Av Nash

Dil Ka Bhanwar Kare Pukar...

I was driving back to home, humming a tune from one of dev anand's song- dil ka bhanwar kare pukar. Had been listening to this song since morning. Its dev anand's birthday today. Facebook, radio, news channels, all flooded with wishes for him and his songs, beautiful songs he has acted for. Remember Guide? Wow! Another beautiful movie by dev anand. I was lost in the beautiful duet- dil ka bhanwar kare pukar. A beautiful girl overtook me in her scooty. This girl I have noticed a number of times near my home. She is a big show-off, tries to be a diva, but unfortunately is not. She has an East-Asian orientation, fair, dresses like a mannequin in a lady-garment shop. Honestly, I don't like her. And moreover, I don't like her overtaking me at high speed. She had done this a couple of times, and I have never liked that. Maybe, it was my reaction to her overtake that invited her to do it again every time she would encounter me on my wheels.

But this time I decided to ignore her. I wanted to keep enjoying my humming. Beautiful song! Isn't it? So I successfully withdrew my attention from the overtaking-conflict and slowed down my wheels, back to normal speed. She slowed down too. Yes, she wanted me to react in the usual fashion. She wanted me to overtake her  so that she could overtake me again and the overtaking-race would continue till I turn right for my home and she moved ahead for her's. But this time, I had decided to break the tradition and follow my suite. She waited for me for some time. I did not react.

In the meantime, another car came in to do my rituals and pressed her down to her side of the road, honking and racing the accelerator to the aggressive limits. She lost her balance for a while, but then regained it, and thankfully did not fall. I was watching all this happening in front of my wheels. Remember, I had been over-taken! I felt glad. Chalo! This would teach her a lesson. I was also thankful that she didn't fall.

Anyways, she regained her balance and her senses and kept driving, me behind her. I still had no intentions of not breaking the tradition. You go your way! I am not in the mood today! She probably got it. So, she speeded up and drove off. I was back to my humming. Ha! Ha! She was already pissed-off over being overtaken by a car, almost losing to her senses. She was feeling subjugated, defeated, humiliated. She needed this.

Humming the song and driving smoothly I reached the signal, which was the end point of the first lap of our overtaking-race, traditionally. The predator- car was at the signal and the prey-scooty beside it, at the driver's window. And wow! They were having a nice argument in the middle of the road. I took my wheels close to them so that I could listen and enjoy their heated-conversation. The girl was in complete revenge-mode. So she was fighting with all her energy and enthusiasm, of course without making any sense. Women usually do that, actually mostly. Watching her funny argument with the car-driver, the dialogue from the movie Pyar ka Punchnama came to my mind- hum ladkon ki ek basic si need hoti hai, to make sense in an argument. Ladkiyon ko koi fark nahi padta, sense jaisi bekar si cheez ke liye wo argument haar jayein?  

10 seconds were left for the signal to go green. They had fought for the last 100 seconds or something and I think that the car driver had lost to her. Of course he had to, there's no point arguing with a girl, probably just off her teenage, about the way she should drive on the road. Ha! Ha! Clever man. She adjusted her rear-view mirror to my face and instinctively I looked into her mirror, our eyes met. She gazed at me like I was responsible for all that. But I was so determined to avoid her today that nothing on earth could get me involved. The signal went green. The car driver waited for her to lead, as if trying to show his etiquettes to a lady. Or maybe he was. I followed her, smiling at the car driver. That must have encouraged him.

She was now driving calmly, probably in a shock. Pissed off by the incident. How could a car driver insult her, such a diva, in the middle of the road. Her mood was completely bruised. I kept driving, not humming anymore. Trying to observe her reaction to the incident that had just taken place, her humiliation. Her ego was grinded. She could not even think of any overtaking-race at this point of time. I didn't like that either. The car driver had done his job, and had now disappeared.

A kilometer before the right-turn to my house is CCD. She pulled off at CCD. Her boyfriend must be waiting there, I thought. I slowed down to make sure she was fine and was actually going to CCD. I saw her waving to someone inside the shop. Her boyfriend. I have seen her pillion-riding on his bike a number of times and pillion-riding in a way that only girlfriends can. I drove ahead, back to my humming. Dil ka bhanwar kare pukar, pyar ka raag suno, pyar ka raag suno re! hoon…hoon…hoon…

I was happy, glad. Ha! Ha! Not because of what just happened. But, because it was going to be a tough day for her boyfriend. Bechara! Aaj toh baji uski band!

Yeh Dobara Kab Hoga…

Raah dekhi thi is din ki kabse,

Aage ke sapne saja rakhe the naajane kab se.

Bade utavle the yahaan se jaane ko ,

Zindagi ka agla padaav paane ko .

Par naa jane kyon …Dil mein aaj kuch aur aata hai,

Waqt ko rokne ka jee chahta hai.

Jin baton ko lekar rote the Aaj un par hansi aati hai ,

Na jaane kyon aaj un palon ki yaad bahut aati hai .

Kaha karte the …Badi mushkil se do saal seh gaya,

Par aaj kyon lagta hai ki kuch peeche reh gaya.

Na bhoolne wali kuch yaadein reh gayi,

Yaadien jo ab jeene ka sahara ban gayi.

Meri taang ab kaun kheencha karega ,

Sirf mera sir khane kaun mera peecha karega.

Jahaan 2000 ka hisaab nahin wahaan 2 rupay ke liye kaun ladega,

Kaun raat bhar saath jag kar padega ,

KAUN MERI gaadi mujse pooche bina lejayega ,

Kaun mere naye naye naam banayega.

Mein ab bina matlab kis se ladoonga,

Bina topic ke kisse faalto baat karoonga ,

Kaun fail hone par dilasa dilayega,

Kaun galti se number aane par gaaliyaan sunayega .

Thele pe phuchke kiske saath khaaoonga.

Wo haseen pal ab kis ke saath jiyoonga,

Aise dost kahaan milenge Jo khai mein bhi dhakka de aayein,

Par fir tumhein bachane khud bhi kood jayein.

Mere gaano se pareshaan kaun hoga ,

Kabhi muje kisi ladki se baat karte dekh hairaan kaun hoga ,

Kaun kahega saale tere joke pe hansi nahin aai ,

Kaun peeche se bula ke kahega..aage dekh bhai .

Movies mein kiske saath dekhhonga,

Kis ke saath boring lectures jheloonga ,

Bina dare sachi rai dene ki himmat kaun karega.

Achanak bin matlab ke kisi ko bhi dekh kar paglon ki tarah hansna,

Na jaane ye fir kab hoga .

Doston ke liye professor se kab lad payenge ,

Kya hum ye fir kar payenge,

Tez gaadi chalane ki shart kaun lagayega .

Kaun muje mere kabiliyat par bharosa dilayega,

Aur jyada hawa mein udne par zameen pe layege ,

Meri khushi mein sach mein khush kaun hoga ,

Mere gam mein muj se jyada dukhi kaun hoga…

KEH DO DOSTON YE DOBAARA KAB HOGA

18 things i wish someone told me when i was 18...

I was reading this fantastic book today morning, when I was given a surprise visit by a cousin of mine. He sat down next to me and said, “That’s a great read, ain’t it?”  So we started chatting.

He told me he was getting ready to  pass his school in a year and then immediately starting his college soon.  “But I have no clue what I want to do with my life,” he said.  “Right now I’m just going with the flow.”

And then, with eager, honest eyes, he began asking me one question after the next:

• “What do you do?"
• “When and how did you decide what you wanted to do?”
• “Why did you do this?  Why didn't you do that?”
• “Is there anything you wish you had done differently?”
• Etc, etc, etc…

I answered his questions as best as I could, and tried to give decent advice with the time I had.  And after a one and half-hour conversation, he thanked me and we parted ways.

On the drive home in the evening, when i finally found some time for self-inquiry, I realized the conversation I had with him was actually quite nostalgic for me.  He reminded me of me six years ago.  So I started thinking about his questions again, and I began imagining all of the things I wish someone had told me when I was 18.

Then I took it a step further and thought about all the things I would love to tell myself if I could travel back in time to give my 18-year-old self some advice about life.

So after a few cups of coffee and a couple hours of deliberation, here are 18 things I wish someone told me when I was 18:

1. Commit yourself to making lots of mistakes. – Mistakes teach you important lessons.  The biggest mistake you can make is doing nothing because you’re too scared to make a mistake.  So don’t hesitate – don’t doubt yourself.  In life, it’s rarely about getting a chance; it’s about taking a chance.  You’ll never be 100% sure it will work, but you can always be 100% sure doing nothing won’t work.  Most of the time you just have to go for it!  And no matter how it turns out, it always ends up just the way it should be.  Either you succeed or you learn something.  Win-Win.  Remember, if you never act, you will never know for sure, and you will be left standing in the same spot forever.
2. Find hard work you love doing. – If I could offer my 18-year-old self some real career advice, I’d tell myself not to base my career choice on other people’s ideas, goals and recommendations.  I’d tell myself not to pick a major because it’s popular, or statistically creates graduates who make the most money.  I’d tell myself that the right career choice is based on one key point: Finding hard work you love doing.  As long as you remain true to yourself, and follow your own interests and values, you can find success through passion.  Perhaps more importantly, you won’t wake up several years later working in a career field you despise, wondering “How the heck am I going to do this for the next 30 years?”  So if you catch yourself working hard and loving every minute of it, don’t stop.  You’re on to something big.  Because hard work ain’t hard when you concentrate on your passions.
3. Invest time, energy and money in yourself every day. – When you invest in yourself, you can never lose, and over time you will change the trajectory of your life.  You are simply the product of what you know and what you do.  The more time, energy and money you spend acquiring pertinent knowledge, the more control you have over your life.
4. Explore new ideas and opportunities often. – Your natural human fears of failure and embarrassment will sometimes stop you from trying new things.  But you must rise above these fears, for your life’s story is simply the culmination of many small, unique experiences.  And the more unique experiences you have, the more interesting your story gets.  So seek as many new life experiences as possible and be sure to share them with the people you care about.  Not doing so is not living.
5. When sharpening your career skills, focus more on less. – Think in terms of Karate: A black belt seems far more impressive than a brown belt.  But does a brown belt really seem any more impressive than a red belt?  Probably not to most people.  Remember that society elevates experts high onto a pedestal.  Hard work matters, but not if it’s scattered in diverse directions.  So narrow your focus on learning fewer career related skills and master them all.
6. People are not mind readers.  Tell them what you’re thinking.– People will never know how you feel unless you tell them.  That cute girl you haven’t talked to because you’re too shy?  Yeah, you guessed it; she hasn’t given you the time of day simply because you haven’t given her the time of day either.   In life, you have to communicate with others.  And often, you have to open your vocal cords and speak the first words.  You have to tell people what you’re thinking.  It’s as simple as that.
7. Make swift decisions and take immediate action. – Either you’re going to take action and seize new opportunities, or someone else will first.  You can’t change anything or make any sort of progress by sitting back and thinking about it.  Remember, there’s a huge difference between knowing how to do something and actually doing it.  Knowledge is basically useless without action.
8. Accept and embrace change. – However good or bad a situation is now, it will change.  That’s the one thing you can count on.  So embrace change, and realize that change happens for a reason.  It won’t always be easy or obvious at first, but in the end it will be worth it.
9. Don’t worry too much about what other people think about you. – For the most part, what other people think and say about you doesn’t matter.  When I was 18, I let the opinions of my high school and college peers influence my decisions.  And, at times, they steered me away from ideas and goals I strongly believed in.  I realize now, six years later, that this was a foolish way to live, especially when I consider that nearly all of these people whose opinions I cared so much about are no longer a part of my life.  Unless you’re trying to make a great first impression (job interview, first date, etc.), don’t let the opinions of others stand in your way.  What they think and say about you isn’t important.  What is important is how you feel about yourself.
10. Always be honest with yourself and others. – Living a life of honesty creates peace of mind, and peace of mind is priceless. 
11. Talk to lots of people in college and early on in your career. – Bosses.  Colleagues.  Professors.  Classmates.  Social club members.  Other students outside of your major or social circle. Teaching assistants.  Career advisors.  College deans.  Friends of friends.  Everyone!  Why?  Professional networking.  If you start building your professional network early, you’ll be set.  Over time, you’ll continue talking to new people you meet through your current network and your network’s reach and the associated opportunities will continue to snowball for the duration of your career.
12. Sit alone in silence for at least ten minutes every day. – Use this time to think, plan, reflect, and dream.  Creative and productive thinking flourish in solitude and silence.  With quiet, you can hear your thoughts, you can reach deep within yourself, and you can focus on mapping out the next logical, productive step in your life.
13. Ask lots of questions. – The greatest ‘adventure’ is the ability to inquire, to ask questions.  Sometimes in the process of inquiry, the search is more significant than the answers.  Answers come from other people, from the universe of knowledge and history, and from the intuition and deep wisdom inside yourself.  These answers will never surface if you never ask the right questions.  Thus, the simple act of asking the right questions is the answer.
14. Exploit the resources you do have access to. – The average person is usually astonished when they see a physically handicap person show intense signs of emotional happiness.  How could someone in such a restricted physical state be so happy?  The answer rests in how they use the resources they do have.  Stevie Wonder couldn’t see, so he exploited his sense of hearing into a passion for music, and he now has 25 Grammy Awards to prove it.
15. Live below your means. – Live a comfortable life, not a wasteful one.  Do not spend to impress others.  Do not live life trying to fool yourself into thinking wealth is measured in material objects.  Manage your money wisely so your money does not manage you.  Always live well below your means.
16. Be respectful of others and make them feel good. – In life and business, it’s not so much what you say that counts, it’ how you make people feel.  So respect your elders, minors, and everyone in between.  There are no boundaries or classes that define a group of people that deserve to be respected.  Treat everyone with the same level of respect you would give to your grandfather and the same level of patience you would have with your baby brother.  Supporting, guiding, and making contributions to other people is one of life’s greatest rewards.  In order to get, you have to give.
17. Excel at what you do. – There’s no point in doing something if you aren’t going to do it right.  Excel at your work and excel at your hobbies.  Develop a reputation for yourself, a reputation for consistent excellence.
18. Be who you were born to be. – You must follow your heart, and be who you were born to be.  Some of us were born to be musicians – to communicate intricate thoughts and rousing feelings with the strings of a guitar.  Some of us were born to be poets – to touch people’s hearts with exquisite prose.  Some of us were born to be entrepreneurs – to create growth and opportunity where others saw rubbish.  And still, some of us were born to be or do whatever it is, specifically, that moves you.  Regardless of what you decide to do in your lifetime, you better feel it in every fiber of your being.  You better be born to do it!  Don’t waste your life fulfilling someone else’s dreams and desires.

But above all, laugh when you can, apologize when you should, and let go of what you can’t change.  Life is short, yet amazing.  Enjoy the ride.

Benaam Sa Yeh Dard

Benaam sa yeh dard thahar kyon nahi jaata
jo beet gaya hai vo guzar kyon nahi jaata
benaam sa yeh...

Sab kuch to hai kya dhoondti rahti hain nigaahein
Kya baat hai main waqt pe ghar kyoon nahi jaata
jo beet gaya hai voh guzar kyoon nahi jaata

Vo ek hi chahra to nahi saare jahan main
Jo door hai vo dil se utar kyon nahi jata
Jo beet gaya hai vo guzar kyoon nahi jata
benaam sa yeh....

Main apni hi uljhi hui raahon ka tamasha
Jaate hai jidhar sab main udhar kyoon nahi jata
Jo beet gaya hai vo guzar kyoon nahi jata

Vo naam jo barson se na chehra hai na badan hai
vo khwab agar hai to bikhar kyoon nahi jata
Jo beet gaya hai vo guzar kyoon nahi jata
benaam sa yeh....

-Jagjit Singh (Rayavat-09)