School Bus Stop

Usually morning here is a chaotic marvel, extremely happy yet way too disordered. This is the bus stop where atleast 20 kids from our community ride their bus to go to school every morning.

It used to be right on the main road with lots of cars and utility vehicles and everything else moving a lot close to these kids. Every morning the road was crowded with people rushing to their jobs and on the side walk parents standing behind the queue made by kids waiting for the bus. All of them used to stand at their designated place in the line with one very nice kid making sure that the order is maintained. Sometimes one of the kids will just forget that order and will try to do something more appropriate for the kids that age (monkeying around in common language); and the parents will skip a beat as the road was so close. I have witnessed some nervous parents screaming at their baby for breaking the order of the line obviously out of concern for the safety of their child.

Finally after frequent deliberation and consistent requests the stop was moved to the gate of the community. Our own part of the road; where no cars or vehicles zip through as that is the small side road only for the people living in our community to go in and out of the community. In addition to that the circle at the end of the road provided a sizable grassy area for the kids. The 1^st day stop was shifted to that spot; the parents in chorus let go a sigh of relief and the kids following that chorus screamed in ecstasy knowing that they have got the morning freedom they were always dreaming for.

Now every morning till the bus arrives; giggling, running around, kicking the leaves, playing tag and above all being happy is what the kids do. Though it all appears chaotic, but still it is so beautiful to watch. And I am sure it makes the day for most of us parents.

Last few days have been extremely cold with mercury dipping way below freezing especially in the morning; so every child comes dressed in thick jackets and caps and mittens. The running around is slower than usual. The kids, no matter how active they are; have started listening to the nature and responding to it too. 

Today was way extremely cold in the morning; even compared to last few days. The temperature dipped to 16 degrees below freezing if one counts the wind chill factor (well that is around 3 degree Fahrenheit for those of you who do not follow the metric scale). I was worried about my son and all the other kids at the stop who were to stand in that cold waiting for the bus. When I reached the stop I saw this wonderful sight, all the kids were there, no one was running around. Their usual companion; the soccer ball; was missing. They all huddled up in a corner standing very close to each other chatting, laughing, and feeling the warmth from each other.

Kids; aged from 5 years to 11 years. Kids; coming from different homes. Kids; who have been asked to follow different faiths and religious practices by their parents. Kids; belonging to different parts of the world. Kids; Coming from different races, different skin color, different genders and different everything. All huddled together, helping each other to stand against the cold weather. No one taught them to do that. They all knew that a difficult situation like this weather can be faced by staying together.  They all learnt this, without being taught, directly from the nature.

 And there it was; the vision for the future of world for me. They are what the future can be for this World unless we grown-ups corrupt their minds and teach them to be different. Something that had mesmerized me with its beauty just a few minutes back startled me with the powerful message it was conveying.

“Why do kids always have to listen to parents and learn from them?” My son had asked me many a times in the past, especially after being denied too many candies. “Because parents are older than kids and know more things than them, but you can teach me things that you know and I don’t” had always been my answer. Always thinking that it might be many years later when he will really have something to teach me. But today I stand corrected; he and his friends have taught me something great today.

God Bless you kids; if you always stay how you are now then this World will be a very beautiful place. And thanks for making my day start with so much Hope.

उन्नति की ओर

कहीं कोई जानवर सा 

इंसानों को ही नोच खा रहा है 

कही कोई मासूम बच्चो का खून बहा रहा है 

कोई देश दुसरे पे आग की बारिश है करता 

तो कोई झूठे मान के नाम पे अपना ही वंश जला रहा है 

                 कहाँ जा रहे है हम?

                 है यही उन्नति तो विनाश सी क्यों लग रही?

दिलों में डर, घरों में दहशत है 

इंसान मूक ताकता नाच रही वेह्शत है 

अच्छाई हर दिन कमज़ोर होती जा रही 

बलाएँ रक्तबीज सी हर रोज़ बढ़ती जा रही 

संस्कार दकियानूसी और अल्पसंख्यक हो रहे 

मॉडर्निज़्म* के नाम पे बेशर्मी मुस्कुरा रही       (*Modernism)

"सब सरकार की गलती है" कह अपना फ़र्ज़ टालते 

खुद पे जब आ जाती तो चीखते - पुकारते 

सडको पे निकल, बसें जलाते पत्थर बरसाते और गुस्सा निकालते 

यदि सीखे होते कभी पडोसी को भाई मानना 

तो कहाँ दुसरे देश पे बमों की बारिश करते?

अपनी माँ के आँचल में सोये होते तो 

क्यों किसी की बेटी को बेईज्ज़त करते?

आँखों में पानी होता अगर तो 

क्यों न उमर के तुज़ुर्बे की इज्ज़त करते?

फूलों भरा चमन देखा जो होता 

नन्हे बच्चों की मासूमियत की हिफाज़त करते 

पर शायद समय ही नहीं मिला कुछ लोगो को 

ज़िन्दगी की खूबसूरती समझने का 

उन्नत होने की दौड़ में इंसा होना भी भूल गए 

                कहाँ जा रहे है हम?

                है यही उन्नति तो विनाश सी क्यों लग रही?

अब भी कही थोड़ी सी उम्मीद है बाकि 

है दिलो में सो रही इंसानियत, जगा दो उसे 

डरी ही सही, हिम्मत बटोरो और हौसला दो उसे 

छू के पांव किसी बड़े के थोड़ी दुआये लो 

कर के कुछ अच्छा किसी बिखरते को आशाएं दो 

संस्कारो का मूल्य समझ के उन्हें गर्व से अपनाओ 

अपने कर्मो के बल पर ही अपनी पहचान बनाओ 

छोड़ दो उस दौड़ को जो झूठा दम्ब दे रही 

किसी बच्चे को हँसा कर सच्ची ख़ुशी पाओ 

उन्नति वही है जो समृधि दे सके 

खुद को ही नहीं दुसरो को भी रिद्धि दे सके 

इन्सान की औलाद हो इन्सान बन कर जियो 

पीना ही है तो किसी का दुःख पियो 

उन्नति वही है जो सब को उन्नत करे 

ऐसा भी क्या उठना की बाकी सब छोटे लगें?

बढ़े बनोगे तब ही जब सोच को बढ़ा करो 

फेसबुक*  की फ्रेंड लिस्ट#  के मापदंड पे    (*facebook   #Friendlist)

खुद का बड़प्पन नापना छोड़ दो 

है वही उन्नति जो सब को ख़ुशी दे 

है वही उन्नति जो अधरों को हंसी दे 

है वही उन्नति जो डर को समाज से भगा दे 

है वही उन्नति जो स्वाभिमान जगा दे 

है वही उन्नति जो अपने तक ही न सीमित हो 

पारस की तरह हर छूने वाले को स्वर्णिम आभा दे 

             आओ आज नववर्ष पे उस उन्नति का आह्वान करें 

             जो जीवन का उत्सव (उल्हास और मर्यादा से) मनाना सिखा दे।

 ~~ निखिल डोगरा

This day 13 years ago....

9th of January; this date has a special place in my life. Seems like just some time back when my family was excited, scared, praying, hoping and even crying. It was 9th of January year 2000. I with my older brother in the hospital lobby and my sister in law in the labor room about to deliver her 1st child.

I have been for many years the youngest in the family and so that was my day to officially gain Seniority.

I still remember the doctor walking out and stating that things didn’t seem as good as expected and they will have to do a C-section. I could figure out that signing that paper allowing the C-Section was difficult for my Brother. He has always been the care-free member of the family known for being never upset about anything. And that day I learnt that my brother was a very caring person and had a super sensitive side.  

Go ahead and sign it brother, things will be okay. Have faith and be positive. That was me, showing my confident side with tons of faith and that was a first time thing too as I have always been way too sensitive and somewhat afraid of everything. And our parents who were in a different city at that time more than 200 Kilometers away were praying as usual.

That followed by about 30 minutes of anxiety which faded into a mesmerizing spectacle of seeing him in doctor’s hands, wrapped in a soft receiving blanket. Shubh was born. So small, so fragile, so beautiful. Everyone in the family felt blessed seeing him.

Brother and Sister in law just got promoted to being mom and dad, Mom and dad were the grandparents now. And for me I was no longer the youngest one in the family. Shubh’s arrival changed so many things for every one of us in the family.

In my mind; I can still vividly see that scene of the doctor walking with a tiny baby in her hands. Today that tiny baby has become a teenager. He turned thirteen today and we all look back at the life so blessed. Grandma has rightly named him Shubhankar as he has been an auspicious extension to the family.

I dedicate my post today to wish you a very Happy Birthday Shubh.

Sharavya, Shaunak and Shaurya will always look at you for guidance as you are the Big Brother.

And now that you are stepping in your teenage years, we wish you joy, happiness and success in all what you do. Make us all proud and have fun doing that.

Love- Chachu

सौगात

देखता हु उन्हें, 

हँसते, खिलखिलाते 

प्यारी सी बातें करते, फिर खुद ही उन पे इतराते,

छोटी भोली शरारते; और फिर आँखें चुराते।

मेरे हर दिन के दो सूरज 

अलसाई आँखों में किरणों की सी हरारत लिए 

हर दिन मेरी गोद में जागते 

मेरी रात के दो चंदा,

राहत भरी मुस्कान की ठंडक ले 

हर रात गले से लग;

"Good-Night Papa" कह सोने जाते 

Shaurya and Shaunak

मै करबद्ध हो कुछ इतराता 

फिर-फिर से माँगा येही करता 

मुझको जो सौगात है मिली 

उसके काबिल हो जाऊ  बस 

इन्ह मीठी मुस्कानों को 

हर दिन कायम रख पाऊ बस 

God-Flower

The month is December and as expected the temperatures have dipped really low. It gets below freezing during the night and barely above freezing during the day. I walk with a cap to cover my head and glasses for my eyes and my chin along with a good part of my mouth hidden under the collar of my coat. The little part of face below eyes and right next to nose is uncovered and the extremely cold wind seems to be cutting through it like a razor.

The leaves fell a few weeks back, now the trees seem frozen. The birds have migrated to the warmer south. Everything is so cold, so freezing, so chilled, so…winter.

So in the middle of all this a few days back my rose bush which was decked with yellow and pink roses in the spring, and mostly deserted now; just started a small game. Though it is almost deprived of the leaves and looks mostly lifeless due to cold; but on one of its barren branches, a small rose bud grew. Rose bud; in winters; with that cold air?...Really? 

Then after a few days; despite the weather being even colder and even more hostile the bud decided to bloom as a flower. The yellow petals with pink border on each of the petals. Brightly standing in the middle of the freeze; defying all logic and all norms of the seasons. I am looking at that flower and trying to think of some logic; it looks so beautiful and yet so solitary and so strange.

GOD-FLOWER (On the leave-less Rose bush)

Now comes my little story teller with his own logic to all problems. Though I never asked; but maybe he read my mind and said, “That is the God –Flower Papa.” What? I asked. “The God-Flower; as no flower can grow when it is very cold; so God sends special blessings as this God-Flower. It is a good thing that we got this God-Flower in our yard as this means we are blessed” He said so matter of fact way that I had to believe. There are some things that are really God-Sent. I look at his face and the smile, not his usual mischievous smile; but a smile with the pride of having explained something important to his Papa. I know he didn't make it up, I know this is the God-Flower and it is obvious he knows all about God-Flowers or similar things.

Some things are really and so obviously God-Sent.

PS: Another thing that I just learnt; “God-Flower” brings the promise of God’s-Protection. Now that we are blessed with a God-Flower so we can be more confident about everything and not scared of anything; like my little philosopher is not scared of going to dark basement ever since the God-Flower bloomed. And so I went to my daily battles with more confidence; since we have the God-Flower now.

WHY?

Big Question and NO answers. Elementary School, little kids, no malice, no biases, just small, beautiful, innocent heaven sent kids. And then there must be some mischievous ones, and may be a few arrogant and stubborn ones too, but all still so innocent and so precious. Like the sprouts that will bloom as the adults of future. They are nothing but future in making.

One act of insanity or cruelty or inhumanity whatever one may call it; all that was so precious and so delicate is lost. It is lost because someone lost his mind and he had easy access to assault weapons. No one may really know why he did that. There will be theories and debates and top news for a few days maybe a few weeks and then all will be forgotten. Even the twenty kids who could have been anything in the future will be forgotten by the world, they will be just an incident in the news archives and statistics for future discussions by psychologists, school security professionals, (pro and anti) gun control lobbies. And that is the sad, painful fact of our media and social media driven so called modern life. However for the parents and siblings of those twenty kids life would never be the same. For other kids who witnessed this blood shed it will leave a scar forever on their minds. 

When the news of this barbaric incident broke; I am sure the parents of little kids all over the world got concerned for well being of their children. Hoped something like this never happens to their kids. Thanked God for keeping their kids out of the harm’s way and secretly felt guilty for thinking this way since some parents will never had their baby in their lap anymore.

What can one do to prevent such incidents? I asked a few folks, but no one could give me an answer

WHY…..

…..Did this happen?

…...No one could do anything to prevent this?

…...People so full of hate and so lacking of compassion are there in this World?

…...Such people get guns and no one notices?

……Politics is always kept above humanity and common sense?

……Common man feels so helpless in times like this?

And

 WHY NO ONE HAS ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS?

As for me I Hugged my kids tight and prayed for those Connecticut parents who may still be looking at the door and hoping that this is just a nightmare and their bundle of joy will be in their lap when they wake up.......

Some Stats:

There are an estimated 270 million guns in the hands of civilians in the United States, making Americans the most heavily armed people in the world per capita.

A Washington-based anti-gun lobby says those guns shoot more than 100,000 people a year.

READ: “Analysis: Why gun controls are off the agenda in America” WWW.CNN.COM for details

http://news.msn.com/us/experts-conn-school-could-not-have-prevented-shooting?ocid=ansnewsrel2