Let the Lohri fires burn bright,

Let them show us the way right,

Let them light up our being,

Let them bless us with a whole new way of seeing,

Let them burn away our mad runaway desires,

Let us be chastened and purified by these glowing Lohri fires,

As the embers of these fires towards the sky race,

Let them our wisdom awaken and let it gather pace,

As these fires illumine the whole landscape,

Let them burn away all that is disingenuous and fake!

Let them consume all the injustice and hatred in the air

So that what remains is simply just and fair,

Let them take away all the sickness that pervades

Through which the suffering humanity stumbles and wades,

Let them usher in an era of love, togetherness and peace,

Let them us out of our heartlessness, arrogance and worse tease!

Let the Lohri fires burn bright,

Let them show us the way right!

Here is wishing you all a very warm and happy Lohri. Stay healthy, happy and blessed.

Arun Bhagat

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When things have to go wrong, they will,

So do not fret, take a chill pill!

When things go wrong as they will,

The cup of your courage to the brim fill,

And get ready to set things right

As valorous people do not run away from a worthy fight!

Let your steely determination take a position pole,

And once again you will bounce back and be on a roll!

When against adverse circumstances are you in the fray,

Let your unshakeable will hold sway,

Let your tenacity and persistence come to the fore,

Endowed with such qualities, can you ask for anything more?

Let no obstacles you deter,

Let no challenges you fetter,

You have it in you to brave adversities and come out on the top,

Why then throw up your hands in despair and mop?

Cast in the image of God as you are, realise your worth,

Of the arsenal to fight and bounce back you have no dearth!

Arun Bhagat

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इस पल से बंधी हमारी आस,

इस पल में ही है जीवन का वास,

यही पल तो है जो हमारा है,

इसे गँवाना नहीं हमें गवारा है,

इस पल से बंधी है जीवन की डोर,

किसने देखी है कल की भोर ?

इस पल में बसती है हमारी जान,

यही पल है हमारे जीवन की खान,

यही पल है हमारे जीवन की लौ,

किसी क़ीमत पर न दें हम इस को खो!

इस पल में ही है धरा सब कुछ,

इस के आगे है सब कुछ तुच्छ,

यही पल कर सकता है हमारे सपने साकार,

यही दे सकता है जीवन को हमारे इच्छित आकार,

इससे पहले कि मौत ले हमें अपनी चादर में लपेट,

इस पल को आओ अपनी बाहों में लें समेट,

जी लें इसे शिद्दत से अपनी आँखों में भर,

ताकि जब आख़िरी वक़्त आए तो न कोई हसरत हो न डर!

अरुण भगत

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Sing out aloud at the top of your voice,

Let your soul dance and rejoice!

With the swaying winds sway,

Across the maze of life find your joyous way!

With the birds high in the sky soar,

Can you ask for anything more?

Groove to the rhythmic pitter patter of rain,

Why should you let gloom your energy drain?

The canvas of life with breathtaking colours fill,

Let your life be a happy gurgling rill!

In your myriad blessings find the fount of joy,

Why with the idea of giving up on life ever toy?

Every moment the liberation of your spirit celebrate,

Let that celebration be spontaneous, nothing deliberate!

Gyrate with the cosmic pulse in sync,

See yourself in the larger design as a vital blessed link!

Arun Bhagat

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Be like the sun,

Like it your daily race run,

Light up the whole world like it does,

Without any distinction and without any fuss,

Scatter your mesmerising kaleidoscopic hues like it does,

And add manifold to nature’s beauty thus,

Like it into every nook and cranny let your warmth seep,

Let that warmth infuse everything proper and deep,

Like it let your boundless energy of creation run the wheels,

See to it that all those around you it enthuses and heals,

Like it let people worship your glory,

But do not let that worship become a part of your story,

Like it without any motive just give and give,

Be clear like daylight that this is the way a great and lofty life to live!

Arun Bhagat

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Be kind to everything that lives,

Blessed is the one who freely gives,

Let fellow feeling be in the driving seat,

Let kindness with kindness meet!

Spread happiness and make your God happy,

Who has gained anything from being irritable and snappy?

Go the whole hog to help others,

What are relations for if not to help one’s sisters and brothers?

What are you there for if not of peace to raise the banner,

Why shouldn’t you be ever ready to help others in any and every manner?

Let all-encompassing compassion be your motto,

Take cognisance of others’ pain suo moto,

Let your heart be big enough to take every being into its fold,

Grow the power to everyone according to your goodness mould,

As you move ahead, of peace scatter the seeds,

Let love and well-being percolate to everyone who your mind reads!

Arun Bhagat

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We are not here to see through people,

We are here to see them through!

We are not here to show a mirror to people,

We are here to hold up a mirror to ourselves!

We are not here to pull people down and gloat over it,

We are here to give our fellow beings a leg up!

We are not here to tear each other apart,

We are here to sew up and mend what is torn and broken!

We are not here to laugh at people,

We are here to laugh with them and spread happiness and cheer !

We are not here to inflict mortal wounds,

We are here to act as a balm and heal!

We are not here to shake people’s faith in goodness,

We are here to restore and firm up their faith in humanity!

We are not here to spread the miasma of hate and rancour,

We are here to perfume the garden of life with love!

We are not here to play the role of heartless mercenaries,

We are here to live the life of missionaries to uplift society!

We are not here to negate life,

We are here to affirm it!

We are not here to fall into a bottomless pit,

We are here to evolve and rise!

Let us remember that God made us to soar up to heaven

While the devil is always there to tempt us to plumb the depths of hell!

Do not be smug and do not rest

Till you pass the litmus test!

Do not give in to any ensnaring vice

But do to the occasion rise!

Go out to prove your worth and your mettle,

Never let insidious evil you rattle,

You have it in you to win of life every moral battle!

Arun Bhagat

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While greeting you all on this New Year’s Day and wishing you all the best for this year and beyond, I will be sharing some issues pertaining to our current lives that should be of concern to all of us who care about a better future for mankind.

The one I am touching upon today is the increasing stranglehold of virtual reality on our lives. Virtual reality was very much there when the Covid Pandemic came along and pushed us deeper into its lap. With the fear of infection driving us indoors into self-isolation, it was online all the way from virtual teaching, interaction with loved ones to work from home. And, as I was reading in an The Times of India editorial today, immersive virtual reality is now making forays into our lives wherein just putting on a VRF headphone at home can take you to any corner of the world with whomsoever you wish to make it with. As if Zoom, Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter and OTT platforms were not enough, now this has come to add fuel to the virtual fire. The result is already there for all of us to see. People who are seemingly so close to us on virtual platforms either avoid any real life interaction or,when forced into them, fumble, behave awkwardly and seem rather cold and distant in face to face situations . The more the virtual takes over our lives, the more our disconnect with the real world! As we are social beings, this has disturbing implications not only for our mental health but our social skills and graces as well as our social lives. As we immerse ourselves into our virtual cocoons, we run the risk of becoming extremely self-centred and delusional, forget all about forging solidarities with other like-minded people on important larger existential issues facing us! And I have not yet touched upon the colossal wastage of precious time which getting perennially engaged with these virtual platforms entails. And what about the horrid misinformation, titillation, frivolity, toxicity and worse circulating on these platforms with their world wide reach and influence and playing havoc not only with our individual lives but also with our social and civilisational fabric!

What is the way out now that the virtual reality is here to stay and is going to become bigger and bigger with time ? Are we just going to tamely succumb to this all-too-seductive virtual giant or we will proactively do something to leash this menacing tiger, all ready to devour us and our better sense? Are we going to make conscious digital detox a daily practice when we shun all online activity for a few hours and painstakingly reconnect and engage with real relations and the real world? Are we going to work out a fine balance between the virtual and the real? Are we going to be alert and discriminating while lapping up the unending digital content and separate, as they say, the virtual grain from the chaff? Are we going to just sit there passively and be swept away by the digital torrent or we are going to get up, do some physical work inside or outside the house, go out for a brisk walk or a run or to play a real game with our friends that makes us sweat and interact with our family, neighbours, friends and even strangers along the way as we used to do not very long ago?

These are the vital questions and our responses to them will determine the future course of our individual and social lives as well as our human civilisation. I think the matter deserves a serious thought on this very first day of the new year.

( I will take up some other vital issues with you all as days go by.)

Here is to a more enlightened and thoughtful new year!

Arun Bhagat

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आप सब प्रियजनों के लिए नव वर्ष की हार्दिक मंगल और शुभकामनाओं सहित

नव वर्ष है आया,

यह संदेशा लाया,

कभी न छोड़ो मन की आस,

घृणा द्वेष न फटके पास,

जीवन पथ पर बढ़ो सतत,

प्रेम हृदय में रहे बसत!

मानस पटल हो प्रकाशमान,

विवेक बुद्धि रहे सदा विद्यमान,

हर बाधा को पार करो,

न मन पे किसी के वार करो,

मज़बूत इरादे, नीयत नेक,

अनेक हो कर भी सब हों एक,

उत्थान प्रगति के रहे सदा संग,

अति सुंदर हों जीवन के रंग,

सब हों मानवता से ओतप्रोत,

आनंद बने जीवन चिर स्त्रोत,

ईश्वर तत्व का करो आह्वान,

नव वर्ष में गाओ मंगल गान,

नफ़रत की ज्वाला न दहके,

जीवन बगिया सबकी महके,

आनंदित हों सब इस में रह के!

सप्रेम

अरुण भगत

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जिसे क़द्र नहीं अपनों की,

जिसे परवाह सिर्फ़ अपने सपनों की,

उसके सपने चाहे हों भी जाएँ साकार,

चाहे वह उन्हें दे भी पाए आकार,

उन सपनों में नहीं कोई रंग

जब तक न हो मोह भंग,

जब तक सब न लगें अपने

जब तक सबके सपने न बनें अपने!

जब तक प्रेम पथ का न हो विस्तार,

तब तक न हो कोई सार्थकता, न निस्तार!

जब तक हर कोई न लगे अपना,

तब तक समझो व्यर्थ प्रभु नाम जपना,

जब तक अहंकार से हों ग्रसित,

जब तक लोभ अभिमान करे व्यथित,

तब तक न मोक्ष न मुक्ति,

क्योंकि यह नहीं जीवन जीने की युक्ति!

जब तक हृदय का न हो विस्तार,

जिसमें समा जाए सारा संसार,

जब तक व्यापक न हो सोच

और वाणी की न हो लोच,

जब तक खुद को न दिखाएँ आइना,

तब तक क्या जीने का मायना?

जीवन वह जो पुष्प सरीखे महके,

चरित्र हो सबल और कदम न बहकें,

गहरी हों आस्थाएँ, अटल हो विश्वास,

तेजोमय हो आत्मा, सार्थक निश्वास!

अरुण भगत

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