7. Irrfan.

A tribute

सलाम बॉम्बे कहते हुए आये थे साहबज़ादे
बॉम्बे को कर दिया सलाम, छूट गए कुछ वादे

सब कुछ कर लिया था हासिल?, पलक झपकते चल दिए
बनेगी अपनी बात, यह कहते रहे फिर भी निकल लिए

लाइफ इन ए मेट्रो को जल्द ही बोल दिया थैंक यु
कुछ कसूर, कुछ गुनाह, अधूरे है बिल्लू

पान सिंह तोमर की दौड़ में काफी थी रफ़्तार
किसे पता था, इतनी तेज़ चलेगी, ये साली ज़िन्दगी पर तलवार

फुटपाथ पर चल पड़ा था अकेला, कारवाँ बन गया
मानो या ना मानो, वो ब्लैकमेल कर गया

लेकिन नॉक-आउट कर दे ऐसा हुआ ज़ालिम रोग
वरना D-Day का ना होता इतना जल्दी योग

राइट या रॉंग की मुझे नहीं है समझ बिलकुल
मदारी का यूँ लंचबॉक्स छोड़ देना इस स्लमडॉग को नहीं मकबूल   

There are 21 movies and 2 serials in this poem1 सलाम बॉम्बे
2 हासिल?
3 कसूर
4 बिल्लू
5 ये साली ज़िन्दगी
6 फुटपाथ
7 ब्लैकमेल
8 रोग
9 राइट या रॉंग
10 The लंचबॉक्स
11 मकबूल
12 लाइफ इन ए मेट्रो
13 थैंक यु
14 गुनाह
15 पान सिंह तोमर
16 तलवार
17 कारवाँ
18 नॉक-आउट
19 D-Day
20 मदारी
21 स्लमडॉग

1 बनेगी अपनी बात
2 मानो या ना मानो

6. Questions and Answers.

Questions to Self, and Answers (to Self) too...

How much money do I have? The number should include everything that can be liquidated except the house that I live in!

Amid all this, am I happy? If the honest reply is yes, I can stop right here and resume enjoying life…

How much money do I normally need to spend? Count for recurring expenses, basic medical expenses, spending that occurs once, twice, thrice a year and some random rational expenses. Do not consider like 50 million for sudden health crisis. Have faith!

Am I earning for the next generation? If so, until what age of my next generation, should I earn?

Will my next generation require my money once it starts earning on its own? Will it really need a new house soon as it starts earning or after few years of staying with me, the folks in that generation can buy their own!

Who will they earn for, if I earn for their entire life? For their next, really!

What percentage of saving is actually important? Consider the saving to earnings ratio!

What do I plan to do with my savings? And When? Whatever I plan does it generate happiness as a result of consumption or only accumulation like piling up new assets, gold, long term investments!

With the increase in my earning, does my saving also increase or do I start spending more? Yes, consider a regular percentage of inflation, but what do I equate the happiness of my raise with more spending or more saving!

What am I going to take along? How much baggage is allowed? Do I intend to die rich!

Amid all this, am I happy? If the honest reply is yes, I can stop right here and resume enjoying life…

Do I take stress, am I anxious, do I have insecurity related to money? Am I programmed to think that I will be running out of money someday and hence I need to save more and more!

Do I really feel I will have absolutely zero money someday in my life? What makes me feel save so much and just keep accumulating!

Am I not confident about my abilities to feed myself, my family and take care of all the expenses related to the necessities in life?

Is the constant insecurity in subconscious and to an extent in conscious, that stops me for living a wonderful life, worth?

Do I keep feeling that by compromising on many things in my life, I am not compromising it actually, but I am happy to do that? I need to think of the things that I really like but not doing / buying those. Had these things been available for free, would I buy!

Amid all this, am I happy? If the honest reply is yes, I can stop right here and resume enjoying life…

Whom do I want to prove that I have accumulated wealth in my life? Also, when do I want to prove it?

Even if I prove it, what will it satisfy? My Ego? Is my identity only related to the accumulation that I am constantly doing!

Am I really into a competition of hoarding money? What is the result of the competition? Am I the frog in the well!

What are my ambitions and aspiration leading towards? Do I want to build and maintain my image to show anyone and everyone that I am something and everything!

When I brag, do I think that I am the only one bragging and the rest of the world is interested in listening to by brag or is each one pouncing on their own turn to brag? In this consolidated, chaotic bragging, how many are listeners, how many are speakers and what is the outcome!

Amid all this, am I happy? If the honest reply is yes, I can stop right here and resume enjoying life…

If I really, thoroughly, honestly sit back and calculate, do I have or not have enough to live a happy and healthy life? Whose life? My Life? My Life that I am living for myself or My Life that I am living to prove it to a set of people!

If I am living my life to prove it to others, am I not doing the biggest charity of my life?!

5. वक़्त.

वक़्त
------
एक छुपी हुई ख्वाइश,
न की थी कभी फरमाइश,
आज मिला है वह अवसर,
क्या हो सकती है आजमाइश !!खोज रहा था जिसे अक्सर,
आ रहा है आस पास नज़र,
क्या मिलेगा दोबारा ऐसा वक़्त,
जिसकी तमन्ना रही हरदम भीतर !!काल भले चाहे जितना सशक्त,
मेरे जिस्म में भी है गरम रक्त,
खुद से और आपसे है यह गुज़ारिश,
बनाये रखे एक दूसरे को हम सख्त !!

4. अजीब दुविधा.

अजीब दुविधा
-------------------
बनना है राम लेकिन
नहीं चाहिए वनवास
रावण होने की चाहत नहीं
फिर भी है लंका की प्यास

3. सब कुछ.

दोस्त, परिवार,
स्वस्थ्य, आधार,बिस्तर, बिछाना,
बर्तन, खाना,वस्त्र, निवास,
हवा, प्रकाश,बिजली, जल,
मिटटी, हरियावल,पवित्रता, प्यार,
निति, सदाचार,सेवा, कीर्तन,
संतोष, अमन ||शब्द और अर्थ से परे,
यह जीवन का खज़ाना है!
अब भी वक़्त है,
क्या इसे आज़माना है?या फिर वही रफ़्तार से,
रोज़ भागना, भगाना है?
सफलता और अहंकार के चक्कर में,
क्या अनमोल जीवन गवाना है?चतुरों ने इस बेवक़ूफ़ को सुना,
बड़ा अच्छा ज़माना है,
इससे पहले की जूते पड़े,
अलविदा कह रहा ये दीवाना है !!

2. LockDown.

मेरी दुकान एक दिन भी बंद रही, तो बहुत नुकसान हो जाता है। ज़िन्दगी रुक जाती है। जीना मुश्किल हो जाता है।ऐसा कहने वाला में १२ दिन से घर पर बैठा हूं, दुकान बंद है फिर भी ज़िन्दगी चल रही है। जीना भी ऐसा कोई खास मुश्किल नहीं है।ऊपर छत है, साथ में परिवार है, तीन वक़्त का खाना है, सुकून की नींद है।ऐसा शायद ज़िन्दगी भर नहीं चलेगा लेकिन जीवन में ऐसे कुछ दिन जब आयेगे तो खुशी से चल जाएगा।मुझे रुक नहीं जाना, पर एक विचार करना है।यह सब जब फिरसे शुरू होगा तो क्या में वैसे ही भागता रहूंगा जब तक कोई मुझे जबरदस्ती ना रोके?मुझे आज यह संकल्प करना है कि ३ महीने में एक बार, में अपने आपको रोकुंगा केवल ३ दिन के लिए और इसी तरह ज़िन्दगी बिताऊंगा जैसे पीछले १२ दिनों से गुजर रही है।मेरे लिए जो काम कर रहे है उन सबको छुट्टी दे दूंगा। मैं भी छुट्टी ले लूंगा और छत, परिवार, खाना और नींद - इनका आनंद लूंगा।१२ महीने भागना ही है तो १२ दिन तो रुक भी सकता हूं ना।

1. Run-Snatch-Run.

Run-Snatch-Run

Being an outdoor person, it gets challenging to stay home. Be it fitness or conversations or anything that can be avoided indoors, I prefer exteriors. I feel pepped up.

Few weeks back, I had been hearing of early morning incidences of mobile-snatching on the service road parallel to Eastern Express highway, which is my regular route for running and sun-facing work-outs.

Also, in my Cycling group on WhatsApp, there was a mention by someone who had experienced it himself along the same route.

I did get a bit cautious but honestly, didn’t pay much attention. I kept up with my scheduled regimes.

One day while running, I saw a police van in front of me. Usually, there is one near the traffic light, but this was a different one and at another location. As I approached the van, I saw the cop on the driver seat gesturing to stop-by. I didn’t assume that it is for me, so I kept my pace on. Once I got close, he slid his hand outside the window and asked me to stop.

I greeted him and the cop next to him. To my surprise, both responded back. The police on the passenger seat conveyed me about the incidents happening and asked me if I was aware of it. I mentioned that I have heard of a few but honestly, haven’t bothered to dig further.

He requested me to run with mobile in the pocket. To which I responded – Sir, I do not have a pocked in the running gear that I am wearing today but from next time on, I shall ensure.

Both of them said – Dhyan Rakho aur hume support karo (Take care and support us).

I bid adieu to them and the remainder of the stride left me with a couple of thoughts –

·               How nicely are they proactively alarming us at the wee hours! Really appreciate.

·               Those who are performing the act of snatching phones at 5-6am in the morning, what kind of situation must they be going through? (Of course, I am not supporting them but thoughts can come from anywhere)

I narrated this incident to one of my friends who travels along for office. To her misfortune, in a couple of weeks, her iPhone was lifted during her morning run!!