Zindagi

ज़िन्दगी एक आस है , एक अन कही सी प्यास है
मंजिल लगे जो दूर है , डटकर बढ़ो तो पास है
मृगजल के सम है ज़िन्दगी , साये की तरह है हर ख़ुशी ,
दौडोगे जितना पास इसके उतनी ही ये निराश है ,
क्यों प्यास सबको है यहाँ , क्यों है गमो की सुर्खियाँ ,
लगता है सब कुछ पा लिया , फिर क्यों है दिल में खालियाँ,
नहीं बस हुआ अब ये समां , दुखड़ा जो दुनिया का सुना ,
मैंने तो दुःख के जाल में , आशा का सपना है बुना ,
जी कर रहूंगी ज़िन्दगी , पा कर रहूंगी हर ख़ुशी ,
जब ठान लोगे बात यह,पा लोगे तुम सारा जहाँ ....... :)

Delhi - Paradise for onwheel artists!!!!

One hand on horn, One hand is bribing,
Busy on cell-phone and music is deafening,
Foot on accelerator,  Eyes on girls around,
Screaming on someone whose car is not sounds

"Welcome to Delhi!!!"

In delhi, driving is an art. If you don't agree then just have a chance on delhi roads. Here Luck is exactly what you need to drive. I am pretty sure; more that 50% of Delhi drivers can't pass the driving licensing test if they have to take it today. And to complement this, traffic diversions with bouncy narrow road on the name of development for commonwealth games make the journey a master piece.

Since last many years, drive from the Income Tax office (ITO) crossing, one of the busiest crossings right under the Delhi Police head quarter, haven't changed. Here each driver fight for every inch of the space, demonstrate his best of fine driving skills to cross the traffic maze. But problem doesn't end there. How can one forget the Delhi trademark killer lines standing just in the middle of the road for passengers. Above of that, minor bumping with complementary invectives which is now becoming a routine for every driver. Thanks to those honkers who never allow you to even listen to those words as they honk at even potholes and speed-breakers.

Another boon for delhi roads are call center cabs. Their drivers believe they are immortal. They are the lord of the roads and have the first right of way, unless you are bent on suicide. They have a simple theory, While it is possible to fit a 15-foot car into a 15-foot space, it is seldom possible to fit a 16-foot car into a 15-foot space. Sad but true.Few days back, I was talking to one of them, when he nearly convinced me that Delhi traffic rule have changed. Here yellow light doesn't mean to slow down. It actually means to speed up and get through the intersection before the light turns red. And that guy is religiously following this rule since last 7 years.

Unfortunately this is not the story of just one driver. I can bet that each driver have their own interpretation of their driving class lessons. For example "Two second rule". I bet for majority of the driver it means forget your driving lessons within two second after the driving test is over. And for other it means touch 100 km/hr within two second the light turn green. Whereas it actual mean to maintain 2 second distance between you and the car in front.

But the real art is demonstrated by the young bikers. Road-Rash (video game) is what they play every day on the delhiroads. For them speed limit are some arbitrary figure which is there so that you can feel guilty. Thus one should not pay much attention to them. And if someone does, give him/her a look as he/she is a biggest fool on earth.

Thus I finally decided to take my driving lessons again so that I can learn these new Delhi traffic rules. What about you?????

Me MUMBAIkar

In the spirit of mumbai, which never dies.....

"में मुम्बईकर"

आंख में सपने, दिल में अपने, बस ख्वाब देखते रहते है|

यहाँ चोबीस घंटे मरते है,बस कुछ पल ही जी लेते है||

भाग दौड़ की रेस में हम सब नंबर वन ही रहते है|

यहाँ चोबीस घंटे मरते है,बस कुछ पल ही जी लेते है|| 

रात को घर की और भागना, 4 बजे फिर सुबह जागना|

भीड़ चीर कर, ट्रेन पकड़कर, चैन की साँसे लेते है||

खड़े खड़े फिर मूंद के आँखे, थोडा सा सोलेते है|

यहाँ चोबीस घंटे मरते है,बस कुछ पल ही जी लेते है||

लाखो खर्चो फ्लैट खरीदो, जो बचे उसे इन्वेस्ट कर दो|

पैसा पैसा जोड़ के भैया, वड़ापाव पे जीता है||

स्टाइल मरने लड़की हो तो "English Cola" पीता है|

यहाँ चोबीस घंटे मरता है,बस कुछ पल ही जी लेता है||

प्यार करना है, मगर जगह नहीं है,भीड़ में भैया मज़ा नहीं है|

हर नुक्कर का खोज के कोना, थोडा प्यार कर लेते है||

तीन गए तो "चोथा option" सदा ट्राई कर लेते है|

यहाँ चोबीस घंटे मरते है,बस कुछ पल ही जी लेते है||

कुछ बुड्ढो के दांत नहीं है, कुछ बीवी का साथ नहीं है|

"हरियाली" पर नज़र गड़ाकर आँख सेकते रहते है||

थोडा अगर कोई catch करे तो, दिल फेकते रहते है|

यहाँ चोबीस घंटे मरते है,बस कुछ पल ही जी लेते है|| 

लड़की के तो ठाट बड़े है, पर्स में makeup kit भी पड़े है|

आँख मारदे अगर लड़का कोई, मुह पर गाली देती है||

फिर यह किस्सा सब को सुनकर, थोडा खुश हो लेती है|

यहाँ चोबीस घंटे मरती है,बस कुछ पल ही जी लेती है|| 

भाग रहा है, दौड़ रहा है, तिनका तिनका जोड़ रहा है|

जान पे बन आजाये तो, यह टूटे दिल तो सीता है||

सांस रुके पर, रुके न लड़ना, आस के दम पर जीता है|

यहाँ चोबीस घंटे मरता है, बस कुछ पल ही जी लेता है||

"में मुम्बईकर" जीना और मरना, इस्सी ज़मी पर चाहता है|

यहाँ चोबीस घंटे मरता है, बस कुछ पल ही जी लेता है||

English Examination

अब था एक भयानक पेपर, जिसको कहते है अंग्रेजी,

जिसका परिक्षक है कडूस, या कह्सकते है - एक दर्जी |

दर्जी नहीं तो और क्या कहू, जो नंबर हरदम काटता है,

नंबर काटकर खुद रखलेता, और कतरन हमें थमता है|

पढने बैठकर बस किताब का एक ही टुक लगाया था,

एस बार सारी किताब आएगी, यह याद तभी मुझे आया था|

राम ही जाने केसे केसे, राम भरोसे पढाई करी,

पर विद्यालय में घुसने से पहले, बिल्ली रास्ता काट गई|

पर उसकी परवाह न करके, विद्यालय को पहुचे हम,

पर्चे को देखते ही, उखाड़ने लगा हमारा दम|

पर्चा था सों नंबर का, पर एक नंबर की आस नहीं,

एस बार तो भगवान् भी, हमको पास करवा सकता नहीं|

तभी घंटे का घंटा बजा, जब हाथ पाँव मेरे फूल गए,

दिमाग घूमा, जब देखा, हमने पर्चे पर एक भी शब्द भी लिखा नहीं|

तब हमने कलम को तो शताब्दी ट्रेन बना दिया,

जो मन में आया अटर शटर, वह पर्चे पर उतार दिया|

जो भी प्रशन नहीं याद किये थे, वह भी पर्चे पे दे मारे,

अंत में जब कुछ न सूझा तो, कुछ लतीफे भी दे मारे|

परीक्षा के बाद जब मास्टर जी, हमारी कक्षा में पधारे,

सारे पर्चे छोड़ कर, मेरे हि उत्तर सुना ड़ाले|

बच्चे सारे हस रहे, और मुझको तानो का पात्र बना दिया,

सारे नंबर छोड़ कर, एक अंडा मुझे थमा दिया|

BORN TO DIE…….Female Infanticide

Will the problem of female infanticide ever be solved? Sadly, this is a major issue still faced by many policy makers and NGOs of our country.

The phenomenon of female infanticide is as old as many cultures, and has likely accounted for millions of gender-selective deaths throughout history.

"Female infanticide is the intentional killing of baby girls due to the preference for male babies and from the low value associated with the birth of females." It is arguably the most brutal and destructive manifestation of the anti-female bias that pervades "patriarchal" societies It is closely linked to the phenomena of sex-selective abortion, and neglect of girl children.

This is done after a determination is made usually by ultrasound but also rarely by amniocentesis or another procedure that the fetus is of an undesired sex. Sex selective infanticide is the practice of selective infanticide against infants of an undesired sex. One common method is child abandonment.

These practices are especially common in some places where cultural norms value male children over female children. Societies that practice sex selection in favor of males are quite common, China, India and Pakistan, many other developing countries in Asia and North Africa.

The practice of female deselection in India could be attributed to socioeconomic reasons. There is a belief by certain people in India that female children are inherently less worthy because they leave home and family when they marry, a system known to anthropologists as patrilocality.

Studies in India have indicated three factors of female deselection in India, which are economic utility, sociocultural utility, and religious functions. The factor as to economic utility is that studies indicate that sons are more likely than daughters to provide family farm labor or provide in or for a family business, earn wages, and give old-age support for parents. Upon marriage, a son makes a daughter-in-law an addition and asset to the family providing additional assistance in household work and brings an economic reward through dowry payments, while daughters get married off and merit an economic penalty through dowry charges.

In India, there are less than 93 women for every 100 men in the population. The accepted reason for such a disparity is the practice of female infanticide in India

In some countries, it is currently illegal to determine the sex of a child during pregnancy using ultra-sound scans. Laboratories are prohibited to reveal the fetus's sex during such scans. While most established labs comply with the law, determined persons can find a cheaper lab that would tell them. Like the Chinese, the Indians also use the postnatal alternative, which is sex-selective infanticide.

In rural areas where a lot of people do not have access to sex determination facilities, female infanticide is shockingly common. The parents wait until the mother gives birth, and when they find out that a daughter is born, they go ahead and kill the baby by adopting various means such as giving her poison, dumping her in a garbage bin, drowning her, burying her alive, stuffing her mouth with salt.

Although disclosing the gender of a foetus is illegal, there are numerous doctors that disclose the child's sex for an enhanced fee, and then offer to arrange for the abortion. Thus although there is a good law in place, its implementation is not as effective as it should be.

Although all of us take pride in our Indian culture, we need to recognize that there is something fundamentally wrong with a culture that assumes the superiority of males, and that celebrates Indian women for being meek, submissive and sacrificial. One way you can help counter this mindset is by being proud of the women in your life, and by taking pride in yourself if you are a woman.

Confession....

To,

The Principal,
Shyama Prasad Vidyalaya,
Lodhi Estate, New Delhi 3.


Dear Madam,

After so many years I realize that the main reason of no reduction in my weight even after so many workouts is the loads of my deed which I am carrying on my shoulder, since my school days. Thus after gathering so much courage today, I am writing this letter to confess my acts of troubling to school administrator, teachers, my class fellows and all the working staff of school with hope that one day or another, I will get a chance to see myself as size "Zero".

Since our class one, we have been taught that our ancestors were ape/monkey. And I think, I am the only one who took this lesson seriously and proved it undoubtable. In fact I would not like to take all the credit by myself and certainly would like to share the honor with my seniors too. Who were just matchless. Naming them in public domain will be bit harsh.

I would like to pay regards to all of my seniors who trained me to go down the benches to unite the shoe laces & tie them together with the other’s foot. And how can i miss to confess that it was me who use to tie the water bottles(kept outside the classroom) just before the school got over so that i could be the first to leave the class while others crying for their bottle being stuck. This relationship with my seniors was never end there. I almost invented a perfect business model during my primary school days with my contacts in middle and senior classes esp. girls, with whom I use to smuggle several canteen food items into primary section and kept teachers wondering about it. This business was flourishing so well that I used to opt for punishment of standing outside the class near girls washroom which was incidentally our smuggling point. But soon many big competitors join me in this business which made difficult for me to survive and thus I ended up losing my entire customer base.

But my quick learning from seniors remains intact like throwing tamarind seed to each other, which was one of the fashion trends of that time. Orange peels were used to make ones eye red, pasting chewing gum in each other’s head was quite gallantry. In one such instance when our science class was in full flow, I wanted to be innovative. Thus I started throwing tamarind seeds on the rotating fan and whenever the blade touched the seed it gave a tannnnnnnn sound and irritates the teacher. But unfortunately i never got much time to explore it more as one of the seed end up on the teachers head. Thanks to my reputation in class, no-one doubted me and this case became a big mystery of that time.

During my middle classes, my innovations were at peak. I kept on inventing or inheriting all new ideas to hide myself from the discipline custodians. Although our school was nowhere in dramatic, but still I could point out few great actors in my school. And fortunately I was one of them. School prayer was one of the best times to portray your art and to ditch all the discipline checks in the way to class. My acting of dehydration was flawless and thus all of my good friends keep me surrounded during my performance time. But unfortunately this trick also has a limitation, as it can't be used all the time. Hence we as a group derived few backup plans to ditch those huddles. We start volunteering ourselves as a workforce for our music teacher and help her in taking all the music equipments back to the music room after prayer and from there we went down to the backyard of the school where we use to play squash without any racket. Although I was not a good sportsman, I had never accepted that throughout my school life. Still most of the time, my innovations set several new trends in my class. One of them was completely miscued punch-squash smash which became so famous that it had broken nearly all of the window pane of the computer lab. Any how my desires to become a good sportsman never end up there. During free time I with my few friends started practicing javelin throw in my class with class broom as javelin. Here again I proved my capabilities by missing the target completely and breaking another window pane. Hope all those window panes have been fixed by now.

By the time I reached senior classes, I start concentrating on the perfection in each of my act. My 11th class english teacher still believe that my name is "Abhishek", as I use to make lots of proxies for him. We use to follow our own timetable and thus utilize those boring classes for enhancing our drawing skills. Class tests were like "Copy + Paste" as there was no difference in the answer of the entire class. My strategy and plans of monkeyness were so perfect that I planted a serial bomb (cracker) blasts in all of the washrooms before diwali at the assembly time without even a single trace. No one still knows who had done it. To stop such act, school discipline committee formed a search squad with me as student incharge to search all the classes/all the bags for crackers with a clear instruction to "Highlight all the Crackers we found". But this time, I completely misinterpreted the instruction and lighted all the crackers we found. That year was terrible from the discipline perspective as we (Prefect Team) were leading all the undisciplinary actions from the front.

Finally in the hope of forgiveness, I want to close my endless confessions here with the final confession that it was me who dented your new Maruti 800 while practicing catches with our cricket ball for which the nearby children were blamed.


Your Monkey Student,
Piyush Maharishi