वही ताजमहल

मेरा भी ताजमहल

अाहट हुयी
हौले-हौले कदमों की
दिल की हर तह में उतरती चली गयी
एक नशा सा छा गया
वास्तविकता से स्वपन की दूरी
कम हो चली
लगा, हर पल चाँदनी से सुसज्जित है
चमकते, दमकते ये पल
मेरी स्वपननगरी ने अाज फिर
एक नये ताजमहल का निर्माण किया
श्वेत, शुद्ध, पाकीज़ा
मेरा अपना महल -ताजमहल

कदमों की अाहट न जाने कैसे
इतने पास अा गयी अचानक
स्वर तीव्र हो गये,
अाहट, अाहट न रही
एक धमाका बन गयी
ख्वाब मेरे टूट गये
वास्तविकता के ताने बाने
रेशमी ज़ंजीर बन गये
छा गयी फिर काले बादलों की िसयाही
मेरे स्वपन निर्मित ताजमहल पर
दरक गया ताजमहल,
टूट गया मेरा ताजमहल

Kalidas Festival 2011

Parasailing at Ramtek
Tarique Parasailing

After many years Tarique and I  attended  Kalidas Festival this year and not just for our love of music. For the first time, Arayan Wachan (literally translates to watching the jungles) and Parasailing were organized as a part of the festival at Ramtek on 28th February (about 40kms from Nagpur) by Amol Khante of CAC Allrounder. Tarique and I couldn’t have been happier. Three things we love, music, adventure and jungles and an opportunity to explore them together all gave us the push we needed to drop all work on two weekends and become adrenalin junkies.

Bird Watching and Jungle watching was enjoyable in itself but what came as a huge bonus was discovering a Grey headed fish eagle at Mogarkasa. Perhaps a juvenile in search of a new territory (the GHFE was seen again at the same spot 2 weeks later).

Grey Headed Fishing Eagle (Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus), spotted at Mogarkasa.
Grey Headed Fishing Eagle

As if the high of spotting birds was not enough, we decided to push ourselves further and decided to parasail. And what fun it was. After almost 20 years both of us got a chance to go up in the sky and the thrill was unbeatable. Promising ourselves more of it, we returned home.

The week was hectic and we worked long and hard hours and missed all the musical evenings of Kalidas Festival till it was Sunday again. On Sunday, 7th March, thanks to Sameer Naphde of Nirzar we got the chance to attend what was the pinnacle of Kalidas festival – An evening with Padmashree Smt. Shubha Mudgal. She presented Koshish- a musical crossover, her new venture of mixing Jazz with Indian Classical music which was a treat to watch and listen to. Shubhaji sang all her popular numbers but for me the biggest attractions were the two unreleased songs she sang (one written by Alok Shrivastav, titled “O-re bawari” and the other by Gulzar Saheb titled “Shabnam”)

Her effortless singing and mesmerizing voice sent shivers down my spine. I and Tarique held hands as she sang this romantic nazm by Gulzar. Set on Jazz; she took poetry to a level so high that only music could reach it. She made poetry look more beautiful than itself, her singing brought poetry to life, and her music and Gulzar saheb’s poetry became soul mates.

Shubha ji's photo by Nitin Joshi

कल की रात गिरी थी शबनम
हौले हौले कलियों के बंद होठों पर
बरसी थी शबनम
फूलों के रुखसारों से रुखसार मिला कर
नीली रात की चुनरी के साये में, शबनम
परियों के अफसानों के पर खोल रही थी
दिल की मध्यम मध्यम हलचल में जैसे
दो रूहें तैर रहीं थीं
जैसे अपने नाज़ुक पंखों पर
आकाश को तोल रही हों
कल की रात बड़ी उजली थी
कल की रात उजले थे सपने
कल की रात तेरे संग गुज़री

My prized possession

I was lucky to meet Subhaji before the concert and so awestruck was I that I could not even tell her that I have been her fan for a long long time and have all her albums (all but one -“Ali more angana” It’s under litigation I learnt) But she was gracious and kind enough to sign two album covers for me.

Subhaji’s  awesome Koshish team included Dr. Aneesh Pradhan,  Mr. Sudheer Nayak,  Mr. Pratap Rath, and the Jazz musicians Mr. Joaquim Dias, Mr.Benoni Soans,  Mr. Berry D’Silva and our own Nitin Joshi. It was lovely to meet Nitin after a long time.

I Want! by Zarina Sani

The boon of youth is a life of immense and infinite possibilities ahead. The bane of old age is that you are left with just the satisfaction or regret of a life well lived or not so well lived.  The old age satisfaction of a life well led cannot  rival the excitement of what lies ahead for the youth. The following is an unedited poem written by my daughter one fine evening – it surprised me and made me proud too!!

I want to be a writer, and spin a tale enticing.

I want to be a writer and keep this world gawking.

I want to be a writer and watch this world crumble.

I want to be a writer, must I be humble?

I want to be a bed time story, not a martyr’s book.

But do I really want to be, a faceless little crook?

I want to be an actress and watch this world sparkle.

I want to be an actress, the glamor and the awful.

I want to be an actress, I want to make them laugh,

make them cry, Make em weep,

Want, long, live, die, breathe.

I want to be an actress, I want it all for me.

But do I really want to be a Jane, a Jone, a Lisa,

A dutchess, a princess, a mistress or an actor?

Do I really want to dance for this Director?

I want to be an orator, and feel the crowd cheer.

I want to be an orator and watch their faces whilst they hear.

And hear of beauty, of poverty, of grief, of strife.

I want to be an orator; I want to feel those wings

Of those millions who applaud, talk of me as kings!

But do I really want to be at the mercy of some critique?

Who lives a life, telling everyone how to live it!

I want to be a leader, soar in all that power.

And look straight into those paupers eye’s

Who wants me my love to shower.

I want to be a leader, tall as Mount Dutchess.

I want to be a leader, not a standard I want less!

But do I really want to be left answerable to people?

Little people? Silly people? Argumentative people?

Greedy people? Filthy people? Dark people? Good people?

People?

I want to be that pauper, not a penny less not a penny more.

Just a fist full of dollars.

I want to be that pauper, that man you just ignored.

Because then I am everywhere and nowhere.

Everything and nothing.

I want to be that pauper, that face you just forgot.

Just a prig out of the lot.

But do I really want the rags and not the riches?

The damp dirty ditches?

But alas! I know what I want.

Immortality. Yes?

To be that bedtime story,

To be that body that seduced you,

That man who just moved you,

That crook that just duped you,

That mistress who just tempted you,

That wife who supported you,

That child who questioned you,

The mother that nurtured you,

The boss who hired you,

The god that inspired you.

I WANT NO MORE THAN EVERYTHING!

Inspiration: Daddy dearest and the movie, Nine!