Sunday, November 13, 2016

Supermoon

 Sonny wasn't sleeping tonight because of the intense light coming in through the window. We'd not seen such intensity before and when I drew the curtains aside we were surprised to see that it was actually moonlight. I just saw this information on FB that tonight we'll see the supermoon. The last supermoon was in 1948, so my dad would've been three years old then. Our nation had entered the second year of its independence. I'm glad I saw this phenomenon tonight and took pictures, which I'll share with my son when he grows up. Meanwhile, I guess I'll just step outside to bask in the moonlight, the next supermoon will be seen on 25th November, 2034, I will be 54 years old, Jeremiah will be 19 and dad will be around 90

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Talent

I just learnt that the word "talent" in olden times meant weight of ~35 kgs.
I see that its modern usage makes sense. Then I read on some financial website that you may be talented but that doesn't necessarily make you rich, rather there're a lot of talented people that are poor.
I'm talking with the man in the mirror.

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Bobolo

Bobo turned 2 this May

My wife wanted a dog after we'd watched almost all the episodes of The Dog Whisperer. I was reluctant but agreed. Bobo was our child when we got him home at the age of 45 days. I spent much of my stay at home wiping his pee from the house floor but the lad was good with poop, he'd let us know at such a tender age and didn't poop inside the house.

Bobo's was our child; every morning, wife would walk him and then keep him on my chest when they returned. She was obnoxiously sentimental about him. But then came a time when she started to frequent her parent's home, so she took Bobo with her in the car as Bobo was too young to be kept alone in the house. Her folks despise dogs so Bobo was locked out in the cemented backyard through the day. I reckon that that's the time when the disconnect spawned between her and Bobo. Initially, she despaired that she had to leave him alone, outside but later she turned on him, thinking of him as the problem to begin with. Gradually she withdrew from him.

Bobo was our child till we had our own. After that he was an unwanted creature, shunned away and considered a pest with a potential to create noise and cause disease. We shifted 4 houses in 3 cities in just about 8 months. We were tired, suffering insomnia, belligerent towards each other and lost. Bobo receded into a shell. When I began to realize this, I took was up in arms. All it did was turn the house into us vs them! Bobo had grown big and strong. Too strong for me to handle as I was growing physically weaker and stressed. Bobo yearned for company and love and sought it from people coming to the house, jumping on them, going out of control and making me lose temper and hit him. Bobo become my punching bag. I just couldn't control him any other way. I sprained my back innumerable times trying to stop him, he's just too strong. Only when I get really aggressive does he stop.
Bobo's arsenal 
Bobo was our child. But I realize that he's also a dog and yearns for the company of his own. He's a handsome lad but his kind hate him. He whines when he sees stray dogs and yelps and whines and pulls to reach out to them; they snarl and growl in return. There've been times we've been attacked but I've stood my ground and drove them away. I almost got bitten once. Bobo isn't scared, he never runs away, nor does he tuck his tail. He just doesn't understand what's happening and why they bark and snarl at him. His response is to run towards them anyway. Little does he know that without my protection, he'll get killed. The worse was when we (wife, child, Bobo and I) went out a bit far from home for a walk late night. Before we knew it, we were surrounded by ~15-20 stray dog, all aggressively attempting to attack Bobo. Good I was carrying a baton. I asked wifey to take sonny and walk away from us. Then Bobo and I inched back home, we were escorted to the house all the way. Despite all the dangers outside the house, we celebrated when he recently lifted his leg to pee outside and marked his territory for the first time.

At times I lie down with him on the floor with him, like I did the day our child was born and I'd come home to rest for some time. But Bobo has nightmares! He cries in his sleep and I have to comfort him. However there are times I just have to push him out of the room when wifey snaps into a rage about his nightmare-whines waking our kid up. Bobo is still my child and I'm learning to change myself.  All because I love him way too much and the thought of something happening to him gives me nightmares as well. I still can't walk him, he's too energetic and every time I take him out, I pull my back. I'm trying to get back in shape to be able to take him out without injuring myself but with the present schedules, I'm still trying to figure out how. I've gained 8 kgs in less than 6 months and physically, I'm at my weakest ever.

Bobo is most gentle with our child and lets him play with him, even if he is harsh with him but he only gently licks back. But our baby is gradually learning to love him and wants to share everything with Bobo. But we still have to watch out for the times he's excited and sprints or jumps around, when he does that, he's injured me a couple of times, let alone the potential injury that can be caused to a toddler. But Bobo still is conscious around the baby most of the times. We love you Bobolo, just wait for sometime, I'm doing all I can to take care of all your needs as a dog but till then and forever, you'll be in my heart.

Thursday, May 05, 2016

Deux

Bobo turned two today. He's such a loving creature.
I only pray that he has a long and a good life with us.
I'm worried for him. What happened to Cheeku is etched in my memory. I understand that people change once their puppy grows up.
 I can understand dogs, they're simple, I can't understand people though!

Sunday, April 10, 2016

(ईं)-धनि नज़रें

अपने घर में मैं अकेला हूँ जिसे अधेड़ उम्र में भी चश्मा नहीं लगा है। शायद इसका कारण यह है कि मैंने ज़िंदग़ी मैं पढ़ाई काफ़ी कम की है। पर जितना मैं टीवी का दिवाना रहा हंँू उस हिसाब से तो मुझे लगभग अंधा हो जाना चाहिये था। ख़ैर, यह मान लेते है कि मैं इस मामले में किस्मत वाला रहा हूँ। पर आज बुरा हुआ। केनी से गाड़ी में पैट्रोल डालते हुए केनी ज़रा फिसल गई और अनु के पैरों मे पैट्रोल जा गिरा। कोना का मुँह चौड़ा था तो तेल भी काफ़ी गिरा। हड़बड़ाहट मे मैंने केनी ज़ोर से अपनी तरफ़ खींची तो ढेरों सा पैट्रोल सीधा मेरे मुँह पर आ गिरा। उस ही पल मुझे ऐसा लगा मानों किसी ने सारे चेहेरे पर आग लगा दी हो। जलन ऐसी हुइ कि मैं दर्द से कहराता हुआ नल की ओर भागा। आँखें तो लग रहा था की अब कुछ देर की ही मेहमान है, वह बुरी तरह जल रही थी। नल पर पहुँचते ही मैं एक और ग़लती कर बैठा और वह यह कि मैंने चुल्लु में पानी भरा और मुँह पर छिड़क दिया। यह ग़लती इस लिये थी कि मेरे हाथों मैं भी ढेर सारा पैट्रोल गिरा हुआ था। जलन बेहद बुरी थी। सासु माँ भागती हुइ आइ और मेरे चेहरे् पर पानी का भारी भरकम छिड़काव करने लगी। क़रीब २० मिनट पानी के बहाव के नीचे अपना मुँह रखने के बाद मैं ज़रा सी आँखें खोल पाया पर फिर भी जलन ज़बरदस्त हो रही थी, आँखें तो अलग, सारा चेहेरा जल रहा था। इस बीच भूकंप भी अा धमका और सब जगह earthquake-earthquake का शोर मंच गया पर मुझे इसका ज़रा भी इल्म न हुआ। फिर घरवालों नें चेहेेरे पे बर्फ़ की पट्टियाँ की। फिर चेहेरे पे जलने कि क्रीम लगाइ तो ज़रा आराम आया। पर इस छोटे हादसे को हुए ६-७ घंटे बीत चुके है पर आँखें अब भी जल रही हैं।

Sunday, February 28, 2016

jaggu

Dr Jagpreet Singh Nanda, HEADSHOT waale, God bless you.

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

I could've made that crap for less but tomorrow is another day

 Hey when I eat food outside, I should be pleasantly surprised. That's the least I expect when I'm out eating at a place where a sandwich costs around 300 rupees.

 While the sandwich at Garlic And Greens was nice, the strawberry-banana smoothie was a downer.  Especially that I got to see how the guy was making it. I took a verka curd box (costs 10 rupees), threw in a banana (5 rupees) added some sugar and a bit of strawberry flavor, blended the thing and served it. Damn! the curd was not even fresh and was a bit sour. How much does Garlic And Greens charge me for that crap? 145 rupees.

So I had to visit VFS again to submit the documents I missed in the morning. It's around 20 kms from home so I took the bike in the next trip. Got stopped by a cop who told me that I hadn't installed the the high-security number plate on my motorcycle, for which I'd be challaned. GREAT! 2,000/- rupees only! The policeman talked random stuff, all of which was meant to imply that I could bribe him and avoid the ticket. What he talked about, I'd skip (although it sure was fun) but I ended up handing him a 500 rupee note, which he asked me to place in his challan-booklet. He was nice (wasn't he), he told me that if someone  else were to stop me I was to tell them that I've got my bike inspected at Naka number 4 and it has been passed. Voila! it was a code language that meant that all the policemen I'd come across again would know that the money has been paid and they'd let me go. Cool! Anyway, I got the form for the high-security number plate and will apply for it tomorrow. I guess high-security implies that you'll be safe and secure from the traffic policemen. Well at least these guys are not the goons like the Delhi police.

Anyway then on the way back at night, I stopped at a dhaba, curious about their shahi paneer. I love dhaba paranthas and expected moderately good shahi paneer. The fellow took a half cut capsicum, an onion, quarter of a cabbage and sliced em all up, added them to his kadahi, added a few pieces of paneer and tossed everything around in the high power dhaba flames :)  He then took the pan around, opened a big bowl added some curry from it, took it to another part of the dhaba, added another curry to it, cooked the damn thing and although I wasn't so happy about the ingredients at first, by now my mouth was watering from the aroma. He then added some cheap chilli sauce to it (ultra cheap I must say), then added some ultra cheap ketchup (I shouted, "hey go easy on that"), then added some other weird things and scooped it all out and packed it. When we ate the dish, I was disappointed. Hey but I got a lot done today so no problem. Tomorrow, here I come.

Monday, February 08, 2016

नासमझ

  हम समझ न पाए इन दोस्तों को, रिश्तेदारों को, इन पढ़ोसियो को, किराएदारों को, सामाज के पेहेरेदारों को। बड़े ख़्वाब देखें जी हमारे लिये कुछ लोगों ने, हम ठहरे निक्कमें, ज़िंदग़ी की लहरों में बहते चले गए, न तैरने का चाह रही, न डूबने की हिम्मत। हुनरमंद तो जी हम भी थे, पर हमारे हुनर हमारे साथ हमारी जेबों में ठसे बह रहे हैं इन लहरों में। दरअसल हमें बचपन में ही जता दिया गया था कि बेटा निखट्टू, तुमसे कुछ ना हो पाई। पर जी ऐसा है कि हमने कभी ज़ाहिर यह नहीं होने दिया कि हम तो अपनी दुनियाँ में ख़ुश हैं।

  हमारी दुनिया है अजीब, क़ुदरत के बाशिंदों हैं हमारे दिल के बहुत क़रीब, पेड़ पौधे, जीव जंतू, इन सब से है हमें प्यार।  हसींन नज़ारों और सुर संगीत पर भी हैं हम न्योछार। डरते हैं तो सिर्फ़ इंसानों से और इंसानों की नक़ली दुनिया से। और इस ख़ौफ़ पे क़ाबू पामे में लगे हैं। नास्तिक से आस्तिक हो चले हैं, सोचते है कि शायद उस परवरदिगार की बदौलत ज़िन्दा हैं, नहीं तो हम में ऐसी दुनियाँ में जी जाने का हुनर तो है नही, रुतबा तो दूर की बात है। बस एक ज़िद्द है, अब एक ज़िन्दगी जो हमारी मर्ज़ी के बिना हमें स़ौंप ही दी गई है, इसे जियेंगे तो अपने हिसाब से, अरे साहिब, हमारा हिसाब सीधा साधा है हमारी तरह, बहते रहो, तैरने में इतने मश्रूफ न हो जाओ कि यह देख ही न पाओ कि ज़िदग़ी दरअसल ख़ूबसूरत है। मेरे भाई, यह ज़रा दूसरों को पछाड़ने की जद्दोजहद में और अपने आप को महान सिद्ध करने की ज़बरदस्त कोशिशों से यह हसींन वादियों में गंदगी फैल रही है, क़ुदरत का विनाश हो रहा है, इस सुंदरता को बक्श दो। हम जैसे निखट्टुओं के नज़ारे ख़राब न करो।

  बन जाओ तुम नः १ हर चीज़ में, इम्तिहान में हो जाओ तुम टौपर, ख़ूब पैसा कमाओ, फिर उस दौड़ में ज़िंदगी भर भागते चले जाओ, चूसो ग़रीबों का ख़ून और और भी अमीर होते जाओ। पर तुम्हारी दुआ में कभी शुक्रग़ुज़ारी नहीं सुनी, सुना तो सिर्फ़ स्वार्थ। यार ख़ुदा पर विश्वास भी करते हो और निडर हो कर उसकी क़ुदरत की बेअदबी भी करते हो? दरअसल अमीर होने के बावजूद, हो तुम भिख़ारी।

  ऐसे लोगों की बनाइ इस दुनियाँ का हिस्सेदार मैं तो न हो पाऊँगा। मास्टर जी  ऐसा नहीं
है कि हमसे हो न पाएगा, ऐसा है कि हम करेंगे नहीं, क्यूँकि, हमारे मुताबिक़ ज़िन्दगी में करने को ऐसी चीज़ें भी हैं जो सही मायनों में अच्छी है।

Friday, February 05, 2016

Improvement

You know I really must shun this habit of being negative and sarcastic, seems like I was friggin born like that. Anyway, now that I know, I can at least improve upon some bad habits.

Sunder Munderiye

  This perhaps has been one of the most captivating articles I've read (http://scroll.in/article/801803/lohri-legends-the-tale-of-abdullah-khan-dullah-bhatti-the-punjabi-who-led-a-revolt-against-akbar)

  The Lohri song Sunder Munderiye that people in Punjab sing with such zest and happiness is a song about Rai Abdullah Khan Bhatti (AKA Dullah Bhatti) who was a Muslim Rajput Bhatti, who lived his life fiercely revolting against the Mughals, and was ultimately even executed by them.  History is complicated but Punjabi pop numbers aren't, apparently they've recently made a song about Dullah Bhatti portraying him as a Sikh. Nothing wrong with portraying him as Sikh if he really was but he was Muslim! 

 In today's world we are trained to see things in black and white  and side with an opinion (even if it means deliberately hiding the blacks and hyping the whites of the opinions we side with). I know of many people who generally hate Muslims in general but celebrate Lohri with great fervour and possibly do not know who Dullah Bhatti was. Like I said history is complex, to tell someone today that the hero they're singing about was a Muslim, Rajput and a Bhatti will perplex anyone (for according to us today that appears to be an admixture of 3 different religions. So maybe those times were more complex, yet simpler (i.e. You could be a Rajput, a Muslim and a Bhatti at the same time...apparently Bhatti is derived from the name of a place, now in Pakistan).

  Anyway, I feel sad for Dullah Bhatti, he's no more than a popular folk song that people don't know about. The article also mentions that since Pakistanis feel a deep kinship towards the Mughals (for the same reasons that many Indians dislike them; which again is sad for the Mughals), they don't really talk much about Dullah Bhatti, who although a Muslim, was against the Mughals. So basically nobody really knows him much. Well apparently Lohri is celebrated in the memory of his generosity for the poor.

Thursday, February 04, 2016

बेचैनी

   मौत का ख़ौफ़ शायद इकलौता ऐसा ख़ौफ़ है जो न तो झुठलाया जा सकता है, न टाला जा सकता है। हर रात, अपने प्रिय परिजनों के ग़ुज़र जाने के ख़यालों से मैं बेचैन हो उठता हूँ। कभी यह भी ख़याल आता है कि अगर कल को मैं चल बसु तो जिन्हें पीछे छोड़ जाउंगा, उन्के जीवन किस तरह बदल जाएँगे। आज कार में जाते हुए, एक क्षण में एक हादसा देखा, एक स्कूटर चालक महिला का पैर चलते ट्रैक्टर के बड़े पहिये के नीचे आ गया। आधे सैकि्ड में जो मैंने यह देखा और उस औरत की चीख़ सुनी, मैं सकपका सा गया। ट्रैफ़िक बहुत था और मैं रुक न पाया और आगे निकल गया। रियर-व्यू शीशे मैं देखा कि कुछ खलबली मंच चुकी थी। मैं दुखद पुरानी यादों में खो गया। बाक़ी का रास्ते मैं सुनन सा पड़ गया। सोच रहा था कि वो औरत कितने दर्द में होगी....और फिर कुछ और भी याद आ गया।

   पापा का वह ऐक्सीडेंट मांनो फिर से मेरी आँखो के सामने मँडराने लगा। हर बार वो बेबसी के पल याद आते है जब मैं पापा औप्रेशन थियेटर के बाहर स्ट्रैचर पर लहु-लुहान पड़े अपनी बारी का इंतज़ार कर रहे थे और मैं उन्के सिरहाने पर सिर रख कर आँखें बंद कर यह दुआ कर रहा था कि या रब्ब, काश कि यह सब एक बुरा सप्ना हो। बहुत देर आपाँ संभाला और फिर आँसू रोक न पाया, उसी वख्त पापा का हाथ मेरे सिर को सहलाने लगा। मैं हैरान था कि वह होश में थे, क्यूँकि वह कुछ घँटों से ज़रा भी हिले नहीं थे, बस साँस चल रही थी। ख़ैर, वह मेरे सिर को ऐसे सहलाने लगे जैसे बचपन में सहलाते थे; उनके हाँथ ज़रा भारी हैं, मेरे हाँथों से काफ़ी भारी। पता नहीं क्यूँ, वह पल मेरे दिल के सबसे क़रीब है। इस वारदात को क़रीब आठ साल बीत गए। पापा आठ साल और बुज़ुर्गी में बढ़ गए है। वह मेरे छः महीने के बेटे, अपने पोते, से बहुत प्यार करते हैं, इतना प्यार कभी मेरे लिये ज़ाहिर नहीं किया, कभी कभी मुझे इस बात से हैरानी, या कहो कि जलन होती है।
   हम बाप बेटे किस दौड़ भाग में फँसे रहे और साथ रह कर भी अजनबी बने रहे। या रब्बा, इन ज़ख़्मों को भर और इस ख़ौफ़ से निजात दिल्वा....कहीं अपने सच में अपना मानने से पहले न ग़ुज़र जाएँ, या वो रह जाएँ और हम ग़ुज़र जाएँ।

"हमें आज़माइश मे न पढ़ने दे, बल्कि बुराइ से बचा
क्युंकि बादशाहत, क़ुदरत और जलाल, अबद तक तेरे हैं।"