I like you,
The chiseled prince…
The way you wait at the highways,
Stare at my booty
My bags full of marooned jeans..
And the castrated jewels
Of highway queens…

I speak to the millions…
In a minion of idioms,
In the marriage drums,
And carriage crumbs,
And the nudist bums,
I speak to the dungeons,
In a valley of titans,
Of aerial gallows,
And ducking shallows….
I speak to you…Death and the “you”.

I love you
Strums the guitar on your neck
With moments of a mosquito
Oozing out its speck,
And I turn jealous….
Riding knight on your fingertips,
I kiss.

I love you
Winds the hair on your lips
Are you the drumsticks on her hips?
Or the timid closet clips?
Blowing on her face blush,
Bloom with the bears and hush
Sshhh…

I love you
The moons are an excuse,
to search for your lips…
In the darkness of your muse
Of moles and pearls, of wisdom and curls
Look away…fair one!!!
I kiss.

The rose-water puddles,

The danseuse in muscles,

The cobwebs of trees,of flowers and bees

And i wait..

For the spider to begin,

The story of the rosewater-jin

The monotonous wait

I begin

The rosewater-puddles

In your kohls and the cobwebs

And i wait..

RAMA AND THE RAJA-1

It is said that people are made of places. If that is so, then it can be said that people do carry excerpts of their places in them. At least I think it happens in that way. Ram and the concept of raja is something that is intrinsic to my psyche…not because I was called raja by a group of ever-enthusiastic relatives who were still refusing to come out of their colonial hangover…not because my dad thought it was a glorious idea to have included a prince in front of my name (it was later removed through an affidavit…oh.. Come on prince??Are u nuts or something??).. But because a call for birthright meant I was dropped by the stark at a place called Ramrajatala. “RAMRAJATALA”…. sounds good and full…that’s what u guys think??
You are in for a surprise. The place has a connection with the legendary ram. Its probably true. When did he set his foot in this land that it was named as such??!!
There might be another explanation as far the nomenclature is concerned. Drive straight through the Ramcharan Sett Road and you will be greeted by a filthy, overcrowded bus-stand These buses are actually been considered by the Guinness World Record Committee for the slowest moving vehicles in the world!!!
Moving on, there you will greeted by a three-storey statue of ram along with his wife sita his brother Lakshmana, Bali sugreve and all the other fellow men who made it possible for ram to carry the huge burden of the Ramayana on his lonely shoulders. On his left is a life-size statue of lord hanuman…and it is said that monkeys actually throng the place just because they want to pay homage to the guy who made them so famous. Ram looks toweringly over the bazaar, which sells everything from the stale groceries to the latest clothes in the flea market to the latest toys that the children are dying for.
(To be continued….)

My shy....self shy,isnt shy after all..

its a world out there,a bit small..

muse to my ears..do not call the shy,

calls the boat brown,all i do is frown,

on the flag,so as to lag,...

the mole cuts away the wind...from the ears,

and the blue walls wait,for the shy to come in...

or go out..

My shy...self shy,isnt shy after all..

thats what the world prays for..

i wait..for shy to become the lore..

my shy becomes mine all the more.

Book"warm" 2007

Every publication worth its name publishes its own list of the books famous people have read in that year.The list includes statesmen,politicians,businessmen,directors,actors,journalists and the ever elusive writers...whos names arent mentioned unless they get a five or six figure advance someday.Anyway coming to the point, I did prepare a list of my personal favourites this year.I am not exactly a bookworm.But i would rather call myself a bookwarm.Books warm me.Away from the cold and hostile world outside.The masala book i read this year has to be'Oil' by Jonathan Cape.It was a wonderful accout of the oil barons of the world and their predictably oily ways.The book which eluded me was 'Great Expectations'.....a classic but i could not get myself to go through it.Somehow i felt i was tiring myself.People tell me its a wonderful book.Probably like all classics i will come to know their worth as i age.The most beautiful love story this year has to be 'An Equal Music' by Vikram Seth.Once you finish the book you feel lonely.Lovelorn.And it epitomises the biggest quality of a love story.It makes one realise there is a loveless world outside.Waiting to pounce on people who love each other.The best books i have read this year is a tie.And surprisingly(or maybe not)both of the contenders are ladies in their mid-30s.The "search for life" book is 'God of Small Things' by Arundhuti Roy.It hurt me.Enraged me.And loved me.And the subtle turbulent and the most touching book was 'Interpreter of Maladies' by Jhumpa Lahiri.Its not a tad on the latter book.'The Namesake'.........it touched me personally.The 'Five Point Someone' of the year would be 'Inscrutable Americans'......A fitting end to the years reading was provided by 'An Ordinary Persons Guide To The Empire'...by Arundhuti Roy.Though i had read 'road to harsud' and 'istant mix democracy' earlier arundhuti's roys are always 'rock-music'to my ears.Acid quotes,seemingly obnoxious comments,and a powerful anti-imperialist voice.The only regret this year.....if only i could have read more books.If only.......