LAKE PANGONG IN LADAKH

 Ladakh demands a 360* rotation of the cervix to take in the entire landscape, at every halt you make. It may stun you into long silence or make you gasp but then you were cautioned before the journey.  A half day's journey over both roller coaster roads and the serpentine ones, carries you from Leh to the Lake and leaves you stupefied at this vision of magic. Sighting Pangong lake is like a view of heaven as imagined by  artists.  Turquoise blue at our first sighting and as sheer as possible, it has a bland mineral mountain range surrounding it from most sides and to complete that feeling of disbelief, the sailing clouds overhead appear to take a halt as they park at the lake.  

Even a week long tour only partly fulfills the greedy heart. The land is a bit frugal on oxygen and thus needing one to acclimatise at the start, but the heart soon adapts and begins to revel at the contact with pure air. For every other assistance just look upto the generous, warm Ladakhis. 

VACATIONING IN THE WILD

One glance at it and you would conclude right away that this vehicle must have seen action in WW I, such hammered and weather beaten was its appearance. There were four of us tackling the bumpy wild country ride in military's rusted & disposed article apart from the driver who was nonchalant about it and frankly told us he was new to the job. Okay, in that case an unfriendly wildlife would demand a quick-witted response from our side.


                                                                                                                                                                      The Jungle preserved as a National Park, is impressive enough for the variety of green foliage it sustains. Wildlife is a bonus. A  shallow riverbed runs through the forest which only fills up when it rains. 

NATIONAL PARK MORNINGS

                                        

Rajaji National Park at Rishikesh-Haridwar has quiet mornings. An abandoned highway running right through the Sanctuary helps a reassuring feeling that one wouldn't get lost for long.
So daybreak at forest lodge meant an invitation to a leisurely nature walk. A lively, young canine appeared and decided he was to be our guide and companion for the tour. Aah, that smell of morning forest, the breeze, the chirping and sudden flights of birds between trees, that hour is much more than a walk. The guide never tires of anecdotes along the way. Our companion invents his own thrill n' games with other fauna. Nature Walk ends at the edge of majestic Ganga. The township is visible at the horizon and we're glad to be at this end.

TERRAIN THAT HOSTS THE GANGES

HARIDWAR is a much visited temple town. Rishikesh, its twin town, is where River Ganga - the Ganges - descends from the Himalayan ranges into the plains. Venerated by the faithful & the grateful for supporting farming and life, for nourishing & sustaining cities on its banks over thousands of known years......Ganga in rapid flow is an awesome sight. Her epic journey truly begins here.

Rajaji National Park, hems it for a while to one side. Host to Elephants, Tigers, Panthers, and gentler wildlife, an early morning or evening walk through the woods (guided) lifts up the spirit of the city dweller. We didn't encounter danger but the probability kept blood in a rush.

DEMOCRACY STREET

In the heart of the Capital city, a patch of public land is barricaded at  the two ends. From sunrise to sunset, this zone hosts protesters, speakers, activists, listeners, the flag-bearer, the radical, the patriot and the dissenting anarchist. Some have come here after losing most of their hope of a redressal. So some carry a petition, others make a rhetorical point, or voice a deep disenchantment with the Establishment.

the Democracy Street finds room for every protester. In the story here, a Union of Farmers has gathered to voice their protest against govt's heartless farm policy. Some provincial governments have written off their bank-debts. That, they believe is no solution. They want reasonable & assured prices for their farm produce. How can their elected govt indulge the big industry through concessions n' reliefs, while the farmers are left to fend for themselves ? That is the sum of their multiple grievances. 

BUYER'S OPTIONS

CAPITALISM'S HUMANE FACE

the trendy store had dressed up to entice Christmas & New Year shoppers. To complement the colors of its new facade it had thrown in a blue rug at the entrance. Winter had set in and the rug over cold stone floor held out a promise. Neighbourhood's peaceful canine force approached it, snuggled against it, and settled down for a snooze. Through the first few weeks of wintry bite this arrangement between shop management and their unpaid guards worked without a hitch. Shoppers too didn't mind. 

WINTER'S BEST BUDDIES

December is closing now. In between the chilly hours of dawn n' dusk a radiant sun beckons little furries, feathers n' flora to put up a lively show. 


Sunny in winter is gorgeous.



our Planet has moved farther from its star & the delicate tilt has Sun's rays obliging us an acute angle. Its angular light, you see, that enhances the delicate form of an object. We are going to chill, be overwrapped, warm our food, be in love, for another month. Aah to live a winter .......

EARLY HOURS OF A WINTER

Mornings when a bloom tells you, it is the News of the day. Winter reigns and plants are reciprocating to an un-severe tropical winter. 

Winter surrounds it. Rays of sun (its mostly out) just warm enough, bright enough, to persuade her to open up and hold out hope for another season of cheer.

CITY LIGHTS

Winter evenings are perceptibly darker now. They fall early, and find human traffic in a business like rush. "Get home early, get the car windows up, walk faster, grab a warm bite, step inside the shop/ metro"... these common exhortations have a seasonal ring to them. There is a loneliness to these dusk hours as temperatures make a cruel drop every hour.

Hawkers have their merchandise laid out on these cold sidewalks. Smart shoppers on the lookout for a bargain on an ethnic, handcrafted wear, may find just that thing as an evening's reward. Brand names, meanwhile, look on trying to catch a tip or two about Trends.

WRITER'S FEST IN CITY

journalists - are they free to write as they please ? No ! quite emphatically stated. Media houses, Editor, circulation-marketing managers, those investors in the Media House... they all determine what is fit to print.

the media house that was the first to compromise with market forces was holding the event to celebrate writers and writing. Some irony was evident. 

OCCASIONS WHEN WE REGROUP

 Party ! a Birthday and an anniversary falling on the same date need a celebration. If the date records a milestone too, there's no getting out. If forgetful, you'll be reminded by all  those of a healthy appetite and yearning for some fun.

Forever shy of a public euphoria, Anupam gives in to societal pressure. Arch (the initiator) in top frame. There's a bunch of gift wrapped surprises too. Let's see, what could be inside this one ...

Light was low as you can tell, pretty low. But the principle guiding a photographer is to never let an occasion slip by. What is being lived at this moment, shall be a memory tomorrow.

Cushion ! And it has a couple of familiar faces on it. Animated chats, surprise topics, not so healthy but very palatable food, always a few unknown faces to make acquaintance, a bit of music if mood sets in, anecdotes, ....family gatherings are always an occasion to reset relationships.

GANESHA IS A BUSY GOD

Outside the metropolis, highways that run in all four directions showcase rows and rows of sparkling newly built or partly built apartment blocks. Some seem to have run into a business plan glitch, their industrial monster-tools, those countless scaffoldings, the dust-laden half-built megaliths stand as if frozen to a divine command (or court-order).

Elevators in place, fittings all done, coats of paint on every wall, and some landscaping with patches of green planted, it is time to invite candidate-residents to move in.                                                                                        

                                                                     Grih-Pravesh is a popular ceremony of anointment for the new dwelling. Bad Spirits and Ill Omens, the Evil Eye, all are warded off and the Deities of good fortune are welcomed to bless the new abode. A bit of singing may happen, also sharing of local sweets, and relations and friends all congregate to mark the event as one of joyful accomplishment. For the family it marks a new level of contentment.
                                                                   

THE POWER OF FAITH

Monks wear an easy restraint on emotions. Comes from years of training in Buddha's teachings, perhaps. The shrine's prayer/meditation room has this image of the venerated one. 
Every visitor huffing and puffing his way up the formidable staircase, becomes a party to the all pervading silence once he approaches the shrine.