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खर्दह जूट मील क्रिकेट टीम ! सन-२०००

खर्दह जूट मील क्रिकेट टीम !  सन-  २००० © mulshankar13. All articles, scripts, poetry, prose, reviews written here are exclusive copyrights of mulshankar13. Any article, poetry, prose, story or reviews may be reused, quoted in full or as an excerpt only with attribution to “Source: mulshankar13”.  शाम के साढ़े चार बजे हैं घोर दोपहरी ख़त्म हुई ! सोनू, मोनू, पीकु, रीकु, शंकर दा और राजू-टुआ इनकी चीत्कार कहाँ है ? विक्की टेन्निस बॉल की दीवार से टकराकर  धप-टॅप वो आवाज़ कहाँ है ? मेरे सामने अब लॅपटॉप नई किताब बन  बैठी है ! शहर नया है लोग नए हैं पर चिर परिचित वो आवाज़ कहाँ है ? क्रिकेट खेलने को तैयार खर्दह जूट मील के वो होनहार कहाँ है ? पीछ्ली बार का कुछ हिसाब क़िताब अभी अधूरा था राजू दा के बआउन्सर पर शंकर दा के हुक का प्राहर कहाँ है ? शाम के साढ़े चार बजे हैं  खर्दह जूट मील की वो टीम तैयार कहाँ है ?

जिगीना करमनपुर

जिगीना करमनपुर © mulshankar13. All articles, scripts, poetry, prose, reviews written here are exclusive copyrights of mulshankar13. Any article, poetry, prose, story or reviews may be reused, quoted in full or as an excerpt only with attribution to “Source: mulshankar13”. ए जिगीना, ए जिगीना  मस्त नगीना , मस्त नगीना ! खैईबा तू का हो गरम पूदिना ? गरम पूदिना ! गरम पूदिना ! हम तोके काट लेब तू हम के मत कटियाहा तू हमके कट ला तो हम तोके न क़ाटब ! ए जिगीना-आ, ए जिगीना-आ ! मस्त नगीना , मस्त नगीना ! हो जिगीना-आ, हो जिगीना-आ ! हमार जिगीना तोहार जिगीना पापा के हौ तो  प्यार जिगीना नाभू के दुलार जिगीना  ! © mulshankar13. A rhyme I penned  and sing to my daughter occasionally imagining our ancestral place in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh India!

Nine Lives by William Dalrymple: A Book Review

Nine Lives by William Dalrymple: A Book Review © mulshankar13. All articles, scripts, poetry, prose, reviews written here are exclusive copyrights of mulshankar13. Any article, poetry, prose, story or reviews may be reused, quoted in full or as an excerpt only with attribution to “Source: mulshankar13”. What’s common between the bards by the river Ajoy in Bengal and the bards by the river Indus? The former congregate at Kenduli near Shantiniketan on the feast of Makar Sankranti while the latter at Shehwan Sarif in southern Pakistan on Urs . And they sing and dance their way to attain union with God. The 4000-line courtly poem Epic of Pabuji sung in Rajasthan has something greatly in common to the epics of Europe or to the epics of the long dead Balkan heroes: all were originally oral poems. Some still preserved in their oral form while others confined to the libraries for academics and literature classes. The yearning of the Lal Peri and the Tibetan monk to see one’s h

City Of Djinns: A Book Review

City Of Djinns: A Book Review © mulshankar13 All articles, scripts, poetry, prose, reviews written here are exclusive copyrights of mulshankar13. Any article, poetry, prose, story or reviews may be reused, quoted in full or as an excerpt only with attribution to "Source: mulshankar13". If you were to ever embark upon a tour of the historical city Delhi it must not be without reading the book City Of Djinns by William Dalrymple. The magnificent Red Fort though now only a fragment of its aura of the past, the ruins of Tughlakabad, the sandstone dome of Humayun, the Chandni Chowk market all would have a different significance if viewed through the magnifying glass of this Scottish masterpiece. Having been to Qutub Minar twice before I never knew that the enigmatic un-rusted pillar close to it was installed by the valiant Tomars who also laid the foundation of the now hardly can be imagined Lal Kot fort inside which the Qutub Minar stands. The book offers

वो सूखा पत्ता पीपल का

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वो सूखा पत्ता पीपल का © mulshankar13. All articles, scripts, poetry, prose, reviews written here are exclusive copyrights of mulshankar13. Any article, poetry, prose, story or reviews may be reused, quoted in full or as an excerpt only with attribution to “Source: mulshankar13”. वो सूखा पत्ता पीपल का उस पर छिला घुटना बचपन का ! इक तरफ दौड़ती क्यारियाँ बचपन की दूसरी ओर जा बनती लकीरें प्रौढ़ता की ! वो सूखा पत्ता पीपल का ! देखा हैं कहीं ?  मेरा वो सूखा पत्ता पीपल का ? ज़िंदगी के पन्नों में कहीं संभाल के रखा था वो सूखा पत्ता पीपल का !

Ten Years To Taekwondo

Ten Years To Taekwondo © mulshankar13. All articles, scripts, poetry, prose, reviews written here are exclusive copyrights of mulshankar13. Any article, poetry, prose, story or reviews may be reused, quoted in full or as an excerpt only with attribution to “Source: mulshankar13”. Ten years. Ten long years does it take to learn an art, any art for that matter. And it’s no exception with martial art. Although I am never sure if I would ever be able to learn Taekwondo perfectly in the decade to come yet the journey so far has been indubitably far more rewarding than the destination. As I move on one day at a time learning this art I realize the metamorphosis within. Albeit at times too slow enough to be immediately evident both to oneself and others. The ugly spat that you just witnessed on the road between the two unrelated strangers yesterday wouldn’t unsettle you anymore. Doubts such as “Were it to happen to me what would have I done” would evaporate into the space.

The Road to Sawai Madhopur

The Road to Sawai Madhopur © mulshankar13. All articles, scripts, poetry, prose, reviews written here are exclusive copyrights of mulshankar13. Any article, poetry, prose, story or reviews may be reused, quoted in full or as an excerpt only with attribution to "Source: mulshankar13". The road journey from Dholpur (Dhavalpur) to Sawai Madhopur is a total of 6 hours which can be divided into two phases. The first phase starts from Dholpur and ends at Gangapur City covering a distance of 139 kms which ideally can be covered by a car in 3 hours but a public bus would take 4 hours because of a detour for predesignated halts which included Bari, Sarmathura, and Karauli. The second phase of the journey would start from Gangapur City and end at the final destination of Sawai Madhopur, the famous district of Ranthambore and its famous tiger reserve, the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve. “Sir, is there some space to place the luggage? Or should we manage it inside the bus”, I

Makhan-Vada of Dholpur: A Gastronomical Delight

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© mulshankar13. All articles, scripts, poetry, prose, reviews written here are exclusive copyrights of mulshankar13. Any article, poetry, prose, story or reviews may be reused, quoted in full or as an excerpt only with attribution to "Source: mulshankar13". Having deeply enrooted into my mind that I would use this official trip to also satiate my gastronomical inquisitiveness besides doing some work I lost no time enquiring where can I find Makhan-Vada at Dholpur (Dhavalpur), as soon as I reached Dholpur, another district in Rajasthan and my new work location. The suggestion about Dholpur’s must-eat delicacy had been provided by the wonderful Government School Master I met in Bharatpur who had told me about the famous sweet Bistarband of Bharatpur . But to my dismay most of the people I met in Dholpur were unaware of the sweet called Makhan-Vada . That was strange! If the people of a town or a city don’t know what’s the best thing to eat in their town’s

In the trail of Bistarband at Bharatpur Rajasthan

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© mulshankar13. All articles, scripts, poetry, prose, reviews written here are exclusive copyrights of mulshankar13. Any article, poetry, prose, story or reviews may be reused, quoted in full or as an excerpt only with attribution to "Source: mulshankar13". I had been on a surprise deputation to Bharatpur, Rajasthan for an official work. Though initially sulking over the assignment as it would keep me away from my family at Bangalore for a month there were some very good culinary experiences at this new temporary workplace. One fine afternoon an impromptu chat post lunch with a local Government School teacher who happened to be my new colleague at the Bharatpur District Collector’s office brought forth the topic of what’s a must eat dish at Bharatpur.   The middle-aged soft spoken master mentioned about a sweet called “ Bistarband ” which literally translates into English as “ bedding rolled into a bundle .” He mentioned that he himself was unaware of the sw