Hatred and Revenge: A sinful circle

Indira Gandhi fell to assassins' bullets this day 39 years ago , on 31st Oct, 1984

India has come a long way since then , "which way" is a question that will be answered with extreme bias , 

So nahi detey jawaab !

I hear people talking of their proud history of five thousand years and more ... Ask them what is the pride about ... And they ll narrate stories , which are nothing but hearsay , of how one dynasty fought and conquered the other , and so they have to either settle scores or take the credit of all those wars and be proud of their scheming ancestors ... 

And they have to thus justify all the violence , crime and sin that is happening in the present time 

Urkrain-Russia to kal ki baat ho gayi 

Ab to market meiN nayi war aa gayi hai ... 

Aur logoN ne gyaan baaNtna bhi shuru kar diya hai 

Unn ka kya jataa hai ...

Social media par bakwaas kar ke koi vulgar si maa-behen karti hui film dekh leiNgey ... Phir vegan food khaa kar insaanoN ko marta dekh kar apna qeemati izhaar e khayaal share kareiNgey ... !!!

They are not bothered about hunger , thirst , disease , killing ... 

And why should they bother ?

Unn ka kaun sagaa wahaaN suffer kar rahaa hai ? 

Remind them of insaaniyat , but they are still not bothered ... after all insaan ka roop to mil hi gayaa hai ... Ab to "Sher" ban-naa hai sabhi ko ... !!!

As we in India remember the brutal assassination of Mrs Indira Gandhi , and the mayhem that followed , the memories of that dreadful time are blurred by posts on social media about the Israel-Hamas war 

One of the holiest patches on Earth ... the place that should have ideally been the meltng pot of cultural and religious heritage and a treasure chest of shared natural , ancestral and spiritual opulence , and hence one of the most peaceful places on Earth ... is burning with animosity , antipathy and intolerance

What a pity ... 

Even as history repeats itself , people hardly learn 

No solutions ... only war , killings , barbarism ... ?????????

And me the idiot was wondering why do civilians need firearms ? Or any weapons at all ... 🤔🤔🤔

#banfirearms 

#stopviolence 

#unityindiversity

#sharedhistory

#sharedreligiousheritage

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02ggdXz8SuwgeTf15te1Bhndyi58dbBTVcJd38fZWzPT3GBuqTf9X4g7759WWf7qH5l&id=100002153031708&mibextid=Nif5oz

Live And Let Live

As she hums a lullaby putting her baby to sleep , the woman is in deep thought ... she is thinking of the hundreds of lives her husband , a dacoit must have ruined ... perhaps she tries to imagine the suffering he (the infant's father) and his gang of dacoits must have caused to thousands of others when they plundered and looted homes and villages ... !

The mother's heart is aflutter !

"Tere bachpan ko jawaani ki dua deti hooN ... Aur dua de ke pareshaan si ho jaati hooN "

She is frightened that the curse put upon her husband by his victims may bring harm to their child ... 

This intensely soul stirring poetry , set to music by Jaidev , sung by Lata Mangeshkar (on screen lip synced by Waheeda Rahman) , stands out in the classic and timeless album "Mujhe Jeeney Do" , a film based on real life dacoit stories from the Chambal Valley

An extremely heart wrenching prognostication written by Sahir Ludhianvi , poignantly expressing the fears of the disquiet wife of a dacoit over what the future may hold for her child , is relevant for all times and ages 

Mothers of the children of plunderers / hate mongers / terrorist / rioters / war mongers and anyone anywhere who destroys the peace and resources of this planet and kills people should be similarly worried for their Gen Next ... !!!

Imagine how beautiful this world would become if the Think Tanks , The Masterminds and The Footsoldiers who plan and execute wars and violence , hatred and destruction would start thinking like this mother ... if not for themselves , then for their coming generations ... !!!

 https://m.facebook.com/notes/zohra-javed/din-jo-pakheroo-hotey/114273708659777/?mibextid=Nif5oz

Maazi meiN jhaaNktey chaleiN

Had written this in May 2019 

Somehow it remained in my notes and could not be posted earlier 

***************************************

Recently a cousin of my late mother lost his wife 

He had migrated to the neighbouring "enemy" country many many years back and had taken a portion of my mom's life too with him 

And indeed a slice of his life remained alive on this side too :-)

On either side of the border the cousins must ve most longingly relived the same stories over and over a thousand times and more ... because what he left back here was his bachpan and adolescence

And what he had taken away was a part of my mom's bachpan and adolescence

Although politicians on either side who created this sinful divide are free to show hostility or friendship to each other as per their moods and requirements , the common man cannot lay claim to such luxuries 

Pakistan kya banaa rishtey aur Khaandaan sab buri tarah bikhar gaye ... Bachpan baNt gaye , jawaaniyaN alhadpana bhool gayiiN ... Budhapaa apne umar daraaz aaNsoo chhalkata rahaa ... 

Kisi qaum ke rehber ne nahi socha ke ghar to phir bass jaatey haiN lekin ujdey huay log chaahey iss paar hoN ya uss paar adhoorey ho kar reh jaatey haiN ...

Kuchh idhar reh gaye kuchh udhar chaley gaye ... Aur duuriyoN ke shuruaati daur ke uss shadiid dard ki , uss adhooreypan ki dheere-dheere aadat si ho gayi 

Zindgi ka safar chalta rahaa ... Chalta bhi rahey ga ... 😊

Lekin kabhi jab koi buzurg inn jhameloN se alwida kehta uss duniya meiN chalaa jataa hai , ki jahaaN koi bhed - bhaav nahi , tab baith kar kuchh der ko zaroor bachpan meiN suni apno ki kahaaniyaN bahot yaad aati haiN 

Kya aisa bhi koi daur guzra hai ... Yaqeen karney ko dil chaahta hai ... Aur ye bhi ke kaash wo din waapis aa jaaeiN ...

Wo shaaerana guftgoo , wo laziiz sense of humour , wo baasmati chaawal ki mehek , wo lakdi ki aaNch  , wo mitti ke choolhey , aur unn par tavey par siNkti rotiyoN ki soNdhi khushboo ...

Wo chamakta paandaan , wo leheriye waale malmal ke dupatte , wo aaNgan meiN phaili lal mircheiN , Naani jin ka achaar banaati thiiN ...

Wo anNgrez miyaN-biwi jo hamaare nanihaal ki kothi ke ek portion meiN rehtey thay , wo aamrood ka bagh jo Naani ke chhajje se dikhaai deta tha , wo Daadi ke ghar ke ahaatey meiN giant Neem ke ped , aur uss meiN padaa jhoola ...

Daadi ke ghar garmiyoN ki chhutiyoN meiN wo thaali-bhar gol gappe zeera-paani aur chatni , aur Naani ke ghar ki wo guava jelly ki khushboo jo aNgrez mem-sahiba banayaa karti thiiN ... 

Mummy ki generation ke saath ye aur naa jaaney aisi kitni hi dilnawaaz aur anmol yaadeiN bhi dafan hoti jaa rahi haiN  

Itney bikhar gaye haiN ... Log bhi, ghar-makaan bhi ... ke ab waapis puraani soorat bananaa naamumkin hi hai 

Bass itna karam rahey ke kabhi phone par apney-apney zindgi ke tukde jodd kar khush ho sakeiN 

Unn waqtoN ke mazaar par ek kamzor si shamaa jalaa kar apne guzrey buzurgoN ki yaadeiN raushan kar sakeiN

Unn bhooli-bisri mohabbatoN ke saaye meiN ghadi bhar aaNkheiN mooNd kar koi tazaa-dum khwaab kal waastey dekh sakeiN ...

 Subah to roz-marra jaisi hi hui thi 

Aur subah ki meri thoda-aur-so-looN waali chaahat bhi rozana jaisi hi thi 

Khidki ki jaali se chhanti hui dhoop aNdar rakhey money plant ke pattoN par waisi hi chamak daal rahi thi jaisey roz daalti hai 

To phir aisa kyoN lag rahaa tha ke mausam koi romantic sa geet gaa rahaa hai ... jaise Gulmohar Neem ke saath batiya rahaa hai ... 💞🌳💞💐💞

Shaaed raat koi pyaraa sa khwaab dekha hoga ... 

Tabhi to ye undefined suhaana-suhaana sa ehsaas iss garmi meiN bhi mere khayaaloN ki canvas par bhiigey-bhiigey bhiiney-bhiiney gulaabi-basanti-harey-zaafraani raNgoN se gulkaari kar raha tha 

Khwaab dekha bhi tha ke nahi ... 🤔 ... 

Yaad nahi hai bhai 🤗

Lekin halki-halki taazgi waali feeling badi delicious thi , jo chaai ko thaNda hi nahi honay de rahi thi 😍

Kisi khwaab meiN titli ki tarah udti hui maiN , 

zindgi ke aaNgan meiN bedaar ho kar , 

bahot saari khoobsoorat taabeeroN ki khwaahish meiN subah se saNwarti rahi , nikharti rahi ... 💃

Chaai piiti rahi ... 😄💖☕☕☕

Phir raNgoN ki ek tasveer WhatsApp par meri ek dost ne mere saamney rakh di , aur kahaa bataao iss meiN kya dikh rahaa hai tum ko 

Painting ke raNgoN meiN kho si gayi , kabhi kuchh nazar ataa , to kabhi kuchh chhup jataa ...

Chaai ke kai cup meri sochoN ko garma chukey haiN , kai baar wo ghazal bhi suun chuki hooN jis ke shaaer Google Bibi Ji bhi nahi bataa paayi haiN abhi tak ... !!!

Aur tabhi door bell bajti hai ... 

Mere khwaaboN ki malika , meri kitchen helper khadi muskura rahi hai 

😊😊😊

Ek reluctant cook and a lazy home maker like me ke liye ye koi kam khoobsoorat taabeer nahi hai ek aisey khwaab ki jo abhi tak yaad bhi nahi ayaa hai ... 😉🙏😄😄😄

Chaai bina chaain kahaaN re

 Tea is a thing that is subconsciously woven into our cultural and social fabric in an extremely inseparable way that in many many homes across the globe mornings are ushered in with keeping water for tea on the choolah first thing in the morning 

Some years ago I was rushing to catch a local from CST early in the evening 

It had been a rainy afternoon , but the rain stopped for a while at that time 

Crowded as the place always is , the daily commuters don't have much time to look here-and-there 

But being a home maker I am an occasional traveller , so I have the luxury to observe my surroundings 

Meri yaad se nahi nikalti wo aurat ... wet and hungry in her shabby clothes ... I gave her a packet of biscuits that I was carrying . But she didn't take it 

She said "Taai ! Mala ek cup chahaa de ga ... " (Sister ! Give me a cup of tea) !!!

I make such bitter-sweet , heartwarming and soul stirring memories wherever I go 😊😊😊 and Chaai has a way of making its way into almost all of the sweetest memories in my life 

I have collected a lot of sweet pic msgs about tea , and some thiik-thaak ones I ve made myself too 😄💖😍 !!!

They are all over in the photo gallery of my phone , but sab scattered haiN , so aaj socha ek unn pics ka album banaa looN 

Din bhi special hai naa tea lovers ke liye 😊

In 2019 , the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution to establish May 21 of each year as International Tea Day

It is a globally recognised observance that celebrates this prosperous industry and the cultural significance and health benefits of tea 

We also take this opportunity to ponder over the conditions under which labourers work in tea gardens 

It is because of their hard work that we enjoy and spread the warmth of love and care through is amazing beverage 

Happy International Tea Day to my dear Chaivinists and to all friends 💖☕🥰💖☕🥰💖☕🥰💖☕🥰☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕

 She was asking me if I was enjoying my stay 

"Yes ! Yes ... very much ... " I replied in all honesty 

Then the feminine instinct that had been andar-hi-andar pestering me for the last few days for bringing only one set of warm clothes , nudged yet again , and I added : 

" But I have brought just one set of warm clothes ... So you ll get bored seeing me in a black sweater and black shawl every day and everywhere ... !!!"

" Oh ! No ... In fact each time I ve seen you , I find you wearing a different style of outfit , interesting colour combinations and patterns ... I wish we had more variety and colour too ... " She said 

" We are too bland " remarked her nephew 

This was arguably a most earnest appreciation of the vibrant Indian diversity which I had carried with me to a foreign land , and which reiterated for the Nth time , that as a country we are attractive and charismatic because we are so amazingly heterogenous , enriching our Janamabhoomi in our own beautiful ways without compromising our life styles , customs and values 

This was and will remain my Vishwa Guru Moment 

And it has been forever so because this is the culture I was born into and this was true of my parents 

Their parents 

Their parents' parents 

Their parents' parent's parents   

 And ... All the previous generations 

And will be so for all our future generations too ... 

Inshaallah