Happy Diwali / Tihar to whoever’s reading this. To those who want a native expression, here it is:
तिहारको उपलक्ष्यमा तपाईंलाई हार्दिक मंगलमय शुभकामना!
दीवाली के अवसर पर आपको हार्दिक शुभकामनाएँ!
or in short:
शुभ दीपावली
Unlike last year, I’m not at Home. So, I neither have access to Sweets not fire-crackers. Which is when Sketchbook comes handy; not so much for Sweets but definitely for fire-crackers. “Why?”, I hear you ask. To figure out the reason, you’ll have to watch Sketchbook ~Full Color’s~ Episode 3 and Episode 6 till the end! Do that and come back to read the rest of this post. Go on, I’ll wait…
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Now that you understand the reason, let us move on to some heart-warming poetry in these cold times. As always, first check out the “Shayari” tab located above. This sher is dedicated to those who’ve partners to worry about:
ये सोचना गलत है की तुम पर नज़र नहीं
मशरूफ़ हम बहुत हैं मगर बेखबर नहीं
Ye sochna galat hai ki tum par nazar nahin
Mashroof ham bahut hai magar bekhabar nahin
It is wrong to think I don’t notice you
I am definitely busy but not unaware
-आलोक श्रीवास्तव (Aalok Shrivastav)
“Unaware” as in unaware of your existence! Okay, now let’s move on to some commentary on politics:
अड़े थे ज़िद पे की सूरज बना के छोड़ेंगे
पसीने छुट गए एक दिया बनाने में
Ade the zid pe ki sooraj bana ke chhodenge
Paseene chhut gaye ek diya banane mein
They iterated stubbornly that a Sun will be created
They’re bathed in sweat while creating a mere lamp
ये चंद लोग जो बस्ती में सबसे अच्छे हैं
इन्ही का हाथ है मुझको बुरा बनाने में
Ye chand log jo basti mein sabse achhe hain
Inhi ka haath hai mujhko bura banane mein
These few good people in village
Are the reason I turned out bad
-राहत इंदौरी (Rahat Indori)
Lastly, remembering some lost love(s):
मुझे वो छोड़ गया, ये कमाल है उसका
इरादा मैंने किया था की छोड़ दूंगा उसे
Mujhe wo chhod gaya, ye kamaal hai uska
Iraada maine kiya tha ki chhod dunga use
(S)He left me, which is a miracle
I had decided to do the same
पसीने बांटता फिरता है हर तरफ सूरज
कभी जो हाथ लगा तो निचोड़ दूंगा उसे
Paseene baant.ta phirta hai har taraf sooraj
Kabhi jo haath laga to nichod dunga use
The Sun keeps dispensing sweat all over the world
If I ever get my hands on it, I’ll surely wring it dry
-राहत इंदौरी (Rahat Indori)
Let me end this post with more Fireworks:
Sweets and fireworks do seem to go together or maybe I am just thinking about how sparklers kind of resemble rock candy and lollipops. I guess those are probably too "American" to eat during Diwali though.
ReplyDeleteAs for Sketchbook, my favorite memory of the fireworks in episode 3 is Juju and the President trying to squint to see them as Sora does. I think the show kind of pokes some fun at itself then and it harkens back to Juju looking the same when she is awake and asleep.
"These few good people in village
Are the reason I turned out bad"
For some reason I have been having some trouble figuring out that line though. Do you have any insights to offer on it?
For an "Indian" person, sweets don't quite include candies & chocolates, which are labelled as confectioneries. Sweets include stuff made from whey powder, dried milk, dry fruits, etc like these!
ReplyDeleteRegarding squinting, there was also a strip in Vol.1 where Juju says to President that she heard rumours about their 'similarity' and she wonders if the rumoured similarity is their personality! :D
Explaining that sher is a bit tricky. First of all, I guess one should appreciate the contradiction in the two lines. After that, since the poet mentions the context is politics (and so on) it would be a satire meaning that their "good" is not that good a quality in conventional/moral/ethical terms. Or to put it in another way, their "goodness" is just superficial as a lot of "ulterior motives" underlie it. And the second line emphasizes this "fact" by saying that the poet has become "corrupted" by the company of such "good" people. Hope this helps!
I figured as much about the difference between sweets and confectioneries. Whatever their origin, the taste is what matters, right?
ReplyDeleteI really liked the strip where Juju wondered how she was similar to the President too, especially since she is a such a space cadet (supposedly more spacy than Sora herself) while the President seems pretty organized and rational. I guess that is just stating the obvious though.
Thanks for the clarification about that sher. I am definitely not unfamiliar with people acting like they are the "good ones" when they actually have been doing things that are part of the problem.
That sense of superficial goodness reminds me of people acting all polite to someone in person and then badmouthing him or her as soon as the person walks away from them. I am not sure about you, but that really does bug me.
Definitely the taste matters, the taste of sweetness. But there is something that doesn't let me say: that is all that matters. Whatever anyone says, I won't replace sweets with confectioneries. I need both of those to survive! :D
ReplyDeleteI like your expression "Space Cadet" to depict people like Sora & Juju. It gives them an air of mystery, which is always helpful!
I don't like it when people start badmouthing someone in conversations with me. If one MUST say something bad about someone, just give me the facts and I'll make up my own mind. Otherwise find someone else to bore, that's my motto. And as far as anyone badmouthing me is concerned, I couldn't care less.