Flying Colors

Making rangoli is one of my favorite Diwali rituals. This art that I picked up not long back is one that has not only turned out to be one of the most engaging and peaceful activities that I have ever pursued but has become a curious case for eye specialists. When making rangolis, I face a strange physical problem in my eyes. They start watering and turn red when concentrating on colors for long. An hour into coloring, and boundaries start getting blurred. I start to see things in multiples! The weird part is, I have no problems reading, writing text(no matter how small the font) for hours non stop. It's only with the colors! Regardless to say, I face the same problem when painting, making mehendis and of late cooking colorful dishes!What next? Problems in laptopping too? Nooooooo!!

No, I haven't been negligent about it. I went to couple of eye specialists and tried to explain my problem but they got me tested for color blindness. I have perfect eye sight and I am NOT color blind is what has been diagnosed. Wow, what a discovery! And now being clueless on what to do about it, my hobbies have taken a back seat. If someone understands my problem or has experienced it and has some useful advice, please call/mail/talk to me, you ;will be a God-send! Or if by chance some crazy medical practitioner comes across this blog post, please consider this as a topic of research. I'll pray you achieve some break through and come up with flying colors :D

Coming back to the Rangolis. No I am not an expert to give tips on how to make Rangolis. I have heard use of sieves to make neat rangolis, but haven't tried out myself yet. But guess will have to try it out soon, as they say it's quicker. By the way, this post is entirely for record purpose. My page of rangolis. My drop in this vast ocean of digital space :)

आज सोचा हमने

आज  सोचा हमने
संभालें उन ज़ख्मों को
जिनपर मली गयी थी वक़्त की दवा
लेकिन वो ज़ख्म अब
निशाँ के हवाले हो चुके थे

आज सोचा हमने
फाड़ दें उन पन्नों को
जिनमें समेटे थे गुज़रे कुछ पल
लेकिन तबाह होने से पहले
अफ़साने आँखों में बयाँ हो चुके थे

आज सोचा हमने
अश्कों से धो डालें
यादों की हर तस्वीर को
लेकिन छलकने से पहले ही
अश्क संग हवा के उड़ चुके थे

आज सोचा हमने
समझायें अपनी आँखों को
वो देखें नया कोई सपना
लेकिन संवरने से पहले ही
सपने फिर बिख़र चुके थे

आज सोचा हमने
लिखी जाए एक ग़ज़ल
एक और तराना
लेकिन कागज़ पर उमड़ने से पहले ही
जज़्बात बेज़ुबां हो चुके थे

आज सोचा हमने
दोबारा करें शुरू ये ज़िन्दगी
इस मरतबा खुद के लिए
लेकिन शुरुआत करने से पहले ही
हम फिर किसी और के हो चुके थे

A destructive love affair!

A bad bad bad day today!!! Migraine, once again! How much this stubborn ailment loves me! How much it misses me! So intense, so possessive, so restrictive! How can I be all smiles in its absence! Such an ardent lover, 3 Migranil tablets seem like some candy to it! Naah, not a lover, a sadist! God knows, it's my temperament that attracts it, or its arrival is what makes me temperamental! And it never comes alone. It always has its mistresses tagged along...nausea and fever! Yeah, I am forced into an awful fousome! And what tragedy, I don't have an option of a divorce! According to my lawyer, I can either reduce the intensity whenever it arrives or increase the time between its arrivals! By the way, I have already shown the litter box to its fetishes like caffeine, soft drinks and dark chocolate to keep it at a distance. But it ain't a weak lover, it loves challenges and always finds a way in. Of late, it has discovered a new route: my laptop screen. That's the only window that keeps me connected to my people and through it, it barges into my privacy! 

And you know how was our first meet like?  I had moved in to a new flat. I was late from work, utterly exhausted. I was walking down the lane at around mid night, completely unaware that it was stalking me. And when I hit my bed, there it was, on me and in me! Why was I the chosen one? KARMA ! I had moved in to an apartment that was just next to a building that hosted a massive Reliance tower. So you see, who the Cupid was? Yeah, that tower aimed those cellular frequencies at me, the union was destined!

And now I have to be happy with what I have been tethered to. Right now I am trying my best to keep myself distracted and typing khata khat is the only way to engage my mind that is already overwhelmed with the attack and is wailingly running for its life, looking for an outlet to pour into!

Now that definitely is a bad relationship and the sad part is I don't have an escape route! Siiighhhhh!!!

Guess what? I am feeling better now and I think this ad hoc write up deserves a place in my blog :D But what about the title??? "A destructive love affair" ??? ;) :D

ख़ुशी

इठलाती इतराती

मदमस्त गुनगुनाती

फूलों से रंग चुराकर

इन्द्रधनुष बिखराती

ओस के मोती समेट

बन मृग त्रिश्ना, मीलों फैल जाती

सीप की चादर ओढ़े 

लहरों के गान की  नक़ल उतारती

बारिश की ऊँगली थामे

प्यासी धरती में खो जाती

फिर रच कर कोई खेल

सौंधी खुशबू सी उठ जाती

माँ के आँचल में लहराती

बन किलकारी गूँज जाती

तितली पर हो सवार  

तरसाती,  ललचाती और लुभाती 

झूमती नाचती

मुट्ठी से फिसल जाती

बन एहसास , आँखों में चमचमाती

ख़ुशी तू कितनो को दीवाना बनाती

एक पल  दौड़ती आती

अगले  ही पल छू हो जाती

इठलाती इतराती

मदमस्त गुनगुनाती

फूलों से रंग चुराकर

इन्द्रधनुष बिखराती !