ख्यालात: सल्तनत
कोई खास वजह नहीं है..
फिर भी ना जाने क्यूं
पिछले कुछ दिनो से
रह रह कर,
अपने बचपन वाले घर में
कुछ वक़्त बिताने का
दिल कर रहा है..
मेरा वो घर,
जो मैं खुद अपने हांथों से बनाता था..
दो तकिये पापा के,
जिनसे दाँयी दीवार बनती थी
और दो तकिये दादाजी के,
जिनसे बाँयी दीवार बनती थी...
और मां के तकिये से
वो कोना बनता था
जिस तरफ सर रख कर
मैं बेफिक्री से सो जाया करता था
छत, यूं तो मां के आंचल से
ढली होती थी..
पर जिस दिन डर ज्यादा होता था
उस दिन उस छत पर
मां के आंचल के साथ साथ
पापा की लुंगी
और दादाजी की शॉल भी
डाल दिया करता था..
सामने, मुहाने पर
दरवाजा या दीवार नहीं बनाता था..
बस दादाजी की छड़ी रख देता था
मानो,
अब किसी कि औकात नहीं
कि बिना पूछे अंदर आ जाए..
और बस, बन जाता था
मेरे सपनो का वो घर
जहां ना कोई डर था
ना कोई घबराहट...
अब बड़ा हो चला हूं
पर हुं तो इंसान ही..
इसलिये कई बार
परेशानी में सोचने लगता हूं,
के काश...
के काश कहीं से,
बस, एक बार फिर....
पिछले कुछ दिनो से
रह रह कर,
अपने बचपन वाले घर में
कुछ वक़्त बिताने का...
Picture credits: Marc Chagall, Infanzia/Childhood (rotated 90 degree counterclockwise), Style :Expressionism
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साँवले होठों वाली: मैने सिंदूरी लाल किया
तुम विदा हुए धरा से
जीवन का सार गया |
पत्थर की मूरत से
मानो भगवान गया |
द्रवित हृदय,
हत-प्रद, भाव विहीन,
नियति के न्याय से
शून्य, अश्रु में लीन...
बिन सोचे समझे
जीवन से रंग निकाला |
लाल हरी चुनरी को
रीति ने सफेद कर डाला |
चूड़ी तोड़ी, बिंदिया छीनी,
माथे का सिंदूर मिटाया |
शादी के जोड़े को
गंगा में अर्पित करवाया |
मृत्यु ने बस काया छीनी,
नियमो ने निष्प्राण किया |
रीति, शास्त्र पुराणो ने
पीड़ा का अपमान किया |
जब अमर प्रेम हमारा,
ऐसे क्यूँ ढोंग रचाना ?
हां, जीने को जी नही करता
पर ऐसे नही शोक मानना...
काजल सी रातें होती
बिंदी दिन की दिशा दिखाती |
आँचल में उनकी यादें
चूड़ी गीत मिलन के गाती |
भाव तुम्हारा रंगों में जब
बेरंग क्यूँ ढल जाना ?
धर्म-अधर्म के पलड़ो से
रिश्तों का क्यूँ मोल लगाना ?
बातें हम दोनो की है फिर
जग को किसने अधिकार दिया ?
ऐसे धर्म-व्रत-मर्यादा को
जाओ मैने अस्वीकार किया...
रीति-रस्म को ठुकराया,
अर्थ-अनर्थ का भेद गया |
फिर से कोरे आँचल को
मैने सिंदूरी लाल किया...
फिर से कोरे आँचल को
मैने सिंदूरी लाल किया...
["मैने सिंदूरी लाल किया" लामया द्वारा लिखी "साँवले होठों वाली" संग्रह की कविता है. और पढ़ने के लिए देखें saanwale hothon wali]
Picture credits: Widow, by Kathe Kollwitz style - Expressionism
Gods Own Garage: And It Zested Me
Tata Zest is a new compact sedan created by Tata Motors under its Falcon programme. The car was revealed at Indian Auto Expo 2014 along with its hatchback version, the Tata Bolt. The car was launched in Indian markets on 12 August 2014, after which its hatchback version will be launched. The diesel version of Tata Zest will be fitted with 1.3-litre quadrajet diesel engine which is already being used on Indica Vista and Manza where as the petrol version of Tata Zest will be powered by a new 1.2-litre turbocharged, 84 bhp engine.
The Zest is based on existing platforms on which Vista and Manza are built. The car will be built by Tata Motors at Fiat's Ranjangaon factory. (Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tata_Zest )
What Will You Like?
- Stylish back with neatly integrated boot.
- Muscular front grill from a deviation from the normal Indica design.
- Contemporary interior styling, with good quality material.
- Good quality music system.. Front seats are very supportive.
- Panel gaps are totally even throughout.
- Low end torque (Which means better drivability in city) is really good in the petrol Turbo charged engine.
- Very good ride and handling.
- Affordable automatic transmission for diesel (read it as Fiat engine)
- Multi driving mode will really help the people looking for economy.
- Ride and handling is surprisingly good.
What Could Have Been Little Bit Different?
- The head light assembly still resembles Vista.
- Top end variant is not there in AMT.
- Mid end torque in the Revotron engine is not that linear.
Exterior
The first glimpse itself will give you a fresh thought about this new launch with the new grill and first-time-in-the-segment, projection head lamps. The DRL and the fog lamp assembly chromes act as an icing on the cake. When you come to the first quarter on the sides, the wheel arches are given a muscular curve and that very well placed on the big 15 inch wheels . (Personally I like the spokes in the Revortron variant but some people like the diesel variant alloys.). The B-pillar black strips are very good quality ones. The curves on the doors are clearly visible and it continues the design principle in the front. Come to the last quarter and there this car scores even better. The boot integration is neatly done. Come to the back you will be surprised to see such a simple yet elegant design. I would say it is one of the best in sub-4 meter cars. The LED tail lamps are neatly done and the chrome blends with the overall design.
Interior
When you get in, you will be seriously surprised as the quality of the interiors are a notch ahead of any of the Tatas in the market. The dashboard quality is good, I would say, it is at par with the Dzire/Swift. But with the contrast colour on the dash board and door pad, the interiors look more fresh and spacious. The dials deserve special mention. The quality of the dials are best in the segment. With brightness adjustment in picture, that is something which you would never get over. The front seats are really comfortable and you will not get tired on long rides. Come to the back and you will be surprised to see the leg room. I am 6.3 feet tall, and when I adjusted the driving seat for my height and when I came back to the rear seat, I had lot of leg room and I could stretch my legs without any issues.
One thing which is lagging in the interiors are enough storage spaces. There are no big bottle holders or back seat pockets. The dead pedal will be sorely missed and for long drives, this is really discomforting.
How It Drives?
I drove Revotron, and I was really surprised to see the low end torque drivablity. The momentum pickup is clean and quick. Even though it has a turbo and it kicks in at 1500 RPM, but still the city drivability would not bother you.
Tata engineers are really made it smooth, as I was able to go to 55 KMPH in first gear and 80 KMPH in second gear before it touched the red-line. This means that overtaking would be a smooth affair for you.
The other point to be noted is the Braking. In our test drive, we could validate that 80 to 0 happened under 50 meters, in straight line. And in curvy braking as well, the car behaved perfectly fine.
Handling and Suspension
The suspension is not hard and thus good for Indian roads with speed-breakers.
The cornering and handling is the part, that made us to say “Wow” and at this price point that really means something. Under sub 4 meter we have a now a (superior) competitor for Swift/Dzire for handling.
Infotainment
If we don’t mention about this in the write-up, then that is an insult to this car. The 8 speaker (4 speaker and 4 tweeter) Harman system is awesome. If you have a good bit rate music file, the system doesn’t disappoint you. The touch is also good at this price point.
Apart from infotainment, the automatic climate control integration to the touch system is a smart move that Tata engineers have done.
Couple of points that could have been better for infotainment system are-
- Could have gone with the capacitive touch screen.
- The voice recognition understands only sets of commands, and requires training.
Couple of Other Points to be Noted
- Zest uses ABS 9.1 from Bosch and that helps to reduce the torque from Engine in case if there is a drift in any of the wheels.
- When you put your mode in Eco, not only the engine is tuned for economy but also the A/C compressor runs with lesser load to increase the fuel efficiency.
- The NVH levels are best in the segment
How Does Zest Compare with Competitors?
- Zest is the clear winner if you are looking for a petrol Entry level Sedan.
- In case of Diesel, if you are looking for mileage, then you can trade it on Amaze, else you can go with this.
- For boot space all the main competitors are of almost equal size, but Amaze’s loading bay is little bit convenient.
- If you want a diesel and city driving is easy, then you have two options , either go with Zest AMT or go with Amaze.
Overall, Tata really Zested me with this car. Now it’s your turn, are you ready to be Zested.
[ "God's own Garage" are a series of blogs, primarily authored by Anumod Thomas, who is an avid automobile enthusiast, a keen reviewer and an accomplished Software Engineer. A person who can make an instant impression with his big frame and even bigger heart, you can reach him on Facebook or +Anumod Thomas ]
[All pictures are from Tata Website]
The Lost Rambler: Chasing the Monsoon
July gone, August passed and there were hardly any rains in Delhi. Mets had predicted less than par rainfall for Delhi and I was craving for monsoon showers. Sadly there were very few. So I did a little research for a place where it rains a lot in September and where I can feel alive away from this blast furnace. And the answer was in the north. The plan was set and I did not want to waste a single day in September to chase the rains into the Himalayas. I was joined by my brother Akhil, and we decided to leave for the NH 22 via NH 1 on the 1st of September. Two brothers, 1 bike, 2 light bags with the necessary accessories and clothes and with one mission “Chasing the Monsoon” we hit the road in the morning and turned towards NH 1 for a yet another memorable ride together.
The weather remained cruel until we crossed Ambala and Akhil already had his arms tanned. We kept taking breaks at every hundred km and around mid-noon we crossed Ambala and were cruising on Ambala – Chandigarh Expressway. As we took the turn towards Panchkula we could see clouds hovering over the mountains and I was dying to see them close. It felt like I was the crow from the “Thirsty Crow” story, I twisted the throttle a little more and crossed Pinjore, Kalka, had Lunch there and ascended for Kasauli. You have to take a left turn after Dharampur police station and ride on a narrow, jerky 13 kms long dilapidated road to reach Kasauli after Garkhal. Suddenly we felt the chill in the air as if it were Oct-Nov in Delhi. We reached there before the sun down and retired for the day in HPTDC hotel (Rs 485 / day) but not before hiking up to Kasauli town for food and the lovely sunset view. To our surprise there was no one else in the entire hotel. The view from the window was incredible but the night was haunting. Pitch dark mountains on one side and a barren slant road with a dim street light, under which the bike was parked, on the other. The care taker of the Hotel too was talking like the “Chaukidaar” of the “Bhoot Bangla” from the old Hindi movies. And when we asked him about how is everything around, he replied in the same runic tone – “Kuch nahi hoga sahib , so jaaiye”. We walked back to our room. We both were talking slowly as if someone were listening to us. But no one was around. Or was there someone? And when it suddenly starts raining with lightning and thunder….
We put our blankets over our heads.
We woke up when the same caretaker brought tea for us. The rain had taken a break. We packed the bag and got ready for another two hundred km of mountain riding in a day covering Sadhupul, Chail, Kufri, Shimla and back to Kasauli. As we started it started raining again. Rains in Himalayas gives you an astounding view… it is heaven. We wasted an hour waiting for the rain to stop but then I thought, we came riding miles for rain and when it’s raining we are waiting for it to get over. So we started descending towards Dharampur again; on the bike, in the rain. After a happy breakfast in Solan, we started to climb towards Kandaghat. We were surrounded by clouds and all we could see were a few trees and drenched road through a veneer of mist. Or was it the clouds we were walking through? At Kandaghat the traffic policemen told us that the way to Chail is blocked as the Sadhupul was damaged by a truck 10 days back. He advised us to visit Sadhupul and come back as they and the administration will not be responsible if we went ahead. Sadhupul is a bridge over the river “Ashwini” twenty km right from the Kandaghat signal. People enjoy beverages, some strong and some not quite so strong, in the river with their feet running in the cold water. We started to descend on a narrow road with scant population. We reached Sadhupul and saw a bulldozer removing the debris of the bridge. We talked to the locals and decided to cross the river on our bike and move ahead to Chail.
The way to Chail was mesmerizing, full of curves and steep as we were climbing from 4000 feet to 7000 feet in about only thirty km. The rain water coming down the visor and the air gushing inside our helmets gave us the sense of being alive every second. We reached Chail and the locals (we saw only three men in during the whole ride) told us to visit “Kaali ka Tibba”, the highest point in Chail. The road to the temple ahead of Chail is scary. We were greeted by a bull with “Brahmos” like horns running towards us. A narrow road, beside a steep cliff and a maddened bull! I had a lump (read b*lls) in my throat, but suddenly Akhil twisted the throttle and luckily the engine made a noise that scared the bull away. A few steps more and a very long snake slithered past us across the road. We were dumbstruck for a while. We took a deep breath and started uphill for the temple. The place was calm and serene, so different from the preposterous temples that our city lives have made us see. We spent some time there and it was already getting late by then. Sadly, we had to drop the plan to visit the world’s highest cricket ground as we had to cover Kufri, Shimla, Solan, Dharampur and those thirteen tearjerker kilometers to Kasauli, before sunset.
The way to Chail was mesmerizing, full of curves and steep as we were climbing from 4000 feet to 7000 feet in about only thirty km. The rain water coming down the visor and the air gushing inside our helmets gave us the sense of being alive every second. We reached Chail and the locals (we saw only three men in during the whole ride) told us to visit “Kaali ka Tibba”, the highest point in Chail. The road to the temple ahead of Chail is scary. We were greeted by a bull with “Brahmos” like horns running towards us. A narrow road, beside a steep cliff and a maddened bull! I had a lump (read b*lls) in my throat, but suddenly Akhil twisted the throttle and luckily the engine made a noise that scared the bull away. A few steps more and a very long snake slithered past us across the road. We were dumbstruck for a while. We took a deep breath and started uphill for the temple. The place was calm and serene, so different from the preposterous temples that our city lives have made us see. We spent some time there and it was already getting late by then. Sadly, we had to drop the plan to visit the world’s highest cricket ground as we had to cover Kufri, Shimla, Solan, Dharampur and those thirteen tearjerker kilometers to Kasauli, before sunset.
It was drizzling continuously as we began to climb Kufri…
The way to Kufri was surrounded by clouds and dense forests. We were wet and cold. We took a small break in the mid-way. Once you stop, you realize what Tolstoy meant when he said “In the name of God, stop a moment, cease your work, look around you”.We looked and a flurry of emotion and awe starting flowing through my mind. I wished I could stop a bit longer, but the clouds were getting darker and we had to descend as soon as possible to Shimla. We reached Shimla by night fall and parked the bike near ‘the lift’ and climbed to the Mall Road and the ridge. I was not at all excited to visit Shimla as I had been here earlier. Sadly this city, one of the most beautiful ever, is getting more and more populous and polluted every day. The once famous cleanliness and weather has deteriorated a lot. We roamed around for a while looking at the crowd and nibbling a bit here and there.
And then we moved on… in the night.
I took the wheels from Akhil, as it was getting dark. It was dark by Waknaghat and the dim headlight of my motorcycle was causing worries. The best way to ride on hills at night is to follow a vehicle ahead, while maintain a safe distance, as you can see the road and the turns in its headlight. But it gets worse when the driver ahead is drunk, speeds up and vanishes from your eyes, which is generally the case on Himachal roadways. You have to wait for another vehicle coming behind you to come forward. We finally reached back to Kasauli late in the night. By midnight we were back in the beds; tired amid the familiar but eerie silence, and a soothing chill. In all we rode over two hundred and fifty km. in the mountains. We had chased the rains and we had a full soaked experience. It was still drizzling in our sub conscious when we surrendered to our dreams..
The next morning we did some sightseeing in Kasauli, The sunset point being the best place from where you can see many cities in Punjab with a map on a cemented slab with direction pointing towards the respective cities. It was time for us to leave. Another three hundred km in heat and dust. We started in the morning, had breakfast in a beautiful hotel at Jabli, and spent some more time in the mountains. We left Himachal at noon. Akhil had the wheels and he sped away for next hundred km, without caring for me on the pillion and stopped only after crossing Punjab at a petrol pump near Shahbad. I was furious and asked him the reason for doing so. He told that he did not wanted to look back as he might take a “U” turn and go back to the hills again. Haryana was hot, and it got hotter near Kurukshetra, but as we crossed Panipat, We were greeted by the rains. We took the last set of pictures, put the phones into the bags and rode back to Delhi. That night it rained cats and dogs in Delhi. “We chased the monsoon and brought them back with us” he said to me before going to bed.
I have ridden to Himachal earlier as well. The confidence of riding on the mountains is high only when you have done it earlier. Riding on the terrains is the test of endurance to get past the pain and focus while riding. Frankly, chasing the monsoon was an excuse to ride “Into the Himalayas” again but yes it was worth it. Next time we will go further high. It is only from a height you can see how small the differences are and only past that screen of cloud and mist you meet yourself. Cheers to life and I live to ride.
[ "The Lost Rambler" are a series of motor sports, automobile, adventure and travel posts by Nikhil Anand ]
ख्यालात: आज की ताज़ा ख़बर
तुम्हारे लिये मैं उस अखबार जैसा था
जिसे तुम रोज़ हाथ में लेती थी..
अपने हाथों से मुझे
कभी उलटती थी
कभी पलटती थी
कभी आंख भर के
निहारती थी
और फिर समेटकर
वापस रख देती थी...
हाँ... मैं कुछ कुछ
उस अखबार जैसा ही तो हूं,
जब तक साथ रही तुम
मुझे उलटती, पलटती
और समेटती रही..
फिर एक दिन
आंधी आई
और तुम बिना मुझे समेटे,
मेरे ऊपर बिना कोई वज़न रखे चली गई
अब मैं ठहरा अखबार
तुम्हारे जाते ही मेरी ज़िंदगी
उस आंधी में
पन्ने दर पन्ने उड़ती चली गई..
आज अरसे बाद
बमुश्किल खु़द के पन्ने समेट पाया हूं..
फुरसत मे
खुद के ही पन्ने पढ़ने की कोशिश की
तो पाया कि बस
अखबार के
अंदर के पन्नो की ही खबरें बदली हैं
पहले पन्ने पर आज भी ...तुम्हारी तस्वीर छपी है
["आज की ताज़ा ख़बर" राहुल द्वारा लिखी "ख्यालात" संग्रह की कविता है. और पढ़ने के लिए देखें Khayalat ]
Picture credits: Arshile Gorky, Untitled , around 1938, Abstract expressionism
