between the binaries...

रातें अलग थीं अलग थीं वोह शामें अहसास अलग था अलग थीं वोह गुफ्तुगुएं था मैं अलग या अलग था वोह समा उन एहसासों और उन हक़ीक़तों के दरमियान क्या हुआ ऐसा क्या बदला ऐसा जिसकी तलाश में आज तक हैरान हूँ मैं कभी ताज्जुब होता है कभी बदहवासी भी मैं अलग था या मैं अलग हूँ मेरे इन दो अलगपनों में ऐसा क्या अलग था

छवि अपनी ढूँढने चला  मैं खड़ा था दर्पण के सामने जो दिखा वोह नकारते हुए चला मैं किसी और की खोज में क्या सच था जो देखा मैंने? या थी वोह किसी की कल्पना? ये अब तक जुटाने की कोशिश में मैं धूमिल थी वोह छवि संवेदना की पीड़ा में क्या कभी उभर भी पाऊंगा मैं इस वेदना से? की क्या सच है और क्या कल्पना मेरी इस छवि में? कहीं मैं ही धूमिल न हो जाऊं इस चक्रव्यूह में.

मैं और मय की खुशबु जब भी मेरे करीब आती मैं और मय की खुशबु जब भी मेरे करीब आती उम्मीदों की एक सुगबुगाहट जगा जाती कुछ घटता बाहर ऐसा जिसके संबोधन में आने की मेरी एक ख्वाहिश ही रह जाती किताबों के सफों के बीच उम्मीदों को दफना के जी रहा था मैं ऐसा की न मैं न मय ज़िन्दगी यूँ होती की कोई हसरत ही ना रह जाती

-- Because animals are property, we consider as "humane treatment" that we would regard as torture if it were inflicted on humans – Gary L. Francione He was there, in the confines of his room, sleeping unaware of everything around him. The door was smashed open. Two people, masked men, stormed into the room. He woke up with a shudder. He had weak eye-sight; but still tried to look around and gather what happened; but he couldn’t see a thing. He reached out for his glasses kept on the side table by his bed. But before he could grab them; his legs were grabbed by these unknown, unwelcomed guests. They dragged him down the bed with brute force. He banged his head against the duvet on the bed and his legs hurt. As they dragged him down the bed, he banged his head then against the edge of the bed. He did manage to touch the back of his head and saw it was bleeding. He screamed for help; but at 4’o clock in the dead of the night, no one was there for his rescue. They struck hi...

It all began that night when Sahu got that insatiable urge to get high! After all, things were going on pretty smooth of course with that standard deviation that life forces you to counter. Not that we were not surviving without the spliff; but then who the fuck could manage to reason with Sahu. He is a son-of-a-bitch, I tell you. He was the one who dragged not just himself; but me as well into this shithole of a mess. But it’s not that I was some innocent, do-gooder, docile dude. I wanted my share of spliff as well. You might have obviously heard of the booze getting on top of you; but how many instances would you recall of you getting on top of booze, like literally? Not many times, I am sure. But then that was going to happen, as those motherfuckers made both me and Sahu strip down to nothing and were forcing us to take a seat… No, don’t even expect any pleasantries. There is no room for niceties here. They were not offering us a seat. They had broken beer bottles placed rig...

शाख  पे  बैठे  हुए  एक  पत्ते  की  तरह हवा  के  झोंके  का  इंतज़ार  करते  हुए ज़िन्दगी  कुछ  इस  तरह  गुज़र  रही  है  जैसे कोई  आस  ही  न  रह  गयी  हो कभी  धुप, कभी  छाओं  की  अत्थ्खेलियों  में अपने  वजूद  की  तलाश  में इधर  उधर  बे-मकसद  उड़ते  हुए ज़िन्दगी  कुछ  इस  तरह  गुज़र  रही  है  जैसे आस  का  एक  पंची  बना खुली  हवा  को  सिर्फ  नज़रों  से  देखता पिंजरे  में  बंद  एक  पंच्छी  जैसा  मैं ज़िन्दगी  बस  गुज़र  रही  है  ऐसे...

A fan is in motion. A room is dark and filled with plumes of smoke. Walls peel off, paint smells and create a sense of nausea. A man is travelling in a cab. He doesn’t know where the cab is destined to go; but he sits there – stone-faced. A quicksand exists in all its usualness sucking in a new born baby. A fist just emerges out of the blue and keeps going back and forth. The cab makes its way through the bylanes. A flag unfurls and sways unperturbed in the thin air. A wedding procession is on its way and somewhere else a funeral pyre is burning. The meter goes on ticking and the ride goes on. A girl is drowning in the sea of currency notes; while food lies in the wastelands. The ride of the cab is going on and on. Outside the window, the city is desecrating and is in shambles. Cries, shrieks and screams fill the streets as the radio blares out songs and speeches indistinguishable from each other. They all sound like noise. The car turns towards a hu...