As I scan through the closing millennium,
and see through ages how far we've come,
not very far for myself I say,
a century with 4 generations if I may.
A century that happened to recall to me,
an agonizing struggle of my family tree.
To leave a foot print with life they fought,
a happy living was what they sought.
A century of my family i desire to pen,
an epic to portray all ladies and their men.
As the old order changes yielding place to new,
so shall this ode reveal all parts wells sewed.
A century ago is where I begin to ponder,
on a man who's my father's father.
A man who elevated the Salgar Clan
with a surname to last as a future plan.
A dignified personality was he,
pious and disciplined in every field.
friends to him were his only books
and with affection to all he'd look.
There came a lady with a 'golden heart'
held his hand & said "Till end we wont part".
A pillar of strength was she to all,
from rich to poor, big and small.
So tragic was gods game of fate,
their son and daughter reached heavens gate.
The family of eight now reduced to six,
a difficult life for them to fix.
Their eldest boy was hulk of a man,
a mumma's pet and a business fan.
So elegant was he with the tongue,
he could easily mix with old and young.
His wife was beautiful short and wise,
who struggled at home & at work to rise.
She was loving - caring & strived for perfection,
religious, devout walking the truth filled direction.
The kids they had was a boy and a girl,
each a unique character to unfurl.
The boy was me and the girl my sis,
we'd respect our parents with a hug & a kiss.
My Sister is beautiful ever agile and bright,
whose cooking and art are perfect and right.
She's now married to a veterinary doctor,
who is a gold medalist in life's every sector.
Next is gramps decent sober son,
who favored seriousness more than fun.
a silent person who would always plan,
with shares, securities & the insurance clans.
Like the husband was his futuristic consort,
a lady smart with the tongue so also the heart.
Of late she attends a divine congregation,
to purify the soul is her great intention.
Together they've reared two wonderful boys,
while one is small & dashing the elder is coy.
Pappu & Deepu are they commonly called,
towards fun and frolic they always crawled.
Pappu the elder was a bright upcoming engineer,
who scarcely allowed girls to come near.
Later we understood that this was a deception,
unknown to anybody he chose a Maharashtrian.
Deepu a flamboyant lover was every students foe,
having girlfriends always around him from head to toe.
Always enthued and dashing was this mama's boy,
who finally married his colleague with joy.
They did these acts in a surprise manner,
they stumbled on love as a present order.
This reason they thought was enough to hide,
but took the family's values & traditions for a ride.
So tragic was the story of Gramps remaining son,
whom people teased and always made fun.
He's mad! he's insane everyone would say,
but to me he was sane & good in every way.
What now to talk of Gramps only daughter,
rolly polly is she and a very talented dancer.
She is now the family's youngest granny,
supported by her intelligent hubby.
they had 3 daughters with a na na trend,
ask them anything "Mak Gothna" they said.
The eldest one was a socialistic kind,
helping people & relations always on mind.
Married to a man smart and astute,
who gave er a darling who's chubby and cute.
The second daughter was a real beauty,
who married a tally while on duty.
The tally loves her and the cyber mall,
together the lovebirds have a wonderful US ball.
The final daughter was a stoic silent one,
who at her work also found her lucky one.
Hand in hand they now walk the nuptial land,
and together they settled in US the dreamland.
With these few verses I've tried to relate,
the different families and their members update.
Hoping this would set the stage for future memory,
and explain clearly at leisure MY FAMILY TREE.
The articles and poems are an outcome of what I have learnt from life’s own teachings which we term as experiences as well as looking through the hourglass of academics and ample reading...... Happy Reading
Dont Do Drugs
As part of my community service initiatives with an NGO I happened to visit a rehabilitation center for Drug Abuse where I happened to dialogue with one of the patients undergoing treatment. His experiences drove me to write this poem in his active voice. This individual breathed his last just a fortnight ago leaving behind a pair of foot torn jeans, a few T Shirts (one of which bore a slogan that read "Discard this with the baggage inside") and 2 books one being Rabindranath Tagore's "Gitanjali" and the other, a copy of the Bhagvad Gita by C Rajagopalachari. He quoted from them every now and then (sometimes with word additions of his own) which are also included as a few lines in the poem. I write this as a tribute to him who I am sure wished to convey the message so that others do not succumb to this "Mans greatest enemy of present times".
I was unaware of the moment when I crossed the threshold of life,
I had strength, power and vigor but no beauty as my wife.
One morning when I woke up and looked upon the light
I felt like a stranger who was always "Mr Right".
I took a shot of a dreaded drug to find solace atleast once
It took the form of my mother welcoming with open arms.
My mind and the limbs were thrilled with its ever pulsating surge
and then carried me through a dreamland where wondrous things emerged.
Blessed with those achievements i roamed around with fame.
the visions further gave me the strength to delete my earthly name.
In this playhouse Ive had my play with elf's friends fairies and all,
nameless and formless together we played and had a wonderful ball.
As I treaded back from this wonderland through an eerie lane with no passerby
I felt all parched up, weary and thought that now I was going to die.
Again a shot of my wonder drug did put me in a stable state
This game of fate did really give life to me a little late.
So wonderful was this fairyland its hard to explain off hand
a shot of it will take you man on a trip for you to understand.
After years of such constant use
the veins on my hand have begun to ooze
the oozing produces such an intense pain
its anytime better than a mental strain.
The constant doses have now kept me always on a pleasant flight.
Now to me there is neither day or neither night.
From these trips I know not if ever I shall come back
Not even if my end come here coz Ive also drugged the tracks.
Ive made this land my abode coz its such a peaceful serene world
when I go from hence to there let this be my parting word.
"Drugs" the unloved ones may feel as their only support
but they always are life's major spoil sport.
"Don't do drugs" is what you need to keep in mind
and love is all around you - 'YOU' will find.
I was unaware of the moment when I crossed the threshold of life,
I had strength, power and vigor but no beauty as my wife.
One morning when I woke up and looked upon the light
I felt like a stranger who was always "Mr Right".
I took a shot of a dreaded drug to find solace atleast once
It took the form of my mother welcoming with open arms.
My mind and the limbs were thrilled with its ever pulsating surge
and then carried me through a dreamland where wondrous things emerged.
Blessed with those achievements i roamed around with fame.
the visions further gave me the strength to delete my earthly name.
In this playhouse Ive had my play with elf's friends fairies and all,
nameless and formless together we played and had a wonderful ball.
As I treaded back from this wonderland through an eerie lane with no passerby
I felt all parched up, weary and thought that now I was going to die.
Again a shot of my wonder drug did put me in a stable state
This game of fate did really give life to me a little late.
So wonderful was this fairyland its hard to explain off hand
a shot of it will take you man on a trip for you to understand.
After years of such constant use
the veins on my hand have begun to ooze
the oozing produces such an intense pain
its anytime better than a mental strain.
The constant doses have now kept me always on a pleasant flight.
Now to me there is neither day or neither night.
From these trips I know not if ever I shall come back
Not even if my end come here coz Ive also drugged the tracks.
Ive made this land my abode coz its such a peaceful serene world
when I go from hence to there let this be my parting word.
"Drugs" the unloved ones may feel as their only support
but they always are life's major spoil sport.
"Don't do drugs" is what you need to keep in mind
and love is all around you - 'YOU' will find.
Some Tit-Bits - कुछ पंक्तियाँ
मेरी जिंदगी
अपनी जिंदगी है एक तैरती कश्ती की तरह
आगे चलूँ तो डगमगाए अगर रुकू तो भी डगमगाए।
सदा घिरी रही भाव सागर की लहरों मे इस तरह
जैसे चाँद घन-घोर घटाओं के बीच छुप जाये।
एक आशा है की कोई सही दिशा दे रब की तरह
और इस डगमगाती जिंदगी को किनारे तक पहुंचाए।
*****************************************
याद
आज सुबह जब आपका संदेसा आया,
उसे पढ़ते ही मेरा मन हर्षाया।
सोचाथा भूल गए है आप हमें
और खो गए है आप जीवन के दौड़ मे।
पता नहि क्यों आज आपने हमें याद किया
पर मिलने का नाम अभीतक नहीं लिया।
सोच मे है हम जिंदगी मे आपके कुछ बन पाए
और आपके जीवन मे सिर्फ याद बनकर न रह जाये।
**********************************************
अपनी जिंदगी है एक तैरती कश्ती की तरह
आगे चलूँ तो डगमगाए अगर रुकू तो भी डगमगाए।
सदा घिरी रही भाव सागर की लहरों मे इस तरह
जैसे चाँद घन-घोर घटाओं के बीच छुप जाये।
एक आशा है की कोई सही दिशा दे रब की तरह
और इस डगमगाती जिंदगी को किनारे तक पहुंचाए।
*****************************************
याद
आज सुबह जब आपका संदेसा आया,
उसे पढ़ते ही मेरा मन हर्षाया।
सोचाथा भूल गए है आप हमें
और खो गए है आप जीवन के दौड़ मे।
पता नहि क्यों आज आपने हमें याद किया
पर मिलने का नाम अभीतक नहीं लिया।
सोच मे है हम जिंदगी मे आपके कुछ बन पाए
और आपके जीवन मे सिर्फ याद बनकर न रह जाये।
**********************************************
मेरी सीख - My lifes learning
कोख से निकलते जिंदा होने के दर्द को सीखा,
पैदा होते ही माँ की ममता और दुलार को सीखा,
पालने मे लेटे दूसरों को ख़ुशी देनेवाली खिलखिलाहट को सीखा.
पिता के उड़ान-पकड़ में दूसरों पे विश्वास करना सीखा,
बालपन बीता बुजुर्गोंसे उच्छा संस्कार पाने मे,
भाई बहनऔर दोस्तों से नत्खाती शरारतोंको सीखा.
पाठशाला में अध्यापकों से विद्या ग्रहण करना सीखा,
विश्वविध्यालय में विद्या से ज्ञान पाना सीखा,
खेल कूद में कपटी खिलाडियों के तोड़ मोड़ जोड़ सीखा.
महाग्रंथों से सदाचार के महत्व सीखा,
धार्मिक सहचारियों से भक्तिभाव सीखा,
गुरु-सार्वभौम के जीवनसार से जीवन का तात्पर्य सीखा.
यौवन पहुंचते ही प्रेम रोग से बचना सीखा,
अध्-यौवन में निष्ठा तथा लगन से काम करना सीखा,
अति यौवन में देश भ्रमण से अनेक संस्क्रिथिया सीखा.
विवाह पश्चात गृहस्थ जीवन का आनंद लेना सीखा,
ग्रहस्थी बनकर जिम्मेदारियों से नाता जोड़ना सीखा,
बच्चे के परवरिश में आदर सत्कार का भूमिका सीखा.
बुजुर्गों के निधन पर शोक ग्रस्त की भाषा सीखा,
पिता के गुजरने के बाद खटकती अकेलेपन क्या होती है यह सीखा,
कुछ दिन पश्चात इस अकेलेपन से झूँझ्ना भी सीखा.
लोगो के बदलते षड्तंत्री रूप पढ़कर खुद को संभालना सीखा,
हर पल जीवन के हर मोड़ पर कुछ न कुछ तो है सीखा,
सीखने का कोई अंत तथा आयु नहीं ये भी मैंने है सीख.
इतना कुछ तो सीखा हमने की एक बार अहंकार से इठलाया,
इस कांच की दिवार हटाके हमें भू-स्पर्श करवाया,
और जिंदगी सबसे उत्तम गुरु होती है ये ज्ञात हमें दिलाया.
जिंदगी की इस खेल में होना है मुझे पास,
अब हाथ पकडे चलइ रहा हूँ तन में सांस,
एक हाथ में माँ का आशीर्वाद दूसरे में भगवन पर अटूट विश्वास .
चलना हमने ऐसे ही सीखा ये याद हमको है आती,
अब ज्ञात हो रहा है "इतिहास हमेशा है दोहराती".
संभव नहीं आज जिंदगी के इस राह से भटकेंगे हम,
क्योंकि ब्रम्हांड चलाने वाले के हाथ पकडे है हम.
पैदा होते ही माँ की ममता और दुलार को सीखा,
पालने मे लेटे दूसरों को ख़ुशी देनेवाली खिलखिलाहट को सीखा.
पिता के उड़ान-पकड़ में दूसरों पे विश्वास करना सीखा,
बालपन बीता बुजुर्गोंसे उच्छा संस्कार पाने मे,
भाई बहनऔर दोस्तों से नत्खाती शरारतोंको सीखा.
पाठशाला में अध्यापकों से विद्या ग्रहण करना सीखा,
विश्वविध्यालय में विद्या से ज्ञान पाना सीखा,
खेल कूद में कपटी खिलाडियों के तोड़ मोड़ जोड़ सीखा.
महाग्रंथों से सदाचार के महत्व सीखा,
धार्मिक सहचारियों से भक्तिभाव सीखा,
गुरु-सार्वभौम के जीवनसार से जीवन का तात्पर्य सीखा.
यौवन पहुंचते ही प्रेम रोग से बचना सीखा,
अध्-यौवन में निष्ठा तथा लगन से काम करना सीखा,
अति यौवन में देश भ्रमण से अनेक संस्क्रिथिया सीखा.
विवाह पश्चात गृहस्थ जीवन का आनंद लेना सीखा,
ग्रहस्थी बनकर जिम्मेदारियों से नाता जोड़ना सीखा,
बच्चे के परवरिश में आदर सत्कार का भूमिका सीखा.
बुजुर्गों के निधन पर शोक ग्रस्त की भाषा सीखा,
पिता के गुजरने के बाद खटकती अकेलेपन क्या होती है यह सीखा,
कुछ दिन पश्चात इस अकेलेपन से झूँझ्ना भी सीखा.
लोगो के बदलते षड्तंत्री रूप पढ़कर खुद को संभालना सीखा,
हर पल जीवन के हर मोड़ पर कुछ न कुछ तो है सीखा,
सीखने का कोई अंत तथा आयु नहीं ये भी मैंने है सीख.
इतना कुछ तो सीखा हमने की एक बार अहंकार से इठलाया,
इस कांच की दिवार हटाके हमें भू-स्पर्श करवाया,
और जिंदगी सबसे उत्तम गुरु होती है ये ज्ञात हमें दिलाया.
जिंदगी की इस खेल में होना है मुझे पास,
अब हाथ पकडे चलइ रहा हूँ तन में सांस,
एक हाथ में माँ का आशीर्वाद दूसरे में भगवन पर अटूट विश्वास .
चलना हमने ऐसे ही सीखा ये याद हमको है आती,
अब ज्ञात हो रहा है "इतिहास हमेशा है दोहराती".
संभव नहीं आज जिंदगी के इस राह से भटकेंगे हम,
क्योंकि ब्रम्हांड चलाने वाले के हाथ पकडे है हम.
The Power of Questions (PART 1)
It was an incident at one of Bangalore’s largest super store “Big Bazaar” that actually intrigued me to explore the enormous power of questions. It was habitual for my friends and my family to go shopping to this store on the first of every month for our groceries and monthly needs. However, it was in the month of October 2009 that I found my friends son “Anshu” was not his actual self – the cheerful and ever helping mama’s boy. It was as if you could read his thoughts that he was upset over something and likewise behaved as if we were unknown to him – His expressions and the walk were a perfect depiction.
When I asked his mother what the matter was, she replied that Anshu wanted Doy clay (a synthetic clay which children like to play with) which his father had refused to buy as he was concerned that the child would stain the walls of their new home. My eyes travelled to wherever Anshu went and I observed the disappointment as well as the disconnected behaviour never left him. After the Grocery section parallel to the utilities section was the Children Section of toys, games & articles. As we turned around from the Grocery section I observed Anshu, he gave a fixed gaze at the children section for a while and then just walked away – still the disappointment on ,his face.
We finished our shopping and had now reached the billing counter. As my friend was getting his purchases billed we heard the voice of Anshu, who had held onto a rack of exquisite crockery and uttered emphatically “Dad!! Doy Clay”. The threat was evident and the look on his dads face was a mixture of shock, resentment, anger, anguish and embarrassment. The child started flexing himself holding onto the rack (not shaking the rack though) intensifying the threat. The father pleaded to the child not to do it and immediately took off towards the children section and brought the Doy clay showing it to the child. The child only left the rack after the clay was billed. It was so amusing that the people all around burst onto a loud laughter. The child’s face wore a victorious smile and the majestic walk was a delight to watch – the entire body language read “I have defeated you completely”.
The mother of the child was not too happy with what the child had done and she walked up to the child, knelt before him and smilingly she asked “Are you happy, now that you have got Doy clay?” the child replied “Yes”. The mother further asked “My god! You made the whole town laugh today isn’t it? The child gave a sporty smile. The mother went on “You know Anshu, do you remember the incident in Mumbai quite some time back where a few people held valuable people at the Taj/ Oberoi Hotel to make their demands heard. What you just did, is it anything similar to what they (the terrorists at Mumbai) did? The child’s face turned serious. The mother then asked “Do you think what you did is right?” the child just shook his head uttering a feeble “NO”. Then the mother asked “So what do you think you should do?” the child just picked up the Doy clay from the trolley walked up to the children’s section and placed it on the racks all by himself.
When he returned his mother again asked “Is this all that you need to do? Have you seen the way people laughed at your dad which is embarrassing? Do you want your father to hang his head in shame every time he comes to this store?” The child said “No” hugged his fathers legs and with watery eyes said “I’m sorry Dad! I will not do it again. I don’t want to be a Terrorist”. The mother then kissed the child and went towards the exit to wait for all of us. However, the father ruffled the hair of Anshu lovingly, walked across to the rack picked up the Doy clay and bought it for his son. When I asked him why he bought it for his son the father gave a stunning reply “Avinash, I could see responsibility in my son’s eyes and I know that he will not stain the walls of my house”. It is several months now and the walls of my friends house are still intact.
This episode tells us something very special it advocates the power of questions. We are not talking about probing here but, the kind of questions that can raise the maturity or the realization of an individual. Asking appropriate questions can help in enabling one to realise their mistakes or help raise their realisation levels. The individual now responds maturely and acts with a higher level of responsibility. One needs to take note here such questions cannot have sarcasm, threat, or be demeaning. They should necessarily contain meaningful words and a pleasantly-serious tone which elevates the individuals thought process and help him in quickly converging on the corrective behaviour.
When I asked his mother what the matter was, she replied that Anshu wanted Doy clay (a synthetic clay which children like to play with) which his father had refused to buy as he was concerned that the child would stain the walls of their new home. My eyes travelled to wherever Anshu went and I observed the disappointment as well as the disconnected behaviour never left him. After the Grocery section parallel to the utilities section was the Children Section of toys, games & articles. As we turned around from the Grocery section I observed Anshu, he gave a fixed gaze at the children section for a while and then just walked away – still the disappointment on ,his face.
We finished our shopping and had now reached the billing counter. As my friend was getting his purchases billed we heard the voice of Anshu, who had held onto a rack of exquisite crockery and uttered emphatically “Dad!! Doy Clay”. The threat was evident and the look on his dads face was a mixture of shock, resentment, anger, anguish and embarrassment. The child started flexing himself holding onto the rack (not shaking the rack though) intensifying the threat. The father pleaded to the child not to do it and immediately took off towards the children section and brought the Doy clay showing it to the child. The child only left the rack after the clay was billed. It was so amusing that the people all around burst onto a loud laughter. The child’s face wore a victorious smile and the majestic walk was a delight to watch – the entire body language read “I have defeated you completely”.
The mother of the child was not too happy with what the child had done and she walked up to the child, knelt before him and smilingly she asked “Are you happy, now that you have got Doy clay?” the child replied “Yes”. The mother further asked “My god! You made the whole town laugh today isn’t it? The child gave a sporty smile. The mother went on “You know Anshu, do you remember the incident in Mumbai quite some time back where a few people held valuable people at the Taj/ Oberoi Hotel to make their demands heard. What you just did, is it anything similar to what they (the terrorists at Mumbai) did? The child’s face turned serious. The mother then asked “Do you think what you did is right?” the child just shook his head uttering a feeble “NO”. Then the mother asked “So what do you think you should do?” the child just picked up the Doy clay from the trolley walked up to the children’s section and placed it on the racks all by himself.
When he returned his mother again asked “Is this all that you need to do? Have you seen the way people laughed at your dad which is embarrassing? Do you want your father to hang his head in shame every time he comes to this store?” The child said “No” hugged his fathers legs and with watery eyes said “I’m sorry Dad! I will not do it again. I don’t want to be a Terrorist”. The mother then kissed the child and went towards the exit to wait for all of us. However, the father ruffled the hair of Anshu lovingly, walked across to the rack picked up the Doy clay and bought it for his son. When I asked him why he bought it for his son the father gave a stunning reply “Avinash, I could see responsibility in my son’s eyes and I know that he will not stain the walls of my house”. It is several months now and the walls of my friends house are still intact.
This episode tells us something very special it advocates the power of questions. We are not talking about probing here but, the kind of questions that can raise the maturity or the realization of an individual. Asking appropriate questions can help in enabling one to realise their mistakes or help raise their realisation levels. The individual now responds maturely and acts with a higher level of responsibility. One needs to take note here such questions cannot have sarcasm, threat, or be demeaning. They should necessarily contain meaningful words and a pleasantly-serious tone which elevates the individuals thought process and help him in quickly converging on the corrective behaviour.
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