आईना

ये आईना देखता बहुत है

ये आईना बोलता बहुत है।

कभी सच्चाई दिखलाता है,

कभी झूठ से दिल लुभाता है।

हकीकत से झुठलाता है,

तो कभी झुठलाक़े हकीकत दिखता है।

सपनो को जीना सिखाता है,

खुद को खुद से मिलाता है।

मासूम मुस्कान की परछाई बन जाता है,

लेकिन बुराई की छाप अंदर ही समेट जाता है ।

कहने को तो सच्चाई का प्रतिबिंब है,

पर व्यक्तित्व पर खड़े करता प्रश्न चिन्ह है।

बिना बोले सब कह जाता है,

पर न जाने क्यों सब अनसुना रह जाता है।

हर दिन खुद को बदलता है,

हर रंग रूप में ढलता है।

साथ मे हंसता है, साथ मे रोता है।

सच यही कि हर किसी को सच दिखाता आईना,

सच यह भी कि किसी को सच कह न पाता आईना।

Fighters

People who are dealt with a challenging hand are the ones who learn to rise the challenge. People who have faced struggle and adversity are the ones who know best how to overcome it.

People who are broken down, are the ones that come back unbreakable, they have seen the worst and they no longer fear it. The best people are the ones who have to fight the hardest even after knowing that it's not going to be easy, sometimes even lethal. They know in their heart that the best things don't come for free, it requires work, it requires fight.

They know this, because they were not dealt the easy hand of cards when they were young, while others were given a good fortune on a silver plate, they were scraping dreams together on their hands and knees.

They believe that every day in their life is a challenge worth accepting and they are so involved in it that they hardly have time for those who criticise them or bring them down. They are the ones who have stopped dying for others and started living for themselves.

The real strength in them is their ability of opening themselves to the possibility of being broken again and again, their strengths lies in their willingness to take risks and being vulnerable.

They are the real fighters who know that they were born to shine not as a faint ray on a cloudy day but as a bright blaze in all their glory. They were born to breathe a fire at those who constraint them or oppress them, and do their part in making the world a better place and pour their vibrant colors on everything that is black and white.

A Day after Deepawali

The previous night marked the biggest and one of the most popular festivals of Hinduism, Deepawali, which symbolizes the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance. It is believed that Lord Rama , Lord Lakshman and Goddess Sita returned to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile after defeating Ravana, the demon king of Lanka.

As per our mythology, it was the night of  kartik Amavasya, the darkest night of the year. So the people of Ayodhya decorated the entire kingdom with lamps, diyas and rangolis.

The year is 2018, the five days long Deepawali festival is being celebrated with great pomp and devotion in the country. On the night of the festival of lights, revellers had adorn themselves in their finest and brand new clothes, the streets, shops and homes illuminating with the diyas, candles and worship to Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesh were being offered. And the 'most important' of all fireworks were being lit with their ear deafening sound and breath choking smoke and pollution.

But what happens a day after Deepawali, after an entire night of joy and celebrations? The next morning brings a new challenge along with enthusiasm. Let's have a look at a random colony in a random city of our country.

House no. 1: The solo flag bearers of Modi ji's Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in this colony is this family. These people took the responsibility of cleaning the mess of the firecrackers and other items from the streets. Although they didn't lit any of them but still lending a helping hand to their neighbors.

House no. 2 : The rich family that owns a luxury car and have the biggest house in the locality. Their celebration of diwali was so exotic that it will become a topic of discussion for the next few days in the whatsapp groups of colony members. This family is also a home to their pair of dogs but surprisingly they were the ones to blast crackers till midnight. Not giving any heed to the #poochoverpatakha.

House no. 3: The male members of this family had their best diwali in years. As soon as they woke up, from the last night's hangover they calculated the amount which they won in the jackpot of the Gambling game with their friends as they believed that Goddess Lakshmi has blessed their fortune.

House no. 4 : This home is quite relaxed and hassle free as here lives an old couple which peacefully slept the last night because they both removed their hearing aid machines which helped them in avoiding the noise pollution and chaos in the city. However, in the morning they both discussed the time when Deepawali was actually the 'festival of lights'.

House no. 5 : The family with the maximum population in their house. This morning is truly a challenge for the ladies of the house as they have to clean the house and redecorate themselves and everyone for the Govardhan Pooja. The smallest eight years old member, is all set to blast the leftover crackers with his friends. His continuous nagging and his mother's unsuccessful attempts of luring him with sweets is causing commotion in the house.

House no. 6 :The common middle class family of the colony, who enjoyed their festival with their family and friends. The elder son is now packing his bags to leave as his Diwali vacations is over and he has to be back for work. On the other hand, his little sister is keeping a track of the number of likes and comments she got in her pictures which she uploaded the last night. A representation of a typical Indian family comes when the mother asks her beloved son to stay a little longer but he refuses and the father asks her to not to be emotional this time.

Apart from these families, there was also a group of volunteers in this locality which celebrated Diwali in the best way by providing a shelter to the street animals, distributing sweets and clothes to unprivileged ones and by spreading smiles and love in the community.

Deepawali is all about celebrating the festival with the ones we love the most and not just about fireworks, gambling, or showing off the wealth and power. Let this festival be a reason for everyone to celebrate and share love with each and everyone.