So finally here we are
Talking about the weather
The most safe topic
Not so long ago
But Alas! No longer is
Who would have imagined this day?
We are not just being
Robbed of a decent weather
But also a safe small conversation
Which now ends up in a rant
Look at the sheer number of folks
Ranting about the European heat wave?
Finally they are getting back at the whites
For not having acs which they never needed
It is equally fun to watch
Europeans learning the ‘DIY’ ways to cool off
Turning the fan away might be just the trick We Indians or rest of the world never learnt
Or putting aluminium foils on the windows
Or using other ways of coping and cooling
Or simply sprinkling water on strangers
Weather is certainly getting
Stranger and stranger
Blowing hot and cold
Bringing rains and droughts
Most of us are ending up
Under the weather
Once upon a time a lovely talking point
Now it’s best avoided
We just cope…we cut trees
We just cope
We buy more cars
We just cope
We wage wars
We just cope
We want all our luxuries
Yet we struggle to cope
We end up on a dream
Summer holidays
Only to find destinations getting hotter
Most tourist spots closed
Our list turns listless
Tired, we feel lucky to find a place
Under the shade
A stranger finally looks at you
And asks how’s the weather?
You paid for this remember?
For that hottest spot
Under the very super hot weather!!
Tag: death
Going Solo
It didn’t take long
To go solo
Be it movies
Or restaurants
Or museums
Or a bookstore
Or treks
I don’t even remember
When it began
Perhaps during my college
My long solo commute?
Every daily commuter
Is always alone
Though almost crushed
In a crowded train or bus
There is a constant
Inner talk with self
About a thing
Or millions of things
Or just an empty mind
Too fatigued to think
You don’t need people
When you grow up
So rugged
And then of course
There are betrayals
Of trust and time
Then there was beautiful phase
When my newborn boy
Became my extension
I was never alone
I was his constant
For that tiny life
I had brought forth
Into this chaotic world
I was never alone
Kids never let you be
Unless you play along
So often it would
Be the library or bookstore visits
Where I would sit solo
In line of sight of my boy
Far far away in the kids section
I don’t remember
Who exactly was I
Training to be alone ?
After the boy grew up
And flew off far far away
I made up my mind
To be the solitary reaper
Of my abandoned pursuits
I unearthed my buried self
In place of a girl in 20’s
Out came a woman in her 50’s
More calmer, confident and wiser
Much slower too
How I wish I could reach out
To that girl and tell her to go solo
The world abandons you anyways
Women are supposed to play
A second fiddle in everything
Wish I could spare her from
All the traumas and dilemmas
And of course all the tears
My dark circles are rightfully earned
But here I am in my 50’s
Carrying that abandoned
Spirit of my 20’s
I know it feels absurd
To those who never tried
(Or didn’t have to)
To stand up for oneself
And live for a while
Remember?
We have abandoned our earth too
Who moves solo in the dark space
And then there is the final solo act
When we depart solo!!
Abyss
With all my courage
I try to fathom
The depth of the abyss
At the bottom
Of it are
Broken mirror pieces
Reflecting
The fractured
Fragmented world
And me
An Ode to A Photographer
Photography is a rare art
Playing with omnipresent
Light and Time
Capturing moments
That transpire magically
Just like a sudden flight of a bird
Or deep pensive prayer of a saint
Or something unsettling
Or maybe deeply political
Just like a dying child staring
At an approaching vulture
These are moments of truth
That transcends Time
A photograph rarely lies
Unless of course it is doctored
To peddle a lie
Ever since it’s invention
There have been warriors
Going to the ends and the depth
To capture beauty and horror
Their gaze becomes
The gaze of the masses
That’s the magic
They turn you
Into them
The gaze changes places
You become the onlooker
Your silence becomes complicity
Life of a photographer
Isn’t an easy one
Trudging with the gears
They make the unseen
And unknown visible
They unravel the truth
That hides in the plain sight
Leaving us to wonder
How did we allow this to happen?
Are we going to do something?
Photographs have changed
The world history
But photographers carry
The burden of Sisyphus
They must push the boulders
And the borders again and again
They must teach
The blind populace to see
And behold the truth
And not turn a blind eye
Again and again
Photographers have turned
Cosmetic over ages
They just indulge in beauty
Safety and narcissism of it
Yet there came along
A rare tall one
With a discerning eye
And deep wisdom
Who could stop the world
With one single photograph
Using simple Light and Time
To paint the undeniable Truth
An ace visual storyteller
Holding the mirror to the world
Leaving for the future
Stories that are imprinted
By light on the frames of Time
And memory forever!!
PS: In remembrance of legendary Raghu Rai who passed on to another realm today
Michael
You danced & sang
And moonwalked
Your way through life
Life that wasn’t easy
Your childhood was lost
You played in gigs
While other kids went to school
You brought home animals
To talk and show love to
Because humans around you
Didn’t always show up
You lived life on your terms
You broke out of the gilded cage
Made by your father, music producers
You called out the truth and the lies
You reached heights and lows
As a black man you rose high
What a white man
could only dream of
Obviously you had to be punished
They had to make
An example out of you
So that no one else would dare
That’s how white world
Keeps things in order
And gets away with every crime
They still are vilifying you
Even after all these years
Killing you again and again
Yet they cannot dim your shine
For you were born a star
With your own stupendous
Creative energy and charm
Which no one could take away
You showed the world
Music was a universal language
That could unite and heal the planet
And just when the world
Is very badly wounded
You have made daring comeback
In your movie posthumously
To teach people to live again
To heal the planet again
To dance and moonwalk
Through tears and smiles
To the music of life!!
Silent Night
Night changes everything
Suddenly there is silence
Marking end of the day’s chaos
Everyone is back to their homes
Or spaces they call home
Be it a bench in the park
Or a temporary pitched tent
Outside a sprawling metropolis
All shiny businesses are shuttered down
Only a hole in the wall eating joints
Or big and small eateries are open
Night walkers are all out
In their full gear, counting steps
Migrants are on the call
With their families back home
In campuses, the hostels
Start coming alive
That’s where night owls dwell
Or the SEZ’s with grave yard shift workers
People who do multiple gigs
Begin their another shift
With sun banished
And moon with just enough light
Night comes alive
Silent night seems
Holy and peaceful
All tired souls are back
In their beds, glued to the screens
Everything seems to be
Happening elsewhere
Life also seems to be elsewhere
While dreams and nightmares
Await to come alive in REM
But sleep eludes all city folks
There is so much to take in
That little devious little device
Keeps us all hooked and awake
Will the wars end tonight?
Will the ceasefire last?
Will the tyrant be defeated?
Will the heatwave end?
How many likes will reel get?
Also there is so much gate keeping to do
While trolls are busy hate keeping
Just one night
It can change so many lives
Moreover it’s night here
And day elsewhere
We no longer know
Which time zone we belong
Night creates its own chaos
But yet it exudes a calmness
A semblance of quiet
Silent night, holy night
Where only jungles come alive
Predators and preys
Playing their end game
Which might become
Morning headlines
When yet another
Chaotic day begins
I will postpone sleeping
To another night
After all night is a promise
That day always keeps!!
The End
What begins, always ends
And all ends have a beginning
Just like in Life
And in everything else
Life too begins
And Life ends
The journey lies in between
Suspended in memories
And disbelief!!
Prison
Democracy is imprisoned
In the name of justice
Justice is imprisoned
In the name of freedom
Freedom is imprisoned
In the name of Peace
Peace is imprisoned
In the name of War
War is shackled too
In the name of economy
Economy is prisoned too
In the name of capitalism
Capitalism is boxed too
By the markets and profits
One person’s loss is
Another one’s gain
The media is imprisoned too
In the name of propaganda
Propaganda itself is made of lies
Lies aren’t free too
They have to hide the truth
Truth is in gallows too
On non-bailable terms
Don’t ask who benefits
Everyone has lost the plot
Old money gets older
New money becomes old
Those who are poor
Remain poorer
How else will we define
The real rich?
Marginalized communities
Define the majoritarian
Who turn authoritarian
Till…till everyone loses the plot
And the script flips
Nature loves entropy
But it likes balance too…
Not everyone gets away
With it all…
Where do you stand?
Imposter Syndrome
In a world
Where judgement
Precedes knowledge
Prejudice before
Understanding
In an era
Where world tries
To make you
Someone else
Weaves a tale
That suits their
Narratives
A world where
You are a misfit
You feel naturally
Like an imposter
In a world
Everything seems
Staged and performative
A doll’s house perhaps
Anything original
Is constantly doubted
Needing proof
A world which
Keeps validating lies
Creating false narratives
And a cloud of confusion
What else can you feel
But an imposter?
There are masks
Behind masks, underneath masks
Agendas hiding agendas
Like Martyoshka dolls
All identical and empty
A riot of shamelessness
Arrogance of patriarchy
What else can you be?
But an Imposter
Shape shifting, flowing
Trying to fit in
But feeling half empty
And also overwhelmed
You didn’t ask for this ride
You didn’t ask for these lies
Or these false narratives
Not sure who is
Hallucinating here
Me or you ?
Or who is the imposter?
Me? Or You?
Or the humanity itself!!
As Tears Go By
Marianne you sang
“As Tears Go By”
At a very tender age
And then life happened
Men took you for granted
They were seen as Bohemians
But you were labelled a slut
You went down the rabbit hole
Found yourself living on the streets
One has to hit the bottom low
To reverse the curve
Which you did brilliantly
And with much grace
You didn’t hate the men
You chose to rise above them
They sought popularity
You took refuge in literature and poetry
You forged your own solo path
And gave the world its own
Cold war anthem
“Broken English”
A complete arch of life
Beating all odds
Seeking depth and beauty
Amidst all the darkness
Your voice changed too
But your singing didn’t
The world denied you awards
Time and again
But you never cared
Life has to be lived
After all for life’s sake
Not for the sake of
Judgement and validation
Validation from whom?
And for why?
People will discover
Your “Seven Deadly Sins”
Which actually saved you!!
Oh! Marianne…
As life goes by…
Your words ring so true!!
Image courtesy: Album cover of Broken English