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My mind loves to wander;
my soul knows no surrender;
my heart is its own master;
yet, I am bound in fetters
by the enigma called life.

The Stranger

Ever felt like a stranger to your own emotions? Imagine coming across a reflection of yours, your lips curved into a smile… and you feel like you are looking at a picture a person who seems just vaguely familiar… or a tear flowing down your cheek goes unchecked because you didn’t even realize you were crying…

Ever felt like a stranger to your emotions because deep within, you feel so numb that nothing seems to affect you… ever felt the feeling of not feeling something?
When I was going through one such moments of reflection, I came across this ghazal written by Firaq Ghorakhpuri which seemed to resonate with my thoughts completely…

I have penned down the ghazal and my interpretation…

ye to nahii.n ke Gam nahii.n
haa.N merii aa.Nkh nam nahii.n
Sadness engulfs me, I don’t deny
And yet, my eyes remain dry

tum bhii to tum nahii.n ho aaj
ham bhii to aaj ham nahii.n
You are no longer yourself
Nor have I remained as I

ab na Khushii kii hai Khushii
Gam kaa bhii ab to Gam nahii.n
No pleasure makes me glad now
And no sorrow makes me cry

maut agarche maut hai
maut se ziist kam nahii.n
Although there is no void like death
Life itself makes me wish I die

Pecking Order :-)

A spider climbed the wall
‘Oh,’ thought the ant, ‘what gall!
Just because he has so many legs,
he treats us like bloody dregs!!’

The lizard crept up the wall
‘Oh,’ thought the spider, ‘what gall!
Just because he is a reptile,
he comes and cramps my style!!’

When he heard the cat’s lazy drawl
‘Oh,’ thought the lizard, ‘what gall!
Just because he is big and sly,
I have to scamper to a nook so high!!’

When he saw the dog ready for a brawl
‘Oh,’ thought the cat, ‘what gall!
Just because he can howl and bark
I can’t even enjoy my lark!!’

When he heard the man call
‘Oh,’ thought the dog, ‘what gall!
Just because he can walk on his hind,
he makes us run and do the grind!!’

The man thought, ‘I rule them all!’
‘Oh,’ thought He, amused, ‘what gall!
Someday each of you will perish,
when and how is purely my wish!!’

(The first stanza is courtesy my friend, Meghna.)

Today is Special...

Today is special…
Because it comes with the reflection of yesterday;
of feats achieved and lessons learnt,
of memories made and dreams realized.

Today is special…
Because it comes with the promise of tomorrow;
of challenges to face and words to keep,
of hopes to build and dreams to fulfill.

Today is special…
Because this is the moment that is alive and real;
The eternal moment when the promise
unfolds before it becomes a memory.

Today is special…
Because it is the reason to celebrate ‘You’;
For you are someone’s memory,
someone’s reality and someone’s dream.