Topsy-Turvy

ये श्वेत हैं,  ये शाम हैं  ये राख हैं , ये भस्म हैं  ये काल भी , महाकाल  भी  ये आकर भी , निराकार भी ll1ll धुआं , यज्ञ के अग्नि से  धुआं , जीवन के मुक्ति से  धुआं , शिव के भक्ति में  धुआं , शिव के शक्ति से ll2ll एक आती साँस से शुरू,  एक जाती साँस से खत्म  दो साँसों के दरमियाँ  ये ज़िन्दगी भी एक धुआ ll3ll

At the stroke of midnight as Leh lulled to sleep, the four of us were readying ourselves for our tryst with destiny. All geared up with gaiters, snow boots, harness and crampons ready for the climb, we were awaiting the final call for summit from our Trek leader, Nitesh. It was windy since couple of days and the rain god was smiling blissfully at the Stok mountains. During the day the azure sky was filled with fluffy clouds which occasionally were nudged by the playful wind to give a glimpse of the snow-clad mountains. It seemed as if a game of hide-n-seek was in play.   The bright red, yellow and blue tents spread across the base camp looked like a necklace embedded with precious jewels was adoring the neck of the alpines. All these looks celestial but its not a good weather for the summit. If it continues raining, the summit would be aborted. Here in my tent, listening to the pitter patter of the rain and the hustling sound of the cool breeze, I am wondering what was ...

I was born and brought up in a chawl in the suburbs of mumbai. Nani gave me my first pet name. Nani, our land lady was a muslim widow and had lost her husband early in her life and had no children. Nature didn’t stop at taking away people from her life but also took her eyesight. She stayed alone and her relatives who stayed nearby used to send her lunch and dinner packed in a dabba. She made it a point every single day to share her food with me. It comprised mostly of bheja and kalegi. I just loved the food. She used to wait for me till I came back from school to share her lunch with me. I sat on her lap and she told me stories. Her stories never repeated. She was my first book of panchtantra. Whenever she heard my mom scolding or beating me (yes, parents were allowed to hit their child in those days), she used to scold my mother. She called me ‘Munna’. Even now when I go to a restaurant, if there is a bheja on the menu, I will always order it. Even when there is no bheja fry on the m...

The cool breeze was brushing across my face. The river made its serpentine pass through the gorge. Most of the river was frozen to form a white sheet of ice above it and the part that wasn’t, was flowing ferociously between the mountains. The first rays of the sun were caressing the majestic mountain swathed in snow. The turquoise tents laid across the mountain base sparkled like a jade necklace. The smoke from the burning wood on which our morning tea was being prepared, added the earthy flavor to this pristine landscape. The cool breeze, the flowing river, the fluttering of tents formed a beautiful symphony orchestrated by Nature.  As said by George Santayana – ‘The earth has its music for those who will listen’; and here I was completely drenched in this music. It couldn’t have been more picturesque than this. Mind was still, heart overwhelmed; it was oneness of body and soul. This was the view from my tent at Nerak on the fourth day of my Chadar trek. A trek that got it...

उस दिन की भी क्या बात थी कुछ पल ही सही, वो मेरे साथ थी ॥१॥ ना कोई कस्मे ना कोई वादे बस उस मुलाकात की थी कुछ बातें॥२॥ जानते थे की कोई मंज़िल नहीं इस राह की हमने तो उस सफर को ही अपना नसीब समझ लिया ॥३॥ उसके साथ बिताये लम्होंमे, खुद को कभी था खोया आज उसकी ख़ामोशी में, हमने अपना ही इंतज़ार किया ॥४॥ आँखें नम थी, होठ भी सिले थे बस एक दूसरे को देखकर हमने सारा वक़्त गुज़ार लिया ॥५॥ खुश थे उसे खुश देख कर, आज हमने भी अपनी ख़ुशी का थोड़ा दिखावा कर लिया ॥६॥

लमहा लमहा जोड़, एक कहानी ज़िन्दगी, उस कहानी में तुम न होती, तो कहानी कुछ और होती ॥१॥ तुम्हें रस्मों रिवाज़ों की परवा न होती, थोड़ी हिम्मत मुझमें और होती, तो कहानी कुछ और होती ॥२॥ प्याला हो सागर में न खुदको डुबाया होता, ये दिल अगर संग-ए-दिल ही होता, तो कहानी कुछ और होती ॥३॥ कुछ दूर और तू साथ निभाती, तू होती, तेरा प्यार होता, तो कहानी कुछ और होती ॥४॥ काश के तेरे सवालों का मेरे पास कोई जवाब होता, इंतज़ार न सही, तुझे थोड़ा एतबार ही होता, तो कहानी कुछ और होती ॥५॥ ज़िन्दगी के उस मोड़ पे न मिले होते हम, कुछ दूर ही सही, पर साथ न चले होते हम, तो कहानी कुछ और होती, तो कहानी कुछ और होती ॥६॥

कड़कड़ाती सर्दी में, जब सुबह की धुप निकले  अपने बरामदे में,खुर्सी पर बैठं एक पुरानी किताब के मुड़े पंनोंको सीधा करू  बस मैं इतना चाहता हूँ ||१ || बर्फ की सफ़ेद चादर, जब  पहाड़ो पे लिपटी हो सर्द हवा कापते बदन को सहलाये मैं अपने माज़ी के साथ, कुछ पल बिताऊं  बस मैं इतना चाहता हूँ || २ ||  बारिश की बूंदे जब  पेड़ो के सरसराते पतों को छूकर  मिटटी की बाहो में जा सिमटे  उस  मिटटी में अपने बच्चों के साथ खेलु  बस मैं इतना चाहता  हूँ  || ३ || सागर में उठती लहरे, जब  किनारे को छूती हो  गीली रेत पर अपने साथी का हाथ थामे कुछ दूर मैं चलू बस मैं इतना चाहता हूँ  || ४ || जब वक़्त, उम्र का हिसाब  मेरे चेहरे पर झुर्रियों से लिख रहा हो ज़िन्दगी को मुस्कुरातें हुए  अपने कब्र पर मैं देखु  बस मैं इतना चाहता हूँ   बस मैं इतना चाहता हूँ  || ५ ||

It was past midnight but the CST railway station looked busy as usual. Parth saw a train leaving the platform, but he didn’t bother to run and catch it like he usually did in the morning when he came to work. He knew there was a next train and he was also too exhausted to make an effort. It had rained heavily in the afternoon and Parth knew that the trains would be running late. He was glad that he left late from the office and avoided the train fiasco. He was not sure whether it was raining outside when he took the cab from his office as all the while he was thinking about the presentation that he had made for the meeting lined up for the next day. When the train arrived, Parth hastily got inside, just to realise that it was not needed as it was not so crowded. But habits die hard. Parth thought of catching up on his sleep and closed his eyes. He tried to sleep but as soon as he closed his eyes, his mind raced to the work commitments and the assignments he was into. He r...

“You know the best part of this trek, once you enter there is no way to exit in the middle. You have to complete it”, said one of my friends. He was right. Once you enter the Sandhan Valley, and by the time you realise that you have got yourself in too much of an adventure, you have an option either to turn back and face the same adventure again or hope that the way ahead is less adventurous. That’s Sandhan Valley for you. At the start of 2014, I had decided to trek few trek destinations in the Sahyadris. You can say my ‘to do list’ for the trek season. It had Harishchandra gad, Ajoba and Sandhan. I managed Harishchandra and Ajoba but as far as Sandhan was concerned, I thought it won’t be possible anytime soon as it required expertise support. But as Shahrukh Khan says in the movie Om Shanti Om, Itni shiddat se meine tumhe paane ki koshish ki hai ke har zarre ne mujhe tumse milane ki sazish ki hai I had gone for a trek to Ajoba Hills and when we were returning back, ...

As the year enters into the denouement and the curtains are about to be drawn, it is time to celebrate the achievements, learn from the mistakes and introspect on the year gone by. Every end is the beginning of something. If you believe in the concept of rebirth, death is also a beginning of new life. Night is the beginning of a new day. What the New Year brings is the hope for a prosperous new year. I believe year ends are the time when you sit back and think about the year that has gone by. Counting your blessings and thanking god for the beautiful life he has given you. For thanking life for the experiences it has given you through the year making you stronger. It is time for you to make resolutions for the coming year. There was a Stanford research report that I recently came across which said that, the brain cells that operates will power are situated in the prefrontal cortex, that’s the area of the brain right behind your forehead. This is a very small area and henc...