India's daughter

It has been three years since the Nirbhaya incident. The juvenile rapist is to be released on December 21, after serving the maximum sentence of three years that can be awarded to an under-aged criminal.
The case always brings out emotions of disgust, fear, sadness, and anxiety in me. The parents of victim are demanding that the identity of juvenile be revealed before his release so that people are cautious of him; I empathize with them because who is to say that person will not do this again? And he was just shy of 6 months to be an adult, in which his mindset wouldn't have changed. Had he not been caught, could he repeated such an instance after turning 18? I don't know the answers to these questions.
I hold another contradicting perspective too, that Law is just and above the emotions. It is supposed to be objective and impartial. I believe in that; but the truth at hand is not an objective one but a subjective one. Who holds the true moral compass then? This boy came from our society, brought up amidst extreme poverty and a highly patriarchal mindset. He has his whole life ahead of him, shouldn't we give him a chance of rehabilitation and reform? Shouldn't we give a benefit of doubt that he might change? Revealing his identity would definitely hamper this chance.
One of the solution is keeping him under watch of police, something like a parole. With limited resources the country has, when dangerous criminals are out on loose and yet to be prosecuted, how effective this solution is to be?
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Looking for answers
India's Daughter

Our seven

Seven days in a week
are seen
Seven colours of a rainbow
at the
Seven wonders of the world
spread across the
Seven continents.

Abridging the
Seven seas,
the
Sapt Rishis
sang in the
Sapt Swars ,
the tales of
Seven Heavens

Seven isn't a number
but the cycle of life.
First
Seven of ours just ended,
to begin another
Seven years of love.

PS: In Sanskrit - Sapt=Seven, Rishis = Sages, Swars= Tones of music.

Seeing Love

I see
I literally See
With my own two eyes
With a surprise in those two eyes
Love in Sadness
Love unlike that in Happiness
He pours his heart out
Proving his love is devout
I see it with my eyes
Love that’s almost dripping from his eyes
The tiny black dots below his brows
Tell me more than the promised vows
The ones he has tried to articulate all our lives
But this silence amidst us strives
Silence that adorns love
Between the hardships of life
Evinces that I could live without
Clutter of noises our chats make
I know it beyond a doubt
If I could just look into your eyes
For every moment for the rest of our lives. 

Every time

I don't know how you manage to be so adorable.
So adorable that I fall in love all over again 

every time you make me laugh, 

every time you stand besides me like a rock protecting me from falling down, 

every time you wipe that tear off my eye, 

every time you believe that I can conquer anything in the world, 

every time you say that I'm beautiful, 

and all those countless times 

when you listen to me whine 

and say that every thing is going to be all right.

But there are days when I don't want to talk to you 

or listen to you 

because you make me mad. 

And in all those times 

you manage to pull us out 

stronger than every other time.

The Karmic Imbalance

I wonder, sometimes, if Modi feels remorse for his role in 2002 riots. Well, the courts have surely given him clean-chit, but deep down we all know he had a major role to play. He was the Chief Minister of the state!! Even if he didn’t do anything actively, he didn’t make an effort to stop things from happening. I do condone him for being negligent and not taking action when it was much needed. I really wonder how he sleeps at night when he knows that blood of thousands is on his hand. People were terrified because of the riots in the pseudo-capital of Gujarat, a bustling town of trade and culture.

Hindus believe in Karma, I have seen Karma bite me in the ass and reward me as well! So let’s look at Modi’s Karma balance in recent times. He has done a horrible thing in the Gujarat riots almost equivalent of a murderer. That is his prominent bad karma. Since, then he is at least trying to bridge the huge gap between his bad and good karma. He has brought development to Gujarat, tries his best that people focus on present and not on the past. I am not going to list down his achievements, as there have been a fine lot who has done that. He is trying to bring in huge investments in India. And mind you his PR skills are commendable, every little thing he does he markets it like it is the new pillar. He tries to be humble, he is not, he is pompous and a bragger. But that is what the market demands, everyone is selling something. To survive in the market you present yourself in the best package. Not only he has the stars of good oration and motivation with him, he is at the very least trying to make the government more accessible to investors and people. Denizens feel they might be participating in creating another chapter in history of this great country. Sometimes you don’t get a saint for a leader, sometime you get Modi (a person with a questionable past). And it’s not we are forgiving lot, who lets genocide slide; but the previous governments and lack of alternatives left us with this choice. Though questionable, he promises and is trying to deliver. He is trying to balance out his bad karma with the good karma. He has grabbed the opportunity and is making the most of the hay. I don’t know whether his good karma will outweigh his bad karma. But he ought to put in a whole lot of effort to make people forgive him for his past.

I don’t expect sainthood from him, but he might bring this country forward, where it deserves to be. And may be the good karma will alleviate his remorse (if any) for 2002. 

आरक्षण की महिमा

गुर्जरों ने किया फिर से धमाल, जिससे हुआ सारा देश बेहाल
कर्नल ने बोला चलो यारों आग लगातें हैं
आरक्षण के इस मुद्दे पर जातीवाद फैलाते हैं
आओ साथ मिलकर बंधी का त्यौहार मनाएं
रेल की पटरी पर चलो मिल के आशियाना बनाएं
तालों का लटकना, रैली की बहार
बसों को आग लगाना, मार-पीट के समाचार
रेलों को रोकना, ना होना आम लोगों का विचार
मुबारक हो गुर्जर भाइयों आपको बंधी का त्यौहार
हैरान हुई दुनिया सारी, करोडों का नुक्सान हुआ
आरक्षण की इस महिमा से सारा देश निहाल हुआ
गुर्जरों की इस जिद के आगे "वसुंधरा" को झुकना पड़ा
जनरल में से 5 फिसिदी आरक्षण देना ही पड़ा
बड़े गुर्जर नेता तो अभी भी महलों में रहते हैं
अधिकतर गुर्जर अभी भी झोपडों में सोते हैं
आरक्षण से भला क्या होगा लाभ?
जब बालक आज भी पोथी-पाठी छोड़ गाय-भैसों को चराते हैं?
इस आरक्षण की पचडे में
कही उच्च शिक्षा वाला ना पिछड़ जाये
और गंवार इस देश का शासक ना बन जाये
क्या आरक्षण से ही होगा इस देश का उद्धार?
फिर भी "धन्य! धन्य!" आरक्षण तेरी महिमा अपरम्पार

लाडली

लाड़ों से पली कलिओं सी खिली
होती है ऐसी सबकी लाडली
माँ की दुलारी, मैय्या की प्यारी
पापा की आँख का तारा लाडली
चूडियों की खनक से सबको मुस्कान दे जाती है
पायल की झनक से आँगन महकाती है लाडली
आता है जब विदाई का समय
आंखों में आँसू लिए सबको खला जाती है लाडली
परायों को अपना कर हर रिश्ता निभाती है लाडली
इतनी कुर्बानियों के बाद भी
क्यों जला दी जाती है लाडली
इतनी मासूमियत के बाद भीक्यों छीन लिया जाता है उसका आँचल?
क्यों मार दी जाती है उसकी आत्मा?
क्या है कोई जवाब इसका की क्यों
अब भी वो दरिन्दे फिरते हैं सड़कों पर खली
और कहाँ खो जाती है हमारी वो लाडली

I had a dream

I had a dream yesterday
of walking on the clouds like a fairy
of spreading my hands and flying like a bird
I had a dream yesterday
of walking in rain 100 miles all alone
of weeping in that rain
I had a dream yesterday
of going to the roof
of shouting how much i love him
I had a dream yesterday
of dancing with him
of sleeping on his shoulders
I had a dream yesterday
of being locked up somewhere
of being lonely for years
I had a dream yesterday
of losing my family
of crying in my mom's lap
I had a dream yesterday
of Today
of enjoying every moment of life
of praying to him to thank for everything
of having a dream today of tomorrow
I will have a dream today
of forgetting my yesterday

This poem was developed into a song by my dear friend Avinash and was sung by a talented team of vocalists and musicians at National Youth Festival, 2008 (Ranchi). It bagged us first prize in the competition.

मुखौटे

मुखौटा हर चेहरे पर दिखाई पड़ रहा है
कोई ख़ुशी कोई ग़म का पहने है
हर शख़्स अपने आप को अपने से छुपा रहा है
किसी ने अपने आपको ख़्वाबों की दुनिया में बसा रखा है
कोई इस दुनिया की भीड़ में खोया है हर किसी के लिए मुखौटा उतारना मुश्किल है
इन मुखौटों के पीछे हर शख़्स का असली चेहरा ढूँढती हूँ
पर मेरी आँखें भी धुंधली हैं
क्योंकि एक मुखौटे के पीछे मैं भी हूँ
मैं भी लाचार हूँ , इस मुखौटे को ख़ुद से अलग नहीं कर पा रही हूँ
बस भीड़ में मैं भी चली जा रही हूँ