and... waited for silences to speak, wht cud i say, to make him stay, wht could he, to make me? i wonder.... at moments like these i feel so trapped, when i cant understand, y should it affect me so much! but it does, and it refuses to get off my mind... like a constant stab of sadness... i just keeps growing!
but here is wht the problem is...... whom do i tell? and wht is the point of explaining, and explain wht to whom... when i aint clear in my head... i so wish.... things ......
i just knew of one thing... tht i didnt want him to go... and he did! and now ... its like i stand on loose stand, wishing to run away once more! maybe... just let the sand grasp me, or maybe just go with some flow!!!
how i wish i knew... but, we spoke with barriers... where i cud hav poured every instance of my life... i just chose to stare at the empty screen and hollow replies....
domenica 28 ottobre 2007
giovedì 25 ottobre 2007
if this is wht it is to long.... and long silently... i wish it could kill... coz thts not the shape of my heart!
write, write, lost... write.. the best way to avenge... avenge ur feelings, avenge ur silences, avenge ur mask, avenge urself... avenge these tears tht fall by the end of the night!
tell urself... tht u cant feel this way! wht ever happens happens for the good...and happiness is she!
it doesn't matter by the end of it! as long as happiness is he!
write, write, lost... write.. the best way to avenge... avenge ur feelings, avenge ur silences, avenge ur mask, avenge urself... avenge these tears tht fall by the end of the night!
tell urself... tht u cant feel this way! wht ever happens happens for the good...and happiness is she!
it doesn't matter by the end of it! as long as happiness is he!
... the story ... the end :(
I stopped sending flowers to your apartment
You said you aren't at home much anymore
I stopped dropping by without an appointment
Cause I'd hear laughter coming through your door
Sometimes late at night you'll still call me
Just before you close your eyes to sleep
You make me vow to try and stop by sometime
But Baby that's a promise I can't keep
I love you too much to ever start liking you
So lets just let the story kinda end
I love you too much to ever start liking you
So don't expect for me to be your friend
I don't walk down through the village or other places
That we used to go to all the time
I'm trying to erase you from my memory
Cause thinking of you jumbles up my mind
You always act so happy when I see you
You smile that way you take my hand and then
Introduce me to your latest lover
That's when I feel the walls start crashing in
I love you too much to ever start liking you
So lets just let the story kinda end
I love you too much to ever start liking you
So don't expect for me to be your friend
You said you aren't at home much anymore
I stopped dropping by without an appointment
Cause I'd hear laughter coming through your door
Sometimes late at night you'll still call me
Just before you close your eyes to sleep
You make me vow to try and stop by sometime
But Baby that's a promise I can't keep
I love you too much to ever start liking you
So lets just let the story kinda end
I love you too much to ever start liking you
So don't expect for me to be your friend
I don't walk down through the village or other places
That we used to go to all the time
I'm trying to erase you from my memory
Cause thinking of you jumbles up my mind
You always act so happy when I see you
You smile that way you take my hand and then
Introduce me to your latest lover
That's when I feel the walls start crashing in
I love you too much to ever start liking you
So lets just let the story kinda end
I love you too much to ever start liking you
So don't expect for me to be your friend
...
to my red scooter...
its been some time tht u have gone!
how do i tell u that i miss you,
how do i tell u tht i long!
i miss tht freedom of being myself
of talking to u from wake to dawn...
i miss the sacred moments...
just wishes come and yawn!
maybe the pages i gave u,
maybe they hold no good, they have torn
but, i loved u dear scooter...
loved u all that long!
and now that u r gone,
and happiness is she...
maybe u never belonged to
me
its been some time tht u have gone!
how do i tell u that i miss you,
how do i tell u tht i long!
i miss tht freedom of being myself
of talking to u from wake to dawn...
i miss the sacred moments...
just wishes come and yawn!
maybe the pages i gave u,
maybe they hold no good, they have torn
but, i loved u dear scooter...
loved u all that long!
and now that u r gone,
and happiness is she...
maybe u never belonged to
me
lunedì 24 settembre 2007
domenica 23 settembre 2007
sometimes its right to do the wrong! sometimes its rght to just stare at the flowers and wonder how did they just grow up to become so vivid and colorful... sometimes its right to write to someone who would never show up here and bother to read...
welcome to the new country i am in, welcome to the renaissance country, "benvenuto".
welcome to the old folds of milan and the cobbled streets of the clangorous city... sparkling with pret fashion, resonating the high heels and the piercings of humans. hidden beauty is what is an alter name of milan... and so tru it stands
i have been in italy for more than 3 months now, and have become accoustomed to the ciao's and allora's... anybody stayin in italia will know these 2 words for sure... but unlike many people, italy is just not about pizza's and wines! ironical it is... of all the things we associate food to counrties! is it relevant enough too?
well... italy is a lot about giorgio armani and dolce and gabbana, similar to our country... the congress and the bjp! to alter powers... its just that in italy they use prettier pictures , but the business is more or less the same, cajoling with power!
welcome to the new country i am in, welcome to the renaissance country, "benvenuto".
welcome to the old folds of milan and the cobbled streets of the clangorous city... sparkling with pret fashion, resonating the high heels and the piercings of humans. hidden beauty is what is an alter name of milan... and so tru it stands
i have been in italy for more than 3 months now, and have become accoustomed to the ciao's and allora's... anybody stayin in italia will know these 2 words for sure... but unlike many people, italy is just not about pizza's and wines! ironical it is... of all the things we associate food to counrties! is it relevant enough too?
well... italy is a lot about giorgio armani and dolce and gabbana, similar to our country... the congress and the bjp! to alter powers... its just that in italy they use prettier pictures , but the business is more or less the same, cajoling with power!
listening to a song repeteadly, i just finished reading an article about slave trading, its hard to digest 25 billion people of this free nation are still being forced to live against their own will... beaten, forced, raped, pushed to be slaves for other people.
jaring hard faced crude truth looks into your eye, and yet we blindfold ourselves, choosing to look in another direction, so transfixed our we by the compassionate horror of it all, the giant is so huge that we cannot even phanthom the tide of doom.
its a strange place we live in, strange, wherein one hand ;one gets to see a a pool of kind faces who give up everything theirs to make lives of other people better. they dedicate so much, u feel humbled. and on the other , the goodness becomes overburdened by the continous flow of evil tides.
infact, how casually we talk about gang rape, without truly feeling ...
on r way to india habitat centre the other day, we started talking about rape, when a friend of mine told me of a particular incident,
a woman had been gang raped , and she went into such a mental trauma that she went paranoid and would refuse to wear clothes...
now she runs in the institution, naked....afraid of her own body
maybe, i know so less... maybe i am scared of knowing all....may be i can never know all.
i so wish i could know of the miseries of the world, keep an account, balance it with the goodness that people do. maybe if i was god, i could see what a twisted form of justice is followed .
there are countless seas of faces, some painted some blank.......
and yet i am a part of it, a speck in the herd
jaring hard faced crude truth looks into your eye, and yet we blindfold ourselves, choosing to look in another direction, so transfixed our we by the compassionate horror of it all, the giant is so huge that we cannot even phanthom the tide of doom.
its a strange place we live in, strange, wherein one hand ;one gets to see a a pool of kind faces who give up everything theirs to make lives of other people better. they dedicate so much, u feel humbled. and on the other , the goodness becomes overburdened by the continous flow of evil tides.
infact, how casually we talk about gang rape, without truly feeling ...
on r way to india habitat centre the other day, we started talking about rape, when a friend of mine told me of a particular incident,
a woman had been gang raped , and she went into such a mental trauma that she went paranoid and would refuse to wear clothes...
now she runs in the institution, naked....afraid of her own body
maybe, i know so less... maybe i am scared of knowing all....may be i can never know all.
i so wish i could know of the miseries of the world, keep an account, balance it with the goodness that people do. maybe if i was god, i could see what a twisted form of justice is followed .
there are countless seas of faces, some painted some blank.......
and yet i am a part of it, a speck in the herd
a vast ocean apart
It’s ironical how a change in the environment changes our way of thinking, our means of entertainment, our view point…phenomenal
I went on a 9 day tour to Himachal Pradesh, a state encrusted by mountains big and small, rivers cutting through, high narrow piercing gorges, waterfalls, planes…and inhabited by people staying in the bowels of nature
Though now considered as a tourist destination, I went on to live just 9 days, leaving behind a suspicious family, a few close friends who apparently said that they missed me, the frantic Delhi life, the everyday monotonous chatting, and the addiction to the computer!!
Probably the only gadgetry I took along was my camera and a link of communication – the mobile! I sometimes think that it must have been better had I left the continuously vibrating, havoc creating shit little box aside! I wish I could leave it fore-ever!! But these wishes are as fake as finding happy Jews during 1939-45!
Though my trip was on official one, financed by the government of India…heck
Wait stop!!!
My parents just returned, after a rather long outing, I didn’t even receive a smile, neither a grumpy hello, what I got is an accusing question and an austere command
No complaints!
My trip was financed by the govt. of India, for filing Geographical Indication Rights for the crafts of Himachal. Though HP is famous for various crafts like- Kulu shawls, Kulu caps, Chamba chapals, Chamba rumals, pullans, chutnies, pahari paintings. We as a group were focusing on pahari paintings
now the history of pahari painintgs date a long way to the paintings from the mughal era!
The mughals were the 1st ones to stat with the miniature paintings, which were later taken up by the pahari kings and painted to suit their style, these painings were then known as the Pahari Paintings!
Pahari paintings not only cover Himachal Pradesh, but also cover Rajasthan and certain parts of Punjab. Within HP itself there developed schools of paintings in the regions of Guler, Chamba, Mankot and Kangra. A lot information is available about Pahari Painintgs on the net, therefore ill try cutting the information short!
The art though has now become stagnant to the walls of the museum itself, but many reproductions are still being produced. Some artisans are still using the old techniques using natural colors, while others make do with poster colors and other substitutes!
All in all, what I personally felt was that we can only file a right for the style of the painting. Thus ensuring that who ever may make the painting is making it in the name of Kanga Style , but the benefit of the art cannot be restricted!
Well the trip was just not restricted to the art parameters! We did a lot of touring and sightseeing too, in which I realized sadly though, that being within the boundaries of my own country I felt like an outsider. A sad traveler browsing through the freshness of the villages like a new born learning how to breathe.
Those mountains as they stare at me, I wonder do they ever acknowledge my existence? Does it matter to them whether I breather or not, do I wear my best suit, i have behaved in a proper manner?? They just stare, giving me unconditional comfort, a feeling of vast encompassing feeling, protecting me from the harshness… even their jagged craggy peaks are softened by the lining of the trees, merging ever so beautifully with the darkness of the expanse of the clouds
The wind that these protected lands is cynically holy, captivating, and blissfully refreshing. The pahari’s have a weather beaten face, their lines seems to be carved out by the winds themselves, delicately caressing these children!
As I began talking about different environments, the ones that I felt here, pushed me to think more deepy, I felt like talking to myself, trying to explain my actions to these silent guardians, though inside I knew they neither heard me nor did they care…I felt small and humble. I wanted to meditate, I wanted to feel beauty in its raw terms!
Maybe I had not seen the most beautiful of the places, but I tried concentrating on beauty at least, and I was surprised to see I could decipher so much
That day in a small place called Chamunda, under million of stars and snow peaked mountain in front of me, sitting on a small rock, feeling the slight chill…I cried…an emotion was evoked within me, an emotion which I shall never be able to feel in the amidst of this fast paced city
An emotion which I cherished…a moment of solitariness… maybe
I went on a 9 day tour to Himachal Pradesh, a state encrusted by mountains big and small, rivers cutting through, high narrow piercing gorges, waterfalls, planes…and inhabited by people staying in the bowels of nature
Though now considered as a tourist destination, I went on to live just 9 days, leaving behind a suspicious family, a few close friends who apparently said that they missed me, the frantic Delhi life, the everyday monotonous chatting, and the addiction to the computer!!
Probably the only gadgetry I took along was my camera and a link of communication – the mobile! I sometimes think that it must have been better had I left the continuously vibrating, havoc creating shit little box aside! I wish I could leave it fore-ever!! But these wishes are as fake as finding happy Jews during 1939-45!
Though my trip was on official one, financed by the government of India…heck
Wait stop!!!
My parents just returned, after a rather long outing, I didn’t even receive a smile, neither a grumpy hello, what I got is an accusing question and an austere command
No complaints!
My trip was financed by the govt. of India, for filing Geographical Indication Rights for the crafts of Himachal. Though HP is famous for various crafts like- Kulu shawls, Kulu caps, Chamba chapals, Chamba rumals, pullans, chutnies, pahari paintings. We as a group were focusing on pahari paintings
now the history of pahari painintgs date a long way to the paintings from the mughal era!
The mughals were the 1st ones to stat with the miniature paintings, which were later taken up by the pahari kings and painted to suit their style, these painings were then known as the Pahari Paintings!
Pahari paintings not only cover Himachal Pradesh, but also cover Rajasthan and certain parts of Punjab. Within HP itself there developed schools of paintings in the regions of Guler, Chamba, Mankot and Kangra. A lot information is available about Pahari Painintgs on the net, therefore ill try cutting the information short!
The art though has now become stagnant to the walls of the museum itself, but many reproductions are still being produced. Some artisans are still using the old techniques using natural colors, while others make do with poster colors and other substitutes!
All in all, what I personally felt was that we can only file a right for the style of the painting. Thus ensuring that who ever may make the painting is making it in the name of Kanga Style , but the benefit of the art cannot be restricted!
Well the trip was just not restricted to the art parameters! We did a lot of touring and sightseeing too, in which I realized sadly though, that being within the boundaries of my own country I felt like an outsider. A sad traveler browsing through the freshness of the villages like a new born learning how to breathe.
Those mountains as they stare at me, I wonder do they ever acknowledge my existence? Does it matter to them whether I breather or not, do I wear my best suit, i have behaved in a proper manner?? They just stare, giving me unconditional comfort, a feeling of vast encompassing feeling, protecting me from the harshness… even their jagged craggy peaks are softened by the lining of the trees, merging ever so beautifully with the darkness of the expanse of the clouds
The wind that these protected lands is cynically holy, captivating, and blissfully refreshing. The pahari’s have a weather beaten face, their lines seems to be carved out by the winds themselves, delicately caressing these children!
As I began talking about different environments, the ones that I felt here, pushed me to think more deepy, I felt like talking to myself, trying to explain my actions to these silent guardians, though inside I knew they neither heard me nor did they care…I felt small and humble. I wanted to meditate, I wanted to feel beauty in its raw terms!
Maybe I had not seen the most beautiful of the places, but I tried concentrating on beauty at least, and I was surprised to see I could decipher so much
That day in a small place called Chamunda, under million of stars and snow peaked mountain in front of me, sitting on a small rock, feeling the slight chill…I cried…an emotion was evoked within me, an emotion which I shall never be able to feel in the amidst of this fast paced city
An emotion which I cherished…a moment of solitariness… maybe
clicked
my happiness in the frames of 6 * 4 inches... froozen, static, mine ever and always to obtain, sustain and retain!!
mine , mine and all mine! that thought is mine, that feeling is mine, that fleeting glory is mine, that pain , shame is mine...its shared with me
its bared with me, that embarassment is mine to think about, that yawn, stretch, the wink, the expression the purity, the vastness, the vaccum, the jump, the fall
my frame of 6 * 4 captures all, some fleet away , some get cuaght...
mine , mine and all mine! that thought is mine, that feeling is mine, that fleeting glory is mine, that pain , shame is mine...its shared with me
its bared with me, that embarassment is mine to think about, that yawn, stretch, the wink, the expression the purity, the vastness, the vaccum, the jump, the fall
my frame of 6 * 4 captures all, some fleet away , some get cuaght...
yet another peeka boo, to catastrophe, to smiles, laughter, happiness....yes it is a happy world this one!! its a happy world, mind u not a mad happy one, but a i care for the world not in the way to jubilion , to attainment of all pleasures , to feeling of peaceful sleep, feeling of eating hot gulab jamun with melting ice cream or having ebony and ivory all alone!!
the little pleasure of holding a small pup in ur hand and it cuddling in ur lap, or looking into the mirror and seeing that u hav reduced a lot, now looking much smarter and better!!
to having another bite of that delicious dish that mum makes for u, to lying under ur fathers lap and listening to another of those story tails where u r the little fairy roaming in the whistling forests....
is it going back to childhood the return of happiness, but then sometimes in r dotted years of innocence comes such dark forceful memories ,
sometimes hard to ignore, these memories remains!!
the little pleasure of holding a small pup in ur hand and it cuddling in ur lap, or looking into the mirror and seeing that u hav reduced a lot, now looking much smarter and better!!
to having another bite of that delicious dish that mum makes for u, to lying under ur fathers lap and listening to another of those story tails where u r the little fairy roaming in the whistling forests....
is it going back to childhood the return of happiness, but then sometimes in r dotted years of innocence comes such dark forceful memories ,
sometimes hard to ignore, these memories remains!!
windless frame
to the windless frame, where i live
without realizing life's gifts
to the thankless grave where i sleep,
without realizing my skills reep
to the limited breathes that i take,
without acknowldeging my stakes
what have i become, what have i accomplished...after a walk of 18 years.
i have gathered my troubles, my pains
my knowldge, my shame..
yet i feel ignorant to what others cry..
to what aspire, to feelings taht no longer matter
so stuck am i in my own walls.....
that the sun light doesnt penetrate any more...
my breathe is stuck moma...
not until u let the wind pipe down..
the daily routine
its the moring cup of milk that can wake me up from the slumbers of dreamless sleep...its not the mobile alarm , neither my brothers school's bus, neither moms shreaks, neither drawing the curtains, neither dad leaving for office! and niether the smell of ghee melting over the cooking pan
then begins the ritual routine of brushing, washing and changing just clothes during winters....lets just keep the bathing process for later!!
anywaz, then my nose drifts towards the kitchen! i mean come one tell me how long can u survive on one glass of milk till 11.............in the mid day!!
the bread and eggs do wonder for me! wake me up completly! teamed with the morning dose of newsappers, magazines,brunches, people telling abt their ah so well to do lives!! the news from the yesterdays party, still alive in the newspappers!! they wake me up for sure....
anywaz, the time just drones onwards doesnt it! and so does the day and its tiringly moronless day!! hey had it been so interesing why do u think i m here and sitting and writing ...................................
well, no actually i guess my sensory organs are now filled with too much of smoke from the kachua chap! tht i guess its affetcing my mind now too.......
har har! i dun feel like sleeping and yet i want to tell u abt my only source of entertainment! ........but heck they just went into a bad fight!! these 2 cant live off themseleves!!
lemme go usort them out now
then begins the ritual routine of brushing, washing and changing just clothes during winters....lets just keep the bathing process for later!!
anywaz, then my nose drifts towards the kitchen! i mean come one tell me how long can u survive on one glass of milk till 11.............in the mid day!!
the bread and eggs do wonder for me! wake me up completly! teamed with the morning dose of newsappers, magazines,brunches, people telling abt their ah so well to do lives!! the news from the yesterdays party, still alive in the newspappers!! they wake me up for sure....
anywaz, the time just drones onwards doesnt it! and so does the day and its tiringly moronless day!! hey had it been so interesing why do u think i m here and sitting and writing ...................................
well, no actually i guess my sensory organs are now filled with too much of smoke from the kachua chap! tht i guess its affetcing my mind now too.......
har har! i dun feel like sleeping and yet i want to tell u abt my only source of entertainment! ........but heck they just went into a bad fight!! these 2 cant live off themseleves!!
lemme go usort them out now
i killed becuase i died
it all began as a game,
to the dreams of strive
till the sunken lives
to the gory of deaths
i still thought there was hope left
its a differnt world from here
behind these morbid bars
theres just a window to breath
the smell of death so so far
and i still thought there was hope left
its the way they look
not into my eyes
they smell my hunger,
my hunger for life
i m no slave of life
i m a lover of death
and i still think there is hope left
to the dreams of strive
till the sunken lives
to the gory of deaths
i still thought there was hope left
its a differnt world from here
behind these morbid bars
theres just a window to breath
the smell of death so so far
and i still thought there was hope left
its the way they look
not into my eyes
they smell my hunger,
my hunger for life
i m no slave of life
i m a lover of death
and i still think there is hope left
the sweep out
sometimes i yonder why i never manage to throw my used pens, batteries, pappers, newspapers??
sometimes i yonder as to why they never seem to stop, as if conspiring agaisnt me and my room and to occupy evry nook and crany of my little room and to stash it with trash!!
and sometimes i also yonder, as to why every month do i need to clean my room???
its all a conspiration i m telling u, a conspiration strategically conspiered against me and my cluttered space by the international dirt flow organisation(IDFO)! and it surely is attacking my room in the biggest possible way!
now i had to hold a cabinet meeting with my two loyal ministers who were actively invovled in promoting the IDFO, namely my daschund who was dealing with the ' ticks in ur room' opperation and the second being my german shepard who speacialized in ' hairy falls'.
the meeting that was held was created quite an uproar, both the parties seemed hurt that they had to stop dwelling in my domicile...
after completing that heavy task my next aim was to remove, replace and re adjust the roving pappers, some were marked by doodles, some by long essays, some by just water marks, some by nameless numbers, some by just numbers... so on and so forth...
stuck in a deliema, so as to not to waste paper, and also to adjust these advercary of space was quite a task !!!
completeing just that was a back breaking phenomena...hats off to me !!!
still i m left with shoes, clothes, cd's ( they seem to have been giving competition to papers)... cleaning dusting, swipping , grunting , panting,
and by the way to all the followers of IDFO..........i m gonna get ur sweet white ass kicked so hard tht moma is gonna be proud of me!
boots up,, night suit folded, jhaadoo in arm! watch out here comes....
sometimes i yonder as to why they never seem to stop, as if conspiring agaisnt me and my room and to occupy evry nook and crany of my little room and to stash it with trash!!
and sometimes i also yonder, as to why every month do i need to clean my room???
its all a conspiration i m telling u, a conspiration strategically conspiered against me and my cluttered space by the international dirt flow organisation(IDFO)! and it surely is attacking my room in the biggest possible way!
now i had to hold a cabinet meeting with my two loyal ministers who were actively invovled in promoting the IDFO, namely my daschund who was dealing with the ' ticks in ur room' opperation and the second being my german shepard who speacialized in ' hairy falls'.
the meeting that was held was created quite an uproar, both the parties seemed hurt that they had to stop dwelling in my domicile...
after completing that heavy task my next aim was to remove, replace and re adjust the roving pappers, some were marked by doodles, some by long essays, some by just water marks, some by nameless numbers, some by just numbers... so on and so forth...
stuck in a deliema, so as to not to waste paper, and also to adjust these advercary of space was quite a task !!!
completeing just that was a back breaking phenomena...hats off to me !!!
still i m left with shoes, clothes, cd's ( they seem to have been giving competition to papers)... cleaning dusting, swipping , grunting , panting,
and by the way to all the followers of IDFO..........i m gonna get ur sweet white ass kicked so hard tht moma is gonna be proud of me!
boots up,, night suit folded, jhaadoo in arm! watch out here comes....
lost expressions
when was the last time i kissed someone...
when was the last time i looked deep into the eye, when was the last time........i do not remember
but what i realize today is how i have convinently managed to stop myself from expressing.
i have forgotten how to love, i have forgettn how to feel
infact, it is quite ironical, as i sat yesterday playing with a 2 yr old girl , called ali; made her wear a golf cap and saw the pretty pink of her lip perched on the chubby cheeks... it stuck with me as i realized how i had forgotten how to express
i dont see the connection and i hope i figure it out while typing this...as a matter of fact even writing this is not expression, its a mere fact!
and now my mind falls into the teenage bracket, of falling for petite crushes, but i stop myslef...
tell myself that career is more important, but since when did materialism flood in and .......
since when was anything more important than love? and since when did i become so wise
so unlike my childhood!
is this called the transition period?
the insenstivity which we learn to obtain!?
when was the last time i looked deep into the eye, when was the last time........i do not remember
but what i realize today is how i have convinently managed to stop myself from expressing.
i have forgotten how to love, i have forgettn how to feel
infact, it is quite ironical, as i sat yesterday playing with a 2 yr old girl , called ali; made her wear a golf cap and saw the pretty pink of her lip perched on the chubby cheeks... it stuck with me as i realized how i had forgotten how to express
i dont see the connection and i hope i figure it out while typing this...as a matter of fact even writing this is not expression, its a mere fact!
and now my mind falls into the teenage bracket, of falling for petite crushes, but i stop myslef...
tell myself that career is more important, but since when did materialism flood in and .......
since when was anything more important than love? and since when did i become so wise
so unlike my childhood!
is this called the transition period?
the insenstivity which we learn to obtain!?
lunedì 17 settembre 2007
gone are the days!
my heart once broke and broke for all
a memory i had kept so long, had perished to fall
for one fine day it came to me like a silent kill
and said -
" gone r the days... gone r the moments...
the only hope one can hold on to are memories and memories alone...
the older they are the better they get"
i need not wish to forget these words, as they come from what i had loved!
i need not need to leave them behind, as i prefer to face them all
memories indeed that makes thy life! ?
what if memory defeats thy fall
thy pride
thy desires
thy innocence
the thief took it all
a memory i had kept so long, had perished to fall
for one fine day it came to me like a silent kill
and said -
" gone r the days... gone r the moments...
the only hope one can hold on to are memories and memories alone...
the older they are the better they get"
i need not wish to forget these words, as they come from what i had loved!
i need not need to leave them behind, as i prefer to face them all
memories indeed that makes thy life! ?
what if memory defeats thy fall
thy pride
thy desires
thy innocence
the thief took it all
sabato 28 luglio 2007
the britisher's left.. but slavery didnt!
These two days brought a flury of activities in my life… well,…other than the fact that I remained consumed as a true devotee to harry potter and the magical world that I quite forgot the muggle world I was living in! though it seemed tht I was in a different world all together but the mind can not reproduce the truth that the eyes see!
Since most of my Saturday went in finishing harry potter my next event was a friends parents wedding anniversary!
Here, ill let you know of another thing! I have a many times thought… what truly happens when a woman gets rapped.. y is it so hurting? Y do women go into such depressions and shocks, that recovering from it becomes like a physical pain! Is it so amongst women from all over the world!? Or in
So, keeping that aside, since I had to attend this event as I had already given my commitment and the night had dawned along with its many evils… I was forbidden to go alone! Of course the matter was safety, so at 9 o clock from the house to travel I needed a companion! My so called companion for this moment became my father’s batman , ( who has been with the family for the past 8 months) and the name of whom I would keep forgetting! At 5 mins to 9 I “told” him to accompany me! and without giving a second thought o his plans or his commitments, he said yes!
We embarked our journey on the so called unsafe roads of
Why should he stay here…? Outside waiting for me? why cant I tell him to join me in the party above? And a chain of thought erupted in my mind! Even if I take him upstairs, I will immediately join my friends, leaving him alone in a company of people who will probably stare at him, wondering what is he doing here…would that be bad? Or him joining the group of drivers who were sitting chattering away in circle, were he would be welcomed easily … would he be more comfortable there? And it broke my heart to see myself doing the later… not because it was comfortable for him, but this was how we divided our selves…
This is how we divide people… this is how I made a person wait for me , for whom there was no profit, no advantage, who did a thing simply because I wished him to do, simply because it was to my convenience.
There he sat with his kind of crowd!? Or was it? This was a person from the army, he must have passed several tests of proving himself that he is a better man, physically as well as mentally to suit the nation, to protect the nation, and here I was placing him with the drivers of other vehicles! Even as I say it, here I m classifying the drivers also! Why! Is what I do not understand, do we agree to become slaves in our own country of people!
The Britishers went but the slavery didn’t!
venerdì 20 luglio 2007
india revisited
so now i m back on my soil, after all those days longing for chats, golgappas , dying to hear the language, face the heat, i am admist this all.. and frankly it seems as if i had never gone away... suddenly those 6 months in a foreign land seemed like a dream!
coming here, i didnt miss the trams or the metros, infact i became quite used to the car rides, the horns the heavy traffics...
what came as a slight annoyance was the poverty, the ragged children beating their head down our car, when we make a frowning face, sweating all over... it shamed me to see them begging in such a way! when they can afford life much better and of a totally different style!
to see them stand at the cross roads of heavy traffic gurgaon, where the people are merciless... wht the hell... even i turned my face, they squint at you with indifference, with a usual routine at every car, every vehicle tht leaves tht cross road!
can u even imagine standing under the hard sun of 40 degrees celcius, touching the heated metal of the car, with their polluted bronze hair, clothes turned the same color of the road with dust, even their skin color suits the nearby cement back ground! the entire picture comes out so edged and hard, that it is a shocking contrast to the goldne haired, blue eyed, pretty girl standing in an expesive pink brnaded dress with a small barbie bag in her hand! u can literally melt at her site...coodle, swim in those big blue eyes.. and suddenly this vision of the eyes staring at you! knowing well tht u wont really bother paying them, the half form words from their mouth, delivered in the same tone,
how we move like a metre away from the window that they have touched, imprints of one small hand and one big, dirty... and on a totally different scenario is whn again for tht litle podgy hand, we are gladly ready to wipe the drool from our shirts.....
how different can an imprint get... even imprints of human touch has gold written on it...
coming here, i didnt miss the trams or the metros, infact i became quite used to the car rides, the horns the heavy traffics...
what came as a slight annoyance was the poverty, the ragged children beating their head down our car, when we make a frowning face, sweating all over... it shamed me to see them begging in such a way! when they can afford life much better and of a totally different style!
to see them stand at the cross roads of heavy traffic gurgaon, where the people are merciless... wht the hell... even i turned my face, they squint at you with indifference, with a usual routine at every car, every vehicle tht leaves tht cross road!
can u even imagine standing under the hard sun of 40 degrees celcius, touching the heated metal of the car, with their polluted bronze hair, clothes turned the same color of the road with dust, even their skin color suits the nearby cement back ground! the entire picture comes out so edged and hard, that it is a shocking contrast to the goldne haired, blue eyed, pretty girl standing in an expesive pink brnaded dress with a small barbie bag in her hand! u can literally melt at her site...coodle, swim in those big blue eyes.. and suddenly this vision of the eyes staring at you! knowing well tht u wont really bother paying them, the half form words from their mouth, delivered in the same tone,
how we move like a metre away from the window that they have touched, imprints of one small hand and one big, dirty... and on a totally different scenario is whn again for tht litle podgy hand, we are gladly ready to wipe the drool from our shirts.....
how different can an imprint get... even imprints of human touch has gold written on it...
martedì 3 luglio 2007
lunedì 2 luglio 2007
Travel guide to design world
time to retrace my footsteps , in the boot of the world, where I have spent the best 6 months of my life, some drenched in design, some soaked with memories, some with travel galore... but all in all, it was an experience worth having at any cost
Before I introduce you to my experiences of being in Milan for 6 months, it would be beneficial to introduce my background... I come from an army background. I have been travelling through out my life, shifting places, school every once in 2 years, I am a student of National Institute of Fashion Technology, Delhi and before I could finish my 3rd semester, 7 of us from our batch had decided to opt for an exchange programme to NABA ( Milano, Italy), starting from the January to the may!
I have been used to domestic help all my life, found a clean cupboard, home cooked food available at the platter, never got to experience hostel or sibling trouble... but before coming to Milan.
Packed with 2 overcoats in the Delhi January chill, from there and then on, 12 Indians crowded at the Rome airport staring at the branded outlets! Some of us, jumping at the Ferrari outlet, others drooling at the Armani, Gucci, Versace, Bvlgari, and so on and so forth! From here on we greeted a warm Hello to the Italian way of life! And the Italian winter stood grinning at us!
Our final destination was 54, via Torelli Viollier, Milano, one house 12 Indian students and the journey began.
the mornings where the most eventful moments of our days, armed with 2 bathrooms, we would line up half an hr to get 5 minutes of release, the hurried bathing,changing,brushing, shouting was all a part of the next travelling shifting, changing metros to finally reach the campus. We underwent an exchange programme with 15 other American students. The Americans came from Philadelphia and West Virginia! We were a class mix of product and graphic design students.
NABA was a wonderful experience; we learnt the basics of Italian language, good enough to convey mangio la pizza e bevo Il wino bianco! We also had a very interesting module of contemporary Italian society, wherein we learnt the different phases of Italian history through out the era, as visualized by important Italian directors. We learnt through movies like Amarcord, La Dolce Vita, The Bicycle Thief, Romanzo Criminale, The Last Kiss, of the changing times of Italy.
We also had intense modules of graphic design, interactive design and product design! Though interactive design was a new sphere of design for us, it was wonderful to visit the exhibitions at trienalle and around Milan.
Also, our course was designed in such a manner that we got to visit the “Milan fashion week” as well as the “Salone de Mobile”! What better bargain could a design student ask for! The added bonus was that as soon as we touched the Milan fashion streets we were exposed to the hectic Milan sale!
Caught in the sale season, warming up to pizzas and wines, carnivals and festivals, designs and theatres! The more we asked, the better we got!
In fact, during the month of February, the entire of Italy is painted with the carnival season. The best place to go during these times is Venice, and that is where we headed! To see a fully crowded picturesque Venice was a high...but to see beautifully dressed masks, walking almost in a ghostly manner was a magical experience. The lashing blue of water meeting the faded gray of the old streets of Venice, tourists hidden under long feathered masks, wines in hand, and a tune to everybody's lips, we all walked stunned by the gold of the Duomo, under the long majestic towers of San Marco square, catching the sparkle of Morano glass! Since, Venice was the 1st trip we made, it undoubtly remained the best we had had so far!
Our routines were fixed, we had classes starting from Monday to Thursday, wherein we would travel in the streets of Milan, learning and appreciating the hidden architecture, visit museums, church, and galleries. The most interesting part of our curriculum was a list that was given by NABA to us, as places we must visit and things we must do! And why it became necessary to follow because we were required to give a presentation. the list included the most happening places of Milan, which included the Ice bar, Spontini ( the yummiest pizza place!), fashion brands like D&G, Roberto Cavalli, teatros, bookshops,so on and so forth! In the undertaking, we came across some of the most interesting places in Milan and boy wasn’t it fun!??
We had a long weekend starting from Friday to Sunday free to us so that we could make the most of it by travelling! Therefore, now I can proudly boast of visiting Florence, sienna, Borgosessia, Como, Paris, Rome, Torino, and Pisa! And each place has had its uniqueness and own adventure!
Coming to Italy wasn’t just about studying design, or so as I thought! the entire package became complete with pizza's , focaccio's, wines, ricotta, apertivos, shots of cafe, Sunday masses, finding a Duomo in every city we went, ah of course the gelataria! Here also I would like to add, those who really care for ice creams! Should definitely visit Bologna and should try the gelatria, they beat the ice creams world over! Ciocollato fiondattas to cremas to tiramisus, even to those who prefer fruity flavour, the ice creams they offer are worth paying a visit to the student town!
In fact, other than food, drinks and places, what is worth living it up in Italy is the spirit of the people! The freedom of being yourself, the delicate blend of the past and radical future, the co existence of everything, merged by the flow of one language!
Coming from a country of many languages and many religions, many RSS and Shiva Senas, orthodoxy and eve teasing, to see the romantic Italians in their full form, 1st came as shock of open mouthed stare, but gradually it became a norm to see people sunbathing in the parks in nothing except their undergarments! Unguarded and so free! This freedom is what I shall take back with me as a strong memory!
Now a few weeks are left for me to make my final trip back home, I have started packing my luggage, wishing by every minute crossing by that I could become a brick of the roads, still and static, silently absorbing the everyday gossip of the everyday life, in a busy city of fashion and gold, hidden in glorious past and future untold!
Just hold it in sight… for a moment alone,
and then
turn slowly to ask “ un café per favour!”
Before I introduce you to my experiences of being in Milan for 6 months, it would be beneficial to introduce my background... I come from an army background. I have been travelling through out my life, shifting places, school every once in 2 years, I am a student of National Institute of Fashion Technology, Delhi and before I could finish my 3rd semester, 7 of us from our batch had decided to opt for an exchange programme to NABA ( Milano, Italy), starting from the January to the may!
I have been used to domestic help all my life, found a clean cupboard, home cooked food available at the platter, never got to experience hostel or sibling trouble... but before coming to Milan.
Packed with 2 overcoats in the Delhi January chill, from there and then on, 12 Indians crowded at the Rome airport staring at the branded outlets! Some of us, jumping at the Ferrari outlet, others drooling at the Armani, Gucci, Versace, Bvlgari, and so on and so forth! From here on we greeted a warm Hello to the Italian way of life! And the Italian winter stood grinning at us!
Our final destination was 54, via Torelli Viollier, Milano, one house 12 Indian students and the journey began.
the mornings where the most eventful moments of our days, armed with 2 bathrooms, we would line up half an hr to get 5 minutes of release, the hurried bathing,changing,brushing, shouting was all a part of the next travelling shifting, changing metros to finally reach the campus. We underwent an exchange programme with 15 other American students. The Americans came from Philadelphia and West Virginia! We were a class mix of product and graphic design students.
NABA was a wonderful experience; we learnt the basics of Italian language, good enough to convey mangio la pizza e bevo Il wino bianco! We also had a very interesting module of contemporary Italian society, wherein we learnt the different phases of Italian history through out the era, as visualized by important Italian directors. We learnt through movies like Amarcord, La Dolce Vita, The Bicycle Thief, Romanzo Criminale, The Last Kiss, of the changing times of Italy.
We also had intense modules of graphic design, interactive design and product design! Though interactive design was a new sphere of design for us, it was wonderful to visit the exhibitions at trienalle and around Milan.
Also, our course was designed in such a manner that we got to visit the “Milan fashion week” as well as the “Salone de Mobile”! What better bargain could a design student ask for! The added bonus was that as soon as we touched the Milan fashion streets we were exposed to the hectic Milan sale!
Caught in the sale season, warming up to pizzas and wines, carnivals and festivals, designs and theatres! The more we asked, the better we got!
In fact, during the month of February, the entire of Italy is painted with the carnival season. The best place to go during these times is Venice, and that is where we headed! To see a fully crowded picturesque Venice was a high...but to see beautifully dressed masks, walking almost in a ghostly manner was a magical experience. The lashing blue of water meeting the faded gray of the old streets of Venice, tourists hidden under long feathered masks, wines in hand, and a tune to everybody's lips, we all walked stunned by the gold of the Duomo, under the long majestic towers of San Marco square, catching the sparkle of Morano glass! Since, Venice was the 1st trip we made, it undoubtly remained the best we had had so far!
Our routines were fixed, we had classes starting from Monday to Thursday, wherein we would travel in the streets of Milan, learning and appreciating the hidden architecture, visit museums, church, and galleries. The most interesting part of our curriculum was a list that was given by NABA to us, as places we must visit and things we must do! And why it became necessary to follow because we were required to give a presentation. the list included the most happening places of Milan, which included the Ice bar, Spontini ( the yummiest pizza place!), fashion brands like D&G, Roberto Cavalli, teatros, bookshops,so on and so forth! In the undertaking, we came across some of the most interesting places in Milan and boy wasn’t it fun!??
We had a long weekend starting from Friday to Sunday free to us so that we could make the most of it by travelling! Therefore, now I can proudly boast of visiting Florence, sienna, Borgosessia, Como, Paris, Rome, Torino, and Pisa! And each place has had its uniqueness and own adventure!
Coming to Italy wasn’t just about studying design, or so as I thought! the entire package became complete with pizza's , focaccio's, wines, ricotta, apertivos, shots of cafe, Sunday masses, finding a Duomo in every city we went, ah of course the gelataria! Here also I would like to add, those who really care for ice creams! Should definitely visit Bologna and should try the gelatria, they beat the ice creams world over! Ciocollato fiondattas to cremas to tiramisus, even to those who prefer fruity flavour, the ice creams they offer are worth paying a visit to the student town!
In fact, other than food, drinks and places, what is worth living it up in Italy is the spirit of the people! The freedom of being yourself, the delicate blend of the past and radical future, the co existence of everything, merged by the flow of one language!
Coming from a country of many languages and many religions, many RSS and Shiva Senas, orthodoxy and eve teasing, to see the romantic Italians in their full form, 1st came as shock of open mouthed stare, but gradually it became a norm to see people sunbathing in the parks in nothing except their undergarments! Unguarded and so free! This freedom is what I shall take back with me as a strong memory!
Now a few weeks are left for me to make my final trip back home, I have started packing my luggage, wishing by every minute crossing by that I could become a brick of the roads, still and static, silently absorbing the everyday gossip of the everyday life, in a busy city of fashion and gold, hidden in glorious past and future untold!
Just hold it in sight… for a moment alone,
and then
turn slowly to ask “ un café per favour!”
sabato 30 giugno 2007
i avenged twice... to the tree, as the fawn died
vices of the world come back to me, its time to put the cook back to action, of long you sat huddled in a corner, waiting for the expected to happen!
the soups ready, dinner served, action and drama about to unfold, as the host shall today revel the portal of unheeded truth , and anticipate the guests to squirm their reserve!
its a strange party here... there sits a tree at the center of the table... critically watching the show, the fawn has got his first stepshaken, or tries to stand the blow.. but beaten it seems facing the stranger;s hold!
the stranger is in fact a strange man, he claims he came long ago ... just so to know! there is silence between the fawn and the stranger because none knows what more to say! only the air beholds
"answers, answers, answers we all seek! " shrieks the butler , to no one in particular indeed. its a fact one has to accept and move on!
the stranger holds the stare of the fawn, almost hoping to find answers to his questions, but the fawn understands the blow... it didnt come from the stranger, it comes from deep within, it comes from the wasted efforts, it comes from the efforts it made to be liked so hard, it comes from all the 1st attempts, but the stranger must know... that there arnt any answers anymore
the tree sat through all this, who knows how much he knew? he just sat, and waited... in between gave the fawn another hope! but now the fawn sees it all, it should have never seeked so far, when the 1st power was in his 1st steps...
"dinner is getting cold sir", perhaps the butler said... the stranger sits in a gray suit, sad i assume he maybe, yet nothing he can do any more... almost helpless as he can be!
the fawn shall sit in his own soup, learnt a new lesson of life, to face a few facts and "B sensible" ... it had once read, no less no more...
the party shall presume like always, let the fawn take its own toll! we all fall and stumble dont we? claims the silent tree. the fawn doesnt need me,
the butler, should end his song, and now people have gone!
dinner has got over, drama may unfold, the audience has gone, no one clapped this time! they say it was weird this dinner today... weird food they say! but chuckle all cause we all know who they are actually talking about, its just that we dont say at all!
i wish i could give u answers stranger, i wish i could stall the wishes. but the fawn will have to follow a correct path, and the path differs from yours.
the soups ready, dinner served, action and drama about to unfold, as the host shall today revel the portal of unheeded truth , and anticipate the guests to squirm their reserve!
its a strange party here... there sits a tree at the center of the table... critically watching the show, the fawn has got his first stepshaken, or tries to stand the blow.. but beaten it seems facing the stranger;s hold!
the stranger is in fact a strange man, he claims he came long ago ... just so to know! there is silence between the fawn and the stranger because none knows what more to say! only the air beholds
"answers, answers, answers we all seek! " shrieks the butler , to no one in particular indeed. its a fact one has to accept and move on!
the stranger holds the stare of the fawn, almost hoping to find answers to his questions, but the fawn understands the blow... it didnt come from the stranger, it comes from deep within, it comes from the wasted efforts, it comes from the efforts it made to be liked so hard, it comes from all the 1st attempts, but the stranger must know... that there arnt any answers anymore
the tree sat through all this, who knows how much he knew? he just sat, and waited... in between gave the fawn another hope! but now the fawn sees it all, it should have never seeked so far, when the 1st power was in his 1st steps...
"dinner is getting cold sir", perhaps the butler said... the stranger sits in a gray suit, sad i assume he maybe, yet nothing he can do any more... almost helpless as he can be!
the fawn shall sit in his own soup, learnt a new lesson of life, to face a few facts and "B sensible" ... it had once read, no less no more...
the party shall presume like always, let the fawn take its own toll! we all fall and stumble dont we? claims the silent tree. the fawn doesnt need me,
the butler, should end his song, and now people have gone!
dinner has got over, drama may unfold, the audience has gone, no one clapped this time! they say it was weird this dinner today... weird food they say! but chuckle all cause we all know who they are actually talking about, its just that we dont say at all!
i wish i could give u answers stranger, i wish i could stall the wishes. but the fawn will have to follow a correct path, and the path differs from yours.
martedì 12 giugno 2007
genoa
Fair enough? Dark alley dark deeds… behind the royal palaces, behind the empty giants a black ghostly trail…but, in
I traveled through these dark alleys, getting lost in the maze, it was quite simple in the map that I had! All I had to do was reach the palaces, cross the alleys and reach the port! But what I saw was a transition from the empty blocks to the hidden alleys and finally the active port…
I faced the sea again, just that this time it didn’t stare back at me, this time they were crowded by rows and rows of boats, curious buildings, amusement parks on the port! My presence was acknowledged by a hooting boat!
The number of people roaming on the port was contrary to the people staring at the rippling walls of the palaces. Its true when they say, that there is so much history in the southern
The port was the new attraction, maybe the only…I entered a huge aquarium which promised me sharks, octopus, dolphins and 25,000 tons of water! It was amzing in the beginning to see the deep aquatic brought to u… but somehow it seems a lot satisfactory seeing them on discovery itself!
The aquarium was fun, but I had crossed my ears of wonderment! I think I find more solace in buildings and empty streets, than cylinder full of fish!
And, as I think of it, who says religion is language or place bound!? In
It just surprises me…
lunedì 11 giugno 2007
cinque terre jignes bhai........ zaroor aana humare gao!
The last time you met me, i was in the college festive spirit, being the joker, looking for interesting people in the given circumstance, and well I still had some dreams to achieve them, but now I have begun to relaize them.
Now if u meet me, I hope u see me wearing a rugged pair of jeans and carrying a happy crinkled smile that tells you abt the places my weather beaten face has seen!
And I speak of all these dreams from one solo trip that suddenly changed my entire view and dimension of travelling.
The Friday of the last week came rather too soon and unexpected! But never the less I did not want to waste another weekend being the bum in front of the laptop or sleep my way thru … this time not anymore, so I figured out a train that left to this place called “Monterossa”… ow before reaching to the conclusion I had to go through the phase of reading and re reading the Italy lonely planet as my bible, figure out how to reach there and where to stay, but let me warn you that no amount of guides can tell u what exactly u will face after reaching a place! And I m happy that they don’t do so and leave a lot to ambiguous imagination!
So, I packed my bag and decided silently that come rain, snow or storm nothing shall stop me from heading for “ Cinque Terre”. But to all the Jignes reading this , I should first tell you about the legend of “cinque terre”(CT)…
Flashback…….It so happened that one day one of my frend had heard from an italian’s mouth about this wonderful place called CT and came raving about it and since then the seed got implanted in my mind and any Italian I met I asked and inquired about CT, always getting a good response… but, no amount of looking for images on the net, forming a visual refrence helps!
So after a sad delay of 2 weeks I couldn’t wait no more and for no one! This time I had to go and see it for myself . the word CT means 5 Territories and is a collection of 5 villages ( Monterossa, vernazza, Corneglia, Manarola and riomaggiore)… which lie one after the another along the west coast of italy facing turquoise emrald Ligurian sea….
Aaah.. here I want to take a moment and devote it to the mesmerizing power of the hills of liguria to stand defiantly the huge vast sheer of the sea… it is like this huge giant of blue gently pushes the tall mountains, stressing its power… but ever so gently.. and the mediators to this clash is the most happening spot… if the power of the clash is greater it is balanced by the soft warmth of the sand… and in places where the clash has been sober, it is balanced by huge white rocks…pateinly waiting for their turn to tumble one way or the other…. The tall cliffs of the mountains give a sharp contrast to the rounded huge stones at the depth of crystal blue of the sea…
Just a moment… it took ……….
Just an eye view of the sea gull I wished… for once!
But coming back.. I caught the train to Monterosso the 1st town from Milan at 7 15 in the morning and was off my way reading “atlast shrugged”! well, sleeping half my way! And reached stacked with an umbrella, a heavy jacket, jeans, shorts and a pull over! ( didn’t I say I was ready to face any kind of weather)… the only thing I was not ready to face was the extreme opposite! Coz soon I realized that all I needed was a sleeveless and shorts!
So, as soon as I got down from the train the 1st thing I faced was the colourful umbrellas and people enjoying their sun bathing under the hot Italian sun! beaching themselves to glory! And then I saw the caves, the gorges, just like how Enid blyton used to describe in her books.. where the famous five would go, looking for treasure! Curiously I always wanted to George amongst them too! And I felt like one, carrying a huge back pack, armed with a gulp of wine that I had just had! So much for starting a trek!
Haha…
The 1st few kms of the stretch was quite a task.. I had to walk steep steps and sweat like a pig…well that is if pigs sweat.. but then there was no way I was gving up when I had just began and especially when I had paid 5 euros for the day for the trek…but…I had my ipod for the company! and other trekkers to look and stare at! Apparently the 1st trek was the longest but it never seemed like that to me … as a matter of fact when I reached vernazza I saw another small clove of a beach, and people sitting next to it having lunch in front of these small café’s … there was a lively group playing Sicilian music which went like “ volla volla”… swinging their instruments around, I could see the feet of all tourist tapping despite the exhaustion of walking all that long!
Boy! Armed with a bottle of ice tea and the heavy back pack of course I had a good time looking at the crowd around! The numerous wine glasses clinked with pretty tanned women in bikinis, a cotton dress hanging loosely on their bodies, men digging into the bread… and amusing smirks on the face of Americans( since they consisted most of the tourist population, which I later realized also included of Australians, German and many Italians too) at the name of Gelataria, which means ice cream in Italian!
Ah! I think ill dedicate a special column to the gelataries of italy! ….for the later though!
“Should get back to track! Shudnt i???” this is wht I thought when I had spent sometime in vernazza, engulfing myself in the general gaiety of the crowd! So off I went aiming for my next stop to be in corneglia…this time the view was tht kept me enthralled! The huge expanse of the ocean and the high hills! And I felt proud as I walked between them! Walking sure-footedly on the ancient Italian rocks! Corneglia came across as a sleepy town… clean and bathed in the warm glow of the sun… it nearly breathed this clean sense of purity which comes from isolation of such villages! So.. I stopped here to catch a bite of some local dishes! But guess wht! The whole of italy eats Pizza as their local and but obvious favourite dish! So do i!
A huge margarita packed in my stomach gave me energy again to continue my trip ahead! Facing the mountains , my next stop was to be a Monarolla where I had planned to drop in the youth hostel!
The only problem a single traveller faces is clicking pictures while trying to face urself in the view! So before I started from corneglia I requested this girl to click a picture for me .. and since she was travelling alone too, asked me to click hers too! This is how I got introduced to Jessica, the American who had come from California and was an art student taking a break off for 3 months to travel to italy, which she did part with her boy frend and part alone! And this stretch she was doing it alone! … so we walked and talked together! For me she was a stranger with a nice weather beaten face and someone to talk to, to tell her what a lovely experience I was having and to her I guess I sounded like a mature girl who was trying to vainly to describe the dry creamy buildings of delhi!
Well she was quite surprised to hear my age though! But hell here I was! On my own!
Anyways, while talking she told me how she got bitten by bed bugs while she was staying at this place in riomaggiore, so I offered her to come and look with me the “ostello” in manarola, which when we reached we came to know was full and had no spare beds! As far as I was concerned! I had no back ups! The hostel was my only option, but with jessica’s coming i got another suggestion and we both thought, we may look where she was staying! So, this time she guided me to this another place called “mar mar” which was ideally located and incidentally they had just 2 beds! (well, usually in any other time period or place, I would have said tht this is the usual business phrase that people use, but under the circumstance of the rush of tourist , I would rather consider this as pure luck)… but the bed bugs were itching weren’t they! And the lady at the reception saw it!
She asked Jessica if she was bitten by bed bugs, and saw the huge traces all over her arms! Jessica was perplexed! She didn’t know how to answer her! For me it seemed like no big deal! Of course bed bugs isn’t no harm except gaining some sympathy from the viewer! But it Italy it didn’t seem so! It came like a crude shock to me when she refused to give Jessica the bed! Coming from India, bed bugs was the last reason for any transaction of money! And yet it was such a big issue of getting bugs in their beds and fumigating the whole dorm… I stood astounded by the hygienic standards of the country! Slowly learning from this encounter … while Jessica nearly got tears in her eyes…
She said she was happy that at least I got the bed. I thanked her genuinely and asked where will I meet u know, she said “ oh I don’t know..” and I replied very confidently, ow never mind I ll come to ur hotel and sort mama rossa ( the source from where she got the bugs) together…
We parted then….
I went to my room, with clean bed, a window, which started at the terrace of an Italian house! And she went to hers…
I freshened up and got out again to look for her and to see the sun drown in the sea from the rocks! I went to moma rossa, I shouted her name and believe me the entire village of riomaggiore is not bigger than a vasant kunj of delhi.. and yet, when all tourist come out in the evening to eat, I kept on hoping that I would meet her, bump into her…but I didn’t!
I went to the rocks, I saw the clouds from shapes of wondering rabbits, I saw the sea at my footsteps, and I thought of nothing for a long time… when I finally got up and headed back to my room, just when the entire village got happening again!
I was trying to fight the growing lonliness , I started to miss people, I thought I would find some comfort in the books .. but as soon as I entred my room, the outsides screamed at me again.. this time from my stomach! I was hungry, after all tht walk.. I needed food in this expensive place! I wanted energy!
After doing a thorough search of prices in all the bars and tratoria’s I settled for one very close to my place and decided that I would settle for mixed salad as my treat for trekking for 18 kms that day! But…I had to wait for a table!
It felt a bit foolish, there, to wait alone! The waiters wont even look at me! People came and people stood, they would come up to them and ask.. how many?? 2, 3 ,4.. and I think they assumed I was waiting for someone, or I just liked to stare!!
But… if this was how it was going to be I wudnt get a table and I woudnt get food! I had another thought! Of getting my food packed! But this restaurant seemed to full to do that! So …I saw these 2 middle aged ladies getting a table… this was my chance, my opportunity! I went politely to them and asked if I could join them at their table!
“Yes u can! As long as u paid your own bill”, said Su one of the 2 Australian ladies whom I was dining with! Actually both their names were Su, and I had the most amazing dinner with these ladies as we talked about our respective experience of being in Italy. One of them had these animated joyful eyes which would roll up in the most playful manner when she would excitedly comment on her frend.. and the other looked a kind patient lady with tortoise movements.
But I had fun! It was a wonderful evening… I went back to my room this time, happy and not missing my loneliness!
The next day… I got up early, packed and saw the fresh sea again… paid my gratitude for the lovely day and pushed off to genova…
Now if u meet me, I hope u see me wearing a rugged pair of jeans and carrying a happy crinkled smile that tells you abt the places my weather beaten face has seen!
And I speak of all these dreams from one solo trip that suddenly changed my entire view and dimension of travelling.
The Friday of the last week came rather too soon and unexpected! But never the less I did not want to waste another weekend being the bum in front of the laptop or sleep my way thru … this time not anymore, so I figured out a train that left to this place called “Monterossa”… ow before reaching to the conclusion I had to go through the phase of reading and re reading the Italy lonely planet as my bible, figure out how to reach there and where to stay, but let me warn you that no amount of guides can tell u what exactly u will face after reaching a place! And I m happy that they don’t do so and leave a lot to ambiguous imagination!
So, I packed my bag and decided silently that come rain, snow or storm nothing shall stop me from heading for “ Cinque Terre”. But to all the Jignes reading this , I should first tell you about the legend of “cinque terre”(CT)…
Flashback…….It so happened that one day one of my frend had heard from an italian’s mouth about this wonderful place called CT and came raving about it and since then the seed got implanted in my mind and any Italian I met I asked and inquired about CT, always getting a good response… but, no amount of looking for images on the net, forming a visual refrence helps!
So after a sad delay of 2 weeks I couldn’t wait no more and for no one! This time I had to go and see it for myself . the word CT means 5 Territories and is a collection of 5 villages ( Monterossa, vernazza, Corneglia, Manarola and riomaggiore)… which lie one after the another along the west coast of italy facing turquoise emrald Ligurian sea….
Aaah.. here I want to take a moment and devote it to the mesmerizing power of the hills of liguria to stand defiantly the huge vast sheer of the sea… it is like this huge giant of blue gently pushes the tall mountains, stressing its power… but ever so gently.. and the mediators to this clash is the most happening spot… if the power of the clash is greater it is balanced by the soft warmth of the sand… and in places where the clash has been sober, it is balanced by huge white rocks…pateinly waiting for their turn to tumble one way or the other…. The tall cliffs of the mountains give a sharp contrast to the rounded huge stones at the depth of crystal blue of the sea…
Just a moment… it took ……….
Just an eye view of the sea gull I wished… for once!
But coming back.. I caught the train to Monterosso the 1st town from Milan at 7 15 in the morning and was off my way reading “atlast shrugged”! well, sleeping half my way! And reached stacked with an umbrella, a heavy jacket, jeans, shorts and a pull over! ( didn’t I say I was ready to face any kind of weather)… the only thing I was not ready to face was the extreme opposite! Coz soon I realized that all I needed was a sleeveless and shorts!
So, as soon as I got down from the train the 1st thing I faced was the colourful umbrellas and people enjoying their sun bathing under the hot Italian sun! beaching themselves to glory! And then I saw the caves, the gorges, just like how Enid blyton used to describe in her books.. where the famous five would go, looking for treasure! Curiously I always wanted to George amongst them too! And I felt like one, carrying a huge back pack, armed with a gulp of wine that I had just had! So much for starting a trek!
Haha…
The 1st few kms of the stretch was quite a task.. I had to walk steep steps and sweat like a pig…well that is if pigs sweat.. but then there was no way I was gving up when I had just began and especially when I had paid 5 euros for the day for the trek…but…I had my ipod for the company! and other trekkers to look and stare at! Apparently the 1st trek was the longest but it never seemed like that to me … as a matter of fact when I reached vernazza I saw another small clove of a beach, and people sitting next to it having lunch in front of these small café’s … there was a lively group playing Sicilian music which went like “ volla volla”… swinging their instruments around, I could see the feet of all tourist tapping despite the exhaustion of walking all that long!
Boy! Armed with a bottle of ice tea and the heavy back pack of course I had a good time looking at the crowd around! The numerous wine glasses clinked with pretty tanned women in bikinis, a cotton dress hanging loosely on their bodies, men digging into the bread… and amusing smirks on the face of Americans( since they consisted most of the tourist population, which I later realized also included of Australians, German and many Italians too) at the name of Gelataria, which means ice cream in Italian!
Ah! I think ill dedicate a special column to the gelataries of italy! ….for the later though!
“Should get back to track! Shudnt i???” this is wht I thought when I had spent sometime in vernazza, engulfing myself in the general gaiety of the crowd! So off I went aiming for my next stop to be in corneglia…this time the view was tht kept me enthralled! The huge expanse of the ocean and the high hills! And I felt proud as I walked between them! Walking sure-footedly on the ancient Italian rocks! Corneglia came across as a sleepy town… clean and bathed in the warm glow of the sun… it nearly breathed this clean sense of purity which comes from isolation of such villages! So.. I stopped here to catch a bite of some local dishes! But guess wht! The whole of italy eats Pizza as their local and but obvious favourite dish! So do i!
A huge margarita packed in my stomach gave me energy again to continue my trip ahead! Facing the mountains , my next stop was to be a Monarolla where I had planned to drop in the youth hostel!
The only problem a single traveller faces is clicking pictures while trying to face urself in the view! So before I started from corneglia I requested this girl to click a picture for me .. and since she was travelling alone too, asked me to click hers too! This is how I got introduced to Jessica, the American who had come from California and was an art student taking a break off for 3 months to travel to italy, which she did part with her boy frend and part alone! And this stretch she was doing it alone! … so we walked and talked together! For me she was a stranger with a nice weather beaten face and someone to talk to, to tell her what a lovely experience I was having and to her I guess I sounded like a mature girl who was trying to vainly to describe the dry creamy buildings of delhi!
Well she was quite surprised to hear my age though! But hell here I was! On my own!
Anyways, while talking she told me how she got bitten by bed bugs while she was staying at this place in riomaggiore, so I offered her to come and look with me the “ostello” in manarola, which when we reached we came to know was full and had no spare beds! As far as I was concerned! I had no back ups! The hostel was my only option, but with jessica’s coming i got another suggestion and we both thought, we may look where she was staying! So, this time she guided me to this another place called “mar mar” which was ideally located and incidentally they had just 2 beds! (well, usually in any other time period or place, I would have said tht this is the usual business phrase that people use, but under the circumstance of the rush of tourist , I would rather consider this as pure luck)… but the bed bugs were itching weren’t they! And the lady at the reception saw it!
She asked Jessica if she was bitten by bed bugs, and saw the huge traces all over her arms! Jessica was perplexed! She didn’t know how to answer her! For me it seemed like no big deal! Of course bed bugs isn’t no harm except gaining some sympathy from the viewer! But it Italy it didn’t seem so! It came like a crude shock to me when she refused to give Jessica the bed! Coming from India, bed bugs was the last reason for any transaction of money! And yet it was such a big issue of getting bugs in their beds and fumigating the whole dorm… I stood astounded by the hygienic standards of the country! Slowly learning from this encounter … while Jessica nearly got tears in her eyes…
She said she was happy that at least I got the bed. I thanked her genuinely and asked where will I meet u know, she said “ oh I don’t know..” and I replied very confidently, ow never mind I ll come to ur hotel and sort mama rossa ( the source from where she got the bugs) together…
We parted then….
I went to my room, with clean bed, a window, which started at the terrace of an Italian house! And she went to hers…
I freshened up and got out again to look for her and to see the sun drown in the sea from the rocks! I went to moma rossa, I shouted her name and believe me the entire village of riomaggiore is not bigger than a vasant kunj of delhi.. and yet, when all tourist come out in the evening to eat, I kept on hoping that I would meet her, bump into her…but I didn’t!
I went to the rocks, I saw the clouds from shapes of wondering rabbits, I saw the sea at my footsteps, and I thought of nothing for a long time… when I finally got up and headed back to my room, just when the entire village got happening again!
I was trying to fight the growing lonliness , I started to miss people, I thought I would find some comfort in the books .. but as soon as I entred my room, the outsides screamed at me again.. this time from my stomach! I was hungry, after all tht walk.. I needed food in this expensive place! I wanted energy!
After doing a thorough search of prices in all the bars and tratoria’s I settled for one very close to my place and decided that I would settle for mixed salad as my treat for trekking for 18 kms that day! But…I had to wait for a table!
It felt a bit foolish, there, to wait alone! The waiters wont even look at me! People came and people stood, they would come up to them and ask.. how many?? 2, 3 ,4.. and I think they assumed I was waiting for someone, or I just liked to stare!!
But… if this was how it was going to be I wudnt get a table and I woudnt get food! I had another thought! Of getting my food packed! But this restaurant seemed to full to do that! So …I saw these 2 middle aged ladies getting a table… this was my chance, my opportunity! I went politely to them and asked if I could join them at their table!
“Yes u can! As long as u paid your own bill”, said Su one of the 2 Australian ladies whom I was dining with! Actually both their names were Su, and I had the most amazing dinner with these ladies as we talked about our respective experience of being in Italy. One of them had these animated joyful eyes which would roll up in the most playful manner when she would excitedly comment on her frend.. and the other looked a kind patient lady with tortoise movements.
But I had fun! It was a wonderful evening… I went back to my room this time, happy and not missing my loneliness!
The next day… I got up early, packed and saw the fresh sea again… paid my gratitude for the lovely day and pushed off to genova…
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