Sorrows for Sale..

गम बिकते हैं
बाज़ारॊं में
गम काफी महंगे बिकते हैं
लहजॆ की दुक्कान अगर चल जाए तो
जज्बॆं के गाहक
छॊटॆ बडॆ हर गम के खिलौने
मुह मांगी कीमत पे खरीदें
मैंने हमॆशा अपने गम अच्छे दामॊं बेचे हैं
लेकिन
जॊ गम मुझ्कॊ आज मिला है
किसी दुका पर रखने के काबिल ही नहीं है
पहली बार मैं शम्रिदा  हू
ये गम बेज़ नही पाऊगा
(All typos, courtesy of baraha direct7.0 )


(Sorrows are sold
in the market.
The price of sorrows is high.
If the shop of sweet tones is successful,
The customers of emotion
Will buy the toys of sorrow, large or small,
For any price that is asked
I've always
sold my sorrows for a good price
But
the sorrow I've today
I couldn't display it on any counter
For the first time, I'm ashamed;
this sorrow I shall not be able to sell.)
- Javed Akhtar

Sometime during the week, I happened to watch a usual NDTV discussion on reality shows of Indian Television. One of the experts raised a concern that, "My only worry is that India has become insensitive in many ways and now they actually derive pleasure out of others' pain and discomfort and worries." And my immediate response to it was, "Oh.. tears sell big way!". When I tracked down my memory, I remembered that I read a poem of Javed Akhtar on similar lines. Here it is.

Tears, pain, cribbing - they sell in big way. Comedians are enjoyed, laughed at, but hardly taken seriously. But with these pathos, the whole world kind of cries along with them. Anyone who chooses to open up in public to take about pain, is a performer and a performer's primary agenda is to seek attention. These reality shows would go on, as long as the attention is given to them.