बेकार की गणित !

मेरी छत पे अंगड़ाई लेते सूरज 

तुम्हारी खिड़की पर शर्माते चाँद 

के दरमियाँ, चलो फ़ासले नापते हैं !

तुम्हारी मेज़ पर रखी मेरी तस्वीर 

मेरी अलमारी में रखी तुम्हारी पुरानी कमीज़ 

के दरमियाँ, चलो फ़ासले नापते हैं !

तुमारी दांईं आँख के तिल ,मेरी पलकों के बीच 

मेरी हिचकियाँ  ,तुमारी करवटों के बीच 

तुम्हारी कलाई घड़ी ,मेरी दीवार घड़ी की सूईयों  के बीच
टिक-टिक, टिक-टिक करती तन्हाईयों के बीच 

चलो फ़ासले नापते हैं !

मेरी जम्हाइयां , तुमारी झपकियों के बीच 

मेरे काम, तुम्हारी थकान के बीच 

मेरे सवाल ,तुम्हारी खामोशियों के बीच 

तुम्हारे अश्क़, मेरे बयानों के बीच 

चलो फ़ासले नापते हैं !

मेरे आँगन के पीपल , तुम्हारे बरामदे के मेपल के बीच
माप लेते हैं दूरियां , वो अल्हड़ समंदर 

जो अलसाया पड़ा है, मेरे तुम्हारे दरमियाँ
उसकी गहरायी भी मालूम करते हैं
चुरा ले जाता है जो मेरे परफ़्यूम की खुशबू 

ठीक तुम्हारी नाँक के नीचे से और आने नहीं देता
तुम्हारी पतंग मेरे खेमे में  !
पता लगाते हैं अंतर तापमान का भी मेरे तुम्हारे शहर के बीच
और फ़िज़ाओं की नब्ज़ टटोलते हैं !

उफ़ !!!

कितना कुछ है नापने ,तौलने को
सुनो ! इस बेकार की गणित से
ज़मानें को ही उलझने देते हैं !

तुम्हारे ख्वाबों में मेरी मौजूदगी है
मेरी दुआओं में तुम्हारा ज़िक्र
वो जो पुल बन रहा है आसमां के उस पार
चलो , वहां तक एक दौड़ लगा कर आते हैं !

--सौम्या 

Over a cup of tea

when the sun was slowly sinking
and the breeze was charismatic
and the pale blue sky was dyed
our favorite colors red and purple

when grass rustled
and birds huddled
and the weather was oddly whimsical
You and I were having tea
perfectly brewed with ginger
unmindful of the unknown faces
on a boulevard lined with red roses

We were delighted with the splendor around
and with the exquisiteness inside
our penchant for tea grew and expanded
to the fondness for the connoisseur opposite
you and I, we knew this secretly

the aroma traveled, to-and-fro
carrying our spirits across the table
conversation commenced, glances shared,
smiles cruised, butterflies whispered love in the air
refreshing it was, like never before
the tea and the company

silent spurs weren't awkward, but fitting
happiness was the only emotion in the setting.
we sipped the cup’s contents slowly, serenely
hoping to expand the span of the moment
to forever, to eternity

you looked at me with an unwavering gaze
I asked ‘What is it?’
You replied ‘Nothing.’
In a jiffy, your eyes revealed ‘I want you’
anon, my lips acknowledged ‘I’m all yours’
over a cup of tea! ~Saumya

Dear Friend with a Certificate

Dear Friend with a Certificate,

First and foremost, this is not a hateful write-up. Not another debate on the need of caste or gender-based reservation. Not an article on the origin of caste or the history of oppression. Not pointing fingers to political, religious or communal groups. It is not meant to offend you or anybody. It has no pun intended, no sarcasm hidden between the lines.  If it still displeases you, I offer you my apologies and the below quote.

If you are still reading, let me address you in the most appropriate way I know- FRIEND. Just as Oxford Dictionary defines the word. Plain,Simple,Friend. Dear Friend, We, you and I- we go to the same shopping malls, eat at the same restaurants, read the similar kind of books, play at the same grounds and breath the same air. We go through the exact same feelings of love, hope, despair, pride, shame and loneliness throughout the course of our lives. The sound of our laughter, the composition of our tears and even the smell of our farts is same. We have shared our lunch-boxes, made fun of teachers, bargained in street shops, used each other's clothes and jewelry, celebrated festivals together and what not. Amidst all similarities, however, there is a difference- a piece of paper, undersigned by a  government official, differentiates us. It is a certificate that you are entitled to, and I am not, on the basis of your Surname and this certificate can bestow you a seat dream in a Government institute or Organization. 

Though I detest the reservation system in its current form, I have absolutely no qualms against you friend. It was not your choice to be born in a 'caste' as it was not my choice to be born a particular 'gender'. I don't understand why 'what' and 'where' we are born matters so much despite the fact that we have no control over it. I am not a socialist enough to support stratification of Surnames or a feminist enough to talk about gender equality and women reservation in a single sentence. Dear Friend, I don't deny your hard work, believe me. You are doing amazing things in life. I know many friends who have certificates but they are pursuing PhD's in top US varsities or presenting top-notch innovation strategies in corporate summits. I also know a friend, a class topper, who had a certificate but she never used it at the time of admission or during placements. The entire batch respects her even today. I know there are more like her.

Am I going to ask you to start a revolution and burn your certificates? Absolutely not! Everybody likes privileges or free gifts, to be very honest. Who knows, if tomorrow, people who share my surname go to streets and protest for reservation, I might also get a similar certificate and start using it. Just One Life, dear friend. And each one of us has an appetite for a little luck in one hand and a bunch of certificates in another. Always,no?

Well, what is this write-up about then? It's about a small ask. The ask is, to tell the truth. The truth that you owe to people who don't have certificates or who have but don't use their certificates. The truth about your actual marks, actual percentile, actual rank.You owe this truth not to your friend, colleague, competitor or foe but to something known as hard-work. Because Hard-work is not a caste, gender or surname thing, it is a discipline, determination and sweat thing. Dear Friend, when your Facebook wall is flooded with congratulatory messages, that someone who scored more than you and still didn't make it, is contemplating over his mistakes and doubting his capabilities. He is unable to decide if he should quit or compromise or give another try. He is someone who quit his job for his dream, someone who skipped innumerable movies to buy books and take test series, someone who slept two hours less every day to analyze his mistakes, someone who is hell bent to not use his certificate or someone who was barely able to make both ends meet and counted pennies to fill forms. I am not saying that you didn't do any of it. You did. And so did he. But I know somebody who scored a 66.79 percentile and bagged a seat in a top institution but reported 99.79 to everyone! People who don't have certificates or don't use their certificates do not deserve such a lie, especially when they score a 96. 

I am not stereotyping anyone, I am not defending anyone, I am not generalizing anything. I know many people who tell the truth straight away. I know a friend and mind you a very adorable one, who openly accepted to use her certificate and it never changed anything in our relationship. Except that, I was in awe of her honesty.  

We are all humans who fall and rise and grow and not a 'tool' of a political party.Hard-work is a revered thing, friend. WE should not mock somebody else's with a lie. And WE as in 'WE' in the Preamble of the constitution.

~A friendly 'I'ndividual 

Because I am in hope with him!

Dear Papa,

I know you worry a lot for me. I can always sense the tornado of anxiety in your veins and spot the multitude of apprehensions on your skin. I do not blame you. Categorically, your concern and care are manifestations of your benign affection. I fully understand the perilous times we live in and how the poignant articles in newspapers, sensational stories on news channels and quirky gossips from the neighborhood inflate your fears. One of your major worries is finding a suitable guy for me or perhaps me falling for a wrong guy. Albeit your fear is innate and genuine, like that of any other parent, I have something to confess. Lend me your ears as you have been doing, this time a little more patiently.

I like somebody, Papa. Hold on! Don't get mad at me! Listen unassumingly, please. I never say that your choice would have been any lesser. I know you would have left no stone unturned to find the best suitor for me. But since I found one earlier and made my choice, I want you to know him,succinctly though, through my eyes glasses. 

His name, caste, age, height, salary and other information which you ought to know are written in the other envelope. But are these the most important metrics to determine the suitability of a person as your daughter's life partner? No na? I beg you to take a look at the other envelope later and read further to know the answers to the umpteen questions that are tangled in your mind right now. 

Well, who is he? He is perfectly imperfect;he is real, as real as real can get. It's natural for him to show his love or anger anytime to anybody, un-apologetically. He is never afraid to cry, like you Papa. He will be the first one to say sorry in a scuffle, regardless of the fact whose fault it was. He is a dreamer. No, I'm not being poetic. He dreams of all the riches in the world, a tour to Europe, a Porsche, an ambitious career, only that he wants me to be a part of his every little endeavor. We will rock the world together is what he says.  

He has more confidence in me and my abilities, than I myself have. He has not promised me moons and fortunes, but a morning cuppa tea. He is not the one who would open car door for me; instead he would prefer me at the driver's seat, and make me learn driving and conquer my fears. He is not the one who would remember each and every date or anniversary because all he is thinking is to make my 'today' beautiful. He will not bring flowers and chocolates for me every now and then but will get me a yoga mat, a neck pillow, Oats and Chocos packets or a diary for me to scribble. He encourages me to write more often and get published some day, like you do Papa. He never lets me give up, as he himself never does.

He loves himself a lot. Isn't it a beautiful thing to do? His self esteem is unshakable. The inner child in him still roams freely and plays around, and this is something he takes pride in. He loves his family even more and has his small little plans for everybody- his siblings, his mom and his father. He gets attached to people very easily and knows very well to bolster up the bond and sustain the relations. He has friends for whom he is always ready to walk the extra mile, and so would they for him. Through his subtle ways, he can charm the people alike, no matter they are in a conference room or in a drawing room!

He has his share of flaws,failures, struggles and successes. I have witnessed his best side and worse side and I chose both and so did he. I do not claim he is the best guy in the world. He is not an award or a trophy I would like to win. He makes me laugh and he makes me dream and that suffices. 

This is just his silhouette, Papa. If you decide to meet him, perhaps you can get to know him more and think through completely. I am asking you to trust me as you did when I walked my first few steps. I am asking you to give me a chance because I am in hope with him, because ten years down the line neither me nor you would want to regret "What if I said 'Yes' ". 

You have a choice to make Papa, either you can pick that other envelope and look for his caste or you can give me a call right away. Or wait! You can open the door as well. I am standing right outside, waiting for a hug!

-Your Daughter

PS: You matter most to me, always and forever!