मैं खो जाऊं कहीं !

pankh lag jaayen mere, aaj main ud jaaoon kahiin,
raah kho jaayen sabhii, mod vo mud jaaoon kahiin

havaaon vakt huaa ab yahaan se chalane kaa,
padaa rahaa to is zamiin se jud naa jaaoon kahiin

naa paanii daal bujhaa khaakazadaa sholon ko,
bane jo jaan par, fir se dahak naa jaaoon kahiin

lo aag bhar do mere dil me, jalan aankhon me,
main chaar pal ke sukoon me bahak naa jaaoon kahiin

kiyaa hai jab se ghar saagar sii unakii aankhon me,
yahii hai dar main ranjan , chhalak n jaaoon kahiin

Raat kali hai, lamba safar hai mera.

I love nights. I love the shroud of silence and contemplation that nights throw on my mind. There is an involuntary stillness that enters my heart, as I find nature tucking in for the day despite human beings' frenzied activity around them. Crows start turning to their nests at the stroke of sunset, trees fold up for the day & draw their leaves tighter around themselves like shwals, self respecting insects (unlike mosquitos) disappear for the day. As the night bleeds and spread its black fingers over the lamp shades, the mist of sleep overpowers thoughtful minds and restless hearts. It's time to draw the curtains, not just on the day but on the re-run of the events of the day in our minds.
Nights are for reconsiderations, revivals and rejuvenations.
In simple words when stars start shining at your window, its time to hibernate/shutdown or "Crtl+Alt+del". I see the night has got deep relations with the color black- the hue of absorption,mystery,seduction and death.
Aristotle hypothesised on the nature of light as-" a disturbance in the element air". But I see day and night as -"if day is a factory to feed your body, night is the spa for pampering yourself". As the wind flow through the night, as I watched distant roadlights, I used to feel an incredible high, an insatiable thirst to "create" throughout the night. On the special nights when I write something well, I name them as a "female night"- a yamini, a nisha, a rajni and not just another ratri.
I believe as the moon emerge with the stars, the night materialise to sing their nighty songs. I discover life in dark and fall in love with night.
Now here are few lines written by some hindi poet on Night:
Ghar ke gamlon main jo naag faniyaa lagi fekiey raat raani saja lijiey,
ki jugnuwo ab dikha do mujhe rasta,
Raat kaali hai aur lamba safar hai mera!

Basant - Bas Aant!

kathor sheet chhayi hai aaj
garjan karta hai vrishti paat
din bhool chuka nij ujjwal roop
hai tharrati kaali si raat
par ye kya, dekho door se khelta,
khilkhilata ghutnon ke bal
chala aa raha hai basant!
kya bhay ab kaali raat ka sard,
vyakul rok payega aasha ka sanchaar anant
kya teri ye tez aandhiyaan madhosh,
prachandmita payengi bulbule ko jeevan paryant
kya teri yeh maansik bediyan,
fauladi,
vishalnav srajan ka kabhi kar payengi ant
dekho pairon par khada ho raha hai basant!

Inteha-Intzaar!

Sochtey hain log meri hasrat-e-jafa kya hai,
Kartey aaye hain vo daga,
Panapti meri wafa kya hai,
Jrra-jrra lutata gaya ,
fir ayesash-e-nafa kya hai?
Ghaadi ghaadi inkaar
udhar taa-umra meri rja kya hai?
Dard ishq ki manjil hai,
ishq dard ki wajah kya hai?
dard ishq ka haasil hai,
dard-e-ishq pe fja kya hai?
dard ab behta ragon main
aur ishq main kja kya hai?
hain nahin agar kaante chaman main,
fir phool chunane main maja kya hai?
deni ho gar judaai dena,
maut pyaar main saja kya hai?
Hamein shauk hain dekhein sitam ki inteha kya hai

The last line “Hamein shauk hain dekhein sitam ki inteha kya hai” was originally written by Bhagat Singh (yes, The Bhagat Singh) around 80 years ago. Read it long time back in a school book and fell in eternal love immediately (with the line). This composition, all other sentences being my original, is a small tribute to the great marvel. Given a not-so-good command on Urdu, I used google to find some right words. In case some you find some words unfamiliar, here is an almost literal translation:
People wonder what is this desire of mine for being oppressed She has been treacherous all along, why this flourishing loyalty of mineI have been losing all bits and pieces, why this feeling of profit
She refuses me every second, why this life-long commitment of mine
Pain is the goal of love, why call love the reason of painPain is the achievement of love, then why the lamentationPain now flows through my veins, what else is the destiny in love
What’s the fun in picking flowers, if garden’s thorns aren’t sharp enough
Give me separation if you will, death is not enough punishment in love
My passion is to see the limits of torture.

Chiddra

उड़-उड़ कुछ-कुछ ;
तिनके लातीजुट-जुट लग-लग गाँठ
लगातीबया को अपना घोंसला बनाना है!
आज हर जोड़ पे, मोड़ पे,
मेहनतकल वायु ना वर्षा की
वहशतइस वृक्ष पे सकल जीवन बिताना है!
जमा-जमा इक-इक पाट
सजाताकील-कील कोने-कोने
ठोकता जातामाँझी आज हुआ दीवाना है!
छिद्र कहीं कोई रह ना जायेएक
बूंद ना अंदर आने पाये,
कश्ती को बहुत दूर जाना है!
——————————————————-
वहशत = horror, सकल = whole, पाट = plank, माँझी = boatman, छिद्र = hole, कश्ती = boat

Zindagi ki Rahein

Zindagi ka safar hum kaise byaan kare
Iss dhaukhe bhari duniya par hum kaise vishwas kare
Har din koi na koi yaha dil ko todta
Ek Raaste mein rakhe hua pathar ki terah hame sochta
Hamari bhavnayo ki yaha koi kadr nahi phir bhi
Hum jaise bevkoofo ki iss duniya mein koi kami nahi

Joh koi do meethe bol bolta hum uske ho jaate
Baad mein woh peeth mein chura bhi ghopta ,hum woh bhi seh jaate
Muskil hai yaaron iss duniye mein jeena
Bina gum ke hashi-khushi rehna

Kehne ko toh dosto ki kami nahi hai
Par abhi bhi sacche dost ki chahat bani hui hai
Hum bhi kuch nahi kar paaye bus sochte hee reh gaye
Duniyewaale hum ko peeche chodkar aage ko bad gaye

Abb lagta hai ki zindagi bemani sii ho gayi hai
Kabhi dhoop kabhi chav ki kahani sii ho gayi hai
Zindagi ke mayane abb thodi samajh mein aane lage hai
Saam daam dand bhed ki niti abb hum bhi apnane lage hai
Par apni niyat ko chahakar bhi badal nahi sakte yeh hamari majboori hai
Nek dil aur sehensheelta ki bevkoofi abb bhi hum mein bhari hai

Bus dil mein ek ummeed abhi bhi bandhe hua hai
Ki iss zindagi ko hum badal sakenge yeh sahas thame hua hai
Mann mein ek vishwas hai ki aage ache hee hoga
Jitna bura ho chucka hai abb usse bura aur kya hoga

Isse vichar ko sochkar hum thodi der khush ho jaate hai
Lekin agle hee pal iss duniya ki moh – maaya main phas jaate hai
Lagta hai abb Meri kalam ne jawab de diya hai
Par meri kuch muskilo ko usne aasaan kar diya hai