Rohit Sharma

This is the center of the marketplace in my native town. The man is a street hawker who is selling kid's play items. The picture is taken one day after the Diwali night. Almost the whole market was closed but in this one place, few food shops were grouped. While eating the Paani-puri there, I had this intriguing gaze put at the flying balloons. I have seen that in small towns during the festives, there are certain traditional days (pareva) where markets are shut and people do not move out much. In big cities, this is not much cared for due to the cosmopolitan behavior of the city.  Anyway, I was checking several posts related to a coconut seller reducing the prices of the coconuts and same time advertising in the cardboard that he is selling at a lesser price than Q-comm sellers like Zepto and Blinkit. To me, it was concerning for some reasons: - first, will it come to this? Let's see.  - although change is a constant, there is a lack of financial cushion at levels of street h...

  मै हठ करूँगा. मुझे नवीनीकारण नहीं अपनाना. मै माटी की भूमि मेँ नंगे पाव घूमना चाहूंगा. मेरे लिबास में मुझे कोरी सफ़ेदी मंज़ूर है. रात होते ही मै लालटेन की रौशनी मे रहना चाहता हूँ. घर हो, घर मेँ खुला आँगन मयस्सर हो, लोग हो. रात की चांदनी रात मे घी लगी रोटी के साथ आम का आचार मुझे जचेगा. बर्गर, पिज़्ज़ा, अन्य कोई व्यंजन की उम्मीद नहीं. घर की पाली हुई गाय का दुग्ध मिलेगा तो मै चूल्हे की लौ मेँ उसे गरम करके खाने मेँ खा लूंगा.  भूखे रहने की आदत छूट गयी है. आदि मानव हमारे पूर्वज रहे और हमें एक घंटे प्यास से नहीं रह पाएंगे, शायद मर ही जाए तो ताज्जुब नहीं. इतनी सुविधाएं किस लिए. भूख का होना ही तो जरूरी है. घंटो भूखे रह लिए तो थाली का एक दाना छोड़ दे कोई तो मै इफरात मानु. अब हम नाजुक है. चार कदम चलना, आठ मिनट भूखे रह पाना, सोलह मिनट गर्मी झेलना यही रह आया है बस. मै हठ करूँगा. कोई तो समय था जब ना रेलगाड़ी थी, हवाईजहाज तो छोडो. क्या दिवाली घर मेँ मनाते, कितने मुसाफिर ही हो गए, कितने साल मुँह ना देखा. अब कहते है की जिंदगी का कोई ठिकाना नहीं, इनसे उनसे सबसे मिल लो, कौन कब जा गुज़रे. गुज़रे...

  हम सब को उड़ने की, अदृश्य होने की, ये दुनिया से दूसरी दुनिया में जा पाने की शक्ति होनी चाहिए. हाँ. मैं किसी भी माया की बाते नहीं कहता. धरती से पलायन करने की बाते है. विशाल अंतरिक्ष में खोने की बात है. धरती में तो हम आज़ादी से देश भी पलायन नहीं कर पाएंगे. अबके यहाँ राजशीय सीमाये है. सीमाओं में आदमी गोला बारूद लिए आपको मार गिराने के लिए तैनात है. उधर ऐसे ही चले जाने में मनाही है. बनी हुई व्यवस्था में संघर्ष अनिवार्य है. हा कुछ ऐसे नियम बने है जिससे सामाजिक और आर्थिक लाभ उठाये जाते है. ये सामूहिक शक्ति की देन है. इसे अनेक पूर्वजो ने अर्जित की है. व्यावहारिक होने के स्वाभाव ने सम्मलित की है. एक के लिए सव्यवहार दूसरे के लिए दुर्व्यवहार भी साबित होना संभव है.  आदमी की आदमियत एक दिन की नहीं है. पहले के लोग खुद नरसंहारी थे, निर्वस्त्र घूमते थे, और अपना डेरा लिए उम्र भर फिरते थे. फिर कथाये, मान्यताये, नैतिक नियम क़ानून समय समय से उभरे और विभिन्न जगहों में क्षेत्रीय समाज आज के रूप है. हिंसा अब भी है. सामाजिक तनाव आज भी है.  यों हज़ारों साल की फेर बदली और उथल पुथल के बाद भी आदमी स...

जद्दोजहद घर बनाने से लेकर घर बसाने की है, उसे सवारने की है. क्यों ना आदमी ताउम्र बेघर ही रहे. कोई ठिकाना ही ना हो. ऐसा किस हाल में हो जाए. समाज की नीव का विगठन करके सब अस्त व्यस्त करें देते है. क्या बचेगा? आदमी किस लिए कमाने को रुझाएगा? बेघर आदमी का क्या परिवार? ना आदमी ना उसकी औरत ना उसके बच्चे. फिर तो बड़ी अराजकता की बात हुई. समाज किस रूप में देखोगे? समाज को समाज ही बोला जायेगा या जंगल? तो क्या घर का होना समाज मेँ सामाजिकता का होना है? मै जंगल की तलाश एक महानगर में करता हूँ. मै प्रवासी हूँ. मुझे बड़ी ईमारतो के जगह घने पहाड़ और खुला आसमान देखना है. मै खुले पेड़ो के तले बैठ कर, खुली हवा में सास लेने को देखा करता हूँ.  एक प्रवासी की क्या जिम्मेवारी बनाई जाए? की वो प्रवास किये शहर को अपना बना सके? मेरी प्रवसीयता कब तक रहेगी? गर सब सही हुआ तो कभी मै भी इतनी पूँजी इकठ्ठी कर बैठूंगा की अपने प्रवास में एक निश्चित ठिकाना बना लूंगा. उसके बाद उम्र मुझे बची हुई उम्र तक बंदीग्रस्त कर देगी और तभी मुझे अपने प्रवासी होने की याद आएगी.  प्रवासी होने से लेकर मेरे बंदी होने तक मै बनाये हुए समाज...

अब के सर्दिया लगने को आयी है. एक दो दिन की बात नहीं रही. पूरा एक जमाना चाहिए की उड़ा जा सके. उड़ के कही धरती के किसी दूसरे कोने में जा के सोया जाए. कहा.. कही तो भी. आत्मीयता कहा मिलेगी. मन से शांत कहा रह पाओगे? मुझे खाली समय चाहिए. बैठ के नीले आसमान को देखु. वही नींद लग जाए और बिना समय देखे बस सोता रहूँ. सॉरी थोड़ा स्कैम हो गया है. अब तक सब कुछ गलत समझाया बुझाया गया है. करियर और ओहदे वाली बाते. आज़ादी कही तो भी नहीं है. देश की, आदमी की, आदमी के अन्तःकरण की.. सब को फसाया गया है. जब जंगलों को काटा गया, जब पुल बना दिए गए, जब ऊंची ईमारतो का निर्माण किया गया. जब घोड़ो को सारथी बनाया गया, जब इंजन का उपयोग यातायात में लाया गया. जब तलवारे, कट्टे और तोपों में इजाफा हुआ. जब किसी ने किसी के घर में घुस के चोरी की. जब आदमी ने आदमी को बंदी बनाया.  मतलब की आदमी जबसे मॉडर्न बना दिया गया, तबसे.. और उसके पहले का क्या? अच्छा हां. उसके पहले का क्या? कोनसे ज़माने से सोचु! नदिया सूखी तो भूतल से पानी कैसे निकले? हैजा फ़ैल गया तो गाओं के गाओं को कौन बचवा ले? और क्या जद्दोजहद बची.  अरे.. मैंने तो सोचा था के ...

  ये लोकल ट्रेन में बैठे बैठे आदमी जाने किस ख्यालो में खो जाता है. शायद बैठने को मिल गया इसका कोई मर्म एहसास उसे कायल कर देता होगा. या घर और करीब है इसकी अनुभवता पे दिलचस्पी छा जाती होगी. आँखें खोई हुई, चेहरे में कोई सुर्खिया नहीं. और कभी अचानक से चलते सफर को गौर से निहार लेना.  आदमी ख्यालो में गुम है ये बड़ी बात है. आदमी या तो गुमसुम दिखता है या अपने फ़ोन को देखता है. फ़ोन तो कैद है हमारी. हाँ.. हाल में यही महसूस किया. मैंने सोचना छोड़ दिया है. मै अब बस देखता हूँ. फ़ोन की स्क्रीन में. कई कई देर तक. लोकल में बात करने वाले आदमी भी दिख पड़ते है. इनमे बड़ी गहराई होती. इनकी बाते राजनैतिक है, सामाजिक है हर प्रकार से. जैसे अर्थशास्त्री माइक्रो और मैक्रो के स्तर में जाके अर्थव्यवस्था को समझते है, वैसे इन सब बातो में माइक्रो-सामाजिक बाते होती है. लेकिन हाँ भाईचारा देखो तो. आप बोल दे की मेरा बैग प्लीज़ वहा पे रख दो, या प्यार से पुचकारते हुए ज़रा सी जगह बनाने की दरख्वास्त कर दो.. आदमी हो जाते है. एडजस्ट. लड़ाई भी है पर अपनी जगह.  मै तो चाहता हूँ की लोकल ट्रेन टाइम्स के नाम पर कोई ...

सोचता हूँ की रावण का पाप कितना बड़ा होगा की उसकी सजा अब भी ख़तम नहीं होती. हर साल पूरे भारत में और विश्व के कई देशो में हिन्दू धर्म के लोग दशहरा के दिन हज़ारो रावणो का वध करवाते है. हमें नहीं मालूम की रावण कैसा दिखता होगा. मैंने उसकी प्रतिमा और पुतले भयावह ही देखे है. उसकी बड़ी बड़ी मूछे है, उसकी आँखों में ज्वालामुखी फटता है, उसके दस सर है.. ऐसा कुछ.  मुझे कुछ सहानुभूति होती है रावण से. बच्चे से लेकर बूढ़े तक सब लोग उसके जलते हुए पुतले को देख देख खुश और अचंभित होते है. रावण गर कही से देखता होगा तो क्या सोचता होगा. क्या उसका दिल पसीज जाता होगा? क्या उसे ग्लानि मारे डालती होगी? हर दशहरा गुज़र जाने के बाद उसके लिए दोबारा ये दिन आना भी कितना दर्द से होगा. या की ऐसा हो की उसे इतनी नफरत पसंद हो. रावण तो रावण ठहरा? हमें सबको मालूम है की रावण ने घोर पाप किया था. लेकिन उसके पश्चाताप को अब ख़त्म कर देते है ना. उसे अपने नाम से मुक्ति मिल जाए काश. हाँ, कर्म ऐसा किया है की भुलाया ना जा सके. उसे तो श्री राम और उनके लोगों ने कई बार चेतावनी भी दी होगी. क्या उसे इसका एहसास हुआ होगा की वो चिरजीव वर्षो तक यू...

It was a cloudless morning. Everything seemed normal when I was well dressed in formals and choosing to start my day off the door from my place. Out of nowhere it started to rain in peace. There were patches of clouds that can be seen. I chose to wait in hope. Mumbai rain departs in no time. You never know. Starting early is a survival skill, else one can get stuck in crazy traffic. Peak hour was about to start. It was still raining.. After a whole 360 seconds (every minute counts), I decided to check on the Uber. Whush!! It's running on double rates. Perplexed I waited a little more. Thereafter I rolled up my sleeves and quitted my plan to ride to office. I picked up my umbrella in stuffed fear & started for the nearby local station. It's raining in force.  I reached the platform to find a crazy crowd staring at their screens and elsewhere. It seemed that the trains are running late. One unique day, huh? This is 8:30 AM. I am alresdy 30 minutes running behind. One train ca...

 The jackal was not anything and he walked out at night, howling over the greasy dark roads, gazing towards the passing yellow street lights and the sleeping towers. What is to wonder? It didn’t matter.  The rain was not there. It stopped showering. It was the perfect timing. No one was behind and no one that he had to follow ahead. No time constraints either. What is the speed through which he slips onto the ground and race ahead. How are his sights. Is he hungry? By heart, in mind. At this wet dark hour, he will roam..  Happier still he has thoughts running for multiple days. The thoughts, huh! They are constant and hardest to conquer. The night is beautiful and his pace sets him freer all the more. What’s with this city? He wishes directions. It’s hard to understand stuffs, life. What is there to care about? It’s the plentiful seeking. He is put up inside the cave, all day long. He misses his time with the stars and he misses being irresponsible. He has grown mid-aged....

Mumbai is a said financial capital of India. It's huge and equally so the count of humans deriving their livelihood from the city. People migrate here with a dream to earn and live a better life. There are labourers, there are street vendors, and then there are corporate employees. We already understand how the rents play out in the city. At the rich cores, not everyone can afford a house. So we travel.  The other day my aunt back home was telling me how my uncle work hard and travel for 10 kilometers to his work. In Mumbai, it's peanut. I have a friend who travel 4 hours everyday to & fro office to home. Ask him, and he will swiftly tell us his routine. It's not even a big deal to him. He is habituated. He has a fix time schedule to wake up and get busy in the day. If he misses one local train, he has to calculate how much time he is gonna wait further to reach the office.  We all know people who are not so much a fan of the place for its on-the-run mode. They dont eve...

Last Sunday I dipped inside a waterfall and later while trekking back from the place, I passed through a rainy forest for two hours in constant. I walked amid nature. But most often I was only watching my footstep as it was slippery. I reminded myself to stand a while and look up towards the cloudy sky, and drink the dancing green that was surrounding. Rainy season is a blessing indeed. I crossed pools of water and overflowing mini-waterfalls.. Driving back home took more 5 hours and yeah that’s it. I was home. I felt safe. I was ok. The other day I went to the office and I had a pretty long day there. I was happy & tired. But I came back to my place with a tiny stuffed ear. I mean I was feeling as if my ears are swelled. I felt like cleaning it with a earbud. I did. I cleaned well. It’s a habit to keep the ear clean. I forgot the moment and got busied in the later life. After 2 hours, when I was about to fall asleep, I had pain in the left ear. I could not sleep with it. I had t...

It was a 140 Km one way ride from our place at Mumbai to the devkund trek. It was a random plan. Instead of continuing on the ride at the highway, we decided to head here. It was through the panvel, towards the Mahad that one way turns to devkund. This same place is nearer from Pune as well. A white fog was meditating over one of the hills around. Stopping out bike at the sides, we stood over a thin water brigde. The sky was cloudy, painted with a little blue shade in dilution. A river channel was below us through which a much transparent water was flowing in child-like agitation. It's nascent. Compared to the rivers in the central India, should I say that these are short lived, that they would meet their destiny earlier - The ocean... This is west India! It didn't rain all the way till now. It's the fourth week of june. The IMD had predicted that it's a surplus monsoon this year. Now there are quiet headlines about deficient comparisons. It's still the first month....

Time is inconstant. I wait for my phone to not ring. I wait for the weekends. The exuberance that I will do something on the day make me over realize. There are no concrete plans till the day is there. All burst into nothingness. At actual, I lay spread at my room, dozing, not dozing, severally looking at mobile screen, mobile notifications, watching random lectures and so on. As the day passes by, I complete unending tasks that keep coming in mind. I took my pants to the tailor and got it done. I ironed my dump of clothes. I video-called my mother and talked calmly. I made my own food. I pushed up and did the sit ups. It's afternoon. The windows are open. I saw a bird nest over the branch of the tree. No idea of the human neighbors, but I have this bird duo who takes turn to guard the nest. For some time now, the lady bird has kept her mouth open, no idea why. Very recently, a tree standing next to theirs was cut down in half. Many of the insects, birds and crows became homeless. ...

  Ajeet is a vegetable seller at this side walk of the Kandivali. He is an interstate migrant. His mother tongue is hindi, slightly bent to his native bhojpuri. He lives here all by self. Family is back at home. He has set up his shop below the multi-storey of a society. He gives an unofficial rent to the builder guy who takes care that he sticks at the place without any interruptions.  Anyway, he seems temporarily settled here. He remains seated under the cool shed of the tarpaulin. He has fast befriended the security person who sits by the gate near his shop. They chat during the high heat of no customer footfall. During the afternoon, he shuts his shop for 3 hours. He takes rest during that time.  Ajeet is now offering to deliver the vegetables at the door. He takes order to the nearby buildings and society. But he won’t deliver during the evening. That time is a busy foot schedule. The shop would be busy with people in the light evening. I have started to buy my veget...

It's 2012, I boarded my train from Maihar for Allahabad. Loaded with my luggage, a laptop and a keypad based phone, I sat in the general compartment adjusting myself in the boggie. i would have a confirmed reservation from Allahabad. It would be the start of a long journey towards Silchar. I would do a countdown of 3.5 long hours, no instant gratification of the whatsapp, no habit of engaging in long hours of phone calls. It was the phase when we used 2G. As the train would leave my native, I would follow the passing city through the windowpane of the moving train. All the streets, the jingling lights, the cozy memories would seem to give a good bye, until next time. The long stare would end in to the the dark abyss of the upcoming jungles and so forth. I would now had all the time to worry about my luggage, listen and observe people sitting close by, think about the people back home and the memories earned. I was a person who was thinking and who was wide alive. It's 2024. I b...

It was succumbing inside the Mumbai hose. Among many many human beings, surrounded by their walls, their hopes, their invisible chains, he was too. So, at midnight, when the sleep was on a run, he flew away on his meteor. The city is wide and the roads lesser traveled. Where does he go?  It was clocking past eleven. City lights has enveloped the sky. He has this powerhouse inside him. It contains uncertain energy. It is undriven. It is without direction. He rode slower, hugged with stability... Only a voice that reins his blood veins, making him mad, fighting his calm senses, not wanting him stop. He has this urge to fight, to punch on the face, of what, of fear? Driving several kilometers, he reached an unquiet shore. The ocean was roaring in greetings. On his behind, a half moon glew in constance. He sat over the cold sand. He remained whispered and unstunned. As his madness pierced away, he felt larger inside. As minutes passed away, ocean water was climbing upside, ...

It was Sunday today & I had actually skipped a ride till it became evening and the burden of it laid heavier on me. I dressed up and at the hour of departing Sun, I chose to cruise. My meter hit the 3000 kms mark today. I remember my happiness when it first touched the first 100th mark! I seek to sum up the past two months that I had had with the meteor. This 3k mark includes two nearby Nashik Trips, a Surat trip, one to Lonavala, several Palghar touches and my regulars for the office work. Most of them were solo rides. I have been learning. It's been fun. Is riding your motorcycle a sport? I have fewer reason to deny. It is cumbersome to ride far, that too in India. Nowadays, I am watching the biker’s videos. It is helpful to understand the trails before going on a ride and in coping up with the resistance to ride longer. From the POV of a biker inside the helmet, there is a person who while being on a ride, is thinking. He is interacting with the objects in th...

It was a two-day trip from my stay at Mumbai. I drove in the evening a previous day. Having have rode my meteor a good 2500Kms, It was comparatively adjusting to ride 160km from Mumbai to the area near the peak. I have felt that if the trip is pre-planned, it helps you enrich your experience. There is so much more that we can explore and that does help us save time, energy and some money as well. I write with the same intention. Material carrying is important. Wearing bike accessories is essential for safety. This time while driving in the late hours, I felt that I should also carry items like pepper spray, a mat & torch. I carried a battery back up this time which made me feel safer, so to say. To remain ensured during the trip helps to enjoy better. I was calm due to it. I had put Kalsubai peak in the google map. Somehow I was going in the wrong direction. I had planned that I would find some tenting service nearby and sleep inside it during the night. I got to know t...

I catch a line from the movie “Into the wild” as – Career is a 20 th century invention . As much as it hits the brain cell, no wonder about its truthfulness. World is divided between developed, developing and under-developed countries. Thinkers and philosophers have interpreted the world and tried to understand the society in their own way. May be some of the words like Capitalism, socialism, communism, blah-blah-ism make some sense to you. Indian fabric is slowly turning towards Industrialization. What does that mean? 100 years back, Indians used to live in joint families. There would be one patriarch who would rule their large family. Agriculture was the main source of income. Population exploded. Lands were divided and distributed in ownership. Machine were invented. Productivity was trended. People started to move out of their joint families. Urban societies grew in size and started to become the concentrated economic centers. Last 50 years in India, there is an increa...

It was a long held dream to have my own Royal Enfield. Back when I was a child, bullet would amaze me in the roads & it has this rowdy feel attached with it. I had fallen in love with the RE’s Thunderbird model in 2017 when I first rode it. Due to some of my own reasons, I never purchased it. Thereafter came a long career gap of study and the plan remained in hang. I talk on my own behalf and here is what I specifically feel. 20s-30s is the golden period of our lives. We have the most energy. We are optimistic. We are adventurous. We have the gut feel that we could do anything. Cruising on road for a long ride needs to be supported by your body and your mind. Do we recall a season of the Friend’s web series, when Chandler, Ross & Joey talks about how is it to be a 30 year old? You like to relax and sleep early. In short, get your own bike as soon as you feel that you are craving it deeply. Think not much… It's been the end of the week one. Whenever I see my ...

This blog is about my first long ride experience in my new Meteor 350. It was a week back when I received the bike. In the first 6 days’ time I had completed 150 km of running. It was only for office related work. I had been looking forward to go on a ride since some days.  How much distance it is to start with was a question to me. I live along the western lines of Mumbai. Since it was the last day of the year, I was expecting traffic in the Mumbai-Pune highway. Recently, I also caught up many news related to traffic in that belt. I decided to take a different route as in picture below.  Okay. I was not very confident how much I would be able to ride. I had several checks with me. I was completely aware of the idea that bike is new & I should not drive it more than 60kmph of speed. Also, during the bike purchase I had not taken some accessories like leg guard and sump guard which now I understand are very important safeguards. Two other things are han...