Words from within

Monsoon for me is "Poetry in motion." My favourite season - the soft rhythm of the raindrops, long drives with soulful music, the heavenly aroma of the wet sand, strolling in the drizzles and dancing in the rain. It is synonymous with Romance 🥰  I am old school when it comes to love - I believe in  "Ishq wala love" Tried some Shayari on a rainy Sunday titled  "Baarish" ये बारिश की बूंदे  गिरती है जब चेहरे पर  एहसास होता है जैसे  छुआ है तुमने हल्के से x ------------------------------ x बरसते पानी की सरगम में  सौंधी मिट्टी की खुशबू में  सुन लेना दिल की इल्तिजा जो लफ़्ज़ों में न हो बयाँ x ------------------------------ x कहने को आई है  कोई बात अधूरी सी  बिन मौसम आज फिर बारिश है बरसी x ------------------------------ x जैसे लौटती है समुंदर की लहरे साहिल पर  जैसे गिरती है बारिश आसमान से ज़मीन पर  वैसे ही रुकती है मेरी नज़र तुम पर ही आ कर x ------------------------------ x जिंदगी में आए हो तुम इस कदर  जैसे बेशुमार गर्मी के बाद...

  “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet”- Shakespeare Juliet here is expressing that Romeo’s name (Montague) is irrelevant and she loves him for who he is, not the name he bears. So a name is a mere label and doesn’t define the essence of a person or a thing. Or is it? Why is there so much fuss about what you call anyone or anything? The humble “biskuts” that we dip in our chai and relish every evening becomes the sassy “cookies“ coming in fancy wrappers and exotic flavors. And while we take the rickety ‘‘lift’ to our modest ‘flat’’ the Yankees take the suave ‘‘elevator’’ to their swanky ‘‘apartment’’. We lie down on the ‘’sofa” bingeing on bhujia while watching our favorite “serial”, they laze on the “couch” munching fries while watching their daily “soaps”. We throw our “rubbish” in the “dustbins” and they put out the “garbage” in the “trash cans”.     I remember being corrected when I said “vomiting” to “you mean ...

The recent viral “IITian Baba” at Mahakumbh, an Aerospace Engineer from IIT Bombay who chose the path of ascetism has triggered a debate. One may argue...What is the purpose of so much education if it cannot be put to good use to earn for the family, serve the society and contribute to the progress of the nation? A precious IIT seat wasted. He chose the easy path – that of escapism from his responsibilities in the garb of “finding meaning to my life”. But is this path really easy? There are many instances of learned, successful and affluent people- CAs, lawyers, heirs of billionaire families- who have renounced worldly pleasures and embraced monkhood. It takes a lot of courage, contemplation, fighting tremendous family resistance and sometimes traumatic emotional experiences to go towards this path.   We have ample talent in our country but how many of the IIT grads do their bit for its progress? Most of them leave abroad for high paying jobs in MNCs and help these corporat...

 गए थे बड़े अरसों के बाद  बचपन की यादें ताज़ा करने  पर कमबख्त दोस्त तो  किस्से अपनी तरक्की के सुना गए x------------------x इतना गुरूर ना कर खुद पर  बारिश की बूंदे भी तो  गिरती है आसमा को छू कर x------------------x गुज़रते वक़्त के साथ दर्द कम हो जाता है  दिल को बहलाना का यह अच्छा एक बहाना है x------------------x भरी महफिल में जो अक्सर  बहुत हँसा करते हैं  वो तन्हाई के आलम में  चुपके रोया करते हैं x------------------x थोड़ी सी तारीफ भी कर दिया करो कभी  ऐब निकालने का हुनर तो सब के पास है x------------------x तरक्की के दौर में दोस्त बहुत मिले  अकेला तो तब हुआ जब नाकामयाब हुआ x------------------x ग़ैरों से क्या करे गिले- शिकवे  दर्द तो अक्सर अपने दे जाते हैं x------------------x उसके दर पर जा कर  अब करते हो मिन्नतें  गुनाह करते वक़्त भी   वो तेरे करीब ही था x------------------x खुशनसीब है वो जिसका  इश्क हुआ मुक्कमल  वर्ना रोज निकलते है  आशिकों के जनाजे x------------------x वो जिंदगी ही क्या...

Recently I attended a social function, where to my surprise, among the 300 odd women present, I was the sole one wearing a saree (barring a few 60 plus senior citizens). It got me contemplating -why is the current generation so wary of donning our National Dress? Saree is the most beautiful and graceful garment which flatters women of all shapes and sizes and ages. It is versatile, classy and can be worn for both religious events and swanky cocktail parties. It is the only dress which can make a lady look elegant and sensuous at the same time. Our country has a rich cultural heritage with each state having its unique masterpiece which is traditionally worn. The Kanjeevaram of Tamil Nadu, Kasavu of Kerala, Banarasee of UP,   Chanderi of MP, Sambalpuri of Odisha, Jamdani of Bengal, Mekhela Chador of Assam,   Paithani of Maharashtra, Lehariya and Bandhani of Rajasthan and Patola of Gujarat and the list goes on…Endless varieties of fabrics, intricate designs, different weave...

I have been trying to shed a few kilos for a decade now to reach my ideal BMI- but haven’t lost a single inch from my waistline! So now I have changed my target - to not gain weight or add any more inches to my already plump figure. So what is fitness? We are constantly bombarded with images of muscular hunks with 6 packs and washboard abs. Thin women with svelte figures, hollow cheeks (some bordering on gaunt), toned abs and hips make up our feeds. So starts the journey of fitness fads … We join gyms with much enthusiasm and get inspired by the young guys and gals pumping iron and sweating on treadmills. We start bragging about how many calories we have burnt. After a few weeks, the initial adrenaline rush gives way to a sense of complacency. And we start making excuses – “Kal raat to neend theek se nahi aayi”; “Aaj break le leti hu – kal zyada weights kar lungi” … Finally going to the gym becomes a pain and we just trudge along to “wasool” the yearly membership fees. Now co...

The idyllic dream of me flaunting a chiffon saree in the midst of snow capped peaks at Mt Titlis    and feeling like a sensuous Yash Chopra heroine, is abruptly cut short by a shrill sound.   Moaning and groaning I fumble to switch off my alarm and pull myself out from my haven. I remind myself I need to lose weight and set out for my morning exercise. After a refreshing brisk    walk admiring the beauty of Nature, I get to the daily grind of household chores. After ensuring the kids and family is well taken care of, I embark on the routine of a common pediatrician. Morning rounds start with an infant admitted for Acute gastroenteritis with dehydration. An irate grandfather starts complaining, "admit thaya pachhi pan jaada chaalu chhe. Treatment barabar         nathi chalti.” I calmly start counselling about the intricacies of intestinal infection, how dehydration has recovered and some time...

Some Poetic Musings - random thoughts in different moods थोड़ी सी खुशी जो नसीब हो  तो कैद करले उस एहसास को  ये कमबख्त ग़म  कब दिल मे ठिकाना बना ले   x------------------x गिले- शिकवे और रंजिशों में  गवा दिए हसीन पलो को  कर ले थोड़ी सी मोहब्बत भी  बड़ी बेवफ़ा होती है ये साँसे x------------------x ज़िंदगी के उस दौर मेँ हूँ जहा परवाह नहीं  ज़माने के उसूलों की  उम्मीद भी खुद से है और शिकायत भी x------------------x निकल पड़े थे हम तो  किस्मत अपनी आज़माने  पर हो गई उसी राह पर  मुलाकात अपनी तकदीर से x------------------x कर अपनी नज़र को बुलंद  और देख आसमाँ की ओर  मंज़िल तेरी वही है  बस उड़ान भरने की देरी है x------------------x ज़रा इत्मीनान तो रख  सफ़र बहुत लंबा है  बड़ी मशक्कत के बाद ही  मंज़िलें हासिल होती है x------------------x अपने मुकाम हासिल करने की दौड़ में  ज़िंदगी की रफ़्तार इतनी न बढ़ जाए  कि अपनों के चेहरे हो जाए धुंधले  और नज़र ना आए x------------------x एक ही मुलाकात का क्य...

I turned a year older this 29 th December and started the New Year with gratitude to the Almighty for the opportunity to live another year, become wiser and gather new experiences. “Some of the best days of our lives haven’t happened yet “ Year endings are new beginnings and times for introspection. Here I am sharing a few lessons I learnt during this journey and my vision for the year to come… 1. The importance of being self- content without depending too much on external factors. The right to keep my own happiness above everything else. Freedom from the thought of “char log kya kahenge” and live my life on my terms. 2. Being a typical type A personality, I am a meticulous planner with to do lists for everything and have a tendency to get anxious. I learnt that worrying over small things is a waste of time and energy. I learnt to reduce my anxiety and leave the things not in my control, to fate. I have become more Bindass and Badass. 3. I am basically an introvert who is av...

"अक्सर दूरियां करा जाती है  नजदीकियों का एहसास" "Unrequited love" or "Failed love" -  There is something so intriguing and fascinating about heartbreak. The longing, the pain, the emotional turmoil and the suffering has been romanticized for centuries.  It has been the fodder for numerous stories, movies, songs, poetry, paintings and art in general.  I too have jumped the bandwagon and have attempted a few lines on this topic. For a person like me who even thinks in English, to write in Hindi/ Urdu is quite challenging.  It is very amateurish and may sound jarred or tacky to some, but nevertheless here it is... राहें हमारी हो गई जुदा तो क्या  मिलना हमारा नहीं था बेवजह  चंद लम्हों का सफ़र ही सही  जिंदगी गुज़ारने के लिए है काफी  ज़्यादा उम्मीद नहीं रखते  हैं बस एक छोटी सी जगह दे देना  अपने दिल के किसी कोने में  मेरी यादों को  महफूज़  रखना  कभी बरसात के मौसम में  एक पल के लिए याद कर लेना  वो हमारा ...

 International Women's Day! This day is celebrated with much fanfare and enthusiasm every year. The usual panel discussions on TV and other platforms, empowered women giving speeches, the get togethers with women decked up in their fineries, social media flooded with forwards having inspiring quotes etc. As the brouhaha gradually dies down, it  makes me wonder ,why do we actually need a special day ? Shouldn't women be celebrated everyday ? These celebrations are done by a privileged few who have got the opportunities to dream big and achieve their aspirations. But the ground reality is that a major chunk of women in our society are oblivious to even the existence of such a day. They struggle everyday to break the shackles of patriarchy. They toil endlessly as they bear domestic violence, drunken outbursts, unwanted sexual advances and  humiliation by a male dominated society. Inspite of being the sole breadwinners of the family sometimes, they  fail to lead a decent...