नफ़रतें…

#दिलसे #DilSe

नन्ही लाशें…

नन्ही लाशों को लाये काँधे पर उठाये,
सुबह ही जो अपने हाथों से नहलाये।
चेहरा जी भर देख लूं ज़रा चादर तो हटाना,
बोलकर गया था माँ आज खीर बनाना।
गालों को उसके चूम लूं में बस एक बार,
कितनी जतन् से सुबह किया था तैयार।
नन्ही उंगलियो को थाम लूं पल भर और,
रोक लेती उसे जो चलता मेरा जोर।
आज आखिरी बार इसे गले से लगाऊँ,
खुद को ये बात भला कैसे मैं समझाऊँ।
इन मासूमों को मार हासिल क्या हुआ,
जमाने भर की लगेगी तुम्हे बददुआ।
इतना नाज़ुक बदन छलनी-छलनी कर डाला,
याद रखना तुम्हे वो माफ़ नहीं करने वाला।

(शायद कुछ ऐसे ही ख्याल हर उस मासूम की माँ के दिल में आए होंगे, जब अपने दिल के टुकडे को गोलियों से छलनी बेजान पाया होगा)

Point of return..

Vibhor banged the door while rushing out of house, with several thoughts hitting him like tides crashing on the seashore. This time it took him just few minutes to decide what to do; catch bus to his native place and dive into river right in front of the temple. With few hundred rupees in his pocket, wearing just t-shirt and a short; he was out on the road at night and had lost it completely this time. Oblivious of surroundings, he was walking like a possesed man towards main road out of the locality.

On barely walking 500 metres, he was brought to the senses by shrieks of 2 young kittens and a dog running after them. By the time he realized this, kittens hid below a parked car and dog was still trying to reach them. Suddenly Vibhor picked a stone and ran towards that dog shouting, seing someone charging at him dog ran away to save his life. He sat on the road and looked under car, kittens were still shrieking clinging to each other and were visibly shaken. Extending his arm, Vibhor patted them for a while and took out in his hands. It took them few minutes to calm down and feel safe. Vibhor brought their face closer to his eyes and could see their moist eyes and hugged them, which gave him a little peace. While still playing with them, he heard a cat’s meowing just behind himself. Hearing that, both kittens too started meowing in exitement and Vibhor guessed that to be mother Cat. He quietly placed the kittens in front of her and took few steps back.

And he witnessed one of the most beautiful moments of life, Cat mom licking her kittens and kittens jumping with joy on her body. It almost brought tears to Vibhor’s eyes. He kept on looking at them for sometime and thought these kittens won’t be able to live a secure life all by themselves in the world full of vultures and dogs! And he suddenly turned back, those 500 metres looked very long as he just wanted to hug his own children…

Gold? Clean bowled…

“Raghu, where are you?”

“In kitchen, washing vegetables Pandit Ji*” said Raghu.

“Come here, I have something important to tell you”

“Tell me Pandit ji” said Raghu as he went inside priest Janardhan’s room in the temple.

“Raghu, today early in the morning I saw a strange dream. Lord Kuber* appeared in my dream and told me that there’s tons of gold buried below ground in front of temple’s main porch.”

Raghu grinned his teeth and said “Pandit Ji, dreams are only dreams. Most of our dreams are weird, how do we trust those? Do you really believe in dreams?”

“This was very different, Lord Kuber held my hand and walked around the entire ground. He showed me the spots where gold is buried. It’s spread all across the ground below, and was buried by family of King Rudra who ruled this region 700 years ago”

By this time Raghu got curious and said “So what to do? Entire ground is full of big rocks, we can not our self dig the ground. Even if entire village tries, it’s not possible.”

“You are right Raghu, but imagine such a big amount of gold can be used for our village and country’s progress. Let me think what should we do, and do not share this with anyone yet” said the priest. But he knew this news will now spread like a fire in the entire village and around.

And that turned out true, by evening people started gathering outside temple and talking in hush voices. Sometime later, village head approached Priest and asked him that he heard about gold being buried in the temple ground. Priest explained his dream, and village head believed all of that as priest Janardhan was respected in the entire region and whatever he said in the past had turned out to be true. So, village head said he will speak with local MLA* to make arrangements to dig the ground.

By next day, MLA along with local politicians were camping at the temple and had reached out to the Chief Minister of state. Who took the decision to send out boulder removing machines, cranes and other heavy equipment to dig the ground. Media was there to capture the entire event, and overnight “Bindupur” became a known name across country as news of tons of gold found was headline of every news channel and newspapers. Everyone was waiting to see the gold that too in tons, which they hoped will change fortunes of the country and “Bindupur”. But 2 days passed without even 1 gram of gold being found. On Day 3 few pots and broken bronze utensils were found.

When nothing was found till Day 5, and excitement was slowly dying Raghu asked priest “Pandit ji, what are you seeing in the ground and smiling? I can’t see anything, only stones and sand is being digged out for past 5 days. The ground has become so flat”

“Raghu, poor children had no place to play in the entire village and around because of the rocky terrain. They walk long distances to play. Even after so many requests to local authorities and politicians, no one cared to do something for a need of playground here.”

“So, where you don’t see anything I can see a huge playground for village children. And dreams are only dreams” said priest smiling……

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*Pandit Ji – Priest
*Kuber – God of wealth in Hindu mythology.
*MLA – Member of Legislative Assembly

पिया

तेरी वो खिलखिलाती हँसी और नाजु़क हथेली,
मुस्कुराना तेरा बंद करके पलके, अजीब सी है पहेली।
हर बात पर तू रठ जाती और आँखों से मोती टपकाती है,
तेरी रोज़ की इक नई अदा, मुझको तो बहुत भाती है।
वो नींद से उठकर तेरा डगमगाते कदमों से आना,
और कितने प्यार से बाहों मे मेरी समा जाना।
इशारे तेरे अब तुतलाते शब्दों में ढलने लगे हैं,
तेरे प्यार में पिया पापा फिसलने लगे हैं।

(मेरी प्यारी बेटी पिया के लिए)

Age of innocence..

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This is an age when fun means doing whatever you wish to do without caring what others think of you.

(clicked these photographs while driving to my village in Uttarakhand)