Psychedelic Flights

Oooh! I am a wildflower!

2010-10-24T11:25:00.001+05:30

To see a world in a grain of sand,

And a heaven in a wild flower,

Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,

And eternity in an hour.

William Blake - Auguries of Innocence

Reflection

2010-05-21T12:58:00.012+05:30

Location: Mattanchary Palace, Kochi

Nobody knows this little Rose

2010-04-07T11:55:00.002+05:30

Nobody knows this little Rose

It might a pilgrim be

Did I not take it from the ways

And lift it up to thee.

Only a Bee will miss it

Only a Butterfly,
Hastening from far journey

On its breast to lie

Only a Bird will wonder

Only a Breeze will sigh

Ah Little Rose -- how easy

For such as thee to die!

--- Emily Dickinson

Pic location: Garden of Five Senses, Delhi

Really, Who am I?

2010-02-26T12:04:00.006+05:30

'I died as a mineral and became a plant,

I died as plant and rose to animal,

I died as animal and I was Man,'

~Rumi~

Location: Garden of Five senses, Delhi

A view of the courtyard!

2010-02-09T13:51:00.041+05:30

How much I love,

looking through

these intricately carved meshes

in the balconies

of such old majestic forts.

The black-woven veil

setting me adrift

to the sati queens

and the psychedelic kings

of such old majestic forts.

Picture location: Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur

The Thar Experience - Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur

2010-01-29T14:16:00.003+05:30

Mehrangarh Fort stands a hundred feet in splendour on a perpendicular cliff, four hundred feet above the sky line of Jodhpur. Burnished red sand stone, imposing, invincible and yet with a strange haunting beauty that beckons . Much has been written about the Citadel of the Sun, for truly, it is one of the most impressive in all Rajasthan.

Text Source: www.mehrangarh.org/
Pics: Shelly Jain

Odissi recital at Purana Quila

2010-01-29T13:12:00.002+05:30

Location: Purana Quila, Delhi

Artistic voices

2010-01-29T13:02:00.007+05:30

At the holy ghats of Pushkar

2009-04-28T13:46:00.012+05:30

The Darag-e-sharif in Ajmer and more

2009-02-05T12:29:00.016+05:30

A quick trip to Ajmer and Pushkar was not only rejuvenating but also enriching. Since this post is rather delayed, I am gonna keep the descriptions rather short and crisp.

These are shots taken at the Ana lake, an artificial lake named after Anaji Chauhan. It is the beautiful marble pavilions alongside the lake, built by Shahjahan, that enhance the overall beauty of the place. The dusking sun's golden hue added to the serenity of the place.

The 'Dargah Sharif'' is one of the most sacred Muslim shrines in the country. It is the tomb of Khwaja Moin-ud-din Chisti, a Sufi saint who came from Persia and devoted his life to the service and upliftment of the poor and downtrodden.

The pilgrims make rich offerings called 'nazrana' at the sacred spot where the saint has been entombed that include rose and jasmine flowers, sandalwood paste, perfumes and incense that put in to the fragrance that floats in the air inside the shrine. Outside the holy place of the Dargah, professional singers called 'qawwals' sit in groups and sing hymns in the praises of the saint. Qawwalis at the shrine and fragrance of the incense sticks together create a divine effect.

Information source: http://www.rajasthan-tourism.org/prime-attractions/dargah-sharif.html

The lane to the dargha is thronged with shops selling rose and jasmine flowers, sandalwood, incense and the chaadars that devotees offer as their nazrana inside the tomb.

Insides of the Nasiyan Jain Temple.

Dhai din ka jhonpra, the legend goes that this mosque was constructed in two and a-half days.

Diwali at SShrishti Trust

2008-11-10T15:30:00.010+05:30

Joined the Diwali celebrations at SShrishti Trust this year. I had spent some time with a bunch of lovely kids two years ago teaching them practically nothing in the real sense but learning a lot in return:-).

Here, are a few captures of the night.

Jodhpur - A short weekend break!

2008-11-05T20:34:00.005+05:30

Am also at...

2008-08-20T11:06:00.005+05:30

This blog is also at: http://psychedelicflights.wordpress.com/.

My blueberry nights (Movie shots)

2008-07-16T18:13:00.015+05:30

Two shots that I took at the screening of My Blueberry Nights at OSIAN.

How do you say goodbye to someone you can't imagine living without?

Well, set yourself on a fresh dramatic journey!!!

A new york cafe, a bar in Memphis... Jude and Norah and loads of love। This movie had it all. I loved it! It's a story of a woman who takes the long route instead of the short one to meet up with the man she loves.

Source: www.apple.com/trailers/weinstein/myblueberrynights/

In Wong Kar Wai’s debut English language feature, the internationally acclaimed director takes his audience on a dramatic journey across the distance between heartbreak and a new beginning. After a rough break-up, Elizabeth (played by songstress Norah Jones in her screen debut) sets out on a journey across America, leaving behind a life of memories, a dream and a soulful new friend; a café owner (Jude Law)—all while in search of something to mend her broken heart. Waitressing her way through the country, Elizabeth befriends others whose yearnings are greater than hers. Through these individuals, Elizabeth witnesses the true depths of loneliness and emptiness, and begins to understand that her own journey is part of a greater exploration within herself.

Golden Temple, Amritsar

2008-06-18T12:37:00.003+05:30

"Realisation of Truth is higher than all else. Higher still is truthful living."

- Guru Granth Sahib Adi Granth

At the Wagah Border, Amritsar

2008-06-18T12:35:00.001+05:30

A moment at Jama Masjid, Delhi

2008-06-06T12:52:00.004+05:30

This is love:

to fly toward a secret sky,

to cause a hundred veils to fall each moment.

First to let go of life. Finally, to take a step without feet.

- Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi

Kerala - God's own country

2007-12-07T14:56:00.035+05:30

If God loves coconut trees, then he/she must be residing in Kerala.

That was my very first thought after we moved out of the Kochi airport after being glued to the window for some 15 minutes the very moment the plane started to descend. The vast stretch of coconut trees, small streams flowing and the red thatched roofs – all made for a very picturesque site.

My friend had invited me over and I wasn’t very sure of how this ten day break in Kerala would turn out to be. Of course, now I am overwhelmed with the warm reception I received, the comfortable accommodation and the taxi arranged for me. Thanks V! I owe much to you:-) and it was really an amazing experience.

As we drove to kochi, I could not help getting amused by the huge bunches of bananas hanging practically in every shop, the many men in their lungis (wrap arounds) half-folded up to their knees sitting outside their shops doing nothing really, the churches, long queues of women clad in colourful sarees waiting at bus stops and huge hoardings advertising in Malayalam for gold jewellery.

We reached the guesthouse near Marine Drive where we got to relax for a few hours. The sunset we saw on the way was simply mind-blowing. In the evening, we took a jetty to visit Fort Kochi. The ride was nice.

Next day, we headed for Varkala. Varkala, is a quiet seaside destination and is known for its cliffs adjacent to the Arabian Sea. The secluded beach, the small shops and the eating joints are full of foreigners who seem to be having a grand time either surfing in the sea, relaxing in the sun or learning more about yoga or enjoying the exotic Kerala massages. We took a quite lunch at one of the small restaurants there and then finally, we headed for the sea. My mum busied herself collecting shells whereas I was totally enjoying the sae to the full. Later, we headed to the cliff again.

*****************************************************************************************************

Sunset at Varkala, Kerala Took this picture from the Varkala cliff. It’s a site that I still cherish in my heart.

Peek-a-boo
Caught this cat while I was climbing up the steps of a restaurant at the Varkala cliff for lunch.

Cleanising my soul!

It is believed that a group of devout pilgrims approached Narada, and confessed to having sinned. Narada threw his valkalam (cloth made out of the bark of a tree) and it landed at a place near the seashore. This place was thus given the name 'varkala'. Narada directed his devotees to offer prayers at the beach where the valkalam landed. This place then came to be known as 'Papanasam' meaning redemption from sins. We did see at least two people offering coconut etc to the sea. It is only later I understood the significance.

Trivandrum

We reached Trivandrum in the night. The next day, we visited the Padmanaswamy temple, which permits only the Hindus to worship the Gods in the temple. Thankfully, my mom was carrying a cotton saree that I could wear to the temple else I would not be permitted inside. I cannot describe how much enchanted I was with the beauty of sculptures, the huge idol of Vishnu – parts of which can be seen only through the three small doors, the courtyard with hundreds of sculptures of apsaras offering flowers to the Gods, the devotees singing prayers that sounded divine and the many many other idols . It’s was surreal and for a moment I really did feel transcended to another era altogether.

I took some time out to visit the Chitra art gallery that displayed many of Raja Ravi Verma’s paintings. Also, I visited the museum there and enjoyed seeing the artefacts. There was this one sculpture of shiva that reminded me of medusa. In the evening, we headed for Kovalam.

The Kovalam Experience

Kovalam is another beach on the Arabian Sea. Kovalam means a groove of coconut trees.

Kovalam had a charm of its own. We reached there to see the setting sun spreading its shimmering reflection in the otherwise blue water of the sea.

A few moments later, it hid behind an azure veil giving way to many silver clouds and a beautiful full-moon smiling at us. We sat at the one of the eating joints and spent an hour listening to the music of the waves. It was soulful!

Kanyakumari

Next day, we headed for Kanyakumari. It was a place I knew I had to visit. Kanyakuamri is the southern most tip of India and it is here that the three seas meet: the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean and the Arabian sea.According to the local lore, Kanya Devi, an avatar of Parvati, was to marry Shiva, but he failed to show up to the wedding. The princess Kanya Devi is a virgin goddess who blesses pilgrims and tourists.

Vivekanand Rock, Kanyakumari

The Vivekananda Rock Memorial is built on a rock that protrudes from the ocean. Itt marks the place where Swami Vivekananda meditated and evolved his philosophy.

Munnar

Munnar is breathtakingly beautiful and can really be called a haven of peace and tranquillity.

Munnar has everything that one can imagine! It has the unending expanse of tea plantations, green rolling hills, flowing waters in the streams, vast stretch of Eucalyptus trees, exotic species of flora and fauna in its dense forests and more...

You just have to go there and experience it!

Delhi Half Marathon 2007

2007-10-30T13:00:00.002+05:30

We (RAHI) ran at the Delhi Marathon on Oct 28th, 2007. It was quite an experience carrying the RAHI Banners and placards as we ran and mostly walked the entire 7 km stretch, gaining quite a bit of attention from curious onlookers who wanted to know more about the organisation.

RAHI deals with Child Sexual Abuse. It works with adult women survivors of incest and childhood sexual abuse and offers services that are uniquely important to their recovery process.

Anuja Gupta and Ashwini Aliawadi are the founders of this organisation and have become very dear friends of mine. They are among the lovliest people I am ever going to get to know. And I really do want to thank them for giving me an opportunity to be assocaited with their work.

The group includes: Deepika, Abha, Shubhra, Mukul, Anuja, Ashwini and Me.
RAHI – Recovering and Healing from Incest

www.rahifoundation.org/

Comfortable in Black!

2007-08-30T17:21:00.003+05:30

About Nothing

2007-05-01T18:25:00.000+05:30

This post is About Nothing! Yes, that’s the play I saw last night, conceived and directed by Ashley Lobo. It was a beautiful depiction of different aspects of life through numerous ballet performances comprising music from almost all genres. I thought that each composition was fabulous, and sometimes quite depressing. The existential angst ends with ‘I’ being ‘me’ and throwing a question at the audience, ‘And who are you?’ And NO, that did not set me thinking.

I went for another four plays in the past two months. Of which, I simply loved Rumi – Unveil the sun. The performances left me spell bound and many a images linger on.
The other play I really enjoyed was ‘City of Djinns’. I pity Tom Alter, the narrator for running from one end of the set to another. The poor guy would have lost kilos performing for ten consecutive days. During that time, I was reading Maximum City, a book I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I could not help myself from drawing parallel comparisons between the two books, the two cities and also from discovering similarities. I was completely taken in by the bit on the Jain family. I thought we are a bit too inconsequential to be noticed by eminent authors and alike.

I haven’t been going out much but have watched numerous movies that I wanted to see for a long time now, which also explains the reason for me gaining some 8 kgs. My mom-dad took me for a quick trip to Jaipur and some fabulous temples around the city. I really get overwhelmed with the immense faith and devotion I see around and I can’t stop myself from being amazed on seeing how an idol manages to inspire millions and is worshipped by one and all. I for one often find myself at peace in temples and while talking to God.

There’s something about life, the more I learn about it, the more I don’t understand it. Sometimes, I seem to understand but new questions sprout. The unanswered ones leave me frustrated, depressed and mostly sad. The answered ones take me closer to a state of pure bliss and to myself. Sometimes I get a purpose, but most often I lose it all. I attempt to build dreams, I fail. I run to catch my old dreams, but they run faster. Despite this I continue the chase, because with each passing day I am unwilling to cut my faith in life, karma and in God. And then I don’t seem to care if there is really an ulterior motive to life or is it really about nothing at all!

Painting your canvas…

2007-03-27T16:30:00.001+05:30

(*Removed this one from Nirvana and got it onto Psychedelic Flights! This one belongs here:-)

Written on 7th March '07

Holi was colourful and nice this year :-) It was a sweet family affair. We used these really nice dry colours to wish a very Happy Holi to everyone around. I loved the blue, red, green and yellow smeared on our faces and hair. We looked kinda cute:-)

I was always very scared of this festival and never participated in it. I remember hiding in the darkest and the innermost room in my ancestral house to save myself from being colored all black and blue when I was a child, just like my mother. I would cry when someone would colour us. My younger brothers would start preparing for Holi days in advance by buying pichkaaris, balloons and some crazy metallic colours. I still have visions of my own brother filling up balloons with colored water and then smearing black paint or something of the crazy sort on his hands and then running out in the streets. My grandfather would take us to the market to buy us the fanciest of pichkaaris. When I was in the hostel, I thought Holi was crazy, and I dreaded it all the more. I hated being chased by my friends so that they could smear me with keechad, eggs, polish and paint and me running around away from them screaming endlessly. I detested all of it.

Today, I love colours! They can be so beautiful and give one so much joy:-) They work as a brilliant analogy for me wherein I believe God has given us numerous colours for us to go and paint our life with it! And whoa! What a beautiful painting we can make…
The choice is ours :-)

The next thing that comes to my mind is Vitamins. I never thought of fruits, green vegetables, sprouts, protein rich foods and stuff like that. I mean they were a bit too boring and a bit too fresh for my taste. I never touched curd, salad, cheese and I almost hated the sight of fruits. Off late, I have been eating ice like it were some candy and have shamelessly been picking up on one cube after the other from almost all my drinks, much to the embarrassment of my friends. But ummmmmmm…..I just love the way it crackles in my mouth every time I bite on it. It’s heaven! Trust me, worth a try!

On Saturday, I learnt I am suffering from acute vitamin deficiency after I met a doctor, finally. I was feeling so weak in the past few days that I’d to skip work twice and had to decline every single invite that came my way. I am sure half my friends already think I’m being arrogant, but heck NO! I have been sick :( really really sick :-)

One of my best friends is moving to Delhi soon. I am SOOOO looking forward to it. And I am desperately waiting for the 8th to arrive; this mercury going retrograde is being such a pain: DDDD.

I was reading this book (don’t remember the name), it talked about comparing our entire life span with that of the universe. We appear like these blips and vanish into nothingness forever. We are completely insignificant in the entire evolution of the cosmic world. Yet, we spend our entire life worrying about trivial matters, acquiring the priciest of things, building complex webs, indulging in unnecessary battles of love, hatred and... the list is endless. I saw Tuesday’s with Morrie, and I was quite touched when Morrie says that if we all were to realise that someday we are going to die, we may want to live our life differently. We may want to adjust our values, ambitions, dreams, love, hate, people in our life, daily schedules etc etc. So true!!!! Isn't it????

So there, maybe we should all go refresh our dreams and paint it pretty :-)

What makes up my DNA!

2007-03-20T16:09:00.000+05:30

Thank you M! Loved getting this visual report for me:-)

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Caged!

2007-03-09T12:57:00.000+05:30

(Took these pics in Dec 2006 at the National Zoo, Delhi)

Of love and other monologues...

2007-02-14T18:09:00.000+05:30

I have been wondering if we could shed dead-skin like a snake.
Impossible!!!
Errrrmmmmm.....Or maybe there is a way...

I watched two very interesting plays last week, ‘Anything but Love’ and ‘Vagina Monologues’. Both were extremely entertaining and the latter one deserved nothing short of a standing ovation for the women who shared their stories of rape, incest, female genital mutilation, child molestation, sex and so on; for the women who collected these stories and presented it in the form of a play; and for the women who performed it in front of a huge audience describing and enacting some interesting facts that shocked us, amused us and finally touched our hearts. Jayanti Bhatia deserves a special mention. She was surprisingly outstanding with her bits of performance. Maybe you ought to go and find out for yourself why? :ppp

Oh yeah, its Valentine's! Wish you all good luck in finding your soulmates:-)
I keep telling you, they exist:-)))))

Jaipur - the colorful land of Maharajas, their grand palaces, literature feast and more...

2007-02-07T14:58:00.000+05:30

I was really keen on visiting Jaipur for a long time now and finally I put in my plans together to explore this Pink city. Needless to say, I was quite captivated by the grandeur of the huge palaces, the vastness of the ancient forts, the widespread boundary walls that encircled the city on its periphery, the colourful bazaars, the spicy food, the rich culture and the warmth of the people. It was indeed a memorable experience that was not only satisfying but left me in complete awe of our heritage, art and culture.

I left from delhi early morning with Ramchander bhaiya and a friend. We stopped at the Neemrana Fort-Palace and were completely taken in by the beauty and the magnificence of its structure. Carved into a hill, the stepped palace offers splendid views of the village around. The ruins around the fort almost tempted me to stay there for a few days and unearth the stories that lay buried.

As we reached Jaipur, we could see the boundary walls of the forts spread on the hilltops surrounding the city, dozens of multi-colored embroidered umbrellas spread out on the roads and puppets hanging in every shop of the market-place. As we entered further into the city, everything was red, the building structures confined to the old architecture – Yes, we had reached the Pinkcity.

I checked into my hotel and rested for a while. In the evening, went to the Diggi Palace where a major part of the Literature Festival was being held. I met a few of the Caferati members and sat through a poetry session and listened to the three readers - Jeet Thayil, Jane Bhandari and Keki daruwalla. I loved Jeet’s poem, Ghazal, which you can read below:

Ghazal: Jeet Thayil

Listen! Someone's saying a prayer in Malayalam. He says there's no word for 'despair' in Malayalam.

Sometimes at daybreak you sing a Gujarati garba.At night you open your hair in Malayalam.......

Visitors are welcome in The School of Lost Tongues.Someone's endowed a high chair in Malayalam.

I greet you my ancestors, O scholars and linguists.My father who recites Baudelaire in Malayalam.

Jeet, such drama with the scraps that you know.Write a couplet, if you dare, in Malayalam.

:-)

After this I headed for Chawkidhani. I liked the hospitality of the people who served us the typical Rajasthani food on patals, serving us loads of sangar, lasan ka achaar, baajre ki khichdi, maal poha and god knows what all.

The next day I was headed to visit the forts and the palaces that defined the city and its culture. The first one was called HawaMahal – Palace of winds. The Mahal has numerous Jharokhas that form an interesting façade for the palace, overlooking the busy bazaar.

Next on my schedule was the prime attraction – the three forts, Amber, Jaigarh and Nahargarh. The short drive uphill was lovely and I could not stop raving about the splendid view we got of the city. We reached the Amber Fort and let me tell you, it was a breathtaking sight. We hired the services of a guide and then went about exploring the entire fort and the Amber city built by Raja Man Singh.

You can view the rest of the pics of the Caferati evening here

http://www.ryze.com/posttopic.php?topicid=802623&confid=1199

To be continued...

Neemrana Fort-Palace

2007-02-02T15:15:00.000+05:30

Neemrana Fort-Palace is Rajasthan's closest palace from New Delhi. I stopped here on my way to Jaipur for a while and I simply fell in love with the grandeur of this majestic palace. The fort has been turned into a hotel and does provide the luxuries that it must, including a swimming pool on the terrace, lavishly done up rooms, open-air -theatre etc.

But what I simply loved about the palace were the wide aangans in the middle of each block, the barsaatis overlooking the fields, and the old-fashioned dahleejs that stood at each entrance. It reminded me of my ancestral house where we lived before moving to Delhi. I particularly enjoyed the jeenaas that led from one part of the fort to another and would have been just perfect to play hide n seek. Also, I loved the rustic feel given by the use of kachhi-mitti at a few places and the laltens that hung around to light up the palace in the night.

I really wanted to spend a day there, perhaps with my family, to relax those stressed nerves of mine that deal with the everyday chaos. But alas! I had to leave, and Neemrana lingered on in my thoughts.

Republic Day Euphoria!

2007-01-30T13:24:00.000+05:30

I was invited to Sshristhi for the Republic Day celebrations. I reached there just-in-time (*Yes, the kids called me up as a reminder*) else the lazy me would have missed most of it. I was simply overwhelmed by the wonderful show these kids had put up. These lil things (age varying from 4-14 yrs) managed to stage a play on girl education, numerous colourful dances, group songs and solo performances. I was quite amazed at the energy I felt around me and the excitement was infectious.

I clicked a few pictures that are displayed below, in my effort to capture the euphoric moment!

Life is a wonderfulcoaster!

2007-01-03T03:45:00.000+05:30

(Wrote this few months ago, but this seems to be the appropriate time to post it. And here it goes... )

I always thought my life was incomplete and something was amiss. I was always searching….searching for a purpose, a reason, perhaps to live, love or die.

I did not know that the real joy lies in holding the reins of your life in your own hands. We just revel in being swayed by the flow of the stream where it takes us and believe that is our destiny.

Not doing anything about our incompleteness and the voids that exist……we turn into these vulnerable beings; anyone can fill the voids with their truth and their lies, with real and illusions of eternal love, bonding and life.

Ignorance vanishes when knowledge arrives.
And when it does…..it takes you by a serious surprise!!!

Well, it’s important to let go, to let loose, to free all that binds you and your soul!

There will be spaces, but you must learn to fill them up quickly. It’s important to be in constant motion. We need to end the cycles that we are done with, to start new beginnings that give us bigger lessons and even greater joys.

Life is an experience and we are set out on a journey......
everything that goes by, is a means to an end.

But nah....there is no end....there is just you!!!
And you are the end!

And to all you wonderful ends.....
I wish you great beginnings, new lessons, happier times and wonderful new joys :-)

God bless:-)

intoxicate me, anyone?

2006-12-21T05:09:00.000+05:30

We humans are naturally transparent.
We can dive into one another,
And grab hold of every single emotion that dwells in there.
Trust me... we can!
We really can! Or better, why not try it out for yourself. It works!

The challenge comes when we become hell bent on making chameleons of ourselves!
Colors are juggled so often that neither you nor they can remember their true identity.

I change often too. I
n fact, I move to and fro.
I revel amidst many a psychedelic flights,
And then when I am bored,
I silently set myself on an inner quest.

And while I am oscillating from one end to the other,
En route I experience enough.

The colors around dazzle and charm me,
And I fall into the trap,
It’s so easy at times…
My vision blurs,
And many a times
I merge with a multitude of colors.
I even try to adorn what I like,
And then I discover the layers,
Some are meant for delusion,
Some are just there.

Moksha on the Rocks!!!

2006-12-07T03:23:00.000+05:30

“Most of us need a Guru. Some need a spiritual Guru; some need an inner Guru… Whatever you do, don’t find a boring guru! Find a Funky Guru!” said Prem Joshua.

And we all could not stop smiling at the Guru of fusion, as he charmed us not only with his music, but also his humour. I cannot call myself religious, nor can I say that I have music in me. Yet, something as intoxicating as that, knew how to break all barriers and connect with the soul.

His band, a quartet of multi talented musicians, merged various genres of music and complemented each, to produce something so perfectly beautiful. The Indian classical was well synthesised with the jazz and the hip hop. And boy, I was in complete awe as I saw him play the bamboo flute and then the sitar and then the suprano sax, one after the other. Unfortunately, he wasn’t carrying his dilruba:-). Manish Vyas, on the drums, was fantabulous with his many talents ranging from the jazz drums to the tabla and dunno the other kind of random drums. He wove infectious energy into the music which was simply exhilarating.

Prem Joshua pointed out that 2006 has been a chaotic year for most of his friends. I couldn’t agree more, for obvious reasons! I’ve had my share of fluctuations from complete disillusionment with people and life, and then over to resurrection of my faith. The entire year has been a series of strange realisations, irreparable loss, unbearable agony, unexpected discovery and breaking of illusions (for good, of course), shock and confusion, learning and unlearning. But then like he said, “It’s a year to let go, so that you can make way for the new”. And I was smiling.

The realisations have made life easy, it doesn’t weigh on me anymore. The losses have revealed that nothing is permanent and so am I. Hence, I better make the most, and value everyone and everything till they last. Agony is necessary, it keeps one alive. And yeah, shock and confusion is fabulous. It symbolises experiencing something new, something that has never been encountered before, something out of the ordinary.

And yes, so I let go…..let go off everything unnecessary, because I want the new. And how would I, if I am so full of stale emotions that clog me up and suffocate in there. I have numerous lives to live and much to carry forward. It’s easier and lighter carrying the good, and bad weighs you down.

And then they played their last number, ‘Dance of Kali’. Joshua was on the saxophone, and I thought it was the wildest thing I’ve ever heard. You got to hear him play this one, it’s simply divine! Pure and raw, just like pain:-).

On the way...

2006-10-24T17:03:00.000+05:30

Psychedelic, for sure!

2006-09-09T09:47:00.000+05:30

It's been quite sometime since I wrote......and I've really relaxed quite a bit and I feel refreshed for sure......brimming with some new energy is more like it.

Actually there's been quite a bit that I've done....ofcourse at a snail's pace.....but then what the heck, sometimes its good to break that reputation of yours:ppp

Thanks to this Sai woman, I went for the Manzil Musical Concert (Man! She really knows how to act as a catalyst!)

I got to hear one of my favourite Sufi numbers – Lal teri! It was an exhilerating experience.