Rashmirathi

Favorite lines from Dinkar’s magnificent Rashmirathi,
है कौन विघ्न ऐसा जग में, टिक सके वीर नर के मग में?
खम ठोंक ठेलता है जब नर, पर्वत के जाते पाँव उखड़।
मानव जब जोर लगाता है,
पत्थर पानी बन जाता है।
गुण बड़े एक से एक प्रखर, हैं छिपे मानवों के भीतर,
मेंहदी में जैसे लाली हो, वर्तिका-बीच उजियाली हो।
बत्ती जो नहीं [...]

जो बीत गई सो बात गई

जीवन में एक सितारा था
माना वह बेहद प्यारा था
वह डूब गया तो डूब गया
अंबर के आंगन को देखो
कितने इसके तारे टूटे
कितने इसके प्यारे छूटे
जो छूट गए फ़िर कहाँ मिले
पर बोलो टूटे तारों पर
कब अंबर शोक मनाता है
जो बीत गई सो बात गई
जीवन में वह था एक कुसुम
थे उस पर नित्य निछावर तुम
वह सूख गया तो [...]

On Desire

A slender body, hands soft and white, for the service of my delight, two sprouting breasts round and sweet, invite my hungry mouth to eat, from whence two nipples firm and pink, persuade my thirsty soul to drink, and lower still a secret place where I’d fain hide my loving face.
(from the wikipedia entry on [...]

India After Gandhi: A Random Review

I finally managed to read Ram Guha’s much talked about book: India After Gandhi. Since reviewing books is not exactly my forte, I have deliberately attempted a random review rather than a full-blown examination of book. That task must be left in the hands of more capable bloggers.
a) Guha writes well. His prose is [...]

Ye Dil Ye Pagal Dil Mera..

Just love this one!

Harry Potter Fails The Economics Test?

In an interesting article, Megan Mcardle argues that Harry potter books are bad economics,
Yet in the Potter books, the costs and limits are too often arbitrary.
A patronus charm, for example, is awfully difficult – until Rowling wants a stirring scene in which Harry pulls together an intrepid band of students to Fight the Power, whereupon [...]

Kuch Ghalib Ho Jaayein!

Eminent bureaucrat-blogger and newly de-listed A-list blogger, Vivek Kumar has uploaded a compilation of some of the choicest Ghazals of Mirza Ghalib.
I have uploaded a collection of 37 ghazals by Mirza Ghalib [link to pdf file] on this blog. Feel free to download and read. The ghazals are in Devanagari script and difficult Urdu [...]

A 55 Word

To celebrate a dear friend’s birthday. A little late in the day but then that’s quite natural for this blogger.
“I don’t like your blog anymore!”
 
He raised an eyebrow, cradling the cellphone under his ear, as he typed the zillionth post on reservations.
 
The orkut page opens.
A smile caving into her cheeks. Silk ribbons framed [...]

Harry Potter ‘Satanic’

That is if you believe the Pope’s exorcist. (link)
Behind Harry Potter hides the signature of the king of the darkness, the devil,” Father Gabriele Amorth, the Pope’s “caster-out of demons”, said.
heh. I wonder what J.K Rowling would have to say about it, since now she is apparently Devil’s mouthpiece. If these had been the Middle [...]

Ah!

Link from a drunk friend who is a stranger or is it other way around? Posted by a very drunk blogger.
Unclaimed
To make love to a stranger is the best.
There is no riddle and there is no test -
To lie and love, not aching to make sense
Of this night in the mesh of reference.
To touch, [...]

Poetry Time

Sometimes, the simplest words are more touching than the cleverest wordplay. Check this lovely Nazm by Iftikhar Naseem, an openly gay poet of Pakistani origin. Apparently Naseem has faced a lot of brickbats for his gay views.

55 Words

At the outset, we admit we have no literary talent whatsoever(not much of non-literary talent too) and we are only doing it under duress. Don't be too harsh on us.Ok?
Some peopl seem to be unfamiliar with the format, so let us explain.
1. The two stories are independent of each other.
2. The stories have to be [...]

Mehdi Hassan

For connoisseurs of Urdu poetry and Ghazals, Mehdi Hassan is the king of Ghazals . While Jagjeet Singh is rightly credited with bringing ghazals to the masses, Mehdi Hassan has taken Ghazals to a higher level.
Aligarians is hosting a 15 day event commemorating Mehdi Hassan and his art. You can read and listen to some of his famous ghazals. Please try [...]

Urdu poetry

I kind of stumbled on this site in the course of my blog hopping. Apparently run by alumni of Aligarh Muslim University, it is a virtual treasuretrove for lovers of Urdu poetry. Not only can you read some choicest poetry but you can actually listen to them in poet's own voice. I never knew Menna [...]

The Devil within us

We all know Newton as one of the greatest minds ever. A man who founded modern physics as we know it, and to whom mankind owes a lot. Genius is a word which is bandied around as if it is going out of fashion but if it ever has fitted a man , it was [...]