Enthralling Trails

  To become spring, means accepting the risk of winter. To become a presence, means accepting the risk of absence.”   ―   Antoine de Saint-Exupéry  Sagar stood aloof as the kith and kin of the bride and groom were ushered towards the main building. Group photographs were being taken after the wedding ceremony. There were kids, adults, parents, uncles, aunts and so many more, in all they were around forty to fifty people. The photographer took pains to coordinate them  in the most suitable manner so that each one looked his best and was visible. As soon as he clicked the photograph, a few enthusiastic adults and children ran to him and peered into the digital camera, they approved the photograph and went for the next one. A little later the young ones raised their mobile phone with an extended stick called the selfie stick and smiled to click a selfie. A  Selfie is a self portrait typically taken with a digital camera or smartphone and shared via socia...

    It was a  well deferred visit to one of the reputable Banks. I would have preferred not visiting the bank, but it was inevitable. A few years back when we moved from Nigdi to Chinchwad, we were asked to change the address of all the important documents. An address proof is asked almost everywhere. This bank was one of the places where I had not updated the address, and as luck would be the last leaf of the cheque book had to be utilised after moving to the new address.  At the moment, I needed a new cheque book, but kept the visit awaiting owing to the numerous chores which occupied my consideration. One sunny day, I visited the bank and requested the fair young gentleman at the counter to issue a new cheque book. He told me that a cheque book would be delivered at my house address. I quickly reminded him that the postal address had changed. He asked me to submit the necessary documents to provide a  proof of residence. I  got busy with the o...

  Take from our souls, the strain and stress And let our ordered lives confess The beauty of Your peace -Charles L Allen Parvathi stood in the crowd, the mob pushed her and swayed backwards as the train sped through the suburbs  of  Mumbai. It had been a daily routine for her. Her office was situated at Church Gate very close to Fountain, a stop at Church Gate. The journey from Mira Road to Church Gate was a long one, but she was used to it. Taking a cab or bus was unimaginable due to long hours of travel. What infuriated her was the journey from the railway station to her house at Shristi in Mira Road . Her home was 4 kms away from the station. She had to depend on a sharing auto to take her close to her building. She had to hop out at the end of the long lane and then reach her building and scale six floors.  The flat was a huge one measuring 1600 square feet. This was possible only in the suburbs. She was an officer working in the Income Tax Office...

    “The truth about an animal is far more exciting and altogether more beautiful than all the myths woven about it. ”   ―   Konrad Lorenz Mansoor walked down the cool lane calmly. He was ten years old, not very tall, but was fair and well built. He had a school bag on his shoulder and a water bottle in his hand, which he swirled as he walked. He saw people look at him inquisitively, their curiosity was well understood as he smiled. It was the end of April, and the  summer vacation had commenced. The young lady across the road could not stop herself from asking Mansoor as to what made him go for tuitions in the summer vacations. Mansoor smiled and told her that he belonged to the ‘KridaKul’ school and that he had just ten days holidays in the last week of May. The lady asked him ‘Krida’ is to Play so why did he have to carry a huge school bag’. Mansoor patiently described his schedule saying that a ‘KridaKul’ showered equal emphasis on studies and sport...

And stand together yet not too near together: For the pillars of the temple stand apart, And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.”   ―   Kahlil Gibran , It has been ages since I contemplated a question as simple as this one. This has been the way of life, the scriptures also speak of this as Grihstashram.   Grihastha   ( Sanskrit :   gr̥hastha ) literally means "being in and occupied with home, family" or "householder".   It refers to the second phase of an individual's life in a four age-based stages of the   Hindu ashram system ,  It follows   Brahmacharya   (bachelor student) life stage, and embodies a married life, with the duties of maintaining a home, raising a family, educating one's children, and leading a family- centred and a   dharmic   social life . ( Wikipedia) The young girl looked at me and asked me ‘why should one get married? Does marriage put an end to the problems in ou...

“I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, "This is what it is to be happy.”   ―   Sylvia Plath The early morning  walks in the man-made forest have been the most satiating ones for me. It has nev er bored me as there are numerous paths to tread, giving a newness each day. The hilltop is breezy with the ghats visible till the horizon, the varying tints of the sky at sunrise keeps one spellbound. While returning back there are two paths to reach the main gate. One of the paths is a large course, while the other pathway curves as a paved alleyway with the lawn and playground on one side, and a fenced wall encompasses the lake on the other side. The lake is actually carved hilly rocks which have been chisled to fill water, and with time the rocks have dissipated. The lake has widened naturally and now has a mountainous wall on one side with numerous birds like the pigeons living in the small fissures and whittles . Th...