जो तुम कहो तो

चलते चलते
जो तुम कहो तो
एक बात कहूँ  मैँ ।।
तुम्हारी यादोँ के साथ 
फ़लक का चाँद मुस्कुराता है
हिज्र की उदासी
सुर्ख़ फूलोँ से सजती है
मुड़ मुड़कर  तन्हाइयाँ पुकारती है
क्या कभी
किसी शाम मैँ भी याद आता हूँ
मुकम्मल उतनी ही बेक़रार शिद्दत के साथ
हो सके तो कभी यूँ ही बेमतलब ही सही
याद कर लेना
कि ऐसा शिक्स्ता दिल चाहता है
दिल का क्या है
दिल तो बहुत कुछ चाहता है....

THOSE WERE THE BEST DAYS OF MY LIFE…!!

Inadvertently, one of the humdingers for all of us that plummets you into a yesteryear’s trance like period, that just flew by and for sure it was the best period of your life.

Call it a human psyche or draw a relative reference to anything you are attached with; “We are dwellers of the past and adventurers of the unseen future”, forgetting to live in the present. The tendency to cherish the golden past is so strong in subconscious that it never allows the current time to set in to rejoice the moment we have in our hand.

The phase you are currently turns out to be a Bête Noire for most of us. Somehow, we go back recalling the amazing time we had in the previous org/role with a rocking team we used to work with. However, in stark contradiction, when you actuate the time, that you spent in that métier, you never enjoyed it, not with the intensity you are bragging about it, now. Try to reminiscence loads of challenges that you were struggling with or were grappling in dark about possible solutions to an irritating/irate dotted line manager/pending solution to key client/horrible company policy at el. Life was never a bed of roses there, neither it’s here and it’s never going to be, at least in corporates. Ironically, just like today; during parties in the past office, you used to tell tales about fantabulous time you had in ANOTHER office, previous to that; Howzat….!!

Likewise, we literally invest a fortune (time and money both), carefully drafting and planning the funds, ventures, education, kids....and what not. All this melodrama, to regale yourself as Successful or to add a Sense of Security for future; for a time, which is unpredictable to the core...

This observation can be extended to include all spheres of life (not only professional) whether it’s your current affair with the past, your social circle then and now, friends, relatives, location and on and on.

Somehow, we are failing to live and enjoy the moment we have in our hand, making the best use of it and living it to the fullest. We are talking about lesson learnt from the past, attributes needed to take you to a certain height, making you worried about changing trends and what future holds for you. The entire paraphernalia is abominable and surely is negating the value of TODAY

How difficult it is that to imagine that today is the only day you have and you want to be happy, more than you need to successful. You need to simplify life, it is never complicated, solutions to everything lie around us, and it’s about finding them with simplest approach and if not then there are alternatives available.. Keep the memories (of the struggling period you are passing from now) safe so that it makes you smile sometimes later and keep future in mind to have a direction… but don’t dwell in it

This day, TODAY is THE BEST DAY you can ever have and nothing can replace that, no matter what…!!

Mushrooming IITs – Necessity or Just Politics?

It's raining IITs and the latest one on the anvil is this 18th one opened in Palakkad, Kerala, few days back…

Addition of an institution has always been considered as an indicator of growth and government orientations towards the education. However after delivering 18th child, no one exudes vibrant joy that they might have experienced in their 1st or 2nd kid.

Indian Institute of Technology, the name itself reverberate an image of those superlative intelligence, cut above the class, beyond normal league genius crammers/geeks and to put it simply, the creamiest of the layer of the PUC fraternity, who make parents, relatives and eventually whole city proud; by simply cracking the IIT entrance.

When the gates of first IIT (Kharagpur) were opened in 1950, the key players JC, Biman and Humayun showed enough jurisprudence by getting IIT Act to eliminate Govt. Intervention. Subsequently in autonomous mode, 4 more IITs opened the shutters. From time immemorial, these five IITs have been pillars denoting a symbol of dedication, hardship and patience clubbed with perseverance and was beckoned as hallmark of engineering.

However, this doesn’t seem to be the case any longer as the quality of education that they imparted until now is at threshold of getting diluted with this sudden drizzling of IITs all across the country. All thanks to this political clout that infiltrated the IIT Act and are calling the cards now
Just one question…Do we really need these many IITs?? I mean what kind of talent we are trying to churn out from setting up a new IIT everywhere. Apparently, it's legacy will be over soon as every nook and corner will have one branch running and every second guy will be an ex IITan.

Ever imagined the cost that goes into building a new IIT? It’s a modest 1750 Cr plus the operational expenditure, all coming out from none other than the state exchequer, our own pocket. But the thought that concerns me more is the source of talent to teach and maintain teaching standard. I bet it will never be the same again as even in exiting IITs, a whopping 38% faculty posts are still vacant
Don’t you think it will be wise if they plan to adopt existing and ailing govt. colleges and try to upgrade them instead of adulterating the existing system? Why do we need politics and this burgeoning and subsequent downfall? Are these outgrowths need based or just some political commitment to enrich their respective city/states? Is IIM also heading for the same fate? Who is next?

The questions are unanswered and the fate of these new proliferations undecided…!!

PS – If you liked this article in anyways, take a look on my previous endeavors too, if you have time J
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/misnomer-called-pmo-do-we-really-know-sharib-akhtar?trk=pulse_spock-articles
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/linkedin-deliberation-reloaded-sharib-akhtar?trk=pulse_spock-articles
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/those-were-best-days-my-life-sharib-akhtar?trk=pulse_spock-articles

कुछ अधूरा से लगे है

क्यूँ  शाम तुम्हारा इंतज़ार रहा करता है
तकते हैं घडी की तरफ कुछ बेकरार रहा करता है
रोज़ छिड़ती हैं बातें हर तरह की दुनिया जहाँ की
तुम्हारे संग बीता हर लम्हा शानदार रहा करता है

सोचा न था एक अजनबी से ऐसी उन्सियत होगी
सोचा न था की फिर से ऐसी चाहत होगी
तड़पते हैं तुमको दिन भर की हर बात बताने को
तुम्हारी राह का दिल तलबगार रहा करता है

कभी यूँ भी होता है की राहें सूनी सूनी से रह जाती है
कभी यूँ भी होता है की चाँद रात को चमकता नहीं
तुम जो होते हो मसरूफ दुनियावी भाग दौड़ में
रात कटती नहीं और ख्वाब नागवार रहा करता है

प्यार.. एक बार फिर....!!

तू इन डूबी हुई आँखों को ख्वाब दिखाया न कर
जिनको सुला चुका कबका वो अरमान जगाया न कर

तुझको चाहना मेरी फितरत में है शुमार जाना
तू इस क़दर हर बार मुझे आजमाया न कर

जोश में जो करू इज़हार तो मुस्करा दे बस थोडा सा
आँखें झुका के ज़मीन पे टेडी लकीरें बनाया न कर

रात भर उजली चांदनी के मानिंद बादलों में फिर करता हूँ
पलकों पे सजे ख्वाबों को झिंझोड़ के उठाया न कर....

कितनी बेहतर थी....

तुमने दूर जाकर ये कैसा सितम ढाया मुझपर
तुम्हारी खिच खिच की तासीर,  कितनी बेहतर थी
मैं परेशान तुम हैरान, रिश्ता फिर भी जिंदा था
साथ रहकर ज़िन्दगी की तदबीर, कितनी बेहतर थी

सोचा न था फिसल जाओगे, रेत की तरहा मेरे हाथों से
सोचा न था, यूँ दूर निकल जाओगे, दूसरी राहों से
जो बुनते थे ख्वाबों के आशियाने कितने कीमती थे
जो बनाते थे हवाओं में तस्वीर, कितनी बेहतर थी

अब यह खुली हवाएं रास नहीं आती मुझको
अब यह रंग बिरंगी फ़िजाएँ रास नहीं आती मुझको
रात भर गूंजते ये सन्नाटे कितने बदतर हैं 
तेरे बंधन, तेरी गिरफ्त, वो ज़ंजीर, कितनी बेहतर थी

क्यूँ कर है ऐसी जुस्तजू

क्यूँ कर है ऐसी जुस्तजू
जिस पर खुद मैं भी हैरान हूँ
कहते हैं की कहते क्यूँ नहीं
सोचता हूँ की कहूं तो कैसे कहूं

वो दूर दूर से ताकना कब तलक
वो झूटे भरम का रखना कब तलक
तोड़ के ये डोर, उड़ती पतंग सा फिरूं
या वही ख़ामोशी, ओड़ कर चुप ही रहूँ

जो कर दी बयां, वो चाहत कैसी
जो हो गयी अयाँ, वो इबादत कैसी
छुपा कर भी रखूँ तो क्यूँ रखूँ
चिल्ला कर भी कह दूं तो क्यूँ कहूं