MUFLISI HI SAHI #WorldMusicDay

Ever since Sri Sri Sri Doland got sworn in at the beginning of 2025, the world seems to have spiraled into chaos.

His first move as soon as he took office was to wreak havoc with his threats of high reciprocal tariffs. As time progressed, he began intervening in overseas conflicts, positioning himself as a peace broker (they say he's been desperate for a Nobel Peace Prize for years now) while also peddling arms & weapons on the side. His current strategy seems to be blatantly demanding that adversaries of fellow bullies (mainly Israel) just suck up and take the hit, or to step down, or to face dire consequences.

Of course, his Gundaraaj met with stiff resistance from certain quarters. This forces him to either amp up the bullying, or to use his PR machinery to his advantage.

Every year, June 21 is celebrated worldwide as World Music Day. And if some rumour mills are to be believed, Dolandji is considering using this opportunity as a musical means to enhance his global image.

According to very believable sources, he has composed a ghazal in a bid to reach out to his prospective allies in the Indian subcontinent. Going by the sudden Indian dislike for anything that is in Urdu (never mind that it is more an Indian language than a Pakistani one), I would have personally recommended a Bhangra number or a typical Bollywood Masala tune instead.

Anyway, Yours Truly has used his good offices to catch a first glimpse of this ghazal. It is titled "Muflisi hi Sahi", which loosely translates to "despite your poverty".

Strangely, the Ghazal seems eerily similar to the evergreen classic "Ranjish hi Sahi". A hundred points to you if you know this ghazal written by Ahmed Faraz and made famous by the great Mehdi Hassan.

Here is your first glimpse of Dolandji's version:-

Muflisi hi sahi

Muflisi hi sahi, fighter jets uthaane ke liye aa!
Muflisi hi sahi
Aa phir se Amreeka ko 'Great Again' banaane ke liye aa
Muflisi hi sahi

Pehle se bilateral na sahi, phir bhi kabhi to
Pehle se bilateral na sahi, phir bhi kabhi to
Tariff-on ke pul jodne-baandhne ke liye aa!
Muflisi hi sahi

Kis kis ko sunayenge 'World Peace' ka sabab hum?
Har oar jaa chuke hai, map ho gaye khatam
Missile ka budget na ho to bas drone uthaane ke liye aa!
Muflisi hi sahi

Kuch to mere Nobel Peace Prize global power ka bharam rakh!
Elon se pak chuka hu...I'm bored, and Elon sucks!
Tu bhi toh kabhi mujhse ladd jaane ke liye aa!

Muflisi hi sahi, fighter jets uthaane ke liye aa!
Muflisi hi sahi
Aa phir se Amreeka ko 'Great Again' banaane ke liye aa!

Muflisi hi sahi

In case you're not familiar with the original ghazal and its meaning, you can find these HERE.

The MAESTRA OF YARN

She wields no spells or wands,
just yarn and hooks and hands,
and nimbly, she weaves her world.

Her kin, they have demands,
but she has other plans,
a queendom of wool and lace.

Her fingers dance with skill,

with stitches, loops and pulls,

her bohemian realm unfolds.

In rainbow hues she spawns,

flowers, figurines, and cute lil fawns,

colours dancing, souls exult. 

She burns her midnight oil,

her works sing paeans of toil,

It's clear, she's made her choice.

Let's celebrate her craft,

her hands that weave and graft,

All hail! The Maestra of Yarn!

Today's poem is a tribute to Vineetha Nair, and her brainchild, Sarga Creative Space. Vineetha is a Trivandrum-based crochet artist, art educator and content creator. She is a real magician when it comes to creating decorative and home decor articles using crochet, macrame, amigurumi, and even mandala forms of art.

Interestingly, her passion for crochet was born by accident. She had completed her MBA during the COVID years and was struggling to find a job. It was amidst this feeling of hopelessness that she came across an ad for a crochet workshop and that's when her learning curve began. After months of learning and practice, she started her own venture, viz., Sarga Creative Space and started posting engaging content on Instagram. She also started conducting workshops to share her learnings with other art lovers. As of today, she creates and sells crochet and other art works (including personalized art), as well as yarn and other art material through her Insta page.

I have personally been following her journey since a few years now. She's a really passionate and hard-working soul.

You can find her content and artwork on the links below:-

Instagram: Sarga Creative Space

Website (to buy yarn, material and artwork: Sarga Yarn Collections

Do check out her content and show her some well-deserved love and appreciation!

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STRIDE OF A WARRIOR

A warrior came calling,

With a spring in his stride,

His weapons in tow,

And a will to survive.

No steel-studded armour,

No sword by his side,

Just keen observation,

And a creative stride.

His weapons unsheathed,

His hair tossed aside,

He stirred up some magic

And brought characters to life.

With slashes and swipes,

And strokes, side-to-side,

He drew out some faces,

And announced, "I've arrived!"

Elongated noses,

And smiles inches-wide,

Although exaggerated,

Those features never lied.

With a sprinkle of humour,

And a sliver of play,

And oodles of flair,

His creativity takes flight

And that's how a caricature artist

Takes his art to majestic heights!

This is poem #19 of my A to Z Blogging Challenge 2025 campaign, which is a tribute to one of my favourite IG personalities of all time, Prasad Bhat. Bangalore-based Prasad is a self-taught digital artist and illustrator who specializes in caricatures. He owns a design studio-cum-art store named Graphicurry, which is extremely popular on Instagram. He started this venture in 2013.

An engineer by degree, Prasad decided to make a switch to art after his girlfriend convinced him to do so after he failed to bag any favourable job offers after graduating. Initially starting off designing company logos for corporates, he eventually forayed into making personalized caricatures. As of today, he is well-known for his signature caricature style, witty and relevant cartoons, and storytelling through art. His artwork blends humor, pop culture, and intricate detailing to create striking illustrations, often featuring iconic characters from movies, TV shows, music, politics, and history.

Fun fact: Prasad also dabbles in stand up comedy; I have watched some of his routines on YouTube, and he really knows how to keep his audience engaged. I also suspect that he is a rock/heavy metal musician; his persona certainly suggests so.

You can find his content on the links below:-

Instagram: PrasadBhatArt

YouTube: Prasad Bhat

Website (to buy artwork and merchandise): https://www.graphicurrystore.com/

Do check out his content and show him some well-deserved love and appreciation!

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REEL ESTATE KINGS

From Butte County, California, 

Meet this wacky realtor fam
From real estate to viral reels
They're the toast of Instagram

The North Valley Property Group
Led by Curt and sons Spencer and Ryan
There's also son-in-law Cody
Their charm's a spark, their reels are flyin'

Their reels are all about fathers
Dealing with kiddo charades
Family capers with comedic flair
A recipe for laughter that never fades

They're the best thing on the internet
Since multiplayer gaming 
Humour that melts all my worries away
Insta's Hilarious Reel Estate Kings!

Today's poem, the eighteenth in my A to Z Blogging Challenge campaign for 2025, is dedicated to The North Valley Property Group, a California-based family of real estate dealer-turned-content creators. The team is led by 63-year old Curt Keables, who is joined by his two sons, Spencer and Ryan, and his son-in-law Cody Squires. Their journey on social media started with sharing real estate-related content, but they began giving a serious thought to creating funny reels as a means to make more engaging content. They gradually gained popularity for their humorous and relatable skits about family dynamics and everyday life, with one of their reels even managing to garner more than 100 million views.

You can find their content on: The North Valley Group

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THE QUILL'S SERENADE

Her quill spills ink to trace
Elegant curves on parchment
Serenades unfold

Strokes abound like heartbeats
Flourishes sigh on paper
Feelings spring to life

Letters waltz in circles
In tune with ink and canvas
Wallah! What a sight!

Today's post is the seventeenth poem in my campaign for the A to Z Blogging Challenge 2025. It is dedicated to Nimmy Mohammed Saffir, a Kovalam (Kerala)-based freelancing visual artist who can create art over mixed media and in multiple disciplines. She is also a certified art therapy facilitator. 

Nimmy has a degree in electronics engineering and has previously worked as a lecturer in the field. As time progressed, she transitioned to learning graphic designing and web development, and eventually got into digital art. She is able to create art in several mediums - sketches, paintings, digital caricatures, calligraphy, creative lettering work, handmade gift articles, resin art...you name it and she can do it all.

Nimmy has two pages on Instagram, which are:-

The Fat Lady Scribbles, that showcases her art work

Nim's Art Studio, for promoting her workshops on therapeutic art and mental well-being. 

Do check out her Insta pages and show her your love and appreciation. She's an amazing talent!

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POPPY!

A cute furry ball

Responds when you call
"Wahoo!"

A prairie dog is she
When you holler, "Poppy"
That sound!

She bounces with glee,
So wild and carefree,
What fun!

But her heart's not content
Without that familiar scent
Her "Dad"!

She nestles with Dad
That bond makes us glad 
Pure bliss!

Poem number 16 in my campaign for the A to Z Blogging Challenge 2025 is dedicated to a cute little priairie dog named Poppy. Prairie dogs are burrowing ground squirrels that are native to the grasslands of North America. Poppy has captured more than a million hearts worldwide with her playful nature and signature "Wahoo!" (she stands and makes a unique sound while raising her head up as if it's a war cry). Known for her joyful antics, Poppy loves to explore her surroundings, dig burrows, and share a special bond with her human family, especially her "dad". Her endearing personality has made her a beloved internet sensation.

This is her Instagram page: Poppy the Prairie Dog

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OPTICAL ILLUSION: THE FLIPBOOK ARTIST

Sudipto has a passion

For optical illusion
A flipbook artist

His pencils trace his vision
Page-by-page set in motion
Silhouettes ebb and flow

Ink and rhythm find fusion
Behold! A dancing maiden!
Frame-by-flippin'-frame

This is poem number 15 in my 2025 campaign of the A to Z Blogging Challenge. This one is dedicated to a young Bangladeshi artist named Sudipto Dash Jeet. Unfortunately, I do not know much about Sudipto except for the fact that he lives in Habiganj, in the Sylhet district of Bangladesh. He is fairly popular on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram for his collaborations with budding dancers from the Indian subcontinent, wherein he recreates dance reels into flipbook art. Given the fact that flipbooks require a massive amount of time and effort to create, I find his work very impressive. Do check out his content to understand what I mean.

You can find Sudipto on:-

Instagram: Sudipto Arts

YouTube: Sudipto Arts

Make sure you visit his Youtube channel and Insta page. Would be wonderful if you could also let him know how you found his content. 😊

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NATTY NOMAD

She scours the streets with seeker's eyes,

You'd think she has no clue

But hidden gems and sweet surprise

She knows just what to do

She chases sunsets far and wide
She seeks out cafe lights
She's probing menus day and night
Our wholesome city guide

Through every bite and every mile
She leaves a trail to see
Narrating stories with a smile
To spark our reverie

She curates experiences for all
A nomad natty and bright
The storyteller with a map in her hand
Natasha, take a bow bite!

We're down to the 14th poem in this series, where I write about my favourite Instagram pages. This one is a tribute to digital content creator, Natasha Monteiro. Natasha, a Mumbaikar, is a spirited writer, avid traveler, and food enthusiast. She has several years of experience in content creation, including a fairly long stint with Kamiya Jani at Curly Tales. She is currently associated with travel discovery platform Unstumbled.

The first time I saw Natasha was on a Youtube video on American food reviewer Sonny Side's Best Ever Food Review Show channel. This was back during the COVID days I think, and I have been following her ever since.

You can find Natasha on:-

Instagram: Natasha M

Do visit her Youtube channel and Insta page. Would be wonderful if you could also let her know how you found her content. 😊

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THE MOUNTAIN MAN

Through misty peaks, he dares to climb

His gaze is fixed on heights sublime

His trysts defy both space and time

The world below applauds!

His drone ascends with full control

The secrets of the hills unfold

Cliffs...bastions...waterfalls...behold!

The valleys breathe and thrive.

The lure of the Sahyadris captivates

A chant of devotion resonates

"Jai Bhavani, Jai Shivaji", reverberates

The Mountain Man - Aniruddha.

Today's poem, the thirteenth in my A to Z Blogging Challenge 2025 campaign, is dedicated to Aniruddha Patil. Aniruddha is a trekker and adventure enthusiast, who is well known for his trekking content on Youtube and Instagram. The key highlights of his content are the highly adventurous (sometimes extremely risky) nature of his trekking expeditions, largely amid the Sahyadri mountains in Maharashtra, and the breathtaking drone shots he captures while on his adventures. If you love nature, camping, rockclimbing, hill forts, waterfalls, caves, valleys and widlife, you will get hooked to his content. I personally used to love going on treks to forts when I was younger, but my fitness levels (or the lack of it😆) don't allow me to do these any longer. So I like to live the experience through his lens.

You can find his work on:-

Instagram: Instagram

Youtube: YouTube

Here is a sample of his work:-

Do visit his Youtube channel and Insta page. Would be wonderful if you could also let him know how you found his content. 😊

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LAUGHS WITH NADIR

Meet the Lahori from San Fran Bay

With a knack for comedic display
Spinning sketches on immigrant strife
Nadir Bhai is just larger-than-life

He takes potshots at Desi parents
Phuppho's parathas, Abbu's laments
Gorays grappling with immigrant names
Cultural parody is his claim to fame

Only the wife gets the better of him
She's too smart, so his chances are slim
Though the kids might agree he's a pro
Just a glare and she's stolen the show

Sketch by sketch, his humour runs wild
And on Insta he has Desis beguiled
If your poison is cultural gaffes
Follow Nadir, the Badshah of Laughs!

This is the 12th poem in my A to Z Blogging Challenge 2025 campaign. This one is dedicated to Nadir Shah and his Insta page ItsNadirShah. Nadir is a social media content creator, who is well known for his cultural satiure and sketch comedy videos on Instagram and YouTube. Born in Lahore and currently based in the Bay Area of San Francisco, he amassed several years of experience in digital and social media marketing in the corporate world before taking a plunge into content creation full time. His sharp wit and relatable humour on quirks and struggles of Desi immigrants in the western world, Pinjabi mannerisms and traditions, the cultural gap between the Desis and the West, cultural stereotypes, and family dynamics have earned him several fans in the Indian subcontinent and the US. 

You can find his work on:-

Instagram: ItsNadirShah

Youtube: Immigrant Desihood

Here is a sample of his work:-

Do visit his Youtube channel and Insta page. Would be wonderful if you could also let him know how you found his content. 😊

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