Whats in name.....a lot

AAP is denying usual security, VIP bandobast and bungalows… they have been emphasizing that they are in the arena to ‘serve’ and not hankering after ‘Power’. Sevak, as they call themselves, I suggest, time they changed the nomenclature too. Let CM be Mukhya Sevak, other ministers Sevak (Home) Sevak (transport) and so on. As regard MLAs let them be plain & simple ‘Sevadars’

AAM

AAM Party aam hi nikli,   

kuchh khas nahi

Binny has proved it ( aakhir ko to wo bhi insaan 

nikle..)

Jhadoo aur Haath

Jhadoo aur Haath ka to logical, natural aur sada ka saath hai…

if Jhadoo had joined Lotus, its force and intensity would have lost 

becoz then it would have turned merely into  a ‘Phool Jhadoo’

Devyani Khobragade : Some musings

1.     USA should now officially change its name to United States of Arrogance

2.     So long it was happening to others, we did not bother

3.     Behan ji ! for USA entire India is 'dalit'

4.     Abdul Kalam, Shahrukh Khan, George Fernandes, Azeem Premji, Azam Khan, few top lady and gents diplomats, the list is long and may well turn endless

5.     Our police, customs officials and people in authority continue to be over awed by the lure of all things American white skin and Black label included

6.     But our students, engineers, doctors, chefs will continue go ga ga about uncle Sam

Shri Gopal Chaturvedi on my book 'My India Great Indeed'

It has been a very strong belief of mine that, particularly poetry and satire is best expressed in one’s mother-tongue. However, “My India Great Indeed!” the volume containing fifty articles, is in English, hence this foreword in English. Perhaps, Shri Ravindra Kumar’s target readership demanded this. Needless to say, the pieces (i.e. fifty) are well-written and sincere and do convey what they set out to.

On a more serious note, the tradition of satire in English can be traced back to Horace and Juvenal and reaches well beyond Pope, Dryden and others, so, it becomes the favored language for any writer. Unlike English, Hindi satire is less scathing and softer, or may be the mother-tongue makes it so. Ravindra Kumar’s satires tinged with pathos - the true inspiration and life-force of satire – and churn your consciousness. It is the inequities of life, the rampant corruption in each and every sphere, the callousness and insensitivity of new – and the utter helplessness of a man with sense and sensibility that makes these pieces so meaningful, deeply felt and effective. The reader is not only a detached observer; he is one with the subject.

The language/subject diction of these pieces is lucid and natural prose. There is no attempt to incorporate heavy philosophical content to make them labored and didactic. The author does not talk down at the reader. There is an easy flow and the wit and humor is natural. Take for instance, a sentence from the Preface: ‘The worrying factor is the unholy wedding of bureaucrat and politician which has given birth to the illegitimate off-spring called corruption” – a chronic, all-pervading malady of our society has been aptly described, as corruption, both of thought and consequent action, is responsible for the pathetic state of our society. Perhaps, ‘wedding’ could be replaced by union, because ‘wedding’ bestows legitimacy to any union!.

To sum-up, this neat half-century of articles amuse you, tickle you, compel you to empathize with its subjects and your are left looking for more. This, indeed, is the true meaning and purpose of satire. It chastens you, subdues you and you are richer in your experience.

I am positive Shri Ravindra Kumar has an extremely bright future in writing either in English or in his mother tongue. His natural flair to make the ordinary into extraordinary is conspicuous in his work and, I feel sure, the readers will clamor for more.

Gopal Chaturvedi

Dr Gyan Chaturvedi 's foreword to my book 'My India Great Indeed'

"The art of storytelling is on its way to extinction. Story narration is that unique art of storytelling which captures the undivided attention and imagination of the reader/audience from the very first line and does not let go of him till the end. The art of story narration, of late, has undergone so much of experimentation that in the process ‘story’ has either been killed or has committed suicide. This explains the dwindling readership in the genre called story. With this backdrop in mind, I embarked upon the book of Ravindra Kumar.

I had two fears before I began reading. One, it may turn out to be an insipid product of amateur writing, as common these days as weed in your kitchen garden. People, sadly, have taken satire as some kind of a joke. They are under the impression that a joke or two here and there can make one a satirist. Writer type Office Bosses suffer most from this disease. It is not entirely their fault. Their juniors cheer their bosses to such lengths on their oft repeated stale jokes that bosses are bound to have such misgivings about themselves. Two, Ravindra Kumar may turn out to be one such writer type boss. I wonder, why so many bosses have taken to writing satire? May be because who dare tell the king that you are ‘naked’. So when I came to know that Ravindra Kumar is a senior officer working for Indian Railways, I did have this fleeting feeling of déjà vu. As I began to read the book, by and by I did get engulfed in the sheer pleasure of its contents. This book is neither exclusively a collection of satires nor a collection of tales. This book gives ray of hope that art of storytelling is not dead yet. Ravindra Kumar is well versed in the art of storytelling. His writing freshens up and transports the reader to grandma’s art of story narration era.

His writings are so very versatile that each story is new and different. The book is full of so many tales and all are as diverse as ‘My India’. The book contains interesting satires. Several tales spring from sweet n sour working of Indian Railways-a forte of Ravindra Kumar, only he could do justice with. Topics unfold like leaves straight from film, politics, and shades of middle class life. Titles may appear traditional but the author leaves his own unique flavor in each of them. 

I believe, writing is meaningful only if it ‘connects’ and identifies with the readers. This ‘connect’ is easier said than done. It takes life time to identify and then enable to ‘connect’ with the readers. The subject has to be drawn from life and kept as lively and vibrant as it is found in ‘pan-life’ itself. It is then only that a reader identifies with the writings. Language and narration has to be life-like. Ravindra Kumar has made efforts to do exactly this in his book and has largely succeeded in his endeavor. This book takes you to the journey of India. You are re-introduced to the India, India which is so resonant with all its paradoxes that if any one succeeds in feeling the pulse and capturing this node, then one is bound to craft most vibrant creation.
Ravindra Kumar has more than succeeded in doing so. "


Dr Gyan Chaturvedi
11th Nov. 2013

मेरे नवीनतम व्यंग्य संग्रह 'माई इंडिया ग्रेट' की प्रस्तावना प्रसिद्ध और लोकप्रिय व्यंग्यकार डॉ. ज्ञान चतुर्वेदी जी ने लिखी है. यहाँ आपसे 'शेयर' करने का लोभ न छोड़ पाया

 
"किस्सागोई की कला इन दिनों किस्सों से गायब सी है. किस्सागोई का अर्थ कहानी कहने का वह निराला अंदाज़ जो पाठक को पहली पंक्ति से ही पकड़ ले और फिर ‘किस्सा तमाम होने तक’ उसे छोड़े नहीं. आज किस्से कहने की रौ में भाषा और शैलीगत इतने ‘ऊलजलूल’ की हद तक अजीबोगरीब प्रयोग आज़माये जाने लगे हैं कि प्राय: किस्से का ‘किस्सा तमाम’ हो जाता है. यही कारण है कि आज की कहानी के पाठक कम होते जा रहे हैं. तो यह थी वह पृष्ठभूमि जिसे मन में रखते हुए मैंने रवीन्द्र कुमार की यह किताब पढ़नी शुरू की थी.

मेरे डर दो तरह के थे. एक तो यह कि कहीं यह भी, व्यंग्य की उन सपाटबयानी में पगी रचनाओं का ‘शौकिया लिखा’ संग्रह न निकल आए जो आजकल गाजरघास की तरह
यहाँ वहाँ पैदा हो जाते हैं. व्यंग्य में बात करने को लोगों ने मज़ाक समझा हुआ है. वे सोचते हैं कि यदाकदा, छुटपुट चुटकला छोड़ लेने की कला के सहारे वे व्यंग्यकार हो सकते हैं. अफसरों में विशेष तौर पर यह रोग पाया जाता है. उनके घिसेपिटे चुटकलों पर भी मातहत, चमचागीरी के तहत इतनी ज़ोर से, इतनी देर तक हँसते हैं कि उन्हें गलतफहमी होना लाज़िमी है. तो दूसरा डर था कि मैं एक बड़े अफसर की किताब से रूबरू हूँ. अफसरों में आजकल व्यंग्यकार इसीलिये खूब पैदा हो रहे हैं क्योंकि कोई राजा को यह बताने की हिम्मत नहीं करता कि वह नंगा है तो जब रवीन्द्र कुमार का पता चला कि वे भारतीय रेल में एक बड़े अफसर भी हैं तब ये सारे भय भी मेरे सामने आये.
पर ज्यों ज्यों मैंने यह किताब पढ़ी, मैं इसके आनन्द में डूबता चला गया.

यह किताब न तो मात्र व्यंग्य का संग्रह है, न ही शास्त्रीय अर्थों में कोई कहानी संग्रह. इस किताब को पढ़ कर किस्सागोई की उस विलुप्त होती जा रही कला की ताकत पर पुनः भरोसा पैदा हो जाता है. रवीन्द्र को किस्सा कहने की कला खूब आती है उनकी भाषा और शैली में ‘नानी की कहानियों’ वाली कला है. उनके किस्सों में इतना वैविध्य है कि हर नया किस्सा वास्तव में नया होता है. इस किताब में इतने सारे किस्से हैं और उनमें इतनी इतनी विविधताएं हैं जितनी ‘माई इंडिया’ में रही हैं. ‘माई इंडिया’ के बारे में ही लेखक ने यह किताब लिखी है. इस किताब में व्यंग्यनुमा लेख भी हैं परंतु उन्हें भी लेखक ने किसी रोचक किस्से की तरह ही निभाया है. इनमें बहुत से किस्से भारतीय रेल के जीवन से उठाये गए हैं जो वैसे भी रवीन्द्र ही लिख सकते थे. फिर फिल्मों, राजनीति, मध्यवर्गीय जीवन की विसंगतियों आदि ट्रेडीशनल विषय तो हैं ही. हाँ, इन पारंपरिक विषयों का निर्वाह भी लेखक ने अपने ही अंदाज़ में एकदम अलग ढंग से किया है.

मेरा मानना है कि हर वह लेखन सार्थक कर्म है जो अपने पाठक से सीधे जुड़ता है. यह जुड़ाव ऐसा सरल काम नहीं है. ऐसा लिखने में अच्छे अच्छों के पसीने छूट जाते हैं. विषय को जब तक आप जीवन से यूँ न उठायें कि वह पूरी रचना में वैसा ही जीवंत रहे जैसा वह वृहद जीवन का हिस्सा बन कर था, और भाषा तथा कहन में भी जब तक वह जीवंत प्रवाह न हो जो किस्से की लय में एक संगीत भर दे, तब तक कोई भी रचना अपने पाठक से नहीं जुड़ सकती. रवीन्द्र कुमार अपनी इस किताब में ऐसा ही करने का प्रयास करते हैं और खास सफल भी हुये हैं.

इस किताब से गुजर कर उस भारत से आपका परिचय एक बार फिर होता है जो तमाम अंतर्विरोधों के बावजूद इतना जीवंत है कि उसकी धड़कनों को यदि ठीक से पकड़ लिया जाये तो बड़ी जीवंत रचनायें पैदा हो सकती हैं. रवीन्द्र कुमार की ये रचनायें वैसी ही हैं "

डॉ. ज्ञान चतुर्वेदी
11 नवम्बर, 2013