मी मराठी - My Marathi

भावना व्यक्त करण्यास भाषेचं बंधन नसतं,
परंतु आपल्या मातृभाषेत करण्याची मज्जाच वेगळी असते |
शब्दकोश दांडगा असावा असं काही नाही,
मनातल्या संवेदना कलम आपो आप पानांवर उत्रवत असते |

जात पात धर्म मानतो मराठी,
शाळा होती इंग्रजी, ज्ञान अमृत कमीच पडलं मराठी |
प्रयत्नांती यश प्राप्ती, मॅडमचे हे वाक्य आठवले,
धैर्यने घेतलं कलम, आणि पाहताच शब्द आपोआप अवतरले |

लिहलेले शब्द एकदमच आपलेसे वाटतात,
वेगळाच आनंद देत, चेहऱ्यावर हसू फुलवून जातात |
मनात विचारांची धांदल उडते,
नक्की कशावर लिहावं याचीच तारांबळ उडते |

खूप विचार करून आज अखेर शंख फुंकला,
कित्येक वर्षाच्या इंग्रजी प्रवासात, आज मराठी सुर्य उगवला |
आता बाळगला मनाशी एकचं ध्यास,
मी मराठी - My Marathi,
हीच आपली ओळख आणि हाच आपला अटाहास |



-एस.आर

Your Life -- Your Rules

Others throne may not be yours to wear,
No matter how much you strive, you will end in despair.
You cannot ask what does not belong to you,
You only get what is due to you.

Petty falls cannot shake you to the core,
Never it is about the battles, but winning the war.
No defeat is ever bigger than life,
Neither a victory be judged as destination in life.

All are born unique with a mission to fulfill,
Always it is incomplete until you breathe.
One cannot venture in owns path in some one else's shoe,
Yours it is to explore, not follow what others drew.

In a world filled with changes each and everyday,
You will always be judged for what you do or say.
Learn to ignore the voices which least matter to you,
You might miss an opportunity, if you keep pelting stones in the dew.



-SR.

Old Is Still New

Everyone moved ahead post college life,
I, too, sailed on an adventure to relish the nature's might.
Directions changed as opinions began to differ,
Deep in my mind I knew something was left to wither.

Life became a play, everyone ploughed their way,
Old memories vacated the place, to give new one's gateway.
Those memories became history for you,
But what was old to you, for me, is still fresh and new.

People were many I came across,
Many voices filled the crowd.
Never understood why I couldn't blend,
Maybe 'coz, I couldn't term them as A Friend.

Still I can hear our roars from the sphere,
The occasional tears and deafening cheer.
Pictures, even today, murmer the words we spoke,
Old memories you say, is the latest my mind still evokes.

There is a reason why I initiate get together's,
And always stress on all to gather.
You have choices in plenty, to taste the fun,
Might sound strange, still, for me you are the only one.



-SR.

Hope Is Kindled

Years' cold & extinguished fire has re-ignited,
A light from the shadows has sprung.
Strewed in pieces was the spirit is re-united,
The caged bird is set free and has finally sung.

Sounds of thunder & lightening has come to a halt,
Bombs falling from the sky have changed their course.
Visible is the island, which was long lost,
Never can dreams be achieved without paying it's cost.

Long halted was the train has finally moved,
Embarked on a new journey, life is in a mood to groove.
I find myself so excited I can barely sit still,
Daring to dream again and craving for life's thrills.

A new day embraces with open arms,
A new dream to guide in the ahead path.
Heart sings a song without any tune,
Hope has kindled a way, to venture in this new dawn



-SR.

The Trap Door

Safe in which was light of my life, I lost the key,
Darkness looms around compels to forget The Me.
Stored in which was my Good Luck, I lost the kettle,
Bad luck which floats around, finds a path in me to settle.

Sun refuses to shine in the day,
Stars forget to glow in the night.
Light which reflects in the neighbors bay,
Shadow of which adds to my plight.

I seek an ear to hear me out,
Yearn for a shoulder to cry out loud.
Broken which is, I try to repair,
Only to find it filled with despair.

All I need is a ray of Hope,
A hand to hold and guide me to the shore.
Life is never that difficult to cope,
Only if one strives to open The Trap Door.


-SR

I was Wrong

Path of my life was always lost all the way long,
You were right when you said,"I proved you wrong."

Difficult it was for you to trust, who didn't trust himself,
How could you rely upon, who never relied upon oneself.
I accept the fact, I was not strong,
You were right when you said,"I proved you wrong."

Difficult it was for you to come along,
With someone who was not sure, to take one or all.
I accept the fact, I forgot to string along,
You were right when you said,"I proved you wrong."

Difficult it was for you to hold on,
Future lied in dark, with a broken a magic wand.
I accept the fact, I was a bit immature,
You were right when you said,"I proved you wrong."

But my heart was pure & Love hardcore,
Only the way to express, I forgot to explore.
You showed me the way, I ignored all the way long,
That's why,
You were right when you said,"I proved you wrong."



-SR

Miss A Friend

I shared with you my dreams,
I shared with you my fears.
Today I yearn alone,
Failing to find an ear.

I made a fool of your life,
And may have laughed upon it in delight.
Time played it's cards well in broad day light,
Turned the blade red of the butcher's knife.

I deserve this pain,
I choose to cry in the rain.
Though the line is cut, there is light in the fag end,
I penned this only, because I miss a Friend.



-SR.

Enough Is Enough

A walk in the morning is a catalyst for good health,
But not when you carry a baggage of defeat's deep in your head.

Hope fades away with the wind or lies in the dust,
Life seems to be buried deep down in the earth's crust.

In the times of becoming Independent, I achieve dependency,
Many heads lie in shame because of anti-incumbency.

But Hope is not suppose to die, &
Mission of a man lives till he is alive.

So, now is the time to say Enough Is Enough.

Five & half years waiting for the sun to rise,
Still staring at the dark with teary eyes.
Now is the time to make the sun rise, or
be ready to be decimated in it's flares.

The tornado has stayed long, &
Long time I did the waiting on the shores.
Now is the time to enter the storm, or
Get blown away by it's wrath.

Long it has been I played the game for others,
Now is the time to play it once for Myself.

The Sun will shine brighter & The Sky will be clearer,
Light will fall upon the darkness, when the beacon of hope is lightened.

Hope will penetrate the winds & tear through the rains,
A fire will rise from the ashes & dare the flares.

Enough of playing a victim, Enough of blaming our fate.
Now is high time to rise, as the path which only remains,

Is either Ride or Die.


-SR

Chalo Mumbai

    The leading Marathi daily in Maharashtra, Maharashtra Times, carried an article which said the newly elected BJP president has now set his eyes on Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha. It specifically said that Shah has asked his leaders to capture Mumbai from the hands of Shiv Sena. It is because the Sena controls Mumbai, that they have a huge base in the state. If BJP gets more seats from the maximum city, it won't be the shadow party in the alliance which it has been since the 1989. The article further said that if Sena won't accept the demands of BJP for more seats, then the party should be ready to fight 200 seats on it's own with 88 distributed among the allied parties other than Sena.

    Well at this juncture of time, Shah is at luxury to set such targets considering the backing of Modi wave in which the PM himself will be holding 10 rallies across the state. The support they may recieve from the business community in the city under the Modi banner. But the BJP president forgets that there is huge difference in pattern of voting in the Vidhan Sabha polls and Lok Sabha polls. Lets take a look at some of the issues which will be hindrance in Amit Shah's dream project.

Marathi Asmita
After his first rally in UP post Lok Sabha election and as a BJP president, Shah urged his workers not to get complacent and look for 2/3rd majority in the state polls. But the equations of UP will not work in Maharashtra. In UP, even today elections are polarised in order to gain votes of particular castes. This too is their in Maharashtra but ever since the 90s of the finest orators from the state and Shiv Sena Pramukh Balasaheb Thackeray had brought everyone under one banner, "Marathi in the state and Hindu in the country." The same legacy is take forward by Uddhav and Raj led MNS. Just like the Gujarati asmita which made Narendra Modi popular in his state which led to his alleviation upto the PM candidate for his party, BJP will also have to take care of Marathi Asmita. But none of their present leadership is ever heard speaking of the same. That is advantage Sena.

Modi, not BJP
In the LS polls people together voted for Narendra Modi and not for BJP. The ideological mentor of BJP, RSS, which was formed in Nagpur, the MP from the city belonged to the Congress(I) in 2009. This shows that the party lacked even in it's strong hold pre Modi. Under the NaMo banner the NDA won 43 out of the 48 seats from the state in 2014, including Nagpur. The votes were for a strong leader, the vacuum which was created by the decade long UPA regime. Even the Raj Thackeray led MNS voters chose BJP as his party fought election on just 10 seats and in them he mostly campaigned, indirectly, for Modi. So it was all about the Modi factor and not BJP.

Karyakartas
This is the biggest disadvantage of BJP in the state compared to Shiv Sena. It lacks a strong ground force. BJP karyalaya is rarely existent in many parts of the city but you will find a Shiv Sena shakha in every corner of the city. Balasaheb Thackeray had created a huge ground level army under his command, which Uddhav later inherited. Even in the recent LS polls, BJP needed the RSS karykartas to do the job of the party. Recently the SarSanghaChalak of RSS, Dr. Mohan ji Bhagwat said that Sangh may not be involved actively in the state poll campaign might create shortage of infantry for Shah.

Mumbai Marathi Mansachich
The Congress(I) - NCP government had said that Marathi manoos in now a minority in the state capital. Many new residential complexes which are coming up, specifically ban non vegetarian's from booking a flat, even if they can afford the same. A community is given preference over others. And all these are majority BJP sympathisers. This will work against the Team Shah in the state election.  Shiv Sena was born in the heart of the city in Dadar for the Marathi Manoos. The same sons of soil agenda is carried forward also by the Raj Thackeray led MNS. Hence these things can lead to division of votes which will have effect on Shah's capture Mumbai dream.

Marathi Speakers
Of the total 6 MPs from the maximum city, BJP fought and won on 3 seats. But only one of them is Marathi. Other than Modi, BJP doesn't have any powerful orator for their campaign. After Pramod Mahajan, the party couldn't produce a strong leader from the state. On the other hand even Uddhav is not so great like his father Balasaheb Thackeray. But still the party which has attracted maximum crowds for it's rallies since it's formation, Sena will have huge power packed campaign with old horses groomed by Balasaheb himself, will be out for addressing rallies alongside party chief Uddhav. Also Modi will be addressing all his rallies in Hindi, leaving 2-3 lines in Marathi, which may not work much in the parties favour like it did in case of General Elections. As against all of them, Raj Thackeray is the powerful orator in the state today, even powerful than Modi. He attracts huge crowds on his own like his uncle. So,Team Shah will suffer due to shortage of strong speakers.

Strong MNS
MNS supported the BJP's PM candidate during the LS polls. It also asked it's voters to vote for Late Gopinath Munde who had asked his help in the election. Raj Thackeray didn't succumb to the demands of NCP leader Dhanajay Munde to stage a candidate against Gopinath Munde. The party went into the General Election without it's official manifesto. But inspite of the defeat the rally it held by MNS Chief at Sion to show muscle, where Raj Thackeray declared himself the CM candidate of the party. It gave a huge boost to his party's cadre. Also the most discussed Blue Print for the state is stated to be released by him later this month. Even if Uddhav was made the political heir of Shiv Sena, everyone knew then it was Raj who was favorite for the party's top post. NCP chief Sharad Pawar had also warned his workers not to take Raj lightly as he has created the party on his own power and not received it as inheritance. So Raj Thackeray will be the biggest hindrance in the Team Shah's dream project to conquer Mumbai.

Considering these things, out of the many, it is not feasible for Team Shah to disturb the alliance at this juncture when the model code of conduct will begin in few days time. Even if the current surveys give BJP alone a full mandate, the campaigning is yet to begin. The party can ask for more seats but should not turn down it's own ally's. This might create a negative image which will only benefit current the ruling power in the state. Hope the sources in the articles are proven to be fake and the Mahayuti stays intact. Else it will be a suicide mission for the BJP to go against it's oldest partner.


-SR

Farewell ELTG

    TV serials have become a part of our daily lives. Once upon a time there were only 2 channels namely DD1 & DD2. Today the number crosses 100 or even 200. With such a large viewership in our country the count of family serials increased leaps and bounds. Many lives have been molded according to the stories. It surely had a huge impact on the society at large.

    As people became addicted, the story writer became jobless. All serials began to run until infinity. The bogies were occasionally changed according to the TRPs but the engine never stopped. When that was not enough another trend hopped in, generational change. Suddenly taking a 10-15 year jump. Bringing in a whole new set of characters. With them new stories, new villains etc etc etc.

    Like the Hindi, the story of Marathi serials wasn’t different. They too went on celebrating anniversary after anniversary of 500 episodes or 1000 episodes or 3000 episodes etc. Finally the viewers started losing faith in these trends. They started demanding deadlines, a quick end instead of empty rhetoric. 

    A serial name “Tuza Majha Jamena” by Mahesh Manjrekar on Zee Marathi was the much needed revolution. It came, gave a strong message to the youth and faded away in time. There was just one small trait. It knew its deadline but in the end it seemed to be little messed up. Most of the episodes in the end were spent in sight seeing in the Konkan belt.

    I have watched many serials till date, uptill their conclusions. In almost all of them, I was always happy that they finally ended. But as on date there is only one serial which I feel bad that it ended in just 10 months is “Eka Lagnaachi Teesri Goshta.” 

    All adjectives seem to feel short when it comes to explain the amount of attachment I have with this serial. It’s not that I am personally attached or my personal life story is mirrored in the script. But it felt so much home as if it’s happening around me and I am involved in all of it. Today was the first day when my regular 9pm schedule was different. It still doesn’t sink in that it’s over and I may not be seeing them together on screen, atleast for the time being. From the winter of 2013 to monsoon of 2014, ELTG is the shortest story on TV but it was the most adventurous full of life love story.

    The journey of ELTG began on 16^th October, 5 days after my birthday. I was waiting for this since the end of Eka Lagnaachi Dusri Goshta. The last scene of that series did promise a comeback. And finally, when the 1^st trailer was released, it just instantly clicked. That I am not going miss this series at any cost and that some arrangements had to be made in my daily schedule to include this new family. I still remember watching it late night when I missed the 9pm show as I could never hold myself till the next day, when it will be uploaded on YouTube or for the repeat telecast at 1130am.

    For any fan to get more connected with a serial or a movie happens when you can freely interact with it's co-stars. Spruha tai Joshi executed that part very well. Gone are the days of MSM. Social Media is so much powerful today, that you don't need to have any interviews in TV or articles in print media to be connected with the people. She use to reply to our comments on the social media which made us aware that even we are the part of their family.

    The main theme of the serial was to portray that sometimes even non-blood relations can be real, powerful, trustworthy and loveable than blood relations. At the end, it’s all in our mind. Just because we are related by blood doesn’t mean our bond is strong. It should be felt from within. Our inner voice, our conscience should prompt that feeling. This concept was displayed on screen by way of a love story.

    The biggest challenge to any story writer is to include the very small emotions related to the subject, which we normally face in our practical lives. Only than people connect themselves to the characters or sometimes to a particular scene which they may have faced or may be facing in their lives. They start searching for answers in them. I told this time and again to everyone I met that every small conceivable emotion related to this subject was taken into consideration while drafting the script. Even raw emotions which sometime we face in our lives but never see on usual TV soaps were also included which made it so real that, as a fan I didn’t had to take efforts to get involved in it. Not a single scene or act enacted in the entire series was hypothetical. All situations shown were something’s which everyone faces or have faced sometime in their lives. This made it so real that everyone could get connected with them easily. 

    The journey from Om falling in love with Isha whose family demands a complete family from the guy's side, who therefore is forced to create a fake family who are people bonded with love not blood since his real family was split in different pieces. In the end, Isha as the protagonist works out different ways to bring his real family together managing all the sides equally without letting anyone know about her intentions.

    It not just thought many things to the youngistaan but also gave some lessons to the elder's about how to tackle the generational paradigm shift. It thought us everyone the importance of forgiveness as a virtue. Sometimes it's good to let go the bygones for a happy and relaxed future. In the entire series, the Mothey Baba character was shown as an elder head of Isha's family with old mentality who has the typical demands of 19th century parent. Today, if the couple is ready we don't need much certificates from others. But here the grand dad demanded a happily living together family as 'in laws' for his grand daughter Isha. All of us till the end thought he was adamant on his views and forcing them on Isha. But the real reason for holding on to his stand was so deep that many of us can't actually think in that dimension. May be this what experience teaches us. Om has anger within himself for his parents and family members. He may be well qualified, settled but the baggage of grudges which he is carrying with him will also effect his grand daughters future. Reason for the anger can be anyone but the victim of his anger will be Isha. And that's why he wanted him to patch up with his family, even if they may not come together. Atleast, he will be freed from those memories which turned into fear since his childhood.

    Also the head of the family accepting defeat in the hands of his grand daughter showed us that there is always room for improvement and learning. Only we should keep our doors open for them. Age speaks about ones experience but it doesn't make one perfect from all others. These things are difficult for the older generation to digest but that is the reality and root cause of many family problems. If we give away our egos, more than half of our problem may get resolved.

    Every character was given justice and they were not just add on in the serial. So be it Gurji and Ghanna or Kamath Ajoba, Aaji, Madhu, Ranjit Kaka, Shobana maushi, Ashwini and Datta bhau. Many assumed the end drama will be when the Isha's family comes to know about the lie of Om's fake family. But it was given only one episode while the negativity of Satyajit kaka was given more than 2weeks weightage. This was the only thing I disliked in the end. Isha was given time to digest the lie and accept the real motive behind creating a fake family but her family wasn't given the same.

    After the three serials, I must admit I have become a huge fan of Spruha Joshi. The 'living in her own world' poet in ELDG, to a powerful character of social reformer Ramabai Ranade in Unnch Majha Jhoka & independent confident lawyer in ELTG. She was just perfect in all these versatile roles each completely different from the other. I also bought her newly published book Lopamudra, collection of peoms written by her. I guess she is first person who has made me read poetry which is always in my To Avoid list.

    The end is always happy plus sad. Happy because end is always happy. Sad because we wont be seeing all these stars together again. The journey has been fascinating. We will be missing the "Nay...nay....Nay.....Nay....Nay. Ho....Ho....Ho.....Ho.....Ho." But like Spruha said in one of her interviews, "It is good if poeple ask why you ended rather asking When will you end it?" It will take time for the fact to sink in that ELTG is no more. I hope all of you do come together once again with some other project very soon. Till then all the very best in your future projects.

A Fan.

-SR