ज़िंदगी

उन शोख़ियों से भरी पल्कों

के पीछे, अश्कों को छिपाती वो

जाने कित समन्दर पार कर गई,

पिंजरा तोड़कर, मुँह मोड़कर,

जाने कहाँ वो भाग गई?

कल आई थी वो मेरे

ख़्वाबों की डगर पर

करने मुझसे शिकवे वहाँ ,

आँखों से अपना दर्द छलकाकर

बिन कहे कह गई अपनी ज़ुबान!

भागता चला गया मैं

सब पाने की चाह में,

सराब सा समाया था निगाहों में

रहा उनमें डूबा मैं!

आज जो दौड़कर थकने लगा हूँ

तो याद आती है वो सुंदर सखी

जिसके संग था खेलता मैं

बचपन से ही लुका- छुपी!

अब जो आया हूँ उसे ढूँढने 

सब पीछे छोड़कर मैं,

नहीं आ सकती वो मुझसे मिलने

वक़्त से हुआ हूँ शिकस्ता मैं!!

है जाना मैंने विछोह से,

आख़िर थी जो कोताही मेरी,

"और" पाने की चाह में भागकर

गँवाई थी मैंने ज़िंदगी मेरी!!

-ऋचा

Just a thought..expressed as envisioned

With every passing moment, I like to believe, that he's here to stay. And then a drop trickles from the mound of my eye, burning my face and pulling me back to the salty truth. I walk and talk, consume and bathe, or rather I don't. Perhaps a doppelgänger, in my absence represents another 'me', to people around. And up there, I continue to run, turn, fall and run again, ascend the hill that takes me atop, where I meet him, see his face, talk and decipher his expressions as they change. We talk, laugh and cry at the same time, pour our hearts out to each other and nearly hold hands.And then comes an avalanche, pulling me away, back to the world, pacing as I lose my head. Everything twirls and twists and makes me see through the haze. Every morning, such is the case. The drops I mistook as dew, were actually my tears that rolled down, on the pillow that I envisioned as the mountain on which I stood. And then, I realised that the missing nonchalance in his expressions was due to the clouds that moved away, sometimes making me see his smile, sometimes tears. It feels like I ran whole night, and entered the mundane body to stop and start again, but play a different role. I begin to think that sometimes I'm not me. If I'm not with him, how can I be alive? How can I be 'me'?
There comes a storm and pulls me into disbelief. For a moment, I feel he's here to stay. And then I run in search of him, all over again! I feel the void he left behind, that burns me from within. And then begins my soliloquy, letting the world know how this solitude gets the better of me, each time,all day. I feel the scars that burn as my tears trickle down, wavering my urge to live and move on. I only live to meet him again, capture his expressions, and engrave his smile in my heart, forever. If only I could dive back into the depths of time and cling to him, like I did as a kid. Miss You NANU! 

-Richa Gupta

Havoc

There stands a city

A little too busy

For him to express how he fell!

He wonders who'll speak of the

sabotage that led him to the knell!

It bloomed with spring

And heard the jingles

That tots would oft sing.

It looked serene and colorful,

sans any traffic or ting.

The colour well, fell in a bound!

All stood in vigour,

awaiting the instructional sound.

It had a tree

That stood out of the scene

Green with glee,

it would make him keen.

The fact that it outshone all around,

he got inspired to work till his mound!

He remembered the dusk

that drove him sad,

deciphering the horizon 

he often went mad.

He wonders what led to a change

so drastic ,nearly turning a cage.

He yearns but, to soar quite high,

Passing all boundaries,in the sky!

- RICHA GUPTA

Happy Republic Day!

जिसके प्रताप की जय-जयकार करता, झूम रहा ये नीला गगन है

जिसके गौरव-गाण में डूबी प्रत्येक दिल की बुलंद धड़कन है, 

प्राची की स्वर्णलिपि में अंकित

महिममान्वित ये मेरा वतन है! 

सहिष्णुता व शांति से परिपूर्ण 

दर इसकी पवित्रता का शिखर है

ऋषियों की तप की भूमि ये,

माँ गंगा का उद्गम स्थल है, 

मल्हार - वसंत की अगवानी में सजी

अन्न - धान से इसकी डगर है! 

तुझे फरमाबरदारी दिखाने को,

जी-जान से हम आगे बढ़ेंगे 

हर क्षेत्र में और परिश्रम करके

पहला स्तर हासिल करेंगे!

चारों ओर, तेरी प्रशंसा में

ये प्रतिध्वनि हो रही है- 

तुझ जैसा  मुल्क इस पूरी दुनिया में नहीं है! 

JAI HIND! HAPPY REPUBLIC DAY!🇮🇳🙌🏻

-ऋचा गुप्ता

आँसुओं की विडम्बना (irony of tears)

जीवन के हर मोड़ पर रहा मेरा ये सवाल,

कि हो चाहे जैसा भी हाल,

मनुष्य  अश्रुजल क्यों बहाते हैं? 

मन मौन रहा, अधर ख़ामोश रहे

सवाल वही रहा, जवाब हम ढूँढते रहे ।।

उसकी नयन सफ़र में ढूँढती रही कोई रेहनूमा,

अपनी तलाश में उसने अश्रु प्रवाहित किए।

अरे, मिला जब कोई दर्द बाँटने वाला उसे, तब भी ख़ुशी के नाम पर उसने सैलाब भर दिए।।

व्यथा सुनाने को ढूँढते किसी को उसके अधर,

सारा ज़हान घूमने पर मिल जाए कोई अगर,

फिर क्यों कहता वो कि दिल की बात तो है उसी में दबी, कितनी सूनी है ये डगर! 

हर प्रश्न का है होता कोई उत्तर , 

पर इस सवाल का क्यों नहीं? 

मनुष्य क्यों असंतुष्ट होकर रो देता है,

आख़िर ख़ुशी में भी क्यों दामन भिगो देता है? 

-ऋचा गुप्ता 

Happy Independence Day

🇮🇳माँ तुझे सलाम!🇮🇳

है जिसके प्रताप की साक्षी माँ गंगा

देते जिसकी करुणा का प्रमाण ये तारागण

ऐसा है भारत देश हमारा

करती जिसपर मैं सर्वस्व अर्पण !

अरे ओ आध्यात्मिकता के शिखर

ऋषि-मुनियों के तप की पवित्र डगर!

नैतिकता चूमती तेरा अंबर

है तेरी शान में गर्वोन्नत मेरा सर!

है हिम-किरीट तेरा मुकुट

और तन है सपाट मैदान

पवित्र नदियों के उद्गम स्थान 

करती मैं तेरा अथक सम्मान! 

है तेरी वायु में इतना अपनापन

की परदेसिओं का भी खिल जाता मन

है तेरी मिट्टी में ये कैसी शक्ति

जो आश्रित है तुझपर सैंकड़ों वनस्पति ?

तू थी ऐश्वर्य की प्रतिमा

'सोने की चिड़िया' उपाधि थी तेरी गरिमा!

बाहरी लुटेरों ने तुझे भरसक लूटा है,

मैं जानती हूँ तेरा मनोबल टूटा है!

तेरा आशीष मिले तो हम संगठन से आगे बढ़ेंगे 

प्रतिबद्धता और दृढ़ता के दम पर 

हर रण से जीतकर लौटेंगे!

तेरे हर रत्न को हम पुन: भर ले आएँगे,

जन्मे हैं हम तेरी अंक में ये सबको दिखलाएँगे!

-ऋचा गुप्ता 

Dravid v/s Sachin fan battle

For all those Sachin fans who regard Dravid to be any less a legend than Sachin.....

       India is a cricket-crazy nation.Forget being crazy about the sport, people follow it like a religion, with complete devotion,treating cricketers like GODS. 

      Whenever cricket is discussed in India, the first person that all Indians think of is Sachin Tendulkar. Needless to say, this great man needs no introduction. The little master has played for India over 25 years, scoring 100 centuries. Millions of people follow him ardently, to a level of worship. His fans regard him as the GREATEST CRICKETER in world history and feel that Cricket is humbled to have him. No offense to the stalwart, I strongly feel that no player is greater than the sport.

      Due to some chauvinists who compare Sachin with other greats of the game, it sometimes goes par tolerance to think of him as the only legend India ever produced. These followers treat other players as amateurs or perhaps even nonexistent in front of Sachin.

        Their main target is one of Sachin's best comrades both on and off field-Rahul Dravid.Often regarded as THE WALL for his rock-solid game, DRAVID has been India's most consistent batsman and the world's most classical and technically correct cricketer.He is the epitome of masterclass and the Lord of Superfine cricket.  In his career of 16 years, Dravid has 13,288 test runs and 10,889 ODI runs with the record of a century in every cricket playing nation. He has many partnerships with Sachin that have added to India's best innings partnerships. Though no 2 players must be compared, there are certain things that Sachin fans need to know before considering Rahul Dravid any less a legend than Sachin.

        Sachin has always been among the most active cricketers in news headlines. Limelight has never left his path. His fans regard cricket lucky to have him. If he plays, the sport is humbled, if he scores a century, he is the best, if he takes a catch, there is nobody to match upto him. If he drops a catch, the batsman is at fault, if he is out for a duck, it is just bad luck, if he does not play, India will lose. 

        But, if Dravid plays, it's fine, he scores a century, he goes unnoticed, he takes a catch, it was an easy one, if he misses a catch, he is a bad feilder, if he gets run out, he is a slow runner & if he does not play, it's just fine. Why so? If you actually sit to compare their performances, Dravid has a better consistency percentage. Then how is he any less a legend than Sachin? 

      Dravid came, played and went unnoticed all the while. Despite being consistent, dependable, committed and exceptional, he wasn't given the recognition that he deserved. The fact that Indians wanted Sachin to play, they NEEDED Dravid to play to survive. 

       If Sachin hits some odd runs in front of Dravid's half-century, still he will have all the limelight. All through his career, Sachin opened with personal choice, or came in at 4. But Dravid opened, kept wickets, came in at 4,5 or even 7 at times. He fielded  at the slip and took 210 catches. He adjusted all the while, never saying no to his team. He played for his nation and not records. Still Sachin is the BEST? Really? 

          Forget the silence through his career, his farewell too was an ordinary one. He made way for a youngster in the team. Sachin, on the other hand chose his opposition teams. His position remained fixed, keeping one youngster out of chance. He even chose to retire against West Indies. He got a big-bang farewell, with full media coverage and loudness. He had a farewell series to his name, a highly commercialized event. 

 But still! Sachin is great and Dravid is not? 

          Well, Sachin will remain to be known for his records, but Dravid will always be remembered for his perseverance and personality on the field. 

        If like to say that if Sachin is Superman, Dravid is the dark knight. As a Dravid fan, I'd like to conclude by saying that,

SACHIN MAY BE THE GOD,

GANGULY may be next to God on Off-side 

LAXMAN may be the God of 4 th innings,

But when the doors of a temple are shut, even the Gods remain BEHIND THE WALL.