May 23, 2015

KRYPTONITE


In the flickering light
Almost a shadow
Playing a reminiscence of past
And lilting solitude
patiently moving to his arms
His nimble fingers
Wavering on the chords of guitar
With a silent promise of life
Just like a hummingbird
As, if he stopped
he would engulfed by his own rhythm.
Every time his crafted voice floats
he discovers himself
at the edge of partition in 1947
he was rooted out
from his very lullabies then.
Now He plays whenever
his inner child urges to sleep
And the echoes of
his sinking pulse reverberate
as world’s Kryptonite.


राजकुमार केसवानी : नौशाद साहब विशेष (अंश)


कभी-कभी सोचती हूँ, मेरा रविवार(Sunday) इतना खुशगवार ना होता अगर दैनिक भास्कर का रसरंग, (ऑल्मोस्ट साहित्य विशेषांक) पढ़ने को ना मिलता! थोड़ा सा मैं bias  हो जाऊं तो यकीन मानिए, राजकुमार केसवानी जी के क़ॉलम का हर हफ्ते बेसब्री से इंतज़ार करती हूँ, Sunday खत्म भी नहीं होने पाता कि उनके लिखे लफ्ज़ो की cutting मेरे छोटे से फॉल्डर में अपनी जगह तय कर लेती है।

Naushad Sahab (Photo Credit - Google)

नौशाद जी को कौन नहीं जानता, एक जाने-पहचाने music director  थे। जिनका बचपन लखनऊ में बीता। उनके संगीतबद्ध किए नगमे आज भी हमारे ज़हन पर छाए रहते हैं। आज पुरानी राहों से, अफसाना लिख रही हूँ, मेरे महबूब तुझे मेरी मोहब्बत की कसम, आज पुरानी राहों से, मधुबन में राधिका.. याद है?   

गत सप्ताह “नौशाद साहब विशेष” में केसवानी जी ने कुछ ऐसा किस्सा साझा किया, कि खुद को नहीं रोक सकी और अपनी इस छोटी सी दुनिया में आप सबके साथ केसवानी जी के कॉलम से लिया गया वही अंश share कर रही हूँ।

राजकुमार केसवानी जी : नौशाद साहब विशेष

Rajkumar Keswani Ji ( Photo Credit : Google)

जाते-जाते एक बड़ी नाजुक सी बात कह देना चाहता हूँ। कामयाबी के चांद-तारों जो छूने को मचलते इंसानो के लिए एक बात। दुनियावी कामयाबी कभी इतनी बड़ी कामयाबी नहीं बन पाई है के इंसानी रिश्तों और मोहब्ब्तों से बड़कर कामयाब हो सके। किशोर कुमार आखिरी दिनों में खंडवा लौटने को बैताब थे तो नौशाद साहब भी कम बैचेन नहीं थे। अपने उरूज़ के दौर में ही नौशाद ने अपनी नानी को एक खत लिखा था, जिसका लब्बो-लुबाब वही था कि “ ये दौलत भी ले लो य़े शौहरत भी ले लो..!

“आपका खत प्यार भरा मिला। पढ़कर सबकी बहुत ही याद आई। फिर एक बार बचपन आँखों के सामने घूम गया। खुदा आपको सलामत रखे। हमारी नानी का घर सलामत रहे। कई बार ऐसा ख्याल आता है कि एक बार सब बच्चों को लाऊँ और आपके पास ठहरूं और मस्ज़िद की छत से फिर पतंग उड़ाऊं और नानी की आवाज़ सुनूं कि- अरे कमबख्तों! मस्ज़िद की छत से उतरो गुनाह पड़ेगा। फिर वो तकिए वाले पीर साहब की मज़ार पर जाऊं। और वो हमारा.. इमली का पेड़, उससे लिपट्कर खूब जी भरकर रो लूँ।“ 



     

May 22, 2015

Silent Dew : A Poem

My day starts with your birdie voice
And ends with your shining smile...
When sadness fills my heart
You lean on my shoulder and sprinkle your touch..

In my high times and in my deep fears
You have always been my inner strength
No matter what I bear..

Words are fewer and you know,
My love is immeasurable for you
I know I can’t always be with you
One day, you will be liberated from my Don’ts and Do's

But I wish every time you wake up
Nature bestows smiles on you
Every time you look at your leaves

You will find me there as silent dew..!

- Ankita Chauhan 

Book Review : The House That BJ Built by Anuja Chauhan



Title: The House That BJ Built
Author: Anuja Chauhan
Publisher: Westland Ltd.
Genre: Literary Fiction
Pages: 410
Source: Flipkart Review Program  
Rating: 5/5

In this present scenario when couple of books has been releasing every day. It is hard for readers to pick the right one, of course time worthy. Personally I avoid over-flowing-love fiction as most Indian authors writing these days. But when I read first book of Anuja Chauhan ‘ Zoya’s factor’, I found her as cause for celebration. And with next read ‘Those Pricey Thakur Girls’ she became a most promising Indian author of literary fiction especially for me.


And now ‘The House That BJ Built by Anuja Chauhan’ has already occupied the reading floor. It’s time to meet our favorite characters again (YaY Moment), those beautiful (but troublesome) alphabetically named daughters of Justice Laxmi Narayan Thakur. Actually this book is a sequel of “Those Pricey Thakur Girls” but Anuja interlaced the characters so well that you found it more refreshing and delectable.



As, 


“I’ll make my sisters squirm like well-salted earthworms.
 I won’t sell. Even my jutti won’t sell.
 And if I die na, then even my ghost won’t sell.” 

“She has no hissa. If you open your mouth we’ll borrow next-door-ka-pistol and sambhar vada  you both. Imagine!”  


“Take your Time. Think it out. I’m not going anywhere. Not now. Not ever.”

“The House That BJ Built” is basically a story of a girl, Bonu singh Rajawat who runs a workshop, set up on the first floor of BJ’s (Her Grandfather) house. The workshop is Bonu’s pride and joy.  
“Bonu is a girl who doesn’t respect any rules, who picks locks and rips off designers and order nasbandis without worrying at all about right or wrong.” That what’s Samar thought.


Samar?  Samar is Bonu’s childhood crush, a step-cousin and a young director who arrived back after ages at BJ’s House (Hailey Road. Delhi). Somehow the story takes turn and BJ (Their Grandfather) left the world with a promise that Samar would sell the Bj’s property and distribute the Hissas in all alphabetical aunts equally. and then comes the interesting part, varieties of obstacles esp. an extended family (a philanderer uncle) and mystery behind her great grandmother’s death. Meanwhile Samar falls for Bonu The Chhamchham unexpectedly.


Here a great applause for Anuja chauhan, she managed to render the characters in an impressive way that you hooked with the story till the end, It took me less than two days to complete it. [Note: Those who don’t want to lose their jobs please read it on weekend because it’s really hard to put it down once you started]


And those who were thinking that love ka the end of Eshwari and ‘Steesh’ in “Pricey Thakur Girls”. There is a vibrant surprise for you. Hope you would like to find it by yourself.


These light hearted still relatable dialogues filled with colloquial nuances, make you realize that you’re dealing with an intellectual writer on the other side I have no words to describe Anuja’s sense of humor. She will give you the “pet-pakdo-laugh” for sure. She will make you giggle with tangy romance between Bonu and Samar.

If, you have been waiting for profound yet entertaining read, Hey Jack, Anuja is back!

Flipkart Link : The House That BJ Built By Anuja Chauhan

You Tube Link : The House That BJ Built By Anuja Chauhan

Twitter Handle of an Author is  @anujachauhan .





May 04, 2015

An Intention

                                                         An Intention :

“What do you think of yourself? You’re just six years old. At the age of wiping your nose, you’re playing with electricity?” 
And a sudden slap imprinted on his right cheek, he trembled but his eyes were still clinging on that wire, which was connected with a lighted bulb.

When his mother threw herself on cot with sombre expression, he resettled that wire, near that window which opened into her friend’s home. He knew “It has been raining outside and his friend was not able to read under road-light today.”
Now smile found its way on his teary-lips. 















April 25, 2015

Tiny Sapling

In the midst of countless faces, his eyes continuously seeking for her, everybody celebrating their graduation day but she was nowhere. He crawled into a chair and observed those lives which were going to be transformed radically. When it comes to matter of future, there was hope, trust, stability in their innocent eyes. The feeling of liberty can be trenchant and comforting at the same time. He glanced at that inscription DMU.

“MUD, One day I had planted my tiny sapling here for her blooming future.” He promptly strengthened his shoulders.
“Dad” She lilted.

Sudden happiness made him trembled.




April 19, 2015

Two Voices : A Poem


It was cold and tenuous evening
Moonlit scattered in the whole misty sky
While clouds gobbled up the warm sun,
Two voices standing on the sea-shore
Surrounded by mute silences
Brushing away the moments of feeble sadness
Restoring the beauty of life,
Reviving the delicate trust
So what if there are few mishappenings
Who told them life would be a cradle of sunshine?
Waves of hope tangled in their heart
No more tears No more sighs
Couple of lips with radiant smiles.

- Ankita Chauhan 

April 10, 2015

Her Oblivion - A Short Story




Happy Pearl : A Short Story

“Why are you smiling that way?”
“Summers must be nearby.”  He peered excitedly.
This elderly couple just came to Kerala and celebrating their wrinkled childhood on the house boat. They both reclined on the floor trying to grab the waves. They glanced at the pink-golden haze of sky and lost into nothingness for hours. Suddenly he snuggled her hand closer and recollected his vague memories.
“But baba! Why can’t I come with you?”
“Because they hired me, I’m not the owner of the boat.”  

He trembled with teary happiness “Dear, it took me 40-years to find this happy pearl!”