Rohit Sharma

Government buses are at strike for more than 40 days in Maharashtra. So I am travelling in this 2000 make black & yellow coloured taxi, sitting besides the driver with my legs separating across the gear. The taxi man of this vehicle makes two trips in a day between Malegaon & Dhule. He starts his day early morning at 4 O clock. At the stand, there would be a queue, so the earlier the better. Eight travellers can sit in it at one go. That's 32 for the whole day and he earns almost 3k bucks with it. Anyway, the taxi man soon started to share with me his personal story. He has three taxis. The other two are 1995 & 1998 make. They soon are going to be scrapped. In his own words, "today's generation do not listen to their elders.. If pushed, they will do something of extreme", he said swirling a finger across his neck. He continued, "my elder son does not listen to me. He doesn't want to work hard. Now I stopped pushing him. But I will work...

Mau is a tiny village settlement at the outskirts of Maihar... It is one of the more than 6 Lakh villages of India. Nonetheless, it is largely dependent on agriculture for livelihood. Many of them either work on their own (less than 3 hectares) land, or opt to work on others' land as daily wage laborer. A large chunk has started working in the nearby cement factories, or one of the many stone quarries as the Baghelkhand region is a rich source of minerals like limestone. Migration of people to bigger cities, especially in the Northern industrial belt, or towards the west and the south is a burgeoning phenomenon. What is it that might be stopping people to stay at their native place? Poverty, malnutrition, lack of education & health institutions, ideological backwardness, infrastructure gap and so on. Many of them are semi-literates and cog themselves in low paying unorganised sector jobs. Education for children is a perpetual dilemma even though there are higher asp...

From far away, finding it as a peaceful abode we headed towards this place. With a sense of envy and how the grass is always greener on the other side, we urban dwellers has a thing with space and no noise. Sanjay saw us coming. He sat down in his wooden cotton-woven khataai (bed). This is rabi season. Sanjay has grown wheat in his 3 acre fields. Okay, it was time for the young mind to kindle with and belittle the hard working farmer. In this huge spare of land, why can't he do commercial farming? Shouldn't he grow Aloe verra, process it and sell in the market? Isn't it in the trend? Sanjay used to work as an operator of a bulldozer in another district. He would mine sand from the riverbed. For a month he is free as the work at site is stopped. The new administrator has banned it. Anyway, why does he want to go away from his native place! This place is at the outskirts of Maihar. The landscape is up and down. Not too far, the river Tamas make its way. During win...

Recalling the last week's visit to Rishikesh, and apart from the usually discussed natural beauty & the beautiful sight of the Ganga river what struck me hard is the people’s memory of the Uttarakhand floods in 2013. It had caused enormous loss of lives & properties. More than 6,000 people lost their lives and thousands of them lost their livelihood. October 2021 – my visit It has so happened that there were heavy rains in the upper parts of the Himalayas during my visit last week and in just three days of downpour, there was already a tumultuous flood in the Ganga. The crystal clear water of the silently flowing river marred with the fresh alluvial soil and it must be flowing by at least 2 meters above its usual October level. We could see many uprooted trees were flowing with the river. All the Ghats were flooded. There were reports of several landslides and this caused the Chardham yatra to be stopped. It was at this pretext that I have encountered several people bel...

You see, it's not a lot that is happening nowadays, and since the past that Radhe have known myself. It's pretty much a plain day. Most days he does not even reconcile when it started and when it came to an end. Yeah, some nights are hard to pass. But it's because of the hot weather, and may be because of the noise at times. He does wake up in the mid night recouping from the shock of a peculiar dream, or, the longing for an old song.  Today is different. Radhe has woken up early. He has had a good sleep. The weather is rainy. The clouds are heavy and dark. As he sits beside the window, he could see the play of the changing colors. The mild cold air along with the chirps of few birds here and there, is making him feel alive. He is alive, right? He is. He is feeling it today. As Radhe peeks more from the window, he expects more from this fast dissipating morning. It's not everyday that it is like that here. The weather is talking and he could hear its deep breath. But he...

Uma has put on a heavy makeup while she is standing in the mid of a busy street. She is wearing blue jeans and a tight pink T-shirt. She works in the famous red light area of the city. The city is Delhi, our capital city. A flood of men pass before her, some looks at her with a bodily thirst; while some unaware of the area, pass uninterested. What sort of livelihood is this? She caters to the bodily need of men. This means business. People involved in it tend to have no honor. They are the outcast of the so-called civilized and over-proud society. Due to the illegal trafficking of women, including children, there is no line between people who actually want to use sex to earn money and those who are forced into it by the pimps and the third men. It's cloudy today. It may rain. Police station is at a walking distance from where Uma stands. A man has looked at her with a lower gaze. He may be interested in her. He stopped with a shaking leg and asks for the price. "N...

Mansi is anxious. It's her birthday tomorrow. What should she expect off the day? She has been growing up in the age of mass media. All the drama of the unreal world is creating castles of dreams inside her mind. Having no avenues of opportunities as of yet, she has been increasingly believing in her fate and the God and that one day her life would be lifted from the pyres of pain to the kites of laughter. It's evening. She feels special. She is feeling hungry. Her mom has not returned from the work yet. She is eager to discuss her plans for tomorrow. Deep down she knows that it is simply unaffordable for her to think of the sparkles she has been decorating inside her mind, although her instinct is not yet ready to accept this. Sitting by the door, she is watching her younger sister. She is playing in her arms and it makes her happy. She giggles with her, "Is it didi's birthday? Is it! Ha!". By the night, as mother came tiringly, and father a bit later, half drunk...

Morning arrived and so did the Sun's orange rays. It perched on the side of my bedroom window. As usual, the air is smoggy and dispersing the yellow light. The morning is not the beautiful morning. It is impressing confusion. Sun remained silent and brightly hot. The wind is mildly cold. Indeed, these are early hours. The month of april is on its end. There is no smell in the air. The streets are empty. There are isolated voices of pigeons, koyal and eagle off the sky or from somewhere they are overlooking the city from the shade of any building standing around. The city will soon be awake. Soon, there will be vegetable vendors lurching around at the top of their voices. Garbage vehicle would wander around playing on the encouraging social message and campaigning for cleanliness.  Newspapers will keep on carrying the damning news of death and disarray from the deadly virus at the behest of the 'once in a century pandemic', as they call it. We are counting back our days and ...

Mansi has a one-year-old sister and an eight-year-old brother. She herself is only fourteen years old. One of her sisters died at a younger age. This makes a family of five. The Eldest three of them live to work and work to live. Every day's earning is a matter of life and more life. Every day counts as the wage amount of each one of them is the bare minimum. Yet, they ensure that Mansi and her brother are going to school. Mansi is not sure how long will she continue. She may drop out of school as the one-year-old child is to be taken care of. While everyone has to be away, someone has to be with him. At times, he is dropped in the neighborhood. At times, he is taken to work by her mother but it hampers her work and she is also scolded for it. Mansi's father is a rickshaw puller. He works in the city, often going in the morning as he has got the job of sending school children in his rickshaw. When he comes back, he would do his basic routine and prepares for the long toiling da...

It rained heavily for the last three days. June has come to bring with it dark roaring clouds. The pond is full to the brim. Now Mansi could not go closer to the edge. There is a danger of small and big insects that reside in the pond. Contaminants and impurities of the pond water are floating over the surface. The water of the pond is now rejuvenated. There will be more rain in the coming days. Soon the water would start flooding the edge and cross it to inundate the nearby slum. Mansi got drained in the rain the first two days. She did not go to work the third day as she was having a cold and a mild fever. She has not taken the medicine yet. The owner of the house where she works called and gave her a sarcastic scold. They may think that she is only fleeing from work. The owner would cut the day's salary. Mansi is compelled to come tomorrow as the owner could not manage the house and utensil cleaning. But the owner did tell her the name of the medicine to be taken based on their ...

It's almost dark. The streets are still busy. It's late in the evening. The market is going to be shut. People are tiredly returning from their work, and as well the birds into their pavements. Street lights are on the parade. Shaurya is walking for over half-an-hour now. When he came out of his house, he didn't know where would he go. He just wanted some fresh & open air. He wanted to stretch his veins. He wanted to look at people and be in the mid of crowd, in mid of reality, away from the digital life & his poetry books. He wanted to look at real people, toiling and enjoying themselves in real life, in real sweat. It was an unplanned exit. He is not carrying his cell phone. He is not carrying any cash with him. He is walking freely. This is one true human form. It seems as if he is unafraid of the uncertainties. This is not a strange city anymore. He swims in the streets. He has done this a number of times. This place is not alien to him anymore. But there are co...

Gasping for breath, Raj reached the summit of the mountain. It is crispy cold. The mountain is laden with several sheets of ice. The peak of the conical mountain is touching the dark blue sky. Raj sits over it, looking over the horizon, not feeling anything. There is no one to accompany him, but he himself. He could listen to his contracting and expanding lungs. Raj is hitched with his supplies of food, clothing, camping material, heating source and oxygen. He is also carrying certain equipments like oximeter, maps, ropes and compass scale. Raj is not exhausted at all. He outdid himself from the previous expedition. This was one of the scariest expeditions in the world. Raj feels regretful that there aren’t enough of the high peaks to out climb him. Raj has no attachment with the chaotic social world. He is affixed and in a way, have to, to these mountains, quiet and alone. Raj looked at his watch. It is still time to start the downclimb. He took no picture. He has no anxiety. He was t...

आदमी अफीम होता हैं. जिससे जितना बतिया लो, जितना साझा कर लो, जितना मन का बोल दो, उतना अधिक नशीला हो जाता हैं. फिर आदमी खुदगर्ज़ भी होता हैं. वो आपसे दूर जाते वक़्त अपने मतलब की देखता हैं. आदमी अकेला भी होता हैं. अकेले, अपने भीतर किसी मटके की तरहा डुम डुम बातें करता हैं. अकेला आता हैं, अकेले इरादे बनाता हैं, अकेला जाता भी हैं. अंतरिक्ष बगल के कमरे में रहता था. वो आज बोरिया बिस्तर बाँध कर अपने घर को रवाना हो गया. उसका इस बवाल शहर में मन लगना बंद हो गया था. ये इमारतों और आदमियों से भरा हुआ शहर उससे सम्भला नहीं गया. "यहाँ लोग कैसे रह लेते हैं!"... "हमारे वहाँ सब खुला हैं, घूमने के लिए पहाड़ वादिया हैं"... "ये शहर में रहना बोहत कठिन हैं"... "दम नहीं घुटता होगा इनका?" अंतरिक्ष का जाना हलके सुलगते अंगारे की तरह धीमे से चुभने लगा. आदमी दो बार नहीं मिलता. आदमियों से दो बार की मिलने की आकांक्षा करना ही व्यर्थ हैं. आदमी जितना दिन आता हैं, उतना दिन साथ रहता हैं, उतने पलों के लिए समय और जगहा साझा करता हैं. मुझे नहीं मालुम की अंतरिक्ष अब कब दोबारा मिलेगा. शायद कभी...

It's lockdown out there in the city. The city is closed for the fifth consecutive day. The city is under the grasp of a terrible pandemic. Silence lingers around in the streets. No one but the essential supplies is allowed to open. Anoop is in the city, away from the humans he has known and laughed along. Anoop remains at his one-room rented space, having all amenities. Anoop feels fortunate. The pandemic has not touched him as of yet. He feels grateful about it. It's been almost thirty days that Anoop has touched anyone. Since the lockdown, he hardly comes out of his room. From the window of his room, he could see the sea of buildings trapping families and other humans inside them. He did go out into the streets to buy some supplies. The walks also fill him with the rare human aura. "Yes, there are people still living around...". When he walks, he looks at people's faces, makes eye contact, tries to pass a salutary smile beneath the facial mask, and passes. He ea...

आज लॉकडाउन का तीसरा पहर हैं. शहर की व्यापारिक और सामाजिक गतिविधियों पर पाबंधी कसी गयी हैं. शहर जरूरी सेवाओं को छोड़कर पूरी तरह से स्तम्भ हैं. सड़के खाली हैं. ईमारतों में अनिश्चितता हैं और वे शांत हैं. लोग अपने घर की बालकनीयों में से, कमरे की खिड़कियों में से मूक होकर झाकते हैं. चौराहे के पास वाले बरगद के पेड़ के नीचे रिक्शावाला रहता हैं. उसका खुद का रिक्शा हैं. आज से दो साल पहले उसे ही चलाते चलाते, पाई पाई जोड़ के खरीद लिया था. तीन चक्के का पेडल वाला रिक्शा है. टायर घिसे हैं. रिक्शे और रिक्शेवाले की शक्ल अब मिलती जुलती हैं. शाम का समय हैं. सड़क में हलकी बारीक सी चहलकदमी हैं. लोगों ने मास्क लगाया हैं. वे जरूरी सामान खरीदने के लिए और कोई एक छोटी सी वॉक के लिए बाहर आये हैं. ग्राहक नहीं हैं. रिक्शावाला अपने रिक्शे में बैठे हुए मास्क नीचे करके बीड़ी सुलगा रहा हैं. बिना फ़िल्टर की बीड़ी वाला धुआँ सीधे सीने में घुसता हैं. फेफड़ों के छिद्दरों को भरने और सुखाने के बाद रक्त में हीमोग्लोबिन की मात्रा कम करता हैं. निकोटिन पहुंचते ही आदमी को हल्का महसूस होता हैं. मस्तिष्क की कमान ढीली पड़ जाती हैं. आदमी एक सम...

इन्दरबचिन्दर, कितना तप कर सकते हो? कितना? बताओ तो? "मैं सवा करोड़ साल तक एक ही स्थान में बिना हिले बैठा रह सकता हूँ" इन्दरबचिन्दर, यूँ ना फाकों, कल का लड़कउ इत्ता कर सकता हैं. तू क्या इतना ही सामर्थवान हैं? धिक्कार हैं! "मैं चालीस करोड़ साल तक एक पैर में, एक स्थान में, बिना हिले खड़ा रह सकूंगा" इन्दरबचिन्दर, मुझे इन छोटे मोटे तपों से कोई मोह नहीं. तू अपने आप को महान कहता हैं! बस इस बात के लिए? यहीं तेरे जीवन की परिकाष्ठा हैं? यहीं तेरे जीवन का लक्ष्य हैं? यहीं तेरे होने का वजूद हैं? तो तू जीवित क्यूँ हैं? तेरे होने या ना होने से यहाँ कौन फर्क पड़ेगा? तू अगर महान कहलाना चाहता हैं तो ये बचपना छोड़, इन्द्रियों का मोह छोड़, भड़कीला पत्थर बनना होगा, महाकाल की तरह! बोल कर सकेगा! बोल तू क्या कर सकता हैं! "मैं... मैं... मैं..." बोल! क्या सोचता हैं? क्या हैं तेरी शक्ति? क्या हैं तेरा मनोबल? क्या हैं तेरे इरादे? कौन हैं तू! बोल! "मैं धरती बनूँगा. मैं युग-युगान्तर तक होने वाले भूमण्डल में इस्थापित वे जो एक मात्र गृह होगा जिसमे जीवन हसेगा, लड़ेगा, मरेगा, जियेगा, मैं उनका ...

It's a hot day. April is drifting away swiftly. Over this region of central India, Sun shines vertically at least once a day. The temperature soars to more than forty degrees Celsius is common. Mansi is at her home. Just this moment, she feels tired and relaxing over the porch. The home is covered with tarpaulin, supported by wooden pillars, stiffened & stuffed with mud and coated with cow dung and lime. It is illegally situated at the edge of a pond near the far end of the town. For the hundred-odd people who live here forming a ghetto, this pond is at the center of their daily activities. From defecations around its other un-inhabited edges to washing clothes over its ghat, to bathing, and also plucking the lotus flower that grows in it for selling in the market, it's of criticality to them. The water remains stagnant, only replenished with rainwater. The pond is also being used by the ritualists of the city who live nearby. They would use it for religious acts like the i...

रात के सवा तीन बजे हैं. अंशी को नींद नहीं आती आज. रात में थकान की नींद से जल्दी बिस्तर पे आ गया था और देखते ही देखते झपकी लग गयी. जब नींद खुली तो कंठ सूखा था. माथे पे पसीने की कुछ बूँदे थी. कुछ देर पर अंशी उठा और फ्रिज से ठन्डे पानी की एक बोतल लेकर मुँह लगाके गटागट ख़त्म कर दिया. कमरे की बत्ती बुझा के बिस्तर पे वापस आया. अब तक मन जाग उठा था. पूरी तरह से चेतन्न हैं, बेकाबू था. आधे पूरे मन के कोनों में से दिन भर की आवाज़े, तस्वीरें, ख़्याल, गाने, बातचीत सुनाई पड़ रहे हैं. अंशी पीठ के बल औँधा लेटा हैं. कमरे का पंखा पूरे गति से चल रहा हैं. बाहर खिड़की से खुले परदे की आड़ में से कुछ सफ़ेद रौशनी आ रही हैं और कमरे की सीलिंग पे गिर रही हैं. शहर शांत हैं. ये ऐसा पहर हैं जब रात एक दम उफान पे होती हैं. स्तम्भ, असाधारण. बाहर की शांति ने मन को एकाग्र कर दिया हैं. अंशी सोचते हुए तेजी से अपने पैर हिला रहा हैं. नींद का कोई भी ठिकाना नहीं हैं. "पता ही नहीं पड़ा ये दो हफ्ते कैसे बीत गए". "किसी की फ़िक्र करने लगो तो समय जल्द ही बीत जाता हैं". "कितनी सारी बातें की..". "अभी दो दिन...

The coastal winds are strong. It's nighttime. The moon is glittering in a semicircle. Radhe had been feeling very strong nowadays. There was a time when he would fall sick all too often. These days, his skin keeps glowing. He has a wave of new energy flowing inside his body. Yet, he is not restless. It is not the symptom of unaccounted anxiety. Something deep inside him has changed. He could run for miles without getting heavy on the lungs. It doesn't matter whether it is winter or summer, he is as fit and stable as if he has adapted to the environment of all kinds. He could listen deeper and his eyesight has improved to a scale. He thought, "maybe everyone is feeling the same... It must be that I have started to live differently... Change is treating me nicely.." Radhe is standing over the roof of his 16-storey building, by the seaside. It's been a good day. Even though he has worked the whole day and a significant amount of running, he is all the more energetic....

Raadhe is now under the influence of a slow poison. He knows about it. Only in specific moments can it be realized how lost he is and how far has he drifted from his normal senses; yes, when he stares blankly at a wall, or a ceiling fan, or sea waves, or star-laden blue sky for more than enough seconds. Sometimes, at moments of forgetfulness, the instant long laughs and warm touches of close ones make him realize that he too can be happy and content. But those feelings depart in no time. It's magical. Uh, he is looking for a permanent fix. "We have come here to enjoy but look at him! Again, zoned out!"... "Where are you at Raadhe?"... "Not again! Enough of your dreamings...!". It is understood to him that he could not control everything under the sun. He had considered himself immune and too strong. It happened very fast. It was as if it had to happen. After all, he is just a human. The feeling of the loss is a little great than his bearing capacity to...

The unintimidating character-forgotten ruler of the country, having lived a pampered life ever since his birth in the castle, now dealing with a severe form of world-reality, ordered that the music will not stop for even a tenth of the second. He wants that this should be a new normal. He is the new king. He wants that a part of his luxurious life should be tasted to the people of his country. His people suffer a lot. Instead of the usual noise of the world, the silence and the cacophony, and where only a few listen to music while others toil day and night under the sun, overworking, overstressing, he wants them to relax a bit. "To hell with the work! Let them all enjoy and go brisk for a while... Hahaha". Thus he has invested the state coffer's money in mass manufacturing high-quality speakers and placing them at various corners and even remote areas of the country. The music kept on playing 24*7 in the kingdom. During the night, they play slow calming jazz, or somethin...

Last week someone said to me, "my left eye is blinking, must be something bad is going to happen". "No uncle! It's evening time, it going to be very good news soon.", uncle seriously got confused and tried to innocently memorize this new unknown factor. In India, we Indians believe in several such indicative ritualisms verbally passed on from generation to generation, for example, if a cat cut across our way, it's bad; eating sweet curd before leaving for examination or any important work would be good; no non-veg food during the Navratri festival; having have sneezed at odd counts; to talk interrupt someone when he is leaving the house, so on and so forth. There are countless sayings and all are unique as per the region and the culture to which one belongs. We have often denied to not pluck the leaves of the neem tree, else it will bring misfortune and that it has a lady ghost habitating in it. It although seems to be a good way of preventing the common peo...

She looked like a goddess. Letting her black hairs lose, wearing no fake makeups, no glittering ornaments to support her aroma, she was strolling in the city when the world was fast asleep. It's morning, the sky is filled with a shallow blue-darkness. The roads are empty. The tall urban buildings, the street side disciplined-trees, the sky, the moon, the fading stars and the earth are the silent spectators. It feels anxious today. It was a troubling week. Lots of unanswered questions. She couldn't sleep at night, tormenting between her wild feelings and dilemmas that she couldn't tell to the unkind social world. She is 27.  Burning with a calming smile, she has teary eyes. Adversity has made her strong. It's been long that she wanted to do this. She is alone in the streets, facing her deepest fears. She is feeling better and more stable. The winds are heavy, dry and dusty. The summer has arrived quietly. Her long hairs were flying and falling on her face and spreading a...

A 22-year-old sweet little child at the peak of his studies, a third-year undergraduate, carrying loads of expectations over his shoulder didn't first know when he fell to schizophrenia. There is a lot a person has to deal with when caught with it. After medication, he was dealing with the problem of depression. Recently, he parted with us... He had a dream of becoming someone. He wanted to crack JEE and for which he dropped a year after completing higher secondary to attend a coaching in Kota. It was a challenging choice for him owing to the financial situation of the family. Success here would also mean a setting stone to his never awakened self-esteem.  He did his schooling from his hometown, Maihar in the North-Eastern part of MP. Maihar is a Tehsil (subdistrict) under district Satna. Under Maihar Tehsil, there are 268 villages. The total population of the Tehsil is approximately 4 Lakh. Maihar, although surrounded by three mega cement factories, and itself a famous religious s...

Mansi, a teenager, is envious of the marigold flower glowing in her house's backyard. "They look beautiful", she smiled. As per her, their life is more effortless and with the blessings of nature, they get free food, sunlight, air, water. Even the bee is not shameful while arranging for pollination, a process humans feel too sacred about. Mansi is tormenting with the ideas of social customs and that they have to be followed without the availability of the resources in return. "More rules for those who have nothing". You are suddenly an outcast from the rest of the disciplined and obedient society if you show resistance. "Where are the toilets? Why do we have to defecate in the open? Why are our schools not having facilities for the making of the aspired man and woman expected from us?". She took birth in a family which has less hold on earning income, and a society divided into thousand layers, economically, socially, politically. Mansi now...