Unfurling

 

A new moment

New delight

 

Embracing

Wholeheartedly

 

The unfurling

The unfolding

 

The bright sheen

Of possibilities unseen

 

A thing of beauty

A joy to behold

Attention to uphold

To be present

 

To the little things

 

Oh!

I mean

The simple everyday things

That are really

Every-thing!

- 31 August 2020

Inspired through witnessing the formation of a new leaf on my Monstera deliciosa

ऐ मौत : To Death

 

ऐ मौत	To Death
अक्सर तेरे बारे में सोचा किया करते हैं कौन है तू? क्या चाहती है? क्यों आती है? क्या माँगती है?	I've often Thought about you Who are you? What do you want? Why do you come? What do you ask for?
कब तू दस्तक देगी , कौन हैं जो जानते हैं? बिन-बुलाई मेहमान तुझे ये सभी मानते हैं	When will you knock Who can ever know? An uninvited guest They all know you so
अक्सर तुझे जानना चाहा था कई बार तेरा साथ हमने माँगा था	I've often Wanted to get to know Several times I've yearned for your embrace
हर बार मगर तूने परे धकेला कभी न समझ पाए थे हम ऐसा खेल तूने क्यों खेला	Each time however You pushed me away I never understood The games you chose to play
पर तब ये जान न पाए थे कि मुस्कुराती हुई तू साथ निभा रही थी मेरा	I suppose I had not realized That smilingly You were right by my side
झिंझोड़ती हुई याद दिला रही थी वो गुज़रा हुआ पल सिर्फ और सिर्फ, है तेरा	Shaking me awake With reminders That each moment passing Belongs solely to you
उस पल पर मेरा कोई हक़ नहीं उसकी ज़ालिम यादों से परे है इक नया फूल खिला	I cannot Lay claim to that moment Yet beyond its cruel memories A new flower may blossom
पलक झपकते ही मगर तू उसे भी चूम जायेगी अपनी सर्द सी बाहों में तू उसे समाएगी	In the blink of an eye You will kiss it as well In your cold arms It must thereafter dwell
तो अब यहाँ क्या बचा है मेरा?	So then What remains here for me?
चंद सी साँसें हैं कुछ भावनाएँ हैं थोड़ी ख्वाहिशें हैं कई कामनाएँ हैं	A few breaths Some emotions Some desires perhaps A few aspirations
कि ऐ मौत इस ज़िन्दगी से हमें रोज़ तू मिलवाती रहे हर पल में कैसे जियें ये हमें सिखाती रहे	That oh Death May you always Help me meet this Life anew Teach me To live each moment, to renew
वक़्त आने पर शान्ती और संतुष्टि सहित हल्के से तू अपनाए उस पार के द्वार खोल आप से हमें मिलवाये	And when its time In peace and satisfaction Embrace me lightly Unlock that portal Help me meet the immortal
तेरी बाहों में समा चैन की नींद सो जाएँ प्रेम के मरहम का सुकून दिलों में छोड़ जाएँ	In your arms we find The deep sleep of peace In each heart we leave behind The salve of eternal love
जन्म-मरण का सिलसिला अब बस, यहीं तोड़ पाएँ	Break free at last Of these cycles of birth and death
- May 2, 2012	- August 17, 2020

 

Photo by Chris Buckwald on Unsplash

Sparkling Eyes

Picture Courtesy: UrbanAsian.com

She

Of the sparkling eyes

Leaves me mesmerized

Onstage as she glides and flies

She

Of the luminous glow

Knows what it is to be in flow

Embrace her strengths, continue to grow

She

Of the pure inner light

Cannot rest till she shines it bright

On everything that needs to be made right

She

Of the resonant voice

Knows to make a hard choice

Claim inner victory to renew recharge rejoice

She

Of an indescribable inner steel

With one look makes the world heel

Yet nurtures my spirit, helps it heal

He

Of the joyous energy male

Designs the delightful guardrail

A loving safety net to hold even if you fail

She

Of deep divine Love

Relishes life's unending curve

Accepting, embracing all even as we evolve

Sparkling eyes…

Scintillating Spirits…

Inspiring Stories…

They

The Colours of Our Hearts

- 29 March 2019

This piece was inspired by 'The Colours of Her Heart'. It was an honor and privilege to introduce Mallika Sarabhai and her troupe before this performance and open with my poem "Do you See?"

And meeting these beautiful souls after the show left me with a sweetness it is hard to describe. Shortly thereafter, this piece was born - bringing to light how each of them touched me in a unique way.

Thank you - Mallika Sarabhai, Sonal Solanki, Pooja Purohit, Surbhi Dhyani, Mehraz Khatoon - for the scintillating dances; Samia Malik for your powerful music and live singing and Yadavan Chandran for being the wind beneath the wings for the group with all the roles you played.

Sharing a few vignettes from the show - 

The Grand Design

Oh Beloved!

How?

How do I convey

To Thee

That

YOU are as much me

As the 'other' me you see!

How do I say

That there's

Nothing to Fix

It is all in the mix

How pray

Were you led astray

Believing

It could be any other way

When you befriend

Can't you simply suspend

Picture Courtesy: Pikist

The notion of another?

Simply attend

To the pure presence of the Mirror

With an open heart extend

Your Self in wonder?

Dearest Beloved

Those million pieces

I offer up may seem slightly odd

At times perchance, may prick and prod

Yet when those shards

Pierce through your armor

Drop those veils of ego's gossamer

See how they're just the cards

To play, the choices

We've made

For the grand design

For our integration

For Love's inevitable unification

- 25 March, 2017 3/25/17

सफ़ा : A Page

Photo by Max Saeling on Unsplash

सफ़ा	A Page
मन के किसी कोने में इक सफ़ा रहता है कहीं	In a remote corner of this mind Lives a page perchance you might find
बही-खाते तो होते हैं दुकानों में शामिल था ये सफ़ा भी कभी उन में ही	Ledgers are found in stores and shops This folio once closely tracked many swaps
आज कल मगर इसके अंदाज़ में बदलाव सा आ रहा है सही	Lately though, there's been a shift Its demeanor, slightly adrift
गुम था पहले नफे-नुकसान के चक्करों में देख न पाता था जो था सामने यहीं	Lost in the loops of debit and credit The presence here and now, unable to accredit
बुनता रहता था अरमानों को सपनों में पर पकड़ न पाया था नब्ज़ इसी पल की	Weaving desires into dreams endlessly Failing to take the pulse of this eternity
जब हिसाब-किताब की भूल-भुलैय्या में सर चकराया हर घड़ी	When the balance-sheets and their maze Baffled each moment in new ways
रोक लग गयी कलम से मुलाकातों में खालीपन की गहराइयों में उतर गया खुशी-खुशी	Parted its ways with the pen and the scribe The depths of emptiness hard to describe
इक ज़माने के गुजरने में एहसास हुआ तभी कभी	Was it an era, was it an epoch When finally, realization struck
बहुत कुछ है दुनिया में जो लिखा जा सकता नहीं	That so much is impossible To translate into words it is easy to fumble
इस पल की नज़ाकत में महसूस किया है राही वही	Yet in the delicacy of this moment Was palpable that traveling vagrant
यादों में फरियादों में जो पुकार रहा है सदी-सदी	Calling out amid memories and pleas Wafting through centuries
कलम से नयी मुलाकातों में अब नयी उमंग बरस पड़ी	Now the scribe's new encounters Filled with joyful showers
हज़ारों लम्हों की कहानियों में दिखाई दी अब आस नयी	Thousands of moments woven into stories New hope shimmering with new allegories
हर पल के अनंदो-उल्लास में भीगा रहता है अब सफ़ा यहीं	Exulting in the joy of each moment The page lives on, soaked in enchantment
ज़िन्दगी के सफर में इस पन्ने का कोई अंत नहीं	In the journey of this lifetime A page with no beginning or end, no reason or rhyme
राह चलती डगर में शायद आपको भी कभी मिले यहीं कहीं	On the way somewhere, on your path perhaps You too may find it somewhere, with joy to unwrap
12 July 2019	20 July 2020