Rehnuma

If you were wondering what kept me away from writing.

This is another of my group projects, a short film made for understanding cinema. A result of a lot of hard work, this movie has been a feat to achieve. Without the support of my group members and dear friends, this movie wouldn't be possible. Hina Thadani deserves a special mention as she was instrumental in writing the poetry too.

You will find Ali's poetry here:


Do wakht ki roti kamata hu,
Afsos nahi karta hu,
Jo kamatu hu wohi sahi,
kyunki mein kissi ka mohtaj nahi.


Aaj khomoshi hai,
Aaj tanhai hai,
Dil pe laga zakhm to hai,
Par woh hi sacchai hai.


Zindagi kiske liye?
Bandagi kiske liye?
Agar bantnewala koi na ho,
To har khushi kiske liye?


Sapno ka shehar hai,
Par bheed me akela,
Bhavnao ki lehar mein,
Hai uljhano ka mela.


Sarhado ke paar,
Ek zindagi dekhta hu,
Usse khushiyo ki yaadein mangta hu,
Ae khuda, kyun hai tanhai har tohfa tera?
Mangta hu mein sirf ek naya savera.

Khaali raaste the, khaali gufaein thi,
Khaalipan tha, kaali ghatayein thi,
Chalta jata tha mein issi umeed mein,
Ki kabhi toh soungaa khushal jivan ki chaav mein.

Aaj hua hai yakin,
Woh savera hai yahin,
Ab hui hai zindagi suhaani,
Kyunki apni yaari hai ruhani.



Yeh kismat ka khel toh dekho,
Zindagi ko aise mod par le aati hai,
Ki kuchh na hone ke bawajud bhi,
Puri kaynat mil jaati hai

Zindagi mein koi aata hai,
Ruh ko chhukar,
Rehnuma sa ban jata hai,
Yeh kismat ka khel to dekho,
Bas yaadein chhod jata hai.

Twist and shout!

This is a short music video project that I was part of. It was too much fun shooting. Hope you guys have as much fun watching it as we had making it. The music is 'Twist and shout' by the Beatles. Here you go!  Enjoy!

The revoltionary's prayer

This is a poem which I wrote for an event of Kiran, K.C. College's inter college fest. The theme was  the rise.(revolution) It won the first prize.

There is a rise in the echo of peace,
A fall in the noise of revolution,

There have been enough tears and talks,
Now is the time for some heroic action.

Arise like a phoenix to the occasion,
From the ashes of not only your nation,
,
But also its people ,citizens of the world,
Join this glorious rebellion
In a procession.

Leave cynicism behind this monsoon

This blog post is an article written by me and it was published in HT's column, 'Speak Easy' on the 10th of June, 2012. 

It was raining that evening as I was struggled home from my classes in Andheri (East). I had an umbrella, but it was of little use. Drenched, I sought my way through the semi-lit roads. When I reached the subway, I realized I had made a mistake. The area was completely flooded with knee deep water. I struggled to wade through it, and was finally helped by a fellow pedestrian.

            This incident took place two years ago. As the monsoons approach the city this year, I am waiting for ‘the clouds’ to ‘bring fresh showers to the thirsty flowers’’, as poet PB Shelley says.

Sure, I am a tad nervous, but that is because of a new year in college. The rains in Mumbai have a way of relieving people of their burdens.

          There are reasons to complain, but if you refuse to be cynical, there are reasons to be grateful too. We can blame the BMC officials for corruption or we can be proactive. We could try losing our cool because of the traffic or we could help divert it. When we should be saying no to plastic, why are still talking about the deluge of 26/7? When we know that the sweeper should not be throwing leaves into the manholes, why do we let him do exactly that?

The choice is all ours, really. We could curse the rains for making our children sit at home or thank it for the bountiful crops it will grow. We could fulfill our duties as citizens or crack jokes about the meteorological department’s predictions. Certainly, we could stop cribbing about the stuffy weather in the train compartment for once and try to enjoy the spray of rainwater.

         This season provides us with the perfect opportunity to give ourselves a welcome break. Be it enjoying hot beverages and deep fried snacks, a siesta or reading a book, there are several ways to spend a rainy afternoon. Smell the earth, or paint, teach your kids how to cover their textbooks or make paper boats. Romantic songs, a nice movie or a jigsaw puzzle could really help lift your mood. Nothing is better than getting away to a hill station for the weekend.

Getting drenched in the first showers was never out of vogue. For the health freaks out there, there is always a mountain to trek on. For the nature lovers and bike enthusiasts, try a trip to a waterfall. Thunder makes for an ideal companion to soothe one’s loneliness. You could always curl up with a magazine or book. Retail therapy could also put a smile on your face.

Whether it is Malhar or Umang, college fests in the rain are always a hit with students. Let it drizzle or rain cats and dogs, these festivals never go unattended. As for the real festivals, there is no dearth of them. From start to end, the monsoon is full of jubilation: Janmashtami, Ganesh Chathurthi, and even Navratri fall during this season. But celebrating again, doesn’t give us a reason to act irresponsibly. To ensure that our monsoon is enjoyable, we have to change our own habits. For instance, we could stop littering, use eco-friendly materials for the Ganesha idol and use the same clay pot for Navratri the next year.

This will definitely help us in the long run. If we join hands now, we can make a better tomorrow. We can enjoy the rains if we are responsible.

Childhood

Little folded hands, laughing faces and innocence.

Now, I stare at kids who play at the garden, while I feel like I was playing there just yesterday.  I was the carefree creature who had nothing to do except what I wanted to do.

TV meant Disney channel and shows like ‘Lizzie McGuire’, ‘Hannah Montana’, ‘That’s so Raven’, and films like ‘Harry Potter’ used to be my favourites.  Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy an episode of ‘The suite life of Zack and Cody’ or a film of the ‘Home Alone’ series, but somehow, something has changed. I no longer experience the pleasure of being a child.

‘The tale of 2 cities’ has been replaced by ‘The Immortals of Meluha’ and ‘Scarlet Pimpernel’ by ‘A thousand splendid suns’ As for TV, you better not ask. My favorite genre is crime, followed by mystery and then thrillers. ‘Supernatural’, ‘Castle’ and ‘Dexter’ are on the top of my ‘must see’ list. The good old days of school seem to be days of a different birth. Guess I should just go back to watching Friends and reminiscing about school days, try to discover how I lost my innocence and came of age.

Summer, yet again

A few days age, Mumbai experienced a few showers or so the parents say. I thought this might as well presents an opportunity of sorts to write yet again about the summers, while it lasts.
There is something about summers, Indian summers which attaches itself automatically to nostalgia. For example, this season is going to be occupied by the forthcoming shifting. To the house that stocks up my childhood and other sweet memories.

On the other hand, while most of the people prefer to chill with the seasonal (king of) fruit mango, our household patronises watermelons, grapes and the raw form of the king of the fruits, prince if you prefer.  The raw mango is pickled and even a drink is prepared out of it, which although good never compares to the heavenly drink of gods, the divine 'aam ras'.

So here’s wishing to endless leisurely summer afternoons with sherbet before the thundering rains strike.

Evenings

Like abstract painting and poetry, or literature, evenings can be interpreted in myriad ways. I find evenings disturbing, as they seem to ask my soul questions. So, here is another way of looking at the soul searching evenings, from the perspective of it being a beautiful time of the day.
                                            
 Watching the sea behold the sun as it retreats in its glorious splendor, trying to speculate where the horizon exactly is, are some favorite pastimes when at the beach. When staring from the terrace, fathoming if the clouds are trying to tell a story, and if so, what characters does it portray, takes my time.

The hut beside the lake, or the feet in sand and clay, and straw filled with coconut water in mouth engage you. The dusk brings with itself, a chatter of birds. The sky is strewed with blue, majestic gold, austere red, heavenly purple, and daisy pink, blushes a deep hue as the sun bids adieu. And the sun smiles a final smile, with promises of returning on his lips. The sky lives in hope.

The strewed sky looks like a painting, with the arrival of the queen, moon. The sound of the temple tolls bells. The view from the boat is the middle of the sea. The mild breeze, the flying curly locks, the mysterious smile is alluring. The coming of the stars is amazing. The return of the birds to their nests is assuring. Thus, an account of an evening well spent reflects on the kind of a person one is. An evening determines the sleep you get at night. A good night's sleep ensures a good day ahead. And, a day well spent is a life spent well.