startling banals
12 February 2024
morning rush-
going their own way
the child
and the tomcat
29 June 2023
monsoon-
it's raining
jamuns
11 August 2022
waking up-
home..
is a bus stop
29 June 2022
bus stop friends-
only their feet
dangle and swing
12 July 2020
Sunday morning-
the groans and struggles
of mixies far and wide
the groans and struggles
of mixies far and wide
15 June 2020
lock-down-
at long last,
the domestication
of cockroaches
at long last,
the domestication
of cockroaches
why so shy
it's only us
lock-down cockroaches
it's only us
lock-down cockroaches
30 March 2020
wet clumpy
anime eyelashes-
baby bath
anime eyelashes-
baby bath
21 March 2020
with careful steps
through its own mess-
toddler
through its own mess-
toddler
13 March 2020
high-rise shaft
the amplifier
of farts
the amplifier
of farts
07 June 2019
the baby checks
from the corner of its eye-
is the lullaby over?
from the corner of its eye-
is the lullaby over?
Sunday market-
the banana-seller
shares his shade
the banana-seller
shares his shade
one standing
and the other sitting
in the ploughed field
the bulls look
far away
and the other sitting
in the ploughed field
the bulls look
far away
summer morning-
all around
the maddening mogra
the honeybees
dead
all around
the maddening mogra
the honeybees
dead
24 March 2019
unloading-
the papaya brothers
play catch
the papaya brothers
play catch
28 January 2019
turning away..
with the poise of
a seasoned smoker-
the baby puts in its thumb
with the poise of
a seasoned smoker-
the baby puts in its thumb
14 November 2018
from
one dead honeybee
to the next-
dragonfly
04 November 2018
the jeep
slows down-
pups
slows down-
pups
24 October 2018
this October afternoon
sitting on your cart
surrounded by bananas
behind this once-white cloth of a curtain
does your little bitty notepad
account for each fruit?
sitting on your cart
surrounded by bananas
behind this once-white cloth of a curtain
does your little bitty notepad
account for each fruit?
29 September 2018
abandoned plot
overgrown overrun
by dragonflies
overgrown overrun
by dragonflies
calling across
the space between
high-rise dogs
the space between
high-rise dogs
28 May 2018
spraying
the world below-
highrise pigeon
the world below-
highrise pigeon
22 March 2018
all over
this sun-burnt land,
blooming neem
this sun-burnt land,
blooming neem
22 February 2018
on her doorstep-
the wrinkled ajji
points out
her grandchild
has no teeth
too
the wrinkled ajji
points out
her grandchild
has no teeth
too
noon-
through the village ruins
bumblebee
through the village ruins
bumblebee
21 February 2018
morning-
walking through tilled fields
parrots
walking through tilled fields
parrots
Vashi bridge-
two friends lean over
to feed seagulls
two friends lean over
to feed seagulls
Melghat morning-
crows tilt paLas flowers
in the dark
crows tilt paLas flowers
in the dark
15 February 2018
cold morning-
the river fish
wake early
the river fish
wake early
22 December 2017
Amravati morning
bulbuls check out
garbage bins
bulbuls check out
garbage bins
04 October 2017
misty rice fields
birds on electric wires
sunrise
birds on electric wires
sunrise
24 April 2017
dawn-
the toddler's tiny
yawn
the toddler's tiny
yawn
10 April 2017
summer evening
a feast for crows
mango tree
a feast for crows
mango tree
16 February 2017
stepping off the bus
the winner of hearts
toddler
the winner of hearts
toddler
05 February 2017
chilly dawn-
crows inspect
the cricket pitch
crows inspect
the cricket pitch
from the laden jackfruit-
the yellow-green
mosquitoes
the yellow-green
mosquitoes
03 February 2017
"Look how its ears are - pink, pink!"
the toddler admires
the banana-thief
monkey
the toddler admires
the banana-thief
monkey
02 February 2017
traffic island-
the ash-gray calf
eats spinach
the ash-gray calf
eats spinach
12 January 2017
foggy dawns-
they wake and stir
yellow school buses
they wake and stir
yellow school buses
12 December 2016
street cow-
lusting for
tomatoes
lusting for
tomatoes
20 November 2016
high rise duct-
the ringing chuckles
of a house lizard
the ringing chuckles
of a house lizard
19 November 2016
walking up
to the shitting man-
baby cockroach
to the shitting man-
baby cockroach
31 October 2016
letting go-
the death dance
the death dance
of dry leaves
26 August 2016
morning rush-
looking for
the baby's glasses
looking for
the baby's glasses
04 August 2016
juice shop
crowded trash can
wasps and bees
crowded trash can
wasps and bees
all morning
it cools my shoulder
baby snort
it cools my shoulder
baby snort
08 July 2016
not the first father
that breastfed
teddybears
that breastfed
teddybears
07 June 2016
crowded bus-
the baby's
biscuit box
the baby's
biscuit box
31 May 2016
evening flight-
grandpa grins
at the clouds
evening flight-
the grizzled grandpa grins
at the clouds
grandpa grins
at the clouds
evening flight-
the grizzled grandpa grins
at the clouds
17 May 2016
village summer-
steering through
mangoes
steering through
mangoes
12 April 2016
summer afternoon,
floating
over the swimming pool-
dragonfly
floating
over the swimming pool-
dragonfly
18 March 2016
to come home in time
to be force-fed
by the daughter
to be force-fed
by the daughter
14 August 2015
morning bus -
the monsoon smells
of school gear
the monsoon smells
of school gear
03 July 2015
what do you see
in the bucket whirlpool
baby?
in the bucket whirlpool
baby?
05 June 2015
swimming pool-
safe underwater
the icy raindrops
safe underwater
the icy raindrops
23 April 2015
bus ride -
the vendor pays
with flowers
the vendor pays
with flowers
20 February 2015
perfect poise
a floating zen monk-
mosquito
a floating zen monk-
mosquito
05 September 2014
bus stop-
watching the sunset
with strangers
watching the sunset
with strangers
02 September 2014
this windy night
the coconut grove
sounds like the sea
the coconut grove
sounds like the sea
a road-side chat
monkey-capped
toddlers
monkey-capped
toddlers
morning rush-
the downstairs couple
squeezes in a fight
the downstairs couple
squeezes in a fight
27 August 2014
blink
and you're gone
mosquito
and you're gone
mosquito
don't fight
over me
mosquitoes
over me
mosquitoes
rush hour
gutters overflow
with silk-cotton seeds
gutters overflow
with silk-cotton seeds
16 August 2014
night-
yellow streetlight
the lame dog goes home
yellow streetlight
the lame dog goes home
10 August 2014
let the toaster
cool down
daredevil ant
cool down
daredevil ant
work ends
and their home goes down
construction workers
and their home goes down
construction workers
our daughter's
first blinking look
at the sky
first blinking look
at the sky
31 July 2014
morning-
up risky fences
flowers for ajji's gods
up risky fences
flowers for ajji's gods
cycle shop-
the squirrels play
hide and seek
the squirrels play
hide and seek
11 June 2014
empty building-
the squirrel enjoys
her echo
the squirrel enjoys
her echo
scaling the commode
for a better view
spider
for a better view
spider
25 April 2014
morning-
sunbirds and bees
creating coconuts quietly
sunbirds and bees
creating coconuts quietly
19 April 2014
on the squirrel
and on the stork-
our daughter's face
and on the stork-
our daughter's face
15 March 2014
dada says to inni 'it is such a beautiful day'
in my dream
did any day
start this way
in their half century
of being married?
in my dream
did any day
start this way
in their half century
of being married?
09 March 2014
the area cats
know
it's Sunday
know
it's Sunday
23 January 2014
winter night
a bat crosses
the milky way
a bat crosses
the milky way
17 January 2014
the end comes
looking at oneself
mirror mosquito
looking at oneself
mirror mosquito
25 December 2013
sampling cake
on the footpath
cockroach
on the footpath
cockroach
23 December 2013
high up
in the treetops
kites and butterflies
in the treetops
kites and butterflies
17 October 2013
nibbling away
even at the gates
of the butcher shop
even at the gates
of the butcher shop
06 August 2013
the kite
swoops down
on an idli
swoops down
on an idli
morning bus
the child calls it a river
naalaa
the child calls it a river
naalaa
07 July 2013
saturday morning
wafting groans
struggling mixer
wafting groans
struggling mixer
24 June 2013
monsoon night
the coconut's
restless rustle
the coconut's
restless rustle
22 June 2013
away from the sea
the coconut
still blooms
holiday afternoon
the coconut sways
from angst to ecstasy
holiday afternoon
the coconut pines
for a lost love
afternoon rain
the coconut's
thousand dripping fingers
the coconut
still blooms
holiday afternoon
the coconut sways
from angst to ecstasy
holiday afternoon
the coconut pines
for a lost love
afternoon rain
the coconut's
thousand dripping fingers
20 June 2013
restaurant water
the lion at the bottom
of the glass
the lion at the bottom
of the glass
10 June 2013
black keyboard
plastic fantastic
Dali-esque landscape
insect explorers
plastic fantastic
Dali-esque landscape
insect explorers
04 June 2013
o sweet warbling bulbul
come shit
on my clothesline
come shit
on my clothesline
05 May 2013
under laden jackfruit
a fat garland
cow's breakfast
a fat garland
cow's breakfast
25 April 2013
a dog
being chased
by a lady
in a car
Parle biscuits in hand
being chased
by a lady
in a car
Parle biscuits in hand
old building
the nightwatchman explains
the sleepless pigeons' hunger
the nightwatchman explains
the sleepless pigeons' hunger
21 April 2013
adopting
the new construction
campus dogs
the new construction
campus dogs
20 April 2013
bus stop morning
inspecting
akka's uniform
inspecting
akka's uniform
03 April 2013
drenched banyan
the bull frog's
rain dance
the bull frog's
rain dance
02 April 2013
cool morning breeze
over rooftops
translucent moon
over rooftops
translucent moon
morning eyes
a patch of sun
moves over the red slippers
a patch of sun
moves over the red slippers
25 March 2013
night train
the overflowing general
and the sun-goggled AC
the overflowing general
and the sun-goggled AC
holding hands
down the slide
playgroup friends
down the slide
playgroup friends
20 March 2013
evening sun
the canteen dog's
shining nose
the canteen dog's
shining nose
15 March 2013
bedtime
swinging like a maniac
the glowing phone
27 February 2013
toddlers' sports day
the whole world smiles
the whole world smiles
23 February 2013
dinner gulped down
gaping at the cow
girl-child
gaping at the cow
girl-child
walking
under the shade
of silk-cotton seeds
under the shade
of silk-cotton seeds
tar road
shadows criss-cross
swooping kite,
falling leaf
shadows criss-cross
swooping kite,
falling leaf
14 February 2013
dusk
from the shadows
campus dogs
from the shadows
campus dogs
23 January 2013
dead
yet beautiful
green dragonfly
yet beautiful
green dragonfly
14 January 2013
Pongal morning
amidst raangolis
the lame street dog
amidst raangolis
the lame street dog
Pongal morning
loudspeaker mantras
smoking priest
loudspeaker mantras
smoking priest
Pongal morning
through the darkness
faraway farts
through the darkness
faraway farts
09 January 2013
night road
talking to each other
watchmen's sticks
talking to each other
watchmen's sticks
night road
going the other way
beetle
going the other way
beetle
last pages
of a gripping novel
the mosquito, dead
of a gripping novel
the mosquito, dead
coming home
to a rumbling
commode
to a rumbling
commode
08 January 2013
enough time
to escape the broom
spider
to escape the broom
spider
29 December 2012
the mind goes chasing
imaginary mosquitoes;
if it doesn't find any,
it breeds some of its own
imaginary mosquitoes;
if it doesn't find any,
it breeds some of its own
28 December 2012
marriage hall-
the shehnai player
a mobile addict
the shehnai player
a mobile addict
21 December 2012
from hall to kitchen
and back
the child's running shadow
and back
the child's running shadow
19 December 2012
marriage hall-
between pieces
the shehnai player's
cellphone
between pieces
the shehnai player's
cellphone
northward train-
the termite hills
change colour
too
the termite hills
change colour
too
13 December 2012
why so restless
before biting me
mosquito?
before biting me
mosquito?
07 December 2012
ghat road-
jungle smells,
daytime chorus
of crickets
jungle smells,
daytime chorus
of crickets
03 December 2012
past midnight
the station dog eavesdrops
homeward-bound labourers
joking about
missing their train
the station dog eavesdrops
homeward-bound labourers
joking about
missing their train
02 December 2012
night train
platform's edge
the tea seller's solitary smoke
platform's edge
the tea seller's solitary smoke
30 November 2012
its enthusiastic chatter
suddenly silenced
by a wailing child
neighbourhood TV
suddenly silenced
by a wailing child
neighbourhood TV
29 November 2012
shimmering shadow
hovers over the book page
lampshade mosquito
hovers over the book page
lampshade mosquito
14 November 2012
fistfuls of warm sand
for her parents
toddler
for her parents
toddler
01 November 2012
drizzling sky
drenched banyan's
dripping roots
drenched banyan's
dripping roots
rainy holiday
creeping up to the hostel
umbrellad parents
creeping up to the hostel
umbrellad parents
31 October 2012
tonight she wears
a tarpaulin raincoat
area cow
30 October 2012
the jetlagged eyes
of the busy station dog
of the busy station dog
28 October 2012
making sure
the train leaves on time
station crows
the train leaves on time
station crows
21 October 2012
the campus trees
wear higher heels
wear higher heels
the jungle crow
after a long thought
dives in the garbage bin
after a long thought
dives in the garbage bin
chasing a crow
the gulmohar kite
the gulmohar kite
campus trees
never graduate
never graduate
already initiated
into morning walks-
grandma's favourite
into morning walks-
grandma's favourite
bangalore morning
dustbins overflowing
with fallen flowers
dustbins overflowing
with fallen flowers
20 October 2012
a difficult talk-
audience twists, turns and
finally understands
audience twists, turns and
finally understands
19 October 2012
aunty smiles
as we dodge the
traffic together
as we dodge the
traffic together
polishing
her seductive hair-flicks
the young bank teller
her seductive hair-flicks
the young bank teller
12 October 2012
wooded morning path
taking off
the early hawk
taking off
the early hawk
10 October 2012
morning's the best time
for canopy flights
dragonflies
for canopy flights
dragonflies
falling facade
of a posh restaurant
as the workers walk in
of a posh restaurant
as the workers walk in
06 October 2012
railway platform
next to the loudspeaker
hawk-nest
next to the loudspeaker
hawk-nest
02 October 2012
carrying away a piece
of the morning biscuit
laptop ant
of the morning biscuit
laptop ant
29 September 2012
night train
passing by the home
of loud crickets
passing by the home
of loud crickets
28 September 2012
old friends
sitting back to back-
dog and cow
sitting back to back-
dog and cow
moon
come see
our lunar powered love
come see
our lunar powered love
moonlit tits
sniffing around-
the occasional mosquito
sniffing around-
the occasional mosquito
10 September 2012
almost dawn-
blue grey trees
through sleepy windows
blue grey trees
through sleepy windows
09 September 2012
old trees-
the heavy flight
of jungle crows
the heavy flight
of jungle crows
27 August 2012
the crowded bus giggles
as the plump conductor
wriggles through
23 August 2012
hot bus-stop afternoon-
the talking watch
of the blind balm-seller
the talking watch
of the blind balm-seller
construction site child
a yellow toy truck-
infatuation
a yellow toy truck-
infatuation
22 August 2012
village temple-
a bus stop
for schoolgirls
a bus stop
for schoolgirls
hillside hues
of yellow brown green-
more trees than men
of yellow brown green-
more trees than men
descending
the ghaaT road-
family of free donkeys
the ghaaT road-
family of free donkeys
through
dry dusty city-streets
the rainy mountain bus
dry dusty city-streets
the rainy mountain bus
16 August 2012
walking backwards
away from me-
clothesline moth
away from me-
clothesline moth
14 August 2012
awakened
by the watering of plants-
hardworking mosquito
by the watering of plants-
hardworking mosquito
10 August 2012
stepping off
the thick novel-
ant
the thick novel-
ant
08 August 2012
getting her hair combed-
naked on a rock
waiting
for akkaa's schoolbus
naked on a rock
waiting
for akkaa's schoolbus
home
is a brick kiln-
is a brick kiln-
rooster
bus route-
every day
the mountains look new
every day
the mountains look new
07 August 2012
with careful steps,
descending into the drain-
scrounging roosters
descending into the drain-
scrounging roosters
pausing to pick
the overflowing madhumaalati-
road sweeper
the overflowing madhumaalati-
road sweeper
23 July 2012
not minding
the "civilized" busfolk-
tobacco-chewing blouseless
adivasi grandmas
the "civilized" busfolk-
tobacco-chewing blouseless
adivasi grandmas
the unblinking gaze of the sewing nightwatchman
ghaaT road-
the bus driver's
favourite cassette
the bus driver's
favourite cassette
fleeing from the stranger
across slime and mud-
snow white rooster
across slime and mud-
snow white rooster
13 July 2012
swinging alone
behind the bathroom door-
hippy pyjama
behind the bathroom door-
hippy pyjama
11 July 2012
garbage heap
in the mountain village-
dogs, hens and
a peacock
in the mountain village-
dogs, hens and
a peacock
rolled around
upside down buckets-
gajraas for working women
upside down buckets-
gajraas for working women
standing still
as the goats hurry by-
broken leg horse
as the goats hurry by-
broken leg horse
outside the school gate
a relaxed chat-
moped moms
a relaxed chat-
moped moms
staring into the morning sun
he winks at the leashed pedigree-
stray dog
he winks at the leashed pedigree-
stray dog
traffic-jammed bus-
the passengers watch
the tailor at work
the passengers watch
the tailor at work
06 July 2012
from the fencepost
looking over the 'institute for development education'
jungle peacock
looking over the 'institute for development education'
jungle peacock
crowded bus
getting up for her friend-
a wrinkled paaTi
getting up for her friend-
a wrinkled paaTi
early morning
the gods are bathing-
ghaaT temple
the gods are bathing-
ghaaT temple
bus journey-
staring at the sleeping people
from dad's lap
staring at the sleeping people
from dad's lap
in an AC car
zipping by our crowded bus-
saffron swami
zipping by our crowded bus-
saffron swami
on a leash
out to graze-
the favourite sheep
out to graze-
the favourite sheep
04 July 2012
dodging
a stray plastic bag-
cyclist
a stray plastic bag-
cyclist
helping her parents push
a brimming fast food cart
on the way to school
a brimming fast food cart
on the way to school
rush hour bus stop-
glancing at the mobile,
into the distance
she smiles
glancing at the mobile,
into the distance
she smiles
14 June 2012
full speed ahead
the pony flicks his locks.
in the Taangaa-
gleeful smiles
the pony flicks his locks.
in the Taangaa-
gleeful smiles
rush hour,
stretched out over sacks-
area beggar
stretched out over sacks-
area beggar
morning line
to buy a coffee-
area beggars
to buy a coffee-
area beggars
railway platform-
the train worker gets a discount
from the mango-seller
the train worker gets a discount
from the mango-seller
behind the SUV
having his morning coffee-
area beggar
having his morning coffee-
area beggar
10 May 2012
sharp knives
slish-slashing on the chopping board,
looking for food-
the brave ant
slish-slashing on the chopping board,
looking for food-
the brave ant
Sunday morning-
in her new dress,
the waiter's child tags along
in her new dress,
the waiter's child tags along
02 May 2012
cement neighbourhood
drying clothes
you picked the right shade-
locust
drying clothes
you picked the right shade-
locust
13 April 2012
New Year morning-
her husband's scooter
turmeric saaDi grandma
her husband's scooter
turmeric saaDi grandma
09 April 2012
tied calf-backyard,
a filthy pond-
home
to the flashy blue kingfisher
a filthy pond-
home
to the flashy blue kingfisher
28 March 2012
aayi
summer afternoon-
reading about her ailment
she dozes off in front of the computer.
the sweat collects in tiny drops
reading about her ailment
she dozes off in front of the computer.
the sweat collects in tiny drops
the mosquitoes long gone
haunt me inside the new net.
in my sleep i slap my limbs in vain
haunt me inside the new net.
in my sleep i slap my limbs in vain
12 March 2012
lying down
they watch
the dirty moon rise-
railway platform dogs
they watch
the dirty moon rise-
railway platform dogs
04 March 2012
the village
of happy children
is by the sea
of happy children
is by the sea
23 February 2012
today's luck
in a different street-
old beggar
in a different street-
old beggar
clop-clop
to school in a Taanga-
best friends
to school in a Taanga-
best friends
07 February 2012
blooming paLas
she rubs her neck
tied cow
she rubs her neck
tied cow
eyes closed tight,
before the busful of dust goes by-
school boy
before the busful of dust goes by-
school boy
29 December 2011
sunlight breaking through rain clouds-
the moments flicker
the moments flicker
28 December 2011
cloudy day
looking out of an empty restaurant
chef
looking out of an empty restaurant
chef
08 December 2011
we are born
on a rainy night
on bare branches
to shine, fall
and flow back
to the sea
on a rainy night
on bare branches
to shine, fall
and flow back
to the sea
26 November 2011
cars waiting
for a strolling pigeon
the light turns red
for a strolling pigeon
the light turns red
4AM-
from darkness
to darkness
raccoon
from darkness
to darkness
raccoon
25 November 2011
`Thanksgiving Day'-
the university reclaimed
by squirrels and sparrows
the university reclaimed
by squirrels and sparrows
24 November 2011
chilly night-
the stars
burn brighter
the stars
burn brighter
09 November 2011
their lunch boxes
big enough
to feed the cop-
construction workers
big enough
to feed the cop-
construction workers
08 November 2011
coming home
to a flooded room-
moonlight
to a flooded room-
moonlight
23 October 2011
2AM-
out for a walk
pigeon?
out for a walk
pigeon?
19 October 2011
past midnight-
silhouette in a coat and hat
pushing a shopping cart
full of empty beer cans and bottles
silhouette in a coat and hat
pushing a shopping cart
full of empty beer cans and bottles
midnight moon
chasing each other
two bats
chasing each other
two bats
where to?
tree shadows
on the train floor
tree shadows
on the train floor
their eyes wander
all over the room
cheating students
all over the room
cheating students
the smell of steam
from a tea cup
after a sleepless night
from a tea cup
after a sleepless night
18 October 2011
remember the sunrise
from the day
you were born?
from the day
you were born?
16 October 2011
flickering light-
this elevator,
a dystopian movie
this elevator,
a dystopian movie
13 October 2011
helmet
glasses
raindrops
trickle
drip
drip
glasses
raindrops
trickle
drip
drip
thud thud..
fat raindrops
on the helmet
fat raindrops
on the helmet
rainy morning-
biking behind
a garbage truck
biking behind
a garbage truck
11 October 2011
quiet afternoon-
arriving through the driveway
butterfly
arriving through the driveway
butterfly
07 October 2011
awkward glances
of fellow passengers
afraid to meet eyes with
yet curious
of fellow passengers
afraid to meet eyes with
yet curious
last train-
the camaraderie
of drunk girls
the camaraderie
of drunk girls
03 October 2011
cloudy morning eyes-
yellower than sunshine
the fall foliage
yellower than sunshine
the fall foliage
30 September 2011
no one in a hurry
last train
last train
28 September 2011
and i wish for a night ride in a plane made of glass and we switch off the lights to watch the stars
27 September 2011
creeping up
behind the police car-
sparrow
behind the police car-
sparrow
24 September 2011
crowd at railway station-
crossing the tracks
squirrel
crossing the tracks
squirrel
13 September 2011
fat dictionaries
lined up in a
used-books shop
lined up in a
used-books shop
08 September 2011
in the wash basin
every night
you wait, spider?
every night
you wait, spider?
05 September 2011
by the clouds-
clear ancient
dusk-gold
clear ancient
dusk-gold
21 August 2011
used book shop-
stoic fat
dictionaries
stoic fat
dictionaries
26 July 2011
wings outstretched
yet walking-
undecided?
ant or wasp
yet walking-
undecided?
ant or wasp
14 July 2011
midnight-
took the right train,
moth?
took the right train,
moth?
09 July 2011
overnight showers.
in their best clothes-
station sparrows
in their best clothes-
station sparrows
08 July 2011
morning showers-
your coat shines
sparrow
your coat shines
sparrow
do you also
dream of trains,
station sparrow?
dream of trains,
station sparrow?
sensing the smile
in her son's voice-
blind woman
in her son's voice-
blind woman
30 June 2011
for your child,
over here!
a fat ant-
railway sparrow
over here!
a fat ant-
railway sparrow
26 June 2011
train window
to houses, trees, fences-
the child waves bye bye
the child waves bye bye
A homeless guy at 10:30PM: Give from your heart.. Give me a quarter, anything you can, a dime, a penny
me: I am sorry I don't have any money
him: Anything you have..
me: I'll meet you here tomorrow
him: You won't see me here tomorrow
me: I'll come where you are. Where will you be tomorrow?
him: The Dunkin Donuts round that corner
me: I am sorry I don't have any money
him: Anything you have..
me: I'll meet you here tomorrow
him: You won't see me here tomorrow
me: I'll come where you are. Where will you be tomorrow?
him: The Dunkin Donuts round that corner
train ride-
all eyes
on the tender blind couple
all eyes
on the tender blind couple
08 June 2011
noon
empty road
strolling
pair of pigeons
empty road
strolling
pair of pigeons
06 June 2011
sunday morning.
sneaking in the train's shadow-
lazy pigeons
sneaking in the train's shadow-
lazy pigeons
01 June 2011
train ride.
singing and playing
an air guitar
in grandpa's lap-
chubby boy
singing and playing
an air guitar
in grandpa's lap-
chubby boy
31 May 2011
one sparrow
makes them all
look like sparrows-
pine cones
makes them all
look like sparrows-
pine cones
30 May 2011
combing his
flowing white
hair and beard.
his mirror-
a barber shop window
flowing white
hair and beard.
his mirror-
a barber shop window
28 May 2011
rising and falling
on gravel and train tracks-
thick shadows
of summer leaves
on gravel and train tracks-
thick shadows
of summer leaves
15 April 2011
starting off together-
flock of sparrows
bunch of leaves
flock of sparrows
bunch of leaves
03 April 2011
blowing a kiss
to the blind man's dog-
baby boy
to the blind man's dog-
baby boy
27 March 2011
hurrying into the bush-
for a fight,
sparrow?
for a fight,
sparrow?
19 March 2011
the snow gone
they scatter again-
fall leaves
they scatter again-
fall leaves
18 March 2011
nibbling fingers
cigarette in hand
emerging from a cafe
in a raincoat-
the usual postman
cigarette in hand
emerging from a cafe
in a raincoat-
the usual postman
"this is home"
train station sparrow
train station sparrow
26 February 2011
rainy day
looking out
through foggy train windows-
baby girl
looking out
through foggy train windows-
baby girl
15 February 2011
emerging after months
under snow-
park benches
under snow-
park benches
12 February 2011
newspaper in hand
a few white hair
and a single tooth
a few white hair
and a single tooth
opening the window-
the wind
hasn't frozen
the wind
hasn't frozen
27 January 2011
through mountains of snow she went
24 January 2011
kitchen sink-
worked all night,
ants?
worked all night,
ants?
15 January 2011
night
laptop light and
the sound of fingers
from the other room
laptop light and
the sound of fingers
from the other room
23 November 2010
on the train
vacant eyes
heartbroken?
vacant eyes
heartbroken?
19 November 2010
from a leafless tree
one berry at a time-
starling
one berry at a time-
starling
bus stop.
transfixed by an electric pole-
infant
transfixed by an electric pole-
infant
01 November 2010
these days
she flies with sparrows-
starling
she flies with sparrows-
starling
13 October 2010
out on the streets-
the sun and
drunk toddlers
the sun and
drunk toddlers
29 September 2010
like a top
spinning around itself
falling leaf
spinning around itself
falling leaf
there was a baby boy
humming to himself
on the rush hour train
i smiled
he smiled back
i pretended to sleep
he looked away
giggling shyly
giggling shyly
25 September 2010
a baby on the train
with one hand
drinking milk from a bottle
and holding mom's forearm
with the other
drinking milk from a bottle
and holding mom's forearm
with the other
streetlights, billboards and cars
hanging heavy on the horizon-
an orange moon
hanging heavy on the horizon-
an orange moon
today
an old employee
who sits on a stool every day
at the train station,
was applying lipstick
hiding
behind a booth
an old employee
who sits on a stool every day
at the train station,
was applying lipstick
hiding
behind a booth
03 August 2010
old woman sitting between grocery bags
smiles as i pass whistling by
smiles as i pass whistling by
05 June 2010
turning back
she offers a seat-
thousand wrinkle smile
she offers a seat-
thousand wrinkle smile
31 May 2010
the lull
before
the next gust
of wind-
arboured river bank
before
the next gust
of wind-
arboured river bank
27 May 2010
steam wafts
over tar roads-
nighttime thundersprinkles
over tar roads-
nighttime thundersprinkles
29 April 2010
between the railway tracks too
spring arrives-
young saplings
spring arrives-
young saplings
27 April 2010
a crooked beauty
just like in Japanese paintings-
blooming cherry
just like in Japanese paintings-
blooming cherry
flying into the wind
she goes up straight
to perch
on a twig overhead-
sparrow
she goes up straight
to perch
on a twig overhead-
sparrow
29 March 2010
Me reading 'The Dhammapada' on the train. Four people get on at Coolidge
Corner T stop. Two sit in front of me, one on my side and another
behind me. After a while, the person next to me asks (his hindi is very
village types)
1: Aap India se hai kya?
me: Haa India se hu mein.
2: India mein kaha se?
me: Bombay se. Aap log kaha se hai?
1: Gujarat se.
me: achha Gujarat se hai aap!
2: Kya karte hai aap yaha?
me: Mein padhta hu yaha.
2: Masters karne aye hai?
me: Nahi phd kar raha hu.
3: achha phd baap re.
2: Kaise hai phir yaha? apne yaha jaise hota hai waise hi?
me: Yaha jyada open aur democratic hai. teacher student ka alag alag level jo apne yaha hota hai waise nahi hai. tum bindaas baat kar sakte ho unse aur woh apne ko same level pe dekhte hai.
2: Haa apne yaha to waise nahi hota.
me: (giving fundaes on how people are trying to make learning better)
3: phir kitne saal mein hoga phd?
me: shayad ek saal aur.
2: uske baad?
me: ghar chala jaunga. Aap log kya karte hai yaha?
1: Hum merchant navy mein hai.
2: Hamara ship Brazil se yaha aya to idhar ghoom rahe hai. Idhar kashmir mein aye the hum. (me thinking kashmir is some restaurant)
me: achha merchant navy. 92 mein mere papa mombasa kenya mein the tab woh somalia ka chal raha tha to UN ke kaam se Indian navy ka ship aya tha. cadet logo ke saath dosti hua tha to unke ship pe gaye the aur dekha tha. bunk bed aur andar ka rehne ka sab.
1: achha mombasa..
2: par hamara alag hota hai. merchant navy mein nahi hota bunk bed.. sab achhe se hota hai rehne ka.
me: haa. achha achha. phir aap log ghar kab jaate hai?
2: woh seniority pe hota hai. kuch log 9 mahine kuch log 6 mahine,
1: Aap India se hai kya?
me: Haa India se hu mein.
2: India mein kaha se?
me: Bombay se. Aap log kaha se hai?
1: Gujarat se.
me: achha Gujarat se hai aap!
2: Kya karte hai aap yaha?
me: Mein padhta hu yaha.
2: Masters karne aye hai?
me: Nahi phd kar raha hu.
3: achha phd baap re.
2: Kaise hai phir yaha? apne yaha jaise hota hai waise hi?
me: Yaha jyada open aur democratic hai. teacher student ka alag alag level jo apne yaha hota hai waise nahi hai. tum bindaas baat kar sakte ho unse aur woh apne ko same level pe dekhte hai.
2: Haa apne yaha to waise nahi hota.
me: (giving fundaes on how people are trying to make learning better)
3: phir kitne saal mein hoga phd?
me: shayad ek saal aur.
2: uske baad?
me: ghar chala jaunga. Aap log kya karte hai yaha?
1: Hum merchant navy mein hai.
2: Hamara ship Brazil se yaha aya to idhar ghoom rahe hai. Idhar kashmir mein aye the hum. (me thinking kashmir is some restaurant)
me: achha merchant navy. 92 mein mere papa mombasa kenya mein the tab woh somalia ka chal raha tha to UN ke kaam se Indian navy ka ship aya tha. cadet logo ke saath dosti hua tha to unke ship pe gaye the aur dekha tha. bunk bed aur andar ka rehne ka sab.
1: achha mombasa..
2: par hamara alag hota hai. merchant navy mein nahi hota bunk bed.. sab achhe se hota hai rehne ka.
me: haa. achha achha. phir aap log ghar kab jaate hai?
2: woh seniority pe hota hai. kuch log 9 mahine kuch log 6 mahine,
10 February 2010
after dinner
coming out again
a new star above
coming out again
a new star above
01 November 2009
smoking
the moon sets
behind a building
the moon sets
behind a building
22 September 2009
looking left, looking right-
waiting for a bus,
sparrow?
waiting for a bus,
sparrow?
13 July 2009
a street nook
crumpled beer cans
homeless hideout
crumpled beer cans
homeless hideout
passed by a squirrel
throwing long shadows
sitting on its bum
with its back
to the setting sun
throwing long shadows
sitting on its bum
with its back
to the setting sun
red stains
cherry seeds and twigs
quick to dry up and wrinkle
cherry seeds and twigs
quick to dry up and wrinkle
10 July 2009
getting out of my way
it only hops-
sparrow child
it only hops-
sparrow child
09 July 2009
seeking buried treasure
day after day they come
huge iron-clawed machines
day after day they come
huge iron-clawed machines
06 July 2009
dark sleepy bathroom
lights up suddenly-
clouds passing by
lights up suddenly-
clouds passing by
05 July 2009
happy kids on bicycles leaving behind lit fireworks in the middle of the road
04 July 2009
buffet feast
crows flutter
hanging jackfruit
mine was 'crows come and go'
junuka suggested 'crows flutter'
'फण्सावर फड्फड्णारे कावळे' :)
crows flutter
hanging jackfruit
mine was 'crows come and go'
junuka suggested 'crows flutter'
'फण्सावर फड्फड्णारे कावळे' :)
03 July 2009
rainy weeks
strong-scented grasses and leaves
madikeri mist flowing between yellow street lamps
strong-scented grasses and leaves
madikeri mist flowing between yellow street lamps
02 July 2009
our space -
an ancient hidden stony water-dripping underground prehistoric shrine
an ancient hidden stony water-dripping underground prehistoric shrine
29 June 2009
the workaholic washing machine
in your bathroom
worries about you
when you are away
in your bathroom
worries about you
when you are away
an ocean
with waters so dark
we forget it's there
while rhythmic
we row our boat
under this star-crammed sky
with waters so dark
we forget it's there
while rhythmic
we row our boat
under this star-crammed sky
26 June 2009
dawn over the lake
scattered in a corner-
fifty motionless geese
scattered in a corner-
fifty motionless geese
24 June 2009
cloudy morning rests on swept floors
cool calm
cool calm
will you stay there forever?
-bookshopwalla
@ mumbai airport
-bookshopwalla
@ mumbai airport
23 April 2009
a small black bulldog
sniffs at my lunch bag
while passing by
sniffs at my lunch bag
while passing by
backyard morning
kid in bedclothes
rolling over a dust-laden abandoned car
kid in bedclothes
rolling over a dust-laden abandoned car
21 April 2009
before i can look back
each wooden stair
creaks back into shape
each wooden stair
creaks back into shape
17 April 2009
spring
sparrows scavenge
under cafe tables
sparrows scavenge
under cafe tables
07 April 2009
cut open your heart
to let in
these beloved clouds
to let in
these beloved clouds
06 April 2009
dusk
geese yell
from all parts of the swamp
geese yell
from all parts of the swamp
29 January 2009
top-down approach
the sun rises and starts warming up buildings from the top down
shivering memory of watching a tent fly away in a roaring snow storm atop mad mountain night of sitting round a pot of water boiling over campfire dipping fingers that had turned to stone
when the wood floors creak
he wonders if people downstairs
also feel like getting off their ass
and walk around
setting off a chain of walkers
that go on till infinity
he wonders if people downstairs
also feel like getting off their ass
and walk around
setting off a chain of walkers
that go on till infinity
cherries live in ponds
when they grow too heavy
to climb trees
when they grow too heavy
to climb trees
relentless torrents rush down streets
desperate for a taste of sea
desperate for a taste of sea
the night fell on the walls in his room
but not a single leaf to cast shadows
but not a single leaf to cast shadows
15 January 2009
the sound of running water travelling through the plumbing
revealed the presence of other insomniacs in the building
revealed the presence of other insomniacs in the building
01 January 2009
A toast for the new year!
Here's to all dear wayward lunatics out there!
Cheers!
Cheers!
25 December 2008
some snows melt in winter
05 December 2008
rocks resting in the attic
wake them up tomorrow
show them your newly-cleaned room
nudge them
shake them awake one by one
hear them murmur memories of mountain streams
promise you'll always remember
for ever and ever
sleep surrounded by dreaming rocks
wake them up tomorrow
show them your newly-cleaned room
nudge them
shake them awake one by one
hear them murmur memories of mountain streams
promise you'll always remember
for ever and ever
sleep surrounded by dreaming rocks
19 November 2008
if only full stops felt less final.
13 November 2008
(public domain photo)Sings beautifully behind my building for some time just before sunrise.
A recording from 'Learn Bird Songs' by Lang Elliott
Northern Cardinal: what a boring name. The Native Americans must have had a nice name for this bird, some name chosen with love, that tells us what's so special about it.
30 October 2008
no moon tonight-
lunatics bathe
in starlight
lunatics bathe
in starlight
15 October 2008
Very happy for Aravind Adiga
He really deserved the Booker for his book! The protagonist of 'The White Tiger', Balram Halwai will get the recognition he deserves. I hope everyone reads this book. It is the best critique of Indian society! And a dark and hilarious one. Makes sharp fun of all our contradictions and hypocrisies. The story is completely contemporary and we don't have to strain our imagination at all. The scenes and people described are the ones we meet everyday. The book is Balram's smooth narration of his life-story, his rise from tea-shop helper to businessman, addressed to the Chinese Premier, Wen Jiabao who is about to visit Bangalore to learn about entrepreunership. It is full of wit - a straight-faced report of incidents that is tragic, humourous and saddening at the same time. How can stark realism be full of so much light-heartedness? How can it burn us as we read it and still make us happy? As the chairman of the Booker Prize judges, Mr Portillo said, "..this one knocked my socks off"
Thank you Aravind Adiga for writing this book!
Thank you Aravind Adiga for writing this book!
13 October 2008
this cool night sky
crisp transparent..
the moon, a spotlight
crisp transparent..
the moon, a spotlight
06 October 2008
from a train window
receding scene of two dozen geese standing lazily in a lush green football field
28 September 2008
last night's mist
rained all day
rained all day
26 September 2008
bache are the best flirts
28 August 2008
romantic long-distance train journeys
13 July 2008
do you also
stare back
moon?
stare back
moon?
08 July 2008
hang from a cloud
drift away
drift away
03 July 2008
morning siesta
library window
a huge circus tent
blue with yellow designs
eyes open, eyes close
dozing off in a cosy chair
resting head on the side cushion
on the table, this beautiful book-
'The English Patient'
laughs and invites
with open pages
a huge circus tent
blue with yellow designs
eyes open, eyes close
dozing off in a cosy chair
resting head on the side cushion
on the table, this beautiful book-
'The English Patient'
laughs and invites
with open pages
30 June 2008
king
of the parking lot
sparrow
of the parking lot
sparrow
21 June 2008
river
is it only
your surface
that flows?
is it only
your surface
that flows?
18 June 2008
moonrise.. i sleep
sunrise.. wake up
sunrise.. wake up
14 June 2008
squirrel
you watch
too many cartoon films
you watch
too many cartoon films
02 June 2008
Women poets of yore - from Greece, Japan and India
Sappho was a Greek lyric poet from the 7th century BC, belonging to a cult of Aphrodite. Her vivid and sensual poems are like a celebration of life. What can we say about poems that have survived two thousand six hundred years! Their beauty is truly timeless. What makes them even more interesting is the fact that she used to sing them with her own music that she played on a lyre. Sappho also wrote poems of love among women which suggests that ancient cultures were probably very tolerant. In fact,the word lesbian comes from Lesbos, the place Sappho belonged to. These poems are from the book 'Sappho' by Mary Bernard.
With his venom
irresistible
and bittersweet
that loosener
of limbs, Love
reptile-like
strikes me down
_____
Standing by my bed
In gold sandals
Dawn that very
moment awoke me
____
When they were tired
Night rained her
thick dark sleep
upon their eyes
____
Pain penetrates me
drop
by
drop
____
The evening star
Is the most
beautiful
of all stars
____
Love has shook
my senses
like wind crashing on
mountain oaks
____
At noon time
when the earth is
bright with flaming
heat falling straight down,
the cricket sets
up a high-pitched
singing in his wings
_____
You may forget but
Let me tell you
this: someone in
some future time
will think of us
_____
I asked myself
What Sappho, can
you give one who
has everything
like Aphrodite?
_____
Izumi Shikibu, a Japanese poet from the 10th century AD, was a member of the royal court of Kyoto and practised Buddhism. She is famous for her diary about her affair with the Emperor's son, prince Hatsumichi. These poems are from the book, 'The Ink Dark Moon' by Jane Hirshfield who says that they are messages that she sent to her lover through servants.
This heart is not
a summer field,
and yet...
how dense love's foliage
has grown
_____
One by one,
at day's end,
the birds take flight
in all directions-
which could lead me to you?
_____
Although the wind
blows terribly here,
the moonlight also leaks
between the roof planks
of this ruined house
_____
If you had
only stayed away
when I first missed you,
I might have forgotten
by now
______
What colour is
this blowing autumn wind,
that it can stain
my body
with its touch
_____
(..the sound of the night monk's voice reciting the Sutras mingled
with the sound of incessant rain..)
Should I leave this burning house
of ceaseless thought
and taste the pure rain's
single truth
falling upon my skin?
______
Watching the moon
at midnight...
I wonder
whose village
he watches it from
______
(On retreat at a mountain temple)
Although I try
to hold the single thought
of Buddha's teaching in my heart,
I cannot help but hear
the many crickets' voices calling as well
______
When the water-freezing
winter arrives,
the floating reeds look rooted,
as if stillness
were their own desire
_____
This heart,
longing for you,
breaks
to a thousand pieces-
I wouldn't lose one
_____
Chiyo-ni (1703-1775) was from the school of the great Basho, the inventor of haiku poetry. Haiku is a unique form of Japanese poetry that consists of seventeen syllables. It is its briefness that makes haiku so powerful - evident from the fact that it is one of the most popular contemporary form of poetry. It is a matter-of-fact kind of poem that is supposed to convey a specific mood without flowery adjectives. Since many haiku poets were wandering Buddhist monks, it is also some kind of meditation on life. The haiku of Chiyo-ni has a deep connection with the natural world around her. She creates great effects through very beautiful observations about nature and her poems also have a deep personal touch. They have a surprising effect and many a times we have to read a poem all over again to understand what it really means. These poems are from 'Chiyo-ni: Woman Haiku Master' by Patricia Donegan.
over the flowing water
chasing its shadow-
the dragonfly
moonlit night-
a cricket sings
out on a stone
sounds of the waterfall
diminishes in the peaks-
cicada's voices
only in the river
darkness flows:
fireflies
snowy night-
only the well bucket's
falling sound
squatting
the frog observes
the clouds
the butterfly
is standing on tiptoes
at the ebb tide
(probably about her child)
in what windy land
wanders now my little dear
dragonfly hunter
little pine mushroom
but also
a rain shelter (for frogs)
one moutain after another
unveiled
the first mists
waterweed,
floating away, despite
the butterfly's weight on it
Gathasaptashati (Seven hundred poems in 'gatha' form) is a collection of Prakrit love poems compiled by the 2nd century Satavahan king Hala - from the dynasty that made the mural paintings of Ajanta. Amarushataka is an 8th century collection of Sanskrit love poetry selected by king Amaru of Kashmir. Many of these poems were written by women - prominent among them were Vidya, Shilabhattarika and Vikatanitamba. These poems are sometimes bold, humourous and full of natural imagery, about trysts between lovers and have an honestly sensual voice.
Aunt, can a glimpse
Fulfil?
Dreaming of water
Slake thirst?
____
O Mahua
blossomed
on Godavari's
arboured banks.
Shed your flowers
one
after
one
____
While the bhikshu
views her navel
and she
his handsome face,
crows lick clean
both ladle and alms bowl
____
Ask the nights of rain
and the Godavari in spate,
how fortunate he is
and unwomanly my courage
____
Eyes closed
she imagines leading him
into her bed
she touches her own breasts adoringly
on her arms
the loose bangles
___
Cool thickets
leaves the colour of clouds
cane groves breaking the sunlight-
but you've forgotten-
forgotten the river Narmada as well
how we washed
in it afterwards
___
Please mother
get the cage out of our wedding hut
this parrot has taught the whole village
to mimic our
love cries
___
Why are you crying, friend?
That's how love is.
A cucumber tendril
Its emblem.
___
As the traveller, eyes raised,
cupped hands filled with water, spreads
his fingers and lets it run through,
she pouring it reduces the trickle
___
Not knowing me,
Vidya,
dark as a blue lotus petal,
the critic Dandin
declared our goddess of verse-craft
and learning, entirely white
___
Where to
girl with bright thighs?
There's no moon tonight
'Out to my lover'
Not afraid, young in the darkness
to travel alone?
'Can't you see - at my side
with lethal arrows
the love god?'
___
Young men
used to slip this
wooden Ganesh
under my head for a pillow.
Today
cursing old age
I bow down before it
___
Whispers, deep kisses,
bodies perfumed with slippery oils,
betel nut cooling the mouth.
To make unhurried love
the whole night before you.
Ah! But a hundred,
a thousand times sweeter the
quick and forbidden-
done in a moment
gone like a thief.
___
I remember this pleasure-
he sat at my feet
without speaking
and my big toe toyed with his hair
___
Talking's no use
all that's written sounds trivial
do we alone
know how it hurts
to be separate?
___
She conceals herself
where the forest is thickest
and waits for the sound-
dry leaves of
autumn
someone approaches
With his venom
irresistible
and bittersweet
that loosener
of limbs, Love
reptile-like
strikes me down
_____
Standing by my bed
In gold sandals
Dawn that very
moment awoke me
____
When they were tired
Night rained her
thick dark sleep
upon their eyes
____
Pain penetrates me
drop
by
drop
____
The evening star
Is the most
beautiful
of all stars
____
Love has shook
my senses
like wind crashing on
mountain oaks
____
At noon time
when the earth is
bright with flaming
heat falling straight down,
the cricket sets
up a high-pitched
singing in his wings
_____
You may forget but
Let me tell you
this: someone in
some future time
will think of us
_____
I asked myself
What Sappho, can
you give one who
has everything
like Aphrodite?
_____
Izumi Shikibu, a Japanese poet from the 10th century AD, was a member of the royal court of Kyoto and practised Buddhism. She is famous for her diary about her affair with the Emperor's son, prince Hatsumichi. These poems are from the book, 'The Ink Dark Moon' by Jane Hirshfield who says that they are messages that she sent to her lover through servants.
This heart is not
a summer field,
and yet...
how dense love's foliage
has grown
_____
One by one,
at day's end,
the birds take flight
in all directions-
which could lead me to you?
_____
Although the wind
blows terribly here,
the moonlight also leaks
between the roof planks
of this ruined house
_____
If you had
only stayed away
when I first missed you,
I might have forgotten
by now
______
What colour is
this blowing autumn wind,
that it can stain
my body
with its touch
_____
(..the sound of the night monk's voice reciting the Sutras mingled
with the sound of incessant rain..)
Should I leave this burning house
of ceaseless thought
and taste the pure rain's
single truth
falling upon my skin?
______
Watching the moon
at midnight...
I wonder
whose village
he watches it from
______
(On retreat at a mountain temple)
Although I try
to hold the single thought
of Buddha's teaching in my heart,
I cannot help but hear
the many crickets' voices calling as well
______
When the water-freezing
winter arrives,
the floating reeds look rooted,
as if stillness
were their own desire
_____
This heart,
longing for you,
breaks
to a thousand pieces-
I wouldn't lose one
_____
Chiyo-ni (1703-1775) was from the school of the great Basho, the inventor of haiku poetry. Haiku is a unique form of Japanese poetry that consists of seventeen syllables. It is its briefness that makes haiku so powerful - evident from the fact that it is one of the most popular contemporary form of poetry. It is a matter-of-fact kind of poem that is supposed to convey a specific mood without flowery adjectives. Since many haiku poets were wandering Buddhist monks, it is also some kind of meditation on life. The haiku of Chiyo-ni has a deep connection with the natural world around her. She creates great effects through very beautiful observations about nature and her poems also have a deep personal touch. They have a surprising effect and many a times we have to read a poem all over again to understand what it really means. These poems are from 'Chiyo-ni: Woman Haiku Master' by Patricia Donegan.
over the flowing water
chasing its shadow-
the dragonfly
moonlit night-
a cricket sings
out on a stone
sounds of the waterfall
diminishes in the peaks-
cicada's voices
only in the river
darkness flows:
fireflies
snowy night-
only the well bucket's
falling sound
squatting
the frog observes
the clouds
the butterfly
is standing on tiptoes
at the ebb tide
(probably about her child)
in what windy land
wanders now my little dear
dragonfly hunter
little pine mushroom
but also
a rain shelter (for frogs)
one moutain after another
unveiled
the first mists
waterweed,
floating away, despite
the butterfly's weight on it
Gathasaptashati (Seven hundred poems in 'gatha' form) is a collection of Prakrit love poems compiled by the 2nd century Satavahan king Hala - from the dynasty that made the mural paintings of Ajanta. Amarushataka is an 8th century collection of Sanskrit love poetry selected by king Amaru of Kashmir. Many of these poems were written by women - prominent among them were Vidya, Shilabhattarika and Vikatanitamba. These poems are sometimes bold, humourous and full of natural imagery, about trysts between lovers and have an honestly sensual voice.
Aunt, can a glimpse
Fulfil?
Dreaming of water
Slake thirst?
____
O Mahua
blossomed
on Godavari's
arboured banks.
Shed your flowers
one
after
one
____
While the bhikshu
views her navel
and she
his handsome face,
crows lick clean
both ladle and alms bowl
____
Ask the nights of rain
and the Godavari in spate,
how fortunate he is
and unwomanly my courage
____
Eyes closed
she imagines leading him
into her bed
she touches her own breasts adoringly
on her arms
the loose bangles
___
Cool thickets
leaves the colour of clouds
cane groves breaking the sunlight-
but you've forgotten-
forgotten the river Narmada as well
how we washed
in it afterwards
___
Please mother
get the cage out of our wedding hut
this parrot has taught the whole village
to mimic our
love cries
___
Why are you crying, friend?
That's how love is.
A cucumber tendril
Its emblem.
___
As the traveller, eyes raised,
cupped hands filled with water, spreads
his fingers and lets it run through,
she pouring it reduces the trickle
___
Not knowing me,
Vidya,
dark as a blue lotus petal,
the critic Dandin
declared our goddess of verse-craft
and learning, entirely white
___
Where to
girl with bright thighs?
There's no moon tonight
'Out to my lover'
Not afraid, young in the darkness
to travel alone?
'Can't you see - at my side
with lethal arrows
the love god?'
___
Young men
used to slip this
wooden Ganesh
under my head for a pillow.
Today
cursing old age
I bow down before it
___
Whispers, deep kisses,
bodies perfumed with slippery oils,
betel nut cooling the mouth.
To make unhurried love
the whole night before you.
Ah! But a hundred,
a thousand times sweeter the
quick and forbidden-
done in a moment
gone like a thief.
___
I remember this pleasure-
he sat at my feet
without speaking
and my big toe toyed with his hair
___
Talking's no use
all that's written sounds trivial
do we alone
know how it hurts
to be separate?
___
She conceals herself
where the forest is thickest
and waits for the sound-
dry leaves of
autumn
someone approaches
28 May 2008
drying rain-washed roads
same everywhere
same everywhere
24 May 2008
sparrow
so far away
but i hear you
chirp
so far away
but i hear you
chirp
23 May 2008
Is there anything
as ghostly or
magical
as moonrise?
as ghostly or
magical
as moonrise?
18 May 2008
09 May 2008
When I die, my body shall be burnt.
but no one is to be present.
Spread the ashes on the earth...
in the middle of a big, big field.
Plant an oak there and write:
I, too, was once a human being.
My name was Sabina Spielrein.
08 May 2008
Opening of 'Out of Africa'
I had a farm in Africa at the foot of the Ngong Hills. The Equator runs across these highlands, a hundred miles to the north, and the farm lay at an altitude of over six thousand feet. In the day-time you felt that you had got high up; near to the sun, but the early mornings and evenings were limpid and restful, and the nights were cold.
The geographical position and the height Of the land combined to create a landscape that had not its like in all the world. There was no fat on it and no luxuriance anywhere; it was Africa distilled up through six thousand feet. like the strong and refined essence of a continent. The colours were dry and burnt. like the colours in pottery. The trees had a light delicate foliage, the structure of which was different from that of the trees in Europe; it did not grow in bows or cupolas, but in horizontal layers, and the formation gave to the tall solitary trees a likeness to the palms, or a heroic and romantic air like full-rigged ships with their sails furled, and to the edge of a wood a strange appearance as if the whole wood were faintly vibrating. Upon the grass of the great plains the crooked bare old thorn trees were scattered, and the grass was spiced like thyme and bog-myrtles; in some places the scent was so strong that it smarted in the nostrils. All the flowers that you found or plains, or upon the creepers and liana in the native forest, were diminutive like flowers of the downs - only just in the beginning of the long rains a number of big, massive heavy-scented lilies sprang out on the plains. The views were immensely wide. Everything that you saw made for greatness and freedom, and unequaled nobility.
The chief feature of the landscape, and of your life in it. was the air. Looking back on a sojourn in the African highlands, you are struck by your feeling of having lived for a time up in the air. The sky was rarely more than pale blue or violet, with a profusion of mighty, weightless, ever-changing clouds towering up and sailing on it, but it has a blue vigour in it, and at a short distance it painted the ranges of hills and the woods a fresh deep blue. In the middle of the day the air was alive over the land, like a flame burning; it scintillated, waved and shone like running water, mirrored and doubled all objects, and created great Fata Morgana. Up in this high air you breathed easily, drawing in a vital assurance and lightness of heart. In the highlands you woke up in the morning and thought: Here I am, where I ought to be.
The geographical position and the height Of the land combined to create a landscape that had not its like in all the world. There was no fat on it and no luxuriance anywhere; it was Africa distilled up through six thousand feet. like the strong and refined essence of a continent. The colours were dry and burnt. like the colours in pottery. The trees had a light delicate foliage, the structure of which was different from that of the trees in Europe; it did not grow in bows or cupolas, but in horizontal layers, and the formation gave to the tall solitary trees a likeness to the palms, or a heroic and romantic air like full-rigged ships with their sails furled, and to the edge of a wood a strange appearance as if the whole wood were faintly vibrating. Upon the grass of the great plains the crooked bare old thorn trees were scattered, and the grass was spiced like thyme and bog-myrtles; in some places the scent was so strong that it smarted in the nostrils. All the flowers that you found or plains, or upon the creepers and liana in the native forest, were diminutive like flowers of the downs - only just in the beginning of the long rains a number of big, massive heavy-scented lilies sprang out on the plains. The views were immensely wide. Everything that you saw made for greatness and freedom, and unequaled nobility.
The chief feature of the landscape, and of your life in it. was the air. Looking back on a sojourn in the African highlands, you are struck by your feeling of having lived for a time up in the air. The sky was rarely more than pale blue or violet, with a profusion of mighty, weightless, ever-changing clouds towering up and sailing on it, but it has a blue vigour in it, and at a short distance it painted the ranges of hills and the woods a fresh deep blue. In the middle of the day the air was alive over the land, like a flame burning; it scintillated, waved and shone like running water, mirrored and doubled all objects, and created great Fata Morgana. Up in this high air you breathed easily, drawing in a vital assurance and lightness of heart. In the highlands you woke up in the morning and thought: Here I am, where I ought to be.
silent sparrow
eating bread
in grass
eating bread
in grass
06 May 2008
All rivers run to the sea;
yet the sea is not full;
unto the place from whence
the rivers come, thither
they return again
-Ecclesiastes
yet the sea is not full;
unto the place from whence
the rivers come, thither
they return again
-Ecclesiastes
There is witchcraft on your lips,
an abyss within your gaze
-Karen Blixen
an abyss within your gaze
-Karen Blixen
Love has shook my senses
like wind crashing on mountain oaks
-Sappho
like wind crashing on mountain oaks
-Sappho
Although the wind
blows terribly here,
the moonlight also leaks
between the roof planks
of this ruined house
-Izumi Shikibu
blows terribly here,
the moonlight also leaks
between the roof planks
of this ruined house
-Izumi Shikibu
05 May 2008
अगर तुम अपना काम enjoy करते हो तो life happy हो जाएगी
ऐसा काम कहाँ मिलेगा..
वो लोग कितने lucky है न जिनको life का passion मिल गया है
ऐसा कोई permanent passion नही होता है life का
permanent की बात नही.. for example, जो मैं अभी कर रहा हूँ वो मुझे पसंद नही है। i really don't feel any passion for it. i want to find something else so that i am happier. अगर life के centre में जो है वो अपनी मर्जी से चल रहा है तो आजू-बाजू का pain बरदाश कर सकता हूँ। life से satisfaction मांगता है यार
true. but wait! don't do anything crazy.
how will you earn money?
are you sure that 'something else' will make you happy?
i must try at least
ऐसा काम कहाँ मिलेगा..
वो लोग कितने lucky है न जिनको life का passion मिल गया है
ऐसा कोई permanent passion नही होता है life का
permanent की बात नही.. for example, जो मैं अभी कर रहा हूँ वो मुझे पसंद नही है। i really don't feel any passion for it. i want to find something else so that i am happier. अगर life के centre में जो है वो अपनी मर्जी से चल रहा है तो आजू-बाजू का pain बरदाश कर सकता हूँ। life से satisfaction मांगता है यार
true. but wait! don't do anything crazy.
how will you earn money?
are you sure that 'something else' will make you happy?
i must try at least
20 April 2008
abandoned nest
now hidden
in cherry blossoms
now hidden
in cherry blossoms
18 April 2008
The Look -Sara Teasdale
Strephon kissed me in the spring,
Robin in the fall,
But Colin only looked at me
And never kissed at all.
Strephon's kiss was lost in jest,
Robin's lost in play,
But the kiss in Colin's eyes
Haunts me night and day.
Robin in the fall,
But Colin only looked at me
And never kissed at all.
Strephon's kiss was lost in jest,
Robin's lost in play,
But the kiss in Colin's eyes
Haunts me night and day.
kid leaping
out of
mom's arms
to see
who chirps
in the bushes
out of
mom's arms
to see
who chirps
in the bushes
can you wake up before the birds wake up?
but some birds don't sleep all night
but some birds don't sleep all night
Within a gate by the sidewalk
a small bulldog
stands still
with a faraway look
a very old woman
brings his chain
barely able to walk
stands still
with a faraway look
a very old woman
brings his chain
barely able to walk
is it me
or you
who sees-
the moon
through
broken trees
or you
who sees-
the moon
through
broken trees
03 April 2008
"Out on the safaris, I had seen a herd of buffalo, one hundred and twenty-nine of them, come out of the morning mist under a copper sky, one by one, as if the dark and massive, iron-like animals with the mighty, horizontally swung arms were not approaching, but were being created before my eyes and sent out as they were finished. I had seen a herd of elephants travelling through the dense native forest, where the sunlight is strewn between the thick creepers in small spots and patches, pacing along as if they had an appointment at the end of the world...I had time after time watched the progression across the plain of the giraffe, in their queer, inimitable, vegetative gracefulness, as if it were not a herd of animals but a family of rare, long-stemmed, speckled gigantic flowers slowly advancing. I had followed two rhinos on their morning promenade, when they were sniffing and snorting in the air of the dawn...and looked like two very big angular stones rollicking in the long valley and enjoying life together. I had seen the royal lion, before sunrise, below a waning moon, crossing the gray plain on his way home from the kill, drawing a dark wake in the silvery grass, his face still red up to the ears, or during the midday siesta, when he reposed contentedly in the midst of his family..." -Isak Dinesen/Karen Blixen
16 March 2008
9/11: A barrel of conspiracies
This article by Ganesh was published in Mid-Day on Sept 11, 2005 (and the editor was fired in a week)
http://www.geocities.com/anishloves/ganesh.pdf
http://www.geocities.com/anishloves/ganesh.pdf
Scrap of paper from 2001
(from Henri Lefebvre: Love & Struggle)
Vaneigem argued that even the tiniest of gestures - opening a door, holding a teacup, a facial expression - and the most private and individual actions - coming home, making tea, arguing with a lover - have always already been represented and shown to us within the spectacle.
With all meaningfulness confiscated, turned into spectacular forms, everyday life is 'devoid of its glamour representation, experience becomes almost embarrassing, something of which one feels ashamed; an event without a camera', uncool. The spectacle is the ultimate alienation, in which not only one's own handiwork has to be bought back from a store at the end of a working day (old-style alienation) but also one's identity and dreams have been commodified, turned into spectacular, generalized lifestyles and images and sold back to one. The spectacle thus is the triumph of media transformed into commodity. Sadie Plant - 'images and commodities... effectively represent their life to them, people experience reality as second-hand. Everything has been seen and done before..'
Lefebvre shares this vision but at the same time regards everyday life as the plane of immanence in which moments of enlightenment emerge and flash, like sparkles of light on a field of snow. While everyday life is colonized, and even when he adopts the terminology of banality of everydayness to describe it, Lefebvre maintains that everyday life is also the site of the authentic experience of self, of the body and of engagement with others. In effect, he presents a dialectical notion of everyday life which involves a double essentialism - everyday life is both, by definition, alienated and, in essence, also unalienated or authentic material. When this material is recognized for what it is, when it is broken free of the contradicting and mystifying veils of the spectacle and false authenticity, the everyday is suddenly synthesized as unalienated experience, brought to consciousness as the truly authentic. The taken for granted is broken down and an individual attains - even if only momentarily - that status of the 'total person'.
The project was thus -
to conceive everyday life in such a way so as to retrieve it from its modern state of colonization by the commodity form and other modes of reification. A critique of the everyday can be generated only by a kind of alienation effect, insofar as to put into contact with its own radical other, such as an eradicated past.. or an imagined future.
Vaneigem argued that even the tiniest of gestures - opening a door, holding a teacup, a facial expression - and the most private and individual actions - coming home, making tea, arguing with a lover - have always already been represented and shown to us within the spectacle.
With all meaningfulness confiscated, turned into spectacular forms, everyday life is 'devoid of its glamour representation, experience becomes almost embarrassing, something of which one feels ashamed; an event without a camera', uncool. The spectacle is the ultimate alienation, in which not only one's own handiwork has to be bought back from a store at the end of a working day (old-style alienation) but also one's identity and dreams have been commodified, turned into spectacular, generalized lifestyles and images and sold back to one. The spectacle thus is the triumph of media transformed into commodity. Sadie Plant - 'images and commodities... effectively represent their life to them, people experience reality as second-hand. Everything has been seen and done before..'
Lefebvre shares this vision but at the same time regards everyday life as the plane of immanence in which moments of enlightenment emerge and flash, like sparkles of light on a field of snow. While everyday life is colonized, and even when he adopts the terminology of banality of everydayness to describe it, Lefebvre maintains that everyday life is also the site of the authentic experience of self, of the body and of engagement with others. In effect, he presents a dialectical notion of everyday life which involves a double essentialism - everyday life is both, by definition, alienated and, in essence, also unalienated or authentic material. When this material is recognized for what it is, when it is broken free of the contradicting and mystifying veils of the spectacle and false authenticity, the everyday is suddenly synthesized as unalienated experience, brought to consciousness as the truly authentic. The taken for granted is broken down and an individual attains - even if only momentarily - that status of the 'total person'.
The project was thus -
to conceive everyday life in such a way so as to retrieve it from its modern state of colonization by the commodity form and other modes of reification. A critique of the everyday can be generated only by a kind of alienation effect, insofar as to put into contact with its own radical other, such as an eradicated past.. or an imagined future.
Danse Macabre & Ride of the Valkyries
Danse Macabre (Dance of Death) is a fascinating medieval myth from Europe. Two months back, our senior David Drosdoff who is the second violin in Cynthia Wood's group at Cambridge Symphony Orchestra invited us to a concert. They played a composition (1875) based on this story. They also played Ride of the Valkyries (1851) by Wagner - based on a Nordic myth. Both of these compositions sound very familiar since they have been used in many movie/cartoon soundtracks. Check them out on youtube!
14 March 2008
Sparrow haikus by Issa
spring peace--
after rain, a gang war
garden sparrows
waiting for spring
sparrows also make a home
in the bamboo
dewdrops scatter--
the sparrow sings
of next-life salvation
dance, my little
dervishes!
sparrows at the gate
on a snowy day
the temple is packed...
pigeons, sparrows
(translated by David Lanoue)
after rain, a gang war
garden sparrows
waiting for spring
sparrows also make a home
in the bamboo
dewdrops scatter--
the sparrow sings
of next-life salvation
dance, my little
dervishes!
sparrows at the gate
on a snowy day
the temple is packed...
pigeons, sparrows
(translated by David Lanoue)
06 March 2008
Take me home and I will love you forever
Their mom is no more.
Update:
They found a home in Railway Colony Thane - very few dogs there - so no territorial disputes with established dogs - great people to take care of them - and lots of open space to play around!
Breaking News!
They have chosen their own separate homes in the Colony!
22 February 2008
caress my face
rest on my coat
and hair
snow
keep falling on me
forever
12 February 2008
Gloomy Sunday
Kukushka
Black Book
Stardust
A Heart in Winter
Kontroll
Maria full of grace
Day for night
Once
The lives of others
Life is to whistle
The wind that shakes the barley
Nowhere in Africa
Antonia's Line
Juno
The Star Maker
Camera Buff
Blue
Red
The 400 Blows
Antoine et Colette
Stolen Kisses
Bed and Board
Love on the Run
Jean de Florette
Manon des Sources
The 39 Steps
I Heart Huckabees
Me and You and Everyone We Know
The Science of Sleep
The Gleaners
Pocket Money
Spellbound
Witness for the Prosecution
Bread and Tulips
My Name was Sabina Spielrein
But Forever in My Mind
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Kukushka
Black Book
Stardust
A Heart in Winter
Kontroll
Maria full of grace
Day for night
Once
The lives of others
Life is to whistle
The wind that shakes the barley
Nowhere in Africa
Antonia's Line
Juno
The Star Maker
Camera Buff
Blue
Red
The 400 Blows
Antoine et Colette
Stolen Kisses
Bed and Board
Love on the Run
Jean de Florette
Manon des Sources
The 39 Steps
I Heart Huckabees
Me and You and Everyone We Know
The Science of Sleep
The Gleaners
Pocket Money
Spellbound
Witness for the Prosecution
Bread and Tulips
My Name was Sabina Spielrein
But Forever in My Mind
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
01 February 2008
water by the road-
ripples roll into waves
violent flags flutter overhead
people stagger.. struggle directionless
a day of wind
after
a night of rain
ripples roll into waves
violent flags flutter overhead
people stagger.. struggle directionless
a day of wind
after
a night of rain
25 January 2008
Filling forms
Running around
Getting signs
Out for lunch..
Checking rules
Being polite
Tired satisfaction
Work done
God.. I miss bureaucracy!
Running around
Getting signs
Out for lunch..
Checking rules
Being polite
Tired satisfaction
Work done
God.. I miss bureaucracy!
21 January 2008
deep clouds full of meaning
where does one end
and the other start?
fly up and
watch them hide the city
where does one end
and the other start?
fly up and
watch them hide the city
18 January 2008
Bombay Hospital old man
early jan 2006
me n santo smoking near gate
2 rupaya denge saab?
puts coin in pocket.. happy
takes out bidi bundle.. lights a bidi
aapka naam kya hai?
shankar...
kaha se hai?
gujrat 20 years back.. nadi kinare ghar khet.. floods. everything washed away. son n wife dead.
came to bombay.
starts crying..
tells his life ka intezaam here
eats at dargah at night. some shopkeepers give him lunch.
new year pe beer mila. some drunk seth stopped car and gave him 2 bottles.
sone ki jagah fixed
everyone knows him in area
police friends tell him when gaadi aane wali hai to pick up people living on streets.. shifts to some other area for that time
finishes bidi
shakes hand. walks away
me n santo smoking near gate
2 rupaya denge saab?
puts coin in pocket.. happy
takes out bidi bundle.. lights a bidi
aapka naam kya hai?
shankar...
kaha se hai?
gujrat 20 years back.. nadi kinare ghar khet.. floods. everything washed away. son n wife dead.
came to bombay.
starts crying..
tells his life ka intezaam here
eats at dargah at night. some shopkeepers give him lunch.
new year pe beer mila. some drunk seth stopped car and gave him 2 bottles.
sone ki jagah fixed
everyone knows him in area
police friends tell him when gaadi aane wali hai to pick up people living on streets.. shifts to some other area for that time
finishes bidi
shakes hand. walks away
02 January 2008
Black tombstones ancient uneven
Scattered in clean white snow
Scattered in clean white snow
01 January 2008
Flying East
All the clouds
Sleeping
In Amsterdam
Citylights of Europe
Yellow on black
Left behind
Stars
Have ruled
This moonless night
A red line
Gets bolder
All over the horizon
Changing colours
Everywhere
Here comes the sun
Sleeping
In Amsterdam
Citylights of Europe
Yellow on black
Left behind
Stars
Have ruled
This moonless night
A red line
Gets bolder
All over the horizon
Changing colours
Everywhere
Here comes the sun
31 December 2007
And all this snow
Was hanging
All the way..
Up there?
Was hanging
All the way..
Up there?
23 December 2007
NRIs celebrate Modi victory
22 December 2007
a tired night-
quiet, unchanging
not a leaf moves
while secretly ..
a witches' sabbath
rages insane
in my heart
quiet, unchanging
not a leaf moves
while secretly ..
a witches' sabbath
rages insane
in my heart
19 December 2007
Jab We Met director interview
Imtiaz Ali - the prodigal director has two successful genuinely romantic and fresh movies (Socha Na Tha, Jab We Met- yet to watch). I read a one-page interview in the latest Filmfare (everything else was complete bakwaas) in my dentist's waiting room. Some interesting kissey-
-----------------------------------------------------------
Did you have problems working with Kareena?
IA: Kareena is not exactly my favourite actress .. but she has her good as well as bad films. But she is capable of giving strong performances. She is very well behaved, punctual.. Director's actress - if I had told her to jump in front oif a speeding car - she would have done exactly that.
One day I told her that she won't be wearing any make-up for most scenes and only simple punjabi dresses. She asked me -'Oh.. So you want the no make-up look?" I said - "No! I want you to wear no make-up".
Then once I joked-"Kareena what about your reputation as a star? You should throw a tantrum on the sets now and then.. Come late once in a while"
What about your next film?
IA: I don't have a 3 - film contract etc with any production house. So I am going on holiday now.. To get this film out of my system.
-------------------------------------------------------
Kya cool peaceful bandaa hai!! :D
On the sets of Jab We Met picture gallery from BBC
Two post- Socha Na Tha interviews:
Kaffeeklatsch with Imtiaz Ali
Talented Mr. Ali
-------------------------------------------------------
Good movie.. complete masti. An uncle-aunty were getting naughty in the next seat ;)
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Did you have problems working with Kareena?
IA: Kareena is not exactly my favourite actress .. but she has her good as well as bad films. But she is capable of giving strong performances. She is very well behaved, punctual.. Director's actress - if I had told her to jump in front oif a speeding car - she would have done exactly that.
One day I told her that she won't be wearing any make-up for most scenes and only simple punjabi dresses. She asked me -'Oh.. So you want the no make-up look?" I said - "No! I want you to wear no make-up".
Then once I joked-"Kareena what about your reputation as a star? You should throw a tantrum on the sets now and then.. Come late once in a while"
What about your next film?
IA: I don't have a 3 - film contract etc with any production house. So I am going on holiday now.. To get this film out of my system.
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Kya cool peaceful bandaa hai!! :D
On the sets of Jab We Met picture gallery from BBC
Two post- Socha Na Tha interviews:
Kaffeeklatsch with Imtiaz Ali
Talented Mr. Ali
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Good movie.. complete masti. An uncle-aunty were getting naughty in the next seat ;)
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18 December 2007
Night
Lonely road
Crows race a cyclist
Lonely road
Crows race a cyclist
13 December 2007
Aankhein Teri Itni Haseein..
Homeless in Narmada
Rehengyaa Bongyaa Vasaave
He was one of the 500 tribal people from the Narmada valley who were at Azad Maidan in Bombay for a week in August 1999. Their villages were going to be drowned by Sardar Sarovar Dam. They had accepted the rehabilitation package of the Maharashtra government but received almost nothing. The week was spent in demonstrations, petitions, delegations, being arrested, meetings with ministers and secretaries etc. One day we stopped Bal Thackeray's speech in the Press Club. We kept a watch secretly and shouted him down from outside :D Those were the days of the Shiv Sena BJP govt when their dadagiri was at the height. I had a nice time and took the kids to see Marine Drive, Nariman Point, Colaba, Malabar Hill etc.
The day before they left, their leader Pratibha Shinde came to me with Lotyaa and Jiryaa Kaarbhaari. Both seemed to be near 40 - short, dark and of a small frame. I had heard the story of Lotyaa's family. His parents were no more. He had two brothers. All the years of displacement and struggle had devastated them. One of them had simply gotten off the train somewhere in Madhya Pradesh on the way to Delhi for a morcha and no one had noticed. The youngest - Rehengyaa Bongyaa Vasaave had gone mad and had been left in the Mental Hospital in Thane around two years back. We decided to go to Thane first thing tomorrow morning.
The next day, Lotyaa and Jiryaa were waiting for me. Moving about as a group is easy because traffic stops for a morcha and generally there are police accompanying with their vans and jeeps. But here I had to hold their small hands and cross the road between Azad Maidan, GPO and VT station (The subway work was still going on). They were barefoot. We sat in the local train and they looked completely out of place with their old clothes and turban. While everyone else was trying to occupy as much space as possible, they were sitting as close together as possible. But still with a bright and radiant smile - as if amused by all the people staring at them.
We reached Thane, took a ricksha to the Hospital and went to the office. It was spacious and well-shaded by very old trees and it was very quiet. I was expecting a horrible inhuman atmosphere like other government offices. But the staff, doctors and nurses were kind and helpful. They gave us tea! We learnt that Rehengyaa had been cured and was waiting to be taken back home for 6 months in the recovery ward. They had sent a letter to their village which either did not exist any more or the postman never went there. We had to wait for an hour for the official process. He came out and they cried in each others arms. They left the next night from Bombay Central station. Two faces in a sea of 500 others.
He was one of the 500 tribal people from the Narmada valley who were at Azad Maidan in Bombay for a week in August 1999. Their villages were going to be drowned by Sardar Sarovar Dam. They had accepted the rehabilitation package of the Maharashtra government but received almost nothing. The week was spent in demonstrations, petitions, delegations, being arrested, meetings with ministers and secretaries etc. One day we stopped Bal Thackeray's speech in the Press Club. We kept a watch secretly and shouted him down from outside :D Those were the days of the Shiv Sena BJP govt when their dadagiri was at the height. I had a nice time and took the kids to see Marine Drive, Nariman Point, Colaba, Malabar Hill etc.
The day before they left, their leader Pratibha Shinde came to me with Lotyaa and Jiryaa Kaarbhaari. Both seemed to be near 40 - short, dark and of a small frame. I had heard the story of Lotyaa's family. His parents were no more. He had two brothers. All the years of displacement and struggle had devastated them. One of them had simply gotten off the train somewhere in Madhya Pradesh on the way to Delhi for a morcha and no one had noticed. The youngest - Rehengyaa Bongyaa Vasaave had gone mad and had been left in the Mental Hospital in Thane around two years back. We decided to go to Thane first thing tomorrow morning.
The next day, Lotyaa and Jiryaa were waiting for me. Moving about as a group is easy because traffic stops for a morcha and generally there are police accompanying with their vans and jeeps. But here I had to hold their small hands and cross the road between Azad Maidan, GPO and VT station (The subway work was still going on). They were barefoot. We sat in the local train and they looked completely out of place with their old clothes and turban. While everyone else was trying to occupy as much space as possible, they were sitting as close together as possible. But still with a bright and radiant smile - as if amused by all the people staring at them.
We reached Thane, took a ricksha to the Hospital and went to the office. It was spacious and well-shaded by very old trees and it was very quiet. I was expecting a horrible inhuman atmosphere like other government offices. But the staff, doctors and nurses were kind and helpful. They gave us tea! We learnt that Rehengyaa had been cured and was waiting to be taken back home for 6 months in the recovery ward. They had sent a letter to their village which either did not exist any more or the postman never went there. We had to wait for an hour for the official process. He came out and they cried in each others arms. They left the next night from Bombay Central station. Two faces in a sea of 500 others.
06 December 2007
6 dec
The day Dr Ambedkar died in his sleep. A man who changed the lives of crores of people, worked tirelessly and selflessly with a firm determination and unshakable confidence in the truth of his beliefs and convictions. A true scholar and compassionate human being. A constant source of inspiration for not only people from his community but everyone who feels strongly about social justice and equality.
Also the day the Babri Masjid was destroyed by insane volunteers of the RSS, VHP, BJP and Shiv Sena - the incident that polarized India for a long time and brought the BJP to power at the Centre and some states. The culprits - L K Advani, Uma Bharti, M M Joshi, Ashok Singhal who are directly responsible for the death of thousands of innocent people have not yet been punished.
Also the day the Babri Masjid was destroyed by insane volunteers of the RSS, VHP, BJP and Shiv Sena - the incident that polarized India for a long time and brought the BJP to power at the Centre and some states. The culprits - L K Advani, Uma Bharti, M M Joshi, Ashok Singhal who are directly responsible for the death of thousands of innocent people have not yet been punished.
27 November 2007
Orion from an aeroplane window @ 39,000 feet
Of course
I have seen you before
Sitting huddled in
Narrow train doors
But never
Never from this close
19 November 2007
11% in 11 months
Thats how much the dollar has fallen wrt the rupee - from 44.2 to 39.2 since January. If this trend continues, it will be 34 Rupees to a Dollar by next November.
The corresponding drops with respect to other currencies:
10.4% Euro, 5.9% Pound, 6.5% Yen, 7% Yuan, 9.5% Ruble(till October), 13.4% Australian $, 11% Danish Kroner, 15.4% Norwegian Kroner, 19.5% Canadian $!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_exchange_market
http://www.currencybits.com/
But if you watch too closely, you could miss the big picture.
The corresponding drops with respect to other currencies:
10.4% Euro, 5.9% Pound, 6.5% Yen, 7% Yuan, 9.5% Ruble(till October), 13.4% Australian $, 11% Danish Kroner, 15.4% Norwegian Kroner, 19.5% Canadian $!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_exchange_market
http://www.currencybits.com/
But if you watch too closely, you could miss the big picture.
15 November 2007
Reign Over Me
An established dentist in New York, Alan Johnson (Don Cheadle - Crash, Hotel Rwanda) sees his college room mate, Charlie Fineman (Adam Sandler) driving a kids' scooter on the streets.
Charlie refuses to recognize him. He is suffering from post-traumatic stress after losing his wife and daughters on 9/11 and stays away from anything that could remind him of his life. He lives a hedonistic isolated existence of complete denial and gets agitated if anyone tries to make him remember. Alan himself is stuck between family and career and has lost touch with his true self. He decides to do everything he can to help Charlie and starts meeting him more often.
A touching and beautiful story of friendship, loss and hope. A bit too Hollywoodish but surprisingly great acting by Adam Sandler. He can act! Don Cheadle is very good as usual. Reign Over Me.
Charlie refuses to recognize him. He is suffering from post-traumatic stress after losing his wife and daughters on 9/11 and stays away from anything that could remind him of his life. He lives a hedonistic isolated existence of complete denial and gets agitated if anyone tries to make him remember. Alan himself is stuck between family and career and has lost touch with his true self. He decides to do everything he can to help Charlie and starts meeting him more often.
A touching and beautiful story of friendship, loss and hope. A bit too Hollywoodish but surprisingly great acting by Adam Sandler. He can act! Don Cheadle is very good as usual. Reign Over Me.12 November 2007
What does it mean to be homeless?
Cambridge:
Fredgy runs a used books stall in Harvard Square. I think she must be around 60. Old clothes, kind weathered face and just a bandana to protect her from the cold. She talked to me as I was browsing.
F: Each one of these is for 2 dollars.
A: Hmm.
F: We have fiction here in this row, next is poetry, then drama, biography, on the other side - scifi, novels, old books.
A: (Pointing out Isak Dinesen's Letters From Africa) Do you have more books by this person?
F: I'm sorry I can't keep track of..
A: These books are really good.
F: Yeah look at this. You won't get this anywhere. We have rare books. Every Friday we get a thousand new books and replace all the shelves.
A: Wow! I'll come here often.
F: We are open on all days unless it rains or snows, till 11 out in the cold.
A: Do you live around here?
F: Do you know about us? I was born here and grew up here but now I am homeless. Some of us started this to get out of the streets and back home. We are not alcoholics and we don't do drugs - but you know the stereotypes - if they are homeless they must be drunks. The City wanted us to go. We got arrested thrice - handcuffs and all - but we fought them. First the City then Cambridge Police. And we won. They had violated our rights according to the First Amendment - our Freedom of Speech.
A: How did you manage a lawyer and all?
F: They arrested us so it's their responsibility. The City said 'We don't have a permit to give them for the next 30 years' The judge said, 'Then make them one!'
A: Great!
F: Nobody bothers us now. Are you in school?
A: Yes I go to Northeastern. I am Anish. (Shook hands)
F: Aani?
A: Anish. Whats you name?
F: Anish. I'm Fredgy. Nice meeting ya. Many students come here. Their books are so expensive like 80-90$.
A: Yeah. And most of them are paying off their tuition loans for a long time.
F: Yes everyone has payments all the time. You know.. MBTA (the municipal transport) also wanted to throw us out of here - but Cambridge Police came up and told them not to try. We have been successful in New York. According to federal and Mass law we don't even need a permit. And state comes over city. We have been running for two years now.
A: I am so happy this happened.
F: If you go online you can see our story - look for sparechange.
http://www.streetnewsservice.org/index.php?page=archive_detail&articleID=756
http://sparechangenews.blogspot.com/2006/12/tale-of-kenneth-obrien.html
http://www.homelessempowerment.org/
(I got three good books: Letters from Africa -Karen, Buddenbrooks -Thomas Mann and Watership Down. There were some more details like bail was only $40 but can't remember everything; I can't bring in her accent either)
Shorter accounts from Boston and Bombay comng up.
Fredgy runs a used books stall in Harvard Square. I think she must be around 60. Old clothes, kind weathered face and just a bandana to protect her from the cold. She talked to me as I was browsing.
F: Each one of these is for 2 dollars.
A: Hmm.
F: We have fiction here in this row, next is poetry, then drama, biography, on the other side - scifi, novels, old books.
A: (Pointing out Isak Dinesen's Letters From Africa) Do you have more books by this person?
F: I'm sorry I can't keep track of..
A: These books are really good.
F: Yeah look at this. You won't get this anywhere. We have rare books. Every Friday we get a thousand new books and replace all the shelves.
A: Wow! I'll come here often.
F: We are open on all days unless it rains or snows, till 11 out in the cold.
A: Do you live around here?
F: Do you know about us? I was born here and grew up here but now I am homeless. Some of us started this to get out of the streets and back home. We are not alcoholics and we don't do drugs - but you know the stereotypes - if they are homeless they must be drunks. The City wanted us to go. We got arrested thrice - handcuffs and all - but we fought them. First the City then Cambridge Police. And we won. They had violated our rights according to the First Amendment - our Freedom of Speech.
A: How did you manage a lawyer and all?
F: They arrested us so it's their responsibility. The City said 'We don't have a permit to give them for the next 30 years' The judge said, 'Then make them one!'
A: Great!
F: Nobody bothers us now. Are you in school?
A: Yes I go to Northeastern. I am Anish. (Shook hands)
F: Aani?
A: Anish. Whats you name?
F: Anish. I'm Fredgy. Nice meeting ya. Many students come here. Their books are so expensive like 80-90$.
A: Yeah. And most of them are paying off their tuition loans for a long time.
F: Yes everyone has payments all the time. You know.. MBTA (the municipal transport) also wanted to throw us out of here - but Cambridge Police came up and told them not to try. We have been successful in New York. According to federal and Mass law we don't even need a permit. And state comes over city. We have been running for two years now.
A: I am so happy this happened.
F: If you go online you can see our story - look for sparechange.
http://www.streetnewsservice.org/index.php?page=archive_detail&articleID=756
http://sparechangenews.blogspot.com/2006/12/tale-of-kenneth-obrien.html
http://www.homelessempowerment.org/
(I got three good books: Letters from Africa -Karen, Buddenbrooks -Thomas Mann and Watership Down. There were some more details like bail was only $40 but can't remember everything; I can't bring in her accent either)
Shorter accounts from Boston and Bombay comng up.
Zindagi Khwaab Hai (Jaagte Raho)
03 November 2007
Beth Gibbons & Rodrigo Leão 'Lonely Carousel'
6 months of winter and static
Innocence lost-
About time
To be afraid
Sparks gonna fly
Lightning
No longer
Only in the sky
About time
To be afraid
Sparks gonna fly
Lightning
No longer
Only in the sky
28 October 2007
Is it possible for humans to live without killing the earth?
The population of the United States is 300 million and the number of passenger vehicles is 240 million. If everyone consumes energy and resources by the US average, only 1/6th of the human race can live. And everyone is rushing to meet the American Dream even within their own countries. Going by example, China and India will have to invade Central Asia for oil for their booming economies.
Recently I heard a very good talk by an economist from India who is probably a member of the Planning Commission, about how rigourously growth rates and poverty rates are actually calculated. But none of the experts talks about the simple numbers of a sustainable lifestyle. Rahul's home in Indore is an example of a beautiful natural urban life (Watch the video).
Recently I heard a very good talk by an economist from India who is probably a member of the Planning Commission, about how rigourously growth rates and poverty rates are actually calculated. But none of the experts talks about the simple numbers of a sustainable lifestyle. Rahul's home in Indore is an example of a beautiful natural urban life (Watch the video).
Steve Jobs speech (thanks to Siddhartha Mal)
27 October 2007
Justice to all
Tehelka has exposed an open secret. Inspite of all the evidence in front of the Nanavati Commission, the big fish have managed to escape till now by using the loopholes in the system. But justice will prevail and Gujarat will someday rid itself of the disease to its social milieu along with its symptoms (Modi and co.) just as the rest of India and Bombay recovered from the Ram Janmbhoomi madness and the tense atmosphere after the riots and bomb blasts. Thackeray and Advani must get their punishment and go to jail in the same way as Dawood must. Preaching forgiveness is easy if it is someone else's loss. I am not calling for retribution but I hope every Indian who has lost a dear one to riots, communal killings, genocides and terrorism will someday get the satisfaction of justice been done. Someday..
Red car-
No longer red.
Fall
No longer red.
Fall
23 October 2007
Shelfari - horrible!!! Stay away from it!
This website is a cheat! It will send emails to your yahoo/gmail addressbook contacts in your name without asking you. I created an account just for the sake of curiousity and now it has taken a life of its own. Instead go to http://www.librarything.com if you want to.
17 October 2007
Tree
I am a tree-
Not the tender seedling
Young, vulnerable
Nor the supple sapling
Flirting, flaunting
Greenery in the wind.
I am a tree-
I am a tree-
Broken, gnarled
Rooted fingers
Clutching desperately to my soil.
Battered, bruised shoots
Struggling fiercely towards the sun.
I am the tree
You chopped.
-Colleen Smith-Brown
Not the tender seedling
Young, vulnerable
Nor the supple sapling
Flirting, flaunting
Greenery in the wind.
I am a tree-
I am a tree-
Broken, gnarled
Rooted fingers
Clutching desperately to my soil.
Battered, bruised shoots
Struggling fiercely towards the sun.
I am the tree
You chopped.
-Colleen Smith-Brown
15 October 2007
Download your blog
My friend Maymon showed me a command wget three years ago. I used to download my homepage using wget (This wikipedia article calls it your own personal web crawler) You can download entire filesystems of not so secure websites like those hosted on geocities without having to login. It can be very useful if you want to download a file that has a broken link - simply download the whole filesystem of that website - you will find your file somewhere in there.
But this means that there is really no such thing as privacy on the internet. It must be easy to download our emails too for someone chaloo enough in this creepy web-crawling game.
"wget -r http://quitsmoke.blogspot.com ." will get my whole blog to your current directory nicely arranged in archives the way blogger stores it.
But this means that there is really no such thing as privacy on the internet. It must be easy to download our emails too for someone chaloo enough in this creepy web-crawling game.
"wget -r http://quitsmoke.blogspot.com ." will get my whole blog to your current directory nicely arranged in archives the way blogger stores it.
09 October 2007
The morning I saw the daydreaming sparrow
My advisor sent me to Radioshack to buy some special batteries for the lab. I had a 4-5 day-old beard and the middle-aged guy at the shop joked(?) - 'Is this for a terrorist project?' Very funny huh.
Biology 101: Response to stimulus = You are alive
I remember the consoling comments from friends on one of my homesick posts. Back then I was completely sick and tired of the sanitized and planned nature of the American city I live in. Also I missed the company of friends and my familiarity with Powai terribly. I really identified with them strongly. Something you take for granted over the years, to realize it's gone only when you suddenly find yourself in a new system with a different set of boundary conditions. Then you welcome existential angst with open arms and even get married to it.
Meanwhile, people tell you - 'Get busy and forget your feelings'
Chitra's cartoon 'Feeling Hollow in America' and some blogs that told people (non-desis who were planning to shift to India) not to expect order anywhere - which would make living in India easier. We can conclude by combining these two that the key factor that makes life in these places seem so starkly contrasting is the external stimuli that we are bombarded with. Its sheer volume in a bustling city in India overwhelmingly exceeds anything found in America. I won't go into listing all the stimuli. It is too obvious. Still, allow me to shout.. "Eureka!! Eureka!!"
Meanwhile, people tell you - 'Get busy and forget your feelings'
Chitra's cartoon 'Feeling Hollow in America' and some blogs that told people (non-desis who were planning to shift to India) not to expect order anywhere - which would make living in India easier. We can conclude by combining these two that the key factor that makes life in these places seem so starkly contrasting is the external stimuli that we are bombarded with. Its sheer volume in a bustling city in India overwhelmingly exceeds anything found in America. I won't go into listing all the stimuli. It is too obvious. Still, allow me to shout.. "Eureka!! Eureka!!"
08 October 2007
Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion
A moving account of the recent history of the people of Tibet. A ray of hope and reason in the increasingly hopeless situations around the world. There is so much for everyone to learn from their courage and compassion. I am lost for words.
04 October 2007
Window Shoppers
too much choice
confused sparrows
in a heap of straw
one of them
makes a choice
cruises away with confidence
low flight
parallel to the ground
precious cargo in her mouth
the way shown
quick choices are made
the others follow
two birds stay
shrugging
"just came to watch"
confused sparrows
in a heap of straw
one of them
makes a choice
cruises away with confidence
low flight
parallel to the ground
precious cargo in her mouth
the way shown
quick choices are made
the others follow
two birds stay
shrugging
"just came to watch"
28 September 2007
Bali-Rajya anyone?
I remember celebrating Diwali at home. On Bali Pratipada, people in Maharashtra say 'Ida Pida Talo, Baliche Rajya Yevo' (May all dangers and difficulties go away, May the rule of Bali return). Bali was this powerful just and popular king south of the Vindhyas and in his kingdom there was no misery and everyone was happy. The most popular story about Bali is the one in which Vishnu as Vaman takes advantage of his generosity and kills him - asks him for land that he can cover in three steps, covers heaven and earth in two steps and then steps on Bali's head.
Somehow in all Hindu mythology the gods especially their king Indra (like Zeus in Greek mythology) seem to be very shrewd, cunning and to an extent even evil and they always trick and defeat the naive demons. And all this killing of the so-called demons is justified in the name of protecting cows, brahmins and Dharma. Now our much-maligned Ravan was supposedly a great scholar and the greatest bhakt of Shiva. The part I like most about Shiva is his passionate and energetic Tandav dance and that he is the only mythological figure who lives a carefree life in the wilderness, makes love to the mountain king's daughter and last but not the least smokes marijuana. If I ever believed in any god it would be him.
There is such a nice collection of articles on mythology on wikipedia. Nordic mythology is also so rich. Wikipedia takes you on trips round the world and it took me to the legend of Valhalla and the Danish animated movie of 1986 available on youtube in seven parts. Internet zindabad!