Sunday, February 22, 2009

Lonely in Crowd..


पल पल बड़ते कदम, कुछ तेज़ तेज़ कुछ मधम मधम
वो चीख वो अंदाज़, क्या मौत इसी को कहते हैं ??

आसमानों में टिमटिमाते दिये जैसे तारे,
जो इस तूफान में कुछ धुंधले हो रहे हैं
ये बरफ सी ठंडी आह, मासूम बियाबान रात,
क्या मौत इसी को कहते हैं ??
याद है ज़िन्दगी भी है और तन्हाईं भी..
सिसकती हिचकियां भी हैं और सहमती रात भी
कभी आगोश में लेती हुयी माँ की पुकार को
और कभी धुंधली होती हुयी बच्चे की पुचकार को
क्या मौत इसी को कहते हैं ??
वक्त में बेपनाह लडाई में, जब शाम का आंचल खिसक कर गिर गया
उस बाप की लाचारी भरी मुस्कान को
जो सोचता था शायद रोके न सही, हँसके मना लूँगा भगवान को
समझ में तुझे आया "ज़िन्दगी" तू हवा है और तुझे बहना है
ेरी पशो पैनी पे भी ये आंसू रुकते नही
माँ का आँचल भरता नही
बाप की उदासी कम होती नही
बच्चे का दिल अब चिडिया जैसा चहकता नही
क्या मौत इसी को कहते हैं ??
जो अब आके भी मुझे नही आती..

Written by A Loner.. another Zindagi (not me)..

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Gulabi - A colour of Success

Gulabi a.k.a Gulabo means pink colour..
Gulabo is daughter of a snake charmer and belongs to the Rajasthan’s Kalbeliya snake tribe..I met Gulabo at Pushkar.. Where she was performing in RTDC’s (Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation) annual fare.. She is a world famous Kalbelia dancer..
Hi, I am shooting for a Documentary Film “Entertainers of India”.. Hastily I informed her about my visit of Pushkar fare.. Her secretary was in more hurry than me..
“Madam zara jaldi khatam karna”..
I just passed a smile to him because I have not yet began and this fellow is talking about the end..
My first question was very usual “When did you start dancing?”
As soon as I began to walk, I started to dance.. she replied and simultaneously was re-doing her makeup and dresses..
I need to know MORE about your life, childhood, dance training, struggle etc. etc.
.. and she begin with her father.. Who was a snake charmer as well as a street dancer, he used to dance on the “been (a traditional instrument of Indian snake charmer)” music and beg..
I always accompanied my father during his dance performances on the streets, It was not our traditional profession but yes was a source of me and my siblings upbringing.. However for me dancing on streets was not a respectful job which my father was doing.. but dance was my passion.. My society was completely against of my dancing, but somehow my father stood by me..
Sometime at the age of nine, I had participated in a Holi carnival.. And then next
year I performed at the annual Pushkar Festival of Rajasthan, along with other girls of my tribe.. There I got noticed by RTDC Festival committee members, they called me to perform in another event..
After sometime I got a call to perform in Jaipur, but my society was opposed me.. Whereas my father was with me.. He stood by me as an armour.. and announced publically that he would burn me alive if ever I will turn to a wrong path. Reluctantly my community head gave his permission..
And Gulabo’s success story starts.. Thereafter she went on to perform in various places of India as well as abroad.. She has worked with French artists too..
Dancing is not their traditional profession.. Her community is known for catching snakes and taking out the venom.. Besides this, they care for injured and unwell snakes also. An interesting element of this tribe is they use snake venom to make kajal, and because of this, no Kalbelia tribe member use spectacles..

Amazing hai naa??..
As far as her dance is concerned, she choreograph her dances herself.. I am the inventor of my dance form.. For me dance is like worshipping GOD..
I also noticed her 3 year old daughter, were trying to match her baby steps with her mother’s flawless dance.. Is it a making process of another international dancer?? “abhi se kya keh sakte hain” a modest answer of proud mother..
I have seen a miserable childhood.. She recalled her past.. “my mother used to make tents for us using waste material.. Hence, my focus is to educate my five children and give them a blissful life.. and also give them a freedom to choose their life paths..

I could not believe that my camera was talking to an illiterate, tribal woman.. Who has become a role model for her community..
From living a life of a gipsy to a life of an internationally acclaimed kalbelia dancer, certainly Gulabo has come a long way.. She owes her success to God and her father.. She was sounding very positive about the future of this dance form..
Through that documentary she also made an appeal to every Indian citizen that “Please stop gender discrimination, do not abort female foetus”..
Let me transcribe her feelings in a poetic way..

बेटी बनकर माँ बाप की ख्वाइश को अधूरा किया मैंने
सबने मुझे कांच का पुतला समझा, पर ख़ुद को टूटने नहीं दिया मैंने
सफ़ेद कागज़ का टुकडा कहा, पर धुल न जमने दी मैंने
किसीने भी मुझे कुल का चिराग नहीं कहा
फ़िर भी अपने कुल का नाम रोशन किया मैंने..

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Does Love need a Reason..??

(This is a forwarded mail; I have received from one of my friends.. publishing it here with a hope that perhaps this could change views of people who take LOVE as a Friday movie or a seasonal fruit)
Once a lady when having a conversation with her lover, asked "Why do you like me..? Why do you love me?"
Man : I cannot tell the reason.. but I really like you..
Lady : You can't even tell me the reason... how can you say you like me? How can you say you love me?
Man : I really don t know the reason, but I can prove that I LOVE YOU..
Lady : Proof?? No! I want you to tell me the reason.. My friend s boyfriend can tell her why he loves her but not you!
Man : Ok..ok!!! Emmm... because you are beautiful, because your voice is sweet, because you are caring, because you are loving, because you are thoughtful, because of your smile, because of your every movement..
The lady felt very satisfied with the man s answer..
Unfortunately, a few days later, the Lady met with an accident and went in comma.
The Guy then placed a letter by her side..
Here is the content : Darling, Because of your sweet voice that I love you...Now can you talk? No! Therefore I cannot love you..
Because of your care and concern that I like you..Now that you cannot show them, therefore I cannot love you..
Because of your smile, because of your every movements that I love you..
Now can you smile? Now can you move? No, therefore I cannot love you..
If love needs a reason, like now, There is no reason for me to love you anymore..
Does love need a reason?
NO! Therefore, I still LOVE YOU...
"True love never dies for, it is lust that fades away.. Love bonds for a lifetime but lust just pushes away" Immature love says: 'I love you because I need you.' Mature love says 'I need you because I love you.'

'Fate Determines Who Comes Into Our Lives, But Heart Determines Who Stays..'

RUB NE BANA DI JODI kaisi kaisi..

It was a typical mumbaiya chawl - ancient 4 storyed structure with a long, common verandah.. I reached bit early by the time I had fixed with Monika..
Monika’s real name (given by her parents) was Manish.. She was 8 when she broke the barriers of the society and walked out of her house.. Manish alias Monika is neither a man nor a woman, she belongs to the Third Gender, in social language we call them EUNUCHS, Hijaras or by an ancient and more respectful name “Kinnars”..
Monika is very pretty. At a first glance no one can even imagine that she is not a normal woman but is a Kinnar..I met her and informed her about the concept of our show.. She was happily ready to share her story..
She was smiling and talking before the moment I shot a question about her gender.. agitatedly she replied “It is not my fault if I am abnormal? Why my feelings are not acceptable in society?”
I smiled because after touching her weakest nerve this reaction was inevitable..
She was the forth one amongst her five siblings, and the only one to face this discrimination set by her destiny.. Her parents tried their best to hide the fact about her gender.. but her siblings and relatives were not so kind with her.. for this reason she ran away from her place and joined a local Eunuch’s group. Even here she had been cheated and harassed by the people of her so called own community..
She used to beg at Mumbai’s suburb area.. She had no dreams and no complaint either.. but one fine day she met Ramesh Rana, a taxi Driver. Ramesh, who was already married and had two kids, fell in love with Monika..
“I was always taught to stay away from the normal people.. So I strictly opposed Ramesh’s love.. and even ignored his suicidal threats” she said with a glint in her eyes..
Ramesh proven his words and had poison.. Luckily he was rushed to the hospital on time and saved by the doctors..
It was then when his first wife "Suman" came to know about his unusual extra-marital affair .. with a Eunuch..
Suman was shocked.. but her love for her kids and her husband’s life put her down on her knees.. She thought she has to loss her husband, either to his death or to Monika.. She managed to get Monika’s contact number and address. Soon after she got in touch with Monika and begged for her husband’s life..
I am not insensitive; and was very much in love with Ramesh.. hence I accepted Suman’s proposal and got married to Ramesh..
Now Ramesh lives with his two wives (Suman and Monika) and two kids in a same house, where I was sitting and chatting with Monika..
Many movies are being made about Eunuchs and extra marital affairs but this is a story which no one could ever believe..
Even after meeting Monika, It is still unbelievable for me to accept the fact that God can write such a unique story..
So my award for the the best story writer goes to “The Almighty”

(Picture courtesy “ India Today)

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Let’s break the silence on Child abuse..

· 13 year old girl sexually abused by her first cousin..
· An 8 year old boy sexually abused by a bus conductor..
· A 10 year Old girl molested by a 50-year-old neighbor..

And I found many more cases of children (male/female) who have been sexually molested by their next door uncle, neighbor, cousins or even someone within the family..
Huhhh unbelievable, ridiculous.. are the expressions these cases generally generate when I talk about them.. Nobody (except NGOs) bothers to open mouth or do the needful to save the children and punish the culprit..
Girl or boy about two-thirds of children are physically abused or molested.. However, most of the children never report the matter to anyone..
I tried to get the reason behind this silence or their ignorance.. Please have a look and try to eradicate this social stigma..
Ø Most of the children have a fear that nobody will trust her/him..
Ø Sometime they cannot make a difference between a safe or unsafe touch..
Ø They feel uncomfortable or shy in talking about their sufferings..
Ø A fear of getting scold by parents..

The 13 year old girl child I met was molested by her first cousin on three different occasions. She did not reveal anything to even parents.. She had a fear of criticism at home and also was afraid that her "sense of dressing in western clothes" and being friendly with everyone would be criticised..
and the boy who was sexually abused by his school bus conductor.. the day he informed it to his elder brother from the very next day, his parents started sending him in a car rather than take any action. .
And then I met Poonam (name changed), a lawyer by profession whose daughter was abused by a 50-year-old neighbour living next door, recounted her sentiments,. “It was not even in the wildest of my thoughts that a person as elderly as my father, would harm my child.. Luckily, my daughter alerted me and I was able to help her.. But when it came to going to the police, I could not ignore the fact that raising voice about this incident could make harm to my daughter's present and future, and I found silence and prevention are the best remedies in such cases..
In every case offenders did not get the due punishment.. rather they go scot-free.. to target and make harm to another child..
It’s shameful that such type of incidents are taking place and rising high in our conservative society.. It’s terrifying.. Still nobody is ready to talk about it openly..
Yes no doubt that prevention is the best remedy.. So let’s quickly talk about the tips to prevent the sexual abuse of a child..
** Educate your child about the impending danger of child abuse..
** Allow your children to voice their feelings..
** Be frank with your child, listen him/her with an open mind..
** Believe your child that she/he is not cooking up stories about being sexually abused. Believing the child is a major step in healing the hurt caused by abuse.. After getting the facts please remain calm and do not respond with anger, the child may feel that you are angry with her/him..

May god bless every child with a loving, caring and UNDERSTANDING parents..

Trust your children and make them safe..