niralee

Shahar ki is chaka-chaund mein Roshni k is baazar-e-aam mein Aatishbaazi se bhare iss aasman mein In sab se kayeen dur, ek chand akela baitha tha. Nayi subah k liye aatur logon se Naya saal jab kuch itraa raha tha Ghadi ki ungliyon par jab sab ko woh nachaa raha tha Aakash k ik kone mein, ek chand akela baitha tha. Raat bhar jage parantu anant kaal soye, Sab mein satya dhundhte par khud mein khoye, Saare un chehron se kayee meelo dur 'Nirbhaya' par chamakta, ek chand akela baitha tha.

Mohammed, a lanky little 11 year old in my school, has been granted permission to use the elevator for this entire month. Also, one of the peons carries his bag up to his classroom. Very considerate of the school to give this kind of treatment to child who is fasting, I was impressed. But on second thoughts, why should that 11 year old be fasting in the first place? Once at school, with the amount of physical and mental activity a child has on his plate, it becomes extremely essential that he eats every two hours. I think it’s no one but the parents who are to be blamed for this kind of inhuman action of starving a little boy the entire day. Isn’t food always listed as the first basic necessity for any human? With Paryusan just around the corner, I am already dreading meeting parents who will flaunt about their 2 and 3 year old kids doing “atthai” (8 consecutive days of fasting wherein you are allowed to drink only boiled water and not even that after sunset). Is it so difficult...

You Were my desire You Were in my prayer You Were at that door half-shut That door half-open. My feet My heart would rush But my mind would hold me back from crossing that threshold Suddenly A strong wind Suddenly A very cold wind Suddenly Slapped the door in my face I can't ever enter again. Peace! I smile to myself The battle between my mind and heart Has come to an end.

Lorsqu’on l’a enfermé   Il voulait s’enfuir Lorsqu’on l’a libéré La liberté semblait le fuir Lorsqu’il existait Il n’a pas connu le monde Lorsque le monde lui était imposé Son immensité pesait lourd sur ses pieds Lorsqu’il était prisonnier C’étaient des peines de travaux Lorsqu’il est libre Il est condamné à rien faire Lorsqu’il avait du temps Il cherchait à bâtir sa vie Maintenant qu’il a Le Temps « Tout ce que je vis est irréel » Maintenant, maintenant « Il n’existe pas » Car être C’est être vu !    A Somalian fisherman is accused of being a pirate and arrested by the French Police. He is imprisoned in Paris for 3 yrs. One fine day, the police decide to release him, but Abdulahi doesn't want to leave! He has nowhere to go! Not even his own country!

They are strange droplets of water, or could I say magical? They are like mirage in the dry desert of life. Well, they might not necessarily quench your thirst but they give you hope and the strength to carry on. But they are magical also because they appear at other times too, when you do not necessarily expect them to be there. Any overwhelming emotion, happiness, surprise, delight, fear, love…absolutely anything in excess could ring an alarm and call for them. They are always at your disposal. Believe me, they are! You just have to knock your forehead, check the exact location of this inexhaustible well and there you go! Women are believed to have an easier access to them than men. Some even go to the extent of saying that they are a woman’s best weapon. Well, I really do not know how far it is true, but I really do not mind if it is! It is indeed a good feeling to go to bed with your head resting on a wet pillow. That makes me think about 2 things: they are a great sedative and hav...

At this moment, the entire nation is burning in the fires of "the second war of independence" and writing about something else just does not seem appropriate. But there are, nevertheless, other important issues to tackle.... Ganeshotsav is just around the corner and we, the devotees are eagerly waiting to welcome our dear Bappa home. Markets are flooded with the most mesmerizing, near-live murtis of Ganeshji. Like many others, even I get tempted to bring Bappa home, I really enjoy the excitement around this festival. But then there are certain things that deter me from doing so. My dad tells me stories of Ganeshotsav celebrations as a child, in our village in Orissa. Although the celebrations there didn’t witness such grandeur, the enthusiasm was always unchallenged. My granny would bathe and redress the Ganesh idol at home, He would be brought out of his usual residence n be presided over a special throne for his birthday. My granny would then treat him with laddoos. The n...

Not a very happy occasion to write. Yet another page of Mumbai’s history has been colored in black ink. Yet another series of blasts! The tough Mumbai spirit was again put to test. And the strong Mumbaikar once again took control over the situation. People came out on the roads and helped their brethren. The ones who survived the blasts called friends and family to check if they had survived it too. Some emotional fools, too shocked even to make those calls, sat and cried. And the not-so-emotional fools gave them a piece of their mind. Some others made their cries loud enough to be heard by the government. The government, in turn, turned a deaf ear to people’s chaotic cries and said, “Things like these happen, they can’t really be controlled.” And for Kasab, it was actually like, फूल क्या तेरे कदमों में हम भेंट अपने सरों की चढ़ा जायेंगे Done with a series of actions that usually follows such an attack! Yeah! It has become such a usual thing for us! Tomorrow morning, after the high ti...