cHaasm-a-eid

Ye shabd humare aziz dost Amit Khare urf shayar ne un sabhi khubsoorat ladkiyon ke naam kiye the jab Ruksun mein saree day manaya gaya tha (6th August 2004). Arz hai......

Nashisth ye zameen aap hi se
Noor-e-haayat mein Zila noor aap hi ke
Tareeki-e-doo aalam faroza aap hi se

Yu jo aap nAaz sa aaj wajd mein aate hain
Duniya raah pe aai jaati hain
rAasm-a-jurm miti jaati hain
Lo saab patthar pighle jaate hain

Meanings:
cHasm: eyes
eid: khushi
Nashisth : decorated
Noor-e-haayat : light of life
Zila : vivified
Tareeki-e-doo aalam : dark's of two world/doo jahan ke andhere
faroza : roshan/illuminated
nAaz : garv/kind of pride
wajd : pragaat hona / coming face to face
rAasm-a-jurm : jurm ke rasam

The red light

As I drove home from office, on the same routine road, I saw almost everything I see each day: the heavy traffic which was inching its way like a row of ants trying to rush after a tough day, each vehicle trying to find out its way through a whole new set of potholes and collegians in total oblivion of the stressful day that other people had been through. At every red traffic light, I met the usual bunch of road side sellers, each selling their usual stuff like the mid day newspaper...huh! its 8:30 at night, femina magazine....you get one free with the same magazine (I wonder if every person has started a saloon or a beauty parlour to buy them :)), the baloons and the gajra which spreads a fresh fragrance in my car for a moment and also reminds me of those days when i had long hair and the gajra was special to me...(gone are those days).

This view albeit a routine, never fails to bring me out of the long hours of work and slowly pushes me into other nice thoughts like whats cooking for dinner....and that very moment my thought is interrupted by a knock on my car window pane.

I hate it. I hate to go through that scene. I close my eyes wishing the light turns green. Standing out there is a little girl with a begging bowl in her hand. Her head barely reaches the window and she is knocking on the glass with the bowl trying to catch my attention. One rupee please, I'm hungry.....she signals. I turn my head in the other direction to find a near naked boy wiping my neighbouring car. The entire bunch of begging kids have got into action to make the most of those few minutes, which the red light has given them. Some seem to have mastered the art repeating all the lines perfectly taught by God knows whom. Some are standing there with a lethargic look begging to say 'please end my ordeal...I'm sick of standing here'.

My heart reaches out to that kid but all I do is sit in my car with a dilemma of whether or not to give them their much coveted rupee. Some say its a huge network of people and giving them that one rupee is like giving a helping hand to those involved in such gruesome activities.

Heat, cold or rains... nothing stops them. No idea where they come from, no idea if the elderly people at the road side are their caretakers, no idea if they even manage to get enough to feed themselves a decent meal. The sufferers are the many kids who just like that beautiful innocent girl do not know why they were born to lead such a life.

Today she begs. No idea what her future has in store for her. The light turns green and I drive back to the comforts of my home. Dinner is ready.

Treasure Hunt

So many times, I feel as though
I am playing Treasure Hunt with life
So many times when I feel I am almost there
I reach a dead-end, the treasure never to be seen
And I stand there disillusioned, drenched to the bone, tired
Shouting at life not to play this game with me anymore, to give me what I am looking for
All life does is, mock me in return, saying
"Its all your fault, for having interpreted the clue the way you wanted to, not the way it actually read"

--Anon

Rihaee

One television serial which has had a deep impact on me is Rihaee. Aired by Sony, the serial deals with crime against woman and a fight put up by a social organisation against it. Face it, women still are suppressed in this society. Be it a village, small town or metros, they are still falling prey to the ugly thoughts and actions of innumerable men (and other women of course in some cases). From money laundering by relatives (even your own kin), education/career opportunities lost to molestation and rape on the more darker side, such incidents keep happpening and if not all, I am sure a person can identify with at least a few cases.

I think such serials can really act as eye openers for everyone especially teenage girls, who may be easy targets for such prowlers. Some cases are set in the urban backdrop like a case of fake beauty pageants where the girls land up being forced to entertain international clients or guys wooing girls into their love trap ending up with a life in mess. Men in power misusing their position to humble a woman's dignity and misuse of technology are some more examples. Cases with a rural backdrop like female infanticide are also shown. I am sure you must have come across such incidents in newspapers but one episode really left me wondering.

In this specific story, the sole bread winner of the family is the eldest daughter. With sheer hard work, the daughter has not only taken care of the entire family of 6 but also managed to buy a house on loan. Fearing that the family income will stop after the daughters marriage, her own father spread rumours of his daughters ill mental health. The story takes this girl through emotional ups and downs since she can no more find a husband for her while providing money for the marriage of her younger siblings. The family members fake signatures and get the house transferred in their name. Every episode ends with the organisation helping the victim out of the situation. The story hit me hard, very hard.......because my mother told me that she knows a woman who has gone through such a situation. Can you believe that....your own parents!!!

I do not belong to the mahila mukti gang but nevertheless I feel for the subject. This has to stop and in my humble opinion keeping a woman veiled is not an answer to this. Instead of keeping the daughters home, I'd rather say that the sons in the house should be taught to respect every girl. That just leaves me with one question...Can this ever change?

A new start

8th July 05 - I have decided to maintain my own blog. Well, it is a difficult task for me but lets see if I can discipline myself into writing my few travelogues.