मैं कौन हूँ?

 

 

जो कभी न बुझने पाए, उस दावानल की आग हूँ मैं
जो गीत त्याग के गाए, संगीत का वो राग हूँ मैं
उफनते सागर में उठते, लहरों की हुंकार हूँ मैं
जो हर रण में सदा गूंजी है, वीरों की ललकार हूँ मैं

विजय का उद्घोष करता, पाञ्चजन्य का नाद हूँ मैं
अग्नि जिसे न जला सकी, वह विष्णु-भक्त प्रह्लाद हूँ मैं
क्रोध में नाचते प्रलयंकारी शिव का तांडव नृत्य हूँ मैं
जो कभी न विस्मृत हो सके, वैसा ही अस्तित्त्व हूँ मैं

करुण-प्रताड़ित कंठों की, पीड़ित आवाज़ हूँ मैं
जो अन्याय का नाश करे, उस युद्ध का आगाज़ हूँ मैं
हर वीर के रगों में दौड़ती, ऊष्ण रक्त की धार हूँ मैं
शत्रु के प्राणों को हर ले, वह अंतिम प्रहार हूँ मैं

दुस्साशन की जांघें तोड़े, वह भीम की गदा हूँ मैं
एक अथक प्रहरी के भांति, सजग खड़ा सदा हूँ मैं
जहां वीरों के दल सजते हैं, वह पावन समरक्षेत्र हूँ मैं
धर्म-अधर्म का क्रीड़ाक्षेत्र, धर्मक्षेत्र-कुरुक्षेत्र हूँ मैं

एक दिन तुम आओगे | You would come one day

 

This poem is written in Hindi. For those of you who don’t understand the language; I have translated it in English below. Please don’t use Google to translate the page… It does a pathetic job. Sorry that I could not maintain a good flow in the translated version…

ज्ञात है कि एक दिन तुम आओगे
अपने आलिंगन में ले जाओगे
सहसा कदाचित प्रकट होगे
और सुख-दुःख मेरा हर लोगे

निराकार अदृश्य हो तुम
असीम सर्वव्याप्त हो तुम
अचल अडिग नित्य हो तुम
जीवन का अंतिम सत्य हो तुम

हर ख़ुशी की मुस्कान हो तुम
हर दुःख की अश्रुधार हो तुम
अक्षुण्ण निर्विकार हो तुम
जीवन के मूलाधार हो तुम

लोग कहते हैं बड़े क्रूर हो तुम
अनासक्त; भावनाओं से दूर हो तुम
खुशियों के नाशक हो तुम
प्रचंड तेजस्वी विनाशक हो तुम

पर हे सुख-दुःख के मूलाधार!
अदृश्य अज्ञात विश्वाधार
तुम ही तो लेकर स्वरुप अपार
करते जीवन में जीवन-संचार

 

=======================================================================================

 

I know you would come someday

Embrace me and take me away

Out of the blue you would appear

And take away my joys and fears

 

Invisible; formless you are

Ubiquitous; endless you are

Firm, immovable, immutable you are

The truth of life; undeniable you are

 

Smiles of all joys you are

Tears of all cries you are

Unimpaired; flawless you are

The basis of existence you are

 

They say cruel; brutal you are

Detached; stone-hearted you are

Murder of smiles you are

Fierce, ruthless destroyer you are

 

But O you! The pivot of peace and strife

Unknown, invisible, basis of life

Is it not you, who in the greatest form

Is the reason of life in all life-forms

Men Not Allowed

Troubles always come in groups… huge groups. And troubles have a special affection for your dear author. And the beloved troublemaker of all times… The laptop… (For glimpses of the trouble-making refer this followed by this). So one fine day pretty close to exam time; when my laptop entered the yearly phase of trouble-making (this time it was motherboard which had passed away); I had no other option but to bunk my classes on a weekday and give the service center a visit.  And after gloomily handing over my beloved laptop in the center; and having ‘something’ to eat from the roadsides of Kolkata, I decided to return back to the hostels. And this is precisely where the fun begins…

I look at my watch which says 5:30 PM and rush to the metro station… And I saw exactly what was expected – A sea of people… No literally… Combine the following facts together – End of the office time; a country of 1.2 billions; a city of over 4 millions and the cheapest metro of the world. What else would you expect? So waiting for the metro amidst the crowd you realise how insignificant you are and how large is the world. 😛 And as soon as the train arrives, the fiercest of the races starts – the race to a vacant seat. Being extremely well versed in the art, I kicked a person ahead of me, punched another who was trying to get ahead and gloriously sat on the seat which I had won. But as fate always has it moments of glory were limited. A couple of moments elapsed and I realised the mistake – the above the seat, proudly announced, “WOMEN ONLY”. And so did the eyes of a lady standing just in front of me. I cursed my luck and the race which I lost after winning and humbly left the seat.

After the metro, came the train, where luckily seats are not reserved for women (certain compartments are). But there too, neither my luck nor the fairer gender spared me. After successfully establishing myself on a hard earned seat, I thought I could relax an have a nap. So with A.R. Rehman plugged in my ears, I peacefully dozed off. But for long… a (gentle)man wakes me up. I realise that a lady is sitting next to me and the (gentle)man sat besides her. “Don’t sleep!  Sit properly!”, said he. I analysed the situation… dress extremely traditional, age- 40 to 50, man and lady sitting side by side – Conclusion: They were a couple. And the problem was that in sleep there was a slight possibility that by mistake I touched her wife. I mean… what the hell… If you have problem with sitting besides a young ‘potentially dangerous’ man, why don’t you exchange your seat with your husband? Why disturb the sleep (which is the most dear thing to a student) of a person who is now forced to keep his eyelids open, staring at nothing for the 2 hour journey?

And finally the bus… For the half an hour journey, I deliberately chose a bus which was scheduled to depart an hour later (as it was be empty) so that I could securely get a seat and ‘relax’.  No use… Slowly as people poured into the bus, I could see millions of standing souls. And… despite 50 per cent seat reservation… a few of the souls were ladies. Unfortunately one of those souls stood besides my seat. And being a young blooded gentleman, I forgot all my sleep and left the seat for her… so that the atrocities of the violently rocking bus (yup… it was on Indian roads) are born by these tired legs…

In short that day (as many other  days) made me realise that we are the most unfortunate group in India. Caste reservation eats up half of the seats in the competitive exams for any ‘general’ candidate. As a ‘young’ citizen you are supposed to be responsible and sympathetic. And as a guy, you must be considerate towards women – even though they receive reservations in buses and trains; they pay atleast half of the fee we pay in any exam, preferential treatment in scholarship and so on…

But… Ladies! Beware! Every gender has its day (or set of days)… There would be a day when train compartments would announce “Women Not Allowed”

Guest Post: And Hence Along the Life I Flow

This is a beautiful poem written my dearest sister White Pearl as a guest post… I am truly humbled…

Less self discernment I show

More the agony, More is throe

Less Humane, more fierce I go

And hence along the life I flow

Selfishness, deceit, dishonesty

Are the attributes I bestow

Greed and lust , lying likely

And hence along the life I flow

Witness a blood-stained accident

Hear to the screams that grow

Turning away my eyes I ascent

And hence along the life I flow

Fall in Love with the mortal

Suck poison that works slow

Die inside Loose Morale

And hence along the life I flow

As a sister and daughter I go

The stage of life swaps its show

As a wife and a mother I grow

And hence along the life I flow

Cherish delightful enchanting bits

Become smiling stars that glow

Never Thank the divine and His writs

And hence along the life I flow

Wandering thoughts and questions

Making home in my mind they sow

I endeavor for the unknown answers

And hence along the life I flow

Experience difficulties and pain

Battle against the days Low

Gather the scattered vessel’s pane

And hence along the life I flow

Family, Friends , a large crowd intended

People navigate along the journey though

Leave me in the middle, empty handed

And hence along the life I flow

Kicked-off, bruised, jolted, slugged

By the savage life that blow

Put up my lifeless corpse converged

And hence along the life I flow

Thinking and being positive, Hope

Are the lessons I learn and know

Happiness and contentment will lope

And hence along the life I flow

Fearless I write

When emotions concealed, come out as tears
Captured is mind, silence resonates in ears
When lost is the strength, belief disappears
I throw out some words, and spit out my fears

When contentment is meager, too large is desire
When realities are too harsh, too ugly to admire
When hopes and dreams are shattered, words conspire
I scribble down my anger, to ignite a fire

When path is too tiring, and treacherous and long
When exhausted is body, too heavy to drag along
Then moments are critical, and demand you to be strong
It is when write, to sing a warrior’s song

When thrilled by success, my heart does prance
When enchanted is the mind, by its mighty expanse
When restless is soul; restless to advance
In those showers of joy, my pen too does dance

To spell out my agony, to celebrate delight
To embrace the darkness, to conjure the light
In moments of ecstasy, in moments of fright
Solely at heart’s call, fearless I write

That the powerful play goes on… and I… might just contribute a verse…

Vijayadashami… Festival, Mythology and Musings

 

With her divine presence spread throughout, she fades away to nothingness… Only to return once again

 

Days of celebrations are over as the days of wait begin. A-midst the rhythmic  beats of the drum we bid adieu to mother with her promise to return again next year.

 

And in these moments where tears awkwardly merge into joy, the mind switches to the thinking mode and tries to look beyond the stories… and asks, “What is the essence of the celebration?”. For those who are unaware of the story, here is what the Hindu mythology has to say about the festival (in brief)…

 

Once upon a time, there was a demon or ‘asura’ named Mahishasura (The demon who could change into buffalo) who aspired to capture the all the worlds and rule them via unjust means. To accomplish his task, Mahishasura meditated and pleased Lord Brahma (the creator). As a boon he got the assurance that he won’t be killed by a man. Overjoyed with the boon, he fights and conquers the heavens and the earth. Commotion is created across the universe. On seeing this dangerous situation, the supreme gods: Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver and Shiva the destroyer combine all their powers to give rise to Durga, a female warrior. She is depicted with 10 arms, adorned with numerous weapons gifted by various gods. The creation of Durga is marked by Mahalaya (the first day of the 10 day festival). Subsequently after 10 days of fierce battle, Durga kills Mahishasura and perishes his army. The 10th day is celebrated as the day of victory called Vijayadashami.

 

Overall, it is the same old story of victory of good over evil, but the subtleties are worth pondering upon. One of the highlighting features of the story is the depiction of woman in her powerful, ruthless form. The same woman who is seen as peaceful, loving and caring in motherly forms like Parvati, Saraswati or Ganga is depicted in a devastating form here. So if time arises, women can perform acts of courage and bravery which are even beyond the reach of men.

Some other points that catch my attention include the meditation and boon of Mahishasura. The creator gave the boon to Mahishasur knowing its potential misuse in future. This in my viewpoint shows the concept that regardless of who you are, efforts always yield the fruits. Anyone who is dedicated to his work, gets his reward – be it a saint or a demon.

There is also a point of unification of powers. Durga was created by the combined powers of the trinity. To me it signifies the importance and necessity of unity of good to combat evil.

It may be very well possible that there was never any Mahishasur or Durga in the real world. But this story would always be a source of motivation and inspiration to millions. The story, which may seem rudimentary at first glance has simple yet deep interpretations hidden within…

Anyways, this festival has much more to do with culture than religion. This is an excuse for thorough cleaning of the household; new clothes; fabulous food; creativity in designing of idol, pandals, rhythms and… overall the environment. There has to be a something in this grand festival that so many eyes await her arrival, so many hearts celebrate her stay, and so many eyes moisten as she departs… There has be a reason so many poets write in her praise and so many musicians sing in her awe.

Shubho Bijaya to all… Celebrate the victory… Spread the joy 🙂

Looking Back in the Flow of Time

Well this post marks the approximate anniversary of my blog (1 year and 15 days to be precise). And as on this day I look back in time, I have to admit, it has been a long time… I remember the day when I wrote the first post “The Mound of the Dead“, I had no idea that this blog will last so long. All I had in mind was a set of posts on the then recent Gujarat tour that one of my friends Subhradeep and myself had just completed. Thanks to his superb camera and brilliant photography skills I was able to add some gibberish of my own and bring out a ‘something’.

I was convinced that that blog won’t live for long. Reasons… Firstly I had no idea what to write… and secondly I had no idea that a physics student can write something which the ‘general people’ could read. No seriously… sometimes we ourselves are amused by the amount of ‘Dirac Deltas’, ‘Considers’, ‘If…then…else’ that have entered into our colloquial conversations. So I was convinced that writing was not my cup of tea.

That was a day… And this is another day. I never thought that I would make ‘friends’ with people across the globe. (And yes, my friends are jealous about it). Now wordpress has become more of a coffee house to me unknown people meet and become so close to heart that their problems seem to be our own. I can’t help but name some of the most amazing people I met in this virtual world. These will surely remain one of my dearest friends even beyond the blog…

Dietlind Wagner… The first one to comment on the blog and an amazing artist who lives in her wonderful little world of puppets.

White Pearl… My first friend from our neighbour from from the west ;). Amazing, cute, wonderful yet confused personality and a brilliant writer. She claim to be as worthless as a grain of sand, but names herself ‘White Pearl’. See I told you… confused personality. (Sorry Sister :P)

Maria Imran… Amazing writer, amazing poet and amazing artist. Currently appointed as my Urdu teacher ;).

Mekala Rodrigo… Brilliant photographer and my travel guide (in future)…

Sharmishtha Basu… With her short poems which go straight to the core of the heart.

And the list could continue but the clock is ticking past. And I have to rush to catch a bus.

The journey till now has been great
What about the future? We have to wait…

Thank you my readers for being with me and thank you WordPress for letting me me meet these amazing people friends.

Sharodiya Shubhechha (Autumnal Greetings) to all of you… 🙂

Sometimes I think I wish I could

 

Sometimes I think I wish I could

Live in poverty as a beggar would

 

And feel the emotions as he spreads his arms

In hope of food; in desire of alms

Be chased down by death each moment every day

To dance to the tunes of hunger and dismay

 

I wish to live his story of fate

And journey through this pitiful state

I wish to see who listens to your cries

When the roof above your head are the skies

 

Sometimes I think I wish I could

Weep in silence as a woman would

 

I wish to feel what it feels to be quiet

When you are being suppressed and wish to fight

To hide your tears beneath a smile

In a hope to see you laugh for a while

 

I wish to feel and live the terror

Live the fear; live the horror

When roads you walk are not secure

And dreams you dream are hard to endure

She’s Coming!

Hearts have waited for so very long

Mind and soul do dance along

The breeze does rush through the grass

And awaits the earth adorned in kaans

 

The drummers await as she comes

A-midst the rhythmic beat of drums

And so do wait the millions of feet

To tap and dance along the street!

 

The pandals get ready as they wait

To house the carrier of dreams great

The sculptors make strokes flawless

As they give form to the formless!

 

Shubho Mahalaya to all of you! Today is the day when Mahishasur Mardini… The destroyer of the deamon Mahishasur was formed. And we all wait as she arrives again as the destroyer of all evils to reside in our hearts…

Let the celebrations begin….