Friday 19 December 2014

अरे ओ मनुष्य! अब तो जाग

गूँज रहे गगन में विनाश के राग,
मौन हुई कोयल,गा रहे काग।
डँस रहे हर ओर से काले नाग,
अरे ओ मनुष्य! अब तो जाग।।

हो रही अवनि-मेघा की कड़वी मुलाक़ात,
मच रहा कुहराम, बनने को है दिन भी रात।
पहले देता था इनका मधुर मिलन कोई मनोरम सौग़ात,
पर अब छा रहा अँधियारा,दे रोशनी की कोई तो किरण मेरे भ्रात!
अरे ओ मनुष्य! अब तो जाग।।

प्रभु कृपा से चल रही थी जब सहज प्रवृत्ति,
मनुष्य था ईश्वर की सबसे अनुपम कृति।
है यह संसार एक अमूल्य निधि,
तू बचा इसे, बना कोई शत्रुंजय विधि।।
अरे खड़ा क्यों है? बढ़ा क़दम,रक्षा को भाग। 
अरे ओ मनुष्य! अब तो जाग।।

प्रभु हैं दाता और तू याचक,
कर उनके चरणों में नमन अपना मस्तक।
परस्परावलंब के दम पर है जीता ये जग,
आवाज़ उठा,हाथ मिला और इस सृष्टि का तू बन जा रक्षक!
  खा सौगंध, फैला एकता की आग!
अरे ओ मनुष्य! अब तो जाग।।

यह देश ही है तेरी दुनिया ,
है टिका इसपर तेरा मुस्तकबिल,
जा! अपने भाइयों का हौंसला बढ़ा,
मिटाकर सारी दूरियाँ ,जा उनसे मिल।
तभी होगा तेरा उत्थान,
होगा एक जब सबका दिल।।

तो आओ गुनगुनाएँ एकता का राग,
अरे ओ मनुष्य! अब तो जाग।।
                       -ऋचा गुप्ता

Monday 22 September 2014

English took a loan..

        Is English really the greatest language? Some linguists say that all languages are equally great and unique.English too, like other languages has got its own syntactical ,phonological and lexical features.It is the most commonly known and spoken language in the world.Its significance is way beyond national boundaries. Despite all its grandness,English cannot be called "the mother" of all languages for the very fact that it has borrowed words from other languages, and unlike Sanskrit or Pali, it does not undertake the use of all words which belong to it. Everything in this world depends on the other for its existence, and so do languages.Not perplexing statements anymore,English too,for the reader's manifest,borrowed words from its sisterly foreign languages.
         A LOANWORD is a word used directly from another language with little or no translation.Such foreign words or phrases are peppered throughout the English language.Some commonly used loanwords are:
                     ZEITGEIST
Meaning : The defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time.
Origin: German
Etymology: used by Germans in the mid 19th century,to define a particular era 
               Imagine describing the 'Golden Age of Guptas' by calling it 'the spirit and mood of the Golden period of history when the Guptas ruled' ..would you even have the time to comprehend it? Certainly not.
               So, English, our dear language helped us out by using an appropriate alternate term ZEITGEIST. Such a word acts like a boon to the reader's manifest. It is self-explanatory and makes the comprehending aspect quite immaculate to the reader. For instance, when you say ' The zeitgeist of the Guptas'..it is vividly comprehended and immaculately understood by the reader.
             Another such word is CASH.
Meaning:  coins or bills of monetary value -as used in vernacular English.
Origin: Indian ,Dravidian Tamil.
Etymology: derived from the Dravidian Tamil word 'kasu' which stands for coins.
             Dravidians, also known as the FIRST INDIANS were the first set of people to enter and set in India. They have given birth to the Indian culture.Dravidians are considered the most superior caste in the World, falling under the sub-category of Deshastha Brahmins-the highest caste of Brahmins. There are about 124 words in common between Dravidian Tamil and Sanskrit. Dravidian Tamil words like 'kasu','ilchi'etc have been used by the then residing Englishmen in India, using them for cash and ginger respectively. 
           Imagine using the literal meaning of the term cash and saying " I am going to draw 'coins and bills of monetary value' from the bank." And now say "I am going to draw cash from the bank" . Which one sounds better? Obviously cash. 
         Thus, many loanwords borrowed from foreign languages make understanding clear and immaculate to the reader. 

Thursday 4 September 2014

Patience-Rahul Dravid

I just found these golden words by the great wall of Indian cricket team Rahul Dravid.

Rahul Dravid on Patience -

“When I’m requested to speak to youngsters I like talking about this phase of my life and liken it to fascinating plant: The Chinese Bamboo. You can take a Chinese bamboo seed and plant it in the ground, water and nurture the seed for an entire year & not even see a single sprout. Infact, you’ll not see a sprout for 5 years. But suddenly, a tiny shoot will spring from the ground. And over the next 6 weeks, the plant can grow as tall as 90 feet. It can grow as fast as 39 inches every 24 hours. You can literally watch the plant grow.

What was the plant doing during these 5 years, seemingly dormant period, it was growing its roots. For 5 full years it was preparing itself for rapid, full growth. Without this root structure, the plant simply couldn’t support itself for its future growth. Some would say the plant grew 90 feet in 6 weeks, I would say it grew 90 feet in 5 years & 6 weeks.”

So keep watering and nurturing yourself. One day you will sprout and may be grow as fast as a Chinese Bamboo tree. No one becomes a mid night success, there are years of labor and pain behind that.

"God's delays are not god's denials."
-Rahul Dravid

Saturday 14 June 2014

#MyRoleModel RAHUL DRAVID- magazine article

THIS GREAT WALL OF INDIA  NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION. KNOWN AS MR.DEPENDABLE, HE WAS TEAM INDIA'S KNIGHT. HE STOOD TALL IN ALL THE DIFFICULT SITUATIONS AND EMERGED AS A VICTORIAN. SIMPLICITY,CLASS,DISCIPLINE,DEDICATION,DETERMINATION AND ELEGANCE ARE SOME VIRTUES WHICH CONCRETE THE FOUNDATION OF THIS WALL.
HE IS RECOGNIZED AS ONE OF THE GREATEST CLASSICAL TEST BATSMEN IN THE WORLD.JUST WHEN PEOPLE THOUGHT THAT HE IS FIT FOR ONLY TEST CRICKET, HE PROVED THEM ALL WRONG.APART FROM THE 13,289 RUNS IN TEST CRICKET, HE IS ONE OF THE SEVEN CRICKETERS IN THE HISTORY OF WORLD CRICKET WHO HAVE MORE THAN 10,000 ODI RUNS TO THEIR NAMES. HIS ODI RUNS COUNT UPTO 10,889.NOT JUST BATTING, HE HOLDS THE RECORD OF 210 CATCHES AS A NON-WICKET-KEEPER IN TEST CRICKET AND 196 CATCHES IN ODI- WHICH IS THE HIGHEST IN THE WORLD.
MANY RECORDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS HAVE BEEN BLESSED TO LINK THEMSELVES TO HIS NAME.DRAVID ACCORDING TO ME HAS THE BEST PERSONA .HIS PERSEVERANCE IS BEYOND DEFIANCE . HE HAS INSPIRED MILLIONS LIKE ME TO BE DEDICATED,PATIENT AND OPTIMISTIC. ALSO I HAVE LEARNED FROM HIM TO  HOLD ON TO THE CORRECT TECHNIQUE, NO MATTER WHAT OTHERS THINK OR DO. HIS DEFENCE WAS OFTEN CRITICIZED AND EVEN GOT HIM THE TITLE OF A SLOW PLAYER. BUT HE PROVED THE WORTH OF HIS TECHNIQUE AS THE SAME DEFENCE MADE HIM HOLD HIS WICKET IN ENGLAND, WHERE NOBODY COULD EVEN ADAPT TO THE DIFFICULT CONDITIONS.
THERE ARE MANY OTHER INSTANCES THAT MADE HIM STAND TALL AND TALLER AND PERHAPS THE TALLEST IN MY EYES. I HAVE BEEN WORSHIPING HIM FOR OVER 11 YEARS NOW..EVER SINCE I AM A FOUR YEAR OLD. I HAVE WRITTEN A HANDFUL OF POEMS ON HIM TOO.WHENEVER I HEAR OF THE TERM ROLE MODEL, IT IS ONLY HIM I CAN THINK OF.WHAT MAKES HIM STAND OUT OF THE CROWD IS THE FACT THAT HE IS DEEPLY ENGROSSED AND COMMITED TO THE SPORT. DUE TO HIS 100% COMMITMENT, HE WAS ALWAYS READY TO FACE THE TOUGHEST OF SITUATIONS. NAME ONE THING AND HE WOULD BE READY TO DO IT FOR INDIA, BE IT WICKET-KEEPING OR OPENING , FEILDING AT THE SLIPS ..AND WHAT NOT.THE WORDS I AM USING CANNOT FATHOM THE DEPTH OF THE AMOUNT OF RESPECT I HAVE FOR HIM. HE WAS AND WILL ALWAYS BE THE ONE WHOM I WILL LOOK UPTO IN MY LIFE AND LEARN..JUST LIKE HIM, WHO  YET REMAINS A STUDENT OF THE SPORT AND IS NEVER TIRED OF LEARNING MORE.
INSPITE OF ALL THE 17 YEARS OF HIS CONTRIBUTION TO CRICKET, HE HAS ALWAYS GONE UNNOTICED.HE HAS ALWAYS BEEN OVERSHADOWED.BUT I FEEL THAT MAY THE DARKEST OF SITUATIONS COME FORTH, HE WILL ALWAYS CONTINUE TO BE DIVINE WITH THAT KIND OF A HALO THAT ENCIRCLES HIM..AND TO THIS MAN'S WORSHIP ,WHO I DEFINE AS GOD, I COMMIT MY ENTIRE LIFE...I PLEDGE TO ALWAYS WORSHIP HIMTHE SAME WAY OR PERHAPS EVEN MORE....

Friday 10 January 2014

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RAHUL DRAVID ( my poetic dedication )

In 1973,there was a dawn,
11th January was Indian Cricket's morn, 
When a worthy cricketer was born.
Yes, he is none but RAHUL DRAVID
Whose cricket technique was indeed splendid.
Yes he became team India's knight,
Difficult battles he was ready to fight.
The bowlers when saw his sight,
Began wondering about their plight,
Seeing boundaries take their flight.
Yes he is called THE WALL,
For India he did stand tall,
Never letting our hopes fall,
Striking boundaries of many a ball.
He is called CUCUMBER COOL,
One whom no bowler could fool,
His career was a run-filled pool, 
Correct technique was its key tool.
The bowlers were always admonished,
As many runs he replenished.
Till 16 years this player lasted,
His retirement left me flabbergasted.
Yet no Indian can ever forget,
What he made India achieve .
He delivered the BRADMAN ORATION,
For him every Indian stood in ovation.
I wish this gem a HAPPY BIRTHDAY,
In future I wish there is some day,
When I could catch a glimpse of him
And show my respect towards him..
-RICHA GUPTA