वो ...

वो आ जाता उस दिन तो मैं मान जाता की है खुदा

हर पत्थर को छुआ था मैंने तब, हर सदगे में सर झुकाया था !

आज सोचता हू !

मंजिले भी उसकी थी

रास्ता भी उसका था

एक मैं अकेला था

काफिला भी उसका था

साथ साथ चलने की

सोच भी उसकी थी

फिर राहें बदलने का

फैसला भी उसका था

आज सोचता हू तो

दिल सवाल करता है

लोग तो उसके थे

क्या खुदा भी उसका था ?

.........हाथ में खंजर था

(Note: A poem about Indo-Pak partition)

हर और तबाही छाई थी

और शैतानो का मंजर था

मैं देख रहा था खड़ा हुआ

बापू के हाथ में खंजर था

पहले धर्मो में बाटा था

फिर हिस्सों में काटा था

जिस और भी जाती थी नज़र

मायूसी थी और सन्नाटा था

हर मुस्लिम ने दफनाया था कुछ अपनों को

हर हिन्दू ने अपनों की चिता जलाई थी

लड़े थे गुलामी की रात से मिलकर

और उस रात ने क्या खूब सुबह पायी थी

गौरो को मिली थी आजादी उस दिन

हमारे हिस्से फिर गुलामी आई थी

लुटती देखकर इज्जत तब

भारत माता रोई थी चिल्लाई थी

डूबा था देश खून की होली में

हर तरफ लाशों का समंदर था

मैं देख रहा था खड़ा हुआ

बापू के हाथ में खंजर था

...........बापू के हाथ में खंजर था !!!

....खेल है

अखबारों में छपते है जो

उनके घर नोटों का खेल है

छपकर भी बचते है जो

वो सारा वोटो का खेल है

किसी के लिए बस कोर्ट है खाफी

किसी के लिए पूरा Stadium खेल है

किसी के लिए बस सो मीटर की बात है

किसी के लिए पूरा शहर खेल है

किसी ने जिंदगी दे दी देश को

किसी के लिए देश से सिर्फ लेना खेल है

आज भी चालीश करोड़ खिलाडी हैं भारत में

जिनके लिए सिर्फ रोटी कपडा ही खेल है

-अंकुर

ए कलम मेरे .........

ए कलम मेरे .........

कितनी माँगें तब उजड़ी थीं, तब हर माँ ने पलक भीगोये थे
आज़ादी तुझे पाने को हमने कितने भगत सिंह खोए थे

कितनी आँखे तब जागीं थीं, कितने सपने ता उम्र ना सोए थे
क्या काट रहे हैं आज के नेता और क्या बीज उस गाँधी ने बोए थे

लिख तू आज कुछ ऐसा जो जमाने को आज़ादी के मायने समझा दे
ए कलम मेरे स्याही कुछ इस तरह से बहा दे.............

देश प्रेम की बातें बस कहानी किस्से रह गये
जो करना था जो कहना था, गाँधी नेहरू कह गये

वो प्यार भारी बातें और बातो की नरमी कहाँ गयी
वो जोशीला खून और उस खून की गरमी कहाँ गयी

लिख तू आज कुछ ऐसा जो कुछ और भगत सिंह सुखदेव बना दे
ए कलम मेरे स्याही कुछ इस तरह से बहा दे ...............

हर भूखे को जो दो रोटी दिला दे
हर बच्चे को जो किताब थमा दे
हर अंधेरे घर मे जो दिया जला दे
हर इंसान को शांति का पाठ पड़ा दे

लिख तू आज कुछ ऐसा जो घर घर मे आज़ादी मना
देए कलम मेरे श्याही कुछ इस तरह से बहा दे .........
ए कलम मेरे .......

Three Seconds

“Dear passengers, Shortly we are landing in Kolkata”  flight announcement amazed me.

 

I was traveling by Indian airlines flight from Delhi to Chennai on that day and was deep in thoughts when this shocking announcement took place. Our journey was about to finish and then came this baffling news.

 

How this can happen, did I board wrong flight?

 

No, its not possible they check it at every place. My mind started thinking very fast. That is the beauty of brain, you can travel whole universe in fraction of seconds. I went back and checked again in my thoughts that I took a right boarding pass and then went through all security checks and no body noticed it. Blunder. No it can happen. Absolutely not.

 

Are we landing in Kolkata due to some technical faults ?

 

Its also not possible. Kolkata and Chennai are at two opposite corners of India and in any condition they will not try to land in Kolkata to avoid some problems in Chennai. Bangalore is a perfect option for that. I tried to help myself and looked outside window. It confused me more as we were flying above sea and irony is both Chennai and Kolkata are on sea shore. Puzzled.

 

Is the plane hijacked?

 

It sounded a logical but scary reason to me. Its Possible. We are living in the era where terror is everywhere. From trains to buses, from stations to hotels, form airports to aero planes? They are daring people, amid so much security they made it to flight. I appreciated their work.

 

What I will do in such situation. My technical mind started working now and I tried to make plans to fight terrorists, although I was not aware about the numbers in which they can be.

 

But I may be killed by terrorists in this encounter. My heart choked and I was about to cry when a beep sound came and some announcement started again

 

“Sorry, shortly we are landing in Chennai”.

 

In approximately three seconds  I felt ditched, sorry, courageous, dumped, scared and at the end I had feeling of beatitude.  

Friday Night

08:02 PM, 31 March 2006  Mumbai

 

It was a long week for Kesav as the financial year just closed. He planned for a party but Ragini, Pankaj  and  Roshan said that they are busy and wont be able to come while Sanjay is not picking phone.

 

“Hallo !”

 

“Hallo Sanjay, what about party today. Its only me and you as RPR are too busy. Bastards!”

 

 No was the reply from Sanjay also as he got stuck in some meeting in office and wont be able to leave before midnight.

 

Kesav is a party freak and in normal circumstances he always reaches home at wee morning hours after partying long on Friday nights with his four loving friends – RPRS.

 

It took him around one hour and he reached Juhu Beach just to enjoy his evening alone today. He was missing company of his friends but thought to enjoy in a different way today.  

Young couples doing their normal stuff and intimate things at public place sounds too irritating to Kesav. He went to a silent place on beach after walking few miles away from crowd.

 

Dear Mr. Lucky,

 

Congratulations !!!

 

Life is never so good and not for everyone as it is today  for you. Here comes your way to win 25 lakhs rupees. Just follow the instructions mentioned below and withing next 2 hours you may have 25 lakhs in Cash.

 

Note – You may not believe it. So just to make you believe, token money is here for you. Open the lock with password – 172.

 

Shocked, when he saw a bundle of 1000 Rs. notes having brand new 100 notes. First when he saw the bag on the beach he thought some one forgot it here but he found no one near by. Although he was a self claimed brave man and always used to bet with RPRS that he never fears anything but seeing a unknown bag at such a place sounds little fearful specially after those serial blasts and terror attacks.

 

After reading the letter and finding 1 lakhs cash there were so many questions in his mind. Lets leave the bag here and take 1 lakh home, it’s a big amount. What if he can get 25 also as easily as he got this much, there may be some risk involved and may be some police problem. Finally money pulled him in to it and he read the letter further. 

 

Bandra terminal was around 30 minutes drive from Juhu beach. As per instructions Kesav has to collect one more bag from cloak room of this station for further instructions and some more money. His heart beat is fast then normal when he gave the slip to the incharge there. Here comes another bag with almost similar looks and with similar letter in left pocket.

 

Dear Mr. Lucky.

 

Congratulations again !!!

 

So, you reached the second stage. Brave man.

 

Only one more stage left and you will be a rich man. Don’t be nervous. Just follow instructions as you did till now.

 

Note – One more similar bundle as another token money amount  is there for you in bag. Open the lock  with password – 282.

 

Curious, puzzled and now frightened Kesav was standing with 2 lakhs cash with him which he got in last 1 hour and don’t know from where. Fear is haunting the brave man with no clues of what is happening with him. It is better to go home now as the money is enough to enjoy Friday parties for few months. He is too confused to decide what to do next and thought to call any one of RPRS. Greed - insatiable desire for wealth. Kesav decided to follow instructions for the last time as he felt that it is easy to follow instructions since he is only asked to go to some public places and to collect some small bags.

 

11:46 PM, CHHATRPATI SHIVAJI TERMINAL

 

It was still crowded at CST when he reached platform no. 1. After searching cloak room for few minutes finally he collected the bag and came to a less crowded place.

 

And the last letter he started to read.

 

Dear Mr. Unlucky.

 

It is really damn easy to find fools in India even in big cities like Mumbai. How one can think of getting 25 lakhs just here and there in few hours. Loosers.

 

Although you have 200 notes with you but all that is fake currency. And thanks for carrying all those bags to this station. It would have been  difficult for  our people to carry these three bags to one location but you made our work pretty easy and did it with perfection.

 

All these three bags contain time bombs and timer has already started. It will take only few seconds to explode. Hope you can’t run away now.

 

Alvida

 

BEEP ……BEEPPPP …..BEEPPPPPPPP

 

9 …….8 ……..7…….

 

His mind stopped thinking and he is sweating like anything, his heart came to his mouth and he bent down on his knees with all his body wet with sweat and some drops falling from his forehead.

 

……..1 ……BEEPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP

 

They burst in to laugther. RPRS were just behind him and they went crazy looking at Kesav.

 

That was the first time Kesav lost a bet.

 

After years of struggle RPRS made him scare finally. They won the bet, in fact “The April Fool bet”.