Where the Mind is Without Fear

Where the Mind is Without Fear

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection:
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is lead forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action–
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

~ Rabindranath Tagore

 

Tale of the Treadmill Woman

To the Woman-Always-on-the-Treadmill

I see you on the treadmill when I enter the gym

I see you on the treadmill when I leave the gym

I see you playing trainer-the-trainer

Convincing your trainer that the treadmill is the only thing made for you

And only you

Much to the bewilderment of everyone around

I see your worried trainer trying to convince you to get off the darned machine

To the Woman-Always-on-the-Treadmill

I see you on the treadmill when I enter the gym

I see you on the treadmill when I leave the gym

At 65Kgs you have not a visible sign of extra fat

55Kgs is what you aim for

By running on the treadmill

And only treadmill

Much to the annoyance of your trainer

Twelve and a half minutes is all that I could manage

On the treadmill

Newbie that I am

You run at a maniac speed next to me

I walk at a snail’s speed next to you

I see you on the treadmill when I enter the gym

I see you on the treadmill when I leave the gym

To the Woman-Always-on-the-Treadmill

I admire your level of endurance

I chose not to run next to you

Or walk next to you

It does nothing for my levels of motivation

I now know

Why nobody walks next to you

Why nobody runs next to you

 

For words will only steal the moment

The mystery of silence

Weaving magic in our lives

Let our silences speak

And fall in love with each other

Let our lives exchange

The unsaid notes of faraway music

The waves of togetherness

Splashing on our feet

As I lose myself

In the tales of your eyes

Writing songs without lyrics

Don’t speak my love

For words will only steal the moment.

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—

Carry on Tuesday Prompt of the Week.

 

The light within

One of Saint Kabir’s Dohe -

Jab Mein Tha Tab Hari Nahin‚ Jab Hari Hai Mein Nahin

Sab Andhiyara Mit Gaya‚ Jab Deepak Dekhya Mahin

When “I” was then Hari* was not, Now Hari “is” and “I” am not
All the darkness (illusions) mitigated, When I saw the light (illumination) within.

*Hari – Another name or expression for God. Derived from ‘Har’ which means ‘everything’.

 

A beautiful poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

What’s the best thing in the world?
June-rose, by May-dew impearled;
Sweet south-wind, that means no rain;
Truth, not cruel to a friend;
Pleasure, not in haste to end;
Beauty, not self-decked and curled
Till its pride is over-plain;
Love, when, so, you’re loved again.
What’s the best thing in the world?
–Something out of it, I think.

 

Lost for words

I am lost for words

For I don’t know

How to begin

All over again

I am lost for words

For I don’t know

How to end

Things I never started

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Ranjish hi sahi

Continued from here.

A thousand thoughts spinning his head. His emotions confused him even more, he loved her, he hated her, he was happy to see her as well as sad. She was there again, in front of him, only to leave him again.

Ranjish hi sahi dil hi dukhaanay kay liyay aa
Let it be anguish, come still to torment my heart
aa phir say mujhay chhorr kay jaanay kay liyay aa
Come, even if to leave me again

pehlay say maraasim na sahi phir bhi kabhi to
If not for our past association
rasm-o-rahay duniya hi nibhaanay kay liyay aa
Come to fulfill the rituals of the world

kis kis ko bataayengay judaai kaa sabab ham
Who else must I explain the reason of separation
tu mujh se khafaa hai to zamaanay kay liyay aa
Come, despite your displeasure, to continue the ceremony

kuchh to meri pindaar-e-mohabbat ka bharam rakh
Respect a little the depth of my love for you
tu bhi to kabhi mujh ko manaanay kay liyay aa
Come someday to placate me as well

ek umr say hun lazzat-e-giryaa se bhi mehruum
Too long have I been deprived of the pathos of longing
aye raahat-e-jaan mujh ko rulaanay kay liyay aa
Come my love, if only to make me weep again

ab tak dil-e-khush_feham ko tujh say hain ummeedain
Till now, my heart suffers from some expectation
ye aakhari shammain bhi bujhaanay kay liyay aa
Come to snuff even these last candles of hope

(Urdu Poetry by Ahmad Faraz; Translated by Ayesha Kaljuvee)

 

Say it Now

Read this a few minutes back – I couldn’t find this thing on the internet… so had to type it all. Without giving much global gyaan, the simple words say it all!

If you have a kind word to say, say it now

If you have something to give, give it now

If you can make someone glad or another less sad

Do it now… do it now… do it now…

If you have trust to bestow, show it now

If you have friendship to give, give it now

If there’s pain you can ease or soemone you can please

Do it now… do it now… do it now…

 

Footprints

As I look back at my life
I remember all the people who have left footprints
In my heart
I remember all the people who have left footprints
In my mind
Some gone away in a far away land
Having served the purpose
That they came here for…
Some still going strong
Holding my hand
Making this journey worth taking…

© All rights reserved with Priti Ahuja. To re-print or re-use, prior permission is required from the author.

 

Rolling Mornings

It is a tedious task sometimes
To decide what to wear in the morning

It is a tedious task sometimes
To choose the accessories that needs to go with the dress

It is fun when time is on my hand
Sometimes it burns a hole in the pocket of time

Sometimes I thrive on mix and match
And sometimes on those that are already mixed and matched

Done with the dress and the accessories
I now ponder on which footwear to wear

The Mom says it’s an earthquake that descends every morning
As I juggle with what to wear and what not to wear

Leaving just one-tenth of the time to have breakfast
I rush to the door as I don’t like getting late

Then there are days when I just let go
It’s my denim and me that I love the most

Life is fun with these cyclic phases
Of being all dressed up and sometimes letting go

© All rights reserved with Priti Ahuja. To re-print or re-use, prior permission is required from the author.

 

Don’t You Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit-
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a fellow turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow -
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man;
Often the struggler has given up
Whe he might have captured the victor’s cup;
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out -
The silver tint in the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It might be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit -
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.

- Ralph Acosta

 

Beautiful Morning

Read this beautiful poem some time back… stop, look around, there is more to life than just movies, pubs, sports, bosses, relatives, friends, work… Have we ever stopped and enjoyed the glory of a beautiful morning? If so, how often have we done that?

Beautiful Morning

Yawing sunshine
Crowns horizon,
Bees humming
Delicate blossoms,

Floating billows
Orange hue,
Swaying groves
Sprinkling dew,

Vibrant butterflies
fluttering by,
Chirping birds
Soaring high,

Azure crystals
Shimmering display,
Beautiful morning
Promising day.

Be happy that God has given you yet another day to fulfill your dreams and let your loved ones know what they mean to you

 

Morning raga

A few excerpts from Muzaffar Ali’s interview in today’s morning newspaper:

You have to believe at your darkest moment, when no one else seems to believe in what you are doing, that you have to do your duty. Let the rewards be. Life will come to you in its own way. Be true to your heart and to your context.

Beautifully said! Can relate to it in a lot of ways… I guess most of us can. Remembered another quote while reading this – Life is about the paths you choose, some are easy, some are correct…

Seene mein jalan,
aankhon mein toofan sa kyon hai,
Is sheher mein har shaqs
pareshaan sa kyon hai?

Have heard this in a ghazal I guess, but the stark reality of it struck me today when I was gazing out of the window on this breezy Sunday morning, watching people…

Nations are made in the poet’s heart and not in the hands of politicians.

Yes, very true!

sirf ek qadam utha tha ghalat raahe shauq mein
Manzil tamam umr hame dhunti rahi
(just one wrong step in the way of quest
and my destination looked for me all life long)

I have no words to describe the beauty of this verse. Although I can’t completely relate to it at this point of point, but there is something in it which touches one deeply.

 

Song on my mind

Aaj kal paaon zameen par nahin padte mere… bolo dekha hai kahin tumne mujhe udte hue

Movie: Ghar; Singer: Lata Mangeshkar

aaj kal paaw jameen par naheen padate mere
bolo dekhaa hain kabhee, tumane muze udate huye

jab bhee thaamaa hain teraa haath  to dekhaa hain
log kahate hain kee, bas haath kee rekhaa hain
hum ne dekhaa hain do  takadeeron ko judate huye

neend see rahatee hai, halakaasaa nashaa rahataa hain
raat din aakhon me, yek cheharaa basaa rahataa hain
par lagee aakhon ko dekhaa hain kabhee udate huye

jaane kyaa hotaa hai, har baat pe kuchh hotaa hain
din mein kuchh hotaa hai, aaur raat mein kuchh hotaa hain
thaam lenaa jo kabhee dekho humei udate huye

 

Hope

When all about you is black with gloom,
And all you feel is pending doom.
When your bones are racked with grim despair -
When every breath is a gasp for air.
Keep on going, though you need to grope,
For around the bend is a ray of hope.

A ray of hope is perhaps all that’s left,
As your will to live has been bereft.
You’ve lost it all, it’s just no use!
You can end it all, you need no excuse.
But throw away that piece of rope,
And give yourself a chance of hope.

Just give yourself another day,
Brushing aside what your thoughts may say.
This is your life and you can make a new start,
By ignoring the brain – just follow the heart.
Taking baby steps in order to cope,
And minute by minute you’ll build on your hope.

Build on your hope,. one day at a time,
Though the road be steep and hard to climb.
The hurts of the past – they should be dead.
The fears of the future are all in your head.
Just live in the present and refuse to mope
Your life will sparkle for you’re living in hope.

- Hope by Brian Quinn