Nasir Zaidi

Suhaana safar aur ye mausam haseen… And life gets over! Sing the song of life before it happens. The cooing of the dove sparks a feeling in me. All dormant desires start to shake a leg. The unusual thing about life is that we don’t consider it usual. We are sometimes driven by a negative force. Without getting into the physics of life, let’s just stay on course. Hamein darr hai hum kho na jayein kahin… Lose yourself in the joys of life and not in the forest of sorrow. The forest of sorrow is thick and unyielding. Instead of straying from wood to wood, let the passion flow. And in that flow, let yourself flow. The birds will show you the way. The breeze will hold your hand. The clouds will give you a ride. Ye kaun hasta hai phoolon mein chupkar… Search for yourself in the smiling buds and the nodding flowers. God is not hidden. We are hiding from our own selves. We neglect the imperfections in us and hope for perfection but only the very brave can swim ag...

By Javed Akhtar By Nasir Zaidi Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga Jaise Khilta Gulaab Jaisae Bijli Ka Noor Jaise Shaayar Ka Khwaab Jaisae Jannat Ki Hur Jaise Ujli Kiran Jaisae Apno Ka Saath Jaise Van Mein Hiran Jaisae Dulhan Ka Haath Jaise Chaandni Raat Jaisae Neel Gagan Jaise Narmi Ki Baat Jaisae Meera Magan Jaise Mandir Mein Ho Ek Jalta Diya Jaisae jheel mein ho ek khilta kanwal Ho Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga Ho Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Tou Aisa Laga Ek Ladki ko dekha tou aisa laga Jaise Subahon Ka Roop Jaisae Shaam Suhani Jaise Sardi Ki Dhoop Jaisae Pariyon ki Rani Jaise Veena Ki Taan Ja...

Yesterday after my morning prayer, I went for my 30- minute walk. My wife did not accompany me because she preferred the warmth of the bed to the cold outside. Usually, she does. I did not take the path that I normally take every day. The road was deserted and not a soul was in sight. I walked briskly, determined to do a certain number of steps within the time that I had. It was dark and the wintry breeze was making me shiver. I thought of the cosiness of my bed and for a moment was tempted to abandon the walk and go back home. But commitment is commitment. So, I kept walking. When I reached the end of the walking trail, I turned left instead of right. I don’t know why I did it. I should have turned right because that’s where the walker’s path continues. On the left is an alley between two high-rise buildings. Before I could turn back, I spotted a lady smoking a cigarette. She was wearing a long, red gown and her lips were painted with blood-red lipstick. Her tired eyes had da...

All of us get angry sometime or the other. There’s no denying this fact. It’s human nature. Getting angry is not a problem. Not controlling the anger is the issue. When you are angry you are not in your senses. Doing anything then can be disastrous. Relationships crumble, friendships end; anger disrupts and damages. Only some can manage anger effectively. Rather, everyone should be doing it. When we lose our temper, we indicate our immaturity to deal with a situation. Not always things will work the way we want them to. Not everyone will behave the way we want them to. If we get upset with others, others also get upset by us. We should know this.   We should not think that we are right while others are wrong. It maybe that we are right but the other person may also be. We should stop seeing things only from our points of view. Others also have their points of view. If we understand this simple logic, we’ll be able to control our anger.  Yet, despite our best e...

Making imaginary teams has been my favourite pastime. Right from my childhood days I have been doing this. I first made an All Time India Test XI in the mid-80’s when I had just joined college.  Here’s that team:  Sunil Gavaskar Vijay Merchant Vijay Hazare G R Vishwanath MAK Pataudi - captain Vinoo Mankad Kapil Dev Syed Kirmani - wicket keeper E A S Prasanna Mohammad Nissar Subhash Gupte 12 th man Eknath Solkar During my current vacation, I flipped through my old diaries and found 2 more All Time India XIs. I found that only 4 names were common in all the three All Time India XIs. They were Gavaskar, Mankad, Kapil and Gupte.  I decided to make another All Time India XI because lot of great players have emerged in the last decade. I also wanted to see if Gavaskar, Mankad, Kapil and Gupte would still make it in the final team. I wasn’t surprised that they made it. Class is permanent.  Here’s the latest All ...

Most of us just exist; only a miniscule amongst us truly live. Days, months and years pass by, seasons change, childhood gives way to youth, youth to old age, time ticks away, everything goes… We are not sure about the next moment and yet we squabble about the now moment. Unless we experience now , we can’t experience next .  In the now-ness is the knowing-ness.  The sky is a chimera and yet we are so enthralled by its vastness and enraptured by its blueness. A sweet tongue goes a long way in fortifying the relationship but too much sweetness may cause sickness.  Some days are like a bed of roses while some are like a sharp dagger piercing through your heart. If an unknown person crosses your path, you may not feel bad but if a known person after laughing and sharing a joke with you fires a salvo, then it does make you wonder. When I blend with the now , I forget everything. The next seems as promising as the now .    - ...