HAPPY NEW YEAR

POEM

An eventful year

has bid goodbye

paving the way for

the dawn of another New year.

The eventful year was

like any other New year

and this New year

is no doubt different.

On looking back we are

supposed to recall the

by-gone years

and even a nostalgia

is far far away from us

since each year is like

another year

all eventful

as also fateful years.

Hence,

we do not have anything

to be cheerful and

we need not be prophets

to forecast 

another developments

whether it is good or bad.

Still, we the onlookers

nurse and nurture our dreams

closer to our bosom.

Anyhow for namesake we

await the approach

of heart-warming developments…

SIGNALS

POEM

Held up on the tracks of life

I am waiting for the

red signal turn green

for the train of life

proceeds ahead to reach

my destination in the

peak hours of the morning.

The boss would remind me,

once in a while its okay

but whenever I evolve into a chronic absentee

as punishment I will have to

suffer loss of leave.

The gentleman or for that matter

the gentle lady who is

seated conveniently in the chair

in the air-conditioned cabin

need not find out

the reason for one

to reach the office.

I often wonder

the gentleman or for that

gentle woman doesn’t seems like

experiencing the hazards

of travelling if and when purchasing ticket for the

first class compartment

early in the morning by

catching the train or own car

arrive at the office.

On the whole a

human-being’s

commuting start from

faraway station and often

I have lost counting how

many red and green signals

are to be obeyed for the

train of life to reach

the destination…

THE WELL

POEM

Drawing lessons from

the well of knowledge

I keep on drinking

the elixir of knowledge.

My quest for

drinking knowledge is

incredible and inexplicable.

The depth of the well of

knowledge, is so deep that

I often draw lessons

from the well of knowledge

and more and more lessons

keep the well of knowledge

and information and remain vigilant.

Even under the blazing Sun

which lasts for a long time

the well of knowledge

prevents the drying up

never ever as long as

the world exists. 

MASKS

POEM

With no malice

towards each other

he/she parted ways after spending

as husband and wife for almost ten years

like a river

in the course of time

keeps flowing in two directions.

Though it was a divorce

both he/she

didn’t keep ill-feelings

towards each other.

Neither she nor he

continued to live without

falling into any other love-affairs.

After the divorce

she began to live with her parents

and despite their constant

persuasions she didn’t

want anybody tie a nuptial knot.

She practised

as an IT consultant

in a faraway IT hub in a metro.

On getting fed up with her job

she wanted to join the tinsel world

during her leisure moments

she derived satisfaction

by creating masks

some pretty, some frightening and horrible.

Nobody knew what prompted

her to indulge in

going on with her hobby of making masks

even after she grew up as a young lady….

FALLEN FLOWERS

POEM

When I saw you in the morning

you were happy and pleasant

keeping your head held high

like a man/woman who is elated

excited and fearless.

When I saw you in the noon,

you were bowing down

unable to hold your head high

and was looking sad and painful

which also made me sad and gloomy.

When I opened the gate after my office hours

and on my way home I was certain

that you wouldn’t be

at your place and your petals

already fallen down on the soil under

your pensive mother plant.

Our life too does have a closer

similarity like the fallen flowers….

END OF THE ENDLESS ROAD

Days are running fast

like a horse without 

anyone to rein in aiming

the end of the endless  road.

Whether anyone among us has

accomplished the mission of

surpassing the obstructions 

and obfuscations, we are totally confused.

Nobody, anyone among us

has never ever reached our goal, thus it seems.

Still hoping against hopes

we run fast

and the endless road runs faster and faster

and to accomplish our long-cherished

dream of reaching the

end of the road like

the mountaineers

conquering the summit,

and emerging victorious
is a herculean task
to run along the road faster and faster.

WARM, SERENE AND REFRESHING

Rays of hope are like

the warm rays of the

morning Sun.

While the rays of hope

are warm, serene and refreshing.

With time ticking by rays of Sun get

hotter and hotter

forcing the human-beings

sweat, leaves and flowers of trees

getting faded and plain lands

turn into deserts.

And time continues to keep on ticking

faster and faster

the rays of sun once again

turn warm, serene and refreshing

the flow of warm rays, serene and tranquil.

The only exception being rays of hope

make us continue to

exist as long as we exist on the face of the earth. 

US AND NATO WITHDRAWING THEIR FORCES FROM AFGHANISTAN

With the forces of US and NATO almost withdrawing from Afghanistan, many of us apprehend Taliban militants are poised to get ready for another round of wreaking havoc in the war-torn country, until capturing power there. The hydra has already begun to bare its tentacles by murdering hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians. The people across the hapless country have already begun to experience nightmares. For them another round of Taliban rule means the return of the Sharia law which could commit murders, mayhem and destroy properties worth millions of dollars. The Shariat law will lay hands on anyone who are found to be their enemies and after summary trials are punished by hanging them before the public or stoning them or whipping them be it he/she especially the women who are considered as the violators of the ruthless Sharia law. Even for any issue which the laws of Shariat apply those who commit anything which are not to the liking of Taliban which is waiting in their wings to capture power. The worst sufferers are the women of Afghanistan who will be forced to confine themselves indoors which deprive their ambition of continuing their education. Furthermore they will have to wear burqua and are not allowed to even cast a smile at a man, leave alone speaking to a familiar person whom she sees since years. A woman accused of adultery is awarded the blood-chilling acts of stoning to death or hanging in public or whipped ruthlessly and parade her down the streets for terrorizing the public.

With US declaring war on Taliban and with an iron hand overthrowing the Taliban government in 2001 on the grave issue of demolishing the two towers of World Trade Centre in 9/11/2001 allegedly by Al-Quaeda elements, the militant outfit led by Osama Bin Laden, the citizens of Afghanistan heaved a sigh of life escaping fear psychosis. Osama was killed in a US drone attack at Abottabad in Pakistan where he was living in a house with his family.

On completion of US mission of killing Osama Bin Laden, US developed cold feet and Barack Obama declared his intention of withdrawing US forces from Afghanistan by the end of 2014. US’s soldiers have been flown to their land keeping 13000 of their soldiers in Afghanistan and NATO has already decided to shift 140000 of their soldiers to its respective allies keeping only 10800 of their soldiers in Afghanistan for providing training to Afghan forces.

Taliban meanwhile have made it clear that they are determined to fight until the withdrawal of last foreign soldier from their soil.

Indians who work on building up the infrastructure in Afghanistan – irrigation, education, health care, construction works by both skilled and unskilled Indians have to be protected by the Afghan govt headed by Ashraf Ghani and Abdulla Abdulla and in case Taliban captures power and occupy the saddle. Taliban’s ire will be ventilated against the Indians and it would be better with the assumption of power by Taliban (a possibility). Indian workers are brought to India. It is a naked truth that India have invested hundreds of billions of dollars in various fields like rich mineral sources and besides that India has helped Afghanistan by way of grants to that country while Hamid Karzai was holding the reins of power.

Taliban like Al-Quaeda is a ruthless militant outfit which have no qualms to forget Indian help since India is considered one of their prominent enemies.

With the withdrawal of US and NATO forces Taliban elements will roam free across Afghanistan and commit horrible crimes which are beyond our imagination. The country as a whole will be pushed to a ditch from which that nation will have no escape.           

IMPERFECT WORLD

We the human beings are

imperfect, so is the world

perfection is something

beyond our reach

like the stars glimmering and blinking

in the sky.

Among us human beings

a miniscule of us

strive and aspire to be

perfect which is next 

to impossible.

Majority among us are not

foolish enough to attain perfection.

If and when the stars

in the sky were in our

reach we would have

aimed at something unattainable.

On the issue of perfection

we always dream about

reaching it

and never ever

we would be

able to realize

our dream….

TRAP

The door bell rang

in the dead of night.

‘The door is not locked

from inside, please come in’ – she invited him.

A shudder ran down

his body.

He was shivering with fear.

‘Come inside, why this

hesitation?’ – she invited him.

‘How dare she keeps the

door open?’ – he was

asking himself.

It was thick darkness inside.

He couldn’t see anything inside.

With cautious steps he

entered the room.

‘Could you switch on

the light? I can’t see you

or anything inside’. – he pleaded.

‘Why not? With pleasure

of course’ – she answered.

Next moment, light filled the room.

He looked around.

There was nobody in the room.

And there was no furniture.

The room had virtually nothing

inside the room.

‘Where are you? I can’t

see you?’ – with thumping

heart and trembling

voice he was asking.

There was no answer forthcoming.

All of a sudden the

light went out and

thick darkness spread inside.

Summoning courage he wanted to run away.

But the door was locked from outside.

He found himself between

the devil and deep sea.

He wanted to cry aloud

but no voice came out of him.   

ALIEN

The feeling of being an alien is

like a pestering insect nagging me.

The only relief being, like I, some others

too are thinking on these lines.

In an era when human beings

are evolving into monsters

(Pardon me Charles Darwin

this is a kind of reverse evolution)

whose prayers to God

are being favourably answered

whose offerings and oblations

are kindly accepted by God Almighty

and He showers blessings

profusely over the devils

and the heart-wrenching

prayers and offerings 

are willy-nilly acknowledged by God

whose reluctance to shower blessings

over the genuine devotees is nothing but painful.

It is no wonder people

like me and others of my ilk

feel like being aliens

around the world…..

MORAL POLICING

Even in this modern age

friendship between

a boy and girl

or a youth and a lass

during walk the talk

is often mistaken for

immoral relationship

by the self-proclaimed

moral police in our land.

They are being chased

and warned

or heckled and thrashed

and even go to the

extent of beating them up

to pulp and murdered

by these ‘moral police’.

These so-called custodians

of values and ethics

never feel like

inquiring them about their

whereabouts and relationship

before taking the plunge

to indulge in beating

and lynching the

friends or brethren.

These slaves of medieval age

instead of imbibing the

true message of these times

stoop too low to the

standard of the children of

medieval age.

When will their narrow-mindedness bid

adieu to them or will

they continue to exist as such?