भाई

 भाई आपकी बहुत याद आती है

वो लडना खेल खेल मे

मुझ पर कॉकरोच फेकना 

सब बच्चे जब करे अलग

मुझे अपनी टीम मे लेना

भाई आपकी बहुत याद आती है

मेरी किताबों पर कवर चढाना 

बडे शौक से उनपर नाम लिखना

अकेले मे मुझे बहुत चिढाना

सबके सामने मेरी ढाल बन जाना

भाई आपकी बहुत याद आती है

वक्त बढते बढते बदल गया

पर धागे हमारे रहे मजबूत 

उम्र बढी , संघर्ष बढे, रास्ते बदले

पर जोड रहा ये हमारा अटूट

भाई आपकी बहुत याद आती है

कोई गलती हो तो माफ करना भईया 

छोटी गुडिया हूँ मै आपकी

आप के सामने खडी चुपचाप

अब ढाल बनने को तैयार आपकी

भाई आपकी बहुत याद आती है

बेरहम वक्त

 बडा बेरहम चल रहा वक्त 

हाथ बाधं के ललचाए मन 

जब आया समय कछ करने का

तब उम्मीद पर चढा कफन

देख के अपने बचपन की परछाई 

उसको पकड़ने को निस्सहाय 

उसकी हठ जब हद पर आए

अमर्ष की सीमा पार हो जाए

माॅ के थकते चहरे को देख

पापा की हर कोशिश को करके महसूस

मजबूरी के भार से होती दफन

म्लानि बिन्दु पहुंचता मेरा तमस

 बेरहम चल रही थोडी जिंदगी 

थोडे बेरहम से हुए हम

कठं पर ना लगे बिदूं 

खुद से चल रहे नाराज़ हम

दुखती रग पर हाथ रख

खुदको दर्द बांटे हम

बंद दरवाजों से टकराते

तुफान से लड जाते हम

खुशी मे चलते साथ

दिखे अंगिनत कदम

ठोकर खा कर संभले

देखा तनाह थे हम

पाठ सिखा गई जिंदगी

बिना पुस्तक बिना कलम

सस्ती हो गई खुशियां 

बेकीमती हो गए अपने गम

 कण कण मे स्वर की हार

जीत के पहले आखरी सांस

मजिंल के आखरी पडाव पर

टूटती हौसले की आस 

वक्त की अंगुलियों के बीच से

फिसलती हुई उम्मीद की डोर

चांद ग्रहण का फैला अंधेरा

ना फूटती सूर्य की भोर

हारते मन की सिसक

नम आखों की मुस्कान 

खुशियों मे जश्न की चमक

गम मे जैसे सूना श्मशान 

Inner demons

 Helpless wrenching soul 

Blinded with tears 

Drawn into the black hole

Fighting the fears

Rage building within

Fuelled by insensitivity 

Getting numb by the pain

Ruefully drowning in self pity

Anger blocking my vision

Missing the truth as bright as day

Locked in my own mental prison

I allow my inner demons to play

My ma - My soul

 Word mother and prem both are two and half and complimentary to each other. There is no bigger love in the world than that of a mother. It’s a mother who takes care of her baby from inception and through each moment of her life. She guides her child through all weathers of life, regardless of the severity of the storm she faces. Building her entire being and her entire life around her child, many a times she forgets her own identity in the process.

I am now a 44 year old “baby” for my ma as I lovingly address her. Ma has been the strongest pillar of support in my entire life. Working maybe around 48 hours in a day she has ensured that I get to grasp and hold on to each opportunity coming along my way without a second thought.  She has been my guiding light and vote of confidence in any decision I have taken in my life. I remember the day when I took up General surgery, and the house was swamped with phone calls from all over. Ma patiently listened  to the words of advise from many , regarding the poor choice of career for a girl and at the end of each such call she reiterated in her very gentle yet firm voice – It’s her choice and we are standing by her for this and anything else she decides to do in life.  I have hundreds of such examples  where Ma has been my armour and a strong one at that. 

These angels sent by God as SHE couldn’t be at all places at once,  are the reason as to how the human race still exists and humanity still has hope to survive. These angels though need to be nourished and cherished too. But do we do so ? we honestly don’t. We take them for granted in our super busy lives, believing that they are superhuman. We watch them facing struggles, we watch them getting hurt, we watch them getting tired and we watch them dropping a tear too many. But we turn a blind eye to all for our own selfish lives. If I pen some words and ask Ma to remember “ she is a humans too, she has  dreams and wishes too, she needs to give a thought to self care too” she is not going to listen or pay heed to me.

So on this mother’s day – a day that deserves to be every single day – I implore “us” –all of us – let’s give our Ma a smile.  Let’s sit with her for some time every day, let’s listen to her stories, let’s go through her wrinkles and scars and heal them with a loving touch and some kind words. Let’s push them to take care of her own body and if she doesn’t – let’s do it for her. Let’s understand her tears and let’s give her smile a twinkle. Let’s be there for her just as she has always been there for us ! Wishing each mother out there a warm , happy mother’s day. A salute to all the angels called Ma

Close the care gap

 4th February is observed as world cancer day each year. It highlights the severe deficiency in the supply demand ratio, plus the the extreme discrepancy in the treatment depending on various issues at the global level.

The 3 year theme of WHO is "close the care gap"

Requires a lot of efforts by all strata our society : from the immediate caregivers of the patient , medical fraternity , government guidelines and financial help. However the main ingredient of this theme is " empathy".

At each level there is a urgent need of understanding the two words - sympathy and empathy. In specialized difficult cancer care , a sense of empathy is most underutilized and least understood concept. Close the care gap - means that each patient of cancer should get the best of each profession in a team effort and each member to empathize with the patient. 

Sympathy is a feeling of pity and doesn't equate to doing your best. However empathy is understanding as if we are ourselves In the same situation. This leads to a deeper understanding and a more holistic treatment of the patient.

In our busy lives, running around , getting worked up in our small worlds, and living a life of grandiose delusions we forget the tiny voice that calls out to us and says .... empathize. 

On this world cancer day, let's all of us, the caregivers,  doctors , nurses and each person working with or around a cancer patient , should pledge to awaken their dormant feelings of empathy and in turn give their best to the world In cancer care..