A Thank You Letter to Jethani

Catchy title? I mean it though. With trending #sharetheload revolution, we have come across many wives acknowledging their husband’s efforts and goodness, we have seen rigid husbands undergoing changes, we have seen husbands trying. You must have read some thank you notes/letters to mother-in-laws too. Yes, every individual deserves appreciation for the goodness within. Of course, I am grateful to my husband and mother-in-law too, but this letter is addressed to my Jethani on the occasion of her first birthday after my marriage.

So here I go..

Dear Bhabhi, 

First of all, thank for allowing me to choose to call you bhabhi or didi. I wonder if it matters, but the point is that you left it upto me.

When we had first met for matrimony purpose with (now) my husband, I had asked about your expectations from future Devrani, you had said you didn’t have any. Thank you for later sticking to it and not forcing anything on me as a compulsion.

Thank you for standing by in my fight for freedom from few things which you didn’t mind surviving through before I came. I don’t think I need to specify. With a little pressure on your intelligent mind, you will know 😬 

Thank you for often being so patient with my mistakes and shortcomings, even though you say you are not that patient actually. Believe me, I have tried to work on them and have many times succeeded too. Sometimes I feel like you have set high standards for me as a DIL, but then I keep myself at your place and try to understand. 

People say, women don’t get food in bed at their in-laws’ place (unless may be if you are an expecting mom or injured) but you have done that more than once out of affection. Not to forget your tips and guidance in cooking often. At the same time, you avoid giving me unasked advice. Sometimes when you feel I really need one, you give and that helps.  Yes, you have sometimes criticized me also but at least that has been upfront, not in taunts or creating a scene. So I rather choose to take it for my own betterment. It might hurt for a while but I know it’s intended as a well-wisher, not my enemy. I know you find me immature as per my age as you had even said once, but for that, I would like to draw your attention to those things in which I am far better than many others in our society these days. Again, a little pressure on your genius head and you’ll know. 

The way you maintain the balance between your rights and duties is something worth learning. Thank you for that motherly care sometimes and especially whenever you say something adding ‘bachcha’ to it (like, ‘aise nahi, aise karo bachcha’), I feel closer to you. Your sense of observation is so praiseworthy.. sometimes I can’t recognize things that belong to me but you do.

Every time your naughty son unknowingly misbehaves with me, you scold him to correct. Sometimes it feels bad that he is getting punished because of me but the point is that you care. Sometimes he has had a very kind gesture to me and I want to thank you for that. I know something would have felt missing if I don’t mention about him in this post.

Bhaiya (your husband) has been very kind too, but I wonder if credit for that also goes to you. LOL 

Approaching the completion of one year of my entrance in this family, I hope to have a bond with you that only gets deeper day-by-day. 

No one is perfect as you also believe but we can always keep trying to become a better version of ourselves. After all, as your son also keeps reciting, koshish karne waalon ki haar nahi hoti.

Love and respect, 

Neha 

जीवन का सच

समय वो नदी है, जो
बहती जाए, बहती जाए
नहीं किसी दरिया में समाए
जाने कब किसको बहा ले जाए

तन वो पूंजी है, जो
यूं तो रूह को है बसाए
पर कौन जाने, कौन बताए
कब ये किस मिट्टी मिल जाए

धन वो मैल है हाथ का
जाने कब किस पानी धुल जाए
फिर से आए, चित्त भर जाए
ना आए, दरिद्र कर जाए

मन वो पंछी है, जो
कभी कैद में ही फडफडाए,
कभी उडान भर के नभ छू आए
कभी काबू में है, कभी काबू कर जाए

संसार वो ठिकाना है अस्थायी,
जहां कोई पूरी सुविधा पाए
कोई मुश्किल से भूख मिटाए
पर जो भी आए, एक दिन जाए

बस एक रूह ही है अजर-अमर
एक तन छोडे, तो दूजे जाए
जो तन पाए, उस में जीवन भर दे
जो तन छोडे, उसे व्यर्थ कर जाए..

क्या रहा?

उस दिन की गुफ्तगूं में जब
मैं कह बैठी दिल से –
शराफत का ज़माना नहीं रहा,
कोई नादानी का दीवाना नहीं रहा

दिन सुहाना नहीं रहा,
कोई झूठ सच से अंजाना नहीं रहा
ये नहीं रहा, वो नहीं रहा
फलाना ढिमकाना नहीं रहा.. 😛

दिल ने कुछ देर गौर से सुना, 
कभी नज़रें मिलायीं, कभी चुरायीं
फिर मासूमियत से पूछा
एक गहरा सवाल – क्या रहा?

सोच में पड़ गयी मैं,
कुछ बोलते ना बना
खुशियाँ-ग़म, सुख-दुःख को
एक तराज़ू में तोलते ना बना

उलझन ही हैं ये सवाल जवाब, 
क्या रखा है इन बातों में
खूब झाँका खुद के अंदर, 
लेकिन खुद को टटोलते ना बना

क्या रहा, क्या रहा, क्या रहा ? 🤔
उस वक़्त तलाशती रही जवाब..
बिन ढूंढें मिला है आज –
बाकी हैं कुछ ख्वाब

पहले जैसे आसमां छू लेने के नहीं
तो ना सही, मुलाकात करनी है खुद से
अपनी परिभाषा लिखनी है चंद शब्दों में
भले ही लिख ना पाऊं किताब |