Of People and Places

I spent Makar Sankranti   last January at the house of a friend in Jaipur.   This was the first time I saw a paper lantern in the night sky. The first time I was part of a mohalla kite fight. We spent a greater part of the day flying kites. I should perhaps say I did this platonically, since a novice like me is no match for the veterans who mean business as far as kite flying is concerned.   But to my credit, I didn’t let it swoop low whenever it was generously passed on to my hands :D   All around on the rooftops and the roads, in the scorching midday sun schoolboys, girls and old men flew their kites with so much glee that you could see it was their own soul that was soaring and not just the kites.   We went near hawa mahal for a bit of sightseeing in the evening. To know why Jaipur is called ‘the pink city’ you must go out in the evening a few hours before sundown.     The rosy pink of the evening light and the earthy pink and reds of mos...

I had heard so much about baobab trees and I finally had a chance to meet one at Mandu. Mandu or Mandav is an ancient fortress town in the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh. It is a place after my own heart with ruins scattered all over the place making it a town of breathtaking beauty. Much more about Mandu later (I haven’t even begun!) Let’s go back to our baobab tree. Fields with yellow and green dot the path to the village and in the midst stand these curious trees.   They have massive trunks that store water. To me, they look like a cross between a bottle and an elephant – and I find their shape comforting.   These trees are native to Africa. I am curious to know how they got here! Apparently, they are among the most ancient trees on earth.  Locals sell the baobab tree seeds, they are called   Mandu ki imli. They taste like tamarind but have this incredible zing and saltiness. I liked it but not a good idea to eat too much of it (My cavities are tingling at...

Lettering by Malavika Shenoy The Buddha is my favourite trope in art and philosophy. If nothing else, the image of Gautama Buddha in repose with heavy-lidded eyes gives me a vast measure of peace. I have seen many statues of Buddha -all of them remarkably beautiful, but none have made as much of an impression on me as the Buddha at Sanchi. It was my first visit to Madhya Pradesh and also my first experience of the famous M.P sun and its heat waves in summer.   We reached Sanchi at midday -the exact time everything is scorching hot and airless. But I didn’t mind very much because it felt like I had stumbled on treasure. The Stupas at Sanchi are on higher ground from the village and look absolutely stunning in the afternoon sun. I think harsh sunlight brings out the beauty of stone and rock-cut architecture where strong shadows and contrasts create magic wherever light doesn’t reach. A lot of it is not as well-preserved as one would like - Colonial excavations and loca...

The way to Nainital from Kathgodam. Uttarakhand welcomed me with her arms wide open, as the bus turned yet another hairpin bend. Her pines glistened in the winter sun and the small mountain streams twinkled at me like her two merry eyes.   Two places have filled me with infinite delight because of their tininess – Gokarna and Nainital.   I cannot describe what I felt when I finally reached the Tallital bus stand.The Naini lake stood there in majesty with the town all around her. From the cycle rickshaw that I sat in, I drank in all the beauty surrounding me. Truly you do not  know what sunlight means to you unless you are out on a winter’s day in the hills. And the sun is so caressing, it fills you with warmth. Picture if you can a tiny teardrop of water, surrounded by higgledy-piggledy houses amid tall trees. Add to that a gloriously clear baby blue sky with dreamy clouds. That is what I saw on the ropeway. It must be so beautiful to see it in the night....

To the lighthouse Up, up, all the way up. The dizzying spiral never comes to an end. You hold on to the railing for balance, and then you look down and you gasp! Your climb to the top is not without its rewards. Where else would you feel on top of the world; the sea – your kingdom, the colorful boats in its eddies – your subjects. You are high enough to get a bird’s eye view of the birds! I see a family of kites and their nest in one of the trees below. There’s a delightful little stream that has escaped from the beach, like a naughty child, and made inroads into the sand. The vast sense of scale, of space in the Arabian Sea is mesmerizing. If you look closely you might spot dolphins shimmering in the sunlight as they discreetly find their way to the surface. I am atop Kapu lighthouse, a 115 year old heritage lighthouse a few kilometers inland from the quaint town of Kapu near Udupi in Karnataka. It is a functional lighthouse over the choppy Arabian Sea, having guided...

Art on the train Digital illustration is not in my comfort zone so thought I'd take a shot at it :) There was a little girl on my train once She colored a man yellow Took my sketchbook and my markers While an old passenger did bellow “She’s ruining your book, Don’t give it to her Whoever heard of a real live man Being colored completely yellow!” The girl looked at me worried Waiting for a rebuke I just looked at her and smiled So she went back to my sketchbook. She next drew me a landscape A town of yellow houses A four coloured rainbow with two clouds In bold lines without pauses. “Have you ever seen houses so tawdry So out of whack and childish?” The old man scolded and grumbled We paid no heed and enjoyed ourselves While the train in the tunnel rumbled. This was an annoying encounter for me on the train from Hoshangabad to Bangalore. I have met a great many kids in my train journeys and invariably,when they see my sk...

On a recent trip to Maharashtra, I saw this kaka and kaki at the Pune Railway station. They must have been on their way to Pandharpur. I have seen devotees making their way to Pandharpur in hordes singing beautiful abhangs, taking their entire family with them. The Varkaris generally make this annual pilgrimage by foot.   Elders and little children walk too, and there is scarcely a break in the singing and music. There is something divine, whether you are a believer of god or not, in voices raised to a common tune, in exaltation of something outside the self. I would like to go with them once. In the month of Ashadh Ekadashi, trains in Maharashtra are filled with pilgrims on their way to Pandharpur. Maybe I will join them. Who knows, I may meet this old couple I saw at the Pune railway station.