A peom for me by my sister Anamika

*I wonder why, when i call you 'bhai',
It brings calm and soothing sigh.
With the bond we share and the way you care,
I can clearly say this is rare.
It is merely a thought, with childhood fraught.
Having you by my side gives me a bling,
That how god knew, i wanted an elder sibling.
You don't just guide, also stand by my side,
till i grow strong like a wong.
You inspire, I admire. You admire I inspire.
This sounds little creep but believe me it means deap.
I  thank you from core of my heart,
Though in dilemma to choose for how much and what.
Time flew like sand and you were like fairy with a wand,
Loving,pamparing and fond. 
Those long lingering talks where my mind took wandering walks,
Neither I wondered nor I knew, happens rare but i loved listening you.
Let's keep it short and bide, and this answers what I write!

Review- "कितने पाकिस्तान"

इस पुस्तक के लेखक श्री कमलेश्वर जी ने अपने दुसरे संस्करण की भूमिका में लिखा की "कितने पाकिस्तान" की फोटोकॉपी ८०-१०० में "University of Allahabad" के बाहर मिल रही है और वहां के छात्रो में बेहद लोकप्रिय भी है, भले ही यह बात प्रकाशक के लिए बुरी हो पर बतौर लेखक ये उनको अच्छा लगा. मानवता के दिलो दिमाग पे, इतिहास और समय की कराहती और खून से लथपथ दस्तक है ये पुस्तक. चार लघु कहानियां और दो अत्यंत लघु कहानियों के मार्मिक चित्रण में "अदीब" कुछ ऐसी सच्चाइयों से मुखातिब होता है जो उसने कभी सपने में भी नहीं सोचा था. 

निज स्वार्थ में लीनता और हर उस वास्तु पे अपने स्वामित्व की लालसा जो स्वयं की नहीं है, इस पाकिस्तान निर्माण का मूल कारण है. ये पाकिस्तान निर्माण का विवाद मात्र मुग़लिया सल्तनत वाले हिंदुस्तान में ही नहीं है ये तो पाकिस्तान में पाकिस्तान (बंगलादेश) में भी है, रूस में है जहाँ १६ पाकिस्तान निकले, इसराइल में है, पुरे मध्य पूर्व में है, पुरे विश्व में है. पुस्तक का प्रारंभ अदीब और विद्या की यात्रा से होता होता है और अंत भी दोनों की एक मुलकात से होता है. प्रारंभ में विद्या का नाम विद्या है पर अंत में विद्या का नाम परी है. प्रारम्भ में विद्या हिन्दू है और अंत में परी मुस्लिम है. और इन दो मुलाकातों के बीच है भारत पाकिस्तान के बटवारे के सच को जानने की जद्दोजेहद जिसमे अदीब अपने एक अर्दली की सहायता से अपने न्यायालय में हाज़िर करता है उन सब लोगों को जिनको जिम्मेदार मन जाता है बटवारे का. ये ६ लघु कहानियां उस धुरी की तरह हैं जो मानवता के साथ होने वाले बलात्कार को चीख चीख के बयां करती हैं, जो मानव मात्र के लिए न्याय मांगती हैं, जो अपने घावों को प्रदर्शित कर के मानवता के मन की कुंठा को दर्शाती हैं, और ये ६ कहानियां अपनी धुरी पे खड़ी अपने इर्द गिर्द एक नए पाकिस्तान के बनाए जाने के षड़यंत्र को दर्शाती हैं.  

वर्तमान में हो रही किसी निकृष्ट घटना की जिम्मेदारी भूत पे दाल कर भविष्य में ऐसी और कारगुजारियों को अंजाम देने के मंसूबों की अत्यंत मार्मिक और अधूरी व्याख्या है ये पुस्तक. इसे अधूरी इसलिए क्यूंकि संसार का आज का रवैया देख के तो नहीं लगता की हम कभी भी मानवता, इतिहास, समय को उनके तमाम इलज़ामात का मुआवजा दे पाएंगे, कभी भी उनके घावों पे मलहम लगा पाएंगे या फिर प्रयास भी करेंगे की अब हम उन्हें आहात ना करें. घर के बटवारे से लेकर दुसरे देश पर काबिज़ होने की इस विषय व्याप्त अशांति का मुझे तो कोई अंत नहीं दीखता मालूम पड़ता. 

Review: The White Tiger

A book written in the form of  a letter and an autobiography by Mr. Arvind Adiga.A letter written to Chinese Premier Mr. Jiabao who is on a visit to India, about three most important things of the life of Mr. Ashok Sharma, an entrepreneur from North in Bangalore. These three important things are:

• Ø  The concept of Rooster Coop, found only in India and nowhere else in the world
• Ø  Secrets of being a successful entrepreneur
• Ø  Reason to slit the throat of his master and runaway with his money

Now these three most important things in the life of Balram Halwai who rechristens himself as Ashok Sharma (his deceased master’s name) has devoted almost full two pages of the book out of 190 pages for these three things.

So what do rest of the pages talk about? Life of the two strata of the people living in India, comparison between dark India and bright India, mindset of the people from these two India’s existing together within the same geography. This is the story of how a pure innocence of a loyal servant turns into adulterated crude successful entrepreneur. Balram talks about his village, his rank amongst the servant, his rise in the rank, learning to get adulterated, establishing and running a successful venture and beating the competition in most efficient way. These particular things about Balram took very little space in the book. The things which has covered the book are the contemporary problems that an Indian from “dark” faces since his childhood, the binder which does not let him go out of the rooster coop, his exploitation throughout his life not by his master only but by people from dark even.

Balram slit the throat of his master but it does not mean that his master Mr. Ashok was a tyrant albeit he was very affectionate and understanding master having full faith into his servant. He never let him do anything inhuman unlike his dad or elder brother. It also does not mean that Balram was not a loyal servant. He was equally devoted towards his master and has always done what has pleased his master. He was even ready to take the blame of an accident done by his master and was ready to go jail. Then what made him to murder his master so brutally and flee with his money?

The letter describes the existence of two Capitals of two India parallel to each other, the strata within strata, powerful amongst the weak and weak amongst the powerful, corruption amongst the honest and honesty amongst the corrupts.

Description of village, low standard tea shop, rules of mall for the people from dark, blue line buses of Delhi, stinking roads of Delhi, behaviour of group servants, all of these have presented with an eye for detail. The most dreadful of all was the description of a buffalo pulling a cart all itself towards the place known to the buffalo carrying heads of the buffalo, not the heads even, skull and black nostrils only. This signifies the behaviour of humans towards humans, carrying the heads of human like ourselves after peeling their skin of, consciously or unconsciously.

Although he loved his master but he killed him just to free his soul from the rooster coop and it was his revolt towards this system where master and servants existed and not the humans. It was his resistance towards the coward buffalos carrying the heads of fellow buffalo and foe this he has paid the price by life of 17 of his family members.

A good book to understand the two India of India within the same coordinates of earth.  

Review of "Raag Darbari"

An excellent satire by Shri Lal Shukla, an eminent scholar of Hindi Literature who has drawn an unparallel painting of current socio-politico-economic condition of India with the help of this creation. The plot may be from a small village backdrop and has all the characters from that small village only but it does represent the condition of country in general. Although this novel dates back to seventies but with every passing decade it becomes much more relevant. Forty years later, this novel seems more relevant to our country in general than it may have been at the time when it was written.

The language used is easy Hindi and Awadhi at some places (depending upon the demand of scene or character). This novel is full of local idioms and phrases used in Hindi heartland of Uttar Pradesh. In short we can say that a colloquial Hindi was used in the novel to make dialogues more effective and real.

The beauty of the novel is relevance of its plot with ever pervading society and characters with unending and unsatisfied ambitions. The ambition is to displace the existing powerful, unlawful person from his present stature as he seems clogged with nepotism, favouritism and corruption. These ambitious contestants of the top players use the same unfair means to defeat him which they have been alleging him for.  

Vaid Ji being the apex man of the village is most respectable and winner of all the power play and has always defeated everyone in this game whomsoever has rose against him. The respect and luxuries of life that anyone can command is through corruption, nepotism and favouritism only. All those who try to be lawful or deny the existence of any of the above three will have to pay a hefty price. Characters like Langad personify the life of person who is lawful and wants to do something through right means. He just tries to get a copy of his land record throughout the novel  without paying bribe and fails but he constantly says to others “tum nahi samjhoge babu, ye sidhant ki ladai hai” and in the last he has to lose the battle.

Vaid ji on top and Langad on bottom, in the power play and corruption game, everyone else is sandwiched between these two. Revolt of Ruppan Babu against his father (Vaid Ji) , acts of devoted followers (principal saab, sanichar alias mangal) of Vaid ji, the initial disinterest of Badri pahlwan in politics of father and then replacing him, as successor defeating the ambitions of younger brother Ruppan are the key actions of key characters which signifies everything is reason driven or trying to find out a reason is foolishness.

The Mayajaal and its power play cannot be explained in a better and entertaining manner than this creation. A shear genius of Shukla Ji will make you to witness all these power play, difference of opinion, fight of beliefs, corruption and its abysmal roots.  A must read book.

दिन जल्दी जल्दी ढलता है/

मैंने आहुति बन कर देखा / अज्ञेय

मैं कब कहता हूं जग मेरी दुर्धर गति के अनुकूल बने,
मैं कब कहता हूं जीवन-मरू नंदन-कानन का फूल बने ?
कांटा कठोर है, तीखा है, उसमें उसकी मर्यादा है,
मैं कब कहता हूं वह घटकर प्रांतर का ओछा फूल बने ?

मैं कब कहता हूं मुझे युद्ध में कहीं न तीखी चोट मिले ?
मैं कब कहता हूं प्यार करूं तो मुझे प्राप्ति की ओट मिले ?
मैं कब कहता हूं विजय करूं मेरा ऊंचा प्रासाद बने ?
या पात्र जगत की श्रद्धा की मेरी धुंधली-सी याद बने ?

पथ मेरा रहे प्रशस्त सदा क्यों विकल करे यह चाह मुझे ?
नेतृत्व न मेरा छिन जावे क्यों इसकी हो परवाह मुझे ?
मैं प्रस्तुत हूं चाहे मिट्टी जनपद की धूल बने-
फिर उस धूली का कण-कण भी मेरा गति-रोधक शूल बने !

अपने जीवन का रस देकर जिसको यत्नों से पाला है-
क्या वह केवल अवसाद-मलिन झरते आँसू की माला है ?
वे रोगी होंगे प्रेम जिन्हें अनुभव-रस का कटु प्याला है-
वे मुर्दे होंगे प्रेम जिन्हें सम्मोहन कारी हाला है

मैंने विदग्ध हो जान लिया, अन्तिम रहस्य पहचान लिया-
मैंने आहुति बन कर देखा यह प्रेम यज्ञ की ज्वाला है !
मैं कहता हूं, मैं बढ़ता हूं, मैं नभ की चोटी चढ़ता हूं
कुचला जाकर भी धूली-सा आंधी सा और उमड़ता हूं

मेरा जीवन ललकार बने, असफलता ही असि-धार बने
इस निर्मम रण में पग-पग का रुकना ही मेरा वार बने !
भव सारा तुझको है स्वाहा सब कुछ तप कर अंगार बने-
तेरी पुकार सा दुर्निवार मेरा यह नीरव प्यार बने

Know Thyself

”Know thyself - and thou shall know all the mysteries of the gods and of the universe.” What is so special about knowing yourself?? Is a person so mysterious that if anyhow he knows himself he will know all about gods and universe??? Does all the mysteries of GOD and UNIVERSE are within everyone?? Is it really difficult to know yourself?? What exactly is that attribute that a person should know about himself??? An alternative Latin rendering, Temet Nosce, appears inscribed above the doorway in the Oracle’s kitchen in the motion picture The Matrix. When Oracle told Neo that this means “know thyself”, Neo was never the same. He knew himself so all the mysteries of The Matrix so he was free from it and helped many people to get out of that Matrix.When I started the drive to know myself, I have to stumble at very first step as I was trying to know someone who was born on 24th October 1984 in Allahabad. That child was named as Anurag but today the Anurag I know has nothing in common with that child so in turn it has created an “identity crisis” for me. Who am I??? Am I the same child who was christened as Anurag??? I am not same; everything has changed from physical appearance to preferences to everything else. So what is that thing due to which I still recognize myself as Anurag??This feeling put me in catch-22 position because both these things can not be solved without each other so I decided to go on although I was full of confusion. But there was no fear, doubt or disbelief within me about my being successful in my search. The quest started, I have tried many ways some seems better than others but all of them have told me something about me. A lot many times there was repetition of outcome but still I am trying my best to find all within me and this search will never stop. I will search and find but who knows how much is still left to know so I will search again and I will find and this will become a never ending process propelled by power within.Still after so many years and finding a lot about myself, I can’t say what my properties are because they keep on changing as we all try to upgrade ourselves so I do. So I am continuously changing or upgrading myself as soon as I know about myself so that thing which I knew about myself is know longer in me. So the problem is at its own place but I believe one day I will be perfect and my search will stop.