One Canoe

 

A poem about my canoeing experience in Denwa Backwaters of the main river Tawa which came into existence after Tawa Dam’s construction. Denwa is surrounded by The Satpura range loosely translated as seven hills.


One Canoe

Paddling the canoe into the wild 

Oh, Denwa!
The stillness of your backwaters
stays in my mind.

Oh, Satpura!
The silhouette of your hills
is an artist’s drawing.

Tawa Dam gave you birth
You are a mother 
to the flora and fauna 
of various kinds.

Fifty or hundred feet
Even just a few inches deep
You are home to many resident and migratory birds

Mesmerising Sambhar
or captivating ghost trees
River lapping or Kingfishers bathing
Eagles or monkeys perched high on boughs

Just one canoe at 10 am
sails smoothly until a croc is found
The wintry chill gets into our bones
He is sunbathing on highlands
thirty feet from us
Away
we intend to go

Our eyes meet and he camouflages
Into the marshy backwaters where he belongs

Oh, Denwa! The sky gazes
at its beauty into the blue mirror
Wildernesses and jungle sounds
are the only sounds one hears

12.12.2018

Bundi, Rajasthan

Garh Palace, Bundi, Rajasthan

Bundi is a little town near Kota, Rajasthan famous for its embellished architecture and structure.

History enthusiasts, travellers and artists have been taking inspiration from Bundi for a very long time.

It is popularly believed that Rudyard Kipling penned part of his famous novel ‘Kim’ in Bundi. In fact, so impressed was he by the place that he wrote,

“the Palace of Bundi, even in broad daylight, is such a palace as men build for themselves in uneasy dreams – the work of goblins rather than of men.”

Garh Palace was constructed during the reign of Rao Raja Ratan Singh (1607–31) and added to by his successors. It is a delightful sandstone structure speaking volumes about the grandeur of the kingdom and architecture.

                                                                                                           

Chitrashala, Garh Palace, Bundi

Chitrashala, Picture Gallery, Garh Palace
Mesmerising, bright and dreamy are the words I would like to use to describe the artistic ‘Chitrashala’ meaning picture gallery also known as Ummed Mahal taken care by Archaeological Survey of India.

Chitrashala, the picture gallery was built by Rao Ummed Singh (AD 1749 - 1773) located in Garh Palace which has its access through the Hathi Pol or Elephant Gate, Taragarh Fort.

The walls of Chitrashala are illuminated with historical paintings depicting the love stories, musical melodies, princesses’ hunting scenes with elephants and tigers, court processions.

Female dresses, pigeons as messengers are a few figures in my mind. Also, the most important frescoes are lifting of the mount Govardhan, Cheer- Harana, Rama’s marriage procession.

Hathi Pol, Bundi, Rajasthan

Hathi Pol, Garh Palace Entrance, Bundi
The Hathi Pol is a magnificent, magnanimous gate serving an entrance to the Garh Palace. 

The steep cobbled path ends at Hathi Pol and an instant glint in the eyes and a sweet smile would definitely brighten your face at the sight of the tall gate embellished with huge elephants on either side blowing bugles.

Woman

I walk on the pebbles as they prick my toes with pain 

I walk on the beach barefoot as sand slipping between my feet hits with the reality.

Nothing will stay, 

moments shall pass and people will go.

Shaista Dhanda

 2 August 2018

Labboo'z Cafe and Lodge Maheshwar

Labboo'z Cafe and Lodge is a budget guest house, a part of the Ahilya Fort Heritage Hotel. This quaint, green and comfortable guest house offers six rooms which are unique and beautifully detailed. The similarities are the Kashmiri bedcovers, curtains and a balance of old and the new in the interiors. This video takes you into the Kingfisher room which is on the ground floor and one of the most stunning rooms at Labboo'z.

Wild, young and beautiful

Fresh, raw and bright

Yellow, green an brown

An art close to my heart

A picture I can stare for hours

The Desert Gypsy

Neither, did I ask her name

nor did she;

We were strangers to each other

nevertheless, she gave a lot to me;

A place to sit at her humble home,

grins, laughter and warmth of a motherly soul;

Walking towards her 

the sandstorm sounded 

like the flapping wings 

of an agile bird.

Sitting at the threshold of the hut,

A cup of chai for unwanted but welcomed guests was served 

Her wrinkles were deep,

the smile was sweet,

at peace with herself 

the aura gave comfort to me;

The eyes were calm like a silent sea

but deeper there was poverty;

A contented soul,

needy but a giver,

a woman after all 

was she.

Maheshwar

I dedicate a poem to Maheshwar which is my forever love.  

Maheshwar 

You always astound me with your beauty,

Skies like huge canvases, 

Sunsets painted in orange and pink,

fish in the water, friendly sellers

photographers and boatsmen.

Pleasing is the chants of the mantras, 

Soothing is the nights at the ghats,

You light up the lamp of the inner soul 

like the floating earthen lamps in the river 

removing the darkness of the fort. 

Ahilya Fort Maheshwar

6 March 2018 

Ahilya Fort Maheshwar

While watching the Maheshwar pictures on my laptop, I stopped scrolling and paused at this one. The woman’s loving eyes and the warmth of the moment made me think about the crossroads of life. 

We meet people, make friends and sometimes just exchange glances, a smile or hold hands. Maheshwar has always been one of my favourite places as I love to sit at the Narmada ghats in the evenings, watch the setting sun, birds moving towards their nests, give food to the fish, listen to the chanting of the mantras praising the Holy Narmada river. 

While walking down the stairs, I saw a woman climbing down the stairs of the majestic Ahilya Fort unsteadily. I clasped her hand tightly to give confidence to her shaky legs and unconfident gait.

The picture is a witness of her eyes pouring motherly love towards me. 

Whenever I visit Maheshwar the next time, my searching eyes would look for her to share a cup of tea with her or we would give food to the fish together by sitting at the ghats of the river Narmada. 

PC - @abuzar Your sensitivity to feel the emotions has given me a moment to cherish forever.

Woman

The sweat of her body,

The worries in her brain,

Eva Joosten and Shaista Dhanda (PC- Sumiran Caprihan)

The tightness in her back,

The anxiety in her mane;

The light of her soul,

The warmth of her heart,

The fire in the belly,

The power in her stance;

She’s a fragile flower,

Softness is her charm,

Strengthening the dark room,

With the warmth of her heart.

Bibliophile

24.4.2018

Bibliophile

Colourful book covers,

Lifesaving quotes 

The cupboard is a magic dose.

The books peep out emotional journeys,

The successes and the failures,

The complex characters and soulful poetry.

I breathe,

the smell of ink imprinted on the pages of the new;

The dust settled in between the pages of a few.

Cleaning the cupboard is like unfolding the pages of life,

The images of reading a book flash in my mind.

While travelling or embracing the silence of the nights 

I have read many in my life.

Sitting in the high school library,

Gazing at the books as a child,

Touching the pages of flap books

The bright colours and soft fingers 

Run in my mind.

I read and borrow them 

to the old and the young,

The list never ends of buying a few;

Books are like moving images 

And the eyes are a camera for the few.

On the Move

April 12, 2018

Somewhere near Jhansi (on the train)

On the Move

The speed of the train 

The noise of the fan

The light coming between the gaps in the door

Do not let me sleep.

I close my eyes

The myriad happy memories glide into my thoughts 

The roads, landscapes, people passing by,

The deep conversations, the soul connections cross by,

The dive into the river, moments of just gazing at the mountain, 

having a cup of warm cappuccino on a rainy day,

the people at the desert, a cup of chai at their little hut,

the warmth of the touch, the music at the beach, 

the sunburn, the eclectic music at the cafe, 

the barefoot walk at the ghats, the silent moments of listening to the river waves, 

the pitter- patter of the rain, the shapes of the moon, glimmering stars and the white clouds of the sky, 

The sunsets and the few sunrises I have watched by,

I travel to seek the infinite surprises the life has to shower in my life. 

P.S- I took this picture on 1.3.2018 from (rooftop cafe) Laura’s Cafe, Pushkar, Rajasthan.

Kanatal

26 November 2017

Kanatal, Uttarakhand 

Memories remain fresh in the brain but a picture reminds us of the moment and captures the beauty. The magnanimous mountains cover themselves daily with a huge white blanket. Slowly, as the sun rises, the valley becomes clear as the warmth of the sun kisses the human beings, animals, plants and trees who become bright and active to begin their day. 

I am not a morning person as I don’t like to wake up to the morning chaos of school vans, vegetable hawkers passing by in the cities. I love the silence of the breezy and dark nights when the moon shines brightly upon us. 

Living Kanatal is one of the camps in Kodia forest where I stayed for a night in the month of November 2017. It’s an untouched beauty, a haven of peace and the forest breeze.

The morning view of the sunrise is spectacular and a life-changing moment as one realises the power of the Sun when it gulps down the darkness and brings out a new day of brightness and light. 

One must witness the experience of the rising Sun from this spot to make a memory forever.

Picture Courtesy- Sumiran Caprihan 

Inspirational Teenagers

I met these boys in February just a few days before the second open mic I had organised in Khandwa. Nitin’s (dancer) uncle is an employee at the hotel grand barrack who is extremely supportive and proud of these boys.

I still remember clearly the night of the first open mic (13.1.2018) in Khandwa. 

Sumiran and I had decided to organise the event for the city. Our main motive was to give an audience to the performers. 

The evening was planned for the poets, storytellers, musicians and singers. Even I got a stage to share my thoughts, emotions and poetry.

During the first open mic, Mithun, our employee kept on insisting me to call the boys for the dance performance. It wasn’t an event for the dancers and I hadn’t seen the boys dance too. At that point, I promised him to see the dance performance soon. 

In February, just a few days before the open mic, few boys from the GN Dance Crew came at 5 in the evening and surprised my primary students and me with their passion towards dance, precise moves and foot tapping music and especially their stylish hairdos. 

17th February 2018 will remain a memorable evening for the performers and the audience too. These boys performed thrice and the audience was enchanted by their moves and the story of their life. The boys have auditioned in Mumbai for dance reality shows and run a dance academy in Khandwa. They save money to beautify the dance class, train journey from Khandwa - Mumbai - Khandwa and everything else. 

I am proud of these teenagers who are independent, passionate about their dreams and set an example for the teenagers. Their dream is to make Khandwa proud and they are working towards it with rigorous practice on a daily basis at their dance studio. 

These young artists are mentors at one of the summer camps held in Khandwa too. I am grateful to the kidtastic 2018 management team for giving them a chance to prove themselves and proud of these boys. 

Sometimes, we don’t know what we want. Open your eyes, look within and the universe will show you the light. 

The glorious sky

24.3.2018

Khandwa

6:25 PM

I was busy teaching the kids in the Open area at the camp and suddenly a kid looked above the sky and exclaimed with joy, “Wow! Ma’am, the clouds are playing hide and seek.”

All of us were amazed experiencing the glorious and ever-changing colours of the sky. The six to nine-year-olds followed me in a queue to a silent area where we just gazed at the clouds, sky, birds and the blue-orange-pink-grey colours. 

I told them a sorry of a cloud family which my maternal grandmother used to tell my sister and I every night before going to bed. 

The memories of my childhood, the grand sky, the white clouds, the melange of colours, the happy smiles and surprised faces made the evening special and a beautiful closing to the three days workshop with these innocent and beautiful souls. 

P.S - Listen to the happy and inquisitive voices of the kids.

Solitude

28 February 2018

Dayalbagh Agra

Solitude

A glassful of tea at just one rupee,

served with loving hands and humility;

While sitting on a cemented bench quietly,

I listen to the distant voices in the canteen;

The sun is about to set to shine again tomorrow, 

It’s time to leave to a new place tomorrow;

The canteen is closed to open tomorrow, 

The pure dust enters my shoes as I move forward.

Sisterhood

26 November 2017

Separated by distance but in each other’s hearts,

a sister is a shadow of yours;

Surrender yourself in her arms,

she is the best judge as she has seen all four seasons of the past.

The touch which is soothing as a balm;

the screams that are loud as if sitting

in a roller coaster that goes round and round;

A sister is strong when you are weak,

she wipes your tears when no one speaks.

PC - Avnish

Kodia Forest Kanatal,Uttarakhand

Womanhood

24.2.2018

Taj Mahotsav, Agra, Uttar Pradesh

This is Archana Jha, 32, a Madhubani Painting artist. She is painting since childhood. Her art exhibition at Taj Mahotsav Agra is a delight. She hails from Jitwarpur, Madhubani District, Bihar. This is her first commercial exhibition. I wish her all the luck and happiness in the world. Contact www.madhubanikala.com for online shopping for her paintings. You can directly call Archana too at 6200972437 for orders. 

Let’s celebrate womanhood and support each other to grow together.

Tree of Life

The curvy tree of life

 asks to take everything in your stride. 

The wind of ordeals would hit,

fight till the end arrives.

The trunk and naked branches 

devoid of flowers and leaves;

The brownish, rough and sturdy bark 

asks to stay strong at every hit of the hammer

till the last.