शाख़ की हरी पत्तियां पीली पड़ चुकी हैं

शाख़ की हरी पत्तियां पीली पड़ चुकी हैं
तेरी राह तकते-तकते,

उन लम्हों की यादें फीकी पड़ चुकी हैं
तेरा इंतज़ार करते-करते

बरसो बरस बीत गए मुलाकात न हुई यार,

अब तो आँसू भी थक गए हैं, तेरे लिए बहते-बहते

अक्सर तेरी याद में ऐ दोस्त, कुछ लिख लिया करते थे

मगर अब तो क़लम भी रो पड़ी हैं, लिखते-लिखते

हम तो बस तुमसे मिलने के दिन गिना करते थे
लेकिन अब तो उँगलियाँ थक गयीं, गिनते-गिनते

शाख़ की हरी पत्तियां पीली पड़ चुकी हैं,
तेरी राह तकते-तकते

A twinkle in the eye (Poem)

A twinkle in the eye
Can, a lot, signify

A hidden mischief
A massive lie
A trick up the sleeve
Revealed by the twinkle of the eye

A child's innocence
A thought, sly
An unrevealed incidence
Unveiled by the twinkle in the eye

A twinkle in the eye
Can, a lot, signify

Fate - Thou art heartless (Poem)

Too many thoughts inside
Yet none that words can share
Too many people around
Yet none who truly care

Oh fate, you are a heartless creature
Loving those who pay no attention to you
And mess with them
Who fear the power beheld by you

Oh fate, why would you hate me,
When I fear your might?
Or is it that
You enjoy my plight?

For if it's so, then I shall avenge
The wrongs you did to me
And fly fearlessly like the birds
And, with courage, face thee

Oh fate, you sure are a heartless creature
But soon you shall bow down to me...

Life of a Writer (Poem)

Pencil ends bitten
Notebook pages filled
Pen nibs broken
Erasers milled

Stacks of books
Disrupted on the tables
He sits and weaves
The loveliest of all fables

Imagine. Write. Check. Hack
Repeat the process again
An unsaid hope - the hard work
Doesn't go down the drain

He reads it over - once, twice, thrice
Re-checking what would fit
A writer's day never ends
Even after evening lamp lit

The pay could be meagre
Though the effort too high
But a writer loves his life
Spinning out webs from a lie

Stop ‘Phubbing’

What pops into your head when you think about the causes which could end the civilisation? Probably World War III, natural or man-made disasters, nuclear wars or phubbing. Wait, how does phubbing come here? Yes, “phubbing” has been labelled today, as the end of civilisation.

What is “phubbing”?

The word “Phubbing”was coined recently to describe a unique 21st century phenomenon of snubbing the person in front of you in favour of your phone (Phubbing=Phone+Snubbing). 

A team of language experts had gathered at the University of Sydney and after much deliberation they agreed to introduce the word “phubbing” in the Macquarie Dictionary.

Apparently, we were in need of a word to describe this issue for a while. After all, it would be rare to find someone who hasn’t been in this situation at least once.

The café in which you would have spent evenings hanging out with friends and got relieved of all tension with the first sip of coffee would seem no more familiar. 

It would be a strange room where you are drinking a tasteless coffee and sharing a table with those who indulge in the “cold and rectangular device with pretty lights” while you are trying to hold a conversation.

Thus, when invited again for a hangout, you would recall the experience and reply, with rolling eyes, “Sure, I would love to come over and talk to you while you talk and text to other people all the time.”

Of course, no one likes being ignored. The worst part is the phubber doesn’t realise the effects on the victim. The person phubbed can feel ignored, unimportant and even resentful.

Unknowingly, we are using our phones in a manner that is affecting our real-life connections.

“Phubbing” might seem to be innocuous at once. But, it is capable of destroying relationships (if not the entire civilisation).

If you are feeling distanced from your loved ones recently, take an honest look at your daily phone habits. Taking small steps can save relations or friendships from breaking.

So, the next time you are with someone, put down your phone and look around. 

You will be surprised by the warmth of your relationship that you had been missing!

(Published in The Gulf Today on January 14, 2017)

New Year, New beginning?

A new year brings with it an array of new possibilities and the desire to set out on the “better me” path. A new beginning to a new life filled with new dreams and new hopes. 

People’s expectation from this New Year was no different. On the New Year Eve, everyone carried a hope in his heart – the arrival of New Year will bring revolutionary changes that will make the world a better place to live.

Thoughts on my mind were not different.

I woke up the next morning, yearning to see the rosy glow diffusing into the orange light that covers the sky, to feel the soft wind caressing my hair as it flows by, to see the streets huddled with smiling faces — some warming up with a cup of coffee in the nearby café, others carrying a long list of resolutions. 

As I bent over the balcony, I was disappointed with the scene below. It seemed like any other day. Cars resting in the parking lots. The grey pavements covered with dust with no souls wandering upon. The sky plain blue with minor white clouds blotched across it.

An eerie silence was holding the reins. No excitement in the air. Nothing that would give you the high spirits or let you believe it actually is a new year. 

As I stepped out from my apartment to visit the nearby café, I saw the guard sitting in his cabin as usual. It seemed as if the New Year was just another mark on the calendar for him. 

Guests at the café were trying to re-energise themselves with a mug of coffee. But even the strong aroma of their favourite drinks failed to fill the air with excitement that was witnessed on the New Year Eve. 

It reminded me of the words of famous American essayist and educationist Hamilton Wright Mabie: “New Year’s Eve is like every other night, there is no pause in the march of the universe…”

(Published in The Gulf Today on January 7, 2017)

Secret Santa

Secret Santa!!!

Christmas celebration is over, but Santa Claus continues to amuse children. While most of them are busy playing with the gifts they received this festive season, a few grown-ups are busy discussing the enigma behind the chubby old man with a snow-white beard flying across the night sky with Rudolph. 

As I was having a leisurely walk in the neighbourhood park, I overheard a group of children discussing the subject. 

“Santa has brought so many gifts for me,” a child said.

“Santa Claus doesn’t exist. Parents shouldn’t lie,” said the elder one.

“He is fictional,” said the third one joining the debate.

These were just a few among those who give Santa the stiff-arm. But what is the fun without a Santa? There will be no Christmas carols, no excitement on Christmas eves, no waking up early to tear open the gifts, no more magic in the air.

For a child, Santa Claus remains at the core of Christmas celebrations. He is someone, who increases the fun of a family reunion, who motivates children to remain good throughout the year using his “naughty and nice” list, the one who loves to share the spirit of Christmas with others.

You can spot Santa anywhere walking in the crowd. In fact, Santa could be anyone who goes out of his way to help others, who shares his joys with those who are sad, who tries his best to bring a smile to the face of others, one who teaches the spirit of benevolence.

As American educator Edwin Osgood Grover has said, “Santa Claus is anyone who loves another and seeks to make them happy.”

It would be better if we don’t try to take away the magic of the festive season and let the child himself unveil the mystery of Santa!

(Published in The Gulf Today on December 31, 2016)