The Promise undone

We promised to walk together under a winter sun,

It's summer now and you left it all undone,

Everything is fair under the sun,

But when clouds form, the fair deal becomes burdensome,

A deal can't just be fair to one,

But in your eyes you are always the sorry one,

And if gold be all that you covet o friend,

Take gladly the gold and be done,

But hear o Hear if you ever feel alone,

Give me a shout and you will always have someone,

But from this day forth let it be known,

Mammon comes first, and then there are none. 

मेरे हमसफ़र

ओ मेरे हमसफ़र, ओ मेरे साथिया,

ये बेजु़बान दिल है तुझसे कह रहा,

अब धड़कन की कमी भी ना लगे,

जो ये साथ तेरा मुझे मिला।

जिन रास्तों पे कल सिर्फ कांटों की ही बौछार थी,

वही रास्ते फूलों की चादर  ओढ़ के तैयार है,

जो आसमान बरसाते थे सिर्फ अंगारों की ही बारिशें,

वो पीपल की छांव सी शीतलता बरसाने को तैयार हैं,

अब जन्नतो की ख्वाहिश नहीं,

ये दीदार ऐ जन्नत है मुझे मिला,

इस ख़ुदग़र्ज़ जहां की भीड़ में,

अपना सा कारवां है आ मिला।

ये शहर क्यों सुनसान हैं?

अपनों को छोड़, गैरों के संग चले,
ख़ुदग़र्ज़ थे या थे दबे हुए,
सिर्फ एक ख्वाब लेके चले,
अपनों से दूर, उनके सपनों के लिए,


शहरों में जाकर रुक गए,
सपनों की राह को संवारने,
पर शहरों की इन महलों के बीच,
झोपड़ों में सिमट के रह गए,


इन झोपड़ों में, बिखरते सपनों के बीच,
गैरों में प्यार पनपता था,
अपनों से दूर रहकर भी, अपनापन जैसा लगता था,
दुख भरी व्यथा की खेतों में,
सबका साथ हमेशा रहता था,

ना ललाट पे सुखों की रेखा थी,
ना था संकट से छुटकारा,
झोपड़ों की तो बुनियाद ना थी,
महलों से सहारे की थी अभिलाषा,

फिर घोर संकट आन पड़ा,
प्रकृति ने सीना तान लिया,
झोपड़ों की तब बुनियाद हिली,
पर मिला ना उसको सहारा,


झोपड़ों को बिखरने में देर ना लगी,
सपनो की कांच तब फूट गई,
जो भाग्य से लड़ कर जीते थे,
इंसानों के सामने उनकी एक ना चली,

अब कोई झोपड़ा बचा नहीं,
अभी महलों को ये पता नहीं,
तख्त ओ ताज तो अब भी हैं वहां,
पर ना दिखती कहीं भी बंदगी,

जो आस लेकर आए थे,
वह बददुआएैं देके जा रहे,
अब रोकना मुमकिन नहीं,
क्यूंकि सपनों को ये दफना चले।

A Woman's Eyes

Tis said a woman's eyes are oceans deep,

Tis said they hold the key to her heart,

But it's never enough to look into their eyes,

You got to follow their gaze afar.



That gaze will tell you the whole truth,

The future she beholds in her heart,

And if you are lucky to be shown that gaze,

Hear O Hear those unsaid words.

यार मेरा!

ज़िंदगी की इस राह में एक नया मोड़ आमाद है,

इस मोड़ का मंज़र कहां, ये सवाल तो बिन जवाब है,

इस मोड़ पे मुड़ना है हमको, ये वक़्त की फरियाद है,

पर ऐ वक़्त मुझको ये बता, क्या इस राह पे मेरा यार है?



ऐ वक़्त इबादत है तुझसे, की मुझे मेरे यार की सौगात दे

जिस छांव में मिली हैं जन्नतें, उस छांव का तू साथ दे,

ऐ वक़्त मुझे मेरा यार दे।

अनोखी दुनिया

अपनों ने ही अपना ना कहा,

गैरों का साया भी छूट गया,

जिन रास्तों पे चले थे साथ के लिए,

उन रास्तों ने भी गवारा कर दिया।



जब जब भी ये बाजू. बढ़े,

कांटों से ही रूबरू हुआ,

हर बार जब दिल्लगी भी की,

तोह कतल ए आम का तोहफा मिला।



दिल में दिल्लगी की हिम्मत नहीं,

और ना बाजुओं में प्यार है,

इस अनोखे से जहां में,

बस अपना ही अब साथ है।



ना किसी से प्यार है, और ना कोई तकरार है,

बस अपनी ही दरकार है, बस अपनी ही दरकार है,

अब इन लबों और सांसों में, एक ही दुआ बेकरार है,

ऐ रब तेरा इंतज़ार है, बस तेरा ही अब इंतजार है।

मजलूम कौन?

अपने आलीशान महलों में बैठ,

महल ही कैद खाना लग गया,

पर उन मजलूमों का सोचा नहीं,

जिन्हे आसमान का छत नसीब हुआ।



जिन आरामो में हमारी ज़िंदगी है पली,

उन आरामों में इनकी चीखें हैं,

जिन अशर्फियों से हैं हमरी खुशियों की पैमाईशें,

उन अशर्फियों की पैमाईशें इनके लहू से है



इस जहां के आराम ओ शौक, इसी जहां में रह जाएंगे,

पर इस जहां के हिसाब अगले जहां में लिए जाएंगे,

जब इस्तेफार होगा हमसे हमारे कुर्रा ए अर्ज़ के हयात पे,

फिर जन्नत ए दरवाज़े पे मजलूम भी ना बन पाएंगे,

इन जन्नतों की कीमतों को जहनम में जाके चुकाएंगे।

Time's Surprise

We live our lives within our own little lies,

While time smiles at its impending surprise,

And when time presents us with its surprise,

Our lies fly and reality strikes.



Time goes on irrespective of us,

This being both a boon and curse,

A curse because time always has a surprise,

A boon as it heals all scars and grants a new life.



Time is neither our friend nor foe,

It is but a constant in this equation of life,

That it will change like seasons is a truth,

But as it is said, if winter is here, can spring be far behind.

Monologue by the Beach

I sat by the sea one day,

And looked at the sands fly,

It made me think aloud,

Like a monologue with the sea.



Sands of time do fly,

Tis the only truth there is.

But doth it fly like dust,

Or one be it with thy waves.



This depends on how we live,

Our lives here on earth,

Like the dreary sand of the desert,

Or the playful sands of thy shore.



The sand of the desert is lonely,

With memories of no life,

The sand of the sea is joyful,

Laden with memories of this beautiful life.



Tis said that beauty is with the beholder,

So it is with the sands of time,

Whether they be dry and dreary,

Or be joyful like a child.

Today

The days are cold and dreary,

There is fear in the air,

It reeks of something scary,

With a whiff of sinister air.



Darkness whirls within us,

Like a storm-cloud in the air,

The light in the heart withers,

With an impending gloomy glare.



Shall we let this darkness,

Have a heyday in the lights stead,

Or shall we fight for the light,

And the promise of a beautiful day?



My country calls upon me,

To make this choice today,

For silence, means nothing but,

An approval for this dark fare.

Winds of (il)Liberty

Whistling away on a warm summer day,

The wind dries the sweat away,

The toiler seems happy berid of this sweat,

Little knowing the dry wind shall kill him one day.

The wind knows neither friend nor foe

It just wicks the mositure away.



An illiberal wind is blowing these days,

Picking on liberties of the 'Other' today,

Whilst we enjoy this wind today,

Carry it shall our liberties away,

Coz the wind knows neither friend nor foe,

It's just an ode to power that is here to stay.

The Nation and its Soul

The voice does always guide one,

Bout what is right and wrong,

One night I called out to this voice,

For some soulful dialogues.



I asked it if I had lost my path,

And ventured to the dark side,

It said that shall depend,

On my definition of mine life.



I started with Lord Rama and his righteousness and just rule,

The voice just shrugged and asked me to justify, Babri, Akhlaq and West Delhi too.

I then mentioned Lord Krishna and his love for all religions,

The voice again shrugged and asked me to explain, my disdain for a fellow Mohamedan.

I then mentioned Bapu Gandhi and his non violent satyagrahi ways,

The voice just sniggered and asked me to review my last 60 years.

I then seemed lost for words like a headlight stunned deer,

The voice then patted on my back, and gave a hopeful air,

It said your definitions are sound,

But definitions can be changed,

This seems like a fight for your soul,

And I really can't guide you there.


For the soul is what you make it to be,

There is no inherent good and bad,

But legitimizing suffering as a nation is a sure shot way,

Of selling the nation's soul at the Devil's lair.

चलते रहो

ज़िंदगी के हर पल को, एक पल की ज़िंदगी बनाएंगे,

मंजिलों की परवाह नहीं, काफिला बना के जाएंगे,

जिन रास्तों पर कोई ना हो, उन रास्तों पे जाएंगे,

जो तुम्हारा साथ हो, तो बस आगे बढ़ते जाएंगे।



जो साथ ना मिला, तो भी हम आगे बढ़ते जाएंगे,

जो कारवां अकेला पड़ गया, तो रास्तों से दिल मिलाएंगे,

इन रास्तों की कलीखियों से हम जन्नतें बनाएंगे,

इन कोयलों की पगडंडियों से, तजुर्बे के हीरे पाएंगे।

A Nation Gone Astray

A promise was made to the people,

To keep the people supreme,

The Rulers were to be servants,

And the common man to be king.



Men and women were to be equal,

And so were Allah and Krishna,

We were to work for the welfare,

Of all the various beings.



Those promises were lofty,

Our tryst with destiny were they,

But alas to moral frailty,

Our destiny thence decayed.



The decay is at its nadir,

With absolutism holding sway,

The nation is nothing but,

A prop for the rulers of today.

Good Things

I was walking on a road, lost in thought,

Chanced upon a sunset from across this trance,

It was a beautiful sunset after a dreary day,

But it took from dawn to dusk to come my way.


All good things take their time to come,

And before time, they give neither joy nor fun,

So every time you feelin down Hon,

Remember all good things take their time to come.

Dreamy Happiness

On a beautiful day, a thought struck me astray,

What if, I thought, all my dreams were my reality today;

The thought gave me tremendous joy,

As I imagined all my dreams 'Ahoy',

Just then another thought stuck me nigh,

Like a mighty cloud covering the sky,

It said that if all dreams were reality,

Would life be life or a joyless banality.



The sun feels best after the snow,

The food tastes best, after hunger galores.

So true joy isn't in just our dreams fulfilled,

But, in our struggle to get to those dreams fulfilled.

The Promise of Dusk

I walked on the boulevard, deep inside,

When I noticed the dusky evening sky,

Twas filled with a heavenly golden glow,

Like a beautiful prose to the Sun's of yore,

My mind was mesmerized at this sight,

Of a divine dusk as a prelude to the darkness of the night.


Twas then that I saw the beauty of this rite,

The dusk as a promise of the dawn being bright,

And that a night however dark it be,

Shall forever be followed by the mornings glee.

Breeze of Change

A breeze is flowing from lands distant and far,

Of the stories untold, and pain in their hearts,

Of the inequalities galore in Liberty's backyard,

Of the Burden's true face, and it's historical farce.




This breeze though coming from these lands afar,

Have as great a meaning in our Himalyan backyards,

Like a mirror which shows a beauty's pitfalls,

It's a reckoning to the followers of Manu's folklore.