Do Ankhiyaan...

Once you read this post, you all would wonder why is the music note here since the post has nothing to do with it.

But for some reason, I found it to be an apt picture to use it for my post. After a long time, I heard a song that stirred something in me today and the broken note is a symbol of what the singer is trying to say....

I have been listening to the song on a repeat mode and it just gets more beautiful...more meaningful...and more haunting each time I listen to it.

Sau aansoo roye do akhiyan
Sau aansoo roye do akhiyan
Maara hai jinhe neendon ne
Kabhi na soye wo akhiyan

Dil ka musaafir baat na maane
Mud mud dekhe raste puraane
Zidd chhodta hi nahi (nahi..)

Dekh raha hai kaanch ke sapne
Ik na ik din hain jo tidakne
Ishq mein tooti cheeze jag mein
Koi jodta hi nahi, dil jaane na

Sau aasoon roye do akhiyan
Sau aasoon roye do akhiyan
Maara hai jinhe neendon ne
Kabhi na soye wo akhiyaan
Wo ankhiyan..

O..

Jaane waala jaane nahi
Jaane se uske jaan gayi
Aate jaate phir wo dikhe
Palkon ne chhaane mod kayi

Guzra huaa pal guzra nahi
Uska laga rang utra nahi
Hothon se chhuti nahi gaye saajan ki batiyan

Sau aansu roye do akhiyan
Sau aansu roye do akhiyan
Maara hai jinhe neendon ne
Kabhi na soye wo akhiyan

Wo.. o...

Kaise koi roke bhalaa
Haath laqeerein chhod gayin
Laakhon dil ke tukde kiye
Dhadkan ko bhi tod gayi

Kabhi theharega dard kahin
Koi gunjaaish dikhti nahi
Chanda bin jiya na lage
Jal kaajal si ratiyan

Sau aansu roye do akhiyan
Sau aansu roye do akhiyan
Maara hai jinhein neendon ne
Kabhi na soye woh akhiyan

Wo.. o...

Sau aansu roye
Sau aansu roye do akhiyan
Sau aansu roye do akhiyan
Sau aansu roye..
Maara hai jinhein neendon ne..
Kabhi na soye... woh akhiyaan..

Just what I wanted to hear... a broken music note....

Giver's Dilemma...

There are two kinds of people whom we come across...Givers and Takers....

As the name suggests, one of them incessantly offers to the needy (emotional, materialistic support etc) while the other naturally seeks from those who are willing to give.

A dilemma surfaces if the giver is told that he or she has a tendency to provide at every given opportunity and they need to consciously step back if they want to safeguard their well being. They say that the giver is at a risk of being robbed of his/her emotional well being and would easily succumb to emotional exhaustion.

I witnessed a similar dilemma in a giver, few days back. The giver was told by a worldly wise soul that the only way to protect the heart & mind from exhaustion is to take a conscious step back. The soul also warned that the failure to retract will only make the giver suffer more with each passing day.

While the giver may have understood the context, it becomes very difficult for him/her to actually follow the advice. Where to draw the line? With whom to draw the line? How to say no?

These are a few questions which haunt the giver and pulls him/her back from even making an attempt to actually retrace from the giving mode. Well I would only say that, the giver should close his/her eyes, think about the person they are contemplating to help next (consciously or unconsciously) and assess - would the other person go a similar extra mile for them if the tables are turned. If it's a "Yes" that pops in your mind, go ahead and give as if there is no tomorrow but if it's a "No" then the giver needs to step back and keep his/ her thoughts in check.

Untill  a well thought out decision is made, go slow on the giving spree....learn to say No and nurture a bit of taker as well within.

But in all of this...the point is...do not overdo whatever it is you decide (give or take) and the rest would unfold eventually...

A Bow Of Gratitude...

I took up writing to give words to the crazy thoughts that keep trailblazing my mind now and then. It started with few pages in a notebook during college days and then I went into a sudden hibernation for years.

Writing returned to me in 2010 in its electronic version and since then it's been a love story that's still being told. I wish I could write more often ... but then I'm happy with what I manage to pen down.

As always, few crazy thoughts popped up and I had this urge to write something. The moment I logged into my account, my eyes popped.

My blog view had suddenly crossed 5000 views. While I would have eventually reached there in a few days but wasn't anticipating it today. Someone, somewhere added 154 views in a single day. This had happened few weeks back as well.

I don't know who all across the globe end up reading my rantings. Some of my best buds do share their feedback now and then and it lights me up. While 5000 views may not be a milestone for bloggers at heart but to me it means a lot.

To all those out there, across the globe...some known faces and several unknown....I bow my head with heartfelt gratitude...for taking out time and browsing through my thoughts. I don't know whether you relate to these or not; I don't know whether these mean something to you all or not; I don't know whether you all cringe everytime I post something.

But thank you once again... for all the views...Speak to me, in return, with your thoughts as well and help me improvise my words....

With another bow of gratitude...I sign out....Happy Reading....

The Jama Masjid Diaries...

I have been meaning to write this post for almost 2 weeks but something or the other kept cropping up. Though delayed but here it is...

Being a NCR kid for over 13 years, I have had my opportunity to be in and around Purani Dilli & its bylanes - be it the Nai Sarak where I shopped for text books at discounted price or the gali Chandni Chowk where I have hogged yummy munchings with my partners in crime or the extensive shopping spree I went on during my brother's wedding or the visit to Jama Masjid during an excursion tour.

Though crowded & crazily crazy, the bylanes exude their own old world charm. Amidst all the mayhem & chaos, one checkbox was yet to be filled in these past years. Over the years, I had only heard about how alive these bylanes looked at midnight during the Eid celebrations but never got an opportunity to experience it.

Every year I thought of asking few friends to tag along with me so that I could tick this pending item from my "To Do's" list. Alas...nothing could materialize. Well they say that nothing happens before the time is right and I experienced it first hand.

Finally, this year I got the opportunity to visit this part of the city during the Eid celebrations. The rains had turned the approach road quite muddy but the most amazing part was that no one went about splashing the water, while they drove to their respective destinations.

The Sehri time felt like a celebration in itself. At 0130 hours, the bylane was so lively that I felt as if I was traversing through busy Karol Bagh at evening time. We explored a lot and finally reached our destination - "Karims".

There were seven of us and we gorged on the Sehri delicasies as if we had never eaten food and won't get the opportunity in future as well. Be it the Kebabs or the Korma or the Nihari, everything was finger licking good. Could not try out Biryani as it got over way before we reached.

What followed next is what got etched in my memory forever...

As we stepped out of the Karims, and joined the mayhem back in the lane....I saw myself surrounded by souls from different cities, countries and religions. The sea of people, right below the colorful night left a lasting impression on me. Few of them were there for the renowned food walks: some were there as part of the Eid celebrations while others like us were there to experience the energy around the celebratory fervour.

The gang took turns & clicked scores of pictures. The one close to my heart? Me looking up at the fancy trimmings, lost in my thoughts with the Jama Masjid in the backdrop.

One more down....many more to go.....

Pitter Patter...

As my heavy eyelids bid adieu to the day gone by, I see the morning pitter patter giving me a sign of what's in store once I would be awake. It's been raining for several minutes now and the sound of the splashing rain is very comforting.

For me it's a sign that change is yet again around the corner. Once I would wake up, the world would be different shade of green... A brighter hue.

Last year when I wrote about the rain drops, I had said - "it washes away the old and brings in the new". I still believe that this is what rain does. And as the showers grow stronger, a smile appears on my face.....the sleepy one...and all I can see is the haze slowly sauntering around me, engulfing me and whispering....things are about to change... 

Off I go to sleep...

The Darkest Hour...

People say that before the light dawns, the hour is the darkest or.... darker the night becomes, it means that the light is just round the corner....

Well, I have a question... the light may be just round the corner....but how the hell one steers through the dark that keeps getting worse?

If any of you have an answer...do enlighten me...

Twice...

How does it feel to lose something precious, twice...

Twice the trouble... twice the ache...

Two folds full of memories...so hard to fade...

The questions...the doubts...

You lost once... how could it happen again... you think out loud...

Is there a room for third?

Oh no... never again I swear...

I rather not have it & live only in fear....

What's the best way out?

Anything precious...just move it out...

No fear of losing... there is no doubt...