Saturday, July 21, 2012


PROJECT 'AVATAR'*
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Do you want to be immortal, have no fear
That day is not too far, it is quite near
When your brain can easily be sliced
and fitted into a robot's top so devised
as to allow it to live unto perpetuity
What remains to be done is the nitty-gritty
the finishing  touches to cybernetic immortality 

Itskov the visionary entrepreneur has set his sight
On completing this project working day and night
He has christened it  AVATAR  which is just right
In a way it would be the triumph of mind over matter
Offering you immortality on a platter

It is no longer in the realm of science fiction
Of its scientific feasibility there is no contradiction 
The cost of this procedure though, will leave you floored
It will run into billions only the world's richest can afford 

Where does  human being's consciousness lie?
Can a brain severed from body, biological rules defy?
Is  the "me" or "I"   located in the mind or brain?
To all these questions we hunted for answers, but in vain


Can an artificial carrier sustain individual consciousness
Or Will a heart lung machine keep transplanted brain in harness
 The very thought of these problems makes my mind go blank
In the end, I think this Russian chap is just a crank

Defying death is just another  facet of human vanity
I am now working on a new ode on Intimations of Immortality 

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* Based on a news item in Times of India dated 20th July, 2012,  quoting a report from  the Daily Mail, London. 




Thursday, July 19, 2012


REQUIEM FOR RAJESH KHANNA  (1942-2012)
Yesterday,  a star that shone ever so brightly
So full of life, ever smiling and sprightly
Has passed into the skies to twinkle from afar
And to many aspiring  actors be a guiding star

When first I saw him in Aakhri Khat in 1966
Searching for his lost child he seemed to be in a fix
A sallow and awkward youth, a sculptor  to boot 
Into the hallowed precincts of Bollywood he set foot 

Who could imagine that he would soar to such height
With spellbinding performances to viewer's delight
With the epic Anand  a tragedy too sad for words
In Aradhana, he and Sharmila looked great as lovebirds
IN Amar Prem he seeks solace in a courtesan's arms
Even in the badnam basti he throws around his charms 
 

Whether as a bawarchi wearing the  khadi cap
Or the dakia delivering letters wearing khaki cap
He was unparallelled   in his acting, this charming chap
Tossing of  his head, the bewitching smile,the twinkle in his eye
Made many a fair maiden swoon and say  hai hai  

The death scene in Anand I'll  remember with my mouth agape,
 "zindagi aur maut oooper wale ki haath mein hai"says the tape
Before it unwinds and all we hear is a stuccato noise  
His end too came in a similar manner, he had no choice

We are as bereaved as his family who were at his bedside
All we can do is pray for his soul- let peace abide

Epitaph  " Here was an actor.  When will there be such another?"


Saturday, July 7, 2012


BEAUTY LIES IN BIRD POOP
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I  always wonder while statues I admire
Whether of Nelson in Trafalgar square
or Dadabhai Naoroji in Churchgate Mumbai
As  they stand on their  pedestals so high
How come their cheeks glow with such affulgence
Come rain or sunshine,as  they look at us with indulgence

Now the secret is out and what a shock it was
To know that it was the pigeons' poop that is the cause

New York Times reports  that all ye  ladies who aspire
To have a glowing skin and rosy cheeks should acquire
A mask containing nightingale droppnigs @ dollars 180
Apply it on your face for an hour, you're guaranteed to look  pretty
The powdered poop is flown  from land of cherry blossom
If you read how it is processed, it would sound so awesome

The excrement is sanitised under ultraviolet light
And then mixed with rice bran, an aesthetician's delight
Exfoliation and brightening of the skin will surely follow
Please  dont ridicule this remedy  if you think it sounds hollow

Remember that Cleopatra, the fairest of  womankind's ilk
Ascribed her beauty to bathing daily in donkey's milk

These exotic concoctions are most sought after today
Women  will try anything to keep signs of  old age at bay
Get a bee to sting you on the cheeks,and see how they puff
It's cheaper than botox,  if you dont get results, call my bluff

The skin care market is about to take a  quantum leap
Out of L'Oreal bottles you will see bees, worms and snails creep
Attacking the wrinkles,  crows feet near the corner of your eyes
Removing pimples, freckles and flakes from every nook and cranny
Leaving your cheeks as smooth as those of Hema Malini

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Based on a news report in Times of India dated 6th July 2012