Kyon mujhe itni jaldi bula liya ae khuda

This was composed after a distant relative of mine in his mid-thirties passed way after a brief illness, leaving behind his wife and a year old son: 


Kyon mujhe itni jaldi bula liya ae khuda?
Abhi maine dekha hi kya hai?

Aana toh sabne hai tumhare paas ek din,
Magar mere liye woh din aaj hi kyon hai?

Mere khushiyon ki duniya toh abhi basne hi lagi thi,
Use' itni jaldi ujarne kyon diya?

Woh meri jeevan saathi, mera woh masoom bachcha,
Unki zindagi ab tabah kyon hai?

Main tumhare dar pe aa raha hoon,
Magar iski kya wajah hai?

Kyon meri khushiyan barbaad ki tumne?
Aakhir mera kusoor kya hai?

I was in love...

This composition has been inspired from a narration by a dear friend of mine 

I was in love once upon a time,

At the top of the world once upon a time.

Life was a beautiful dream once upon a time,

I got a real sense of belongingness once upon a time.

Because someone really cared for me once upon a time

Those were the magical moments in my life once upon a time,

Because she was mine and I was hers once upon a time.

But destiny had other plans for us once upon a time,

We parted ways never to meet again once upon a time.

From a beautiful dream, 

Life became a terrible nightmare once upon a time,

My world came crashing down

And left alone, I gradually moved on once upon a time.

Decades later, I found her again,

Blessed with the very best which could never be mine.

My loss is great, but I shall not complain,

For I was in love once upon a time.

God has sent a little angel in our lives

Composed the following when my grand-nephew was born in the year 2010:

God has sent a little angel in our lives,
Born as a son to Rashmi and Akhil.

This eagerly awaited piece of news,
Has given all of us,
Great feelings of those heavenly vibes.

This little angel of God christened as Aarush,
Took no time to move his tender hands and feet,
Perhaps telling one and all in a rush,
"Here I come to give all of you moments both sour and sweet." 

His grandparents both here and there,
Are perhaps engrossed in their own moments and memories,
But not forgetting their new responsibilities,
"Oh! Its now time for us to learn bedtime stories."

Welcome Aarush to our lives,
And giving us those heavenly vibes.

Your parents might be strict with you,
But there are many like me,
Who would go far beyond,
While adoring and pampering you.

I went to a school once upon a time

I attended Beacon School in Korba (now a part of Chattisgarh) from 1970-72. 

In 2010, some of we alumni of this school, organized a reunion in New Delhi. 

I composed this poem just after that occasion!!!

I went to a school once upon a time,
It was 'Beacon", and was something I could call mine.

The building was small,
With a few classrooms and a big hall.


Our teachers were both sour and sweet,
Who with ease could make us feel both cold and heat.

Never was there a moment quite dull,
Thanks to some friends, who made every moment both enriching and full.

Two years later I left 'Beacon' for another school,
But wondered whether I was wise or a fool?  

After thirty eight years now, I reunited with other Beaconians,
Who amazingly have come across like true companions!


Oh! What a waste those thirty eight years have been,
For no such gems, I have ever seen!!!!!!!

Wah ji Wah....

In 2010, there was reunion of some of my school-mates from a school, which I had attended in the early 1970's!! Wow, what an experience that was, catching up with some of them after nearly four decades!!! 

To capture the whole experience of that reunion, I composed the following in Punjabi, as per the request of one of of my school-mates. The pink fonts represent Punjabi language, while the black fonts below each para is the Hindi translation: 

Pher mil gaye asi kai salaan baad,

Te’ sabde dil ho gaye wah ji wah

(phir mil gaye hum kai saalon baad, toh sabke dil ho gaye wah ji wah)

Ik duje’ nu pher vekheya kayi salaan baad,

Te’ sabde dil hi gaye wah ji wah.

(ek doosre ko phir dekha kai saalon baad toh sabke dil ho gaye wah ji wah)

  

Japhi shaphi (hugs), te’ handshake di koi had ( limit) naa rahi,

kyonki sabde dil ho gaye wah hi wah 

 Bachcheyan de’ asi maa baap hokar , bachcheyan waakan harkat kiti,

(bachchon ke hum maa baap hokar, bachchon waali harkat ki)

kyonki sabde dil ho gaye wah ji wah

Patiale’ peg sheg di ki gal kariye,

Hun bin piye hi sabnu nasha chad gaya,

(patiala pegs ki hum kya baat karein, ab bin piye hi sabko nasha chad gaya)  

kyonke sabde dil ho gaye wah ji wah.

Jawani di os ‘tu kaun main kaun’ chadkar

Asi kho gaye bachchpan di mastiyan ich

( jawani woh ‘tum kaun aur main kaun’ chorhkar, hum kho gaye bachpan ki mastiyon mein)

Kyonke sabde dil ho gaye wah ji wah.

Sade’ bachche’ sanu vekh kar hairan ho gaye ,

Par pher vi koi farak na peya,

(hamare bachche humko dekhkar hairan ho gaye, par phir bhi koi phark nahi pada)

Kyonke sabde dil ho gaye wah ji wah.

Kamaal ho gaya, os kuch pal ich hi,

Asi kai saal jee gaye,

(kamaal ho gaya, oos kuch palon mein hi, hum kai saal jee gaye) 

Kyonke sabde dil ho gaye wah ji wah.

Haanji soneyon, O saada milan si kai bimariyan daa ik marz ilaaj,

(haanji pyaaron, woh hamara milan tha kai bimariyon ka ek marz ilaaj)    

Akhir sabde dil ho gaye si wah ji wah.

(akhir sabke dil ho gaye the’ wah ji wah)     

The Nation reels under a shock

These two pieces were composed in December 2012, when Nirbhaya lost the battle against death: 

The Nation reels under a shock,
The brutality of a crime is sickening.

Our youth is restless,
Rebellious are their minds.

Some hypocrites have gate-crashed disguised as protestors,
Reason is consigned to flames,
And India gate is in a siege.

Yes, I am disgusted.
First at that crime and now with such gate-crashers.

It's now time to douse our anger with cannons of reason ,
To identify and isolate such gate-crashers.

And finally, march towards that Republic of ours,
Where the mind is without fear.

Uss jung ko yaad kar,

Humne apni rooh ko tadapte' dekha.

  Kaun jeeta aur kaun haara,

iss faisle' se' apni rooh ko bekhabar dekha.

 Uss jung ko hum ab kya naam dein?

Humne toh khud ko ab iss khayal se' bhi nafrat karte' dekha

A life ends in our city

This was composed when Nirbhaya left for her Heavenly abode:

A life ends in our city,
The whole Nation hangs its head in shame.

It's not the time for mourning,
For our lives should never be the same.

It's the same story of humans turning to beasts,
But now with a difference.

While Nirbhaya would now rest in eternal peace,
Peace would now be elusive for each one of us.

Till in this ancient civilization of ours,
Womenfolk are decorated with ornaments of dignity and honor,
And beasts are forced to flee from every human.

Into that great dawn my countrymen,
Let our Nation finally awake. 

A question of survival

This was composed when Nirbhaya was brutalized, and was struggling for her life at Safdarjung Hospital:

The city moves on,
Everyone is struggling here,
Its a question of everyone’s survival.

At Safdarjung Hospital, there lies a lady,
Brutally violated by some humans turned beasts.
She is struggling between life and death,
Now, its a question of her survival.

We citizens wonder, if this would be the last,
If our legislatures would act to deter such beasts in future,
Because, its now a question of our survival.

Our legislatures are caught in their own issues,
Caste based promotions etc,
Busy with give and take among themselves,
After all, it is a question of their survival.

I have a dream...

I have a dream,
While I am awake.

It's an image of myself,
Which I have made.

Not for today, not for tomorrow,
But for one fine DAY.When I'll reach my goal,

With my untiring efforts and a dash of fate.

The world is indifferent to me today ,
My feelings, my emotions couldn't be cared for anyway.

But am I not a genuine being?
Well, no one would reflect on that even in a subtle way.

But I am determined to make heads turn my way.
For I have a dream,
While I am awake.

A Poem Dedicated to the Memory of Ruchika Girotra

Uspar zulm hua tha barson pehle,
Magar woh meri kuch nahi thi.

Uspar musibaton ka pahar toot pada tha barson pehle,
Magar woh meri kuch nahi thi.

Woh jujhti rahi oos zulm and oon musibaton ke beech,
Magar woh meri kuch nahi thi.

Ek din iis bereham zindagi se chutkara paakar,
Usne oos zulm aur oon musibaton se bhi chutkara paa liya,
Magar woh meri kuch nahi thi.

Achanak aaj barson baad,
Uspar huye woh zulm aur oon tamam musibaton ko lekar,
Mujhe kisi darinde par nafrat hone lagi hai,
Aur oos nafrat ki junoon mujhmein ek baghavat jagane lagi hai,
Magar woh meri kuch nahi thi.

Kaash! Barson pehle mein uske oos jung mein,
Ek jaanbaaz ki tarah sharik hua hota,
Aur kaash! Woh oos darinde par fateh paakar,
Aaj hum sab ke beech hoti.

Yeh chaahat ab mujhe satane lagi hai,
Mahar woh meri kuch nahi thi. 

Translated:

She was tormented long ago,
But she was no one of mine.

Mountains of trouble were heaped upon her,
But she was no one of mine.

She valiantly battled all the brutalisation and all the troubles,
But she was no one of mine.

One fine day, by relieving herself from this merciless life of hers,
She got a relief from all that brutalisation and all those troubles,
But she was no one of mine.

Suddenly now, after so long, 
With all that brutalization and troubles earlier heaped upon her,
I have developed a deep hatred towards a wretched person,
And this deep hatred in me is compelling me to revolt,
But she was no one of mine.

How I wish! Long ago in that valiant battle of hers,
I too had participated like a brave-heart,
And how I wish! Today after vanquishing that wretched person ,
She was amongst all of us.

This desire is now really bothering me,
But she was no one of mine. 

Saath Saal Ab Hua Hai Saara...

A poem dedicated to our Republic on completing Sixty Years in 2010!!!!

"Saath saal ab hua hai saara,
Yeh pyaara gantantra Hindustan hamaara.

Hamein garv hai apni iis kamayabi par,
Jiski khabar hai ab duniya ke har kone kone par.

Rajpath par sajavat hai aaj kai jhalkiyon ki,
Hamare vibhinn pranton (various regions) ki,
Hamare kamayabi ki, khubsoorti ki,
Aur hamare taakat ke kai pehluon ki.

Jise' dekh rahe' hein aaj anginat log,
Yahaan bhi, aur duniya ke har kone par bhi."

Yeh Hindustan hai hamaara,
Dekhkar phir samajh rahe hein aaj hum bhi,
Aur duniya ke yeh anginat log sabhi."
Jai Ho !!!!

Zindagi ki ek khaufnaak sach ( A horrific truth about life)

A Poem Dedicated to the Victims of crash of Air India Plane at Mangalore in 2010.

Ek haadse mein anek be reham maut ne,
hamein zindagi ki ek khaufnaak sach se mila diya.

Sirf do hi pal pehle,
Hum zindagi ki ek khubsoorat ujale ki taraf dekh rahe the’
Magar un do palon mein ,
Sab kuch badal gaya.

Uss din ke ujaale mein woh tamam log,
Shaayad anginat sapne dekh rahe the’
Aur apni apni manzilon ki soch mein shaayad doobe huye the’.

Magar un sab ko kya pata tha,
Ki kuch palon mein hi,
Unka yeh safar un sab ko,
Kisi aur jahaan ki taraf hamesha ke liye le jayega.

Woh tamaam log mere kuch nahi the’ ,
Magar phir bhi naa jaane kyon,
Is ek haadse ne,
Mujhe maayusi ki kisi gehri jheel mein dubo diya,
Aur zindagi ki un tamaam khubsoorat ujalon ki kaamna karte hue bhi,
Aise kaufnaak sach ka saamna karne par bhi,
Hamein majboor kar diya.

Sach, iss zindagi ke ujaale khubsoorat zaroor hain
Magar saath saath kuch aise khaufnaak sach,
Dubo dete hain ham sab ko,
Mayusi ki kisi gehri jheel mein. 

Translated

Tragic loss of lives in an incident,
Revealed a horrific truth about life to me.

Just two moments ago,
I was looking towards a beautiful dawn of life,
But in those two moments itself,
Everything changed.

During the dawn of that day, all those people,
Were perhaps involved with countless of dreams,
And perhaps were thinking about their respective destinations.

But what did they know,
That a few moments later,
This journey of theirs,
Would take them forever, towards another world.

All those people were no one of mine,
But still, for reasons unknown
This one incident
Drowned me into a deep lake of sorrow,
And despite aspiring for those beautiful dawns of life,
Compelled me to face such horrific truths as well.

Really, life’s dawns are beautiful,
But at the same time such horrific truths,
Drown all of us,
Into the lake of sorrrow.

Main suraksha bal ka ek jawaan

Our security forces engaged in antinaxal operations deserve a salute from each one of us. Having caught in a hopeless situation, from opportunistic political leadership, which for their electoral gains would go soft on naxals at one point of time, and then plead helplessness in public when some of our security personnel are held as hostages by these ruthless and barbaric elements, to their incompetent bosses on the other, who refuse to learn from past blunders while planning out the anti naxal operations. And above all, an indecisive central leadership which takes refuge on 'limited mandate', while spelling out the strategy to deal with such ruthless and barbaric elements.

This poem has been dedicated to all such security personnel, who despite all odds sacrifice their lives during the course of their duties, leaving their loved ones in grief forever. 

Main suraksha bal ka ek jawaan,
Karne chala tha hoi kaam mahaan.

Desh bhakti ki bhawna mujhmein bachpan mein hi jaagi thi,
Aur iss pak vardi ko pahnne ki mujhmein woh junoon jaagi thi.

Apne maa baap ka iklauta laadla tha,
Jise unhone bade laad pyaar se paala tha.

Aur main surakha bal ka ek jawaan,
Karne chala ha hoi kaam mahaan.

Watan ke inn tamaam dushmanon se mujhe sakht nafrat thi,
Inn sab ka safaaya karke hi rahoonga,
Iss irade' ki maine zurrat ki.

Jawaan hokar maine yeh pak vaardi pehni,
Aur bandook utha kar apni farz pehchani.

Main suraksha bal ka ek jawaan,
Karne chala tha koi kaam mahaan.

Bhej daala mere afsaron ne mujhe,
Maovaadiyon ke kisi ilaake mein,

Woh ghane' jungle, saanp, bichu, aur kai jungli jaanwaron ke ilaake mein.
Par maine apne uss iraade ko phir buland kiya,
Yeh maovaadi ab bach nahi sakenge'
Yeh maine ab maan hi liya.

Main suraksha bal ka ek jawaan,
Karne chal tha koi kaam mahaan.

Hukm milne par chal pada kisi mission par,
Kaha gaya tha sab theek hai iss rah par.

Magar kuch pal baad,
Ek a ek, naa jaane kitni dhamaake huye,
Aur goliyon ki naa jaane kitni baucharein huyi.

Dekhte hi dekhte mere kai saathi shaheed ho gaye,
Kaiyon ki kitni bereham maut huyi.

Main tha buri tarah zakhmee lahu luhaan,
Suraksha bal ka ek jawaan.

Naseeb huyi shaheedi mujhe bhi magar kuch pal baad,
Woh khaufnaak dard,
Aur maut ko bhi sharminda kar dene waali cheekhon baad.

Main suraksha bal ka ek jawaan,
Karne chala tha koi kaam mahaan.

Aakhir shaamil ho hi gaya main un anginat shaheedon mein,
Kitni aasani se bhula diya mujhe, mere iss watan ne.

Chorh diya kitni berehmi se,
Maine apne maa baap ko besahara,
Iss dard bhari zindagi mein.

Mujhe apni iss kurbaani ka koi gam nahi,
Kyonki suraksha bal ka mein ek jawaan,
Karne chala tha koi kaam mahaan.

Magar kaash! Apni iss kurbaani ki huch toh keemat hoti,
Heere moti naa sahi,
Mere inn besahara maa baap ki auron mein kuch toh chaahat hoti.

Aur kyon nahi,
Aakhir tha main suraksha bal ka ek jawaan,
Jo karne chala tha koi kaam mahaan.

https://ndcomposes.blogspot.in

I am a talent..

I am a talent waiting to be discovered,
In this wilderness of ambition, hope, and desire,
Waiting to be uncovered.

“Efforts do not go waste,
Persist, and do not expect anything in haste”
Is what I had heard all along.

I made up my mind that I will persist,
And from expecting anything so quick I shall desist,
Even if all that name, fame, and money take long,

But my efforts, toil, and sweat seem to be going in vain,
I could be doomed to be another failure,
Or another set of aspirations unmet,
Is what is giving me all that anguish and pain.

How easy it is for anyone to inspire,
Merely through encouraging words,
And how amazing it is for others to muster courage, 
Merely through encouraging words.

But alas, how difficult it is for those like me,
To hope against hope,
And wish every passing moment,
A step towards that elusive hope.

The road to that name, fame, and money,
Seems further away,
And I have no choice but to keep moving,
This way or that way.

Yes, I am a talent waiting to be discovered,
In this wilderness of ambition, hope, and desire,
Waiting to be uncovered.

You came in my dreams..

I composed this during my college days:

You came in my dreams last night,

No issues its all right.

The weather was airy,

You looked like a fairy.

I asked you for a dance,

You said "Forget it, no chance".

But I could not resist the temptation,

I held your cheeks and kissed you,

Believe me, that was my salvation.

When I woke up, it was all over,

Yes, this is something, I'll always remember for ever. 

A Collection of Poems and Shayaris by Navneet Dhawanhttp://ndcomposes.blogspot.in/