happy

With the wind, he danced today,

amid the chortles of leaves,

he cherished his ditties today,

amicably, he caressed his past today.

memories, today he flipped through again,

some urged tears,

some beget his heart’s elation.

His tears, today he assailed,

euphoria, today he dived in to furlongs.

शुभ दीवाली

8 बज चुके थे| यह पूजा का शुभ समय था और पंडित जी भी पधार चुके थे| सभी लोग अपने नए कपड़ों में खूब जॅंच रहे थे| फिर पूजा आरंभ हूई ओर सभी लोग पूजा की चौकी के सामने हाथ जोड़ कर बैठ गये| बीती दीवाली पर पंडित जी के मन्त्र

पढ़ने के अनुसार राहुल के दादा जी ने पूजा की थी| इस बार राहुल के पापा पंडित जी का हाथ बटा रहे थे| शायद अगली बार राहुल ही लक्ष्मी जी को पूजेगा| खैर वो सभ छोड़िए| पूजा की चौकी पर लक्ष्मी जी, सरस्वती जी, गणेश जी की तस्वीरें मौजूद थी| चौकी के दोनो ओर गन्ने पहरा दिए हुए थे, वैसे उन्हे पवित्रता का प्रतीक माना जाता है| पूजा आरंभ हुई गणेश जी के पूजन के साथ| सबसे पहले उन्हे जल से नहलाया गया, फिर मंत्र के अनुसार उन्हे वस्त्र पहनाए गये, टीका लगाया गया, फूल चडाए  गये ओर अंत में नैवैद्य के रूप में मोदक ओर सिक्के गणेश जी की तस्वीर के सामने रखे गये| इसी तरह वरुण देव ओर फिर नवग्रह की पूजा की गयी| लक्ष्मी जी ओर सरस्वती जी की पूजा के समय सारे चाँदी के सिक्को को नहलाया गया, 4 कलम ओर एक डायरी को सरस्वती जी के रूप मे पूजा गया, पंडित जी ने डायरी के पहले पन्ने पर स्वास्तिक का चिन्ह भी सजाया| फिर सभी खड़े हुए और कपूर ओर घी में डूबी 5 बातियों की रोशनी में आरती गाई| पंडित जी को दक्षिणा के साथ विदा करने के बाद सभी ने अपने से बड़ों के पैर छुए, स्मार्ट्फोन से तस्वीरें लीं गयी ओर बच्चों को तोहफे दिए गये| फिर सभी ने मिठाइयाँ खाईं ओर घूमने निकल गये|  वैसे इस बार फटाके जलाने का मन नही था |

-- वैभव

Happy Diwali

As they walked through, people celebrated this occasion of revelry. Diyas lighted up the alley and crackers burst with a flourish, all proclaiming their arrival. Yes, Lord Rama, the most beautiful Sita and the valiant Laxmana had returned to Ayodhya ending the term of exile. The air lumbered in ecstasy, the night sky shrouded itself in gaiety while the benign smile embellished the visage of Lord Rama. He had emerged victorious of his exile, vanquishing the king of Lanka and gutting down his realm of evil and darkness. But he was not alone, he was allied by the ‘vanar sena’, a battalion of valiant comrades that is still remembered with profuse pride in one’s heart.

-- Feelings --

The leaves, bullied by reckless rains,
never do they wail.
The scorching sun, acting haughtily
vanquishes their young tender green
to old fragile yellow.
But the leaves bear all,
sans any feelings, they die to nothingness.

O God ! acquit me of feelings or I will fear my death.

The river, connoting strength,
zooms through its path
laid down by our mother earth,
fearing never a capricious fall
or a duel with the boisterous rocks.
The river flows eternal
sans any feelings, it bluffs every failure.

O God ! acquit me of feelings or I will succumb to failures.

The flower, fostering in the bind
of mother earth,
its affable fragrance, cherishing the wind
plucked by many,
never did it retort back,
never did it concoct a revenge
sans any feelings, it delights everyone.

O God ! acquit me of feelings or I will bow to the Satan.

The stone, playing the nemesis
amid this realm of bonding.
harrowing every testimonial of strength,
breaking ties, kindling fire
never will it delude from its duty,
sans any feelings, it turns harsh.

O God ! acquit me of feelings or I will divert from my duty.

GAME

We were guarding our side.

The guns were our allies,

and we aligned our aim

with their sight

to obliterate the other side.

The demolishing war had rendered

gory sands of killings.

We heaved shells to the other side,

whispering them to void the

resuscitation of our enemies.

Our rivals had been battered

but they retaliated

and blood seeped in through the

altruistic wall of our comrades.

Smoke shields were diffused,

artillery shells were aimed,

percussions reverberated

and we enjoyed playing our game,

never envisaging

the real pain of a war.

Remembering you

The boisterous waves were mingling into each other. I gazed at them, trying to find if they portrayed you and me. They did. They entwined into one another to plunge back into their abode. I too wished to disappear in my abode but you were not there. The jolly waves sketched scattered portraits of you in my heart, all in which you had a delightful smile embellishing your face. The gusting wind seemed to disguise as the playful nudges of ours. I wondered where they came from; I wished you were hiding somewhere, waving the wind to me, to tingle with my coiffure. I just rested my eyes to embrace their presence. But you were nowhere; solitude escorted me to my every side.

HALF GIRLFRIEND

I must say that the story imparted a simple plot but the 260 pages compiled some intriguing and pleasant elements for a good read.

'his' overflowing desperation as portrayed in the plot actually provoked me sometimes to punch him. But the knack in him for making a difference for the country and incessantly pursuing his dream with the line " all people in india are busy making their own cut while the country loses as whole" raised the ante for him.

'her' descriptions etched with imagery rendered undone sketches of her in my mind. Her quiet self revealed less but the element of 'journals' pulled up the vigor and made me skip the need to stop reading. Her support in his preparations for speech with references to great steve jobs added seriousness in an event as small as a speech.

and finally, the exclusive virtual BOOK TOUR OF NEW YORK and the spices of 'lithhi chokha' only reflected the hardwork and dedication of CB.

The night

Attired in its   

shimmering and serrated stars,

the solemn night sky

turned to haunt him tonight

as he smoked earnestly

sidling against the window sill.

His room darkened,

night had diffused in.

His was a room,

silent like a lifeless bird

and

chaotic like a burnt jungle.

The night perceived it all,

those torn and scattered

Interview letters

portraying his world of dreams,

those astute glass bottles,

those empty ones,

the ones with whom he travelled his failures with,

the ones which had obliterated

his world of dreams,

his world of happiness.

The room dimmed darker

when dismal fumes rose

from the window sill

and the night feared,

it feared the dark in the smoker's life.

The night left,

lugging its fear

and once again

the sun pervaded.

POOR

Today was no different,

his battered and rugged attire

still draped him.

His pale somber face preluded

the starving flesh of his body.

Today also he was obliged,

bound to heave clay bricks on his

frail and dangling clavicles.

Today also he built for others,

the walls of their mansions

while his dreams like everyday

etched into delirious fantasies.

Today also his belly ranted

and again today his hunger wailed.

Today also he plodded back from his work site,

sodden in sweat

and hoodwinked of his wages.

Today also he sung lullabies to the night,

escorted its black solitude and

then embarked onto his  fantasies.

But again today the vast sky canopied him.

Today also he stayed poor