Barkha rani... barkha rani

बरखा रानी, बरखा रानी
तू क्यूँ इतना इतराती है;
एक झलक तो तू दिखलाती है,
पर पलक झपी और तू गायब हो जाती है;
हम आस में तेरी बैठे हैं,
और तू इतना बलखाती है;
कुछ राहत दे हम झुलसों को,
मध्धम मद्धम सी पवन चला;

कि .. आज हमारा जी भर के गाने को जी चाहता है !!

वो बचपना था और चला गया,
डरता था जो तूफानों से;
कागज के नाव बनाता था, 
और पहरा देता था नालों पे;
न बचपन है, न कागज  है,
न नाव मेरी वो कागज़ की;
एक कश्ती ऐसी व्याकुल है,
न उसे जरूरत साहिल की;

और .. हर तूफ़ान से उसका टकराने को जी चाहता है !!

घनघोर अँधेरा भी कर दे,
तो भी कोई परवाह नहीं;
तेरी भीषण हुंकार भी हो,
तो भी भीतर से आह नहीं;
चमक भी तू, गरज भी तू,
उमड़ भी तू, घुमड़ भी तू;
न देर कर बरस भी जा,
न और तू हमें तडपा;

कि... आज हमारा भीग जाने को जी चाहता है !!

The curious case of an Indian Cricket Fan

Flashback : Feb 2011
Team India is favorite to win the world cup. This team has the best chance of winning the prestigious cup of all the teams that India has fielded till now. Dhoni and co are getting praises which were not conferred on any other team before.

Cut to 14th March 2011
Team India has lost a close match, tied another. They are being criticized and we are told this team has no chance of winning the cup. The batsman are a bunch of losers and captain has lost his mind. Bowling can not be called an attack, at best it is a defense mechanism which can not even defend a par score :P. Every Tom, Dick and Harry and their cousin can take better decisions than a certain hyped and useless captain.

Confusing ??
Off course it is, but the truth is somewhere in between. A little bit of prudence says that the team was not as great as it was made out be 3 weeks before and neither is it as bad as it is portrayed right now.

It takes just one match to form reputation and another to destroy it in a cricket mad country called India. The Indian cricket fan belongs to a peculiar species. An average cricket fan from India has abused and worshipped the same player at different points of time. Nothing wrong with that, since a player goes to different phases in a long career. Sometimes it looks like he can do no wrong and sometimes Geff Boycott's mother seem to be a better bet than him. But the extent to which he is scrutinized in the public eye is exemplary.

I understand that people are passionate about cricket. The way cricket unites the country, there is nothing else that does it in the same way. But the way they over react is beyond comprehension. There is a thin line between being partisan and being jingoistic and I am afraid we have crossed that line long time back. There is no need to get your blood boiling over someone getting hit for a six, no need to involve mother-sister of a batsman for a reckless shot and I might get killed for this but no need to make someone a deity because he plays the straight drive like no one else in this world could, can and will ever do.

And as far as the cricketers are concerned. They need not worry, they can die another day. They are still in the cup. One good match and everything will be forgotten. India has an outside chance of winning the cup since they have to win 3 knockout matches and this world cup is the most open world cup since 1996, But so are the chances of many other teams.

So dear Indian cricket fan, please sit back, relax and off course discuss the tactics of the game but if you can watch only the matches where your team wins, please go to youtube, live TV is not for you.

And dear Indian cricketers, you need not worry. This scrutiny goes on for few days, but everything comes back to normality. I am sure you will qualify for the knockout stage and play to the best of your ability. And even if you lose after that, there is a certain Indian Phoohad League awaiting, which will take care of an average Indian Cricket Fan.

PS: If you happen to be an Indian cricket fan and you were hurt by this (which is another famous trait of you). My sincere apologies. Please don't burn my effigies, stone my house, destroy my bike or engage in similar destructive behavior. 

Solace

कोई शिकवा न रखो दिल तोड़ने वालों से, 
आखिर उन्होंने भी कहीं दिल लगाया होगा ;


 ये जानकर की लोग पत्थर को पूजते हैं, 
अपने दिल को पत्थर बनाया होगा ;


 रोना इस बात का न रखो की भुला दिया तुम्हे, 
इस बात पे रोवो की रो रोकर भुलाया होगा !!