Modern Life

The sky overhead, is staring with sigh-
Why, oh people, do you cloud me with smoke?
The birds are singing their shrill, sorrowful cry:
In this wonderful world, do we have to choke?

The colour of the trees has gone to gray
With the water as black as night
All the animals, hereby pray:
How long Lord, we have to have this fight?

Mother Nature, who used to hold her head
High above the horizon-
She now has nothing, but to look
At her distressed children suffering with pain;
Its better to have a life of a brook!

And who’ll emerge as the saviour of the Earth?
Or shall we be able to see the days that come?
For its ominous that for the particles-
The decline has already begun.

Wars and fights, no endless misery,
Taking the people to satiate their soul,
And after all, to analyze the summary:
It’s hard to say, “Blood has turned to coal.”

For such is the place where we stand
Holding highly our heads as high
No where any peace, no water, no sand-
Man’s responsible, you surely can’t deny!

But, still there’s a glimpse of hope
Amongst all the nightmare that rules,
Join one’s hands stay alive together,
This is no time to act like a fool!

Or else, if you refuse to do,
Then the Earth is at great peril
Visualize the massacre with your eyes,
Our sweet Earth smashed! Please don’t say goodbye.

For we desire to have a prosperous life,
To give birth to our young one;
And we know in our heart as well
That the Ice Age is really long to come!

Say It Again....

I can’t believe

That we're sitting here

It’s like a dream come true

After all these years

I've been looking for love

In every possible place

Searching for an answer

In every stranger's face

I didn’t know what to do

Or where to go

But you were here all the time

You stole my heart

You opened up my eyes

Baby you changed my life

Say it again one more time

Those three little words that’ll change my life

Say it again say I love you

Say it today and tomorrow too

Say it forever

Say that you love me again

And I have been foolish

So many times

I wasn’t to careful

With this heart of mine

I had a dream

Of an honest heart

Of a full commitment

Right from the start

Someone up there

Must have heard my prayers

And somehow send you my way

I give you my heart

I give you my soul

I give you my night and day

Say it again one more time

Those three little words that’ll change my life

Say it again say I love you

Say it today and tomorrow too

Say it forever

Say that you love me again

Say that you’ll love me again

-----One of my favorite songs by "C21"-----

Bhutan

(I went to Bhutan on 22nd May,1997. First, I stayed at Paro & then went to Thimpu. I was overwhelmed to see the scenic beauty & the visit left a permanent impression on my mind.)

All around mountains, soaring their heads high-
As if they are rulers of the great wide Earth;
Streams flowing down them with swift winding courses,
The green plants & shrubs fluttering from side to side.
Slowly, the sun rises with its sparkling red flames
And makes the surrounding an antique precious gem,
Where on Earth can you come across such a place?
Mother Nature displaying all her might.

The trees of the forest like pillars of rocks,
Standing firmly for a million years,
And where the sun has little effect on the moist brown soil
Experiencing the sight-it proved to be very dear.
Where the life is hanging on in the ancient times
The age old belief in powerful historic shrines;
Truly worth a lifetime’s visit-
Can’t tell if it may come again, for I’m not a seer.

The local people here, the Masalis & Scebes,
Are affectionate & caring like their mother,
They treated me with utmost respect,
I’m a far off stranger-they just don’t bother.
Though I couldn’t catch what they said
For, to learn their language-would mean bringing back the dead
The ever smiling faces, they have little to regret;
Unlike the cruel life, every man is a brother.

The deep, wide lakes with their rippling waters:
The sun’s rays gleaming like a silver glass,
The fishes playing joyfully-aware of nothing
The birds perched on the branches, singing in mass.
And all day long I sat by the shore
The desire arising to see more & more
The time elapsed by, I didn’t have a clue
Only to find its strong picture, which couldn’t easily be crushed!

Weather Link....

Have you ever wondered how weather changes can affect your mood? Its as if we've an eternal linkage with changes in nature, no one can justify this bond, yet it is there for all of us to see, to feel, to experience. The pulses in our body, mind & soul are, to me, transmitted to Nature who can react accordingly, similarly, natural changes also get channelised into our mind, so that, we transform our behavior, mood, feelings to that particular change, we succumb to it.


Otherwise, what is the justification of feeling gloomy, let down, depressed on a particularly grey day or a rainy day, we tend to cry in pain, the sky also cries in sympathy with us, it hides its face in dark clouds, silently nodding in harmony with us.

But, look at us, on a sunny day, happy & full of life, the sun's shining brightly, we're in a jovial mood, everything seems to be in place, nothing can go wrong, our spirits are high, & can't be dampened by anything.


In winter, we long to meet our loved ones, from whom, we're thousands of miles apart, want to share the same feelings, want to know what is happening at their end, we feel a kind of loneliness inside oursleves which can be filled in by the advent of autumn.


Have you ever wondered or thought how our vibrations get transmitted to Nature & vice-versa? The connection created is divine, but, we're thankful for it.

A Journey By Boat

(I was traveling by boat on the Bagmoti river. While journeying, I noticed some beautiful scenes which have remained in my mind since then. Also portrayed are some of my beautiful experiences. On the other side of the river is a little forest with mainly some deciduous trees.)



The weeds on the river anchoring the soil below,
No one knows how they had been sown
The black waters resemble some deadly night,
Stretching on enormously till end of sight.
Only the little boats have some lively forms-
Carrying off passengers, defying the wind & storm.

The green fields onside- all watered & tilled,
What bond have they already sealed?
The cows standing lonely like a child,
With ploughs on their back, they really look wild,
The farmers waving their hands to us all-
I could hear their siren call!

The skies above all clad with white & blue,
Black rainy weather doesn’t have a clue,
The birds chirping as they fly by;
I don’t have wings- I greatly sighed!
The clouds smiling, showing all their teeth,
Prepared for battle, like some worthy, ancient fleet!

Far along, the mountains stand in shadows
Spreading before them are eternal meadows.
The sun, with its red ball of fire-
Dominating the sky, attracting admirers,
The cold breeze making the branches creak,
One can hear the distant squirrel’s squeak.

The village women bathing in the river,
Cold water making their bare skins shiver,
Children playing with little balls & toys-
It reminded me of my old days of joy.
The busy carts carrying heavy roads to the mills
Winding their way along, up to the hills.

And as our boat rounded near the shore,
I could feel the excitement rising as before,
Stepping onto the land, I ran towards the woods-
For to me, this material world is of no good!
Thus my journey came to a close
Those exotic moments I just can’t disclose.

Understanding Myself....

[Inspired by Maya Angelou's "Phenomenal Woman" & Rituparna Dhar's "Inside Me"]

Many a day I've wondered in tranquility-

Who am I? What was I meant to be?

For friends fail to understand this enigmatic me:

And decipher me to be an unknown entity.

To the world, I'm just another human being,

Born in a society, and, then set free-

To dominate the race and establish my superiority

Without any remorse-by showing great acts of cruelty;

That's what we all are striving to achieve;

Still, no one endeavours to unravel me-

Look into my eyes, touch my heart, and know me fully,

And that's the worst thing about me!

But, I'm determined to discover my true identity,

And show to all that they were wrong to believe

Sometimes, I may be caring & gentle to feel;

Next moment, a volcano may erupt & destroy everything in a killing spree-

That's the evidence of multiple personalities in me

Which everyone fears is an inborn dangerous breed,

So, people seldom approach, but, out of necessity

Lest they get infected with this dreaded disease.

On I carry like a lonely bee-

In search of that divine destiny.

Still, no one endeavours to unravel me-

Hold my hand, kiss my lips, and say "Yes, I will be"

And that's the worst thing about me!

Life has chosen to be shrouded in mystery,

Though it's a blessing I have taken complacently,

No one dares to know me, no one dares to know me-

It's the truth I found out as serendipity-

And that's the best thing about me,

Surely, that's the best thing about me!

The Last Words

"I don't love you"

That's what she said,

And went away,

Out into the night-

Out of sight,

Leaving me helplessly alone,

Alone in my home,

To think of the past;

And forget the trust-

I had on her,

And start my life all over again,

After suffering the immense pain;

Which will never be the same.

Now, as I watch her,

Going out with 'nother boy,

Looking "pseudo" happy,

My insides scream in agony-

For this grand felony,

Friends try to console me

'Coz they don't know the tranquility,

The huge emptyness,

She has left her trace-

Carved into my heart,

Every time it ejects a pulse,

I feel a sudden impulse;

Like an ever-increasing curse!

"What did you get out of this?"

Someday, I wanna ask her,

In establishing your aim-

Of tearing apart two souls,

With the heart of coal,

I could've given you so much,

And, in return, felt your gentle touch

Can you swear you're fine?

By just not being mine?

The answer is negative;

I know you better than you do,

Someday, you'll realise it's true-

I'll remain yours through & through.

Regrets Of Partition

(The Kishenganga River is situated in the Line of Control between India & Pakistan. It flows through the Teetwal sector of Kupwara, Seamari, Katbham, Beary, Khadaama villages & the Uri sector of Baramulla & several other villages like Basgrain, Charunda, Kamalkot, Silikot, Hatlanga, Nambla & Batgrain. The river is also called Haji Peer Nallah.)





The people from this side cry to those of the other side-
Oh! Heavens! God, when do we get united?
For many decades in their exiles alone,
And the burning anger has slowly grown,
Bravery mocks people- look how they died;
But still the torch of friendship hasn’t been ignited!

Out on the two banks of the (Kishenganga) river,
Thousands of villagers have lost their kins:
Who strolled on the border & never returned-
And still they loiter along to continue their hunt;
Military hostility makes them shiver
To strangle innocents, doesn’t hurt their skins!

But once in a year they get to see each other’s face
To spend valuable time amongst the ones they love,
Their wishes unnurtured in their minds
For the scoundrels don’t understand any peaceful kinds,
They regret to remember the past golden days-
Have they failed to satisfy the Good Lord above?

They’ve have felt the misery of the (Kargil) war with their senses,
Thousands of martyrs sacrificing for their motherland;
The pain to see their “once-called” neighbors
Indulging themselves into alienating behaviors:
But, what were the results of these fateful coincidences?
When the smartest thing to do was lend a friendly hand!

And though the two chiefs have taken to be allies once again,
The sudden inhuman attacks still continue to rule,
The local residents are hopeless to know-
Their re-union across the “River Of Sorrow”,
Are not confirmed yet- with no material gain;
With racial, advanced minds, we’re acting like fools!

Friend

When you are in a sea of difficulty-
With just a rock to save your life,
When the forces are too harsh to bear:
With a hand to lead you to strife,
When you are full of pain & agony,
A heart will make your dreams come true
When you are losing all your hopes-
A friend will guide you through.

When you need someone to heal,
A friend will give you all the love.
When you are praying to the good Lord,
You know you have a blessing sent from above.
Friendship is a relation, strong & touching,
This, if broken, can never mend:
You can count upon only those,
Who will be there for you till the end!

Broken Love

(This poem is written in memory of a girl, whom, I so dearly loved & who left me alone in this world to suffer this inhuman life in pain. I hope wherever you are, live happily. I couldn’t have you in this life. Your ill-fated lover.)



The one whom I so dearly loved,
Left me to suffer in pain,
She lingers in my mind still-
How hard I try in vain!
I remember the day when I first met her
She was determined to ignore me;
I made up my mind to be her boy:
To impress the heart with sweet courtesy.

I would spy on her from every angle,
Each time the love bursting out,
The first glance the maiden gave me
Ended my long-time love drought!
The Eternal Love had its victory
Making all infatuations go to end;
We made love nights & days-
Surely, she was my own God-send!

Everyone blessed us with endless love,
Our bond was stronger than steel,
All of them saw with gleaming eyes
But, no one could unearth what we feel.
We were there together through trying times
The would-be husband & wife;
I never knew the clandestine truth-
The insolent, torturous laugh of life!

She died of aneurysm, slowly in agony,
I saw her horrified, nothing to do
And the last words were so dangerous-
My sweet angel saying “I Love You!”

An Unheard Plea

Let the rivers flow as they want to be
Let the flowers shine in their brightest glow
Let the crippled, caged bird be set free
To its heart’s content, wherever it wants to go.
A daily thought, a silent prayer,
A constant wish that will bring them near;
To us, establish the bond of love & friendship-
Only we will smile seeing the fruits they’ll reap.

Let the Sun shine in the brightest sky
Let the clouds roam around like carefree children
Let the water transform into vapors that fly
Up, and produce the eternal, torrential rain
These things are only for us to feel
Which can’t be replaced by worthless, human skills
To us, establish the bond that’s so pure-
For our children-their future to be secure.

Let the animals rule the forests-their home
Let the trees stand with all their might
Let the news spread-a fact to be known
To reduce, what is mankind’s unsustainable fight.
Deforestation- a word that is so close to our heart
Eliminating ever green stress part by part
To us, establish the bond of affection & sincerity
That’ll prove fatal for our breathing necessity.

Let the villages stay with their uncivilized ways
Let the cities inundate with some inner warmth
Let the war terminate-endless for days
Let each lucky man have his share of crumb!
Let us not annihilate ourselves in a quest to maim
Let us not engage in this bloody, inhuman game
Let the cool air blow- soothe the souls, heal & care
Let us not, anymore, interfere with Nature.

The Sunset Sky

The sunset sky, stretched far & wide
Radiant with the glow of the setting sun;
So romantic & charming.
Hand-in-hand came two young lovers,
Locking lips passionately, cuddling each other,
And muttered those fragrant words-
“I love you darling!”

The terrible sounds of the explosive war-hounds
Intimidating the people to die
Heaps of cadavers laid down in tiers,
Kill & be killed-
That’s the wish to be fulfilled
Ridiculing the value of life;
For, war is an immortal fear!

Mighty air-raids, adding to the number of dead
Young soldiers obliterated in a minute,
Mercilessly slaughtered by the nation;
Aircrafts crashing to ground with such deadly speeds-
Only shows the amount of insurmountable greed
Man has inflicted upon himself,
Wiping out the possibility of a next generation.

But, the hapless martyrs still open their fires
And take it to their hearts liking,
To lay down with a defeated sigh-
The blood-stained clouds mourn the closing of blossoming flowers,
And offer their prayers with soul-touching showers,
Uniting with the mothers’ cry-
That’s the legend of the sunset sky!

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.


----Robert Frost----

To Kolkata....With Love

Kolkata, my home city, innumerable pictures, incidents, stories, people inundate my mind when I think of this simple word: Kolkata, the 10th largest city in the world, The City of Joy, Kolkata, the Pride of Bengal & the bengalis.



We only realise the sharp contrast in our life & ways of living when we leave Kolkata & settle somewhere else like I migrated south to Bangalore on the hope of getting rid of the city & its immense dirtyness, its hollow political parties, its horrifying climate, its water-logged streets, the disputable "bandhs", but, the city runs in my veins. My soul is also a component of all the souls who remain binded to the city inspite of staying thousands of miles away & long to come back home, their motherland to the open arms of their loved ones.



Now, there are plenty of reasons for which I like Kolkata, & there are another plenty for which I abhor it, but, when you are located outside the city, that may be even 50 miles away, you'll feel a craving for it which will drive you back, as is always my case, the likes will always surpass your dislikes, your hatred, it comes from within, no one can deny.



The city has got mixed in my genes so complicatedly that I won't be able to remove it, wherever I might be, whether in New York or Sydney, Moscow or Cape Town or Brasilia, always, and I mean always, I'll find my true happiness, my true purpose of living, my true love, true respect, true identity here only in Kolkata.

To start with, if you have been brought up in Kolkata, it would be near impossible for you to take in the food of outside states, much less southern states, where they cook atrocious dishes.
For example: One of their favorites is curd rice, which is ok with me, but, the thing becomes disgusting when they decorate it with all kinds of greenish leaves including coriander, some I don't even know what they are, instead of the item being sweet, it tastes salty, God knows what they put. Some people say they like idlis, dhosas etc, I would like to ask them to come down here & have a taste of the food where the delicacy originated, we've termed "sambars" as "rainbow colored waters" they are so ugly to eat. Kolkata is much more superior & hospitable in the food department, at least one can eat to his heart's content & not wander around, half-starved with bundles of money in his pocket, trying to find a place where he/she can have a respectable lunch or dinner.

Transportation is immensely costly in this part of the country, with the lowest fare being Rs.12 in an autorickshaw, which is the most common transport vehicle. City Taxis charge a minimum of 50 Rupees. In Kolkata, one can travel 10 kms by paying a meagre amount of 5 or 6 Rupees.

The language is another barrier which keeps foreigners off. Majority don't know Hindi, the national language, if they know also, they refrain from using it, preferring their local dialect, thus putting non-Karnataka people in a state of confusion & bother. I still haven't understood what pride they get in not speaking Hindi, are they trying to prove a point by neglecting our national language?

Another thing I have learnt in the past 1 year is that these people have a huge dislike for people from the Northern states. They like to be partial towards the localites. Nowhere in Kolkata, I think, you'd find such kind of partial behavior & attitude.

The only postive things about Bangalore: a good climate, a good working atmospehere, you can earn gargantuous amounts of money (though that hardly matters) because Kolkata is also catching up.

These minor advantages fade in comparison to the immense hospitable environment offered by The City Of Joy. I'm not saying this because I've lived in Kolkata for 19 years, you can ask anyone, I think the majority will choose Kolkata over Bangalore, and may be most cities of India unless they are horribly thirsty to become rich overnight.

Kolkata....you really are great. Miss you dearly, your streets, shops, the Pujas, food, in short everything, my family, my friends, my school, those by-gone days, and lastly, that one special person, I love so much, my girl-friend.



----Somnath (08/15/2007)

All That You Mean To Me....

Dedicated to AC.....

There was a day when my whole world was grey,
Shattered & bruised like a wounded beast,
Death haunted me as if I was an eternal prey,
Life was shrouded in a cloud of mist.

Then, like an angel, you came down from Heaven’s skies,
And, gave me the power to fight the dark away;
Decorated my world with the amenities of Paradise:
Whatever the needs-you always had the last say!

You gave me all the love I was craving for,
You held me closely & smothered me in your arms-
A baby being nourished by his ever-loving mother-
Never failing to impress me with your overwhelming charm.

I fell in love with this guardian angel of mine;
Never ever realising that she would leave me alone,
On her lap I lay, keeping no count of time,
Always under the illusion that she would be my own……

What Is It That We Really Want??

Well, all of us, from our childhoods, have aims, dreams to become a great person in life. Some want to be doctors, some engineers, some just want to be rich, some want a house, a car, or a place of their own. We all strive hard towards achieving, at least, many of us do. But, what then? When we finally have reached the top? When we've conquered all? Our desires gradually increase, a person who wanted a room, & now has it, now wants a house of his own, then, a palace, then, a kingdom, & all the time his greed is growing, & he doesn't even realise that it becomes increasingly hard for him to control these all. When the kingdom falls, he is left with nothing, not even a room of his own, so he understands that he was better off with a room.

Many, most of us have this habit of trying to capture what is beyond our reach, we can't remain content with what we've at the present. That creates the difference between the rich & the poor, because the poor also has his demands which are similar to that of the rich. This creates tension, a small boy who goes to play in a field, finds that his friends display expensive sports gear, but, he can't afford it, because he isn't rich enough, but, still he'll force his father to buy it for him, that's when the decline sets in.

And I primarily blame modern life & changing life styles for these things. With ever increasing house hold incomes, our demands are increasing so that we want to possess every article that exists. I'm not denying that money is un-important, but, it should be used in a good way, not lavishly on things that we know we could have been alright if we didn't have them too.