The Dark

I am the one sans light,
I'm the naked, the stark,
the black, the deep,
the forbidden, i'm the dark.........

u'd call me lonely,depressing
for i bring forth what's deep inside,
yes i'm more illuminating
for i uncover all that the bright light hides........

i force u to travel,
the path of questioning a why,
often which u state as obvious
that about which u lie...............

i allow you to express jealousy,
to laugh at someone's defeat,
to feel proud of ur viciousness,
to curse, to blame, to cheat,

u turn to me for consoling you,
when u let of your guard and cry,
when u r weak, u r vulnerable,
in my haven u reside.............

i m not your enemy, i don't lie,
i'm the friend, i'm true,
i'm what no one has seen,
i'm the dark, the real you !!!!!!!

ज़माने ने हमें ये रंग अब कैसा दिखाया है ,

जो कल था खून अब उस खून को पानी बनाया है ......

बहुत दावे किये जाते रहे इंसान होने के , 

मगर किसने यहाँ इंसान का रिश्ता निभाया है ......

कहें दर्द-इ-दिल ए दोस्तों किस्से भला अपना ,

की हर सीने में दिल की जगह पत्थर छिपाया है ......

समझ में नहीं आता की माजरा क्या है ,

किसी की चाल है या आज यह बुरा वक़्त आया है .......

किसे समझाए हम की कोई समझना हीं न चाहे ,

अकल्वालों ने सबको अक्ल का दुश्मन बनाया है ......

कहाँ तक लिपटते जाए किन्ही पर्चायिओं से  हम , 

की अपना हीं साया आज लगता पराया  है .......

खुदा को या मुक्क़दर को भला हम किसलिए कोसें , 

की अपने हाथ से जब चमन अपना जलाया  है ......

वहीँ हम बेहयाई से अक्ल उनको सिखाते हैं ,

जिन्होंने ऊँगली पकड़ कर हमको चलना सिखाया है .......... 

मैं अपने हीं ग़मों से तड़पता हूँ चीखता हूँ अक्सर ,

ज़मानें के गमों ने तो और भी मुझे सताया है .......

ज़माने ने हमें यह रंग अब कैसा ................ 

Intense Experience

The world was going crazy, there was music everywhere. The streets were deserted and every living soul was with their loved ones. All eyes were fixed on the clock. No one wanted to miss the chance to shout their lungs out and welcome the new year. There was happiness everywhere.
But there were few people to whom it was just like any other day. Even in this cold they were busy in their work. They were oblivious to their surroundings. I am talking about those countless homeless people who can be found loitering near Mahakaleswar Temple, Ujjain.
For the first time in my life I have planned for a different welcome to the upcoming new year. This brought me at the steps of Mahakaleswar Temple, Ujjain. I was overjoyed with the prospect of seeing the famed Bhasm-Aarti of the temple. Though I was unaware of the plans of the GOD.
I was in Ujjain just before new year dawned onto the world. I was just ambling around the premises of the temple. Just then a scene caught my eye. Some drunken youths were harassing a small child. The helpless child was crying for help but few people cared for his tears. Before anyone could intervene, the child was slapped few times and one of the culprit was trying to make him smoke. Had it not been the sight of the patrolling police gypsy, this inhuman act would have continued.
After the culprits have left on their bikes, a sudden silence dawned in the area. The child sat there crying for sometime. It was the only sound one could hear beside the occasional sound of the temple bell. Finally, when the child got exhausted, he fell silent. His face was still red from those slaps and was all swollen up.
Seeing such a sight was not on my wishlist for new year. I was not prepared for such a realistic welcome to 2012. Before my eyes was the reality of our nation. It was just one child being harassed there but GOD only knows if more of such homeless children were safe or were just being soft targets for such drunken youths??
The incident shook me from within. It aroused me from my sleep, where I was dreaming of a nation growing by leaps and bounds. The fact that I celebrated most of my new year drinking and dancing, made me a culprit along with those who had just harassed the child. It also made me realize that how conveniently we turn a blind eye to such events. The common people does not care a dime until and unless someone close or they themselves are subjected to such inhuman acts. But why do we behave in such a manner ?? Why we turn silent the moment someone is harassed ??
We blame terrorists for killing our fellow countrymen but we all have died long back ago. That child showed me that we can wash away our sins at the steps of GOD but we cannot reignite the humanity in us once its dead. He was no longer crying but sat there staring at the road. That blank stare is something that has been haunting me ever since.
 It was hard to visit the temple in such a mood so I returned back. But i was thankful to GOD. It was by his grace that I realized that I was no longer alive. The ways by which one should lead one's life have long been forgotten. Those methods are hard to follow but keep our soul alive. Living with a dead soul is one thing that most of the people are doing today. Just by donating some money to a trust or giving away for charity has become a fashion statement. The time calls to be alive and not just fulfilling one's duty. Or are we all waiting to be witness to such an inhuman acts to take place with our self or our loved ones ??????? 

Loneliness.........

Never did it dawn before
Not a single time before, 
So shallow it has become
How come I never saw it..........

Not a single one in sight
Neither a shoulder nor a hand,
Feeling so dead
Just want to take flight.........

Such a wanderer heart is
Can't stay put at one place,
Or it seems I was wrong
Never found a true one it seems.........

Everything seems obliterated
Whatever I had with myself,
Life seems so strange now
Every single aspect appears blurred.......

Now looking for a way
A bright one though,
Just wanna move on 
With a big piece of luck though ............... 

The Neighbor's Secret

I think most of the people will differ with my choice of novel to kick-start my blog . Its just that as I was taken on a world tour by Fatima Bhutto , through her novel 'Songs of Blood and Sword ' , it struck me that how little the common people of our country know about the real deal in Pakistan . The book certainly brings out some skeletons out of the closet but at the same time it also serves as an eye opener for common people , of both the countries . The political circles of India are well aware of the involvement of Pakistani Army in the government of our troubled neighbor but the depth to which this interference is prevalent is appalling . The way she brings out the suffering , both of her family as well as of the staunch supporters of Bhutto family , and not to forget of the common people , is really sorrowful . The unrelenting tortures imposed by the Rangers and the free hand given to them , makes me wonder that why are we forced to call Pakistan a CONSTITUTIONAL STATE ? 

As the writer quotes " And I know I could never leave " , its really a commendable effort from her to fight her own emotions and the government to get all of her family secrets in a single book . Some grave accusations are made in the book but the letters from Zulfikar to his sons and those from Fatima's father Mir Murtaza , are really touching . These letters also show that these leaders knew how to rule but never got a shot at throne , all they got was a bullet in their heart . The history of Bhutto's in one of their own words is so captivating that one is forced to think how can four generation of a single family be targeted continuously with such vigor and that too by a country being ruled by so called 'CONSTITUTIONAL HEADS'  ????  

The only thought lingering in my head after taking this tumultuous journey was that how come Pakistan is still favored by USA , China ???? Why the man who was acquitted of murder is ruling Pakistan ?? Are the people of Pakistan so scared of the government ?? There are n number of questions and the answers to some of them are obvious . But , as Fatima Bhutto says ' This is my journey of remembering ' , it is one hell of a journey .