The Storyteller

सांझ

2011-03-14T07:51:00.000-07:00

पलों के बीच का एक पल

2011-01-19T11:17:00.001-08:00

एक शाम सागर किनारे
यूँही अकेला बैठा था|
ठंडी नमकीन हवा
लहरों की गर्जन से मिलकर
बालों को सहलाते हुए
चली जाती थी|

इसी बीच आँखें बंद की तो देखा
की एक पल के ख़त्म होने
और दुसरे के शुरू होने के बीच की
जो दीवार होती है,
उसमें एक दरवाजा है|

दरवाजा खोला, झाँका तो देखा
एक मनमोहक, शांत, भव्य कक्ष|
अन्दर प्रवेश किया तो लगा
जैसे बिछड़े प्रेमी से सालों बाद मिल
कसकर गले लग, मदहोश हो गया हूँ|

कुछ नशा सा छा गया,
मन संतुष्ट लग रहा था|
जब पिछला सब भूल गया
और आनेवाले का डर भी ना रहा|

फिर अचानक हाथ खुदबखुद
एक और दरवाजे की और बढ़ गया|
दरवाजा खोला और उसके खुलते ही
आँखें भी खुल गयीं|

हवाएं फिर लहरों की गर्जन से मिलकर
बालों को सहलाते हुए जा रही थी
और नर्म रेत सोने का आमंत्रण दे रही थी|

सफ़र

2010-02-02T10:19:00.000-08:00

ऊंचाई का डर होता
तो सफ़र शुरू ही नहीं करते|
अब यहाँ तक आये हैं
तो चोटि की बर्फ़ चख के ही जायेंगे|
सुना है बहुत मीठी होती है|

The scent

2009-09-08T10:00:00.000-07:00

Something has been disturbed
somewhere there is a strife.
It was a calm lake before
now there are tides.
Yet everything is a blur
like mist in a dark night.

But what it is,
that dies many deaths
and keeps coming back to life.

If it's an idea, I can not visualize it
If it's a question, I can not frame it.
If it's a thought, I can't put it into words
And if it is a dream, I'm sorry I can't remember.

It's like the scent from deer's navel
who felt it's presence all the while.
It's mild, sweet smell kept him alive
and in it's search, he spends all his life.

It's like there is something missing
to be done quickly, while you are alive
Is that is why,
I am afraid to die ?

What is it that will put,
everything to rest.
What will satisfy,
where is my scent.

What will make leaving this life
more beautiful then our birth

When all doors of heaven will open up
ready to accept your soul.
Leaving it to you to decide,
date and time of your final stroll.

बातों बातों में

2009-08-27T08:03:00.000-07:00

दुनिया गोल है
दुनिया गोल गोल है
और हर बात में एक छोल है
किसने बनाया यह hole है
पता नहीं सब ङोल-मोल है
गोल-मोल है सब गोल-मोल है
थिन्च्झाक थिन्चक !

अरे यह guitar का क्या कोई note है ?
Am D G C, दोहराते रहो जब तक
bollywood में नहीं तुम्हारा कोई मोल है|

क्या फिल्मी गानों में है अब वो बात ?
नहीं अब तो यह गाने कम, ज़्यादा शोर हैं
फिर भी क्या करें और कोई माध्यम नहीं
और गाना सुनना तो अपना शौक़ है|

अब गाना बजाना सीखेंगे तो
पैसे का थोड़ा load है
लेकिन हमें तो बजानी
बर्मन और gilmour जैसी ढोल है|

ढोल तो बजेगी उनकी
जिन नेताओं के मन में खोट है
नहीं लेने देंगे इन्हें चैन
देखो खड़ी हम जैसों की एक फौज है|

अब फौज की बात हुई तो
फौज तो भारत की भी तोड़ है
दुनिया की तीसरी सबसे बड़ी सेना
पृथ्वी, अग्नि और अर्जुन से load है
देश के लिए हथियार बनाना बुरा तो नहीं
drdo के engineers का अपना ही एक रौब है|

रौब तो होता है ias अफसरों का
चलता उन्ही का जोर है
काम काज कुछ करते नहीं
गिनते रहते वह तो बस नोट हैं|

अरे! नोट/note की बात तो पहले भी कहीं की थी
अंग्रेजी से शरू, हिंदी पे हुई यह fold है
क्या दुनिया के साथ यह कविता भी गोल है ?
पता नहीं सब डोल-मोल है
गोलमोल गोलमोल है सब गोलमोल है
थिन्च्झाक थिन्चक !

Me, Myself and My Screams

2009-08-23T04:55:00.000-07:00

Be you asleep or awake,
I can read your mind and change your fate.

Whenever you born Wherever you die,
My echoes will reverberate forever in the sky.

Huh!, Quite a mystery, it seems;
By the way, I am just your Dreams.

-- Kishal Raj

Swine flu - Swine flu where are you

2009-08-17T16:02:00.000-07:00

Swine flu, swine flu where are you,
I have been looking all over for you.

I have been to temples,
I have been to shrines.

I went to crowded malls,
I went to every picture hall.

I travelled on auto, then on a bus,
where I smelled sweat and fart of almost everyone.

I went to NIMHANS, and stood in a zillion km. long queue,
while some sneezed many coughed and one bastard puked.

Yet you avoided me and gave your best,
well don't be so pleased as I'm not going to rest.

I am gonna get you piggy,
no matter how much you hide.
And my name will be there
at some corner of TOI's site.

And remember when I will get hold of you,
I don't wanna die.
Though it doesn't matter much to anyone,
I have some stuff, that still has to be done.

So, don't try to be smart,
and don't play any trick.
Because my immune is
as hard as my dick.

Only reason you see me beg and plead,
is because I need that 7 day medical leave.

I was a little harsh with you earlier,
but hey viruso, please lend me your ear.

Though you are a pig by birth, and now called a fucking swine.
you must understand, my manager's species is not yet defined.

He always laughs,
but never smiles.
knows a lot,
and won't easily die.

Bastard make me work my ass off,
and I, fucking hate my job.

Stories And Revolution

2008-03-27T04:19:00.000-07:00

It's been a month since Raghu kaka visited our village and a month since everyone gathered around a campfire to listen to his tales.

No one stayed in house once Raghu kaka arrived in the village.Farmers would leave their land unploughed, women would leave food uncooked, smiths would leave their work unfinished to listen to his stories.

Sometimes he will tell stories of love between prince and princess,stories of intelligent kings or stories of huge monsters.In all of his stories good people always won over bad people.They all ended bringing a smile to our faces.

But in his previous visits he told different kind of stories.He told the story of farmers forced to sell their land to pay taxes to king, young kids taken without their consent to join the army.These stories didn't had the twists and turns for which Raghu kaka is famous and neither did they had happy endings.

Last time he came, he told the story of revolution taking place in the neighbouring kingdom to overthrow the king and to establish a system called "Democracy",in which people will choose their own ruler.

Many days after his last visit a new storyteller came to our village today.He told a story of the storyteller who tried to raise a revolution by telling his stories to every person in every village and town of the kingdom, got caught by king's army and executed in front of people.But he left us with his stories and his dream.

Everybody needs a Hero

2008-03-23T03:09:00.000-07:00

That was an exciting day for me at school because I don't had to attend classes after lunch while my classmates will have to sit till end of the day.

I was going to La martiniere school to participate in a quiz competition. My class teacher said it will be tougher than the intra-house competition held previous week in our school in which I came first. I had to form a team with Veena of section-A since she came second and a teacher would take us there.

None of my friends have ever been to La martiniere school and everyone was excited that I was going in there. But I was more interested in guessing who's going to be the teacher who will take us there.

After recess was over I went towards school gate and saw Veena standing there with a pencil-box in her hand. She was such a book-worm that she would study even during the games period. She used to wear a pair of big spectacles which were so thick that even my dumb friend Gopal would have looked intelligent with them.

After waiting for a minute we saw the school jeep coming toward us with Tripathi sir sitting on front seat. How he was there in the jeep? Of all the teachers Tripathi sir should have been the last man to agree to take us in a hot afternoon for a silly quiz competition. He was our English teacher and was strictest among all. He would not allow any indiscipline in the class and was popular as Ravan among students.

After a long travel we reached the school. It was a huge building made of red bricks. We went to the hall where competition was being held. It was filled with students from different schools of district. This was much bigger than we thought. Veena told me that person conducting the quiz is the same officer who came for school inspection last month.

We were eliminated in the preliminary written round as there were no questions on naming capitals of countries or naming former governor generals of India. Only question I could answer was date of French revolution and Veena answered a couple of others.

After all rounds finished we went to Tripathi sir who was looking at stage as if searching for something. We did not receive any consoling words from him and we were not expecting any either. He told us to go and have the free sweets given to participants while he kept looking at the stage.I still could not understand why he came here.

When we came back with our sweets, prize ceremony had started and an old man with long white beard was giving away prizes to winners. Tripathi sir was staring at the stage without a blink and his face was beaming with brightness. When he saw us he said "Hurry kids look at the the gentleman on stage.He is Mr. Rabindra Nath Tagore. Look closely, you will remember this day your whole life".