इस शहर से लगाव तो था,
कुछ आम सा, कुछ खास सा।
पर अब जो है कुछ जानलेवा सा, जब
मुलाकात होती है हमारी तमाम किस्सों से
इसके कुछ हिस्सों मे...

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I wish...
I wish I could paint
The fragrance of the moments
That held "us"; the gap
Between the warmth of
Togetherness and the
Deadly adieu.
I wish I could distinguish
Between the hues of
Old Acceptance and New Void.
I wish I could paint them all
In one canvas.

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"ଆଚ୍ଛା! କେବେ ଯଦି ମୁଁ ହଜିଯାଏ, ତୁ ଖୋଜିବୁ ମତେ?"
ଝିଅଟି ପଚାରେ ପୁଅ କୁ।
"ତୁ ହଜିବୁ କାହିଁକି? ଆଉ ଯଦି ହଜିବୁ ମତେ ଠିକଣା କହିଦବୁ, ମୁଁ ଯାଇ ପହଞ୍ଚିଯିବି ତୋ ହଜିବା ଜାଗାରେ", ପୁଅଟି ଆଖି ମିଟିକା ମାରି କହେ ।
ଝିଅଟି ମିଛ ଅଭିମାନରେ ମୁହଁ ଫୁଲେଇ ବସି ରହେ । କିଛି କ୍ଷଣରେ ଉଭୟ ଖୁବ୍ ହସନ୍ତି ମନ ଖୋଲି ପରସ୍ପରର ବିପରୀତ ସ୍ଵଭାବ ଉପରେ।

ହଠାତ୍ ଦିନେ ଉଭୟଙ୍କର ଠିକଣା ହଜିଯାଏ ; ଉଭୟ ପରସ୍ପର ପାଇଁ ଅଜଣା ପାଲଟିଯାନ୍ତି । ପରେ କୌଣସି ଜଣାଶୁଣା ଗଳିରେ ଭେଟ ହେଲେ ବି କେହି କାହାକୁ ନୂଆ ଠିକଣା ମାଗି ପାରନ୍ତି ନାହିଁ।

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इक आख़िरी ख्वाहिश

भरी महफ़िल थी
शाम भी इंतजार मे था
दीवाने तो मौजूद थे बहत
मेरी या मेरी कविताओं की,
ये तो उन्हीं को पता था।
तालियों से गूँजती रही शाम
मेरे लफ़्ज़ शायद दिल को छू रहे थे,
जो तुम होते उस महफ़िल मे
समझ लेते डगमगाते उन आसुओं को देख,
वो लफ़्ज़ मेरे महज़ लफ़्ज़ नहीं थे
दिल मे दफ्न उन ख्वाहिशें की
तड़प था, सिसक थी।।
वो आंसू है इंतजार का
ये जो रोज रोज ख्वाबों मे आते हो
दो बूंद मोती बन चुपके से बह जाते हो,
किसी रोज़ हक़ीक़त बन आ जाओ
ज़िंदगी मे नहीं सही, उस महफ़िल की
एक कुर्सी अपने नाम कर जाओ।।

भरी महफ़िल होगी,
और इंतजार भी कितनी हसीन होगी।।

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Two Different Worlds

Two different worlds
We'll hold.
To each other's
We'll be strangers.

In Your's,
With every charming night,
You'll be enraptured by
Soothing breath of love,
Smiling at two dreamy eyes;
Unfolding love anew
Happy again forever, erasing
All those dreams you once painted.

In Mine,
I'll be sitting in Solitude, all by myself,
Perhaps with a book, a cup of tea-
The steam Turning my sight foggy.
No, no, not alone.
I'll be carrying those dreams-
Painted, all the time,
Not as reminiscence, for I'll
Still be living those dreams
To the end.

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Don't know
How would you discover;
May be through a phone call
From any stranger or
From any acquaintance.
Would you feel a pang of pain
That would run down to your stomach
And reach your eyes through
Your heart that belongs to me
And start to rain like a cloud?
Or, would you turn speechless
And sigh, or just mumble my name
In your shivering lips?
What you might be doing then?
May be making tea, or
Dusting your drawing room, or
Reading MY poems, or
Playing with your kids;
Would it be winter or rainy or spring?
I wish you would discover-
At a midnight,
When nobody could notice
The rain that you would drench in,
In a frozen winter season- that
"Dear, she is no more!"

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रोज मिलती हूँ
उस बारा साल की "खुद" से
जो आंसू छुपा लेती थी, चेहरे पे
परेशानी की निशाँ नहीं रखती थी,
सहमी सी रहती थी पर
किसीको भनक नहीं लगने देती थी
क्यूँ की वो खुद को समझदार समझती थी...
पूछा उसने आज मुझे
"क्या समझदार बन गयी तुम
जो दिल का डर सबको दिखा दी?
आँखों मे आंसू लिए कमजोरी दिखा दी?
कोई समझा?
नासमझ और मतलबी दुनिया मे
समझदारी बेवकूफ़ी होती है"

शायद उस बारा साल की "खुद"
काफ़ी समझदार थी...

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Since it's Love

I meet you
I meet you everyday
At my door; on the couch;
In the kitchen; in the bed;
At the dining table;
Near my wardrobe;
Behind me in front of the mirror;
Beside me while I chant a mantra
And bow before God.

I find you
In the seventh sky;
Inside the merciless hell;
At the peak of dismay;
And under the hopeful Ray-
Your fingers clutching mine.

All these are but
The moments I live,
Picking them from the
Unuttered love that newly sprouts
After meeting you;
The moments that I live
Since I realised I belong solely to you;
The moments that I live
To live them all in the coming days,
with you.

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कशमकश

कुछ यूं गुम हुआ वो प्यार
के ढूँढते ढूँढते मुसाफिर बन गए ।
कोई बता दे, मिलेगा भी नहीं
वो एक निशानी उस अमर प्रेम का
तो मंजिल का अफ़सोस ना रहे ।।

आसान नहीं है मुस्कुराना
ना ही रोना मंजूर है ।
अब तो सांसे भी कशमकश मे है,
के बचे रहे मुझमे, या फिर
आजाद परिंदा बना दे ।।

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ପଚାରେ
ତୋ' ଉତ୍ତାଳ ନିଃଶ୍ବାସକୁ-
ତା ଦେହେ ମୋ ବାସ୍ନା କାହିଁକି,
ତୋ' ଅସ୍ଥିର ଆଖିକୁ-
ମତେ ଅବିରତ ଖୋଜେ କାହିଁକି,
ତୋ' ଅଗଣିତ ସ୍ୱପ୍ନକୁ-
ମତେ ଜାବୁଡି ଧରେ କାହିଁକି,
ତୋ' ଖିଲିଖିଲି ସେଇ ହସକୁ -
ମୋ ଉପସ୍ଥିତି ଜାହିର କରେ କାହିଁକି,
ତୋର ସେଇ ଧାରେ ଲୁହକୁ-
ମୋ ବିନା ଝରଝର ବହିଯାଏ କାହିଁକି,
ଆଉ ବି ପଚାରେ
ତୋ' ଗର୍ବିତ ଅସ୍ତିତ୍ବକୁ
ସିଏ ମୋ ବିନା ତତେ ସତ୍ତାହୀନ ଭାବେ କାହିଁକି!

ଏବେ ତୁ କହ,
ତୋ' ଭିତରେ ମୁଁ କାହିଁକି!

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