death of a child

Sleep well o child,
dream ter the songs of love…
In their arms shall carry you,
angels who weep in vain…
And those in pain,
shall carry your weight..
of the flower nipped in blossom,
the unripened fruit cast away…

While a millions whisper,
screaming of unjust
in fury..
Now, No! it’s just temporary,
In this world of passing – not delay,
when seasons change,
this deleria shall too..
all forgotten- it will be,
your untimely demise too..

Again -
mad dogs you will see,
they shall roam about free,
riding over the fields,
making their animal deals..
n someone else will grieve…

For a day -
not far from today,
someone will come and say..
“my father is a man of power,
whom everyone obeys,
do as I tell you to,
or I’ll – hahahahahaha .. “

Then-
the poet will sheath the pen,
just as the warrior would lift the sword,

So -
they’ll lock up the animals,
along with all the criminals..
make everything straight,
but it’d been twenty years too late..
the vicissitudes of life,
a bitter painful strife..
Your tragedy be the proof

I know-
You’ll shake your head,
and say its a shame..
but my words are but a whisper,
their deafness a loud shout ..
and I may make them feel,
but I can’t make them think…

As
ter write in blood,
the warriors still,
they await,
they await…

As do
ter swing their sword,
the poets still,
they await,
they await…

while they await,
sleep well o child..
for the angels shall bear your weight..
they shall bear your weight…

Does Censonship curtail the creative freedom of a film maker ??

Every human has a birth right to be free, to think freely and live freely. Just like freedom is the birthright of a person so is creative freedom. But what do we mean by creative freedom ? One might define it as the freedom to create without fear, self recrimination, or judgments or probably just the freedom to create authentically.

Democracy is a popular concept, an idea , a form of government, that thrives on the freedom of citizens. A government that ensures its public freedom by protecting the freedom of all. But how is that managed? Protecting the right of freedom of every individual forms an important cogwheel in the whole clockwork of a democracy. For freedom is not only about being able to exercise one’s freedom but also about one’s actions not disquieting the freedom of others. Now the questions that comes up are, what is Censorship ? What role does it play and more importantly does Censorship fit into the idea of free society? Maybe it does and maybe it does not.

Before we can answer whether censorship curtails the creativity of a film maker we need to understand what censorship is.
Censorship by definition means suppression of something that could be considered offensive. And what can be considered offensive is very much subjective. What could be taken as offensive by one person might seem a harmless joke to other. Not only that, the acceptance of something may vary across the timeline for the society changes as do the norms. So in a way censorship is largely determined by what is acceptable to the society. But who decides that ?

In most countires we have a Censor board for film that decide what is acceptable, on behalf of the whole section of society. Films or cinema is a form of expression like any other art, also its the privilege of every person to express themselves in a way unless one is actually shouting out right in somebody’s face. Since every person has been given the gift of choice – whether to despise a film or like it, in fact whether to watch it at all. A film maker works on an idea and the ways to present it. But when censorship comes into play it might object to certain ways or the whole idea itself. Some might find it satisfying to their taste and some might not; definitely not the director. But this goes against the very idea of creative freedom. Because to curb someone’s thought on basis of an opinion which even though might be the majority’s opinion , nevertheless curtails the freedom of expression. So can we just jump onto say yes censorship curtail the freedom of a film maker. Nope! not quite yet, for there exists another school of thought.

Now, when a film maker is confronted with obstacles or to be politically correct – lets say guidelines, for the projection of an idea the film maker has no choice but to adapt different ways. On occasions also to re-invent the whole idea. Yes, this might result in the director finding a new way; explore the more creative way out. But does that mean the censorship has in a matter of speaking paved the way for creativity? Just like a book is available on sale why can’t a movie be untouched by the moral filters of censors? Why does a film have to pass through censorship? Many are of the opinion answer lies in the belief that movies have a larger audience and have a bigger impact. Perhaps what we have forgotten is that films are like any other art, they too are a form of expression of a certain individual. They too have a right to exist in a tangible form untouched and unperturbed.
So does Censorship curtail the creative freedom ? Maybe not the creative part but definitely the freedom part.

Splashes

SPLASHES …

polythenes acting as umbrellas … newspaper acting as umbrellas … bags acting as umbrellas … shirts acting as umbrellas … wet handkerchief acting as umbrellas … umbrellas acting as umbrellas …

SPLASHES …
soggy shoes n damp socks … slippery roads with puddles … wet clothes running … dry clothes watching the wet clothes run …

SPLASHES …
raincoats cursing at vehicles … vehicles zipping past helmets … heltmets wet, cautious and with kids … helmets wet, fast and without kids …

SPLASHES …
tea glasses in hands … hot hands laughing … busy hands working … paper boats sailing … paper boats not sailing …

SPLASHES … laughing,
SPLASHES … crying ,
SPLASHES … smiles ,
SPLASHES … tears ,
SPLASHES … water and umbrellas are wet …

SPLASHES …
TIP TAP , RIP RAPPATTY RAP… TIP TIP TIP…GUSH …
SPLASHES SPLASHES…

an ode to a coffee table

there two lovers were,
hands inter-weaved,
around a coffee cup;
the perfume
bonding them in breath;
with their eyes,
they smiled ;
silence carried their words,
the clock struck time
n they left ;
a little more rich,
a little less poor.

the stain of
coffee spill,
is a story the table
carries,
of lovers lost in time …

what is poetry …

poetry is an unprecedented flow of thought .. it is a celestial motion ..
poetry is a silhouette .. it is a reflection of oneself ..
poetry is pranayam .. it is the yoga and it is also the yogi ..
poetry is heart ,soul,mind and body .. it is imagination ..
poetry is beauty .. it is innocence in full nakedness ..
poetry is moral and immoral .. it is good , bad and ugly ..
poetry is truth and lies.. it is conviction ..
poetry is love.. it is limitless and ..
poetry is war and peace … it is pain and compassion ..
poetry is struggle … it is victory and defeat ..
life is poetry and so is death … it is joy,misery, fears, guilt and everything else ..
poetry is rock n roll .. it is a highway..
poetry is poet and poem .. it is patience , virtues and vice ..
poetry is white , black, grey .. it is conjunction and separation ..
poetry is unfathomable .. it is the feel of everything ..
poetry is consciousness .. it is meditation ..
poetry is useless .. it is admirable
poetry is creation and destruction .. God is poetry ..
you are poetry .. and I’m poetry too ……………………………….

morning glories…

sun is a yellow and bright marvel

green grass holds dew drops that sparkle,

 

blue sky like a canvas waiting for a brush stroke,

n Ahoy! some one just painted a stork.

 

scent of mist is intoxicating

inhale , exhale , inhale , exhale 

 

that what was once just a budding coy,

has bloomed into a flower of joy.

 

the symphony of life breezes free,

percussion by every leaf on every tree.

 

‘m living the morning glories

inhale , exhale , inhale , exhale , inhale , exhale…

God Power !!

Its summer time in India. Summers are particularly harsh in India and what with rising global warming , population, the pollution of vehicles; it makes the summers all too unforgivable and unforgettable. Ever gone down the country side for a drive or just traveled via a bus or a train. The Indian country side with its varied landscapes, the flora n fauna and even the terrain all provide for a visual delight. The beauty of it all lies in its simplicity and the diversity. It is said that in India, there is a noticeable change in the lifestyle and culture of people after every hundred kilometers roughly. It might just be a small change in the dialect of the language or  it might be a complete transformation from the clothes to the food to their customs. Often it is accompanied by changes in the terrain , the soil and almost always with difference in the taste of water. And whilst one travels along the country side, one can see the real India. A beautiful country with rich culture heritage and old glory. Amidst all this, it is hard for one to miss the economical backwardness, the visible signs of under-development or even no development at all. Most of the Indian population lives in rural areas and most of them are poor. The other minority that lives in urban areas contributes to poverty in good numbers as well. The only difference being those living in cities don’t have nature to console them.

Below poverty line is a poverty threshold used by the government of India. According to which if one is earning less than 63 Rs or 1.25$ per day, one is considered below the poverty line or can be termed extremely poor. But with rising costs of living one can easily claim that those above the poverty line aren’t well off either. According to the most recent survey there are about 400 million or 40% of Indians those who are extremely poor. Poor are not talked off, and cant be as well when extremely poor are so many. On the one hand India is supposed to be an emerging power , a force to reckon with but during all this growth and the mayhem of shining moments ; the division between the rich and the poor is increasing. The rampant corruption and lack of visionary leaders in the political arena, the lack of basic necessities like drinking water , sanitation , food has had a rather extremely detrimental impact on the growth of India. Often leading one to think how does this country run.

There are 1.17 billion people living in India. Most of them following one religion or the other. The majority following Hinduism. Islam , Sikhism , Christianity , Buddhism and Janism are other popular religions. With almost all the population divided into one or the other religions. There are about 330 million Hindu gods and goddesses. Not to forget ten of the holy Sikh Gurus, the Buddha , the lord Mahavira, the Prophet and the Son of God and the countless more saints and gurus that are revered here no less than Gods. Even if some of them are only a deputation to this country. It still is almost one God/SAint/deity for every four people. There are lesser teachers in India, even less police and doctors. But then again who needs mere mortals when there are Gods to fend for you. It can be said that ours is a country of believers who love to believe in hope; a being mightier than us who has the power to fend for us and provide us with justice. Because the sorry state of affairs have reduced the legislative, executive, judiciary to nothing more than a power game. Is that the reason more Gods have been appointed to our country ?

Our country has seen the best of believers fighting it out amongst themselves. Riots over religion by fundamentalist have shown us the worst of times. Ever wondered as to why USA is so successful? is it because of the national character or is it that they have seen harsh times or is it because they always say God bless America at the end of it? Perhaps it is just because that they say God bless America and God listens to them. With over 330 million Gods in India, I think God Bless India should work just fine. May be it would work better if we all are able to say it together. We might not convince the Gods, but we might just convince the people in believing in a country called India.

God bless India !!