Confessions of a dying man

O quiet river
lead me to ur depth
i m not worthy of sunshine

Take me in
dissolve me into ur green
and relieve the world from me

Holi Aayi Re

Here comes Holi. Really missing those gujhiyaas and dahi bhallas I have been eating all those years at home. Anyways, A few lines I composed on the occasion.

मोहे सात रंग में रंगियो रंग रिज्वा
सातों ही मोरे मन को भाये
बेरंग भयी यो मोरी मैली चादर
आज तेरे रंग से धुल जाए

होली के दिन ओ सुर सखिया
रंगों में घुल रास रचायें
रंगे हुए ये हाथ मिलाकर
कोई नए नए से रंग खिलाएं

Don't forget to listen to this oldie as well

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How to read Ghalib

Attended a talk today by the Columbia Professor Frances Pritchett। The talk was titled 'How to read Ghalib'. Her claim to fame is that she has commented on each of the 1459 (if I remember correctly) shers that Ghalib wrote in his entire life and that shes now going for a second round. She tried explaining why the West is more smitten by Ghalib than any other Urdu Ustaad. The talk was more about how the language researchers should go about understanding Ghalib. She also explained a few of Ghalib's sher in this regard. I could hardly understand a few (until she translated them to English) due to my Urdu Illiteracy :).

जो खुदी को देखूं तो एक भीड़ नज़र आए
लोगों मे मैं नहीं मुझमे लोग नज़र आए

कहते हैं दुनिया मैं होना नहीं काफ़ी
वो होकर तो दिखाएं जो रहे कुछ बाकी

'अमन' ज़िंदगी से एक सवाल पूछे
तेरी मुझसे रंजिशी क्या है

Lead India Anthem

Arvind is very impressed by the 'Lead India' campaign. So am I.

http://arvindbatra.blogspot.com/2008/03/tum-chalo-i-had-to-blog-this.html

Not to forget this amazingly inspiring music video which flagged this campaign. Awesome lyrics (Gulzar Sahab! Shukriya), awesome music, awesome rendition.

Arvind especially liked the use of the words फलक and उफक and motivated me to use them in my next post. Here are some lines in the same mood.

रौन्दे आज फलक को ऐ दोस्त चल क़दमों तले
मचाएं शोर के उफक के भी कान सुने
उठायें हाथ के कब तक यूँ खामोश रहे
लगाएं जोर के पत्थर को भी पानी करें
हम हिंद, हमारी ख़ाक में वो जज्बें रहे
के सूरज की गरम धूप को भी सोना कहें

Am Florida Red

Am Back from Florida, the sun and orange country. The tan from the sun, the bruises from the sea bed and those spectacular views are still fleeting through the mind. The moisture of that eternal breeze can still be felt as I rest my face over my fingers. The trip was somewhat physically rigorous as well especially when we took to water sports in the Ocean. The body is still aching..aaarghh :-( But the pain is sweet pain and smells of Atlantic :-). Will come back with some snaps...

Gulps of sea water down the throat
By sun, my body, over fed
Burnt Bruised and Scathed with salt
I am floREDa Red