क्या थे और क्या बन गये वो

दुनिया बदलने चले है कर कर ट्वीट वो,

जिन्होने कभी मुहल्ले में आवाज़ नहीं उठाई |

दूर मुल्कों में स्पोर्ट्स कार चला रहे हैं फरररर से वो,

जो बचपन में थे इस्कूल से घर पैदल आए |

आज वेस्टर्न क्लॉज़ेट के सिंघासन पर अँग्रेज़ी न्यूज़पेपर पढ़ रहे है वो,

जिन्होने थे कभी वेस्टर्न लाइन के पटरियों पर माल बिठाए |

अपने कंठ पर डिज़ाइनर लंगोट बाँध काम पर चले हैं वो,

जिन्होने थी कभी कूल्हे पे देसी लंगोट चढ़ाई |

थॅंक्स गिविंग और हालोवीन मानने चले है वो,

जिन्होने लड़कपन में थी मुहल्ले की गटर में होली मनाई |

आज बॉस बनकर बैठे हैं उन लोगों पर वो,

जिन्होने थी उन पर बरसो राज चलाई |

अपने मा-बाप को गांव छोड़,  दूर बस गये वो,

जिन्हे कभी उनकी लोरियों के बिना नींद नहीं आई |

सुना है आज घर में बर्तन मांझ रहे है वो,

जिन्होने कभी रसोई में अपने मां के हाथ नहीं बटाये |

You and me.

When you are near me,

It is just you and me.

Nothing or no one else matters.

When you are not,

I am lost thinking about you,

Looking for you, searching you,

Trying to find you, all around me,

In the books, in the songs on YouTube,

In the house, in my work,

In my stories, in my poetry,

in each piece of me

And then again,

Nothing or no one else matters.

It is just you and me

Just you and me.

The Night Before

Lying alone on a boundless bed

With a feminine scent all over my body

Staring at the smartphone in my palm

Hoping that something wonderful would happen

Something to break this monotony

A beep, a message, a ring perhaps

But nothing does

And so I wait.

I wait an endless wait

I fall asleep, with open eyes

I go looking for her, in the nether world

Faraway, somewhere in the mountains

Where she said she lives

In the deep jungles of my heart

Lost, in the vastness of my bed

I search.

I search, and then it rains

It rains, with thunders of her wail

and I am lost

lost gazing in those deep kohl lined eyes,

mesmerized,

As they burst like dark clouds and wet my face,

with droplets of tears running down my cheek

I drown.

I drown, as she pulls me down

Down into the depths

Into the depths of her teary sea, 

vast, sweet and salty

Amongst the rusted remains of many a shipwrecks

That tells tales of a similar love

Of love that was, at last found, not lost

Of love that lives forever

I rise

I rise, in love

In love, I rise.

The Hickey

Do you feel like someone is crushing you right now?

Like a tight warm embrace on a night filled with snow?

Like your eyes are closed and you feel kisses on your eyebrow? 

Just like the sun kisses a sunflower, bright and yellow?

Like a kid dancing in the rain and spots a rainbow?

No, don't wake up,

don't spoil it,

don't open your eyes,

this is just me hugging you,

warm, cozy and tight.

And if you spot a red spot,

don't go grab an ice,

that's my hickey,

Won't you just let it last for the night?

Talaash

Kuch yaad sa aa raha hai

Kahin dekha hai unhey pehle kahin

 

Kuch yaad sa aa raha hai dhundhla sa

Magar theek se kuch yaad nahin, kahan? kabhi?

 

Haan shaayad dekha hai kahin

Magar tha woh khwab ya haqeeqat, pata nahi

 

Woh chehra, apna sa, pehchaana sa lag raha hai jo

Jaise mile pichle janam mein aur bichad gaye ho

 

Woh pehchani si khusboo, woh muskurahat woh baalon ki silvate

Kahan se, najaane, kaise hamare zehan mein buss gaye woh

 

Aankhey bandh kar kay dil ki nazro se dhoond leta hoon

Shaayad mere dil ke kisi gali mein woh nazrey bhi mujhe dhoondti ho?

Tashkees

Jab hakim ko bhi ilaaj samajh na aaye

Aur din ba din marz badhta jaaye

Jab bheed mein khud ko tanha paaye

Aur duur tak koee apna nazar na aaye

Jab din bhar kaasid ka intezaar sataye

Aur raat mein tanhayi lori sunaye

Jab aks dekh kar khud sharmaye

Aur chand mein kisi ka chehra nazar aaye

Jab bina piye he surur chaa jaaye

Aur banda waqt be waqt sher sunaye

Jab din mein karey raat ka intezaar

Aur har jhonkha hawa ka laaye khumar

Jab Sapno mein miley koee yaar gaddar

Toh samjho aap ke mareez ko ho gaya hai pyar

My Mango Cheesecake

Exactly 10 years ago on this very day, that is, 8 June 2003 something wonderful happened. Something wonderful that changed my life forever.

It was a Sunday, and I along with my parents took an hour plus long afternoon journey from Nerul in Navi Mumbai to the Domestic Terminal of Mumbai’s passenger Airport at Santacruz. There, very near to the Airport, at the Orchid Ecotel Hotel in a nice cozy hotel room we met Mr. John Paul Moolayil, who was there along with his beautiful wife Mrs. Valsa John Paul and their only daughter who was still pursuing her final year in Architecture from Satyabhama University in Chennai.

After a brief introduction, the seniors reminisced their good old forgotten days, most of which they vaguely remembered and talked about some common family friends from their past life in Baroda which, was followed by a string of modest unidirectional bragging by my dad, which instantly elevated me to superhero status. Notwithstanding my embarrassment at imagining myself flying with my undies over my trousers, which almost ended up with me burying my head into my shoe soles, the chubby, bearded and cheerful Mr. John Paul who was dressed in a silk white Kurta and Kerala Mundu allowed me to take his daughter down to the lobby for a ‘private’ chat.

Down at the lobby, we stopped by the Cake Shop and picked up a Mango Cheese Cake and two spoons. We found a table in the corner and posited ourselves there. On that table, I found out that she had three names, Elizabeth, Thara and Unni and she found out the Sweety was not just a pet name! There, we also talked about our college life, our friends, our religion, our aspirations and the movies that we loved.

As we talked, and she narrated on how her parents conned her into making this visit to Mumbai, I got lost in those eyes, taking advantage of which, she proceeded with raiding the Mango Cheesecake using both the spoons.

That day, I don’t know if it was her used spoon or the Chef’s handiwork, the Cheesecake tasted awesome. That day I fell in love with Mango Cheesecake. Somewhere in the days that followed, I fell in love with that girl.