Sunday, September 18, 2011

मुंबई शहर में बस एक गम है , हर घर में एक कमरा कम है ...

मुंबई शहर में बस एक गम है , हर घर में एक कमरा कम है...  
(This particular line is inspired from here

मुंबई शहर में बस एक गम है , हर घर में एक कमरा कम है...
तीन पत्ती के खेल जैसी, खुद पर दाँव खेलती जिंदगी,
घर-सफ़र-काम की बिसात में उलझा है हर आदमी,
उधार बनिस्पत साँसों में यहाँ पर, सूद ज्यादा असल कम है ..
मुंबई शहर में बस एक गम है , हर घर में एक कमरा कम है...

व्यक्तिगत प्रलोभनों से सरोकार बस सबको है यहाँ,
स्व-विवेक है बिन मोल , महत्वाकान्छाओं का कारोबार यहाँ,
मिटटी के मोल मिल भी जाए एक बार को जिंदगी,
मोल दे के भी न मिले , सच्चे पतित जज़बात यहाँ,
बिखरे सपने, थके इरादे, आँखें सूखीं और दिल नम हैं... 
मुंबई शहर में बस एक गम है , हर घर में एक कमरा कम है...
 
संस्कृति के शहर में हर आदमी है अजनबी,
जाने यहाँ क्यं आगे नहीं, ऊपर बढ़ना है लाजमी,
अपनी ख़ुशी खुद तक रखने को नाम देते हैं सादगी,
पैसा खुदा और बस इस खुदा की करते हैं सब बंदगी,
जाने यहाँ की मृगत्रिष्णा है, या बस मेरा मतिभ्रम है ...
मुंबई शहर में बस एक गम है , हर घर में एक कमरा कम है...

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

The Rule of 21 and other random gyaan !

The Rule of 21 !!! That's been my Gtalk status for quite some time and many of the folks around found it quite intriguing ... As in, what exactly is this strange rule and how does it find place on my gtalk ... So here it goes, for all those who think its worth an explanation.

The rule of 21, as per Robin Sharma (Oh yes the left handed 40 something young chap who was known to leg sweep balls hitting out of his off stump. Huh ... Get a life ... That was Robin Singh) the author of The monk who sold his Ferrari and couple of thousand similar titles ; says that any conduct or practice if repeated for 21 days transforms into a Habit ... Very useful info for those who can count the days that lapse between 3 consecutive weekends ... So that's what is there to talk about The Rule of 21 ...

So? As in what so? Oh, you mean so how does it land onto my gtalk status. Yeah, I kinda' alarmingly needed this kind of a rule for something that was very difficult to shrug off or rather put off ... Very very adhesive inherently ... Not something that's bad or addictive ... Or maybe I can retain addictive .. Take off bad ... Addictive it was ... So, that's what I do ... Once resolved, I just clinged to this rule and trust me, it kind of works ... Not only with substance, material et al but also emotive disorders of first kind ... Observation !!!

So, if you are like say addicted to alcohol, try this. Wanna quit smoking. Give it a shot . Want to move on over someone or maybe recover your self-respect,identity, try it once, desperately intend to fall in love, ahem ... Ok not sure but what harm in trying anyways ... 

In fact, as I write, I also realise that I always had this inbuilt mechanism to apply Rule of 21 since ever. Even before I read Robin Singh's book. Ok,cut Singh,replace with Sharma. Just that I always called it as will power ... So, 10 years on, I still dont eat Rajma, salt over cooked food, spilling abuses ... See... It works ...

So,this is how it found its way onto my status and sat pretty till this new Marasim thing replaced it :-) Gulzar above all ...

But nothing above self-identity and self-respect ... Guess so ...

Thursday, September 08, 2011

Highpoints of this random thing called life ...

Like always a very random vibe coupled with strange thoughts that are always cross crossing my all-so-amoebic mind.
 
Hypothetically assuming that having lived beautifully well for say over 80 years of an enriching lifetime, wondering, if on your deathbed, whether any of the following items/instances/days will picture as your lasting memory of the world you lived in for say 80 odd years.
  • The days when you stayed late at work to finish off that one mailer and the night you burnt the mid night oil just to get oh-so-awesome ratings during your appraisal.
  • The days when you sat for 10 hours continuously on your chair lapping up your system but on reaching home got irritated when your kid demanded just 10 min of undivided attention
  • The day when you were called on stage and applauded for your undying efforts. Undying is the operative word here.
  • The day when you were promoted beyond your own expectations and more so beyond everybody else's as well. Could this be better ?
  • The day you received a bonus that was roughly equivalent to your annual salary.
  • The day you got a brilliant job in an even more brilliant (erstwhile reference) organization with an amazing paycheck and promising future
  • The afternoons when you were bestowed with sumptuous sponsored luncheons and cocktail late night parties,courtesy your work profile
  • The instance when that one project plan you prepared for a new initiative was so successful that it was replicated all across the organization.
Or will they somehow fall into following;
  • When you took that long walk with your spouse, under the rains nibbling on corn
  • When you took your parents for a holiday or dinner or even small-time shopping after getting your first job,as a genuine thanks.
  • When you took your kid in your arms for the first time and she smiled,toothlessly.
  • When you noticed a kid begging at a traffic intersection, decided to do something for her and got her admission in a school and ensured a future for her.
  • When you took your kids to her first trip to an amusement park and could not take your gaze off her, while she was running all over the place.
  • When your teacher came up to you and said you have been a good human being and you could actually see their eyes getting moistened during your farewell.
  • When you traveled across half of the world just to be on the side of your best friend when he/she was getting married and he/she couldn't resist his/her tears.
Wondering if most of the things we would want to keep as cherished memories forever are not those which usually always come at a price that you can easily afford and most often are for free. Just wondering.

Wednesday, September 07, 2011

The Art of Giving and not feeling stupid ...

If you are someone who is even remotely like me when it comes to extending alms to the street urchins then you are a person who always gets into a fix (read freeze) whenever at an intersection an unidentified face glues onto to the car window asking for money or forces his/her services by cleaning windshield with a sandpaper like piece of cloth. Its a terrible feeling and yeah I run into frantic bouts of dilemma at many such occasions. Its a conflict of third order. As like all my other conflicts this also is naive, stupid to the core but conflict it is. There is a background to this because of my past experiences but that bit some other time. 

I have till date always refrained from letting my conscience fall into the trap and have always managed to divert my attention from the subject because I don't approve of professional urchinism... Don't trust me on that??? Cool... Remember CWG Delhi? 6 months before CWG,at a location near Rohini Delhi,there was being conducted a structured classroom training progg for the beggars deployed on the CWG routes. To get trained in mannerism, languages - German, French, English, Spanish et al... You call that availing best means to earn livelihood,I call it professional urchinism ... And not to my liking.

Anyways,so,that's how I usually have always been taking it. Not partaking of even a single rupee when it comes to beggars,principally. But then this is an extreme and at times unjust as well. I remember writing a poem on this (Click here to go to that in case this link thing works) long back just to get some perspective. Dint get it though eventually but still the thought was there. 

Last week was at home when mom came up with this thought and I indeed found it simplistic and easy to take up. Its about the old clothes everyone got at home. Its about keeping some of such cloths in your car whenever you go out and its about letting your heart decide whom to give those clothes at the signals you cross. So,you may choose to give clothes of your kid to a pretty child you find,begging or your clothes to a person who may seem to be in need. Its all about just taking a call. So,its not money so it doesn't promote those traits which drag us off charity and its simplistic so easy to execute.

Ok,you may find this very childish and rightly so but believe that's how it is supposed to be. Isn't it.
Think through or just let it pass. Random thoughts ... Yet again ...