For my 'pritam'

Its a poem written by Imroz for Amrita Pritam.

सामने कई राहें बिछी थी...

मगर कोई राह ऐसी नहीं थी

जिसके साथ मेरा अपना आप चल सके

सोचता.....कोई हो मंजिल जैसी राह

वह मिली तो जैसे

एक उम्मीद मिली ज़िन्दगी को

ये मिलन चल पड़ा

हम अक्सर मिलने लगे

चुपचाप कुछ कहते....कुछ सुनते

चलते-चलते कभी-कभी

एक दूसरे को देख भी लेते

एक दिन चलते हुए

उसने अपने हांथों की उंगलियाँ

मेरे हांथों की उंगलियों में मिला दी 

और मेरी तरफ इस तरह देखा

जैसे ज़िन्दगी पहेली बूझना चाहती हो...

कि बता तेरी उंगलियाँ कौन सी हैं

मैंने उसकी तरफ देखा

और नज़र से ही उससे कहा

सारी उंगलियाँ मेरी भी

सारी उंगलियाँ तेरी भी

एक तारीखी इमारत के

बागीचे में चलते हुए

मेरा हाथ पकड़कर

कुछ ऐसे देखा

जैसे पूछ रही हो

इस तरह मेरे साथ

तू कहाँ तक चल सकता है

मैंने कितनी ही देर

उसका हाथ अपने हाथों में दबाए रखा 

जैसे हथेलियों के रास्ते

ज़िन्दगी से कह रहा हूँ

जहाँ तक तुम सोच सको.....

कितने ही बरस बीत गए

इसी तरह चलते हुए

एक दूसरे का साथ देते हुए

साथ लेते हुए

इस राह पर

इस मंजिल जैसी राह पर......!!!!!

Saying goodbye with grace

Make everything creative, make the best out of the worst -- that's what I call `the art' And if a man has lived his whole life making every moment and every phase of it a beauty, a love, a joy, naturally his death is going to be the ultimate peak of his whole life's endeavour His death is not going to be ugly as it ordinarily happens every day to everyoneIf death is ugly, that means your whole life has been a wasteDeath should be a peaceful acceptance, a loving entry into the unknown, a.joyful goodbye to old friends, to the old world.

There should not be any tragedy in it. Zen master Lin Chi was dying Thousands of his disciples had gathered to listen to the last sermon, but Lin Chi was simply lying down -- joyous, smiling, not saying a single wordSeeing that he was going to die and he was not saying a single word, somebody reminded Lin Chi -- an old friend, a master in his own right He was not a disciple of Lin Chi That's why he could say to him, "Lin Chi, have you forgotten that you have to say your last words? I have always.said your memory isn't right.

You are dying have you forgotten?"Lin Chi said, "Just listen" And on the roof two squirrels were running, screeching He said, "How beautiful" And he diedFor a moment, when he said "Just listen," there was absolute silence Everybody thought he is going to say something great, but only two squirrels fighting, screeching, running on the roof And he smiled and he diedThat was his message: don't make things small and big, trivial and important Everything is important At this moment, Lin Chi's death.is as important as the two squirrels running on the roof, there is no difference.

In existence it is all the same That was his whole philosophy-- that there is nothing which is great or small; it all depends on you, what you make of itStart with meditation, and things will grow in you -- silence, serenity, blissfulness, sensitivity And whatever comes out of meditation, try to bring it out in life Share it, because everything shared grows fast And when you have reached the point of death, you will know there is no death You can say goodbye, there is no need for any tears of.sadness -- maybe tears of joy, but not of sadness.

But you have to begin from being innocent.So first, throw out all the rubbish you are carrying Life is simple; it is a joyful dance.The whole earth can be full of joy and dance, but there are some who are determined that nobody should enjoy life, smile, or laugh; that life is a sin, that it is a punishment How can you enjoy anything when the climate is such that you have been told continuously that it is a punishment; that you are suffering because you have done wrong things and it is a kind of.jail where you have been thrown into to suffer?Life is a reward, and it is given only to those who have earned it, who deserve it.

By- OSHO

The Finish Line

A few years ago at the Seattle Special Olympics, nine contestants,  all physically or mentally challenged, assembled at the starting line for the 100- yard dash. At the sound of the gun shot, they all started out, not exactly in a dash, but with a relish to run the race to finish and win. All, that is, except one boy who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple of times and began to cry. The other eight heard the boy cry. They slowed down and looked back... they all turned around and went back-- every one of them. One girl with Down's syndrome bent down and kissed him and said..."This will make it better....." 

                                   

All nine linked arms and walked across the finish line together.  

Everyone in the stadium stood and the cheering went on for several minutes. People who were there are stll telling the story.....

Why?

Because deep down we know this one thing: what matters in this life is more than winning for ourselves. What truly matters in this life is helping others win, even if it means slowing down and changing the course.....

--Soul soup, The speaking tree, TOI

Bhopal Again....

Twenty-five years have passed since the country's worst industrial disaster in Bhopal which saw a cloud of deadly gases explode out of a faulty tank in a pesticide factory and silently spread into the homes of people. Over 20,000 people were killed within days, and the horrific effects of the gas continue to this day. The Bhopal gas tragedy verdict has taken almost 26 years to come, but has justice been done?

A poetry to support victims of Bhopal Gas Tragedy and all those who are victims of any corporate crime....

Written by: Anusha Chandrasekharan (A journalist by profession and poet by nature)



Voice-over: Yogesh Kumar

Ant Nahin

After a gap of 2 years I went back to stage on 2 November.....though it was not a great experience but i felt good....:-)

Here are some pictures of the performance....

Old is Gold

some old documents....

Actor

Still from Thank you Mr. Glad

एक्टर

इक अदाकार हूँ मैं
जीनी पड़ती हैं...कई ज़िंदगियाँ. एक हयाती में मुझे....
मेरा किरदार बदल जाता हैं...हर रोज़ ही सेट पर
मेरे हालात बदल जाते हैं....
मेरा चेहरा भी बदल जाता है...अफ़साना-ओ-मंज़र के मुताबिक...
मेरी आदत बदल जाती है...और फिर दाग़ नही छूटते पहनी हुई पोशाको के..
ख़स्ता किरदारों का कुछ चूरा-सा रह जाता तह में
कोई नुकीला सा किरदार गुज़रता है रगों से
तो खराशों के निशान.......देर तलक रहते हैं दिल पर...
ज़िंदगी से उठाए हुए किरदार...ख़्याली भी नही हैं..
की उतर जाएँ वो पंखे की हवा से...
सियाही रह जाती है सीने में...अदीबो के लिखे जुमलों की...
सीमी पर्दे पे लिखी.....
साँस लेती हुई तहरीर नज़र आता हूँ...
मैं अदाकार हूँ लेकिन...
सिर्फ़ अदाकार नहीं
अपने इस वक़्त की तस्वीर भी हूँ....
                                                             
                                                         --गुलज़ार

I feel certain that I am going mad again....

yesterday, I watched the movie The Hours.....on the recommendation of my sister and friend Preeti....  whenever she spoke about that movie i always thought...i would be some emotional drama.....but when I saw that....it came out as one of the finest films I have ever seen.... It has 3 most beautiful and talented actresses of our time....who gave such a fine performances.... Nicole Kidman (you just cant recognize her), Meryl Streep and julianne Moore.
           Movie starts with the famous suicide note of Virginia Woolf played by Nicole Kidman

I feel certain that I am going mad again. I feel we can't go through another of those terrible times. And I shan't recover this time. I begin to hear voices, and I can't concentrate. So I am doing what seems the best thing to do. You have given me the greatest possible happiness. You have been in every way all that anyone could be. I don't think two people could have been happier 'til this terrible disease came. I can't fight any longer. I know that I am spoiling your life, that without me you could work. And you will I know. You see I can't even write this properly. I can't read. What I want to say is I owe all the happiness of my life to you. You have been entirely patient with me and incredibly good. I want to say that — everybody knows it. If anybody could have saved me it would have been you. Everything has gone from me but the certainty of your goodness. I can't go on spoiling your life any longer. I don't think two people could have been happier than we have been. V

The plot focuses on three women of different generations whose lives are interconnected by the novel Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. Among them are Clarissa Vaughan (Streep), a New Yorker preparing an award party for her AIDS-stricken long-time friend and poet, Richard (Harris) in 2001; Laura Brown (Moore), a pregnant 1950s California housewife with a young boy and an unhappy marriage; and Virginia Woolf herself (Kidman) in 1920s England, who is struggling with depression and mental illness whilst trying to write her novel.
The film was released in Los Angeles and New York City on Christmas Day 2002, and was given a limited release in the US and Canada two days later on December 27, 2002. It did not receive a wide release in the US until January 2003, and was then released in UK cinemas on Valentine's Day that year. Critical reaction to the film was mostly positive, and Nicole Kidman won an Oscar at the 2003 Academy Awards for her portrayal of Virginia Woolf.

I recommend every film lover to watch this film.... 

Beauty of Qutab Minar

The Qutab Minar a tower in Delhi, India, is at 72.5 meters (237.8 ft) the world's tallest brick minaret. Construction commenced in 1193 under the orders of India's first Muslim ruler Qutb-ud-din Aibak, The Qutb Minar is notable for being one of the earliest and most prominent examples of Indo-Islamic architecture.

It is surrounded by several other ancient and medieval structures and ruins, collectively known as Qutb complex. Qutub Minar draws most tourists.

Inspired by the Minaret of Jam in Afghanistan and wishing to surpass it, Qutbuddin Aibak, the first Muslim ruler of Delhi, commenced construction of the Qutb Minar in 1193, but could only complete its base. His successor, Iltutmish, added three more stories and, in 1286,and the fifth storey was constructed by Feroz Tuglaq in 1368.. The development of architectural styles from Aibak to Tuglaq is quite evident in the minaret. Like earlier towers erected by the Ghaznavids and Ghurids in Afghanistan, the Qutb Minar comprises several superposed flanged and cylindrical shafts, separated by balconies carried on Muqarnas corbels. The minaret is made of fluted red sandstone covered with intricate carvings and verses from the Qur'an. The Qutb Minar is itself built on the ruins of the Lal Kot, the Red Citadel in the city of Dhillika, the capital of the Tomars and the Chauhans, the last Hindu rulers of Delhi.

The complex initially housed 27 ancient Hindu and Jain temples, which were destroyed and their debris used to build the Qutb minar. One engraving on the Qutb Minar reads, "Shri Vishwakarma prasade rachita" (Conceived with the grace of Vishwakarma), this is The purpose for building this monument has been variously speculated upon. It could take the usual role of a minaret, calling people for prayer in the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque, the earliest extant mosque built by the Delhi Sultans. Other possibilities are a tower of victory, a monument signifying the might of Islam, or a watch tower for defense. Controversy also surrounds the origins for the name of the tower. Many historians believe that the Qutb Minar was named after the first Turkish sultan, Qutb-ud-din Aibak, but others contend that it was named in honour of Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki, a saint from Transoxiana who came to live in India and was greatly venerated by Iltutmish.

The nearby Iron Pillar is one of the world's foremost metallurgical curiosities, standing in the famous Qutb complex. According to the traditional belief, anyone who can encircle the entire column with their arms, with their back towards the pillar, can have their wish granted. Because of the corrosive qualities of sweat the government has built a fence around it for safety.

The minar did receive some damage because of earthquakes on more than a couple of occasions but was reinstated and renovated by the respective rulers. During the rule of Firoz Shah, the minar's two top floors were damaged due to an earthquake but were repaired by Firoz Shah. In the year 1505, earthquake again struck and it was repaired by Sikandar Lodi. Later on in the year 1794, the minar faced another earthquake and it was Major Smith, an engineer who repaired the affected parts of the minar. He replaced Firoz Shah's pavilion with his own pavilion at the top. The pavilion was removed in the year 1848 by Lord Hardinge and now it can be seen between the Dak Bungalow and the Minar in the garden. The floors built by Firoz Shah can be distinguished easily as the pavilions was built of white marbles and are quite smooth as compared to other ones.

Shades of Gwalior

Pics I took during my one month stay in Gwalior......

Rainbow after rain

Rani Laxmi Bai

Fort

Sunrise at fort

Gwalior Fort