Is zaailim muqaddar ne,
Kiya bhare zakhm ko taaza
Ab bettha hoon gham mein,
Hai mere dost ka janaaza. . .

Duniya kahein mujhe paagal,
Thi bas ek chhoti si kaza
Par bahut khoya hai maine. . .
Hai mere dost ka janaaza. . .

Hai yeh ek aur pareeksha

Jaane kaunse karm ki saza

Bhale banoo sone sa khara par

Hai mere dost ka janaaza. . .

Sang rahe itne baras,

Tha duniya ki or mera darwaaza

Kaise na manaaon main shok,

Hai mere dost ka janaaza. . .

Rai ka pahaadd hi sahi

Par lut gaya zindagi ka maza

Waqt aane par khair sab milkar

Manaayenge apne is dost ka bhi janaaza. . .

Khwaabon ki taabeer dhoondoon,
Patjhadd mein phool dhoondoon. . .
Yun hi baaton baaton mein,
Khoj mein doob paddhoon. . .

Woh anmol yaadein,
Gul-e-gulzaar
Aur kahi unme simte,
Woh komal ruksaar

Ek hi seep mein base,
Ek se zyaada moti
Khushiyon ki koi sima nahi
Chu jaaye falak ki choti

Duniya dekhe woh nayan,
Main dhoondoon unme tasveer. . .
Lekin haathon mein na saumpe woh mujhe
Shaayad samjhe mujhe kaafir. . .

Rehnuma shaayad na sahi,
Par hai humaari barqat. . .
Na jaane kab se woh
Humaari ek hi ibaadat

People gathered in dozens
To see the new 'pair';
The Dwarf and the Princess;
And goodness did they stare!

And watch all puzzled and amazed,
The beautiful princess, the plain dwarf
Some called it true love
While others merely scoffed

The princess was sweet, down to earth,
The dwarf too was kind. . .
Not too different, but they were
Two souls, two minds. . .

Engaged and to be married,
A couple rare to find;
But a storm incognito
Was going on in the mind

Of the young, plain dwarf
Who worried and wondered
Why she loved him at all;
How to him she surrendered. . .

Did she love him at all
Or was she fulfilling an obligation;
For a favour once done. . .
Oh he lived in perturbation

In thirst, in agony,
Time was of the essence;
Nothing more important in his life
Than her dear presence

A choice to make
And he made it alright. . .
Introspecting his future
Bit murky, bit bright.  . .

The Songbird had delivered
Yet another song. . .
One can think and judge
Whether it was right or wrong.  . .

Head still bent,
Once bitten, twice shy. . .
To din out the pain;
Or let it just go by. . .

Living in a rut,
Touched by the redback
A long journey thence;
To joy, but alas, soon back

Wrapping it all,
In a ‘slice’ of paper. . .
But it degenerates before you
You watch it taper. . .

A few precious words,
May just do the trick;
Or prove adverse and instead,
Break brick by brick. . .

What took all your strength to build,
Your love, life and toil. . .
One wrong trigger
And watch it recoil

Hapless, hopeless, helpless;
Yet you take all the blame
And don’t take what might be
Truly, yours to claim. . . :)

Kisi ki ulfat mein tanha. . .
Kisi ki nazar mein rusva
Aksar aaye yeh khayaal
Ki karde koi agghva. . .

Aur feik aaye kahi hamein. . .
Ulfat aur rusvaai se door. . .
Nahi karna koi faisla
Log hamein dekhke ghoor. . .

Aankh kholne par kaanta chube. . .
Bandh karne par ashq bahein. . .
Ruh ke is tap ko,
Aakhir hum kaise sahein. . .

Nahi manzoor hamein yeh saza
Aisi kya hui humse gustaakhi
Ki kaddha kiya katthghare mein
Lage ab yeh hi rahaa baaki

Ki jis takkaluf mein hai hum,
Use gunaah ka naam diya jaaye. . .
Bina mozon ke koyle par chale,
Haath  mein kora kaagaz diya jaaye. . .

Ya toh ise uddhne de,
Chaahe kuchal de ise koi karvaan. . .
Ya phir ise mehfooz rakhein,
Aur likhe ek nayi daastaan. . .

Par yeh kaise moomkin,
Ki karein punah nikaah. . .
Kaise karein hum bewafaayi
Jab kisi aur par ho chuke fanaa

Kab suljhegi yeh paheli
Kab tak pehne yeh mukhota
Kaash humaari tasaavur ka woh moorat
Humaari haqeeqat hota. . .

Ek bada khubsoorat peiddh

Aankhein badi kiye dekha upar

Darr tha mann mein, phir bhi

Chaddhna chaaha uspar

Haath thandde paddh gaye,

Par koshish thi jaari. . .

Kaano mein goonji woh awaaz

Aur kadam paddh gaye bhaari. . .

Peiddh par do shaakhaayein,

Kisko aazmaayein?

Kaun si shaakha chaddhein

Kisein apnaayein?

Pehli shaakha par manpasand fal

Par daali thi kamzor. . .

Paana chaaha us fal ko

Par toot sakti thi dor. . .

Doosre par bhi tha ek fal,

Pehle sa nyaara toh nahi,

Par daal thi mazboot,

Shaayad na girta kahi. . .

Kabhi sochein ki ek gire

To nahi karna paddhta chunaav,

Par agar zindagi itni aasaan hoti,

No nahi lagta kabhi bhi ghaav. . .

Is dono ke beech beitthe,

Kar rahe hain intezaar,

Koi maseeha aasmaan se utre. . .

Aur zindagi ka banaaye bahaar

The smile on the face,
The joy that dwells
Deep in her heart,
Those jingling bells

The lovable face,
The perfume that smells
Oh so beautiful,
Those jingling bells

The rain that trickled,
Filled up the wells
The drops fell and rang
Those jingling bells

The upside down rainbow,
The feeling it spells
As she often hears
Those jingling bells

With love and pride,
Her chest swells
Her life, her breath,
Those jingling bells

Mutthi dheere khulne laga,
Dikhi haath ki lakeer
Teri zindagi itni kathor nahi
Keh kar bana fakeer

Tham raha tha toofan,
Ya tham raha uska darr?
Suraj dekhkar muskuraayi
Nikal aaye the uske parr

Paanchi chaahe ek hi ho,
Lekin par do lagte hai
Chaand ko yun dekh,
Raaton chakor jagte hain

Andhere mein chhoot jaaye saaya,
Par aatma hamesha sang rahe
Jo tere hai, woh tera hi hai,
Use koi na bhang kare

Jawaan se hain,
Oonde hain janaab
Aur unka hain
Na koi jawaab

Shaano shaukat se,
Daale mooh mein beedi
Aur kad mein the yoon lambe,
Ki zaroorat hai na koi seeddhi

Aam janta ke hain do aankhein,
Huzur ko naseeb hue hain chaar
Sunaai deta lekin thoda kam,
Aur dohraani paddhti baatein baar baar

Adaayein hain lajawaab
Khubsoorati chashme baddoor. . .
Par chitr khinchwaana na jaante
Aur kabhi kabhi lagte langoor!

Kabhi dete duniya bhar ka gyaan,
Kabhi karte bacchon si baatein
Din mein sote rehte,
Kaam karte jaagkar raatein!

Hain laakhon mein ek,
Aur ab aap se kya kahein,
Ummeed karte, ek prarthana
Hamesha khush rahein. . .

She wiped her eyes
Smoothly sat before it
And broke into a smile,
And there's more, just wait a bit. . .

Carved just for her,
'Twice removed from reality'
She gazed dearly for hours
But alas, it was a pity. . .

It wasn't hers to keep;
But who knew she had it?
Perhaps they might find out
But let's just wait a bit. . .

She was not really a thief;
Then one might call it serendipity
That she came across it. .  .
So now was it then truly a pity?

That as she watched it so dearly,
The arrow struck, she was hit
How it felt, she alone knew,
Maybe she'll tell, just wait a bit. . .

Yet another chance,
To find one's wings
To touch the sky;
To feel what it brings. . .

The soft soft clouds,
The rain is another
And sometimes there's thunder
So stand by each other

Hold thy loved one,
Fly on thy wings
As thou hold each other,
And then it rings

That this is the moment,
The essence of life
Almost always a choice,
Knife, rife or wife!

Eye to eye and cheek to cheek,
Love and hatred, both hold passion
Step down a bit and then protect
Thy dear flame of compassion