स्वप्न .........

जीवन निर्बाध गति से चल रहा है ...
मानस में एक चिंतन पल रहा है ...
जिंदगी जीने का एक उद्देश्य है ...
करने को कार्य बहुत अभी शेष है ...

बंद आखो से जो देखे है स्वप्न मैंने ...
खुली आखो से किये है उनको पूरा करने के प्रयत्न मैंने...
ये स्वप्न जारी रहेंगे ,ये प्रयत्न जारी रहेंगे ...
मंजिल की तरफ बरने के ये यत्न जारी रहेंगे ...

मानस में एक चिंतन है ...
सोच की परिभाषा है ...
सुधा कलश की तलाश में ...
यह मन अभी तक प्यासा है ...

मन का मानक है मनन ...
कब तक छुपेगी सप्तरंगी किरण ...
दीप झिलमिलाहट में ...
खुशी के आने की आहट में ...
थकान की वेदना से बेहाल मन ...
जब चल पड़े है सभी के चरण ...





मेरी दूसरी कविता पढने के लिए कृपया यहाँ देखे ..

जज़्बात

ट्विट्टर से उठाये गए कुछ नायब मोती ..........

जब कभी कश्ती मेरी सैलाब में आ जाती है............
माँ दुआ करती हुई ख़्वाब में आ जाती है................

यही हालत इब्तिदा से रहे ................
लोग हम से खफा खफा से रहे ................
उन चिरागों में तेल ही कम था ............
क्यों गिला फिर हमें हवा से रहे ............


तुम बैठे हो लेकिन जाते देख रहा हूँ .......
मैं तन्हाई के दिन आते देख रहा हूँ ........
उस की आँखों में भी काजल फैल रहा है ..
में भी मुड़ के जाते जाते देख रहा हूँ ........


खुशशकल भी है वो , ये बात और है मगर ............
हमें तो जहीन लोग पहले भी अज़ीज़ थे ..............................


कुछ बातों के मुतलब हैं और कुछ मुतलब की बातें ,जो यह फर्क सुमझ लेगा वो दीवाना तो होगा .............


रात सर पर है और सफ़र बाकी .....
हम को चलना ज़रा सवेरे था ...


हर सुबह की शाम होती है , हर शाम की सुबह . कोई तो बताए ज़िन्दगी आराम कब करती है !

SELECTED TALES OF EDGAR ALLAN POE-A BOOK REVIEW

“SELECTED TALES OF EDGAR ALLAN POE”

A Book review.

EDGAR ALLAN POE

“The master of macabre” or “The champion of gothic fiction” as he is known by the literary critics through out the world, Poe pioneered many literary themes in his short life of forty years. He is said to bring the theme of gothic fiction in the mainstream literary society. Most of his works include the short stories based on murder, killing, revenge etc. Some of the stories are first person narratives such as “The Tell-Tale Heart” or “The Cask of Amontillado” in which the narrator describes the manner in which he committed murder. In “The Black Cat” and “The Tell-Tale Heart” the murderer breaks down in the end owing to his guilt and confesses his crime. The salient feature of this style is that the reader comes across the psychology and the point of view of the criminal. In these stories narrator insists on his sanity in such a manner that the very fact becomes self destructive.

Allegory and symbolism is used in most profound manner. While the story “The Masque of the Red Death” shows the inevitability of the death, another story “The Oval Portrait” depicts the conflict between the art and life. Poe has ventured on almost all the themes related to death. In “The Facts in the Case of M.Valdemar” narrator tries to hypnotize a man who is about to die. The description is horrific and full of suspense.

“Imp of the Perverse” is more theory than story. In most of the part the author propounds his theory that the normal tendency of a human being is to commit an act only for the reason that it should not be done. He commented on this perverseness as a self destructive impulse which prompts us to do something because it should not be done. This idea was used in “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Black Cat” in which the criminal confesses his crime knowingly.

He is credited to introduce the theme of detective fiction in his story “The Murders in the Rue Morgue.” This story is credited as the precursor of all the detective stories in literary world. Characters such as Sherlock Holmes of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Hercule Poirot of Agatha Christie are said to be inspired by C.Auguste Dupin of Poe. Poe's role in the creation of the detective story is reflected in the Edgar Awards, given annually to the Mystery Writers of America.

In most of the cases the narration is so immaculate that the reader feels himself physically present at the spot. The description makes the scene lively. Moreover the manner in which death is described keeps the reader's eye glued to the book. Sudden and unexpected ending is another feature in which Poe scores brownie points. This theme keeps the readers attentive and interested in the story line. So if you are bored with the normal romantic stories or description of picturesque sceneries than give a try to the works of “Master of Macabre”.

REVIEW OF SOME STORIES:

THE MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE

Author is the great admirer of the art of observation and inference. Setting of the story is in 18^th century’s France. The narrator befriends a person C.Auguste Dupin in Paris. Dupin is the lead character of this story. Dupin is the owner of great mental acumen and insightfulness. He is described as a hawk eyed person who enjoys using his analytical power even in trivialities of life.

Plot starts when two women, a mother and a daughter were brutally killed in extraordinary circumstances in their house. The case became a great mystery in the coming days and hit the newspapers headlines. A person Adolphe Le Bon was detained on suspicion but nothing incriminating was found against him.

Dupin took interest in the case. He along with the narrator made a visit to the scene of the crime.

Dupin was successful in solving out the mystery but the ending is unexpected. Main culprit is highly implausible and if the readers are following the story keenly to guess the identity of the killer than they will be disappointed by the climax.

The literary style is impeccable and without blemish. Author has used figure of speech, allusion and allegory as and when required.

The manner in which Dupin proceeds in the case will remind the readers of Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot.

Dupin is the main lead. He is a person of strong acumen, insightfulness and strong analytical power. The manner in which his friend narrates the whole plot reminds about the duo of Dr.Watson and Holmes.

Dupin is also described as a light hearted man. He agrees to give accommodation to the narrator at minimal fee, he decided to unravel the mystery when an innocent man was wrongly implicated by the police and in the end he gave the French sails man an opportunity to disclose the main perpetrator without accusing him of guilty. Duplin reappeared in the story “the Mystery of Marie Roget” and the “The Purloined Letter”.

“A seminal work, which lays the foundation of future detective stories.”

THE OVAL PORTRAIT

The Oval Portrait is the short story by Edgar Allan Poe accounting for only 3 pages. It is narrated by an unnamed person who is wounded (reason not given) and took shelter in a country house. There he found a portrait of a young girl that captivated him immensely. He realized that this fascination is the result of the “lifelikeness” of the portrait. Later the narrator finds out the story behind the portrait. That portrait was of a girl painted by her lover who loves his art more than the girl. When he completed the portrait the girl died.

Like all other stories this story is also filled with symbols and allegory. The story signifies the confusing relationship of the life and art. It can be seen as a transformation of the life from the girl into the portrait. The girl sacrificed her life in order to give life to her beau’s portrait. This shows the extreme devotion of the girl toward her lover.

THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH

“The masque of the red death” is another story by Edgar Allan Poe which proves the fact that the author is champion of gothic fiction. As the title suggests, the story is related to death and horror. By this story author tries to prove the fact that death is unavoidable, ineluctable and inevitable. It doesn’t matter that how high and mighty one is, death will come to all.

The plot is basically about a prince whose people are suffering from a deadly contagious disease “Red Death” a terrible plague which is decimating the entire population. To save himself from this plague, the prince along with his nobles took refuge in a palace which is isolated from rest of the world. But the “red death” comes even in the palace and seeks her prey.

This story uses allegory and symbolism in its most exquisite manner. Major symbols used in this story are prince, seventh room, ebony clock and the death itself. Prince symbolizes the wealth of the mighty and royal people. Ironically he was the first person to die in the hand of death. The ebony clock is used to alarm the people about the arrival of the death. In the end the clock died when the death eventually kills the last person present in the palace. One of the most mysterious symbols used in the story is the seventh room. This room is the darkest of all having blood stained windows. It was in this room in this room where death kills the prince.

In this story author shows a conflict between the prince and the death which is eventually the man vs. nature. The theme of the story is that there is no escape from the death and you can only delay it. The prince tries to avoid its social responsibility by turning his eyes away from his subjects, but he was the first person to die in his palace.

THE TELL-TALE HEART

“The Tell-Tale Heart” is the story by Poe in which the writer shows that how imagination of an insane can results in horrendous results. In this story narrator imagines a vulture eye which is constantly tormenting him. Later his imagination of the heartbeats compels him to confess the crime. Throughout the story narrator insists that he is sane but truth was otherwise.

Major symbol used in this story is the “vulture eye” of which the narrator is the victim. Vulture eye can represents tyranny, cruelty or power. It may also be the case that mad man is obsessed and preoccupied with this eye and considered it as his enemy. Another major symbol is the heart beat which compels the narrator to admit his fault. This heartbeat represents his own guilt which in combination with his insanity is producing a dangerous effect.

(this book review was written for "book review competition " organized by Career Launcher, Lucknow)

a sojourn in uttarakhand-3

Day 3 of our short tour started with a shock. We contacted our driver and got the reply that he had left for Delhi because of some preoccupations. We were literally blown out of the water after this unexpected turn of the event. We enquired the local people about the available options and then headed toward the bus stand to catch the next bus and to reach Dehradoon. But we had to face another surprise. On our way our driver called us back and said that he was back with us, the reason he gave that he don’t want us to take pain at this time of the year and the reason which we supposed that he didn’t get any passengers for Delhi. So it was back to square one for us. All of us were together and were heading toward Dehradun.
There is a fundamental difference between the nature of the people visiting Haridwar and that of visiting Dehradun. Haridwar is more a religious place than a scenic. People come here from all part of the society whether it be rich or poor, middle or higher, rural or urban etc. the tourist at Haridwar are more on a pilgrimage than on a tour. But at Dehradun the situation is different. Tourists are here to enjoy the natural beauty of the place. The sky kissing mountains, the deep valley, treacherous path to the location is all together a different experience. On reaching Dehradun we enquired about the places to visit and headed toward Sahastradhara.
'Thousand fold spring' is the literal meaning of the term Sahastradhara. It is a lovely waterfall, with a depth of 9 meters. What makes the torrent so popular is its therapeutic value since its water contains Sulphur. Besides its medicinal merits, the stream presents a pictorial environ where one can spent hours in the calmness of silence. The Baldi River and the caves exaggerate the aesthetic beauty of the site. Sahasradhara’s water is filled with lime, and the residues it left behind forms a projecting ridge, in the shape of a cave, on the top of which the water dance like a shower. This enchanting scenery and the lush vegetation makes this stunning spot a tourist’s dream destination, where one avail a tranquil holiday.
On reaching here we had a quick bath. The flow of the water, the enchanting surroundings and it’s much acclaimed therapeutic value increased our enjoyment. After having bath and recreation it was time for us to have some breakfast. Our next destination was Mussourie. You all must have heard about the scenic beauty of the Mussourie. But the path to reach Mussourie is itself very eventful. The deep curves, the heart throbbing cuts, narrow roads and all these adjoining the high raised mountains are sure to give you a life time experience while traveling. We reached Mussourie and headed to Campty fall. The road to Campty fall was again filled with thrill, adventure, beauty and fun. This was my second trip to Campty fall. My earlier one was with my family a long 17 or 18 years back. It is difficult to recall any thing after such a long period of time, but I remember that I Campty fall used not to be the same when I came here last time. A lot of manual interference hence altogether changed the landscape. Artificial reservoir, cemented boundary, man made bridge is only to name the few. The water reservoir was looking more as a swimming pool than a natural reservoir. A lot of construction work was still undergoing.
The journey to Campty Fall was covered partly through cab and partly on foot. While going to the fall the path had a downward slope, and it was easy to cover that distance. Thanks to the district administration the road was in good condition and a lot of shops were available for refreshments and other stuffs. Campty Fall was heavily crowded. Tourists were there from all the age group and both the gender. After changing into the swimming costume and keeping our valuable in the safety locker we descended into the pool. The water was ice cool, chilling, gelid and what not. For initial 10 to 15 minutes my body was unable to adjust to the temperature of the pool. I have been to Rishikesh, Haridwar and Sahastradhara but he water over here was undoubtedly more bone chilling then anywhere else. But once our body adjusted to the water than it was nothing but loads and loads of fun. The water descended from a very high cliff and came down to us with full force and vigor. The fun was endless, the joy was incomparable and enjoyment is inexplicable. Seems it is the most fitting end to our tour of 3 days. When we came out of the pool after almost 2 hours then another story started. Our bodies were shacking as if they are a mobile on vibration mode. Especially I was not able to adjust myself to the temperature. The food was obviously at double the rate as compared to plane. Tea 10 Rs. a cup, hide and seek 20 Rs. a packet and so on. Even then I had 3 cup of tee due to my unstable state. Now it was the time to get back to the cab. On our way we found some lovely chicks and Amit had the honor to click them. Life is real fun with friends.
Now we were at our way back to Mussourie. On our path we went across famous Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Adminstration, where the best brain of the country studies. On coming back to Mussourie and parking our cab we were again on our foot. Driver told us to free ourselves before 5 in the evening so we can reach Delhi on time. The road where all the shops are located is known as Maal Road. Visiting Hill station is always fun. Being surrounded with hill on one side and cliff on the other was enough to give us a memorable view of the surroundings. After visiting some spots we reached trolley point. Here the trolley goes to a mountain point called gun hill point. It is said that from here one can have the view of whole of Mussourie. This was the most suitable place for photo shoot but unfortunately Amit’s camera gave up at this point. Hari’s mobile came for our rescue. While we were climbing a small rift to have a better look of the surroundings, Hari’s leg slipped and he had a minor accident. Initially it seemed as something trifle but we found that he was unable to bear his weight (on coming to Noida he had a plaster on it). As one of our tour member was injured, we had no other choice but to return to the camp. The driver was also continuously calling us to embark on the return journey. As it was Tuesday, I looked for a hanuman temple and soon found one. I gave the temple a brief visit and soon joined the group.
After about half an hour we were on our way back to the Noida. Hari occupied the back seat due to his injury; Dushyant joined Hari help him. And we sat comfortably on the middle seat. The road back to Mussourie was again the same but most of were tired and sleepy to enjoy the beauty any more. On reaching the plane Amit did some photo session of the chicks on the road, and was about to be slapped on at least two occasion.
On or way back we had to take the longer route as the administration had closed some of the route seeing the heavy rush in traffic. The journey was almost over. On our way back we had snacks and dinner in the night. Almost at 1 am in the morning we reached the Jaipuriya apartments (where Hari and group stay). After 3 long blogs I don’t need to say anything in conclusion. That was the end of a lovely tour.

a sojourn in the uttarakhand-2

Day 2 of our tour started when a pair of dog, while fighting, disturbed our sleep. Thanks to them we woke up, otherwise we could have spent some more time in the warm bed. If the last evening was resting, today’s morning was calm, assuasive, energetic, refreshing and enchanting. I, Amit, Hari and Dushyant went near the river shore and saw Ganga flowing with ease and affection. It seemed that it was the most beautiful place in the earth. The flow of Ganga was nonchalant, natural and without any hurdle. When you compare it with Ganga at Kanpur you lament that what man has made of this gift of the god. Here Ganga flows with ease and lifelike as if it is her right to flow and you want to sit there for hours in the same situation just watching it flowing with poise and panache.

When we were enjoying the flow of the river, someone among us remind us of the day proceedings. Soon we were there at the makeshift toilets comforting ourselves. We talked to Vinod Ji (the camp chief) regarding the rock climbing and were told to wait for half an hour. While waiting we found some cricket stuff lying near the kitchen and spend some time testing our cricket skills. Soon the person who was authorized to take us for rock-climbing approached us. With him, we headed toward the location where we had to go for rock climbing. There was a rock which at first glance appeared to us not too big for any challenge but soon we realized our error. The agent briefed us about the technicalities and apprised us about the various gadgets we will be using in our quest. First it was Dushyant’s turn, who, credit to his slim body soon finished the task. Then there were Hari, Abhishek and others who were bulky and were unable to bear up their weight. Watching them climb was real fun. Last it was me and I, owing to my slim body soon finished the task.

When we returned at the camp breakfast was waiting for us. We were served parathas, bread jam and some dish made of egg. And now was the time for real fun. We were to head for river rafting. An exciting, thrilling, adventurous, unique journey of 28 kms was waiting for us. It was the main reason for which we were here. It is popularly called as white water rafting or just rafting. It started from somewhere near Shivpuri and ended at Rishikesh near Laxman Jhula. It was thrilling, heroic, adventurous, risky, charging, chilling, gelid, quivering and what not...... it took us more than 4 hours to complete it.
We were dropped at Rishikesh where our cab driver was waiting for us. Next destination was famous Laxman Jhula. As Kumbh was just a few days away, there was heavy rush on both side of the bridge. We also did some shopping here. As I have a penchant for short kurtas, I bought a couple of them from a shop. Like Laxman Jhula, Ram Jhula was also heavily crowded. After getting across both the bridges it was the time for lunch. We went to famous “Choti Wala restaurant”. The food was both, delicious and expensive. Our stint at Rishikesh was over and next destination was Haridwar. As the Kumbh was approaching some members of our group were very excited for having a dip in holy Ganga.
After reaching Haridwar we looked for a dharmshaala which are here in abundance. After resting and having a little nap, in the evening we went to the “Ganga ghat”. Though I personally don’t believe that any miracle will happen by taking bath in a river or all of our sins will be washed away but it seemed that thousands of people gathered there with the same faith and belief in their hearts. Some of the members of my group were also of the same opinion. When we reach the bank the scene was awesome. There was a huge gathering of people on both side of the bank. Whether it is man or woman, rich or poor, aged or young, people from all the section of the society were gathered over here, with a faith in their heart and wishes on their lips. We also took the dip in the holy river on the auspicious occasion of Kumbh. I would also like to appreciate the administration of Haridwar which made very efficient arrangement for the well being of the pilgrims.
It was the time to get back to the dharmshala , as closing time for it was 10 pm in the night.
Our destination for tomorrow was Mussourie and Dehradoon.


to be continued.......................

A sojourn in the Uttarakhand—1

“The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one's own country as a foreign land.” Gilbert K. Chesterton

At times it happens when you starts for another job and ends up somewhere that is completely unrelated to your initial mission but is more invigorating, entertaining and mind boggling. The same happened with me last week when I went to Delhi to appear for MDI Gurgaon interview but ended up being in the beautiful and reposeful cities of Uttarakhand where the nature and religion blends together to give us a picturesque and soothing view of the surroundings especially at the time when the sun pull out all the stops in the plains and mercury rises up to as high as 45 degree centigrade.
After appearing for my interview at Gurgaon I contacted my friends at Noida and made a plan to go on a trip to Rishikesh, Haridwar et al. There were 6 members in our group including me. Among them, there were some whom I know very well like Hari and some whom I have met for the first time like Amit, Mukesh and Abhishek.
While we were planning our trip on Saturday, we received a setback when we got the news that Delhi -Haridwar highway has been closed for next four days seeing the heavy rush in traffic due to Kumbh mela. This prompted us to change our course of journey and we decided to take another route to Rishikesh via Dehradun. This shutting down of highway came out as a blessing in disguise as later we also included Dehradun in our tour itinerary.
So on Sunday, early in the morning at 7:30 am we started our journey. The initial part of our journey was tiresome and excruciating. The reasons are not difficult to fathom. Almost all of the roads of Delhi which we covered were having ditches big enough to be used as a swimming pool but filled with dirt and stones in place of water. Add to it the seething heat which we had to face, and my misery was compounded by the fact that I was occupying the back portion of our cab. But all of these issues were nullified by the fun and enjoyment which we were having in our group. Sooner we got used to all the jhatkas of the road and time passed with the help of radio songs and jokes on every member of the group. On our way we halted on couple of occasions to have ice-cream, cold drinks and other stuff.
When we were 15 kilometers away from Dehradun we had to face a jam which delayed our journey for about 11/2 to 2 hours. After recovering from the jam we moved forward. On our path we got the glimpses of mountains and valleys. This was enough to excite us for our final destination. We reached our camp at about 5 in the evening which was situated at a place called Shivpuri almost 20 kilometers from Rishikesh.
Camp was situated on the bank of river Ganges with sky kissing mountains on the other side. Here it seems that the nature is in resonance with the surroundings. This place appears like the location where you plan to spend your post retirement years. All the worries and concerns of the day to day life, seems to vanish overnight as the only sound which comes into your ears is the tinkling acoustics of the river. The purity of the nature leaves you spell bounded and you are tempted to admire the beauty of the mountains and the river situated along the camp. Your heart says that you want to stay here in perpetuity and you just want to sit on the bank of the river watching it flowing incessantly, playing with the rocks, making its way forward out of the several cuts and corners which it faces in the path. The life in the mountains excites you and you wonder that who is luckier. The one who lives in the concrete jungles with all the amenities of the modern life or the ones, who make their huts in the hillocks, sitting on the lap of Mother Nature, regularly relishing the pure, innocent and peaceful beauty which is left untouched.
As we were late at the camp because of the traffic jam we missed the lunch. In its place Maggie and snacks were served along with the tea. We were warned by the camp manager to not to go near the main river as it was 50 to 80 feet deep but there was a subsidiary of the main river (canal) where it was safe to go. Hence after taking care of our valuable belongings we decided to take a bath in that canal. It was also necessary so as to rid ourselves of all the dirt and tiredness which we have acquired on the journey. We spend next one to two hour in that canal. All our pain, fatigue and tiredness disappeared in few minutes and we felt light, reinvigorated and refreshed.
After taking the bath we returned to our camp. All the fatigue and weariness disappeared and we felt very light both mentally and physically. Soon the servant informed us about the dinner. Meals were fine but vegetarian dishes were not up to the standard. This is an issue which always comes across me. Since I am a pure vegetarian at times it happens when my friends enjoy the meals and I have to content myself with ordinary stuff. Well cest la vie.
After the dinner the session of drinking and dancing started. Here again I was at loss since I am a teetotaler. While my friends took a sip of rum/brandy (whatever they call it) I had my share of coca-cola. A bon fire was lighted and there we sat around, away from all the worries and tension of the life. The only sound which came to our ears was the tingling sound of the river. The only light was the light from the lanterns and the bonfire. The cool breeze filled our mind and body with fragrance and enjoyment. Sometime you wish that time should come to a standstill and you remain at that place, in the same surroundings forever, this was the same situation. After almost 7 hours of journey that too in the day time, this was the most apt way to end the day. All our efforts to reach this place fructified and we got the right deal for our money and sweats.
To spend the night, the arrangement was done in the tents. Each tent had provision for 2 people to sleep so we were given 3 tents.
So it was the end of a day which we partly spend in our cab and partly in the lap of Mother Nature. We slept in our tents expecting to have a similar enjoyment tomorrow. But little did we know that this was just the trailer of the main movie. The real thrill and fun was waiting for us tomorrow.

(To be continued……………)

why "civil liability for nuclear damage bill" will be a disater

When UPA government headed by Dr.Manmohan Singh signed agreement 123 with United States Of America we all welcomed the move. It was seen as a path breaking step in the Indo-American relation and signalled the acceptance of India in the developed world.
But after 2 years of the deal when the bill for "civil liability for nuclear damage" was introduced in the parliament it did not went well either with opposition or with general public.
lets see why the bill is not going well with the public:

1.)In case of any nuclear disaster , the private corporation will pay only up to Rs.500 crore. If the compensation is more than this then liability goes to government to pay the compensation.

2.)Maximum liability of the operator and the government combined is Rs. 2087 crore ($458 million) which is 23 time lower than what is provided under US law - price anderson act

3.) Passing liability to the government menas passing it to the taxpayer. So in the end it will be us who will be paying for our own compensation.

4.)In case of any disaster all the cases will be filed against Indian state and not against the corporation.

5.)the irony is that the victims cannot sue the corporation either in india or in their country.

6.)All the cases will be dealt in a "nuclear damage claim commision", all the decesions will be final and cannot be challenged in any court.

7.)Victims can only claim compensation for 10 years upto the accident but we all know that nuclear radioactivity has long term effects.

8.)Corporation will generate the high price electricity , will sell it to NPCIL (nuclear power corporation of India limited) and it will be the role of the government to subsidize it.


so if god forbid a nuclear accident like Chernobyl happens in India than it will be us who will suffer in the end.



lets pass this awareness to as many people as possible.