Kya Yehi Muhabbat Hai ..

Raat Khoob Gehri hai,
Tumko sochta hooN meiN,
Duur tak andheray meiN,
roshni si hoti hai,
Roshni bhee aisi kay,
Jis k saray rangoN meiN,
Tum hee jagmagatay ho,
Tum hee muskuratay ho,
Meray dil k aangan mein,
Muheeb gehra sannata hai,
Jab bhee aa kay behta haim
Tera naam leta hai,
Muheeb gehra sannatta,
Tera naam leta hai toh,
Goonj Goonj uthta hai,
Mujh ko mausamoN se kia,
Mujh pe tera mausam hai,
Soch ka har ek manzar,
Tujh pe aa k rukta hai,
BarishoN mein, main tanha,
jab udaas hota hooN,
Teray lams ki khushboo,
Mujhko gudgudati hai,
Phool khilnay lagte heiN,
Dhanak bhee muskurati hai,
Chehra ek kitaab hai,
Meray chehray pe shayed,
Tera naam likkha hai,
Laakh meiN chupaooN bhee,
dost parh hee lete heiN,
Dost aakhir dost hee heiN,
Pooch hee letay heiN,
Ye jo ek talluq hai,
Tere mere beech ka,
Mujhko khud nahin maloom,
Kya yehi muhabbat hai ?

(Reproduced Work.
Jahanzaib ki kitaab "Bus Tum hee Ho" se iqtibaas.
All rights reserved)

In pursuit of happiness

People often ask me "what is happiness". Not because I am an authority, but because I guess, they relate my smiles to happiness.

We all have our dark sides. The sides we dont want people to know about. The sides which reveal the real us. The one which resides in us and connects us to our souls. We dont want everyone to peek in it. Only those, who we trust , can go deep inside to see that part of ours. And once they do, they know the real us. That leaves us a lot vulnerable too. 

I really dont know what happiness is. Just that I know, it exists in a lot of forms. Sometimes, in little things such as a good cup of coffee at work when I didnt have breakfast, a surprise call from a bestie I didnt talk to in a long time, when Boss asks you to take a leave from work and rest. Or sometimes in bigger things, when our partner understands our needs more than us, when bhai gets you an ipad even before you tell him, when your day at work goes wrong and you have a bunch of friends who will listen to your rants till you get over it. Sometimes, happiness is knowing you kept a promise you made, even when it wasn't working in your favour, or guiding kids about their future, because you know how difficult was it to find your way into career with any counselling, saying thank you to the guy who wanted to sell you a flower at the traffic signal, or just noticing the warmth in the eyes of your special one when they tell you that they love you.

What makes me happy might not make you happy because our happiness is defined by our own needs/wants & desires. But there are intangible things that make me the most happy. It can never be calculated, the net worth can never be estimated, but happiness for me is touching lives. For me "contentment" is happiness. Contemplating over the best usually strives me to get the best, but the race doesn't involve running over other's emotions.

Happiness is not a condition. It is a package that comes with all its highs & lows, odds & evens, perks & benefits. It doesn't come to us wearing the perfect face of glory. It comes to us, in many forms, at times touches us with the most subtle of emotions & leaves, with a trail for us to follow. We miss it at times, because we strive for perfect moments. We lose it because we want approval from others. We disown it because its not what our expectations were built on, We abandon it because we think we deserve better. Not a very wrong approach may be .. But what if .. those perfectly imperfect moments of happiness were all the glory we ever would have in our lives. 

Our relations, our families, our friends, our special ones, they all make an important part of our lives. How much effort do you put in to bring them happiness? How many times do you dream for them via your eyes? How long have you been struggling to make them happy? If you strive for happiness, if you strive for serenity, if your long for love, love others and the Karma would send happiness your way.

I am mean & selfish. The only person I strive to keep happy is myself.
I cannot give much happiness to others, but may be a smile, I can give, which subtracts nothing from my own happiness but adds a value to your lives with a positive thought. 

To all those reading .. thank you, as I continue my journey of life .. in pursuit of happiness..

- FR

Short Story: Love Is Blindness

It was a cold night.

There were 35 final year students who went from their university, to visit Babusar Top, the highest point in the Kaghan valley, Pakistan, known for its breath-taking beauty.

It was a pleasant July evening. The boys were ready to do some Bar-B-Q. The girls were helping them out. It was their last night together and the next day they all had to leave back for their hometowns. 

Mina was devastated. The thought of leaving Ali was making her anxious. Ali & Mina were friends since high school. Their likeliness changed into something more serious during the last few months of college & during this trip, together, they actually fell in love with each other.

Ali was busy helping his friends make food. Mina just couldnt hold her anxiety.

"I dont know why is he just not coming to talk to me. He knows we wont be able to meet after this day is over", Mina exclaimed to herself. 

Ali came over to the tent to pick up his watch, saw Mina walking anxiously. He came towards her: "Whats the plan? If you think walking in this cold would help you reduce weight, then i must tell you, you are badly mistaken". Ali giggled. Mina was furious, and walked away.

As for most of the boys, Ali thought .. "Oh yeah. She must be on her days. Mood swings, you know. These women!" and went back to his friends.

The food was served around the bonfire with the girls tapping their feet to Ali's strumming over the guitars. He was a pathetic singer and still tried to look cool by singing all the songs in the world he could remember. Had it not been for Sajjad, his classmate, who had an excellent voice, Ali would have made even the crows sound better.

Good food, good music, good atmosphere ..and then , there were the final moments of their tour's highlights. Tears of goodbyes, Hugs of warmth, gratitude of laughter and the ability to leave that place with a bigger and better person in everyone, held everyone close. They all vowed to remain in contact with each other.

Back in her tent, Mina was silent. Ali went towards her. They both sat down together. Their was nothing except the sounds of silence between them. The silence was heavier than the chilled wind blowing in their face or the flames of fire between them. They knew. It was much deeper, darker & stronger than they had imagined.

Ali held her hand. Mina lowered her gaze. He saw something that rolled on from her cheeks to fall down over the back of his hands. It was a small drop of tear with hundreds of emotions enthralled in it. He lifted her chin up ..there was an ocean of emotions in her eyes. He saw her sadness and happiness both at the same time. Her comforts & fears combined. Her gratitude of having him near to her and the pain of losing him away to distance, everything, in those fraction of seconds. His eyes were misty. He took her hands in the palms of his hands and told her decisively .... "You are the best of everything that surrounds me, Mina".

These werent just words. They were emotions drenched in the potion of love. She clamped her hands in his hands together. Looked him in his eyes to just tell her that she believed every word he says. He held her close. She rested her head on his lap. It was their moment. They knew ..they had to live it, no matter what their future held, it was that moment that they had to live.

Ali was caressing her hair, and she was lying there as a little kid who needs protection, care and love to all his annoying tantrums. She closed her eyes drifting into sleep. Ali was awake, wide awake! He didn't move a bit. He leaned down to place a kiss on her forehead. He kept on seeing her. Adoring her for all the innocence she had. He looked at her to find a girl who was so madly in love with her. He kept on caressing her hair, because it was her hair that he liked the most. What more can a woman give to his man, than the assurance of providing the comfort of being the most comfortable in a situation as awkward as this. At that moment, he knew .. this woman wasn't only loving him, she was giving him a part of her soul that no man could ever  have again, she was irrevocably vulnerable in love with him. His arms were numb by the pressure of her shoulders, but he didnt move. Because to him, her comfort counted the most. He stared at her face, and found her very ordinary. He smiled, because it was the way she made him feel, that used to take his breath away. He looked at the moonlit sky and saw hundreds of stars shining brightly over them, but none of them could match the brilliance of her face dazzling in the rampage of glowing love. He knew, he was special!

"Baby,a dangerous idea,

That almost makes sense,

Love is drowning,

In a deep well,

All the secrets,

And no one to tell,

Love is blindness"