An old man lived alone in Minnesota. He wanted to spade his potato
garden, but it was very hard work. His only son, who would have helped him,
was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and mentioned his situation:




Dear Son,

Dear Son,

I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won't be able to plant my
potato garden this year. I hate to miss doing the garden because your
mother always loved planting time. I'm just getting too old to be digging
up a garden plot. If you were here, all my troubles would be over.
I know you would dig the plot for me, if you weren't in prison.

love,
dad

Shortly, the old man received this telegram: "For Heaven's sake, Dad, don't
dig up the garden!! That's where I buried the GUNS!!"

At 4 a.m. the next morning, a dozen FBI agents and local police officers
showed up and dug up the entire garden without finding any guns.

Confused, the old man wrote another note to his son telling him what
happened, and asked him what to do next.

His son's reply was: "Go ahead and
plant your potatoes, Dad. It's the best I could do for you from here."

Game, set and match GMCS V. Pattabhi Ram Mithun D'Souza

Wafers finished her packing. She was to board the Mail; the train that would take her to Bangalore to attend the course on General Management and Communication Skills (GMCS). This was ICAI's mandatory 15-day finishing school programme. Now why the lady should hop to Bangalore when the programme was also available in Chennai was a little secret that she would share with no one.

"Mom, hurry up with the cucumbers," screamed Wafers. Of course mom wasn't packing cucumbers for dinner. The cucumbers were to be placed on and around Wafers's eyes. No, Wafers was not one of the Miss India wannabes; but anyone who had cracked CA Final would certainly have a fair share of blackening of eyes caused by endless sleepless nights. And remember Wafers had gotten into the rank list for good measure.

Dreadful nightmare

Dad came to the station to see her off. It would be nice to be away from home thought Wafers. Despite the enormous freedom that her parents gave her, there was nothing like being alone, she reasoned. She boarded the train and soon decided to hit the sack. The persistent lullaby of the train in motion and the cool cucumbers around her eyes meant that Wafers crashed out fast only to be awakened by a dreadful nightmare.

She was in the midst of her Cost Accounting exam and was getting stuck with problem after problems. To her the one on standard costing looked like French. This was notwithstanding the fact that she had mastered the format which her professor had so assiduously taught. And then there was a great bit of quantitative techniques for which Wafers had not prepared sufficiently. Beads of sweat hurried down her face, her hands were trembling; her eyes were quivering - (thud)... . a hard bang on her head of the upper berth (thanks to her terrified leap) ... and Wafers was brought back to earth. "Thank God that was not real," thought Wafers. She remembered her seniors explaining the post CA Final nightmares. This was the same.

At the Institute

The following morning she found herself at the Institute's premises in Bangalore. After completing the formal form filling she entered the programme hall. There were scores of stern faces. No smiles. No self-introductions. Wafers felt as if she had stumbled into an army camp. Everyone was as cold as ice. "Members and Members to be" announced a smiling gentleman. "Welcome aboard GMCS, ICAI's innovative finishing school programme... (Blah) (Blah)... You are going to have fun in the next 15 days here with us".

"Fun" said a voice from the back row; "This is rigorous imprisonment; worse than our classes". Not even half an hour had passed, and the candidates, Wafers included, were eager to find a way out through the nearest exit. Their ideas were foiled when the announcement came on the public address system, "This course is a prerequisite for membership enrolment of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India under regulation 51A/72A". Oh God, this meant that attendance was compulsory. Hell.

The first session was of icebreakers. The group was made to yell, to mew and to bray. Wafers wasn't amused. Is this what chartered accountants do, she wondered. It took some time for the firm faces to crack a bit. Wafers managed to make friends with Debbie, Rohit and a few others. By the end of the first day, the entire group was tired. "Given a choice I would not turn up for the rest of the course," whispered Debbie in Wafers's ear. It was always a problem for the faculty to handle de-energised CA students.

The next two weeks however, spelt a completely different story for the candidates. The schedule was packed with presentations from leading corporate trainers and public speakers. There was in the schedule topics such as general management, office etiquette, organising and managing a CA's office, management of meetings, effective communication and the art of negotiation. The sessions were interactive and participative with a lot of management games thrown in between. Wafers loved it. "This GMCS offers more than what I had bargained for". Debbie shook her head up and down in total agreement.

Aura changes

The aura at the venue had changed dramatically. There were more smiling faces, more friends, more laughter and greater fun. Rohit was shocked to learn about how much soft skills one needed to acquire in the corporate world. There were the seven habits of highly effective people, the 48 laws of power, the seven spiritual laws of success, the 8th habit, and 101 things to do before you died. The rules, the laws, the habits, the attitudes — all spelt out loud and clear for them.

Rohit thought "Oh there are rules and laws even outside income-tax and corporate law". The participants were all ears when teams from the Big 4 explained to them the nitty-gritty of the personal interview, the career choices they could make for themselves and the writing of a winning CV. He was fascinated by what the mock personal interview did to him. He realised many things about himself earlier not known to him. The most embarrassing moment for him was gently tucking his shirt in his trousers when the faculty on Dressing and Personal grooming deliberated on the intricacies of corporate dressing.

The excitement knew no bounds when the tables were turned and the participants were asked to take up centre stage. There were individual speeches to deliver, business lectures to be given and group presentations to be made. Wafers sheepishly took stage for her first presentation. The corrections made by the faculty did her a world of good. By the second and third presentation she looked almost like a pro. And so did the rest of the crowd at the GMCS.

Total synergy

By the end of two weeks there was total synergy in the group. Acquaintances turned into friendships, hand shakes turned into warm hugs, business card exchanges turned into quick dials on cell phones. Almost everyone dreaded the valedictory function, for that meant they had to part. And when doomsday arrived there were tearful farewells to the group where they all learnt, lived, loved and which left for them a legacy. Said Debbie, again to Wafers, "Besides my high school and graduation class, it is this group which I shall cherish the most".

Wafers was thankful too. Her eyes had lightened, her mind brightened. "Given a chance I don't mind attending the GMCS again," said Rohit to Wafers. Thinking of the course which she was forced by statute to attend; Wafers replied with a twinkle in her eye "I too don't mind doing it all over again."

And as time would tell, it was at the same GMCS that Debbie met her future husband.

Perseverance is the key to success

Mr Mahesh Dyaram

Mr Mahesh Dyaram is the Co-founder, Director and Chief Technology Officer of Nexge Technologies (P) Ltd, a telecom software product company. He is an MBA from IIM-Calcutta and a B.Tech from IIT-Bombay. He has a rich experience in IT and business, including building real-time network and communication systems. Here's his take on four questions from Business Line:

Two things that my education/training taught me:

Analytical thinking. This is critical in breaking down a problem into small manageable parts to arrive at a solution.

Widening of the thinking horizon. A broader view of things that encompasses the whole is necessary to understand things at a macro level.

Two things I learnt from my work/real life:

Perseverance is the key to success.

People are the key to the organisation.

One quality I look for the most in a new recruit:

Clarity of thought. A person with clear thinking can achieve success in any chosen field and be moulded to achieve any heights.

A book that I read recently:

Good to Great, by Jim Collins.

`Complete the toughest and most boring work first'

Mr Karthik K.S.

Mr Karthik K. S. is Founder and CEO, 24x7 Learning. After his Bachelors in Engineering from REC Kurukshetra, he went on to do his Diploma in Business Management. He has authored several articles on e-learning.

When not in 24x7 Learning he can be seen helping slum children get better education through a non-profit organisation, Tvesha, which he has founded.

Here's his take on four questions from Business Line:

Two things that my education/training taught me:

Clear communication is key to success.

A well-read man will always be respected.

Two things I learnt from my work/real life:

Complete the toughest and the most boring work first.

Discipline is a must in everything.

One quality I look for the most in a new recruit:

Commitment.

A book that I read recently:

Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle.

Mentor---- Ms Sadhana Somasekhar

Home life and work life are two sides of a coin

Ms Sadhana Somasekhar is Director and Chief Marketing Officer, Focus Infotech, a leading strategic IT-HR and managed solutions provider. She oversees more than 150 employees, who provide consulting and software development solutions for clients.

A post-graduate (MS) in Medical Technology, Ms Sadhana also has an Honours in Systems Analysis from NIIT and is a Cisco certified Advanced Sales Expert. She gave up life sciences to get into a marketing career, selling networking products, computers and software.

Prior to Focus Infotech, Ms Sadhana worked in various capacities, as Vice-President (International Operations), Nexus Computers Ltd, and Chief Marketing Officer of US-based Kanoon Inc. Here's her take on four questions from Business Line:

Two things that my education/training taught me:

To be in control and confident. And to be able to come across that way, you have to be well prepared in your subject.

Effective communication brings success several steps closer.

Two things I learnt from my work/real life:

The strength and the passion of your belief will take you through whatever you attempt/address.

Home life and work life are two sides of a coin. Excelling in both is necessary to enjoy either separately.

One quality I look for the most in a new recruit:

Communication skills

A book that I read recently:

John Kotter's, Our Iceberg Is Melting.

Educational Questions--career

I have completed BE (Civil) and I am interested in MBA. Which specialisation will be beneficial for me? If I want to do my summer project, which field should I focus on?

Anjani Gupta

It is important at this stage that you prepare well to get into a good B-school. Enrol yourself in any of the reputed training institutes and work towards this objective. It is you alone who can determine which domain of management suits you. If you are interested in people management, look at HR. If the stock market, banking and insurance excite you, go for finance. If ads, promotions and customer relationships fascinate you, grab marketing. And if you have a strong liking for information technology, choose systems.

You need to make an objective assessment about your aptitude, interests and long-term vision. As a young management graduate, you can shine in any of the functional domains. But you have to decide on the branch, as you alone know what your strengths are. As far as the outside world is concerned there is tremendous opportunity in all these fields. But you have to work hard and excel in your chosen area.

Depending on the B-school you are in, and your chosen functional specialisation, industry verticals and the optional subject combinations, you can decide on the appropriate summer project from a reputed company at that point of time. Your professors will help you in the selection.

Mentor---- Mr Chender Baljee

Theories are best kept in classroom

Mr Chender Baljee

Mr Chender Baljee is Managing Director, Royal Orchid Hotels Ltd. He has over 30 years of experience in the hotel industry. Mr Baljee is a gold medalist from IIM, Ahmedabad and has also studied in American Hotel & Lodging Association and Cornell University. He is the member of Bangalore Management Association managing committee.

Two things that my education/training taught me:

To dream big.

Respect everyone.

Two things I learnt from my work/ real life:

People are as good as its organisation. So if you want to grow, invest in your people.

Theories are best kept in the classroom. Hands-on experience is a different ball game altogether.

One quality I look for the most in a new recruit:

Someone who is not here to win a popularity contest, but to do his job and do it right.

A book that I read recently:

Leadership secrets of Attila the Hun, by Wess Roberts.

Minamata Disaster

TED Case Studies

Minamata Disaster

     CASE NUMBER:        246
    CASE MNEMONIC:      MINAMATA
    CASE NAME:          Minamata, Japan Disaster

I.  IDENTIFICATION

1.  The Issue

Over 3,000 victims have been recognized as having "Minamata
Disease".  It has taken some of these people over thirty years to
receive compensation for this inconceivable event.  In 1993, nearly
forty years later, the Japanese courts were still resolving
suitable compensation for the victims.  Many people have lost their
lives, suffered from physical deformities, or have had to live with
the physical and emotional pain of "Minamata Disease".  This
suffering is all a result of the very wrongful and negligent acts
of the Chisso Corporation who dumped mercury into the sea water and
poisoned the people of Japan.

2.  Description

Minamata is a small factory town dominated by the Chisso
Corporation.  The town faces the Shiranui Sea, and Minamata Bay is
part of this sea.  In Japanese, "Chisso" means nitrogen.  The
Chisso Corporation was once a fertilizer and carbicle company, and
gradually advanced to a petrochemical and plastic-maker company.
From 1932 to 1968, Chisso Corporation, a company located in
Kumamoto Japan, dumped an estimated 27 tons of mercury compounds
into Minamata Bay.  Kumamoto is a small town about 570 miles
southwest of Tokyo.  The town consists of mostly farmers and
fisherman.  When Chisso Corporation dumped this massive amount of
mercury into the bay, thousands of people whose normal diet
included fish from the bay, unexpectedly developed symptoms of
methyl mercury poisoning.  The illness became known as the
"Minamata Disease".  The mercury poisoning resulted from years of
environmental destruction and neglect from Chisso Corporation.

In 1907 the villagers of Minamata convinced the founder of Chisso
Corporation to build a factory in their town, hoping to benefit
from the wealth of industrialization.  The owner, Jun Noguchi
agreed to the development, but used the people from Minamata as
simple factory workers  The more elite positions, such as engineers
and managers were "imported" as he termed it, from the finest
universities, like Tokyo University.

By 1925, the Chisso Corporation was dumping waste into Minamata Bay
and destroying the fishing areas.  The theory behind Noguchi's
industry was to pay off the Minamata fisherman in exchange for
damaging their fishing environment.  According to Eugene Smith's
interview of the people who lived in Minamata, the company believed
that it was much cheaper to pay off the few people who were opposed
to the dumping, rather than implement an environmentally safe
technique of waste removal.  Therefore, since the villagers
accepted this practice through compensation of money, and the
government was behind the industry, the entire process appeared
ethical.

Chisso Corporation started developing plastics, drugs, and perfumes
through the use of a chemical called acetaldehyde in 1932.
Acetaldehyde is produced using mercury as a compound, and was key
component in the production of their products.  The company was
considered an economic success in Japan, particularly because it
was one industry that maintained development despite Japan's
suffering throughout and right after W.W.II.  As other companies
economically ripened during Japan's post-war period, so did the
Chisso Corporation.  Sales augmented with Japan's economic success.
In addition, Chisso Corporation's sales increased dramatically,
considering Chisso was the only manufacturer of a primary chemical
called D.O.P, a plasticizer (diotyl phthalate).  Having a monopoly
on the chemical enabled Chisso to expand rapidly.  Since Chisso
Corporation was the main industry in the small Minamata town, the
town's growth period from 1952 to 1960 paralleled Chisso's
progress.

Not until the mid-1950's did people begin to notice a "strange
disease".  Victims were diagnosed as having a degeneration of their
nervous systems.  Numbness occurred in their limbs and lips.  Their
speech became slurred, and their vision constricted.  Some people
had serious brain damage, while others lapsed into unconsciousness
or suffered from involuntary movements.  Furthermore, some victims
were thought to be crazy when they began to uncontrollably shout.
People thought the cats were going insane when they witnessed
"suicides" by the cats.  Finally, birds were strangely dropping
from the sky.  Series of these unexplainable occurrences were
bringing panic to Minamata. 

Dr. Hajime Hosokawa from the Chisso Corporation Hospital, reported
on May 1, 1956 that, "an unclarified disease of the central nervous
system has broken out".  Dr. Hosokawa linked the fish diets to the
disease, and soon investigators were promulgating that the sea was
being polluted by poisons from the Chisso Corporation.  The Chisso
Corporation denied the accusations and maintained their production.
However, by 1958, Chisso Corporation transferred their dumping from
the Minamata Bay to the Minamata River hoping to diminish
accusations toward the company.

The Minamata River flows past the town Hachimon, and into the
Shiranui Sea.  The people of this area also began developing the
"strange disease" after a few months.  The Kumamoto Prefecture
government responded by imposing a ban which allowed fisherman to
"catch" fish, but not to "sell" fish from the bay.  Since this was
their main food source, the people continued to eat fish at home,
but the ban released government officials from any responsibility
for those who developed the illness.

Finally, in July 1959, researchers from Kumamoto University
concluded that organic mercury was the cause of the "Minamata
Disease".  A number of committees, of which Chisso Corporation
employees were members, formed to research the problem.  The
committees denied this information and refuted the direct link of
mercury to the strange disease.  Finally, Dr. Hosokawa performed
concealed cat experiments in front of the Chisso Corporation
management, and illustrated the affects of mercury poisoning by
feeding the cats acetaldehyde.  Dr. Hosokawa was the first person
who made a valiant effort in proving to Chisso Corporation that
they were the ones accountable for the mercury poisoning.  After
the meeting with Chisso officials, Dr. Hosokawa was restricted from
conducting any further research or experiments, and his findings
were concealed by the corporation.

Chisso Corporation began to make deals with the victims of the
"Minamata Disease".  People who were desperate and legally ignorant
signed contracts which stated that Chisso Corporation would pay
them for their misfortunes, but would accept no responsibility.  In
fact, there was even a clause which read, "if Chisso Corporation
were later proven guilty, the company would not be liable for
further compensation". 

The fishermen began protesting in 1959.  They demanded
compensation, but soon became intimidated by the threats of Chisso
management.  The victims feared that if they did not settle, they
would never receive any kind of compensation.  Chisso paid off some
of the people while continuing to profit from increased sales.
Chisso installed a "Cyclator" which was designed to treat waste
water.  The management however, often ignored this crucial step in
their production process.  Not until 1968, did Chisso Corporation
quit poisoning the waters in Minamata.  The company was forced into
court in 1969, and the only reason why the polluting stopped was
simply because the method of mercury production became outdated.
It was later determined in court that Chisso Corporation
consistently polluted the waster of Minamata Bay from 1932-1968. 

By 1974 only 798 victims had been officially recognized as having
"Minamata Disease".  Approximately 3,000 more people were waiting
verification from the board of physicians in Kumamoto Prefecture.
Thousands of people continue to eat fish from the Shiranui Sea, but
there are no reportings of significant health hazards or mercury
poisoning like those people who suffered in Minamata.  In 1993,
almost forty years later, victims were still being compensated for
damages.

3.  Related Cases

    BHOPAL case
    DOOSAN case
    KAIDA case

    Keyword Clusters   
    (1): Forum                    = JAPAN
    (2): Bio-geography            = TEMPerate
    (3): Environmental Problem    = MANUFacture


4.  Author  Angie Littlefield   

B.  LEGAL CLUSTER

5.  Discourse and Stage:  DISagree and COMPlete

Victims are still in the process of suing Chisso Corporation for
damages.  The Japanese government is attempting to help Chisso
Corporation from going bankrupt, but Chisso Corporation is already
in substantial debt from paying past victims. 

6.  Forum and /Scope: JAPAN and UNILATeral

    The Kumamoto District Court, Japanese government, and Central
Pollution Board are all involved in the case.  The courts in
Kumamoto District determined rulings for the hearings.  Victims
testified their cases at the UN Environmental Conference in Sweden,
but the UN did not intervene.

7.  Decision Breadth: 1

8.  Legal Standing:  Law

On March 20, 1973, Japan's Kumamoto District Court ruled:

    "It must be said that a chemical plant, in discharging
    the waste water out of the plant, incurs an obligation to
    be highly diligent; to confirm safety through researches
    and studies regarding the presence of dangerous
    substances mixed in the waste water as well as their
    possible effects upon the animal, the plan, and the human
    body, always availing itself of the highest skill and
    knowledge; to provide necessary and maximum preventive
    measures such as immediate suspension of operation if a
    case should arise where there be some doubts as to
    safety... in the final analysis...no plant can be
    permitted to infringe on and run at the sacrifice of the
    lives and health of the regional residents.

    The defendant's plan discharged acetaldehyde waste water
    with negligence at all times, and even though the quality
    and content of the waste water of the defendant's plan
    satisfied statutory limitations and administrative
    standards, and even if the treatment methods it employed
    were superior to those taken at the work yards of other
    companies in the same industry, these are not enough to
    upset the said assumption...the defendant cannot escape
    from the liability of negligence". 

C.  GEOGRAPHIC FILTERS

9.  Geography

     a.  Geographic Domain:       Asia
     b.  Geographic Site:         East Asia
     c.  Geographic Impact:       Japan

10.  Sub-national Factors:  No

The waters and marine life were affected by the waste dumping of
Chisso Corporation.  Minamata Bay is a rich fishing and farming
village.  Therefore, when the water was polluted, it had a dramatic
effect on the main resource of Minamata.  The issue was decided by
Kumamoto District Court.

11.  Type of Habitat:  Ocean

Minamata is known for its marine life, and is a fishing village.

D.  TRADE FILTERS

12.  Type of Measure:  REGSTD

13.  Direct vs. Indirect Impacts:   IND

14.  Relation of Measure to Impact

     A.  Directly Related to Product:  Yes - mercury
     B.  Indirectly Related to Product:  No
     C.  Not Related to Product:  No
     D.  Related to Process:  Yes - fishing

15.  Trade Product Identification: PLASTic

16.  Economic Data

17.  Degree of Competitive Impact:  High

The many years of dumping was extremely costly to the Minamata town
and Chisso Corporation.  Chisso lost money in boycotts of their
products, in compensation to the victims, and in the overall stress
to the company as a result of the mercury scandal.  There is no
known figure on exactly how much money Chisso paid to the victims.
The payment was in the millions, and people are still fighting for
money today.  In addition, the people who were fishermen in
Minamata suffered greatly since they had no source of income when
the waters were poisoned.  Minamata was known as a fishing town,
and the ocean was their main environmental resource.  When the
water became polluted, they could no longer depend on this as a
viable resource, and had no other way to make a living.   

18.  Industry Sector:  (N)  [PLAST]

19.  Exporter and Importer: Japan and MANY

E.  ENVIRONMENT FILTERS

20.  Environmental Problem Type:  Pollution Sea [POLS]
The mercury affected both the marine life and the people of
Minamata.  Because the water was contaminated, eating the fish
caused mercury poisoning in people, cats, and birds.

21.  Species Information

    Name:          MANY
    Type:          MANY
    Diversity:     ?

22.  Impact and Effect: HIGH and PRODuct

23.  Urgency and Lifetime: HIGH and 10-20 years

Chisso Corporation no longer uses the chemicals which caused
"Minamata's Disease", or dump any kind of waste into the bay.
However, the victims have not received full retribution.  Some
people of Minamata are still trying to sue for monetary
compensation from Chisso Corporation.

24.  Substitutes:  Bio-Degradable [BIODG]

Chisso Corporation has implemented environmentally safe technology
in their production process.  The factory quit using the mercury
method of production in 1968, because the system became outdated.

F.  OTHER FACTORS

25.  Culture:  Yes

     Although cultural factors did not play a direct role in the
dispute between Chisso Corporation and the "Minamata Disease"
victims, it did have an indirect impact.  Traditionally, Japanese
people are known to be culturally humble and loyal.  Humility and
loyalties are virtues which are part of Japanese religious
background.  In the Confucian ethic, humility is a honorable
attribute, and people are expected to be loyal and show respect to
their elders.  This relates to the Minamata victims, because it was
the Japanese humility which kept them from initially pressing
charges against Chisso Corporation.  The Japanese people most
likely did not want to believe that a company would intentionally
dump waste into their fishing waters, and then out rightly deny the
accusations.  Another example is Dr. Hosokawa's loyalty.  Dr.
Hosokawa was the first person to prove that Chisso Corporation was
responsible for dumping the mercury, but his loyalty to his company
kept him quiet.  It was noted by researchers that he was internally
tormented by knowing this information, but felt he could not say
anything.  Finally, on his deathbed, Dr. Hosokawa testified to the
court that Chisso Corporation knew their waste dumping had caused
the mercury poisoning.  His statements were crucial to the courts
final verdict in 1973.

     In sum, cultural explanations can help illustrate why the
Minamata cases have prolonged over the years.  The legal system in
Japan is much different than the United States, and this case is
unusual compared to the norm.  Furthermore, Japanese citizens feel
a loyalty to their government and to their companies.  These people
were outwardly victimized by an authority figure which is quite
uncommon in Japanese culture.       

26.  Human Rights:  Yes

The people in Minamata and Niigata have suffered from gross
deformities, brain damage, and death.  The health problems are
endless, and people are still suffering.  This case is definitely
a human right violation.  Chisso Corporation may have not realized
the effects of mercury poisoning, but they negligently dumped waste
into the water.  The company also denied their negligence and tried
to misrepresent their accountability.  Therefore, not only were the
people violated physically, but the victims were disregarded
mentally.

27.  Transboundary Issues:  Yes

The company supplied a chemical called diotyl phthalate, D.O.P.,
which many other factories need for their goods.  Therefore, since
this chemical was unavailable for the short period of time while
Chisso Corporation was shut-down, it affected the import/export
business of other companies and affected global trade.

28.  Relevant Literature

"Japan to Provide $100 Million for Firm that Polluted Bay", Chicago
Tribune, September 3, 1993.

"Japan:  New Approaches to the Environment".  Greenwatch.  UNESCO
Courier, July, 1994.

"Japan: Court Orders Firm to Pay $3 Million to Minamata's Victims".
Worldview, July 12, 1994.

"Mercurial Risks from Acid's Reign" by Janet Raloff.  New
Scientist.  Vol. 139, March 9, 1991

"Minamata and the Search for Justice" by Michael Cross.  New
Scientist.  February 16, 1991.

"Minamata's Heroes: Industry Poisoned Their Lives, but not Their
Spirits" by Chieko Kuriki, Chicago Tribune.  April 26, 1990.

"Pills, Pollution, and Power; Japan's Soiled Past" by Ralph S.
Yourtee.  World Paper, February, 1994.

Smith, Eugene.  Minamata.  New York:  Holt, Rinehart, and Winston,
1975.

Go to Super Page 1/11/97

Bhopal Disaster

TED Case Studies

Bhopal Disaster

          CASE NUMBER:         233
       CASE MNEMONIC:      BHOPAL
       CASE NAME:          Bhopal Disaster

A.   IDENTIFICATION

1.   THE ISSUE

Developing countries are particularly vulnerable to industrial
crises.  However, industrial accidents such as Bhopal are not
just an Indian or even a Third World problem but are industrial
disasters waiting to happen , whether they are in the form of
"mini-Bhopals", smaller industrial accidents that occur with
disturbing frequency in chemical plants in both developed and
developing countries, and "slow-motion Bhopals", unseen chronic
poisoning from industrial pollution that causes irreversible
pain, suffering, and death (Weir, pp. xi-xii).  These are the key
issues we face in a world where toxins are used and developed
without fully knowing the harm that can come from their use or
abuse.

2.   DESCRIPTION

Developing countries, such as India, are particularly vulnerable
as they lack the infrastructure (e.g. communication, training,
education etc.) required to maintain technology but are
nevertheless, eager to set up and maintain industrial plants.  As
a result, they compete globally to attract multinational
companies for their investment and capital, and in this process,
often tend to ignore the safety and health violations that many
MNC's engage in.  "Developing countries confer upon MNC's a
competitive advantage because they offer low-cost labor, access
to markets, and lower operating costs.  Once there, companies
have little incentive to minimize environmental and human risks.
Lax environmental and safety regulation, inadequate capital
investment in safety equipment, and poor communications between
companies and governments compound the problem" (Cassels, p.279).

The Bhopal facility was part of India's Green Revolution aimed to
increase the productivity of crops.  Considered an essential
factor in the effort to achieve self-sufficiency in agricultural
production, pesticide production use increased dramatically
during the late 1960's and early 1970's.  The decision to
manufacture the pesticides in India, as opposed to relying on
imports was based on India's goal of preserving foreign exchange
and its policy of industrialization (Cassels, p.39).  In 1969,
Union Carbide (UCC-the parent company) set up a small plant
(Union Carbide India Ltd.- UCIL) in Bhopal, the capital city of
Madhya Pradesh, to formulate pesticides.

Bhopal was chosen as the site for the Carbide plant because of
it's central location in India, a railway system that spanned the
country, a large lake which provided a reliable source of water,
and sufficient electricity and labor to sustain a large scale
industrial plant.  The MIC facility was located in the existing
Carbide plant to the north of the city, adjacent to an existing
residential neighborhood and barely two kilometers from the
railway station.  Union Carbide claims that the "squatter
settlements" around the plant arrived only after it did.
However, "all three of the worst-affected communities in the
disaster apparently existed before the Union Carbide plant
opened" (Weir, p.36).

Until 1979, the Indian subsidiary of Carbide used to import MIC
or methyl isocyanate from the parent company.  After 1979, it
started to manufacture its own MIC.  MIC is one of many
"intermediates" used in pesticide production and is a dangerous
chemical.  It is a little lighter than water but twice as heavy
as air, meaning that when it escapes into the atmosphere it
remains close to the ground.  It has the ability to react with
many substances:  water acids, metals, and the small deposits of
corrosive materials that accumulate in pipes, tanks, and valves.
The MIC in Bhopal was used for the production of various
pesticides, mainly Sevin brand carbaryl insecticide and Temik
brand aldicarb pesticide.  All the pesticides produced at UCIL
were sold in the Indian market.

According to many, Bhopal is the site of the greatest industrial
disaster in history.  On the night of December 23, 1984, a
dangerous chemical reaction  occurred in the Union Carbide
factory when a large amount of water got into the MIC storage
tank # 610.  The leak was first detected by workers about 11:30
p.m. when their eyes began to tear and burn.  They informed their
supervisor who failed to take action until it was too late.  In
that time, a large amount, about 40 tons of Methyl Isocyanate
(MIC), poured out of the tank for nearly two hours and escaped
into the air, spreading within eight kilometers downwind, over
the city of nearly 900,000.  Thousands of people were killed
(estimates ranging as high as 4,000) in their sleep or as they
fled in terror, and hundreds of thousands remain injured or
affected (estimates range as high as 400,000) to this day.  The
most seriously affected areas were the densely populated shanty
towns immediately surrounding the plant -- Jayaprakash Nagar,
Kazi Camp, Chola Kenchi, and the Railway Colony.  The victims
were almost entirely the poorest members of the population.

This poisonous gas, caused death and left the survivors with
lingering disability and diseases.  Not much is known about the
future medical damage of MIC, but according to an international
medical commission, the victims suffer from serious health
problems that are being misdiagnosed or ignored by local doctors
(Lancet, "Round...").

Exposure to MIC has resulted in damage to the eyes and lungs and
has caused respiratory ailments such as chronic bronchitis and
emphysema, gastrointestinal problems like hyperacidity and
chronic gastritis, ophthalmic problems like chronic
conjunctivitis and early cataracts, vision problems, neurological
disorders such as memory and motor skills, psychiatric problems
of various types including varying grades of anxiety and
depression, musculoskeletal problems and gynecological problems
among the victims.  It is estimated that children born in Bhopal
after the disaster face twice the risk of dying as do children
elsewhere, partly because parents cannot care for them
adequately.  Surprisingly enough, despite the serious health
problems and the deaths that have occurred, Union Carbide claims
that the MIC is merely a "mild throat and ear irritant" (Lancet,
"Round..." p.952).

The Bhopal disaster was the result of a combination of legal,
technological, organizational, and human errors.  The immediate
cause of the chemical reaction was the seepage of water (500
liters)into the MIC storage tank.  The results of this reaction
were exacerbated by the failure of containment and safety
measures and by a complete absence of community information and
emergency procedures.  The long term effects were made worse by
the absence of systems to care for and compensate the victims.

Furthermore, safety standards and maintenance procedures at the
plant had been deteriorating and ignored for months.  A listing
of the defects of the MIC unit runs as follows:

  -Gauges measuring temperature and pressure in the various
  parts of the unit, including the crucial MIC storage tanks,
  were so notoriously unreliable that workers ignored early
  signs of trouble (Weir, pp.41-42).

  -The refrigeration unit for keeping MIC at low temperatures
  (and therefore less likely to undergo overheating and
  expansion should a contaminant enter the tank) had been shut
  off for some time (Weir, pp.41-42).

  -The gas scrubber, designed to neutralize any escaping MIC,
  had been shut off for maintenance.  Even had it been
  operative, post-disaster inquiries revealed, the maximum
  pressure it could handle was only one-quarter that which was
  actually reached in the accident (Weir, pp.41-42).

  -The flare tower, designed to burn off MIC escaping from the
  scrubber, was also turned off, waiting for replacement of a
  corroded piece of pipe.  The tower, however, was
  inadequately designed for its task, as it was capable of
  handling only a quarter of the volume of gas released (Weir,
  pp.41-42).

  -The water curtain, designed to neutralize any remaining
  gas, was too short to reach the top of the flare tower, from
  where the MIC was billowing (Weir, pp.41-42).

  -The lack of effective warning systems; the alarm on the
  storage tank failed to signal the increase in temperature on
  the night of the disaster (Cassels, p.19).

  -MIC storage tank number 610 was filled beyond recommended
  capacity; and

  -a storage tank which was supposed to be held in reserve for
  excess MIC already contained the MIC (Cassels, p.19).

Ironically, in Bhopal, the people living around the Union Carbide
plant were warned of potential hazards in a series of local
newspaper articles, but residents ignored these warnings because
they did not know how to react to them, while local officials
dismissed them as sensationalist reporting (Technology Review,
p.73).

Interestingly enough, Carbide tried to hide its poor safety and
maintenance record along with the other faults already mentioned,
by claiming publicly that the company was the victim of sabotage
by a 'disgruntled employee'.  Yet, Carbide didn't release the
name of this employee or bring charges against him/her.  However,
there is evidence to the contrary which supports the view that
Carbide (both the parent company and its Indian subsidiary) was
a negligent company that failed to improve its deteriorating
plant.  Incidentally, in a report (May 1982) of the Indian
subsidiary conducted by a three-member safety team from the Union
Carbide headquarters in the U.S., indicated that "a serious
potential for sizeable releases of toxic materials in the MIC
unit either due to equipment failure, operating problems, or
maintenance problems thus requiring various changes to reduce the
danger of the plant; there is no evidence the recommendations
were ever implemented" (Weir, pp.40-41).

Furthermore, "Carbide persistently shows 'wanton and wilful
disregard for the health and safety of its workers and the
communities in which it operates'"(New Statesman and Society,
"Surviving..." p.5).  Additionally, a scientific report published
by two U.S. organizations, the National Toxic Campaign and the
international  Council on Public Affairs, Union Carbide continues
to be " 'a major discharger of toxic substances into the
environment, and a major generator of hazardous waste'.  In 1988,
the company generated more than 300 million pounds of hazardous
waste - an increase of 70 million compared with 1987" (New
Statesman and Society, "Surviving..." p.5).

Carbide had dropped the safety standards at the Bhopal plant well
below those it maintained at a nearly identical facility in West
Virginia.  It is also important to note here that Carbide was
able to operate its deteriorating plant  because industrial
safety and environmental laws and regulations were lacking or
were not strictly enforced by the state of Madhya Pradesh or the
Indian government making them indirectly responsible for the
tragedy at Bhopal.

3.   RELATED CASES

  VEAL case
  EUMEAT case
  ECFURBAN case
  BASEL case
  CHERNOB case
  BASMEX case

  Keyword Clusters      

  (1): Impact                   = INDIA
  (2): Bio-geography            = TROPical
  (3): Environmental Problem    = HEALTH

4.   DRAFT AUTHOR:  Trupti Patel

B.   LEGAL CLUSTER

5.   DISCOURSE AND STATUS: DISagreement and COMPlete

This disaster gave rise to the world's largest lawsuit, one that
spanned half-way around the world and dragged on for more than
seven years.  Although the final settlement ($470 million)
satisfied the imperatives of the company and the Government of
India, it was condemned by the victims (Cassels, preface).

For years after the tragedy, the delay in delivering final
compensation to the victims has further propagated the suffering
to the victims.  Furthermore, other elements of relief ordered by
the Indian Supreme Court haven't been implemented.  These are the
medical surveillance program, the contingency insurance and the
new hospital.  There has been much dissent and several
organizations have voiced that the settlement  with Union
Carbide, made on behalf of the victims by the Indian government,
should be voided.  These petitioners argue that the Indian court
had no authority to dismiss criminal charges or grant immunity
against future charges, to Union Carbide since pleas bargaining
is not permitted under Indian law.

The petitioners also argued that while the settlement amount was
based on an estimated 40,000 severely injured victims, medical
studies suggest the number may be closer to 400,000 (Forbes, "The
ghost..." p.108).  Also, many medical experts believe that
liability to provide adequate compensation and facilities for the
handicapped victims requiring long-term follow up and treatment
should rest with Union Carbide Corporation and not with the
Indian Government (Lancet, "Round..." p.952).  Moreover, more
than 250,000 claims were never documented or classified, making
it hard for these victims to obtain compensation.  Much to the
anger and outrage of these groups and victims and the relief of
Union Carbide, on October 1991, the Indian Supreme Court upheld
the Bhopal settlement of $470 million dollars.  Many feel that
this is a clear signal from the Indian government that MNC's
investing in the country will receive only a "slap on the wrist"
in the event that something like this happens again.

6.   FORUM AND SCOPE:  INDIA and BILATeral

Issues of jurisdiction were central to the legal battle that
followed the tragedy.  These centered around the relationship of
the parent Union Carbide Corporation to its Indian subsidiary and
the appropriateness of the place where litigation is being
conducted.  Union Carbide Corporation maintains that it's
subsidiary is separate from the parent company and so it only
should be liable instead of the whole corporation.  The Indian
government's petition argues that insofar as Union Carbide
designed, constructed, owned, and operated the plant from which
the chemical escaped, the company should be held absolutely
liable for all the resulting damage.  Second, the company, in
undertaking an activity that it knew was ultra-hazardous to the
public at large, is strictly liable for the harm that was the
material consequence of such activity, regardless of whether the
harm that resulted was through fault of another or its own
negligence.  Third, the company was negligent in designing,
constructing, operating and maintaining its plant and thus,
failed to exercise its duty of care to protect the public from
the dangers inherent in its plant and processes (Morehouse and
Subramaniam, pp. 81-82).

Lawsuits were filed in both U.S. and Indian courts but
ultimately, it was decided that the case should be tried in an
Indian court.  Lawsuits filed in U.S. courts related to the
Bhopal case were refused on the grounds that the immediate
location of  the accident was in India, the victims were Indian,
and he U.S. connection with its Indian affiliate did not appear
to give it an unusual degree of control.

7.   DECISION BREADTH: 2

8.   LEGAL STANDING:  LAW

Following the disaster, the Government of India passed the Bhopal
Gas Leak Disaster (Processing of Claims) Act, 1985.  The Act gave
power to the Central Government to represent all claimants in
appropriate forums, appoint a Welfare Commissioner and other
staff and to discharge duties connected with hearing of the
claims and distribution of compensation.  Under this Act, in
1985, the Government formulated a scheme known as the Bhopal Gas
Leak Disaster Scheme, for the registration, processing, and
determination of compensation to each claim and appeals arising
from thereon.

Since the tragedy, the victims have waged an "unrequited struggle
for justice, but they have been ill-served by the Indian
government, which failed to pursue the victims' case aggressively
in the Indian courts, opting instead to go easy on Union Carbide
and maintain a favorable investment climate" (New Statesman and
Society, "Toxin..." p.18). Union Carbide settled out of court for
$470 million, thus avoiding any damaging legal precedent or
liability. In return, India's Supreme Court ordered the dismissal
of all civil and criminal charges against Carbide and its
officers, and gave them immunity from future prosecution.  The
Supreme Court felt that in this case, the victims needed
immediate relief, not further legal delay.

International Law at present plays almost no role in a Bhopal
scenario.  Substantive international law remains weak in the area
of pollution, industrial hazards, and multinational business
regulation (Weir, p.46).  An international treaty is needed under
which it would be agreed that, if courts in a signatory country
award compensation after due process of law, then the award would
automatically be enforced by courts in other signatory countries
(Economist, p.70).

C.   GEOGRAPHIC CLUSTER

9.   GEOGRAPHIC LOCATIONS

  a.   DOMAIN:  ASIA
  b.   SITE:  South Asia [SASIA]
  c.   IMPACT:  INDIA    

10.  SUB-NATIONAL FACTORS:  NO

11.  TYPE OF HABITAT: TROPical

D.   TRADE CLUSTER

12.  TYPE OF MEASURE: Regulatory Standard [REGSTD]

With regard to process standards, it is apparent that Union
Carbide had double standards when operating its plant in India
and in West Virginia.  An investigation of both the UCIL plant
and its counterpart in Institute, West Virginia revealed  that
"while the latter plant had computerized warning and monitoring
system, the former relied on manual gauges and the human senses
to detect gas leaks.  The capacity of the storage tanks, gas
scrubbers, and flare tower was greater at the Institute plant.
Finally, emergency evacuation plans were in place in Institute,
but nonexistent in Bhopal" (Cassel, p.19).  Also, the manner in
which Carbide decided to manufacture MIC was questioned at the
design stage when a controversy arose regarding the question of
whether substantial storage capacity or nominal storage of MIC
would be required.  UCC, which provided the basic design of the
plant, supervised its engineering, and defined operating
procedures to run it, insisted on the former [despite the fact
that] UCIL felt that the latter was...inherently safer (Morehouse
and Subramaniam, p.3).

13.  DIRECT OR INDIRECT:  DIRECT

14.  RELATION OF MEASURE TO IMPACT

  a.  DIRECTLY RELATED:    Yes  CHEMical
  b.  INDIRECTLY RELATED:  No
  c.  NOT RELATED:         No
  d.  PROCESS RELATED:     Yes Health

15.  TRADE PRODUCTION IDENTIFICATION: CHEMical

16.  ECONOMIC DATA

Estimates of the number dead and injured vary widely.  Poor
documentation, mass burials and cremations, and conflicting
medical opinions ensure that the precise number will never be
known.  In addition, death records may not include homeless and
transient individuals who perished.  The original count of the
dead was more than 2,000.  By 1987, the official death toll stood
at about 3,500 and by 1992, it was over 4,000.  Victims'
organizations placed the figure many thousands higher.  In
addition, 30,000 to 40,000 people were maimed and seriously
injured, and 200,000 were otherwise affected through minor
injury, death of a family member, and economic and social
dislocation (Cassels, p.5).

17.  IMPACT OF TRADE RESTRICTION: LOW

18.  INDUSTRY SECTOR: CHEMical

19.  EXPORTER AND IMPORTER: USA and INDIA

D.   ENVIRONMENT CLUSTERS

20.  ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEM TYPE: Pollution Air [POLA]

Not very much is known about the environmental impacts of the gas
leak from the Bhopal plant.  The Indian Council of Agricultural
Research has issued a preliminary report on damage to crops,
vegetables, animals, and fish from the accidents, but these offer
few conclusive findings since they were reported in the early
stages after the disaster. This report however, did indicate that
the impact of whatever toxic substances emerged from the Carbide
plant were highly lethal on exposed animals.  Large number of
cattle (estimates range as high as 4,000), as well as dogs, cats,
and birds were killed.  Plant life was also severely damaged by
exposure to the gas.  There was also widespread defoliation of
trees, especially in low lying areas (Morehouse and Subramaniam,
pp.36-38).

21.  SPECIES INFORMATION

  SPECIES:       Homosapiens
  GENERA:        NA
  DIVERSITY:     NA

22.  IMPACT AND EFFECT:  HIGH and PRODuct

23.  URGENCY AND LIFETIME: LOW and 70 years

24.  SUBSTITUTES:: Biodegradable products [BIODG]

E.   OTHER FACTORS

25.  CULTURE:  NO

There appear to be have been serious communication problems and
management gaps between Union Carbide and its Indian operation.
This failure to communicate hazards was the result of the parent'
companies hands-off approach to its overseas operation, and can
be traced to cross-cultural barriers.  These can possibly be
related to "disruptions and flaws which appear in multinational
operations because of "the absence of common values, norms, and
expectations among managers in different nations, from tendencies
towards ethnocentric attitudes, from psychological impediments to
cross-cultural understanding, and from obstructions and
deficiencies in the flow of information within the transnational
system attributable to distance and shared ownership.  The fact
that the operating manuals at Bhopal were printed only in English
is an emblematic example of these problems (Cassels, p.21).

26.  TRANS-BOUNDARY ISSUES:: NO

27.  HUMAN RIGHTS:  YES

In mid-July 1985, the government of India Health Minister stated
that 36 pregnant women had spontaneously aborted, 21 babies were
born with deformities, and there were 27 stillbirths, all
suspected to have been caused by the poison gas leak in Bhopal.
An examination of 114 women in the field clinics in two of the
gas affected slums in Bhopal three months after the disaster
revealed that an extremely high proportion of these women had
developed gynecological diseases such as leucorrhoea (90%),
pelvic inflammatory disease (79%), cervical erosion and/or
endocervicitis (75%), excessive menstrual bleeding since exposure
to the gas (31%), and suppression of lactation (59%).  Also,
there were several thousand pregnant women in the communities
that were among the worst affected by the gas.  Respiratory
complication and the resulting hypozyia were bound to affect the
fetuses as much as it did the mothers (Morehouse and Subramaniam,
pp. 33-4).

M I In Love????

Silent we sit,
Often we forget,
The day or night...

Music we sing,
No one never listen,
The silence from heart...

After we meet,
We say good bye,
Like we have talked everything...

Nothing to say,
Nothing to think,
Like the hearts talk...

Starred we in eyes,
Murmered we lips,
Like we hv fallen in love...

-ATIT

No one can hurt his sleep...

My frnd Preyesh...In IMA lab. i nchemical engg. department...

at 3:00 pm...

Quots----Atit

Between frnds ..no need of justice,...

Quots----Atit

A room without book is a body without soul...

Quots----Atit

Don't look before you leap;
because it will ruin the surprise...

DON'T QUIT

When things go wrong,as they sometimes will,
When the roads you are trudging seems all up hill;
When the funds are low and the debts are high;
And you want to smile,but you have to sigh;

When the care is passing a down a bit;
Rest, if u must --but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns;
As everyone of us sometimes learns;
And many a failure turns about;
When he might have won had he stuck it out;

Don't give up, though pace seems slow----
You might succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than
it seems to faint & faltering man'
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victors cup;

And he learned toooo late, when the night slipped down;
How close he was to the golden crown...

Success is failure turned inside out----

The silver tint of clouds & doubts------

And you never can tell how close you are;

It may be nearer when it seems afar;

So stick to the fight when you are hardest hit----
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit...

INDISPENSABLE?????

Anyone who thinks

he or she is indispensable
should stick a finger

in a bowl of water
and notice
how long the hole
stays there

after the finger
is pulled out!!!!!!!!!!!!

THE TRUTH OF LIFE

THE DAY COMES,WHEN I DIE,
MANY FEEL SAD AND MANY CRY.
I LIE ON THE GROUND,DRESSED IN A WHITE SHROUD,
COOL AND CALM ON THE FACE, UNEFFECTED BY THE CROWD.

MY RELATIVES AND FRIENDS,ALL GATHER AT MY PLACE,
THEY MOURN FOR SOME REASON,WHICH I COULD NOT GUESS.
SOME WEEP THROUGH THEIR MINDS,SOME WEEP THROUGH THEIR HEARTS.
THEY ARE JEALOUS OF MY PEACE, AS THEY CAN'T TROUBLE ME NOW.

SOME RELATIVES AND FRIENDS, WHO LOVED ME A LOT,
CARRIED ME OUT OF MY HOUSE, TO A CREMATORIUM.
THEY SET ME ON FIRE, AND WAITED TILL I AM BURNT.

THEN THEY CRIED FOR HOURS,FOR DAYS AND WEEKS,
SOME CRIED FOR THE FRIENDSHIP, THAT I COULDN'T CARRY ON.
SOME CRIED FOR THE RELATIONS, THAT WERE ALL BROKEN DOWN.
THEIR WAS A SELFISH MOTIVE, BEHIND THEIR CRYING,
THEY LOVED ME A LOT, BUT I SHOWED NO SUCH SIGN.

I FELT VERY SAD, ON SEEING THEM CRY.
I FOUND THAT I WAS JUST AN ACTOR OF A SKIT,
MY TIME WAS OVER, AND I HAD TO SPLIT.
SUDDENLY, I REMEMBERED THE AIM, FOR WHICH I WAS THERE,
I NEVER BOTHERED OF IT, WHEN THE TIME WAS THERE.

IT WAS MY DEATH, WHICH MADE ME REALISE
THAT I WAS SO ATTACHED, TO THIS MARVELLOUS PLAY OF LIFE.
AND FORGOT THE AIM,TO SEARCH THE ALMIGHTY,
WHO IS THERE WITH US,BUT IN DISGUISE.
MY DEATH MADE ME REALISE, THIS TRUTH OF LIFE..

ARE YOU THERE....GOD?
ARE YOU THERE?

I SEARCHED NOWHERE,
THROUGH PENANCE OR PRAYER,
FOR I WAS NOT SURE
WHETHER,ARE YOU THERE?
OR JUST NOWHERE.

MANY SAY YOU EXIST,
SOME SAY YOU ARE IN PRIESTS,
SOME SAY YOU ARE IN NATURE,
SOME SAY YOU ARE IN CREATURES.

WITH THOUSANDS OF NAMES,
THEY CALL UPON YOU,
AND ARE DIVIDED WITH EACHOTHER
WITH RELIGIONS,JUST FOR YOU.

THEY FIGHT EACHOTHER,
THERE OWN HUMAN FRIENDS,
TO PROOVE THAT THE NAME,
THEY WORSHIP IS THE BEST.

NOW THE TIME HAS COME,
FOR YOU TO APEAR,
PLEASE CONFIRM TO ME,
THAT YOU ARE HERE.

COME,TEACH THESE MEN,
THAT RELIGONS ARE NONE,
ONLY HUMANITY IS THE RELIGION,
SINCE YOU ARE ONLY ONE.....

હ્યદય ઉપવન બની ગયું, તમે આવ્યા પછી,
મન મધુવન બની ગયું, તમે આવ્યા પછી,
જીવન મારું હતું વેરાન વગડા જેવું,
ખંડેર હવે ભવન બની ગયું, તમે આવ્યા પછી,
પ્રેમ પારસમણિ છે થઇ ખાતરી મને,
કથીર કંચન બની ગયું, તમે આવ્યા પછી,
લાખો દુઃખોથી ભરેલી મારી જિંદગી હતી,
સુંદર જીવન બની ગયું, તમે આવ્યા પછી,
તમારો પ્રેમ પામી ધન્ય બની ગયો,
દિલ પાવન બની ગયું, તમે આવ્યા પછી...

'તમે ', 'તમે' ફ્ક્ત તમે જ છો,
મારા હ્યદયમાં દસ્તક દેનાર 'તમે' છો,
મારાં સ્વપ્નોમાં-વિચારોમાં હરહંમેશ રહેતા 'તમે' જ છો,
મારી આંખોના દરેક પલકારે આવતા-જતા'તમે' જ છો,
મારી આંખોના દરેક વહેતા અશ્રુમાં 'તમે' જ છો,
મારા તન-મનમાં રોમ-રોમમાં સમાયેલા 'તમે' જ છો,
મારા હ્યદયને હચમચાવનાર,
ભાન ભુલાવનાર-મારી ઊંઘ બગાડનાર 'તમે' જ છો,
જાગતાં-ઊંઘતાં,ઊઠતાં-બેસતાં,
મારા મનને વલોવનાર 'તમે' જ છો,
મારા જીવનમાં ઓજસ પાથરનાર 'તમે' જ છો,
દૂર-દૂર રહીને મારા મનને તડપાવનાર પણ 'તમે' જ છો,
'તમે','તમે' ફક્ત તમે જ છો....

આ પ્રેમની રમત પણ કમાલ છે,
હાર હોય કે જીત એક સરખી ધમાલ છે,
નિરાળા એના નિયમ નિરાળી એની ચાલ છે,
હારેલા તો ઠીક તેમાં જીતેલા પણ બેહાલ છે....

શ્વાસમાં વિશ્વાસ જ્યાં ભેળો મળે એ પ્રેમ છે,
આશનો અવકાશ જ્યાં પણ શૂન્ય છે એ પ્રેમ છે.

હક, અપેક્ષા, શક, અહમ્ ના પંક ની વચ્ચેથી કોઈ,
પદ્મ સમ નિર્મળ અગર ખીલી શકે એ પ્રેમ છે.

બેકરારી વસ્લ માં, પીડા વિરહ માં કત્લની,
એટલું સમજી શકો કે કેમ છે એ પ્રેમ છે.

‘તું નથી’ ની વાસ્તવિક્તા કષ્ટ દેતી બંધ થઈ,
શ્વાસમાં, ઉચ્છવાસ માં બસ, તું વહે એ પ્રેમ છે.

બાદબાકી તુજ ની, તારાં સ્પર્શ, યાદો, સાથની,
શેષ મારામાં પછી જે પણ બચે એ પ્રેમ છે.

શબ્દ થઈ મુજ શ્વાસ માં બસ તું સદા વહેતી રહે,
આ ગઝલ શબ્દો નથી કંઈ, આ જે છે એ પ્રેમ છે.

રાત આખી બેકરારી થઈ મને ડંસતી રહે,
ને સવારે શબ્દ થઈ ચૂમે મને એ પ્રેમ છે.

તુ ચાલી ગ ઇ જીવનમાંથી તો ક્યુ આભ ફાટ્યુ?
થાય છે અસર ઢેફાને પાણીથી કાળમીંઢ પીગળતા નથી.
એટલી સલાહ આપી શકું બચીને રહેજે અમારાથી
છીએ એક ગ્રહણ, લાગી જાય તો પછી ટળતા નથી.
ભુલથી પણ સામે ન આવતી આવતા જન્મે,
નનામી સાથે કદી નફરતના બીજ બળતા નથી.
થોડી મુશ્કેલી પડે અને ખરી પડે એ નાજુક સિતારા
અમે એ સુર્ય છીએ જે સંધ્યા સમયે પણ ઢળતા નથી.
આજે ખબર પડી પ્રેમમાં પણ લાયકાત જરૂરી છે.
સરિતા જ સક્ષમ હોય, સરોવર સાગરમાં ભળતા નથી.
હવે જ મારો જિંદગી સાથે સાચો ઘરોબો થયો
ગાંઠ બંધાઇ હતી કે ખોવાયેલા રત્નો મળતા નથી.

દરિયામાંથી મોજા કાઢી નાખશો તો બાકી શું વધશે?
પંખીડાની પાંખો કાપી નાખશો તો બાકી શું વધશે?
એક જ ચીજ બાકી રહી ગઇ છે સકળ જગતમાં
બ્રહ્માંડની પહોળાઇ માપી નાખશો તો બાકી શું વધશે?
આચ્છાદિત રહેવા દો એમને ગુમનામ રહેવા દો
ભુતકાળને ઝાપટી નાખશો તો બાકી શું વધશે?
પહેલી જ વાર આવ્યા હોય બાદશાહ, બેગમ, ગુલામ
શ્વાસોના પત્તાને ચીપી નાખશો તો બાકી શું વધશે?

લે, આ મને ગમ્યું તે મારું
પણ જો તને ગમે તો તારું!

મારું, તારું ને ગમવું પણ,
લાવ,લાવ કરીએ સહિયારું!

તું જીતે ને થાઉં ખુશી હું,
લેને, ફરી ફરીને હારું!

ઈટ્ટા-કિટ્ટા એક ઘડીના,
બાકી સઘળું પ્યારુંપ્યારું!

હસિયેં રમિયેં મીઠું લાગે,
થૂ, આંસુ તો લાગે ખારું!

ગીત હોય તો શીદ અબોલા,
તું ઝીલી લે, હું લલકારું!

રમિયેં ત્યાં લગ હાથ રમકડું,
મોજ મહીં શું તારું-મારું!

ખીલીને સોળે કળાએ ઝળહળે છે ચાંદની,
કંઈ ને કંઈ બહાને ફરી તુજને અડે છે ચાંદની.

વાટ થઈ વગડામાં નક્કી તું જ પથરાઈ હશે,
એટલે તો ચોતરફ આ ટમટમે છે ચાંદની.

ચંદ્રના અરમાન વેરાયા હશે શું સૃષ્ટિમાં?
ફોજ તારાઓની લઈને નીકળે છે ચાંદની.

છે ઊછીનું તેજ તોયે ઠારતું, ના બાળતું,
લેણ-દેણીની રસમ ગર્વિત કરે છે ચાંદની.

આ અમાવસ બારમાસી થઈ મને પીડી રહી,
ચાંદ સમ તું ગઈ એ દિ’થી ક્યાં ઊગે છે ચાંદની ?!

શ્વાસમા મુજ તેજનો લય થઈ ગઝલ રેલાય છે,
જ્યારે-જ્યારે શબ્દને મારા અડે છે ચાંદની.

હોય મારો દાખલો ને તું મથે, તાળો મળે,
શક્યતા પૂરી છે ત્યાં સરવાળે ગોટાળો મળે.

મધ્યમાં જે શાંત છે, કાંઠે એ ફીણાળો મળે,
વાતમાં દરિયાની કોની વાતનો તાળો મળે !

પારદર્શક કાચ થઈને બહાર ક્યાં નીકળ્યાં તમે ?
આ નગર છે, અહીં શુકનમાં કાંકરીચાળો મળે.

આજે જે ડાળે હો જામી ભીડ ટહુકાઓની ત્યાં,
શક્ય છે ત્યાં કાલે ના માળો, ના ગરમાળો મળે.

રાહ નીરખે છે સદીઓની નપુંસક ફિતરતો,
આ સદીને ક્યારે એનો માટી મૂંછાળો મળે ?

શક્યતાઓ શ્રાપ પામી વાંઝણી હોવાનો જ્યાં,
એ જ મારા ઘરમાં ઈચ્છાઓ બચરવાળો મળે.

ઓઢીને સુરતીપણું ખુલ્લા ફરે છે શબ્દ સૌ,
ચેતજો ! આગળ ગઝલમાં શક્ય છે, ગાળો મળે.

માંગું અગર હવા ય તો કહેશે કે તાણ છે,
દુનિયાથી મારે સાવ નવી ઓળખાણ છે.

શબ્દો છે શ્વાસ મારા અને કાવ્ય પ્રાણ છે,
ચારેતરફ આ લોહીમાં અક્ષરની આણ છે.

સિદ્ધાર્થમાંથી હર ક્ષણે ગૌતમ બનું છું હું,
લોહીનું શબ્દે-શબ્દે કલમમાં પ્રયાણ છે.

ઇંદ્રિયના આ ઢોરને કાબૂમાં કરશો કેમ?
દરવાજા છોને બંધ હો, ખુલ્લી ગમાણ છે.

અણઆવડતનું બહાનું હવે કેમ કાઢશો?
ઊભા છો જ્યાં આ પાણી તો ઢીંચણસમાણ છે.

બોલે જો હોઠ જૂઠું, સીધું આંખમાં જુઓ,
વર્ષો જૂનો ઇલાજ છે પણ રામબાણ છે.

બે-ચાર શ્વાસ સુધીની તકલીફ છે બધી,
આગળ પછી આ રસ્તામાં સીધું ચઢાણ છે.

આશાઓ પર પાણી ફરી જતાં વાર નથી લાગતી
કિનારે આવી ડૂબી જતાં વાર નથી લાગતી
જીતનો જલસો માનવાની ઉતાવળ ન કર
જીતેલી બાજી હારી જવામાં વાર નથી લાગતી
તારી ઊંચાઇનું નાહક અભિમાન ન કર
કે મિનારોને તૂટી જવામાં વાર નથી લાગતી
બાંધ્યો છે માળો તો જરા દિલથી જતન કર
કે માળાને પીંખાઇ જતાં વાર નથી લાગતી
માણી લે હર એક પળ તું આજે
આંખોને મિંચાઇ જતાં વાર નથી લાગતી.

હૈયે હરખ ઘણોય થાય છે
કે આજે પરિક્ષા પૂરી થાય છે
ચાલો વગાડીએ ઢોલ-નગારા
કે આજે પરિક્ષા પૂરી થાય છે
ઉજાગરાથી આંખો છે રાતી
મારી મહેનતની ચાડી ખાતી
છતાં થાક ના અનુભવાય છે
કે આજે પરિક્ષા પૂરી થાય છે
ફગાવી દફતર પાટી પેન
હું ચાલ્યો રમવા એન-ઘેન
હવે ગણવેશમાં ડાઘા થાય છે.
કે આજે પરિક્ષા પૂરી થાય છે
હવે તો છૂટથી હરીશું-ફરીશું
વહેતા પવનની સાથે રમીશું
સમયનું બંધન ના જણાય છે
કે આજે પરિક્ષા પૂરી થાય છે

કોઇની પણ વાતમાં પડતો નથી,
એટલે હું કોઇને નડતો નથી.

જે ઘડીએ જે મળ્યું મંજૂર છે,
ભાગ્ય સાથે હું કદી લડતો નથી.

કોણે છલકાવ્યા નજરના જામને,
આમ તો હું જામને અડતો નથી.

હામ હૈયામાં છે મારા એટલે,
ઠોકરો ખાઉં છું પણ પડતો નથી.

પૂછે છે જ્યારે તું, 'હું કેવી લાગું';
એક બે ત્રણ ગણી, હું ચોખટ ભાણી ભાગું.

જો કહું 'જેવા પણ છો એવા ગમો છો',
તો કહે છે 'તમને પૂછવું જ નકામું'.

'સારી' કહું તો કહે, 'વખાણતાંય આવડતું નથી',
ને છેડે જંગ જો ના ગમતો જવાબ હું આપું.

તુ ખુલ્લે આમ કહે, મારામાં ડ્રેસિંગ સેન્સ નથી,
હું ખાનગીમાં પણ એવું કહેતા ગભરાવું.

તને જોઇએ એવુ, હોય સૌ નજરો તારા પર,
ને ગુસ્તાખી સમજે મારી, નજર જો બિજૂ ઉઠાવું.

બિજાંને તો ટોકે, ન બનતા જોરૂ ગુલામ;
ને મને જાહેર માં તુ આંગળીયે નચાવું.

બિજાની આ શાયરી હોત તો તુ હસી લેતી,
પરાક્રમ મારું છે જાણી, દાણા-પાણી છોડાવું.

હસી-મજાક માં 'દેવ', લખતાં લખી તો નાખ્યું,
હવે કયામાત નો વખત વિચારી, તત-પપ થઇ જાવું

જેની સાથે જોડાયુ હતું એ નામ જાણીને શું કરશો તમે?
નાહકની અમારા જ હિસ્સાની વેદના અનુભવશો તમે.
બે-ચાર પંક્તિ વાંચતા જ દેખાય છે ઝળઝળીયા આંખમાં
નથી વાંચવું પ્રીતપુરાણ પુરુ થતાં ચોધાર રડશો તમે
આંખોમાં આશ, ફેફસામાં શ્વાસ લઇ હજી બેઠો છે વિશાલ
જીવન તો ગયુ એનું, મરણ સુધારવા કરગરશો તમે.
મિત્રભાવે વણમાગી સલાહ આપું છુ કબુલ રાખજો
પ્રેમ ન કરતાં, નહી તો મારી જેમ રઝળશો તમે

પ્રેમનો એકરાર કરવામાં જરાક મોડો પડ્યો
એમનું દિલ જીતવામાં જરાક મોડો પડ્યો
બંધ દરવાજો ખખડાવીને તેઓ ચાલ્યા ગયા
સ્વપ્નમાંહેથી આંખો ખોલવામાં જરાક મોડો પડ્યો.
મૌનને પણ વાંચવમાં હતો વિશાલ કાબેલ
આંખના ઇશારા સમજવામાં જરાક મોડો પડ્યો
વર્ષોની તમન્ના હતી જેની જીંદગીને એ
મરણ હાથતાળી આપી છટક્યું જરાક મોડો પડ્યો

આમ તો હું શુન્યમાં રહેલો વિસ્તાર છું શબ્દ નહી પણ શબ્દમાં રહેલો ભાર છું સમજવા છતાંએ એટલું જ સમજ્યો તમારી વાતમાં કે સદા તમારી સમજની બહાર છું....

તમે આઘા ખસો તો કેટલો લંબાય છે રસ્તો
નિકટ આવો તો આંખોમાં સમાતો જાય છે રસ્તો

તમે ચેતાવતા રહો છો છતાં પણ ઠેશ વાગે છે
તમે સામે હો ત્યારે ક્યાં મને દેખાય છે રસ્તો

કહો આ આપણા સંબંધની ના કઈ રીતે કહેશો?
કે મારે ત્યાંથી નીકળી આપને ત્યાં જાય છે રસ્તો

તમારી સોબતી છે એ, તમે આ ટેવ પાડી છે
નજરથી દૂર જઈને એટલે સંતાય છે રસ્તો

જતો’તો એમને ત્યાં, એ રીતે સામા મળ્યા તેઓ
પૂછીપૂછીને પુછાયું કે આ ક્યાં જાય છે રસ્તો

જતું રહેવું તમારું પગ પછાડીને જતું રહેવું
અહીં હું ખાલીખમ બેઠો અને પડઘાય છે રસ્તો

પ્રતીક્ષા નહિ કરો તો પણ એ કરવાની ફરજ પડશે
જુઓ ‘નાદાન’ બારીમાંથી ખુદ ડોકાય છે રસ્તો

ભીખુભાઈ ચાવડા ‘નાદાન’

સૂતાં હશો તો ખ્વાબમાં આવી જઇશ હું.
સારા બદનમાં ફૂલ થઇ મહેંકી જઇશ હું.

એકાંત જ્યારે સાલશે મારા અભાવનું,
કાગળ થઇને ક્યાંકથી પહોંચી જઇશ હું.

આકાશ તારી આંખનું ખૂલતું જતું હશે,
સૂરજની જેમ એ મહીં ઊગી જઇશ હું.

તારી ઘણી ય ‘હા’ હતી ‘ના’ના લિબાસમાં,
કહેવા હવે જો ‘ના’ હશે, જીરવી જઇશ હું.

- કૈલાસ પંડિત

ઘડીમાં રીસાવું, ખરાં છો તમે.
ઘડીમાં મનાવું, ખરાં છો તમે.

ન પૂછો કશું યે, ન બોલો કશું યે,
અમસ્તા મુંઝાઓ, ખરાં છો તમે.

ન આવો છો મળવા, ન ઘરમાં રહો છો,
અમારે ક્યાં જાવું, ખરાં છો તમે.

હતી ભાગ્યરેખા, ભુંસાઇ ગઇ.
નવી ક્યાંથી લાવું, ખરાં છો તમે.

યાદ તારી આવતાં જ,
ચૂપચાપ રડી લઉં છું હું.
સપનામાં તું સતાવે તો,
રાતભર જાગી લઉં છું હું.
તું નજરે ન પડે તો તારી,
તસવીર જોઇ 'લઉં છું હું.
રિસાઇને તું ચાલી જાય તો,
દિલને મનાવી લઉં છું હું.
યાદોથી હું ક્યાં લગી જીવું ?
ક્યારેક તો પ્રત્યક્ષ આવી જા તું...


આર.એચ.રાણા

યુગો પછી જોવા મળશે ચિર-પરિચિત ચહેરો
સંભાળજે ઓ દિલ મારા! એ આવે છે.
ગંભીરતા તો એને લગીરેય ગમતી નથી
બની જા ઓ દિલ આવારા! એ આવે છે.
ઝરણ બની ફૂટી નિકળશે સમય-શીલા પરથી
નદી, સંકોચી લે ધારા! એ આવે છે.
પૂનમની રાત છે અને ચંદ્ર નથી ઊગ્યો?
ચિંતા ન કરો સિતારા! એ આવે છે.
ક્ષણ માટે આવશે ક્ષણમાં ચાલી જશે
થંભી જાઓ પલકારા! એ આવે છે.
પદરવ સાંભળતી વખતે ખલેલ ન જોઇએ કોઇ
બંધ થઇ જા ધબકારા! એ આવે છે.

આ દુનિયામાં જિંદગી જીવવી કંઇ સહેલી નથી
છતાં કહું ચુ ઊકલી ન શકે એવી પહેલી નથી
સાચવીને સમજીને જીવી જજો હરેક ક્ષણ એની
હસ્તરેખાની ગુલામ થઇને હથેળીમાં વસેલી નથી
માનુ છુ કોઇ ગુલાબ ચમનની જેમ મહેકેલી નથી
દાનવીર કર્ણની માફક અલગારી, અલબેલી નથી
ચીજને મૂલવવાનો અધિકાર સોંપ્યો છે સમયને
મફતમાં સઘળું ધરી દે એવી કંઇ ઘેલી નથી
આકાશને અડકે છે એ, ધરતીને અઢેલી નથી
ઇશ્વરનો આભાર, શરાબની જેમ છકેલી નથી
એમ ન માનશો કે મોતથી ડરુ છું હું
થોડું કરજ બાકી છે દેહનું એટલે હડસેલી નથી

સજન મારી પ્રિતડી સદીઓ પુરાણી
ભુલી ના ભુલાશે… પ્રણય કહાણી
સુહાગણ રહીને મરવું, જીવવું તો સંગમાં
પલપલ ભીંજાવું તમને, પ્રિતડીના રંગમાં
ભવોભવ મળીને કરીએ, ઉરની ઉજાણી
સજન મારી પ્રિતડી…
જીગર ને અમીની આ તો રજની સુહાગી
મળી રે જાણે સારસની જોડલી સોભાગી
છાયા રૂપે નયનને પિંજરે પુરાણી
સજન મારી પ્રિતડી…
સજન મારી પ્રિતડી સદીઓ પુરાણી
ભુલી ના ભુલાશે… પ્રણય કહાણી
જનમોજનમની પ્રિતી દીધી કાં વિસારી
પ્યારી ગણી તેં શાને મરણ પથારી ?
બળતાં હ્ર્દયની તેંતો વેદના ન જાણી….
સજન મારી પ્રિતડી…
ધરા પર ઝુકેલું ગગન કરે અણસારો
મળશે જીગરને મીઠો અમીનો સહારો
ઝંખતા જીવોની લગની નથી રે અજાણી
સજન મારી પ્રિતડી…

સ્વાર્થી સંબંધોની આ દુનિયામાં,
આપણા સંબંધને છે અનોખી દુનિયા,

યુગ યુગના સથવારે બંધાયેલો,
એક-બીજાના વિશ્વાસે બંધાયેલો.
એક-બીજાની તરસ છીપાવતો,
એક-બીજાના સુખ-દુઃખની સંગાથે પાંગરેલો,
એક-બીજાના શ્વાસના તાંતણે બંધાયેલો,
એક-બીજાના બોલના સહારે ભવસાગર તરતો,

એવો છે આ આપણો સંબંધ,
જે છે બધા સંબંધમા ન્યારો,
લાગે આ હ્યદયને બહુ પ્યારો,
લાગણીઓને તાંતણે બંધાયેલો,
ઉરની ઉર્મીઓને ઉછેરતો...!

નામ ના આપી શકાય એવો આ આપણો પ્રેમ,
શબ્દો અને કલ્પનાઓ કુંઠીત થઇ જાય છે..
જાણે બ્રહ્નાંડની દરેક ઉર્મીઓ..
કુદરતની દરેક લીલા..
ઇશ્વરનું સનાત્તન સત્ય,
જેવો આ પ્રેમનો સંબંધ આપણો...!!

સહજ મળ્યું તે લીધું, મેં તો સહજ મળ્યું તે લીધું,
બળબળતા ઝરણાનું પાણી અમરત માની પીધું !

આવળ-બાવળનાં ફુલોમાં રુપ ગુલાબી દીઠાં,
વનવગડામાં ભમતાં લાગે ચણીબોર પણ મીઠાં !
ક્ષણ ક્ષણ જીવને ડંખે એવું કરમ ન એકે કીધું…….સહજ.

ચપટી મળ્યું તે ગજવે ઘાલ્યું,મણની લાલચ છોડી
આતમને અજવાળે મેં તો ધરમ-ધજાયું ખોડી !
આડો-અવળો મારગ મેલી જાવું છે ઘર સીધું !…સહજ.

એક ગુજરાતી નાટક નો સંવાદઃ

એક ગુજરાતી નાટક નો સંવાદઃ

નાટકઃ સમ્રાટ હર્ષ

હર્ષઃ દેખાવ બદલ્યે દુર્જનોના દાવ બદલતા નથી,
સમય બદલે છતાં સ્વભાવ બદલતા નથી.
શશાંકઃ વાજિંત્રના ઉસ્તાદના કંઈ તાલ બદલતા નથી,
સિંહ કેરી મુછના બાલ બદલતા નથી,
સર્પ છુપ્યા પછી એના ખયાલ બદલતા નથી,
અમે બદલશુ અમારા હાલ બદલતા નથી.
કલ્યાણીઃ પત્ની તણો છે ન્યાય, સામે પતિનો અન્યાય છે,
સ્ત્રીને મળે સન્માન ત્યા નીંદા પતિની થાય છે,
તમારી અપકિર્તીમા ઈજ્જત અમારી જાય છે,
તમે શરમાતા નથી,આ ચુડીઓ શરમાય છે.


જો તમને આ ડાયલોગ ગમ્યો હોય તો "જય ભવાની" એટલે કે "દેવ" ને તમારૉ અભિપ્રાય આપશો..
જય માતાજી

આપણી વચ્ચે કશું એવું નથી, એવું નથી,
હોય તો પણ એ તને કહેવું નથી, કહેવું નથી.

છે નકી ઝાકળ સરીખો પ્રેમ વેચાતો અહીં,
દર્દ બીજાનું હવે લેવું નથી, લેવું નથી.

રોજ ઊગે ચાંદ- સૂરજ આ ધરા અજવાળવા,
શ્વાસનું તો કાયમી જેવું નથી, જેવું નથી.

હું નજર ઢાળી ધરા પર એમ બસ ફરતો રહું,
પ્રેમનાં એ દર્દને સ્હેવું નથી, સ્હેવું નથી .

ક્યાં મળે છે પાત્ર એવું, કે બધું આપી શકું,
ભીતરી ઝવેરાતને દેવું નથી, દેવું નથી.

- હરીશ પંડ્યા

છે ઘણા એવા કે, જેઓ યુગને પલટાવી ગયા,
પણ બહુ ઓછા છે, જેઓ પ્રેમમાં ફાવી ગયા.

દુર્દશા જેવું હતું, કિંતુ સમજ નો’તી મને,
દોસ્તો આવ્યા અને આવીને સમજાવી ગયા.

હું વીતેલા દિવસો પર એક નજર કરતો હતો,
યાદ કંઈ આવ્યું નહીં, પણ આંસુઓ આવી ગયાં.

મેં લખેલો દઈ ગયા; પોતે લખેલો લઈ ગયા,
છે હજી સંબંધ કે, એ પત્ર બદલાવી ગયા.

‘સૈફ’ આ તાજી કબર પર નામ તો મારું જ છે,
પણ ઉતાવળમાં આ લોકો કોને દફનાવી ગયા ?

- સૈફ પાલનપુરી

તારી યાદ આવે છે.
સ્કોર્લ કરું મારી જુની યાદો ને,
હાઇપરલિંક થઇ ને તું સામે આવે છે.

એક એક મીનિટ તારી યાદ આવે છે,
સ્ક્રીન સેવર ની જેમ તું સામે આવે છે.

બેસુ છું કામ કરવા
મિનિમાઇસ કરું છું મારી બધી વિનડોને,
ડેસટોપ ની જેમ તું સામે આવે છે.

ડીલીટ કરુ છું એ યાદોની ફાઇલ ને
પન થોડી થોડી વારે એ રીસાઇકલ બિન માથી પાછી આવે છે.

શટડાઉન કરું છું મારી સીસ્ટમ
તો પન શટડાઉન મેસેજમાં તું આવે છે.

સ્કેન કરું છું મારી હારડડીક્સ ને
વાઇરસ બનીને તું સામે આવે છે.

મૌસમ વિહોણા કોઇ વાદળાની જેમ, અમે ઓગળેલા ધુમ્મસની ઝાંખમાં
મેળા-વેળાની તમે વાતો વાગોળોને, દરિયા ઊભરાયા કરે આંખમાં

થોક થોક પત્રોના બાંધેલા ભારાને છોડ્યા તો નિકળ્યા સંભારણા
સુકાભઠ્ઠ ખેતરમાં ચાડિયાની સાક્ષીએ લીધેલા કેવા ઓવારણા
ઝાંકળીયા સમણાં તો આવે ને જાયે ભલા, તેડે પણ કોણ હવે કાંખમાં
મૌસમ વિહોણા કોઇ વાદળાની જેમ, અમે ઓગળેલા ધુમ્મસની ઝાંખમાં

વાંઘ વાંઘ ઊછળતા પ્રિત્યુના મોજાને પકડ્યાતો ફીણ વળ્યા ખારા
ઇર્ષાના તિર વડે સોસરવા વિંધાયા, રુઝાસે કેમ કરી ઘારા
શ્વાસોમાં શ્વાસ ભરી સારસની જેમ અમે ઉડેલા ઇચ્છા લઈ પાંખમાં
મૌસમ વિહોણા કોઇ વાદળાની જેમ, અમે ઓગળેલા ધુમ્મસની ઝાંખમાં
મેળા-વેળાની તમે વાતો વાગોળોને, દરિયા ઊભરાયા કરે આંખમાં

ભુત અને ભવીશ્યના બે ખીલા પર,
લટકતી જીંદગીમાં હું મારી ‘આજ’ને શોધું છું.

ભુતકાળના ખીલા પર ટાંગ્યા છે આંસુઓ,
નીરાશાઓ, પરાજય અને પસ્તાવા વચ્ચે
બે ચાર ખુશી- તોરણ.

ભવીશ્ય પર છે રંગીન મેઘધનુશ્યો,
અગણીત મહેચ્છાઓ અને શેખચલ્લી-સપના,
અને વચ્ચે છુપાયેલો અણજાણ્યો ડર.

‘આજ’માં છે મીશ્રણ બન્નેનું
’આજ’માં છે સંઘર્શ.
‘આજ’ને સુક્ષ્મદર્શક કાચથી તપાસતાં તો
તે ‘ગઇકાલ‘ બની જાય છે.
કલ્પનાની સોનેરી ઉશામાં વીહરતાં ‘આજ’
‘આવતીકાલ’ બનીને ઉભી રહે છે.

તેથી જ ક્યારેક ‘આજ’
નીરસ અને નીર્જીવ લાગે છે.

‘આજની ઘડીમાં જીવો’ તેમ કહેવું તો સહેલું છે.
પણ ગઇકાલ, આજ અને આવતીકાલ
મળીને તો જીવનરેખા બને છે.

- રુચા જાની

Mareez ni gazals

કેવી મજાની પ્રેમની દીવાનગી હશે,
કે જ્યાં ‘મરીઝ’ જેવો સમજદાર પણ ગયો.

એના ઈશારા રમ્ય છે, પણ એનું શું કરું-
રસ્તાની જે સમજ દે અને ચાલવા ન દે !

મુજ પર સિતમ કરી ગયા મારી ગઝલના શેર,
વાંચીને એ રહે છે બીજાના ખ્યાલમાં.

એકાદ હો તો એને છુપાવી શકું, ‘મરીઝ’ !
આ પ્રેમ છે ને એના પુરાવા હજાર છે.

લેવા ગયો જો પ્રેમ તો વહેવાર પણ ગયો,
દર્શનની ઝંખના હતી, અણસાર પણ ગયો.

હું કયાં કહું છું, આપની ‘હા’ હોવી જોઈએ,
પણ ના કહો છો એમાં વ્યથા હોવી જોઈએ.

એ ‘ના’ કહીને સહેજમાં છટકી ગયાં ‘મરીઝ’,
કરવી ન જોઈતી’તી ઉતાવળ સવાલમાં.

કમાલ કરે છે

કમાલ કરે છે
એક ડોસી ડોસાને હજી વ્હાલ કરે છે.

ડોસો જાગે ત્યારે ચશ્માં આપે
અને બ્રશ ઉપર પેસ્ટને લગાડે,
લોકોનું કહેવું છે કે ડોસીને આમ કરી
ડોસાને શાને બગાડે ?
મસાલા ચા અને ગરમ ગરમ નાસ્તો
ડોસી ડોસાનો કેવો ખ્યાલ કરે છે?

નિયમ પ્રમાણે દવા આપેછે રોજ
અને રાખે છે ઝીણું ઝીણું ધ્યાન,
બન્નેનો સંબંધ તો એવો રહ્યો છે
જાણે તલવાર અને મ્યાન.

દરમ્યાનમાં બન્ને જણ મૂંગાં મૂંગાં
એકમેકને એવાં તો ન્યાલ કરે એ.

કાનમાં આપે એ એવાં ઈન્જેકશન
કે સિગરેટ શરાબ હવે છોડો,
ડોસો તો પોતાના તાનમાં જીવે
કયારેક વહેલો આવે કે ક્યારેક મોડો.

બન્નેની વચ્ચે વહે આછું સંગીત
પણ બહારથી ધાંધલધમાલ કરે છે.

ડોસો વાંચે અને ડોસીને મોતિયો
બન્ને જણ વચ્ચે આવો છે પ્રેમ,
લડે છે,ઝગડે છે,હસે છે, રડે છે,
જીવન તો જળની જેમ વહેતું જાય એમ.

દોસ્ત જેવી દીકરીની હાજરીમાં બન્ને જણ
ઘરની દિવાલને ગુલાલ કરે છે.
-સુરેશ દલાલ

A FRUIT FULL OF TASTE

By a heap of waste
He was a common sight.
By that road, sure
He was a common appearance.

In presentations he was mad
In moods he was not sad.
There, he stood in silence,
There, he represented a wave of broken lines.

Rain or shine,
There, he was often seen.
He would light a fire,
He would by it sit in vacant air.

What were his thoughts?
What were his inner fights?
What was his purpose on earth?
Wasn’t it after all tears and mirth?

In a big way he served mankind,
In my analysis I am not blind.
When we dumped waste within and without,
He burnt them to mark a golden spot.

That was his life,
That was his endless strife.
No life is without a purpose,
Each is a fruit full of taste.

Colours of Rainbow

A touch of cheer
amidst blotches of gloom
some streaks do hope
to strive
but at places stumble
over heaps of despair
Still some dollops of laughter
mingles with beads full of tear
and paints my sentience
-all of my high and low
using a brush spawned from wisdom
over the canvas of my existence
engaging the seven colors
from a rainbow.

My verdant early days
submitted to amorous purple in love
then seeing the hours fall
several hoary spots have built up
Maybe
on an unnamed day
Abruptly
I would start to count
the total shades of rust
as can be found
Within the composite pattern
of my being
Perhaps
the speckled texture will show
as much of aged gray
as much was immature green
maybe some purple
has been lost into the blues
and all the other hues
-those very colors of my rainbow
the timid yellow, the fiery orange
and the sensitive red
will be merging with the dark
forming the ultimate semblance
at what time my vitality
will be moving into
a desolate milieu
of the dead.

Colours of Rainbow

A touch of cheer
amidst blotches of gloom
some streaks do hope
to strive
but at places stumble
over heaps of despair
Still some dollops of laughter
mingles with beads full of tear
and paints my sentience
-all of my high and low
using a brush spawned from wisdom
over the canvas of my existence
engaging the seven colors
from a rainbow.

My verdant early days
submitted to amorous purple in love
then seeing the hours fall
several hoary spots have built up
Maybe
on an unnamed day
Abruptly
I would start to count
the total shades of rust
as can be found
Within the composite pattern
of my being
Perhaps
the speckled texture will show
as much of aged gray
as much was immature green
maybe some purple
has been lost into the blues
and all the other hues
-those very colors of my rainbow
the timid yellow, the fiery orange
and the sensitive red
will be merging with the dark
forming the ultimate semblance
at what time my vitality
will be moving into
a desolate milieu
of the dead.