यादों का पिटारा

क़लम को बोल, जुबां को शब्द देती तुम,

आ निकली हो कहीं इस गहरी रात में,

साथ लिए कुछ खट्टी-मीठी यादों का पिटारा..

तपती गर्मी में पेड के नीचे घंटो बातें करना,

गुलमोहर के झरते पत्ते, और, तुम्हारा शरमा कर कहना-

“पत्ते भी तुम्हारी ही तरह शैतान हैं!!!”....

बाईक की पिछली सीट पर किसी को न बैठने देना,

हाँ, सच ही तो है, अब हर चीज़ पर सिर्फ तुम्हारा ही हक था...

साथ तुम्हारे हो, तो मन में चलता द्वन्द,

दुनिया की नज़रों से तुम्हे बचाने की कोशिश में,

अपनी नज़रों में तुम्हे छिपाना, और,

तुम्हारा हलके से मुस्कुराना – “ऐसे क्या देख रहे हो!!”...

एक दूजे का हाथ थाम,

निकलना सूनी सड़क पर, चाह,

सड़क का आखिरी कोना हमारे साथ साथ चले बढ़ता,

जहां सिर्फ हम और तुम हो, पर,

ये हो ना सका, और अब,

यादों के इस पिटारे को खोल, बह निकली हो तुम सर्द हवा सी,

आ निकलो फिर से इस गहरी रात में,

क़लम को बोल, जुबां को शब्द देती तुम....

क्यूंकि एक दोस्त ज़रूरी होता है....

सुनते हैं, एक दोस्त ज़रूरी होता है,

हाँ...थे तुम, और ‘तुम’, और रहोगे “तुम”....

कॉलेज का वो पहला दिन, जब मिले थे तुम

दोनों हम डरे सहमे से,

जैसे निकले हो सूने जंगल से जाती किसी सड़क पर,

तिमिर के उस मायाजाल में,

जब हाथ को हाथ नहीं दिखता था,

तुम्हारे साथ होने का एहसास,

तुम्हे साथ लेकर चलने की आस,

मन के भविष्य के सपने संजोये,

बीज हमने भी भावनाओं के बोये,

लेकिन क्या पता था!!!..

जीवन की वास्तविकता में जब वही भावनाएं छलने लगीं,

जब तुम्हे मेरी झूठी नाराज़गी और सच्ची दोस्ती खलने लगी,

यह कहकर कि “मुझे और भी बहुत काम है”,

कहाँ अब एक पल को भी विश्राम है,

चल दिए अपना ‘अवरोधक’ छोड़कर,

अपनी प्रगति के पथ पर,

और मैं खड़ा रहा ये सोचता,

कि एक दोस्त ज़रूरी होता है...

................................................

 फिर मिले ‘तुम’,

तब तक मैं शायद ‘बड़ा’ हो चुका था,

जीवन के दिए घाव, आंसुओं से धो चुका था,

यह नया जीवन, नया संसार है,

भ्रम से इतर, सभी कुछ बेकार है,

पहली नौकरी के दिन बड़े सुहाने थे,

तुमसे ही जीवन के सभी फ़साने थे,

तुमने भी ना मुझे निराश किया,

मेरी कमियों, मेरी बातों को तराश दिया,

पर फिर भी एक कमी रही,

‘सच’ जो न कहनी थी, मैंने कही,

और फिर जैसा कि दुनिया का दस्तूर है,

सत्य से मिठास कोसों दूर है,

न सह पाए ‘तुम’ ‘कड़वी’ बात,

पर सत्य जानो, लगा दोनों ही के मन को आघात,

मैं तो मन को मान भी लेता,

तुमको फिर अपना जान ही लेता,

पर ‘तुम’ जब यह सोच चुके थे,

मुझसे रिश्ता तोड़ चुके थे,

खड़ा रहा मैं ‘उसी’ सड़क पर,

तुम्हे जाते देखता और ये सोचता,

कि एक दोस्त ज़रूरी होता है...

...........................................

अब मिले हो “तुम”...

फिर से यह एक नया परिवेश है, किन्तु मेरे भाग्य का ‘समर अभी शेष है’,

 “तुम” में फिर से वही तुम और ‘तुम’ दिखा है,

हाँ, पिछली बातों से कुछ तो मैंने सीखा है,

कर रहा हूँ प्रयास, रह जाऊं चुप, न खोलूँ अपने मन की बात

निगलूँ सच, बोलूँ प्रिय, न पहुंचे तुम्हे आघात,

पर, क्या करूँ, फिर भी, अवहेलना मैं सह नहीं पाता हूँ,

यदा-कदा सच बोल, तुम्हे वाणी-हानि पहुंचाता हूँ,

पर, मन का यह दुःख बतलाऊँ किसे,

इस सागर के पार ले जाऊं किसे,

कहीं “तुम” भी, तुम जैसे निकलो,

मेरी पीड़ा को व्यंग्य के साथ उगलो,

या फिर, “तुम” भी करो वही प्रहार,

जो ‘तुम’ ने किया था पिछली बार,

सच है, “तुम” को खोने से डरता हूँ,

लेकिन बस इतनी आशा करता हूँ,

सोचा है मैंने ही हर बार,

सोच कर देखो “तुम” भी इस बार,

 कि एक दोस्त ज़रूरी होता है..... 

R'Day : One more celebration

क्या हुआ जो हो गये "फ्री" हम, 
गरीबी, भूख, बेरोजगारी तो फिर भी हुई ना कम,
'दे-मो-कुर्सी' का तो लेकिन भरेंगे दम,
'द-प्ले-मौसी' ने भले दिये जखम, 
काटे गये सिरों की कसम,
"बिज़नेस एज़ युज़ुअल" ही करेंगे हम, 
अपने दीये मे तेल है कम,
फिर भी दूसरे की तो "बत्ती" जलायेंगे हम,
"युवराज" ने चले नही दो कदम,
कि "राज" ने भी नाथ ली कसम,
जब तक टूट्ता नही जनता का भरम,
महंगाई और भ्रष्टाचार का नहीं आयेगा चरम,
इनको ऐसे ही पीसेंगे हम,
कहने को तो हुए हैं लाखों सितम,
कहां तक गिनायेंगे हम,
लेकिन फिर भी यारों अपना जो है ये सिस्ट्म,
जिसका पिता है अपना प्यारा "कॉन्स्टीट्यूशन",
आओ लगाये इसमें अपना मन, करे मनन,
कि कुछ तो बदल पायेंगे हम,
तब तक मेरे हमदम,
कुछ नहीं तो कर लें गणतंत्र का "सेलिब्रेशन"........

सभी "भारतीयों" को गणतंत्र दिवस की हार्दिक शुभकामनायें....

Happy New Year

नई सुबह, नव उल्लास, नये प्रेम की यह हाला,
नये लक्ष्य को संकल्पित और समर्पित, नये बरस का यह प्याला,
नई तासीर है नई सुरा की, साथ समय के पूरी हो,
नये चंद्रमा सी हो पूरित, यह नवजीवन मधुशाला

The mesmerizing results..

"Kuch na poocho un lamho ki dastan, wo bura waqt tha jo gujar gaya...."
This is how Laoo Prasad yadav must be consoling himself after the terrible defeat in Bihar elections...

The results for one of the most awaited elections in the country are finally out. Most awaited because this contained in itself the message that whether the state of Bihar ( or even the country if the generalization is not too premature) would choose the older politics of narrow caste biases only or henceforth the development would figure in prominently in the choice of voters...It also had to show whether the magic wand of 'Gandhis' from congress would also work here. Also, it hid in itself the mystery that can BJP come out of its hitherto communal image in Bihar as till now it had very less vote percentage of muslim minorities in Bihar which have the second largest population there in the country....but all above this, it was Nitish Kumar for whom this was a litmus test to prove his 'acid' of governance and set right his claims of a 'New Bihar'....

Finally, the curtains are up....No youth factor of Rahul Gandhi seems to have worked out as was being claimed by congress rather it is at a loss of 5 seats. The biggest loss has been to the RJD-LJP combine who were still banking on the age old myth of support of yadavs and scheduled castes. Rather Rabri Devi lost from both the seats she contested from.  

To me, the biggest gainer is in fact BJP that too because of two reasons....First, though initially thought of as a probable cause of loss, not calling Narendra Modi and Barun Gandhi for campaigining rather proved to be profitable for it was this reason because of which the minorities voted for the BJP-JD(U) combine backed by the strong support of Nitish Kumar for minorities. The second reason was the "malai" of Nitish Kumar's name which came in BJP's part as a partner in alliance otherwise it was very difficult for BJP to  score 91 out of 102 which it fought.

JD (U) on the other hand has been the real performer led by its leader Nitish Kumar. The "cycles for girl child " and the schemes for Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs) bore fruits for them and not only their traditional vote banks, they got support from all sections of society to score a landslide victory for their alliance. The huge turn out of women voters in Bihar elections was an important factor in their win.

Another important aspect of these elections is the vindication of the fact that a leader more efficient at national level may not be so effective at the state level and vice-versa. Laloo and Nitish Kuamr are the best example for this. Laloo, who was hailed internationally for his administration of railways was a failure for 15  years as a CM. However, Nitish kumar who was not  much succesful as a railway minister and the country witnessed higher no. of railway accidents during his regime, is highly successful as a chief minister. Narendra Modi, Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Late Shri Y.S.Rajshekhar reddy also fall in the same category.

Now, when Nitish kumar has won the 3/4 majority in the house, he has a greater challenge to face when he climbs on the podium on friday. It has been an Indian tradition, especially in development sphere, to start any new work with extreme zeal but to loose focus in between. Nitish Kumar has to be cautious enough not to fall in the trap of overjoy of this overwhelming majority and loose focus. After the improvement in law and order situation, Electricity and unemployment are the two major issues, his government will have to address. Bihar, until the separation of Jharkhand, was quite rich in mineral resources. Despite this fact, due to political and administrative committment, the state remained in the BIMARU condition. Prime requirement today is that of industries in Bihar which will require power as input and as a result will generate employment.

The other peculiar situation with Bihar is its climatic conditions. It experiences drought and flood in the same year.e.g. on 15 Aug. 2010, all the districts of Bihar were declared drought hit whereas just after one month, the easterna nd western Bihar was caught in flood due to overflow of Gangetic river system.So, the people of Bihar would expect an everlasting solution from Nitish Kumar. similar is the case of land reforms in Bihar for which the Bandopadhyaya commission was formed but again due to lack of political will, the marginal and landless laborers acting as "Bataidars" are still at the receiving end. Though, it was not a prominent part of manifesto from the winning alliance but in the long run, it is the most important agrarian reform that can't wait for too long especially in agriculture dominant state like Bihar.

All in all the elections have been quite interesting in Bihar and the election commission is to be lauded for the almost violence free election first time in Bihar. Now, it remains to be seen that whether the flag of development is carried to the elections in other states and at National level.

And 'Nattha' dies again...

so. finally Nattha died but alas!!....it again jst remained a story!!!
as we celebrate the 64th independence day, here comes a story (Peepli Live) which may not make u cry  at home, but at least takes you out of hall with moist eyes (only for those who have at least once met any 'Nattha').... It makes you rethink is it the independence we wanted where the "food providers" have become "food seekers"???
bt will it make any impact on the system which is self-webbed in its own rules and regulations??......
we fire at the agitating farmers demanding for their basic rights whether land, water or fertilizers, the urban intelligentsia discards them as if they are not part of our society but we forget that they are truly our "Annadata".If they are in problm, we are in an even bigger problem.
The suicides of farmers was a regular feature until recent but the government claims tht these have abated after its debt exemption scheme.. but is that the case really??...
It is one thing to announce schemes and another to implement them 'effectively'..the governmrnt though has announced it but are we all not aware that hw easy it is in villages to borrow from the local 'Sahukar" then the govt. banks not to talk about the weakness of institutionalized credit mechanism for this purpose....Given this fact isn't it true that the govt has exempted only the credit that it has provided  for farmers, but they owe much more to the local moneylenders and that is what the main cause of concern is.. bt since only these moneylenders are the main 'source' of politics, the govts. whether union or state, do not want to talk about it..
The second point is that its not just enough to exempt them from debt but it is also imperative that they be provided with necessary knowledge for technological upgradation and other structural reforms such as improved irrigation. In absence of this, to free themselves from poverty, they have resorted to measures like changing in crop pattern. In a recent report published in "The Hindu", most of the 'suicide' farmer families in vidharbha, have changed to "soya" from "cotton" as it is a more profitable crop, given the diminishing conditions for cotton and its high-cost intensive character. Also, soyabeen may be used both as food and commercial crop. This will definitely affect the overall crop pattern on country and a major change in export-import ingridients may be envisaged...
Thirdly, the 'hot favorite' biotechnological products in agriculture such as genetic crops are the new demons. Though highly productive and resistant to local bacteria and insects, GM seeds being patented products are not available in plenty and  the company having the patent has the monopoly. Even if the seeds are made available at subsidized rates, after sometime the bacterias and insects against which it was resistant, develop resistance to these genes and again start thriving on these GM crops. The recent admission of the major GM seed company "Monsanto" with regard to the GM cotton seeds supplied in Karnataka,  Mahrashtra and Gujrat corroborate this.
So have we lost the battle???....
Will we never be able to return to a situation where our farmers are proud of their profession???
well.....givem the gigantic magnitude of problems, prima facie it seems true. but when there is a will, there is a way....Given the fact, that we have the strongest bueraucray in the world, it is very much possible, only if we are able to extract a committment from them towards it. The policies to fight it out,  be made much more targeted towards the benifitting group and addresing  all aspects of the problem. Rather than having all the implementation and controls in its hands, administration should promote participation of local public in solving it.e.g distributing credit through instiutionalized structure, govt. should promote the micro-financing at lower interest rates through self-help groups. Also, the anciliary activities to agriculture such as animal husbandry, poultry farms should be promoted so that in case of crop failure, there is an alterante source of income available. Along with the structural reforms, institutional reforms are also the need of the hour to improve the agricultural productivity.Last but not the least, the role of media has to be that of a communicator not an instigator. Just to increase  the TRPs the story of farmer suicides should not be made fancy, rather they need to be dealt with more sensitively.
all with this, we can hope that we have no more Natthas dying.......