Desert Rose

Have you gone back to a place that when you last visited made you go all wow and yay? Have you observed how the wave of joy came in not like a gush but slowly flowed in and tickled your feet? Have you experienced the familiarity and the feelings of the past kick in slowly - everything you used to wow about; and then slowly you’re wondering why it all feels so different? A couple of weeks back, I went to Mysore for probably the third time in the last 5 years. This time, while walking through the palace, I noticed myself looking for “me”. There was this version of me whose heart paced and did kathak in rounds all over that Durbar hall when I first visited. The indo sarcenic interiors had sparked off that ghazal in my head and my body language changed as though I took each step carefully adorning the lavish costumes. This time I just noticed how my reactions had changed. It took longer for me to start doing that Kathak. I remember how I’d have a clear idea of what I should wear wh...

Me. Sitting by the window seat of the train. Staring out with every possible random thought running in my head. The boy.   Six to seven years of age I believe. Walking ahead of his parents and halts in front of me. He shows me the ticket and in broken malayalam asked if I could guide him with the seats and I did it right away. But I looked at the parents who stood behind him with a complete blank expression and to me it looked like they didn’t care to step up and do what elders are supposed to do. Even before I could finish processing the thought, I saw the boy using his hands and making gestures to talk to his parents. And then the father and mother told each other something the same way and they three walked towards their seats. I sat there, disappointed with myself. I got reminded of a line that I read somewhere - “It is amazing, the quality of human beings; we can just get past people not dressing the way we want them to dress.” 

All that noise. The hassled scenes. So much of dirt and garbage. Unpleasant smell dominating the air. Every face showing different emotions. Every frame giving me ideas of a little tale . Just a whole lot of chaos but that is the world’s largest railway network.  Every time I take a train in India, there is something or someone that gets me thinking. Never the less I always enjoy my dates with the Indian trains. From “this is my seat” arguments, to “may I sit here till the next station” requests. From making acquaintances during long journeys, to being freaked out by drunk locals in a rather empty compartment.  From trying to catch a train that almost started, to jumping out on late  realization  about the destination arrival.  From shifting legs and luggage continuously to escape the cockroaches, to getting used to them moving around.  6 years of living here and travelling around has been much more than just seeing places. A...

I’ve probably known about the Taj Mahal since I was seven years old; it’s one of those iconic monuments whose form is burned into your world imagery at childhood. I’ve seen it on the calendars, the incredible India bus, cards, as pieces of decoration, on television but I hadn’t ‘seen’ it until last month. From my childhood days, I remember asking my father to plan a trip so that I could see the Taj Mahal but he would say that summer break was too hot in Agra and winter break was too cold and that both these timings would make me fall sick. And of course the rest of the year I had school. (I am sure he tried but probably it wasn’t time yet.) So after a really long wait, Desert Rose went to see this symbol of love last month and yes she loved it. The Taj Mahal is one of those works of genius craftsmen that when you actually experience it in person you finally get it. You get why you’ve seen pictures of this place since you were a kid; you get why millions of people com...

The above image reflects what runs through most of our minds when we hear ‘vacation at Goa’. But for desert rose it was much more! Ever since I joined university for under graduation, I have made several trips to different parts of the country and of course each one of it was memorable in its own ways. So then the question would be why a blog entry only about this trip? Guess reading this will give you the answer. Each of my previous trips has made me realize how much more India has than what we think. Be it the grandeur of architecture, breath taking natural beauty, varied cultures, traditions & lifestyles, amazing markets both day & night, myths & stories and so much more. But when I reached Goa, it took a while to take in the fact that it was part of India. A state so much part of this country but way different… way liberal… and to put it in the language of youth, way cooler! A place where having beer instead of water to quench your thirst feels the same...