Confessions of a Writing Freak

"Yes! It is much more muchier" these words from Alice in Wonderland echoed in my mind as I visited Kashi. Twisting and turning in the narrow alleyways ,leading to a spiritual Wonderland  with so much to feel, absorb and marvel at. It was a spur of a moment decision to visit the Shiv nagri, as my soul sister Namrata being a staunch  ardent Shiva devotee wanted to visit the place in  holy month of Shravan, albeit it was in my bucket list  , So paying through nose for the air tickets and  the hotel bookings we three (my son trotted along) land in the ancient city of Banaras which is as old as time! Mark Twain has rightly said that it is older than history, existence predating that of Rome, Athens and Egypt. As soon we step in  to the holy city, the cabbie spitting a volley of paan, his mouth a plethora of hues..(red lips and tongue  with brownish and sepia hues of teeth,  it's a rainbow in the mouth ) welcomes us to Shiv nagri and gives u...

It has been two long empty years without you and these two harsh years have seen  raging  cauldron of emotions .That of love, lonliness, agony , grief, pain, helplessness. Denial being the foremost..I could not encompass the fact that  my endearing trouble shooter is no longer going to show ,the hideous truth took a long to steep in.  The first  year without you was like a turbulent ,furious  wave lashing against the rocks and boulders,venting out the wrath and rage on Gods for being unfair and unkind,blaming the wily and crafty destiny for making us  a victim to such a diabolic fate ,aghast  and infuriated  at myself for not being able to save you from the brutal talons of death and leaving me in an abyss of gloom , doom and guilt. The bottled up emotions of rancour,rage,and spite somehow shushed up and   the second year without you was like a deep mysterious placid lake with a calm countenance but a churning  fero...

"मैं मजदूर मुझे देवों की बस्ती से क्या अगणित बार धरा पर मैंने स्वर्ग बनाये। अम्बर में जितने तारे, उतने वर्षों से मेरे पुरखों ने धरती का रूप सँवारा "। For last few days, these lines from the legendary poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar have been resonating in my mind. The ongoing renovation and construction going on in my residential society left me goggling at the labourers who toil so hard under the spewing fire of the sun and the muggy weather while we are whining and peeving at the hot ,humid sultry weather despite spending maximum time in the lilting hum of airconditioner s. But  my cynosure being the frail looking but sturdy women labourers whose power and prowess  is at par with the male workers  . As the clock chimes nine,a gaggle of petite women looking in their mid twenties assemble at the site..they look phenotypically almost similar,with a dusky - dunny complexion,average height and a sinewy lean built. Howsoever menial and tedious work they do,but their...

When ever the travel bug in me starts biting,the first and foremost place that comes to my mind is 'Rishikesh ',the land of seers, the gateway to Himalayas,the  Yoga capital of world or simply the paradise for adventure junkies ..Infact it s a gigantic buffet of spirituality, adventure,devotion, holistic health..But none of these is my lure..The enthusiasm and enthrall is all about attending the Ganga Maha arti at Triveni Ghat.The most mesmerizing and captivating spectacle which chips away my woes n worries..Which slackens the frayed nerves and uplifts the broken spirits. I have been here many times but this time the trip was with my college bestie Dr Parikh who was equally excited about her first visit to the sacrosanct place.But everytime the experience is more enriching and the quietude more coveted. So amidst the blinding blazing sun,heavy footfall because of chardham yatra,we ruddered past the iconic Ram jhoola,newly built Janki jhoola,treading the congested st...

Once again after a lull period, Kashmir ,once homeland to all Kashmiris and erstwhile paradise is in the news ,for the fresh surge and revival of terror,macabre serial targeted brutal killing of innocent minorities ,creating a threat to the lives of Hindus living there and forcing them to flee,a grisly revisiting of 1990 ,the rancourness for minorities living there is back and seems we are wading into the mayhem of exodus two. This spate of terror killings,profanous desecration of temples ,people fleeing away , clambering and scrambling frantically to any vehicle they get hold of to reach Jammu brings back nightmarish,ghoulish marrow chilling memories of 19th Jan 90.  It's not humble bragging,but a truth that Kashmiri pandits have been a peaceble,erudite  community,genetically programmed and inclined to evade conflicts,aggresion and violence. There have been caustic and sardonic comment's" you should have stayed back and fought for your identity and homeland,why so much br...

The first day of September, it was a lovely day for ducks.,raining in torrents since wee hours. Being a pluveophile,rains instill into me an uncanny quietude and happiness and everything around turns into a soothing paradise. So it was apparently going to be a cheerful drive early morning to my work place.  The pitter - patter of rain ,the splash and slosh of the puddles formed brought a naive and veritable smile on my face. Whole ambience was  teeming with happiness and crackling with exuberance .I  go into a voyage of memories while prominading in my car. In  no time ,I am jolted out of my reverie .The roads getting clogged and chaotic,vehicles turning the roads into a colossal parking lot.In a jiffy, I find myself navigating an unruly,messy and mobbed traffic snarl. I rue the time ,I left my home without checking on the traffic  status because of water logging. The vehicular traffic grows thick and fast,all stranded to a grinding halt. Spiffy,groovy cars chee...

The mayhem of Corona carnage  reminds me of all the books related to world war,holocaust and partition ,that I have read. 'The Book Thief ' is one such book which gave me goose bumps,death is the narrator and devours more and more souls everyday. The vivisection of Partition is another earth shattering event and while reading 'Train to Pakistan' tears rolled on effortlessly till I finished it. Never had we imagined that we would face a similar cataclysm, an invisible enemy bringing down us to knees and leaving us aghast ,watching streams of coffins and macabre of burning pyres. But unlike the past events, the ruthless and callous death picked up people brutally and mercilessly irrespective of age,heath status, gender etc..Precious young lives dropped dead in a jiffy for the want of oxygen and icu beds, gasping and grappling for a breath. Arguably nothing can be more painful for parents outliving their children, watching their buds being crushed before blooming . The hid...