The Valleys In Between

Happy Independence Day XD

On this occasion of great joy, however, the tumults going on in the valley of Kashmir are disheartening. They have inspired this poem in me. Kashmir has been as much our mistake as much as it has been Pakistan's, and the Kashmiris themselves. We Indians have dealt the Kashmiris as much atrocities as we accuse the terrorists of.

However, it is time to have a two-way effort, to start new, to reach out a hand, to touch hearts once again, to not let the valleys in between deepen even more...

This poem shows the words I would like to say to my brother of the vaadi...the things he holds me responsible for, the things I am guilty of, and the things that went wrong...but also it has the hope of a new beginning...kuch kadam hamare, kuch tumhare...

यहाँ पर हूँ मैं, यहीं पर तुम हो
अपनी ही नफ़रत में ऐसे तुम गुम हो
हसीन ये वादी, गमगीन तुम्हारी रूह
न तो एक मुस्कान, न ही गुफ्तगू
तुम कहते हो तुम जुदा हो हमसे
कुछ कटे-कटे से, कतराते हो हमसे

हिचकते तुम हो, हिचकते हैं हम भी
कुछ कदम तुम चलो, कुछ चलें हम भी

सवालों का तीर तुम्हारी हर निगाह
पूछती हों जैसे "क्यूँ दी थी दगा"
दीवाली क्या ईद क्या रमज़ान का माह
गरजते थे गोले पटाखों की जगह
तुम कहते हो तुम खफा हो हमसे
कुछ-कुछ मायूस, नाराज़ हो हमसे

रुसवाँ तुम हो, रुसवाँ हैं हम भी
कुछ कदम तुम चलो, कुछ चलें हम भी

न कभी बड़ी हुई, न देखी कभी सुबह
तुम्हारी वो बेटी जो थी फूल की तरह
रौंदा उसे, बेइज़्ज़त किया हैवानों की तरह
कभी वहाँ के काफ़िर, कभी अपने बने वजह
तुम कहते हो हम कातिल हैं उसके
मैय्यत उठा दी हमने निकाह में उसके

नाराज़गी है वहाँ, शर्मिंदगी है यहाँ भी
कुछ कदम तुम चलो, कुछ चलें हम भी

काट दी पूरी ज़िंदगी क़ैद-सी में रहकर
तुम वहाँ के न हो सके वहीं के होकर
बंदूकों की ताल, बारूद-गोली का संगीत
यही सब सुना, बस, पत्थरों का गीत
तुम कहतो हो हम ज़ालिम हैं बस
गीराई तुम्हारी लाशें जब तुम थे बेबस

अंगारें हैं वहाँ, चिंगारी है यहाँ भी
कुछ कदम तुम चलो, कुछ चलें हम भी

हाँ हम दोषी हैं, पर सिर्फ़ हम ही तो नहीं
तुम्हारे खून का धब्बा बस हम पर ही नहीं
तुम कहते हो तुम हमारे अपने नहीं
वादी सिर्फ़ तुम्हारी है, हम हक़दार नहीं
क्या दूसरी शुरुआत की गुंजाइश नहीं?
जब इतनी दी जगह, तो दिल में क्यूँ नहीं?

चाहत है वहाँ, चाहत है यहाँ भी
कुछ कदम तुम चलो, कुछ चलें हम भी

Happy Independence Day, once again! :)

Untill later, Cuidate!

Vote for me now! Blogomania 2011 sponsored by CommonFloor.com - India’s Leading portal to find apartments for sale and apartments for rent

Mehr - III

( -continued)

But we had our sane moments as well.

When I had first met Mehr, she had been undergoing a personal crisis. I got to know about it almost an year later. Such was the strength of this girl that she almost always maintained a joyous exterior at school. Never bending down, never giving a clue to the hell that rioted her from within. When she finally did tell me, not only was I vastly surprised (because I believed Mehr's stomach to be incapable of digesting matters :p) but I also developed a deeper, more profound sense of respect for her.

Then there were times when she would just simply come because she did not know what to do. Be it buddy trouble, "SRK" trouble, real SRK trouble, lost-pen trouble, lost-everything trouble (yes, including lost bottles and umbrellas), haailaa..exams-round-the-corner anxiety (I wasn't much help in that field though, it gave me pleasure to scare her even more ;) ) mum-doesn't-let-me-read-novels-in-the-toilet trouble (I taunted her about this; "I do it all the time Mehr, become smarter"), and sometimes serious trouble as well. Many hours were spent comforting, consoling...

In the first board year, she told me she would be leaving next year. I never paid attention to it. "When the time comes", I thought, "I'll convince her to stay". What I had forgotten was that I could only convince her, not the family. And when the time did come, I discovered how utterly helpless I was. Mehr, when you left, it did hurt real bad. (There, I said it finally)

Luckily for us, distance deepened the bond even more. To Riya's utter ecstacy, I had always been horrible at phone conversations, which meant I hung up as soon as she was done with asking the homework, no chatting no nothing. To Zahira's utter dismay, I had always been horrible at phone conversations, which meant no chatting no nothing from my side. Zahira droned on and on and I said 'yes yes' periodically :p And so to my surprise, I could talk to Mehr on the phone with relative ease. Friendship grew purely on the rythm of voices. We did not see each other for nearly another year. After that her visits became somewhat regular (Dentists have a thankless job I say :p).

We have shared all the times that can be, joy and sorrow alike. But laughter was always the music :) Mehr, I have learned many things from you. No matter what others say or think, whether they expect too much or too low, I know that you are a wonderful person. You have been the first who I could really call a best friend. I know that I still don't confide, and that gets on your nerves sometimes, but that's the way I am and thank you for being so gracious about it. And sometimes the sarcasm gets too much, but what's life without humour :) I am not as visibly affectionate as you are, but thank you for understanding anyway. I am mean, I am cruel, I am rude, but thank you for still staying. I may not always have the solutions to all your problems, but I will always try :)

That was another of our characters, Mehr. But this is one of those stories that shall never end.

Mehr...Persian for "love", the same meaning as Neha.

Untill later, Cuidate!

Vote for me now!

Mehr - II

( -continued)

Oh, I remember, she was punished once!

Tughlaq (our character, another great and mad personality, more on her some other time) and Mehr were one day dancing. What's so great about it, you must be thinking. Well, you are right, except for the fact that they were dancing in the chemistry lab, with experiments on in full fledge!! There at the back were Mehr and Tughlaq, cheerfully singing along the tunes of Hare Raam Hare Krishna and happily twisting and turning their bodies about (for no apparent reason), untill............Mr. Ajay Sharma, our chemistry teacher (he was young and therefore popular) furiously marched over and ordered both the girls to get OUT.

Once ordered out, Tughlaq was scared out of her wits, while Mehr, our hero, was still singing Hare Raam Hare Krishna!!!! Later both of them even got into a small fight as Tughlaq blamed Mehr for their little misadventure, but Mehr, our hero, was still unfazed and was still singing Hare Raam Hare Krishna!!!!

Hilarious :) Though my only regret in life would be that it wasn't me who landed Mehr in any that sort of trouble :p

That reminds me, there was another signature Mehr move. Whenever jubilant, she would move her clenched fists in a horizontal circle in front of her, while at the same time rocking herself to and fro and chanting yay yay yay yay! ;)

I must state once again a great truth of my existence: I'm lazy XD So I never bothered carrying around a water bottle or an umbrella in the sweltering heat. Which Mehr dutifully did. And I considered it as my great duty to drive her nuts about it.

Before beginning on that, I must state a great truth of Mehr's existence: she is totally absent-minded XD So let's begin. Mehr's bottle was a product ahead of its time. I mean, every part was detachable (or broken). And given Mehr's attentiveness to her belongings, her bottle would always magically be found in a corner as far away from her as possible. And sometimes, I was the hand behind those magical-bottle-vanishing-acts. I still can't figure out why she would barge up to me and demand to know where the damned thing was...! Same story goes with her umbrella, the bloody thing kept disappearing only god (and me, sshhh...) knows where!

But can the story ever be complete without the art classes? Her white shirt was my canvas. And I, like a true artist, let the charcoal stubs run wild over it plummeted in the landscapes of my imagination... :) I don't know why but she would then behave like a crazy bull, charging after me in true Spanish bull fight imitation. Later I would send sorry-chits across the classroom to sober the animal in her down :p (Hey, I never meant those apologies, mind you!)

But we had our sane moments as well.

( -to be continued)

Mehr - I

When I was in the first grade, Nasik, there were these two friends of mine, Anupama and Rajni, among others. Anupama was the assertive, outgoing, gang-leader, opinionated kind of a child. Rajni, on the other hand, was very very cute, pretty, bubbly in a quiet way, adored by all, and in my language, a "girlish" girl :p These two would sometimes quarrel with each other, laying claims on me for a best friend. In the games period, I was always picked to play on Anupama's team, obviously, because Rajni did not have much say when it came to field politics. "She is my best friend". "No, she is my best friend, not yours". Thus bickered the two adorable little five-year-olds :p (Hey, and I'm not exaggerating or showing off :p I really was in demand :p)

But instead of being pleased, these tirades used to make me very uncomfortable. Never once did I grace either of the two girls by accepting their claims, for they were honestly not my "best friends". I have always essentially seen myself as a solitary person. Sure, I do love my friends, to laugh and have fun with them. But in the end, it was only me for myself, and that was my choice.

Its true, in all my growing up years, I had many friends, but never ever I saw anyone as a best friend. It was something I was haughty and proud about. About not feeling the need to have someone really close to confide into, or liking someone more than the rest.

That was all untill Mehr came along.

Mehr was a very vivacious person. She literally oozed life out of her! And then I could swear, I never saw anyone with a more cheerful disposition. She was always smiling, or laughing (loudly, very loudly :p). And of course, sticking to the stereotype, she was a chatterbox :p "Archi, you know what, blah blah blah blah blah blah blah". "Hey, yesterday this something something something something". "You won't believe it, I chapad chapad chapad chapad chapad". So, as you can tell, chattering was in her soul :p The only person who talked more than her was Zahira.

Amazingly, me the dumb even heard out her tales! Even today, I not only carefully listen to what she has to say, I even ask questions and wittily respond. Sigh, company rubs off I guess :p

When we used to sit together in class, it was a clear invitation for danger. For her. Because I used to pass on a stream of interesting comments, discreetly of course. And she used to bounce and laugh, very loudly of course. Time and again the teacher would turn around and find her face twisted in a grin, and beside her I sat with a straight poker face, pretending not to know Mehr at all. Thankfully, it used to end there. No reprimands.

Oh, I remember, she was punished once!

( -to be continued)