Baki hain

This is the last post for 2012, and another outburst on the recent turn of events. Hope 2013 starts on a better note!

हमारी सब्र के और कितने इम्तिहान बाकी हैं
हश्र से भी आगे कितने तूफ़ान बाकी हैं

हर मोड़ पर खड़े हैं जो सब वहशी हैं या दीवाने
है कौन सी वो जगह जहाँ इंसान बाकी हैं

ज़ख्म दर्द ज़ुल्म तड़प सब दे चुका हम को
ज़माने के और क्या एहसान बाकी हैं

जुबां खामोश है, दिल नाशाद हैं लाचार हैं
हमारी आज़ादी की क्या पहचान बाकी हैं

हमारी हार का जश्न न मनाना मगर अभी
कि दिल में दबे हुए कुछ तूफ़ान बाकी हैं

Jo Beet Gayi, So Baat Gayi

Bachchan is one of the most prolific poets I have read, and many (or perhaps most!) of his poems have a beautiful, lyrical, almost song-like quality. While poems written in one phase of his life demonstrate a lost hope, another phase echoes finding that hope again. Posting a beautiful song of this hope, that we came across in school many years ago ....

जो बीत गई सो बात गई
  - हरिवंश राय बच्चन 

जो बीत गई सो बात गई

जीवन में एक सितारा था
माना वह बेहद प्यारा था
वह डूब गया तो डूब गय
अंबर के आंगन को देखो
कितने इसके तारे टूट
कितने इसके प्यारे छूटे
जो छूट गये फिर कहाँ मिले
पर बोलो टूटे तारों पर
कब अंबर शोक मनाता है

जो बीत गई सो बात गई

जीवन में वह था एक कुसुम
थे उस पर नित्य निछावर तुम
वह सूख गया तो सूख गया
मधुबन की छाती को देखो
सूखी कितनी इसकी कलियाँ
मुरझाईं कितनी वल्लरियाँ
जो मुरझाईं फिर कहाँ खिली
पर बोलो सूखे फूलों पर
कब मधुबन शोर मचाता है

जो बीत गई सो बात गई

जीवन में मधु का प्याला था
तुमने तन मन दे डाला था
वह टूट गया तो टूट गया
मदिरालय का आंगन देखो
कितने प्याले हिल जाते हैं
गिर मिट्टी में मिल जाते हैं
जो गिरते हैं कब उठते हैं
पर बोलो टूटे प्यालों पर
कब मदिरालय पछताता है

जो बीत गई सो बात गई

मृदु मिट्टी के बने हुए हैं
मधु घट फूटा ही करते हैं
लघु जीवन ले कर आए हैं
प्याले टूटा ही करते हैं
फिर भी मदिरालय के अन्दर
मधु के घट हैं मधु प्याले हैं
जो मादकता के मारे हैं
वे मधु लूटा ही करते हैं
वह कच्चा पीने वाला है
जिसकी ममता घट प्यालों पर
जो सच्चे मधु से जला हुआ
कब रोता है चिल्लाता है

जो बीत गई सो बात गई

Hamare Desh Mein

I read these lines long while ago (if I remember correct, these were a reader's contribution to Khushwant Singh's column 'With Malice Towards One and All'). They had a powerful impact, and its perhaps due to the punch they carried that I still remember them after 20 odd years.

अब झील पर पानी बरसता है हमारे देश में
अब खेत पानी को तरसता है हमारे देश में

अब आदमी का खून सस्ता है हमारे देश में
अब ज़िन्दगी का हाल खस्ता है हमारे देश में

अब लीडरों, अफसरों और पागलों को छोड़ कर
कौन खुल कर हँसता है हमारे देश में

The events of last few weeks have left me outraged, like so many of my compatriots, and this feeling found expression in the following verse (obviously inspired by the one above):

अब ज़हन-ओ-ज़ुबाँ पर पहरे हैं हमारे देश में 
अब ज़मीर हो चुके बहरे हैं हमारे देश में

अब डर के बदल ठहरे हैं हमारे देश में
अब नफरत के कई चेहरे हैं हमारे देश में

धडकनें थमी हुई हैं, दर्द भी खामोश हैं,
अब दिलों पर ज़ख्म गहरे हैं हमारे देश में

***

अब आज़ादी का रंग बिगड़ता है हमारे देश में
अब मासूमों का भाग्य उजड़ता है हमारे देश में

अब सत्य असहाय रो पड़ता है हमारे देश में
अब फरेब का झंडा गड़ता है हमारे देश में

ईमान लुट गए हैं, इन्साफ बिक गए हैं
जुर्मी है अन्याय से जो लड़ता है हमारे देश में

On the sorry state of affairs

I remember reading these lines way back in school (probably in a Hindi guide book), and find them truer than ever ...


When horrendous crimes against women and children are on rise, for a lack of any sort of deterrent, while the powers-to-be are busy with populist and vote-gathering measures (when they are not busy with a multitude of scams to fill up their overflowing lockers .... )

अमनचोर देखो अमन बेचते हैं,
कफ़नचोर देखो कफ़न बेचते हैं,
पहरुआ बनाया था जिनको वतन का,
वो दिल्ली में बैठे वतन बेचते हैं!

फूल बिखरते हैं

हर रोज़ एक नयी चोट लिया करते हैं
बरसों में जाकर कहीं ज़ख्म भरते हैं

ज़माने हो गए उसे भूले हुए फिर भी
उठती है एक टीस जब उस गली से गुज़रते हैं

दुःख के मौसम भी लगते हैं मन की डालों पर
सहमे हुए से खुशियों के फूल बिखरते हैं

धुआँ बन कर उड़ गयीं दिल की हसरतें
जाने कहाँ जाकर ये बादल उतरते हैं

मन की उलझी राहों में से कौन सा उस तक जाता है
किस गाँव में बसते हैं जो ख्वाब सँवरते हैं

कोई याद यूँ ही कभी छेड़ती है दिल का साज
गीत बनकर फिर वही दर्द उभरते हैं  

More flower paintings

I painted some flower pictures earlier, and thought of doing more and improving myself in the effort. I started sketching these Morning Glory flowers with this intention. However, pink color in the students' watercolor set I have been using is quite bad, and I was looking for better quality paints. Inability to find good paints, and a lot of other things including Diwali preparations, caused it to remain incomplete for a couple of months. After completing the Krishna picture, I came back to it. The results were not up to my expectations, partly because of the color quality, and partly due to my lack of expertise.

Morning Glory in sand

(painted from a pic I took on one of my vacations)

Blue Cape Leadwort

(also from a pic taken on the same trip)

Krishna and Peacock

Quite a while ago, I cut off an ad, comprising of a graphic design (painting), since I liked it very much and wanted to paint it. It had been lying around in a folder, waiting to be painted, for a few years, until last month. I adapted it somewhat according to my paper size, and my object(s) of interest. 

This is the second Krishna painting I've done, and again with poster paints on paper. (N has been suggesting that I start doing bigger projects, preferably with oil or water, but I don't feel quite ready for that, even though I shouldn't be scared). Frankly speaking, what really attracted me to this design was the peacock - I really have a fascination for peacock patterns!

Watercolor attempts

As I mentioned earlier, the "Every Day Matters" FB group motivated me to restart drawing and painting. I also mentioned that after three months, the activity faded out. However, I was motivated enough for a while, and read up and studied watercolor painting on many sites. And tried to do some on my own. Its another matter that I couldn't keep it up for long :-(

This is what I did in this while:

 

Frangipani flower - from a picture I took on one of my vacations.

Butterfly Pea - from another picture from the same trip.

Only after I finished painting I realized that this was a little bit skewed.

Butterfly Pea - second attempt

It was very interesting to paint though, so made another attempt.

And with a better result, or so I think :-)

Dancing Dervish - Pencil sketch

I had been wanting to do a dancing dervish for a long time.Selected a very simple line drawing. But even then, first drew a pencil sketch, in case the watercolor didn't turn up well.

Dancing Dervish - monochrome in watercolors.

Random floral pattern.

Was trying to develop a different style for drawing flowers.

Diwali

This time the Diwali holiday(s) could be clubbed together with the weekend, so I managed to find some of the things I like to do at this time of the year - paint some Diya's, make a Rangoli, and put Mehndi.

When I bought paints, Sid had gone with me, and asked me what they were for. So I told him - perhaps not a very wise decision :-) Every days since then till the weekend, in the night he would remember, and ask me, "Let's paint the diyas!!". And cried after being told off, since he had to sleep on time, to be able to get up for school next day. Finally, on Friday, we sat together to paint. I took more time, of course, since I was painting detailed designs, and carefully. So, in the time I painted 3, he was done with 6. And so he kept telling me, "mumma, you should do your work faster, like I have done!"

 Equipment and finished goods

My work

Sid's work

The day before Diwali, he went to market with N, when I decided to make the Rangoli. I had already selected a peacock design I found from net, and adapted it to the space available. I took a long time, and was still at it when he came back. So, of course, he wanted to "help" me with it too. It took a lot of convincing to get him to make one of his own. So I asked him what he wanted to make, and of course, he wanted the same thing as I had done. Finally, we settled on a fish drawing.

Rangoli

Filler patterns

Sid's rangoli (finished with help from N)

Ramblings ...

October was rather productive for my blog, thanks to Sid [and FB ;), since I extracted the old posts from FB to put on the blog]. Come November, and I am back in a slump. 

Too much stuff going on, the worst part being health woes (damn these allergies, that Bangalore is rather infamous for). 

Thankfully, I finally found a cook, who comes at least in the mornings - we can have a little relaxed pace in the morning, and get back to our morning tea-and-paper routine.

Holidays are over (Sid's holidays, that is, we hardly get any!), and the festive time (Diwali) is here. Compared to the north, Diwali is a much low-key affair in B'lore. Last year it was quite dull, not expecting things to change much this year. 

I have anyways found it difficult to summon too much enthusiasm for Diwali for last many years, despite all the festive spirit around. For one, most of the spirit is actually about consumerism, and a show of opulence. And second, I find that the onset of winters, the early dusk and the slight chill in the air, fill me with a strange sadness .... Or perhaps its one of the sad parts of growing up? 

Though Sid is quite excited - he loves crackers! (Apparently) his teacher has told him about Diwali (strange, how kids will take to heart anything that the teacher says, and totally ignore the things we try to explain to him!). So, he wants to decorate home - he will decorate as far as his hands will reach, I'll do as far as mine would go, and N would take care of the rest! We went downstairs yesterday evening, and he saw that some people had put up lights in their houses, and he rushed home so that he could do it too :-). I bought some paints, and just mentioned to him that we will paint some diyas (my mistake?!), and since then he is all set to paint :-) Guess, tonight he'll make sure we put the lights and paint some diyas :-)