Woh intezaar nahi asaan, khatm jo na ho paye...

तुमसे दूर इस शक़्स का, ना पूछो क्या हाल है;
दर्द है, तड़प है, और हज़ारों सवाल है। 

कुछ ऐसे सवाल है, जिनके दर्दभरे जवाब है;
आरज़ू है तुम्हारी, पर हासिल सिर्फ ख़्वाब है।  

कल के चाँद से पूछो, हम रात भर जागते रहे;
तुम गहरी नींद में थे, पर हम तड़पते रहे। 

हाँ, पता है, सुबह होते, तुम इंतज़ार करोगे;
मेरे ना होने पर, परेशान से रहोगे। 

पर उस रात का क्या, जब दिल तरसते रह जायेगा,
तुम्हारा इंतज़ार करते, शायद थक भी जायेगा। 

वो इंतज़ार नहीं आसान, ख़त्म जो न हो पाए; 
वो इश्क़ नहीं आसान,मुमकिन जो न हो पाए।  


हाँ, पता है, सुबह होते, तुम इंतज़ार करोगे;
मेरे ना होने पर, परेशान से रहोगे। 

पर उस सुबह का क्या, जब तुम तलाशते रहो,
मगर पिछली रात ही, ये दिल धड़कना छोड़ दे?...

~ Ruu ~ 
17 November 2017

So Light... So Loved!

“Rhea, Rhea… Where are you?” 

Called her mom, for the 4th time; 

Only to be met by silence. 

Silence accompanied little Rhea.

Under the bed, in the darkest corner.

Sad, Scarred. 

Santa never shows up, she realized.

Crying in the verandah, late one night.

Shaken, Heartbroken!

Backbencher, Rebel, Loner, No-Good, 

In library, searching answers in books.

Wondering, Wandering.

“Fight, no flight, no freeze” she thought.

On the stage, pretending to the bravest.

“Fight, not flight”.

Love she loved, but wasn’t destined.

Lone on a bench, with loose wrist.

Drained, Drenched.

Couldn’t fit in. She wasn’t meant to be.

Kept working, to keep busy.

Busier than a bee.

Ya, she couldn’t fit in, but, hey, she tried. 

Weddings, kids, family, pets, cooking…

Sucked, Sulked. 

She loved rains, her eyes did too.

Insomniac, she rain-walked.

“So cold”, she cried.

Self travels, timeouts, all she’d do.

For her, there was someone too..

…Her Solo soul.

Her fragile heart that, beat her, beat last.

Atop mountains, at last, there she was.

So Light, So Loved. 

Ruu  …. 18 October 2017 ….

Cross forests, climb mountains, chase rainbows
It might be all worth, in the end, who knows?

Main Jogan...

Main jogan ban chali, Tere Khumaar mein;
Main fasaana ban chali, Tere qaraar mein...


Ishraaq se shab tak, tasawwur se lab tak;
Main nagmaa ban chali, Teri chaah mein...


Na chaahe fursat, bass ek muhobbat;
Main deewani ban chali, Teri talaash mein...


Phir na ho furqat, rahe sirf barqat;
Main zeba ban chali,  Teri widaad mein...


Akhaaz se abb tak, aur qazaa tak;
Main ibaadat ban chali, Teri muraad mein...



Ruu
12 October 2017
Sometimes we find our true selves, in "Me-time"!


*Khumaar: intoxication
*Qaraar: Satisfaction
*Isharaaq: Dawn
*Tasawwur: imagination
*Furqat: Separation
*Barqat: Abundance
*Zeba: Beautiful
*Widaad: Affection
*Akhaaz: The beginning 
*Qazaa: The lapse/death
*Ibaadat: Prayer
*Muraad: Desire

Sukoot-e-Shab

Sukoot-e-Shab mein bhi, Woh kahaa soti thi?

Ek puraane khalish se, Dil-Shikastah woh roti thi.

Iss Aalam ke tareeko ka, idraak usey tha kahaan?

Habeeb ki talab liye, woh rahti gum gashtah.

Kaafir, awaarah jaisey, ilzaamo pe woh hasti thi,
Ishtiyaaq wala dil liye, Maftoon woh chal padti thi.

Qudrat ki thi shafaaqat, Ya ibaadat me uske zor tha;

Ek Farishta ek khwaab sa, Uskey ab ru-ba-ru tha!

Sukoot-e-Shab mein abb, woh be-fikr soti hai;

Farishton ki koshish, Shayad ye hi hoti hai….

Ruu.
5 October 2017
Bangalore


Journey of finding ... Me

My dear imperfections!

Why did I despise them, all this while?

They’re a part of me, of who I really am!

Today I call out to them, accept & love them.

They’re a part of me, of who I really am –

-       My imperfections!

My blemished skin, my greying hair.

My unsettling waistline, my dawning wrinkles.

My vanity-free looks, my rebellious fashion-choice.

My tomboyish self, my headstrong decisions.

My unconventional paths, my over-ambitious plans.

My emotional goof-ups, my hidden introvertism,

My craving for solitude, my need for travel.

My temper tantrums, & ridiculous PMSisms.

Today I call out to them, accept & love them.

They’re a part of me, of who I really am –

-       My imperfections!

I love my C-Section Scar, a reminder of my beautiful bundle of joy!

I love my dark circles, an after-effect of a long night, but for a cause!

I, surprisingly, love being without lipstick, to kiss my baby 1000 times!

I love my messy hair, that’s my little one’s evergreen favorite toy!

I’m ok with the chaos around me; it beats my belief of being a superhuman.

I’m ok with the piling laundry; I steal that time for something more important.

My home is exact opposite of a typical “model-flat”, but it’s still a home to us.

My baking skills are questionable, but still I can fix a decent meal. I think.

Today I call out to them, accept & love them.

They’re a part of me, of who I really am –

-       My imperfections!

I’m a mother, a wife, a Daughter in law, but not to perfection!

I’m an aspiring businesswoman, but not at all to perfection!

I carry my baby to my biz-place & I get my biz-work at home!

I work hard on Weekdays & sometime much harder on Weekends.

I care less for the judgments passed everyday.

I laugh off the claims of ‘ideal-so & so’, pretty shamelessly!

I don’t associate with ‘game-buddies’ or latest TV soaps.

I’m guilty of escaping group-chats & other virtual “social” norms!

Call me boring, call me workaholic,

Call me old or call me old-fashioned.

But I can’t assure that I’d care.

So, Today I call out to them, accept & love them.

They’re a part of me, of who I really am –

-       My imperfections!

Today, I choose to break-free from my long-lived inhibitions.

Today, I rise above my guilt around my imperfections.

I’m at ease now, with my real self!

I’m at peace with my imperfect self!

After all, it’s known that nobody is perfect.

But we try! And we strive perfection.  Including me!

I won’t stop trying to fix them, correct them.

But yes, now, I won’t despise them!

Today I call out to them, accept & love them.

They’re a part of me, of who I really am –

-       My imperfections!  

...My dear imperfections!

~ Rupa Patil

An imperfect, but happy soul.

22 August 2015, Bangalore

Rupa@WeekendNuts.com

At ease with myself & my imperfections!

No strings Coffee

Disclaimer: You need not be promiscuous to experiment a "No Strings coffee"... you just need to be spontaneous and pure intentioned!

What are the odds of having a "No Strings Coffee" with a complete stranger?

Well, try it, it's totally worth it.

Ask a complete stranger out for a coffee, with clear expectation setting of "No personal questions", "No phone/email exchange"... No real name exchange too!
And stick to a 15-20min of coffee, with a generic discussion about, weather, traffic, movies, theatres, people, life - any damn thing! & then say 'Goodbye'!
Why? honestly, I don't know.., but probably for the sake of pure experimentation! or probably for a 'once in a lifetime' memory of doing something this crazy!

But as i said earlier - TRY that ... totally worth it!

~ Ruu
23rd April 2010
Bangalore

Why is it, the way it is?

(... Sneak peek into an Orphan child's thoughts...)

Why is it, the way it is?

Why no one was happy when I was born?

Why my very shelter was torn?

Why is that they called me a problem child?

Why the treatment I got was never mild?

Why the kids next door smiled all the while?

Why I was never even greeted with a smile?

Why my clothes & toys were stained?

Why everyone around were so strained?

Why a decent college didn’t come my way?

Why from everyone was I kept away?

Why was I the caretaker, all the time?

Why was I then, never worth a dime?

Why only my failures were highlighted?

Why as a living thing, I wasn’t cited?

Why getting anything was never so easy?

Why I had to keep myself for lifelong so busy?

Why is it that my struggles go in vain?

Why my pains keep appearing again?

Why is that I don’t get the care I need?

Why nobody cares, when my heart bleeds?

Why can’t I seek peace of mind?

Why with such a life should I bind?

~ Ruu ……

30^th October 2009, Bangalore

Why is it, the way it is?