Love not meant to be

Their love always grew in this dark confinement. Here, they found each other irresistable. No matter how much others tried to separate them, they found each other here.

Somehow, they were always separated; no matter how hard they tried. It seemed that theirs was love not meant to be. But they knew they were meant for each other; because deep down, they were connected.

They wanted to make the most of this privacy. Their bodies entangled with each other and their bonds tightened. They were no longer separate; their existence was mingled with each other. They wanted to be together forever.

Suddenly; a hand came into the pocket and got them out.
"Stupid earphones, tangled again" said He while separating them again.

Implied

What they said:

He said: I want to spend my entire life with you. I don't know what I will do without you. But ours is the love not meant to be. As difficult as it may be; we have to part ways.

She said: I can't imagine living without you. I have never dared to think of such life; but we have to be strong. I will learn to live without you.

What they meant:

He meant: You were novelty

She meant: You were convenience

घर का भेदी, लंका ढाये!!

अपने चारो ओर बनाया था,
एक किल्ला रज़ाई का मैंने,
के कोई हवा के बम-गोले,
कोई सर्दी की गोलीबारी,
छु भी ना पाये मुझको,

रात भर जारी रही मुहीम हवा की,
कभी झोंका झोंका आकर,
कभी लहर लहर सी बन कर,
कभी आरस की वह फर्श को अपना
साथी बनाकर ठंड ठंड,
पर भेद सकी ना किल्ले को,

जब लग ही रहा था विजय है निश्चित,
सूरज की कुछ किरणों ने
बस झाँक ही लिया था,
के तभी अचानक मधुर से स्वर ने,
एक मुलायम हाथ ने आकर,
मुझे टटोला, मुझे जगाया,

और खुल गया वह अभेद्य किल्ला,
सर्द हवा ने मौका पाकर,
शीत-बाणों की जो छेड़ी है जंग,
कांपते हाथ को दबा बगल में,
ठिठुरते दांतों को भींचते हुए,
उसकी ओर मुस्कुराते हुए मैंने कहा,
घर का भेदी, लंका ढाये!!!

हैप्पी न्यू यर

कुछ पुराना सामान समेट कर घर के बाहर रखा है,
कुछ लम्हे, जो यूँही रह गए बिना खर्च किये,
एक्सपायरी डेट जो आ चुकी थी उनकी,
और कुछ यादें जो सील गयी है, खट्टी हो गयी है,
कुछ तजुर्बे जो रद्दी की तरह कोने में पड़े थे,
और अब तजुर्बो का नया एडिशन आ गया है,
कुछ सोच, जो बोझ सी बनकर रोक रही थी मुझे,
कुछ खोखली ख्वाहिशो की खाली बोतले,
जिनमे फिर से नया जोश भरने की गुंजाईश अब रही नहीं,
चंद भारी से टूटे हुए रिश्ते, मानो टूटी सी मेज खुर्सियाँ,
जो मन तो नहीं फेकने का, यादें जो है; पर मरम्मत हो नहीं सकती उनकी,

और जब पलट के झाँका घर के अंदर,
कितनी जगह बन गयी थी,
नए रिश्तों के लिए, नए सपनो की खातिर,
अलमारी में कितने नए अरमान, कुछ नए वादो की जगह थी
दीवार पर खाली फ्रेम में नयी यादों की जगह थी,

आखिर कुछ पुराना जाए, कुछ नया आये, तभी तो लगता है "हैप्पी न्यू यर"

Happy New Year

He looked at the clock which seemed stuck at 11:55 for some time now. Every moment seemed to drag along. He was sitting alone with the glass in his hand; his fourth drink already.

He was thinking about the year that would start in next five minutes.
This would be the first year after a decade which would start without him kissing her at midnight; the first year when she would not be his Valentine; the first year when he would not shower her with surprises on her birthday; the first year when his holidays would be without her. This would also be the year when she starts her life afresh with her marriage; new city; perhaps new friends.

It's over - Her words rang in his ears repeatedly and he struggled to keep the tears within.

He gulped down the drink, found her number in his favourite contacts and messaged her "Happy New Year".

A Winter Morning

His eyes were fixed on the steam coming out of his morning coffee on this cold winter day. He was wearing a shawl over his night dress and sitting in the small garden in front of his holiday home.

Somehow, the steam reminded him of her breath on a winter morning. How she pretended to make rings of smoke from her breath and how she failed to do so. He could almost hear the music of her teeth clattering in the chilly wind. The morning colors just resembled the pink on her cheeks during those cold days.

He remembered how delicate, how fragile she looked when she cozied herself in a blanket. He remembered the warmth when she melted in his arms and he hugged her with all the passion.

He removed the shawl and kept it aside. The winter was not very cold any longer.

Purchasing Memories!

Oh! Oh! That little red toy car with remote control, I always wanted that. And that gun with shiny yellow and red lights which blink every time the toy is triggered, that's so pretty.
Oh! Wow! Cotton candy or Balloon, or maybe both.
But if he got both, he may not have enough money for the magic show ticket at the fair. He also wanted to buy some popcorn and a soda.

His dad was the CEO of a multi-million dollar empire; but he only got $10 for the trip to the city fair.

"Lesser the money you have, more the memories", his dad had said.

Collector's Edition

He clicked frantically in the park, taking pictures of the kids playing around.

The little one in yellow on slide, the twins in purple playing on the see-saw, the blue-eyed girl in the sand box, the chirpy three playing Hop-Scotch, the dare-devil on the swings, the ones running towards their parents, the ones running away from them.

A few parents got concerned on why a stranger is clicking snaps of their kids.
"Who are you?" They asked
"I am a collector.", he said, "I collect antiques."
"Why are you clicking our kids' photos", They questioned
"Not them; their smiles! It is going to be a rare commodity soon", He answered.

The Confusing Truth

The sound of judge's gavel stopped the murmurs in the court room.

"Confident of his wife's betrayal, the accused shot his wife in their own bed. The weapon of murder has already been submitted to the court. It is a cold hearted murder", argued the prosecution.

"Out of her guilt of betraying her husband, she had already consumed the poison when her husband entered the room to shoot her. The post-mortem report has already been provided to the court. It was a suicide", countered the defence counsel.

The judge knew that both the counsels were right and he knew both the possible judgments would be wrong.

Truth can be confusing, at times!!

प्यार का पहला ख़त।

Here is my attempt to add some verses to the maestro - Jagjit Singh's magical work, प्यार का पहला ख़त


हमने खयालो में रहने की, मोहलत मांगी है,
इश्क के ख्वाबों को बुनने में, वक़्त तो लगता है...

आँखों के रस्ते से उनके, दिल को पढना था,
बंद किताबों को खुलने में, वक़्त तो लगता है...

छोटा सा कोई किस्सा नहीं यह, दास्तान अपनी है,
लम्बी कहानी के बनने में, वक़्त तो लगता है...

मीलों का रस्ता तो कट गया, तुमसे मिलने को,
आखरी चार कदम चलने में, वक़्त तो लगता है...

नये परिंदों को उड़ने में, वक़्त तो लगता है...

Independent Man

All his life, he had never been dependent on others. He was a self made man, worked his way from the bottom and finished at the bottom.
It was not that he did not want to be dependent on others; just that he never had that liberty. He had no relatives, no friends; a few acquiantances from the regular naggings of neighbours and abuses of colleagues.
He himself did not care to make friends, considering that he has just enough time to survive himself.
Today was going to be no different. Why was a small thing like death going to change his practice of a lifetime.
He finished digging the grave himself, entered it, and rested in peace.

Thank you men!

I am a woman.

I am a mother, a sister, a daughter, a wife; but I am more than that. I am me.

Every time I achieve a new milestone, I get a bit more appreciation than my other counterpart; because I am a woman.

Even in a crowded street with no breathing space, men ensure I am not pushed around; because I am a woman.

When I enter a general compartment of a Local train, more often than not, someone gets up and offers me a seat; because I am a woman.

I have special reservations everywhere, right from school admission to job selection to ladies compartment to parliament; because I am a woman.

I get away with bad driving, scratching someone else's car and at times, even minor accidents; because I am a woman.

My colleagues don't mind taking over my part of job at late evenings because they know I juggle between the kid and my job; because I am a woman.

I can express all my emotions when I want to and the way I want to, unlike my male counterparts; because I am a woman.

While every case where the male counterparts make my life difficult is analyzed and highlighted with a microscope; no one takes time to highlight the million cases where they try to make my life easier.

Here is to those millions of heroes who make it easier for me, a small gesture at a time!!!

Because I'm happy

He had a skip in his walk and a smile on his face. He was brimming with radiance and spreading his positive vibes around.
He picked up a bouquet from the road side florist and left the change as tip.
This was so unlike him; He was always worried, always tensed, saving every single penny, complaining about everything in life: the weather, the politics, the driver ahead. He was nagging and cribbing and frustrated.
But not today; today he was different.
He rang the doorbell and his wife opened the door. She was surprised, partly because he was home early and partly to receive her first bouquet in last 5 years of marriage. "What's the occasion?"
"I quit my job"
"WHAT? You quit your job? Without a new one in hand? You did not even discuss this with me. The rent is overdue, there are unpaid bills and we no longer have a steady income. Why are you grinning?"
"Because I'm happy"

The Delivery Man

He needed this break desperately. His work was taking its toll on his body and his mind. He had difficult days and sleepless nights.

The constant yelling and screaming and pleading during his work echoed around him all round the clock. Nobody appreciated his task and no one was happy with this delivery.

Sure; there was money; but was it worth all this effort, this pain?

He stared calmly at the sun setting in the sea and closed his eyes to listen to the calm sound of waves fading in the sand.

Two days of break and all his doubts were gone. He was fresh and ready to go to work. He already had two contracts for killing.

Delivering death was a tough job, but he was up for it.

He said, she said

He kept silent. He did not want to but he did. He wanted to tell her to stop; to not go; to not leave him behind; to not leave him alone; He wanted to tell her that she was the most important person in his life. He wanted to tell her that she meant everything to him and that he could do anything just to be with her.
But he didn't. There was no use of this when she had already decided to move to another city. He would simply make her and himself sad by opening up.
She kept silent. She had decided she would keep silent. She had always expressed her feelings about how she liked him and how she found him a great friend. She had given more than enough of hints. However, his answer was always this silence. She had understood that she was not very important in his life. Expressing her feelings would only make this parting difficult for him and for herself.
"Goodbye", said he. "Take care", said she.

Bell-curve

"These things do happen. Life is not fair. You did not fit the bell curve. I did the best that I could", said his boss with the fake compassion and concern that all bosses in the world master by default.

He did not utter a single word and walked back to his desk. A couple of his colleagues came to his desk with consolation and mockery of him wasting his time and effort by giving 100% to the job role when the company does not care.

One of them said, "If only you had spent time in office politics and boss management instead of slogging off, you would have got that rating as well as the promotion that you deserve."

He just ignored them and opened an excel sheet on his workstation. He put in the names and ran the bell curve.

His supervisor did not fit the bell curve of people he wanted to live.

Heartbreak

He stole a glance at the re-adjusted centre mirror of the car and back to the road. The drive from Mumbai to Pune was never this long and definitely not this tiring.
His friend on the front passenger seat shuffled the song on the music player. "My love is all I have to give", sang the famous Backstreet Boys lead singer.
He tried his best to keep his eyes on the road; but they seemed to go back to the centre mirror.
There she was, her head on his shoulder. The mirror further broke his heart by saying "Objects are closer than they appear"
Brakes are better than heartbreaks, he thought.
Next day's newspaper headlines read - Reckless truck driver hits car from behind: Passengers in rear seat dead

It's over!!!

"It's over", said the girl on the phone walking ahead of me. I could spot her struggle to stop tears from finding its way out of her eyes.
I thought about how brutal today's relationships were. How fast paced today's lifestyle and generation was. We had extremes of all emotions. Break-ups were happening on phone, maybe even over messages. Was it genuinely love if it was over so easily? Was the relationship not even worth the effort to be given an honorable death by meeting in person?
"It's over sweetheart, it hurt a bit but the dentist said I should be fine in a couple of hours", said she again breaking my chain of thoughts.

उम्मीद

एक उम्मीद नयी नयी मरीज़ है
समझ नहीं आ रहा क्या मर्ज़ है
चाह मर चुकी है उसकी जीने की
उसकी नब्ज़ में सुई चुभो के
वक़्त का कतरा कतरा चढ़ाकर
उसको जिंदा रखा है

शायद उसको बचा सके कुछ करके
बस कोई थोड़े सहारे की गोलियां
चंद मीठी बातों की बूटी
कूट पीस के घोल मिला कर
बहला फुसला कर उसे पीला दे
तो शायद उम्मीद कायम रहे

और ना भी बची तो क्या?
आये दिन ऐसी कितनी उम्मीद
दुनिया की भीड़ में कुचल पीस के,
लहुलुहान सी तड़प तड़प के
यूँही दम तोड़ देती है

तेज़ ज़िन्दगी में कहा किसीको
मातम मनाने का वक़्त मिले
उम्मीद की लाश को पीछे छोड़
लोग बढ़ जाते है हताश से आगे
पर अब जब इतने वक़्त के कतरे
इस उम्मीद पे जाया किये है
तो इस उम्मीद को मरने मत देना
जिंदा रखना इस उम्मीद को

Lover's point

"Smile please", she said cheerfully.
It was an ideal vacation spot at this time of the year. The cool wind blowing on the mountain top; the tender sunrays reflecting in the clear sky; the lush green in backdrop of valley at the edge of the cliff and no one in sight except for the two of them. No wonder this was called 'Lover's Point'.
He stood at the edge of the cliff in a pose as if he had conquered the world. The wind ruffled his hair and made him look like an 80's bollywood star. He gave the broadest possible smile like one of those actors in toothpaste commercials.
*Click* The photo was excellent, better than she had expected.
She went near him, smiled, and said, "Goodbye". Before he could even react, he tripped over the edge by the sudden push.
She could frame the picture on her wall permanently now.