Under an elephant’s foot – I

Etched in my memory is that early morning walk in a coffee plantation

Four of us chatting, brushing past the dew-laden leaves in slow motion

 

Plucking pepper from the peppercorn vines, smelling the vanilla pods

Nothing could be more idyllic than this weekend, what were the odds?

 

Our guide, Prakash was born in these hills so no trail was new to him

nor were the birds or animals; he could sense an elephant and its whim

 

What are our chances of spotting one today? I had tried to think loudly

‘Coorg is a part of Elephant Corridor ma’am’, he reminded us all dryly

 

We were now closer to a watering hole to spot some feathered friends

Only to discover fresh circular footmarks in wet mud around the ends

 

‘Wild elephants often impair the electric fences to cross over for water’

‘Why did we come here then?’ I felt my trust in our young guide totter  

 

But the bird watchers, pros and amateurs were busy with their lenses

And inner peace seemed to have arrived too, suffusing all our senses

                                                                Suddenly all hell broke loose! 

A letter to my dreams

Dear dreams, 

It was indeed a pleasure to meet you all last night. You knocked on my door and startled me with such promise and hope that I realized, it's time. It's time that you enter into my real world.

I know, you must have heard it from me, many times, that it's one thing to dream and another to know which one to follow. Which ones are just a fling and which one is pure passion? Which are the ones worth the sweat and blood and which ones are just to lighten the heart? But you do realize that you all are so many that it will take me more than a lifetime to choose a few for I have limited time and energy. 

Some of you have stood by me for years, some I got to know only recently but they have begun to make a lot of sense. Some gave me high hopes by rallying with my desire to be acknowledged but fizzled in the long run leaving me stranded. Some promised to make me over into a new person only to make me belittle the person I already was. Some of you patiently waited while I went in all directions only to come back home.

It has been a long walk with you all. But now, after years of trepidation and procrastination, I am ready. Ready to follow you wholeheartedly. Not as a part-time or leisure-time or 'when I'll get time' activity but as a part of my being. 

Good luck guys!

P.S.: Thank you for always being with me. Thank you for keeping me alive.

My way on the highway

Rolling down the window and sticking out my head

being kissed by the sunrays until my cheeks go red

taking in the air, pulling aside the hair from my face

recalling old memories that had hid without a trace

stopping somewhere away from the industrial gloom

walking down to the mustard fields in yellow bloom

bouldering up a rocky ridge or discovering old wells

allowing my instincts to be led by sounds and smells

                       

going mad over parathas, with butter melting over it

topping it up with ginger tea, waiting for reality to hit