Where Dawn Meets Dusk

I have a habit of clicking at random. The interplay of light and shadow fascinates me though I am not much of a photographer. And when it comes to technical knowhow my rating will be sub-zero. Still, I cannot stop my fingers from pressing the camer button on my mobile or zoom in on an object unaware with my Canon.

Here are some examples of my mistaken clicks.

On a summer dawn, waking up from bed in sweaty night shirt, I decided to capture the arrival of the Sun God in all its splendor and glory, breaking through the sheets of wooly clouds. It was, I presume, too dark for a good click. And a professional might have adjusted the aperture to the right degree/ alignment/whatever. But not I. So, here goes my photography faux pas:

The first rays of the sun brings in a missive of hope

This I clicked from my Chartered Bus window. A dusky sky and a winding road going nowhere

“इस मोड़ से जाते हैं                     

 कुछ सुस्त कदम रस्ते                

 कुछ तेज़ कदम राहें”     

 Though not exactly that…we were heading homewards and I did know the bends and turns the stretch might indulge in….yet those words by my fav lyricist sound so apt..don’t they?

Whether we want or not life’s always tagging us along

“इन ऊंग से लम्बी सड़कों को     

मंजिल पे पहुँचते देखा नहीं        

बस दौढती फिरती रहतीं हैं         

हमने तो ठहरते देखा नहीं          

इस अजनबी से शहर में             

जाना पहचाना ढूँढता है                         

 एक अकेला इस शहर में”             

LIFE – is like that! Moving towards “Destination Unknown”

Do we really reach anywhere? Running a race against time?

Life is a long stretch of road; if you stop for a while, all goes kaput

And here…all roads come to a standstill.

 All search ends.

“कोई मोड़ नहीं                                      

गलियां चलते चलते                                     

रुक गयी है अनायास ही                        

एक गुमशुदा दीवार से टकरा कर           

और थम गया है                                   

चहल पहल दौड़ते क़दमों की                

बस एक ख़ामोशी है                             

जो सुनती भी नहीं, कहती भी नहीं      

सिर्फ एक सन्नाटा है जो सुनता है       

कह भी रहा है कुछ                               

बस हम ही ,बेसब्र, बेहरे कानों से               

कर्कश आवाजों की गूंज ढूंढते हैं”     

The bends have dissolved

The alleys that used to whisk past

Have, bumping into an invisible dead end,

Stopped suddenly on their own

With that have come to rest

The hustle bustle of running feet

Just a silence prevails deep

Which doesn’t let me speak, listen to me either

A wordless, speechless desolation accompanies

Which speaks a lot and listens to my unspoken words too

It’s me, the impatient that I am,

Who is still looking for the rowdy echoes

Of persistent noise within

With ears that have gone deaf a long, long time ago

  

A flawed translation…

 Well! Ahem!!That’s two bits from my pen…no Gulzaar, no Saahir! Excuse me.

 Yeah! Those who feel its Kitchhhh, look away, click on arrow and move on please.

 And the kind ones, who don’t want to hurt my feelings,  can give a comment or two,  vote for this one or press the like button, if you may, please.

No sweat, if you don’t.

I understand.  

These roads are longer than Life itself, My Friend