RENDEZVOUS @ CROSSROADS

  HuloMa ends her day with a old-hindi jingle ( kya aap roz close up karte hain.. ) on how to attract the right girls and walk with confidence if you regularly brush your teeth – to which Hulo responds with “eeing” his teeth (according to HuloMa); while to any honest bystander he is just all the time wiggling and planning for an escape route from the daily ordeal! Surprisingly though even though he wiggles out, he normally does not go far – may be jumps away from the counter-top into the basin, and comfortably snuggles in there smacking away at the tuna flavored toothpaste – Thanks to clever marketing by # Arm&Hammer !   The other day HuloMa decided to visit a friend to play a few rounds of scrabble. Now she is horrible at it; and have been trying to beat me for the last 20 odd years! So, a little practice does never hurt – does it? I wasn’t home, and she didn’t had the heart to leave Hulo alone in the house on a lovely evening --- so there comes out the relatively unused...

  HuloMa starts her day with a long gyaan (lecture) on how to be a well mannered good boy ... to which Hulo responds with wide eyes and some licking and then immediately afterwards resorts to biting and jumping on all the unwanted places....   The other day Hulo was given some broccoli along with his regular dose of meat...Hulo stopped eating... looked up at HuloMa, rolled his eyes, and responded with .. "Is this a joke?”   Today, I forgot to clear his mess from the litter box. Hulo went in, and then came out immediately without doing his business... went straight to HuloMa and complained... “WTF... if dad can’t keep up with my basic rights..why did you adopt me..Don’t dare to lecture me again!”   Obviously...I had to jump in and dig up gold from his litter...what a life! 2021 doesn’t look to be any different from 2020..for now! Stay content with what you have...and learn to agree with disagreements and deal with shit!

  Government does not make the Country The Country makes the Government So my Government….Don’t teach me   So my Government Don’t teach me what to eat For I am the hand who feeds you Don’t teach me my laws For I am the hand that gave you the gavel Don’t teach me what to learn For I am the hand that holds the pen   So my Government Don’t teach me what to think For I am the mind that seeks knowledge Don’t teach me my religion For I am the mind that seeks divinity Don’t teach me what to speak For I am the mind that holds the voice   My country I am the student; I am the farmer I am Hindu, I am Muslim, I am Christian, I am Sikh I am Shaheenbaag, I am Chipko, I am Salt March I am Gujarat, I am Kashmir; I am Kerala, I am Meghalaya I am the labourer who walked from Mumbai to Malgathi I am the worker who saved me from dying near Solapur   So my Country Don’t learn to hate me I am the Country; I am the same Land...

Is the room empty? The sun still kisses the foot of the bed.. The clock still ticks on... The book still lies on the crumpled bed sheet... The pillow still smells his sweat.. Is the room empty?.... I can smell him on the bed... I can touch him through the pages of his books... I can feel him in the warmth on the window ledge... He remains with me...within me... Is the room empty? It's "Still His Room" Painting by  Mumuscape

I can’t breathe ... can you? I see Mohan Lal in George Floyd ... do you? I see Arvina Khatun in Breanna Taylor... do you? I see casteism in racism ... do you? I see “goli maro saalon ko” in “looting.. shooting” I see Kashmir in Minneapolis I am yet to be woke... Lives matter... They matter to me on the road They matter to me on the rail tracks Yet I don’t leave my suburban peace Yet I don’t go back and fight for a cause... I can’t breathe ... can you? Painting by  Mumuscape

     Tonight I can write the saddest lines..... . By Pablo Neruda আজ লিখতে পারি; আজ রাত্রে আমি বিষণ্ন বিকেলের গান লিখতে পারি, একাকী সন্ধ্যের সবচেয়ে করুণ আকুতি আঁকতে পারি সত্যি; যেমন ধর, "রাত্রির অন্ধকার ভেঙ্গে নীল তারার দল দূরে ভয়ে কম্পমান" অথবা, উচ্ছন্নে যাওয়া রাত্রির বিধ্বস্ত কান্না আকাশে বাতাসে ঘুর্নীয়মান আজ রাত্রে আমি বিষণ্ন বিকেলের গান লিখতে পারি, একাকী সন্ধ্যের সবচেয়ে করুণ আকুতি আঁকতে পারি আমি তোকে ভালোবাসতাম, আর কখনও তুইও হয়তো বা আমাকে I এরকমই এক রাতে, আমি তোকে আমার বুকের গভীরে আঁকড়ে তোর্ ঠোঁটে নীল নক্সা এঁকে দিয়েছিলাম, খোলা আকাশের নীচে, বারবার.... অনেকবার তুই আমায় ভালোবেসেছিলি, আর কখনও বা আমিও তোকে দীঘির জলের মত মায়াবী ওই চোখদুটোকে কি ভালো না বেসে থাকা যায় ? আজ রাত্রে আমি বিষণ্ন বিকেলের গান লিখতে পারি, একাকী সন্ধ্যের সবচেয়ে করুণ আকুতি আঁকতে পারি তোর্ না থাকার শুন্নতা, তোকে হারানোর যন্ত্রণা I অনন্ত রাত্রি আরও অন্তহীন তোকে ছাড়া আর আমার কবিতা শিশিরবিন্দুর মতো রক্ত ঝরায় অবিরাম কিছু কি আসে যায় ? আমার ভালবাসার বার্থ...