इंसानियत से परे।

आज के अतिथि ...

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नमस्ते,

जी, आप कौन?

अरे मुझे नहीं जानते?

मैं ही तो हूं,जिसके वजह से आप हैं,

मैं इंसानियत-मानवता,

आप शायद भूल गए

हम साथ ही रहा करते थे।।

जी, माफ कीजिएगा

आप जब साथ होते हैं 

तो बड़ी परेशानी होती है,

मेहरबानी करके आगे जाइए।।

प्रणाम

जी, आप कौन? 

अरे मुझे नहीं जानते?

मैं ही तो हूं,जिसकी खोज सभी को है,

पर हर किसी को मिलता नहीं,

मैं सत्य हूं।।

अरे आप डर क्यूं रहे हैं?

मेरा साथ तो आपको भय से मुक्ति देगा

और आंतरिक सुख देगा 

जी, माफ कीजिएगा

लेकिन आपका साथ मुझे बर्बाद कर देगा,

समाप्त कर देगा।

ईश्वर के लिए रहम करें

मेहरबानी करके आगे जाइए।।

नमस्कार,

मुझे तो आप जानते ही होंगे!

मैं वो हूं, जो आपको 

धन, दौलत, ऐश्वर्य... 

जो चाहो वो दूंगा, और वो भी बिना परिश्रम के,

बिना कर्म के, बिना सत्य के, बिना धर्म के,

आप असत्य हैं?

निश्चित ही आप असत्य हैं।

आइए भीतर आइए

आपकी ही तो प्रतीक्षा थी,

आपका साथ ही तो सुकून देता है।।

किन्तु आपके साथ लोभ, ईर्ष्या और अधर्म नहीं आए?

चिंता मत करो,

अब जब मैं आ गया हूं, तो वो भी आ जाएंगे।।

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- पुलकित शर्मा

Joker not a Joke !

Irony in the Reality is that,

Joker makes you laugh, though!

But In Actual Game (life) it is always,

Put aside in the packed box!(is it so?)

We Being a JOKER for someone somewhere,

End up lacking to be an ACE Everywhere!

So is it good to be a joker?

With an ACE you can WIN the game,

But,

With a JOKER you can CHANGE the game!

(Go search about joker’s Role in poker!)

Be a Joker, But never be a Joke!

Like,

Be in Friendship, But never demand in it!

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𝐈𝐟 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐉𝐨𝐤𝐞,

𝐁𝐞 𝐚 𝐉𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐈𝐭!

𝐁𝐮𝐭, 𝐀 𝐉𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐜𝐞,

𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡!

𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥,

𝐏𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐉𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐫,

𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐆𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡!

(To be continued…)

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-Saloni Upadhyay 

मुश्किलें बहुत हैं।

बहुत मुश्किल है,

उन खयालों को कैद करना जो कभी जाने पहचाने थे, 

उन गलियों का सूनापन अब मन को खाता है,

जो हमारी बातों, ठहाकों, शोरगुल को खुद में समेटे हैं,

जहां लोग चबूतरे पर साथ होते थे,

जहां बच्चे तरह-तरह के खेल खेला करते थे, 

वह लहरों के कारण घर में आज सहमे-सहमे है,

दिमाग पर ज़ोर डालना मुश्किल है 

और 

उसको शून्य कर देना बहुत मुश्किल है।

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बहुत मुश्किल है, ये मान लेना कि

दो साल आंख झपकते ही निकल गए।

कितने मौके थे, जो सफ़लता में बदले जा सकते थे।

सफ़लता सुख देती है,

असफ़लता सीख देती है,

लेकिन बिना किसी विकल्प के हम कैसे सोच लें की हम सफल हो सकते थे या असफल हो गए हैं?

हम दो साल किनारे पर खड़े रहे,

क्योंकि नदी पार करने को न कोई नाव थी न कोई ब्रिज।

ऐसा लगता है सब होकर भी कुछ नहीं हुआ।

हजारों घर उजड़ गए, 

मां ने बच्चे को खोया, 

बच्चे ने मां को खोया, 

पिता को खोने के बाद घर पर छत न रही,

रह गया तो अपनों को आखरी बार देख पाने का ग़म, 

दिल में बहुत गहराई है,

किसी को भूल जाना मुश्किल है 

और 

उनकी यादों के साथ जीना 

बहुत मुश्किल है।

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बहुत मुश्किल है आगे सुखद जीवन की कल्पना करना,

भूतकाल में हुई घटनाएं,

वर्तमान को खोखला कर रही हैं,

भविष्य में सूनापन है

चारों तरफ कोहरा छाया है 

इस कोहरे में जीवन रूपी 

गाड़ी को चलाना मुश्किल है 

और 

जीवन का स्थाई रूप से आगे बढ़ाना

बहुत मुश्किल है।

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-यश शक्तावत

Not coming back.

Isn't life unfair?

Seeing people around whooping with laughs and you feel like you're the only one struggling. Something within you says you cannot make it the other day, because you are the one surrounded with problems. There you hold grudges against people who used to be your loved ones.

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It's right to feel this way. It's totally okay.

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Umair Haque says, "Suffering Isn’t Optional. Suffering is Inevitable."

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The very first step for any suffering is acceptance. Accept that you are stuck at something and the fact that you are no longer part of someone's life. People cannot always love you the way you love them. That breakup, the death of your beloved ones, the moments that are gone and the acceptance of these is the thing we find hard to do. Its hard because how can you believe something you believed your whole life in? That person, that moment, that love that is no longer there!

We find it so hard to deal with whatever we've been through, we suffer through a balloon of emotions. And to let it all out, cry and cry out your heart, feel it within your veins and every cell of your body and soon you'll become numb to feel the things, the losses and the pains.

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You cannot escape it as much as it hurts, so why not let it be? Go into it, live with the broken deformed parts. Maybe someday you won't be waiting for someone to come back and lift you high.

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Perhaps eventually you'll be jovial. Perhaps you'll be enough for yourself and you will be helping others getting out of their pain.

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It's time to heal

time to grieve

time to let go,

time to help yourself.

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- Abhimanyu Nirban

Toxic Positivity.

 

Being pessimistic and being in denial are two different things and states of our minds.

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As the monstrous second wave of the Corona Virus continues to ravage India and people keep running to find hospital beds, oxygen, medical drugs and even medical assistance – all of this combined with the visible flaws in our healthcare has triggered a mental health crisis; the rapidly rising number of calls for assistance at mental health hotlines are a proof of it.

You know when you share with someone how you are not feeling good and that some sort of uncertainty is surrounding you but you are immediately shut off by being asked to ‘think positive’ and the classic ‘it is all in your head’ response? Suppression of emotions that arise as a reaction to any happening or situation to promote ‘positive’ emotions is called toxic positivity. It Is Real And Rising Amid Covid.

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Amid times like these when a majority of us are bereaved, it is nothing foreign to see people dealing with ‘negative’ emotions or thoughts. Studies reveal that cases of mental health which are most likely to go unnoticed and unaddressed are the issues faced by the general public who is locked inside their houses now. Emotions like ‘anxiety’ and ‘stress’ are growing common every passing day; what remains uncommon is – knowledge about the said emotions.

The relation of India with Mental Health isn’t foreign to you readers – although changed slightly over the past years, there still lies the old stigma which probably has grown grey hair by now. With the old stigma, comes toxic positivity and it is real – very real.

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Studies have proven that suppressing emotions from releasing to have a ‘positive state of mind’ does more harm than anything and affects in the long run.

“To move through pain, you need to feel it – and positive thinking can become toxic if you’re pressuring someone to always see the bright side,” tells John-Paul Davies, psychotherapist, counselor and author of personal development book Finding A Balanced Connection.

As much as holding onto the thin shreds of positivity in times as crucial as now is important, releasing the negative pent-up emotions or feelings is also of equal importance. While we completely cannot and should not be ignoring the good things that we have and cherish them in times like these where everything is uncertain, we all should also be mindful enough to not invalidate what someone else might be feeling with just a shrug of words Oh! We gotta stay positive.

Dr. Paul McLaren, a general adult psychiatrist at Priory Hospital Hayes Grove, says: “While statements like, ‘Yes but look at all the good things you have’, have their place, they can be harmful to someone who is dealing with feelings that are appropriate and understandable – for example during periods of grief, or because they are suffering a depressive illness and have very little choice about how they feel.”

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Every load is lighter when shared; telling the grieving that they are strong is – I can’t emphasize enough – wrong on many levels. What they are feeling and going through can’t be healed or soothed by words like ‘strong’ or ‘positive’. What they are feeling is anything but strong – they are vulnerable and it is really important to embrace their vulnerability and let it heal on its own, by the ointments of time. Lend them a shoulder to lean on, an ear that is willing to listen to their sorrows, and a hand that soothes their back while they release their pain in form of tears or loud wails.

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It’s high time we stop turning a blind eye to the difference between denial and toxic positivity. Everything around us is drenched in the rains of uncertainty and people are weak and vulnerable. We are witnessing a time where our lack of vocabulary around the words like ‘loss’, ‘death’ and ‘grief’ is clearer than ever and if anything that we need the most right now is, emotional understanding and support. Talk, Understand, and reflect because your words can blow like a sharp blade and make the bleeding wounds worse and harder to deal with or work like the most soothing and comforting element ever.

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-Sanjana Pincha

Lost & Found In Death.

It was dawn. I was sitting on swing, just swaying my legs into the sand, attempting to mush it. The park was just a place that caught my eye while driving around.The first day I came here was when I lost my best friend. Why? Well, I haven’t been able to figure that out. I took a nice scan of the area and started walking around. I couldn’t bear the tightness of the band, and as I attempt to take it off it pulled more of my hair, but once I was able to, it was as if I felt light. The very band was holding all my emotions, the emotions which I kept inside of me from the minute I got the news, to the minute his body was uplift in front of my naked eye. The minute my hair were free, my feelings escaped. Tears were flooding over my cheeks before I could realise that I was crying, that I was sad. How strong could I possibly act? It was obvious, he and I were too close to forget in a day. I wasn’t his best friend and he wasn’t mine, but isn’t it about a bond so secure, so strong, so loving that makes every relationship unique in its own manner? I missed him. 

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In a situation like this, he would’ve been my first call. What does one do when the person you’re feeling down because of, is unreachable? Not for a minute, nor for an hour but forever! How selfish am I to think of my sadness, what might his parents, his family, his friends be going through? I saw his mother there, running in the middle of all the activities, trying to keep a smile. She couldn't spare even a minute to her sorrow, instead, she has to actively participate in all the so-called rituals. Whenever we hung out, he told me fun stories about his mom, and I’d laugh at every word. His relationship with his dad was somewhat about the traditional wishes on birthdays, anniversaries and festivals, the refill of his pocket money every once in a while, and that was about it. But, when I saw his father, I saw regret. The regret of not valuing time and his son’s creditability. I wish I could run towards both of them and give them a tight hug, which I’m aware won’t bring their son back but may offer them some comfort amidst the loss. 

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Oh how much I miss his stupid smile! While wiping the tears away from my face, I saw the swing. As I recall it, this was my first time on a swing other then me being a 5 year old kid. As, reminiscing the day I had, I felt nothing short than clueless. I zoned out straight for an hour, time was running by while I was lost in my own world, my phone rang loud in my ears, breaking me out of my little crying session. Since the day I returned home, from the park, I’ve sort of always been pulled in it's direction. It might sound stupid to a strange ear, but would you believe me if I said, that I could feel his presence sitting on the swing by me, watching over me while everything I did sitting there. The relationship we shared was playful yet meaningful. We made fun of each other, but respected the other one, we laughed together, but also held each other and cried. Ever since that very day, I come here, and sit there every time in the belief that I would feel him again, looking upon me. I find comfort in this space, I come here whenever the real world begins to crawl under my skin, and I need a breather. The one move I take a lot of pride in is that no one knows that I visit here, whenever, except him, but he’s one of those people I don’t mind visiting me, in fact, that’s what I count on. What’s the logic behind having a hiding place when people know about it, right? I like this place, as it has every quality he had, incorporated in a Park; an unknown territory, an open ground, a light breeze and a feeling of exhilaration. Like the protagonist runs away to some unknown location, and they somehow already know that we might find them here, in Hollywood movies; that’s how it is, with me and the Park. I won’t call it an escape, but my very own time capsule. Where time takes a pause, giving me an endless choice of memories to reminisce about, and life choices to weigh about. I’m not glad for the day that had to come, for me to discover this place, but I am glad that at least the Universe tries in it’s own way to somehow allow see those whom we ever cared for. Does it compensate for the pain that was caused in the process of us losing some? No, but it gets you where you can talk to 'em whenever you desperately miss them, when you wish to feel their warmth, which you still find lost somewhere, but may be in another timeline my friend, we unite again with them. 

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-Priyal Sharma

Listening to your silence.

Hey! Dear Someone,

 

Hope you're fine, hope you smile. I'm writing this to you to let you know that I'm here, to hear you in whatever way. I'm here to laugh at your silly jokes, I'm here to listen to your serious pain, to heal your soul and mind, to support you when you're right, to let you know your miseries and help correcting them. I don't know how many people you have in your life and how many are close to you among them but I'm here with all my ears and heart. I know trusting someone is not easy, however, I ensure you, you won't regret. In this busy world, all those whom you want has no time to look at you, to stay beside you, and willing to ever call your problems as their own. But sometimes you meet someone unknowingly and they may stay with you forever or they just go away and leave their memories behind. In this mighty world, everybody falls for the fake love; still, they manage to survive their own. So, my dear someone, being alone and unhappy, and feeling lonely or hurt is not the solution, start your life again and stand on your own, with self-love. 

People come, some stay some leave, but it isn't your responsibility to give away yourself to keep the relationships which only you want to work out. It isn't your duty to rebuild those which you never broke, instead rebuild yourself. 

Collect yourself and stand and shine and to help you out, you have me.

Someone is there waiting to sit with you in your darkest and scariest silence yet listening to it.

Furthermore, I just want to let you know that I'm here with you, for you, with all I have !!!

Thank You!

Yours Someone :)

-Daisy Sharma