Visits of 2013 revisited - 15

The year closed with a trip to Varanasi. The Ganges is, as always, massive and majestic but the city must be blamed for making a mockery of the might with mightier pollution. Nonetheless, the city is among top tourist destinations in India. The mix of extremes is so common a site that Varanasi will definitely increase your faith in Gods.

Visits of 2013 revisited - 14

Chunaar is a small town close to Varanasi but falls under Mirzapur district of Uttar Pradesh. It is famous for the Chunaar Gadh Fort, immortalized in the story of Bundela warriors Alha and Udal. I couldn't visit the Chunaar Gadh Fort but found this balcony of Juliet, longing for a Romeo. 

Visits of 2013 revisited - 13

Leave a two-hour drive from Mumbai.... the maximum city offers such serene settings in the city itself. You just need to develop an eye for that.

Visits of 2013 revisited - 12

People often crib of Mumbai as an urban jungle... but I found a nice and cozy, albeit small bird sanctuary barely 2 hours drive away from Mumbai. This map was displayed at the beginning of the Karnala Bird Sanctuary in Panvel, Raigad. Thanks to Gunjan, who first drove me to out of bed on a Sunday morning and then all the way to this sanctuary. 

Visits of 2013 revisited - 11

Won't you love a job that asks you if you want to go to a hill-station for a week? Don't worry, they happily gave vacations for that and also paid for everything. This is a capture of Naini Lake, clicked from the rope-way connecting Snow View Point to Mall Road, Nainital.

Visits of 2013 revisited - 10

Somewhere in the mad rush of travel during summers, I stole a small trip to Ranganathittu in Mandya district of Karnataka, located somewhere in between Bangalore and Mysore. A dear friend's whole family played a delightful host all the while.

This crocodile was spotted in there, some 10 meters away from our boat in the same lake. For moments, all the horrific crocodile movie scenes played in my head... but I'm still here is a proof of the fact that crocodiles don't give a damn about us! 

Visits of 2013 revisited - 9

While cooling my heels for a while in Indore before the next round of travel begins, got a call to come to the city and meet three amazing individuals.

From left-to-right - Shamim Abbas, Farhat Ehsaas Sahab, Abhishek Shukla. Sharing some of their couplets here.

Update as of 2017:

No idea about the gentleman in the middle but have severed contact with the two on sides. 

Reason - found them deeply communal and full of political hatred.

हमारे दर्द को जानो अज़ीयतें देखो 

कोई किवाड़ नहीं फिर भी दस्तकें देखो 

सुना था हमने कोई शै है मावरा-ए-ख़याल 

फलांग आईं उसे मेरी वहशतें देखो 

जनाब शमीम अब्बास साहब

मुहब्बत का खुदा हूँ मैं मगर ऐसा खुदा जिसने 

बड़ी मुश्किल से अपना एक बन्दा घेर रखा है 

जनाब फरहत एहसास साहब

चलते हुए मुझमें कहीं ठहरा हुआ तू है

रस्ता नहीं मंज़िल नहीं अच्छा हुआ तू है

इक चोट लगी थी सो हुई उम्र उसे भी

बिखरा हुआ मैं हूँ के ये टूटा हुआ तू है 

भाई अभिषेक शुक्ल  

Visits of 2013 revisited - 8

It was my second meeting in 2013 with the mighty and majestic Ganges. Haridwar is the place, where the Ganges enters the plains of Uttar Pradesh - that sight and setting is really divine. We drove back from Mussoorie via Dehradoon and stopped in Haridwar for a while. 

Three days later, the mighty Ganges came even more heavily than the usual stream and washed away the entire landscape we admired on our way back. That incident is now known as The Uttarakhand Tragedy of 2013. Nature's forces are life-giver and life-taker at will. Our respect for them increased manifold that day.

Visits of 2013 revisited - 7

About time I should catch a personal vacation break... a much awaited break took us to Mussoorie - known as the queen of mountains, rightly so. 

Visits of 2013 revisited - 6

This summer, it was a mad rush to visit random places at short notices. Goa also got added at the last minute, for a friend wanted me for a small role at the First Pan-IIM Conference. 

Visits of 2013 revisited - 5

And here I was at another IIM... the A of all IIMs, where every morning is a good morning :)

Visits of 2013 revisited - 4

I am lost about where did I go to next, as I've visited over 20 places in 2013 (read about that here).
So, here is to one of my most exhilarating moments of 2013 - watching one of my favorite artists, Birjoo Maharaj, performing one of my favorite dance forms, Kathak, at a SPIC-MACAY concert at IIM Calcutta in one of my favorite cities, Kolkata.

Visits of 2013 revisited - 3

Next on our itinerary was Prayaag. Despite ongoing Maha Kumbh, Triveni was serene and beautiful in bone-chilling winter nights.

Visits of 2013 revisited - 2

The early February thunderstorms and rains made Lucknow even colder than normal. Yet, four of us decided to drive to (?? - wait till the next pic). We stopped en-route in Pratap Garh, where I clicked this mustard flower, while others met their 'urges'.

Visits of 2013 revisited - 1

This January will see a revisit to places I visited in 2013 and that revisit starts today :)
So the first place I flew to was the good old Lucknow and from the airport, I directly went to the place featured below for a good old old-fashioned picnic with the whole family :) :) :)

The year is dying in the night.

Merry (Teri Iski Uski Sabki) Christmas

बाबुल मोरा लखनऊ छूटो ही जाए...

कुट - कुट - कुट - कुट - कुट - कुट

कभी सुना है आँखों से निःसृत शंखनाद को

एक अधूरे काम की बरसी

एक अधूरा काम 

कि जिसको जल्दी पूरा करना है 

गुलाब हुए संतरे के रंग

अरे आप ठंडा कोका कोला पीजिये

Beauty in taxi colors

Striped Keelback 

(Amphiesma stolata)

बाल दिवस पर इधर भी देखो

Nature is playing dice

Somewhere in the wild...

The opposite of love is not hate!

It's apathy. 

Like when the sun goes down instead of up the clouds.

Rudr Palash (Spathodea campanulata)

Happiness is...

How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?

On this World Food Day...

Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what’s for lunch.

- Orson Welles

The Civilization that lost

If I were asked under what sky the human mind has most fully developed some of its choicest gifts, has most deeply pondered on the greatest problems of life, and has found solutions, I should point to India.

Max Mueller 

(German scholar)

The "Crack"pots

“Let China sleep, for when she awakes, she will shake the world.” 

Napoleon Bonaparte 

The Papa of the Mummy

They say the pharaohs built the pyramids. Do you think one pharaoh dropped one bead of sweat? 

We built the pyramids for the pharaohs and we're building for them yet.

Anna Louise Strong

(20th-century American journalist and activist)

They're all Greek to me!

“Experts in ancient Greek culture say that people back then didn't see their thoughts as belonging to them. When ancient Greeks had a thought, it occurred to them as a god or goddess giving an order. Apollo was telling them to be brave. Athena was telling them to fall in love.

Now people hear a commercial for sour cream potato chips and rush out to buy, but now they call this free will.
At least the ancient Greeks were being honest.”

 Chuck Palahniuk 

(American freelance Journalist, Satirist and Novelist)

गाय शुद्ध है, घी का पता नहीं

Happiness is a small puddle of water

Why don't we just sit around and wait for a stork!

Each to his passion

Bee to the blossom

Moth to the flame

Each to his passion

What's in a name!

Helen Hunt Jackson 

तुम्हारी आस में

तुम्हारी मेज़ पर छोटा सा उल्लू बैठा था 

तुम्हारी आस में अब वोह नहीं रहा जानम 

थमी है ज़िन्दगी की गाड़ी यूँ

कुछ कहीं टूट गया है शायद

कुछ कहीं छूट गया है शायद 

कोई तदबीर तो हो 

बात कुछ पता तो चले 

थमी है ज़िन्दगी की गाड़ी यूँ 

कोई कुछ रूठ गया है शायद  

फ़रिश्तों अब तो सोने दो

शबे-फ़ुरकत का जागा हूँ 

फ़रिश्तों अब तो सोने दो 

कभी फ़ुरसत में कर लेना 

हिसाब, आहिस्ता-आहिस्ता

A tip for longevity by Dr. Salim Ali

Gregor Samsa

As Metamorphosed by Franz Kafka

बबूल में आ जाते हैं नए-नए कांटे

आना
जब समय मिले
जब समय न मिले
तब भी आना


आना जैसे बारिश के बाद
बबूल में आ जाते हैं
नए-नए कांटे


दिनों को
चीरते-फाड़ते
और वादों की धज्जियां उड़ाते हुए
आना


आना जैसे मंगल के बाद
चला आता है बुध
आना

A day to remember the sacrifices again

दयार-ए-दिलनशीं

For some special friends...

दुश्मनों की तरह उस से लड़ते रहे

अपनी चाहत भी कितनी निराली रही

सतपुड़ा के घने जंगल

सतपुड़ा के घने जंगल।

नींद मे डूबे हुए से

ऊँघते अनमने जंगल।

झाड ऊँचे और नीचे,

चुप खड़े हैं आँख मीचे,

घास चुप है, कास चुप है

मूक शाल, पलाश चुप है।

बन सके तो धँसो इनमें,

धँस न पाती हवा जिनमें,

सतपुड़ा के घने जंगल

ऊँघते अनमने जंगल।  

अटपटी-उलझी लताऐं,

डालियों को खींच खाऐं,

पैर को पकड़ें अचानक,

प्राण को कस लें कपाऐं।

सांप सी काली लताऐं

बला की पाली लताऐं

लताओं के बने जंगल

नींद मे डूबे हुए से

ऊँघते अनमने जंगल।

मकड़ियों के जाल मुँह पर, 

और सर के बाल मुँह पर 

मच्छरों के दंश वाले, 

दाग काले-लाल मुँह पर, 

वात- झन्झा वहन करते, 

चलो इतना सहन करते, 

कष्ट से ये सने जंगल, 

अजगरों से भरे जंगल।

अगम, गति से परे जंगल

सात-सात पहाड़ वाले,

बड़े छोटे झाड़ वाले,

शेर वाले बाघ वाले,

गरज और दहाड़ वाले,

कम्प से कनकने जंगल,

नींद मे डूबे हुए से 

ऊँघते अनमने जंगल

इन वनों के खूब भीतर, 

चार मुर्गे, चार तीतर 

पाल कर निश्चिन्त बैठे, 

विजनवन के बीच बैठे, 

झोंपडी पर फ़ूंस डाले 

गोंड तगड़े और काले। 

जब कि होली पास आती, 

सरसराती घास गाती, 

और महुए से लपकती, 

मत्त करती बास आती, 

गूंज उठते ढोल इनके, 

गीत इनके, बोल इनके

(सतपुड़ा के घने जंगल 

नींद मे डूबे हुए से 

ऊँघते अनमने जंगल )

जागते अँगड़ाइयों में,

खोह-खड्डों खाइयों में,

घास पागल, कास पागल,

शाल और पलाश पागल,

लता पागल, वात पागल,

डाल पागल, पात पागल

मत्त मुर्गे और तीतर,

इन वनों के खूब भीतर।

क्षितिज तक फ़ैला हुआ सा,

मृत्यु तक मैला हुआ सा,

क्षुब्ध, काली लहर वाला

मथित, उत्थित जहर वाला,

मेरु वाला, शेष वाला

शम्भु और सुरेश वाला

एक सागर जानते हो,

उसे कैसा मानते हो?

ठीक वैसे घने जंगल,

नींद मे डूबे हुए से 

ऊँघते अनमने जंगल 

धँसो इनमें डर नहीं है, 

मौत का यह घर नहीं है, 

उतर कर बहते अनेकों, 

कल-कथा कहते अनेकों, 

नदी, निर्झर और नाले, 

इन वनों ने गोद पाले। 

लाख पंछी सौ हिरन-दल, 

चाँद के कितने किरन दल, 

झूमते बन-फ़ूल, फ़लियाँ, 

खिल रहीं अज्ञात कलियाँ, 

हरित दूर्वा, रक्त किसलय, 

पूत, पावन, पूर्ण रसमय 

सतपुड़ा के घने जंगल, 

लताओं के बने जंगल।

- भवानी प्रसाद मिश्र