All things interesting …

Ye kavita likhi gayi thi ek subah sofe pe baith ke, jab baahar ek bade ped se tez surya ki kirne chhalni ho kar mujhe nehla rahi theen, saath he mai thodi si apne pati ke office jaane ki viraha mein nahaayi hui thi. Ek taraf hai sampoornta ka ehsaas aur hai ussmein mila-jula virah se upja aabhaas. Har pankti mein surya ki tapan aur virah ki tadap dono he inseparably ghuli-mili hain. Chaliye padhte hain iss kriti ko,  naam hai Taapas.

Khuli khuli si dhoop

Sunehra chamakta suraj

Usski law

Usska sindoor

Pedho mein chhupta chhupaata

Fir bhi chamakta leh lahata 

Usska soundarya

Usska tej

Usski dhadhak

Usski Garmi

Usske pyar ki garmi

Usski jhijhak

Usska apnapan

Har baat mein vinamra

Har baat mein sulag

Sab kuchh alag

Jahan vo nahi

Vaha andhera sa

Shaam si

Ek thandak si

Aahon mein

Usski bahon mein

narmi se

Ek garmi si

Thami si

Ek rukaav sa

Ek thehraav sa

Usski ek jhalak

Palko mein ek subah si

Taazgi ka anubhav

Ek ehsaas tumhaare hone ka

Ek pyar ka jo sabse alag

Tumhare andaaz mein jeena

Tumse jud jaana

Ye judna ye paana

Roshan hona, dekhna aur sharmana

Pighalna baar baar. 

Ek puraane ped ki tarah

Mazboot jado pe khade rehna

Chhaya dena apni dhoop ki

Hamein dhoop se bachaana

Ye jalna – tumhara jaana

Iss aag ki lapto mein – sulagna

Fir  bujhna

Ulajhna- sulajhna

Tummein kho jaana

Rum jaana

Raat mein diya

Diye ki roshni

Mein wo patanga

Jisske pankho ki sarsarahat mein

Tumhe poojna

Tumhe namaskar karna

Aur ek lambi saans le

Kan Kan mein samaana

Tumhaari sake mein simatna

Aankhein moonde

Doob jaana

Tumhaare aagosh mein.

You stand tall 

even now 

Though all your leaves have fallen

The cold, harsh, dry winds

And relentless rain

Have stripped you 

of your leaves

and branches

Leaving you looking battered, rather bare.  

Albeit

Your roots hold you firmly within

And you still keep the ground underneath 

together.

A change of season

Spring

A new wind,

Rays of the sun shining through those clouds

Sprout new leaves on you 

of joy

of hope 

and a freshness 

That makes you look whole again

(which you always were).

And so the story goes 

We see it all the time 

And everywhere…

She walks the road looking for a place to hide

Her inner peace 

lost in a quagmire of thoughts

Dead and stunted she appears 

Not a smile, no cheer 

The fire within seemingly been off for a while

Something just keeps her going though, no flow

She walks tall through shattered hopes

And unstoppable gales of thoughts that blow

She completes the family 

(Oh her warmth, the fire) 

With her quiet presence 

(that we most love and desire).

A few months later , however, 

The season, it changes 

The spring is back in that gait

And the wind in that hair 

Her smiles are lighting up many hearts now

Emerging from somewhere deep inside 

A thousand glowing suns shine within her

She has  now found herself (through the time-tide). 

And is now being

Who she was meant to be

The winds of change have stirred

The air, the water and her fire.

अंडे की ज़र्दी

सर्दी ही सर्दी

खुश्क और कड़क

घी गुड़ और नमक

बाजरे की रोटी

और मिर्च का अचार

पालक का साग

चलो बैठें आग के पास

शोलों की गर्मी और धुआँ

कुछ बहके होश

और बहे नाक

अँखिया भी रिसे

मिचमिचाएँ

सेक लूँ हाथ

सर्दी में कम्बल

ओढ़ लूँ आज

गर्मी का पसीना

भुला दूँ

पोंछ लूँ शिकन

अब जाने भी दूँ यार

Hevin. An inspiration to stay happy. That’s the name of a lady, a young girl  in my eyes. A 24-year  old mother of three children. A blithe spirit. A very wise woman from Kurdistan. A quick learner in my German language class. She is pretty like a princess. Her voice is like that of a little girl.

She was orphaned at the age of 2. Her grandmother adopted her and brought her up. When Hevin turned 16, her ageing grandmother asked her to get married, having grown too old to take care of a young girl. So Hevin was married off to a man eleven years her senior. They moved from war-torn Syria to Germany as refugees. Asylum- seekers in Germany are eligible for a fully paid 6-month German language course in a language institute or in the nearest Community Centre. That’s where I have the good fortune of meeting her.

Saleha. An Afghani woman in Germany.. Thirty four years old. Four children. A tailor by profession, with the brain of an engineer. You can’t help noticing her for her intelligent remarks and handling of the classwork in the language class(where I meet her). She brings the most wholesome Kahwa in a flask and I get lucky to partake. She has the air of a queen about her. One cannot not notice her sense of humour. I think a business woman is growing wings inside her. It’s not long before she’s flying out on her own. She has an aneurysm in the brain and other ailments but does not seem to suffer it. All my love to you, dear Saleha.

Banin, an endearing soul, calm and contained. 34 years old. 3 children. Highly capable and diligent. Very mature and grounded. Exudes contentment. Again an uprooted family, a refugee from Afghanistan.

(To be continued)

I stand witnessing in awe

this scene 

The ball

The scattered yellowed leaves

Like a brilliant golden carpet 

The leaves

Fallen down now, having done their time 

The tree

Still host to many more 

The ladder

Inviting me to climb on and explore 

The gentle breeze

That’s shaking the yellows 

Just a bit. 

I stand witnessing in awe

The red and green swings

In stillness

On the other side of the fence. 

The tree

Looking like a golden trophy

That Mother Earth has won 

Having aced hosting life 

Number 1

The blue cloudless sky

Bending over 

Stands witnessing in awe of 

The butterflies, the red berries, the black ones too

The soft dewy green grass in patches 

The patches of bare ground

The black bird with the orange beak witnessing with me 

And croaking in awe

Just a bit.

Aaj baraf ki safed chaader aangan tak faili hai

Ghaas pe, Football pe, table pe, Kursi pe 

Chidiyon pe bhi giri hai 

Baraf 

naram baraf

Ye thandi sake dene wali 

haath mein lete he jo pighal jaaye wo baraf 

Ye chamchamaane waali

aasmaan se kab giri baraf

Ye shaant sundar 

kuchh na Kehke sab kuchh keh dene waali baraf 

Ye meethe gole waali

Gole banaakar fenkne waali baraf

Hanste chehro pe safed daanto jaisi

Glass mein daal kar nasha chadaane wali aahein Bharne waali baraf

Naso mein furti laane waali

Chot ko sunn karne waali

Dard mein jo raahat de wo baraf

Baahar, jame hue seedhe khade hain dharakht 

Sadak jharne Neher bhi kadak

Asha ki Inmein garmi 

Ek sulagti hogi shayad dhadhak

Bhuni hui garma garam mungfali

Mombatti bhi jaise pighalti baraf 

Safed din aur kaali raat 

Toote taare bani baraf 

Ab har jagah har taraf

Troubled night
No resting place
For my thoughts

*******************

Lost in the fog
Tree shapes in the park
Forgotten friends

********************

Dry leaves strewn all along
Rustle as I trot across
Rouse memories and my horse

*********************

Transience of clouds
Their shadow on today
Realization has taken root

*********************

we flutter about
creating ripples in
the cosmos around

*********************

Soaked in beachy brine
Swathed in sweat at sunset
Sticky wet

*********************