Street Children

Street Children

I often eye them on the roads, 

Carrying on their heads, heavy loads,

Without the touch of love and care, 

Victims of neglect and despair.

No one is there to share 

Their moments of joy and tear,

Their little hands turned hard and dry

Every one knows the reason why.

Yet no one bothers about them 

There are millions like them, 

In India, South-East Asia, 

Africa, Europe and Russia.

Deprived of their due right 

To at least have, a half a meal, 

For which also they have to fight 

And if necessary , to steal.

And in the freezing winter night 

I saw shivering bare bodies, 

Lying huddled on dingy street 

And all the doors of town shut tight

Empty bellies and shattered dreams 

Let not be their destiny, 

Before they choose the wayward path 

Let's give them a right hearth.

Is there no solution? There is ! 

"Put zooming population in neutral gear, 

And tempting tax sops to couples in top gear" ; 

Then see how the face of India changes !

Today's Women

Today's Woman

For long she fancied herself

As the weaker sex style,

Mentally conditioned into 'image'

Of being a shy, meek and docile.

While great virtues were these

In the era gone by,

When times were gentler

And people less selfish and naughty.

In today's cut-throat world

It pays to be a survivor,

But this doesn't mean at all

You have to be nasty and warmonger.

Important to realize is this:

That inner strength is the virtue,

Worth trying to develop it

And filling your mind with it.

Now here is the first step:

Whenever you are hurt,

Don't just withdraw and mope (feel dejected)

Instead look within and try to cope.

Next, let not little irritants

Get you bogged down and off mood,

Knowing that you can and you will

Overcome them with your own strength.

So cultivate the right attitude

And feel more confident and in control,

The clouds of ups and downs won't daunt you

Staying cool makes all the difference.

Dignity Foundation

 Quest for Youth 

Look! how obsessed they are

Today's man and woman in their forties

They abhor the march of old age

To ensure their career and sexual opportunities.

So they go in quest of the elixir

The 'eternal' fountain of youth, 

they find that in modern medicines 

Tucked inside plastic surgeon's booth.

The first treatment starts with 

The 'Harmone' injections, 

For better skin, muscle and sex

Followed by 'Botox' injections.

So there is a boom in this business, 

Determined to avoid signs of ageing, 

They pop in 100 Vitamins pills a week 

And practice tummy tucks at week ending.

Over one lakh in their mid-age 

Daring not, to face the mirror! 

Rush from one doctor to another 

To cheat the world and look younger !

But how foolish are they, 

Knowing that ever green no one stays, 

They giggle they're cheating the world, 

But in reality, They're only cheating themselves !

A Sindhi Parrot

A Sindhi Parrot

Hey! Come along with me

For a visit to a Sindhi house,

All the residents are Sindhis

But they speak in English, Hindi !

Rising from the bed, they say "Good Morning"

And later listen to the 'satsang' in Hindi,

Their children know not Sindhi

Bcz no one has taught them Sindhi.

They compose songs in English

And dance to the tune of Hindi music,

There is an old man in the house

But he dare not object or shout at them.

But he taught his dearest Sindhi Language

To that parrot in plastic cage,

Who, looking at every visitor

Greeted them in fluent Sindhi !

"Ram Ram, I am Sindhi, piyara - 

Sa-een tavhin bhali kare aaya! "

Thus flowed the echo of Sindhi tongue in the house

Fulfilling the cherished desire of the old house.

So pause and ponder, O Sindhis !

Your language is your identity

Speak it, learn it, teach it

Or else it would die, which will be a pity.

Lament Of the Plants

Introduction

How I got this idea ?

One night I suddenly woke up at 2:30 a.m. I looked out from the window. It was all dark and quiet. Suddenly I heard the rustling sound of the tree. I felt that it was trying to say something. I attuned my ears to the rustling sound and tried to decode the doleful message. A while later, I heard two faint sighs heaved by the tree, the first , a sigh of relief ( that someone has at last heard its plea) , and the second, a sigh of optimism (that perhaps from now on, Man will realize the importance of trees and refrain from felling is).

I quickly poured the message into this poem and christened it as "Lament of the Plants".

Lament of the Plants

Know our story, O Man!

Before herbivorous came,

Before carnivorous came,

We came on this Earth first.

Though you arrived last on the scene

You usurped the per-born species

And ruled over the lower order

With an air of arrogance and disdain.

Lest you forget our pristine status,

We serve you in several ways

We provide basic food and vegs

Without which you could not survive!

You came 'stark naked; in this world,

We covered you with a piece of cloth

Later provided you with more

And fanciful variety of dresses.

We provide precious herbs and oils

From which you prepare medicines

To keep fit and recover from illness

Both you and domestic animals.

We render a lot of eco-services

Beneficial to every one

We purify water, cleanse the air

And prevent soil erosion.

Despite knowing fully all this

Look!  What a havoc you have wrought

34,000 species of 'ferns' alone

You have made nearly extinct.

Many more species you're pushing

Towards extinction everyday

Disrupting the bio-diversity

Of the complex eco-system.

This change will invite diseases

And derail your local economics

Also loss to agri and medi research

So ponder Man and mend your ways.

If flora is gone, fauna will follow

And then will follow your own destruction !

what's the use of all your knowledge

If you don't understand this simple thing.

Hold On your Views

Hold on to your views.

Today's relationship

Between a girl and boy

Is not the same as of yester years

When things were done in a hush-hush way.

Modern trend is more free, frank and open

To have a b/g friend is considered O.K.

A little necking, petting in public

Does not raise eyebrows any more.

The pattern these days is stereotype

Girls go out to discos or clubs,

Meet good-looking guys and have drinks together

And then leaving together with sex on their minds.

Today's Age is of instant love

Boys want fun, without promise of marriage

If one girl wavers, they will move on

There are plenty of others out there, for fun.

Those who still hang on to their views

"No pre-marriage sex please",

Such dames whole guarding their treasure

Oft end up lonely and single.

No doubt for the chaste ones

A big dilemma looms large before them

But if you are strong, you needn't join the herd

And compromise on your values.

I am Glad

I am glad

I am glad

I am born in India

An ancient holy country

But modern in style and outlook

It is a sacred land

Of 'Rishis', ' Munnis' and 'Gurus'

And the tallest mountain 'Himalayas'

And the mighty River Indus.

It is a land replete with

Fantastic variety of Flora and Fauna

Of majestic 'Royal Bengal Tiger'

And the Jumbo Asian Elephant.

It has all types of climate - sun to snow

Many religions, speaking diverse tongues,

Celebrating different festivals

Projecting image of peaceful co-existence.

It is a land housing

One of the seven wonders of the world.

The 'Taj-Mahal' at Agra in U.P.

And the sexy 'Sun-Temple' at Konark.

It is the land of Rama and Krishna

Mahavira, Buddha, Ashoka, Chandragupta

GuruNanak and Chaitanya

Down to apostle Mahatma Gandhi

It is also the second largest producer

Of movies in the world

And so, called Bollywood, Like Hollywood in U.S.

Located in Mumbai - The Jewel Of India'.

And when 'death' lays its icy hand on me

And produces me before God

Is hall humbly request 'Narayana'

Make me born in India again,

In a good, rich and renowned family

With the same surname as BUTANI !

Oven Roasted Cat

Oven-roasted Cat

Here is a story of a cat

Owned by a 14 year-old boy,

Fine were they getting 'long

With perfect perception and joy.

But one fine breakfast time

While grilling a whole chicken,

A wicked thought came to his mind

And he let out a gleeful grin.

If i put my pet cat

Into the same micro oven,

What would happen to it

I would be thrilled to see it spin.

So he removed the done chicken

And switched off the power,

And put his pet in the oven

And switched on the power.

As the oven got heated

The poor pet started jumping,

Screaming like a maddened wretch

Searching for an escape wing.

For full five minutes and top temp

The cat was spinning inside

Uttering heart-rending cries

Which no normal soul could abide.

The off he turned the know

And took the half burnt cat

And holding it high by hind legs

He dropped it on the mat.

His neighbors took it to a vet

Who declared it "out of danger !"

But had to amputate its tail

And one leg  because brought too late.

Later, a case under monstrous cruelty

Was registered against the boy

And the magistrate sentenced him

To three months jail and debarred him

From keeping any pet for life.

You are the one

You are the one

You're the one, O my first flame !

Whom I have given my whole heart,

I think of you from dawn to dusk

And dream of you at night's start.

You may not know my feelings size

I can't bear tears in your eyes,

Let your sorrows, worries and woes be mine

And my joys Laughter and happiness thine.

Perhaps you appear to be unaware

Of love-smitten me, staying not far,

Who's nervously waiting for your response

You're  the only one, i long for.

All young ones have dreams of their own

They live in a world of fantasy

The focus of my dreams is you

Turn it not into single legacy.

So long there is life, there is hope

I hope you will not dash my dreams apart,

As you read this, you will begin to smile

And then ? Then you will slowly open the door of your heart.

Animal

Animal

He weeps not for his past

Nor curses the mould in which he is cast,

He cares not for his future

He love to live in the present juncture.

He is strong without support

He is content without comforts

He is happy without wealth

He worries not about his health.

Though not human, he has his own conscience

He commits no immoral acts,

Like telling lies, theft, rape, terror, murder

Which man shamelessly does without shudder.

A dog is faithful till the end,

So is cat, whom you once tend,

A Cobra's revenge is deadly

And Elephant's memory is a legend.

For example, have a look at the law courts

Where aggrieved parties file unending petitions,

In all these, the common factor is man,

And not a single case of 'animal' vs. man !.

Alas!  Look at the vanity of Man,

How he has been restless, down the ages,

Fighting wars and killing people

For merely three things - wealth, women and land !

Note: The Oxford Dictionary defines 'He' as under :

(pron) the male person or animal in question.

2. The elephant's trunk is a Nature's marvel. There are 40000 muscles and tendons (tough fibrous tissue connecting muscle to some other part) in it. This means it is very strong and flexible, allowing its owner to pick a delicate flower with a feather touch or life a huge log with required force.

The trunk is used for touching, sucking, grasping, smelling, plucking, spraying water and striking.

Incorrigible

Incorrigible

According to biblical belief

God created 'man' in his own image,

The infused the breath of life in to him

And told him to 'go and enjoy your life.'

Next He created ;women'

Fashioned from the beauties of Nature,

Bedecking her with feminine charms galore

And shades of coy and shy nature.

This Eve became the cause

Of the downfall of man,

By tempting him to taste

The God's forbidden fruit.

'Coz man disobeyed God's command

He lost his abode in Paradise,

And came tumbling down

Onto this mortal Earth.

So here we see the man

Stumbling and struggling with his life,

Committing the same follies again and again

Sans any fear of the 'Day of Judgement'.

Open any newspaper

You will see thefts, chain-snatching, showing gun,

A pare here, touching there, attempt elsewhere.

As if robbing chastity of woman is fun.

For money, they won't mind killing

A man or a woman, young or old

A revenge is never complete

Without taking foe's life.

He retracts not, not he repents

He makes false promises to improve

But keeps on doing the same sordid deeds

As if proving he is indeed incorrigible.

The Key

The Key

The key is such an ordinary thing
That nobody thinks of it twice,
But it's a very important item
Containing most crucial device.

It you have the key
You can open your house door,
With the key, you can also
Start and lock your car door.

If you have a bank-locker
You know the value of the key,
Without which you can neither
Put in or take out thing any.

The key can play many important roles
It can lock the culprit in jail,
Or  unlock abducted person's chains
Or hijack a brand new 'Quail'.

But look ! the key needn't be of metal only
It could also have invisible forms,
Like 'Key to Perfect Health',
Or 'Key to Happiness',
Or ' Key to success in Exams',
Or ' Key to godliness'.

Chowringhee Road

Chowringhee Road

When you're in Calcutta
Don't miss to see Chowringhee Road,
Starting from Rabindra Sadan
And touching "Academy of Fine Arts'.

On to Birla Planetarium
Abode of heavenly bodies
To Metro-Rail- Bengal's Pride,
Where surface images vanis in a stride.

To Taj-Mahal-like Victoria Memorial
Repertoire of the British Period
To the Imposing Indian Museum
Housing amazing variety of exhibits.

To the neat, sprawling, modern row
Of Government and corporate offices,
To the venerable Asiatic society,
The haven of book-hungry blokes.

To the Oberoi Grand Hotel,
Relic of by-gone British Raj,
To the pulsating Park Street
Where once 'Flury' reigned supreme.

To the New Market-shoppers' paradise
Where one could easily get lost inside!
to the tall, slim 'Shaheed Minar'
Venue of many a political meeting.

Ending at the Chowringhee Square,
Opposite Chinese Shoe-makers street,
With the imposing 'Statesman' edifice
Looming across the dividing line

So next time you're in Calcutta
Don't miss to see Chowringhee Road,
For it sums up the distinctive flavor
Of West Bengal's "capital of Joy!".

The Hand

The Hand

See the wonders of the human hand

How it builds huts and palaces,

Huge dams, bridges, tunnels, rockets

And lofty light-houses!

Now see how the same hand

Brings about senseless destruction and pain,

By deviating from the righteous path

Driven by evil designs of vile brain.

Look how a surgeon's hand saves life

And a butcher's hand cruelly takes life,

How a fireman's hand douses the fire,

And a terrorist;s hand ignites fire.

Be not surprised, hand has a language

A hand-shake means friendly nature,

A clenched hand hints at aggressive intent

While a pat on the back, approving gesture.

This world is like a coin

It has two faces- obverse and reverse,

One man is good , the other bad

How sad some take delight in being perverse!

So next time when you meet someone

And extend your hand for shaking

First try to judge the person's type

And then go ahead  as-per your inkling.

Then there are phrases connected with hand,

Such as: 'In hand', 'on hand', 'out of hand',

'To live from hand to mouth',

'To wash one's hands of' and so on.

So there are hands and hands

Some fair, some dark - some soft some hard,

But the one without parallel

Is the invisible Hand of God!