UNDER THE BRIDGE

.


Mumbai is a city of magnified spectrum.If the elements of this city (which
are the parameters scanned under the spectrum) were vectorized then Mumbai would result to a null.


Shaina,a fourteen year girl lives here,somewhere in the city.Who knows where.Despite the fever she will go to work today,because she is hungry.So she puts up her pain behind and moves towards her office. She is standing at the traffic signal waiting for lights to go red so that she can start her work.Her office is the the traffic signal.She is a beggar by profession,and lives near to her office,right under the bridge.


So in sickness she starts her routine,approaches a woman hidden under her sunglasses,stuck between the leather belt and music from the music player of her shiny long new car.Shamelessly Shaina demands money.She looks through the pane with pain,with her lips demanding money and eyes demanding a ride.This is the part she enjoys the most,looking through the glass of various such cars she realizes how life is at the other end,how life is inside a car, how calm things are at the other side,how rich is the fragrance inside (which she can smell with her eyes).She realizes how vectors on the other side of axis behave.


HONK-HONK,light is green,the car is gone carrying her reflection on the shiny door,carrying the image of a vector stuck at the axis which is a mark of separation.Her reflection tries hard to go inside the car,but fails when car stops at the other stop where another Shaina or sunita or vinita or kavita is looking through the axis.


She is hungry,tired and sick,but keeps moving from car to car,auto to auto,and it starts raining,the rain of Mumbai celebrates her hunger with a little drizzle at start and then thunders later.Within an hour whole Mumbai was drenched in rain,and so was she.She was wet from top to bottom,her wet clothes were nothing less then a window to her age,though some men opted for biology instead of mathematics in their head.
Her fever has gone high now,and the shiver is picking its pace,plus the window made winds able.



At last Shaina comes back to her place,where she lives or where she sleeps,the place used by many for a walk,the place used by many for a smoke,the place which is less than a place to many but more than a home for her,the place is under the bridge.To her misery and disappointment she finds her blanket cum mattress wet with water which leaked out of infamous Mumbai drains.Now she is hungry,tired,cold,and with a high fever with no place to sit,no place to sleep,no place to rest.Her hunger is changing to anger,the weak vector is directionless,and it can collapse any moment.There was a sound of thunder,dark clouds getting together and laughing, nature knows it own ways of expressing sarcasm.Then there was a captivating sound from a mosque where a muezzin prayed for wellness of everyone.Between the thunder sound and muezzin's prayers there was a small unheard sound, a sound of a crack, a sound of hunger which came from inside Shaina's stomach. The void was yawning.


She manages to sit on an elevated stone and looks up at the tall building nearby where she can see a lady enjoying a cup of tea and the rains at her balcony,probably she is having a wada pao too,or a bread pakoda,or samosa or even if she is having a muffin,she was having a wada pao or bread-pakoda or samosa.Who knows what was she eating,or even if she was eating anything or not,but in someone's head she surely was eating a wada-pao or a bread pakoda or a samosa.


Shaina utilizes all the energy she is left with to stand up and walk,walk towards the building where the lady is standing at her balcony with wada-pao shaped muffin.She reaches the building and stands right beneath the balcony hoping for the wada -pao to fall down from that lady's hands,hoping for lower floors beneath the balcony to vanish,hoping for her hand to increase in length,hoping against hope,against hope hoping!


There were stairs,there were lifts,lifts were expensive or thought she,stairs were not or thought she.She opted for stairs because she had no money.


The bell rings,the lady with wada-pao opens the door,Shaina stares at her hands,there was no wada-pao,lady asks something,shiana answered nothing,lady again asked something Shaina shiveringly expressed something which the lady could not understand.Lady asks her a last time what she wanted..."kya chaeye?"(what do you want?)... "mala bhook lagle ahe"....."mala bhook lagli ahe" (i am hungry)...lady shuts the door close..Shaina had lost it all,she had almost given up the fight but for last time she again rings the bell.



Door opens,same lady comes out again,again without the "wada-pao",again asking her the same thing,again speaking in the same tone...everything was same except one,Shaina said something else this time "kaahi kaam milnar kay" (Will I get some work?)......"kya" (what?)......."kaahi kaam milnar kay"........this time the lady found it difficult to close the door,something stopped her from ignoring the girl, something made her smile back,she asked her to wait...Shaina waited,with a blank face, with thunders and azaan making perfect music which further decorated her wait with desperation.The lady gets back with a plate of daal-chawal and offers it to Shaina,for whom the only visible thing around was that plate,she forgot everything around her,she stopped feeling everything that she was feeling before,she just felt a snake biting her stomach from inside

.

The moment was very painful for the lady,the moment was best for the girl,the moment made one feel sorry,the moment made one feel happy,the moment made one see the world beyond food and pleasure,the moment made one see pleasure in food,the moment was witness to two opposite feelings,two opposite worlds,two opposite vectors,one lived over the bridge one lived beneath it,one enjoyed the rains with the food,one enjoyed the food with despite the rains.

Who Stole My Shoe

Look at me,
all smart and new,
but who knows who,
stole my shoe,
I have only one left,
that too of my left,
my dear sunlight,
to avoid slipping over dew,
and over moonlight too,
did by any chance you?
stole my shoe?

I limp through,
I kip asking,
who knows who
stole my shoe,
hey miss night,
were not you called a 'day' before,
just to go black
did by any chance you,
stole my shoe

It can be any one under the blue,
who ran with my shoe,
is it the cuckoo,
who made it her nest,
or is it the mushroom,
whose umbrella broke this monsoon,
or is it the glue,
friend of stapler,
who took it along
for her marriage with paper,
baffled as a porcupine,
I asked 9,
excuse me, thats my shoe,
9 said "you buy new,
I was tired of standing on one leg,
and my only leg pained,
you gave base to 1 and arms to 7,
4 just stood twice with 2,
rest rested on there belly,
that is sad and true,
I stole your shoe"

Tears Of Blue

Stay for me there I will not fail,
To meet thee in that hollow vale.
--Exequy on the death of his wife, by Henry King.


Lies there she
eyes closed yet staring
lies there she
so calm, serene
lies there she
inside inside coffin
those roses you make look good
as we flood
your smile shines the wood
I know why you smile
thats a grace from heaven
I know not how to bid goodbye
I know you smile at aloof me
I know not why this early
clock's a circle
I know you know I know no thing
now when you see
I look up and wink
everyday I will
to say no frown please
if I drink
everynight at night
my soul will miss its mate
may be thats the fate
you sleep sound now
I pass nights in wait
yes my weight
I promise I promise
will not bite the pie
will cut down my weight
if you promise to cut down my wait
you request my arrival
and I pray
for time is a circle
mine is a pie away.

Beyond "Hare Krishna ! Hare Rama!"

----------------------------------find me an atheist now




"Main khelega" these were the formal first famous words from his mouth,the meaning is simple "I will play" but it was only after people untied the "main khelega" phrase that they realized what he meant. He meant "I will play long,I will play till the end,I will play till it dawns,till it dusks again,till its summer again,till winters come,till game changes,till era changes,till the time this game exists,till the time I have others to play with,till the time 'time' exists, I WILL PLAY". So who is this guy?Did he play that long?Will he play that long? We will find it out in a short while.


Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, thats the name lord Vishnu picked up for His last avatar.This avatar was born on 24th April'73(nineteen silent)to rule the planet from 1989.Like Krishna who had magical powers in His flute,which made men,women,animals,plants,insects,wind,fire,rivers,oceans,mountains go majestically crazy,go nonsensically mad with just single stroke of air on His flute.Sachin has been provided with exactly the same powers,his magical flute is his bat.A single stroke of his bat has the same effect on the country,a leg glance,a cover drive,a paddle sweep,occasional pull,a front foot straight drive,a backfoot push,a scoop over third man,and plenty more such strokes have made the country blind followers of his rhythmic shot making.Arjuna was blessed to be closest to Krishna and receive preachings from Him,Krishna guided Arjuna as a father guides a son. Closest to Sachin to receive preachings has to be his son whose name is Arjun. Another of Vishnu's avatar,lord Rama,was denied the crown for fourteen years,Sachin Tendulkar in spite of ruling the planet for a long time got his ultimate crown(The World Cup) after a long wait,and guess what,it was Lanka again.

Vishnu's avatars have been sent time and again to free the world from evils,evils like Ravana,Kansa,Hirnyakashyap.The country has faced numerous problems,wars,epidemics,politics,terror and many more,but there is one thing that makes the country happy,a small man,wet with sweat, takes off his helmet,raises his bat 120 degrees from the ground and the country is happy(it has happened 99 times till date) and as one of great admirer of Sachin, Harsha Bhogle once said "country sleeps well when Sachin scores well".Another great admirer of Sachin Mr. Amitabh Bachchan once said "The day after Sachin scores a hundred even the cashier at the bank gives you cash with a smile".That has been the impact of the man. I am not going to list out his records,his stroke making,his hundreds,his contribution to the game,to the country,to the world,to our lives because listing it would mean my article becomes a small replica of Srimad Bhagawat Geeta.



Many greats have spoken a lot of him,Mathew Hayden once said the he witnessed God in Sachin,Steve Waugh after loosing a match to India said that they did not loose to a team called India but lost a man called Sachin,I do not even have to mention the famous words of Shane Warne,and then Sunil Gavasker spoke with actions,he bend down infront of a jam packed stadium to touch Sachin's feet and take blessings from him.So when all these greats have said and done so much for Sachin,then what a normal fan like me is talking about?Well I don't know how to achieve salvation,just trying my hand at it.

So what am I going to discuss here?Well what do worshipers in temples do, they chant "Hare Krishna ! Hare Rama!".They just sing on and on,clap non stop and keep singing "Hare Krishna ! Hare Rama!".They stand with their hands up,they dance to the music of this magical spell,they forget every thing else in their lives, all they do is just dance.The same happens at the cricket temples,the stadiums,there too worshipers scream "Sachin Sachin" and dance,and celebrate,and enjoy the magic at display.



India won the world cup this year,after 14n years,(you understand the numbers now,don't you?It couldn't have been just 14 years,because no world cup was played in 1997).Like half of the country I too went out on roads to celebrate this feat.What I witnessed was a carnival,there were boys,men,women,older men and women,children everywhere just screaming and dancing,India were the world champions and there were sounds of "India India" and "Sachin Sachin".It was Diwali time,Lord Ram was back after winning over Lankans,Ayodha erupted in celebrations,people were mad,they were crying,laughing,dancing,singing everywhere.It was the time country had an emotional orgasm.

At the start I mentioned how people concluded that Sachin Tendulkar will play forever."Main khelega" were the words of a 16 year old after being hit by a bouncer on his nose.So how can he be always playing?Can this be true?He still gets out, doesn't he? Well then let me tell you one thing,Sachin Tendulkar never gets out,he refuses to bat again after making a mistake.But then what about playing forever? Here I have another thing to mention,ten out of eleven members of Indian cricket team who play for India have Sachin Tendulkar as there idol,they have grown up looking upto him,they want to play like him,so even if Sachin retires from international cricket,he will still be playing,both in the minds of players and the viewers.It is just like there are no Rama and Krishna but we know that they are present,they are listening,they know when we pray and when we don't,so its the same,Sachin will always be playing.I do not doubt that the "Sachin Sachin"chants will ever go,that every next batsmen will be compared to Sachin,that every shot will be matched with Sachin's,that every hundred will only be x hundred away from Sachin's total hundreds,every run that a batsmen scores will be x runs away from Sachins total runs,that every batsmen will always be far away from Sachin Tendulkar.Sachin will always play...
Today on his birthday I wish to thank Sachin for making my life blissful, for making me believe that the God is within, it depends on how one brings Him out.HAPPY BIRTHDAY SACHIN !

Five Salutes

Protects me,feeds me,loves me,made me wise,
I was in her tummy and now in her eyes,
why to give me life she took so many pains,
perhaps only her inerself explains,
only she could hit me,
only she is allowed to berate,
she makes me feel huge,
she makes me feel great,
and then to give me a brother,
I bend down and salute you my mother.



Protects us,makes us feel the freedom,makes us feel strong,
concludes right out of a war fought on wrong,
baggy greens and chest filled with pride,
they walk with a gun on one
and life on the other side,
as the time runs and I grow older,
I want to keep saluting you oh soldier.



One crack,one hit,one shot,
makes the crowd scream out there throat,
as He walks through the pavillion,
cheers,screams,expectations and even god become His pillion,
one weeps when He gets out,
bowlers appeal and here we shout,
He has made infinite records,
in India and abroad,
every time i see a cricket match,i see him,
every time i see a cricket bat, i see him,
every time i think of god,i see him,
to take everything on your shoulders
without a grin
see weeping me,standing and saluting you oh Sachin!



Moves on,takes it turn by turn,
with all the bruises and the burn,
he keeps walking,he keeps talking,
empathy is what we can share,
his life is what we cannot dare,
sometimes he is without eyes,
sometimes he wants to scream but only cries,
sometimes he wants to lift,
but fails to even shift,
without the limbs or without the hands,
he stands out as a fighter,
smiles and makes things lighter,
with so much around he stays stable,
I salute u oh man, and apologize if referred you as disabled.



You had it, I had it, we all had it,
but now its gone and lost,
our eyes can only cheat,
we act tigers when in fleet,
But no one has it,no one will have it,
its an irreversible process,
its says denied acess,
why with all the attempt and tries,
I can not go back and have it in my eyes,
why do I have to look fool and act wise,
he is sleeping,he shouldnt wake up,
shhhhh I will try to keep it mild,
while I stand and salute the innocence of a child..

GOLS OF LIFE

drop drop drop and dry;
up up up above the sky;
round round round and the 'high';
yes yes yes i am high;
going up up above the sky;
dropping dropping feeling dry!


bubbles bubbles bubbles of stone;
stones are everyhwere they all are stones;
some are sculptures,some are structures;
some are the moons,some are destructors;
pebbles are stones,bricks are stones,
you sir,are a stone.i sir am stoned!


in in in and out;
thats what nirvana is about;
shiva shiva shiva lord shiva;hey shiva,boom shiva;
inside i go,shiva awaits,
who is going out when heavens at the gates.


hey brother,i know you friends with max payne;
come roll a joint,i will make you meet Kurt Cobin;


rain rain pour the rain;
cut the crap,cut the greed;
if rain is blood let it bleed;
please stop things mooving round with speed;
give me some seed,you call it whatever,i call it weed.


trust me you innocent creature;
i borrowed this weed from the nature;
so please remove this frown;
trust me i am fine;
i might be falling;
but aint going down.!!

NO DECIBEL

I sit there looking,tied to my chair;
the sense of madness,urgence through the air;
they come thumping and crawling;
tiny little ants come towards me,growling;


I look around and they are everywhere;
millions and billions of them to attack my chair;
I scream loud and out but nobody is listening;
I scream,I cry,I pray this was not happening;


I wonder how as a child I never feared it then,
but is it my karma or the society that has pooled me in;
thanks my countrymen for sleeping in the day;
because your deaf sleep session is making me fall prey;

the billions just keep multiplying;
watching them come towards me is horrifying;
I am thrown on the floor;
closes down the door;
they crawl up my sleeve;
please please leave,oh please leave,leave,leave
ants are all over me,all I see is red;
my clothes are sheets of ants,I know I am dead;
they move further some enter my nose;
some enter my eyes mouth ear,tightening their claws
I rise,I plead,I am down,I bleed;

Time for tears,time to laugh till i faint;
tears are for pain,laugh is for the saint;
bunch of millions are ready,over and inside my body,
lust in their eyes,curtains me behind,
I go down, I go inclined,
then they bite me together in synch
oh you pain giving lord! I wish u were a flink;

My screams go beyond boundaries;
I keep crying on the floor,
my blood is to acompany me,
till I am alive,till I am not thrown out of the door.



----just like me even u didn realise what happened above,
but these lines through which you managed to escape;
was the description of my rape-------