Yun Toh Aazaad Hoon Main

Dekha tha maine ek sapna,

Ho iss mitti par kuch apna,

Par sunne mili ek hi daastaan,

Jab dekha maine saara Hindustaan…

Kehne ko toh hai yeh apni zameen,

Par hai apno mein hi bohot si kami,

Seekha ek sabak, nahi apna koi haqq,

Apni kahaan, chalti hai yahaan…

Yun toh aazaad hoon main,

Par hoon ek parinda jiske par ho katein,

Zanjeerein toh nahi,

Phir bhi lage jaise kaid hoon main…

Udna hai mujhe khule aasmaan mein,

Nahi basna uss sheeshe ke makaan mein,

Jis par patthar maar gaya kal koi,

Aur aaj hai woh neta kahi,

Chubh rahe hai bikhre tukde mere har kadam par,

Aur soye hai woh chain se makhmali bistar par,

Jagaana hai ab neend se unhe,

Par khudki koi aawaaz toh ho…

Yun toh aazaad hoon main,

Par hoon ek parinda jiske par ho katein,

Zanjeerein toh nahi,

Phir bhi lage jaise kaid hoon main…

Lagao democracy ke naare,

Aur karo dange-fasaad power mein aane,

Jeet jao jo ek baar,

Toh saare gunah maaf hai tumhare…

Utaar do ab yeh naqaab apne chehre se,

Kab tak kheloge tum apne hi watan se,

Kab tak nazarandaaz karein tumhari brashtachaari,

Bebas ho gaye hai, aisi hai laachaari…

Yun toh aazaad hoon main,

Par hoon ek parinda jiske par ho katein,

Zanjeerein toh nahi,

Phir bhi lage jaise kaid hoon main…

Aashiqui 2

Finally saw Aashiqui 2 today... the film did work for me... but NOT because of the love story angle.. no, not at all. Most people saw it as a love story. But somehow, for me, the film was all about passion for your career.. A career which is your dream - for which you have to struggle, fight the times, face the lows, make your own luck, take risks and tough decisions. I saw this movie in a different light, maybe because I am at a stage where my efforts and decisions can make or break my very own dream. And I found this movie a bit similar to Rockstar; it is like a female-centric version of the Ranbir Kapoor starrer.

No defeat is final until you stop trying

     C.S. Lewis, the writer of books like Chronicles of Narnia, was rejected around 800 times before he successfully sold any of his writings... 800 times!!! All those 800 failures would have become defeats had he stopped trying. But he never stopped. He persisted, and now those 800 failures have become legendary like the writer himself.
     How many of us are as persisting as C.S. Lewis? All of us have heard the story of King Bruce and the spider as a child. The same theory of persistence applies there too. But how many of us have applied that theory in our lives?
     Most of us give up goals in life just because we cannot achieve them at one shot. But that is not how it should be. We can learn a lot even from a football match. The goal of football players is literally the goal! But they don't give up after shooting just once. They keep on running, kicking and shooting until the very last second. And there have been many last second goals that have resulted in victories. This is how life should be. You should never stop trying. There will be failures, but none of them will be defeats if you keep persisting.
     Personally speaking, I want to be a writer. And C.S. Lewis is my inspiration. And I know I won’t be defeated, because I will keep trying till the very end…

The Youth of India (248 words)

The westernization of the Indian youth is one of the best as well as the worst things that has happened to the country. The youth of India is interested in neither politics nor religion. Lack of interest in religion means less communal tension. If a person doesn’t have any views on his own religion, then why will he care about someone else’s? But many a times, the politicians try to invoke the religious sentiments of the people for their own mileage, which has led to untoward incidents in the past. Lack of interest in politics helps at this point. Today, the youth doesn’t care what the politician has to say; for them, it’s all blabber. The instigation of political leaders has no effect on them. That is a relief and a hope for a riot-free country. But on the other hand, corruption is on the rise since the youth doesn’t pay attention to politics. The inflow of black money is increasing day by day as no one feels morally responsible to keep a check on it. Ultimately, the youth is at the loss. Even culturally, the youth is slowly losing out on all the customs and traditions that give a sense of spirituality and peace to a person. If this continues, the essence of India will be no more. What is needed from the youth is a fine balancing act where they are modern without forgetting their traditional values, and keen in the political environment without being extremists.

One for all and all for one

(dedicated to my close friends)

One for all and all for one,

Let’s put back together whatever’s undone,

No matter however far away we go,

We will always sail with the flow.

All for one and one for all,

There will be times when one of us will fall,

The fall may be bad; the fall may be deep,

But a cushion you will find in the faith we keep.

One for all and all for one,

We have had our share of fun,

So if the times to cry are near,

Just hold on to us and the ones you find dear.

All for one and one for all,

There will be days when we will have a ball,

But these days will be far, these days will be few,

The key is to be patient, just like standing in a queue.

One for all and all for one,

When we stand together, we weigh a ton,

So let’s put this weight to some good use,

And not get weighed down by issues and blow our fuse.

All for one and one for all,

We can’t be divided by any wall,

Remember to always end a fight,

And always forget it all…