Ambition

There is ambition
in the hearts of humans,
a burning yearning to possess
this and that, a house, a car,
a job, a family
but the world is yet to see
any moral ambition, such
thoughts don’t even cross
the mind, not even in passing
to be a good human being.

The Lines

I pray to God so she gives me
those magic lines that can
stop all wars for good
lines that could eradicate
plastic poverty with the endless
flow of pure water, fresh food.

Then I think of the ego
of writing my lines? Why!
I cannot connect with her
if I beg for those praises,
I can connect with her
only when I am selfless.

Let me pray for a poet instead
from the coming generation
whose lines can break the barriers,
bridge all borders of the earth,
let their astute art make the brain
benevolent, heal the warring heart.

 

The Flute

The Flute

At twilight,
your tune returns
slipping through the dusk
like breath on glass.

I taste the juice
from your fruit,
sweet,
but never whole.

Still,
another day falls
without your shape beside me.

My eyes 
a river,
the Yamuna* flowing
as I remember
that you are,
but not mine.

I seek,
and still,
you vanish.

The melody reaches me 
but I crave the hands that play it.
I sip what remains,
but hunger for
what never arrives.

I hear the tune.
I want the flute.
I enjoy the juice —
but long for
the fruit.

Yamuna - The Yamuna River is deeply connected to Lord Krishna through numerous religious stories, primarily in the Vaishnavism tradition. According to scripture, the Yamuna river parted to allow baby Krishna to be carried across, and Krishna spent his youth playing and dancing on its banks in the region of Vrindavan. The river is revered as a divine goddess named Kalindi, who is considered the consort of Krishna and symbolizes their sacred bond. 

 

La Flûte

Au crépuscule,
ton air revient,
glissant dans le soir
comme un souffle sur le verre.

Je goûte le jus
de ton fruit,
sucré,
mais jamais entier.

Pourtant,
un autre jour s’éteint
sans ta forme à mes côtés.

Les yeux 
un fleuve,
la Yamuna* qui coule
tandis que je me souviens
que tu es,
mais non à moi.

Je cherche,
et toujours,
tu t’évanouis.

La mélodie m’atteint 
mais je désire les mains qui la jouent.
Je savoure ce qu’il reste,
mais j’ai faim de
ce qui ne vient jamais.

J’entends l’air.
Je veux la flûte.
Je goûte le jus —
mais je languis
du fruit.

Yamuna - La rivière Yamuna est profondément liée au Seigneur Krishna à travers de nombreuses histoires religieuses, principalement dans la tradition du Vaishnavisme. Selon les Écritures, la rivière Yamuna s'est séparée pour permettre au bébé Krishna d'être porté de l'autre côté, et Krishna a passé sa jeunesse à jouer et à danser sur ses rives dans la région de Vrindavan. La rivière est vénérée comme une déesse divine nommée Kalindi, qui est considérée comme l'épouse de Krishna et symbolise leur lien sacré.

Untried?

Unkindness is a gift
no one wants to receive,
yet many are eager to give.
Being unkind teaches nothing;
through unkindness, we harm,
we challenge a person.
Through kindness, you charm—
you change a person.

No society, no organization
has ever truly tried kindness.
Even places of worship,
kindness remains only in theory,
for they were never kind
to one another.

Yet, in the spiritual world,
examples abound—
Krishna and Sudama*,
Bhakta Prahlad*,
Satyakam Jabala*,
Yudhishthira*, who refused
to enter heaven without
his faithful companion,
a stray dog.

You have the parable
of the Good Samaritan*,
the merciful Joseph
forgiving his brothers*,
Tabitha’s charity*,
and Jesus with the woman
caught in adultery*.

…I know, I know—
the readers grow weary
of such theoretical talk.
What stirs in their minds
is that wide, untried distance
between theory and practice.
Yet if ever they dared
to harness it,
the world would become
a space of solace.

 

Sudama, a poor Brahmin, traveled to see his childhood friend, Lord Krishna, who was now the wealthy king of Dwarka. With nothing to offer but a handful of puffed rice given to him by his wife, Sudama was hesitant to seek help. However, Krishna greeted him with immense love, honoring their old friendship over their new differences in status. Krishna took the meager offering and relished it.

Young Prahlad was a devout worshipper of Lord Vishnu, but his father, the demon king Hiranyakashipu, hated Vishnu and demanded worship for himself. Despite repeated torture and threats, Prahlad never lost his faith or his kind nature, insisting that Vishnu resided everywhere, including in his father. When Hiranyakashipu threatened to kill his son, Prahlad responded with unwavering calm.

A young boy named Satyakam Jabala was eager to become a student of a respected sage. However, at the time, only those of the priestly Brahmin class could become spiritual students, and they had to state their father's lineage (gotra). When asked for his gotra, Satyakam truthfully told the sage that his mother, Jabala, did not know his lineage as she had been a servant who "wandered a lot" in her youth.

Yudhishthira's devotion to the dog was the final test of his righteous character. The dog was revealed to be Dharma, the personification of righteousness, who had come to test him. This act of unconditional kindness proved Yudhishthira's purity of heart and earned him entry into heaven. It serves as a reminder that compassion should be shown to all living beings, not just those who can offer a reward. 

The Parable of the Good Samaritan This story, told by Jesus, features a Samaritan—a person typically despised by the Jewish people—who stops to help a Jewish man who was robbed, beaten, and left for dead. The Samaritan's radical kindness and selfless compassion stand in stark contrast to the religious leaders who passed by, illustrating that mercy and love should be shown to all, regardless of background.

Joseph forgiving his brothers After Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery, he rose to become a powerful ruler in Egypt. When his brothers later came to Egypt seeking food during a famine, Joseph had the power to punish them. Instead, he forgave them, revealing himself and saving his entire family from starvation. His kindness, born from his faith, changed their lives and secured the future of his people.

Dorcas's charity Described in the book of Acts, Dorcas (also called Tabitha) was a woman "full of good works and acts of charity" who was known for making clothes for the poor and widows. Her death caused immense grief in her community. In response to their pleading, the Apostle Peter was moved to resurrect her, demonstrating that her genuine kindness had a powerful impact on those around her and brought the community together.

Jesus and the woman caught in adultery When a woman was brought before Jesus by religious leaders who intended to stone her, Jesus intervened with unusual kindness. By writing on the ground and challenging her accusers with the words, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her," he dismantled their self-righteousness. His action, and subsequent forgiveness toward the woman, saved her life and taught a profound lesson about grace.

[Source: Wikipedia]

 

The Paradox of Habit

What slowly eases
habits of being around—
they suffocate us
and intoxicate us
all at once,

like smoke that lingers
long after the fire is gone,
like voices we carry
though their speakers are silent.

We mistake them for comfort,
but they press close,
wrapping us in patterns
we forgot we chose.

And when they loosen—
a sudden hush,
a window opening
onto air we never knew
was ours to breathe.

 

what was, is

the mountain holds
its silence, just as it held
not as a threat
but as a question

you move upward,
each step leaving behind
the weight you once
believed was yours

air thins,
yet vision clears
stone becomes less
a barrier,
more a passage

what seemed immovable
is only the outline of fear
what remained remains
as the horizon
unfolding without beginning
furthered with steps

The Weight of Gold, the Grace of God

I chased the gold, the shining gleam,
Through broken days and half-lost dreams.
My hands were glued to fleeting things,
Blind to what true goodness brings.

I joined the guild of grasp and gain,
Where greed was guarded, granted grain
Each grade I climbed, each deal I made,
Left deeper wounds that never fade.

I’d grind the system from place to place,
Masking gripe with shallow grace.
The world said “go,” and so I ran,
A gnawed and ghastly ghost of man.

They called me gud in jest and scorn—
A fool, a fraud, by fortune torn.
Even gord and goard meant more than me,
For I had lost what makes souls free.

But in the quiet, I heard a sound,
A whisper rising from the ground.
Not loud, not proud—but good and kind,
It stirred the ashes of my mind.

"Return," it said, "no need to hide.
Let go of pride—let Me inside."
I fell, undone, no mask to wear,
And found my broken soul laid bare.

And then—oh God!—Your light poured in,
Not to condemn, but cleanse my sin.
You were the guide I never knew,
The truth beneath the lies I grew.

Redemption came, not dressed in gold,
But in a mercy quiet and bold.
Not earned by grade or guild or fame,
But by the power of Your name.

Now I walk, though scarred, made new,
With heart unglued from what’s untrue.
God, You are good. You broke my fall.
You are my gold—my all in all. 

The Sailing Time

The Sailing Time

I launched paper boats
in the rain,
their fragile sails trembling,
their voyages endless
in my mind.
Even when the water
pulled them under,
I dreamed them rising again—
undaunted, sailing to places
I could never name.

From the balcony, I clung
to the last outline of
my father,
his figure swallowed
by the street,
his absence a hollow
that footsteps in the
evening would mend.
The soft strike of shoes
on stone—
our secret signal to
scatter toys,
to open books,
to pretend wisdom
already lived in us.

But time is a thief
that trades play for
silence,
imagination for routine.
We give away so much—
our days, our people,
our tender illusions.
And the heaviest gift
surrendered
is innocence itself,
slipping from our hands
like paper boats
that do not rise again.

 

Le temps en voile

Je lançais des bateaux
dans la pluie battante,
leurs voiles fragiles
frémissaient de peur.

Même si l’eau sombre
les engloutît soudain,
je voulais qu’ils voguent,
hardis, renaissants.

Du balcon j’attendais
le dernier contour
de mon père absent,
avalé par la rue.

Ses pas du soir venaient,
douce percussion,
signe clandestin
pour fermer nos jeux,

ouvrir des cahiers,
feindre la sagesse
qui déjà, peut-être,
habitât nos fronts.

Mais le temps dérobe :
il troque le silence
contre nos éclats,
nos songes contre l’ombre.

Nous donnons nos jours,
nos êtres, nos rêves.
Le plus grand des dons
qu’il exige encore :

l’innocence pure,
qui fuit de nos mains
tel un frêle bateau
ne se redressant plus.

চেনা গল্প চেনা কথা

এক পথিক
হাঁটতে হাঁটতে ক্লান্ত হয়ে
গাছের নিচে বিশ্রাম নিচ্ছিল,
হঠাৎ এক লাল রঙের জন্তু
হামাগুড়ি দিয়ে তার কাছে
এসে বসে। চলে যায় সে বসে 
ক্ষণিক।
টকটকে লাল। সারাগাছে
শুধু ওই হামাগুড়ি দিয়ে ঘুরে
বেড়াচ্ছে। এই দেখে চলে যায়
সে উত্তরের দিক।

অন্য এক পথিক এসে বিশ্রাম
নিতে গিয়ে দেখে সোনালী
রঙের এক অদ্ভুত জন্তু দাপিয়ে
বেড়াচ্ছে একটি গাছে। দেখে চলে
যায় সেও এদিক ওদিক । 

অন্য দুইজন এসে তাকে দেখে 
কুচকুচে কালো আর ঘন
সবুজ, তারাও দেখেছে সঠিক।

দিনান্তে তারা ফিরে আসে গ্রামে,
কি রঙের জন্তু দেখেছে তারা
এই নিয়ে লাগে বিতর্ক, চলে
বাকবিতন্ডা। অবশেষে মুচকি হেসে
বলে এক বৃদ্ধ তাদের গিরগিটির কথা,
সে তো তাকে দেখেছে অহর্নিশ।
তাই সে সকলকে বলে যে তাদের
কলহ কতটা নিরর্থক, অমূলক,
অর্থহীন।

কখনো হাতি কেমন তাই নিয়ে ঝগড়া
কতগুলি অন্ধদের মধ্যে, কখন বচসা
নিরাকার, সাকার নিয়ে। অথচ একই জন্তু
একই বস্তু তারা, জ্বলজ্বল করছে আমাদের
চোখের সামনে, চোখ আমাদের হয় অন্ধ ,
নয়তো বন্ধ থাকে, চলে এই খেলা পথিকেরই
মত দিনরাত, রাতদিন । 

বাসনা

বাসন বসন বাসনা যত
আঁকড়ে থাকে নেশার মত,
চেষ্টা করে যদি বা ছাড়ে
থাকবো ভাবি কেমন করে ? 

অন্তরেতে ভর্তি পুঁজি
তবু আনন্দ বাইরে খুঁজি,
চাহিদাগুলো মারতে গেলে
নিজেই পড়ি নিজের জালে।  

আরো অনেক জিনিস মানুষ
জিততে হবে করি বাজি,
সব্বাইকে হারিয়ে বুঝি
মান থাকে না, থাকে না হুঁশ।   

নাটকের এই সার্কাস থেকে
বেরিয়ে যদি বসতে পারি
তাহলেই তো কেল্লাফতে
থাকবে না আর মারামারি।  

বাসনা আর ইচ্ছেগুলি
নষ্ট হবে দ্রষ্টা হলে
দেখা জানা শোনার ছলে   
যাবে পুরো জলাঞ্জলি।