Ishq sufiyana

I came across this dargah in Delhi just behind Humayun's Tomb,it was called "Pattey-wali Dargah",where as the story goes a Sufi saint lived and meditated under a tree.

People who come to pray here eat a leaf and make a wish,if their wish is fulfilled they come back with a silver leaf.

This place has an aura around itself and offers a great deal of peace and I used to love visiting this place,it was not as crowded as the Nizamuddin.Through the months I went there I befriended the old caretaker whom I just called Baba.He had become a friend without ever revealing his name or asking mine.Effortlessly,in a quiet corner of the city,we became friends.He used to tell me Sufi stories,those he must have heard growing up.One that endures in my heart is a love story.It begins like any other:there was a man,woman,and then there was Love.In this case the man was poor,the woman privileged,the love doomed.He was a dhobi,and she a beautiful princess who lived on a high hill.

A strange love story,with unspoken Sufi tones.The young man was the son of Dhoban,a washerwoman,and he was madly in love with her,without even seeing her.His mother would go to the palace and bring down the clothes of the princess down the hill to wash by the lake.He would wash them marvelling at their beauty,imagining how the one who wore them must be.Tenderly he would wash and dry them.fold them caressingly,sprinkling Jasmines on their folds.His mother would then carry the clothes and receive praise for the job well done.Each passing week the clothes would turn newer and newer with the love of the young man.The dhoban got worried.What if the King discovered her Son's love for the princess?His head would be chopped off.'Before that happens I will end my life,'the young man said.And he did.A distraught mother washed the princess clothes and returned weeks later to the princess."Who has washed these clothes? they were not what they used to be" asked the princess."I did myself", said the Dhoban."Then who was washing them before"asked the princess.She felt the difference.These clothes had just been cleaned.No eyes of love had gazed at them.No hands had touched them with tenderness.The Dhoban finally revealed her son's secret love."Take me to his grave" the princess commanded.Together they went in the dark of the winter night down the hill and stopped in an abandoned yard where the lover lay under a mound of fresh earth."What kind of a lover are you to leave this world without even setting eyes on the object of your love?''the princess said.The earth split open,the princess stepped in,the earth closed over her.'In Love there is no death nor borders",said Baba.He didn't explain me much further nor I asked him any questions.

Fastest with the Mostest

‘Yaar what is happening to our country, now we are going down on all the Human Development index parameters. Look at this now even our Sex ratio is one of the worst in the world’ said Sanjay in a worrying tone,who was recently transferred to Delhi from Bombay and was quite fascinated by the city and it people.

Vikram proudly stated ”Dost pure desh ka pata nahin par Delhi  must be definitely leading.Likh le it should be cent per cent".

Sanjay said’What?, How is it possible, the last time I saw it was 866:1000.

Vikram tried to reason “Oye nahin yaar we Delhite's are healthy people ,it must be 1000:1000,mere hi teen bache hai yaar “ and he screamed across to another office colleague “Oye Bhallsaab aapke kitne bache hai'.

Bhalla shouted back “Sirji two daughter's both are girls”..Vikram glanced back to Sanjay and gave a I-am-smarter-than-you smile.

A startled Sanjay couldn’t believe what he was listening and said ‘Boss I think you didn’t understand, by sex ratio I mean the number of  Females to Males and not the number of times you have Sex.

Vikram shot back “Then why do you call it a Sax ratio, why not just Buoy to Girl ratio".

Taking a deep breath Sanjay tried to get the answer by questioning ”What is your sex?”

“Four times a week” zapped Vikram, realizing what he said he was embarrassed and quickly added ”Bhai tu personal questions kyun puch raha hai”.

Sanjay on the verge of losing his patience,took a deep breath again“Yaar main puch raha hoon whether you are a Man or a woman,and you are telling me the number of times you do it in a week,Hadh kar di yaar”.

Vikram shot back”kya baat kar rah hai yaar, ofcourse I am a Man”

Sanjay”So now that is your sex”.

Vikram still embarrassed “toh aise baat kar nah, itna ghumaaney ki kya zaroorat thi, tum Bombaywalley kabhi kisi point pey directly aatey hi nahin ho”.

Sanjay adding salt to the wound ‘Sirji, every kid in school knows what sex ratio means' .

“ok ok ab itna gyaan jhaadney ki zarorat nahi hai the other day I asked you how you reached office".

‘Yes I remember that and I clearly said I came by a rickshaw’

Now making a great scene in the office, Vikram made this as a news item“ listen to this Mr Sanjay travels Dilli in Rickshaw.”

A roar of laughter from the office colleagues came back like sonar waves, embarrassing Sanjay who said

tried to repair the situation ‘Haan toh usmein kya harz hai’.

‘Sirji the cycle rickshaws are called rickshaws here,Auto rickshaws are called Auto’.

‘Oh, so now I understand,why the Rickshaw guy, I mean the Auto guy was giving me condescending looks, every time I referred to his auto as rickshaw’.

Now Sanjay trying to change the conversation 

‘But you know what you Delhi wallah's bhu kuch kam nahi hai,the other day I inquired with  my landlady,Mrs Malik about her husband’s health and guess what she tells me.’.

‘Unko nah Heart  aur Liver dono hai.’

‘I broke into a laughter , she didn’t understand for what I was laughing at but we continued chatting. Well on further probing I realized that she was talking about her Husband’s heart & liver ailment.’.

“So what yaar,this is our culture we don’t like to be negative,hence we don't use the word 'Problem'.”

‘Yes I agree,you guys are extremely positive.'

Sanjay now fed up  and realizing he had digressed ‘Yaar Vikram baat kaha se kaha pohoch gayee,we were talking about the dwindling sex ratio of the country,what could be the solution yaar.’

“Sax yaar,its simple,you have more Sax and produce more kids,usmein kuch ladke honge aur kuch ladkiyan”

“Aur population ka kya?"

“Yaar decide karle,what are you more troubled with Papulation are (or) Sax ratio.”

“Currently its your Brain,which is troubljng me.And I think aapko Brain hai."