Nasir Zaidi

We wake up in the morning expecting good things to happen but nothing happens till it is night and then when we lie down in the bed to sleep, we think to ourselves that what a pretty ordinary day it was, without realizing that nothing bad had happened throughout the day; so actually it was a good day.  We stay awake throughout the night fighting imaginary demons when in fact we should be entertaining the fairies standing outside our windows waiting to be invited in. The colours of life are plenty but we mainly choose black and grey. Somewhere down the memory lane memorable moments await us but we are so busy with our lives that we have no time for them; we lose the opportunity of bonding with them and instead we pursue situations that are non-existent while our dreams struggle to survive. The world is a lonely place; you are on your own. No one on their own will encourage you or hold your hand or make things easy for you. But if you ask then there’s hardly anyone who w...

Nothingness and the full stop that is unable to end a sentence. A bowl of dreams lies unattended on the dining table that is life, while life itself tries to unravel its mystery. The sparrows have fallen asleep; the moon is reluctant to show its face, the sky seeks a companion for the night. Why are we all going in circles to find the centre? An aroma of delight and smoky eyes sometimes confuses even the most devout.   Just because someone stabs us, we should not stab him back. If someone stoops low, why should we? The water that flows under the bridge may become still but that doesn’t mean we stop using the bridge. Mixed emotions and baked beans don’t go well together. Like and unlike or a catalyst that doesn’t facilitate, yet the experiment has to go on.  Be upset for a while, no problem with that, but don’t retaliate. Time and tide doesn’t wait for anyone, it’s true, but patience pays.   Behind the curtain is still someone. We can’t see bec...

Let’s seize the moment. Let’s pledge that we will not waste the day. Let’s do something for at least one person what we would want him/her to do for us. Let’s patch up with someone. Let’s call a forgotten friend. Let’s smile more often. Let’s pray for someone’s success. Let’s forgive and forget. Let’s not worry about imaginary problems. Let’s find a solution to an existing problem. Let’s cuddle a child. Let’s hug our spouse. Let’s write to our teacher. Let’s surprise someone. Let’s read something exciting. Let’s do something that we have never done before. Let’s splurge for a day. Let’s help a stranger. Let’s run errand for our old neighbour. Let’s donate. Let’s learn something new. Let’s listen. Let’s sing. Let’s paint our thoughts. Let’s volunteer for a social cause. Let’s visit a home for the aged. Let’s give the children a day-off from school and studies. Let’s invite someone home. Let’s get dressed for just the heck of it. Let’s...

        Chalo ek baar phir se ajnabi ban jaye hum dono The lovers meet under the moonlight beside the stream; the soft ripple of the water sounds like a piano being played, light trickles down from the starry sky onto the earth, fragrance of love spreads everywhere. Na mai tumse koi umeed rakhu dilnawazi ki He holds her in his arms and she sways to the rhythmic beats of her heart. The moon runs along the sky like a moving camera recording the lovers every action. Sometimes even the poet becomes speechless; some moments can only be experienced, not expressed. Na tum meri taraf dekho ghalat andaaz nazron se Eyes say a lot; sometimes more than words. They gaze at each other as if they are seeing a holy shrine; the atmosphere is smug with expectation, romance is in the air and the call of the nightingale adds music to the moment. Na mere dil ki dhadkan ladkhadaye meri baaton mein The language of love is spoken in blissful isolation; the ...

In the book Zorba-the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis, the narrator at one place says I felt once more how simple a thing is happiness: a glass of wine, a roast chestnut, a wretched little brazier, the sound of the sea. Nothing else. And all that is required to feel that here and now is happiness is a simple, frugal heart. So true it is! Happiness is found in small, small things but we search for it everywhere without having a clue what we are doing. We squander away precious moments in seeking that elusive joy. We forget that happiness is a state of mind. And to be happy we don’t need anything. If I had been the creator of the quoted sentence then I would have written it in the following way I felt once more how simple a thing is happiness: a book in hand, a glass of lemon juice, Kishore Kumar in the background, the sound of rain. That’s what you call bliss! And to experience it, you have to experience it. Life is short and so we want to do whatever we can in that duration. We...

We are all lost in the long corridor of time. The moon that looks down from the sky is pale and sickly. Nothing can be better than forgiving a wrong done to you. A revengeful heart breeds bacteria of ill-will that eats you from within until nothing is left but only a caricature of your former self. We can fool others but not our selves.   Sometimes it is just not your day. Instead of fretting and fuming one should simply relax. Impatience takes you nowhere. There are several ways to get the same thing done. If one approach doesn’t work, adopt another one. To bend doesn’t mean weakness; it means flexibility, it means understanding, it means adjustment, it means accommodative nature, it means you are an achiever. Rigidity makes you crumble from within, even though from outside you may appear firm.   If someone misbehaves with you, you shouldn’t forget your manners. If someone is angry with you, you shouldn’t get angry with him. There has to be some dis...

Memories of a fragrant past… The soft gentle rain creating music on the window pane, The shy demure girl walking in the puddle, her white shalwar raised up to her ankle revealing white tender skin, The wet kitten standing under a tin roof, The bhutta-wala fanning the fresh baby corns, The jokes that were as senseless as they could be, The magic of Kishore Kumar-Gulzar-RD Burman songs, The late-night conversations on the phone with girls who god knows are where, The magic of books, suspense, thrill, adventure, The reading of the sonnets of Shakespeare, The halwas and biryanis made by mom, The playful tiffs with siblings, Tickets bought in black for Bachchan movies, The Gavaskar innings, the epic 221, the classic 96 The promises made with friends, The teacher’s remarks, The romantic heart, The determination to capture the people’s imagination, The fragile dreams, The fantasies revolving around (from Madhubala to Mumtaz to Madhuri) The vada-pa...

Nipped in the bud, the soul’s endless journey encounters a barricade. The day resembles the shadow of an elephant and the night looks like an owl’s dead body.    Often the mind worries about trivial things while things that need our attention get neglected. The hare leaps and runs like a sprinter but yet becomes the victim of a hawk. Moribund desires spoil the health of the heart.   When I look at the ceiling I understand that there is more to blankness. What appears as an insurmountable obstacle is actually nothing but an indication that we have to take a deviation.   Sometimes we strike a chord with a complete stranger and sometimes we live with known people as strangers. Life isn’t as mysterious as we make it to be. Tennyson sang, ‘it is better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all.’ Some loss is more significant than some victory.   What is darkness for many may actually be illumina...

Purple desires float in the air like children’s balloons set free. The Maker makes our destiny but gives us the option to shape it the way we want. But we spend our time in complaining, instead of setting right the things that are not of our liking.   From outside, the duck looks calm and serene in the water, but inside, its feet are moving fast and furiously. So, when surrounded by chaos, remain unruffled. Be like the duck. We cannot change the other person, much that we want to. But we can change our self. We cannot make the other person see our point of view much that we would love him to. But we can see his point of view. We cannot make other people get in our shoes but we obviously can get in theirs.   Darkness is sometimes necessary in life. It makes us realize the importance of light. Night sings a lullaby for me. Time is flying and we find ourselves in the same spot. Let’s get on with our life before life gets away from us. It’s hard to believe t...

  Niceness and a broken pot of expectation; the eagle soars high in the sky like a poet’s thought.   The day is never boring. We are boring and therefore the day seems boring to us. Boiled sweet potatoes bring memories of the house in the village. The parakeet screeches as if to say set me free. Is the bird caged or are we?   The moth perched on the wall is oblivious to the fear it is generating in me. Nothing works when rationalization is on a holiday. We have plenty of choices, number of opportunities, everyday; but we prefer to look elsewhere. When the mountain caves in, the ambition explodes.   Life is a lipstick. Whenever you need colour, apply it. Whenever you want to change colour, change it. And when you don’t want any colours, don’t use it. Every moment of our life can be golden if we want it to be. We are the director, producer, story writer, and actor of the movie called our life.   The night ...

Dizziness of the starry kind. The fragments of life. Between everything and nothing there is something. A piece of moon. A portion of the sky. A dose of dream. A slice of passion. The days of our youth are the days of our glory sang Byron. Why only the youthful days are glorious days? We have the moments clasped in our fist but we are the prisoners of time.   We disconnect more often than we connect with people. To make a person cry is easier than making him smile; so we choose the easier way. The path to heaven is not difficult but because we have found the world heavenly, we care two hoots about it. Life is a dance but we miss our steps.   The spotlight can not be always on you. Let others also take a bow. If you are good, you are good; you don’t need confirmations every day. When the mind is under stress, think of nothing. Just be one with your self. Conflicts happen only if you succumb to provocations. There are many things that don’t require you...