NEW DAWN

POEM

Dreaming of a new

bright dawn, I await.

Instead

each dawn is one

and the same.

Longing for a calm

and quiet life, I lie.

Instead

the words ‘calm and quiet’

are alien words these days.

Listening to the music of night

I lie with my ears glued to the pillow.

Instead

the roar of the

city like that of a lion

continues to pierce my

eardrums throughout the night.

Dreaming a peaceful

violent-free, harmonious life

I am being forced

to observe strife

among various nations

across the world……

THE VIOLENT WORLD

POEM

He is healthy, strong and steely

Beware of him.

He is quick-tempered in his prime

vengeance writ large on

his face, with his eyes aglow

like embers

and a sharp weapon always

in his possession.

Beware of him.

He, in spite of all these

never takes head on anyone

without being provoked.

Provocation always leads

him to vent his suppressed emotions

like anger, vengeance and killer instinct.

Beware of him.

Never cross swords with him

which would ultimately prompt

him to go to the extreme.

Beware of him.

In a world where

violence, deaths in millions

and displacements

such persons are on the increase.

GLORY AND BEAUTY

POEM

Now that greener pastures

are dwindling

fast day by day,

Now that visual beauty

of landscapes are losing

its beauty and glory,

with the greenery

turning yellowish

and the smell  of flowers

are fast running  out

reflections of the glory

and beauty are turning

ugly and shabby

imaginations of us

mankind are running riot.

Ethics and morals,

the charming blooms once

are being blurred and

eroded,

get reflected in the

mirror of society like

the ugly sights

of landscapes…… 

AMBITIONS

POEM

While his ambition was

in the embryonic stage

he longed to be the primary

member of the party.

Upon nursing and nurturing

his ambition

he aspired for the post of

the regional leader of the party.

Ambition knows no

bounds and from the

post of regional leader he was

elected to the State council

of the party.

With his ambition soaring

high he worked tirelessly

for the prestigious post

of Chief Minister of his state.

As long as the flame

of ambition exists one

day he would be elevated

to the saddle of Prime Minister

and serve as

the driving force of the

steel frame of the nation.

As long as a person

abstains from taking

responsibilities of the nation

and consider it ‘poison’

it is time he keeps away from politics.

FROG AND SNAIL

POEM

In this crowded, congested city

the frog of time

jumps and jumps forward.

The frog needs no watch

but we, the human-beings

including man and woman

students and children

need watches around their wrists

for the purpose of knowing 

the time whenever they

want to go through it.

But the snail’s progress of time

was sufficient to

go through watches

across the villages of yore

where time was like a

stagnant pool of water.

Time needs no watch

but we need watches

around the wrists of each one.

SOLITUDE

POEM

Leave me alone, I love loneliness.

I don’t have a companion

either a pretty lady nor a vibrant youth.

Keeping the doors shut

switching on the lights and fan

and keeping the windows opened

a hectic schedule awaits me

by way of reading and writing.

Occasionally, yes occasionally

in the night

I walk to the windows and

enjoy cool winds blowing

thru the windows

and the moonlight and starry 

nights host me

a visual feast  as long as  I like.

When I feel like drowsing

I walk toward my bed.

Under the rapid revolution of fan

I lie and fall asleep.

Memories rush out

keeping no pattern

which move back and forth

make me pleasant and sad

everything depend.

Now that after treading

a long path full of thorns and craters

I am here.

In the beginning I did

have friends galore

and with the passage of time

they left me - one by one

leaving me in the lurch.

The boredom and agony of existence

pestered me for a prolonged

period and I have learnt

to fall in love with it with the days passing by.

Now I have come

to the realization that solitude

is my intimate

friend in the coming days……

MADE FOR EACH OTHER

POEM

Lovers they are

lovers they remain

unmarried they are

but with married effect.

They neither held rituals

nor held ceremonies

since they didn’t believe

in such things.

They first met in the city

they fell in love in the city.

One day with mutual consent

decided they to live together.

Each of them remains happy and

never indulges in quarrels.

But they discuss

and argue about

matters aplenty in a jovial mood.

In the morning at sharp 9AM

they step down the stairs

and walk  down

the road to the railway station

to catch the train 

and return in the evening together.

After the supper

under the starry night

both come to the balcony

and their eyes capture

the visual beauty of the vibrating city

and listen to the hustle and bustle

of the city with

the trains and vehicles

running fast to and fro

and go  inside

read a lot and write a lot.

And with tranquil, serene

and peaceful minds

slump into the bed

and make merry

under the speeding fan.

And they get drowned

in the deep sea of peaceful slumber.

MIRROR

POEM

Digging deep down

into his mind

I could see his

true-colour which was

crystal clear.

Wish I could see

my true colour

be it crystal-clear

or not

as if I was

seeing the reflection

of my mind

everyone longs to watch.

Keeping a mirror

by each and every person

so that he/she is

able to notice his/her reflection

which would or could

make him/her happy or sad

depending upon the

circumstances……

INVINCIBLE FORCE

POEM

Come to me

whenever you badly need

my presence beside you.

Write to me whenever

you feel like the hydra

of fear and distress

squeeze you and suck

the essence out of you.

Believe me I am here to help

you from all dangers.

Never hesitate to plead

with me to drag you away

from the verge of

the abyss of hunger, poverty

unemployment and empowerment.

Throw away your

lack of confidence in yourself

and always have the rock-solid belief that

there is an invincible force about to

incarnate one day to

destroy  the evils spreading

around us…..

THRILL OF EXISTENCE

POEM

On the strength of

my fearlessness

imparted to me by my elders

I walk down the path of life.

After all, our existence

on the face of the earth

remaining fearless

is better than remaining a coward.

Upon weighing the pros and cons

of the sum total of

my existence on earth

I often prefer to be

a man of courage

ignoring the dangers facing me

on my step by step movement ahead,

along the path of life with courage and conviction.

Cowards always wear

black masks of courage

and face their enemies who don’t need

masks of fear.

Treading the untrodden path of

life is always a thrill to me.

A SUN-ROASTED EARTH

POEM

Rivers keep on flowing

and one would wish

the rivers were to flow eternally.

With a gradual

halt, rivers get dried up in the

course of its journey

forcing the inhabitants

to face a slow but inevitable death.

Once upon a time

sorry, in our early days as children

we didn’t have

any kind of nightmares

of one day the rivers

would have a painful extinction with

the Sun day by day

showering rain of fire on earth

due to depletion of ozone layer.

Often I wonder

with days passing by

what would happen to

the organisms and the

sun-roasted earth as a whole?

Now that

unlike the days

our thoughts of a green earth

would exist till the

end of the world

we are caught in the web

of the fear of our existence

in peril and are in a

dead-hurry to bring down

the global warming….

That is something to cheer about….

HYPOCRISY

POEM

Fed up with the archaic laws

followed by some countries

across the world,

it is unfortunate that

the latter nations

continue to stick to the

despicable, cruel and ruthless practice

of awarding capital punishment

to the convicted criminals

without an iota of remorse and repentance.

True, the malevolent

dictators haven’t any

qualms in sentencing

the convicts to death

by beheading them in public

or stoning to death that too

in the presence of

the public or hanging

to death before a

mob to sow the

seeds of terror among them.

No wonder, these rulers

follow the horrible practice

but it is a shocking

practice which sends

chills down one’s spine.

When the developed nations

in all fields

providing care, protection,

education, health care,

employment etc etc.

These so-called democratic nations

by putting the

convicts to death

through lethal injections despite angry

reactions by those in some parts

of countries across the world

and even the citizens

of the developed nations

respond in anger for following

the acts of the government.

By preaching from atop the world

the priceless values of love, kindness, morals and ethics

human rights they immerse in

brutally punishing the convicts…….

MY FATHER

POEM

On a December night

my father appeared in my dreams.

Unlike his quick-temper, anger and impatience

while he was alive

he was happiness personified.

He used to beat me up

mercilessly either for my apathy

towards studies or for playing my mischiefs.

Anyhow

this  moment

he seemed cheerful on seeing me

he glanced at me askance

with a beaming smile

‘Child are you happy

and satisfied?’

‘Yes Dad, I am happy

and delighted, I am cheerful.’

Though I was far from

satisfied with my life on earth.

His eyes went moist

embraced me and

planted kisses galore on

my forehead and cheeks.

Before looking up

to see him with teary eyes

he had played a vanishing act….

Like a child glued to my pillow

I wept a lot

How long I can’t tell……

THE NATION

POEM

A nation writhing in

excruciating pain

under rulers of various alliances

haven’t cared to alleviate

the gnawing pain

the nation is undergoing.

When would a bright

dawn of prosperity, 

equality and peace appears  

on the horizon which

the suffering millions badly experience.

Why rulers one after another

take care to embrace

the millionaires and

billionaires and ignore the

poverty-stricken masses.

A bleeding nation

awaits a protector

since decades having the generosity

to apply the magical potion

and treats the body politic

of the nation and cares to cure the

wounds and stop the bleeding forever….

APPLE-CART

POEM

Uproot the thorny plants

of your arrogance.

Let the tender plants and flowers

smell love, peace and sacrifice

be planted in their place.

Never ever allow the plants

of anger and violence in your garden.

And herald the new dawn of serenity

and tranquility and

spread across the world over

and caress and embrace

each and everyone

so as to celebrate in the days to come.

Thus hope the majority

across the world.

But unfortunately a miniscule of

anti-social elements

continue upsetting the apple-cart…. 

MISSION

POEM

Digging deeper and deeper

into the soil

until we found

water springs forth

to the excitement and cheers of all.

Both those at the bottom of the well

who made the ‘mission’ successful

and the onlookers above

our ecstasy found no limits.

Many a time out of

disappointment and impatience

we mulled putting an end to the mission

of digging and digging

deeper and deeper into the soil

we found our tireless

efforts turning infructuous.

Still, out of strong will

and determination

we made it possible

at a time scarcity

of water turning the earth into a desert

a sad story across the world.

Yes,

we are happy for the time being

but

how long is the question

which stares straight into our eyes…

Anyhow

as of now

we are happy, hilarious

and ecstatic…..   

ENLIVEN THE CITY

Good Morning…

unroll the black carpet

welcome the vehicles

let them move along

in opposite directions.

Business establishments, bar-attached hotels,

super-speciality hospitals,

cinemas, ready-made  shops, saloons and parlours etc etc

lined up both sides.

Pedestrians in hundreds

walk down the footpath.

None notices the other.

Each ones is pre-occupied

with his/her own business.

Some to the hotels

some to the hospitals

some to the bar-attached hotels,

some to the clothes, bazaars, some to

the saloons and parlours

all in a hurry, typical of our city

like other cities

Let the life go on

Let changes enliven the city.

Let me move along

with my hectic schedules.

HIDE AND SEEK GAME

POEM

Memories

either good or bad

often prefer to play

hide and seek games.

Memories

often good or bad

are arranged in a

haphazard manner in the inner recesses of the mind

and are reluctant to

come out into the open.

Memories

either good or bad

often hesitate to escape

from the inner chambers of mind

often making our life

sweet or bitter

depending upon the context

of one’s own life….

DELHI ELECTIONS – BITTER FIGHT BETWEEN BJP AND AAP IN THE OFFING

ARTICLE

From a tea vendor to the Prime Minister is certainly a matter of pride. Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi is such a person. From such a person, the upper-middle classes to lower middle classes and the lower strata of society naturally expects many favours when he is catapulted to the chair at helm. Even while he and his party won three times and he was unanimously elected Chief Minister of his home State, Gujarat. The erstwhile - tea vendor after assuming Chief Ministership turned pro-corporate by inviting ‘big cats’ like Ambani, Adani, Tata and many other billionaires, millionaires and crorepatis to invest in Gujarat. While they turned more and more fatter and those at the bottom of the ladder turned more and more leaner.

His trade-secret always is whenever elections are round the corner he turns pro-poor and offers them promises galore and takes a pledge to lift them from the ditch of hunger, poverty and under nourishment and unemployment at the earliest.

The poor always take the promises for granted and cast their valuable votes for the ‘Lotus’ and ensure his victory at the hustings.

After winning the elections and becoming (Chief Minister of Gujarat) and Prime Minister of the nation he suffers from ‘selective amnesia’ and instead corporates, both Indians and multinationals abroad visit India and plead with them to invest in various areas offering attractive ‘packages’.

Like during the Assembly elections in Gujarat, 16^th General Elections Mr.Modi was entrusted with the duty of campaigning for the party by conducting whirlwind tours across the country by the BJP leaders (if not all) and Sangh Parivar Heads at Nagpur and subsequently at their behest he was selected for the post of Prime Minister in case Bharatiya Janata Party emerges victorious.

Bharatiya Janata Party under Narendra Modi chose to canvass votes about six months in advance which attracted lakhs of electorate to listen to the oratorical skills of Mr.Modi and got attracted to him. In addition to that he chose to begin his canvassing by shedding crocodile tears over the plight of poor and took the pledge to better their future if he was elected as the Prime Minister.

Believing his words they voted en masse for him to ensure his victory.

Thus Mr.Modi assumed power at the helm of the nation.

Soon came Assembly elections for five States and there too he took out his trump card of talking about the hunger and poverty of those at the low strata of society. 

Now that Delhi is caught in election fever and it is going to be a bitter fight between BJP and Aam Admi Party.

Mr.Modi the other day jumped into the election campaign along with his supporters. Though he chose not to name AAP on reading between the lines, we can very well come to the conclusion that he was making a reference to the AAP. In a scathing attack he pointed his finger to the treachery by the bitter enemy by resigning after 49 days in power and for not implementing virtually nothing for the poor and middle-class .

Modi’s trade secret of shedding tears for the poor men, women, children and middle class and his promises to wipe away their hunger, poverty, unemployment and assurances to them that all roofless people of Delhi would be provided with accommodation.

 How come we take his words for granted?