I am feeling like I have lost my place on the earth, where my heart used to rest, my mind loved to wander...

और सब कुछ जानकर अनजान हो तुम

अधर पर तुमने
हिमानी धर लिया
और सब कुछ जानकर अनजान हो तुम

दिवस बीता और बीती कितनी सदियाँ
अश्रुओं से बही जाने कितनी नदियाँ
पीर का सागर समाया हृदय मेरे
आँधियाँ तूफान आई हैं घनेरे
पर हृदय पाषाण तेरा नहीं पिघला
फिर भी मेरी हो, मेरी पहचान हो तुम

भावनाओं का समुंदर कितना गहरा
और मावस लगाती दिन रात पहरा
क्यों रूला जातीं बसंती ये हवायें
हर तरफ ख़ामोश-सी लगती फ़िजायें
इक अज़ब तूफान साँसों में समाया
डोलती रहती है पातों-सी ये काया
भूलना मुमकिन नहीं है इस जनम में
तुम ही मेरी हो, मेरी ही प्राण हो तुम

जब तेरे नयनों की भाषा तौल लाया
मेरे मन का गीत कुछ ना बोल पाया
तब ग़ज़ल इक शे’र बनकर रह गई
और मेरा कवि ये सब सह गई
दिल की हर तनहाइयों में तेरी छाया
श्वास में निःश्वास में बस तुझे पाया
तू भले माने न माने ये अलग है
तुम ही मेरी उदय औ अवसान हो तुम

क्या पता ये जीव कब तक जी सकेगा
विरह का ये घूँट कब तक पी सकेगा
मिलन की घड़ियाँ पुनः आये ना आये
और दिल ये बात सुन पाये न पाये

घर घड़ी तूफान भी सहता रहूँगा
सौ समुन्दर पार हो बहता रहूँगा
पर किनारा मिलेगा, यह ध्रुव अटल है
तुम ही मेरी नाव हो, जलयान हो तुम

An evening with my life!

And there I was, at The Rendezvous, the street side coffee shop behind the majestic building at the Connaught Place in the capital. There she was, waiting for me with a colleague of hers, a so-called good friend of mine.
As three of us had our coffee and indulged in mundane (rather frivolous leg pulling) talks, her boss called her up and ordered her to cover an assignment at the Press Club prior to the visit of the Chinese premiere. There was something sort of exhibition showing the atrocities of the communist regime of China on the innocent citizens of the country.
As the press club fell on the route to my office, I offered her to drop her there as I had enough time before I had to reach my office. And of course, did I want to spend more and more time in her company which I like(d) more than anything else on this earth.
Even as I dropped her at the press club, she asked if I was going to accompany her to the exhibition. Saying ‘NO’ was out of question.
The exhibition was on the first floor of the building and as we scaled the stairs, we found that there was nobody looking at us, as the staircase and the area in view was deserted. Emboldened and having been in the habit of doing this always, I put my hands around her waist. Surprisingly, she came closer whereas she would have protested me getting physically close to her at any public place. As we again came in full public view, I pulled off my hand and walked into the Exhibition Hall.
We received King’s welcome there. All the exhibitionists there surrounded us from all sides and were replying to our queries like only we could make their cause successful. The scene was strange. Having been a reporter, I have been to cover many assignments like that but never got that kind of attention. Being with a beautiful woman has wonderful advantages.
As they replied to our queries, she was sending some signals. Well, mind can not catch them but there are other sense organs which are efficient at doing that. She was standing so close to me that it seemed as if she wanted to tell the onlookers that she was with me, not only physically, but at a higher level. She was brushing against my body body every now and then.
As their explanations became boring, we left the place and again while coming down the stairs, she was cozy in my arms. I had a feeling that there was something wrong with the woman, the woman whom I loved like anything, rather more than anything.
As she sat side-legged on my bike and I was on the way to drop her back to her office, she asked at what time you have to reach office. I thought she would say that she would rather take an auto than bothering me and I said, “I have enough time, you don’t worry.”
She said she wanted to go to India Gate, which was only few hundred metres from there. I was getting late to office, I said, “I don’t have even that much time.”
As I reached the Le Meridien Gol Chakkar, I turned my bike towards India Gate. She asked, “Where are you going?” I replied, “Let’s go to India Gate for 10 minutes.”
Every moment spent with her was like a blessing, a boon, and I could not say no to that offer.
Reached the beautiful India Gate lawns which was shimmering under the moonlight, I don’t know if it was a full moon lit night or not but who gives a damn, when the moon is with you, in your arms. It was almost deserted and fuzzy, not many people were there apart from the two of us and few other couples. The preparation for the Republic Day celebrations was on and iron chairs had been stacked there to make sitting arrangements for the occasion. And a concrete platform behind them made for a perfect setting for a memorable date.
The romance was in the air, or was it within? As I rested my lips and my nose on her face, she looked at the shadow on the ground and exclaimed, “See, how beautiful it looks”
Unlucky as I was, I turned to look at the shadow but with me turning, the shadow was gone. I asked her to return the favour but she did not oblige.
Surrounded by the darkness, with a milky white woman in your arms, keeping the man (the animal) within me was impossible. I turned her face towards me slowly, and put my lips on her lips, she parted them and our tongues met, and went on a long journey…
"Amitabh, your mouth stinks."
"What?"
"It is smelling of cigarette's smoke." She giggled.
And then we kissed several times, my hands wandered all around on her body slipped inside her shirt. In between, she said, “Amitabh, I want to say something.”
Surprised I was, My God, what bomb she was going to drop? I rose from her side, sat on my knees in front of her and said, “Say.”
“Amitabh, I don’t love you.”
“I know. What else?”
“I feel I am attracted towards you.”
Like the words speak louder than action.
I held her by her shoulder and started kissing her, kissing her madly, everywhere. I was kissing her, my hands doing their jobs meticulously. Even as I tried to spread her legs, she said, "Amitabh, what are you doing?" "What do you think I am doing?" There was silence and once agaon I sat by her side.
As it grew fuzzier, I said it was too late now and we should go to our office now. “I am getting late.”
As we were walking towards our bike, I hugged her. “Amitabh, what are you doing at a public place like this.”
“Why don’t you come to my place with me, then?”
Silence again!

Parking on DND flyway!

Amitabh Shankar
amitabh.shankar@mid-day.com
I am thankful to my stars! I would either have been lynched by a mob or landed in jail Sunday night. Besides, I would have had to live with the guilt and the ignominy of having killed a five-year-old who had done no harm to me, or to anybody, for that matter.
Piyush (5), who had gone to visit the ongoing Global Village fair on the banks of the Yamuna with his family Sunday night, came in front of my bike on the DND flyway. I applied sudden brakes and swerved the bike. I somehow managed to save the life of the kid.
Nobody was injured in the accident, but it highlighted the utter apathy of the administration to the violation of rules on the DND flyway, which provides an access road to the Global Village. More than 300 cars were parked on both sides of the DND flyway where parking is not allowed. All the cars parked belonged to the visitors to the Global Village fair and they were blithely crossing the flyway, where the speed limit for vehicles is 80 kmph. At this speed, it is impossible to apply brakes in time to prevent an accident.
The authorities had blissfully shut their eyes to the violation. The tow away vehicles of the DND authorities were doing the rounds, without bothering about the parked vehicles. I asked the security staff of the DND flyway if some relaxation of rules was made to allow parking on the flyway. The security guard, who apparently had orders from his superiors not to touch the vehicles parked there, said, “The parking lot in the village is full, so the parking is being allowed on the flyway.”
Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Qamar Ahmed, on being approached on the issue, said: “Thank you for bringing the violation to our notice. We will immediately take some action.” Nobody knows what happened later.
The Global Village had come up at the place without clearance from the environment ministry (‘Yamuna bed under siege’ - MiD DAY March 20). As of now, it is a sure shot recipe for disaster.



Courtesy: Delhi MID DAY