कोशिश करूँगा तुम्हे भुलाने की...

बोला था, कोशिश करूँगा तुम्हे भुलाने की...
समझ नहीं आता,
खुद को कैसे भुला दूँ...

गाना था तुम्हारा फेवरट वाला...

गाना था तुम्हारा फेवरट वाला,

हाथ रुक गया रिमोट पे...

कुछ कहा होगा तुमने लाइट से भी,

चली गयी गाने संग

याद तुम्हारी ज्यादा आने नहीं देती...

यादों को बक्से में बंद कर...

कुछ यादों को बक्से में बंद कर चाभी भुला दी है

सोचता हूँ एक ताला दिमाग पे भी लगा दूँ

बुरी आदत है इसे हर बात याद रखने की...

The sorrrry girl...

‘Hi can I speak to Ana,’ I said in a rush. ‘Sorry, I didn’t get you, can you say it again,’ said the lady on the other side of phone. ‘Ana,’ I said. ‘Can you spell it again, I am still not getting it properly,’ said the lady. ‘Ana...its Ana, can you please inform her we are waiting for her in a conference...its more than 30 minutes,’ I said with all my patience which I can afford at that time. ‘Ok...let me check...what did you say Ana, sorry there is no Ana here,’ said the lady. ‘it’s Ana Hernandez and I can see this number is her contact number as per my records, ‘ I said. ‘Ohh you are looking for Ana, just a second I will connect to Ana,’ said the lady. So it was my pronunciation which caused this confusion, I took a breath of relief that finally our conference will start. ‘Sorry, Ana is out for snacks, I will inform her once she will be back,’ said the lady.

‘Hey Ben sorry, I will have a coffee...let see when we will resume,’ I said. ‘That’s fine, I will also have something,’ Ben said.

After 20 minutes I got a call,’Hey its Ana here, I am waiting for you guys...Can you please make it fast’...Hey Ana, Just give me a minute I will inform my colleague.

Hello Ana...here Benjamin with us...hello you can call me Ben...Ok... so we will resume with conference now. 

Our conference finally started and we started our analysis. In the mean while I heard someone is humming music and definitely it’s Ana and after some minutes she started laughing. I was wondering what kind of girl she is. She even didn’t bother to put her phone on mute and after some times she started sharing jokes, her side was full of laughs. ‘Ana, are you there’? I said. ‘Yes, I am here...sorrrry for the disturbance...my colleague was here, now he has left, we can continue now,’ said Ana. I thought for a moment to tell her at least give some respect to Ben, he is a senior guy...giving his valuable time and you are cracking jokes and giving excuses with sorrrry, but somewhere someone inside me was telling me not to stop her by doing this. 

After around 1 hour...

‘Hey Ana, would you mind if I will go for lunch break,’ Ben said. It was just a formal request from Ben, even he didn’t need to ask Ana for break. But the reply came to surprise me from Ana, ‘No...how can you go for lunch, I am here...I didn't even have proper snacks just for this conference and now you are going for lunch.’ Oh my god, what Ana did just now, I was waiting for Ben’s reaction. ‘Ana what do you think,  am I a machine...are you really taking this conference seriously...we had been waiting for you more than an hour and now I can’t even go for lunch break ,’ Ben said finally. ‘Sorrrry Ben,’ Ana said. This sorrrry from Ana was giving me a reason for smile. I was wondering whether Spanish accent has this free rolling sound of ‘r’ or Ana is having some Italian or Russian roots. ‘Hey Ana, it’s lunch time for Ben, I will be here... hey Ben have proper break mate, don’t worry I will continue,’ I said. ‘Ok,’ Ana said. ‘Ana...I will get a coffee, just give me a minute,’ I said. ‘Ok,’ Ana said. It was funny to here only a word ‘Ok’ from Ana, she didn’t have other choice. 

I resumed with conference and in less than 10 minutes I came to know, Ana did some changes randomly which caused the system failure. Now surprise came up with anger and I took a pause, this girl comes to office just to have snacks and sharing jokes. And the usual reaction from Ana,’Sorrrry’. Her sorrrry was giving me giggles. ’Ok Ana, I will inform Ben and we will draft our analysis...we can end up this call now,’ I said. ‘Sorrrry,’ Ana said. 

Cheers...cheers...bye... 

I really did not want to end up that conference, I wanted to be there to pin point at her every mistakes just to hear that ‘sorrrry’ which is still giving me giggles. 

P.S. Around 1 year back.

The silent lover...

1 ticket please...how much...10 Rs...

“Brother why you are standing, you can sit here,” said conductor. I sat on the seat besides the conductor. “Brother see this, so called love,” conductor said while pointing out to a college going couple walking besides the bus, holding each other’s hand. “hmm, nice,” I said. “Nice...is it nice...first of all do you think its love?” conductor said with exclamatory marks on his face. I was surprised why he had issue with that couple.  “What’s wrong in that and who we are to complain whether it’s love or not?” I said. “Brother we are running on this route since last year, every day I see so many love stories like this,” conductor said. Conductor aged between 22 -25 and that was surely his first route after this job. I was smiling on his reaction. “Brother now you are smiling...you don’t believe me, I even remember faces of all my daily passengers...specially girls,” conductor said with smile.

“Yes brother, I know you remember faces of your daily passengers,” I smiled as well. “Yes, I am telling you, I have seen many girls...they change their boyfriends like anything and these dumb boys...what can I say...they will pay bus tickets, will give them seats...will call them for hours,” conductor said.” Hmm...so what is love then, you tell me,” I said. “Ohh brother, you are making fun out of me...you don’t look dumb like them...you know everything,” conductor said. “No, seriously I don’t know...I don’t travel like you...I sit in office for hours and relax in weekends,” I said.

“Ok...if you are insisting,"Conductor said. 
I was in college; I used to be stud in my friend circle. I used to bunk classes, lots of fun and all. There was a girl, Pooja...there was something special in Pooja. I don’t know what that special thing was, but I tried to be very decent in front of her. I was not so frequent in lectures but if she was there, I would be in lecture for sure. I was not in good company in college time; my so called friends spoiled my graduation days. We did so many bad things, now I regret for that. So many times even I wanted to attend lectures, but my friends...what can I say...I cannot blame others.

“Hmm...so did you ever say that you love her,” I said.

“No,” there was a pause for some seconds. People were standing in front of him for tickets, but he was somewhere in the past. 

“You never said her, that you love her...and now you are telling me that you are very smart...you know everything...what is love...you...you are stupid...now you are left only with this story,” I reacted like he is my college buddy. “Did she know that you love her,” I said...

She met me around 3 months back during my lunch break. I was smoking cigarette and I saw her walking down the road. I threw my cigarette and ran... 

“are tu yahan kya ker reha hai...in kapdon me,” Pooja said. 
“DTC me conductor hun...sarkari...wardi hai ye meri,” conductor said.
“aur kaisa hai...tera to kuch pata hi nahin...college aana to tune chor hi diya tha...tu to exam me bhi nahin dikha,” Pooja said.
“Achha...bada dekhti thi tu mujhe, ” conductor said.
“haan tune to kabhi kuch bola hi nahin...tu to apne yaaron me hi khush tha,” Pooja said.
Aur Jaipur me sab badiya,” conductor said.
Meanwhile driver had started bus and calling him. “Achha chalta hun yaar abhi, ustad g bulare hain,” conductor said. Are sun to...

“Why didn't  you say her,” I said.

“I came to know that she is getting married to an engineer, I thought she will be happy with him,” conductor said. “I always wanted to say her but...don’t know...it’s good... she is happy,” conductor said. 

“Brother you...you know everything,” I said.
“Oh brother, now you are making fun out of me,” conductor said.
“Ok brother...see you next time,” I said.

He was smiling and his smile was telling, may be he doesn't know everything, but he knows something which everyone doesn't know...

P.S. It was around 2 years back in Delhi. Conversation between lovers is in Hindi to keep it simple.

The reflections...

I took a bus from E-CITY to silk board. The usual silence was inside the bus which accompanied by novels, newspapers, phones, headphones and lots of thoughts inside young minds, even conductor was very silent as most of the commuters knew fair and stops.

Around after 2 km a married couple boarded into bus...They broke the silence inside bus with their smiles. The husband was wearing a T-shirt and properly ironed trouser with sports shoes. His hairs were properly combed with oil and he was supporting moustache. The wife was wearing Sari and in the name of makeup was supporting only a bindi. This couple was looking quite odd inside that bus full with all the young IT mass. They were odd in other sense as well, as they were the only smiling faces inside the bus. The intensity of their bonding gave me a reason to smile inside that bus.

After some minutes, at red light there was one spacious car in queue. It was a cute family of 3 inside that car. Both husband and wife were looking in opposite directions from their goggles and the child was sitting on the back seat. The only reason of why I called this a cute family, the child was trying to change music with remote. He was trying to break the silence inside the car by changing music. Suddenly he switched off the music and said something. I don’t know if he cracked joke or something but he was the sole reason of smiles inside that car. The intensity of the bonding of that cute family gave me another reason to smile... Even light was smiling now with green face... 

P.S. This was around 3 years back in Bangalore.

2 ही थीं वो लटें...

2 ही थीं वो लटें, जो गिरती थी तुम्हारे गाल पे

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