It is said that a drunk man’s words are a sober man’s thoughts. Pretty true it seems, going by the numerous encounters that an average engineering student is bound to go through during his stay at “a home away from home”, a cliché for hostel!
What might just start as a “party” thrown by the winning candidate in the backyard of the hostel after being declared victorious in the annual show recognized by closed gates, colorful stickers, riot control vans, and ofcourse open jeeps can turn into an elaborate affair for the next few years. However, towards the fag end, nothing looks elaborate; its just another day, just another meal, just a few friends and just a few clicking glasses.
Many different places have had their name in the hall of fame. First, the balcony of a dormitory, filled with people tired after dancing away an evening at the cultural fest of the college. Most of them, still not fully aware of even the names of each other. What follows is couple of hours of discussion on wide range of topics; music, movies, life, life partners, life after college and at one time I remember, even death in a few years! And ofcourse, what fuels all these discussions is a glass bottle (plastic ones aren’t considered good!), some glasses from the canteen, something to chutter and mutter and the time flies of. Though everything is forgotten the next morning, traces still remain in the memory even after a couple of years.
Next was that place right across the bus stand. The whole idea of just sitting at a table and someone serving was delightful. It quickly became one of the most common places where you could bump into your batchmates at the end of each paper. Then, someone discovers an open arena, with temporary sheds, on the outskirts of the city; the food awesome and it suddenly becomes the place where all birthday “parties” are celebrated. Lately, the place became so popular, that one had to start avoiding it, just because of the rush. A few more excursions here and there, some good, some really bad and a lot of time elapses in between these things. Two years almost.
Now, here we are, coming towards the end of our four years, for which I do not have an appropriate adjective. Things are relatively simpler and lot more enjoyable. A dimly lit room, a playlist running on a laptop, everything for the time being is “in-house” (again thanks to that annual show!), four or five people and time again flies away.
Time surely is flying away too fast, a couple of important things still to be done before we wind up. Don’t really know what are the odds of holding a bucket and tequila party; but that is certainly on the menu!
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Friday, August 8, 2008
Encounter With Peace
A recent visit to a pilgrimage high in the lap of the great Himalayas rendered me breathless and spellbound. The monsoon season might not be the most hospitable of seasons to visit the mountains, but the sense of happiness one experiences from the green and heavy surroundings is unsurpassable. The whole idea of being so close to nature at its ultimate best provokes emotions which are impossible to come by on a typical day of a metropolitan lifestyle.
Crossing a bridge in a SUV with rain pouring down and the dawn just broken, the river below was an epitome of a fierce ruler who could conquer any land he wanted. The gush of flowing water creates a sound of his marching army. Large, wide, and stretching beyond infinity, it makes its way through huge black rock boulders. The redness of the water, owing to the sand it has eroded look like stains from a battle. It makes you believe that however technologically advanced man may become, it will always remain helpless and worthless entity.
The lush green trees, on the other hand represent a much more calm and peace loving creature. Swaying with the flowing breeze and all washed from the continuous showers these however, coexist with the river. On the banks and sides of the river, these innocuous looking, green and peace loving beings keep the fierce army at bay and prevent catastrophes that can cause havoc. Again, these strange ways of maintaining the balance of power by nature prove who the ultimate ruler of this earth is.
Walking on the mountainous path of curves and turns, the mid afternoon was covered in thick white and black clouds. We walked our way through these clouds, which resembled an early morning winter fog in the plains of Delhi. It also dispelled my previous held notions that one can actually hold a piece of cloud in the hand which would feel something like cotton. No, you cannot grab a piece of the cloud. The kind of calmness produced by these clouds had an enchanting effect. The path looked something like a fairytale entrance to heaven. The power of the clouds cannot be underrated, for they took away ones capability to see the river or the trees..
Further into the night, the clouds dispersed to give what was a spectacle for sky gazers. A dark moonless night, high in the mountains with a clean air, the sky seemed less for the endless bright, dim, large, small conglomeration of stars. Holding your neck vertical to soak in the entire effect could tire the neck but not the eyes. This is what you call being in the lap of nature. This is what makes you flush out all the thoughts from the mind and feel that peace from within, the same peace you get by putting your head in the lap of your loved ones.
For once, I thought I need no idols, no role models to look up to for that elusive motivation or inspiration. Motivation comes from self, inspiration comes from self, and self is a part of nature.
Crossing a bridge in a SUV with rain pouring down and the dawn just broken, the river below was an epitome of a fierce ruler who could conquer any land he wanted. The gush of flowing water creates a sound of his marching army. Large, wide, and stretching beyond infinity, it makes its way through huge black rock boulders. The redness of the water, owing to the sand it has eroded look like stains from a battle. It makes you believe that however technologically advanced man may become, it will always remain helpless and worthless entity.
The lush green trees, on the other hand represent a much more calm and peace loving creature. Swaying with the flowing breeze and all washed from the continuous showers these however, coexist with the river. On the banks and sides of the river, these innocuous looking, green and peace loving beings keep the fierce army at bay and prevent catastrophes that can cause havoc. Again, these strange ways of maintaining the balance of power by nature prove who the ultimate ruler of this earth is.
Walking on the mountainous path of curves and turns, the mid afternoon was covered in thick white and black clouds. We walked our way through these clouds, which resembled an early morning winter fog in the plains of Delhi. It also dispelled my previous held notions that one can actually hold a piece of cloud in the hand which would feel something like cotton. No, you cannot grab a piece of the cloud. The kind of calmness produced by these clouds had an enchanting effect. The path looked something like a fairytale entrance to heaven. The power of the clouds cannot be underrated, for they took away ones capability to see the river or the trees..
Further into the night, the clouds dispersed to give what was a spectacle for sky gazers. A dark moonless night, high in the mountains with a clean air, the sky seemed less for the endless bright, dim, large, small conglomeration of stars. Holding your neck vertical to soak in the entire effect could tire the neck but not the eyes. This is what you call being in the lap of nature. This is what makes you flush out all the thoughts from the mind and feel that peace from within, the same peace you get by putting your head in the lap of your loved ones.
For once, I thought I need no idols, no role models to look up to for that elusive motivation or inspiration. Motivation comes from self, inspiration comes from self, and self is a part of nature.
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