Nothing like a winter night....

Nothing like a winter night ..
With your fragrance still making me alive
Nothing like winter night
With me staring to the empty glass

Witchcraft, Peace & Wine...

Yesterday night,

I brought a bottle of wine

One drink, I offered to the devil

Who came to me to teach Witchcraft.

At the end of midnight,

She poured Some spirit -

Brought from the hell, to my glass

Drank my blood and vanished!!!

One drink, I offered to the angel,

Who came to preach me Peace.

Before the dawn,

She offered me the spirit of heaven,

While I was looking at the first rays of dawn

She kissed me and faded away

Today,

I bought two bottles of wine

One for my devil and the other for my angel

Eid of Maladies

I searched for life today

Silently, amid the echoes of Takhbir

I hugged my sorrows

And said, Allah Akbar

"Someone, intoxicated my maladies

Is in tears" whispered Allah

I went down the street

My foot was wet with tears

I washed my foot with tears

I reached the Eid gah, offered namaz

I heard a far cry!

Allah whispered

"You are unfit for namaz"

"Follow the cry of some one,

Intoxicated with your maladies" Allah whispered

The ghost of Eid Bazaar beckoned me

Wandered and wandered,

I shared sakat with beggars

And Slept with dogs

"Wake UP",

Allah whispered in my dream

"I called someone intoxicated with your maladies to heavan,

Now you won't carry your maladies to anyone"

I ran,

I walked,

I choked

I coughed blood

Laid in the desert

Vultures bruised my body

I whispered I am alive

Allah said, "you are dead "

The Tears of Bangalore

During the last five years, I happend to visit Bangalore several times., mostly as a transit point while going to Kerala, some part of Tamilnadu and Karnataka. Oneday, I was on my short stay at Ganesh hotel, Sheshadripuram. While standing at the balcony of hotel, I heard sounds of an altercation between an old lady and some others. I went closer, I saw two boys working in the near by restaurant, chasing an old lady, seemingly in her eighties.

I went down. I found that she was trying to pick some old rusted tumblers from dustbin of the restaurant. During the altercation she had fallen down and started crying. She was sayinf some thing in Kannada. Her hapeless eyes were full of tears.

Everything from her sack, nothing but the waste gathered from here and there were thrown out. She was desperately trying to collect everything back and go. I stood there as she walked past from the scene. She was struggling to walk and even stand. I feared that she may collapse at any second.

Her cry, hapeless glance at me and tears are still haunting me. Because I was just a spectator of the tragedy of that old women. I could give a hand in gathering her little assets back to the sack, I could give her little money to get her food at least for a day, I could even contact some freinds working in a destitute home and explore some help for her.

But after a while I did go out in search of her, as I was totally restless after she left. I asked myself, what forces the 80 plus year old women to become a rag picker? Whether she is having family, children or realtives?

After the incident, when ever goes to Bangalore, I find some time to search for her. But of no effect till the date. So, I carry her pain with me. I could have been little more humane with her, by offering atleast some food or money. I don't know whether it would have been enough to make her happy? But I didn't do that.

But god god has so far been gracious! I was given several opportunities during later occassions to help those who are really in need. I am thankful to the almighty that I am able to earn which eanable me to do such small things as per my wish.

But the tears of that hapeless, old lady, may I call her mother, pains me, I request her to forgive me.

Where?

Where are you going?

The mind asks,

Only mind?!!

No,

All,

The rickshaw puller

The bus conductor

My friends

My philosophers

Colleagues

From hell

From earth

From heaven...

Where are you going?!!!!!!!!!!

Why don't you ask this to-

Dawn, Night, Breeze, Clouds, Rain

You will say-

They are not alive

They can't speak

I say,

I am not alive

I can't speak, I can't speak.

Valentines Day Dilemma!!!

What are your plans for 14th February, the day devoted for love and lovers???!!!

My answer was this “I don’t remember that I ever felt anything special on this day…in past so as now”. Gaya….. “Tu sala kaam se gaya…” sung my friend...means you are gone...finished!!!

The market is not ready to leave people like me. So I decided to ask all, whats the programme for 14th Feb, the St. Valentine’s Day???!!

Some said..Gajhini, Billu Barbar, Rabe ne……Jodi and so on.

It is good to have some happy time, amidst mad days..of work, devoted to love, whatever the reason may be. It can be Valentines Day as well. But my question is different.

Whether Love is centre-point during the day or Gifts? As far as I could understand, inadvertently people are forcing to make gift the main agenda nowadays!!! They try to love but end up in gifting.

So Do you know about my plans for 14th Feb. Ya…. I am going to collect the following songs in a CD:-
Meri kahani mera kissa ho tum
tumhe kaise bhula sakta hoon,
kaise dil se mita sakta hoon
meri saanson ka… hissa ho tum….

****
Mujhse naaraz ho to ho jao
Mujhse naaraz ho to ho jao
khud se lekin khafa khafa na raho
Mujhse tum door jao to jao….

***
Hosh Valon Ko Khabar Kya Bekhudi Kya Cheez Hai
Ishq Kije Phir Samajhiye Zindagi Kya Cheez Hai….

***
Huzur is kadar bhii na itaraa ke chaliye
Khule aam aanchal na laharaa ke chaliye….

***
Kabhi kabhi mere dil mein khayaal aata hai
Ke jaise tujhko banaaya gaya hai mere liye….

Now you will be asking ...Are you going to gift it to someone??!!..in this matter...friends,I can not say anything.

I fear if I say yes...then….I cann’t survive among my circle of dear ones…for sure they will say…Jaykumar you too.. !!! And if I say no….some of my new generation friends will say …"Tu sala kaam se gaya…”

It is really a Valentines Day dilemma!!!

A Meaningful Walk…..

Some times, your comforts can be meaningless. A mid-day walk in summer sometimes comes more comfortable than a nap in an AC cabin. Such an experience made my life more meaningful recently. I was thinking about the term “success.’ I was trying to define it as “headway from comforts to luxuries.” Yet many, may be some, beg to differ in this idea. However, it all depends on how you define “comforts” and “luxuries.”

Some people opt to be under the sun, sweating and tiring but daring to go till they succeed. They come back to counter all set backs, with smile on their faces, seldom bother about the shadow of luring luxuries.

I would like to share my experience of a “summer” mid day walk in Mumbai, which I found more comfortable than a nap in the hotel room. It was along with Mr. Johny, my senior colleague (and also one of my friends) who as I said, begs to differ about the high way concept about comforts & luxuries through his life as a social worker or rather as a social entrepreneur.

I happened to meet him as I got a day free during my official visit. He welcomed me towards a small building amid a slum in Mahakali area of Mumbai. Name of the noble initiative “Creative Handicrafts,” which is at present being led by him, was written there.

In my relatively shorter span of career in social work, I could see many slums, where people live, rather struggle to leave, most often with very less hope in their faces. But here, I saw nearly hundred hopeful colleagues of Johny, all of them living in a slum, yet full of life. Their faces spoke about dignity. Their positive attitude was amazing!

Creative Handicrafts is one of 70 Fair Trade organizations in India. They do embroidery, stitching, doll making and prepare 700 food packets a day to make their life busy. A team of noble souls led by Johny works to ensure that whatever they are making reaches the users in Mumbai and abroad, who return the price promptly.

It was an eye opener for me as the pathetic images of Mumbai slum life was haunting me whenever I goes to the city. I am sure that whoever visits this noble collective will have at least one more reason to live on this earth. They deserve special thanks for their efforts to walk with the time, by opening nicely maintained shop in the up market area Bandra.

I would like to share more such experiences in the days to come!!!! Thank you.

...Masakkali Masakkali.....

If you ask me to sing a song, just now I love to sing ...or at least speak the 'Delhi 6' number, "Aye masakkali masakkali...matakkali matakkali....

What a live song??!! Sporty style!!!! It goes like a typical Delhite rushing through the narrow, crowded galies of Ballimaran with an oooold Bajaj Chetak!!!!!!!

Come

The misty touch
Of leaves fallen…
I know it is...
Only till the sun shines
Yet, come for a while
Just for a while

To see the life
Fading in and out
Like your smile
Your warmth
You love

The dying trees, leafless
Waiting for the call of wind...
Are lovely, to see
In the foggy morning
Come