Monika Suri

  कलागृह में लोग इकट्ठा होने  शुरू हो गए थे । परंतु आज दिलों में वो उमंग नही थी , हवाओं में घुंघरुओं सी थिरकन नही थी, चांद जैसे अपनी चांदनी बिखेरना ही भूल गया था , एक अजीब सा मर्म था चारों ओर । नृत्यकला व अभिनय की धनी चांदनी अक्सर इस कलागृह में अपनी प्रतिभा का प्रदर्शन करती थी व तालियों से पूरा कलागृह गूंजायमान हो उठता था । अपनी कला व इस कलागृह से गहन प्रेम था चांदनी को । हर बार प्रदर्शन के शुरू व अंत मे इस मंच को बड़े आदरभाव से स्पर्श करती थी , जैसे किसी बड़े के चरणस्पर्श कर दुयाएँ लेती हो । आज इस रंगमंच से आखिरी स्पर्श के लिए  लाया जा रहा था चांदनी को , ज़िन्दगी को अचानक से अलविदा जो कह गयी थी वो । नाजाने क्यूँ  अचानक  से  उस चांदनी को , उस रंग भरे बादल को प्रभु ने अपने आगोश में ले लिया । ज़िन्दगी के रंगमंच को छोड़कर , सबके दिलों पर बिजली गिराकर , कहाँ चली गयी वो चांदनी । This post is written for the prompt “Colosseum” under #fridayfotofiction hosted  by Tina and Mayuri Read  my another #fiction piece on women empowerment  

  जैसे किसी  चौराहे पर आ गयी ज़िन्दगी पहला रास्ता खुद की तरक्की व आत्मनिर्भरता की ओर ले जाता है , तो  दूसरा रास्ता परिवार की ख़ुशी की ओर कोशिश की ताकि  दोनों रास्ते  एक साथ चल पाएं …..पर ऐसा जब मुमकिन  होता दिखाई नही दिया , तो तीसरा रास्ता अपनाना बेहतर समझा मैंने ऐसा  रास्ता , जिसमें कभी प्यार कर लिया तो कभी तकरार हो गयी कभी आत्मसम्मान पर भी समझौता कर लिया , तो कभी हठ से तुम्हें मना लिया मुझे नौकरी करके घर चलाने की तो इजाज़त मिल गयी पर  ,   “ज़्यादा हवा में मत उड़ो ” ऐसा भी सुनाया गया कभी अपने अरमानों का गला घोंट दिया तो कभी तुम्हारी हँसी में ही खुश हो ली कई बार मन आवाज़ देता है कि मुझे तो  उस  चौथे  रास्ते पर जाना था न  ?? —  “मेरी असली ख़ुशी का रास्ता”  ??   Writing for #fridayfotofiction with Tina and Mayuri                      

      As they together stepped out of  the office , someone pointed  “Hey , Our HR manager makes a sweet couple ” ” O ..No…No they are not couple , , Roma Mam  is a widow, rather Half Widow ” “Half Widow ???? What does it mean ?? Who is that man ??Whose hand  is she holding ????” **** Ten years ago Roma’s husband  Rajiv was continually facing failures at work . That day when his bad luck hit him once again  in the job interview , it  might had become unbearable for him.  In the evening , Rajiv went for routine  walk but just didn’t come back. Lots of search in different cities & on social media , police complaints , but no clue at all . Rajiv just disappeared from Roma’s life . Is he even alive ? Nobody knows. **** So many years have   passed . People started calling Roma as  Half Widow. Roma  had to struggle but she  strengthened herself too and reached the position of the HR manager of the company. Today , ...

  क्या कांच का यह सेतु , नारी शक्ति को नहीं   दर्शा  रहा ??? दिखने में तो कांच जैसी नाज़ुक है नारी   , पर अंदर से लोहे सी मज़बूत है नारी । दिखने में तो कांच जैसी पारदर्शी है नारी , पर अंतर्मन में नाजाने कितने राज़ समेटे हुए है नारी । जैसे इस कांच को कई यातनाओं से गुज़ारकर सुदृढ़ बना दिया गया है , वैसे ही जीवन के संघर्षों से गुज़रकर निर्भीक बन गयी है नारी । कांच की दृढ़ता  व नारी की क्षमता , दोनों  को ही  परखा जा रहा है आज  । Linking this post with Tina and Mayuri for #fridayfotofiction    

कितना फर्क़ है दोनों माँओं में एक वो  माँ थी जो कूड़े के ढेर में फेंक गयी थी मुझे , और एक यह माँ है जो इतने सुंदर खिलौनों से सजे पालने में मुझे लेटाकर झूले दे रही है I एक वो माँ थी जो मेरे पैदा होते ही मुझे देखकर रोने लगी व मुझे कोसने लगी  थी I और एक यह माँ है जो मुझे देख  देखकर मुस्कुराती रहती है और कलेजे से लगाकर दुयाएँ देती रहती है । एक वो माँ थी जो मुझे कलंक समझती थी और एक यह माँ है जिसने मेरा नाम प्रतिष्ठा रखा है । भगवान जाने  असली माँ कौन है मेरी ? Linking this post with Tina and Mayuri for #fridayfotofiction

#Fridayfotofiction is a weekly bloghop by Mayuri and Tina where fiction writing is celebrated based on the photo prompt. Gurpreet Singh, known  by his nickname  Happy , was dear to all the villagers because of his generosity. Now having moved  from a  small village of Punjab , India to the big town Livingston of New Jersey  , Gurpreet Singh has  turned into Garry. The turban has disappeared, the long oiled   hair  turned into short n styled gel ones. The big city’s dazzle  has taught him to make many faces , officeface, partyface, streetface but the original Happyface is lost somewhere. His every face means business now. As he is busy reading Business Times and planning for new investments , the phone starts vibrating with a call from someone   Manpreet Singh . Garry thinks a little before sliding his hand but when he does, hears a teary choked voice in punjabi from the other side  ” Happy Veer , Bebe Rab nu pyari ho gayi ”  (Brother, Our Mom is no more in this world ...

#Fridayfotofiction is a weekly bloghop which celebrates fiction writing based on the photo prompt. All were enjoying Bonfire at the NariNiketan . But  as expected, Neha didn’t come out of her room . Everyone knew she gets  frightened at the sight of fire . Asha Didi   went   to her  and  again saw her   lost in her past as usual , browsing her wedding album. How enthusiastic she used to be earlier ! How the magical love in the college had made her  tie knot with Varun around the sacred fire ! But her family  just couldn’t satisfy the greed of her in-laws. How she became a victim of domestic violence and of Bride Burning !!! (Tears  were making  itching sensation while rolling down her burnt cheeks) Neha had somehow managed to escape  from her in-laws but her fifty percent burns  were just not allowing the terrifying memories to escape. “Neha , Don’t keep feeling like a victim, you are a survivor. Burn your past memories ,not your dreams ” Asha Didi fondled ...

रात के 1  बजे , सेंट्रल मॉल की पार्किंग तकरीबन खाली हो चुकी थी I  अंत में जब सिक्योरिटी गार्ड अजय घर जाने लगा तो एक चीख ने उसके पाँव रोक दिए I चारों ओर सन्नाटा और बीच में बारीक सी घुटी हुयी चीख , अजय झट से इधर उधर हड़बड़ाहट में भागकर देखने लगा , दिल की धड़कन बढ़ गयी , माथा पसीने से भर गया I दूर एक कोने में एक बड़ी सी काले रंग की गाड़ी खड़ी दिखी , गाड़ी के अंदर से कुछ शंकादायी आवाज़ें आ रही थीं I गाड़ी के पास जैसे ही पहुंचा तो देखा अंदर दो आदमी और एक लड़की , जिसका उसी के स्कार्फ़ से मुँह बंद कर दिया गया था I लड़की ने आशावान निगाहों से अजय को देखा I ” हेलो, हेलो , सर जल्दी यहाँ पांचवी मंज़िल पार्किँग पर आ जाईये , यहाँ कुछ लोग बहुत गलत हरकत कर रहे हैं ” अजय ने अपनी सिक्योरिटी टीम के मुखिया को फोन मिलाकर कहा I ” नौकरी करनी है या परिवार को भूखे मरते देखना है ? जो होता है होने दे , तेरी ड्यूटी ख़तम हो चुकी है , चुपचाप घर चला जा ” कई साल बीत गए हैं पर आज भी यदि अजय कोई काले रंग की गाड़ी देखता है तो उसके मन में दहशत भरी चीख उठती है  और उसे झंझोड़ कर रख देती है I   linking this post ...

कैफ़े में अकेली बैठी राधा , कॉफ़ी के साथ साथ लैपटॉप पर काम करती हुई , 5 मिनट में 10  बार बॉस का फोन आ चूका था ” राधा , प्रेजेंटेशन त्यार नहीं हुई अभी तक , नहीं कर सकती तो नौकरी छोड़ क्यों नहीं देती ? सुनते ही राधा  उदासीन हो गयी ” जाने ज़िंदगी में अभी और क्या क्या छोड़ना बाकी है ? रमन जाने कहाँ ज़िन्दगी से ओझल हो गया था  I  कई सालों के प्यार भरे एहसासों को स्वाहा होने के लिए मात्र एक ही क्षण लगता है क्या ? यूँ ही तो बैठे थे हम , हाथ में हाथ डालकर ,  प्यार प्यार में  ऐसा तीक्ष्ण प्रश्न पूछा था उसने ” राधा , ये बच्चा हमारा ही है क्या ? ” सुनते ही मैं तो भौचक्की रह गयी थी ” अगर है भी तो  अभी नहीं चाहिए मुझे , तुम आज ही डॉ के पास जा के इस मुसीबत को छोड़ क्यों नहीं देती ? सुनकर आँखों में ज्वाला , ह्रदय में तूफ़ान तो भयंकर उठा था पर मैंने भी बहुत शांत स्वर में पूछा था ” तुम ही क्यों नहीं छोड़ देते मुझे ? ” आज कैफ़े में सामने टेबल पर बैठे पति पत्नी को देखते हुए , कॉफ़ी की गर्म चुस्की लेते हुए  यादों का पन्ना आँखों के आगे लहलहा गया  था I   linking the post wi...

#fridayfotofiction is a weekly bloghop which celebrates fiction writing based on the photo prompt. “Mam , I don’t know what the problem is.  My brother Aadi is behaving differently nowadays.  He seems isolated . Most of the time, he just wants to sleep, and  he gets irritated also over little things . ”  Ajay  asked the psychologist. She reacted  too  busy  to listen to  his problem and just advised  ” I think your brother is going through emotional exhaustion . Try to handle him with more love n care . ” Not happy with psychologist’s behaviour,  Ajay came  back home and  tried to find some reason out of his brother’s  belongings .  He got  panic stricken  when he found  Aadi’s  recent  sketches of jumping off from a building , coming in front of a fast train and hanging from the fan. Even before his brain could process what he saw  , Ajay heard a scream from the roof . He quickly ran upstairs but all he could see was  the  blood art sketc...

When i started my blog a few months ago i would often think how long would i be able to continue this blog,  how could the ideas keep coming, after all the ideas would vanish after writing   40 or 50 posts.  But No, i was wrong .  When you jump into the writing world , the ideas just keep flowing, and for this flow, i am very very thankful to the various Blogging Contests.  Such contests motivate you to  write and read too. You can’t be a good writer if you don’t read. The more You read , more You wish to  Write. Blogging Contests help me in lot many ways :– Blogging Contests challenge  and motivate me   – Contests have a fixed theme and a deadline too. I work the best when given a challenge otherwise my mind prefers sleeping. Such challenges push me and make me realize ” YES, I can do it “. The motivating comments on the posts and the best post badges make me feel like paragliding . I still cherish my #MMM badge for my post challenges of Motherhood ...

#Fridayfotofiction is a weekly bloghop which celebrates fiction writing based on the photo prompt. ” Unlocking Minds ” This was the name of the educational institute where Sammy  was working as a psychologist/theorist for the last few years . Suddenly , he was fired from his job today.  He had to listen to few vulgar insults also.  He sat in a corner , depressed , and analyzing ( sometimes cursing) his queer identity . His queer sexual orientation made him face social discrimination and mistreatment many times. When his best friend Martin came to him  ,  Sammy’s tension found a way for words : “Martin , Am i born in a different way ? Why this societal imprisonment ? How does it matter to the society if i love a man ? I hate  this  bias .” ” But I Love You ” Martin said softly & maturely. “Come, Let’s go to the emancipated world where the minds may be queer but not locked .”  Martin extended his hand to Sammy. The two best...

#Fridayfotofiction is a weekly bloghop which celebrates fiction writing based on the photo prompt. Rohan was a smart and intelligent engineering student , always enthusiastic, having many dreams and aspirations . He  loved himself  the most  and  had a passion of   always capturing his  life’s smiles  in the camera. Life took a twist and he started loving someone else more than himself.  His heart started   singing  sentimental fairy tales for her but life didn’t want it to be duet song.  The intense one-sided  love outweighed his life’s aspirations and emptiness started engulfing his heart all the time . Feeling battered and shattered , the emptiness weighed so much that he just didn’t want to face the  cruel camera of life. He planned to find a better place than this emptiness. linking this post with Mayuri and Tina  I am taking my Alexa rank to next level with #Myfriendalexa There’s a heart warming  song “Emptiness”  , also known as ” T...

  #fridayfotofiction is a weekly blog hop which celebrates fiction writing  based on the photo prompt. For the last many years , he was teaching piano in the blind school .    His heart had slowly  developed love feelings for a beautiful , kind girl Megha . Playing and singing  hindi romantic songs  used to  reflect  his emotions . The whole school had the inking .   He expressed at  times but she always gave her disability  as reason . Today also  , just before the start of  the annual musical evening  , he once again opened his heart     to Megha but Alas ! A  big  NO  !! With a doleful heart and teary eyes, he started  his performance  singing along the piano . ”  Ye Raaten Ye Mausam Nadi ka Kinara , ye Chanchal Hawa ………….” There was complete silence in the auditorium  . No applauds , no claps . Suddenly  his saddened heart and bit choked throat  twittered  Megha  ,  standing in the audience she  completed the song “Kaha Do Dilon ne ki M...

#fridayfotofiction is a weekly blog hop  which celebrates fiction writing based on the photo prompt .  I was   picturising    my  future , the one I would love .   I am an old lady , having thick glasses  on eyes and wrinkles all over . With  all my worldly  responsibilities over , I am living  a simple life in a simple  small home.  No complexity of any kind , no mad rush for anything   ,  but Just  You and Me. You know , whenever I am with you , may be just for a few minutes ,  I feel light , I feel calm , I feel powerful ,  I feel like you have taken away all my burdens .  That is why I want Just You and Me. But this  present complex life is constantly pulling me towards itself, leaving hardly any  time to sit with you , love you and be loved . At present ,   I have a big house and  lot many other worldly things  but without You , it   all  seems meaningless.  In future , I just want to be with  You . With You , I feel blessed , I feel at real peace , because you are the supreme pow...

  #FridayFotoFiction is a weekly blog hop which celebrates fiction writing based on the photo prompt. The memories of the past are revived. Her life had  not  been as smooth as those  smooth legs . Her Mom & Dad’s marriage was an intercaste love marriage . Everybody was resistant. Even God behaved unsympathetic and took away her Dad, just before sending her on this earth . Her Mom fostered her all alone , facing many strains of the harsh society . The life had not been shiny as those stylish  shiny shoes. She wanted to achieve high in studies but couldn’t even continue her school for long. But today , she is a successful model.  With the smooth legs in those shiny shoes , she is now able to well maintain the balance in her life , just like those high heels. The shine has started coming back in her Mom’s eyes too. 💥💥💥💥 Linking this post with Mayuri and Tina Basu http://tinabasu.com

#FridayFotoFiction is a weekly blog hop which celebrates fiction writing based on the photo prompt. Wearing a long n pretty white gown , she was selected out of hundreds of contestants from all over the world. She was crowned Miss World. She had got so many applauds from the crowd when she was walking confidently on the stage . Today when she is back home, the gown and crown have turned topsy-turvy….Why? The family has rebuked her ….Why ? She is defamed….Why? Watching out to find  why and where all those laurels  are lost . Linking this post with Mayuri www.sirimiri.in  and  Tina  Basu