You will come, right?

ती चांदणी
येता नभी
त्या भव्य कमानी खाली
भेटेन मी

येशील ना
तू साजणी 
त्या भव्य कमानी खाली
भेटेन मी

लाटांवरती
घेऊन होडी
जाऊ सखये
त्या दूर किनार्यावरती
सायंकाळी
वाळूत रुपेरी
शपथ घेऊ ग
कधी कधी ना अंतर्ण्याची

सुरुबनात अलगद लपुनी
पांघरू धुक्याच्या शाली

ती चांदणी
येता नभी
त्या भव्य कमानी खाली
भेटेन मी

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxL1OqfMaSE



As that star
comes in the sky
I will meet
under that huge arch

You will come,
truly, Oh dear?
I will meet
under that huge arch

Upon the waves
taking the boat
We will go dear
On that far bank.
In the evening
In the silver sands
We will vow dear
Never ever to part.

In the oak forest
Quietly we will hide
covered in
blankets of dew


 

ToastMaster P2 - Thou Shall not be angry!!

(I have recently joined ToastMasters. The basic aim here is public speaking. There are different speech projects which one has to deliver, with each project focusing on certain public speaking fundamentals. This is my Project Speech 2 - the emphasis was on organizing the speech into different sections, transitioning smoothly across sections and to capture attention through proper introduction and conclusion. This is what I wrote, I may have skipped a few points during the actual delivery .... all the nervousness)

"Mr. Dawar, even today I do not accept money thrown at me". This is Amitabh Bachchan's famous dialogue from the 1975 movie 'Deewar'. It is one of many such dialogues which ushered in his image of the 'Angry young man'. His fans have worshipped that image and it has silently made its way into their hearts and brains not escaping immitations. While we understand that the dialogue itself depicts a lot of anger of a suppressed, wronged young man, there is neither much in his facial expressions nor is his voice loud. He seems rather calm. Mr. Bachchan's dear friend, Mr. Dharmendra though, does not hold back in that area. In the movie 'Sholay' of the same year, he yells out "Dog, I will drink your blood". Anger in his voice, his expressions and his whole body frame. The words he used, amuse me. "Why blood?, why dog's blood?". With his hands tied up and his dreamgirl being harrassed, isn't he better off wishing to drink some milk or eat some spinach like Popeye and break open his chains? The words he used, illogical that they may seem, do a lot to communicate his feelings to the audience and I am sure to his nemesis. Angry people, today, are an essential part of a Bollywood movie, but its not uncalled for as you look around and you see people angry everywhere, everytime and angry with everyone. People are angry with the politicians, the bureaucrats, the police, the bus conductor, the rickshawallahs, their neighbours, their parents, their spouses, their bosses, their colleagues and more. People are angry at home, at their workplace, during their travels and people are angry 24 by 7. India is angry with Pakistan, Apple is angry with Samsung, Anna is angry with the government and people are angry with Anna.

Toastmaster of the day, fellow toastmasters and guests 'anger' is a human emotion much like 'happiness', 'sadness' or 'love'. It is an emotion that one reflects due to a feeling of being overpowered, offended, wronged or denied. In some cases, however, it is just a tendency to react through retaliation. Psychologists recognize three types of anger and these help us understand anger. The first form is 'hasty and sudden anger' which is connected to the impulse for self preservation,  something which we share with non-human animals. The second form is 'settled and deliberate' . It is a reaction to preceived deliberate harm or unfair treatment by others. These first 2 forms are cognitive and include some level of thought processing by the person and then the anger follows. The distinction between the 2 is the reaction time. The third form called 'dispositional' is, however, related to character traits. 

Irrespective of the form of anger, it is an emotion that evokes response. Sometimes when a person gets angry others may try to irritate him further. Sometimes a loved one would reciprocate that anger with empathy. An angry person often, however, is feared by others. This fear is due to the potential that the anger carries. Anger can mobilize psychological resources and boost determination towards figthing injustice, correcting the wrongs. History shows us that our national heroes channeled their anger to do brave, daring acts. The enlightened souls were able to spread the message of love and peace because of their anger and because they knew how to use its potential. On the other hand, anger tends to be destructive. The Hindu scripture Bhagvad Gita rightly captures this destructive nature of anger. It says "Anger leads to delusion which leads to bewilderment of memory which leads to loss of intelligence which would lead  to fall". The occurences of shooting sprees across the world are on a increase today. These are instances of uncontrolled anger. Angry person, often loses his empathy, prudence and thoughtfulness and causes harm to others. I would like to believe that Hitler did what he did, because he was angry about something. What he did may never be justified, but to imagine that his acts were not out of any anger would leave this world without reason and logic. I similalrly like to believe that the perpetrators of 09/11 and 26/11 were angry about something. 

Last year a simplistic song, with not much to show in terms of lyrics and not much in terms of music barring the 'hummability', took the nation by a storm. The words were as simple as they could be 'Why this anger?' Whereas anger being an emotion may not be easy to avoid, I think its essential that one learns and strives to control and channelise it. Today, if Moses, who gave his people the ten commandments from his Lord, were to revisit Mount Sinai, he would have asked his Lord for a eleventh commandment and that could only be "Thou shall not be angry". Which tablet the God would then prefer to write his commandment on is a different thing altogether.

My infinite playlist

The new ones
Youtube playlist:

1. Kehne ko jashne bahaara hai
• Jodha Akbar - Hritik Roshan(a), Javed Akhtar(l), A. R. Rehman(m), Javed Ali (s)
2. Nahi Saamne
• Taal - Akshay Khanna(a), A. R. Rehman(m), Hariharan (s), Anand Bakshi(l)
3. Maula mere Maula
• Anwar - Nauheed (a), Roop Kumar Rathod (s), Mithoon(m)
4. Tere bina
• Guru - Abhi-Ahs(a), A. R. Rehman(m,s), Gulzar(l)
5. Bol na halke
• Jhoom Barabar Jhoom - Abhishek, Preity (a), Mahalakshmi, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (s), Gulzar(l), Shankar Ehsaan Loy (m)
6. Aaj din chadhiya
• Love Aaj Kal - Saif, Deepika (a), Rahat Fateh Ali Khan(s), Irshad Kamil(l), Pritam(m)
7. Kabhi Kabhi Aditi
• Jaane tu ya Jaane na - Imran, Genelia (a), Abbas Tyrewal(l), A. R. Rehman(m), Rashid Ali(s)
8. Salaam e Ishq
• Salaam e ishq - Salman (a),  Shankar Ehsaan Loy (m), Sonu, Shreya, Shankar, Kunal, Sadhana, Jasbinder N(s), Sameer (l)
9. Tere Mast Mast Do nain
• Dabang - Salman(a), Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (s), Sajid Wajid(m), Faiz Anwar(l)

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLA77B131C90507E97

सौमित्र - बघ माझी आठवण येते का

**********************************************
मुसळधार  पाउस  खिडकीत  उभी  राहून  पहा
बघ  माझी आठवण  येते का


हात  लांबव,  तळ हातावर  झेल  पावसाचं पाणी
इवलसं तळ पिऊन  टाक  बघ...  बघ  माझी आठवण  येते का


वाऱ्यानं  उडणारे  पावसाचे  थेंब चेहऱ्यावर  घे
डोळे  मिटून  घे,  तल्लीन  हो 

नाहीच  जाणवलं  काही,  तर  बाहेर  पड
समुद्रावर  ये
तो  उधाणलेला  असेलच
पाण्यात  पाय  बुडवून  उभी  राहा
वाळू  सरकेल  पाया  खालून
बघ  माझी आठवण  येते का


मग  चालू  लाग
पावसाच्या  अगणित  सुया  टोचून  घे

चालत  रहा  पाउस  थांबे  पर्यंत

तो  थांबणार  नाहीच
शेवटी  घरी  ये
साडी  बदलू  नकोस
केस  पुसू  नकोस
पुन्हा  त्याच  खिडकीत  ये
आता  नवऱ्याची  वाट  बघ
बघ  माझी आठवण  येते का

दारावर  बेल  वाजेल
दार  उघड
नवरा  असेल

त्याच्या  हातातील  बाग घे

तो  रेन कोट   स्वत:च   काढेल
तो  तुला विचारील तुझ्या  भिजण्याच   कारण
तू  म्हण  " घर  गळतय"
मग  चहा  कर
तुही  घे
तो  उठून  पंकज  उदास लावील
तू  तो  बंद  कर
किशोरीचा  " सहेलारे " लाव
बघ  माझी आठवण  येते का


मग  रात्र  होईल
तो  तुला  कुशीत  घेईल
तो  म्हणेल  " तू  मला  आवडतेस "
पण  तू  हि  तसच  म्हण
विजांचा  कडकडाट  होईल
ढगांचा  गडगडाट  होईल
तो  त्या  कुशीवर  वळेल
त्याच्या  पाठमोऱ्या  शरीरा  कडे  बघ
बघ  माझी आठवण  येते का


त्या  नंतर  सताड  डोळ्यांनी  छप्पर  बघायला  विसरू  नकोस
या  नंतर  बाहेरचा  पाउस  नुसता  ऐकण्याचा  प्रयत्न  कर
या  नंतर  उशी  खाली  सुरी  घे,  झोपी  जाण्याचा  प्रयत्न  कर

येत्या  पावसाळ्यात  एक  दिवस  तरी  बघ.. बघ  माझी  आठवण  येते  का .
**********************************************

खड्डे मार्ग

खड्ड्यात पाय पडतो
तेव्हा तोल ज़रा ढलतो
ह्रदय थोड़े खचते
आणि डोक ज़रा चढत

खड्ड्यानचिये वाटे
भानगदिचे साथे
वाकडा होउनिया कितीदा
पाय मोड़े

पुन्हा पुन्हा निराशा
ही खाद्द्यान्चिये भाषा
खड्डे म्हणजे वाक्यात्ल्या
रिक्त जागा

खड्डे ओलाखावे
जागा भराव्या

अप्रैल २ २०११

April 2, 2011.
A day India would never forget.
A day I would never forget.
The Indian Cricket team won the 10th Cricket World cup.
70% of World populace may have no idea what Cricket means. No I am not referring here to any kind of insect.

Cricket is a second religion to the Hindu's , Muslim's , Christian's and many others in my country. For many its even their first.
Their religion may have 33 crore Gods or 3 Gods or just one but their Cricket has its own Gods.
There is the God Almighty - Sachin Tendulkar - the embodiment of virtue and ability. There is the God of offside - Saurav Ganguly - a volcano of finesse and flamboyance. A God of resilience - Rahul Dravid, a God of chill - Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
The pantheon and more has Gambhirs, Yuvrajs and Zaheers as the demigods.

India loves its cricket. It plays its cricket, but more so talks, walks, acts cricket and more. The NYSE INDEX may not so much as shiver if USA were to finish second in Olympics, but the BSE crashes with the Indian cricket team. Schools, Government offices and all trades and commerce grind to a halt on that Summer afternoon when Sachin is creaming the Aussies in Wankhede or Saurav is punishing the Pakis at Eden Gardens. Crackers dont go off in India only during Diwali or any other festivities but also every time India wins Cricket tournaments. American President Barack Obama recently observed that his nation's productivity goes down by 30% every time Sachin bats. He is correct. But what might also be true is that India flourishes on the day following Indian cricket's each and every triumph. Every Indian in every corner of this world is inspired (probably even gets 'high') after seeing his team win.

For years Indian Cricket was ordinary. There were class acts but team performances could not reach any measurable heights. Then Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar brought an identity to Indian cricket. Sachin's early career got modeled into a "One-man show" time and again. But in the last few years "Team India" has been a real and vibrant entity. This world cup win was more so a team effort. Different players making there presence felt at different points in the tournament. They kept saying it was for one man - one God - Sachin. But they have ended up doing it for 1.2 billion Indians who believe that their Cricket team is "awesome" and know that their Cricket team can be "pathetic" at times and also know that their entire nation is definitely coming of age.

What does this win mean to India or every Indian? I may not know that, but I know this much that as I saw that man, my God - Sachin - hold that World cup - I felt that extremely positive energy gush through me. That says to me that perseverence is good. Good deeds pay. Success is wonderful, good enough to strive hard, to bear pain, to endure, to sustain, to aim, to believe!

Thanks Team India, Thanks Indian Cricket Gods, Thanks Cricket.
'What a game, keeps messing up my life, and in the end there is only one question - "Whats the score?"'

Cheers!

लागेल जन्मावे पुन्हा

माझी न घाई काहीही,

जाणून आहे अंतरी .

लागेल जन्मावे पुन्हा,

नेण्या तुला माझ्या घरी .

तू झुंजू-मुंजू हासशी,

जाई जुइचे बोलशी.

मी वेंधळा मग सांडतो,

थोड़ा चहा बाहिवरी.

तू बोलता साधे सुधे,

सुचवून जाशी केवढे.

मी बोलतो वाचाळ सा,

अन पंडीती काहीतरी.

होशी फुलासह फूल तू,

अन चांदण्या सह चांदणे.

ते पाहणे, इतकेच मी,

बघ मानले माझ्या करी.

म्हणतेस तू मज आवडे 

हा रांगडा सीधेपणा.

विश्वास मी ठेवू कसा?

ह्या हुन्नरी शब्दावरी.

लिहिती बटा भालावरी

 उर्दू लिपीतील अक्षरे.

हा जन्म माझा संपला

ती वाचताना शायरी

लागेल जन्मावे पुन्हा नेण्या तुला माझ्या घरी...