अश्क ...

जा बरस जा मेरी आँखों से

पलकों से संभाला नहीं जाता

सदियों से है मेहमान रहा

तुझे और पाला नहीं जाता

इक दबी हुई सिसकी भी है

इक रुकी हुई हिचकी भी है

इनको अपने संग तू ले जा

मुझसे तो निकाला नहीं जाता

रोटी, सब्ज़ी, थोड़ा शरबत

ले जा, के मिटे तेरी ग़ुरबत

मुझको तो भूख नहीं लगती

मुँह में निवाला नहीं जाता

मुझको भी सफ़र तय करना है

इस कस्बे मैं नहीं मरना है

हर शक्स यहाँ पर काफ़िर है

कोई मधुशाला नहीं जाता

जा बरस जा मेरी आँखों से

पलकों से संभाला नहीं जाता

सदियों से है मेहमान रहा

तुझे और पाला नहीं जाता…

                           (अनुराग शौरी)

जुदा...

लो जुदा हुई अपनी राहें

तू अपने, मैं अपने रस्ते

भूल जा कल के क़िस्सों को

अल्फ़ाज़ वहाँ नहीं बसते

ना कर हिसाब हर इक पल का

कुछ महंगे, चंद बेहद सस्ते

समेट चुनिंदा यादों को

बस भर ले तू अपने बस्ते

सफ़र है लंबा दोनो का

कट ही जाएगा, रोते-हंसते

लो जुदा हुई अपनी राहें

तू अपने, मैं अपने रस्ते…

                             (अनुराग शौरी)

तोहफा

जो टूट सके, ना फूट सके

यारों की तरह ना रूठ सके

चाँदी की हवस नहीं मुझको

पीतल का इक खिलौना ला दो

लिहाफ़ में हो नींद नज़रबंद

तकिये में ख्वाबों के पैबंद

मखमली नहीं, पत्थर ही सही

तोहफे में इक बिछौना ला दो

बिछड़े यारों के संग गुफ्तगू

पहले प्यार की पाक जुस्त्जू

नहीं ला सकते तो इतना करदो

हर दफ़्न गुनाह, घिनौना ला दो

ना रिसे कभी, ना सूखा ही रहे

बस मुँह बाए, भूखा ही रहे

मेरे हिस्से का ज़ख़्म, दर्द बकाया

पूरा, आधा, पौना ला दो

                                 (अनुराग शौरी)

“गुज़ारिश”

“गुज़ारिश”

जो दर्द की बात मैं छेड़ूँगा

तुम रुदन का राग सुनाओगे

इक टूटे दिल के तीखे नश्तर

कोई  दिल तुम क्या बहलाओगे

इक छल्नी जिस्म को ढोते हो

मेरे ज़ख़्म को क्या सहलाओगे

ना नींद ही है, ना आस ही है

ख्वाबों को कैसे सजाओगे?

है भार तुम्हारे कंधों पे

क्या मेरी लाश उठाओगे

है एक गुज़ारिश तुमसे फिर भी

मुझे मंज़िल तक ले जाओगे?

हमदर्द नहीं, और दोस्त नहीं

क्या हमराही बन पाओगे?

                                         (अनुराग शौरी)

Hell! No Saints in Paradise - A book review

Author- A.K. Asif

Publishers- HarperCollins; 1 edition (11 August 2017)

Pages- 356 pages

Genre-Classic Fiction

Blurb- 2050, New York. In the aftermath of a grueling spiritual cleansing quest, Ismael, a Pakistani-American student, enters into an alliance with spiritual beings who send him on a perilous journey of self-discovery. A non-believer, Ismael must return to Pakistan, now in the grip of a brutal fundamentalist government, and gain the trust of his estranged father, a prominent extremist in the Caliphate. To accomplish this, he must pose as a true believer. Will he survive long enough to infiltrate his father's inner sanctum and complete his mission? Hell! No Saints in Paradise is both biting satire and allegory that takes urban fantasy to dizzying heights.

Book Review- “Hell! No Saints in Paradise”, is a unique name for a unique book. In fact, it was the title of this book that forced me to opt for reviewing it in spite of a hectic schedule.

The author A.K. Asif has come up with a gem of a book- a book which defies genres. If you look up on Amazon, it is categorized as Classic/contemporary fiction. But believe me, there is more to it than meets the eye. I have shared the blurb here and won’t post any spoiler, although I am tempted to do so. I will just stick to critically evaluating the quality of writing.

The story begins in a dingy café somewhere in Manhattan and the dialogue between the protagonist and “an olive-skinned bespectacled girl” sets the tone of things to follow. The writing is mature, intelligent, and laced with a self -deprecating humor which draws the reader in. The quality of English is at par with the best in business; something lacking in a majority of debutant writers these days.

The story moves at a pace which can be called neither languid nor fast though at times you feel the need to get on with the story. The author takes his own sweet time to delineate the characters and also to create the right scenic atmosphere; the hallmark of a good storyteller.

On the downside, the author could have handled the relationship between Ismael and his father more delicately; it appears linear. The climax left me craving for more-maybe because I expected just a little more of ‘action’.

Pick up this book and cuddle in a blanket on a cold December night-a cup of coffee is optional. You won’t be disappointed, I assure you.

Verdict- A book in a league of its own.

About the Author- Brought up in Lahore, Pakistan, A.K. Asif has been living in the United States since the age of twenty. He is currently working on his next novel.

मोबाइल

मोबाइल

कमसिन सुबह बहुत हसीन थी

सूरज की आँखों में हल्की सी नींद थी

वो जच रहा था नये पहनावे में

चंचल हवा भी आई इत्र के बहकावे में

बीवी और बच्चे का सिर सहलाते हुए

घर से निकला वो मुस्कुराते हुए

सड़कों पर गाड़ियों का हुजूम था

हर शॅक्स के सिर अजीब सा जुनून था

पहिए घूमते रहे, रास्ता कटता गया

मंज़िल करीब आई, फासला घटता गया

मगर वो पहुँचा नहीं, कभी अपने दफ़्तर

बस इक ढेर मलबे का, टीन और कनस्तर

वक़्त थम गया, पल दो पल के लिए

                                                         जो मुरझा गया, उस कंवल के लिए

क्या हुआ? किसीने पूछा चिल्लाते हुए

जवाब में इक बुज़ुर्ग बोला, झल्लाते हुए

ज़िंदगी की सवेर को रात कर रहा था

गाड़ी चलाते वक़्त …

इक बेवकूफ…

मोबाइल पे बात कर रहा था…

                             (अनुराग शौरी)

A Window to Her Dreams (A book review)

Author- Harshali Singh

Publishers- Readomania; First edition (1 November 2016)

Language: English

Pages- 320 pages 

Blurb- Are two good people with good intentions enough to make a good marriage? 

Aruna, a young divorcee, marries Bhuvan, an averagely successful young man. Both make promises of ever after with preconceived expectations—hers, freedom from a judgmental society and validation of herself and his, unconditional love and partnership.

Despite their best intentions, life plays rogue.

On the one hand, Aruna’s learned conditioning, developed as a result of her past, keeps coming in the way of their married normalcy and on the other, Bhuvan cannot fathom the signs of her distress. Their good intentions are tried at every step until the day when Aruna’s past revisits her. Bhuvan’s silences, Aruna’s distrust and the resurrection of her troublesome past lead to a downward spiral in their life that shakes Aruna to the core. As she stands on the precipice of a second failed marriage, Aruna tries one last time to take control of her life, something she had willingly surrendered last time. Does she succeed in saving her marriage? Or is she held back by her own apprehensions, choosing to stay victim?

Book Review- “A Window to Her Dreams” is a simple story told in a refreshing manner by the author. As is evident from the blurb, it is a story of Aruna and Bhuvan and their tempestuous relationship. The protagonists are simple souls, striving for love but bogged down by their respective ‘extra baggage’

The flow of the story, though languid at times, is lucid. The characters are etched with great precision. The grammatical errors are few and far between, not hampering the narrative at any point.

The author provides an insight into the mind of Aruna- a woman on the verge of a second failed marriage with not much to hang on to. Your heart goes out to her as she goes about trying to keep her world from disintegrating. Bhuvan is another character that one can easily relate with.

One of my favourite quotes from this book is-“However close and joyous the families might be, where there is a shift in relationships, anxiousness can creep in silently, making even the strongest feel vulnerable”.

On the downside, the story could have been edited into a crisp avatar. The drama is missing in many pages and the wait for the reader seems endless at times. Another jarring factor is the ambiguous beginning of many chapters. It takes a while for the reader to realize as to which character is being referred to.

Overall, this is a fine attempt by the author who seems to have an intricate knowledge of complex human relationships and the thin threads binding or in some cases, strangulating them.
Kudos to the author for delving in a genre which has been done to death since times immemorial and yet managing to infuse in the tale a freshness which forces the reader to turn over the pages till one reaches the end of the plot. The climax may polarise the readers but it worked for me; well almost.

Verdict- Not your average ‘Love story’.

About the Author- Harshali Singh is a New Delhi based Judge at the Consumer Forum, an avid reader and a passionate Painter. An academician with a decade of experience of working with preprimary age group in different capacities ranging from Operations Head to the Curriculum and academic head. She, as a teacher trainer conducts workshops to enhance proficiency in advanced teaching methodologies.

She is a trained Occupational Therapist from the Institute of The Physically Handicapped and also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Education while currently pursuing her L.L.B degree. While handling these demanding jobs she managed to take out time for her passion- oil painting and has also held an exhibition of her exclusive, vibrant paintings at the India Habitat Centre in 2014. When not busy with the various roles she portrays she is usually found with her books and her family, which include two teenage children and a very patient Other Half, relaxing.