मैं निर्भया

मैं  निर्भया

मैं उस माँ का अंश हूँ जिसके चरणों  में  यह  समाज माथा टेक्ता  है  ,
  लेकिन मुझसे यह उम्मीद  की  जाती हैं की में समाज कें चरणों की दासी बनू  !

मैं  उस माँ का अंश हूँ जिसने काली रूप धारण कर असुरों का संघार किया था,
    लेकिन मेरी ज्वाला के तेज को कोख में ही बुझा  क्यों  दिया जाता है ?

मैं उस माँ का अंश हूँ जिनको घर में लक्ष्मी के रूप में पूजा जाता है,
     लेकिन मेरे भाई मेरा ही सौदा क्यूँ कर बैठते हैं ?

मैं उस माँ का अंश हु जिसके तेज के सामने अग्नी भी हिम बन जाती है ,
     लेकिन मुझे  कुछ पैसों के लिए जलने की सजा क्यूँ दे दी जाती है ?

मैं  उस माँ का अंश हूँ जिसके सम्मान में यह समाज नवरात्री का उपवास करता है ,
   लेकिन मुझे दो वक़्त की रोटी के लिए अपने ही घर में भीख माँगना क्यूँ  पढ़ता  है ?

मैं उस माँ का अंश हूँ जो अपने बच्चे को दुनिया में लाने के लिए असहनीय  पीढ़ा  सहती है,
     लेकिन मेरे भाई मेरे शरीर के हर अंश को शान से रोंदते रहते हैं !


क्यूँ उस माँ का अंश होने पर भी मुझसे  सौतेला व्यवहार होता है ?

शायद इसलिए की मैं ,
          उस माँ का अंश भी हूँ जिसने अपने बेटे की  उन्नति के लिए मेरे हक़ को राख कर दिया !

शायद इसलिए की मैं ,
          उस माँ का अंश भी हूँ जिसने अपने बेटे की आज़ादी के लिए मेरे पैरों में जंजीरें डाल  दी !

शायद इसलिए की मैं  ,
          उस माँ का अंश भी हूँ ज्सिने अपने बेटे के शौक पुरे करने के लिए मुझे सरे आम बेच दिया !

शायद इसलिए की मैं  ,
          उस माँ का अंश भी हूँ जिसने अपने बेटे को धन और मुझे बोझ समझा !

शायद इसलिए की मैं ,
          उस माँ का अंश भी हूँ जिसने अपनी  बहू  को सहेली न बना अपनी दासी बना नरक पे ढकेल  दिया !

शायद इसलिए मेरे ही भाई मेरे को इंसान नहीं एक वस्तू समझते हैं!
शायद इसलिए मेरे ही भाई मेरे शारीर को अपनी संपत्ति समझ बेठें हैं !
शायद इसलिए मेरे ही भाई मेरा सौदा करने में गर्वित महसूस करते हैं !

लेकिन अब  मैं  बदनसीब अंश न बनूँगी , मेरी प्रतिभा का सम्मान इस समाज को करना ही होगा ;
क्यूंकि अब  मैं  चुप न बैठूंगी   आखिर  निर्भया हूँ मैं  !

लेकिन अब में अपने भाइयों के लिए एक त्याग की वस्तु न बनूँगी, मेरी  शक्ति से उन्हें, अब  में सही और गलत की पहचान कराउंगी ;
क्यूंकि अब  मैं  चुप न बैठूंगी   आखिर  निर्भया हूँ मैं  !

लेकिन अब  मैं  घर की लक्ष्मी बन चार दिवारी में कैद  न रहूंगी , काली रूप धारण कर इस समाज के असुरों का वध करुँगी ;
क्यूंकि अब  मैं  चुप न बैठूंगी   आखिर  निर्भया हूँ मैं  !

क्यूंकि अब  मैं  चुप न बैठूंगी   आखिर  निर्भया हूँ मैं  !
क्यूंकि अब  मैं  चुप न बैठूंगी   आखिर  निर्भया हूँ मैं  !

दुनिया का दस्तूर,

जिन आँखों में सपनो कें अंगारों की चमक होती थी,
उनमें आज कोहरें का धुंधलापन क्यों हैं ?

जो बाजूं कईयों का सहारा हुआ करते थे,
वोह आज खुद सहारा क्यों तलाशते हैं ?

जिस आवाज़ के दाहाढ़ से चट्टानें भी काप उठती थीं,
आज उसी आवाज़ की पुकार पे कोई क्यों नहीं आता...

जो आसूं पहले आँखों के कैदी हुआ करते थे,
वोह आज कैद से भागें क्यों हैं?

जिन हाथों ने हमें चिल्लर का खज़ाना दिया था,
वही हाथ आज बेबस क्यों हैं ?

शायद यही हैं दुनिया का दस्तूर,
शायद इसी का नाम हैं जीवन चक्र
जो जैसे शुरू हुआ वोह वैसे ही मिट जाता हैं !

अगर इसे ही कहते हैं दुनिया का दस्तूर,
तों क्यूँ हम अपने आँखों में सपनो के अंगारों को बुझा देते हैं ?
तों क्यों हम अपने बाजूओं को कमज़ोर समझते हैं?

अगर इसे ही कहते हैं दुनिया का दस्तूर ,
तो क्यों हम अपने ही आवाज के गूंज से डरते हैं ?
तो क्यों हम अपने आसुओं को अपनी ही कमजोरी बन्ने देते हैं ?

अगर इसे ही कहते हैं दुनिया का दस्तूर ,
तो क्यूँ चिल्लर के खजाने को हम बेच देते हैं?

शायद यही हैं दुनिया का दस्तूर ,
की हमें खुद की कीमत हमारे मिटने के बाद ही पता चलती हैं
शहद यही हैं दुनिया का दस्तूर..

अर्नव चत्तेर्जी

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////


Duniyai ka dustoor


Jin aankhon mein sapno ke angaron ki chamak hoti thi,
unmein aaj kohre ka dhondhlapan kyu hain?

Jo Baazoon kaiyon ka sahara hua karte the,
woh aaj khud sahara kyu taalastein hain?

Jis awaaz ke daahaar se chattane bhi kaap uthti thi,
aaj usi awaaz ki pukar pe koi kyu nahi aata?

Jo aasun pehle aankhon ke kaidi hua karte the,
woh aaj kaid se bhagen kyu hain?

Jin hathon ne humein chillar ka khazana dia tha,
wahi hath aaj bebas kyu hain?

Shayad yehi hain duniya ka dastur,
shayad isi ka naam hain jeevan chakra,
jo jaise shuru hau woh waise hi mit jata hain..

Agar ise hi kehte hain duniya ka dastur,
taun kyun hum apne aankhon mein sapno ke aangaron ko bujha dete hain?
taun kyu hum apne baazoyon ko kamzor samjhte hain ?

Agar ise hi kehte hain duniya ka dastur,
taun kyu hum apne hi awaaj ke gunj se darte hain?
taun kyu hum apne aasuon ko apni hi kamzori banne dete hain?

Agar ise hi kehte hain duniya ka dastur,
taun kyun chillar ke khazane ko hum bech dete hain?


Shayad yehi hain duniya ka dastur ,
ki humein khud ki keemat humare mitne ke baad hi pata chaltee hain!
Shahad yehi hain duniya ka dastur!

उम्मीद

जब बेब्बसी से ठिठुरता हैं रूह
 तब उम्मीद की चिंगारी ही ताप्ति हैं रूह को

जब आसूं भी बहने से इंकार कर देता हैं
  तब उम्मीद से सजे सपने ही दिलासा देते हैं तपती आँखों को

जब तन्हाई अपना सा लगने लगता हैं
 तब उम्मीद ही अपनी खिलखिलाहट से दोस्ती कराती हैं

जब दर की जंजीरें ज़िन्दगी को आगे बढ़ने से रोकती हैं
 तब उम्मीद की तेज़ाब उन जंजीरों को पिघला देती हैं

जब खोना ही ज़िन्दाही का सच बन जाता हैं
 तब उम्मीद का तोहफा इस सच को झूठ बना देती हैं

जब शुन्य निगलने लगता हैं रूह को
 तब उम्मीद ही सहारा बनती हैं रूह का

जब सारें रंग काला चादर ओढ़ लेते हैं
 तब उम्मीद की आग उस चादर को जला रंगों से गुफ्तगुं कराती हैं

जब दिन भी रात के अंधेरों में छूप जातें हैं
 तब उम्मीद की किरने ही उन रातों में सूरज उदय करवाती हैं

Kabhi aao tum samudra tut pe

kabhi aao tum samudar tut pe,
    rakhon pao rait ke thul pe ,
    jub rok na paoge raiton ko pairo tale ,
    tab samjhoge tabdili hi jeevan ka astitva hain ,
    tab samjhoge asthai jagat ka har rang hain.
   
kabhi aao tum samudar tut pe,
     sparsh karo raiton ki halchal,
     agar tol sako to tol lena har us rait ko jisko samundar ne tumse cheena,
     agar tol sako to tol lena har uss lehar ko bhi,  jiski varsha samundar ne  tumpe ki ,
     tab samjhoge ki niyati jitni sukh tumse cheenti hain usse kai jyada khushiyon ki warsha tumpe karti hain ,
     tab samjhoge ki tumhare pairo tale ki rait tumhari nahi waqt ki gulaam hain.

kabhi aao tum samudar tut pe,
    zara suno  lehro ki boli,
    jub shant na karwa paoge lehron ke goonj ko,
    tab pehchanoge apne shamata ke dayere ko.
 
kabhi aao tum samudar tut pe,
    zara bheeo lehro ke bhav se,
    tab samjhoge ki lehro ki gati humare vash ke bahar hain pur hur leher se hum kinta prahav hote hain yeh humare vash mein hain .

kabhi aao tum samudar tut pe,  
    zara dekho uss vishal vyaktitva ko ,
    jub aankhon se uski  seemao ko na naap paoge,
    tab apne mun ki udarta ko pehchanoge.

Kabhi aao tum samudar tut pe...

Tum yaad aati ho

This one is rakhi special :) Dedicated to my Dearest akku .



Aaj rakhi ki subah,
   mujhe tum yaad aati ho.


Aaj Rakhi ki subah,
   mujhe apne sheesh pe tumhare ashish ki kami mehsus hoti hain . 


Aaj rakhi ke subah,
      mujhe har wo ashq yaad aata hain jise tumne apne muskurahat se mitaya.


Aaj rakhi ki subah, 
    mujhe har ek hasi yaad aati hain jisko tumne apne aasuo se sicha.


Aaj rakhi ki subah,
     mujhe tumse sikhi hui har woh hunar yaad aata hain jissee mujhe pehchan mili. 


Aaj rakhi ki subah, 
     mujhe woh natkhat harkate yaad aateen hain jisse humne apne bachpan ko sajaya.


Aaj rakhi ki subha, 
    mujhe tumhari daat yaad aati hain, jo kawach samaan meri humesha raksha karta tha.


Aaj rakhi ke subah,
    mujhe mera pura bachpan yaad aaata hai jo tumhare bina adhura hota.  




Aaj rakhi ki subah ,  
    mujhe tum yaad aati ho! tum jiski hasi se meri duniya jagmaga uthtee hain. 

Maine haar nahi maani

Nahi maine haar nahi maani ,
maana tujhe ek jhuka hua mastak dikh raha hai ,
lekin tujhe us jhuke hue mastak mein mera shaurya nahi dikh raha !


Nahi maine haar nahi maani,
maana tujhe mera behta hua lahu dikh raha hai ,
lekin tujhe us behte hue lahu mein mera tej nahi dikh raha !


Nahi maine haar nahi maani,
maana tera chehra harshit aur mera chinteet dikh raha hai ,
lekin tujhe iss chinteet chehre ke piche urjaa se bhari meri ruh nahi dikh rahee !


Nahi maine haar nahi maani,
maana tere hath mein talwar hai aur mein Nishastra hun,
lekin mere soch ke pankh ki shakti se agyat hai tu !


Nahi meine haar nahi maani,
maana tuh andhero ka shehanshah hai aur mein ek bhatakta hua raahi,
lekin apne sapno ke prakash se mein apna raasta khud bana sakta hu ,
is baat se anjaan hai tu !



Nahi maine haar nahi maani !

Kal ki sachai

Ek sapna hi to hai, 
  jo haqeeqat ke andhere mein roshni ki kiran dikhata hain, 


Ek sapna hi to hai, 
   jo kaid hue ruh ko azaadi ke pankh dilata hain,


Ek sapna hi to hai,
   jo behte hue askon mein khushiyon ki chamak bikherta hain,


Ek sapna hi to hai,       
  jo  khaulte hue lahu ko him ki sheetalta deta hain,


Ek sapna hi to hai,
   jo insaan ko waqt ke daud mein pratham laata hain.


Fir kyun insaan sapno se dur bhagta hain? 


Fir kyun insaan sapno ko haqeeqat ke zanziron mein kaid kar deta hain? 


Fir kyun insaan sapno ki shaqti ko kamzori samajhta hain?


Fir kyun aane waale peedhi ko yeh samjhaya jaata hain ki sapne sach nahi hote?


Aakhir kyun insaan apne sapno ko dafnaye zamaane ke sachai pe  jeeta hain? 




kab jaanega insaan ki khushiyan khud ke sapno mein hoti hain naaki duusro ke haqeeqat mein !


Kab jaanega insaan ki sapne hi andheri raaston mein roshni bikherte hain !


Aakhir kab jaanega inssan ki aaj ke sapne hi kal ki sachai  hote hain ....  !

Khushiyon se guftagu

Na chand apne chandni se andheri raat ko saja raha tha, 

   na suraj sharma raha tha aasman se,  

bus sirf hum aur tum the, aur sath thi humari uljhi hui parchhaiyan. 

Na panchiya pyar ke nagme gaa rahee the, 

   na samudre kee lehre gungana rahi thee,

bus sirf hum aur tum the aur sath thi khamoshiya. 

na phul apni rang se jag ko rangeen kar rahe the,

 na titliya rangeen udaan bhar rahi thi, 

Bus sirf  hum aur tum the safed aur kale chadar ko odhe hue .  

Na paiso ka raub tha, 

     na suandarya ka ghamand,

Bus surf hum aur tum the aur humare beech the shikwe .

Kab tak rehte hum ese aamne saame , 

          sath hoke bhi meelo alag . 

Kab tak ek dusre ki aankhon mein hum dard ki parchai ke kajal ko niharte ....

kajal ko to behna hi tha,

  sholo ko to barasna hi tha,    

   sannata to dur hona hi tha, 

    hume alag to hona hi tha ... 

Chal diye hum ek dusre se alag kahi dur, 

   jahan hum dono ko shikwe na ho ,

   jahan hum dono ne sirf safed chadar odha hua ho ,

   jahan hum dono ki aankhon mein khushi ki chamak ho, 

   jahan hum dono ko hi chidiyon ke meethe nagame sunai de, 

   jahan hum dono ko doobte suraj ke lalima  mein khuda dikhe,

   jahan hum dono ko chand kee sheetal parchai mein thandak mile,.

   jahan phool rangeen ho aur titliyan rang baant rahi ho, 

jahan hum dono saath bhaleh hi na ho lekin humari rooh muskura rahi  ho,

jahan hum dono aamne saamne bhaleh hi na ho lekin humari manzil ek ho, 

jahan bhaleh hi hum ek dusre se na mile lekin khuda humari  khushiyon se guftagu karwa de ..

..........................................................................................................................................................

The Fountainhead - A must read

Ayn Rand takes you to a timeless world through the Fountain Head. Descriptive narration and apt choice of words makes the reader visualize the scene with specifics. The physical attributes of the characters are so clear to the reader that the one can actually imagine the characters. The writing is simple yet powerful.Though the book was written in 1943, it still can be easily related by today's intellect.

The plot revolves around the concept of belief -the belief of common man kind vs. that of powerful men. Men who are powerful not by virtue of wealth but by the possession of ideas. The novel hints towards a revolution much needed in our society. Ayn in a very transparent manner has written about the struggle of two men. One who is firm on his beliefs and refuses to compromise with anything under any circumstances. The other whose very existence is because of others, he lives life according to everyone and anyone’s wish. He has only one purpose in his life which is to gain respect in the eyes of others. It is through these two men that Ayn has succeeded in demonstrating the inertia faced by men with new ideas. Ideas to which mankind is not exposed to and hence are not accepted.

These two men are the central characters of the novel, however in the later part of the novel, equally strong characters are introduced. Amidst such crisis of beliefs and identity, Ayn has also managed to sprinkle a fine blend of love and friendship. Friendship between men of power who have nothing in common,but the zest to live life in their own terms. Love for which one sacrifices one’s soul as it is easier to live as a zombie than to live as a witness to the pain of ones loved ones.Just as each of the sub plots are over and the reader begins to be sure that the story has come to a dead end he is thrown surprised by the introduction of a new character who brings an interesting perceptive creating suspense in the novel.

The books leaves a feeling of satisfaction at the end, as love and belief both stand upright as clear winners. A must read for those who enjoy the combination of suspense with food for thought.
I leave you with a quotation from the book -


‎"I do not recognize anyone's right to one minute of my life.Nor to any part of my energy .Nor to any achievement of mine.No matter who makes the claim,how large their number or how great their need!" - The Fountainhead by Aryn Rand

My Ma- My Goddess

When I was one I could barely walk and
          you held my hand with patience and carried me around
Today I am 26 and I promise to hold your hand and help you walk that extra step.

When  I was one I could barely talk  and
          yet you understood me perfectly and we spoke for hours
Today I am 26 and I promise to speak to you and understand you forever

When I was one I use to embarrass you in all public places yet
           I was your pride
Today I am 26 and I promise you that you are and shall always be my pride.

When I was one you always protected me and held me tightly
Today I am 26 and I promise you I would be there by you always


When I was one you always looked after me and could not let me go away from your sight

Today I am 26 and  am far from your sight  and I so wish I could be there with you ...

When I was one you used to knit my clothes

Today I am 26 and I buy my clothes but I miss your choice ....

When I was one you, your touch used to be the blanket of comfort 

Today I am 26 , and I would do anything to keep my head in your lap ... 

No one is as beautiful and graceful as you Ma,
No one is as caring and protecting as you Ma,
No one is as important as you Ma,
You are the best gift God ever gave me Ma.
I love you Ma.

The choice

A man is truly powerful ! 

If he has the power to create life 

    he also has the power to snatch it 

If he has the power to bring a smile 

   he also has the power to haunt 

if he has the power to make millions our of a cent 

   he also has the power to snatch millions and give a cent 

If he has the power to feed his family 

    he also has the power to starve his neighbour 

if he has the power to heal a wound 

    he also has the power to create another 

If he has the power to build a society 

   he also has the power to destroy another

 If he has the power to protect his country   

   he also has the power to sufficate his country 

 If he has the power to love a fellow human 

    he also has the power to imbibe hatred into an entire community 

its but upto a man to decide what he choses to do - to create or to destroy !

myth=mithya Book Review

Dr Devdutt Pattanaik  is a medical doctor by education , leadership consultant by profession and mythologist by passion. myth=mithya  is a compilation of stories and beliefs of hindu mythology. It has all the small and big epic incidents which are grandmother would have shared with us and also those which she refused to tell us.
Its a book which quotes incidents which led to common hindu beliefs. Its a must read for those who want to understand hindu mythology and understand the background of various rituals.

The Indian society is considered gender biased and patriarchal , I have known this and been a silent witness since long without knowing why is that so ? what led to this belief ? was it mere convenience ? This book answers this question , to accept and agree with the answer is a different thing but it definitely tells us the rationale of our ancestors behind the male favorism in Hinduism .

Since Childhood I have been a importance to the worshiping of Shiv Linga.Our  society is a very conservative one ; here  talking about sex  in a public forum is a taboo . Yet I am awed by the fact that Lord Shiva is worshiped in the from a Shiv Lingam - which signifies the union of him and his wife Goddess Parvati . The lingam is essentially nothing but a phallus. The book quotes incidents from the past which led to the worship of Lord Shiva in this form .

Mahabharata and Ramayana have a number of incidents where Pandavs /Krishna and Lord Ram won by following the "Jungle rule" . They followed such codes in war that are typically considered not a warriors code. However we do worship Lord Krishna and Lord Ram. In fact Lord Ram is quoted as "maryada purshottam" or the "Ideal man". I used to think from time to time that if these are the very examples by which we are to learn and live by, than the definition of right and wrong itself can be questioned. Dr. Devdutt has to some extent given the rational behind this  too.Many of us would not have given a thought behind a trivial thing like why the hair of goddess Parvati and Lakshmi are typically tied by strands of flowers whereas that of Durga and Kali are left open . The book explains this as well.

Though Dr Devdutt has reasonably tried to explain a number of Hindu beliefs yet he has never forced his views. He has quoted incidents in support of the belief and has left it to us to infer and decide upon it. This is the beauty of this book . The language is very simple and the focus is entirely on the mythological incidents and Hindu beliefs.A must read for those who want to understand a know a little more of Hindu mythology.

Who is a righteousness person - Kumbhakarna or Vibhishan

Guys this question has bedazzled me for a long time, I really want to know what all of you think about it . .

who do u think is a righteousness person - Kumbhakarna or Vibhishan ?

Vibhishan

Who tried to explain ravan the significance of RAM and SITA and hence was abandoned by Ravan . He found peace at the feet of Lord Rama , as he knew Lord Ram was right and his brother Ravana was wrong. He stood by truth over relations . His Dharma was truth .His loyalty was towards right/truth.

Kumbhakarna

Who knew Ravan was wrong, who told Ravan in face that ravans deeds were wrong yet he fought for Ravan and Lanka. He knew he was going to die yet he went to the battle field. He considered his prime duty to be being dutiful to his elder brother and his kingdom even if they are wrong .This was his Dharma to stand by them when they needed him even though he did not agree with Ravans deeds. His loyalty was towards duties imparted by virtue of birth .

Given this - now if you had to chose between Family/ Friends who are not right VS the Truth l what would you have done ? Imagine you are in the above situation whom would you have supported would you fought for Ravan your elder brother as your duty as a younger brother is to obey and respect him OR would you have supported Ram who is right conventionally yet is on a war with your Brothers and kingdom ?

The Train Journey

The train journey reflects upon us thoughts which we tend to brush aside amidst the daily chaos.




The lush green fields often seen only in train journeys by city dwellers reflect upon us the prosperity gifted to us by all around like mother earth who inspite of being tortured by mankind gives him the gift of prosperity and thus teaching us to be thankful to the people around.



The momentous hills and the deep rivers cossed with ease in a journey reflects upon us that hurdles small and big would keep coming in our life not to pull us down but to make us realize that we have the power to conqour all hurdles and that we must keep moving crossing all the hurdels coming our way with ease .



The burned log in a remote farm is a symbol of destroying the waste and hoping for a fertile tomorow , reflecting upon us that we need to bury our past in a hope for better tommorow .It tells us we need to tolerate the occasional darkness of soot and heat of fire for shaping a better tommorow .



The kids dancing in joy at a mere sight of a moving train reflects upon us that we need to find happiness amidst the simplicity of our daily life and not in the monetary value of materialistic things.



The poor family sitting in a dirty corner of a busy station may be having their only meal for that day yet enjoying eavery bite with a peaceful smile.The scene questions us, if they can be happy and content then why can 't we?



The old couple travelling in great discomfort yet looking after each others small needs reflects upon us an eternal beautiful love story which is not as rosy as a cinema, but is about selfless love , about saying, "i love you" without uttering a single word after all its about spending an entire lifetime with each other.



It is but the last station, where the train finally stops after a long journey reflecting upon us that we must keep going, We must pursue our dreams till we reach our destination, our goal. We must overcome the occasional hurdles, we must also stop in between to rejunivate however we should never give up till we accomplish our dreams and are at peace with ambition .

The long night

Nitesh was about to hibernate his laptop and leave for home  like usual at 7 pm, but today  he had to stay back till midnight -  for the clients in US relaized exactly when he was about to loggoff that an important metrics had to be published that very night.
Nitesh is a 30 year old engineer , slightly on the healthier side but certainly not obese. He always dressed as in a t-shirt and jeans , yes in office and even on Mondays illustrating his carefree  attitude. He always made it a point to leave office by 7 pm so that he could pick up his wife Samina from her office , but today he did not mind stretching work till midnight as  his wife was out of town and so anyways had to eat outside , at least canteen food would save him some bucks , though it would not be as delicious as that of a restaraunt but it served the purpose.

He was sitting in his cubicle preparing the metrics which was much awaited for in US. He was completely engrossed in the excel  he had been preparing for years now, but something preoccupied his mind  today and was competing with the excel to take the most of  his mind. There was this vague feeling of fear in his mind . Something that told him that he should hurry home tonight. The feeling made him uncomfortable he was not used to fear , atleast not fear without any reason . Perhaps its was his wife whom he was missing after all it was the first time in 3 years post marraige when he was to spend a week away from her . He drank 5 cups of the tasteless coffee in a span of 2 hours thanks to this weird feeling which was preventing him to concentrate on excel .

12:00 am - perfect time to sleep with his wife's tugged in his arms as always , but tonight he was sending the mail with a sign of relief at sharp midnight to the clients . He logged off immediately to prevent any more inflow of work for that day, after all it was 5 hours beyond his usual time of work an also the fear which was getting intense and he was not sure why .... He picked up his laptop in a state of confusion and hoped his wife was safe at her parents house, it was too late to call her now  anyways so he could only hope . With all this confusion he got into lift of the 30 floor building where he worked. The building was modern in all aspect , after all it was completed a few months ago and was designed by the posh team which had earlier designed the tallest tower of the world.  Nitesh loved every aspect of his job and this building was a part of the sense of accomplishment , the confidence that he is finally  on the road to success.  each time he left the office and stepeed in the lift , he would smile to himself and would enjoy this feeling of acheivement. Today like everyday he was enjoying the feeling of success , his eyes were shining with pride if only anyone saw them for he was alone in the floor , in the lift and perhaps in the building too, after all friday nights are not very popular for working late . Suddenly the lift stopped at th 13th floor. He felt comforted in the thought that some other person was also working at such a late hour on a friday night .

The lift doors slides open and all he saw was darkness, he could not see anything at the floor it was pitch dark .Well he knew that the building had some floors which were under construction but why was it so dark and why did the lift stop there. He pressed the ><  button , but the damm button wouldn't work . He was getting impatient , it was as if someone was watching him , someone who was hiding under the blanket of darkenss, but why would anyone in the right mind do that. He was not sure why was he feeling insecure and helpless, was it the darkenss or just a tired mind. He had to  press the emergency button afterall it was more than 5 minutes since the lifet remained  there stuck in infinitiy ,  staring at the infinite darkenss.

Finally he managed to reach the ground floor  and headed straight to catch an auto . As luck would have it he could not find a single auto that night , though it was well pass midnight, but the last thing he had anticipated was walking home at such a late hour. Thankfully his house was not that far and he could reach home in the next 30 minutes.  He had this feeling that he was losing everyting , the feeling of life being sucked out of him . He started quanteplating why was his mind insecure suddenly .He sincerely was mising his wife, he had to call her right then , and he reached out to his pocket only to find that he had forgotten the phone in his office . He was too tired to walk back to office and get it, he could always collect it the next day.

Nitesh loved  cozy evening walks, in his courtship days with Samina, they used to go for long walks at midnight , romancing in the chilly weather of Delhi. Tonight inspite of the feeling of insecurity, he could not help but enjoy the beauty of the night. The Leaves rustling among themsleved whispering to each other like couples do . The sweet wind carelessing the face , the moon shining bright and a not soul to be seen on the road. It was indeed very romantic. He knew he had to take Samina to such walks again, it had been quite some time since they both had a romantic walk , after marraige they both were crazy working to climb the  success ladder . He was  annoyed to think that the last romantic moment they shared was  almost a year back .

Just as when he was begining to enjoy the weather, he reached his house and was filled with frustation again. There was a power cut and he had to climb 5 floors to reach his cozy bed. While on the stairs he was feeling uneasy, his mind was again filled with insecurity , he begin to feel like a lost balloon in the sky, aimless and totally out of control.  The only good thing was , surprisingly he was not exhausted while climbing the stairs , perhaps the recent physical activity at the gym was finally reflecting on his stamina. he was just about to reach the third floor , when he saw a couple of shadows , standing in the lobby, A family perhaps he saw a man , woman and a child. They just remained their standing , staring at him right into his eyes. Due to the darkness he could not see them totally, His body turned cold and he sensed a strange cold gush of air out of nowhere.Why were they standing there at such late an hour. His sense of civic responsibility was coaxing  him to ask if they needed help, though all he wanted to do was to get back to the safety of his apartment.
He walked towards them and asked if they wanted any help, but they still remained  motionless like a mannequin except for the fact that they were all smiling, at him now. They had the " I know something, which you don't " look. Their eyes were penetrating deep inside him . He felt as if they knew everything about him and were laughing at his ignorance . He couldnt take that stare any longer, if they required help they would have said so expicitely atlest hinted at it .He climbed up to the 5th floor as soon as he could and rammed the main door and locked it hurriedly, as if he knew someone was there outside waiting to walk in. and this scared him .

The power was still out, and as he lay in darkenss in his bed staring at nothing but darkness , he could not get over the family, who were they and why did all of them had that grin on thier face. He really missed his wife , if only she was there beside him tonight. He could not sleep , as his mind was occupied with insecurity  and fear . He was not sure why was he feeling like this tonight, everthing was fine till he was in the office, rather  he was in the best of his spirits as a project in which he was working on  since the last couple of months was finally about to yield results. He got up and stood in the balcony perhaps fresh air would help him get some sleep.

Unlike him Samina was very spiritual and believed in spirits and all sorts of unnatural phenomenon which cannt be explained yet by science. She used to say that there                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         are spirits all around and she felt that this buiding was haunted, ofcourse he never believed her, not that he does now. He was just quantplating things, the family he saw still occupied his mind,could they be spirits haunting the building. He laughed at himslef, he actually was thinking that he saw spirits. A restless mind and power cut could really make a man think all sort of things specially when his wife is all the time talking about ghosts and haunting stories

He was sure if he tell her about the family, she would  be sure that they were spirits and were haunting the building , ofcourse Nitesh was brave to look at them and still be alive. How he wished she was there/ Her thought always bought a smile on his face ,and on this particular time he was more laughing thinking about the conversations they would be having when she comes back . Just as when his mood was calming down with the thought of Sabina, he saw the family - three of them again, this time they were on the road in front the apartment he livedin, and were staring at him . He was not sure of what should he do or how he should react. He walked back into his apartment into the dark room , he was scared again .

He went back to his bedroom and just wanted to sleep , why were they staring him like that , who were they , did he know them , were they trying to say something to him perhaps warn him of something. He was getting restless. He was feeling week too , as if his energy was being sucked out every minute every second , but that perhaps was, because he was too tired and the night had not really been how his friday nights go in general. he had forced his eyes shut , but nothing would ease his mind and put him to sleep. Suddenly he heard footsteps in the living room , like the ones a formal  leather shoes would make . He must be thinking a lot of things, he assured himself that there was no one there and thus these foot steps are a figment of his imagination..

All he did for next 5 minutes was roll from one corner of the bed to the other, though the foot steps were not completely gone but were less infrequent and he had got used to ignoring it. As he rolled next time to face the door of his bedroom ,he turned pale and stood up shocked. He was not sure of what he saw ! Did he actually show a face there peeping inside , Gosh he really was too tired perhaps.

He looked at the wall clock it was almost 4 am in the morning and he felt dead , deprived of sleep and energy. He wanted to go to the next room and  be assured that there was no one there and the foot steps and the face were just a result of a tired and insecure mind but his mind which was insecure when he left office was exhausted now  . He felt as if he have had no food since days not that he was hungry but he was just too deprived of energy. He lied down again , he was not sure of what was happening, he was as if  in a state of transition. . The footsteps in the next room were getting fainter. Each passing minute made him weaker, he was not sure  what was happening. to him . All he could do was lie down on his bed.

He laid in his bed exhausted forcing himself to sleep , but still could only just lie there motionless .speechles  .  He looked at the clock it was 5 am , the whole night had passed and he did not sleep. He could not even move now, infact he could not even feel his body. He was now worried , he could not do anything he felt trapped and suffocated. Then he saw was that family again the man , the woman and the kid staring at him , this time beside his bed , and their face also looked exhausted  but they were pale and this time their face reflected peace after all the time they had been waiting for since last night had finally arrived.

...........................................................................................................................................................
8 am
The headlines of  newspaper read  - Nitesh(30) a  promising young Engineer of an leading IT company  and a family comprising of Natnalaal (40)  ,Sheela(35)   and Tarun (10)  died  of a lift mishap . The lift got stuck at the 13th floor and then the pulley holding the lift broke crashing Nitesh as  the lift fell directly from 13th floor to basement . Nitesh was killed on the spot liitle after midnight yesterday. Whereas the family was on an adjacent lift whose pulley also broke in a similar manner killing the family on the spot a little after midnight. A investigation is under process.