the ever changing sky !!

there are few things as good as gazing upon a beautiful sky and it's changing colors.... I do that a lot and it never stops to awe me, sometimes with its different hues, sometimes with the shape the clouds take, sometimes with the twinkling of stars and sometimes with the hide and seek that sun and moon play, it's a kaleidoscope reflecting various colors of life... and mostly reflecting what you are seeking so, next time look up with happiness and gratitude and it will be reflected back .....

 this is a picture taken of october sky over kathmandu, the clouds taking a heart shape with the moon in vicinity  ( isn't that beautiful ) 

part of thursday challenege ( http://www.spunwithtears.com/thursday.html )   

nature unplugged !!

As I stand here looking at the twinkling lights on those distant hills the wind gushes forward and ruffles my hair, crickets chirp loud and the silver beam of the moon shines through dark clouds... Sometimes this is how the life looks, sounds and feels...twinkling, singing and shining.....the bliss of being of being around the nature!

memories of your imaginations

It's monsoon and it rains beautifully....  most of the times I like rain unless it becomes too dragging stretching for days and then bringing a gloomy tone... otherwise I like everything about rain... the sound it makes, the smell it brings and the feeling it arouses .... as I sit here scribbling this post it's drizzling outside, I can hear a faint sound and thunders in between... few kilometers from here begins the gateway of north-eastern India.. I sit here and imagine all the greenery and all the beauty of those hills and mountains and those less travelled paths, I think of the swamps of Sundarban, I think of the delta of Brahmputra, I imagine a wet Cherapunji in my head, I have not been to these places yet, but I have read and I have imagined, I don't know how these places actually are but I've vivid imaginations of these places like some well treasured memories...qualities human beings are blessed with ! You can actually turn your imaginations into memories... anyway I think it will be time for a vacation soon... I feel like spreading my wings and travelling far and out ...."soon" I wish ;)

déjà vu

I look up at the sky and there is a feeling of déjà vu, it's strange as I thought I was at a different land and had a different sky but I happened to spot the same stars and I can't tell you how glad I'm to have spotted them. Only if I had a camera which was capable enough to capture the sky full of stars in it's real color and real grandeur I would have done that for myself and for all you readers but alas ! I just can't sometimes figure out myself how much I love these stars, that sun and the moon... oh my moon. There is a reason I like being with them and there is a reason they make me smile as I know they are the one who will always be with me whether I'm happy or gloomy, sweet or grumpy, successful or struggling, sighing or singing... they will be there and I'll look at them hopefully will always manage a smile... I'm listening to some real old numbers right now ... ना तुम हमे जानो  ना हम तुम्हे जाने मगर लगता है  कुछ ऐसा  मेरा हमदम मिल  गया ...can you believe I used to listen to these songs when i was 12 years old and I'm not kidding I seriously used to and I still love these songs, just that I listen to them less now a days to keep away the nostalgia, nostalgia isn't meant for everyday... so the déjà vu feeling is okay to have only at times.... the sunset may be different from day to day and place to place but it is the same sun after all !

life's little blessings....

life's little blessings ....

as i'm writing this one am sitting by window and glass door of my balcony and can see a beautiful moon outside sparkling up above the sky..... and all i can do is watch it in awe.... and i feel blessed for all the nature around me .... haven't i loved doing this from a time unknown.... i simply can stare it for hours together and not get bored .... i can see in it some beautiful moments gone by.... some good times that i have hoped to have.... some dreams that have just been dreams... some dreams that have still got their chances..... some places i've been to, some places i would like to.... it's all there in the face of the moon.... is it the moon or a miraculous kaleidoscope flashing back different colors of my life.... i don't know but i'm eternally thankful that it is there at this moment peeping in from my window bathing me in it's silver glory, smiling back at me with its smooth silver beauty and its uneven spots just a full one ....something similar to how life needs both pain and pleasure to have that complete full feeling ... in spite of the imperfections they are both beautiful !

some simple pleasures of life !

So it was the first day of joblessness and I quite enjoyed it to be frank. After years of dedication to books and degrees and then landing into a job that didn't give me the satisfaction I was looking for it was a bold decision to quit. Don't know what life holds next but am sure something good will come out of it, it's just a matter of time. So, in the mean time when I've got all the time for myself I'm determined to make the most of it... so since I had ample of time I got to go through the picture library of mine and got few clicks which I felt I should share here

these are all taken from my terrace.... one of the advantage of living in a city which despite of man-made mess is naturally beautiful :) and is there anything more beautiful than nature herself ???

postcards from pokhara

there are few glimpses from my recent visit to Pokhara...too lazy to write, an pictures speak more than words so have a look.....

nature talks....

one thing i look forward while on a health camp is the surrounding areas, for the reason that the camps are usually organized in rural areas and as expected these areas are still far for hustle bustle and pollution of the city life..... where the pristine beauty of nature is still preserved in its nascent form.... so here is a click from today's health camp... wishing that i was carrying a better camera rather than just my phone....

my pictures their words :)

some words that i love on my click :)

a pic taken at Marina Beach, Chennai ... to know more about this lively beach : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marina_Beach

on a cup of tea

this is the view for my morning tea.... :)

perfect imperfections !

life is far from being perfect..... but, imperfect at times is perfectly beautiful !

my share of sky !

My share of sky this morning :)

"Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don't even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child - our own two eyes. All is a miracle." (Thich Nhat Hanh)

the blend

over the horizon i see a defining line, one separating the dark and the not-so-dark.... there seems to be a silent tussle going on, each of them trying to cross the line and blend with the other one.... but then crossing the line needs much more than just a mere desire.... it needs a dedication that's beyond the boundaries defining the norms.... they stir within themselves.... they fight with themselves... they grow.... they expand and they finally rise.....rise way above that line.... and there is nothing that can now stop them from blending into each other.... no line in the world can now divide them...... and then they together blend into each other to the perfection.... the onlooker can only marvel at their dance of togetherness....the way they mold into each other taking different shapes together.....flying everywhere... moving in all directions...... and now not only over the horizon but instead they take over the entire sky..... the white and the dark clouds together ..... ready to pour down .... ready to take the journey together for the ultimate destination..... ready to quench the thirsty earth :

Insurmountable Mountains

I stand all alone at this point, and look around myself. All I see in this orange light of the setting Sun, are high mountains surrounding me. Look at those mountains, they are so huge that even the Sun can hide itself behind them. Valleys are of course meant to be surrounded by mountains from all the sides, and that's the beauty of it, but at times it feels as if they are being barriers. And now a days somehow those 'at times' come very frequently. Not a good sign I guess. I look upon those insurmountable mountains, magnanimous and unvanquishable, I wonder, if I would ever be able to get beyond them. It seems impossible ! But then haven't I learnt in one of my most precious lessons of life that 'Impossible' is just 'I'm possible' spelled shabbily. So, why worry, and why fear, I can't afford to loose the battle even before it begins, by letting the paralyzing emotions like fear and negativity creep in. I'll work upon it, I'll find a way or else I'll make one, either a road, or a tunnel, or  I can even fly across...... the mountains no longer would be insurmountable. I'll return tomorrow again to this same point, again in the orange light, but not of the setting Sun, but of a rising a Sun, when the Sun will mount upon those high mountains, and rise well above them..... making them seem so inferior and so surmountable.

p.s.- my fav. qote from the Bible- "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, move, and nothing shall be impossible to you. "

the moon's love story

So, the diamond ring has been the talk of the town for a while, it seems. But have you ever wondered about the story behind the diamond ring? Of course everyone knows the scientific theories of eclipse, but have you ever heard the love story behind this ring….ok let me take the pleasure of narrating it here.
The moon, which is an indispensable part of romanticism, the very epitome of love, which has been an object of admiration for all the love stricken people since time unknown, has got a love story of its own, an interesting one in fact.
Now guess who is the lucky lover of this mystique beauty….. Of course the sun ! Wondering …. how can it be the sun, after all you never spot them together. But , next time when you go out in the day light, look around the sky, in some corner you may find the moon totally lost in the sun’s light. Yes, this is how the day starts for the moon….as the sun rises to it’s prominence and enlightens the world, the moon seems to be fading away, but is it really fading away? Actually the moon is getting submerged in the love of its lover. The moon surrenders itself completely to its love and such intense this selfless surrender is that there comes a moment when the moon loses its identity completely. Just imagine the bliss of such a relationship where a person lets go ones identity, all its love, all its self for the sake of love. Imagine the audacity of giving away every ounce of itself , and just look at the ease with which the moon does it.
So, through out the day the moon is completely immersed in its lover’s light, their love mingling, up in the heavenly azure. But as we know, when has the course of true love ever run smooth? So, how can this story be spared?

As the dusk succeeds the day, the sun start disappearing, the time has come, to let the love go, the moon will have to face the dark night all alone… the long dark night.

The sun before leaving makes the moon promise that however tough the time may be, how so ever dark the night may turn out to be but the moon will face every second of the darkness without losing the faith in love. The sun leaves, and moon absorbs its love and enlighten it self with the sun’s light. As the night grows darker, the moon grows brighter. Though not together, but the sun’s light never leaves the moon for a single moment. It’s the sun’s love which makes the moon radiate so beautifully that even those thousand times bigger stars seem to be so inferior.
So, there in the night stands the lonely lover longing to meet its love, and the irony is, here on earth, people like you and me look up at the moon, and give a wishful sigh thinking about our loved ones.

Moon itself is burning up there, but gives comfort to those lonely longing pair of eyes, who looking up at the moon console themselves with the fact that at some other corner of the world another pair of eyes that they love, too are looking up at the moon. So, there in that long dark night the bruised moon keeps healing those lonely hearts on the earth with a hope that ultimately there will be a dawn and the sun will rise once again, embracing the moon once again. And slowly the dawn breaks…… you see the orange flames of love burning in the sun…. and the moon is ready to be consumed once again into the eternity of love. Once again the day brightens and the love smiles :)

So, next time when you see the moon, recall this story for a moment and remember that,however lonely and dark the night may be, but there definitely comes a morning, every dusk is ultimately succeeded by a dazzling dawn. So keep up your faith alive and hold on to your love.

ps: and an eclipse is one of those lucky days when we can spot those two lovers together, in fact very much together, it’s their date… when the sun presents the moon with that dazzling diamond ring :)

the winter rain

There are very few things more haunting yet more romantic than a winter rain.
It’s always a stirring experience.

I sit by my window and see those dark clouds descending down the high mountains into the valley….. like the brave warriors marching forward with valor, with thunders and lightening as their weapons, they soon conquer the sky, the mighty sun too surrenders and is curtailed.....a sunny afternoon soon turns into a gloomy scene. The wind accompanying the clouds is fiercely cold and strong. It shakes the denuded branches of  brazen trees. There seems to be a desperation in the stir, seems as if the juddering trees are pleading the clouds to break down heavily and drench the earth, so that the buds will sprout again, the leaves in their nascent green will decorate the trees once again, and once again it will lead a way for the spring.

As i look upon the sight outside, the glass of my window too is being shaken by the wind, the breeze is turning the pages of my diary which lies open on the table by the window side, the cup of coffee has lost it effervescence and my un-capped pen rolls over the table.

It’s getting darker with every passing moment, and the wind becomes stronger, the curtains in my room fly higher, I keep looking outside. As the storm keeps building up, it not only perturbs the scene outside, but somewhere deep down in my own self too, things are stirred, memories some good, some bad, start hitting the soul in the same way as the chilled breeze has been hitting my face. Outside there,I see those fallen leaves being carried away by the wind, and in here I too am getting carried away by my thoughts, thoughts of today, memories of yesterday and fears and imaginations of tomorrow. There I see a swirl rising up….. and within myself I see faces, faces of people I have come across, some of them who are with me, some who were left behind, some who moved ahead, I see events, events trivial as well as magnanimous, all of them shaping my life in their own ways, I see places, places which have left an imprint on mind, some unforgettable journeys, some subconsciously noted roads,some cross roads, some never covered distances, some imaginary adobes, I see the ever-changing seasons, everything together creates a whirlpool.

The storm is at its zenith, the swirl rising to its greatest possible height, leaves, particles, dust everything dancing on the tune of the wind, but the center is empty…… yes, the center is empty I notice, in the same way as I see an empty me at the center of the world revolving round me, the thoughts, those people, those memories, the feelings, the places..... amidst all of them I stand alone .....haunted.

And the storm explodes....the lightening is meiotic and the sound is deafening, for a moment everything stops, it's all numb…… and the flood gates are opened, it’s pouring down heavily…I come out of the trance to find that the earth is being soaked up, the trees are tranquilized, the wind is no where to be felt, the flying in leaves now being washed and buried into the soil. The rain drops take the liberty to cross my window and I feel the wetness on my face, my fingers touch those drops over my cheeks…. and it’s not cold….seems some flood gates got opened here too…and

I smile.

I shut the window glasses and notice the mess on my table….. The storm has left all it’s marks here,on the pages of my diary….. dirt particles, a dried leaf and also some rain everything lies there, the cup of coffee now split, the pen still lying coverless in a corner. I gather up myself, clear up the mess, light the lamp on the table, and all of a sudden the ambience is so perfectly lit, a soft light being scatters all around. The cup in my hands needs a refilling I feel, I get into the kitchen and somehow on my regular dark taste, I today feel the need of adding a dash of cream and a spoonful of chocolate too….and then sipping up the dark temptation I get back to my room, put on my favorite rain song, and laze by the window.

I can smell the fragrance coming from a happy earth, whose thirst has been quenched. The warm bitter-sweet taste of the coffee lingers in my mouth and a similar sensation I feel down my heart too. Those thoughts, those people, those places, those memories, those feelings, which felt so very haunting a moment ago, were now metamorphosing themselves into a beautiful medley .The good times were celebrating, the not so good ones were humbly smiling at the valuable lessons they taught. People were leaving their footprints on the sand of the heart, some prints getting washed away, some were permanently engraved, some I found beside me, some behind and some leading me, there was a common link that all of them at some point had been with me and I was grateful that I had not been alone. The chamaeleon nature of the seasons was coloring my life. The roads, some were waving goodbyes and some showed milestones with a welcome tag. And then there were days … yesterday was fading out with a satisfied smile on it’s face, tomorrow was again too far to comprehend and it too had a mysterious but promising smile on it’s face, and today definitely seemed to be a present in all the sense. So slowly the haunting things got a romantic color on them, and I find myself smiling.... a smile that has the satisfaction of yesterday, promise of tomorrow and the present of today :)

And the rain out side thins, on one corner I see the blue sky, and find the sun softly lifting the veil of the subdued clouds to see a freshly bathed earth…… romance is in the air….;)