INSIDE

The blazing pupil of her eye, Contracting- Expanding
Souls of two boats of the river,
And she crouching over, knitting or sewing.
those boats are now into saline waters, sinking.
Her koo-koo voice is now dry and hoarse,
On which once floated lullabies galore.
Her tendril fingers used to brush through
My hair and doze me off to an addictive calm.
Now, life escapes these hands. Its fingers
Recline extraordinarily entangled in her lap.
The pallu I once pulled and hid behind,
He ripped that apart, the animal.
The bosom that's was pillow to my dreams,
He rubbed it grim, the traitor.
The moon she used to be, is no more.

What occupies her thoughts is my cause of anguish
For once she occupied me in her cosmic womb.
She has seen me change,
"Metamorphose onto a bug"
As I saw her amended, become diminutive.
Elaborate pain hugs me to see he pale pallu now,
Her bosom with broken heart,
And still but unresponsive eyes.
She is stoic as I venture into by lanes of anonymity,
Her benign figure bedecked in my memory of odds.

Unhurriedly, each day passes and time grows
Into years of inappropriate events.
And blaring silence of hers continues to drill
Commotion into me.
The Hussshhh. . . hisses and crawls
Not like a snake but worms,
As slimy as the insides of my brain, and intestines.
The Hussshhh. . . of hers assaults and takes over me.
I, bequeathed with void, make haste to discharge
The degenerative fluids, all in hushed moans.

Abrupt noise dismantles the silent guild I haunt.
But oh! There, I hear laughter daunt,
Coming closer and closer
Stimulating me to degenerate
To rip, to rub and to terminate.
This woman is not my mute mother.
But her noise bleeds my ears
And seeps like acid into my slimy brain,
The rotten but moist walnut!

I take possession of her and she stops.
And then scatters into screams.
Oh! This noise shakes my contained bugs of turbulence.
Arousing me to extremes
Turning silence into violence,
Turning a corpse into a beast.
The earthy brown pupil of hers meets mine, the blinded ones.
They expand-contract too, but in flustered terror.
I feel her bosom, thundering against mine.
Her fear felt familiar.

Her petite being trembled like
The shriveling moon, among the deceptive clouds.
But she is not mute,
Neither was the koo-koo once.


~~Neha Tickoo~~

Dark Flight

At times i feel that I'm filled with lies,lies which are more or like open blue skies without a trace of dark cloud of truth.
But,I cherish those dark clouds within me,cherish their existence;feeling the fact that I'm made up of that darkness and I'm proud of this fact,no matter how much blue is the sky. Shining sun,flying birds,zooming jets,colorful rainbow,nothing matters to me.

Is it true,that we need to be what we are?I'm. At least I save myself from others. But for that I have to lie.
I have to wear a mask,that's my blue sky and I'm flying in this skies dark clouds.
:-)

INEFFICIENT

Inefficiency is sufficiently enough. Efficient enough to take you through the complacent deficiency of this efficient society.
So,after all it's not that efficiency is required for being effectively efficient. It's inefficiency. So,be inefficient.

~~Gaurav~~

Kiss

"Have you ever kissed a girl?"
I was stunned.!!The question had everything which every bollywood movie desperately seeks that is "masala".The very
nonchalance with which she asked it was striking."So, tell me have u ?".I was taken aback by her swiftness.Was
this a blow on my oblivious timid guts or what was she thinking,was she in a mood to hear a self inflated male
who does nothing else than to boast whenever tried by circumstances and too specially when created by his nemesis in
nature.Haven't she heard of "typical male ego" or more common "MCP".Or were i too vulnerable or transparent that she
could even look through me and easily sensed that i have never ever felt the smooth skin of a lady ,leave alone a kiss.

But i had to tackle it,the onus was on me.The shoulders were burdened with expectations and i knew many eyes were watching
me and somewhere not very far someone was listening me as i was pretty sure that i m not the alone flagbearer of this unfortunate
clan,there would be many others who still haven't have got the opportunity to feel those beautiful lips of a girl,i guess the best
feature in them but who am i to pass that judgement i m still among the have nots.Some would be like me who accepts this grotesque truth
without any shame and some would be those boisterous brats and so called studs who never admitts that he still is a minor in that reagrd.

The question left me stranded.I felt the thrust and i said "yes,many times".Whatelse would have i said.Do u expect me to commit the felony
of accepting my timid guts in front of her.Well i know that the major proportion of urban english speaking young generation looses its virginity,
the most sacrosanct word after sex,well before they are 18.But,but.....well whatever,i shudnt crib and give baseless reasons.

I accept that i dont have the guts to touch her,feel her and make cute puppy eyes to seduce her and then get hold of those pulpy lips,i m a
"fattu"the slang used by todays hip hop gennext.Well i have had the chances to do it but phew!!!i disappoint everytime!!.Actually i live in
a utopia believing that the girl would herself take the initiative,thinking that after getting "charmed" she would step forward and lock her
lips with me.......Well well too much imagination!!!

~~Abhinav Anand Joshi~~
Photo courtesy~~ Sapna

बचपन की कुछ यादें...............

मछली जल की रानी है,
जीवन उसका पानी है।
हाथ लगाओ डर जायेगी
बाहर निकालो मर जायेगी।


पोशम्पा भाई पोशम्पा,
सौ रुपये की घडी चुराई।
अब तो जेल मे जाना पडेगा,
जेल की रोटी खानी पडेगी,
जेल का पानी पीना पडेगा।
थै थैयाप्पा थुश
मदारी बाबा खुश।

झूठ बोलना पाप है,
नदी किनारे सांप है।
काली माई आयेगी,
तुमको उठा ले जायेगी।

आज सोमवार है,
चूहे को बुखार है।
चूहा गया डाक्टर के पास,
डाक्टर ने लगायी सुई,
चूहा बोला उईईईईई।


















आलू-कचालू बेटा कहा गये थे,
बन्दर की झोपडी मे सो रहे थे।
बन्दर ने लात मारी रो रहे थे,
मम्मी ने पैसे दिये हंस रहे थे।



तितली उडी, बस मे चढी।
सीट ना मिली,तो रोने लगी।।
driver बोला आजा मेरे पास,
तितली बोली " हट बदमाश "।

चन्दा मामा दूर के,
पूए पकाये भूर के।
आप खाएं थाली मे,
मुन्ने को दे प्याली मे।

दो चुटियों वाली,
जीजा जी की साली,
जीजा गये अंदर,
साली को ले गया बंदर,............................


















~~Shiv Kant Sharma~~

GET SET GO

This light of ray in the dark field

You found it late but now it’s under your feet
Hoping this is not the end
Start the new chapter without any fence
Grab the handle, the door will open
Just the right grip, do not stumble
It’s not only the future
You are going to create your own culture

Afresh, the air is coming from the west
Enveloping you, the motion is all set
Judgment is not awaited
Only the path has been created
Walk with pleasure, I want to see you elated
Coaching your way, moving with the tide
The faith will not loose a single sight
Keep it beside you and just complete the drive!

~~Shaveta Chaudhary~~
Photo ~~Gaurav

Goodbye Milkyway

I say goodbye to the milkyway
Its goodbye my milkyway

Earths atmosphere washing the last of my memories and emotions
My soul's cleansing, the last one in motion

Leaving all the wishes, dreams behind me
I enter the space where no mortal could bind me

And its goodbye to the milkyway
So long my friend, the milkyway

I'm floating i'm flying, and why wont i?
I just rid myself of the earthly burdens in the last of my sky

I float through the endless space of freedom
Floating towards that big bright light, my god's kingdom

And i say goodbye milkyway
Goodbye to your starry display

No failure no sucess, no pincode no address
I break free from life's decaying abortiveness

Its so light its so free, its such a high
Stars, constellations, galaxies passing by

And i bid goodbye to the milkyway
farewell my milkyway

I gain momentum, earth's faded away in the lightyears
Adrift in endless eternity, i hear the music of the spheres

Im disolving in the nothingness of the bright light
Now one with the light,
I burn bright i burn bright....

~~Sapna~~
Courtesy Enchantress (http://www.flickr.com/photos/photo_phantoms/)

kya ulta sulta?

ulta pulta kab sulta...
sulta agar,to kyun ulta..
ulta pulta nahi sulatta..
to kya sidha ho jata ulta?

~~Gaurav Jain~~
Photo~~M.F Hussain's "Durga"

Silent Shout

Playing with cards is so easy,isn't it?I tried and played with emotions,with feelings,with success,with enjoyment,with relationship but all failed.
Life never takes the shape u want it to. Confusion,frustrations,desperation builds up layer by layer and forces one to shout out within to the world outside,to the world inside. But even that hair pulling ,thrilling shout is unable to prevent me from playing. But that's how life is,shouting,rethinking,failing again,shouting again,just in the hope that one day something positive would happen. There would be someone who would be able to listen that silence in that shout .
Dumb shout,yet speaking so much,not for everyone,but just for one !

~~Gaurav Jain~~
Photo~~Twist and Shout(A Beatles song)

Still

I found my blood to be inflammable . It burns down and all my illusions evaporate leaving behind the residue which is nothing but pure guilt.Dancing to the tune of this world , to the strange sounds, to the anonymous screams of the falling drops and to the silence created by the bombs . I have become numb . I wish no more but I eat still and also the still eats me the same . The still which sometimes comes through the window at night and grabs my neck ,drinks through my veins and tell me stories of the people who suffered in the past. Some suffered for God and some suffered for themselves . Some suffered simply because they did everything what others did .Every dark night I resist but he tells me stories and I have to listen because I also have to suffer and this is my way of suffering .He tells me that we all have to suffer and even he suffers because he has to die every now and then due to the sounds made by the things of this world , by the people who do not want him .People move and kill him.But still is immortal and the greatest music ever composed by the greatest lovers of humanity.But this meeting with him was special in some way .

He took me to a journey through his mind. This is the mind of the still 'the unmovable one'.What I saw was ,("saw" ,"was"), yeah that is what i saw , the complete opposite of my mind.I also came to know that your mind never leaves you , not even when you are in other person's mind .Through my mind I analyzed everything that i could . I saw the things of this world , and it was a complete torture .In our world move and still live in harmony but his is the world of still.'Move' means choose and 'Still' means harmony. Chess players do not make a 'move' but they make a "still" on the already moving chess pieces.People do not die , they just start moving , cause all their lives they were still. I can't move because I still have some time to live. Slowly and gradually as the people age , they start making small movements and when they die , their speed is maximum . I saw so many dead bodies on the still water ocean which were moving randomly here and there.I wanted to tell him that I want to go back , but I could not cause I don't know how to speak silence . All my life I was shouting and complaining .My time in my world is over 'cause I never took the trouble to keep quite and listen to what others were saying ,always complained about everything . Now although I am quite but it's just like someone just keeps on babbling because he doesn't know the language properly . 'Still' tricked me out of my existence.
I wish I could pray.

~~Mannu Batra~~
Photo ~~Gaurav

Sludge

I bend my neck and look into the mist

I stare in the air with some smoke amidst

Deep so deep I look into the clouds

just to see that my pride would slouch.

I mixed a million minds and thoughts

of seeing reasons and their whereabouts

Uncorked, uncoiled myself from the mast

withheld a breath that would never last.

Once your nymph, now falling like a dwarf

Achilles got hit, the heel into a half.

Your truth, your fable, your fact, your farce

Now for you, a reason not to laugh.

~~Divya Arya~~

Black fragrance !

These are days when i sincerely think about our prospective,in particular my prospective.These are hours when i ponder
about how i should i spend the next minute.The only solace i get is that the suffering is not just within me but it sprawls
to others as well,hence the use of word 'we'.These are tough times,for everyone.Even the beloved bear and bull have not been
spared.The urge to be the cynosore beckons us but ,but alas!!

I left my college with a mixed bag of emotions.The sense of belonging was being taken away from me,but on its other side there
was the optimism,a new world waiting for me with its exciting features,the pride and a euphoria to stand there with a armour to
withstand the vagaries of life.The armour was our college's name and the gladiator was this petite creature(petite by the weight
of expectations).The first two months were spent in arrogance and leisure.The third month brought me to the shores of inhabitated
island,like a foetus inside womb with everything but the umbilical cord.Strange,no,bizarre but yes plausible yet quite critical.My
previous mother(ITBHU) left me unwillingly coz she has been forced by the constitution to embark its child in every four years to
uncharted terriotries.But she took a great care and handed over me to a new mother with an assurance that she would foster me till
i become old enought o sail on my own.But my new mother(cognizant)dint approve me.The pundits say it wasnt her fault but she was
haplessly marred by the vicissitudes of the great grand mother,the free market.She never called me,dint care for me and here
i was left on to the shores of the virgin island.
The armour dint fail,no it would never but the gladiator was made weak by the vagaries abovesaid.He was not just ready.

Here i am in the lap of my new mother listening her lullabies.She adopted me when i was a destitude,she promised to nurture
me when i needed it most.And yes she is living up to her expectations but alas human race is never content and always looking
for more.In the annals of history we tend to forget our personal past.

So i wonder about my prospective,what i shall do.

Clues do come but making me more clueless. i dont know!!!!

~~Abhinav Anand Joshi~~

MY BROKEN CRADLE.

Kasheer, the cradle of
My happiest days which
Alas! I cannot summon.
Not even a trace,
Not even a figment
Can I recall.

A leaf of the springtime,
Fresh and tender to touch,
So I was told,
Fell off its branch,
Well before its time.
Fell into the autumnal drain
And swam with the current
Towards the sewer of this world.

The season was different
And the wind, ruthless,
So I was told,
which took all away,
All that its might could.
It shunted the leaf, still unripe.
Braced for the drudgery, but
not the loss of its hue,
It refused to shed its green, the
Emerald of a crown.
Refused to dry into pathetic despair.

Time passed,
The hue remained but
The delicate scent was lost.
Bereft, its longing grew.
The twig it belonged to
Had withheld its fragrance.
Memories deceive this leaf.
But resounding facts
Unleash the history that
Rendered the leaf its texture.

Beneath the surface,
The bruise is fresh
But when concealed,
Left unseen in worldly mesh.
A perception indebted with
Blood laden facts,
Gave way to a melodious rustle,
The blowing wind bound to
indelible pacts.

Separated by time and distance,
It pledged to return one day,
Flutter back to that
Spring of the Valley where
Once dwelled the Heaven.

It vowed to bloom someday
from its own ashes of dismay,
as a phoenix shimmering its light
as bright as gay,
to act upon the vengeance
and make them cower and pray.
At last, it broke the shackles and tangles
of the woeful plight,
The heaven showered the spring
and nature swore to sing,
the beauty that was lost has come back
as a blissful omen to dispel the prodigal past.


~~Zooni~~