To Men in our Lives

(​For my classmates on the occasion of men’s day)

What would our lives be 

If there were no men?

Would living be as much fun

If there were only women?

So here’s to the man of macho walk

And to the one of smooth talk

To the one with the studious bent

And to the one who’s a perfect gent

The one who loves to jest

As well as the one who is the best

To the one who is an  eternal romeo

And the one who was always the hero

The one who was full of swagger

And the one a known bragger

To the one with a helping hand

And the one with the musical band

To the one with a mellifluous voice

And the one full of poise

The one who had a way with words

And the one who knew all about bees and birds

The one who would set tracks on fire

And the one who would never tire

The one known as the gentle soul

And the one who could juggle any role

To the one who danced effortlessly

And the one who talked ceaselessly

The one who was the quietest of the lot

And the one who cared not a jot

I could go on and on

But the idea is to tell you all

However and whatever you maybe,

Our lives are full because of you all.

Women may be from venus and men from mars,

There can be no friendship better than ours.

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आपके लिए

This is for my Hindi teacher, Mrs. Talwar, who opened the wonderful world of Hindi language and literature for me. ( On her birthday yesterday)

जीवन की सीढ़ियाँ चढ़ते-चढ़ते

न जाने कब साँझ हो गई ।

आने वाले कल की तलाश में

उम्र यूँही तमाम हो गई ।

जिंदगी के ऐसे पड़ाव पर हूँ

जब बचपन की बहुत याद आई ।

जब यादों  का पिटारा खंगाला तो

तो स्कूल की मधुर स्मृतियाँ नजर आईं ।

कई चेहरे धूमिल से हैं, कुछ मानसपटल पर छाए हैं

आप और आपके पढ़ाए पाठ हरगिज़ नही भूल पाई।

Burial

This is not a dirge for my shattered dreams,

Nor a lament for my unrealised wishes,

I just want to finally bury, my callow fantasies, 

That spurred me on my onward journey.

Youth painted a spangled vision

With warm and vibrant hues.

Reality dulled the colours and the spangles proved tacky,

Dashing to smithereens some of my hopes.

Heartbroken and at times teary-eyed,

I  gathered all the broken shards 

And kept them in safekeeping 

As mementos of my youthful past,

Of innocence lost and

Of hard knocks life mete out to me.

I don’t rue the unfulfilled dreams

For not all dreams can come true,

But it crushed my idealism, romanticism and my naivety,

That was the bedrock of all my aspirations.

I am older now and hopefully wiser,

I realise the futility of carrying this burden.

So, I have decided to give a decent burial

To dreams that could not turn to reality.

I mourn not the loss, for I learnt important lessons

The most important; to travel sans baggage.

I now look forward to the rest of the journey

With fewer expectations and a lighter heart.