REALITY AND DREAMS

These are times, strange times
when the greenery around
the earth is fast disappearing
variety of pretty blooms are
fading away, rivers, lakes
ponds and streams are getting
dried up, bio-diversity is getting
extinct.
These are times, strange times
when green-house emissions are shooting
up, the sun is getting angrier
and angrier turning
Earth into a barren lady
and the only blessing we have
is a boon of dreams of
a marvelous earth, where
greenery, flowers, bio-diversity
smoothly flowing rivers and streams
ponds and lakes full to the
brim
into a beautiful world indeed
but far from reality.

TUG OF WAR

We do have a tainted
lot
who have pushed our
nation into the abyss.
We do have an untainted
lot
who with grit, determination
and courage try with
all their might to lift
our nation out of
the abyss.
We do witness the tug
of war going on between
the tainted and untainted
lot
and we wait with
our fingers crossed to
see
in whose hands
the ultimate victory lies
-the tainted or untainted?

SKY ON EARTH

With the fall of dusk
that day
a glow-worm flew in
to the room from outside.
With curiosity etched
in my mind
I caught the glow-worm
and held it in my hand.
I could see it emitting
light between
my fingers
and after a few minutes
I let it free
but no, it rested there
without flying.
With a pleasant surprise
I was watching it
emitting light around
then I saw a
number of glow-worms
flying in and all of
them rested here and
there on my body
like stars in the sky.
They rested there
and I watched them with
a sense of wonder
and a bit of my embarrassment.
As the time ticked away
I fell into a deep slumber.
When I awoke late in
the morning
all of them had disappeared.
But in the evening
with fall of dusk
all of them flew into
the room emitting light
and rested here and there on
my body.
I wondered whether I am
the sky on earth.

THE PROTECTOR

Ever imagined the
angst of parents, siblings, wife
and children of a
soldier who is one among
the protectors of our volatile frontiers?
Ever listened
to the prayers of them
before the God with
folded palms across their
chests for the safety of
their dear one while
on duty from the attacks of the rival
forces from across the line of
control?
Ever listened to
their thumping hearts while
the forces across the border
engage in cross-firing?
Ever imagined the
train of nightmares passing
along their minds in disturbed
sleeps?
Ever heard or seen the
loud and helpless cries of his nearest
and dearest when a dark
message reaches their ears
from the border?

TURNING POINT

In the morning
of his life
Aaron’s Dad and Mum were
in England
and he in the
little village of faraway
native country India
where his Grandpa and
Grandma were his constant
companions.
Aaron loved his Grandpa
most,
Grandpa’s shadow was always
following him
the gap between the age of both turned irrelevant
both of them were
close friends
both played pranks on each other
they played elephant
and mahout
Grandpa was always the
elephant,
Aaron the mahout
And the mahout sat astride the elephant
Grandpa carried him over
his shoulders frequently
holding his Grandpa’s fingers
Aaron walked around the
house talking little, little sweet
nothings
and
during nights
while walking along the
courtyards
Grandpa showed Aaron the twinkling
little stars and moon in the
sky.
Aaron always slept with
his Grandpa
Grandpa was love
Grandpa was caring
Grandpa was protective
he was everything to
Aaron.
One day
from far away England
his Dad and Mum came
to India
to take him away to
England,
Aaron made a hullaballoo
he was not willing to
bid adieu to his Grand parents
it was beyond his imagination
but Dad and Mum
were firm and forcibly took him away
to England,
with that came to an
end his happy days
with Grandpa and Grandma.
That was a turning point
in the morning of his life.

OUR SECRETS

My secrets are kept
in the dark corners
of my mind
which are transparent
to me only
to me only
never ever will I
allow anybody to light
a torch into the
secret corners of my mind
just as he/she never
allows others to
explore his/her
secrets embedded in
his/her mind.
Secrets are a part
of human existence
the exceptions being
innocent ones.

SPAIN – CONSERVATIVE PARTY COMES TO POWER

On Sunday 36 million of Spanish voters marched to the polling booths to elect a new govt. It was a foregone conclusion that the ruling socialists under the President Jose Louis Rodrigues Zapetro is going to bite the dust after eight years of consecutive rule. Though the Socialist Party implemented a few popular measures on the economic front it was an abject failure like most of the European countries such as Iceland, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal where the incumbent rulers were forced to quit due to the precarious economic situation.
As anticipated by observers the Conservative Popular Party of Mario Rejoi romped home with 186 seats to his party’s credit out of a total of 350 seats. The socialists had to be satisfied with a meager 111 seats the first time in History its tally has gone down to such a poor level.
Socialist leader Zapetaro’s austerity measures like five percent salary cut, pension freeze, raising of retirement age from 65 to 67 years and other spending cuts invited the wrath of the people which led to his humble performance at the hustings. Five million unemployed youth are a big burden to any govt coming to power.
The European recession has almost badly affected most of the Eurozone countries and Spain is no exception.
The Conservative Party too has to walk a tight rope like its predecessor, the Socialists and people had expected that the Conservative Party would do something for their betterment. But the victorious leader Maria Rejoi has made it clear that we have no magic wand to reduce the mounting debts of the country and hence austerity measures are here to stay.
The people are disappointed and disillusioned at the current state of affairs and they find no way out of the helpless condition.

EGYPT – IN FOR A SECOND JASMINE REVOLUTION?

Egypt is on the boil again. This is the second time within a period of one year that country is caught in a turmoil. First it was Hosni Mubarak, former President, the arrogant dictator, who ruled Egypt for more than three decades versus Egyptian majority. He ruled with an iron hand, suppressed many a rebellion led a life of pomp and pageantry while unemployment, corruption, price-rise, famine, malnutrition et al was on the rise. Economy was in a shambles and the nation as a whole got fed up with his style of functioning. The citizens were waiting for a chance to rise in revolt against the dictator and they got it in handy with the arrival of Arab spring. Tunisia was the first African country to fall against the might of Tunisians. The infamous ruler of Tunisia Zinual-Abidin Ben Ali tried his best to counter the revolt of Tunisians but he had to bow out of power unable to stand the might of tens of thousands of Tunisians. Tunisian revolution was later popularly known as ‘Jasmine Revolution’ which worked as a catalyst for the people of Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Syria, Bahrain and a few Arab countries. Imbibing spirit from Jasmine Revolution the Egyptian citizens unitedly rose in revolt against the Mubarak govt and the majority of citizens gathered at the iconic Tahrir Square and led the uprising. Mubarak with an iron fist tried to suppress the uprising with the help of army but the citizens braved all sorts of repressive tactics and their struggle lasted for eighteen days. In the end Mubarak who ruled the country for more than three decades succumbed to the pressure of citizens and fled the country conceding defeat.
Later an interim military govt took charge of the affairs of the country.The interim govt promised the citizens to hold an election at the earliest and they believed the assurance of military council.
As the days passed along the Military Council displayed its true colours. Like Mubarak, like the Military Council. The citizens actually fell in council’s trap ad taking the military council’s assurance for granted they dispersed from Tahrir Square. The military bared its dictatorial tendencies and went on intimidating and suppressing the citizens.
Though they were taken aback in the beginning the nation as a whole decided to unitedly fight against the military with determination and courage and converged at Tahrir Square.
Military adopted strong arm tactics against the youth, women and old who assembled at Tahrir Square, tear gas shells, rubber bullets and water canons were employed to disperse the crowd. Though they temporarily withdrew, later surged to Tahrir Square and raised slogans against the Army. The Army turned more aggressive and they fired at the people and within a short period killed more than 35 and injured 1700 people. At the time of writing this a violent uprising is going on and it could be aptly termed ‘Jasmine Revolution No.2’.
It is alleged that elections are scheduled to b conducted on Nov 28 but the Army’s intention is to do away with elections so as to cement its position. The word is anxiously watching the shape of things to come in the near future.

HIS NEMESIS

Recently
in our neighbourhood
a local thug
a confirmed drunkard he was
smelling of nauseating
country liquor
woke up his sleeping
wife and three children
late into the night
beat them up mercilessly
hurled blows on them
twisted the hands and
fingers of wife and children
till they cried out of
excruciating pain.
With cigarette butts
he burnt their faces
and bodies
and on watching them
writhing in pain
he gave out a beastily
laugh
his ferocious eyes turned
into two red glowing balls
nobody in the
neighbourhood dared question
him
all but gritted their teeth
sitting in their shells.
He came out of the
house like a victorious warrior.
Meanwhile a gang wearing masks
surrounded him with lethal
weapons
finished him within
minutes
and vanished into the darkness
thus ended a dark chapter
it all happened recently.

CAUGHT IN A JAM

On a summer day afternoon
while the sun was showering
fire from the sky
with an empty burning
stomach like a furnace
I was caught in a traffic jam.
I didn’t have not even
a drop of water to quench my thirst
my mouth was going dry
my throat was going dry
my vehicle was shivering
like a fever patient
needles of fire pierced
my skin
I got drenched in sweat
and was at a loss to
know what to do.
My front, back and sides
were jammed with vehicles
all waiting for the signal
but no
after about an hour
I felt tired like
a faded flower under the
burning sun,
darkness like a black ribbon
covered my eyes and
I was slowly losing
my consciousness
when the vehicles started
blaring horns
yes, the signal had turned
green
I was helpless
to start the engine.
With my head resting on
the steering wheel I sat
unconscious.

THE CORRIDORS

Walking down the
long-winding corridors
of his heart once
I saw and reflected upon
the words, events and pictures
engraved on the walls
of his heart.
The more I saw the
more were left to see and
reflect upon
at last conceding defeat
to myself
I came out with the
conclusion that
no one can’t fathom the
entire depth of one’s heart
or for that matter anybody’s
heart
still we boast about
our findings that we
have gone through one’s heart
in full
on the contrary what
we see and reflect upon
is only a tip of the ice-berg.

FLOTSAM AND JETSAM

In the flotsam and jetsam
of city life,
where thousands and thousands
of faceless crowds
like floating logs in
a river move on
he too is a faceless wonder
rhythmless
rhymeless
aimless
absurd and meaningless
his existence in the city
a dangling life
to be precise
a floating man he is.

THE BUSINESSMAN HUSBAND

She was from a poor family
and he from a rich
aristocratic background.
Though a pretty girl
he made her his
life partner not out
of love or affection.
He had no love or affection
left in him
never did he knew the meaning of it
a heartless business man
he was.
He saw a slave
in her
equivalent to a maid-servant.
He commanded her to do
this or that
he wanted an abiding wife
in her.
His foul language were
deafening and painful to her
yet she bore it like a poor cow
whenever he wanted her late
into the nights
he approached her with
the foot-steps of a beast
and a mechanical transaction
was the result.
The needling pain she
felt was intolerable
yet she kept quiet
in the darkness, her tears
nobody saw.
In the far away village her parents
led a happy existence
thinking she had a good
time in her husband’s house.
They knew not the sufferings
underwent by her
poor they were
she the progeny
of poor parents.
The business man husband always
found fault in her
he slapped her right and left
but she had nowhere left
to escape
as she was a caged bird.

THE OLD MAN

The old man used to
come from somewhere.
No one knew from where
he came from.
Every evening brought him
to the street side.
He was lean and frail
with disheveled silvery hair.
He glanced at everyone with
his twilight eyes
it looked like he was always
serious
never serious he was
his looks were blank
hence he failed to return
the smiles cast at him
by the evening walkers.
No one had seen him talking
to anyone
none had witnessed anyone
approaching him
every evening he was rooted
at the exact spot
like a milestone or
a lankymark.
With the dusk descending
he used to vanish somewhere.
To my surprise and embarrassment
one day he came not
I asked myself why?
None seemed to bother about
his absence
but the silent connection I felt
towards him set me thinking
about his where abouts.
Everyday on passing through
the street,
I expect him
days and weeks have elapsed
his signs are not seen.
Still I hope
one day he will surface
again,
and I await that day.

STARS IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH

Stars in heaven are
calm, quiet and always
in harmony.
Blinking their eyes
they often keep on
casting smiles at us from the clear
night blue sky.
They never clash
They keep no egos
sparks of anger never
fly around them
immortal they are
unlike the stars on earth
stars on earth are mortals
they keep on clashing
with sparks of anger
flying around
rivers of cold war
flow among them round the clock
jealousy is their hallmark
behind their smiles to each other
the race for
one up-man ship
persists like a leech
the glamour each exhibits
is hollow and artificial.
Behind these shining stars
dark spots of ego spread
like moles
all are after accumulating
lakhs to crores
their greed know no limits.
Mortals are always like
that
no reason for wonder
after all.

THREE PEARLS

We, past, present
and future
are like three pearls
tied up by a string
worn by the mankind.
I, the present
always sit in the
lap of the past
with my legs stretched
towards the lap of
future like a bridge.
We are interlinked
will continue to be
interlinked
like three interlinked
rivers
flowing into the ocean
called Universe.

MERCURY LEVELS

On watching the dried
rivers
on witnessing the felled
trees
on experiencing the
searing heat of the
sun and thinking about the
depleted ozone layers
on looking at the levelling
of paddy fields
where concrete structures
are rising
on passing thru the
drought affected areas
across the nation
on the disappearance of
once rich flora and fauna
on witnessing the sea-levels
rising which threaten the
very existence of
nations below the
sea-level
the mercury levels of
my anger and sorrow shoot up
and am shuddered at
the future of mankind.

ALONG THE WAY

The roaring tiger
sped past piercing the
darkness like a bullet
through the thick of
night.
Barring a man and a lady
all others dropped into the depths of sleep
some waited for sleep
to bless them wrapped in
woolen clothes in
the berths.
The man and lady
sitting close to each other
his hand resting on her
lap were all talks for
the entire day and even
night.
What all transpired between
them
whether they were man
and wife
or love-birds
none knew for sure.
The night passed
the day bloomed
again
all woke up in the morning
but I was flabbergasted
when I saw the man
sitting alone in the
seat.
I waited for sometime
but the lady was
nowhere in the picture
gathering courage I asked
him about the lady
who was with him
till late into the night.
His nonchalant reply
was :
the lady got in some
where along the way
and got down some
where along the way.
I found his answer
incredible
and I felt something
fishy in his body-language.
Whither vanished the lady in the
deep darkness?

PUNCTUATION MARKS

Life could be a
simple sentence
at times.
It could be a complex
sentence at other times.
Life could be a paragraph
with exclamation marks
question marks, semi-columns
and full stops.
Sometimes it could be
a page or a book
without any punctuation
marks not even a
full stop at the end.
If Saramago were alive
we could have asked
him straight away
why?
Infinity, he would
have given a curt reply.

THE PUNISHMENT

His covert and overt
actions of commission
and omission landed him
where he deserved to be.
Behind the bars
whatever comforts he had
outside deserted him.
Cosy-bed, air-conditioned room
hot and cold water
and sumptuous food
three times a day
all came to a halt.
He had to while away
time like a baby inside
the womb of prison.
On the mat spread over
the bare floor he shared
his pain and angst with
his co-prisoners.
They repented their wrong-doings
consoled each other
and hoped a day would
come when all could
be released
and doors of the prison
would be wide open to
the vast world of freedom.
Until then continue to
undergo punishment for
their undoings.

THE STEPS

Steps and missteps
falls and loud cries
mamma consoles
papa consoles.
The kid stops the cries.
Holding mamma’s
or pappa’s fingers
steps and missteps
once again
falls and cries continue
consolings too continue.
Cries turn to smiles
repeat of steps, missteps
thus goes on for
days together
till steps turn right
and missteps bids bye
to mamma’s delight
to pappa’s delight
to kid’s delight.

THE SINS

Needles are sharp
let them not hurt
the tender walls of
your mind.
Moral pricks are heavy like a giant
let them not crush
your conscience.
Take care while
plucking a rose
thorns could pierce
your fingers causing
them to bleed.
Wipe out the stains
on your persona
let it be
pure and clean always
and free from all sins.

THE DIPLOMAT

A diplomat lurks
somewhere in the recess of my heart
and when the situation warrants
it rises to the occasion
and avoids a friction
between two persons.
But when I am
confronted with a situation
when somebody gets on my nerves
the ether of diplomacy
disappears
I lose my temper
catch the enemy by the
collar
punch his nose and reduce it
to pulp
it could be
the other way also
but diplomacy is
the scape-goat.

THE TUNNEL

I see a burning candle-light
at the end of the tunnel
held by a someone
could be a man or
woman
I am not sure.
Let the candle light
continue to burn
at the other end of the tunnel
infinitely.
It is the symbol of hope
hope and nothing but
hope.
Let not winds blow it away
let no one snatch it away
let not a single drop of
rain fall on it and
force it to die away.
Let me light up a candle
at this end of the tunnel
and hold it
as long as I am
here.

CENTRE OF GRAVITY

I saw a dream, an awful dream
an unforgettable dream
some time back.
Those were summer days
here
sun, the burning touch
was showering fire over earth
and in the sweltering heat
we ran for shade
but no
the trees were bereft
of leaves and looked like skeletons
the rivers, lakes
ponds had gone dry
the winds had stood still
and
we were being roasted alive.
As a last resort
one day we prayed to
Rain Goddess
to bless us with heavy downpour
and make the earth a
‘liv-able’ place
let the trees and plants
sprout with leaves
let the water levels in the rivers
lakes, and ponds rise
to the brim.
Rain Goddess listened to
our prayers
dark clouds formed
the dark clouds
painted the landscape black
the serpent of surging clouds swallowed
the blistering sun
and in anticipation of
a heavy downpour
we awaited with bated breath.
But violating
centre of gravity
it rained upwards like a fountain
but not a single drop
touched the earth
to our shock and horror.
After a while the
Sun came out of
the mouth of the serpent
of darkness and started showering
more and more
fire over earth once more.
What a dream?
what a strange dream
that I saw……?

AN ABSURD DRAMA

Recently I enjoyed an
absurd drama penned by ANONYMOUS
and enacted by several faceless
characters
in the backdrop of a bleeding nation.
It is the story of a funny
septuagenarian ruler and
his several subjects.
The funny septuagenarian ruler
boasts about his honesty
a dime a dozen times a day
indulges in tall talks about
the vast progress the nation
achieved under him
while the exact opposite
is the truth.
Majority of faceless characters -
his subjects
pull on below a subsistence level
daily,
a naked
tragic truth, it is.
His words and deeds
always differ
mouths platitudes galore
no one but seems to
attach much importance
to his claims and promises.
The gentle man of
honesty always
speaks out loudly against
the tainted, corrupt
ones in the nation
simultaneously keeping
the scam-tainted ones
in his own cabinet.
Never does he dare
to kick out the scoundrels
fearing a shaky throne
nightmare of an ouster from power
haunts him every now and then.
Lightening of terror strikes the nation
the entire national fabric torn to smithereens
hurting the heart and brain of
the vast nation starting to bleed.
Sometimes they happen
under his very nose
a ‘visibly’ shocked ruler
never fails to
assure his panic-stricken subjects :
the scourge of terror
will never ever
shake the nation and
be calm and poised.
Soon before the heat
and dust is settled
another chain of blasts
rock the nation.
Then and there he
starts mouthing platitudes.
The drama was a visual
treat to watch and as a
humble citizen I recommend
fellow citizens to watch
and enjoy it.

MY EVERYTHING

Her presence is inebriating
words honeyed
her touch electrifying
breath rejuvenating
her melodies are lullabies
lullabies are soporific.
Her kisses hilarious
her embraces orgasmic.
Her absence is death to me
and she is everything
to me.

AN AIMLESS TRAVELLER

Like the confluence
of rivers
the junction is a
confluence of four routes
where hundreds gather
for multiple purposes.
One is reminded of a
market
but no, the junction is
not a market.
One day he too
reached the junction
after traversing a long way
rooted like a statue
he stood there
looked around several times
to watch the milling crowd.
Whether to return to the
place where he came from
or catch a bus to
anywhere
he was on the horns of
a dilemma.
While pondering over
various options
he saw a red face
speeding along from the
south to the north
no second thoughts
decided he to board it.
The bus screeched to a
halt near him
he board it
within seconds with a
tremor and
the bus sped along.
Where to get down,
no idea
he told the conductor
to give him a ticket to
where the bus reaches
its destination point.
Reclining comfortably in
his seat
he looked outward
enjoyed the landscapes
until he started snoring
in his sleep.

WHITHER GOES GREECE?

I wonder whether the Brussels meeting of 17 European nations could find a way out to solve the economic chaos and bring about relief to the recession hit Europe particularly Greece. Thus believe these European nations who gathered at Brussels and after marathon talks arrived at a solution. It is true that soon after chalking out the solution European markets soared by five percent which had its reflection across the nations. But how long? Whether the trend is going to persist or after the euphoria settles down whether it will be back to square one.
The marathon talks which lasted into the early hours of last thursday discussed and deliberated upon the crisis and finally emerged out with a three pronged solution. First, to wipe out 50 percent of Greek debt second, to recapitalize the banks third, to strengthen European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF).
100 billion Euros will be pumped to rescue Greece to rescue it from giant debt thus helping to reduce the GDP from 180 to 120 percent.
Certain well-known economists nurse doubts and apprehensions as to how the bailing out of banks by imposing austerity measures could solve rather than aggravate the situation.
European nations met at Brussels and after much hair-splitting finally arrived at a solution as the last resort. If the last resort goes awry then no escape, they are well aware of.
A distinguished economist and Nobel laureate based in US keeps this apprehension that whichever nation that imposes more and more austerity measures thus putting a heavy burden on people bailing out banks is likely to fail ultimately. For instance he points towards certain examples like Iceland which allowed the banks go bust and concentrated on widening the social safety net. Such a step had its salutary effect in Iceland. On the contrary imposing more austerity measures for bailing out banks will find it very difficult to wriggle out of the situation in due course.
Greece under George Pappandreau is in turmoil as it is forced to follow the conditions slapped on it by IMF, European Central Bank and European nations. Five 48 hour strikes already witnessed by Greece including students and teachers, schools and colleges, transport services, post offices, railways, hospitals, doctors and staff etc to protest against austerity measures making their life a burden. Instead of that if Greece like Iceland were to concentrate on widening social safety net today’s problems could be solved. But no, Greece is determined to perish. Let us keep solidarity with the hapless citizens of Greece.