#Haiku एकांत

Grave of Razia Sultan in Bulbul-i-Khan near Turkmen Gate, Delhi

एक खामोश

एकांत की पुकार

सुनी किसी ने?

मनीषा शर्मा~

आज कितने दिल्लीवासियों को पता है कि उनके शहर में रजिया सुल्तान की मज़ार है और अगर है भी तो कहां हैं।

#Tanka भ्रम

देह ही में हैं

नदियाँ, सूर्य, चन्द्र

देवी-देवता

सब तीरथ तेरे

भटकता भला क्यूँ?

मनीषा शर्मा~

धर्म और आस्था एक निजी राय होती है, सार्वजानिक नही, तमाशाई और तमाशबीन मत बनों।

#Haiku हठ

हठ में बैठी

कई तालों में कैद

उन्मुक्त सोच

मनीषा शर्मा~

Problems and slutions

Every country has a specific measure of land. If your area is to increase then you have to attack the nearby countries, defeat them and by the end of it all, end its citizens too and then take over their land. However, that is not possible.

 

Despite all efforts, world population has been increasing. Along with the population, problems are growing too. Each country claims to make fascinating inventions in every possible field for human development. Some of these inventions are beyond the comprehension of the commoners. For example, why does every country have a nuclear arsenal? Why are people trying to find water or signs of life on moon and mars when it is hard enough to get a simple life on earth? It is hard enough, because we have made it hard by ripping off life from the cores of this earth. Are we going to do the same on moon and mars, what we have done here?

 

The point to ponder over is that why are we surrounded by small problems after all. Why do we always want the government to solve every problem? Why not use our own mind? Going ahead of large scientific and government plans, commoners’ struggles on everyday bases with one or another problem and then surprises everyone by finding out better solutions that are cheaper and useful. With small efforts, we can get rid of even the biggest problems.

For example, inflation, it bothers us in many ways, such as vegetable price; they rises dreadfully fast. In big cities, people live in societies and every society provides many facilities such as a gym, parking space and a large garden. Split the Garden in two. Required vegetables can be grown in one section for the occupants and they should decide their price. The rest of the garden can be used to grow fruit bearing trees, this way it will be even greener and they will get organic food too. In the balcony, people can set up nets on which vegetable-bearing vines can grow. In the old times, people used to collect grains (cereals, wheat, made pickles, dried vegetables) throughout the year. We too can do that. Instead of buying from the food hoarders at higher-price, buying in the wholesale market at cheaper rate is better.

Then there is the matter of electricity and water. Parents accumulate wealth funds for their children. They have to understand that they must save electricity and water too. Today's indifference will cost their child’s future. They explain to their child the importance of money, along with it they should explain the importance electricity and water and how to save these. We also need to know the importance of solar power. Multistory buildings should use solar panels, as their roofs are usually only used to keep junk. Keep pots in the windows of the house; that will keep the rooms cool.

Furthermore, we must take the methods of rainwater harvesting and its uses more seriously. Today many countries are struggling with water and electricity shortage because we used these things carelessly, without understanding their true value.

The way we have damaged the environment and are struggling to get a settled life, trust me, earth is struggling the same way. It is struggling to hold on to the roots of the trees. It is struggling to keep its inhabitants alive. It is struggling to save the ice, the rivers, and the clean water. It is struggling to keep us alive. We are taking from it more than we need, all for our undying greed. It is trying to preserve everything selflessly. When our greed, crosses its limit then comes the flood of Jammu and Kedarnath. In which we lose all that we unnecessarily struggled for.

 

We have the options to live a fulfilling life, all the while preserving the nature and the future of the next generation. It our choice, it is your choice. So, what do you choose?

#Tanka दहशत

जंगल वासी

शिकारी या शिकार

शहर वासी

शिकार या शिकारी

दहशत दोनो की

मनीषा शर्मा~

A one-and-a-half-year-old male leopard strayed into the ruins of a building and primary school in Kachhabali.

Villagers gheraoed and chased the terrified creature as it tried to escape to a safer place. The villagers managed to put a rope around the leopard's neck and feet and dragged it. When the leopard growled, the villagers stuffed a large pointed stone in his mouth. The shock and pulling suffocated the animal to death. After the shameful act, the villagers clicked 'selfies' with the dead leopard pulling its tail and sitting over him.  Had this leopard killed a human, people would have had come out on the streets with candles. But on His death, an FIR was filed against "Unknown" even though the culprits could clearly be seen in the pictures.

A Whore

 

A few days ago, I got the chance to read a comment made by Kangna Ranaut, on the infamous issue between her and Hritik Roshan, "If a woman is sexually active, then she is called a whore".

  

How strange it is, that a female needs to be more socially active in comparison to a male. She needs to be more active in family and relations. If she is a working woman, than she needs to be more active in both the office and the house, unlike a man. From the day she is born to the day she dies, a female faces many changes in her body, and she has to stay both physically and mentally active. The society, the family and the traditions, expect her to be extraordinary in these things from the moment she starts walking. When a female is born, she is said to be a treasure that belongs to another house, when a male is born, it is said his purpose is to pullulate. And so when a male is sexually active, it is accepted, but the when a female is sexually active, it is unacceptable.

 

If a man wants his dynasty to grow, then sorry but it is necessary for a woman to be sexually active. Or else the man always has the choice to become a homosexual.

   

Now we will take the next word, Whore. Who is a whore? She is someone who takes money to engage in sexual activity. How many among you can think that Kangna had taken money for the sex? How many can think, that a woman of no matter what age, who sleeps outside of her marriage, does it for money. A whore does not see the color, the height, the weight or the status of a man, all she sees is how much money she can earn from him.

Whore; a characterless woman...

But then again, there is that famous saying, "A man wants his wife to take care of him like his mother would, he wants her to romance with him as a girlfriend would and he wants her to be like a whore to warm his bed". If his wife does not do all that he expects, then he puts her aside by calling her, "Thandi". However, if she is as active as he wants her to be, he becomes suspicious. If a woman has a jolly nature (she talks with all with a smile, knows how to crack a joke, can talk to men as freely as she can talk with women), then everyone thinks she is characterless.

  

Women who works in night shifts, has a touring job, or has to do the field work, the "Aaspass ki sugbugahat" deems her characterless. I had seen an ad once, in which the model was saying,"If we do a job in daylight, then it is accepted. But if we do the same job at night, then it’s not okay?" It is said that a woman wants all her needs to be fulfilled by one man. But every man only wants one thing from every woman. And yet, he is not considered characterless.

  

Just as by asking, "Kitne aadmi the?!”, Gabbar (Sholay), does not becomes a gay; the same way, your success, that you have earned on your own, your refusal to share that success with those who are more successful than you and along with it all if you are sexually active too, then that does not make you a whore Kangna.

 

There are many famous characters that I know of, whom I can call characterless openly. And you won't be able to disagree with me even if would want to. Urvashi, Menaka, Rambha, and Tilottama; what are your thoughts about these names? Men who stayed far away from the worldly distractions, from bonds such as family, and lived deep in the forests meditating half their life, these women distracted them. These women, and those like them, lured these men away with their beauty, or to be more straightforward, with their sexuality. If in today's date, a woman does this, she will be called a whore; then why were the names mentioned above called "Apsaras"?

 

I've read in many books and magazines, that our Nation's Father, Shri Mohan Das Karamchand Gandhi, used to sleep with unmarried naked girls, to test his control over his body. 

Did he truly control himself every time? Or was there a guard standing by the bedside to tell him, "Sir, control!” 

Who were those girls? Did they belong to respectable families? Did they sleep with him thinking, that he truly won't touch them. If this really was true, then why did they sleep with him? Were they willing? Or were they obligated to do so? Did Mahatma or those people from the Aashram, never gave a single thought about what future these girls will have? Or maybe there was no reason to think about their future; maybe they were just whores who did this for money. However, if they were no whores, then what will you call them? Desh Bhakts, Mahan, or really just a characterless whore…?

 

Will you not question the views of Mahatma; will you not question his character?

 

Now you can say that just as people are pointing their fingers on Kangna Ranaut, I’m pointing fingers on the Apsara’s and the girls who slept with Mahatma.

Or, maybe you can now understand, that if you want to cause troubles for a woman, if you want her to feel down, then the easiest way is to point fingers at her character. The two main reasons a person (or the crowd) would do that, is that either she is more successful than them, or she is out of their reach.

 

So, what is your definition about being a whore? 

 

#Haiku मलंग

Image courtesy: Kushal Gangopadhyay

 

खानाबदोश

मन था तन नाचे

मलंग हो के।

मनीषा शर्मा~

Equipped with weapons and far away from the worldly love,
Naga Sahdus; frightening and yet so striking.  

Keywords:

मलंग

A happy and tension free personality

खानाबदोश

Nomadic - living the life of a nomad; wandering.