HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Lots of wishes to All and I hope and pray that Holidays are getting spent with loved ones !

Just came back from a hike trip carried out near Hiamalayan Range in Uttranchal over this long C'mas weekend.
Such good fun - camping/cooking/ meditation and all these in front of "Majestic Himalayan Range"
I am in city for a day to wrap up my work and hand over the load to team and tomorrow I am off again - this time to Rajasthan.

Will be posting the pics upon my return in New Year 2007 ......!!

Happy Blogging -

Luv and peace always -

Lansdowne - Place of Mist and Mystic

-This spot was so charming, we were walking and suddenly we were enveloped in this mist, it looked as if we were transported to some fairy land with this mist and trees playing hide and seek with us.

- Shadows

- Dusk n darkness creeping in....very eerie !

- Lone Soldier

- This was shot from a moving car....(hmmm living on edge)

A Typical scene from Hills.

-Trip to Lansdowne last year. Very sleepy and small town in Uttranchal. Very well structured town with cobbled street. We really thought as if we were transported to some bygone era( very British colonial feel) .

- Not much to do , except eat hearty breakfast dripped in butter - take long walks - again gorge on scrumptious food - again take a long walk - come for the evening tea and Pakodas ( fried crispy) - walk in the nearby grounds , round up the evening with dinner and sleep...this was our routine for 4 days......!!

- Some + points of living in capital city - Hills are quite nearby and you don't waste much time in commuting to reach the destination.

Visa Power

This incident was both hilarious as well as with quite undertones of sadness. From our offc 3 persons were asked to go for a "phoren trip". And as it happens all 3 of us are pretty funny bones so we were looking forward to our sojourn to foreign shore...so much so we extended our trip as well and made plans.

Next comes Visa - very unfortunately "S" got his visa ( not exactly declined...but on hold) despite the tenacity and preparation done by our offc.

Well his Visa has been granted after (5 months) so "S" is giving Samosa party ! This is the note which he has sent to all of us !!

It is just to update you that my name has been removed from the List of Terrorists maintained by the US Embassy. So you guys can relax & feel free at the office :-)
Few of my colleagues gun pointed to arrange for Samosas & Jalebi tomorrow. So with my weaker self exposed , I have to.
See you all at 5.00 pm for a few light moments.

With a lighter wallet,
S

ps- He is a great guy to have this carefree attitude - I was chatting to him and he was explaining to me how the lady who took his interview was so embarrassed to deny the same, he was actually thinking from the other side of the fence.....! I looked at him and said -dude you are really cool....I think in your place I would have been very upset!

I still can't get over his Non Challant attitude - would love to learn this.....!

Advent of cultural breeze..

Last week was treat for all the cultural aficionados. Visual as well as soulful treat speard across the week ....and more to come....!

Somehow you see the spurt in cultural activities....concerts, dance shows, poetry recital, photo exhibition...lots and lots in store during the winter...and that makes me think of only one thing....
"Kambakht yeh sardiyan barah mahinee kyon nahin rahti.

Well I started with "Dance show from Russia - Yunost" - hmmm - ok, reminded me of Shiamak Dawar group. I wish only if they would have stuck to their own gig then adopting the entire world ( It was not bad them adopting Salsa/Moulin Rouge/Cowboy dance...etc...however there is so much more to know about Russian dances...?? So yeah I was baffled)

On top of that I kept on telling my friend that they are working around the "World theme" so they will eventually do "Indian Dance" - so in anticipation we kept on sitting...and went through the entire length of the show....alas....they didn't show "bhangra"....booohoooo :-(

Next was evening with Rehmat Fateh Ali Khan Saheb - Organizers were left scurrying around to get more bunches of floral arrangements as dignitaries outnumbered the bouquet....he he he !!

Thankfully for this performance they kept the introduction to mere 5 minutes and then we had some nice soulful music.

However I feel that true impact of this performance could have been 10 folds great - if it would have been done in some open space....somehow I felt the artist- trapped within the 4 walls of auditorium.

Last but not the least " My ever Fav Zohra Sehgal" - she recited some urdu poems from the likes of - Faiz/Ali Sardar Zafri/Kaifi Azmi/Javed Akhtar - Just penning down the poem (by Hafeez Jullundhary) which somehow epitomise the spirit of Zohraji in my eyes -

abhii to mai.n javaan huu.N

havaa bhi Khushagavaar hai, gulo.n pe bhii nikhaar hai

tarannume.n hazaar hai.n, bahaar purbahaar hai

kahaa.N chaalaa hai saaqiyaa, idhar to lauT idhar to aa

are ye dekhataa hai kyaa, uThaa subuu, subuu uThaa

subuu uThaa piyaalaa bhar, piyaalaa bhar ke de idhar

chaman kii simt kar nazar, samaa.N to dekh beKhabar

vo kaalii-kaalii badaliyaa.N, ufaq pe ho ga_ii ayaa.N

vo ik hajuum-e-maikashaa.N, hai suu-e-maikadaa ravaa.N

ye kyaa gumaa.N hai badagumaa.N, samajh na mujhako naatavaa.N

Khayaal-e-zohd abhii kahaa.N

abhi to mai.n javaan huu.N

* The way Zohraji renders this poem...it just leave you with a tingle up in your arm.....!

Dance like a Man

- I have seen many performances ( hmmm - maestro's as well) so what set this one apart...these were students ( and part time giving performances in evenings) - Life is quite tough for these struggling artist. Fame beckons you from afar and when you are trying to reach for it....it turns into a Mirage ( Sunehri Mrig - Golden deer)

- We were quite taken by the performance and in the end...clicked quite a lot of pics...later on when I talked to them..I felt like a heel as the guy with green paint - his eyes were hurting...due to all that paint....and I am sure with all those flash lts....it would not have been easy on his eyes....I apologized.....and he said simply -

" I am used to this "

Quotes for the day ...!

* Balance occurs naturally in the absence of attachment.

* It is only when your mind is still and your heart is open that you are truly free.


( I remember how I got hold of these quotes - I was working on a project for keeping quotes cards for a company - so when my client handed over these quotes to be printed / laminated and boxed in proper pack - I think there were 12 or so...so I asked her to lend me few cards for keepsake - I find the meaning very profound....)

Idle Shutterbug

* My Fav pic and my companion named this as " Infinity Pool "

* Loved the shadows dancing in water....

* Dutch Palace courtyard

* By lane in Cochin !

* I envy this guy.....oblivious to world

Color me Greenz

* With Pollution sticking on the leaves - I always grapple with colors of leaves....I love this shade a lot....but then tropic leaves are fresh.....unlike urban !

Spice Route !!

* Cinnamon had such great flavor- Best buy beside Banana Chips ( deep fried...) sinfully yum !

* Spices getting sold on pavement ( I loved all those colorful containers in which the seller kept his spices - they are so vibrant.)

* While roaming in Cochin - we found this neat " spice shop" this was more uppity...thingy - however still had the character....loved those huge glass jars " martbaan's" - I remember my Gran using those for "Aam ka achar" ( Mango pickle) .

There were some other cute shapes of jars in smaller sz as well as handpainted ceramic pots....!

Dusky Skyline......

* This shot was taken over the sand castle made by someone...!

* While retreating back to our place - just one last shot , somehow

you never get enough of these shots !!

Moonshine !!

All night have the roses heard
The flute, violin, bassoon;
All night has the casement jessamine stirred
To the dancers dancing in tune;
Till a silence fell with the waking bird,
And a hush with the setting moon.

- Tennyson

* I am sort of facinated by the time when you can see moon as well as setting sun....!
This was perfect time for having fresh pineapple juice and Indian blk rum cocktail mix ( Not to try anywhere else...taste just doesn't get right )
I have been very fortunate to be on these trips with a client cum friend....and after a gruelling day of work - we use to look forward to sitting on the beach and watch sun go down and moon coming up.....!
Hey Suz ....this is for you....looking forward to our more trips together - amen !!!!

More on South Series...

*** You take your pick from " Catch of the day" & hand over to the restaurant and they serve you just the way you like it on Banana leaf...bliss...and taste is yum....! You can't get authentic beyond this :-)

Truly Amazing colors.....!!!

Assorted pics from coastal area around Mararikulam (Alleppey) Kerala

Annie's Song

My all time fav song.....!


You fill up my senses
like a night in the forest
like the mountains in springtime,
like a walk in the rain
like a storm in the desert,
like a sleepy blue ocean
you fill up my senses,
come fill me again.

Come let me love you,
let me give my life to you
let me drown in your laughter,
let me die in your arms
let me lay down beside you,
let me always be with you
come let me love you,
come love me again.

let me give my life to you
come let me love you,
come love me again.
You fill up my senses
like a night in the forest
like the mountains in springtime,
like a walk in the rain
like a sleepy blue ocean
you fill up my senses,
come fill me again.

Crazy pics

Face to face......

Langoor - this was at Pushkar Ghats ( Rajasthan)

Few .....?? Lots of Wishes....!

All of us have wishes....Right !! Formally I started jotting down my list when I joined college....quite a lot I have accomplished in my journey.......I still remember my one wish.... when YANI concert was taking place......so that time that was " THE" thing for me . Short on money...made me and my friend hitch hike to Agra.....lol....!
So here goes my list ....which I keep adding....and sometime deleting...( In fact I do watch how much wish is my wish....to remain there in my heart....)

* Adopt a baby ( For this I am planning a lot....may be a post later...on same...)
* Travel to-
- Machu Pichu
- Bali, Java
- Lakshadweep
- Toledo
- Mansarovar lake
( Then there is whole 10 page list on Indian Destination... :-)
* Learn Scuba Diving ( so Lakshadweep and this will be covered in one go....)
* Learn Flamenco.....
* Take long sabbatical and do research on Textile ( Weaving/dyeing/printing....)
* Teach kids in Mountains

More to come........~!

Trek to Pindari Glacier

A year later I am writing this post, made the trek to Pindari ( Uttranchal - Kumaon) in year 2005 in November.
Route which we took was -

Mukteshwar-Bageshwar-Song ( By road) - 2.5 km trek to Loharkhet.

* This was done almost when sun was set so quite eerie...and we met this drunk guy on the way....I always bump into drunks...in buses/ on flights...and on Treks...! We stayed at this rest house in Loharkhet .
In the morning 13 km Steep climb to Dhakuri. Views of Nandakot and Maiktoli range in the setting sun was worth all the pains and our new found muscles. We even found the nerve to do full 1 hr Yoga session as well....!!

Next morning left for Khati ( good lunch -piping hot dal & chawal and pickle) and made our night halt at Dwali.

* That evening I think we all felt some sort of friction within each other- fear of darkness....fear of coping ....fear of fear.... !! Yoga took a big jump in Pindari river :-) ....comforted each other....and by the time partook our dinner - were back to our normal self.

Destination Pindari ( almost 25 kms in a day ) as we were not staying back we started very early next day and by 12 noon we were there. Highlight of this day -met Pindari Baba - he is amazing personality. When we returned back from the " 0 point" he was waiting for us with Hot pooris and Chai. Such awesome welcome for the warriors !! We must have talked about varied range of topics - he has trove of tales and his fav subject is studies of Stars , his Ashram is sort of like a lab....!

We were quite reluctant to return back to our base camp. ( I know that all of us will retrace our path to that ashram again...its on the cards....For me this week(2006) could have become " my calling" - if not stuck up in city... thats another story...!!)

So from there on it was return Journey.... met another interesting person while trekking down !! Infact I would say that you do end up meeting such weird characters more on these off beaten path....and then you feel normal !!


Quick stops to Baijnath/ Bageshwar and PatalBhuvneshwar - First 2 places have some beautiful ancient Shiva temples and carved statues.....temples architiecture is something which leaves you breathless...how they got all those stone work put there. Cave at PatalBhuveneshwar is a MUST see....its sort of reminds of you as if you are slithering down inside a Huge Cobra.......all the stories are amazing pc of work......salute' to the writer who handed over such color ful tales to this generation that you start believing - one in particular which sort of sparked my adventure streak was - there is this hole and they say that if you crawl up in that tunnel it opens up at Badrinath ( its not allowed....:-(
There was this one more tale of that you are not suppose to pick or take anything from this cave...as it results in madness......that was enough impetus for us to scrub our feet of all that soot which we got while we were in that cave......! Did I mention that it would be better to wear sack cloth to enter this cave .....its full of black soot..... !!
It also left us wondering what happens to Mad people going one more time Mad...!
We headed back to Mukteshwar and time to hit back to our homes !

( ps - next time I need to write as soon as I am back from such trips....somehow there were so many highs/ lows to that trip.....and I have been able to write only meager few points....!)

Baffled.....underdogs or Non achievers??

Are we as Indians love sub standard so much that we are championing anything....are we sort of so much in awe with underdogs or feel so much in common with non achivers that we are making them " Our champions" No offence to any artist - however the live shows like dance shows or the singing competition where we should be raising toast only to the " Top performer" we are letting the winner be so short of the requiste that its downright infuriating.....! I was so disappointed when recently I saw the winner of a dance show so much out of sync in all the performances and the lady who should be deserving the title got away with being ranked meager 2 nd place.

Just recently, I saw this movie " sea biscuit " again it was all about underdog coming cropper. However it was truly a very inspiring story however nowhere they showed as if it was not truly a feat of conquering all the odds stacked against both the horse and his rider.

It would have been so much nicer if only a true deserving artist would have bagged that series....after giving such brilliant performances in all the episodes.....I was left with a very sour taste that late evening...!

Moving on........

We are moving to a new swanky work place....oh yeah...that's what we are told. But what if I love the place where I am right now....and this feeling is so much shared by my other colleagues. Oh no.....I am really p**** at this change.

The place we are right now - its so cool. It doesnot even look like as if it's a work place...seriously it is so fun to come to work. We do not see any of the crowd, its green all the way around us. We take coffee or sutta or angst /gossip breaks at this huge patio and see all the people those who are coming in/ out of the office......personally have advantage over others to have this huge window next to my work station - which just reflects only the long trees and clear sky. During monsoon the view is so breathtaking , somtime bunch of us will sit on top of the desk and look out , order some pakoda / samosa ( yum)....yeah crazy bunch..... and we dare since we are on top floor bit away from the Mgmt's eagle eyes....
I think since all of us spend almost like 1/2 of our adult life at work stations these are little pleasures which makes it so much easier to carry on the day and sometime...what not....you get on your platter....!


I think I am so much outdoory kind of a person that just to think that now I will be working all cooped up with no access to sunshine....bohooo.....will shrivel and die....!

Removing all the articles/ pics/ knick knacks....have this Sun God on a stand minitaure antq brass pc - it seems ( this is weird to even mention) - that has some ferocious expression on his face as if he is is not liking getting shifted from his coveted place......!

Only silverlining peeping through this is that we will be quite closer to some of the good foodie joints and lounges.....so I suppose we will be drowning our sorrows in evenings...... Cheers....!

Cool quotes around us....

1. Nothing is permanent in this wicked world, not even our troubles.

2. Opportunities multiply as they are seized. ( By Sun Tzu)
* My take on this one.....trouble as well..... x.....!

3. Whatever you do don't wake up at 65 years old and think about you should have done with your life.

Dasht e' Tanhai....

Dasht e' tanhai mein Ai jane jahan Larjan Hain
Teri aawaz ke sae, tere hotoin ke sarab
Dasht e' tanhai mein, doori ke khas aou khak tale'
Khil rahein hain tere pahalu ke saman aur gulab
Uth rahi hai kahin kurbat se tere saans ki aanch
Apni kushboo mein sulagti hui Madhaam madhaam
Door ufak paar chamakti hui katra katra
Gir rahi hai teri dildar nazar ki shabnam
Is kadar pyar se ai jane jahan rakha hai
Dil ke rukhsaar pe is waqt teri yaad ne haath
Yun guman hota hai garche hai abhi subahe phiraq
Dhal gaya hijra ka din aa bhi gayi vasl ki raat !!

This beautiful piece of poetry was written by Faiz Ahmed Faiz.
( May be I understood the meaning bit too late......)

Sunshine bring tears to my eyes....

Sunshine bring tears to my eyes........
It plays with my hair and teases me... befriend the breeze and ask her to caress me.
My Hair blows in the wind....- hides my face ... smile plays around the corner! Mind you it is just a smile, it has come after a long time------- aeons ago it was always there , from my lips to my eyes to my heart.
These days only sometime it plays on the corner of the lips.... but never reaches my eyes!
Sunshine bring tears to my eyes........

Prescription for Peace

Don’t try to save the world. Don’t try to save others. All that just adds to your job description.
You have sufficient challenge in your life just learning to embrace your own experience. Life has given you plenty to chew on.
Nobody comes into embodiment with an empty plate. Everyone has at least a scrap or two to digest (some have seven course meals! But I’m not going to point any fingers!)
Don’t be discouraged by this. Since each person must deal with what’s on his plate, let him deal with it as happily as he can.
Don’t interfere in the lives of others or you will have a second or a third helping to dispose of. Stay detached from what someone else does or does not do. Don’t even have an opinion about it. Just let it be.
Don’t borrow someone else’s experience. Don’t try to give someone else your experience.
Sleep in your own bed. Prepare your own food. Clean up after yourself. Practice taking care of yourself and let other do the same for themselves.
That is your job. You are not here to do for others what they must do for themselves. Your job is simply to be present in your experience as fully and as magnificently as you can.

_____ Credit for this pc goes to R from OZ_______________!!!

Tibetan philosophy

Purifying the " MIND" is not easy . It takes a lot of time and hard work. But this is also true of any human enterprise. You need tremendous will power and determination right from the start.
No matter who we are or where we live, we all want happiness and dislike suffering.
The " KEY" to overcoming suffering and ensuring happiness is inner peace. If we have that we face difficulties with calmness and reason, while our inner happiness remains undisturbed.