पूर्ण समर्पण- एक हुंकार दीवार के आर-पार

मैं थूक के चाट लूँगा,
ख़ुद को ही डाँट लूँगा
 नहीं ये कारावास सहनीय,
कभी नस अपनी काट लूँगा।

तू है गरल स्वामिनी,
बिजली, वज्रा, दामिनी
न तनिक भी विषहीन,
क्षमा देहि हो सुकामिनी।

तोड़ दें ये हम दीवारें,
आत्मा जो मेरी मारे
 जान-जहान यदि बचे तो
ही सम्मान की आरती उतारें।

कैसे अब से तुम तक भेजें
अंतिम पासा बड़ा सहेजे?
 ये संधि, नहीं, पूर्ण समर्पण
मेरे विचार, चित्त, कलेजे।

नहीं आसान होता इतना,
सोच कोई भी लेगा जितना
नियाज़ी ने किया, किया था ग़ौरी ने
लेकिन शर एक है, एक है दिमाग़ बित्तना।

यदि तुम चाकू भोंक देती,
या दूध में विष घोल लेती,
|या होता बस एक द्वंद्व
तो फिर मेरा कुआँ, मेरी खेती।

पर नहीं हुआ ऐसा कुछ निर्दय अशिष्टाचार
न लगे जय घोष, न भरे गए कोई हुंकार
आख़िर सच ही कह गए हैं हम लोगों के पुरखे
जहाँ काम आए सुई, उधर क्या करे तलवार।

हाँ, आज तुम्हारी जय है
तेरा प्रेम ही अजय है
तू बहन मेरी थी, है,
मैं अंधा, तू मेरा संजय है। 

दिवार के पार तकरार

कल तुमसे हमने कहा
ये दीवार काफ़ी बड़ी है
कील इसपे जो है
हम दोनों को ही गढ़ी हैं | 

नहीं, केवल मुझपे ही ये
आघात हुआ है, चोट पड़ी है
तुम अन्धे हो, बहरे हो
चीखें निकलीं मेरी हर घड़ी हैं |

ये कह कर हमें तुमने दप्पत दिया
कि हमको तो बस अपनी ही पड़ी है
हाँ, माना तुम  फ्लोरेन्स् नाइटिंगेल्
तू रात दिन मेरे घाव देख खड़ी है |

"लेकिन अपनी पीड़ा अपने तक रखो"
मेरे इस विचार से तू चिढ़ी है
"दोस्त नहीं मानता है तू भाई"
ये रट तुझे ही तो पड़ी है ।

मन दबा कर, हमने दबे विचार
आज़ाद किए, फिर भी तू लड़ी है
हम घुट घुट चुप-चाप मर जाते
तुझे क्या "speak up" की पड़ी है?

हमारे बीच एक काँच कि दिवार है

 हमारे बीच एक काँच कि दिवार है

मनोवैज्ञानिक एक ये चमत्कार है

तुम्हे दिखत सिलैटी धातु

मुझे साफ़ साफ़ आर पार है |

हमारे बीच एक काँच कि दिवार है

सौ सुर्यें सहित समस्त संसार है

उषा विना रष्मी रहित रक्त रसित

इधर केवल शुन्य अन्धकार हे |

हमारे बीच एक काँच कि दिवार है

माना हम देख सकते आर पार है

किन्तु फायदा क्या ? कहा है तुम्ने

अन्ध, अन्धा ,आँधरा हुम तो लाचार हे |

Is my room too full? ??

My room is full,
the floor is full, the shelves are full,
the bed, the boxes
everything is full.

It is but you who
is to blame, and is to be thanked too
for all the stuff
that makes an OCD cuckoo.

Every once in a while
(perhaps more frequently) you send stuff with a smile.
Thekua, Nimki, adrak
never caring for money nor miles.

Yet I can never find
in room, heart or mind
to thank you,  show some gratitude
to my support hind.

Did I grow too much?
I have no room for you and what you make for lunch?
Unexpectedly, unwillingly
I make it seems such. 

Film Review: Born a King (2021)

 So last month I watched Kesari Chapter 2: The Untold Story of Jallianwala Bagh (2025) with friends (after like a month of bad puns, likening it to my advisor) and it was great, minus it being like almost fully fictional. I liked the performance of Simon Paisley Day as General Dyer. So I went ahead and downloaded another of his films- Born a King (2021).

He plays a small but still kinda -ve role as some kind of secretary to Lord Curzon who favours Lawrence of Arabia (Fun coincidence, the actor playing him is named Laurence.) The film is based on the then Prince Faisal of the Emirate of Nejd. The third and somewhat neglected son gains some prominence after the death of his eldest brother. He, as a 14-year-old and second in line to the throne, is sent to London to negotiate. The film is mainly based on that maiden Saudi diplomatic tour. Overall, the film is great but I fear toes the official Saudi line. Blood and Oil: Mohammed bin Salman's Ruthless Quest for Global Power by Bradley Hope and Justin Scheck (I write a one quote review here) notes how MBS is using Cinema et al to change the image of Saudi worldwide. While at books, the other book on Saudi Arabia I read is Vision or Mirage: Saudi Arabia at the Crossroads by David Rundell extensively refers to Lawrence of Arabia in the subject material as well as in its bibliography. Now Lawrence is on team Hussein as the King of Arabia comes out somewhat anti Ibn Saud from this film and that needs to be factored out while reading Rundell's book. Simon Paisley Day (Kesari's General Dyer)'s character is I-forgot-this-name who works for Lord Curzon and seems to be on Lawrence of Arabia's side. He is the nemesis of Philby (I don't recall that name in either of the books but he seems important, ergo Cinema too is a medium of learning). Both Philby and Lawrence of Arabia turned out to be Arab versions of our own Naboobs, Philby even converting to Islam.  

Leading from Naboobs to our India, the phrase Divide and Rule seems to be not just a uniquely Indian anti-colonial line but also used a lot in the film. Some reference is made to the British trying to divide and rule the House of Saud, examples being between Prince Faisal and the advisor from Constantinople and inducing maltreatment of what is totally-not-a-slave-as-he-is-once-referred-to-as-a-brother by Faisal, an African. But in both cases, the division plays out to Faisal's favous, so its all good I suppose? Should have put more effort into showing this. But then Arabs are not victims of colonization in the same sense we are. Or in fact they are not liberated from its clutches in the sense we are. The Emris and Sultans they have are but equivalent to our class of collaborating "Princes". On this as well as the slave thing, but views are coloured by a recent viewing of Aadujeevitham (2024) (Nice Malayalam film, do watch). 

Anyway, nice film, should watch.