Saturday, 20 July 2013

Kashti---a poem in hindi

 क्यों लोग कश्ती को बनाते है जीवन का प्रतीक ?
शायद इसलिए क्योकि 
संसार रुपी इस अथाह सागर में 
मनुष्य इक अदना सा लाचार प्राणी है .
जो ये समझता है ,
जिसे ये मालूम है 
की वो निरीह, विवश और अज्ञानी है .
 
उसे इस बात की है पूरी खबर. 

जैसे जैसे सागर में उठती है लहरे 
वैसे वैसे  हिचकोले 
खाती  है कश्ती 
कभी शांत 
कभी नटखट 
कभी भीषण और वीभत्स.
 
 
उसके जीवन की डोर 
है 
कैसी  विवश .
 
 
लेकिन फिर भी 
हर आदमी 
देखता है सपने. 
पूरा करने उन्हें 
 हौसले भी है रखता  .
शायद यही है वो जज्बा 
जिससे  हमें गया है नवाज़ा .
यही है वो  ताकत 
जो हमें
थमा देती है पतवार .
और हम बन जाते है
अपनी कश्ती के खेवनहार .
 
 
पर हर पल, 
हर क्षण ,
आशंकाओ से है घिरे रहते .
आदम को दिए 
श्राप के बोझ को  
रहते है सहते .

यही है जीवन के सफ़र के कहानी 
कभी कश्ती डोले ,
कभी  डूब  जाये 
कभी शांत समुंदर में 
झूम के लहराए .

 


kyu log kashti ko banate hai jeevan ka prateek?

shayad isliye kyo ki 
sansar roopi is  athah sagar mey
manushya ek adna sa lachar prani hai 
jo ye samajhta hai
jise ye maloom hai 

ki woh vivash aur agyani hai 

usey is baat ki hai poori khabar 
jaise jaise sagar mey uththi hai lahre 
waise waise hichkole khati hai kashti
kabhi shant 
kabhi natkhat 
kabhi bhishan aur vibhats

uske jeevan ki dor 
hai kaisee vivash

lekin phir bhi har admi dekhta hai sapne 
poora karne unhe 
hausle bhi hai rakhta
shayad yahi hai woh jazba
jis se hamey gaya hai nawaza 
yahi hai woh takat
jo hamey thama deti hai patwar 
aur ham ban jatey hai apni kashti ke khewanhaar

par har pal har kshan 
ashankao se hai ghirey rahte 
adam ko  diye shrap
ke bojh ko  rahte hai sahte 

yahi hai jeevan ke safar ki kahani
kabhi kasti dole 
kabhi doob jaye 
kabhi shant sagar me jhoom ke lahraye






Monday, 15 July 2013

jindagi---an ode to life


खुदा ने रची खुदाई 
विधाता ने बसाई श्रृष्टि
और डाली उसमे "नेमत "
दिया नाम जिंदगी। 

जिंदगी है पेड़ पौधे
जिंदगी है बहते झरने
जिंदगी चहचहाती चिड़िया
जिंदगी है चाँद सूरज।


जीवन तुम्हारा मेरा
मोहताज जिंदगी का
हर अहसास ख़ुशी गम का
है कर्जदार जिंदगी का। 


आसुओं से भीगी पलकें
दर्द से कराहती साँसे
अहसास दिलाती है
जिन्दा है आदमी।


जिन्दा होना ही एक नशा है
जिन्दा होना ही एक रहम
जिन्दा होना ही  खुदाई का
सबसे बड़ा करम है। 


जिंदगी है तभी तो दर्द है
दर्द के लिए मरहम है
जो आज रो दिया तो
कल मुस्कुराहटो का दम है। 


प्यार ,नफरत ,सुकून या गम
है देन उस घडी के
जब सीने में छुपे दिल में
चलती रहती है  धड़कने। 


जिंदगी हर रोज़ अहसास दिलाती है
हम है अभी सलामत
कर लेंगे बसी दिल में
पूरी हर एक हसरत। 





 khuda ne rachayee khudayee
vidhata ne basayee shrishti
aur dali usme NEMAT
diya naam ZINDAGI



Zindagi hai ped paudhe
Zindagi hai bahte jharne
zindagi chahchahaatee chidiya
zindagi chand suraj




Jeevan tumhara mera
mohtaj zindagi ka
har ahsaas khushi gam ka
hai karzdaar zindai ka



aansuo se bhigi  palkein
dard se karahti saanse
shsaas dilati hai
zinda hai admi



zinda hona hi ek nashaa hai
zinda hona hi ek raham
zinda hona  hai khudayee ka
sabse badaa karam




zindagi hai tabhi to dard hai
dard ke liye marham hai
jo aaj ro diya to
kal muskurahto ka dam hai



pyar ,nafrat,sukoon ya gam
hai den us ghadi ki
jab seene me chhupe dil me
chalti rahti hai ek dhadkan




zindagi har roz
ahsaas dilati hai
hum hai abhi salaamat
kar lenge basi dil me
poori har ek hasrat



Thursday, 11 July 2013

My first and only crush

A  tall lanky lad opened the door.  Informing his mom about us ....he walked out .
What a  personality!! I just couldn't forget him .
Years afterwards   I asked my granny" Nani is Mrs Sinha's  son married ?"
Cue taken ,   Mrs Sinha was invited for tea .
 Later  the two ladies parted with beaming faces.
A  DECEMBER WEDDING AWAITED ME .


This post is written for the 55 Fictionist Contest, hosted by IndiBlosp


Saturday, 6 July 2013

THE IDEA CARAVAN --- a lady with a mission

Have just come from You tube after visiting  "ftideacaravan.com and am awestruck as well as touched after seeing the video about the work being done by Ms Mittal Patel and the VSSM group.This is I feel real social service beacause its about giving a people their identity ---just imagine not being able to say who you are!!!!! not being able to prove your existence ---no doubt Gulab Latif had to serve a prison term as Gulab Moosa this ofcourse was a case where the protagonist was lucky to have a benefactor  like Ms Mittal but what about scores of Gulab Latifs who must still be languishing in the jails due to no fault of theirs ,but  due to a case of mistaken identity and no valid document to prove your claim to innocence.

The case of the women of the Sarania Tribe at Vadia village is the most shocking one imagine the mental condition of the women who are forced to being raped  all throughout their lives only to give a living to their   kith and kin and whats more being forced  into prostitution by them who are supposed to protect them!!  their  brothers and fathers .I am not gender biased or a women's lib activist so I would share my sympathies with the men too who must be feeling a mental torture and shame an emotional torture while acting as pimps to their own sisters and  daughters. There agony too should be given due respect ( though it may be another matter that atleast the men must have by now overcome the emotional agony and become used to doing this ;immune and emotionally detatched and rationalistic).

I fully agree with Ms Mittal  that though the "wild life protection act " had indeed saved the snakes it had surely killed the snake charmers. it is an  Irony of fate . Similarly the traumas of the Nats and the bavaria tribes and all other denotified tribes should be felt to be believed .I do agree and commiserate  together with Mittal Patel over the sad state of affairs of these nomads. .Life full of difficulties no means of livelihood and the threat of being branded criminals ---and yes the only place they find their names are in the police register s..SAD but TRUE.Yes the remote control and the TV and the computer have  been instrumental in snatching away their livelihoods .I remember our parents taking us to the circus and taking equal interest in watching the feats I even remember the Nats and the snake charmers coming and we rushing out of our house to watch the acrobatics and our parents giving them money and clothes and rice as  gifts But now adays why blame the children we parents too prefer watching the same feats and acrobatics on TV instead of the live shows performed by these nomads.

Hats off to the VSSM and people like Mittal Patel they actually are involved in true social work and thanks to Franklin Templeton Investments for making this video available to us Because though we did  have an idea about  about these tribes and their conditions but we did not  know about the gravity of the situation We would also talk in general at home about what must these Nats etc be going through in the present day conditions but it is this video on You tube which has exposed the true picture ---the naked truth so as to say .this video has opened our eyes and filled our hearts with remorse to see fellow humans and fellow countrymen and women going through such hardships.
MITTAL PATEL REAL  HERO indeed and VSSM doing REAL SOCIAL WORK TOO .


This is my entry for the  "The Idea Caravan"  on Indiblogger and has a link to .

    http://youtu.be/w8cZ2iJARPM    Franklin Templeton Investmentspartnered the TEDxGateway Mumbai in December 2012.

Monday, 1 July 2013

A PERFECT ROAD JOURNEY



My family has been one of those who avoid train travel  as far as possible ---why? ---because hubby dear hates the process of  embarking on and  off a train and also handling the  luggage. SO its the car always for us ;I mean as far as possible .


We have travelled from Bhilai( where we stayed for 31 years)) to Ranchi,Kolkatta( 5 times) Pune Bombay(thrice)  and of course those pleasure trips to forest resorts in MP and Maharashtra Kanha national Park,Panchmarhi, Ajanta Ellora  Pench tiger resort and the lesser known Navegao  Chikhaldhara , and those umpteen trips to Nagpur which was my Maika(the house of the parents of a married girl) then, and is my permanent address now .and the cars used by us were Ambassador mark iv ( a second hand one ,our first car ) Maruti omni (a new one ,our second car) and Tata Indica (new one ,our third car) now  a Tata Nano has also joined us but we haven't gone on any long trips in this one .


You must have gathered by now that with so many road travels in our kitty we must have had at least some PERFECT ones .

Well to start with. the first PERFECT road travel was way back in   1980's  when we had bought our first car, a second hand Ambassador Mark iv and it was but natural that our inaugural  journey should be to the  place of pilgrimage of  my family --MY birth place  .

Now let me mention a particular characteristic of ours, we always start our journeys at four in the morning for so many reasons; the official one being that it  gives us a lot of time to cover more distance in day light.

But more importantly the  actual reasons are that none of us can sleep the night before ---the kids can't sleep a wink due to excitement  the two of us adults try to finish off all the work at night so that we don't have to do anything in the morning no last minute rushing, everything done properly the night before and thirdly we love to watch the sunrise on our way, through the forests and villages and rivers, its a beautiful experience and I pluck a lot of wild flowers and we love to  have a proper picnic."Breakfast" which  is always home made poori sabzi pickles bread. butter , boiled eggs and cake  with hot tea from the flask ;this tea has  70 percent milk and 30 percent water because all the milk in the house has to be consumed  .

Lunch may be at a DHABA  or a roadside shanty styled restuarant in a village---- the adivasis of chhota Nagpur  serve lovely chicken and rice  and  pakoras made of chanaa daal and springonions .whereas you get lovely bhajias in the villages of MP and Maharashtra and also poha  ----..and the nationwide favourites any time anywhere are  Jalebi and samosa  perfect example of unity in diversity.

 That much for the regular timetable  of the Sinhas' before and  during a journey .

 Now about the first perfect journey.

This was when we started off at 4 a.m. for Nagpur which is 250 km from Bhilai  and which even an old ambassador  should not take more than 5 hours to complete;  the picnic and stoppages included. But we took eight hours to finish this journey because just as we reached the ghat (its a small one but very steep with very dangerous curves) my husband whispered to me --"break fail ho gaya hai "( the breaks have failed). The first thing I did was turn around to see what the kids were doing thankfully they were asleep .Hubby  continued to drive because with break failure. stopping on a ghat which has narrow roads is not very easy ---thankfully the horn was working so as he drove on with the horn honking I would hang out of my window and wave my hands at any oncoming vehicle just to make them alert that something was wrong with us and that they should be careful . Finally when the ghat ended and we reached a village we stopped the car and got the breaks repaired and proceeded on our journey WE of course did not forget to ring my brother from a STD booth and tell him that we will be late and they need not worry.( no mobile phones  those days).

So this was our first perfect journey ---specially since it left me admiring my husband's driving capabilities and secondly because he fell in love all over again with me for not panicking and for having  faith in his abilities.Not that I had any choice !!!LOL

The second Perfect journey was in december 2001 when we went to Ranchi my hubby's birth place and his Maika and another pilgrimage for us.The car this time was   our New  MARUTI OMNI .

We left Bhilai at 4 in the morning and after all those rituals of  ours,the picninc ,the dhaba lunch, the plucking of flowers, .photography etc etc we reached Sambalpur by 4  in the evening--- ---because  the roads were  so nice .In fact we were astonished, we had never expected to find such good roads ---we had planned to stay overnight at Sambalpur but since we reached the place so early  we thought we could proceed towards our destination instead of stopping there ---moreover two of  my hubby's nephews( 24 and 22 of age) were also travelling with us so we had nothing to worry .

All of us then decided that since we had enough eatables with us we need not waste any time in eating  instead we should proceed on the journey and eat whenever hungry we could also try some local dishes  from the  adivasi eateries en route . Hubby dear got down at a paan kiosk to by some cigarettes(very important for Night driving)   for himself and paan for all of us . It was here that  he heard about a new road  constructed from Simdega to Ranchi  it bypassed Gumla and emerged at Khooti to reach Ranchi.We unanimously decided to take this road because we had already been to Ranchi via Gumla and we  might as well try this new terrain.  Now this short cut  made the journey really thrilling  because it went through dense forests and kachchaa roads  And though we had been through forests etc many a times  we had never felt as if we were out of civilization BUT this time ... it was eerie and  spine chilling ---and no one was in the mood to respond to the small talk which hubby dear was trying to create just to cheer us up .

The night grew darker and darker I served food inside the car no one had the guts to stop the car and get down to eat ----not a single tea shop or anything open and  it was only  8 pm --the reason Naxal fear .We were surprised but the nephews told us that this had become a normal scene  those .days  because of the Naxalites . But even the boys were astonished as the scene was a little bit too silent .looked as if the  crickets had forgotten to sing , the owl was not hooting and the bats were not flying why even  the breeze  had forgotten to flow .

 But no it wasn't that bad ,life was alive, a snake crossed our path making my hubby screech to a sudden halt.

How unwelcome that screeching sound of the brake was !!.

Suddenly a  Land Rover kind of vehicle passed  us   it was 10 pm  they had guns and ammunition and were sitting with very stern and grim faces.The nephews who were not new to those areas told us that that was a police patrol But still we dared not relax .The vehicle crossed  us and went away on its path again the dark took over .Some small talk some jittery laughter and again silence  finally around 12 30 we saw a few lights shimmering in the distance and the elder nephew announced --"Ranchi ka light hai" --and we smiled in the dark  letting out some giggles too .

At '1' o clock we reached my brother-in-law's house and when he opened the door  for us he gave such a sounding  to my hubby for committing the folly of driving through the night .He then turned towards his sons "You two why did you let him venture --he has left this place for the last so many years so he doesn't know the dangers why didn't you two stop him " we all went in with sheepish smiles only to be confronted with a tirade from my mother -in- law  --- then bhabhi( sister-in-law) told us the reason for all this outburst  --there had been a Naxalite attack in that area during the day time with heavy casualties. 

Oh!! so that was the reason why the crickets were not chirping thought I and that was the reason why life had forgotten to breathe.   
 The Naxalites !!  By God !! Ramesh Sippy can give these words to Thakur  if he ever thinks of making SHOLAY  Part  II  "So jaa Gabbar Singh  nahi toh Naxalites aa jayenge "

Would like to  mention here that the journey back on  this same trip, too, was Perfect because while coming back by the same route (we were brave veterans  by now--we were covering the distance in the day time) , the only humans we met on the way were 6  or  7 men who were walking very fast and had a sort of alertness in their eyes "Poor villagers just see how worried they look  the Naxalites must have really scarred their lives  to put that fear in their eyes and that stride in their gait " thought we .....

But was that the reason ????

 Because  when we reached Sambalpur we learnt that seven prisoners had  escaped from Simdega jail that morning and a zonal commander of the mcc was also among them We looked at each other,

"were they "THE.....Y'  ???"

You think I am exagerating all these Perfect incidents --here's a news item corroborating my narration 



PATNA
December 27, 2001 | TNN
ranchi: close on the heels of the escape of eight prisoners from nawada jail in bihar, seven inmates of the simdega jail, including one zonal commander of the mcc, scaled the high walls and made good their escape in the wee hours of tuesday. there has been no breakthrough in the incident so far, though two jail constables have been suspended for dereliction of duty. the ig (prisons) is holding an inquiry into the matter. there are 250 prisoners in the simdega jail and only six constables to guard them.


Now don't you think all these journeys were Perfect what with the thrills and frills , after all life should be adventurous We get just one life and it should be lived to the fullest ,no opportunities of thrill and enjoyment should be missed .What if we have not climbed the Himalayas or swam across the British channel but crossing the jungles in the dead of night or with failed breaks with two kids in the back seat is no less thrilling And the sense of achievemnt and relief after reaching your destination safe and sound is out of this world.

By the way these were not the only Perfect journeys that I have been on .I have gone through  incidents of sitting on the road all night with headlights turned  on and waiting for the tiger to get up and go away giving us way to proceed,this was in  the late 1960's and the driver used to be my dad who was posted as mines manager in the interiors of MP and Maharashtra.
 Then many a times we have spent nights on the road side waiting for the floods  to subside with mosquitoes and fireflies giving us company  only to discover that the so called bridge  has been washed away. We have spent one full day stranded in the rains eating rain soaked parathas  after heating and drying them on the glass shade of lanterns ( all this when I was a school girl and used to go  from the hostel  to my home in the  manganese mines where my dad used to be posted and where we used to live in big British style Bunglows with all luxuries but to reach them and spend my vacations we had to go through all this adventure .


Sunday, 16 June 2013

ring the bell ---to make the world safe for women

I am proud to be a woman!!!

why do I have to say this??

why do I have to justify the fact that I was born a woman !!! 

RAPE is not only physical abuse --the fact that a girl is made to feel ashamed for having taken birh is RAPE.

Is it a sin??is there something wrong if the Creator wanted me to be born a woman is there something wrong that I belong to one of the two categories that the homosapien species consists of !!.

Is there something wrong if  I belong to a  gender  which posseses the qualities of giving,loving,tolerating,adjusting,helping and supporting my loved ones??

Is there something wrong if I am endowed with the qualities of love ,affection, beauty,humility and humanity??

Why do I have to prove that there is nothing wrong in being a Mother,a sister,a wife a friend.CAN the world do without any one of the above mentioned qualities,attributes and relations?

 WHY are women not safe ? why is crime against women constantly on the increase? 

COMMITIES are being set up  to conduct studies  and find the reason behind this.They talk about making laws stricter ,  the latest is to make molestation a non bailable crime" Well this is a positive approach and hence welcome"  but the real solution to this problem is education{not literacy}  and above all an  individuals own "conscience".No problem can ever be tackled unless the cry is from within.To put it in a lighter vein "  you can take a horse to the river but you cannot make him drink." Similarly these crimes cannot be stopped untill the criminal realises what he has done !! HE  should know that what he is doing is worse than murder.He is insulting the existence of a fellow human being.Does he realise the repercursions?the humiliation, the insults,the feeling of helplessness the indignity a woman faces.Just imagine a crime where its the victim who is ashamed  and the culprit goes about strutting like a proud peocock!!.  


In this fake society of ours which does not tire  from paying obeiyance to mother DURGA, the man does not understand MA DURGA is a woman  MA SARASWATI  is a woman KALI and the most favourite LAKSHMI  are  women.Is a woman worthy of  being  worshipped only if she is made of stone  not if she is made flesh and blood.!!


 This is a burning issue which can be discussed incessently  but aren't we ashamed to be discussing it even in this 21st century.The topic is such that it will never cease to continue because it touches on very sensitive issues and if we talk about it it will go on and on and on.for eg may I ask who are these keepers of society who decide  the dress code for girls and women?  Leave women alone   let them breathe consider them your 'other half'  if not 'better half'  let the other half live the way "its" other half lives.
 

                                             Frankly this is not a fight between men and women it is a fight between the frustrated and the achievers.Frustrated people are failures in life and resort to bullying  them, who ,they think are weak...This group of bullies includes both   men as well as women.
  So the only way to weed out this problem is   to educate the society and let them see the heniousness of this crime show it to them in a way which  will sadden or terrorise them.It is sad that vested interests and sick mentalities all over the world have discriminated and shown women as the weaker sex whereas if realities have to be seen women are much more stronger ---they have to fight society from within and without ---they have the capacity to procreate --to give birth --they endure difficulties both physical and emotional and almost always come out  victorious.


   I don't know about the authenticity but I have heard and even read that the female foetus is stronger than the male and very rarely aborts itself naturally.   THE ADVANCED KNOWLEDGE OF THE CIVILIZED WORLD is needed TO HELP ABORT IT ---female infanticide and female foeticide to be more specific are the brainchild of the civilized world
.



  Real empowerment as we need it today can be brought about only if we educate ourselves and our children, to respect WOMEN and not by passing a legislation.  Here again its we women who have to play a significant role because THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE rules the world .let us teach our children to respect women. .Because this evil is so deep rooted that it can be weeded out only if we attack it at the roots.


.
 We have to stop the jeering and leering attitude that men have towards women --irrespective of their status ,or age.

 



We should not look up to the male to give us empowerment we have to achieve it ,snatch it or earn it .  We should make ourselves important enough to contribute positively and gainfully to the development of society .Make ourselves indispensable in every field and PLEASE let us try to forgo the PERKS which make us appear dependents.

 

Don't Please sit with a begging bowl for the men folk to throw the crumbs of reservation policies etc from their dining table .

 

  For parents of the girl child I would like to stress that the difference is not in a girl or a boy the difference is in our attitude towards them .A son can be as good as a daughter or even better ---and so can be a daughter ---- when it comes to looking after their parents.Its the individual and their attitude towards their duties. 



Its just that we should give both of them the same opportunities in life and do our best to make them good human beings who know how to shoulder their responsibilities towards their parents and the society .

 




As for carrying you to the funeral pyre There are very beautifully maintained hearses; and there's no need to light the pyre either! the way the ecological imbalance is taking shape the  electric or diesel crematorium is going to be the trend .


 
If there is any way in which the government can help bring about WOMEN EMPOWERMENT  by law   then it should pass a bill saying that women need not adopt the husband's name  ones they get married; they should  be allowed to choose their own names and keep their own identities .This may seem a frivolous demand but when you think about it this is a mark of slavery .


  Why should a person have to use the father's name or surname for his/her identitification .
Its the mother and child relationship which is the only obvious pure relationship and does not need any identity proof. 



this is my entry for --ring the bell for indichange  

link--www.bellbajao.org

Friday, 14 June 2013

in conversation with Akbar and his nine jewels

As soon as I saw this contest on Indiblogger I thought this was my opportunity  to put to rest the minds of   people who are always worried  and  suspicious of what I am chatting and with whom .

 I thought of  inviting Akbar and his "Navratanas" or nine jewels and discuss the state of affairs prevalent in the  country .

 I invited Birbal first, but he ,the sensible one that he is, said I should first seek permission from  AKBAR  only then will he or any of the other jewels think of talking to me. Now that was understandable ----he belonged to the times(era) when the king was the boss ;any reason of  displeasure and it could be OFF with your head ---not like today when agitations and dharnas would give such a headache to  the king  that he would wish he could order his  own head to be chopped off.

So I invited  Emperor Akbar ,and what a stylish picture  he made  wow !! that majestic aura was there but he wasn't half as fierce looking as Prithviraj kapoor  so when he came on line I asked his permission to chat with and interview his nine jewels he not only allowed me but also showed his willingness to join the group chat on " WeChat "

I couldn't have asked for anything better!! surprisingly he knew all about chatting and messaging ,mobiles and computers. Here is how we went about the whole thing .

I---salaam Jille Ilahi please let us start the conversation and kindly declare the chat session open

he ----let it be so ---let me introduce you to all my jewels -in the orange "achkan" is  -Birbal

I ---who does not know ......( suddenly  I caught Birbal's eyes he was warning me not to praise him more than required that could ruin the whole show ...hmm.... I understood and decided to play low and talk only when required.

he ---( obviously annoyed at the interruption ...but mughal etiquettes prevented him from being rude) .So here are   ..

Birbal---------------in orange 
Raja Todarmal------- in blue
Raja Mansingh-------in green
Abul fazal--------------in pink
Abudurrahim khan-e-khanaa------in brown
Tansen---------------------------- in yellow
Mullah do pyaza----------------in white
Faizee-----------------------------in dark blue
Faqir Azioddin-------------------in offwhite

We exchanged greetings 

 Then the Badshah announced----"this  lady   wants  to  interview  you all, please be honest and straightforward  in your answers "
.
All in chorus---jo huqm Jahapanaah!!!

I shot my first question --what do you think about the state of affairs prevalent in our country ?
They all looked at Akbar and said that they would like a tour of the country before answering this question 

Permission was granted but not before HE himself contacted GOD and took permission from him --matter of protocol---now that is what I call strictly following the rules  how unlike what happens today,no doubt their days were the  golden period  in  Indian history.

So it was decided that we meet after exactly one  hour as that was all the time  they needed to tour Delhi because they thought Delhi being the capital represented and portrayed the state of affairs in the whole of the country.

I logged in exactly after one hour and lo and behold!! they were all there punctual to the dot ---one look at their faces and I knew they had indeed toured the city 

The emperor asked Birbal for his report ---and this is  what he said


"We are lucky Jahanpanah that we don't reside in the Delhi of today
 Delhi is no longer the city of dil walahs (people with golden hearts)
Hoarding of money is what everyone is, in foray
Hoarding money is the main pursuit  the main occupation 
Honesty , piety love reverence are no more the situation 
These things are now missing
There is no consideration for humanity
 The only characteristic is money money and money 
The dignity of women is at stake  
All that rules is a society, which is fake"

Saddened on hearing this the emperor turned towards Raja Todarmal the Financial adviser 


He in turn said


"I am  aghast at the state of affairs
clothes and food are scarce 

 inflation is at its peak 
death and hunger and illness are playing hide and seek" 



It was Faqir Azioddin's turn now 
and he quitely mumbled


" the only way that may be effective and which may bring some solace
is to be very very strict with the law breakers
otherwise nothing would be saved and total anarchy will win the race"

Raja Mansingh who was the general of the army  too had nothing to say 


"I am  aghast and devastated
  corruption has even entered the forces

but  there are  a few people who are still honest
and they  may curb the wave which coerces"


On hearing ,that there still were some honest people  remaining Akbar said 'Amin' and turned towards Tansen in the hope that he would have some good news about music and dance and other cultural activities but Tansen too had nothing optimistic to say He  lamented that


" modern music Alampanah
has no characteristics of peace
and is  very far from the soothing effects
which makes music  valuable and worthy of feast "

Abul fazal

and 
Abudurrahim khan-e-khanaa

excused themselves even before the Badshah could ask them anything,
they said 

"Pray
we are  disgusted
and have  nothing to say "


Now it was Mullah- do- pyaza's turn and everyone was astonished to see him sobbing, all that he uttered was



"Jahapanah please don't ask me anything
we are all reduced to names of cuisines
 we are sold as 'murg do pyaza' and 'navratan' korma
 people relish us and eat us till they are bursting at the seams "


Everyone now turned towards Faizee Sahab who was waiting quietly; saddened  and in a state of shock ----when we asked him about his comments he said

"what happened to our teachings
we had handed over to the peple things like Din - e- elahi
and a rich heritage with a message of tolerance and love underlying
how come all that has vanished
has some bad omen fallen on the people to make them become like this ??"

He then raised his hands towards the Gods and prayed to them to bring more sense in the heads of the people and to bring better days on the nation .

On hearing his prayers and seeing him plead, we too all of us put up our hands and with tears in our eyes begged the lord to bless our country once again and to bring better days on our land 


After this we thought of logging off --we all had heavy hearts and tears ---I felt ashamed to be a representative of the times and people who had .brought about this deplorable condition on our country ---but Akbar said I need not lose heart and he was sure better days will come back again ---we all said AMEN  and then logged off .


It was quite late and I was so depressed that I could not suppress my sobs which irritated my husband 

"What is it now ? what has caused you to sob ?"

"Nothing ,you will come to know tomorrow about the cause".I said and wrapped myself with my blanket.







this is my entry for the   contest 

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