दो पल

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हमें दो पल सुरूर-ए-इश्क में मदहोश रहने दो
ज़हन की सीढ़ियाँ उतरो, अमां ये जोश रहने दो

तुम्ही कहते थे "ये मसले, नज़र सुलझी तो सुलझेंगे"
नज़र की बात है तो फिर ये लब खामोश रहने दो ..
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Sometimes

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Sometimes you take a step back and look at everything unravel around you. You just take a deep breath, sit back and enjoy. And it seems to be enough. Then you wonder, what's the point of it all. And then, you remark to yourself, good question. And you smile. You know what that means.

Sometimes though, you find yourself at the height of your powers. You feel all your senses peaking at the same time. And you make the choice to take that elusive step forward. You want your attempt at unfolding all the eternal mysteries. You believe you can find the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything. Yes, you know very well that the answer is 42. But let's just say, you want to find your own answers.

Sometimes then, you find yourself making progress. And you notice that all the reads you make are proving to be accurate. And you take that as a cosmic confirmation of that particular hour being the chosen one. You get ready to shed all your fears and inhibitions. You get ready to take on all comers. And then, you get bitch-slapped back to reality. You notice that they sneaked up on you from the very direction you took your eyes off of, when you chose to admire your reflection in the mirrors and the eyes of the beholders.

Sometimes often, you realize that this is all an exercise in futility. You note that although change seems to be a constant, yet nothing ever really changes. You convince yourself then that things are as they were meant to be.

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So it was as it should have been.

So it is as it was supposed to be.

And so it will be as it must come to pass.

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उलझनें

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राजगोपाल सिंह
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ज़िन्दगी के साथ ही रहती हैं सारी उलझनें,

कुछ अजानी और कुछ नामधारी उलझनें ।

जितना सुलझाते गए, उतनी उलझती ही गईं,
आदमी थक-हार बैठा पर न हारी उलझनें ।

अपनी-अपनी उलझनों में लोग हैं उलझे हुए,
है किसे फुर्सत जो सुलझाए तुम्हारी उलझनें ।

प्यार की इससे बड़ी पहचान क्या होगी भला,
आपको अपनी लगे हैं सब हमारी उलझनें ।
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खोज

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शंकर प्रसाद करगेती
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जलते रेगिस्तान पूछते सावन कैसा होता है,
फुटपाथी बच्चे क्या जानें आंगन कैसा होता है ।

आधी उम्र किताबें ढोकर रोज़गार में खोकर कुछ,
कल कुछ बूढ़े पूछ रहे थे यौवन कैसा होता है ।

बिन बेड़ी के ही बंध जाना और बिंध जाना फूलों से,
तुम भी समझ गये हो शायद बन्धन कैसा होता है । 

Cable TV का है पलना और MTV का झूला,
ये बच्चे क्या याद करेंगे बचपन कैसा होता है ।

क्यों तुम दर्पण बेच रहे हो हम अंधों की बस्ती में,
हमको अब क्या लेना-देना दर्पण कैसा होता है ।
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मेरे लब पे दुआ

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'राहत' इन्दौरी
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झूठ को अपने मेरे सच के बराबर कर दे,
सामरी तू है, तो आजा मुझे पत्थर कर दे ।

तेरे हाथ में है तलवार, मेरे लब पे दुआ,
सूरमा, आ, मुझे मैदान के बाहर कर दे ।

सारे बादल हैं उसी के अगर वो चाहे तो,
मेरे तपते हुए सहरा को समन्दर कर दे ।
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... मगर चुपके से

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पद्मश्री गोपाल दास 'नीरज'
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मुझ पे आकर जो पड़ी उनकी नज़र चुपके से
हो गये अंक गुनाहों के सिफ़र चुपके से ।

ज़िन्दगानी है मेरी जेठ की दोपहरी-सी
बनके बादल कोई बरसो मेरे घर चुपके से ।

सारे संसार की आँखों में खटकता हूँ मैं
तुमको आना हो तो आना मेरे घर चुपके से ।

किसलिए भीड़, ये भगदड़, ये तमाशे-मेले
ख़त्म हो जाएगा इक रोज़ सफ़र चुपके से ।

मेरे हाथों में भी ये चाँद-सितारे होते
वक़्त ग़र काट न देता मेरे पर चुपके से ।

अपना दरवाजा खुला रखना हमेशा 'नीरज'
ज़िन्दगी आती है, आती है मगर चुपके से ।
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लाचारी

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डॉ. कुमार विश्वास
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मैं तेरा ख्वाब तो जी लूँ, मगर लाचारी है
मेरा गुरूर मेरी ख्वाहिशों पे भारी है
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Desire

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What I so desire is what I must not let rule me
For what am I if my will ceases to fuel me
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हैरानगी

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शहरयार
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सीने में जलन आँखों में तूफ़ान-सा क्यों है
इस शहर में हर शख्स परेशान-सा क्यों है ।

दिल है तो धड़कने का बहाना कोई ढूंढे
पत्थर की तरह बेहिसो बेजान-सा क्यों है ।

तनहाई की ये कौन-सी मंजिल है रफ़ीको
ताहद्दे नज़र एक बियावान-सा क्यों है ।

हमने तो कोई बात निकाली नहीं ग़म की
वो जूद पशेमान, पशेमान-सा क्यों है । 

क्या कोई नई बात नज़र आती है हममें
आइना हमें देख के हैरान-सा क्यों है ।
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भूले-भटके ही सही

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पद्मश्री गोपाल दास 'नीरज' 

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जागते रहिये, ज़माने को जगाते रहिये 

मेरी आवाज़ में आवाज़ मिलाते रहिये । 

हमने कल रात जलाये थे जो चौपालों पर 

उन अलावों की ज़रा राख हटाते रहिये । 

नींद आती है तो तकदीर भी सो जाती है 

कोई अब सो न सके गीत वो गाते रहिये । 

भूखा सोने को भी तैयार है ये देश मेरा 

आप परियों के उसे ख्वाब दिखाते रहिये । 

वक़्त के हाथ में पत्थर भी हैं और फूल भी हैं 

चाह फूलों की है तो चोट भी खाते रहिये । 

जाने कब आखिरी ख़त आपके नाम आ जायें 

आपसे जितना बने प्यार लुटाते रहिये । 

रोती आँखें उन्हें मुमकिन है कि याद आ जायें
हाथ हत्यारों के अश्कों से धुलाते रहिये । 

प्यार भी आपको हो जाएगा रफ्ता-रफ्ता 

दिल नहीं मिलता तो नज़रें ही मिलाते रहिये । 

क्या अजब है कि समय फिर से मिला दे हमको 

टूट जाने पे भी रिश्तों को निभाते रहिये । 

आपसे एक गुज़ारिश है यही नीरज की 

भूले-भटके ही सही घर मेरे आते रहिये । 

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Reflections II : That's The Way It Is

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It was a small town. Not so small that one would be expected to know everyone else in the town. But yet, small enough that one would know names of the neighbours at least.

Here lived a young boy, 5 or 6 years of age. He had dreamy eyes and was a good student. He was the kind who would come home from school and want to finish the homework before eating lunch or watching TV or going out to play cricket. Not the kind who liked to sleep in the day, the little guy was unusually perceptive & philosophical for his age.

One fine day, it was a pleasant summer afternoon. The boy was in his lawn when he noticed a herd of buffaloes passing by on the street. He also noticed that the cowboy had a cane in his hand, which he used to whip the trailing animals whenever he wanted the herd to speed up. This would cause them to nudge the ones ahead of them to speed up.

He ran inside to his mother and described his observation to her. Then he asked her whether it was fair of the cowboy to punish the ones near him, when it was actually the ones at a distance who were causing the whole situation. Astonished at first with such a question coming from such a young boy, she told him that this was the way of the world. You either learn this or you fail.

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Contemplate, Deliberate, Procrastinate

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When I woke up today, after some moments of unsure deliberation about what I wanted to do today, I thought about yesterday. How I had laid yet another day to waste. Accomplishments - zilch. Progress - nada. Achievements - zero.

Last night's dinner at Adiga's (Banerghatta Road) and ice-cream at Naturals did not manage to satiate me at all. And I don't understand the fascination everybody has with them. I found them to be just OK. Not bad, not that good either.

I decided I need some change on my Facebook profile. After a few minutes of contemplation, I resolved to change the cover & profile pics. Going through old folders of pictures, I found more than a few that made me laugh at the hopeless buffoon that I am in front of a camera. Finally, I settled for a recent enough vague looking one for the profile pic and an old one with some good old college buddies for the cover.

Meanwhile one of my best buds, who is currently toiling himself over in Vietnam, pinged me. One of the few guys I share everything with, he knows what goes on in my mind even before it does. Talking to him led me to a sombre mood.

When I logged on to Youtube to find and play some of the golden oldies, I found out that if you search for Yahudi's "ye mera deewanapan hai..", you get the pole dance video from Sunny Leone on 'Bigg Boss 5' as the top result. I wondered why is that after watching the clip once. It wasn't a great performance and it wasn't such a great rendition of the song either. That singer has butchered a Mukesh classic. And if it were up to me, she would rot in hell for this.

Realizing that my mood is about to betray me once more, I have lined up a few other songs from Mukesh, Hemant Kumar & Mahendra Kapoor. I know that more than half the day is gone again. And I am on my way to almost repeat yesterday. But then, I find it intriguing how these old sad songs lift me up so very easily. I think about her and a faint smile appears to win me over.

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Wicked Game

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You know the song from Chris Isaak. If you don't, you must check it out.

This is by far the most sensuous song and has one of the most sexy videos ever. That this statement can be made after 20 years of the song's release is a testament to itself.

But the thing that bothers me is why this Kolaveri di?

Why are these wicked games so commonplace anyway?

I mean, this is an everlasting worldwide phenomenon. One can find plenty of such references in works of writers, past and present. Many would know something that happened with that guy or girl they once knew.

And I don't buy the skewed ratio argument in this context. Everybody plays games. Though the proficiency of a player may have a correlation with their gender.

It is so confusing. How does one know that the person talking to them right now is not playing them. If it is a normal day, maybe one could read the expressions or the tone or the likes. But we all believe only what we'd like to anyway. And in matters of the heart, the road is slippery more often than not. And the perils associated are often too great to take a chance. That could be a relative concept. But a good number of people take those chances anyway.

Sometimes, when I observe how happy these newly married people seem to be, I wonder whether it is an image they are trying to project or are they really truly that happy. I believe everybody is happy in the short term at least anyway. Sometimes, when one knows the person well, they can ascertain this for themselves. But, generally speaking, it is better to just mind one's own business.

But then again, what exactly is one's business? To play these wicked games, or to let destiny play its wicked games.

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Stuck In A Moment

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.... And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for a while ....

Yes Bruno, you are damn right.

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