A tale,
Of two pals,
Ego possessed the former,
Self-respect imbibed the latter.

The former faced problems, complained;
The latter solved problems, smiled.
One, choosy and demanding;
Other, suitable and acceptable.

Fortunately,
Acquiring jobs,
In a corporation,
Standing at the threshold
Of promising careers,
Days rolled on
And the day arrived
For promotion.

Self-respect surpassed,
Ego lagged behind.
Thoughts converted into self-realization,
Truth revealed.

Ego satisfied merely the senses
"I want this" and "I want that"
Self-respect implied acceptance
"I respect this and I accept that."

To further proceed,
To reach the summit,
'I' and 'my' be discarded,
'We' and 'ours' be adopted.

Those golden days
Amidst fun and frolic,
Those cherished moments
Of smiles and laughter,
Are they not clinging
On our vine of memory?
Can we let them
Just fade into oblivion?
In our march
At breakneck speed,
To sustain in
This illusionary world,
Can we not
Keep in touch,
And associate again,
To reunite,
In a reunion?
Can we not
Spare some moments,
To lift our heads,
From the hectic schedule
Of our monotonous life,
To enliven our spirits,
And afresh rejuvenation,
Preserve our memories
From the brink of oblivion?

On a Sunday evening,
Swinging on a swing,
I remembered a saying -
"Work while you work,
Play while you play."

I pondered awhile
Exploring significance.
Does it mean concentration
Or detachment
Or perhaps,
A harmony between the two.

Though different, yet inseparable,
One cannot sustain without the other,
Just like
Energy and matter,
Metaphysical and mundane,
Soul and body.

Mirror reflects light,
Mind reflects actions.
Wavering thoughts eclipse -
Peace of mind.
Thoughts converged -
Into an idea,
Conceives an art.
Creation becomes possible -
When two merge into one;
Mind and intellect -
When merge together,
Impression takes birth.
Thoughts, words, deeds -
If line-up perpendicular,
Integrity reflects Divinity.

Why is misery
Ruling the world?
We strive for pleasure
But land up with misery!
As clocks tick
And moments fleet,
We slowly realize -
Misery is a teacher,
Showing us the path
To face life's realities.

A daring voyage,
We sail in a ship
Amidst mighty torrents
On a turbulent sea
Swaying hither and thither
Making way across
Rapid high-rise waves,
Waves of terrorism,
Bullets and blasts.

A sea of knowledge
Gradually switched over
To a sea of ignorance
And a veil of darkness
Prevailed in every
Nook and corner.
Desperate souls tried
Their level best
To lift the veil
But went in vain.
Seeking the Divine,
The source of light,
Every soul strived
To peel off -
Each powerful ruling vice
Attached to their bodies
And lo!
The veil of darkness
Drifted away and
Light began to flow.

An old lady,
Wrinkles stamped on her face,
Greeted me 'Merry Christmas',
Invited me to her residence.
Her cottage was simple and cosy,
Filled with love, kindness and humility,
Her daughters welcomed me,
Served dinner with cake and sweet.
With a simple job,
She struggled hard,
To educate her daughters,
Till they stood on their feet.
On Christmas day,
She thanked Jesus,
Invited guests,
Celebrated by serving a feast.

They hacked the horn of
An innocent wobbly denizen.
Alas! It's truly questionable -
Men of lame justification,
Whom are you hacking?
A mere animal for its horn
Or the State's glory
Nay, the world's pride?
Don't your hearts bleed
When you bleed it to death?
Perhaps, you possess
Wretched hands of cruelty,
But terribly lack
The most precious asset -
An inner voice.

One evening I sat alone
On the verandah
And looked up towards the sky.
All of a sudden,
A shooting star passed by.
I thought for a moment -
What shall I wish?
I wondered and wondered.
Then, a beautiful thought
Came to my mind.
I felt as if God said something
In my ears, silently.
I closed my eyes and wished -
Let there be no chaos
And confusion anywhere
But only happiness, love
And peace everywhere.

When I was young,
My teacher once asked me,
What will I be,
When I grow up.
I replied, 'a teacher'.
But today,
In this age of ‘kalyug’,
I feel -
Each one of us,
Should strive to be,
A good human being first.