Tujhe Apnaya Gaya, Mujhe Dafnaya Gaya!
Originally posted on 24 May 2010 : NIKKAH & JANAAZA….. … The difference between a wedding and a funeral! IRSHAAD HAI !! FARQ SIRF ITNA SA THA Teri doli uthi, Meri mayyat uthi, Phool tujh par bhi barse, Phool mujh par bhi barse, FARQ SIRF ITNA SA THA Tu saj gayi,Mujhe sajaya gaya . Tu bhi ghar ko …
GHALIB, SPIRITUALITY AND ‘SPIRITS’
Originally posted on 29 Nov 2010 : Mirza Ghalib did not offer ‘namaaz’ as the good Muslims do. He did not observe ‘roza’ (fasting) and was given to boozing and gambling. He celebrated Diwali with infidels and was willing to go to the Church. His poetry is largely focused on human relations with particular emphasis on ‘ishq’ (love) ‘GHam’ (pain …
Adieu, adieu kind friends adieu…
Originally posted on 15 Dec 2011 I was not born with a silver spoon in the mouth, but I suspect that a book was in my hand as soon as I was strong enough to hold it. Books were my best friends. In my younger days, the train journey stretched over several days, but with a book in had time …
Ye mere sapne; yahi to hain apne; mujhse juda na honge, inke ye saaye
Originally posted on 08 Jan 2011 : In six months time, I will be seventy years old. That is the age specified for human beings in the bible; ‘three scores and ten’ (with a bonus of a decade for those who are strong). I have a confession to make. I do not yet know what I want or need. Like …
In praise of Sahir Ludhianvi
Originally posted on 10 Jan 2011 : The first collection of poems entitled “Talkhian” (bitternesses) written by Sahir Ludhianvi was published in 1944. It received critical acclaim, but the Urdu used by Sahir was so stiff that the lay Indian could not appreciate the work. Many years later, at the instance of Guru Dutt, the poet rewrote some of the …
NA KHUDA HI MILA NA VASAAL-E-SANAM
Originally posted on 8 Feb 2011 : DOLLAR DREAMS When I was a child, people who had been to the UK were known as “England Returned” Everyone gathered around them to listen to their accounts of the land from where our erstwhile rulers had come. They used to bring things which we had not seen before and talk of fancy …
HUI MUDDAT KI GHALIB MAR GAYA, PAR YAAD AATA HAI
O Ghalib, Where are You??? It is generally agreed that mental torture is more difficult to bear than physical punishment because the wounds and bruises which physical blows create heal with the passage of time, while the memories of psychological abuse stay forever and keep returning in the form of nightmares. Mirza Ghalib’s woes were emotional, but he got over …
EVEN THE KING’S CHARIOT BECOMES RICKETY WHEN IT BECOMES OLD !
Originally posted on 2 July 2011 : In a museum in Srinagar, I saw a carriage used by Maharaja Hari Singh, the erstwhile ruler of Jammu & Kashmir. It was carved out of the finest wood and designed specially for use in the mountains. It has a hand operated brake which was applied while travelling downhill, to prevent the carriage …
December 1973
Originally posted on 12 April 2010 : No. There is nothing very historic about the date or the year. All that happened was that I was allotted C-535 Defense Colony(FF), in New Delhi as a house hired under the defense pool. The accommodation consisted of three bedrooms on the first floor and a servant quarter as a ‘barsati’ on the …
THE IMPORTANCE OF PRESSING THE ‘DELETE’ KEY
Layout of the Computer Keyboard In an idle reverie, I sat admiring the person who designed the computer keyboard. The QWERTY format is a legacy from the typewriter, and it was arrived at after a great deal of research. However the rest of the keys have evolved more recently. Amongst the most prominent keys is the ‘delete’ button. Most often, …
