SOME MORE COUPLETS

Here are some more which I composed yesterday. These when compared to the ones in previous post show difference of age in thoughts, isn’t it?

DOSTON NE DE KAR DOSTI KA VASTAA DIYA JAAM PEENE KO,

EK EK KARKE SAB CHALE GAYE,

AB JAAM KA HI HAI SAATH JEENE KO.

( Friends made me to have a drink for sake of friendship, all have gone one by one, now this is the company to live lonely life. )

AFSOS THAA KI BACHON KO KHUSHIAN DENE KE LIYE

DAULAT NAHIN HAI

KAAM MEIN JUTE, KHOOB KAMAYA, PAR AB AFSOS HAI KI

BACHON KO DENE KE LIYE WAQT NAHIN HAI.

( I felt sad that there was no wealth to give happiness to children, worked hard made lot of money, but now am sad there is no time to give to children.)

EK ZAMAANAA THAA KI HIMMAT NAHIN THI KISI KI MERI

CHEEZEIN KARE YAHAAN SE WAHAAN,

AB ZAMAANAA HAI KI POOCHHTA HOON NATIYON SE

MERA CHASHMAA RAKHAA HAI KAHAAN.

( There was time no one dared to move my things from here to there, now is time when I ask my grandchildren my spectacles are hidden where.)

SOME COUPLETS

I have another couple of serious posts in the pipeline. One is ready for posting while two are in finalizing stage. But I am not posting the ready one as I have already given two thought provoking posts. So here I am sharing some couplets which I scribbled more than 3 decades ago on reverse of bus tickets while traveling in night service bus from Guwahati to Tezpur. These are in mixed language. I remember these 3 and can not find my diary in which I had transferred all.

MAIN TUJHE BHOOLNE KI KOSHISH KARTA HOON,

PAR HAR KOSHISH PE TERI YAAD AATI HAI,

MUJHE TUMSE MILNE KI UMEED NAHIN,

PAR HAR AAHAT PE TERI YAAD AATI HAI.

( Gist in English for those who can not understand this : I am making efforts to forget you but on each effort your memories come flooding back. I have no hope of meeting you but on sound of each footfall your memories come flooding back )

MUJHE IS DUNIYA MEIN SACHE PYAAR KI TAMNAA HAI,

LOG KAHTE HAIN TU PAAGAL HAI,

TUMHEIN AMAVAS MEIN CHAAND KI TAMNAA HAI.

( I am looking for true love in this world, people call me mad saying I am looking for moon on dark moonless night )

MAIN TUMSE KUCHH KAHNAA CHAHTAA HOON,

PAR BAAT LABON TAK AA KE RUK JAATI HAI,

NAZRON KI ZUBAN SE KEH DOON,

PAR TERI NAZREIN TO MILTE HI JHUK JAATI HAIN.

( I wish to say something to you but it halts at my lips, I could say so with expression of eyes but you lower your eyes on meeting mine )

WOMEN SHAKTI ( POWER )

This happened about a year ago. I was on my way back from market when I saw a tempo with household luggage at the entrance gate of our housing complex. It seemed someone was shifting in. As I was passing by, a car came in and stopped near the tempo. A smart and good looking young lady was in the driver seat with about 3 years old girl ( later I came to know she is her daughter ) in passenger seat and an elderly lady ( young girl’s DADI as learnt later ) of my age group in the rear seat. She told the driver to follow her. After that day I used to see that little girl either cycling or playing in our locality park, when I accompanied our granddaughter for her evening fun there. She and our granddaughter got friendly and started cycling or playing together. She was being looked after by a maid with DADI also with them and her mother used to join little later on her return from office. We got onto hello hello terms. I learnt her name was Asha. At times my wife used to be with me and after few such meetings she and DADI got talking. Asha also used to join them when she came. They visited our house a few times to meet my wife. After we shifted from there she kept in touch with them. What I learnt later from my wife I am sharing with you all.

Asha’s parents belonged to well to do middle class. She studied in best of the schools as well as college. When she joined college her elder brother migrated to USA after completing engineering in IT. Later he got married to an American girl there. They visited India few times but mostly for short period. Her parents never went there. She after Post graduation in psychology completed MBA in HR. During school and college days she was good in sports and extra curricular activities as drama, debates etc. She had a number of friends, both girls and boys. She started working after MBA. She was well liked due to her good nature as well as being helpful. Though she had lots of friends but she was however not close to anyone to call it an affair. She built up good reputation in office as hard working and ethical person.

A young man little elder to her took fancy to her. His name was Ajeet. He was into garments export business and had office in the same building where her company was located. He followed her a number of time and subsequently got himself introduced through some higher up in her organization. He often started “accidently” meeting her in the corridor or lift. He asked her out a number of times but she politely declined. She declined his offers of lift home too. He followed her home a few times. In short he made all efforts of getting close to her but though she spoke to him with all politeness did not accept his overtures. One day he bluntly told her that he would like to marry her. She told him that she hardly knows him and his family not at all as well as it was upto her parents to decide. She had told her mother about him as it was her habit to share her day with mother always.

One day on her return from office she learnt from her parents that his mother had visited them with proposal for her marriage. She had told that her husband had passed away few years ago thus leaving him to take care of business from young age. He had no siblings and they had very few other relatives. Her parents told her that they would get back after speaking to her. She informed them that she hardly knew him and his constant behavior to get close to her was something not to her liking. A few days later his mother called them up to ask if they had decided. They told her that she was not willing to marry as yet. He however continued his efforts to woo her. About a month later her father died in an accident. Her mother was heart broken and went into depression. Her brother came over alone for related ceremonies and left without any offer to take them to USA. Her mother was not keeping too well thereafter. Ajeet alongwith his mother attended all ceremonies. His mother became a regular visitor and even he used to come over often.

Sometime later Ajeet’s mother brought up proposal again saying that as her mother was not keeping too well it should be decided on priority. Her mother too was keen to marry her off as soon as possible. Seeing her mother’s condition and keenness of Ajeet’s mother, she consented. This was also as his mother was very affectionate. A very simple marriage took place within a period of three months. There were hardly 10 odd relatives from his side while from her side many relatives attended. Her brother however did not come but sent some money to mother. This all seemed fairy tale.

On the very first night when she was alone with Ajeet, she got shock of her life. His first words were how dare she showed rejection to him and he would teach her a lesson. He followed it up with forcing himself on her brutally without caring if she was hurt. Though she knew about sex but this was her first time and it left her traumatized. This made her shudder at the hint of his wanting sex. He told her to quit her job and take care of his affairs if she wanted to work or stay at home. She had no choice but to work with him. He used to pull her down in front of others without a care about her feelings. At home he treated her as if he is lord and master whom she has to bow to all the time. He used to abuse her telling that she was not a virgin when she married him and any amount of reasoning about being active in sports did not mean anything to him. His mother was aware of it and she sided her but could not do anything more than that. Asha bore all this as she did not want her ailing mother to be burdened. He got bold with this and even started hitting her at times. First time she retaliated with hitting back but he used force to subdue her. There was no stopping him after that. When she got pregnant her mother in law made her go to her mother as she did not want any mishap. After birth of daughter he even told her that she could not give him son as she must have got pregnant from someone else. Her mother in law used to cry with her. Her mother passed away when her daughter was two years old. She then started telling him to stop his misbehaviour or she will report him to police. He mocked her that as she has kept quiet for so long no one would believe her.

Water went over head when he could not do anything to her due to her warnings, to vent his anger in frustration he slapped their daughter for no fault of the little girl calling her whore’s child. He just laughed when she told him that she would be leaving with her daughter. So that is when she came over to our locality. Her mother in law too left her son along with her. Asha started working in a reputed company in HR.

I bow my head to these brave ladies who took such courageous step. Later I learnt that his mother consulted family lawyer and sent him notice for share of property as well as business for her, Asha and little girl. Ajeet wanted them to compromise and return but his mother refused unless their rightful shares are transferred to them. That process is on and in another month or so they will have their share of property and business.

SHOULD ONE DO THIS?

This happened yesterday. On her insisting I had taken our 3 ½ years old granddaughter to DDA Park in the evening around 6:30s as she did not want to play in our housing society play park which is just a little open green patch between two blocks. The DDA Park has a number of play equipment like slides, see-saw or swings etc which she enjoys and wants to go there at times. Even when our daughter’s children visit us, they have this attraction in their agenda. There were a number of children with escorts. It is fun to see them running around enjoying the outing. We crisscrossed a number of them at some point or the other. I saw a boy of about 2 - 3 years a number of times at the same slide or so as our granddaughter. He was escorted by his mother. She was a nice looking young lady of may be mid 20s and mostly busy on her cell phone, though she kept an eye on the boy.

One of the slides is covered giving it look of a tunnel with a little curve in middle. Our granddaughter loves to slide down in that. That boy too seemed to enjoy the same. I was standing a few feet away at the bottom opening of the slide as I could also see the steps when she went to climb again. His mother was standing close by. She was on cell phone and I could not help but hear some of her conversation. Snatches of that showed that she was talking to someone close to her, I thought may be husband. I was suddenly jolted when I overheard her saying “ No , I can not come tomorrow to your place as I have a couple of important meeting in office which I can not give a miss but my husband is going on tour day after, so I can drive to your place from office and spend the night. Then we can be together till after breakfast on Saturday.” After hearing what the other person said, she replied “ No problems, I will leave him at home telling my in laws that I am going out for a party with Rajani ( name changed ) direct from office and as it will get late I will stay at her place. You know she will cover for me.” I had to move off as our little girl suddenly dashed towards merry go round.

Now this set me thinking how can one do such a thing. I am not prude and I believe that each to his or her own. I am not casting any aspersions on her or passing judgments as I do not know the circumstances.

I firmly believe in equality of both genders. In my opinion girls have equal right to live life the way they want to and have fun as they wish to. Both boys and girls have same curiosities and urges. However I advocate that girls need to be little more cautious as they are at receiving end in most cases. A boy driving back late at night on deserted road runs risk of being robbed but a girl has worse risk than that. Boys will get away with a lot while a girl will get blamed even if she is the victim. If a girl has discrete relation before marriage, it is her decision. Only thing is that it should be as per her conscience and due application of mind without wilting under pressure of any kind. She has to be sure that her partner too is equally discrete and not one who would blabber conquests. If she can seek guidance from someone elder whom she trusts and can speak freely with, nothing like it but she needs to keep it close to her chest otherwise, specially post marriage.

I always ask boys who say that they expect their would be wife to be chaste - Do they ever think the same while having relation with a girl who would be someone’s wife in future or would they accept rejection by a girl because of their such past relationships?

However I firmly believe that both partners be loyal after marriage unless there are some extremely rare unavoidable circumstances beyond control. I know there are couples who go for swap parties ( I personally had known of two such couples ) but in this case I feel that as she was going only in her husband’s absence it was likely in all probability that he was unaware of this liaison. Don’t you think this can lead to unhappiness later?

CENTURY AGAIN BUT MORE SATISFYING

When I wrote my 100^th post, it was a heady feeling. But now I feel on top of the world as 100^th friend joined my blogs. Thanks a lot THINKING for doing this honour to me. I will strive to live upto expectations of all of you, my dear friends. Thanks for being with me. I definitely love your views as that prompts me to try to better my writing.

Thanks again to THINKING and all of you.

WHO BOTHERS?

Last month I wrote about Media Antics. While commenting Jigyasa ( freespirit-jigyasa ) very rightly brought out point about availability of Public Toilets. I am aware of this shortfall in our system but still to see if there has been any improvement in the past couple of years I did a little survey on my own. And the findings are pathetic.

While visiting markets or even driving around on roads which are quite busy with all kinds of traffic or even some biggish bus stops I was dismayed to see lack of this facility or even if available it was either non-visible / inaccessible or unfit for use hygienically. In some of the markets I asked shopkeeper if I can find some place to relieve as my bladder is bursting and was mostly told to go behind some shop in isolated place for the same. Pathetic, isn’t it? What about ladies, where do they go?

I think it is time for so called Associations which claim to fight for rights on behalf of traders or residents to do something on this issue. Will somebody in authority please wake up?