चाहूं हर पल के तेरी उम्मीद बनूँ

पर उस उम्मीद की लौ से खुद को कैसे महफूज़ करून

चाहूं हर पल के तेरे अंधेरों को रोशन करूं

पर उस उजाले में अपने सपने कैसे मैं अर्पण करूं

तेरे साथ चलूँ , तेरा साथ बनूँ

पर रास्ता अपना भी कैसे छोड़ दूं

तेरी आँखों के पालने में जो सपने पले

मेरी पलकों पर जो तारे सजे

अलग है उनके आसमान, अलग है उनकी दिशा

चाँद सा शीतल, सूरज सा अचल

यह तू है , है तेरा ऐसा करम

सूरज का क्रोध, चाँद की चंचलता

मैं दर्पण तेरा, एक सा सब पर सब अलग

सूरज की लौ से दमके चंदा

पर सूरज के साथ नही है चलता

खेले हरपाल आँख मिचोली

सूरज तपे तोह करे ठिठोली

सब कह कर भी रहा सब अनकहा

रास्तें हैं कई पर नहीं कोई  दिशा

तेरी दिशा में चलूँ तोह तेरी उम्मीद हूँ

डर है मगर की कहीं अस्तित्व ही न खो दूं.

चल ऐ राही ज़िन्दगी की राह पर,

गलियों में , पगडंडियों पर,

पर्वतों को फ़तेह कर, समुन्द्रों को पार कर

विषम ही क्या हुआ वो जो रख न दे तुझे बदल कर

Lost in the woods, on the crossroads

Lost on the coffee table, in the winding hill slopes

Lost in the city, in the merry-go-around

Lost in the dance roulette, on the playground

Blessed a moment ago, cursed forever

Melodious a moment ago, quiet song forever

Mirror a moment ago, broken shards forever

Succor a moment ago, mistake forever

Glossed reality, hidden truths

Unasked questions, questions unanswered

Brutal emotions, logical feelings

White pain, numbed tears

Your Love is a funny thing

Your love is a funny thing

Scares sometimes, sometimes emboldens me

Pains me to deepest troughs

Exhilarates me to steepest of crests

Your love is a funny thing

Renders me weak in the knees

Yet so brave at heart

Renders me irrational in actions

Yet so logical in thoughts

Your love is a funny thing

Makes me strive to be near you

Makes me fight when not far from you

Makes me want to possess you

Makes me want to leave you free

Your love is a funny thing

Path towards you tests my patience

Path away from you is strewn with restlessness

Every second counts when I am with you

But Oh time just flies by, while being with you

Happy, nimble, content and gay

Should I find you, always I pray

It’s me who shall fight, I know it well

It’s you who shall love, you do it well

Your love, my love is a funny thing

Bin tumhaare jee lenge, iss baat par koi shaq nahi
Usey magar jeena kahenge, iss baat par yakeen kam hai
Dil mein kisi aur ki mohabbat ko jagah denge, shaq nahi
Uss mohabbat ko shiddat se lauta dein, iss baat par yakeen kam hai

Love.. and after

When the first flush of  romance  passes,
when the need to dress up always ceases
when long hours of chatting trickle to minutes
when roses sprout a few thorns
When you question will it be so soon gone

Then you look up at a face and your morning lights up
U still miss a heartbeat when you get that smile
U still blush to the toes when u get that stare
and you know that you are at peace with the mundane

U feel belonged to the routine
U feel cared with just the daily greeting
U feel trusted in the eyes
U feel respected for being you

That is when you know ,
you don't just love,you are being immensely loved
you don't just have them, you belong to them too.....

                                                           I Love You too!!


"Khuda jaane main mit gaya hooon..........."  sang the new alarm tune of Sargam. She had changed it from "Chak De India". It had rung some different sort of alarm bells in Sia's(Sargam's kid sister) brain. Anyway, it was a usual day. Nothing special or out of ordinary considering the sinusoidal mood swings Sargam was facing lately. She patted her dog, Baburam ,fished for her slippers which were under Baburam's bum and went out for a whiff of fresh air.   


With Baburam in tow she got ready for her gym and left. But something just didn't feel right. Restless, thrice she contemplated taking a detour to where she knew she would find solace. But that idea today brought fear rather than the usual naughty excitement. She vented out all the frustration in the gym. Anything to calm her jangled nerves and hyperventilating heart. But this was no ordinary flutter. It was serious this time and she knew she won't be able to maintain her facade of  nonchalance even if it brought hurt and rejection.


Sargam usually had a packed schedule - household chores, Baburam's tantrums , studies and some party usually left her little time to spare. Usually she craved for some idle time so that she could introspect but today she welcomed every task. She dreaded giving thought to the meandering feelings spiking through her whole being.


Sargam met Karan for the party. She was in no mood to go but couldn't talk herself out of it.They stayed for a while and then she coaxed Karan to skip the rest. It didn't require much effort, the party was dead anyway.Sargam had to drop Karan . but she didn't , she didn't want to. Her thoughts were troubling her again. 


Sargam met Karan an year ago at graduate school. She was all defensive, emotionally closed with a hardened facade of nonchalance. She maintained a happy composure and substantiated it with her vivaciousness and confidence. They got talking while working on a class project. Studious, reserved , serious and down to earth, it wasn't long before Karan became her closest friend at school. The project discussions on phone went on till wee hours of night when they had diverted far away from project. Karan's crazy stories made Sargam laugh and laugh so much that tears would well up in her eyes. Without her realizing, her defenses were lowering and real happiness was seeping through.


No longer lonely, she was rediscovering herself. Karan was becoming a habit. And then one fine day when Sargam was reveling in the rainbow hues of this new found friendship, the colors started getting smudged. She had fallen in love and hard. To make matters worse. Karan was happily oblivious. He never even showed any inclination. He was caring, humorous, but then he was that for everyone. All this filled her with fear of losing a friend and love in one go.


Valentine's Day arrived so conveniently during this dilemma. She didn't know what to do. She had always folled the tradition to give all her friends yellow roses. Today she was thinking of taking a risk of rejection and go for red ones for Karan. Chicken as she was , she played safe and went for yellow. But Karan brought her gerberas - her favorite sunrise flowers. She was stunned, overwhelmed. but she maintained her composure, she had good practice at that. 


That moment she decided she would take the risk. She won't let it go without a fight.


And today after three months and twenty seven days, she wanted to put an end to that war between Sargam, the friend and Sargam who loved Karan. She had realized it fully that she loved him and no less than that she would say.


A car parking, a black Santro, 8:30 pm, 11 July , eyes welled with gears and face smudged with mascara :-(( , a girl confessed her love for a guy with a heart so scared that she shook from inside with fear. OF ALL THE FEARS , FEAR OF REJECTION IS MONSTROUS.
But that day Gods smiled and while it seemed forever, magic became the moment when she heard karan say " I love you too"