The Road less traveled

Sometimes, I feel guilty to be living where I do. The place is not pretty and dust free. Even I am not allergic to dust but it matters. Doesn't it? New things have crept in ever so seamlessly in our system that we are always looking outwards. Too much extraversion, if I may say so. Never thought this one dimension of leadership parameter would change people so much around me. So much so that introversion is considered to be sinful. As a blot rather! We have started to hate homes. Especially, if we have to enjoy. Home-made food is such a rarity that people get notified on FB for the same. Comes tagged with a :) ' Had ghar ka khana..thanks  XYZ, ABC, DEF and... XYZ for the amazing nostalgic weekend'. Huh! What a stage to be in. 

Feelings and expressions have too much visibility. Hey, what is on my mind? Let me think of something nice and tweet about it. Checklists are checked and okay-ed online. It just stills in a sense of sickness all over. I don't know the reason for it but I have to agree Mark Zuckerberg is more of a social scientist than a developer. Talking of everything which is without a consequence and keeping mum about all that is important is the in thing. These 'in things', I tell you can be real dangerous. They sort of kill people in the way they shouldn't let themselves die. All of us are getting away from the real we. We are wanna be Barneys, Joes, and other characters we see on TV. The fictitious has taken over the real. 

I have I don't know so many pals here. I don't say hello to most of them. I don't even remember their faces. They are on my list. My networking has to be good. Thats what they told me. I believed them too. I have been longing for a place where people are identified with the colour and gates their houses have and not their numbers. The blue house with the grey gate right beside the biggest grocery shop in town belongs to Amit. Something like that. A place where no kid gets lost in the crowd. There is always someone to identify his mother and to bring him back to her. 

The fight about progression to look ahead and outwards; to not let oneself be restricted. It’s a flat world after all. I don't know really! I fear I have come a little too far for my comfort. Hasn't everyone done so? "God I will miss u ..... Bangalore". Not many years ago, we missed people, we loved them, though we never told them, they knew and we knew that they would know. We had the eyes worth a thousand words. When we spoke, words meant the world. The art and facility of expression has diluted our most powerful weapon. Haven't we abused it enough? 

I am no revolutionary. Neither am I a missionary. Nor am I different. I am one of us. But there are times when I think I came too far. The road meant to travel less has been overused and the one meant to be romped has been untraveled. All I seek right now is the road less traveled!

मुझे सन्नाटा दो

कभी कभी ही तो मन करता है

कि कहीं तो अकेलापन हो

इतनी भीड़ में 

थोडा सा तो खालीपन हो

जब कभी जी में आये

तो पेड़ो के नीचे नीचे

उनकी छाँव में 

धूल को जूते से उड़ाता

थोडा तो टहल लूँ

और जो मन करे 

तो हवा से तेज़ 

उड़ जाऊं बिना रुके

या 

ऐसी किसी जगह पे चला जाऊं

जहाँ मेरी पहचान न हो

न कोई वजूद हो

कोई निशान न हो

कबीर के 'निराकार'

का स्वाद भी तभी समझ में आता है

जब मंदिर कि घंटियों से

दिमाग सुन्न हो जाता है

चारो तरफ ये शोर...

क्यूँ नहीं थोड़ा सन्नाटा है

ज़िन्दगी में कभी कभी ही तो

वक़्त ठहर के जाता है

ये रोज़मर्रा कि बात तो है नहीं

हाँ पर 

पर कभी कभी तो मन करता है...

मुझे सन्नाटा दो

कभी कभी ही तो मन करता है

कि कहीं तो अकेलापन हो

इतनी भीड़ में 

थोडा सा तो खालीपन हो

जब कभी जी में आये

तो पेड़ो के नीचे नीचे

उनकी छाँव में 

धूल को जूते से उड़ाता

थोडा तो टहल लूँ

और जो मन करे 

तो हवा से तेज़ 

उड़ जाऊं बिना रुके

या 

ऐसी किसी जगह पे चला जाऊं

जहाँ मेरी पहचान न हो

न कोई वजूद हो

कोई निशान न हो

कबीर के 'निराकार'

का स्वाद भी तभी समझ में आता है

जब मंदिर कि घंटियों से

दिमाग सुन्न हो जाता है

चारो तरफ ये शोर...

क्यूँ नहीं थोड़ा सन्नाटा है

ज़िन्दगी में कभी कभी ही तो

वक़्त ठहर के जाता है

ये रोज़मर्रा कि बात तो है नहीं

हाँ पर 

पर कभी कभी तो मन करता है...

Transition & Buddhe

कल रात सोने के पहले

एक दोस्त की कहानी पढ़ ली

लोग बच्चे से बड़े हो ही जाते हैं

कभी न कभी अपने पैरों पे खड़े हो ही जाते हैं

तब कभी

 हम जैसे बूढों को भी "lack of transition " बड़ा खटकता है

क्या हम उम्र के पहले बूढ़े हो गए

यही बार बार दिमाग में अटकता है

अब दिमाग की बात यूँ चली तो बचपन की याद लाजिमी है

हर लम्हा ही तेज़ी से निकल जाता था

न कोई ठहराव था

मैं तो पानी की तरह फिसल जाता था

एक घडी यहाँ और दूसरी वह

हवा सा बहता था

कभी नानी की गोद 

और कभी माँ के आँचल में छिपता निकलता था

ना मुस्कुराने वाले लोग बड़े डरावने से लगते थे 

अब खुद से ही डर लगता है

पर जब कभी किसी बच्चे को बड़ा होते देखता हूँ

तो वही "Transition " याद आता है

फिर से वो बेहतरीन पल पीता हूँ

किसी और की कहानी में अपना जीवन जीता हूँ

धीरे से छुप के मुस्कुरा लेता हूँ

और अगला बच्चा जल्द बड़ा होगा

इसके इंतज़ार में अपनी सफेदी को काले से छुपा लेता हूँ

 

Ye sali Zindagi

हर शाम अब एक जैसी ही दिखती है

भूख नहीं बस प्यास लगती है

शहर के शोर में जैसे खोने का एहसास होता है

बेचते बिकते

 इंसान को इंसान न होने का आभास होता है

कहने को सीखने का दंभ भर सा लेता हूँ

हर रात सोने के पहले 

दिन भर कुछ कर सा लेता हूँ

कभी खाता और कभी बस पी लेता हूँ

कुछ ग़म कुछ खुशियाँ जी लेता हूँ

सपने जैसे कुछ कौड़ियों के तले सांस ले लेते हैं

जिन्हें गिन के हम कभी कभी जी लेते हैं

पर धड़कन कहती है

धीरे से फुसफुसाती है rather

अपने सपनो को मरने न देना

खुद सडना पर उन्हें 

सड़ने न देना

इन्ही धडकनों के साथ 

मैं भी फुसफुसाता हूँ

मूक दर्शक हूँ पर 

कभी कभी बोल जाता हूँ

इसके पहले कि 

कुचली अभिलाषाएं जाग जाएँ

मेरी अंतरात्मा को जन्झोर के जगाये

अब सो जाता हूँ 

अब तो बस रातों को कपडे पहनता हूँ

कल सुबह फिर से निर्वस्त्र हो जाऊंगा 

कि कल फिर से मण्डी ने बुलाया है

एक बकरे की दास्ताँ

एक बकरे की कहानी सुनाता हूँ,

कैसे वो इस व्यूह में फंसा 

वो बताता हूँ..

जीवन ने उसे कई मौके दिए

पर वो सारे 

उस बेवक़ूफ़ बकरे ने 

एक एक कर के खो दिए!

जो milestones कसाई ने सेट किये थे

उनके पीछे  भागते भागते 

उसने अपने सपने पसीने में धो दिए ..

अब जाके दुनिया खुश हुयी

पर बकरे का मन उदास है

पर उस के पास भी आजकल

एक नया टाइम पास है ....

-कभी खैर मनाती

पर आजकल खुश-

उसकी माँ में उल्लास है ..

यह छुप छुप के देखता, मोदित होता है

पर,

निराशा और सफलता के बीच

उसमे बची अभी भी कुछ प्यास है

इसीलिए आजकल बकरा टीवी पे 

लिम्का का Ad देखता है

हौले से मुस्कुराता है

और अगली बार कटने से पहले 

 अपनी प्यास थोड़ी और बढाता है!

More of teams, and IPL and them!

The present IPL table looks very confusing. Rajasthan Royals, who probably have one of the best teams on the basis of current form are not in the top 4. MI who look confused with their non cohesive unit of shiny stars are number three. Chennai despite being number five look a shadow of the team they used to be. May be these teams have thought a few things in not exactly the right way or so the trends of IPL 5 show!

I won't use my batsmen, come what may!

What baffles me the most in this IPL is the under utilization of batting fire power from the big teams. CSK should ask themselves a question, is Badrinath suited to bat ahead of Albie Morkel? Or why do they need to play Mr. Cricket in all the matches as if its an obligation. It's a T20 game. MI is no exception to this trend. Every batsman that plays for MI seems to be playing only for himself. If everyone will be a sheet anchor, who will attack? May be Harbhajan Singh! And if they have to play Robin Peterson, they have to use him as a bowler. I am sure he shall do better than the skipper himself. Even Raina is bowling better than Bhajji these days. Thankfully, KXIP got their screws tightened in time. Now they play Hussey at 4. And what a blessing in disguise has Gilly's injury been. Or has he been faking it. Anyway, this was his last season as a player ;) KKR, why do you send Kallis ahead of Pathan. Either ways, Pathan gets caught at the boundary. Try him in the powerplays for once! Give him the license to kill when escaping is easy not when you have the city barricaded. PWI just won't play Smith ahead of Ganguly and Clarke, who is undoubtedly their best batsman this season. Whoever is coaching PWI should ask Uthappa to stop acting like Ranbir Kapoor and play some shots in front of the wicket. If i had shoulders so strong and a chest so wide, I bet I would have hit bowlers back over their heads. I mean this whole thing is so contagious, even RCB sent Gayle to bat at number 4. What happened to Resource Based Strategy??? Conclusion, If you got assassins, let them kill. Thank god, we have DD who exhaust all their batsmen :D

Left Armers with no turn are the ones!

There used to be a time when left arm orthodox spinners in cricket were like non engineers in a B school. IPL has changed things. There is Appanna (Yes, that is a name!), A, B, C, Murali Karthik, D, E, F, Nadeem (he is a country cousin :D ), ...., X, Y, Z. I wish there were more letters in alphabet! And somehow, most of the batsmen have been trying to play them inside out all the time where there has been non existent turn (Ravindra Jadeja!), loop, bounce and an almost deep extra cover fielder who looks like an irritant step brother of the good old position of "Long-off". So the cover drives which were meant to go for fours are yielding singles, bowled(S), inside edges to midwicket which is again void of fielders due to some inexplicable reasons. Where have the slog sweeps gone? Steve Waugh and Hansie Cronje, I wish you played this battery of overrated slow bowlers who use the other hand to bowl!

What happened to Fast bowlers?

There was "Dale Steyn", then there was sunlight and the rest followed! It gives me goose bumps, when I see a 6 feet plus Pollard in his run up, approaching the crease like the calmness of Holding and then bowling a delivery at a speed which Afridi can touch without even twisting his shoulder. Or for that matter, Amit Singh from RR, who runs like a 35 yards and bowls at a speed which is slower than the speed of his own run up. And what kind of bowlers are "Rajat Bhatia", "Siddharth Trivedi" and there are others. Last heard, Trivedi is a slow bowl master. These slower balls have spoiled the pacers. The purpose of a slow ball is to mark a change of pace. So, someone who bowls at 125 kph is already slow. Thanks to our curators, even these bowlers are making an earning. Everyone has the right to bread! And by the way, I like Dinda for at least trying to be a fast bowler, even if an ordinary one. There are so less of them these days, we need someone who at least lives with this belief that he can be the one!

My personal advice to MSD: Please come back to Ranchi. We miss you. And you will get a life. It's ok not to play an IPL. You can do that MS, if you can miss a test series, so can you miss an IPL. You do look tired and more than just 30!

Its match time, almost. Only 5 minutes of "Extra Innings" today. See, life finds a way!