On My Mind

It is the USA of the 1960s. Segregation of blacks in public places is the policy of the government. Blacks have different taps in restaurants, there are different queues for them. In the buses, they are to give up their seats for a white gentleman and move to the back. This goes on. Except for one fine day, when a certain Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus. She was tired, more than the white gentleman standing next to her. Ultimately she was thrown out of the bus. Is this to be the end of it? Back in India, a barrister came back from South Africa in 1915. The country was ruled by the British. Freedom was a dream not officially recognized yet by the Indian National Congress. The barrister undertook a tour of the entire country. The goal was to understand the pulse of the nation in making. The first action he took was Champaran Satyagraha where all he could do was save interests of a group of peasants who were forced to cultivate indigo. But the journey had started. It ...

Human beings are fascinating. We have some great abilities. In the little time, that modern man had to evolve, we have altered the course of the world like no one else before. Perhaps this is why we have an inflated image of self. For all our achievements , the accompanying arrogance is also second to none. It is on display at all levels - individual, community, and our species as a whole. A group of human beings, if left to themselves, will soon find themselves at the center of the universe. Let's talk about our property rights. While the Intellectual Property Rights have only recently come to the fore, they are still contested. However, we have somehow accepted the proposition that "land" can be owned. A piece of Earth, which has existed for over 4.5 billion years, is being owned by an organism from a species whose average lifespan is 79 years! A kid claiming the ownership of an ocean is less absurd. This sense of ownership comes from the collective arrogance w...

The day was cold, the winds were chilly, The silence was deafening, the road was hilly, Somewhere deep within, he knew what lay ahead, He was reminded of the conversation left unsaid. He knew the risks when he took the bet, He knew it wouldn't come without breaking a sweat, Unyielding would yield with the labour of the man, The doubts, however, were his stans. Somewhere deep within, he knew what lay ahead, He was reminded of the conversation left unsaid. That there would be a hole, which would suck him in, The only way out, was to win...

"I can't, I just can't do it. It's so tough!", exclaimed Rahul. His father was trying to teach him riding a bicycle but Rahul found it really hard. He was about to give up when he witnessed a handicapped boy selling newspapers on a bicycle.  He started pedaling again, this time with more enthusiasm. 

She couldn’t say it, For she had been deceived earlier, And he was just too careless, To see in her eyes that she felt the same.

Most of us have had to stay in a hostel at some point of our life and there is a lot missed by those who have never had the experience of living in a hostel. Hostel life teaches you so many things, some which remain with you forever and leave a impression upon you, and others which blow away with the passing wind of time. The moments spent there can never be lived anywhere else. When you come out of your room to enjoy the glory of mother nature, you end up finding this instead. Your birthday serves as an occasion for your friends to show their altruistic love for you. You understand why your parents asked you  to close the door of your room while sleeping. You learn to live in peace and harmony with Almighty's other creations. You learn to sleep anywhere, with anyone. You begin to appreciate the art of proper garbage disposal. You learn to savour the private moments even with your room mate around. Your birthday snap looks like a ...

When I was a small kid, one thing that perplexed me was this thing called Life. At times I used to wonder what would my life be like as seen by my brother or friends or parents. I tried to be in their shoes sometimes and see everything around me. Obviously, I couldn't keep this exercise unbiased but I did learn that life is a marvelous thing. You never realize the impact you make in other lives with each little action of yours. As I grew up, I stopped doing it. It happened unconsciously, something I didn't realize except for today when I delved way too deep into my thoughts. Life happens to you and you never realize it. You never know what it is like to be living with yourself, how do your friends tolerate you and so many more things. At this point in time, when I look back at all those things which happened to me, they seem so justified.  The guy who rejected me in the interview, the friend who ditched me, they all seem to have a reason when I look at things from thei...

With Independence Day coming up, lots of people are putting up tricolor as their display picture and that leaves me wondering if not doing so makes me any less patriotic, and then I remember this little incident I read in the newspaper. An accident occurred on the road and there was a huge gathering of spectators. Everyone was busy taking snaps and passing comments when a taxi driver came up, informed the police over the phone and drove the victim to the nearest hospital in his taxi. When I read about this incident, all I could do was smile. I was pretty sure that the taxi driver did not have any Facebook profile to show his patriotism!

रात घनी थी, चाँद नज़र नहीं आ रहा था, उस पार देखने की कोशिश तो की, पर अँधेरा बहुत था।  कमज़ोर दिल धड़कने की कोशिश तो कर रहा था, पर डर शायद जीने की चाहत से ज़्यादा था।  आखिरकार दिमाग ने दिल पर काबू किया, डर के आगे बढ़ना सिखाया।  रात घनी चाहे कितनी भी हो,  सुबह का इंतज़ार करना सिखाया।  फिर सूरज निकलेगा, फिर रौशनी होगी, धुंध छटेगी, नयी कोपलें फूटेंगी।  उस घबराये दिल की मत सुन,  बस थोड़ी देर और,फिर सुबह होगी। 

Ever wondered why people who no good than shit themselves judge you? Have you ever faced sarcastic comments from people who know nothing themselves but would call you inept? If you haven't, either your life is flimsy with angels and fairy tales ruling it or you are stuck in your life at some point beyond which you don't want to explore and if you have faced such people, my friend, you are rising! With the little knowledge I have and few number of people I have seen, I still find my assertion to be true. Let's take some examples; examples of people who you all know. Thomas Alva Edison , the genius credited with over 1000 patents, was nothing more than an idiot for his fellow classmates. Henry Ford , the Father of American Automobile industry, failed in his first five attempts and was left broke. Harland David Sanders , better known as Colonel Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken, had a hard time selling his chicken at first. In fact, his famous secret chicken recipe ...

उस दिन शर्मा जी ज़रा जल्दी में थे। ऑफिस के लिए देर तो हो ही चुकी थी, उस पर से आकाश ने भी स्कूल बस मिस कर दी थी। ये क्या कम था जो उनके जूते भी पता नहीं घर के किस कोने में पड़े हुए थे। सब आकाश की गलती है। मस्ती करते हुए किसी चीज़ का ध्यान नहीं रखेगा । पापा के जूतों की फिर क्या बिसात थी! खैर, काफी ढूंढने के बाद जब जूते मिले तो शर्मा जी मोटर-साइकिल पर आकाश को बिठा कर पहले उसे स्कूल छोड़ने के लिए निकले। कितनी भीड़ हो गयी है शहरों में, शर्मा जी रास्ते में गाड़ियों को देख कर सोचते हैं। जब वो छोटे थे, तब इतने इंसान भी नहीं थे जितनी अब गाड़ियां हैं। अपने ख्यालों में खोये हुए शर्मा जी गाड़ी आगे बढ़ाते जा रहे थे लेकिन आगे जाम देख कर उनकी तंद्रा टूट गयी। पूछने पर पता चलता है कि किसी बुढ़िया को एक कार वाले ने धक्का मार दिया और अब उसके रास्ते पर पड़े होने के कारण ट्रैफिक जाम हो रखा था।  "इस बुढ़िया को भी आज ही एक्सीडेंट कराना था" शर्मा जी गुस्से में बुदबुदाते हैं। १० मिनट बाद एम्बुलेंस आई और बुढ़िया को अस्पताल ले गयी। जैसे-तैसे आकाश को स्कूल छोड़न...

भारतीय प्रौद्योगिकी संस्थान, कानपुर; अजीब ही जगह है यह। देश के भिन्न भिन्न इलाक़ों से हर प्रकार के विद्यार्थी सपने लेकर आते हैं यहाँ।  किसी के सपने पूरे होते हैं तो किसी-किसी के अधूरे भी रह जाते हैं। परंतु समस्या तो कुछ और ही है। हम इंसानों की एक आदत होती है; दो बिल्कुल ही अलग व्यक्तित्व के लोगों को एक ही तराज़ू मे तोलने की। हर विश्‍वविद्यालय की तरह यहाँ भी हर विद्यार्थी अलग व्यक्तित्व का मालिक होता है, हर किसी के अलग सपने होते हैं । स्नातक होने के बाद इंजीनियरिंग करने की ठान के बैठ गये इन नादानों में से अधिकांश को अपने जीवन का सही मकसद तो यहाँ आ कर समझ आता है। परिणामस्वरूप, ऐसे विद्यार्थी इस देश की उम्मीदों पर खरे नहीं उतर पाते। घरवालों की उम्मीदें और टैक्स भरने वाले उन नागिरिकों कि हमेशा मूल्यांकन करती नज़रें बहुतों को हताश कर देती है, बाकी तो नज़रें छुपाकर अपनी ज़िन्दगी जीते रहते हैं। समाचार पत्रों में खबर आती है की आईआई टी कानपुर के ५ छात्रों को मिली १ करोड़ की नौकरी। घर से अरमान की माँ का फ़ोन आता है और वो अपने स...