"not all who wander are lost" -tolkien

!tahrir square!

2012-01-25T15:56:00.002+05:30

an artist
displaying his
model of
tahrir square
in
tahrir square

glorious past

2012-01-16T17:44:00.001+05:30

medals of
honor still
finds room
in his
coat's chest
a reminder
of his
glorious past

!sitting reading eating!

2012-01-11T20:22:00.006+05:30

!she savored
food from
the magazines
she sold!

!darj it is!

2012-01-05T20:45:00.008+05:30

good tidings

2011-12-22T22:05:00.009+05:30

bicycle friendly

2011-12-20T21:04:00.014+05:30

!göttingen in december!

2011-12-18T01:46:00.007+05:30

lil bit of revolution in göttingen

2011-12-16T01:34:00.019+05:30

winter blues

2011-12-07T18:21:00.002+05:30

it is
dark and
cold outside

but she
is still
washing clothes

she charges
two rupees
per piece

it is
too less
we think

but we
do nothing
to change

we need
her, she
needs money

we let
her wash
dirty laundry

in the
dark cold
winter night

!this is how it's done!

2011-12-04T07:05:00.001+05:30

last look

2011-11-27T15:44:00.000+05:30

she looked
me in
the eye
and waved

like she
knew we
would never
meet again

2011-11-25T20:13:00.002+05:30

i was thinking about a house.
an old house in the hills
built with hope.
there is no design,
only the functional lines
laid out in solid walls and beams.
here the light shines brightly;
the sun pours in on the wide verandas,
on the old wood and
the wild tufts of grass.
it is a house where the obligations
of birth, marriage and death
are fully recognized and celebrated.

the sun rises every morning.
lives grow and change,
the wind surrounds the house
with envy and longing.
storms crash against it and
lightning flashes its sword.
yet in every generation
an old man and a woman
sit in their chairs
on the veranda
and talk long
into the night,
as if the house
and what it represents
will always find
rebirth and live forever.

-mamang dai in stupid cupid

what does he want?

2011-11-21T05:05:00.008+05:30

he wanted

ten rupees
but we
gave him
aalu muri

2011-11-19T07:10:00.002+05:30

"to laugh often and much;
to win the respect of intelligent people
and the affection of children;
to earn the appreciation of honest critics
and to endure the betrayal of false friends.
to appreciate beauty;
to find the best in others;
to leave the world a bit better
whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch,
or a redeemed social condition;
to know that even one life has breathed
easier because you have lived.
this is to have succeeded."

-raph waldo emerson

sunday best in the streets of shillong

2011-11-13T17:00:00.013+05:30

when we met

2011-11-09T17:19:00.001+05:30

the ride
was long
and lonely

the rain
was wet
and angry

when we
met, the
world changed

there was
rainbow in
the sky

never leave lonely alone

2011-11-01T19:35:00.003+05:30

unspoken rules of solitude
wound without a trace
a lifetime of dreams roll down your face
all that we can't say
is all we need to hear
when you close your eyes
does the world disappear

there's something in everyone
only they know

-ben harper

little flower

2011-10-20T21:22:00.001+05:30

when in
bloom it
made me
smile

as petals
withered it
made me
sad

risk

2011-10-14T06:43:00.001+05:30

i took
a risk
with you

not sure
whether i
will win
or lose

if i
win, we
both win

if i
fall, i
fall alone

2011-10-12T05:38:00.003+05:30

"..but i love your feet
only because they walked
upon the earth and
upon the wind and
upon the waters,
until they found me."

-pablo neruda

lilium today

2011-10-11T13:14:00.005+05:30

you gave
us both
lilium plants

it was
only bud
and stalk

we planted
watered and
took care

today it
smiles in
full bloom

when the void disappears...

2011-10-04T16:08:00.005+05:30

~

2011-10-03T04:36:00.003+05:30

you don’t
speak much
but you
have been
much wise
with your
deep silences

2011-09-26T07:04:00.000+05:30

"the only people who ever get anyplace interesting are the people who get lost."
-henry david thoreau

shillong city bus

2011-09-25T08:25:00.004+05:30

catchin' a cab

2011-09-22T07:27:00.002+05:30

i was
already in
the cab

driver told
me to
get out

his "kind"
of people
wanted in

i didn't
argue, i
got out

a bystander
said "you
should've stayed

as if
you won't
pay money"

i stood
on the
busy road

waiting for
the next
empty cab.

wandering life

2011-09-15T18:56:00.000+05:30

"...for me the wandering life is the only permanent happiness.
Soon, I must move on again."

-John Morris in Living with Lepchas

the jalebi man

2011-09-09T16:11:00.002+05:30

a ravenous appetite for life

2011-08-21T08:35:00.003+05:30

Oh yes, that was how it was,
the life of this child was like that:
that was how life was
in the neighbourhood's island of poverty,
bound together by stark necessity,
in an ignorant and handicapped family,
with its youthful blood boiling,
a ravenous appetite for life,
an untamed and hungry intellect,
and all the while an ecstasy of joy
punctuated by a world unknown to him,
leaving him abashed at the time,
but he would quickly recover,
trying to understand, to learn,
to assimilate this world he did not know,
and he did assimilate it,
because he seized upon it so avidly,
not trying to worm his way in;
he was willing to go along
but would not abase himself,
and finally he was never
without a sure confidence,
yes a certainty, since he was guaranteed
that he would achieve everything
he desired and nothing would
ever be impossible for him,
nothing that is of this world
and only of this world;
he was preparing himself
to find his place anywhere,
because there was no position
he wanted, but only joy,
and free spirits, and energy,
and all that life has that is good,
that is mysterious, that is not
and never will be for sale.

-Albert Camus in The First Man

lucky girl

2011-08-18T18:15:00.004+05:30

day out
with the
mom and
aunt plus
the dad
in pretty
blue frock
and shiny
gold heels

today's tragedy

2011-08-16T19:14:00.001+05:30

landslides buried
the parents
militants blocked
the roads

the daughter
couldn't reach
home during
family tragedy

writing is a solitary task...

2011-08-15T18:51:00.001+05:30

"Writing is a solitary task
and I'm more comfortable being alone.
I get impatient with people and places, so I move on.
I've been like this all my life."

-Khushwant Singh in Absolute Khushwant

unlock the wall of lime

2011-08-14T06:44:00.004+05:30

we will stay

2011-08-11T15:42:00.005+05:30

"We will stay where we are...
Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, or whoever, rule.
What does it matter?
The sun will continue to rise
the sun continue to set..."

-Faredoon in The Crow Eaters by Bapsi Sidhwa

dog bite

2011-07-30T08:48:00.005+05:30

it hurt
but he
doesn’t tell

it pained
but he
doesn’t scream

not because

he was
a man

but because
he could
not speak

sunday afternoon

2011-07-17T22:18:00.005+05:30

that day in mawpat!

2011-07-16T16:59:00.002+05:30

few strangers
walked past
few children
happy playing
house in
real life

morning marvel

2011-07-15T08:38:00.002+05:30

morning marvel
in the
misty mountains

moonrise

2011-07-14T19:05:00.003+05:30

couldn't catch
the sunset
but the
moonrise i
just saw

she's wrong...

2011-07-14T15:39:00.003+05:30

"She's wrong.
But it doesn't matter.
What she might be wrong about today
she will be right about tomorrow."

-Howard Jacobson in The Finkler Question

in between

2011-07-12T21:37:00.005+05:30

between two
palm trees
and a
red car

fishing season

2011-07-07T10:43:00.001+05:30

weaving
the net
before
the fishing
trip

the daisy

2011-07-05T21:34:00.004+05:30

"the rose has but a summer reign,
the daisy never dies..."

-james montgomery

lunch hour

2011-06-30T11:02:00.003+05:30

had the
best lunch
in the
busty yesterday

not because
it had
meat and
sweet dishes

but because
that was
probably all
there was

exogamy

2011-06-28T21:55:00.001+05:30

she was
sad nobody
visited anymore

she had
married outside
the tribe

peaches

2011-06-25T06:45:00.004+05:30

the rains
came before
i did

what is
left, is
the fruit
on the
ground and
the smell
that attracts
the flies

beer break?

2011-06-23T18:08:00.003+05:30

it was
mid-morning
sun, hot
and heated.

the workers
took a
break by
the shade
of the
truck and
guzzled beer
to cool
themselves?

i bought a table lamp

2011-06-16T15:02:00.001+05:30

i could

not, not

buy the

lamp even

if it

looked old

and rusty.

the couple
selling the
lamp were
older and
rustier than
my new
table lamp.

slow follow

2011-06-14T17:00:00.002+05:30

i walked
slower than
usual

i could
not overtake
him

i was
walking behind,
an
interesting old
man

busboy

2011-06-10T14:44:00.002+05:30

he made

no eye

contact as

i stared

at him

he didn't

know that

i was

watching him

he kept

singing on

his own

and cleaned

the table

from the streets to the archives...

2011-06-04T17:24:00.017+05:30

un-defining love

2011-05-26T16:39:00.002+05:30

he told

me he

loved me

i told

him i

loved him

we did

not define

the love

we knew

we were

in love

grass in concrete

2011-05-23T09:50:00.010+05:30

"If grass can grow through cement,
love can find you at every time in your life."

-cher

and if grass can grow through temple walls,

it can in basketball courts too...

remember the story of a girl?

2011-05-21T15:28:00.008+05:30

remember her story?

well,
she's still waiting
for her daddy

but doesn't want

a bicycle anymore...

rock influence

2011-05-19T07:20:00.004+05:30

he doesn't
miss a
word as
he sings
along 'nothing
lasts forever'

he doesn't
miss the
salt as
he cooks
lunch for
the girls

one has
to love
mornings in
shillong when
rock influence
is more
than apparent

mohammad

2011-05-18T22:14:00.001+05:30

he told
me to
leave my
email address
before leaving,
I forgot.

so he
never emailed
me nor
did we
hear from
each other…

jacarandas in bloom

2011-05-16T05:03:00.007+05:30

lights up
the sky
and carpets
the ground
with its
soft purple
simple flair

not an arguement!

2011-05-14T05:20:00.004+05:30

it sounded
like they
were arguing

but they
laughed and
we realized

they were
only sharing
a joke...

none of them thanked...

2011-05-12T17:10:00.000+05:30

None of them thanked Maxwell.
Olanna wished they would;
it was such a simple thing to do,
to acknowledge the humanity of the people who served them.

She had suggested it once;
her father said he paid them good salaries,
and her mother said thanking them would give them room to be insulting,
while Kainene, as usual, said nothing,
a bored expression on her face.

-Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in Half of a Yellow Sun.

in mawlai

2011-05-12T06:48:00.001+05:30

he was
still there
in that
corner shop
selling pork

ancestral place

2011-05-10T06:56:00.003+05:30

this is
the house
where my
father
grew up

this is
where i
go and
dream of
a library
for the
village.

viva la revolucion

2011-05-01T22:28:00.016+05:30

Every Friday Egyptians still flock the Tahrir Square
with their colorful demonstrations.
It is the continuation of the revolution I am told!
was happy to be a part of it.

...at the airport!

2011-04-28T06:35:00.001+05:30

he waits
with a
sign that
spells out
her name

she sees
the sign
that is
calling out
her name

they smile
they meet
they become
friends of
the hour

children of the revolucion

2011-04-23T15:30:00.008+05:30

pro-mubarak forces

2011-04-22T09:46:00.005+05:30

Despite all that is happening, Mubarak still has a handful of followers
who come out on the streets every evening
and show support to their president-on-trial.

under the moon...

2011-04-21T16:25:00.002+05:30

lovers
meet
along
the
nile

saturating
the
warmth
to
passersby

Pyramids of Giza

2011-04-21T10:00:00.011+05:30

These stone structures were built around 4500 years ago.
Of the three pyramids,
we entered the Menkaure's Pyramid
and almost kissed the Sphinx.

cairo by night~

2011-04-20T09:43:00.006+05:30

bright, beautiful and alive...

hey kinda friend

2011-04-19T13:38:00.003+05:30

he called
me "hey"
i smiled
back "hey"

he gestured
to take
his picture

i obliged
to take
his picture

ARTofREVOLUTION

2011-04-16T11:01:00.014+05:30

grafiti paintings
speak out loud
just a block from
where i am staying
in Zamalek area...

window with a view...

2011-04-15T08:51:00.004+05:30

seen from
the plane
and
the hotel

Hello Egypt!

Shillong Supporters in the Streets

2011-04-09T18:58:00.003+05:30

after a signature campaign yesterday,
supporters took it to the streets today
for a victory march
as Hazare broke his fast
and the government issued
a 10-member team to draft
the lok pal bill.
this was a sweet victory for Indians everywhere...

Shillong Golf Link Sightings

2011-04-02T08:03:00.008+05:30

a.k.a.
Gleneagles of the East.
It's the first 18 hole golf course in India.
It's one of the few natural golf courses in Asia.

East of the Sun

2011-03-27T05:43:00.003+05:30

Still round the corner there may wait
A new road or a secret gate,
And though I oft have passed them by,
A day shall come at last when I
Will take the secret paths that run
West of the Moon, East of the Sun.

-Tolkien

earthhour

2011-03-26T06:05:00.003+05:30

let's do it!!!!

expectations

2011-03-21T05:59:00.002+05:30

Expectations.
This is an unfashionable word in the world I live here.
It is a point of pride, a badge, women especially, like to flaunt, this lack of expectations.
If you expect the slightest thing from anyone you are made to feel as if you are a parasite, a person so demanding it is impossible to have a relationship with you.
So I learnt to throw most of my expectations out of the windows.
I am warning you though, I have a lot of expectations of you,
I don't care if you let me down and break my heart but only with these expectations,
darling, can I love you.

-Jahnavi Barua in Rebirth

supermoon

2011-03-20T06:58:00.010+05:30

she could
not tell
him to
shoot the
moon 'coz
it would
be a
silly thing
to do
so she
shot down
the wine
high on
the supermoon

he ran...

2011-03-13T15:06:00.003+05:30

he ran
beside the
bus

he thought
he was
fast

maybe
he could
beat it

perhaps
he could
match it

until
he realized
he was
running alone

his was
a young
boy's strength

ready to
defeat a
running bus

morning giggles

2011-03-11T10:16:00.004+05:30

just saw
two men
crouched down

whispering in
their dialect

smoking their
morning bidis

ha ha -ing
he he -ing

it made
me smile

and i
silently joined

in their
ha ha -ing
he he -ing

remember her?

2011-03-08T19:43:00.003+05:30

remember her?
the wildchild

today she
wore a
white lace
dress and
told us
she bought
it herself
for hundred
rupees...

sunday

2011-03-07T06:04:00.001+05:30

today
was
yesterday
when
love
came
to
town

womenfolk in bara bazar

2011-03-01T06:09:00.012+05:30

for herself

2011-02-28T14:41:00.000+05:30

she was
dancing

to her
own song

to her
own steps

to her
own audience

wildchild

2011-02-23T06:02:00.004+05:30

she collects wild flowers...

cricket fever...

2011-02-22T07:31:00.005+05:30

this is what happens
when you have to watch
the world cup cricket

let us all enjoy!

and in case
you want to read
about its history

james alter (my high school editor)
is the author of
the history of world cup cricket

i ordered my copy
through flipkart
u can do the same;)

and one day...

2011-02-16T14:45:00.008+05:30

And one day, one takes one's leave and roams the roads again,
just to go and see elsewhere whether he would be there as well.
And although tomorrow is a great adventure,
it is nevertheless a heartbreak."

"I considered myself lucky to have met you."
"I will dream of you every day of my life."
"You are the pearl of the universe."

One says goodbye, turns around and goes away.
And we don't know if we will ever meet again.

-Patrick Levy in Sadhus: Going Beyond the Dreadlocks

i drink good coffee...

2011-02-15T20:42:00.006+05:30

i drink good coffee every morning
comes from a place that's far away
and when i'm done, i feel like talking
without you here, there's less to say...

-colin hay
(this song's been in my head since early morn...)

hide-n-seek

2011-02-13T19:50:00.002+05:30

you hid
behind
the trees
but
we weren't
playing
hide-n-seek

i did
not come
looking
for you
and you
never came
out of
hiding...

-

2011-02-09T22:19:00.003+05:30

chakka jaam
indefinite strike

we have become
mere spectators
in the games
people play

travel food

2011-02-06T18:18:00.003+05:30

long ago,

i had
an overnight
airport layover

i took
out my
packed food
and ate.

shared it
with two
young travelers
who told
me i
came prepared.

these days,

i don't
carry food
and am
never ready.

i just
eat what
i get.

books

2011-02-03T16:11:00.002+05:30

"But books are very significant,
because if you see someone with a book you love,
you can talk to that person immediately.
If they're reading a book you don't know at all,
you wouldn't dare,
but if it's a book you know well,
you realize straight away
they're on the same wavelength as you."

-Juan Arias in Confessions of a Pilgrim

politically incorrect :)

2011-02-03T15:50:00.005+05:30

"...about Jesus Christ's first miracle.
It wasn't a politically correct miracle.
It wasn't curing a blind man or making a cripple walk.
it was turning water into wine, a very mundane thing,
very profane, simply because there wasn't any wine left.
It wasn't something necessary to save humanity, no."

-Paulo Coelho in Confessions of a Pilgrim

tv maker

2011-02-02T14:32:00.001+05:30

trembling
fingers
connecting
wires

fixing
broken
televisions
everyday

...what we ate the week b4 christmas 2010

2011-01-31T10:13:00.016+05:30

not to exoticize
but to reminisce
the good food
the happy tummy...

joinin' the rank

2011-01-30T10:18:00.003+05:30

he aspired
to follow
his father's
foot-steps

a
childhood aim
a
distant dream

he wasn't
attracted to
perks of
the power

he wanted
to serve
he needed
to help

he felt
a responsibility
to make
a difference

so focused
he was,
on his
desired goal

he did
not falter
he did
not budge

commitment paid
hardwork resulted
his turn
soon came

to run
the miles
to march
the parade

to don
the uniform
to carry
the baton

he had
become
his father's
son

grown-ups never understand...

2011-01-17T17:06:00.004+05:30

Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves,
and it is tiresome for children to be always
and forever explaining things to them.

-Antoine de Saint Exupery in Le Petit Prince

victory

2011-01-11T12:26:00.003+05:30

"Gazing at the sea I have a strong feeling of happiness.
True, it's not all over yet, but in the light of old fears and uncertainties
I have decidedly won a victory."
- Bronislaw Malinowski

sunday offering

2011-01-09T19:57:00.003+05:30

she didn't
go to
church but
she sent
her offering
through someone

i didn't
go to
church and
didn't even
think of
sending my
sunday offering

2011-01-06T10:56:00.002+05:30

That's the difference between us:
you worry about rules and I worry about being human.

-Amitav Ghosh in The Circle of Reason

still walkin...

2010-12-31T23:48:00.001+05:30