Kutton Ki Ladai

Based on a unrecalled poem heard on the show Wah Wah Kya Baat Hai!

कुत्ते थे सरदार के सामने, शीश झुकाकर खड़े थे वोह
मांग रहे थे माफ़ी निरंतर, शर्म और डर से मरे थे वोह
सरदार ने बोला तुम्हरी वजह से, कुत्तों का नाम तबाह होगा
तुम नेताओं की तरह लड़ोगे, तो फिर अंजाम बुरा होगा

Kutte the sardar ke saamne, sheesh jhukaye khade the woh
Maang rahe the maafi nirantar, sharm aur dar se mare the woh
Sardar ne bola tumhari wajah se, kutton ka naam tabah hoga
Tum netaon ki tarah ladoge, toh phir anjaam buraa hoga

An Ode to Free Will

They sat around the logs and talked, they were friends for life
They had seen together thick and thin, joy as well as strife
The talk was gay and happy, it was 'bout a life well spent
So spoke the Lion, Monkey, Zebra, Wolf and the Elephant

They talked about life in the jungle, all that they had done
They still did whatever they pleased, O! What fun! What fun!
"Free will" became the topic, it was what they all claimed
The Zebra though was quiet, and without his wit inflamed

The Monkey spoke of the trees that he would wander on
The bananas, the ropes, the pranks he played, so-on so-on
The friends felt the cheerfulness, the freedom of it all
They bellowed, and did not see the Zebra's head fall

The Lion talked about the stalk, the pray that he would chase
The fear that he would create in folk, strolls at an easy pace
The group felt for the victims, but relished their King's choice
They cheered, and did not see the Zebra close his eyes

The Elephant was resplendant, talking about his girth
How no tree was a match for him, on the whole rotting earth
Hearing about his time in water, put them on a high
During all this, they did not hear, the Zebra's heavy sigh

The Wolf reminisced about hunting with his pack
The pack did what they wanted, there was no looking back
He lauded that the friends all did exactly what came to mind
This free will thing was good, and they could be bad or kind

The Zebra could not control himself, he burst out as a dam
This free will thing you talk about, is nothing but a sham
O! Look at the threads on your hands and feet, friends
You marionettes! The puppeteer holds the other ends

Sins Of The Past

I have a friend, and he is better than me
I asked my mom, when I was a child
Why he could jump higher than me
And she said, he is not a friend to you
His Grandma had denied water to yours
But you relax my Son, you will get even

I have a friend, and he is better than me
I asked my Dad, why I need to get even
And my Dad had tears in his eyes
He asked if my forefathers were important
He asked if past sins deserved fixing
But don't strain yourself, you will get even

I have a friend, and he is better than me
I asked my teacher, why he scored better
The teacher was kind and looked down at me
He told me about the grave injustices of the past
Him scoring better was a reflection of that
But don't worry child, you will get even

I have a friend, and he is better than me
I thought about the past, and reflected on the present
I did get water, and there was no injustice
But I had to fight the past right here in the present
I didn't know what I would do or wanted
But, I was confident, I would get even

I have a friend, and he is better than me
He worked tirelessly and did the right thing
He stayed up nights and got into college
I waltzed in just holding a piece of paper
The job he wanted was given to me
It seemed to me, I did get even

The ghosts of my mom, my dad and the teacher
Showered flowers on me, and said in unison
You showed him, you did, and you got even
I smiled, I thought and I reflected on this
I have a friend, and he is STILL better then me
It's not about past sins, it's just about him and me

Berukhi (indifference)

अश्कों से मैं डरता नहीं, बेरुखी की बात और है
तुम मेरे कुछ लगते हो, तभी तो रोना आता है

Ashkon se main dartaa nahin, berukhi ki baat aur hai
Tum mere kuchh lagte ho, tabhi to rona aata hai

My View on Slapgate

कहते तो तुम बहुत थे, मगर काम क्या किया
जिस शर्त पे जिए थे, उसे मान न दिया

तुम हो आज़ाद हिंद में, कोई तुम्हें तंग न करे
पर अपने जिद में तुमने, किसीको तंग क्यों किया

वैसे तो गांधीजी, तुम्हारे देश के पिता हैं
फिर हाथ उठाने का, गलत काम क्यों किया

तुम कहते हो वो सुनते नहीं, है नहीं शर्म
मगर तुमने बिना सुने, शर्मनाक काम क्यों किया

में भी तुम्हारे साथ हूँ, हैं मुश्किलें मुझे
लेकिन गुंडागर्दी करने को, मेरा माने न जिया


Kehte to tum bahut the, magar kaam kya kiya
Jis shart pe jiye the, use maan na diya

Tum ho aazaad Hind mein, koi tumhen tang naa kare
Par apni zid mein tumne, kisi ko tang kyon kiya

Waise to Gandhiji, tumhare desh ke pita hain
Phir haath uthaane ka, galat kaam kyon kiya

Tum kehto ho wo sunte nahin, hai nahin sharam
Magar tumne bina sune, sharmnak kam kyon kiya

Main bhi tumhare saath hoon, hain mushkilen mujhe
Lekin gundagardi karne ko, mera maane na jiya

Gam aur Khushi

जश्न-ए-गम में तू जाम पिला दे साकी |
कोई ये सोच ना ले ख़ुशी गवारा ही नहीं ||

Jashn-e-gam mein tu jaam pila de saaki,
Koi yeh soch na le khushi gawara hi nahin

Couplet

ख़ुशी मिली ज़िन्दगी में, ये हम कैसे बतलाएँ |

पता तो चले हमको, ख़ुशी होती क्या है ||

khushi mili zindagi mein, yeh hum kaise batlaain
pata to chale humko, khushi hoti kya hai

Couplet

गुस्ताख ना बोल हैवां ना करार, तू मुझको अडग यकीन से |

वारदात-ए-हाल हम क्या बोलें, कुछ मैंने कहा कुछ तुमने सुना ||

Gustakh na bol haivan na karar, tu mujhko adag yakeen se

Wardaat-e-haal ham kya bolen, kuchh maine kaha kuchh tumne suna

I Had A Dream

Let the fireworks begin, for my dream is now here

Not anything to match, the joy that I bear

Can be seen by my eyes, can be felt by my heart

Is reflected in my being, is added as my part

The mind begins to think, of all the reasons

The eons that I spent, on fighting the demons

The countless missed moments, Oh! those ordeals

It was well worth it, it gathers, it feels

It reflects, it swells, to see what had been done

It reflects, it decides, the battle's already won

It reflects, it remembers, the dream was of yore

It reflects, it realizes, naught left to dream anymore

Couplet

दुआ मांगूंगा तेरे लिए, पर फिर ये ना कहना |

की जनाब-ए-आला, दुआ मांगी भी तो क्या मांगी ||

Dua mangunga tere liye, par phir yeh na kehna
Ki janab-e-aala, dua mangi bhi to kya mangi

Couplet

ठोकर खाके मैंने, ज़मीं से ये पूछा I

क्या मिला तुझे, मुझको गिराके II

Thokar khake meine, zameen se yeh poochaa!

Kya mila tujhe, mujhko girake!!