Enthralling Trails

  The Leh Palace in the City of Leh is located on a hill. The roads in Leh grow narrower between the terrains. Parvez drove the car carefully and with great expertise. A lot of women drive their cars in Leh. This was surprising since there was barely enough room for a second car to move on these narrow roads. Parvez dropped us off a short distance from the Palace, where there were cars parked for almost a quarter km. As there was plenty of sand under our feet, we moved slowly. Occasionally, a bit of the soil blew off the mountains. As we reached closer to the palace, we were able to stand on a flat platform with protected grills to view the magnificence of the snow-peaked mountains far away and the partially crowded city close by. On the other side, there were just tall mountains. The palace did not seem palatial. It was nine stories tall, but the height of each floor seemed low. The entrance had motifs just above the main doors that were swung open. People said that the view above...

  Taking a vacation to Leh town situated in the Ladakh province was a last-minute decision. It was only a brief visit and we did not have time to read about it. The city of Leh is the capital and the largest union territory in the province situated 3500 metres above sea level. It was a major halt on trade routes along the Indus Valley between Tibet and Kashmir. With its huge mountains and coloured crystals under the clear sky, it is known for its beauty. Its lakes and rivers have crystal blue water that changes its tone according to the changing light. We landed between the snow-capped mountains on our connecting flight from Delhi. It was announced that we weren’t supposed to click any photographs as it was a defence airport. People hurried out of the aircraft, a few of them had quickly grabbed their netted hoods, beanie and jackets. While Delhi was burning hot with the advent of summer, this place had cool winds blowing and was chilly. We enjoyed looking at the mountains and the i...

  “Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient.”― Steve Maraboli After two years of pandemics and virtual encounters, it was a regular technical event. People were cautious, they had their masks on and the sanitisers were available at regular halts. The event began with 500 people socially distanced inside an air-conditioned hall. Our guests of honour are usually people from the industry, but today we saw a young officer in Khaki. He appeared energetic and represented the Maharashtra Police. In the program’s course, the young officer was invited to the stage to speak a few words about the occasion. He began by saying, ‘When I was invited to this event to address you all, I asked your Principal, Sir, what would you like me to speak about since I am not associated with Engineering?’ He said, ‘Motivate the students towards doing their best in life’ I felt that to inspire and persuade another person, it was best to speak in their native language. There...

  Go higher and higher, until it becomes impossible to bring you down― Michael Bassey Johnson As the daily news rolled in, I recognized beautiful flying kites, some godly, some beastly, but all filled with life, and it slid me back into my childhood days. It also brought back memories of my golden yellow kite. Those were the good old days when technology hadn’t made an impact. In fact, television was rare then. It was an era when e-commerce didn’t exist, and one had to walk to the market for small and less important items as well. In one such walk with my mother, I stood admiring the bundled flying kites spread out on a white canvas. Although my mother tried to usher me, my attention was drawn to the tiny square kites. The kites were tiny, but I was not older than seven years old. The first kite was white with a blue tail…and the next one was pink…and the third one was golden yellow with a short blue tail. It is unclear when kites were invented. In 200 BC, Chinese General Han Hsin ...

  “If I had a flower for every time I thought of you…I could walk through my garden forever.”― Alfred Tennyson It was a typical year-end evening. A King Cobra snake emerged from behind the hedge and attempted to cross the street. This snake was not fully grown and was short in length.  It would raise its hood and curl its body when it threw itself across the road, it would then fall at a distance, and later it would glide even further. We were transfixed by the raised hood, flickering tongue, and startled eyes. We were also awestruck by its vibrant energy and intelligence. The determination was so strong that it reached the opposite side of the street though the traffic was at its peak and disappeared in the hedges. Along that roadside, there were vegetable vendors selling vegetables from carts. Upon seeing the King Cobra, these carts were left aside, they rushed forward to save themselves, anticipating the climax of seeing the Cobra land on their vegetables. After the sn...

  “Glittering tinsel, lights, glass balls, and candy canes dangle from pine trees.”― Richelle E. Goodrich, My daily walk through the man-made forest is full of mysteries, reminding me of fairy tales and unique secrets. As I was walking through the forest one morning, I picked up a leaf from the Christmas tree. That was not a common Christmas tree, it was a Leyland Cypress plant. There are cypresses throughout the forest, so this was a common plant in the area. As soon as I brought it home, I planted the leaf and its axillary bud in a long flat pot. Then, I watered it thoroughly. It grew in the friendly space of the money plant and hibiscus which were swift in their growth. While the leaf remained green, I did not see much growth. The soft branches of the money plant almost covered the leaf, while the hibiscus plant stood two feet high. Just when I was about to give up, I saw a tiny twig growing from the leaf. The leaf had finally begun growing. After that, it never stopped growing,...

  “It does not matter how long you are spending on the earth, how much money you have gathered or how much attention you have received. It is the amount of positive vibration you have radiated in life that matters,”― Amit Ray, It was a festive time in India and every home was well lit with lights. The smell of savouries filled the air. The Pandemic seemed to have been forgotten. Fear, loss, and pain have been laid to rest. The market on the square was filled with groceries and food. The sale was larger than expected. Ayesha began to walk to the grocery store in a haze to buy the normal supplies. There were lots of shops on the pavement. The shops sold candles, Diya, trinkets, savouries, footwear and many others. This place was closest to Ayesha’s tenement. Things were getting back to normal for her despite all she had been through this year. Ayesha hailed from Hyderabad’s old city. The lanes and bylanes that lead to the Charminar, the churi bazaar, and gullies were among her favour...