My First Love Letter

It was love at first sight. 

She was my classmate. She was like a flower about to bloom. 

I was just fourteen then. The testosterone had just started to rise. 

Whenever I saw the sweet one, my heart would run fast like an express train. The bullet train was unheard of then. 

I used to sit in the first row just in front of the teacher. Whenever the teacher asked any question, I was told to keep mum till other students got a chance to answer. If no one could, it was my turn to answer. I was thus considered a bright student. 

It so happened that as I  entered my teen,  my hormones going topsy-turvy, my eyes would naturally look at the students of the opposite sex and see the changes occurring in their physique. I developed infatuation with a beauty sitting in the second row of my class. It was difficult to look back on and off without being noticed by the teacher who happened to be sitting just in front of me. 

One fine day, the ‘bright student’ was missing from the front row and had occupied the back bench, with the sole intention of looking at the sweet thing sitting in the second row.

But it did not go unnoticed by the teacher.

“Where is Mr Intelligent?” asked the teacher.

‘Sir,  he is on the back bench’ students replied in chorus.

It was then I understood that it was not ‘good’ to be a ‘good’ boy in the class! I was brought back to the first row again which was a place of pride for me but I was miserable with the urge to look back at the sweet thing again and again.

Once with a lot of courage, I decided to express feelings of my heart to the sweet thing. What if she shouts, becomes angry, or reveals it to the teacher! It was a great dilemma, but my hormones would not allow me to sit quietly and ultimately I wrote a love letter, the first in my life which was something like this - …. ‘ Deer Ms X, I luv you very much … blah blah blah’ and then I secretly put that letter in her school bag.   I waited for her response with a palpitating heart. 

As luck would have it, the father of my sweet one happened to be a close colleague of my dad. The sweet one possibly did not have that inclination towards me, her love was algebra, civics, and history. I am sure that she had not read love stories of emperor Shahjahan for Mumtaz nor had she seen the movies like Mugal-e-Azam or Anarkali.

She handed over a love letter meant for her to the ‘villain’ I mean her father. Her father in turn handed over that precious secret letter to my dad, “Look what your son has written to my daughter”, said the villain. 

The next day I was summoned by Mughal-e-Azam, my dad. Here I must reveal a few things about my dad. My dad was a poet. He used to pen lovely rhymes in English and used to teach us English at home whenever he had free time. 

“ Son, I heard that you wrote a love letter to your classmate!”

I developed cold feet. I looked down to the earth as his sharp eyes pierced me. I talked to myself, ‘Oh, how could she do such a foolish thing, the stupid sweet thing did not even understand that it was meant for her and not for the parents!’

Said my Dad,  “ Don’t you know how to write a love letter, firstly spelling of LUV is wrong, it should be LOVE and what is the spelling of the Letter you rascal, is it LETAR  or LETTER! It's DEAR and not DEER! Don’t you know simple English?  There are ten more mistakes in your so-called love letter.”

I did not know what to say, now it was my turn to stand like a stupid in front of the towering personality of my dad. 

“ Now take a pen and paper, write each and every wrong word ten times each, and show me .”

Poor me! I wrote each and every wrongly spelled word ten times and showed it to my father. He also found many grammatical errors. Ultimately,  a new letter was drafted for my sweetheart, who by that time had become too bitter for me. I never handed over that redrafted letter to her. 

Later I heard the villain asking the Mughal-e-Azam, “Did you tell anything to your son?”

“ I am sorry for so many mistakes in his letter, Don’t you worry, he has corrected all those mistakes and I made him rewrite a proper love letter”, my Dad smiled.  Both had a hearty laugh.

After a few years, I did write another love letter, albeit to my new love but the romance and thrill of the first love letter was missing.

The Nest of Love

    

The Nest of Love

Since last few days, a bird was frequenting my home and its mate soon followed. Throughout the day, the couple would chatter and make lovely sounds. The male bird was jet black in color with a beautiful dark red collar. The female was of aslate color and slightly smaller in size. They selected a corner in our verandah. Soon they started to build a nest there.

Day and night, they would bring shreds of paper, grass, tiny branches of shrubs and twine these to make a tiny yet beautiful nest. We eagerly observed the nest grow and soon enough it was ready. It took about 5 days for them to build the nest. However, all of a sudden, the chattering stopped. What could have happened? It was then that we discovered that the female had laid eggs. They were off-white eggs with a brownish tinge. Throughout the day, she would sit on the eggs and incubate them. This she would do for hours together. Sitting atlike that, she looked bigger than her nest. Her wings barely fit in her home as she sat there waiting patiently. 

It became a routine for me to see the birds before going to work. And the first thing I would do after coming back was to peep in and look for any signs of a new born. The days passed by and every day seemed to drag on. I was not able to hide my eagerness anymore. I wasn’t the only one who was excited. My kids were just as eager. The air at home was filled with enthusiasm.

“Papa, what are they doing?”, asked my youngest daughter.

“They have built a home and they have laid the eggs, and soon tiny babies will be born,” replied   my wife.

“The way we were born?” asked the tiny tot. My wife smiled.

The birds remained silent throughout the period of incubation. There was not a sound. And soon the tiny, little ones were born. They were a featherless   bundle of muscle mass, with closed eyes and tiny beaks. We all congratulated each other, as if there was a newborn in our own family.

The mother bird brought feed and fed the new borns. The father bird was always nearby keeping a close watch.

Often, the kids would be seen alone and protruding their beaks, as if they were very hungry. Then, the mother would arrive, carrying some insects for the young ones. It seemed like time barely passed, yet the kids had started to grow. They started making noise and the chattering began, anew. The hungry kids would shout as if they were demanding food and the mother bird would reply with a call as if to assure them. The moment she would arrive with the food, the chattering and eagerness would increase. They would jostle among each other to get their share.

One day, early in the morning, I got a call from my hospital. It was an emergency and I was to come immediately. I got ready in a huff and rushed to the hospital. As I was nearing the gate, a frail voice called to me. I turned around. It was my mother, calling me back.

My mother is about to complete her ninth decade. She has tremors in her hands and tongue. She is lean and thin. Her face is full of wrinkles that hold years of wisdom and experience. She contains all of the love, affection and strength I need. For me, She is my home. I have always remained a tiny child for her. She was calling me, asking me to come back.

“Why don’t you have some food and then go to the hospital. After all, your return is unpredictable.”, said my mother with a trembling voice. She had slowly come out of her room, walked with shaky steps up to the door and then made her way to me. Even in the most urgent situations, I could not say no to her. I turned around and walked to the dining table. She served me breakfast which I gulped down hurriedly. She looked relieved when I finished eating

As I started on my way back to the hospital, I heard the chattering of the birds again. I looked up at the nest - the mother bird was feeding her children.

All mothers are same, I realized.

Eyes the most divine gift

Out of all the six senses the most divine one is vision – we see the beautiful creation of the master crafter  because of  eyes. The very  thought of being blind  sends a chill in the spine. 

In the mythology , Mahabharat mentions  Dhritarashtra, the king of Kaurav clan who was born blind. Not to be looked upon as a better half , his wife Gandhari  did the penance  by tying  a piece of cloth on her  eyes .  Dhritarashtra ruled Hastinapur  but  the problems  occurred  not because of lack of vision of  his eyes but also because he had lost his inner vision , the ability to look inside oneself . The war of Mahabharat  was a result of lack of insight  rather than out-sight .

Mahabharat  also mentions about divine  vision gifted to Sanjay  , a trusted  charioteer of  Dhritarashtra by  Vyasa Rishi , who could see the happenings  on the war front  like the way we see television  now a days . Lord Krishna  blessed  Arjuna  with divine eyes   so that he could see the divine  universal form of the lord. 

In 11^thCentury , eyes of great Rajput King  Prithviraj Chauhan  were burnt with   red hot  iron rod by his tormentor Sultan Shahbuddin Muhammad Ghori  who was earlier  defeated by Prithviraaj Chauhan , but was set free as a gesture of mercy .Ghauri attacked for a second time the next year, Prithviraj was defeated and captured at the Second Battle of Tarain (1192). Ghori  did not show any mercy, he took Prithviraj to Ghazni and blinded him.As per the history , as directed by poet  Chand Bardai  through a poem , Prithviraj  killed Mohammad Gori by a single arrow  .

In  15th-century blind saint, poet and musician,Surdas composed devotional songs dedicated to Lord Krishna.Surdas is said to have written and composed a hundred thousand songs in his magnum opus the 'Sur Sagar' (Ocean of Melody), out of which only about 8,000 are extant.He  penned  poems of divine love  . He has described the beauty of  Kanha  , the childhood  of lord Krishna , in such meticulous way as if he could see lord Krishna in reality. 

 Bollywood  have special place for eyes – who can forget the beautiful eyes of Lalita Pawar . Her  eyes expressed so many emotions at same time  especially when it came to anguish of mother in law . The blind girl’s role played by  Rani Mukherjee  and role of her teacher Amitabh in the film ‘Black’will be remembered  for their superb acting . Lovely heart touching songs were  created on eyes – unforgettable Rafi sang ‘Teri aankho ke shiva duniya me rakha kya hai’, to present day ‘ankhiyon se goli maare ‘and ‘woh ladki aankh maare’  all depicted naughty eyes.  .

Medically speaking ,  the loss of vision could be due to cataract , glaucoma  , diabetic and hypertensive retinopathy , vitamin A deficiency and  eye injuries.  

Interestingly most of these can be prevented and also can be treated  with very good result. With the national health program started in 1970s of  free supply of Vitamin A to children , xerophthalmia has become a disease of past but can still be found in extreme malnourishment.  

मौका अच्छा है

ज़िंदगी थम सी गई है । 

पहले  वाले  सुहावने  दिनों  ने कह  दिया  है  बाय- बाय  !!!

अब  तो  घर  के  चहुँ  ओर लक्ष्मण- रेखा है,  

पांव  बढ़ाया नहीं  कि रावण  का  ख्याल आता है ।

            ***

अब  आते हैं  वो  दिन याद, जब  हमें  केश- कर्तनालय 

में  " चंदू- नाई" द्वारा प्रवचित  दिव्य-ग्यान  प्राप्त होता था । 

'चुनावी माहौल'  से लेकर सचिन की बल्लेबाजी, 'पप्पु के जोक्स' से लेकर 'मोदीजी' के राजनैतिक फैसलों की व्याख्या,वह चुटकी बजाते कर लेता था । 

" चंदू- नाई" की विद्याभंडार और विभिन्न दर्शनग्राही चाह देखकर तो हम केशकर्तन ग्राहकगण दातों तले उँगली दबाते रह जाते हैं ।

" चंदू- नाई" की ज्ञान-परिधि असीमित है । अपने ज्ञान बंटन के मध्य  ज़नाब अपने उस्तरे को विश्राम देते हैं, तत्पश्चात वे अपने जेब से प्लास्टिक की एक पुड़िया निकालकर उसके अंदर रखे खैनी को बाएं हाथ में लेकर एक चमचमाती डिबिया 

दूसरे जेब से निकालते हैं।डिबिया में रखे सफेद चुना लेकर खैनी को अपने अंगूठे से अच्छी 

तरहा मसलते हैं, फिर दो तीन बार धमाधम दूसरी हथेली से खैनी को ठोकते हुए  बाएं हथेली के दो उँगली से अपने निचले होंठ को 

दबाकर दाहिने हाथ में रखे खैनीचूना मिश्रण को मुख में अर्पण करते हैं ।कुछ देर में उनके मुख पर एक अजीब सी दिव्य आभा मंडराती है,  हमें 

ज्ञात हो जाता है कि उनके मस्तिष्क में विचार तरंगों को फिर से गति 

मिल गई है ।उनके ज्ञान सागर में लहरें पुन: ज्वारभाटा की तरह उछल रहीं हैं। 

अब ज़नाब फिर से अपना व्याख्यान आरंभ कर देते हैं।

अब की बार शब्द मुख में स्थित खैनी से छनकर निकलते हैं और 

कर्तनालय में मौजूद हम सभी अज्ञानी श्रोतागण  फिर से  मंत्रमुग्ध हो "चंदुलाल"  की वाणी का श्रवण करते हुए ज्ञानसागर में गोता 

लगाने लगते हैं ।

कोई भी व्याख्यान में खलल डाले 'चंदुभैया' को यह कतई ना भाता है । उसके मुताबिक इससे उसका लिंक टूट जाता है।फिर भी हमने एक दिन हिम्मत कर पूछ ही लिया, 

" चंदू भैय्या,आप यह खैनी खाना बंद क्यों नहीं कर देते?"

" चंदू- नाई"  ने तपाक् से जवाब दिया, " क्यूं बंद करें? "

हमने कहा, " आईना देखो ।"

अब केश कर्तनालय में तो आईनों की कमी नहीं, जिधर देखो,  उधरआईना । 

" चंदू- नाई"  ने आईने में झांका ।माथा देखा,  आँखें देखी,  गाल देखे,  ठुठनी भी देखी, केश भी देखे, फिर कहा, "क्यूं, सब  ठीक ही तो है।"

हमने कहा, "चंदू  भैय्या,  अपना मुख तो खोलिए"

" लो खोला"

"अब अपनी दंतावली देखिए"।

"देख लिया"

"क्या देखा? "

"कुछ गलत नहीं, सब कुछ सही है", चंदुलाल ने भरोसे से कहा ।

"आपकी दंतावली देखिए महाराज,  सफेद दांत घिस- घिस कर पीले और कत्थई रंग के हो गए हैं"।

" चंदू- नाई"  का दिमाग चकराया, उसने अपने दांत तो देखे थे, 

लेकिन ख्याल नहीं किया था कि इतने घिस गए ।

रुंऑसे सूरत से कहा, " अब का करें डाक्साब"।

अब आया ऊंट पहाड़ के नीचे, मैंने सोचा ।अब दर्शन शास्त्र में गोता लगाने की बारी मेरी थी ।

उत्साहित होकर कहा "दांत ही नहीं खराब होते,चंदू भैय्या,     मुख में कर्क रोग भी हो सकता है ।"

"ये करक रोग का होत है, डाक्साब ? "

"कर्क रोग यानी कैन्सर"

जन साधारण आज हिंदी से ज्यादा अंग्रेजी समझता है ।अब मेरी बात  चंदू- नाई  के पल्ले पड़ी ।

"कैन्सर !"

"हां,  कैन्सर । मुख का कैन्सर, गले का कैंसर,  अन्न नली का कैंसर और जो धुम्रपान करते हैं,  उनको फुफ्फुसीय यानी छाती का कैंसर ।"

"लेकिन का करें डाक्साब,  मुंआ ये आदत ही ना छुटे ।"  चंदू- नाई  अपना भरोसा खो चुका था ।

"धीरज से और मन की शक्ति से काम लोगे,  तब ना छुटेगा,  ये 

मुंआ गंदा आदत," मैंने कहा।

             ****

" कॉरोना" के चलते आज जब सभी पान की दुकानें बंद हैं,  तमाकू मिलना दुर्लभ है ।अब का रोना,  यानी काहे को रोना? मौका तो अच्छा है,  ये गंदा आदत त्याग कर दो ।

आप सब सुधी लोगों से भी हाथ जोड़ विनति है, सुध में आएं,  

तमाकू,  खैनी,  पाऊच, पान, धुम्रपान, और हां, मदिरा पान भी छोड़ दें,  दंतावली चमकेगी, कैंसर का पीछा छुटेगा, घर बरबाद होने से 

बचेगा । 

"कॉरोना के लॉकडाऊन" का फायदा तो उठाएं |

               ***

मौका वाकई में अच्छा है ।