Confessions of a Writing Freak

Barsana is an important historical town in the Krishna pilgrimage circuit. It is the birthplace of Radha rani and a beautiful temple dedicated to Radha _krishna is built on the Bhanugarh hills ,  visited by huge number of devotees specially on Lath maar Holi which falls today. Krishna and men from Nandgaon used to  visit Barsana to smear colours on Radha and gopis ,in return the gopis would hit them playfully with sticks on their shielded heads. And the other day phoolo waali Holi  played in Vrindavan.. Holi is all about happiness, joy, pranks and vibrant tapestry of colours. Spring heralds with fragrant thickets, blooming trees. fliting butterflies and buzzing bees. Legend goes that Krishna would ask Yashoda why Radha was fair as a moon beam and he stark  dark as night to which she replied jovially " go and smear colour on Radha s face to match your complexion" ,hence the trend of Holi celebration started symbolising celebration of love. Purans mention Holi as a cel...

It had really been  a long time no sea...  so took  a jaunt to the magical archipelago of Andaman with a gang of gorgeous girls.The trip  kicked off on a wrong foot because of goof up by an  Air India staff at Delhi who mislabelled my baggage and dropped it at Vizag and I land in Port Blair with just a hand bag ...  But it definitely wrapped up with a baggage of pristine , enthralling, pellucid, tranquil and adventurous memories.... Portblair is a melting pot of diverse cultures of mainly W Bengal, Tamil, Telugu and Bihar ,the islands inhabited by indigenous tribes of Jarawa, Onges, Shamponi, Sentinelese are totally isolated and secluded. They still live in the iron age in the far away islands. The main attraction of Portblair is the colonial prison , the Cellular jai, which is a sevenwinged three storeyed architectural marvel and painful reminder of the atrocities and brutality our freedom fighters have gone through,the light and sound show raises goosebum...

Ciao to Chai Snuggled in the cosy layers, battling the bone chilling cold, I realised that one thing without which I can not function is a cup of unsweetened, steaming hot sepia hue ambrosia called “chai”.. My dawn breaks with a cup of tea, work begins after a cup of tea and reaching back home , first thing my languished self does is brew a cup of energy and reinvigoration . I make no bones about being a tea junkie.. or a tea snob. Infact a cuppa is panacea for me.. bit under the weather, encased in aloneness ,grappling with wide range of emotions,sorrow haunting like a wraith… a cup of tea undoes the ennui.. to bring that joie de vivre with family and friends , cherishing good and chasing away not so good memories , a cup of tea hits the spot.There is nothing that can not be bettered with a chai ka cup.A swig of tea changes the saturnine faces to smiling ones, a swig of tea never fails to perk me up. Chai is infact ingrained in our DNA, no road trip is complete without a pull over for...

  Few days back ,a friend liked one of my write ups and asked to supplement with my picture ,in order to get it published ,I searched frantically in my gallery for my pictures ,but couldn't spot a single one without a pair of sun glasses perched on my nose or head.. that is a testimony of  being a shades aficianado ,though not big on accessories,but I have hoarded quite a few. In fact I don't step out without a pair of shades and a book in my bag, these are like a second skin to me. There is much more to shades than cutting through the blare of sun,snow ,storm ,sand and  style. If aesthetically challenged, they add a oomph of style to the drab persona and a splash of glamour and confidence exudes out. A dark pair of shades are a maven at multitasking, if face is the mirror of the mind reflecting our thoughts no vividly,eyes spill out the secrets of the heart,they display the emotions churning within and effortlessly bring forth the secrets we want to keep buried within. E...

Everymorning while commuting to work , coming to screehing halt , when the lights blink yellow green and red,,amidst the tooting and honking of horns, I stumble upon hawkers selling trinkets and bits , eunuchs clapping away and hurling blessings or abuses,and beggars in tatters or on zimmers --- But Akash ,the polio stricken craggy boy of about twenty years dragging his body on his both hands  along the labrynth of serpentine rows of vehicles is not something I bump into occasionally, he is an everyday acquaintance, come rain or shine.Be it scorching sun,arctic cold , rains lashing down or howling winds--- Akash is always there , and unwittingly a kind of camraderie has developed over a period of almost a decade,his changing voice and scruffy stubble shows he has done some growing up over the years, donning a shoddy cap to prevent from harsh sun and wisps of dull hair peeking  out, a black thread with a talisman slung around his short thin neck( in a hope for some ...

In memory…. It’s three dreary , long painful years since you left but its not even three short minutes that you are not missed and remembered . Your fine mind, gentle spirit and handsome face is missed at every inch of time! I thought  Before and After  were terms relegated only to history …but my life too oscillates-around the events before You and after You…. Life before you brings the sweet memories of time spent together and life after you brings the wistful longings and pining for memories we would have crafted  and scripted together…if only fates had been a little kinder! I can not let go the memories, can not start over but just moving on …swept and swirled by dark undertows of memories which I hold close to my heart, life is but a jigsaw puzzle with smithreen of memories.. Your grand mien  and endless attributes can only be rivalled by the aura and majesty of nature and all beautiful creations  reek of your sublimity………… I feel you in the bracing gentle ...

It has been three long , painful,dreary years since you left but it is not even three small minutes when you are not missed . Braving the world, which is an entirely different one without you…. It is  still unthinkable and impossible to acclimate to a life without your best friend, loving companion, soulmate.   Losing you is having lost myself in the milling crowd……. With hobbled legs and lurching feet, I have been moving on ,living a life on your behalf too, doing things that would have made you happier,  attiring in outfits you would admire, cooking dishes that would have tingled your palate and hitting roads you would have loved to tread upon.   But all this  is with an aura of false gaiety  and fake  normal semblance….It tugs at my heart strings when I have to use so much of ‘ would have  and could have’ . Wish destiny was not so cruel and brutal to us.   The third year without you embarked with Yagnopavit  function of our ...