जब मैंने अपना आखिरी खेल हारा, मैंने प्राण प्राप्त किए

मुझे पहले लगता था कि जीत ही मूल्यवान होती है। प्रतिस्पर्धी क्रम में, ‘जुए’ केवल ‘दिल को सँभालकर’ होता—अबकि पैसों से।

लेकिनएकरात—जब मेरे पैसे,आशाएँऔरआत्म-गौरवदोहमटचुकेगए—मैंधुंधलेस्क्रीनकोदेखतेबैठगया।

उस सन्नाटे में…कुछहलचलहुआ।

परिषद्‌जोकभीजीतनहींथई

‘इव्रीड़ज़ड़’मुझेबहुतपसंदथई—देवतओंकीहँसी,गणितभगवानोंकफ़िल्म,अद्भुतप्रथम।

dlebutmujhemeekhela ekdum khatarnak tha.

Lekin samay ke saath mujhe jeet ke alawa dard ki chinta bhi dikha. Har bar haar ke zyada khelna? Yeh sochne ka nahi tha — yeh dard ki jhoothi control thi. Har baar kehte the: ‘Ek aur round’? Yeh nahi thaa stamina — yeh denial tha.

Aasman mein jeevan ke liye khelna nahin hai. Aasman mein apne aap ko rukne ki shakti dhundhni hai.

Jo chupke se suna jata hai

Koi guide nahi batata: dil har baar harta hai pehle dimaag se. Pehle jaw bandhoti hai. Dhadkan badhti hai. Saans reh jaati hai. Ye sirf reaksiyon nahin hain — ye nervous system ka samay kahata hai: Ab maza nahi aata.

Mujhe bas mahine baad pata chala jab ek grocery shop me phone ka notification me anxiety aaya. mere paas paisa nahi tha — par anand tha. duniya bhar me nafrat thi — magar man me sathi tha. samay se bhagte hue nikal jaane ka man karta tha. mujhe maanavta chahiye thi — jo bilkul game ke bahar milti thi.

Jeetne ke bina khelna kya hota hai?

Ab bhi main ‘Everyone’s Dice’ khelta hoon… lekin alag tarike se — jaise purana mandir dekhna na shakti ke liye balki shanti ke liye. mujhe limits set karne ki zaroorat nahin lagti… balki sabr aur sammaan lagta hai — apni taraf, waqt par aur jeevan ki lehar par. mujhe unki ‘sacred limits’ feature pasand aati hai… kyunki yeh yaad dilati hai: Tum rok sakte ho. even agar tumhari uddantee sapno mein ho ya sapno ki raa par ho!

Agar akhir tak jeet bhi na mile to phir kya? To phir to sirf apni aatma hi bachegi jo ghoom rahi hogi kabhi-kabhi… kabhi-kabhi Olympos ko ghamand neeche rakhte hue!

Tumhari barish: Kya tum khoj rahe ho?

Jab bhi tum kisi khel (digital ya emotional) mein baitho: khoj lo: kya tum khel rahe ho… ya bhag rahe ho? apne taqdeer ko Apollo jaisa chalao—not too fast, not too slow—but steady enough to see where you’re going, in full awareness, in full feeling, in full humanity.* The most sacred roll isn’t on dice—it’s inside us all, every single time we choose courage over compulsion, silence over noise, stillness over speed.