Dhanushkodi – The Ghost Town of India

I was very young when my parents along with some family friends had planned a visit to South India. Until then I had only seen that part of the country on maps. And of course, I had no idea then that I would eventually move for studies & work (& live – it’s been a decade now) in one of the cities down south.

Love Affair with the Mountains

Have you ever felt weak in the knees? Or had butterflies flutter in your tummy? I have! Yes, I’m talking about falling in love, even before you realize it. And no, I’m not talking about your regular love story, this one is a little different than most. It’s an affair of the heart that began unbeknownst to me and consumed me forever – a story of a deeper, emotional connection with the Himalayan mountains that changed something in me forever.

Naked Soul

She looks at her reflection in the large wooden-framed mirror. Behind her the rain falls on the window, making a soft sound. It’s a grey, grey day – the girl in the mirror says. She sees a girl. A girl who loves words. A girl who loves to write. A girl who often gets lost in the world of beautiful words. A girl who stays up to write… yet, who finds it very difficult to express herself. And at times when she can’t, she so hates it and wants to run and hide.

Some Places Are Like Poems

“गहरी नीली शाम, सर्द बर्फीली हवा,
बारिश की कुछ हलकी बूँदें
कांगडी़ की ज़रा-सी आंच
दूर बादलों से झांकते ऊँचे-ऊँचे पहाड़
कच्चे-पक्के ख्वाब-सा, ज्यादा-ज्यादा सच-सा, एक जहाँ हसीं-सा …”

No Matter What You Do

No matter what you do, or don’t do, someone (or a lot of them) is always going to judge you, label you. Let them.

Sometimes, even those who claim to understand you will judge you. Let them.

Just a thought

~Musings~

She calls me Zeba

A dream… a story… a memory…

I lay on the prickly brown-green grass, reading a book. I have a lot of time here, in this dream. This little town in the lap of mountains pampers me. I feel like a child in possession of peace and happiness again. I don’t worry about the bills, the job, the monies, the false friends, and even the repercussions of being ‘myself’ with kin. I am far away from all that – I’m with happiness here.

The Confluence of Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal at Arichal Munai

As you drive past the ghost town of Dhanushkodi, at the extreme tip of the island of Rameshwaram in south India, you arrive at the pristine beach of Arichal Munai.

Somewhere Out There…

Of all the things you hear,

Of all the things you see,

Sunrise on Pamban Island

There was just a hint of light in the dark skies at the early hours of dawn. But places such as these are always buzzing with people, that time too, there were far too many people around me.