आरती नीली बत्ती की

और नहीं कुछ मांगूं तुझसे,
नीली बत्ती दे दे प्रभुवर,
कलियुग में संताप हरे,
ये हर ले मानव के सारे डर,
और नहीं कुछ मांगूं तुझसे...

दुल्हन के माथे पर टीका,
नीली बत्ती बहुत सजीली,
सत्ता का अधिकार चिन्ह ये,
इसके जैसी लाल न पीली,
ताज मेरी गाड़ी को दे-दे,
हे मेरे करुणा के सागर,
और नहीं कुछ मांगूं तुझसे....

रौंग पार्किंग में गाड़ी,
मैं पार्क करूं जियरा हर्षाये,
गाड़ी छोड़ बेधड़क घूमूं ,
चोर पुलीस निकट नहीं आये,
जाम लगा हो चाहे जितना,
गाड़ी दौड़े सर सर सर सर,
और नहीं कुछ  मांगूं तुझसे...

कोई भी ऑफिस हो,
मेरी गाड़ी उसमें झट घुस जाए,
वन वे हो या बंद सड़क,
गाड़ी उसमें सरपट  घुस जाए,
मैं अन्दर बैठा हूँ ,
मुझको पब्लिक देखे आँखें भर-भर,
और नहीं कुछ मांगूं तुझसे.....

जिसको चाहे ठोकर मारूं,
मुझसे मगर कोई ना उलझे,
जुतिया के अन्दर करवा दूं,
पागल अगर कोई आ उलझे,
दायें-बाएं सब हो जाएँ,
जब बज जाए मेरा हूटर,
और नहीं कुछ मांगूं तुझ से...

आगे की गद्दी पर मेरी,
मेरा गनर बहुत ही साजे,
मेरे लिए सजे हर महफ़िल,
और बजें सब गाजे-बाजे,
मुख्य अतिथि बन चढूं मंच पर,
घंटा बोलूँ ढाई आखर,
और नहीं कुछ मांगूं तुझसे...

छोटे-छोटे नेताओं को,
माई बाप तुल्य मैं मानूं,
बिन मुद्रा के फाइल करना,
भीषण पाप तुल्य मैं जानूं,
नीली बत्ती मिल जाए तो,
भर जाए मेरा खाली घर,
और नहीं कुछ मांगूं तुझसे...

बड़े बड़े राजे महराजे,
मेरे घर रिश्ता ले आयें,
बर्फी घेवर कलाकंद,
काजू किशमिश पिश्ता ले आयें,
जनपद मेरी महिमा गूंजे,
मिले मुझे भयमिश्रित आदर,
और नहीं कुछ मांगूं तुझसे...

यू पी एस सी टॉप करा दे,
बन जाऊं मैं लाला साहेब,
मनुजों में मैं  द्विज बन जाऊं,
नीली बत्ती वाला साहेब,
छोटी सी इच्छा नारायण,
बलिहारी जाऊं पूरी कर,
और नहीं कुछ मांगूं तुझसे,
नीली बत्ती दे दे प्रभुवर,
और नहीं कुछ मांगूं तुझसे,
नीली बत्ती दे-दे प्रभुवर...

(नीली बत्ती के अभिलाषी भक्तजन इस आरती को रोज़ सुबह स्नानोपरांत एक बार पूरी गायें I साथ ही तर्जनी में सवा सात रत्ती का पुखराज धारण करें I अवश्य नीली बत्ती की प्राप्ति होगी...)

Environment and "baba" Paul

Dear Friends,
FIFA world cup is finally over and Spain has emerged as the new world champion of Soccer. While the participating nations, and Shakira hogged the limelight, sharing the arc-lights was another creature affectionately referred to as "Baba Paul" by the Indian Media. What is interesting is that the "Baba Paul" in question in not your run-of-the-mill, saffron wearing Indian astrologer. In fact he is not even human! Rather, it is a member of the Phylum Mollusca of Sub-Kingdom Invertebrata, of Kingdom Animalia. Translated into lingua-franca, "Baba Paul" is an octopus housed in a fish tank in a German Zoo. It belongs to the class Cephalopoda of the Phylum Mollusca. Cephaplopods are so named because their foot is attached to their head (Kephalos-head, Pod-foot). The class includes such animals as squids and cuttlefish besides Octopi which, collectively, form a group of the most highly evolved and intelligent invertebrates on Earth. Of these also, the octopus is one animal which has a surprisingly large and well developed brain for an invertebrate and exhibits complex behaviour (including maternal care) which approaches the mammals in its intricacy. In fact (if the documentaries being shown on Discovery Channel are to be believed) the octopus will be the next dominant  life-form on Earth after we humans are wiped out due a catastrophe of global proportions, like a nuclear war or a comet impact from outer space!
It is amazing to see how the octopus Paul managed to accurately predict the outcome of all the important games played in the soccer world cup, including the final. In doing so, it turned all the laws of probability on their heads and forced the skeptics into a shocked silence. Even though I am not exactly a believer in the soothsaying abilities of Paul, yet I am writing this post for an entirely different reason. And the reason is that what Paul has achieved and demonstrated in this world cup is that the so called 'lowly' life forms on this planet may possess senses and abilities which of which we are completely unaware. While the ability to accurately predict the future is an ability straight out of science fiction novels, we are as yet trying to figure out how birds and fish make accurate migrations over thousands of kilometers without any instruments, how some frogs can remain frozen for decades and then spring back to life upon the return of favorable conditions, why sharks never get cancer and so forth. While we continue to destroy environment with impunity and push species into the black hole of extinction daily, we do not realize that we may be doing so at our own peril. Who knows if a lowly and ugly life form like Caenorhabditis (a worm) may in future provide us the key to an eternal and youthful life?
The year 2010 has been the hottest year in the last decade. The effects of climate change are no longer conjecture. They are now, in fact, a fact of life which we all are beginning to experience and to suffer. The day may not be far off when the Ganges and numerous other rivers of the Indo-Gangetic plain start drying up for want of water from the Himalayan Glaciers which are rapidly receding. Can we even begin to imagine the level of human catastrophe that will be the fallout of the termination of fresh water supply to one of the most densely populated and backward regions of the Earth? What we must realize is that the environment of the Earth is the product of millions of years of evolution and is like an extremely fragile web. Break enough threads and the web will fall away and dissolve into nothingness right before your eyes. The recent show of ESP by "Baba Paul" is only a reminder that we humans need to sit up and start viewing the other seemingly 'unimportant' and 'primitive' life forms on the planet with renewed respect. In fact, I have a suggestion. Why don't we ask "Baba Paul" to predict the outcome of human activities on this planet. Considering that his predictions are way ahead of Nostradamus, the result of such a test should be an eye opener...!

एक और नयी ग़ज़ल

कुछ तो दुनिया का तौर है यारों, 

कुछ मेरा भी मिजाज़ ऐसा है;

बात दिल की ज़बां पे मत लाओ,

मेरे घर का रिवाज़ ऐसा है;

जिसे कह दूं तो ज़लज़ला आये, 

मेरे सीने में राज़ ऐसा है;

जो नवाजिश में ज़ख्म देता है,

मेरा ज़र्रानवाज़ ऐसा है;

मुझे उसमें कमी नहीं दिखती,

कुछ मेरा इम्तियाज़ ऐसा है......

एक नयी ग़ज़ल

कोई उम्मीद न रही उनसे

इसलिए कोई गम नहीं होता;

इश्क शम्मा नहीं है शोला है,

ये हवाओं से कम नहीं होता;

उनका दिल-दिल नहीं है सेहरा है,

मेरे अश्कों से नाम नहीं होता;

मैंने देखा है दौर-ए-ग़ुरबत में,

कोई भी हमकदम नहीं होता;

बेच देता ज़मीर गर अपना,

आज मुझ पर सितम नहीं होता....

Campaign Against Illegal Parkings in Lucknow

Dear Friends,
I started writing this blog with a campaign against illegal and often criminal parking lots in Lucknow. On the 4th of June, 2009, I complained to DM Lucnow in writing that a complete racket of extortion of money from hapless citizens is in operation in Lucknow in the garb of parking lot contracts on municipal land. Seven months hence, I am happy to report that the campaign that I started has been taken up as an issue by a political party in Lucknow. They raided parking lots and found a parking 'contract' running in a no-parking zone!!. The media has also taken up the issue and given it due space on their pages. I urge all of you, who without doubt face daily harrassment and intimidation at the hands of the goons posing as parking lot contractors to raise your voice against such criminal intimdation and extrtion and make Lucknow a better, safer and more dignified city to live in.

AAH TAAJ !!

Dear Friends,
Its been four months in Agra and I still havnt seen the Tajmahal. Well,well...before you condemn me as a workaholic allow me to share with you the fact that I DID TRY TO SEE THE TAJ. However, the experience was so frightening that I havn't since then tried to repeat the feat of valor.
Swati (my wife) and I went to savor the beauty of the architectural marvel on a holiday when, by chance, we had the day to ourselves. Just as soon as we got down from the car, we were surrounded by men brandishing all sorts of identitiy cards with 'guide' written on them. Each one of them , without exception offered to get us inside the gates of the TajMahal complex without having to stand in a queue. We, of course, turned down the offers and proceeded to enter the gate. Immediately, a gang of rickshawpullers descended upon us offering to take us to the ticket window for a fee. Well, more out of desperation to get out of the crowd of 'guides' and less out of need, we got on a rickshaw. The rickshawpuller proceeded to take us, not to the ticket window, but to a market known as 'meena baazar' from where he wanted us to purchase some artefacts from a shop he was recommending. We refused to oblige and proceeded to walk towards the ticket window. However, before we actually reached there, we were once again intercepted by a gang of 'guides' who, instead of offering us a guided tour of the Taj, were all offering to take us inside without us having to stand in a queue (which incidentally was long enough to be intimidating). By this time I was suitably irritated by this total disregard for our privacy by the 'guides' who are actually called 'lapkas' in local terms. Our holiday mood having been spoilt by the 'lapkas' and having been suitable intimidated by the length of the queue in front of the ticket window and also at the entrance of the Taj Mahal complex, we decided to beat a hasty retreat. Just as we started on our way back, we were once again intercepted by a girl selling key rings, each having a sorry looking plastic replica of the Taj Mahal, enclosed in a plastic bubble filled with some sort of liquid with glittering particles. When we refused to buy it, she practically begged us to buy one. Since it was difficult to differentiate whether she was selling or begging, we bought one of those keyrings and started walking back to the main gate and our car.
The experience, to say the least, was nauseating. It was a sorry saga of how perhaps the best known and patronized tourist destination in India is being managed. Like everything else in India, for a fee paid to a 'lapka' you can break a queue and enter the complex like a VIP. What happens to the other hapless tourists in who don't have the money to pay to a 'lapka' and are forced to stand in queue is nobody's business. The whole place is like a fish-market and the atmosphere and people there are enough to unnerve and repulse a sensive tourist. I agree that the Taj Mahal receives huge numbers of visitors every day. But that is all the more a reason to develop facilities at the Monument that make the experience memorable for teh sundry tourist. Otherwise I am sure that most of the tourists will come out of the place saying not 'Wah Taaj' but 'Aah Taaj'!

My New Book: Winning Despite All Odds

Dear Friends
My new book, "Winning Despite All Odds". It being published by Ocean Books (English Arm of Prabhat Prakashan, Delhi)and is slated for release in Feburary this year. Its a book based on my lectures and workshops as a motivator. I have tried to provide answers to questions like "I cant concentrate on studies", "I am suffering from a broken heart", "How can competition and freiendship co-exist", "What is 'personality'" etc. Its my attempt to share my thoughts with all of you on the twin and inseparable phenomenon called success and failure. Do pick up a copy. Maybe it will help.