A Happily Ever After

If wishes were horses, 

And fairy tales were true, 

Would you be mine 

And I be with you?

I would dress in rags, 

And have no shoes, 

I would endure wrath, 

Of ugly sisters too.

I would have poisoned apple, 

And trade woods for kingdom, 

I would wait for a magical kiss, 

And sleep till then.

I would love a beast, 

And wouldn't be concerned. 

I would kiss a frog, 

And patiently wait for it to turn.

If wishes were horses, 

And Fairy tales were true, 

I would face everything 

For a Happily Ever After with you.

तेरी बातों के रंग

तेरी बातों के रंग
चढ़े रहे दुपट्टे पर
मैने धोए भी,
और सुखाए भी,
धूप भी निकली,
और मेघ भी बरसे,
पर ये ज़िद्दी हैं

चढ़े रहे दुपट्टे पर..

यादों की हवा चली
तो जैसे बिखर गये
रंग घुल के हवा में,
खुशबू में बदल गये,
मैने सांसो मे समेटा,
और क़ैद करना चाहा,
पर ये शातिर हैं,

चढ़े रहे दुपट्टे पर..

लजा के एक सांझ
मैने ओढ़ लिये सर पर
तो ये चमक उठे,
रंग बिरंग जुगनू बनकर,
मैने हाथ मे पकड़े,
और रौशनी तरफ दौड़ी,
पर ये शरीर हैं,

चढ़े रहे दुपट्टे पर..

इत्त्वार का दिन आया
तो मेरे साथ हो लिये
बूँद बनकर आँखों मे,
मेरे साथ रो लिये,
मैने आँखें चुराना चाहा,
और बातें बनाई भी,
पर ये खामोश रहे,

चढ़े रहे दुपट्टे पर..

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Transliteration:

Teri baato.n ke rang
Chadhe rahe dupatte par
Maine dhoye bhi
aur sukhaye bhi
dhoop bhi nikli
aur megh bhi barse,
Par ye ziddi hai

Chadhe rahe dupatte par..

Yaado.n ki hawa chali
To jaise bikhar gaye
Rang ghul ke hawa mein
Khushbu mein badal gaye
Maine saanso me sameta
Aur qaid karna chaha
Par ye shaatir hain

Chadhe rahe dupatte par..

Laja ke ek saanjh
Maine odh liye sar par
To ye chamak uthe
Rang birang jugnu bankar
Maine haath me pakde
Aur raushni taraf daudi
Par ye shareer hain

Chadhe rahe dupatte par..

Ittwaar ka din aaya
To mere saath ho liye
Boond bankar aankho.n me
Mere saath ro liye
Maine aankhein churaana chaaha
Aur baaten banaayi bhi
Par ye khaamosh rahe

Chadhe rahe dupatte par..

मेरे शहर में अब शोर नही होता

मेरे शहर में अब शोर नही होताअब बच्चे गलियों में खेला नही करते
अब घरों के शीशे टूटा नही करते
पहले आती थीं माओं की डाँटने की आवाज़पर अब ऐसा किसी ओर नही होतामेरे शहर में अब शोर नही होता

अब नुक्कड़ पे मोहल्ले के लड़के नही आते
अब छतों पे सूखे हुए दुपट्टे नही लहराते
पहले गूँजती थी नज़रों की गुफ्तगू चार सु
पर अब ऐसा मन किशोर नही होतामेरे शहर में अब शोर नही होता

अब बाज़ारों में खरीद खरीदार नही आया करते
अब द्वार पे बड़े बुजुर्ग नही बतियाया करते
पहले लगते थे खूब दीवाली दशहरे पे मेले
पर अब ऐसा किसी छोर नही होता
मेरे शहर में अब शोर नही होता

अब बारिशें दीवारों के रंग नही बहा ले जातीं
अब हवाएँ पत्तों के संग नही मुस्कुरातीं
पहले चहकती थी सावन के झूलों पे किल्कारियाँ
पर अब ऐसा किसी भोर नही होता
मेरे शहर में अब शोर नही होता

अब बस मिट्टी में घुलती बू सूँघाई देती है
अब बस अधमरी इमारतों की चीखें सुनाई देती हैं
पहले थे कई रंग ओर बातें मेरे शहर की मशहूर
पर अब बस एक किस्सा चारों ओर होता है
मेरे शहर का सन्नाटा शोर होता है

मेरी ख्वाहिशें

कुछ काँटों के बिछौने हैं,
जिनपे नंगे पाँव मेरी ख्वाहिशें चलती हैं.

जब छोटी थी ख्वाहिशें,
और कोमल थी एडियाँ,
बिछौना भी हरा रहता था,
हरे नर्म काँटे जो,
एडियों तले डब जाते,
गुदगुदी लगाते,
और मेरी ख्वाहिशें हसती खेलतीं,
नंगे पाँव इनपे चलती थीं।

वक़्त गुज़रा तो सालों की समझ में,
परत बा परत सख़्त हुई मेरी एडियाँ,
काँटों ने भी मुड़ना छोड़ दिया,
ख्वाहिशें मगर और फैलीं,
सूखे काँटों पे नंगे पाँव दौड़ी,
वो बिछौना भी ज़िद मे बढ़ा जाता है,
एडियों सा ही सख़्त हुआ जाता है।

कुछ साल बाद लगता है,
एक काँटों का बिछौना होगा,
जिसपे खून में लिपटी मेरी ख्वाहिशें खड़ी मिलेंगी।

आज, कुछ काँटों के बिछौने हैं,
जिनपे नंगे पाँव मेरी ख्वाहिशें चलती हैं

Gestures ~ Miscalculated Poetries by Misunderstood Poets

Ladies and Gentlemen,Behold! for my book is here :D

Gestures - Miscalculated Poetries by Misunderstood Poets

The book is available at Flipkart here : http://www.flipkart.com/books/8182532515
and at Cyberwit here : http://www.cyberwit.net/publications/316

Of course Gestures is a group effort, and the announcement is not complete without mentioning about all the people who made Gesture a reality. Thankyou, Yaseen, Nikhil, Rinzu and Swati. You guys are simply amazing.

Also, how can i forget to mention Saim who actually got me that wonderful bio, which i hold the bestest in the book. Thank you so so much.


Why are you still reading? Go buy the book and read that ;)

----
Update:

The past year has been extremely dream like when it comes to this lesser explored hobby of mine - poetry. Apart from Gestures few of my selected poems have featured in the following anthologies too. Don't forget to order your copy :)

AKS : Tere Mere Khayaalo.n Ka

Buy on Flipkart

LOVE IN VERSES : For You & Me

Buy on Cyberwit

MUSINGS : A Mosaic

INKLINKS

Buy on Cyberwit

WORDS ON THE WINDS OF CHANGE

Buy on Blurb

Picture abhi baaki hai mere dost ;)

Safar

चलते चलते मैं रुक जाती हूँ,.
अगर बहुत दूर चली आती हूँ.
मुड़ के एक बार देख लेती हूँ,
अगर भूल जाती हूँ,
कि अकेले ही तो चली थी,
दिल को फिर समझाती हूँ,
अगर बहुत दूर चली आती हूँ.

कभी कोई तितली मिल जाती है,
तो पल भर को ठहर जाती हूँ,
नज़र भर को देख लेती हूँ,
अगर भूल जाती हूँ,
कि कई रंग है बेरंग दुनिया के,
एक नया रंग देख पाती हूँ,
अगर बहुत दूर चली आती हूँ.



कभी कोई नदी आ जाती है,
तो उसके साथ हो लेती हूँ,
फिर मोड़ पे अकेली हो जाती हूँ,
अगर भूल जाती हूँ,
की सब साथी नही सफ़र के,
फिर एक साथी छोड़ जाती हूँ,
अगर बहुत दूर चली आती हूँ.

कभी ठोकर लग जाती है,
तो गिर के संभल जाती हूँ,
कई बार रास्ता ही बदल जाती हूँ,
अगर भूल जाती हूँ,
कि लंबा सफ़र है, जल्दी नही अच्छी,
कुछ देर ठहर जाती हूँ,
अगर बहुत मैं थक जाती हूँ.

चलते चलते मैं रुक जाती हूँ,.
अगर बहुत दूर चली आती हूँ.
मुड़ के एक बार देख लेती हूँ,
अगर बहुत दूर चली आती हूँ.

P.S. It's been long. Exactly 21 years long ;)

The Law of Procrastination

So it’s been like a week since I am thinking of writing a post on my blog…you know just to make sure that this place doesn’t die out like all my other interests…seriously...I am something like the most promising procrastinator.."no matter what I start..from where I start..I am bound to leave it halfway without completing the same until and unless an external force (read : life and death situation) is applied therein"..and also coz I had nothing to talk about..anyways coming back to the topic (which I just accidentally chose)..The Law of Procrastination.


This law of procrastination applies rather has continued to be applicable on all the things I have ever touched from the day of my arrival on this once beautiful earth..i learned to walk when I was of some 15 months (that’s late as per my mom’s standard) and spoke a proper sentence when I was nearing the age of two..though I never stopped after that..


I believe the reason I skipped my LKG and UKG was because of my adherence to this law subconsciously.. needless to say that I was always the last person to do assignments and studied the night before the exam (still do)..


Once I was left on my own I was the last to reach for the bus and so was mostly recognized as the-girl-who-makes-the-conductor-grumble-early-morning or simply the-girl-who-runs-behind-the-bus-till-school-gate.. And now when I have a little extra pocket money and literally no time on hand to spend, I just catch an auto to work and end up paying the auto wala munh maangi keemat on the face of non-working-chennai-auto-meters.. later on that..


Now when I am thinking of it I think I joined CA under the effects of the same law…I was too lazy to read all those college brochures, or attend some career counseling sessions or go through those painfully simple looking sites that I took whatever came on my way.. partially because of this and partially because now its easier to say that I was not the one who chose this for me.. Notwithstanding however absurd or stupid it may sound..


Moving on..fast forward skipping the most cruel 3 years of articleship one can imagine to undergo…present day…shucks I have an audit report to complete..and I can’t start it..not even think of starting it…simply because FIRST its all a long repetitive work and the more the work gives me the feeling of déjà vu..the more I postpone it..

SECOND no matter however lazy I may be..I have a distinct style of my own..you guessed it right, just like everyone else.. and am simply not a Ctrl+X Ctrl+Y Ctrl+V person.. (are the shortcuts correct?? I am so a right click person) so much that even if you show me an answer in the exam hall I won’t copy it..khuddari you know (and also because I don’t trust your geniuses) ..so I guess it’s going to lie there all neat, clean and untouched till my boss is back…or till we lose the client.. Whatever happens earlier..All thanks to the law of procrastination which hangs to my neck like an Albatross..



One may think how the law only applies to the field of academics.. Absolute nonsense unlike all other hyped laws this one is fully completely universal..and applies to every individual with a variance of ±5 on all life’s situation.. for example I eat my lunch only at 4 and sleep till 12..a.m /p.m doesn’t matter..and am not just talking about Sundays.. don’t ask me how.. and I am always the last person to reach a gathering… the more important it is the more late I will be.. People often show me a face for it while I shamelessly recite the song “Main der karta nahi der ho jaati hai” (ironically from the film Heena)..


You see my friends, unlike those lucky believers of astrology, I have only the law to blame.. and this was a small account on how the Law of Procrastination governs one’s life..For more such nonsense by-heart my blog address..




**Breaking News : Sources has revealed that deeper researches suggest that those 2% people who clear their CA in one go may be considered exempt from any said effects of this law..you see its not for the hardworkers..it’s for the smart ones.. someone who dare to manage a lifetime’s work in a few hours ..often in seconds..if its dressing up for a movie..