PRICE RISE (poem)

  (Appeared in CUCKOO an International Biannual Literary Magazine in Sept 2013 issue)

This uncanny word is now a bye law.
Wherever you go, whatever you buy,
It brings just a little pain like the prick of a pin;
Dreaded till it comes and a quake when heard,
But a benumbed sense soon takes the pain.
It is an 'amarbel' growing on green shrubs, 
Sucking sap and vitals from the parent tree,
It digs in, sitting firmly never to be shaken.
It's a lasting mark of alley-ways and ill-made plans.

Price rise is a nonentity for the affluent 
But a perilous black-hole for the weak.
As most plod with a dreaded dole
Or a  fist of futile dough,
Everything sways to the wind of wealth.
Frequent suicidal pacts with eternal ties
Become staple news for arm chairs.
A starved stomach and a parched tongue
Are drowned in a cacophony of claims and creeds.
The glare of glamour and the blare of adulation,
Conceal a squalid sewer of want and need:
The mind drowns the fear in anesthetic potions
Of vicarious virtual sex and game and drink.
When the next round of hikes arrive at the door,
A stronger dose of dope and sleaze and creed
Shall call on you, lest you should wake up. 

Jyoti Patil

BALD AND BEAUTIFUL

(Appeared in the Hitavada, Middle Space on 11th March 2014)                                                                                                                                                      By Jyoti Patil

It is so romantic to have bouncy hair, thick black hair, long and silky hair. Hair on your head really gives you a different dimension. You look impressive and young. You look positive and promising.  You look confident and smart. Once you start losing them, you realize how important they are for your outward appearance. You only think of your shedding hair and diminishing hair line.  You may then find hair all over in your place, sometimes on the table, on your pillow and even in your meal. You only think of your hair and nothing else. Your working efficiency is also marred by this nagging thought. 

I always feel envious to see cascading long thick hair of any girl and wish to have at least half of her hair to come on my head. Oh! It is sheer imagination. I can’t do that, I know it is not possible. I remember once I watched Anupam Kher’s interview on some TV show, in which he was confessing using all the tricks and trials, methods and measures to grow hair on his rapidly balding head.  He left no stone unturned for a small speck of hair on his head. At least for one or two years he basked under the dreamy imagination of long and thick black hair on his head. But gradually he started realizing that his baldness is inevitable as it was a result of some hormonal changes and genetic effect. One simple word makes many grown men (and some women) quake and shake in fear; balding. Receding hair lines, bald spots, and hair loss are problems that plague many people, old and young.

Bald people have many advantages. They do not bother to keep a comb with them to set their hair. No shampoo or aromatic oil is required. Your position becomes maintenance free.  Bald people may be deferential and enjoys a respectable position in his circle. For example, Raghu of Rodies enjoys an impressive position and his baldness is an added advantage.  If you are bald you are taken seriously and respectfully.  Baldness is not much painful as compared to scant hair problem which makes you ugly and scary.

Ramji Sharma our neighbor who was in his late forties became concerned about his hair as he noticed the rapid and regular fall of his once pride of Jaipur hair. He tried all hair growing creams which surely contribute to lighten the weight of his purse as well as worries. Gradually he realized that it is an extremely futile exercise to pursue his misadventure. He ventured into a new plan to purchase a wig from Bombay as he had heard most of the heroes and heroines wear wigs to look beautiful and impressive. He implemented his plan and went to Bombay for original looking wig. He got a perfect matching of his original hair style.

Only problem was to take care of that wig at night and sleep in his original baldy avatar. His comfortable time went by swiftly and once he met with an accident. Oh, that wasn’t a road accident but a bedroom accident. He used to keep his wig on the dressing table. Some rats got the whiff of it and started working on the trimming of it in their signature style. A patch of the wig got butchered. The next day when he noticed the alteration made by expert modifiers of the night, he became panicky. He did know what to do at this unwarranted urgency and started raking his brain for a suitable replacement. At last an idea clicked and he turbaned his head with a dupatta that day. But it only helped him for few days. One day he found his wig was being taken away by a stray dog, who had incidentally sneaked into his room. Then his game of hair got over.

Going bald is not an easy option for any man. But it is really difficult for those in the spotlight. Some stars manage to pull off a naked head with style, namely Billy Zane, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Anupam Kher, and Parsis Khambata but others aren't so lucky. Salman Khan, Vivek Oberai, Ben Affleck, George Clooney, Bruce Willis and Al Pacino are just a few stars whose hair status is discussed in detail. It is quite simple to identify the symptoms of a balding individual.   You do not need to be a doctor, you do not need to do any tests, and you can just simply use your eyes. And when you are loosing your lovable hair, you can only sing – “hair! hair! everywhere,  But not a speck on head,

 Hair!  Hair! Nowhere, On the plains of my head.” 

Poem:Oasis

Oasis(A Poem for the journal 'Literati')

(Dedicated to Neeraj Babuwani, a young office assistant)

One morning while beginning a day’s routine,

Hectic and hard as usual,

Tough and tight as always,

I happened to see him there,

All smiling, curly locks,

Tiny creature, bubbling with enthusiasm,

But quite young to occupy such a place,

I only wondered how this tiny figure

Would do such a serious job?

Tackling tough persons,

Tussling with papers,

Twisting among plethora of difficult tasks,

Would be a little too big a challenge for this cherub,

But spreading his immense gift of angelic smile,

With twinkling eyes, with an expert’s ease,

He greeted everyone, ready to face the challenges ahead.

For him life has just begun,

For so many of his age life is just a fun,

I didn’t know how many pleasures

He had to shun,

For accepting this reality of life,

I was skeptical how this dear, debonair, darling kid

Would face this drab, dangerous, difficult task,

But gradually showing his worth

This little angel started handling these

Serious people with smile and mirth,

Expert in computer,

Agile in paper work,

Prompt in action,

Fast in fraction,

He started winning our hearts.

The sultry, sombre workplace

Now turned into relieving, relaxing fun place,

His funny comments,

His jovial and playful demeanor,

His full of life approach,

Has ultimately overpowered

Our slimy, serrated, serious attitude.

I just thought whether he’s God’s bliss,

Or Nature’s boon,

Or luck’s lovely plan,

But surely in our dim lighted, dull life he was as OASIS.

Poem: Flowers and Old age

Poem: Flowers and Old age (Pub in 'Dew Drops' by FCWE, Nagpur)

Flowers always look lovely in their bloom,

Their delicate branches bear their load happily,

The plants that yield those beautiful buds,

Feel the proud to be the source of such soothing sight,

But when they wither the plants leave them to scatter,

The branches shed off the unpleasant beings,

No one bothers for those ugly looking dried petals,

Don’t they give a signal to those who go for the similar fate?

Our life is flower like, pretty, pleasant and attractive,

We bloom and blossom like flowers during the prime of our life,

Forgetting the impending trouble and tribulations we are to face,

At the end we all have to undergo the bitter trial of OLD AGE.

Poem: Woman, A Heavenly Creation

Poem: Woman, A Heavenly Creation

(Published in CENACLE Vol:1 No:2 Jan-Feb)

Being gifted to be emotional,

Woman is always at the receiving end,

Being gifted to be more sensible,

Man always takes advantage of that.

Being passionate in her attitude,

She is mostly misunderstood and misjudged,

Being soft in showing her mettle

She is mostly cheated by man.

Being truthful and sincere,

She mostly has a rough path to tread upon,

She is wonderfully gifted with moral strength,

She is God’s wonderful creation.

Being softer at heart and delicate in health,

But strong in her approach,

She is an ideal mother, an able sister,

A loving wife and an adorable daughter.

She has an immense capacity

To listen, to understand, to care and to support

Whenever man needs it,

Standing up for righteousness

And for unconditional love with all integrity

She is a heavenly combination

Of caring, charm, beauty, and grace. 

Poem: Don’t Cry for What is Not

Poem: Don’t Cry for What is Not

Don’t cry for what is not

Be happy for what you have got

You always aspire for what is unachievable

Thinking one day you may get it

Desiring one day you may find it

Hoping one day you may achieve it,

Let’s not cry for what is not

Be satisfied for what you have got

You always dream for what is unattainable

Thinking one day your dream may come true

Desiring one day your dream may be a reality

Hoping one day you may attain it.

Be happy for what you have got

But don’t stop and don’t cry

You can better try and try

Plan out things and strive for it

Keep your target always before you

Tread towards your target slowly but steadily,

Be happy for what you have got

But don’t be sad for what is lost

Don’t get dishearten for your lot

Row your boat till it comes to shore

Go with your efforts till it comes to success

Toil hard till the end of your strength.

Because the real happiness lies

Not in achieving the target

But in striving for it

Once it is done successfully

The result is inevitable and unstoppable.

Thank God! You are there

(Published in Middle Space on 15^th Aug 2009)

Thank God! You are there

                                                                Dr. Jyoti Patil

It all began with the discussion why today’s youth is turning towards God these days which is perhaps a very startling shift in this cyber age where amazing discoveries have become a commonplace happening, where materialism and physical pleasure rule the roost and youngsters are free to follow their whims and fancy defying their parents’ dictates. When you only face dismal situations on home front, in your close circles, in society and in the world in general, you have nothing left except distress and depression. There you have someone looking at you with compassion and care and it does not matter to Him whether you are young or old, beautiful or ugly, rich or poor, good or bad. The only thing required is to seek His help and He is there to help you in any situation.

Recently I was travelling  in a train from Amritsar to Delhi, I happened to get a chair car face to face with a young couple with a year old daughter. They settled down very comfortably and before the train started they all fell asleep. It seemed they all were very tired and hardly had strength to revel themselves in the beautiful surrounding. The train started moving and gradually gathered good speed. After half an hour I noticed them all awakened and little worried about something. They were searching their entire luggage frantically. They were talking in a language which at first was difficult to decipher for me but slowly I understood that they were talking in some south Indian language. But later I was informed by the girl that they were speaking Konkani.

They both started making frantic calls to the hotel people where they had stayed last night after having darshan of Harminder Sahib and a visit to Indo-Pak border at Wagha. I gathered from the fragmented information they were sharing on phone that the girl had left her mobile on the side table of the hotel room. She had perhaps left few other things but she was worried about her mobile. I heard her telling the hotel manager in chaste English that they were doctors and had an important visit to certain hospital for MCI inspection and they were awaiting some important calls on the cell which they had forgotten at his hotel. It was very important for them to get the mobile back in any case. The boy contacted the trip manager and conveyed about their problem. But the manager told them to wait and see if the mobile was retrieved by the hotel boy.

 Watching them in such a fix, I also in a way got                          involved and became worried about them. Just to give them some courage to tackle the situation I initiated and gave them few counsels to keep their cool. Then I enquired about their visit to the Golden Temple and told them to remember the Holy Granth Sahib perhaps God will suggest them some way out. I also narrated about a reality show in which the girl was about to loose and there she prayed to Saibaba and surprisingly she escaped the situation. The strong faith in God always plays wonders, it was my strong belief.

The girl then following my advice prayed to God and chanted some incantations for Saibaba to rescue her from the situation. Quite surprisingly the help came earlier than expected. The girl got a call from the hotel manager that the mobile was not found in the room and they must check their belongings properly. I then suggested them to send a ring to the number of their lost mobile. She followed my advice and a phone started ringing from their bag in which they had kept their daughter’s eatables. It was a moment of relief and joy not only for them but also for me as I became more concerned about them. She exclaimed with a sigh of relief, “Thank God! You’re there.” I only remembered Robert Browning’s famous lines in his ‘Pippa Passes’ “God’s in His Heaven, And all’s right with the world.”