Poetry and Life

I attended a poetry recitation event today in my company. It was really a nice initiative from the organizers and I enjoyed every moment of it.

I recall a famous quote made by Robin Williams in a famous movie "The dead poets society"

"We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.

To quote from Whitman, 'O me! O life!... of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless--of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?'

Answer. That you are here--that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?"

A Prayer

I recently attended Art of Living course (Part-1). The last three days were really memorable for me. In spite of hectic work schedule, I was still able to maintain peace of mind and had a powerful source of energy within to keep me refreshed all day.
I also wrote the following prayer poem yesterday.

A prayer

In the journey of life,
Give me Vision to witness your beauty infinite.
Give me Strength to fly across from darkness to light.
Give me Purpose so that towards the end I could proudly say....
...I truly had a wonderful flight

My idea of living a good life

There were series of incidents today that were interesting
1. I saw an article in TOI that Man is losing touch with Nature.
2. Today, papa was telling me about his experience in our home town (hills), and how non-natives from plains have started relocating to the hills and doing business there.

This made me think about what my values, goals are, and how would I like to live my life if given a chance. I closed my eyes and tried to remember when was the last time I experienced everlasting peace, enjoyed the beauty of nature, and felt really alive as if I was in heaven. All my memories and thoughts returned to a period in my life when I was just a kid and went to my hometown village - Shilpori, located in the jungles of Corbett. Unlike a traditional village, the neighbours in the village are at least 0.5 to 1 kms apart, so it is a kind of farm house in the hills. The climate is pleasant in the summers, and it snows in the winters. The area is lush green, full of nature's gifts- 24X7 water from natural springs, clean and pollution free air, and peaceful atmosphere with chirping of birds, langurs and the music of leaves and branches of trees under the effect of strong wind. Never before and anywhere else I have seen a clear and bright sky in the night, full of stars and constellations. You have to travel 2-3 kms from the nearest road to reach the two huts and our farms. The area is self-sustaining, as you eat what you grow - right from (Organic without pesticides or artificial fertilisers) vegetables, fruits, milk, ghee, pulses and cereals. You feel energetic throughout the day, and have a sound sleep in the night.

There is a natural bonding with the nature- from cattle, to pets - dogs, cats. I remember playing with bhotia dogs (black with long hair) while enjoying the sunshine. In the morning , I along with my cousins went to the jungle for feeding our buffaloes. In the evening, I went on trekking with Papa to the top of the hills, plucking wild variety of some vegetables to be cooked for dinner. There was no electricity, and frankly speaking you do not feel the need for it. In the late evening, all of us sat on the ground in front of our house. While waiting for the dinner, we relished the cup of tea, and chatted amd listened to the old Hindi melodies and breaking news on the radio.

Today, when papa told me about the recent developments in the hills, I thought if people from the hills can relocate and make a living, am I not missing a great opportunity. What do I really want? What does a good life really mean to me?

1. I would want to live and work in a place where I can connect to the nature - the trees, animals, hills, river, clean air, climate and the peaceful atmosphere.
2. I want to do creative and meaningful work that raises the quality of life of others, that gives me respect from others, and full of never-ending learning opportunities.
3. I want my work to reward me enough money to fulfil my responsibilities towards my family without any compromise.
4. I want to give love and care to my wife and kids, and create a loving atmosphere where I, my wife and my kids learn and grow strong.
5. I want to give some time to myself, to exercise, to play, to laugh, to meditate, to introspect and generate positive vibes.


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This song got automatically played in my phone while I was writing above lines.


Aane Chaar Aane song lyrics

aane char aane bache hai char aane sun le waste na karna yaar - 2
baara aane zindagi yunhi waste hui waste hui waste hui - 2
ke ab toh aana char aane bache hai char aane sun le waste na karna yaar
aana char aane bache hai char aane sun le waste na karna yaar
dhim dhim tanana ....

itne sapnen the jo dil mein hi marr gaye
chadhane ke pehle hi "parvat" se darr gaye
itne sapnen the jo dil mein hi marr gaye
chadhane ke pehle hi parvat se darr gaye
ab toh chadhenge girenge dekhenge kya hai parvaton ke paar
ke ab toh aana char aane bache hai char aane sun le waste na karna yaar
dhim dhim tanana ....

backfoot backfoot backfoot backfoot pe khele the
fronfoot fronfoot fronfoot fronfoot pe khelenge
backfoot backfoot backfoot backfoot pe khele the
fronfoot fronfoot fronfoot fronfoot pe khelenge
second innings mein jo maarenge chhakka seedhe stadium ke paar
ke ab toh aana char aane bache hai char aane sun le waste na karna yaar
baara aane zindagi yunhi waste hui waste hui waste hui - 2
ke ab toh aana char aane bache hai char aane sun le waste na karna yaar
dhim dhim tanana ....

साथ दोगे ना ?

This was a question in form of a poem asked by my wife once

साथ दोगे ना ?
खिली सुबह हो रात घनेरी
साथ कोई हो हूँ
कभी अकेली
साथ मेरा तुम दोगे ना?

दिखा सकूं
छिपा हो मन में
कहूँ तुमसे
खामोश रहूँ मैं
प्यार मेरा समझोगे ना ?

लगूँ परी सी
उलझी , डरी सी
युवा रहूँ
प्रौढ़ जर्जरी सी
पास मेरे रहोगे ना?

रेशम सा हो
स्पर्श टाट सा
सधा हुआ हो
कांपते पात सा
हाथ मेरा थामोगे ना ?
साथ मेरा तुम दोगे ना?
___________________________
Here was my response to my lovely wife:

अभी शुरू हुआ है अपने जीवन का सफ़र ,
कठिन है डगर , चलना है साथ ।
गर तुम्हारा साथ ना दूंगा तो किसका दूंगा ।

नवजात शिशु हूँ मैं , सीख रहा हूँ खेल के नियम
अगर हो जाये मुझसे भूल तो ना होना उदास तुम

अकेला अधूरा ही चल रहा था मैं जीवन डगर में,
तुमसे मिलके जान मैंने अर्थ जीवन का
तुमसे हुआ है जीवन सम्पूर्ण ,
अगर मैं अपना साथ ना दूंगा तो किसका दूंगा ।

तुमसे मिलके पाया हैं मैंने प्रेम अमृत ,
सुना है बड़े सौभाग्य से मिलता है प्रेमी हृद्येश्वर
गर अपने इश्वर का साथ ना दूंगा तो किसका दूंगा ।

Start Running

"Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up.
It knows it must run faster than the fastest Lion or it will be killed.
Every morning a Lion wakes up.
It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death.
It doesnt matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle.
When the sun comes up, you better start running.'"
---an African proverb

Courtesy: http://orione.wordpress.com/
Internalize your threats and you will find ways to go around it and succeed . Be graceful to adopt changes if necessary and some day you will never regret it.

Where are you, God?

Here are some of my lines which I wrote some time back, while thinking about God. Hope you like it:

I asked God – Do you exist? If you are all around me why can’t I see you?

God replied – I am all around you. I am inside you if you can look within.

I am in trees – that’s why I nurture

I am in your parents – who symbolize true unselfish love

I am inside your sweet heart who loves you

I am in your child who evokes feeling of tenderness and love

I am nothing but various forms of love.

So if you have to see me you have to love.

My third poem

सोया था मैं , सुशुप्त थी सारी कलाएं

अनजान , बेरंग , एक्स्वर थी इस दुनिया की संभावनाएं

तुमसे मिलके जग उठी हैं, मधुर मनोहर अभिलाषाएं

जाना मैंने हूँ मैं कौन , और कौन हो तुम

तुझ में हूँ मैं , और मुझमे बसी हो तुम

दो रूप हमारे , पर एक अस्तित्व हैं हम

तेरे बिन मैं अधूरा , और मेरे बिना अधूरी तुम

हमारे संगम से हुआ शुरू , जीवन का असली क्षण

और होके एक , रचेंगे हम एक नया जीवन

जिस तरह सम्पूर्ण , मधुर होगा अपना प्रेम भरा नवजीवन

उसी तरह , याद करो प्रिये , रची थी सृष्टि हमने एक दिन

रचे थे हमने सृष्टि के पंच तत्त्व

सूर्य , गगन , पृथ्वी , अग्नि और पवन

तब धारण किया मनुज देह हमने , इन पंच भूतों के आसन पर

अभी तक मौजूद हैं इनका एक अंश इस देह के भीतर

रची थी हमने प्रकर्ति , बनाए थे हमने ही यह नियम

नदी , वृक्ष , पक्षी , पुष्प और मौसम

मन मोहित कर लेने को ही लिए इन्होने जन्म

याद करो प्रिये , जीवन चित्र में हमने ही भरे थे सुख और गम के रंग

इन दोनों रंग के मिलन से रंगीन हुआ है अपना स्वप्न

तेरा मेरा साथ है अनंत से , ये जीवन बस एक क्षण

इस पहचान से करे शुरू , एक नई सृष्टि का सृजन