Story of a SLAVE

Story of a SLAVE

.........“ i will be like him”, he said one day,

Eyeing the man in the suit,

“i will work hard till i have enough paid,

And then i will follow his route.”

Those particular words the master did not like,

And already mad with his demand of a hike,

He caned him and had him beaten,

But the dreams he had woven were not to be broken....

Knee-deep in the pain,

His brain was all dead,

A daily plunge into the gorge of hopelessness,

Drove him utterly insane.

“ i will buy that car” he said the other day,

Eyeing the Bentley zooming on its way,

“I will drive it in the top speed,

And make it out of this weed”

The master overheard the boy’s tone,

And saw him as if he had swallowed a fish bone,

The dream was the same and so was the result,

The master had him caned but the dream remained.

“i want to buy this book” he said one day,

Showing a book in his hand to his master,

“i want to study further and be a rich man,

If i be one, then i will gift you this land.”

The master kicked his butt and shouted at him,

“get lost you moron, your brain is full of whims,

you are never gonna be a rich brat,

you were born into slavery and to this king,

and you rot in it till death gives you a ring.”

That was the end and that was the beginning,

That was the bend he was so keen on hitting.

Now a free man, he had no masters,

But not a single day did he forget his blisters,

He made his own path, Used his tremendous wrath,

To conquer his dreams, To live a life that he owed to none,

To breathe the air that he didn’t have to earn.

He shined like a gem,

And returned to the master’s helm.....

The master had grown old and wrinkled,

He saw a Bentley parking in front of his house,

Thinking who it might be, he adjusted his specs,

And he gulped a lump in his throat,

as he saw the face......

The master was seeing his procurement,

And in his hand he held a document,

“If you had not kicked me then, I would not have fled,

Taking directions from my dream, i could not have led,

i told i will gift you this land if you help me,

And here it is,

Today i am as rich as i wanted to be.”

                                                          PUNYASLOK RATH(27-05-13)

A Special Diary Entry

A Special Diary Entry

Dear diary,

You remember how many pages I wrote to you grumbling about my elder sister?? And that too just because she hid the mixture and ‘mudkis’ that dad brought for us from berhampur reasoning that I finish them too early without sharing!! You remember what I wrote about her when one day she criticised me for my dressing sense?? You remember how much I used to complain about her taking all the new pens dad brought from his office??

You might be wondering why all of a sudden I am asking you questions regarding my sister. Today when I was returning after watching the disastrous movie, I saw a little girl probably 7 or 8 years of age walking down the street holding the hands of her small brother who was looking at her instead of the road. With the typical roads of India being filled with potholes, the little guy was destined to take a fall the way he was walking, and he did! The sister immediately turned back, picked him up, wiped his tears and stomped, kicked the road making his brother believe that the culprit was being punished for what he/she/it did!!........

This kind of made me feel guilty. It was as if I was witnessing a part of my past which I was never able to see for myself. I never wrote pages about the time she had changed my diapers when I was too small and sickness had caged me. I did once write about she being my guiding light in her slam book, but I never dedicated any page in you to her to convey how special I felt when she tied a rakhi on my hand. I never wrote about how thrilled I was when she said that she would pay for my new phone with her first salary. I did condemn her for criticising my dressing sense, but never thanked her for making me want to improve it. I never said her sorry when she left alone tired from the wait for me at the bus stop on the very day of raksha bandhan .I complained when she took the new pens but I never expressed my gratitude even in the writing when she shielded me after my result declaration from the wrath of mom and dad.

......the road was being punished furiously by the sister, but the little guy was in no mood to close his flooding dam’s gates. With a worried look the girl began searching something. She fixed her eyes at a store and ran inside it. Being left alone the guy increased his pitch which now even I could hear from the other side of the road. Just when I was about to step in, the girl came out running from the store with a diary milk in her hands. And boy, you should have seen the reversal of mood on the little guy’s face!!! But the girl won’t give the chocolate......... she extended her cheek signalling her smaller brother to peck her which he did with the speed of light. She then gave him the chocolate and they both walked to their home merrily.

Probably the guy was only interested in the chocolate and not in the affection her sister demanded......but one day may be....he would be the one writing something like this in his diary!!

LET ME LIVE

LET ME LIVE

Reincarnating in this new world,

I get to hear noises galore,

Though i made out that some were pensive voices,

But there were others with opposite choices.

As i tore the cocoon and plunged into the stream,

I saw my face in the broken mirror of self-esteem,

And when my soul was beginning to settle,

An ominous loud thud begged to prove my mettle.

The devil hath arrived with its arms and ammunitions,

With rituals and rites and customs and traditions,

They sought to tear me apart even when i was enveloped,

But the blessings of the cocoon had me protected,

Since it was defeated by our resolute,

It had returned to seek what i refute.

It wanted me to be dead as i was born,

But why was i the one to be scorned?

I have not even set my foot here,

I have not even uttered a word to hear,

I have not seen the smiles i bring,

I have not yet fulfilled any need,

Yet you have decided to pluck me out like a weed??

I have not troubled my mom yet,

I have not become my daddy’s princess,

I have not bothered my brother yet,

I have still not wetted my petite bed.....

What is my mistake you are punishing for?

What is your right to perform this devilish chore?

Do i not have any say?

And how could you decide whether i had to stay?

When i was coming down to earthly hell,

Mr. white beard cared something to tell,

He gave me all the goodie goodie things,

And told me to descend from the heavens.

Nipping the bud is not what i had been taught,

Frowning upon my birth is not what i had expected,

The heavens had said i was going to a good place,

And i would always remain under HIS caring gaze.

But my heart sank as i landed here,

the searing looks, The scowling faces,

The clenched fists that banged against the benches,

The despondent hands that went to the forehead,

The brows that frowned, the expressions that feigned,

The whole face that depicted the holocaust reign.

Please let me live......

I do not have anything to bribe,

But i do have my resolute to thrive,

I do have my innocence to prove,

That i am not a burden but a fluke,

I am not the harbinger of worldly misdeed,

But the root to grow another seed.....

PUNYASLOK RATH(29/05/2012)

Till I Find You....

Till i find you

I will wait till I find you,

may be in my dreams,

may be in my screams,

but I’ll search wherever I can,

‘coz I’m sure for me He’s got a plan.

I might bump into others on the route,

Think that they were your silhouette,

Not because I want to be deviated from you,

Not because there are only a few,(as good as you)

But only because you make me realise,

That i deserve much better & you are my prize.

I’ll wait till I find you,

May be in a restaurant,

Staring at me from distant,

May be we would both be on separate dates,

Till we figure out we are soul mates,

I might take time to see this,

But you would know how stupid i can be,

And hit me on my head when saying those words,

Which i should ideally be saying bending on my knee.

May be you will find me sitting on the marine drive being a vella,

And come to me like Princess Cinderella,

Or maybe i will meet you today at school,

Writing my name on the bench with you,

I might be romancing other girls, might be busy or even might get heartbroken....

But I’ll wait..........till find you.

                                                            PUNYASLOK RATH(16-11-12)

कल की तय्यारी

this is what happens when you see your rumies packing their bags and you are forced to study for a 70-mark internal!!!!

कल की तय्यारी

हो रही  है कल की तय्यारी ,

भाड़ में जाये ये  दुनिया सारी ,

इंतज़ार कर रही हैं अम्मा हमारी,

राह देख रहे हैं बापू हमारे,

लाये हैं पकवान ढेर सारे ,

लल्लू  ठेले वाले की अल्लू की टिक्की ,

और मुच्छढ  चाचा की टेढ़ी जलेबी,

रास न आए मुझे हॉस्टल का खाना,

तीन साल से चल रहा है वजन  गवाना ,

वैसे तो  हम खली के हाथ जितने मोटे थे,

दुनिया की नज़र में सिक्के खोटे थे,

पर इन हॉस्टल वालों ने ऐसे धुलाई किया,

न जाने tide, surf excel या washing powder nirma  का उपयोग किया,

घिस-घिस के वजन का तो पता नहीं,

पर दिमाग का दही ज़रूर बन गया !!


चार साल बाद जब कॉलेज से बाहर निकलेंगे ,

तो दुनिया वाले पूछेंगे, " नौकरी करने कहाँ चले?",

अब नौकरी हो तभी तो दिखाऊँ ,

अपनी खली पॉकेट का दुखड़ा में किसे सुनाऊँ ?

भैया recession का है घोर कलयुग ,

उसमे कपिल सिब्बल  बोले और IIT खोलो,

अबे  जितने manufactured  engineer  हैं,

पहले  उन्हें तो किसी में भर्ती  करा लो!!!


वैसे तो मनमोहन की सरकार की सोनिया ने ले राखी  है,

और उसके पीछे भी ममता हाथ धोके पीछे पड़ी है,

इन सब से सीख ये मिलती है प्यारे ,

की इस ज़माने में लड़कियों ने हमारी मार रखी है!!


अब इस दुनिया की हम और क्या करें बात ,

करना शुरू करें तो बीत जायेगी  रात,

ये दुनिया है मोह और माया,

इस दुनिया के वासियों पर है मायावति का साया ,

अब भाड़ में जाये दुनिया सारि ,

घर पे इंतज़ार कर रहे हैं बापू हमारे,

राह देख रही हैं अम्मा हमारी,

चलो करें कल की तय्यारी ,

घर जाने को कल की तय्यारी ।।
                                                 PUNYASLOK RATH(15-10-2012)

A chat with GOD

A chat with GOD

A fine morning with my alarm buzzing,

God visited me with a sacramental hissing,

Like a typical Bollywood masala flick,

I folded my hands and touched his feet,

And asked him on the top of my voice,

“How has here the heavens descended?

Has some random chick complained? (*wink*)

Or do you come by your own choice??”

“Khaaaamosh!!!!!!” he said in the shatrughan sinha style,

“in the heavens i read your file.

You tiny creature, you talk too high,

It is me, who made friendship,

And when with them, you challenge my might??!!

What do you think are friends of thee??!!!

They are not God, they are not me!!”

“errr...dear God, if i may interrupt,

Can i tell you what i think of my friends??”

“it better be good, it better be clean,

Tell me exactly what do they mean.”

Ok. Here it goes....

A bunch of retards,

A flock of mallards.

A drum without a membrane,

A photo without a frame.

A broken scooter,

A silent hooter.

A limited connectivity wi-fi,

A six fingered hi-five.

A damaged gramophone,

A baraat party in a mourn.

The kindergarten’s howl,

The sawariya towel.

An ever-leaking tap,

A himesh reshamiya without a cap.

A novel without an author,

A bald harry potter.

A poonam pandey movie,

A classical song gone groovy.

That’s what friends mean,

Never what you want,

Never what you think,

Never what you ask,

But all that you need.

They are a cluster of mismatch,

But with you they form a tiny patch,

Of unique understanding and bond,

Of being in happy and sorrow,

Call them today or morrow.

In your sweet world,

Where people come with statutory warning,

Of changing their colour with their meaning..

I found a bunch of epileptics,

Who can make me laugh,

Even on the day of apocalypse!!

Patiently hearing me till i had said,

The almighty God now sat on my bed,

“now i see the reason for your stubborn,

Now i see the reason you challenge my might..

But since i am angry,

I ought to give you a treat,

And you are late to the director’s class,

Since it’s already eight!!”

And lo!!!holy mother of shit!!!

God turned into an alarm clock,

When my friend kicked me in my butt!!

“i’m going, you sleeping princess,

Best of luck attending the class,

If at all you can save your ass!!!”

                                   PUNYASLOK RATH(22-09-12)

A PERFECT DAY

“Well,then define your perfect day!!” my mom said.....and at this point of time i had already ran through hundreds of wish-lists and events in my mind to make my day a perfect one....but alas......with every new second my voracious mind would come up with something better!!  “come on......be faster”.....my mother now saw me with a crooked smile......mothers i tell you, with all the experience they can simply play safe even when you think that you have got them on your hook!!....and the more i thought the more i seemed jumbled to utilise what should have been a lifetime opportunity for me.

And well, that’s the incident which brings me to this topic “A Perfect Day”. I could not define a perfect day to my mother at the instant she called for it. Of course i could have placed demands like “i want to go to the moon” or “i want to buy the latest android phone”....but then it had to be something realistic (those demands would have been realistic for bill gates’ son!!). A day being perfect is a myth. It can always get better than that and there lies the problem. Man, perfection has always been a bitch!! An able friend of mine wrote this article on his blog-“perfectionism is killing”......well, it indeed is!! No matter how much we toil to make a day in our life a perfect one....but at the end of the day it is always something like this-“wish this would have happened too.....would have been much better”....at the end of the day we find ourselves compromising on some or the other aspects.

In the wake of this question in my mind i decided to interview some of my friends and the answers i got were hilarious indeed.......”i wish i could kill you with a newly bought AK-47!!”(that was a dear friend of mine whom i disturbed him while he was in deep sleep.....at 2 am!!).......
”i would ask for no bounds shopping for the whole day and would buy this and that and this and what not!!”(girls!!!!seriously??)......
”i would like to spent my whole day sitting in front of my computer and play counterstrike”(geeks.....what else to expect??)......
”i would ask my company to promote me and your bhabhi to put a tape on her mouth”(my sweet bro!!:-)).....

“come on....make it faster....i won’t keep waiting for you the whole day”.....my mom was sensing a victory. Soon i was going to lose my bargain power of blackmailing my mom to make me nice dishes and many things additional to that just because i am on a holiday and she was expected to make my holiday a good one....rather a perfect one. And that’s when my devil part of brain sprung into action.......”a movie with you and dad!! Is what i want...”.......my mom first saw me with bewildered eyes then gave the sweetest smile i had seen since i am here. ”Done” she said and went to call dad to book tickets. And obviously she missed out on my crooked plan-“make mom happy and she would do everything without any complaints”(devil me!!!!)

P.S.-we as our parents’ children are always allowed to take the luxury of irritating our parents....aren’t we??