त्यौहार

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त्यौहार यह शब्द सुनते ही मन मैं उल्हास, ख़ुशी और चमक सी आ जाती है.

लगभग सारे विश्व में साल कि आखिरी 4 महीनों में त्योहारों का माहौल रहता है. लगभग हर धर्म में, हर देश में इन महीनों में लोग कुछ ना कुछ मनाते है. 

धर्म, देश, जाती, प्रदेश, पेशा कुछ भी कारण हो इन त्योहारों का, पर ख़ुशी, हसीं, दोस्ती, परिवार जरिया बनते है. और चाहे आप कोई भी रिवाज़ माने अपने अपने त्यौहार को मानाने कि लिए, हमेशा खाना, गाना या नाचना आपके साथी बनते है.

और 3 चीज़े जो त्यौहार को त्यौहार बनाती है, रंग, रौशनी और खुशबु. आप चाहे अगरबत्ती जलाये, या इत्र छिड़के या फूल बिखेरे खुशबु कि लिए. आप चाहे दिया, मोमबत्ती या रंग बिरंगी बिजली की लड़िया बांधे रौशनी कि लिए. आप चाहे रंगीन सजावट करें, चमकते कपड़े पहने, घर/ दीवारों से कंदील बांधे रंग के लिए. बिना इन तीन नेमतो के कोई भी त्यौहार पूरी तरह से त्यौहार नहीं बनता.

अगर सोचें तो यह तीनो भी एक दूसरे से मिलकर और भी निखरते हैं जैसे रंगीन बिजलिया जो रंग और रोशनी दोनों को साथ लिए चलती है या मेहकती मोमबत्तियां रोशनी और खुशबू बिखेरती हुई.

ऐसे में रसीली मिठाइयो की महक और लज़ीज़ खाने की खुशबु त्यौहार को चार चाँद लगा देते है. और इन सब को एक साथ मिलाती परिवार और दोस्तों की महफ़िले. हसीं ठिठोली से भारी हुई, मज़ाक, नोक - झोंक, संगीत, नृत्य, बातें कुछ काम की कुछ फ़िज़ूल की. सब एक साथ मिल कर किसी तारीख़ को त्यौहार बना देते हैँ.

कल दिवाली है, रौशनी का  त्यौहार, सारे विश्व में हिन्दू धर्म को मानने वाले रंग रोशनी और खुशबू से दिवाली मनाएंगे. 

पर धर्म कोई भी हो, त्यौहार कोई भी हो दिवाली या क्रिसमस या ईद या हनुक्का सब मनाये जाते हैं तो रंग, रोशनी और खुशबू को गहनों  की तरह अलग अलग ढंग से पिरो कर. और फिर उस में खाने का स्वाद, दोस्ती, परिवार, ठहाके, कहानियां, गीत, और ढेर सारी मस्ती मिला कर.

एक प्रार्थना के साथ इस लेख को समाप्त करता हूँ कि आप जो इसे पढ़ रहे हैं उनके लिए यह दिवाली रंग, रौशनी और खुशबु से इतनी सराबोर हो कि आप के हर दुख को उल्हास में बदल दे. और आप अपने परिवार, दोस्तों, पड़ोसियों के साथ मिल कर इस दिवाली और आने वाले सभी त्यौहार ( चाहे वो किसी भी धर्म या देश के हो ) उन्हें रंग, रौशनी और खुशबु सँग मनाये.

दीपावली की बहुत शुभकामनाएं !

Festival

 The very word "festival" evokes a sense of joy, happiness, and radiance.

Across much of the world, the final four months of the year are filled with a festive atmosphere. In nearly every religion and every nation, people celebrate something during this period.
Regardless of the underlying reason—be it religion, nationality, ethnicity, region, or profession—these festivals are defined by happiness, laughter, friendship, and family. And no matter what customs you follow to observe your particular festival, food, music, and dance are always there to accompany you.

And there are three things that truly make a festival a festival: colors, light, and fragrance. You might light incense sticks, apply perfume, or scatter flowers to bring in fragrance; you might use oil lamps (diyas), candles, or strings of colorful lights to provide illumination; and you might incorporate vibrant decorations, wear shimmering clothes, or hang lanterns on your walls to add color. Without these three elements, no festival is ever truly complete.

When you think about it, these elements enhance one another—much like colorful fairy lights that bring both vibrant hues and radiance, or scented candles that cast a glow while spreading a delightful fragrance. 

In the same way, the aroma of luscious sweets and delectable food adds a special luster to any festival. Bringing it all together are the gatherings of family and friends—filled with laughter, playful banter, lighthearted teasing, music, dance, and conversations that range from the meaningful to the trivial. It is this combination that transforms an ordinary date on the calendar into a true celebration.

Tomorrow is Diwali, the festival of lights. Across the globe, followers of the Hindu faith will celebrate it with colors, lights, and fragrances. Yet, regardless of the religion or the specific festival—be it Diwali, Christmas, Eid, or Hanukkah—these celebrations are marked by weaving together colors, lights, and fragrances, much like adorning oneself with jewels. To this, one adds the flavors of delicious food, the warmth of friendship and family, bursts of laughter, stories, songs, and an abundance of joy.

I conclude this piece with a prayer: may this Diwali be so filled with color, light, and fragrance for you—the reader—that it transforms every sorrow into pure joy. May you, together with your family, friends, and neighbors, celebrate this Diwali—and all the festivals to come (regardless of the religion or country they belong to)—surrounded by color, light, and fragrance.

Wishing you a very happy Diwali!

मोल नहीं कुछ

"How much money do you earn from your writings?", some times in social gatherings, I've been asked this question. And when I reply that I write only because I like it, few folks have advised me to spend time in a more 'useful' way, i. e. doing something that generates monetary outcome. 

This poem is about my inability to follow that suggestion. Please note that the term मोल can be used for value but in lines below I am using it for monetary / material value only. 

▶ Click here -->  ▶ Mol Nahi Kuch  <-- For Audio  ▶

मोल नहीं कुछ जिन चीज़ों का
उनका व्यापार मैं करता हूँ 
कुछ कविताएं सी लिखता हूँ 
कभी बातें हज़ार मैं करता हूँ 
मोल नहीं कुछ जिन चीज़ों का
उनका व्यापार मैं करता हूँ

कभी मुँह अँधेरे उठ कर 

चढ़ते सूरज को देखने जाता हूँ 
कभी नदी की कल कल से
खुद को एकसार मैं करता हूँ 
मोल नहीं कुछ जिन चीज़ों का
उनका व्यापार मैं करता हूँ

फिल्मो के गाने और सीन
बातों में ले आता हूँ
छठी क्लास में पढ़ी कविताए
अब भी चाव से सुनाता हूँ
(मुंशी )प्रेमचंद के पात्रों जैसा भी 

कभी व्याहवार मैं करता हूँ 
मोल नहीं कुछ जिन चीज़ों का
उनका व्यापार मैं करता हूँ

कहते हैँ दाल गजब बनाता हूँ
पीछे आंगन में सब्ज़ीया उगाता हूँ 
छोटी छोटी बातें याद रखता हूँ 
सबको कभी याद भी करवाता हूँ 
बोलता हूँ कभी ऐसी बातें कि 
खुद मज़ाक बन जाता हूँ 
पैसे वाली समझ नहीं है मुझमें 
भावों से व्यहवार मैं करता हूँ

और
मोल नहीं कुछ जिन चीज़ों का
उनका व्यापार मैं करता हूँ

काम में मेहनत, सच, शराफत
बस यही समझ में आते हैं 
चतुराई से सहयोग बड़ा है
कुछ ऐसा प्रचार मैं करता हूँ 
मोल नहीं कुछ जिन चीज़ों का
उनका व्यापार मैं करता हूँ

भोली माँ का कमसमझ बेटा 
इतनी पहचान ही काफी है
इसी पहचान पे अपने मन में
घमंड सौ बार मैं करता हूँ 
मोल नहीं कुछ जिन चीज़ों का
उनका व्यापार मैं करता हूँ

Giraffe

 Some days you write something and your friends and family support and encourage your thoughts. It does feel good. Then a few tell you that your words have given them some direction, you feel blessed and a bit scared, if you know someone is following your thoughts and that is a big responsibility.

One of such days you will get a question, a suggestion a feedback that will calrify your own thoughts and at times may implore you to dig deeper.

My last post 'Anchor and Port' had similar effect. 

( please read Anchor-and-Port here, before continuning as there is some connection)

In the quest for anchor and port some one asked, '" what if I am not sure of my port or my anchor." Someone else casually said, "what if your port is not available" remember that is an external thing.

While I was contemplating those  situations, I faced a personal storm, not externally devestating, but close to my heart; thats when my anchor got painfully damaged ( some of you may know what situation am I refering to) and my port was occupied. I had no where to go. 

And then I learnt about Giraffes. Read further and trust there is a connection.

In African Savanah Giraffe is the tallest land animal  ( actually anywhere in the world they are the tallest land animal ). That sounds great, till the Savanah is hit with a storm. 

Running in strom with flash floods, slippery rocks, muddy terrain can mean accidents and severe injuries. Also where would they run to, no rock, no tree no cave is big enough to hide their ultra tall bodies. Yes, I repeat, how ever fierce the storm gets Girrafes have no where to hide. 

So what they do instead is that they stand, with their legs fixed firm to ground, to give them extra  balance. Their necks streched out to face the winds and the rain. And I am assuming their eyes closed. They endure the storm by standing still and facing it. Beast vs nature, not fighting, not complaining, not crying just facing it. I think they are respect the storm while they face it and also hold on to an unshakable faith that the storm is going to pass, sooner or later.

Lesson was learnt, right when needed, when my anchor and port were not there and the storm had roared. I knew what to do. But not panicking during a storm, keeping unshakable faith, and staying unmoved take intent and practice to learn and adapt. I will not give a score to how I fared against my Giraffe class lesson, but I can say, the teaching is worth trying.

PS: Learnt from Giraffes so standing still, facing the storm yet wishing for availability of my anchor and port urgently  🙂

PPS: I dont have any data or knowledge on what percent giraffes go through stroms unscathed, but I am sure some do as they always follow the same way, knwoing that there is merit in it. And also knowing that however fierce a storm is, it always ends.

Anchor and Port

Think of a ship sailing in the vast ocean. You are on that ship. The weather starts to get rough. The waves start pounding against the vessel and the vessel starts rocking. Everything falls under the mercy of the wind and the waves. If you have been on ships frequently or is this is your first time, your instincts tell you that you must move inside (Away from the wind and waves) and the vessel needs to be stabilized. One may also think to move ship away from storm, but moving at speed during such  events can accelerate the destruction and even cause total annihilation of the vessel. 

If the ship continues to rock then the things on the ship will start moving, getting tosses, bumping into each other and compound the damage that the storm could have caused.

What the ship needs is the Port and an Anchor. 

What if I ask you to move this imagery inward. What if your mind is the ship, a life situation is the storm, what would you do then? Do nothing, and the waves of problems combined with winds of thoughts continues to rock the vessel of your mind causing the peace, health, relationships, finances to start colliding and collapsing. Visualize a ship damaged in storm, the mind and life, if not attended to, can be severely damaged in the same manner. Any avoidance or attempt to move away can deepen the destruction.

Just like the ship, One needs the Port and the anchor. 

Your Anchor, like the ship's is within you. A habit, a hobby, a vocation. Some sing, some read, some hike, some play, some talk, some write, some cook, some swim and so on. The challenge of our times is that many don't truly know what their anchor is. The hobbies, sometimes are built based on in-vouge trends, social adjustments or for fitting in. However your true anchor is hidden in you. To discover it before a storm, is always the wise thing to do. Remember it should give you true steadiness ( happiness) and not just a social gratification. One may have more than one anchor, just like a ship.

Now you know your anchor so it is time  to talk about the Port. 

Like the ship, the port is outside of you. A place where you feel rested and refueled. 

Usually your shore is a person, a place, a location. It can be your spouse, your parents, your sibling(s), your friend(s), your home, your temple, your gym, an eating joint, a park, a coffee shop or so on. 

Again a ship should know its port before the storm. As an individual make sure that you know your port, where you can refuel for life. 

The journey does not promise calm waters, smooth sailing and eventless trip for 100% of the time. But a ship that have firm knowledge and confidence in their port and their anchor can survive storms with minimum harm. 

Defying Norm .... and life

The most basic thing, germination of a seed starts by defying the law of gravity. The primary base of all life getting tethered to the surface of the spherical earth hanging in vast space. The seed starts growing into a sapling by defying that very law and shooting its excessively fragile limbs towards the sky to break free from the soil crust and start feeding on the sunlight. Life starts with defying the basic law of nature. Seed’s intention is not anarchy; it is targeted defying of the law and having a clear path on which direction to move in. Not a fluke, not the idea of just not following, but defining a totally different yet committed path. The sapling never thinks of growing lateral to the ground, but away from it and towards the sky. It does not even care which way it was buried in the ground, there is no right or wrong way of putting the seed in soil. You sow it upside down or right side up, it will still grow in the right direction. While it does that, it keeps on strengthening its grip on the soil to help it stay grounded and not just go awry. 

"Yes, that is the seed and the plant and the tree life, we humans are different" says the skeptic in the mind. But are we truly different? Human life (and all animal life) starts in the womb, with the fetus being submerged in a viscous liquid, for not a few seconds or minutes, but for a whole 9 months for humans (varies by species). 

No oxygen mask, no plugs on nose, ear mouth, no restraints or support equipment, just floating in viscous liquid and drawing strength from that to grow. Think of a non-amphibious earth dwelling animal being submerged in any liquid for a period longer than a few minutes, the only result will be death. So life starts with a phenomenon that otherwise is fatal by natural laws. 

Life starts with defying what otherwise is universally accepted as a norm.  

I am just thinking, can this ideology be applied to when one is feeling stuck, when it seems there is nowhere to go? After all in such a situation a lot of time one might be thinking of nothing but a ReStart. 

Today, I may have no clue how, but I feel this might work, so to all who are feeling stuck and contemplating a restart. May be defying some so called/ imposed / self-imposed kind of norms may be the way. But like the seed, having a clear new vision and direction.

I will share my experience if I ever get in that boat and in return, I would hope you share yours.

मेरी कहानी तो यहीं से........

You may know this about me. This probably is my most obvious aspect. Just restating that through these lines.. I hope when you read the last line you may remember when I told you that.....

Also here is the audio link if you prefer to hear 

AUDIO - Kahaniya. Mp3

 

 कहानियां हैं

 कुछ पढ़ी हुई  कुछ सुनी हुई
 कुछ पढ़ी सुनी  के बीच
 मन में ही बुनी  हुई
 मन  सच्चा है सच्चाई से बुनता है
 कुछ रोना, कुछ हंसना, कुछ बातें 
अच्छी भी  बुरी भी, पर चुनी हुई है 

 
कहानियां हैं
कुछ पढ़ी हुई  कुछ सुनी हुई

कुछ पढ़ी सुनी के बीच

 मन में ही बुनी हुई

तुम जानते तो हो मुझे  फिर भी पूछते  हो?
मैं कहानियों में ही जीता हूं, यह तो मानते हो
मुझे लगता है 
कहानियां ही इंसानियत की असल रू होती है 
तुम सही मानो या गलत यह तुम पर छोड़ा
पर मेरी कहानी तो यही से शुरू होती है