अगर प्यार 🌸

अगर कभी फिर प्यार हुआ,
तो मानो उर्दू जैसा होगा। 
कि जब वो गाए नज़्म कोई,
जुबां से उसकी जादू होगा।

निगाह मिली 'गर सर्द रात में,
आसमान में हलचल होगी। 
चाँद को होगा करवट लेना,
ज़मीं पे सेज की सिलवट होगी।  

होंगी ऐसी शामें 
जिनमें घुल जाए 
दोपहर की तलब। 
आएँगे ऐसे बसंत
जिनमें हम पाएँ 
फरवरी के रंग। 

अब अगर फिर प्यार होगा
कसम से आखिरी बार होगा। 
एक पल का बंधन जैसे 
सौ सालों का साथ होगा। 

Mum

a fierce independent soul, full of life.

I didn't know what stumbling meant,
for the paths I trod on, were sculpted by her.

Tenderly, I kiss her cheeks
and out I go, in a rough new world.
the streets are noisy, unlike her soothing phone-calls
the faces are unfamiliar, unlike her sunny gaze.

P.S. : Draft from May 14, 2023 ( The time she was there with me and I could physically kiss her)

Heart felt!

Why do I don’t lose faith in love? I have had my set of heartbreaks – strong enough to teach me lessons. But why weren’t they capable enough to destroy the love within me? The soul has been shattered and the heart has been punched, why then would an organ so weak bounce back stronger – to spread love again with a greater intensity, each time with the lessons learnt from previous affairs. They say I am responsible – must be true – responsible for meddling with this heart and giving it the power to break me down again. Each time, with the hope, that this wouldn’t be like the last time. Each time, with a better person, an amazing soul. Ohh you amazing souls, how do you find the way to my heart!

Even Kundan (ref: Raanjhanaa) was cured of love when he says, “Kaun saala uthe ab phir se dil lagane ko, dil tudwane ko”, so when would this stupid heart of mine say “…. ab sone mein hi bhalai hai”

Until the next heartbreak….

Inability

I hear your voice
wrapped around incomprehensible screams.
I try hard to decipher -
to read your eyes if not the words.
These eyes which collate
years of relentless bravery,
and heaps of unfulfilled dreams.

I try
to resurrect you from your broken bones.
The way you shaped me by parts,
the way colors assemble for rainbowy skies,
the way bees collect pollen from many flowers.

All in vain, until your cries fade away
into the dark night.

Too Tired To Think

You might say alliteration

but am I literate enough

to personify my thoughts –

as brittle as glass?

Is it a simile

smiling through the clouds

of a writer’s block?

A flashback maybe

of capturing your lips

in my poems about sky.

The sky is blue.

The flowers are crimson.

The leaves are shivering.

Ahh, December blockade

on my mind, on your lips.

Ironical, isn’t it?

As the blooming cold

wasn’t much of an oxymoron

as I sat next to your heartbeat

flying in an empty space,

Pun, not intended!

The soliloquy must end.

Block isn’t a motif

but a mood 

of this diction.

Stream of consciousness,

Fable of nothingness,

Euphony of wit

might drivel some other day! 

Caste-based reservation- boon or bane to the Indian Education System

The recent years have seen a surge in protests and an effort to meet the demands of a particular group through forceful interventions in the bureaucracy or judiciary. A major involvement in such events was a demand of caste-based reservations. The discussion on reservation evokes strong emotions from both proponents and opponents. Reservations are present in almost every aspect of Indian System be it education, recruitment, commodity disbursement or even marriages (wherein people hesitate in marrying in a caste other than theirs, ugh!). It is about securing a seat or providing preference to minorities or a certain section of society.  In 1920, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar set up All India Depressed Classes Federation to work towards advancement of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. He then went on to become one of the founding members of the Indian Constitution.

In India, reservation has constitutional basis. The concerned clauses of the Indian Constitution (Article 15(4), Article 15(5), Article 15(6), Article 16(4), Article 16(6), Article 334) have received amendments throughout the years by including citizens who required upliftment/representation. Reservation in Indian Education System is derived from Article 15 – (4), (5), (6). In a country like India, wherein the caste-based biases have travelled through the colonial times and the mindset of individuals have been shaped to distinguish society using their religious backdrop, reservation to a certain extent is justifiable.  It leads to adequate representation of under-represented groups and an equal opportunity for them to compete.

India has transformed itself into a global power and established itself as an institution of modern advancements after levelling up with the developed nations. A country can move forward only if each individual of that country has access to those advancements and an opportunity to contribute for the betterment of their country. But some regressive concepts prevalent in Indian society could have created an obstacle in taking India to where it is today. Thanks to the well-laid out constitutional reservation system that every Indian now has equal access to study in eminent institutions and be a part of cutting-edge research. After bestowing reservation to the communities, merit should be given importance for admissions procedures.

Maharashtra was a recent example of stir when the Bombay High Court refused to grant exclusive reservation to Marathas on account of their social status. There is a ceiling limit of 50% for all kinds of reservations in education. However, many states have already crossed that benchmark thus leaving unreserved seats less than 50%. A similar protest was organised by the Jatts in Haryana. 

The weaker sections of society require a stimulus to feel economically powered and at par with the other privileged sections. Reservations do just the same. However, the recent tussle by people to grant quota to more classes risks the rights of un-reserved communities because the 40% unreserved seats can be contested by people belonging to reserved categories also, thus, leading to imbalance. A more plausible basis to grant reservation would be financial status rather than caste. This will help us in eliminating casteism because caste-based reservations only divide the society which is oppressive and a hurdle in development of a progressive nation. Reservations also lead to frustration. I have seen numerous posts on LinkedIn etc. where people compare marks and ranks of students belonging to different classes. Such comparisons are valid when both students have got equal opportunity for preparation. Thereby, justifying my claim of granting quotas based on economic background. 

Communities should be given equal nourishment at grass-root level, that is, primary school level. They should be made aware of the importance of education and be given a competitive environment. That is to say, economically deprived sections require more inclusion at present times than discrimination on basis of caste. Merits should be honoured by providing incentives for higher education and financial aids like scholarships and fee waivers. This will create a sense of equality amongst peer-groups.

Wrote the piece for Vox Populi (IIT Kanpur) a few days back [ never got published ]

Ikigai

“To be, or not to be: that is the question”, pondered Shakespeare in 1602. Centuries thereafter have long awaited a impressionable opinion on it, but to no avail. To live or to survive, but to search for one’s Ikigai- a reason for being.

Ikigai is a Japanese concept which simply defines ‘the reason to wake up in the morning’. It guides us to live a little less pretentious and a lot more worthy lifestyle. Once you embark upon a definite cause for your being, your birth finds a purpose. Life then appears like a beautiful ride while you drift along the channel with valuable companions.

As far as this generation is concerned, dilemma rules their life. What to read, where to go, who to listen, when to stop and so on and so forth. The mindfulness ruptures in asking ~ wherefore to exist. Isn’t this what the youth should be concerned of? Apt answer to this brings in the wealth of complete mental stableness. Healthy choices help form better decisions so that someday you do not fall for commiserations.

Look for yourself! Happy searching 🙂

Kalyani – A city to love

There isn’t anything permanent in life. You are born at one place. You grow up at another. You do schooling there. You visit, travel places. You attend college at some other place. You are employed somewhere. You are married somewhere else. Gosh! Life is really a journey of you adjusting yourself in the caravan of breaths. Different places with different vibes. They teach you, change you, affect you, get affected by you. You leave them. They stay. And then when you revisit them, even after plethora of change, you can easily remember the tapri (stall) you had chai (tea) at, parks in which you romanticised, restaurants serving your favourite snack, benches you had your night-outs at, roads that showcased your carefree youth.

 I had an experience of spending four years of my graduation at a very quiet, secluded, countryside city called Kalyani, which is quite astonishingly in West Bengal, India. A city away from the hustle-bustle of mainland Kolkata, nonchalant unlike the busy vendor-lanes of Howrah, lush green at every corner, clean at every street. A city with no nightlife, no exuberant malls, shut from metropolitan chaos – in short a terror for modern gen upbringing. Being a solitary, Kalyani was at par with my liking.

Moving to a new place is not easy especially when there is a language barrier ahead. Even after having a Bengali best-friend since childhood, I had been able to by-heart a sentence or two in Bengali – which were more of an expression of rebuke (eg. Tumhi paagol aache – You are crazy). Lack of my will to learn? Maybe. Lack of her will to teach? Definitely!

Being in a batch of mainly Hindi-speaking lot, life went by easy. Grad school doesn’t leave you with friends but with experiences. Yet it was here that I had adventurous experiences with these beautiful people whom I call my friends. It is the existence of such people with similar mindset who you can talk to i.e. a family away from home that makes adjusting easier.

I remember that whenever I returned back here (to Kalyani) after vacations, I was in awe all along the way in the toto (e-rickshaw). I mean, how could a whole city grow like a local colony! Flowers blooming, trees swaying, zero pollution, fresh air, birds chirping, clear sky, simply wonderful!

A beautiful world that landed in my lap, took me in its arms and taught me the significance of quietude. A city which had markets decorated for every festival, be it Christmas or Diwali. A city where Durga Puja began in August and ended in January.  A city that has etched treasuries of memories in my heart.

A city in which I had ‘walks to remember’!

So these four years added two more Bengali sentences to my vocabulary. Lack of my will to learn? Jaani Naa!

Peace

Amidst all the turmoil in the world, our hearts are desirous of peace.
With every teardrop that rolls down, we want content.
With every smile, we seek satisfaction.
For a motherly tenderly touch or a spark of lover’s skin, we wish our tensions get drowned.
But as Lord Buddha – who is believed to be the ninth incarnation of Lord Vishnu – said , “Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.” , none of the external help would do unless we on our very own gather courage, self-reliance and inspiration to detach from the parasitic thought that is making us feel vulnerable. The root of suffering is attachment. To conquer oneself is a greater task than conquering others.

Also, in the words of the first Indian Nobel Laureate, “O poor, unthinking human heart! Error will not go away, logic and reason are slow to penetrate.” – Rabindranath Tagore (The Postmaster)

मैं तुझे फिर मिलूँगी

मैं तुझे फिर मिलूँगी
कब, कहाँ…पता नहीं

शायद तेरे होठों के किनारे उतरूँगी… जब बेवजह हँस पड़ेगा तू… मेरे हालात-ऐ-इश्क़ पे,
या तेरे चेहरे पे सर्द हवा सी गुजरूँगी… जब देख रहा होगा तू सपने… “हमारी” मुलाक़ातों के..

मैं तुझे फिर मिलूँगी
कब, कहाँ…पता नहीं

या तेरे ख़यालों के जाल में… मैं उलझ के रह जाऊँगी
या सुलझा दूँगी मैं…तेरे शिकायतों की पोटली को…

ना जाने.. कब..कहाँ.. पर हाँ..मैं तुझे फिर मिलूँगी…

या फिर एक तस्वीर बनी… जिसने गले लगाया हो तेरे कमरे की दीवारों को…
कि जब सोचे तू…अपने अकेलेपन के बारे में…. मुझे देखे और कहे.. “ ये तुमसे तो अच्छा है”
मैं वो सुकून बनके तेरी कविताओं में निखरूँगी…

नहीं जानती हूँ मैं… इन हाथों की लकीरों को पढ़ना… पर जानती हूँ कि वक़्त बदल जाता है… जैसे बदल रही है…. तेरे माथे की शिकन,
कि जुदा हो रहीं हैं.. मेरी आदतें तुझसे… और खिल रहा है तेरे चेहरे का रंग..

मैं इन रंगों को समेट लूँगी

मैं तुझे फिर मिलूँगी
कब, कहाँ…पता नहीं

मैं तुझे फिर मिलूँगी