हिमालय दर्शन...

नैनीताल: नवम्बर 2011

"हिमालय दर्शन"

एक जगह को 

नाम दिया गया 

गहन जंगलों के बीच 

जहां से दिखाई देती हैं 

सैकड़ों मील दूर 

हिमाच्छादित चोटियाँ,

गहरे हरे-काले पेड़ों के जंगल!

...सचमुच मनोरम...!

जो हो सकता था 

और भी मनोरम,

जो था ही 

और भी नैसर्गिक!

क्यों बना दी हमने 

वहां एक रायफल शूटिंग साईट

और भगा दीं

सारी भोली-भाली चिड़ियाँ

दूर!

क्यों लगा दी हमने 

प्लास्टिक की बोतलों, गुब्बारों और गेंदों की कतारें ?

विचारहीन माता-पिताओं की

इंसेंसिटिव संताने

अपमार्केट लेबल्स 

और बड़ी-बड़ी गाड़ियों का दर्प पहने हुए

मॉम और डैड की शाबाशी, मोटिवेशन और प्रोत्साहन 

पाते हुए

अस्वस्थ, ओवरवेट, शिथिल 

और मानसिक तौर पर बीमार बच्चे-

छोले-भटूरे, पिज्जा और बर्गर

की दुकानों की ओर

'शूटिंग' की मशक्कत से 

'थक' कर भागते हुए...

'जय माता दी', 'शीला की जवानी', 'वाका-वाका' और 'ब्राज़ील'

के शोर से 

असंप्रक्त, निरुपाय, असहाय

चिड़ियों को  डराते,

उनके ही घरों से 

उन्हें बेघर करते,

शाहाना और रूहानी "हिमालय दर्शन"

को नज़रंदाज़ कर 

आई-पॉड और मोबाईल फोन्स

आँखों- कानों-दिल-दिमागों में घुसाए

अपनी-अपनी गाड़ियों 

की ओर बढते हुए

चिड़ियों की त्रासदी से 

बिलकुल

बेखबर...बेपरवाह...

? !

29.12.2011:
...another year coming to an end...
wonder what is the big deal about it!
31 Dec is after all a date like any other date.

Yes, I am growing old,
but so is everyone else!

Age is only a number
if you put 52 the other way round it is 25.

And what is wrong in ageing
...or dying !

"Grow old along with me
The best is yet to be
The last of life
For which the first was made".

Nainital(India)Nov2011

The Church
Seen outside a Church:
"All religions are welcome"
...reminds me of Hindu Temples
forbidding entry to non-Hindus
and makes me appreciate
the other approach
of not only allowing
but welcoming all-
whether or not to worship!
Yes, you may be a believer
or an atheist, or a follower
of some other faith,
You are not denied entry
where THEY believe the God lives... 

...so I can now tell you what I feel...

On Naini Lake...   (05to07Nov2011)
Standing on the lakeside
on a dark evening
and looking deep
through the bottom of the lake
I find
a drop of water
I saw twenty nine years back
when I first 'met' this
magnificent depth-less body.
I realize that
millions of gallons of water
may have come-in and gone-out
of this lake
but that drop is still there...

Why, then, I can see it
in 1856 when the lake was discovered
no matter billions of gallons of water
may have come-in and gone out.

And the lake was there
since times immemorial
even before it was
discovered...

...I get a tickling inside
and goosebumps outside
to know
that my drop was
still there
unaffected
by trillions of gallons of water
which may have come-in and gone-out since then!