Ink Stained

What if there was a multiverse, where dreams took flight, Where every choice we made, cast a different light? In one, I’m a painter, colors splashed in delight, In another, I’m a sailor, lost in stars so bright. In a universe of melodies, I’m a tune so sweet, Dancing through the cosmos on nimble feet. A poet with words like petals, soft and neat, Crafting worlds where joy and love always meet. Imagine a place where laughter’s the air we breathe, Where every heartache is just a rustling leaf. In one realm, I’m a hero, with no need for grief, Saving dreams, mending hearts, with no disbelief. Through portals of possibilities, my spirit roams, A wanderer of wonder, with infinite homes. In one, I’m a gardener, where happiness blooms, In another, I’m a stargazer, mapping celestial rooms. But here in this world, I wear many faces, Finding joy in the simplest places. And when others look, they see traces, Of the multiverse within, in their warm embraces. Every glance, every smile, shows what I...

इस घर पुराने ने बहुत कुछ नया देखा है, चूने की पुताई और डिस्टेंपर का कोट भी देखा है।  छोटे बड़े भाई का प्यार, उनकी लड़ाई भी देखी है, छोटे बड़े भाई की पिटाई, उनकी लुगाई भी देखी है। इस घर पुराने ने बहुत कुछ नया देखा है, बेत का सोफा और कुशन लाउन्ज भी देखा है।  सुबह की आरती, शाम का व्लॉग भी देखा है, हार जाने का मातम, जश्न जीतों का भी देखा है।  इस घर पुराने ने बहुत कुछ नया देखा है, घड़े का सोंधा पानी और इंस्टेंट आइस क्यूब्ज़ भी देखा है।   गिरना सीढ़ियों से, उभारना चोटों से भी देखा है, पैरों पे आना, कन्धों पे जाना भी देखा है।  इस घर पुराने ने बहुत कुछ नया देखा है, मोमबत्ती की पढाई, लैपटॉप का प्रपोजल भी देखा है।  कहानियां बनते भी देखा है, कहानियां लिखते भी देखा है, समय गुज़रते भी देखा है, समय ठहरते भी देखा है। 

Amidst petals and blooms, two siblings play, A butterfly, with wings that catch the light, A nightingale, with songs that fill the day, Both dancing in the garden, a sight so bright. The butterfly boasts, "Look at me, So pretty, wild and free, I fly so high and see the world with glee, My beauty, everyone falls in love to see." The nightingale replies, "But what of me, Without my songs, what would you be? My tunes bring life to every petal and tree, Without my music, the garden is just a lifeless sea." The butterfly retorts, "But without me, Your songs would not have a home to be, My flowers, they are the canvas to your tune, Together we make magic under the moon." The nightingale says, "Your flowers may be lovely, But my music lingers on like a serenade, My songs bring life to every petal and tree, Without me, your beauty would just quickly fade." The siblings, both right, yet both wrong, Realize they were vital parts of the same song, Together,...

दिन भर उस चबूतरे पे बैंठ, हाथों से पान में उन डलियों को ऐंठ, देर तक उस गलियारे को देख, इंतेज़ार किसी अपने का ही वो करती थी। पुराने सलवार और कमीज को सिल, बच्चों की शर्तों में कहीं जोड़, कहीं चक्ति। बस एक वो पानदान, और वो सिलाई मशीन, जाने कितने ही साल इंतेज़ार वो करती रही। कभी आता था वो, कभी नही भी, पर इंतेज़ार होता पूरा नही। कभी थोड़ा बैठ बातें करते थे शायद, पर इंतेज़ार होता पूरा नही। इंतेज़ार शायद उस शक्स का नही, उसके जज़्बातों का था उसको। कुछ लफ्ज़ सुनने का, कुछ गीत सुनाने का था उसको। बहुत पहले ही ब्याह के आयी थी, न ज़्यादा थे ख्वाब, न ज़्यादा उम्मीद। बस एक ख्वाब, बस एक वही, दो लफ्ज़ प्यार, एक प्रेम गीत। अक्सर श्रृंगार कर उसको रिझाती, रंग गुलाबी गालों पे लगाती, पर न सुन पाती वो लफ्ज़ उससे, न वो गीत सुना पाती। हर बार, हर बात उसके गालों पे रुक जाती थी। हर बार, हर बात उनपे पटाखों सी बज जाती थी। अक्सर उसका रूह बन जाने का मन करता, पर फिर अगले रोज़, वो इंतेज़ार में बैठ जाती थी। 

In shades of pink and shades of white, As an armor of a plucky knight; At a certain point of day in time, Thou beauty of the summer, thou shine. Three days for the life you wait, Three days to come off your adolescent age; Three days until that green bud sprouts, Three days until your Beauty you flout. Awaiting a time long you once shine, At a morning that all, but you, whine; No sorrow no sign of meloncholy you show, Even though this life you live is miniscule of a blow. Thine head held high with pride, Thine salute to the sun, big smile; Thine beauty above all at prime, Thou Beauty of summer, thou shine. This is the pride that envies me above all, The pride in spite of a life so small; A day thou have, a day that's all, Then too you live life so gay, so tall. With the cheer thou spread across horizons wide, With colours which as the sun, or even bright; The lesson you teach across generations wide, A life lived large is a ...

पहला ही पग रख जो देखा एक माता ने, ना सह सकता है कोई जहाँ; मौन थे देव सारे, और धड अलग पडा था पुत्र का। घुटनो पे बैठ उस माता ने चिल्लाया, धड उठा अपनी गोध मेँ समाया; अश्रु बह उन गालो से उतरे, निरजीव बालक की क्षाति को भिगाया। सीने से लगा कर रोयीं वो कुक्ष देर, दुखी थे सारे देवगढ, और देव; सर छुकाये थे खडे त्रिशूल-धारी भी, इस त्रिशूल से ही भूल कर बैठे थे वे। "किस्का है ये पाप यहाँ, एक बालक पर करा पृहार किसने? पुत्र मेरा है मृत पडा, ये पाप घोर किया किस्ने?" प्रचंड स्वरूप में आई वो देवी, आक्रोष से थी आँखे लाल; था क्रोध उनके उस सुंदर मुख पे, था हाथों मे उस बालक का गुलाल। थर थर कापी धरती उस दिन, गगन भी भय से लगा कापने; विराठ रूप देख उस देवी का, आग्रह सारे देव लगे करने। "आज कर दूंगी नाश इस सृष्टि का, आज सूख जायेंगी नदियां और पेड; आज कर दूंगी विनाश इन जीवो का, कर इस आकाश को भेद।" धरती पर लाल त्रिशूल रख, हाथ जोड़ आऐ नीलकंठ समक्ष; अश्रु उनके भी थे लगे बहने, "आपका पापी है खड़ा प्रत्यक्ष। इस बालक का हठ था कारण, अड़ गया था द्वार पर; सम...

इन    खून  में    साने  हाथो    का    कपकपाना    सुन , एक  सकपकाए    दिल    ने    आवाज़    लगाई    फिर से , ‘ क्या    साँस    बाकी    है    अभी ? या    एहसास  हुआ    कोई    ग़लत  फिर    से ?’ आँखों    से  पानी    रिस्ता  देख  लगा , थोड़ी  जान  बाकी  अभी  थी    शायद  उसमे ; अपने    खूनी  की    तरफ  देख , हाथ  उठा  गुहार  लगाई  फिर  उसने | ना    थी  अब  कोई    भावना , ना    प्यार ,   ना  संतवाना ; फिर  भी    उसके    दर्द  से  कराने  आज़ाद , घोत  कर  गला    पड़ा    दबाना | ...

Right across the frozen river they sat, Right below the hardy palm snow clad. They laughed and recollected the days gone by, The days they spent with this long gone lad. Some riots of laugh they made, Some sighs on the issues they did hate, Those sighs though were less enough, As they together met after a very long decade. Amidst those riots and sighs, They sat unaware of the incoming plight, With his wicked oar and rusted boat, The Charon approached near for his daily freight. These days his job has been hard really, As rounds doubled for the valley, With souls of innocent and guilty-old and young, All alike to be taken along. Along came a patrol of uniforms, Tired of the endless, sleepless nights, Tired of the bureaucracy above uptight, And tired of the hazy war. The custodians of the law, Suspicious of the laughing lads, Suspicious of the way they sat, Loaded their service weapons. In a few seconds next, The territory t...

आज से अच्छा तो वो बचपन ही था, जब झींझक से आज़ाद थे| कोई रोक ना कोई टोक थी बोलने पे, कुछ भी पहेन्ने को आज़ाद थे| आज जो एक ख़ौफ्फ सा लगता है, अपने दिल का करने में| इस ख़ौफ्फ से भरी ज़िंदगी से, तब तो पूरा आज़ाद थे| धर्म का कोई बंधन ना था, ना था कोई डर भगवान से| आज जो ख़ौफ्फ है पुजारियो से, उस ख़ौफ्फ से बिल्कुल आज़ाद थे| वो दोस्त जिसके डब्बे से खाते थे, वो दोस्त जिसको दिन भर चिढ़ते थे, आज जिसको धर्म पे बाटते हैं, तब उसका पूरा नाम भी नही जानते थे| ये बटवारा काइया किसने है? ये दर्रार डाली किसने है? पर आज जो दर्रार भरने को डरते हैं, उस डर से तब सब आज़ाद थे| मन का कहने से डर ना लगता था, ना था डर खुल क सोचने में| आज जिस सोच में भी झींझक है, उस झींझक से पूरा आज़ाद थे| उस सोचने से ही आता था समझ, सही-ग़लत क बीच का भेद| आज जो भेद भी धुंधला सा लगता है, उस उलझन से तब आज़ाद थे| इस झींझक, इस ख़ौफ़, इस घुटन से, चाहिए आज तो आज़ादी हमें| ना लौटा सको वो बचपन तो, वो आज़ादी ही लौटा दो हमें|

Don’t you stumble upon the rocks that hurt us, Don’t you cry for the thorns that bled us, Don’t you long for stars that upset us, You, our little baby, you have all of us. You have an aunt, from whom you’ll learn, The art of singing and the passion of hard work. You have an uncle, from whom you’ll earn, A crate of humor and a goodwill filled urn. You have an uncle, who at turns will guide, At times you are stuck, or in a turmoil of life. And you have a useless uncle too, But at times hard and tough, he can be counted on by you. But remember this our little baby, The strength of a woman, lies in her own body. Whenever in your life you start to forget this, Take a look around your house and look up to your Mommy. From ways rosy, and some full of thorns, You will learn some life lessons. But don’t cry on the blood from those thorns you, Because lessons learnt bleeding are the most vital ones. Trust people, but none too many, As goodwil...

आज भी पापा की थैली में, कुछ खाने का पा जाते हैं, आज भी उनके जगाने के झूठ में, अक्सर फस जाते हैं| आज भी कुछ गरजने की आवाज़ सुन, आँखें आसमान को देखती हैं, आज भी ये आँखें कोई, हवाइज़हाज़ या हेलिकॉप्टर ढूंडती हैं| आज भी सुबह उठने में, उतनी ही परेशानी होती है, आज भी आधी नींद में, पूरी किताबें पलटती हैं| आज भी मुसीबत में फोन, सबसे पहले दादा को ही जाता है, और फिर उसके फोने के साथ, पूरा समाधान भी आता है| आज भी गाने, वो पुराने ही अच्छे लगते हैं, कभी रफ़ी, कभी किशोर, तो कभी मुकेश भी सुन लेते हैं| पर आज क्यू अकेले, अंधेरे में रहते हैं, दूसरो को सिर्फ़, हसते हुए रहते हैं? आज क्यू आँसू सिर्फ़ आँख तक ही रह जाते हैं? क्या अभी बचपन, सिर्फ़ भुलाने को कहते हैं?

Even as his strings danced, Danced evenly to his placid fingers, His tune didn't come out right. The thick buzzing of the last string, The one like the humming of the crankiest bee, The one like the murmur of a confused crowd, Was just one of his troubles. He tried fixing the one with the shiny bolt, He tried tightening it with all his might, But that was just one trouble. The bolt slipped off his sweaty fingers, Slipped even before the tightness was achieved. With great difficulty even though, That shiny bolt was tightened. But that was just one trouble less. Just when the thick humming seized, Another unwanted, unpleasant sound arose. This one was an irritating shriek of the first string, The one like the cry of a distressed infant, The one like the scream of a terrorized teenager. This time too the bolt was to be blamed, But this time the crime was very different. The adjustment to this was even more difficult, more complex. He tried loosening it, He tri...

It was just a matter of hours few, The skinny dark skin, Of dirt, of sweat, Would give up on the chill. Would give up on that thin shawl, Which he found in the rags, on one of his job days, Just before the commencement of this winter. That day was a lucky one. The days were lenient enough to make up for the nights, They provided healing to the wounds inflicted by the nights, With the divinity of the Sun, They brought smiles. But this night was nowhere close. Walking down the misty road, Walking in an odd pair of slippers, His bony chest had started to beat slowly, His shaky legs did not want to be a part of his journey, His dirty face had stopped feeling the chill. The chill showed no mercy. Alongwith the winds, the temperature dip to a sorrow low. His shawl was the only armor, His slippers the only guard. But there was something that kept him going. Far away in the fog, At a distance unpredictable by human eyes, There was a light. A yellow light of hope. Th...

काश उन पंखों में हवा होती, तो कहीं दूर चल देते हम; थोड़ी देर ठहरते, फिर उससे भी दूर उड़ जाते हम| उड़ने से थके पंखों को बालों में घिसते, फिर नाखूनो से मोदते उन्हे हम; नोक को सीधा कर के, फिर हवा में चल देते हम| जोड़ों को दबा कर, उनमें फूँक भी भर देते हम; एक आँख से निशाना लगा के, फिर से उड़ चलते हम| कहीं समुंदर देखते, तो कहीं पहाड़ भी देखते हम; कहीं झरने देखते, तो कहीं इमारतें भी देखते हम| पर ये जहाज़ कभी उड़े ही नहीं, कभी ये दूर तक गये ही नहीं| कुछ थे बने अख़बारों से, तो कुछ फटे पन्नो से| कुछ थे बने लड़ाई में, तो कुछ बस युहीन खेल में| पर उन सबकी उड़ान छोटी ही थी, छत से सूखे आँगन तक|

This is my entry for  http://cokeurl.com/96jnc Many people whom we come across everyday have set goals to achieve what they call happiness. Some might have a promotion in their job as that goal, some might want a cooler car or better exam result. Yes, what they experience on achieving those goals is a close relative of happiness, but not the original phenomenon. Walking towards these goals, they are so focused on the ultimate destination that they forget to pick up pieces of the original feeling on their way. They are not able to see the numerous chances in their way that could provide them with happiness while treading towards their goals. The real happiness is in the way.  Happiness is spending time with your loved ones, your parents, your siblings and your friends. Watching their smiles and watching those smiles spill is happiness. Knowing what they'll do next and finding amusement in those deeds is happiness. Happiness is eating your mother's food after a long ...

This is my entry for  https://housing.com All of us had to move away from home at one point of time in our lives. That may have been the first boarding school for some, or college, or a new country, or a job. At whichever step it was, we were packed heavy with lunch for the journey and snacks for a month with someone with tearful eyes at the departure point. For me that was back in July of 2011 when I just was over with school and was admitted to a college far from home. It all started with the joyous May of 2011 when the results of our last step of school life came. I secured a decent enough percentage to get myself into a good college, atleast according to previous year's cutoff. All was very happy when that dreadful week of June came and took away all the joy. The cutoffs were touching skies and I could do nothing but watch from the ground under. But that week ended too. It ended with me being enrolled in a college of national repute and a cultural background. It was Zakir ...

This is my entry for  https://housing.com/in Sometimes it happens that the most difficult of the times are cut short by few people who may or may not do much in real but the boost in morale they pump in you at those times in much more than any real thing any real person could do on any real day. This takes me back down on the memory lane to the fourth semester of my graduation in the summer of 2013. It was a dark semester for me overall. I was down for a month with typhoid in addition to a half month till it was diagnosed. Then just ten days prior to my exams, I was left with a heap of course to go through, a load of material to learn, and an infinite amount of panic. Thanks to my very lovely friends, it did get a little smooth in the middle. I got the "banned" notes which were just like cheat codes to my game altogether. But this story is not about it. This is the story of how some friends get into your trouble without giving any second thoughts and drag you out from th...

This is my entry to  https://housing.com/lookup I've always wondered what could be that one thing that one could do towards well being of others without letting go off one's own interests. That may sound a bit anti-noble but that is what is true. There is a certain mentality which does not let a person go an extra mile against one's own direction. That is a kind of optimism ice always been searching, ironically on my own track. But that search of the midway ended in the summer of 2009 while I was in high school. That day was just like any other day. I dressed up for school on my regular morning routine and left the house for the taxistand. I luckily found a taxi even before reaching the stand. When the taxi reached the stand, the driver got down to gather more passengers. A usual action done in the morning hours by the kind. I sat near the window, looking out and breathing the morning freshness. At that time, I saw something. Something that sent a chill down my spine a...