Tuesday 30 October 2012




धुआ धुआ सा छाया है मेरे चारो ओर 
नजाने क्यूँ धुंधली सी है आज मेरी सोच 
हवा में आज नमी कुछ अलग सी ही है 
भयंकर तूफ़ान से आने के पहले की शान्ति जैसे फेली हुई है  
अजीब सा ही मौसम छाया हुआ है मेरे मन पे  
कभी दिखे सूर्य की किरणे  
तो कभी चाँद क्या तारे भी न चमके



  





एक सांप जैसे लिपटा पढ़ा है मुझसे 
चाहे तो अगली हरकत पर ही मुझको दस् दे 
क्यूँ लग रहा है जैसे 
ज़रूर कही किसी कोने में कुछ खतरनाक सा चल रहा है 
मेरे खिलाफ कोई जैसे कुछ साज़िश रच रहा है 
खुली हवा में सांस ले रहा हूँ 
फिर भी घुटन महसूस कर रहा हूँ
और जैसे अपने एक डरवाने सपने को जी रहा हूँ




कल तक मेरे सामने ही थी मेरी मंजिल 
फिर क्यूँ आज कही वो छिप गयी है 
इस कोहरे के धुये में कही खो गयी है 
लुका छुपी का खेल बचपन से खेलता रहा हूँ
अपने रास्ते से भटक आज गया हूँ
पर अभी न ही अपनी हिम्मत और न ही ये खेल हारा हूँ
ऐ मंजिल जा चुप ले जहाँ छुप सकती है 
आजमा ले मेरा जोर  
और लगा ले अपना जितना जोर तू लगा सकती है 
बेश्ख मेरी नज़र से तू अभी छुप जाएगी 
पर मेरे हौसले से तू न बच पायेगी 
मेरे हौसले के आगे तू हार ही जाएगी 


- अवनीश गुप्ता 


Thursday 11 October 2012


      
     

अक्सर  मैं  सोच  में  पढ़  जाता  हूँ 
और  एक  अलग  ही  दुनिया  में  खो  जाता  हूँ
कभी  खुली  आँखों  से  सपने  बुनता  हूँ 
तो  कभी  उन्ही  सपनो  की  गहराइयों  में  रात  को  डूब  जाता  हूँ
अपने  सपनो  को  देखके  उन्ही  सपनो  में  जीने  का  दिल  करता  है 
पर  फिर  उन्ही  हसीन  हसरतो  को  हकीक़त  मनाने   का  मेरा  जी  करता  है 

अक्सर  मैं  सोच  में  पढ़  जाता  हूँ
और  खुद  ही  से   ये  सवाल  उठाता  हूँ 
की  क्यूँ  इंसान  इतना  नादान  है  
जो  खुद  ही  से  अभी  तक  अनजान  है 
की  क्यूँ  इंसान  है  इतना  अजीब 
हमेशा  इसकी  हसरते  होती  है  कुछ  पाने  की  हसीन 

अक्सर  मैं  सोच  में  पढ़  जाता  हूँ
और  वक़्त  की  ताक्कत  को  महसूस  कर  भोच्का  रह  जाता  हूँ
ये  तो   वक़्त  वक़्त  की  बात  है 
की  कल  जो  अपने  थे  आज  पराये  हो  गये  
और  कल  के   पराये  आज  हमारे  सहारा  देने  वाले  कन्धे  बन  गये  
ये  तो  वक़्त  वक़्त  की  बात  है 
की  सुख  में  मिल  जायेंगे  बहुत  ख़ुशी  बाटने  के  लिए 
पर  कौन  है  अपना  कौन  पराया  दुःख  में  इसका  एहसास  होता  है 

अक्सर  मैं  सोच  में  पढ़  जाता  हूँ
और  बीतें  लम्हों  की  यादों  में  घूम  हो  जाता  हूँ
कभी  कभी  उन्  सबकी  याद    जाती  है 
कभी  कभी  उन्  सब  की  कमी  मुझे  खल  जाती  है 
कैसा  होता  मेरा  आने  वाला  कल 
अगर  मेरा  आज  भी  होता  मेरा  बिता  हुआ  कल 

अक्सर  मैं  सोच  में  पढ़  जाता  हूँ
और  हज़ारों  सवालों  से  युही  घिर  जाता  हूँ
की  कैसा  होता  अगर  ऐसा  होता 
अगर  ऐसा  होता  तो  कैसा  होता 

अक्सर  मैं  सोच  में  पढ़  जाता  हूँ
की  क्यूँ  मैं  सोच  में  पढ़  जाता  हूँ
की  क्यूँ  मैं  बार  बार  कही  खो  जाता  हूँ
की  क्यूँ  मैं  इतने  सवाल  उठाता  हूँ
की  क्यूँ  मैं  याद  करता  और  फिर  जुदा  हो  जाता  हूँ
इन्ही  सब  सवालों  के  जवाब  ढूंडने  बार  बार  मैं  निकल  जाता  हूँ
और  अक्सर  मैं  सोच  में  पढ़  जाता  हूँ
और  अक्सर  मैं  सोच  में  पढ़  जाता  हूँ 


- अवनीश गुप्ता 

Friday 7 September 2012

                     
                 'क्यूँ आज'


आज अपने आप को शब्दों के दरमियाँ बया करने का फिर मन कर गया 
नजाने क्यूँ आज फिरसे लिखने का जी कर गया 
ऐसा लग रहा है जैसे मेरे साथ बहुत कुछ है घट गया 
जो आज एक दम से फिर कलम  उठाने का मन कर गया 
नजाने क्यूँ आज फिरसे लिखने का जी कर गया 
पता नहीं क्यूँ मन में एक अलग सी चंचलता है आज 
पता नहीं क्यूँ दिल में एक अलग सी हलचल है आज 
कुछ है नहीं बताने को फिर भी आज क्यूँ कुछ बताने को जी कर गया 
नजाने क्यूँ आज फिरसे लिखने का जी कर गया 
ऐसा लगा जैसे कुछ न घट के भी घट गया 
इस अन्घठी घटना का मेरे पर ऐसा असर पढ़ गया 
जो न होके भी मेरे दिल को लग गया 
और चुपके से जाके मेरे मन में बस गया 
नजाने क्यूँ  आज  फिरसे लिखने का जी कर गया 
शायद ऐसे ही इस मन का आज मन कर गया 
शायद ऐसे ही आज दिल कर गया 
जो आज फिरसे लिखने का जी कर गया 
जो आज फिरसे लिखने का जी कर गया 

- अवनीश गुप्ता  

Thursday 23 August 2012








One week to go before the final examinations start (or maybe less than that for the more daring ones). Tension starts to creep onto your mind and the worry whether you can at least deliver a decent performance in your examinations starts to eat you up. It’s a period when suddenly we become self motivators, giving ourselves confidence boost by creating an imaginary bubble around ourselves that the situation is not that much out of control. We curse ourselves for allowing yourself to fall into the trap again and yes then the damage control starts with the great thought in our minds “There is always a next time,  this won’t happen ever again.” In fact pages on facebook have been created on this very real yet unattainable thought. (Personally this crunch situation always reminds me of the Indo-Pak Kargil war of 1999 where India cursed itself for having allowed the intrusion along the Line of Control(LOC) for which we had to pay a heavy price but the difference is that the Indian army never had to curse itself again for this unlike us.)


Already one paragraph down and I haven’t yet come up with the main issue that I want to highlight. So students start to prepare for their examinations, the routine gets all upside down. Generally students who used to sleep in the 10-12 pm slot now suddenly develop an habit to stay up late (2-4 am) and study. I don’t know whether this is psychological or what but studying for your examinations especially during late night makes you feel as if you are the one who has written the course book in contradiction to the reality of being the one who has actually struggled to even read it. I think it is in mind only that we feel so because the thought that “I am studying when the rest of the world is sleeping” makes you IMAGINE that you are working your ass off (working hard). Now the truth my friend is that this is not true. The actual scenario is that you had been just sitting on your ass for the past two months whereas the rest of the world was working their asses off even then, they are doing it today and will do it tomorrow also. That is why I say “God is fair.”  So it is NO BIG DEAL that you are staying up late for a week just to study that to for yourself that to because you didn’t do so before when you had to.


Two paragraphs down and my main issue is yet to come up and it’s here finally. You stayed up late studied hard with full concentration and instead of your normal routine of sleeping at 11 pm you slept at somewhere 2:30 am in the morning. I say good job done. But this is just one side of the story. The other side of this unique coin (which is the main issue…finally) is that earlier you used to get up at say 7 am (considering a normal 8 hour period of sleep) but now you get up at 10 am. So my question to all is that eventually what is the point of studying late?  Ultimately you were getting a sleep of 8 hours earlier also and now also. Students get up late with AUTHORITY as if they had been working in a Hitler’s concentration camp and finally have been freed. Parents yes how can I forget them, they create hype about this issue more than the students themselves which ultimately persuades the mind of the students.


  


A typical scenario is something like this

Dad: It is 8 o’clock already why is he\she still sleeping?
Mom: Let him\her sleep. He \she was studying till 3 am.
Dad: Oh! Is that so? Then let it be.
You: Zzzzzzzzz…….


Now I can understand the psychology of the parents that ultimately they are ‘PARENTS’ but my friend what about you?  Don’t you think you should make up for all the fun you had earlier by working your ass off a bit more harder because when results come your parents are the one to screw you, a harsh reality. Practically the real motive of studying late is to cover up for the time lost, not replace it. So if you stay up late to study (I hope you study at least at that time) and get up late also then I would say NO BIG DEAL.



Monday 20 August 2012




It was quarter past twelve on a Wednesday afternoon. The ambience was very serene and soothing. People around on all the other tables were engaged in chatting with each other without any showcase of too much of attention seeking emotions but these two had been sitting there quietly on a small round table for two for quite some time now. Breaking the ice she asked him '' Tell me what love for you is?'' Finally taking his eyes of her and breaking away from his thoughts he took a deep breath, smiled and said '' The very fact that I can sit here with you for hours just staring at you lost in my thoughts , without being uneasy , not feeling the need to necessarily say something and yet enjoying your presence . For me that is love.'' 


Thursday 16 August 2012









They were the best of friends. They were like 'The Three Musketeers’. She was going out with one of the two guys for quite some time now. His best friend was his girl friend and this thought used to make him very upbeat and content. He felt like he was complete. They were deeply in love with each other. But this love was long gone and now the excitement in their relationship was no more. Unaware of this fact the other guy though pleased for both his friends used to feel the need of having something similar, something so spicy something so exciting in his life. He loved that girl which was his best friend and his best friend's girl friend but didn't want to ruin everything. One day while sitting alone with her he hugged her and with her image in his mind said "I wish I too had someone who loved me and whom I loved even more, someone who made me feel what I have never felt like before." The girl still with her arms around him thought in her mind I wish you could see, you could imagine that girl in me, I wish I wish and with that took a heavy breath.


Monday 6 August 2012








It was her birthday last week and she had donated blood. She had turned up 23 so she wanted to do some good deed.  Her blood group was (O-).  Today a child had met with a fatal accident while playing so his father was rushing him to the hospital all panicked and driving recklessly praying to almighty he could make it on time. This alarming and hysterical situation resulted in him hitting a girl by his car. It was a hit and run case. The girl died on the spot. The son had lost a lot of blood and transfusion was required. It was successful. The blood donated by the girl earlier was used and it was this ill fated girl only that the father had ran over today morning.


Sunday 5 August 2012






He sees her sitting sad all alone by herself drowned in the waters of her pain and sorrows. Being a friend he gives her company and consoles her. Feeling better she says “I wish my journey of life was as smooth as yours without troubles and happiness all around with a feeling of contentment as if in heaven.”  He was returning from the hospital, his results of medical tests were out. He has cancer.



Wednesday 1 August 2012




  
आज  मुझे  फिर  से  धोका  मिल  गया 
ज़िन्दगी  में  एक  सबक  और  सीख  लिया
और  ऐसा  लगा  सतरंगी ज़िन्दगी का एक और नय्या रंग देख लिया 
तुम  हो  मेरे  अपने  लगता  है  सिर्फ  एक  भ्रम  था  मेरा 
शायद  पराये  को   अपना  समझने  का  जैसे  एक  पाप  था  मेरा 
वो  कहते  थे  अनजान  कभी  अपनापन  नहीं  दिखा  सकता 
पर  ज़िन्दगी  के  इस  एक  घटे  वाक्य  ने  समझा  दिया 
दिखने  को  तो  वो  अनजान  इंसानियत  भी  नहीं  दिखा  सकता 
ज़िन्दगी  सच  में  कभी  सतरंगी  इन्द्रधनुष  लगती  है 
कभी  कभी  रुलाती  है  कभी  कभी  हसाती  है 
अपने सब  रंग  से  वाकिफ  होने  से  पहले  फिर  एक  नय्या  रंग  दिखा  जाती  है 
पर  गौर  करो  तो  अंत  में  समझ  ही  जाओगे  
जिस  तरह  अलग  अलग  रंग  के  फूल  कितने  भी  पसंद  आये  
और  कितने  भी आँखों को भाये 
लगते  अच्छे  एक  साथ  एक  गुलदस्ते  में  ही  है 
उस्सी  तरह  काँटें  चाहए  कितने  भी  नोकिल्ले  लगे 
पैरों  में  इन  काँटों  से  पड़े  छाले  ही  
दुःख  के  बाद  सुख  का   एहसास  दिलाते  है 
निराशा  के  बाद  आशा  की  किरण  जगाते   है 
ज़हन  में  बस  के  बार  बार  याद  आते  है 
और  इस  रंग  बिरंगी ज़िन्दगी  का  सफ़र  रोमांचक  बनाते  है 

अवनीश  गुप्ता