Captivating Lines from Here and There- 33

• Success in writing as in any other field is largely a matter of self discovery- Paul J. Meyer- Pioneer, Self Development Industry.
• Most people experience difficulty in making changes in themselves because they try to change conscious actions without changing the attitudes and habits which automatically govern their actions- Paul J Meyer 
• My advice is keep going- Begin at the end, begin in the middle, but begin- Stephen Leacock, Author 
• Discover a subject you care and know about. Don't write second hand. Write from your own experience- Nirad.C. Chaudhari, Author 
• Accepting is not about giving up. It is about acknowledging where you are right now so that you can take action to go where you want to go- Kris Carr, Author 
• Joy shared is joy doubled;sorrow shared is halved. It is pretending that depletes your energy not the grief itself.
• You need power only when you want to do something harmful.Otherwise love is enough to get everything done Charlie Chaplin, Comedian Actor
• Exercise your self confidence muscles by taking small little challenges/ risks everyday.
• You can't change what has happened.You can only change what is going to happen. Lot of energy is wasted on yesterday meaning you do not have enough available for today- Bishop T.D.Jakes 
• It is easier to break an atom than a prejudice- Albert Einstein, Scientist

A Dreamer for Life

 

We are all dreamers as children

innocent, natural, spontaneous

till the 'knowledgeable' adults interfere

tell us what we can dream about, how much 

and also advise to dream 'realistically'  

So many are the rules, regulations 

in day to day matters and living itself !

why put them, rules even on dreaming? 

Dreaming can take one to great  heights 

unimaginable, to a mediocre mind 

Dream, dream, dream

exhorted our people's president, Kalam of India 

passionate dreams do not happen when asleep 

they just don't let you sleep, said the noble soul 

If dreams were discouraged

many wouldn't have reached where they did 

unleash your potential, be a dreamer 

and remember to not only dream 

but be the one who  just can't..

doesn't stop dreaming...

NB: I recited this poem at the 7th Dignagar International online poetry meet on 19th December 2021

The Unconscious Motive

The ones who don’t let others breathe

The ones who hate others  

 for no particular reason other than

 the colour of their skin

 or because they  don’t belong to their caste,

tribe, religion, country, or have different beliefs

Can all best be described as “peculiar, strange creatures”

 

They can hate people without ever meeting

without even knowing them personally!   

 

Does this come from a place of feeling superior?

No, No, not at all! Though they would love to believe so!

They are poor damaged creatures

with feelings  of inadequacy 

and litany of private sorrows! 

 The root of racism and all negative ‘Isms’ is fear

The politicians and vested interests feed on it 

 With sheep like followers succumbing to it

For any hope, progress, light at the end of the tunnel

Be wary of negativity, negative politicians

 Banish ignorance, banish fear, far faraway

from the heads and hearts  of people!  

NB:  This poem has been included in the international anthology  "I Can't Breathe: A poetic Anthology of Social Justice" edited by Dr Christopher Okemwa, author/poet  based out of Kenya.

चाँद

बचपन से लुभाते हो चाँद, अपनी चाँदिनी द्वारा    

तुम्हें दिखाकर, खिलाती थी माँ , रात का खाना     

बड़े होकर भी तुम्हारा आकर्षण, बढ़ता  ही रहा

 

हाँ, मैं अपने मित्रों जैसे, प्रेमिका के साथ

आनंद न ले सका, तेरी  चांदिनी में 

इच्छा शक्ति, की कमी से नहीं ,

 बस सिर्फ, हिम्मत की कमी से !  

 

मगर आस्वादन किया कई  फिल्मों मे

तेरा सौंदर्य, व सुन्दर वर्णन, कई किताबों में

पर आज, इस बाईस  ईसवी  काल  में

कहाँ दिखाई देता तुम ओ चाँद,  शहरों मे ? 

चारों ऒर सिर्फ, कृत्रिम ही कृत्रिम प्रकाश ! 

 

प्रकृति से इतना दूर, आ चुके है  हम,  मानव

अब खोये हुए चीज़ों की सूची में - धरती, फल, फूल , बहता पानी  

के साथ, साथ , तुम चाँद, और तेरी चांदिनी भी शामिल  .... 

बचपन की यादें आती रहती है  ओ चंदा मामा

खो दिए है हम तुम्हें , इतना दूर किये है तुम्हें अपने जीवन से …  

 राजीव मूतेडत   

An interview for Kolimi, an Art and Literary Magazine in Telugu

I, Rajeev Moothedath  gave this interview in English  to shri Srinivas Vasudev, poet, critic and a friend who kindly translated and published the same in the December 2021 issue of Kolimi an art and literary magazine in Telugu. You can read the Telugu version here: 

1) What inspired you to write?  

That is a tough question to answer really. I wrote my first poem when in class V. The teacher came around, saw it and took it away. She then returned it to me later with corrections, I felt disappointed as it did not feel like my poem anymore. So you see, initially I just felt like writing and I wrote. Was it the little poems we learnt in school that was the inspiration? Who knows? In any case, in the CBSE syllabus, we had some beautiful poems in the higher classes like “Elegy written in a country churchyard”, “Home they brought her warrior dead”, “The beggar maid”  “Ode to the West wind” etc to study at school.

2) What genre of literature is your favourite and why?    

I trust your question pertains to favourite genre in respect of both reading and writing. As a reader I loved all kinds of literature- the Enid Blyton books as a child that included  the ‘Five find outers’, ‘Famous five’ and ‘Secret Seven’ series. I borrowed from the public library, books on various subjects such as humour (P.G.Wodehouse), crime (Agatha Christie, James Hadley Chase, Perry Mason series), R.K. Narayan ‘s and other Indian authors’ books giving glimpses of the Indian scene. Growing older it was Harold Robbins and finally as a working adult, management books  (One minute manager) and books on spirituality by writers like Deepak Chopra (The seven spiritual laws) started to interest me.

When it comes to writing, although I immensely enjoy reading poetry on nature and romance, I prefer to write on what happens in the society around me or on something that gives insights into living a more enhanced life. Therefore My approach to a love poem may not be the typical romantic poem but on how ‘Shades of love’ have changed over the years to the extent that a lover can pour acid on his ‘beloved’s’ face. In respect of prose, I write quite a bit on management experiences as I am basically an HR executive from the corporate. I also write occasional short stories.

3)   What is the immediate purpose of poetry?

Personally, to my mind it is not for us to determine the purpose of writing. It can vary from person to person. A person may simply write because it makes him/her happy while another may find it impossible to be in his elements without engaging in writing while yet another may think social change can be achieved by writing poetry.

The fact is that it can be all of these or one of them or many more reasons depending on the person writing. It has been said that the “Pen is mightier than the sword”. Yes that is true; while you can kill a few with the sword thousands may be influenced to go to war by the emotional appeal of a powerful write. But then the pen is powerful in so many more ways. It can get people to laugh, to introspect and to heal. Therefore poetry’s purpose cannot be pegged down to a small canvas- It can have such far reaching purposes and consequences.

Thank you for this interaction. It was such a pleasure talking to you!

A Slice from the Journey of Life

“The court is adjourned. The final decision would be given at 4 PM” declared the judge of the family court. Vivek’s face was pale like that of a ghost. During the proceedings in the morning, most of the time he was fidgeting, running his fingers over one another. He was also red faced. It could not be said with certainty whether the colour on his face was because of anger or pain at the discussions in the court. Now, he took leave of his lawyer as everyone got ready to have lunch. .Vivek  said he preferred to eat lunch alone, at the hotel across the road.  That was one hour ago. 

Now, everyone in Bharadwaj's office was waiting for Vivek. He hadn’t turned up even at 3.15 PM . Mr Bharadwaj was fuming as he sat at the table in his chamber in the court premises. “Where has this fellow gone? I had suggested to him that we eat at the canteen next door but he just wouldn’t listen!”  Now it would be awkward if he is not present at judgement time. Further, if they lost, it would become his, Bharadwaj’s unpleasant duty to break the bad news to the guy who already appeared very agitated and exhausted, 

 Mr Bharadwaj dialed Vivek’s number thrice but the fellow was not picking up. He told himself that he would try just one last time. This time someone answered. “Sir, this is the city hospital. I am the ward boy. A patient was brought here with head injuries. This phone was in his pocket. 

 He is not likely to survive sir.  Well...., I don’t know very much of the details... . It appears a bus hit him while crossing the main road. Bystanders brought him here in an autorikshaw. They did not wait for an ambulance.”    

 Mr Bharadwaj rushed into the court hall in which his client’s petition was to be decided. He would request the judge to defer the announcement of judgement to another date. In any case, it wouldn’t matter if his client were to die. He was hoping that the other party would appreciate the circumstances and not insist on a judgement today.   

 When Mr Bharadwaj made the plea before the court, Sarita felt herself suddenly going numb. She thought that today would be  her victory day. But this, this was most unexpected. She could not think clearly. She hugged Akshita tight to her bosom.  As the car moved towards the City hospital, Sarita was trying to steady herself. That her father was sitting beside her was some solace. In fact, her father had all long been counselling her to take the ups and downs of life in a detached manner without getting unduly affected by either. 

 The events of the past few years  flashed quickly in her mind. Vivek could not be called an evil man. But they had many fights related to her career 

"Is this the time to come back home after work? The little girl needs attention of her mother!" 

“We have discussed this many times Vivek! The last week of the month is very crucial. We are all busy at the office. Reaching home at 10 PM is itself a concession extended to me."  

“I told you to give up this job and take up something that will enable you to attend to the family too. But you are so adamant! 

“I have done a tough, demanding professional course so that I can work in my area of interest. Would you be willing to work at a job compromising your career?"  

Sarita was vexed with his attitude and lack of support in respect of her career.  Job demands required her to stay away from home for long hours which included occasional travels. With each passing day,  Sarita was convinced  that Vivek was an outdated male chauvinist pig who felt that it is the wife who had to sacrifice her career when it came to attending to needs of the home. It was  true that he was very attached to Akshita  and couldn’t spend a day without cuddling and playing with her. But if she listened to what he wanted, it would amount to sabotaging her career. 

As it is, there were many colleagues who resented women occupying high positions. They had this notion that women worked less hard. It was her mother who was able to understand  Sarita’s  circumstances and  gave her full support. “You know my life was ruined because I was born in an older generation. I was a topper whole through my academic journey. Yet, I was not encouraged to pursue a career. I was discouraged in so many ways” she had said. 

 The car took a turn and was almost reaching the hospital. One harsh word had led to another and before long most of the little time they had together was spent in shouting and arguing. Vivek did not want a divorce. But Sarita felt that there was no point living like this and had filed for divorce.  Now, this had come as a bolt from the blue. Perhaps Vivek had walked on the road in an absent minded manner as he was wont to these days and may have missed seeing the vehicle that hit him. 

The incident had already softened the heart of Sarita. While earlier she could only see what was wrong with Vivek, she now began to look at his good qualities as well. Vivek was generally a soft spoken person. He was gentle in behaviour and loved his family. Perhaps his deep attachment to Akshita was making it so difficult for him to come to terms with the scenario of a divorce. 

 Sarita abruptly began to have anxious thoughts in her mind. The lawyer had said the head injury was serious and that his client is not likely to survive. “Please give us Akshita and I, a second chance dear God” she prayed ... On talking to the reception, they were told that an emergency operation was to be done and that they were only waiting for relatives to reach and sign the consent forms. Sarita signed the consent forms. She was still his legally wedded wife and there were tears in her eyes as she did it.  

The operation had taken more than five hours. In all this time, Sarita refused to budge from her place of waiting. She requested her father to take Akshita to the canteen for something to eat and eat supper himself.   Finally the doctor came out of the operation room. He looked tired and grim. Sarita and her father looked expectantly at the doctor. A brief smile breaking at the corners of the doctor's face was enough for Sarita. She hugged and kissed Akshita. “What a big escape! The good God has showered mercy on us." she sighed….

Children's day Thoughts

The one who mocks his/her forefathers

is like the fellow who spits upwards

sleeping on his back! 

all the muck will fall right back

to where it belongs! 

No matter how hard you try

you cannot erase the sacrifice, determination 

struggles made by the 'original' patriots

As for the longevity of the fame of  the 'manufactured ones' 

well, time alone will tell.... 

NB: Happy children's day to the all the children of our great nation! 

Age is just a Number

A person from a humble background 

used to collect water unfailingly

everyday, from a public tap

the neighbourhood was celebrating his 70th birthday  

A few youngsters said "Grandpa, you are now 70

don't come to collect water from now on

one of us will bring it for you.." 

"So what has happened between yesterday and today?

in twenty four hours?"  asked the spirited man 

"How is it that i have abruptly become weak and feeble?

No way, I am getting my water myself!"  

Age is just a number

it's all about what you feel inside

about losing it if you are not using it

about not believing in the myth passed on for eons

that at age 40, you will catch this disease

at 45, that one. This and that, that and this

and by 60, unfit for any activity, physical or mental..

Listen instead to doctors Deepak Chopra, B.M. Hegde 

read the book "Ageless body, timeless mind

remember, you will lose it if you don't use it

Age is just a number...    

NB: I composed this poem for reciting in the event organized by the "First Kick" family for senior citizens.

The Festival of Light

 

Deepavali, the festival of light

Anticipated with love and warmth each year

To relight the wicks that are flickering

To make brighter the others

To rejoice together as a group, family and friends

May the bright warmth of the festival 2021

Remove; dispel the darkness wrought by pandemic

Ensure once for all the annihilation of the enemy! 

NB: I had written this on a call by a Facebook literary group to post on their time line. It is now time though belated, to put it on mine :) and of course post in my blog.

Avenues and Opportunities for Senior Citizens

Seniors Today-life & time is an online magazine exclusively focusing on the needs of senior citizens that include health, self help (Legal, money, technology), travel, nostalgia (Films, music) etc. Their tagline is "India's #1 destination for seniors. Seniors Today for some time now have also  been organizing a singing contest for senior citizens titled "Seniors have Talent" which is into the 5th season. I came across a video of this contest by chance on You Tube. They were in the last leg of the preliminaries and invited registrations for the last group of season 5. 

I promptly applied and got to participate in the last round/ group of singing on Sunday 30th October 2021. Four winners will be selected from the group on the basis of a combination of voting and judges' decision who would  join winners from 5 earlier groups  for the final contest  . The total of 24 contestants will vie for trophies in the finals to be held on 14th November. Interestingly, in the finals four of the best among the finalists will be identified and given trophies without  assigning them any  numbers of hierarchy. 

My rendering of song  :  Aaap ke Haseen Ruh pe aaj naya noor hai (Film: Baharein phir bhi aayenge; original singer Mohammad Rafi; lyrics Anjan and music OP Nayyar) 

Voting Link  : Contestant no 8 

I request all my readers and friends to vote and support me for the onward journey...

When you look at it....

When you look at it ...
it is so easy to misunderstand
relationships built painstaikingly
over the years
can break on a single instance

Friends can turn in to foes
close relatives enemies
understanding turn into misunderstanding
in seconds... so fragile
are our relationships

Yet eons ago Lakshman
on Bharat, approaching the forest
accompanied by the army
accused him of treachery-
one not satisfied with the banishment
wanted to kill & snuff out
any claimant, once for all

But Ram chided him
for harbouring such thoughts
of a noble brother
agitated Lakshman asked Ram
to compare him, Lakshman to Bharat

If I were to ask you, said Ram
to jump in to the fire
"Why Bhaiyya, what wrong did I do" you'd ask
but Bharat would simply
in the very moment
jump in to the fire!

Yes, today easy has it become
to misunderstand...
inspired by the legends
we can perhaps, pause a little
and be kinder before
assigning motives negative
to friends,relatives,loved ones
as  more closer the relationship
the more harsher are we on them

Yes, when you look at it
it is easy to misunderstand.....

கலியுக கோளாறுகள்

 எங்கையாவது கேட்டுஇருக்கீங்களா ?

தலைவர்களே, கொலை செய்ய, அழைப்பு கொடுப்பது 

சட்டமும் , ஒழுங்கும் பராமரிக்க பொறுப்புள்ள அரசே,

 பொது வேலைநிறுத்தம்,  பந்துக்கு  அழைப்பு கொடுப்பது  

ஒரு மாநிலத்தில், போலி கைவினை பொருட்களுக்கு 

அரசின் காவல், பாதுகாப்பு கொடுப்பது 

இன்னொரு மாநிலத்தில் , எதிர்ப்பு தெரிவிக்கும் 

விவசாயிகளே  காரால் மெதிச்சு கொல்லுவது 

கலியுக காலமல்லவா ?

கலியுகத்தில், இந்தியா நாட்டில் 

இதும்,  இதற்கு மேலும் நடக்கலாம் 

காத்திருந்து, பார்க்கவேண்டியது ...

ராஜீவ் மூதேடத்து  

I recited this poem at the October meeting of the Kavyakaumudi multilingual international poetry meet.

Shelf life of Deception

 

Courtesy: Photo by gemma on Unsplash 

"Can fool some of the people all of the time

all of the people some of the time 

but not all of the people all of the time"

goes a famous quote  

Shouting down  dissent, mocking dissent 

using violence against dissent

appears to work short time 

but not likely to work in the long run

after all,  everything has its shelf life

in the long run even the so called fools

also become wiser

well, not all of them but most of them!  

NB: I recited this poem in the October month 2021 meeting of  the Bangalore Poetry Circle(BPC)  

Summary of a rewarding webinar (Double Dhamaka)

I got an opportunity to attend a webinar on 22nd September 2021 organized by the Rotary Alumni Association under their 30 day basic education literacy  program "Vidhyarthi". I received the invite from a friend and Guest speaker for the day Ms Padmini Janardhan, Teacher educator and corporate trainer. She spoke on the topic "Beyond Religion". The surprise packet was a second speaker Adi Sai Vijai Karan, all of fifteen years who spoke on "Surviving in the 21st century as a teenager". 

As Padmini started speaking one could see that she was speaking about "vaishanavism". However, it was in line with the topic of the day with her focus being  on humanism beyond the religion. vaishanavism is a  Hindu denomination that worships and accepts Vishnu as the supreme manifestation of the divine. She started out by quoting the hymn " Vaishnava jana toh tene kahiye jay peedh paraayi jaan re.." Here the focus is on understanding the pain/suffering of others, empathizing with them and partaking in their feelings of joy. 

The speaker then went on to speak of "Thiruppavai" and the remaining part of her talk was on this treatise. The Thiruppavai is  a set of Tamil religious hymns composed by the female poet saint Andal.She is held to be the manifestation of Bhudevi and is the foster daughter of Periyalwar a saint who made major contribution to the philosophical and theological ideas of Vaishnavism. 

Thiruppavai has 30 verses dedicated to Lord Krishna and is considered to be the essence of the vedas.The 10th Month of the Tamil month namely Margazhi is celebrated with a reading of verses from Thiruppavai. The entire winter festival month is observed as a penance and the 27th day is celebrated as 'Friendship day". The friendship is articulated in the 27th verse"Being together we enjoy"--- kūḍiyirundu kuḷirndu’. (like Satsang -meeting of the noble hearts in Hindi). 

The celebrations then becomes alive with the body seen as the sacred abode of the Lord. The devotees are dressed in finery, ornaments and food is prepared with rice, milk and ghee which is shared with all. Here the devotee feels good in the inside and outside and extends it to others as well. The speaker then explained verse 15 which discusses the phenomenon of ego coming in the way of togetherness (verses 6 to 16 discusses togetherness). The onus/ responsibility is on oneself  to take initiative and avoid ego clashes and take everyone along even those who have some grievances. "Let us sing the praises of the one who destroys evil and differences among those who are differing".  Being together for  benefit of everyone happens when you pay attention to the 'What' instead of the 'Who'. 

Human beings engage in aggressive behaviour on account of fear and the desire for self sustenance meaning "I should not lose out on what I am presently enjoying". Such fears will not exist if you know that the universe is abundant and that there is sufficient for everyone's need (though not for their greed). In fact a prayer in Thiruppavai requests for sufficient rains for happy living (not excessive). This is further highlighted in the 23rd verse where the prayer is to receive sufficiently and consistently like the water that flows down from the slit in the lotus flower. There is no desire to satisfy greed. 

'Beyond the religion', Vaishnavism  as depicted in the  Thiruppavai, calls for an ethos of sufficiency over the ethos of maximizing. Similarly the ethos of satsang is held bigger than individual benefit or gain. This then  namely  togetherness/ satsang  is the essence of Vaishanavism. "May the entire world live in comfort and let us all be happy together" . The speaker signed off paying her obeisance to Kodai(saint)  Andal whose Thiruppavai serves as guide for a good and appropriate life.  

The second speaker of the day was fifteen year old Aadi Sai Vijai Karan. He is a winner of the Young Achiever's award 2021 for contributions made by 4US byUS, a non profit organization , founded by him . The organization connects accomplished mentors with children from underprivileged families so that they receive sound guidance for securing a good education. Aadi is also a published author having written the book "The World as I see it"  which gives  a teenager's perspective of the world. 

On the day's topic of "Surviving in the 21st century as a teenager".  Aadi said that there are umpteen number of activities in a teenager's life. So much so, it is a challenge to use time effectively. As for example the teenager may be discussing with friends about partying, frequently opening and closing fridge doors to spending one hour on Netflix and then panicking about the essay/math work that needs to be done to watching you tube, watching stand up comedy shows of Kenny Sebastian and so on. The speaker said that deadlines push you and are important for getting any work done.  It would be a struggle to complete things in the absence of deadlines. He said that this aspect is discussed in detail in his book "The World as I see it". 

The villain that comes in the way of rational thinking and being productive is the mysterious voice in the head that may tell you " Let's watch one more video before we start the assignment". Thirty minutes later you find that there are as many as six assignments pending and time is not enough. The voice in the head now says " There's always a tomorrow and the day after and the day after that".  The youngster today wants to do something for which he can see immediate results (quick, easy and immediate), what is called as instant gratification. Therefore a you tube video is likely to be more attractive than other activities to satisfy your immediate need for entertainment. But then two hours later, you find yourself feeling incredibly guilty for having put off important work.  

This brings us to the question as to whether mobile phones need to be policed by parents. The speaker answered the question in the negative. He said the trick is first acknowledge that instant gratification is real and then embrace it  to convert it  as an ally instead of seeing it as an enemy. In order to satisfy the needs for instant gratification one can split a goal into smaller milestones and as you reach each milestone you are happy and have a sense of accomplishment. This will also propel you to pursue the  goal with more vigour. Aadi gave the example of his own book writing project. He had at first set small goals of writing one para, then two paras, one page, three pages and so on so that the initial achievement satisfied the needs of instant gratification and then he was able to set higher targets. Before, you know it, you have completed the book! 

In the above strategy, the matter that is most important is to be crystal clear as what your goals are while setting.   As for example " I am going to take notes everyday", " I will learn Python/Java/Korean language in the next three months". The goal setting should answer the question with clarity " What are we doing? and Why are we doing it?". Once this has been done, take action and consistently do it until the goal is achieved. The onus is on you; you need to keep motivating yourself.

With that, the proceedings for the day came to an end. It was for me an unexpected double Dhamaka of a webinar which was very informative and enlightening. I only had a cursory idea of the practice of Vaishanavism before attending the webinar. I got a lot of clarity from the first talk by Padmini on the 'humanism' aspect of religion with a focus on togetherness and growing together. The second talk cannot be seen as experience sharing by a teenager that would be relevant only to teenagers.On the contrary, these days all of us irrespective of age are bitten by the instant gratification bug and we would all do well to try out the tips suggested and see how the phenomena can be used to our advantage to get more work done, instead of fighting it. 

Finally, I am so happy I chose to accept this invitation over other two engagements on 22nd September that had competed for the same time schedule. It was truly a very rewarding experience!  

എന്റെ രാജ്യം, എന്റെ സ്വപ്‌നങ്ങൾ (My Country, My Dreams)

The gist of the poem in English is stated in the beginning of the recitation of the poem posted at the bottom. Readers are invited to listen to the recitation.

ഞാൻ പിറന്ന ഈ യുവ രാജ്യത്തിന് പ്രായം 

കേവലം എഴുപത്തിയഞ്ചു വയസ്സ് 

യൂറോപ്പിലെ ചെറു രാജ്യങ്ങളെ പോൽ 

രാജാക്കന്മാരുടെ കൊച്ചു രാജ്യങ്ങളെ കോർത്ത് 

ഇന്ത്യ മഹാരാജ്യമാക്കിയത് നമ്മുടെ 

മഹത്തായ ഭരണഘടനയാണെന്നു ഓർക്കു!

  

ഒരിക്കലും മറക്കരുത് ഈ  വസ്തുത

സോദരരെ, സഹപൗരന്മാരെ 

നമ്മളെ നമ്മളാക്കുന്നു -  നമ്മുടെ ഭരണഘടന ! 

രാജ്യത്തിന് പ്രായം കുറവെങ്കിലും 

ഭാരതീയ പാരമ്പര്യം, സംസ്കൃതിയുടെ പ്രഭാവം 

ഏറെ ദൂരെ , ഇന്നറിയ പെടുന്ന ഇന്തോനേഷ്യ, ശ്രീലങ്ക 

അയൽ രാജ്യങ്ങൾ എന്നല്ല, വിശ്വ കോണുകളിൽ പോലും  

ഒന്നല്ല , രണ്ടല്ല , അയ്യായിരം വർഷങ്ങൾ മേലുള്ള 

പുരാതന സംസ്കാരം !  നമ്മുടെ സംസ്കാരം... 

എന്റെ സ്വപ്നം ഒന്ന് മാത്രം 

സന്തോഷം , സമാധാനം, പഠിപ്പ്, അറിവ്  

ചില വീടുകളിൽ മാത്രം ഒതുങ്ങാതെ 

എല്ലാ ഭാരതീയ വീടുകളെയും തൊട്ടു പുണരട്ടെ 

പിന്നീട് ആ സന്തോഷം, സമൃദ്ധി  

നമ്മളിലിൽ നിന്നൊഴുകി ലോകത്തിലെ 

എല്ലാ മുക്കിലും മൂലയിലും  എത്തട്ടെ ! 

സമസ്ത ലോക:  സുഖിനൗ ഭവന്തു !  

NB: ഈ കവിത ഞാൻ, ഹാവെൻ പൊയറ്റിക് സ്പെക്ട്രം ബഹു ഭാഷ കവിയരങ്ങിൽ,ഒക്ടോബർ 3 നു  അവതരിപ്പിച്ചു.   

Gandhi Jayanti

 

Another Gandhi Jayanti has arrived 

reminding us of simplicity 

and ultimate sacrifice

for unity and integrity of our nation!  

 The journey thus far since independence 

serves as reminder that you ignore  wisdom

of Bapu, whether the father of a family or nation

at your own peril!  

Choosing violence over non violence

falsehood over truth

selfishness over sacrifice 

can only lead to a dead end street

a dead end of doom and disaster

sooner or later....   

It is wake time countrymen

need to follow in the footsteps of

the Mahatma revered by the whole world! 

Time to make amends, before it's too late

no longer can we afford 

to  disregard  wisdom

wisdom,  of the father of our nation! 

NB: I recited this poem at the special Gandhi Jayanti meet of the Kavyakaumudi International Poets group  on 2nd October 2021 

घातक आकर्षण

 

"जो इश्क़ कभी नहीं किया है 

वह क्या जाने प्रेम क्या चीज़ है ?" 

चिल्लाया एक  प्रेम विवश लड़की  

अपनी बड़ी बहन पर !  

बहन का उपदेश बिलकुल सही था 

"न करना प्यार , बेरोज़गार लड़के से 

जो अक्सर गुस्सा भी करता  है 

दूर रहो उस आदमी से 

जिसका आदत  है पीना,  दारु और सिगरेट ! "  

दीदी  क्या जाने ,  उसकी  हालत 

 कि बात, हाथ से निकल चुकी  थी  

बहुत ज़्यादे दिनों से वह 

प्रेम की बिमारी से तरस रही थी 

परवाना को पता है 

कि खुद मिटने वाली  है 

शोले से जुड़ने से 

पर स्वयं  रोक नहीं कर पाती 

मौतसा  इश्क़ का जो 

शिकार बन गया  है !   

राजीव मूतेडत

NB:  इस कविता को मै काव्यकौमुदि  मंच पर 24/9/2021 तारिक को प्रस्तुत किया था |    

  

It is okay to be Human

 

Pressure to be happy all the time? 

"Everyone seems so happy always"

worried, "Is something wrong with me"?  

Rest assured no one can, 

is happy "all the time" !

At one time, we said 'cheese'  for the photograph 

present demand - Super smiles for the social media 

a media that operates 24x7   

So relax buddy, there's no need 

to pretend, play act

it is okay to experience

a myriad of emotions 

it is okay to be human...

हिंदी दिवस

 

सार्वजनिक क्षेत्र के कंपनियों  में 

कई साल सेवा किये  हुए  मुझे 

"हिंदी दिवस "  शब्द  सुनते ही याद आती है  

दफ्तर में,  उन दिनों  का अनुष्ठान, और मनाने  के सुवर्ण क्षण !

ख़ासकर मन में आता है 

हिंदी अफसर अमजद अली ख़ान, बेमेल का 

जो बहुत रूचि रखते थे, कार्यक्रमों के आयोजन में 

कर्मचारियों  केलिए कई प्रतियोगिताएँ 

निबंध , भाषण तथा अंताक्षरी 

एक हफ़्ते केलिए रहता था, उत्सव का माहौल !  

दक्षिण राज्यों में , हिंदी भाषा के ओर प्रेम 

ओर उत्साह जगाने केलिए, लगातार  

एक दिन नहीं , कई दिनों  की चर्चा की है ज़रुरत  

हिंदी सिनेमावों पर  

जाने माने कवी, कवियत्री   की  कृतियों पर   

हिंदी और दूसरी  भारतीय भाषाओं के समानताओं पर  

कौतुहल, प्रेम ओर शौक़ जगाने से  ही 

जीती जा सकती है 

सभी देश वासियों का दिल! 

NB: (1) सब को पूर्व कालीन हिंदी दिवस की शुभ कामनायेँ 

        (2) इस कविता को मै काव्यकौमुदि चेतना हिंदी मंच पर  11/9/2021 तारिक प्रस्तुत किया था |   

 

Memories- Companions for Life

Memories galore

going long way back

to youth, to childhood 

memories, some sweet 

worth treasuring, others bitter

best forgotten...  

Memories, some so fragrant 

like fresh jasmine flowers 

galloping away freely,  happily, light heartedly 

others that make you cringe, if recalling

even a trace of it... 

Amnesia is what I seek 

from memories bitter 

while wishing to embrace

feel, hold on to, the sweet memories 

in a heightened experience.... 

After all, it is the sweet little memories 

that soften life's blows, keeps you going

in tough, difficult times

friends who stands by you

for the rest of your life 

Friend or foe, memories are companions for life!  

NB This poem is featured in the anthology "Tapestry of Words"  edited by Dr Kavita Sashtri of Bangalore. 

ഗുരു (Guru)

The English version can be read at the bottom 

ഗുരുക്കൻമാരെ  എന്നും  വണങ്ങുന്ന, മാനിക്കുന്ന   

നം  നാട്ടിൽ പിറന്ന  എന്റെ   

ആദ്യ  ഗുരു  വീട്ടിൽ നിന്ന്  തന്നെ 

ആദ്യമായി  എഴുതാനും , വായിക്കാനും , സംസാരിക്കാനും 

ശരിയുടെ, തെറ്റിന്റെ  , ആദ്യ  പാഠങ്ങൾ  പഠിപ്പിച്ച  എന്റെ  'അമ്മ ! 

 അന്ധകാരത്തെ  നീക്കുന്നവൻ  ഗുരു, എങ്കിൽ 

ഗുരു  സ്ഥാനത്തു  പലരെയും  കാണാൻ  കഴിയും  

പഠിപ്പിച്ച  അദ്ധ്യാപകരെ , ആത്മീയ  വഴികാട്ടികളെ

വായിച്ച  പുസ്തകങ്ങളെ , ജീവിതത്തിൽ  ലഭിച്ച  അനുഭവങ്ങളെ

ചില  ഗുരുക്കന്മാർ,  നമുക്ക് ഒരിക്കലും  മറക്കാൻ  ആകാത്തവർ  

തെളിഞ്ഞു  വരും  പല  ജീവിത  സാഹചര്യങ്ങളിലും ,

അവരുടെ  മുഖവും , വാക്കുകളും 

മറ്റു  ചിലർ , ഗുരു  കുപ്പായം  അണിഞ്ഞെങ്കിലും  

തൻ  കർത്തവ്യം  നിറവേറ്റാൻ,  സാധിക്കാഞ്ഞവർ 

കപട  സന്യാസികളായി  ഭവിച്ചവർ 

ചെറു  ക്ലാസ്സുകളിൽ , കുട്ടികളെ  പരസ്യമായി  നിന്ദിച്ചവർ 

കളിയാക്കി , അവരുടെ  ആത്‌മവിശ്വാസം  തകർത്തവർ!  

 

ഇന്ന്   നമുക്കോർക്കാം  മിത്രരേ,  യഥാർത്ഥ  ഗുരുക്കന്മാരെ 

നമ്മുക്കെന്നും  തുണയായി , എന്നും  വെളിച്ചം  പകർന്നു  തന്നവരെ 

അവരല്ലേ സ്നേഹിതരെ ,  സത്യത്തിൽ കൺ കണ്ട ദൈവങ്ങൾ 

 മാത  പിതാ   ഗുരു ദൈവം,  എന്നല്ലേ? ....   

NB: ഈ കവിത ഞാൻ, ഹാവെൻ പൊയറ്റിക് സ്പെക്ട്രം ബഹു ഭാഷ കവിയരങ്ങിൽ, സെപ്റ്റംബർ 5നു  അവതരിപ്പിച്ചു.   

രാജീവ്  മൂത്തേടത് 

English Version:    Guru       

In this land where I  was born 

the land which, always respects and bows to Gurus 

My first guru was very much from home  

The one  who taught to read, write, talk 

 the one - who taught the first lessons of  right and wrong, my mother! 

If Guru is the one who removes darkness

Many can be seen as Guru or  Guru equivalent

the teachers who taught, the ones who showed spiritual path 

the great books that one read, the invaluable experiences of life... 

There are some Gurus you can never ever forget 

their faces and words appear as light, guidance 

in the many life circumstances... 

some others, though met in the garb of a teacher

failed miserably to fulfill role 

ones who turned out to be false sanyasins 

those who publicly shamed children in little classes 

who made fun of, ruined confidence of students under their care!  

Today let's remember with love the true Gurus, friends

those who remained by our side like a gleam of light 

over the years, for many many years!  

aren't they the ones , who can be called  "physically visible Gods" ?

Haven't you heard the saying- "to be  revered equally are

" Mother, Father, Guru and God." ?  (Maata, Pita, Guru Deivam) 

NB:    I recited this poem on Teacher's Day, September 5th 2021 at the Haven Spectrum online Multilingual meet