Winter evening @
Select city walk....a mall near by my place in South Delhi....the girl
that's me is ready to meet another guy my parents arranged for me (with
a probability I will marry him) Usual with India and our parents ...I saw
him entering the mall in coat, formal shirt and jeans from one of the
sides of that huge entrance plaza of the mall.... Ohhps ...I missed it you
must be thinking how I recognized him? Well we saw each others pictures before
and chatted over phone a bit to coordinate our "the meeting" at
"the mall”. Up till than I never knew I am going to share the next half of
my life with him as my "better half" ....I was a difficult one
on that context up till than.... More than difficult I was unsure was I be good
for any one or not :). We doubt our capabilities sometimes... And marriage
thing for Hindustanis’.... Believe me not that easy one!
We met at coffee cum ice cream cafe on ground floor. I could sense little bit of nervousness in him (though don't blame him for this I used to go bit unreachable for first meetings sometimes)when we entered the cafe until we sat down and ordered coffee ....the conversation which is usual for people meeting for arrange marriages started than ....what do you like? What do you don't like? Your expectations? What not!
We met at coffee cum ice cream cafe on ground floor. I could sense little bit of nervousness in him (though don't blame him for this I used to go bit unreachable for first meetings sometimes)when we entered the cafe until we sat down and ordered coffee ....the conversation which is usual for people meeting for arrange marriages started than ....what do you like? What do you don't like? Your expectations? What not!
Meeting lasted for
about half an hour than .I felt the set hopes I had made for my marriage
fulfilling ....still was disconnected ....we do behave sometimes like
that....for reasons unexplainable...
I said let's leave we
have talked enough and let our parents know about our decision after thinking a
bit over it.
But that was not the end he said let's eat something at the
food court upstairs as I am feeling hungry...probably that was a trick to make
the meeting a little longer (at least what I could sense that time) still I
agreed. We went upstairs food court full as usual! We ended up with pizza
at Italian restaurant near food court there.....again the conversation started about
his hometown.....peculiar Lakhimpur (name of his hometown) lifestyle and
people there....! His passion for literature and his liking about small unknown
hill stations ....far reachable...with each one having small mysterious story
to it (that’s how hill stations in our country are). I didn't had
anything much more to share here with my restricted mindset of "first
meetings". Well this part of knowing each other ended after another hour,
we left ...I mean I left for my place by auto, he left for his place by
metro. I told my parents about him after reaching home...had nothing much in
mind to tell them except he is a simple, sober guy with not much on demand list
with him. Couldn't say completely yes by than ...dad said take your time....
His mom called dad after a day of our meeting and told him that
he has said “yes” and is OK for marriage if I am also in “yes”
with him…but I was not completely by than….
And guess what this take your time thing
took
another year almost …actually a little more than that for me!
In Continuation....
) 
जनता ने मजे ले लिए | कि बाबा पूरे देश से मौज ले रहे हैं और सरकार भी पगला गयी है | सरकार ने तो पल्ला झाड़ लिया ये कहके कि बकायदा रिपोर्ट ली गयी है कि वहाँ कोई मेटल है जो लोहे के अलावा कुछ और है तभी खुदाई हो रही है , भले चाहे बाद में ताम्बे के बर्तन निकालें | पर बाबा जी और उनके चेले नहीं मान रहे | वो कह रहे हैं पक्का , २४ कैरेट सोना निकलेगा वो भी १००० टन | लोगो का तो ये भी कहना है कि बाबा अपनी पब्लिसिटी के लिए ऐसा कर रहे हैं | पर हमें ऐसा नहीं लगता | पब्लिसिटी करनी होती तो बाबा किलो दो किलो की बात करते और खुद से रखवा के खुदाई करवा के निकलवा देते , वाह वाही हो जाती | १००० टन बड़ी बात है | बाबा ये रिस्क नहीं लेंगे | 
. But whatever I am today, I am lucky enough to be alive in an arena when this master blaster has brutally and ruthlessly has tore the bowling attack of opponents, apart. 
किताब में ऐसा कुछ नहीं है जिसके बारे में आपने देखा, सुना या समझा ना हो | पर हर ऐसी चीज़ जिससे हम वाकिफ होते हैं, उसके बारे में हम वही नजरिया अपनाते हैं जो हमको सूट करता है | शायद यहीं आकर ये किताब नया पहलू देती है हर उस बात को | आपको हर पन्ने पर सोचने पर मजबूर करती है | दुखी नहीं करती | कभी कभी आपको जिंदगी के ऐसे पन्नों के बारे में सोचने को मजबूर करती है , जिसको हम अक्सर या तो भूल चुके होते हैं या जान बूझकर अनजान बने रह जाते हैं | किताब आपको पास्ट को भूलने को नहीं कहती :
दरसल ये घटना सत्ता धारी गठबंधन की अध्यक्षा द्वारा प्रधानमंत्री को लिखे पत्र से खड़ी हो गयी | पिछले दिनों झुमरीतल्लैया ( जिसको असली में कोडरमा के नाम से जाना जाता है ) से कुछ लोग माननीया से मिलने आये थे | उनका कहना था की विविध भारती पर प्रकाशित होने वाले कार्यक्रम “आप की फरमाइश" में पिछले करीब १५ सालों से उनके परिवार के कुत्ते का नाम बार-बार लिया जा रहा है | १५ साल पहले जब उन्होंने रक्षाबंधन के त्यौहार पर “बहना ने भाई की कलाई पर प्यार बाँधा है” वाला गान सुनने के लिए चिट्ठी लिखी थी तो उन्होंने अपने कुत्ते का नाम “शेरू" भी लिख दिया था | पर वो ये लिखना भूल गए थे की ये उनके कुत्ते का नाम है |