The Epic

,

The story well known, stood the test of time,
The moral admired, the brute paid for his crime.
Living the story, I see the curious peep in
and wonder aloud, with a heart now maudlin.
“why am I now the devil? wasn't one to begin with”
Isn't that how legends are made, part truth part myth.
"I had my reasons, what if no one understands"
Why then search for her in memory's wastelands?
So went the two beings in me on a rhetorical debate
in a visceral battle that never wants to abate.
Can't seem to hold on against this assault on my senses.
Shouldn't the pain be any less even for all my offences?
The king of clubs no more, all I'm is a vagrant
left pondering about the skewed tint of judgement.
That's when a familiar banished soul said, as if on cue,
truth, my brother, is just another point of view.

Travelogues : Hampi

This entry goes to a certain big-eyed girl from God's own country.. and the midnight conversation that led me back to blogging.

The trip to Hampi is one i would remember as the first i took with archana and ranjana (and two other friends) who would go on to become frequent partners in crime during the course of the next 14~15 months. We went to Hampi, a place steeped in history as well as mythology with not many expectations and even thought that 3 days in this place would be boring also. Were we proved wrong and HOW !

An over night bus journey from Bangalore via Hospet took us to the ruins of Hampi. After some initial fiddling around we crossed the river to get some accommodation. It was as though we stepped into a different time and space altogether. From a place which almost got left behind in time four centuries ago, we stepped into a place which had more foreigners than Indians, exotic food and make-shift restaurant/pubs playing trance like there is no tomorrow. The next two days were divided between long bicycle rides in the scorching heat, early morning and evening trecks to the 'monkey temple', the Hanuman temple on a hill, visiting the ruins, crossing the river on foot and some impromptu rock climbing inside a cave that purportedly was documented from the Ramayana times, no kidding.


Lassi at 7am for arch, listening to the gypsy travelers play guitar sitting on the huge rocks, the awesome Israeli cuisine, listening to the stories related the Ramayana supposedly to have taken place at the same place are the thoughts that are fresh in my head. This trip whet my appetite for both travel and photography and was a perfect start for the trips that were to follow.

Post note : Most of the Israeli tourists there normally travel right after the compulsory 3-year military service. One of these young travelers put their point of view succinctly when he said, "(Once you join the army)For three years, you belong to the army. After you are done, you belong neither to the army nor to your family. You just wander"

Wander the World

Thats the answer that came involuntarily to me when ever asked the question "What would you do if you had $10 million?" or any such similar sounding pointless queries. Travelling has always been a fascination. So has been photography. Luckily, they like each other's company and 'm not one to complain. 've often wondered if my fetish towards traveling is a way of exploring the unknown or escaping the dreary routine. I figured its a bit of both and many more unfathomable reasons. I've decided to stop decoding the reasons and enjoy the journey where ever it takes me. From the least known beaches in Goa to little Israel in Karnataka to the water logged mazes of Sunderban in Wbengal.

From experience, i figured that travel works out best when it is unplanned. That way there is more room for surprises and luckily more often than not they ended up being pleasant ones (Still cant forget the trip from blore to Goa. We decided after reaching the bus station that we would go 2 Goa!!). Getting lost in the tiger infested Sunderbans, travelling on the top of a bus, the beautiful beaches of Gokarna have all been experiences that I as well as the others involved would never forget. Each of these trips deserve a separate post and so this only works as a motivation for me to talk about those trips ( yeah! they have been 'trips' of all kinds)
More to follow...

Sunshine

All around me are familiar faces,
but the heart, like it's deserted for ages.
smiles like sunshine, she runs with my mind,
and i spend my nights wishing for a rewind.
'was a momentary loss of common sense,
and 'm for ever waiting by the fence.
Is this a mask mask or was it before?
is the question that rankles me more..