कोण खरी

खूप रागावलो मी कधी तर मग,
माझीच नक्कल करुन
हसवणारीस तू
आणि कधी स्वताच फ़ूरंगटून
बसणारीस तू
कोण खरी ?

कधी मग उगीचच साधी बस नाही मिळाली म्हणून
रडवेली झालेली तू खरी ..
की घाई घाईत तवा भाजला तरी
’काही नाही रे’ ’तू जा, उशीर झालाय ..घड्याळ काय शो साठी बांधलेस काय...’
म्हणून हसत पाठवणारी तू
खरी कोण ?

कधी दोन तासात ..फोन नाही केला म्हनून ..
चिडनारी तू ..
आणि कधी
’कित्ती वेळा फोन करतॊस रे..?’
’आज काम नाहीए का तूला ...ठेवतेय मी’
मला रागावणारी तू ...

कधी मग आशा - गुलजार ची गाणी
मला समजावून सांगणारी तू ..
की ..
कधी चल AC मध्ये बसून गप्पा मारुयात ..
म्हनून एखाद्या FLOP पिक्चर ला घेउन जाणारीस ..तू..

अगदी परवाचीच गोष्ट का गं?
रस्त्यावरच्या त्या पिल्लाला उचलून ..
जररा आत सोडून आलो तर,
’चल आता घरी जाउन हात धू ..’
की
त्याच संध्याकाळी ..
’काय मस्त होते ना रे ते पिल्लू’
’थोडा वेळ आणिक धरले असतेस तर ..
मी ही हात लावला असता ना ? अगदी मऊ असेल ना रे?’
नाराज होणारी तू

मी म्हनालॊ मग ..
’कशी अशी दोन्ही बाजूंनी बोलतेस’ तर..
’कूठल्या रे दोन बाजू .. ? मला confuse नकोस करु’, म्हणालीस ..
कोण .. confuse आहे गं ?
तू की मी की मग दोघंही.. ?

काल तूला मग विचारलेच ...न रहावून...
’खरचं यातली कोण "खरी" तू...
तेव्हा ..
’कित्ती observe करतोस .. रे मला ’ ..
म्हणून डोळ्यात पाणी आणनारी तू..
की लगेच डोळे ... नाक.. पूसून मग
’तू सगळया पोरींना अस्सेच का रे observe करतोस ..?’
डोळा मारत खिद्ळनारी तू ?

कोण खरी?
-निखिल

Hindi ..bhashantar ..

which one is you.. ?

kabhi ..gussa hota hoon toh ..
meri hi acting karke mujhe hasanewali ..
ya
kabhi khud hi ruthke baithne wali ..
tum ..
which one is really you?


kabhi ..buss nahi mili toh ..
rone pe aanewali tum ..
tum ho ya ..
kabhi .. jaldi mein tawe se jal jata hain toh ..
'kuch nahi ' 'tu nikal late hua hain tere ko, ghadi dekh toh jara, show ke liye pehni hai kya....'
aisa bolke .. haste haste bhejne wali tum ?
which one is really you?

kabhi .. do ghante mein .. phone nahi kiya toh
chidne wali tum ..
ki ..
kabhi ..
'kitne baar phone karte ho ?
kaam nahi hain kya aaj ..mein rakh rahi hoon'
daantne wali tum ?

kabhi asha-gulzaar ke gaane mujhe samjhane wali .. tum ..
ya ..
kabhi ..
chal AC mein baithke gappe marenge .. kehke ..
koi flop si se movie leke jaanewali tum. ..
which one is u ?


abhi ..parson ki hi toh baat hain ..na?
woh raste pe aaye hue ..
pille ko uthake ... andar chhod ke aaya toh ..
'chalo abhi ghar chalke haath dholo .. '
kehne wali tum ..
ya
ussi ratt ko ..
'kya mast pillu tha na ? '
'thodi der aur pakdte toh .. mein bhi haat laga pati'
aise bolke .. maayus hone wali tum .

aur firrr ..
kal meine puuch hi liya . tumhe
'seriously .. which one is u?'
'itna .. observe karte ho ? .. mujhe
kehke aakhon me paani laane wali tum .. tum ho ya ..
next moment mein ..
aankh ...naak ponchke ...palatke ...
'tum harr ladki ko aisehi observe karte ho naa ?'
aise haste haste kehte .. aankh maarne wali tum tum ho ..
which one is u ?

- Nikhil (29th Sept 2008)

How Does It Affect ’Me’

Ramdin is HIV positive.

How does that statement make you feel, sorry? Or a very popular feeling called ‘hmmmmmmm’? Or ‘So what’ Or ‘How does it affect me?’

Let me tell you something more. Ramdin is a construction worker, he has no wife, no kids dependent on him, he drinks all day and he has like so many of his friends, has acquired AIDS through unsafe sex.

Now how do you feel about him? ‘he deserved it?’, ‘Good that he has no ‘dependencies’’, ‘I simply don’t care.’ Or again …’How…. really How does it affect me? And that you are irritating me now, I have many other things to take care of, I have to feel up tax forms, last date of which… is like already gone. My landlord is not signing rent receipt, I missed my onsite …. …again.

And my parents are torturing me to get married, So dude I have my issues. And hence Ramdin has AIDS….NO ISSUES.

Not out loud but many of us will have same feeling(s). And it’s very rational too, or so we think….

Ramdin, due to his reduced immune system also has T.B.

And T.B. is airborne.

So now how do you feel? Sorry? Mad at ramdin?

At least now you must not be feeling ‘How does the fact that Ramdin is HIV +ve affect me?’ Coz it does affect you, you breathe the same air that Ramdin does.

I understood the gravity of the problem as Sandeep explains further, ‘Nikhil, you see, thousands of people get affected each year with HIV, most of them unknowingly. And then they are susceptible to an array of diseases most of them contagious, Say T.B. which is a deadly disease to say the least. And many other diseases, and since we breathe the same air, drink same water; use same public transport, viz same seats, same handle bars. We are susceptible too. So what we do is we make sure that infection levels among the HIV +ves is kept minimum. But 90% of all people with TB who come to me are HIV +ve. Actually 90% of all people having deadly diseases have HIV. And other 10% are either children or people with weak immune system. It’s a very real threat considering the numbers are increasing every year, And its not just TB but there are hundreds of diseases which spread through air, through water. We get people from all sections of society who are affected this way’

‘The solutions that we are providing in keeping the infection levels low among HIV victims or partly strengthening their immune system are momentary, and definitely are not enough. The only solution is eradicating HIV. Reduce the number of people getting affected by HIV instead of reducing infection.’

Sandeep did give me a ‘bigger picture’

You see, It really does affect us our friends our children, and in a very real and very big way. And there is very little we can directly do to change all this.

Tell me, is there a way to know if some one sitting beside you and coughing is not common cold but it’s a deadly bacteria?

No, there is no such way to decide. But there is a way to make sure that he or she is not an AIDS victim, which reduces his/her chances of having a deadly disease and affect you.

And you know what, we are doing our bit in this. We are paying taxes which help the government give free medical supplies to people who are affected. It is a great achievement of our health system that we had almost no spread of SARS and BIRD FLUE which were nothing short of a massacre in so many so called developed countries.

But can we do a little more?

Spread awareness about AIDS. Its Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome. Its Aquired meaning no one is borne with it (except from HIV affected mother to child)

We may not be able to do more but if due to your efforts just one person thinks before practicing unsafe sex or some one stays alert while donating/receiving blood, or someone makes sure that an HIV blood test done before he marries his daughter to someone…..

Not that the problems we face are unreal and we have to deal with them too.

But if we could just do this much, we could attain a twofold advantage less HIV +ve people and less chances of you and your friends, family getting affected by diseases they might carry.

We did run the AIDS marathon, didn’t we? This takes less effort. Just be aware and spread awareness.

-Nikhil

Legend:

Sandeep (Sandeep Kulkarni):

A health scheme implementation specialist with Pune municipal corporation, An aspiring MBA student. And my recent new friend. You can reach him @ Kulkarni.pune@gmail.com.

The importance of 'being nice'

Some years back I read this article in Times of India. It was titled ‘hug a stranger today’. It talked about how people on outside might seem calm but from the inside they can be incredibly sad and how the writer finds such a person at an airport who at the start seemed weird but later she got to know his sorrow which was such deep (thanks to her plane which got delayed).
It was only a week or so since I had read that article. I vividly remember we were returning from my grandma’s house, me, my mother and my little brother boarded this crowded bus. It was a Sunday evening and everybody was returning to towns where they worked in. Weekend spent with family, everyone seemed happy and at the same time had ‘oh it’s that Monday again’ looks on their faces. Aai (my mother) got the tickets from the conductor as we were urging Aai not to go in this bus as it was awfully crowded and we wouldn’t get a place to sit. It was the last bus to Pune from that place and Aai had office next day hence she was reluctant to agree to our proposal of going next day morning (which would also have meant another night listening to grandma’s stories and no school next day so a win-win situation for us).
Alas gulping that entire crowd the bus had just started moving, my brother had managed to get himself a place beside a lady and her daughter. Suddenly there was loud banging on the side of the bus someone was trying to stop the bus. The driver applied brakes and the bus came to a halt with people stumbling over each other due to this sudden jerk. The door opened, everyone was curious to see (and curse) who was the cause, a middle aged person got in, looked like he had been running a lot of distance before he got in to the bus. The man gave the conductor the money and started looking around everyone was looking with an anger which only meant ‘it’s already too crowded. What the hell are you doing here?’ ‘I told you this was the last bus now you see why I asked you to leave 1 hour early. We got place to sit now don’t we? ’ The lady proudly said to her daughter, the smile of victory swept across her face. The man now started looking down…..towards his own feet his face reflected the guilt he was feeling due to other passengers’ stares and some mumbled remarks. I realized his feet were covered with dirt and one of his chappals was missing. It was getting dark, another six hours before we reach Pune I thought, my brother had already slept leaning on that lady’s shoulder.
The bus would stop at its regular stops and some people would get down some new passengers would come in, although the number of people getting down was more than that of getting in, the bus still was crowded enough and me and Aai were still standing. The man had not left his place since and every time when a vehicle would pass our bus I could see his concerned face. The lady had woken up her daughter it seemed like their stop was approaching. It made me really happy to know that we finally would get a place to sit then I can sleep and more importantly I need not see that man’s face.
As the bus halted on its next stop the lady and her daughter got down. Aai took that lady’s place and took my brother on her lap and as I was about to sit beside her, she said ‘Nikhil let that old man sit here, you will get a place to sit on next stop may be, but for now ask him to sit here’. I waved at that man and told him to sit, He was reluctant, may be he was still under that guilt I thought, but my mother insisted and he finally gave in. He sat down, bus had started moving again. I was waiting for next stop as I was very sleepy and was only one to stand in the whole bus so it was guaranteed that I will get a place to sit now on the next stop. Three hours more ….. I mumbled.
‘I think she’s still alive…..’ the old man said but his words meant more of what he was hoping than what might have actually happened. ‘I think she’s alive …..beta do you think she has made it ?’ old man was asking my mother. ‘Yes baba, I think ….no I know she has made it she is very fine don’t worry and tell me what has happened’. I was surprised by Aai’s reaction, it was like she knew the whole story. It took some time for the old man to gather himself as tears rolled down his face… I noticed as another vehicle passed by. ‘They burnt her ….beta they burnt her ….for dowry’ …..he was now officially crying by now ‘The police informed me sometime back they are going there in the morning but I could not wait beta ….I could not, so came running from the police station to get this bus my wife does not know beta that I have left for my daughter’s place had no time to tell her too. She must be worried too.’ Aai was listening to him like she was one of his family members. The old man continued ‘Last time I saw her on diwali one month back she seemed bit quiet I asked her but she did not tell. She must have thought from where my poor parents would bring this much money but now …….’ Aai comforted him ‘don’t worry nothing has happened to her she will be all right’. The old man seemed a bit ‘together’ by now as he was getting to tell his sorrow to someone and Aai was being a good listener and also was convincing him to believe that everything was ok. Some time went in silence ….’ Beta …are you listening?’ ‘yes baba tell me what is her name ?’ ‘Sunita …named her after my mother ….poor little girl …..wont say anything to anybody wont hurt anybody …why should this happen to her ? why ?’ ‘I have no one to tell and when there is no one to listen then mind thinks things which are very frightening I am really worried for my daughter’ ‘Baba I am here now you can tell me things and no need to worry I know your daughter is ok don’t worry’ ‘really you think so ?’ ‘ yes I know so’.
Bus took its next halt, one person got down, no one got in and I got the place, it was away from where my mother was sitting but I was tired and I went and sat down there. By now I was in no mood to sleep. For one I was feeling bad for that man and for the other I was astonished to see my mother handling the situation the way she was. From where I was sitting I could see the man talking to my mother. Did not want to but somehow I gave in and slept off. I was sitting beside the door and every time the bus would stop and door would open the gush of cold air would disturb my sleep on one such stop I realized that a sit beside my mother’s was empty so I went to sit there. I was surprised to see that the man had slept off; his face still had those ‘dried tear marks’. As I was about to ask my mother something she made me keep quiet. I sat down on the empty sit.
On the next stop the conductor came to my mother’s sit and told that old man to get up since his stop had come, the man woke up looked around. My mother was awake (she was awake the whole journey). Aai gave him water bottle he drank some water and then suddenly took my mother’s both hands in his hands and said ‘beta thank you you don’t know what you have done for me bas ab I hope she is ok’ ‘don’t worry baba she is ok and from now on don’t consider you have only one daughter now you have two come to meet me with her I have already told you my office its near to pune station do come and she is fine don’t worry’. The old man left the bus and I went and sat beside Aai.
‘Try to get some sleep you have got school today’ she said looking outside the window.

Don’t know what happened to old man and his daughter. But that day I learnt the importance of being nice…. for people are angry, weird, and sad for a reason and its better to give benefit of doubt before blasting back at their behavior.

-Nikhil

Star versus 'Star'

Star versus ‘Star’

On Tuesday a news swept across all the news channels ‘Sanjay Datt relieved by the court’. ‘Sirf Munna Not a bhai’ ’13 saal ka vanvaas khatam’ ‘alhough found guilty for possession of armory, Sanjay can breath sigh of relief as all the TADA charges against him are withdrawn’

And then many experts like Salman khan saying ‘He is a good person. We knew he will come out clean’ Mr. Big B ‘Datt family and our family have relations for years he’s a good kid. He is like elder brother to abhishek’. His sister priya Datt ‘we can sleep well tonight…it’s a great relief’

In other news, Parliament was mad at Indian team for performing bad; Greg chapel said something …..; Bomb scare in gorakhpoor express; and Shah Rukh Khan replaces Big B in KBC and Sonia asked PM to consider reducing petroleum prices (I wonder who’s the PM …anyways that is not the topic so leave it…) But most of the emphasis was given on Sanjay Datt’s “phoenix like” comeback from the ashes of terrorist charges.

Surfing through the channels, one news on BBC startled me, it read, Hisbul Mujahidin’s Most wanted terrorist ‘Sohel Faisal’ killed in anantnag, India. Indian Major leading the operation lost his life in the process. Four others are injured.

It was past midnight, I started visiting the Indian channels, the ones who are ‘Sabse TEZ’, but Sanjubaba was still ruling. They were telling How Sanjubaba pleaded to the court saying ‘I am the sole bread earner for my family’ ‘I have a daughter who is studying in US who will look after her’. And then they showed how sanjubaba was not wearing his lucky blue shirt while he was hearing the verdict. Also how he went to every temple and prayed for last some months. A suspect in Mumbai bomb blasts, convicted under armory act…..was being made into a hero.

Sure Sanjubaba has a daughter; sure sanjubaba did not do any terrorist thing as in bombing some place or hijacking an airplane etc. Possessing an AK47 is considered too elementary in terrorist community and also one who possesses an AK47 has a right to possess a pistol so that again is not such a big crime; Sure sanjubaba went to all the temples; Sure he did a lot of gandhigiri but then….., people… please read on…….

Major Manish H Pitambare got the information from his sources about the terrorists’ whereabouts. Wasting no time he attacked the camp killed the Hisbul mujahidin’s suprimo and in the process lost his life….. To the bullets fired from an AK47……

He has a wife and a daughter (just like sanjubaba), age …..18 months.

Major Manish never said ‘I have a daughter’ …before he took the decision to attack the terrorist hide out in the darkest of nights?

He never thought about having a family and he being the bread earner

No news channel covered this since they were too busy hyping a former drug addict, an actor in real and reel life, a suspect who’s linked to bomb blasts which killed hundreds. Their aim was to show how he defied the TADA charges and they were so successful that his conviction in possession of armory had no meaning. They also concluded that his parents in heaven must be happy and proud of him……

Parents of Major Pitambare are still on this earth and they have to live rest of their lives without their beloved son. His daughter won’t ever see her papa again.

Definition of a Star has changed Major… it really has. So sanjubaba always has a gun in every one of his movies then in real life if he has an AK47 then what’s the big deal we are used to see him with some ammunition without it he’s just a 49yr old hero so he did it for us…..so that we feel normal;

Even if one of the bullets from one of such AK47’s took a Real Star’s life …….

but sir bole toh ….. tension nahi leneka. Aapun ko thoda bura laga. Apun pure din aapke baarein mein socha. Sach bataun kya aapun dukhi matlab ki senty ho gaya isliye ye likha.

Baaki sanjubaba…..bole toh… congrats…aapko salmaan bhai ne kya certificate diya hai …ekdum raaapchik… kal jab unka case (haan woich hiran ki shikar wala) aaye toh aap bhi aisaich bolna unke baarein mein. Abhi aaj paper mein aaya ki woh parliament mein ‘lagey raho munnabhai’ dikhane wale ….us din dekhna bhai…… pure parliament mein sab saarein sansad honge. koi walk out nahi karega par bhai uska koi gurantee nahi hai kya pata …..agar hamare sansad indian cricket team ke selection pe lad padein?...... Kya bhaai point hain naa ? AAre haan apun ko yaad aaya ….woh sansad pe hamla karnewala koi afzal tha ….use abhi fasi hui …ya nahi hui …..jaane do apun ko kya…… kuch log marein ….. sansad ko bachatein hue …but bhai unki daughters toh india mein hich sikhti hain naa aapke jaise amerika mein nahi toh tension nahi leneka………

Sorry major, wo kya hai naa logon ko shudh hindi samztich nahi aajkal bole toh logon ka hriday parivartan hone ke liye aisahich likhna padta hai. But major….. ab ye kaise hoga aaapun ko nahi pata log boley saala lagey raho dekhke puri janta ab change hoegi koi rastein mein nahi thukega ….. koi zhut nahi bolega koi kisi ko pareshaan nahi karega desh mein gandhigiri aayegi…. par major apun ko doubt hai….. pata hain kyon ?

….. rang de basanti aayi thi tab bhi log aisehich kuch toh bolein they…

Finally Sir, to my generation there is no greater hero than one who laid his life in the name of this great nation. Hence Sir, I salute you. You are the real Star, Vande mataram.

Thanks

- Nikhil D. Purwant |APAC| Infosys Pune.

what do you really want

let me ask you a small question ...
what you dont have ? think..like right now .. what do you think that you
do not have ..
ipod.. car ... home ...a girl friend .. a wife ..a raise..

ok fair enough .. now tell me what do you want from life
now you'll say what stupid ..
i want ipod.. car ... home ...a girl friend .. a wife ..a raise..

again fair enough ...

now tell me what you thought u did not have...
say when you passed out college
you wanted a job .. you wanted some money .. you wanted ..

boss ... you have a job now... you have some money .. then why something
is missing... why you are not as happy as you thought you would be


people its not always about what you dont have its more about what you want ..
and surprisingly these two are not the same ...
there are so many things you dont have .. but someday will come
when you will have most of them and..
they wont still make you happy

its about deciding what you want and not..
crying about what you dont have
so think before next time when you say
if only i had this car ... this bike .. this ..
the question is do you really want that car .. that bike

what do you want from life ....
dont spend your life just thinking about .. uff i dont have this and i dont have that
some day will come ... when u''ll have all thiss and thats ... and suddenly
you'll feel " is this what i really wanted ? for this .. have i spent all my life ?"
-nikhil purwant

meri kavita ...jab bijli chali jaatin hain ....

yesterday lights suddenly went off at my office everything just came to a standstill but this time was well spent ... read on .. hope you like it

Aaj hamare DC mein light chali gayi
PC band , AC band .. uff jaan nikal gayi

kaafi der jab 'bijli' waapas nahi aayi
kisi ko window ki yaad aayi
window khuli.. thandi hawa se pura floor bhar gaya
ye hawa..jo..roj chalti hai .....


elevators nahi chal rahi thi
kuch logon ko stairs bhi dhundni padi
aare ... stairs se toh jaldi pahuncha deti hain
haan ye such hai..
and ye stairs baaki days pe bhi yahi hoti hain


aur maine kya kiya ...
maine usse dekha jo khidki se bahar dekh rahi thi
woh haansi ... achi dikhti hai yaar...
haan bhai.. woh roj hi achi dikhti hai ....

she asked ... walk ? ..
maine kaha haan chalo ..
we talked and talked ..
'project','dart','java','validations',
'no issues','mail','reply' in words ke bina
bhi kaafi saari baaein ho sakti hai doston..
by the way ..
..she has chin dimple..when she laughs that is

tumhara favorite actor kaun hai .. mera shah rukh ..she said
maine kaha mera bhi ....
she asked really ? kyon ?
i said nahi tum hi bataao .. (saala fus gaya )
aur .. actress ..usne puchcha
sharmila tagore ... i said. she said ..
aare but she is so old ...
maine kaha aarey pura to suno..
sharmila tagore ..ki.. beti soha ali khan ..
she said "auh.. very funny" (girls say that a lot hai naa!)

6 baj gaye ...she said ab ghar hi nikal jaatin hoon
but no... light villian banke wapas aa gayi ..
i said .. ab kya... kaam ?
she said haan aur kya ...
hum wapas nikle ...
kuch log ghar bhag rahe the..
ek ne chalte chalte .. apne pm se phone pe kaha ..
sir ab toh main ..
bus mein baith gaya hoon and woh chal padi hai ..
will send that doc tomorrow ...
we looked at each other .. she laughed again .. her dimple ..

toh .. hum pahunch gaye apne apne cubicle
saarein log toh bhaag gaye the
aur hum donone ....
apna apna kaam karna chalu kiya …
actoronki dunia se hum 'no issues' ki
duniya mein aa gaye ..
mails and messanger and documents and POC and ....


ab 8 baj gaye..chalo ghar jaana hai
maine duur ka rasta liya ... uske cubicle ke baaju wala
woh abhi baithi hai .. i smiled.. she smiled back..
gettin late haan ? i said nahi .. abhi time hai..
haan baaaaaas.. ye ek mail ...she said
pressed control + enter ..
done ! she said ...

We took the stairs ..
yaar sahi mein stairs jaldi pahunchaati hai (kyon !!)
we walked towards the gate
she said aarey meri bus..
bye ... she said ...
and said.. see you tomorrow
sure...i said

kal log puchenge ye light kyon gayi
and mein puchunga yaar ye light
baar baar kyon nahi jaati...

maana ke light roj nahi jaatin hai
per khidki se baahar dekhne mein kya harz hai
khuli saas lene mein kya harz hai
lift mein saamnewaale ke id pe employee id dekhne se acha

Usko ko haske 'hi..' to keh hi sakte hai
forwards toh bahut bhejte hai ..
koi personal si mail bhejne mein kya harz hai ...

Kyonki doston…light jaayen yaa naa jaayein

Ye hawa to roj hi chalti hain

saaamne wale cubicle ki ladki…. roj hi sunder dikhti hai ©nikhil purwant