बीती ताहि बिसार दे

शाम हो चली थी, ट्रेन पटरी पर पूरी गति से दौड़ रही थी, आदित्य देव अस्त होने की तैयारी में थे। आकाश में लालिमा छा गई थी और धरती पर धुंधलका आने लगा था। 

एक बार नजर अनायास ही शून्य से सामने गुजरते नजारों पे आ टिकी

वही तेज भागती पटरी, वही हरे भरे खेत, 

सन सन कर एक के बाद एक गुजरते पेड़

और दूर गगन में अस्त होता सूर्य

एक बारगी लगा कॉलेज के दिन लौट आए

दुर्ग से रायपुर जा रहा हूं शायद, अभी स्टील प्लांट गुजरता होगा। 

घर पहुंच मां को कुछ गरमा गर्म खिलाने को कहूंगा, और कुछ ना हुआ तो उसके हाथ का दाल चावल भी चलेगा।

तीव्र गति से सरपट भागती ट्रेन से भी तेज ये मन, न जाने अनायास ही आज पीछे की ओर हो लिया। 

तभी अचानक किसी भाई साहब ने बगल में छींक कर एक्सक्यूज मि कहा। उनकी गोरी शकल पे ध्यान गया तो इर्द गिर्द का भान हुआ। ये तो मैं अपनो के बीच नहीं हूं। ये ट्रेन दुर्ग से रायपुर नहीं, लंदन से रेडिंग की ओर जाती है। 

ऐसा लगा जैसे किसी ने मन के कान खींच कर अतीत से वर्तमान में पटक दिया हो। मन तो मन ठहरा, उसे तो आदत है टाइम ट्रैवल की। वो फिर खिड़की से बाहर हरे खेतो में हिंदुस्तान खोजने लगा। पर तब तक मानस पटल ने अतीत के दरीचो को बंद कर दिया था। 

मन, मन मसोस कर वर्तमान में ठहर गया और सुंदर अतीत की ललक में एक लुभावना वर्तमान रचने लगा। काश बीस साल पहले घर ना छोड़ता, काश के घर के आस पास कोई अच्छी नौकरी मिल जाती। फलां को देखो, वो तो वहीं हैं, लाख डेढ़ लाख होम टाउन में बैठ कर कमा रहा है महीने के। गाड़ी,घर किसी चीज की कमी नहीं। मां बाप भाई बहन का साथ है सो अलग। काश ये जीवन चुना होता। क्या मिल गया दूर देश आके, ना खुद का घर है, ना बात करने को चार लोग। पैसे पाउंड में हैं तो खर्चे भी। जो थोड़ा बहुत बच गया वो भी इस सुरसा के मुख की तरह बढ़ते खर्चों की भेंट चढ़ जाता है। आग लगे इस भागदौड़ को। स्वामी विवेकानंद सही कह गए की चलो मन जाए घर अपने, इस परदेस में ओ परदेस में , क्यों परदेसी रहे, चलो मन जाए घर अपने

मस्तिष्क ने भी अपनी कही। कहा कि अंग्रेजी में एक कहावत है, nostalgia is a liar. जब हृदय भूतकाल की सैर पर निकलता है तो मेमोरी ट्रेन सिर्फ अच्छी यादों के स्टेशन पर थमती है। ये हमारे मन मस्तिष्क का डिफेंस मैकेनिज्म है। बुरी यादें मन भुला देता है। वो हरे भरे लहलहाते खेत याद रहते हैं, पर रायपुर घुसते ही नाक सड़ा देने वाली बदबू याद नहीं रहती। कॉलेज की सुनहरी यादों में हर दूसरे सेमेस्टर में फेल होना याद नहीं आता। दोस्तो की चुहलबाज़ी याद रहती है पर घंटो बैठ मैकेनिकल इंजीनियरिंग की किताबो में सर फोड़ना याद नहीं आता। ये कहना बहुत आसान है कि कोई लौटा दे मेरे बीते हुए दिन पर अगर सच में बीते दिन लौट आए तो छाती पीट लेंगे। कहेंगे की हाय बड़ी मुश्किल से तो एमबीए में एडमिशन लिया था क्या कहते हो फिर से CAT के गले में घंटी बांधनी होगी?? इसलिए यादें, यादें ही रहे तो अच्छा। फिर लौट आया गुजरा जमाना तो एक जमाना फिर गुजारना होगा। 

एक दूसरी कहावत है अंग्रेज़ी में, the grass is always greener on the other side, हिंदी में कहते है पड़ोसी का मकान हमेशा अच्छा लगता है । जिस फलां को होम टाउन में फलता फूलता देख हम आहें भरते हैं वोह शायद हमें देख यही करता हो। की देखो भाई ने तो बीस साल में मुंबई पुणे दिल्ली बैंगलोर लंदन सब नाप लिया और हमने तो कुछ अनुभव किया ही नहीं। 

अपनी स्तिथि से संतोष पाना शायद बाबा रामदेव के भी बस का नहीं तो हम तो ठहरे अदना इंसान। बस इतना ही कर सकते हैं कि जब पड़ोस का मकान अच्छा लगे, तो एक नजर अपने आशियाने पर भी डाले। जहां आज आप हैं, वहां भविष्य में मेमोरी ट्रेन की अच्छी यादों का स्टेशन बनेगा। आपका वर्तमान आगे जाकर अतीत की सुनहरी यादें बनेगा। तो जी भर के जिए इस आज को। 

बीती ताहि बिसार दे, आगे कि सुधि ले 

धन्यवाद

Saurabh Roy 

27th May 2021

 Writing after a rather short break now. Time is not an issue, but sometimes it seems very futile. I mean let's admit it, no one's ever going to read it. Don't know when Google decides to close blogger as people now tweet, retweet and share. Not many have to patience to write and read lengthy articles or posts. Definitely not something written by a fairly average person like me. But anyways hope Blogger sticks around and I can still comeback and see my posts decade from now. 

Assuming I am alive till then..

Yes, in last one year I have come to realize how big of an assumption life is. It is fickle, it is unpredictable and it can be cut short anytime. We are now living in the times of Corona Virus. Almost 1.5 years since this virus has wreaked havoc on the world. Different people have different claims over its origin, spread and affects. I am neither a scientist not a doctor so all that I can do is protect myself and my family at all cost. Thankfully there is a vaccine now, and it is currently effective in most of the cases/variants/mutations, if not all. My parents got their doses. I got mine. Still worried about my Younger brother and his wife in India, also worried sick about my daughter, There is no vaccine yet for kids and whilst they had better resistance to the virus in first wave, the second wave seems to be more deadly. Predictions are that a third wave can be catastrophic to kids. I can just hope that majority of the people are vaccinated and we all collectively get herd immunity before the third wave approaches.. 

The virus has caused a train wreck of a damage in India. Everyone I talk to back home knows somebody who has died due to the virus. In my previous post I had mentioned my best friend loosing his father. Little did I knew that I would myself loose two of my own uncles. My father's younger brother and his oldest brother in law succumbed to the virus. Lost a distant cousin from my mother side,  an office colleague (old manager actually, who also figures in one my old posts about iPhones).  One very close friend lost his pregnant wife to this virus as well. If this was not enough I also lost a recently found running mate Colonel Vinay in a road accident. That friendship ended before it could even start. At one point of time this month when I heard about the death of my friend's wife, I just broke down completely. Started sobbing like a baby. Honestly I just couldn't take it. It was like, god how many more faces will go permanently. Above all, the fear of losing more and losing up close. This is no longer a lockdown where people sit at home and play Ludo online. This is now people arranging oxygen and meds so that their son, father, mother, daughter, wife, husband can live. 

But there is a ray of hope. The vaccine drive is going in full swing. A good chunk of people have realized how important it is to get vaccinated, follow social distancing and also how useless our entire political leadership is. A good chunk by the way, not all of them. 

I can just pray for the well being of myself, my loved ones and the whole Humanity. Hope God has still not given up on us. Here's to a hope that my next post can be a bit more cheerful. 

Thanks for your patient reading (if at all anyone did)

Tinu...

12 Sept 2020

आज फिर काफी समय बाद कुछ लिखने का जी कर रहा है। कुछ दिनों से मन अशांत है। दांत दुख रहे है और सर्दी ने जकड़ रखा है और तड़के सुबह एक गहरे मित्र के पिताजी की अकस्मात निधन की खबर आई। और इन सब के ऊपर पूरे विश्व में फैली ये महामारी कोविड। 

वैसे तो पूरा संसार साल २०२० को जी भर के गलिया दे रहा है, पर में अगर अपनी कहूं तो अब तक ये साल कुछ मिला जुला रहा, और आगे की भगवान जाने।  मै इस साल जनवरी हुकूमते ब्रिटानिया में रहने आ गया अपने बीवी बच्चा समेत। ये सपना कई सालो से मन में था मेरे और श्रीमती जी के, और अब ये पूरा भी हो गया। कंपनी ने बिज़नेस क्लास की सैर भी करा दी और बहुत सारी सुविधाएं भी दी। तनख्वाह थोड़ी कम है पर गुजर जाती है। पर फिर भी मेहनत का फल मिला ऐसा जान पड़ता है। नौकरी जैसी की प्राइवेट होती है भगवान भरोसे वैसी ही है। जीवन में पूरे हुए हर सपने की तरह ये सपना भी इतनी देर से पूरा हुआ कि समझ नहीं आता खुश हूं की दुखी। बीवी खुश है कि चार लोगो को बता सके कि मै तो इंग्लैंड में रहती हूं, पर दुखी भी है कि यहां तो सब काम खुद करना पड़ता है झाड़ू से लेकर रसोई तक सब सिर पे आन पड़ा है। वैसे लॉकडाउन हो जाने से मै अब काफी मदद कर पाता हूं पर फिर भी मेहनत तो है।

पर यहां, ऐसी काफी सुविधाएं, जो की हिन्दुस्तान में बहुत सस्ती और बहुतायत में थी, अब नहीं है। जैसे की घर पे एक झाड़ू लगाने वाली, सस्ते छोटे मोटे पंसारी की दुकान या छोटा मोटा सा एक होटल जहां सौ रुपए में बढ़िया गरमा गर्म डोसा और इडली मिल जाए। ऐसा कुछ भी नहीं है यहां। हर चीज बहुत महंगी है । इस पर ये दांत का दर्द। यहां सिर्फ देखने के दस हजार रूपए लगते है। और नकली दांत का तो पूछिए मत, बस ये जान लीजिए घर की डाउन पेमेंट हो जाए हिन्दुस्तान में। 

खैर,पर कुछ अच्छी बात भी है। खाली खाली सुंदर से रास्ते, हर दस कदम पे एक सुंदर सा बगीचा, छोटे छोटे सुंदर घर, बिजली पानी की कोई किल्लत नहीं। ट्रेन बस सब आरामदायक, कोई भीड़ भड़क्का नहीं। खुली और साफ हवा। और एक अलग ही व्यावसायिक माहौल जहां काफी कुछ नया सीखने को है। 

हां घर दूर है पर घर तो बेंगलुरु से भी दूर ही था। यह तो तभी सोच लेना चाहिए था जब पन्द्रह साल पहले घर छोड़ दिया था। कभी कभी बुरा लगता है पर सोचता हूं शायद घर पर रहता तो और बुरा लगता, कौन जाने। जैसा कि कहते हैं बगल वाले घर की घास हमेशा हरी दिखती है। 

आज के लिए बस इतना ही। अब जा के बीवी के लिए कॉफी बनाओ और बच्चे के लिए दूध। सब मिल बैठकर सिनेमा देख लेते हैं शायद मन बहल जाए। अब दातों का जो होगा होगा देखी जाएगी। 

अगर आपने पढ़ा तो आशा करता हूं अच्छा लगा होगा अगर ना अच्छा लगा तो क्षमा चाहता हूं। मुझे दो तीन साल बाद लिख कर बढ़ा अच्छा लगा।

धन्यवाद😊😊

iPhone X and me

Apple recently launched iPhone 8 and X along with some variants and accessories. No I am not going to review them.
The next day of launch, I went for a cup of tea in a Corporate tapri (small tea shop) near my hunky dory office, with two of my colleagues.
"So new iPhone has launched huh" I said. Soon enough both the folks were all gaga about the features of the phone they hoped to lay their hands soon (Mind you, they can afford it, and I am not building to a kidney joke ). 

One of the guy was 'kind' enough to mention about the series of iPhones he had in his home, right from 3 to 7, and soon enough he might have 8/X. There were some excited voices and I could hear, retina something,video, photo, dual camera, bezel something, etc etc wtf. .
Discussion ended and we left towards office building.
When the guys were a bit ahead, I non chalantly took my cheap (6K Rupees, yeah that's right) Redmi 1S out of my pocket and stared at it. "I should at least get the broken cover replaced", I thought. But the second moment I knew how futile it would be. Just like the last one, Vaanya will crack this up in a day or two. My wife had recently tried to 'gift' me the latest Nokia 6 phone and I had pretty ruthlessly made her return that. In my entire career span of 9 point something years I have barely purchased 3 phones.

When it comes to phones I am not driven by what's the latest, instead, I focus on what I need, or shall we say, what's the minimum I can expect, and can afford. An i-phone doesn't fit the bill.  Young people might find difficult to grasp what I said..

That's it actually.. Not much going apart from this..

P.S: Above post was written way before it was published. I did get a new phone day before yesterday. Needless to say it is cheap, but does the job..

Marital madness

The marital ads around you.(in India)

The girl's requirement mainly highlight their strong need of a 7 figure salaried husband,  irrespective of the absence or paltry existence of their own salaries.💃🏼💃🏼💃🏼 

The boys similarly are fixated on an hour glass figure and fair skin,  irrespective of their own beer belly and Bournville complexion. 😬😬😬

The fun part is post marriage...

This is when you realise all you both needed was love and respect.. 💏😊😊😊

It's better to be loved by a guy sitting beside you in a public transport rather than being abused by a sadist in his fancy car. 

Thanks for your patient reading
Tinu...

Note to friends from social media

Usually my FB/ Twitter timeline is filled with political garbage,  misplaced jingoism and pseudo feminist crap. Mostly copied or shared from unverified and untrue sources. Quite harmful I'd say. We must be cautious of not only what others are posting but also mindful of what we put out there. Mis-information is one of the biggest perils of this information age. Allow me to elaborate by examples. 

1. Political:
Mr A is very much against one political party. He every day puts post and comment against them. He refuses to acknowledge and overlooks any good work by that party. He can never appreciate rationale. Mr A is a duffer.

You are not as duffer as Mr A, but you read his TL daily, you don't verify his post from credible resources. Before you know it, you are as duffer as Mr A. You may be against him or with him doesn't matter. You would be still be a duffer. 

2. Personal:
Ms B had a bad relationship. All day she shares posts that maligns men and eulogise women. Ms B is now firmly anti men, pseudo feminist lady. She posts what suits her, not what is correct. She is trying to address her problems from wrong resources and knitting her own web of problems. Ms B is looser.

You are not a looser like Ms B. You read her TL daily, but you don't verify it. Your partner is a good lad. He isn't perfect but has some really good qualities. Before you know it, you will start looking your guy from Ms B's tainted glasses. Only his imperfections will be visible to you. Soon you will join Ms B's loosers club.
Above example applies to both gender.

3. Pictures and videos
This one is pretty serious and I will be recounting my own experience rather than example. Won't share the names for personal and safety reasons.
I was friends online with a lady I knew. She was married. This was the time of Orkut. She had a long list of virtual friends many of whom were not personally known to her. She was pretty comfortable in sharing her pics, sometimes in attires that were fairly minimalistic (sorry, couldn't think of any other politically correct word). Anyways who am I to judge.
But long after orkut was out of vogue, I saw her pics on another guys system who couldn't possibly be her friend. A close look and I realised my friends pics were in a porn pic site. There were filthy comments all over it. I reported those pics, but what's out there on net is out there forever.

Wether you realise it or not your online postings gives people a idea of the real you and also at times gives a fairly good idea of your personal life. Not saying that it is wrong, but just saying that what it means. Share responsibly, post with care. We all have a fairly large friend list and a lot many of them are not your friends in true sense of the word.

As usual that was long. Thanks for your patient reading...
Tinu...

Gender Equality

We live in a world where a boy dating many girls is a Casanova, but a girl doing the same is slut,
Yet we dream of gender equality.

We live in a world where a mother gets a full quarter of paid maternity leave, but paternity leaves don't go beyond a week,
Yet we dream of gender equality.

We live in a world where a girl is denied higher education, and a boy is pushed into it,
Yet we dream of gender equality.

We live in a world where a husband hitting his wife is a crime, but a wife hitting her  husband is a WhatsApp joke,
Yet we dream of gender equality.

He wants a fair, slim, 'homely' wife. But himself is fat, can't cook , won't cook guy,
Yes, he also talks of gender equality.

She wants a tall, seven figure salaried, well settled (not with in-laws) guy. But herself earns in five figures, can't cook, won't cook girl,
Yes, she also wants gender equality.

We live in a world where a guy moving up in office is either talented or a chamcha, but a girl moving up, is definitely sleeping with boss,
Yet we dream of gender equality.

We live in a world which constantly reminds of a mother's great sacrifice in nurturing you, but never mentions that silent father, who always kept your fancy dress above his worn out shoes,
Yet we dream of gender equality.

We live in a world where a fifty year old unmarried actor is still the most eligible bachelor, but a 40 something unmarried actress is a sad story,
Yet we dream of gender equality.

We live in a world where a woman doing a job and also taking care of house is deemed a super-woman, but a man doing the same is just doing his duty,
Yet we dream of gender equality.

Thanks for your patient reading...
Tinu...

P.s : If the above post offends you, I truly don't give a damn. If you beg to differ, please leave a comment.