That Will Make All The Difference

I was walking down the footpath and I was mulling over today morning's incident. As I was walking past a bus, somebody peeped out of a window and spat on the road.So what ? You would say..this happens all the time. Exactly ! It happens all the time...all the worse for it ! Stained walls, staircases and roads bear testimony to the almost universal habit of spitting in our country. As I walked on thinking about this habit which has attained the status of a disease, I reached the footpath just outside my colony. I passed the regular paani poori wala. Business was brisk as usual for the hawker. This guy has a very clean arrangement and his puchkas taste very good. So, he is very popular in our area.Since my thoughts were preoccupied with cleanliness or the lack of it, I looked around for his dustbin; though I was pretty sure of not finding any such thing. But, surprisingly I was proved wrong ! This man had tied two ends of a gunny bag to the railing of the compound wall and this served as his dustbin. I saw people throw the paper plates in it and also washing hands in it. The footpath was absolutely clean ! It was heartening to see this person so conscious of keeping his surroundings clean. 

Bapu used to say "Cleanliness is next to Godliness". How true ! Then why don't we keep our surroundings clean ? Why do we litter ? Why don't we go for proper disposal of waste ?Why don't we minimize waste ? And above all why don't we recycle as much as we can ?   

Is it our casual approach or careless attitude which is responsible for our inaction ? Looks like it. Its also a question of who will take the first step ? Is it such a difficult thing to be responsible ? It is not, once we decide to act and follow our conscience. The questions asked above become our answers the moment we decide to pay attention to our surrounding environment.

Friends of Vrindavan or Vrindavan Bandhu is a case in point. This organization does its own bit to keep the holy city of Vrindavan clean. Lakhs of pilgrims visit Vrindavan.The city is not equipped to handle so much pressure. The administration alone cannot be held responsible. Our own habits...lack of sanitation play havoc. Vrindavan Bandhu decided to make a difference by not complaining but by initiating projects to ensure a clean environment. 

Vrindavan Bandhu has cleaning staff to clean the bylanes of Vrindavan daily. They also collect dry offerings of flowers, paper and cloth. After segregation, the material which can be recycled is put to good use. The plastic is recycled to make baskets and containers. The flowers etc are used for making handmade stationery. The cloth is used for making handicraft items like dolls.They plant trees on a regular basis. Basically, they clean, recycle and plant saplings. Did you say what difference does this make ? It makes a difference. And you know it when you cross a bylane barefoot while doing a parikrama. After all, cleanliness is next to Godliness. Right ?

Power to Vrindavan Bandhus and others like them who work towards keeping our environment clean. And they are an inspiration for each one of us to begin and do our bit. And that will make all the difference.



http://www.isb.edu/idiya/
         

उसकी आँखों की चमक

उसकी आँखों की चमक 
कौंधती है जब-तब मन में,
गड़ जाती है कील की तरह ,
कुरेदती है  मन के भाव ,
पूछती है सवाल अटपटे 
उसकी आँखों की चमक .

उसकी आँखों की चमक 
कौंधती है जब-तब मन में ,
हलचल मचाती है पारे की तरह ,
फिसलती जाती है बेझिझक ,
अंतर्मन की गहराई में
उसकी आँखों की चमक .

उसकी आँखों की चमक 
कौंधती है जब-तब मन में ,
उसकी ही नाक की लौंग की तरह,
उजास भर देती है क्षण भर ,
और छिप जाती है पलक झपकते 
उसकी आँखों की चमक .   

Impossible Braids !

Braids are a very conspicuous part of my childhood memories. I have been blessed with curly, thick, black hair.You could say I am born with a natural perm ! My tresses used to be so thick and rough, it was difficult to hold my hair while combing. Did I comb my hair myself ? Out of question ! I always needed someone sporting enough to volunteer for handling my hair !You must have already started fancying what my hair must have looked like ! Right ? Let me help you with this.

Sundays used to be the days of reckoning ! For it was the day when I used to shampoo my hair and leave it loose to dry. My hair would dry by evening only. After all, there were layers and layers of puffed hair. One of my uncles used to pat me on my head and say I had a safety cushion on my head ! So in the evening, my mother would arm herself with a bottle of hair oil, a thick and sturdy comb and make me sit between her knees. Then began her tussle with my tresses ! She would gather some hair on one side in one hand and try to "collect" the rest of the hair with the other hand. The moment her grip on the hair slackened, the hair would all come apart and form a big halo around my head ! No wonder my little brothers and sisters would call me Sai Baba ! As far as the volume is concerned, I think I would have given him tough competition ! Right then ! The tug of war would continue ! My mother resorted to applying more oil and thus try to tame my hair ! It was like weaving a braid out of thick ropes ! Sometimes the teeth of the comb would snap and get lost in the thick jungle of hair ! My little brothers and sisters would "stop by the woods" of my rowdy hair and wonder which animals inhabited the deep woods ! 

People would invariably remember me by my hair ! But they would straight away refuse to oblige me by combing and tying my hair in a braid. Nobody dared touch my "aura" except my mother who had no choice at all ! She was the lone warrior who battled the arrogance of my uncouth crowd of or crown of hair !         

Finally, my hair succumbed to my mother's indomitable courage and showed up in two thick braids ! Always ready to snap open the hair band and stick out of my head like Savannah Grasslands in revolt ! 

Such was the ritual of tying my hair in a braid ! No split ends ! Yeah ? All loose ends ! And wild ends to conquer ! What say ?

तुम पर है

बात है ही कुछ ऐसी ,
क्या कीजिये !

यदि तुम्हारी यादें,
तुम्हारी बातें,
मन में तहा कर रखना,
सोचना तुम्हारे बारे में 
मानो माँगना दुआ,
तुम्हारे लिए मेरा 
ऐसा होना 
अगर .. होता है प्यार,
तो मुझे है स्वीकार।
और मुझे तुमसे 
प्यार करने से,
कोई नहीं रोक सकता .

तुम भी नहीं .
मैं भी नहीं .

नदी को बहने से 
कौन रोक पाया है ?
तुम अपनी नौका 
नदी में उतारो, ना उतारो,
वह तुम पर है. 

फूल को खिलने से 
कौन रोक पाया है ? 
फूल चुन कर मंदिर में चढाओ, ना चढाओ,
यह तुम पर है .

दुविधा क्या है ?
तुम्हें तो पता है .
नदी तो अनवरत 
तटस्थ बहती रहती है,
दो तटों के बीच 
संयम से बंधी है .
बाढ़ आना 
एक विपदा है,
उसका अभिप्राय नहीं .

फूल तो अपनी शाख पर 
खिलता है सहज ही .
खुशबू उसका स्वभाव है,
नियति नहीं .
बात समझे या नहीं ?

नदी का बहना,
फूल का खिलना,
अंतरतम के भावों की 
अभिव्यक्ति है .
भावों की गंगा बहने दो .
भावों के कमल खिलने दो .
इस अनुभूति को आत्मसात तुम करो, न करो,
यह तुम पर है .


    

प्रार्थना

भय ना हो कारण ,

तुम्हें याद करने का। 

दुःख ना हो कारण ,

तुम्हें याद करने का। 

याद तुम्हें करना ,

संबल हो जीवन का। 

तुम्हें याद करना ,

संकल्प हो जीवन का। 

याद तुम्हें करना ,

आधार हो जीवन का। 

तुम्हें याद रखना ,

सार हो जीवन का। 

चित्र साभार : कर्ण सिंह पति