If we dig deep into the philosophy of human existence, we will find that love and friendship are the essence of humanity. These forces drive us, govern our actions, and we seek them all our lives. However, can love and friendship move hand in hand? Rakesh Tiwari’s “Ishq Dosti Ek Sath” beautifully strives to explain the complex and mysterious relationship between Love and Friendship. Both Love and Friendship are personified in the poem and their contrasting qualities are skillfully explained by the poet through a small tale.

The poem begins with a very interesting notion, when one fine day, Love and Friendship decide to cease their distances, patching their long historical gulfs and move together. The tale describes their journey through poetic lines and their experiences together. Love, however, overpowers friendship and their existence together comes to an end. As all things are destined to cease, so do all these incidents of Love and Friendship. Finally, one day, their paths cross again and Love asks Friendship why it never stays where Love decides to reside. Friendship smiles and replies saying that Love’s legacy begins where Friendship’s ends; Love is wild and fierce and reckless, Friendship, on the other hand, is rational and not so carefree. Friendship goes on to assure love that it will not be forgotten, that it existed before Love and it would continue to exist after Love. Hence from that day onwards, Love and Friendship take to their own paths and never meet again.

This mesmerizing piece goes onto conclude that love and friendship are like two sides of a coin, both continue to exist but, never together. Diving deep into the philosophies of Love and Friendship, the poet gives us an insight into the complexities of human relationships and the enigmatic relationship between the two social pillars of humanity.

(Article written by Sehaj Saluja)

According to United Nations Development Programme, up to 40% of the food produced in India is wasted. About 21 million tonnes of wheat are wasted in India and 50% of all food across the world meets the same fate.

Wait what? Yes, you heard it right. 50% of all the food produced globally is wasted across the world

Painting this heartbreak reality of the world through the colours of poetry, Mohammed Hatim Sadriwala presents his latest urdu poem, ‘Nivala’. On this World Food Day, let his wise words stir our human sensibilities to not waste food. Let the change begin from your plate.

Life can get tough at times. All of us have been through that dark phase of life, where we doubt our potential and actions. In those times, words of encouragement create the magic we need in life. Very few people stand by us in those time and one should be proud of such people.

Rajat Lakhina’s latest poetry “Naaz Hai” is a motivational poem that celebrates that person who always sails with us through our tough times. Dedicating this poem to each one of us who has gone through a low phase in their life. Times where darkness surrounds us and nothing seems to be falling in place, just one person stands strong with us. Honoring that person through this poem, we salute every person who keeps fighting until the end of the line.

Rajat Lakhina’s presentation “Naaz Hai”.

Burning Amazon rainforest, melting glaciers, flooded cities, severe droughts and many more incidents, have just become mere headlines. Instead of panicking, we simply glance them away in our newspapers. 

Rakesh Tiwari, in his poetry “Jungle Jungle Aag Lagi Thi”, puts forward the most inevitable question that, “Are we even aware of the damage we’ve caused to Nature?” In tune with the beloved theme of Mowgli, he highlights the massive fires in Brazil’s Amazonian Rainforest. Ranging from the floods in Kerala and Uttarakhand to deforestation in Aarey forests in Mumbai to disappearing glaciers in Greenland, he explains the havoc that we are creating.

Rakesh is a poet, storyteller, author, TEDx speaker and a BPO professional. He draws experiences from life and weaves them with emotion into beautiful, heartfelt poetry. With over four million views on his stories and poems across channels, now he has come up with his own channel “Rhyming Rakesh Tiwari”.

Through the poem “Jungle Jungle Aag Lagi Thi”, Rakesh kindles the urgent issue of climate change in a very subtle way.  

“Kuch Khayaal Kar Baithe Humse Sawaal,
Socha Na Tha,
Khayaalon Ne Kaha Ki Jo Ho Raha Hai,
Khayaalon Mein Kabhi Hota Na Tha”

With these beautiful lines from his series of poetry KHAYAAL (i.e. thoughts), Himanshu Arora talks about relations, life and perspectives.

Rishtey, Wajood and Waqt are the three gems in his string of Khayaal. In “Rishtey”, Himahshu highlights the various complex facets of a relationship. Beginning with the thought that “Rishton ki zindagi me ek alag hi ahmiyat hai”, he expresses the importance of relationships in our lives. At the same time, he also shows the other face of relations painted with misunderstandings, heartbreaks and deception. He weaves the many subtle nuances of our relationships in a thread of words, creating beautiful shayari. In “Wajood”, he talks about the eminence of self-realization and appreciation of your own existence and essence of life in that context, while in “Waqt” talks about the eminence of time in life. The poetry motivates people in general to understand the essence of life, living in the present and staying positive and optimistic.

Himanshu is a practising Advocate at Punjab and Haryana High Court, Chandigarh and a faculty of Polity and Constitution of India for civil services aspirants. But, his knack for poetry makes him a poet by heart. He wishes to bring about a social change by the power of his words. He is well known for his stand-up comedy on “UPSC ki Taiyaari”. Some of his best works are on topics like Swachchta Abhiyaan, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, etc. which can easily be found on his Youtube channel “AroraJi Official”.

Come let us dive in the lanes of thoughtful poetry.