Rendezvous

Falling like ninepins ...
back they come,
the lovely sins,
too few, as they sum...

sins... they were,
some carnal, some loverly...
the sweet aftertaste, intoxicating ...
ah, but not soberly

a run across the desert,
a glimpse to catch...
of the twinkle in her eyes...
and dreams to hatch ...

he ambles in,
his eyes kiss hers,
rustle of skin, the first touch
first sonnets of the verse...

side by side on the ricktey bench,
talking eyes and silence between,
twitching hands get closer,
joy and rendezvous unforeseen,

a soul lost in weary dreams,
content and unaware,
of throbbing hearts,
near her, somewhere...

in the consternation,
they discuss books and Ray,
but underneath,
the love holds sway...

the train creaks in,
and up they go,
he dozes, she looks on...
behold and lo...

an obscured clasp of hands,
notices, not a soul,
but the two of them,
hurried glances that they stole,

yes, sins they were,
some carnal, some loverly...
the sweet aftertaste, intoxicating...
ah, but not soberly...

~Maanu

Sounds of Silence

Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains Within the sound of silence

In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
'Neath the halo of a street lamp
I turn my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night And touched the sound of silence

And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never shared
No one dared Disturb the sound of silence

"Fools," said I, "you do not know
Silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you"
But my words like silent raindrops fell
And echoed in the wells of silence

And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the sign said "The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls
And whispered in the sound of silence

~S&G

Bheegii Yaadein

Palat ke jo dekhaa,
Aankhein hui nam,
Aayaa nazar jab,
Adhooraa saa jeewan,
Jeewan...aayaa, mujhko nazar...

Tootay...
Tootay waaday,
Ujray...
Ujray sapnay,
Tootay...
Tootay waaday,
Dhoondein waqt ke narm saaye.
Kal bhi thha khandahar
Ab bhi hai veeraan
Mangay hai jeewan,
Pal bhar sahaaraa...

Yaadein...
Bheegi yaadein...
Gham se...
Soney na dein...
Yaadein...
Bheegi yaadein...
Yaadein...
Jeenay na dein...

Palat ke jo dekhaa...
Aankhein hui nam
Aayaa nazar jab adhooraa sa jeewan...
Mangay hai jeewan,
Pal bhar sahaaraa...

~Salman (Junoon)

Rhymes and Reasons

So you speak to me of sadness
And the coming of the winter
Fear that is within you now
It seems to never end
And the dreams that have escaped you
And the hope that you've forgotten
You tell me that you need me now
You want to be my friend

And you wonder where we're going
Where's the rhyme and where's the reason
And it's you cannot accept
It is here we must begin
To seek the wisdom of the children
And the graceful way of flowers in the wind

~ from Rhymes and Reasons by John Denver


John Denver, the greatest!

Tere ishq mein

tere ishq mein, haaye tere ishq mein
raakh se rookhii, koyale se kaalii
raat katey naa, hijraan waalii
tere ishq mein, haaye tere ishq mein

terii justajoo, karte rahe
marte rahe, tere ishq mein
tere roo-b-roo, baithhe hue
marte rahe, tere ishq mein
tere roo-ba-roo, terii justajoo
tere ishq mein, haaye tere ishq mein

baadal dhune, mausam bune
sadiyaan gineen, lamhe chune
lamhe chune, mausam bune
kuchh garm thhey, kuchh gungune
tere ishq mein, baadal dhune
mausam bune, tere ishq mein

tere ishq mein ... haaye-haaye tere ishq mein

tere ishq mein tanhaaiyaan
tanhaaiyaan ... tere ishq mein
humney bahut, bahalaaiyaan
tanhaaiiyaan ... tere ishq mein
roosey kabhii, manavaaiyaan
tanhaaiyaan ... tere ishq mein

mujhe toh kar, koi din gayaa
mujhe chhed kar, koi shab gaii
maine rakh lii saarii aahatein
kab aai thhii shab kab gaii
tere ishq mein, kab din gayaa
shab kab gaii, tere ishq mein

tere ishq mein ... haaye-haaye tere ishq mein

raakh se ruukhii...

dil ??? thaa
hum chal diye, jahaan le chalaa
tere ishq mein, hum chal diye
tere ishq mein, haaye tere ishq mein
main aasmaan, main hii zameen
geelii zameen, seelii zameen
jab lab jale, pee lee zameen
geelii zameen, tere ishq mein...


~Gulzar


This song takes love to another level ... it has to be felt, savoured and it grows upon you, like soft green moss. Immacculately Gulzar, this song rendered amazingly by Rekha Bharadwaj and composed by Vishaal couldn't have been any better. Like all the other songs, this is one of the many songs that I LOVE, have listened to them again and again, hummed them, cried listening to them so much so that they have become a part of me and express the melancholy within, there's no better way to do it ....
During those lonesome nights in the glow of the tablelamp, by the window with not a soul in sight and nothing but the radio to keep me company, these songs have stirred me and provided succour at the same time with their silken touch, with their warmth...
Thanks RedFM and Radio City for those nights ...

Breaking News : NRN meets Amit K Singh!

"(TNN, by our special correspondent) 17th Nov 2005, MYSORE: The Chief Mentor of Infosys Technologies Ltd. Mr. N R Narayan Murthy called upon Mr. Amit K Singh at their Mysore development facility in the aftermath of the BIAL fiasco. He discussed the circumstances under which he chose to resign as the BIAL chief. They addressed the Infoscions from the common dais and also disclosed the date of opening of the Hi-Tech multiplex in the Mysore DC. Almost the entire DC turned up to witness the meeting.

They were eventually mobbed by the trainees, specially the girl trainees who all wanted to shake hands with Mr. Singh. Mr. Singh assured all of them that he'd personally shake hands with them, on a first come first serve basis later. They had to be escorted amid tight security due to the frenzied mob."

Okay, now that I am laughing my guts out, let me cut the crap out. NRN addressed all the trainess here at 4:30PM IST and talked about Infosys values et al. There was frenetic activity all over the DC since morning and everything was spick and span before he arrived. After he started the address, the dais was mobbed by cam, camcorder and cam cellphone weilding mob , and flash bulbs popped and went on until almost ten minutes into his address.

There was something about the way he spoke with complete conviction and panache. He spoke about how he started the company with Nandan, M D Pai in 1981 with Rs.10,000 and now that Infy is about to be a $2 billion bellwether, every rupee invested has earned around 71 lakh rupees.Shook hands with him amidst pleadings (by others) of increasing our paycheque. I couldn't grab the microphone to ask him the question that I wanted to due to the guy(#@*#!) who was passing it in the audience, but I made up for it, by asking him in person, later! It was nice listening to him in person, having read and heard about him ..... and yes he did tell us about the dates of the about to be opened multiplex!

Aasmaan ke paar

Aasmaan ke, paar shaayad

aur koi aasmaan hoga...

main hawaa,

ke paron,

pe kahaan,

jaa rahaa hoon kahaan...

Trying the to capture the various shades of the sky here , these are some of the pics that I took during my stay in Infy, Mysore.

La-Whore!

"Lahore—the ancient whore, the handmaiden of dimly remembered Hindu kings, the courtesan of Moghul Emperors, bedecked and bejeweled, savaged by marauding hordes. Healed by the caressing hands of successive lovers. A little shoddy... like an attractive but ageing concubine, ready to bestow surprising delights on those who cared to court her—proudly displaying Royal gifts," writes Bapsi Sidhwa in her introduction, quoting from one of her earlier books, "A Pakistani Bride" in her latest anhotlogy on the city, "City of Sin and Splendour: Writings on Lahore".
Having always been fascinated by the city and brought up on a generous diet of stories, movies and tid-bits of factoids about the city, I've always wanted to visit it as it is. My first brushes with this city was through an Indian "tale of two cities" which was aired once a week on National TV called "Buniyaad", then came Chugtai and Manto, "Garam Hawa" and "Tamas" and ofcourse the cricket matches with camera panning to capture "honey shots" of stunning women wearing shades. Probably I have a fixation with Pakistani women, I don't know.
The city's discussion can't be complete without it's domes, minarets, Kinnaird College , gardens and it' s red light area, Hira Mandi (and the eating place there, Cuckoo's).
The City has bled, turning the waters of the Raavi red but has endured the gashes and stabs to have come out scarred and mellowed. There probably is something about Lahore like Lucknow and Delhi which is dying but ... isn't that a part of the continual evolution? Probably I can sometime visit the city which is like a "bitch in heat on a sultry summer afternoon" before the cycle of evolution moves over...

Infy Rabbits

Here they are the two infy rabbits,

but they have very stark habits,

one sleeps early the other late,

one is timely the other procrastinate,

one promptly has breakfast, the other misses,

one rumbles and the other hisses,

but yes, they are friends all the way through,

one is Singh and the other is Zhu...

Raina

Jaag ke kaati saari raina,
Nainon mein kal oas giri thi,
Jaag ke kaati saari raina,

Prem ki agni bujhti nahin hai,
Bahati nadiya rukti nahin hai,
Saagar tat bahate do naina,
Jaag ke kaati saari raina,

Rooh ke bandhan khulte nahin hain,
Daagh hai dil ke dhulte nahin hain,
Karvat karvat baanti raina,
Jaag ke kaati saari raina,

Nainon mein kal oas giri thi,
Jaag ke kaati saari raina ...

~from Leela

Jabse qareeb ho ke chale

Jabse qareeb ho ke chale, zindagi se hum,
Khud apne aaine ko lage ajnabi se hum,

Jabse qareeb ho ke chale, zindagi se hum,
Woh kaun hai jo paas bhi hai aur door bhi,

Har lamha maangte hain kisi ko kisise bhi,
Jabse qareeb ho ke chale, zindagi se hum,

Ehsaas ye bhi kam nahin jeene ke waaste,
Har dard jee rahe hain tumhaari khushi se hum,

Kuch door chalke raaste sab ek se lage,
Mil lega kisi se milaaye kisi se hum,

Kis mod par haiyaat ne pahoncha diya hamein,
Naaraaz hain ghamon se na khush hai khushi se hum...

Karim's

Delhi is the place for the incorrigible "foodie" to be in. And "Karim's" is among the brightest of the stars in the galaxy of many and often gives "Bukhara", Maurya Sheraton's restaurant a good run for it's money. Just beside Jama Masjid with its old world charm, it was set up by the cooks in the Mughal kitchen, and every bite makes you feel so. The street outside though, is a desecration of its past. And probably the mughalai cuisine here is the best that you can ever get.
Gugs introduced me to this place and the rest is, as they always say, history. Infact she has been my partner in crime in raiding the eating joints of Delhi, and we kept discovering things as we went about our food sojourns. And "Karim's" just happened to be our first target folllowed by Naivaidyam, Village Cafe and other hapless ones. The softness of the kababs, the aroma, the charm and to top it all, the taste , it's sheer bliss. It's waiters dressed in pathan suits; the ones in khaki serve water and the ones in maroon, who probably are higher up in the "organizational heirarchy" take orders. Soon after you've placed your order the food arrives in trademark china deep dishes accompanied by a small steel dish which stumped me the first time. Only later did Gugs tell me that it was for the bones!
I've almost made a habit out of telling people about this amazing place, and still more, I love bringing them here. Infact "Karim's" has always been a special place ever since I came here first. The rides in the Metro with Gugs, hitting the "Chor Bazaar" with bhai and the gang at 7 am and later gorging ourselves over Chicken Burra, Bobby's treat and walking bare feet in the grand dilapidation of the Jama Masjid ... how I wish , I could turn back time...

Baavraa Mann

Baavraa mann dekhne chala ek sapnaa,
Baavraa mann dekhne chala ek sapnaa,

Baavre se mann ki dekho baavari hai baatein,
Baavari sii dhadkane hain baavari hai saansein,
Baavari sii karvaton se nindiaa kyon bhaage,
Baavre se nain chaahein baavre jharokhon se,
Bavare nazaro ko taknaa,

Baavraa mann dekhne chala ek sapnaa,

Baavre se is jahaan mein baavraa ek saath ho,
Is sayaani bheed mein bas haathon mein teraa haath ho,
Baavri si dhun ho koi baavra ek raag ho,
Baavre se pair chaahein, baavre taraano ke
Baavre se bolon pe thhirakna

Baavraa mann dekhne chala ek sapnaa,

Baavraa saa ho andhera, baavri khamoshiaan,
Thartharaati lau maddham, baavri Mudhoshiaan,
Baavraa ek ghunghtaa chaahe, haule haule bin bataye
Baavre se mukhde se saraknaa

Baavraa mann dekhne chala ek sapnaa
Baavraa mann dekhne chala ek sapnaa


~ from Hazaaron Khwahishein Aisi

The Virgin

"...When I moved into your bed I was not alone-there were two of us A married woman and a virgin. To sleep with you I had to offer the virgin in me, I did so. This slaughter is permissible in law, not the indignity of it. And I bore the onslaught of the insult. The next morning I looked at my blood stained hands. I washed my hands, but the moment I stood before the mirror I found her standing there, the one whom I thought I had slaughtered last night. Was it too dark in your bed, I had to kill one and I killed the other ?..."


~Amrita Pritam (translated from the original Punjabi by Kartar Singh Duggal )

Tumhari Amrita...

Ajj akhan Waris Shah nu,
kittey qabran wichon bol
te bol kitab ishq da, koi agla warqa khol

Ik roi si dhee Punjab di,
te tu likh likh mare wain,
ajj lakhan dhiaan rondian,
teinu Waris Shah nu kehan,

uth dard wanda - bedardiaa,
uth tak apna Punjab,
ajj belay lashan wichhian,
te lahu di bhari Chinaab,

ajj sabhey kaido ban geye,
a husn, ishq te Chor
ajj kithun liaye labh ke
ik Waris Shah ik hor
Ajj akhan Waris Shah nu..

~Amrita Pritam (1919-2005)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Translation)

Today, I call Waris Shah, “Speak from inside your grave”
And turn, today, the book of love’s next affectionate page

Once, one daughter of Punjab cried; you wrote a wailing saga
Today, a million daughters, cry to you, Waris Shah

Rise! O’ narrator of the grieving; rise! look at your Punjab
Today, fields are lined with corpses, and blood fills the Chenab

Someone has mixed poison in the five rivers’ flow
Their deadly water is, now, irrigating our lands galore

This fertile land is sprouting, venom from every pore
The sky is turning red from endless cries of gore

The toxic forest wind, screams from inside its wake
Turning each flute’s bamboo-shoot, into a deadly snake

With the first snake-bite; charmers lost their spell
The second bite turned all and sundry, into snakes, as well

Drinking from this deadly stream, filling the land with bane
Slowly, Punjab’s limbs have turned black and blue, with pain

The street-songs have been silenced; cotton threads are snapped
Girls have left their playgroups; the spinning wheels are cracked

Our wedding beds are boats, their logs have cast away
Our hanging swing, the Pipal tree has broken in disarray

Lost is the flute, which once, blew sounds of the heart
Ranjha’s brothers, today, no longer know this art

Blood rained on our shrines; drenching them to the core
Damsels of amour, today, sit crying at their door

Today everyone is, ‘Qaido;’ thieves of beauty and ardor
Where can we find, today, another Warish Shah, once more

Today, I call Waris Shah, “Speak from inside your grave”
And turn, today, the book of love’s next affectionate page

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Noted author Amrita Pritam passes away
[ Monday, October 31, 2005 07:55:43 pmIANS ]

NEW DELHI: Well-known Punjabi literary figure Amrita Pritam died Monday. She was 86. ..."

Thus reported Hindustan Times of the demise of one of the greatest proponents of the pen. The light has gone out of our lives, no wonder it was raining like there's no tomorrow here in Mysore on Diwali night, even the sky was mourning. But amidst the TV channels dedicating hours of "on air" time celebrating Aishwarya Rai's and SRK's birthdays on 1st and 2nd november respectively, I know there'd be a few for whom the pain will linger on.
There'd be many who like me owe her for the facets of man that she has showcased. I owe her for the gloomy afternoons spent pouring over "Rasidi Ticket", "Ek thi Anita" and the rest. Especially "Rasidi Ticket" for showing what a relationship can be and not. Sahir and Amrita ... the melancholy of unrequited love.There'd be still many who must have weeped through the night, after she exorcised memories that they had buried deep within.
Thanks Anu, for letting me read all these books that you brought, for I can't think about Amrita without thinking about you. The light has sure gone out, but the iridiscence will stay forever...