They said, “The easiest thing is to live a lie”,
Is it really that easy?
The story took place couple years back,
That night, I cannot forget.
That evening, I don’t want to face.
Because I lied to not just a friend,
To myself,
To my parents beliefs.
I lied because,
I was afraid to lose a friend.
So yes, it was an easy option.
After the meet in the evening,
We went separate ways,
Back to home.
That night,
I wanted to sleep but my eyes gave up,
I wanted to eat but my stomach gave up,
I wanted to write but my fingers gave up,
I wanted to cry but tears dried up,
4 hours went by,
Just walking here and there thinking,
What happens if he finds out?
I will lose a friend
And once again alone I will be.
It was now 1:00 AM,
Night as dark as dark can be,
I went out and sat under a tree,
My heart was afraid but my brain gave up,
I could feel the blood rushing through my heart but,
My brain boggled with the same thought.
This feeling,
I pray none of you ever feel.  
So, I repeat my friends,
It is not easy to live a lie.
Telling the truth and making someone cry,
Is better than telling a lie and making someone smile.

अरे हवा, आज रात मेरा ये दर्द उसे सुना देना,
अरे हवा, उसका दर्द मेरे मे समा देना,
अगर फिर भी ना सो पाए,
तो उसे लोरी सुना देना|

अरे हवा, मेरे यह एहसास उसे सुना देना,
और उसके एहसास मुझ तक पहुँचा देना,
अगर फिर भी ना माने,
तो इस आसुओं से भरे पन्ने का एहसास करवा देना|

अरे हवा, मेरा यह पहगाम उस्तक पहुँचा देना,
माफ करना दोस्त मगर पूरी जिंदगी साथ रहने का वादा ना निभा पाया,
वादा तो नही निभाया मगर दुया ये दिल से है,
जहाँ भी रहो, जैसे भी हो, आज़ादी तुम्हारे कदमो मे हो|

कौन कहता है की एक जानवर हमारा दोस्त नही होता,
मुझसे पूछो तो उससे अछा तो शायद कोई इंसान भी नही होता|


Memories (English Translation)

Oh wind, let him hear this pain of mine,
Oh wind, let him mix his pain with mine,
If this does not bring sleep to his eyes,
Sing him a sweet lullaby like mine.

Oh wind, let him feel my emotions tonight,
And allow his to reach my mind,
If he still don’t agree,
Then allow him to feel the emotions in these tears of mine.

Oh wind, convey my message to him,
Forgive me my friend for breaking the promise of living my life with you,
Although a promise I could not live upto, I will pray for you,
Wherever you live, wherever you maybe, freedom always shine upon you.

Who says that animals cannot be friend of ours,
If you ask me, maybe even humans are nothing in comparison.

इस सुनसान रास्ते पे चलने की,
जैसे आदत सी पड़ गयी है|
अब सूखी सी इस मिटी पर,
जब आशा के फूल खिलते हैं,
और इस अंधेरे से भरी दूनिया मे,
जब सूरज की किरन पड़ती है,
तो गमों को गिनने की,
जैसे आदत सी पद गयी है|

दूसरों की खुशियों मे अपनी खुशी ढूनडते,
येह ज़िंदगी गुज़र गयी है|
हर मोड़ पे निराशा का मिलना,
हर काम मे आशा का बिखरना,
घर से बाहर निकलने के ख्याल पर,
हज़ार बार सोचना,
इस सोचने के च्कर मे ही,
ज़िंदगी गुज़र गयी है|

Another morning it was,
Just like always…her hand on my head,
Moving back and forth,
So soft and gentle,
Enough pressure to get me up,
Just like always…but a little different.
Held my hand and took me to veranda,
Such delicacy,
The feeling…greater than a mother touch,
Maybe that’s why we call her Grandmother,
Sat me down on floor,
Covered with a cloth so I don’t get cold,
Just like always…but a little different.
A little uneasiness, feeling which was unknown,
Then, we walk and talk to school together,
Her hands on the walker while eyes on me,
As if I was her eyes guiding her way,
Those talks never left me alone,
It was there,
Congratulating on success,
And confidence on failure,
Just like always…but a little different that day.
Days went by,
Weeks went by,
Uneasiness grew beyond the limit,
Then came the morning,
When we had to move to the land of dreams they call it,
Leaving her behind,
Fooled by my young mind to relate unease to separation,
With stone on my heart, I said my last Goodbye and sat in the car,
What she said after resonates my ear today,
“You go ahead my son, I will follow”,
Never did she came,
But instead came a message 10 days later,
“She is no more”.
I felt as if a better part of me burnt away,
But that fire keeps me going everyday,
Because she always taught me to keep moving.
Looking back now,
The unease was just a signal from a power beyond us,
But no point mourning because life goes on, just like always.

He starts the preparation from the moment he gets the news.
Thinking of names, buying clothes, worrying about how to carry you in his arms properly, planning schedule to spend more time with you…
He is your best friend, the truest friend you’ve ever had.

He is the one to give you courage to stand when you fell.
He is the one to keep you moving when you got well.

He is the one to tell you, ‘It’s OK’, when you made a mistake as young.
He is also the only one to be there for you when everyone else walked away.

He is the one to change himself just so you don’t have to change yourself.
He is also the one to embarrass himself at times just so you don’t embarrass yourself

He is the one to dream great dreams for you.
He is also the one to light up your own dreams.

I know what I wrote is not something new
But, the problem is that it is only understood by few.

He is the one to answer you hundred times when you were young.
Why then do you tell him to leave you alone when he ask you something for just the second time?

He is one to take you to park every evening.
Why then do you not have time to say hello in the morning?

He is the one to scold to bring you back on the right track.
Why then do you look at just the harsh words and not the intentions behind it?

He is the first one to put his hand forward when you fell.
Why then do you not even give him finger worth of support?

If he cries, be the tissue paper!
If he stumbles, be the cane!

He is my FATHER, He is your FATHER
To us, he is an inherent gift,
For him, you are the brightest star in his sky.

Light up his nights and not make it even darker.
Be thankful for this gift because go ask the unfortunate one who has lost this gift.

I stare at the sky through a small window,
As the redness of sunrise spread beyond sight,
Red, Yellow, Blue all come together,
As if it is a grand wedding of colours,
All making plans to disrupt everyone’s dreams.
I sit there, immersed in the environment,
So quiet,
I can hear the wind rushing through the window,
Ripping across my face,
Making my loss of sleep fully worth it.
I sit there, thinking,
Who am I?
Where am I heading?
What is my next step?
Because if I fail to plan then I plan to fail.
All I can think of is the fact,
That I’m thankful to the sun,
And sunshine,
And window,
To allow me to reflect on my actions,
And to give me the courage to fight ‘SNOOZE’ demon,
Because If I had slept for just another hour,
Building false empires in my dream,
And dreaming of things I can’t have,
I would never get the chance to plan,
Amongst the chaos of the society,
And I would be scattered throughout the day,
Because nothing scares me more than,
Doing nothing and wasting time.

“It’s a Girl.” They said,
Destined to go to her ‘own’ home one day,
As if she is born into a strangers home.

Marriage has its own time,
Why make her birth seem like a crime?
Do give her the unconditional love but don’t consider her a bad luck.

“Who will bring forward the family name? She will bring only a shame”, they said
Destined to go to her ‘own’ home one day,
As if she is born into a strangers home.

If that were the case,
Ashamed are parents who gave birth to,
Kalpana Chawla, Asha Roy, Arundhati Battacharya and many more.

Worried about the family name?
Bring her out of the shallow box,
Filled with your narrow thoughts,
Help her reach her full potential,
Then watch the family name gain credentials.

“Do what he tells you to.” They said,
That is your house,
He is your everything.

From her, kings are born,
From her, woman is born,
Without her, there would be nobody at all,
So why then do we make her a slave?

Likes, shares, tweets and re-tweets can only do so much…
Empower your thoughts and not just the woman,
Teach your son to respect the girls,
Allow your daughters to reach their passion,
Then watch the empowerment take action.