कफस = prison, सराब = mirage)





Sunday, November 6, 2011

racing..

F-1 has been the flavour of the season in the Indian Subcontinent this year. Everyone who is or seeks to be someone was out there, looking for a piece of the action. I can understand the presence of celebrities; it provides them with a huge canvas to market their product i.e. themselves. Then there are the car lovers who, with all their passion for the machines, would just be as happy to gape at them sans the race or the smell of burning rubber or the sound of screeching tyres. But what of the common lot, clueless about the make of the car or the driver within, the nuances of the race and the history thereof? Was it just the adrenalin rush that drove them in hordes to the track, to cough up whatever their pockets could and maybe not even get a glimpse up close of the race or the racers?

As I see it, arent we at a micro level doing exactly that in our lives; racing around tracks all our lives. Maybe it is the identification to this subconscious admittance that drives us to the races. The difference of course lies in the fact that, in a car race as this, we can be observers and derive our thrills from the dangers , the twists and turns being undertaken by others. Wouldnt it , however, be equally exciting if we could learn to do that in the race of life that most of us are a part of? The perils and risks then wouldn't threaten us so and we would be free to just watch from  a detached vantage point and laud at the finishing line instead of dreading it or ruing the outcome. This race would then have no losers at all...