Change

The night changes to day, the day turns into night
The moon blooms fully, and then disappears entirely
The tides rise in the ocean, and then the waves recede
The plants first flower, and then autumn sets in

The cub turns a tiger, the tiger goes back to the earth
People also arrive, exist and then depart
Nothing stays, nothing goes on forever
Everything changes, this will also change...

Destroyed!

The aim of this path is to destroy you
Or rather, to destroy everything that you think is you

Till none of those concepts and beliefs remain in existence
In fact, till all of your existence becomes nothing

And from that absolute nothingness wells up a fountain:
A spring of bliss, a song of love, a dance of beauty
A truth indestructible, a joy unparalleled, a possibility infinite

Life living its ownself
Without you, yet with you
Destroyed, yet ever so alive
Nothing, yet one with everything!

Why

The question that haunts me perennially is Why
Once again I reflect on this unresolved mystery with a contemplative sigh

Why I seek to do what I seek to do
Why do I hold this goal so dear to me, so true?

Why am I where I am right now
A question whose depth I just fail to gauge somehow

How will we do is a question frivolous and shallow
It can appease for the short term, but long term pains it doesn't mellow

An innocuous little one is the question When
If you answer it without why or what, you are in big trouble then

So there lies just one that really matters
Sometimes it breaks hearts, sometimes our concepts it shatters

The unanswered Why takes away the sheen from the what, the when, the how
But for those who have answered this question, I take a humbling bow.

The Journey

You start walking alone in the forest
Observing the surreal beauty of nature
Sometimes, a blossoming flower lures
And sometimes, just the pleasant weather

Along the journey, you meet myriads
Some fascinate your imagination
Some you decide to tag along with
While others form their own faction

The trail bends in unexpected ways
And people leave your company untold
Newer people keep joining the group
The mystery of the forest, together they unfold

And one day, you spot a narrow trail
It is a path you know you have to take
You wish to stay back with your friends
But this decision is not yours to make

So, you take the lonely path
And continue on your own journey
For you started alone, and so will you end
And you walk alone, despite all the company

So, love everyone while it lasts
But know that it will end some day
So no attachment and no aversions
And peace becomes the only way! :-) 

A quick one

I want to write this one in ten
Thats the timeline that has been set
For post that, there is much work to be done
On time, this milestone has to be met!

I need to force my head to think faster
For rhyme, rhythm, flow and words I choose
For time is of essence, efficiency the key
To my manager, and not to creativity do I owe any dues!

My performance needs to be stellar
What people do in fifteen, I need to do in five
And the race to beat time has already begun
No real time in life for a true deep dive!

Be it poetry, philosophy or just smelling the roses
The activities are unproductive and too much time they wallop
So I abandon my attempt to this poem
My manager is waiting, and the time is up!

Cliffhanger

Grappling against the tides that have taken me by storm
Struggling to find the way out, unlike my usual norm
The pit of darkness trying to swallow me in its ugly mouth
Nothing seems to be working - neither ways harsh nor words couth.

All I have to hang on is a sutra - a thread
Hope is the only hope separating the alive from the dead
And now with immense faith I live each day of mine
I somehow know it isnt long for life to once again be fine!

Time and Again

Someday people have to die
So will you and so will I
And yet, they live a life so miserable
As if tides would change had they been more able!

The brooding over the long lost past
Regrets, failures or just that the time ran out too fast
The witch of the past still holds her magic spell
They miss the beauty of the present and regret tomorrow's past as well!

Some live in the worry and the planning for the morrow
If this was their last moment, from where would time they borrow?
No one knows the real prophecy that awaits
Then why waste this moment contemplating the future's baits?

The present throws no regret and shows no fear
It is there for a king as well for a mortal mere
The greatest mystery lies wrapped in this while
Transcend time
And open the present with a smile :-)

Her wrath

When the blue sky breaks its wrath on its people
The shattering remains depict the picture of the unholy truth
The black eyed girl standing by the remains of her cottage
Figuring out the tragedy of the ones missing around her

The soul of the father and the mother
Whom she loved as dearly as they loved her
And she seeks solace in the words of the neighbor
Who lost all her sons in the battle against nature

Death's paws turn ugly when nature is at her worst
For it doesn't kill fully, but survives a few
And the incompleteness of the heart doesnt mend so easily
Till time - the love of nature - heals it from within

And as the mother scolds her child when he goes wrong
So does nature treat you with her wrath when men needeth
But underneath it lies the blood curdling screams of the mother herself
It is time the children saved her as she saves her children.

The Value of a Dream

A dream is all you have
That gives you wings to fly
To break away from the chains
To cut away the mind's lie.

To break from the mould of the rational
And to enter that which does always await
To believe in something you do not know
To hold the hand of your life's true fate

To meet the calling of your soul
To bloom open from a raw bud
To achieve the self that lies within
To become a lotus amidst the surrounding mud.

The dreamer

Blurry eyed she went past him
Dreams of a fortune still shone though
But the understander of dreams was no more
Was it the fruit of what was her own sow?

Or was it the ignorance and the veil
Cultivated in the mind of the other
She didnt know, but dreams she had
Dreams enough to storm this weather

But, it wasnt the best time to be in
Hostility was the norm of the day
And yet she knew, if true to the heart
Her dreams would really show her the way

So, she got up and buckled herself
It was time to move ahead of the current time
And if the understander of dreams should ever awaken
She would openly receive him with a heart so fine

The proof of love

It was a beautiful summer afternoon. I had a heavy lunch and was about to fall off to sleep. Its ironical because food is supposed to be a source of energy, but for me it was a source of lethargy.

I was about to nap when 'Omana Penne' started playing. It was my ring tone, a hep interesting Tam song and I saw it was Nisha calling me. "Rishabh, Save me. I am in a mess. I am at a phone booth in Down Street and a goon is following me". I got up with a shock. "I will be right there, ...". Before I could complete my sentence, she had jammed the phone down. I dont know what was happening but I panicked. I wanted to run but my body seemed paralyzed. Its an ironic thing how when we desperately want to do something, our body fails to do it!

I jerked myself to reality. I had to calm down a bit. I took a few deep breaths. Getting myself to move, I grabbed a pair of jeans from my wardrobe and rushed to my car. Down Street was fifteen minutes from here and I was wondering what was happening to Nisha. i was sweating not with the afternoon heat, but with fear. In peak afternoon, most of Kolkata sleeps and Down Street isnt very populated either. It is where Nisha works. I was shit scared and I pressed on the accelerator as soon as I got in my car.

I drove the distance at max speed and managed to reach Down in 12 minutes. Nisha was nowhere to be seen. I kept trying her phone. It was ringing. Her caller tune sang "Tu hai kaha? Main hu waha, tu hai jaha" (Where are you? I am right where you are). Again ironic!

I parked my car at a curb and started running north asking people whom I met on the way about Nisha's whereabouts describing how she looked. Nobody seemed to have noticed her. I ran for I dont know how much time - but it seemed like an eternity. Maybe it was just 5 minutes. How 5 minutes can turn into eternity when we miss our beloved, ironic!

I was running in the direction of Nisha's office as I assumed she would have run in that direction as she needed help. I had reached her office now. I asked the receptionist about Nisha. She directed me to a room. I asked her if Nisha was fine. She said, she was.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I went to the room the receptionist had pointed to. It was Nisha's personal cabin and she seemed to be working on a computer intently.
"What the hell?", I asked. "You seem absolutely fine".
"That doesnt please you much?", she asked.
"What the... Ofcourse it does darling. But what was that phone call all about. You had gotten me so worried".
"Oh darling, did it scare you too much?"
"What! Ofcourse, I was shit scared. What happened?"
"Nothing".
Silence. I was bewildered.
"Nothing?"
"You remember what date it is today".
I thought for a while and I said, "June 22nd.... Oh shit! Its your birthday. Happy Birthday Nish".
"You forgot my birthday. I started thinking that you dont love me any more. I wanted to be sure if we could live happily together".
"Ofcourse we could."
"But I wanted to be sure. And after seeing your face worried, I realized that you were mine. I had to make the call just to be sure you love me. I love you too darling." She came into my arms and put her shoulder on my chest.

I was bewildered not only at her stupidity and but also the fact that she found the phone call a smart idea. That moment I hated her. Just because I loved her. And, I realized you never have to prove someone that you hate her but you have to go mad just to prove someone you love her. And they say, love asks for no proof. Ironic!

Worded Expressions

It seems eons since when I wrote last
When I poured my blithesome heart out
Into those tiny little bubbles called words
Potently carrying an emotional bout

And I wonder how can a few symbols - a mere few
Express the magnitude of my solitude
The purity of love, the twinkle of a hope
Perseverance and its fortitude

Scribbled on a random scrap
Flaking away in the air of the fan
Emotions and all hues of it
My heart expressed by a mere pen?

As I marvel at the power of it all
As I once again scribble the word
Language and its mysteries recall
The pen is mightier than the sword

A dream too many

Rising in the plane of my mind
A dream swirls and wrooms around
I try to hold it and give it shape
But helter skelter, its lost and found

I hold on to a thought so tight
I give away many for it
Trying to reach the dream of youth
Dancing around on its pulsing beat

And I miss out a dream I could have had
Had I let it run weird places
Embracing one so strongly then
Kept me out of a lot of races

And the race of life is to be won
Not by a closed dream but by opening to many
Warmly embracing the morning sunshine
Moving randomly to your final destiny

Perspectives

1:
As I stand still by the roadside
Watching the machines fly by me
I wish I could drive one so beautiful
Tis the pace at which I want to be.

2:
As I stand still by the roadside
Seeing the machines whiz away
Ugly and loathsome they seem to me
Destroying the serenity of the day.

3:
As I stand still by the roadside
As the machines fly away in their pace
Serenity and speed lie not in the car but inside me
This knowledge dawning, brings a smile to the face :)

Carrots

Once there was a gardener Bhaari. He had a beautiful rabbit. This story is of those times where rabbits could understand and even speak English. Not only rabbits, but the entire animal kingdom could. If you havent read about this age in history, then you didnt read the right books!

So, as I was saying, our dear rabbit Dido was an intelligent kitten. His master Bhaari took him to different kitten races. He told Dido, "You win the race and I will give you a carrot." Dido always won. He simply loved the carrots.



Slowly slowly, Dido grew up. With all the carrots, he was bound to be fitter than most other rabbits. Bhaari now took Dido to the bigger races where Dido competed with much bigger rabbits. He told Dido as always, "Win the race and take the carrot". Dido was unhappy. He complained, "These races are bigger, tougher. I will not run or win for one carrot. I need two." Bhaari agreed. Dido always won. Slowly slowly, Dido got 3, 4, 5... carrots per race. Dido now grew fat and bulky. He ofcouse could not run the races anymore. He seemed tired. He wanted his master to take care of him now. The master just wanted to win the races. One fine day, the master threw Dido out of the house to get a beautiful new rabbit Mojo.

Also, at the same time there was a wise old fellow Sada. He had a not-so-beautiful rabbit Jijo. Jijo never won the races. His master after every loss told him, "You are very lucky. You got one more chance to learn today. Learn from your mistakes and move ahead." Jijo always got a carrot irrespective of whether he won or not. Jijo would make it a point to try his best to not let his master down. He practised harder and harder after every race. But, he surely wasnt the best. He always lost. When he grew up, his master gave him 2 carrots after every race. Never more. He said, "If you have too many carrots, you will end up spoiling your health". Jijo never asked for more.

The wise old man fell unwell one odd day. Jijo didnt want to disappoint the old man. He knew this could possibly be the last race the old man saw. He gave his best. He could have died on the race ground, that was his fierceness. He still didnt make it. He was a close second. With eyes blurred with tears, he reached his master. "I am sorry master. I failed you once again. You deserve a much better pet". To this, the wise master replied, "If you would have failed me, you would not have been besides me now. I have seen you put your efforts day in day out. You have done your 100%. Still, if only results matter, you have given me the true result in life. You have given me the happiness which no other rabbit could ever give. You gave me your sweat, you made me proud".

The master went on to live to see the next race which Jijo won.

Shocked at Jijo's - the weakest rabbit's - win, Dido came to meet him. "How did you manage this Jijo? I can barely run these days." To which Jijo replied,"We all run for carrots. More and more. More and more. Carrots are our motivation. After each win, they make us happy but the need for further motivation just keeps increasing. But, when there is no motivation, no need for even a carrot - when you have a master like mine - what you have is not motivation, but inspiration. And a second of inspiration lasts you a lifetime".

Dido understood the difference between a management Guru and a spiritual Guru :)

The painting

It had been a boring summer at home after my ship reached Indian shores having traveled to exotic locations across four continents of the world during winter and spring. Days were spent not knowing what to do with them; one day at a time. Today, while glancing through the Bombay Times (for it deserves no more than a glance), I saw that one of India's most renowned painters Mr. Natwar Shah had his painting exhibition at the Jehangir Art gallery called 'My signature exhibition'. It was one of its kind, for the guests would not only get to meet Mr. Shah in person but also for the first time on display were his unsigned paintings. He would sign them in front of all his fans and the entire gathering at the gallery. Reading that advertisement, I started reminiscing my days at school where I loved to paint and decided to check out the exhibition to get a glimpse of Mr. Shah myself. Afterall, there could be nothing juicier than art on a dry summer day.

Jehangir Art Gallery is perhaps honored of being the place where the best put their best on display. While looking at the various pieces of marvel, there was an unusual one that caught my eye. It was painted majorly in shades of black but also randomly in shades of red, orange, green. The forms in the painting seemed undecipherable and I couldn't make much of the painting. I looked at the title of the painting. It was called 'Happiness' and i realized this is what people called abstract painting!



The painting was making no sense to me and while I was looking at the painting, another curious painting enthusiast came and stood next to me. "Wow, isn't that a remarkable painting?", he exclaimed. I was wondering how did he decode the crypt hidden in the painting or whether he was just faking it up. Whichever be the case, not wanting to look ignorant, I said, "Ya. It is so beautiful. Look at the various new forms and patterns. They are so creative and unusual". There are two types of men in the world - a few mad ones who comprehend art and the others who behaved as it they were the mad ones. This fellow seemed to belong to the first category though for he analyzed the hues, the forms and their relation to happiness with me in great detail.

While this discussion (rather a monologue) was on, a few more had joined us. Someone remarked, "How uncharacteristic and creative! Look at the Z and the inverted A painted at the two ends of the painting. The painter believes that a reversal of the dogmas taught to us in the name of education and moving backwards from Z towards A, inverting whatever biases we have in our heads, only that can bring true happiness to the society!"

"What an intelligent interpretation!", I thought. Continuing this idea, I said, "Ya absolutely. The author believes in the reversal of tradition. Some of his forms look like inverted human faces to me and he stands for inversion of dogmas, change and revolution." I was soaking in this revelation that had occurred to me when Mr. Natwar Shah, the great painter (now perhaps legendary for me) himself arrived at the exhibition. I was eager to know his interpretation of the painting and I was so glad that I had decided to come to the exhibition.

Mr. Shah began by signing each of his paintings and each sign of his led to thunderous applause from his fans (me now one of them :) ). After signing a few paintings, he reached us. After seeing so many gathered around a painting of his, he took a look at this painting. He looked infuriated when his eyes met the painting. "I am so sorry for this", he apologized to us. "Ramu", he shouted at the top of voice while we were bewildered at what was happening. Ramu, the caretaker of the gallery arrived almost immediately at Mr. Shah's call. "Can't you see a painting and put it up? Why have you put this on display upside down? Change this, you idiot".

I felt naked. And perhaps all those who ACT like mad men did!

In All Times

Bad Times

The bad times tear you apart
Ripping your inside with a sharp edged knife
Pain soaring through the mind
Trying to figure the conundrum called life

Feeling just like closing the eyes
Losing yourself in oblivion
A world where no one knows you
Where you know no one
A non-existent entity!

Good times

The bliss percolating in you
And also being reflected at the same time
The reflection adding to the percolation
The world lies at your feet

Feeling like sharing the warmth
Hugging even those you do not know
Seeking to reach the zenith
Of the mountain called happiness

All Times

All times good or bad
Fade away in diminishing light
Mere reflections remain
Telling you about the impermanence

Making you seek the permanent
Making you seek the zenith and the zero
Both together at the same time
Being non-existent and being the infinite!

Thus passes another day

Thus passes another day
Without the slightest trace
No sound, no movement
And it exists no more.

I am no greater
For I will pass too
Not a matter of days, but years
A mere second in the frame of the Universe

Miniscule and virtually non-existent
I sit in one corner of the world
Thinking about myself, my pain, my agony
Considering myself the hero of this fantasy!

Hoping for a change, a reform
Hoping for a better tomorrow
When it’s all suppose to pass away
No sound, no movement.

Death doesn’t have claws
It is serene, it is true
It comes but doesn’t last half a second
No sound, no movement

And despite all this, the world changes
Please don’t call it the cumulative effect
Its not me who does anything
And if you think its you,
Know you will pass too.

And then I surrender one day
To the Universe
Since it knows best and it sent me here
Everything will end when will go away all fear

And then will pass another day
A happier me
A blissful me
No sound, no movement.

The solution

Rashid and I went to the municipality office to lodge a complaint against the open sewage in our area, which was causing a health epidemic. The authorities, like in any other municipality office, were highly apathetic and directed us from one counter to the other, asking us to complete endless formalities without providing any assistance. “You need to fill the complaint form”, “Checking the completed form is not my duty – it is Mishra’s duty. Go to that counter”, “Cant you complete the form properly? What do you mean you don’t know what to fill in these fields?”, “Come back after half an hour. I need to have my tea.”, “What are you guys doing here till now? Cant you wrap up your work quickly”.

By the end of an hour, I was seething with anger. I started cursing them, “God, these men don’t deserve anything. What they do to others, the same should happen to them. They deserve worse. Let them remain dumb and unenlightened for the rest of their lives.” I was loud enough for Rashid to hear and he prayed, “God, bless these people. Give them a lot of happiness and contentment. Enlighten them”. “What for, Rashid?”, I cut his stupid prayer short. He replied, with the wisdom of a hundred year old sage, ”For when they are enlightened will they realize that the way they are working is wrong. And that will bring about an internal reform in them. And then this will never happen again”.

“Punishment serves no purpose. It is cruel to the one it is inflicted on and it makes no difference to the offender’s future for he remains ignorant. Reform changes a man internally; it causes a realization and the man never wrongs again. An eye for an eye just makes two men blind.”. I now knew why Rashid never believed in capital punishment. He knew the solution.

[Dedicated to H.H.Sri Sri Ravi Shankar who has taken the Art of Living Courses to prisoners across the world bringing about a complete reform in their lives]

The echo

The boy reached the edge where the mountain met the valley. He screamed "Hello"; back came the same reply in a similar voice. He did not like the fact that someone had a voice so similar to his; he shouted back "I hate you". The reply was "I hate you".

Some time later in the day, the boy went to his dad and said, "Dad I love you"; his dad said, "I love you too son". The mountain had taught the boy the law of karma.