My travels is all about... My views, thoughts and experiences on/about/at/with random places of interest, persons, things, events, issues etc,. I am an eternal student with a restless mind and a tumultuous heart!

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

A Fascination in Retrospection - A Wanderer's Year 2015


A Fascination in Retrospection - A Wanderer's Year 2015
(Retrospection-Prose)


For me, there's always a fascination in retrospection. 2015 is now a goner (going...going...goner).And how was this year for me as a wanderer, a traveler inwards and outwards?

Outwards...

In the season of severe winter, I roamed the arterial roads of Bengaluru, one day crossing through the city's ever bustling malls and streets, the other day as a humble visitor to Sultan Tipu's Palace. Namma Metro, Averkel Jatre, Bull Temple, Cubbon Park etc, ...My vocabulary kept growing along with the knowledge of this great city's geography !

When dusty heat waves swept through the length and breadth of my great country India, I was at home, embroiled in my own thoughts. Having a terrific family means that one is never unsure of his own abilities ! Then I saw the resilience of a city, Visakhapatnam in the aftermath of cyclone hudhud.

Rains brought the much needed succour and then the family trip. For the first time, I crossed the Vindhyas and Satpuras. Watching all the things go, standing at the door, in a moving train...- That's always truly nice. In Varanasi, I saw how culture and chaos co-existed happily. In Saranath, I saw how the symbolic mantras of 'Om Namah Shivaiah' and 'Om Mane Padma Hum' have complimented each other. I walked on places where great battles were fought but ultimately made way to peace, where the ritual of religion respected the logic of science and vice versa. I saw the might of the Ganges and the grace of the almighty. I saw the death of loyalty in the departure of Lucky !

But Inwards, It all remains the same. Status Quo Ante Bellam, in military parlance, one can say. A work in process..A tale in the making...

Yet, It is not just irony that at this moment, the home is where my heart is, and that's what I consider as my best place...with my family.

Happy New Year !









References (If any)

1. Place and Date -
@ - My PG Room, Somewhere in  Bengaluru (Karnataka)
On -30eth of December, 2015

2. Subject - (Retrospection Prose) - "A Fascination in Retrospection - A Wanderer's Year 2015"
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Thursday, December 3, 2015

The Fishermen's Day had begun


The Fishermen's Day had begun
(Allegory - Poem) 

" After a numb sleep on an uncomfortable sleeper coach upper berth,
I woke up and looked around like a hungry polar bear with girth.
As the great train slowed down but with an unyielding sound,
I knew that the next stop is the City of Victory,to which most of us are bound.

Then I stood before the door, and here it was, River Krishna in full flow.
The monstrous engine made a screeching halt, honking with a hefty blow.
But, Was it not yesterday that the nature bestowed it's fury on us,
And how come everything is very calm now, that the storm is over thus?

I remember the frightening floods and the marooned houses, the roads and
the rails cutoff, the power being gone, the suffering of a people shunned.
But, now only beauty and peace pervades, like the gentle yet mighty river,
We are made to be stronger and We shall over come with a gentle quiver.

Somewhere down below, two fishermen started their day,
For us all like them, life moves on, however past loving we weigh.
In times of Storm and Calm, We move on like this train,
And Just like for those two fishermen, it is our day and it had just begun."








References (If any)

1. Place and Date -
@ - On Board 17232 Nsl-Ns Express, Railway Bridge, River Krishna, Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh)
On -22nd of November, 2015

2. Subject - Railway Bridge, River Krishna (Allegory Poem) - "The Fishermen's Day had begun"
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Tuesday, November 17, 2015

A Submarine's Tale

A Submarine’s Tale

(Fictional Short Life Story - Prose)


Another chilly evening descends upon the city of Visakhapatnam. The tides rise and fall with much more intensity and fervor now. The crowds are beginning to grow more in number. I see all around me, People with their loved ones, enjoying at the beach forgetting a hard day’s work.People are visiting me, like they do every day since the day I retired. It doesn’t make a much difference for me now. I’m always at peace looking blissfully at the sea, the place where I rightfully belong to.

The day I was born, (Or should I say, Made), I still remember, it was a day, when the brutally cold winds of Siberia swept through the Russian Steppes. Scientists and Engineers of all kinds forged me with will of Steel and marveled at a job well done! Surely, they should congratulate themselves! I’m one of the best of my kind.

I am a Russian by design. But, I spent a greater part of my life serving India, and protecting the country’s maritime borders. I am a symbol of Russian – Indian Friendship and to some people, I am a just a Forgotten Relic of Cold War days. For around many years, In fact I forgot the count, I did my duty loyally and stoically.

I may be a giant piece of metal, but my dear Comrades, I had lived through the times of War and Peace with equal Rigor. As I swept majestically through the inner confines of the Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, I was a part of many things. I listened silently to the whispers of Brave Sailors and Officers about their love stories. I took part in great battles which made me excel. I saw the sinking of a competing fellow, just a few nautical miles from where I stand now (He was PNS Ghazni). During the famous battle of 1971, I performed many missions in the Arabian Sea.

Today, I’m just retired. I’m lodged here as a museum ship. The Indian Navy still honors me as if I’m still active. All kinds of people marvel at me. But, I could not care less. I performed my duties loyally. I lost a few friends and I do miss them all. I miss the action. I miss the sound of an adjusting Persicope and the imminent fear of the blast of a Torpedo. Above all and everything, I miss the bravest officers and sailors who took great care of me more than their lives.

And my name? I am INS Kursara, a Submarine and This is my Tale!







References (If any)

1. Place and Date -
@ - INS Kursara Submarine (Naval Museum), Ramakrishna Beach, Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh)
On -9th of November, 2015

2. Subject - INS Kursara - "A Submarine's Tale"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INS_Kursura_(S20)

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

The Pachyderm of Prayaga


The Pachyderm of Prayaga
(Allegory - Poem) 

" Amidst a joyful banter in the jeep, I was away lost deep in my own thoughts,
And we stopped before Lord Hanuman’s Temple, yet I was still connecting the dots.
 The frustration of failure, the fear of future, the glory of the past and….
Somewhere among all these, I lay hopelessly drummed.

Then it was there that I saw, this pachyderm of Prayaga,
A Mighty elephant loyally bound, en route to Gaya.
I wonder what strength lies beneath the simple chains of the gentle giant,
 Is that legal? My brain asked but My heart is not quaint.

But as I look at it once more, and I feel that I’m this elephant,
Shackled by my own thoughts, the strength in me is not decadent.
And, the elephant trumpeted, a wake cup call not to plummet,
A sign that even a badly chained elephant could happily trumpet.

 I thanked the Pachyderm of Prayaga, for the invaluable lesson imparted,
To enjoy the simple pleasures of life, to live before being  departed,
And Most Importantly, - “To Trumpet happily every once in a while, forgetting everything” "








References (If any)

1. Place and Date -
@ - Lord Hanuman's Temple, Near Tiveni Sangam, Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh)
On -21st of July, 2015

2. Subject - Elephant (Allegory Poem) - "The Pachyderm of Prayaga"
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