Life is a Haiku

I've been attempting haiku writing off late...inspired while reading Kerouac's Dharma Bums mostly. Some crude attempts below (all are not technically correct).

Copyright: Harmanpreet Kaur

Happiness-

meditating

under bodhi tree;

writing haiku poetry

the inane brings

sublime joy;

kills mundane

yellow wildflowers

sing in autumn;

riverside blues

Depression -

need that love
in you;
i sink

thanks for the drink
tonite;
i die

i fall into

the abyss;

rising from within

waves of melancholy

rising and falling;

time stands still

feel so gone

at my age;

i need - a drink, a good meal, dessert, deep inane silly conversation, love. besame mucho. s'il vous plait.

Random -

bored

on my workstation;

coffee spills

she fills the blanks

of an excel sheet;

colored boxes

Glass Onion

The Beatles Ashram or more appropriately, the Maharishi Yogi Ashram in Rishikesh is located at a tranquil end of the city, a way that takes you through temples, ashrams, everything sellers, quaint cafes with foreigners dressed in crisp kurtas, chappals and rudraksh malas. At the end of the road, we spotted a yogi teaching a foreign lady the correct posture for an asana under a giant old tree. The river Ganga flowed on by, with its water glistening in the sun. We wandered on, till we reached a dead-end and dipped our feet in the cold river and felt the overhead sun beating down. Lazy after the walk, we napped. We walked back and spotted the Ashram's ruins. It felt like a shrine, a broken down haveli.... haunted with the spirits...of music...tangible structures too hold many things intangible.

I hope the Indian Government, which has taken control of the structure, restores it, and makes it open to all Beatles fans and visitors alike.

“Juxtaposing a person with an environment that is boundless, collating him with a countless number of people passing by close to him and far away, relating a person to the whole world, that is the meaning of cinema.”

- Andrei Tarkovsky

Descent

The drive down from Dalhousie in the Chamba district of Himachal towards Pathankot in Punjab is through sleepy hamlets with small patches of bright yellow sarson flowers in full bloom. It is a descent that takes you through the hills of the Dhauldhar range, a memory for which I have no exact photograph, because I wanted to view it from my own eyes instead of a camera's viewfinder. (this does not mean I am lazy when it comes to clicking the shutter. Just a sensual state of languor)

It is in this state of semi-hypnosis that life feels clear often. Though what is that clarity, I cannot describe. Round and round, around you go, up and down over those curves, looking at crop circles of pahadi aloos (mountain potatoes). They are ingenious - these step farms. You can see the crop patterns from afar. They feel singularly alien. And as the mountain draws closer, you can see them pop up close with a lone farmer woman working by herself at the edges. Then a single house perched somewhere in the middle of the mountain. I next imagine a house for myself perched precariously somewhere at the heart of a mountain.

I burst out of that fantasy, for a clear view of the Ravi river. The light of the setting sun has painted a strange spectrum of red over it. The water glows basked in a bloody glory. And you leave it behind, craning your neck for another glimpse, another angle. The mountains surrounding it leave you. They come into view, and they go away again as your car spirals on downwards. You're watching them, they're watching you. And then they're no more.

Then there are villages, with cow dung cakes and wisened old sardars on charpoys. There is a sweet scent in the air and the sun escapes into the trees to the music on my ipod (Led Zeppelin are crooning Over the hills and far away). A finely cut-music video - where the view in front of my eyes intermingles with my day-dreams. In those moments, I want to hold on to the experience, knowing very well that it is only passing away. In another hour I'll be eating aloo paranthas in Pathankot. In three hours I'll be in a train reading a book. In ten hours I'll be crossing Kashmere gate. In a day I'll be posting my pictures on facebook. In weeks, I'll be writing about it. And there I've written it.

Anyway, I just wanted to tell you about a beautiful descent lying in my memory as fresh as those bright yellow buds of sarson.

From my Travel Logs dated 26 July '09

Kaza

"If you keep coming to the mountains long enough, one day when you get old, you will realise that those who keep coming here, are closer to the Gods." - Mr Sethi's parting words to me who I'd met on the bus to Kaza.

A strange early morning exit from Keylong at 3:30am, through non-lighted streets and rugged fields of scented flowers, a torchlight, hotel assistant and clear star-lit pristine skies.....

Caught the bus to Gramphoo.....slept.....and awoke to mist. Waiting for the bus to Kaza at 6am at Gramphoo...... and a lucky bus came along.....empty army bus.....with only us, two ladhakis carrying their wares, and the elderly 60 yr old Sethi couple. Most friendly company.

Journey into Spiti valley - breathtaking (complete loss of adjectives!)

Change of landscape and the feel of Ladakh creeps in. Very interesting to meet the Sethi's - they drove to Kaza in a Wagon R from Shimla, travelled to Leh via state bus and are now back heading to Kaza. Young at heart!

And peeing in the wilderness is getting trickier.....!

27 July '09

Kaza

Headiness. Altitude sickness....did nothing but laze and visit a government hospital to get pulse and O2 levels checked. Walked to the market in the evening...ambled but faced breathlessness. Lovely breeze and gentle drizzle.....people wondered looking at me walking alone.

German Bakery of Kaza! Saved the day with a brownie and postcard shopping...ambled on across the homes and the lanes of Kaza town.......

28 July '09

Kaza

Headed to Ki monastery and sipped tea with two friendly monks inside......and then onto the village of Kibber. Crossed a group of foreigners hitching a ride on a tractor - and spotted our Slovenian couple again - waving like crazy!

Rest......more lazing and reading......and doing nothing in Kaza......in the middle of nowhere.

30 July '09

Kaza

2 days of a lot of driving - Pin valley and Chandertal today.

I leave Kaza tomorrow at 4am for Manali. Kaza is such a small place.....I can see foreigners in the market who simple seem to belong here. Sometimes, hanging out at bohemian places in India, makes me feel......I'm sort of invading or visiting their territory.

Locals are really friendly....men play chess all the time while women carry children on their backs, lots of labourers from Bihar here and lots of new constructions taking place.

Never ending Landscape.

It is hot, dusty.....but I look at rivers that keep flowing.....is it too cliche to say I see a meaning of life here.......?

William Dalrymple mentions (In Xanadu) - Oriental ism of Europeans during Colonization.... so true on this journey....... Westernization of us?

No Indian Woman traveler in these parts!

No Indian Male traveler in these parts!

Except for bikers and army men.......!

Bye Kaza!

31st July '09

Manali

Back to Manali - rain and the gurgling Beas. After a 12 hour bus journey from Kaza at 4am.....

What a bus ride! Crowded, packed and shaky as ever, bad roads again, blinding mist, blinding curves, rain, people sitting on the floor of the bus.........

Another interesting couple (I seem to meet only couples on this trip!)....from Scotland and England - archaeologists Helen and Paul......on a 5 month sabbatical from their firm due to the recession.

Heading to Delhi tomorrow but everything about a city feels alien.....after watching the glory of nature untamed, unbound for the past 10 days.

Fading Light

what's better than fading sunlight at dusk

does the heart feel a slight chill

as the sun escapes into the thick of the trees

or do those receding rays leave their last touch

of warmth on your face

with the breeze blowing gently in your hair

and the sun glowing its way about

what's better i ask of you my dear friend

than this time that fades in, and fades out

.....written on an aimless Saturday as I sat in office looking out at the rays of winter light.

[Photo: Moonpeak Cafe, Mcleodganj - I clicked this on our last day there during our trip in 2007]

From my Travel Logs dated 24 July'09

Manali

I enter the Kullu Valley and catch a glimpse of the Beas river from within my bus early morning at 6am. The gushing sounds of the river, the beautiful entry into Kullu Valley surrounded by massive mountains and the encircling river listening to Jimmy Page's guitar on my ipod...falling asleep and waking up to sunlight filtering through misty mountains and hamlets. I'd lost all memory of the Beas, only remember pictures of it from childhood trips. A beautiful river! I am a pagan worshipper! Mountain Gods and River Goddesses.........

From my Travel Logs dated 25 July'09

Keylong

The route to Keylong form Manali had the narrowest of passes, landslides, bad roads...and a bumpy bus ride over 8 hours from Manali starting 5am. So bumpy that my intestines were shaking in and out.....but I was thrilled that I was taking this bumpy hop across mountains......never-ending majestic mountains of Lahaul Valley, friendly people on the bus; a tiring ride ending in a killer climb to the hotel, hungry, dead and panting for O2 at this mighty altitude. Felt like a drive across to the other end of the world, and it's only been one day. Note to self:- I should have asked the Slovenian dude for a rolled up joint.

Tommorow:- Over 10 hours of bus again - I hope to reach Kaza! Keylong reminds me of Leh, although smaller and seems to be a pitstop for those moving onto Leh. A very small town compared to Manali. Hot day and chilly evening....but landscape breathtaking. Kullu Valley, Lahaul Valley and onto Spiti Valley......rivers and mountains.....nothing but landscape dots the mind.....long to meet interesting people living and visiting this landscape.

......to be continued.

Shift Focus

Friends, I've begun a new chapter in my blogging activity by starting a fresh new blog on Wordpress. This one will always stay, as I plan to continue fuelling it with my vagabond-ness! But I'm moving from my random writings towards something more focussed, atleast for a while. So, do drop by at : https://picturestarts.wordpress.com

Cheers!

Memory is the only paradise from which we cannot be driven.

Jean Paul Richter

Bibi, Begum aur Patni

Well, I've had a mammoth film viweing day of three classic hindi films depicting the social life of Indians in three different periods.

1. Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam (1962)

2. Shatranj ke Khiladi (1977)

3. Katha (1983)

Although Sahib Bibi and Shatranj were set in a time older than their year of release, I found certain similarities and observations on the role of men and women in Indian society in all three of them.

Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam: Meena Kumari's character is of a woman who is married to a rich landlord of Calcutta (pre-independence) who is given to heavy drinking and womanising at the kotha. But she is not like the other women in the house who quietly ignore these antics of their husbands and as according to her sister-in-law even support it as a 'manly' activity. She wants to spend time with her husband, or what else does she have to do the entire day! Her Husband is like a God, and she must serve him at all times, so much that she will drink liquor and sing for him (blasphemy in those days). I really liked her performance, it was powerful and conveyed the dichotomy of her situation very well. The song, "na jao sayian" is haunting with her drunk presence and Alvi's camera movements. But why does she have a deep devotion for her husband who clearly does not care for her? Was it a survival technique for women in those days who could not be economically or socially liberated? Or was it in some sense a powerful effort on her part to claim her husband back to where he belonged?

But there is only a slight retribution for her at the end, as her husband lies bedridden and she drunk....an ironic role reversal.

Waheedas's character on the other hand is of a woman who is also taking charge of her life, even though it is within archaic child marriage rules.

Shatranj ke Khiladi: Shabana Azmi is Sanjeev Kumar's wife who has clearly lost interest in her to his chess board. Here too, Azmi's character tries to connive Kumar's character into spending time with her. She is desperate and even sexually deprived. But the man here is not interested in being physical. On the other hand, Jaffrey's wife (a robust Fareeda Jalal) is cheating on him with his nephew and clearly expressing her sexuality. I found these to be brilliant characterisations.

Katha: Deepti Naval's character is easily attracted to the "bad-boy" Farooque Sheikh. While on the other hand Naseeruddin is never able to express his love for her till the last moment nor does Deepti's character guage his emotions. But what struck me was when Farooque's character asks her if she is 'modern and liberated'. As soon as she admits she is (hesitatingly), he finds it easy to canoodle and get her into bed. But even after facing humiliation from him, Naseer's character accepts her in the end as who she is.

All in all......I'm trying to place how women are portrayed in Indian Cinema through the ages. Why is a woman portrayed to be begging for a man's affection? And yet, they are infinitely free and powerful. It says something about our patriachal society, which has been, and still is going strong, if not directly but subtly.

Little Thinker and Miss Curious, Kaza

Wade in the water, Children

Mother and Child
Ki Monastery, Kaza

I saw women
carrying their children
on their backs
as they ploughed and walked,
I looked at one and saw the other
as they were one

Mordor Rock

Let's talk about Led Zeppelin! Led Zep were inspired by Tolkein's Lord of the Rings, and there was a discreet sprinkling of LOTR all over their lyrics in some songs. As a fan of both, I thought I'd share some of these lyrics which combine the best rock arrangements, vocals of Robert Plant and guitar by Jimmy Page.


"The band's individualistic style draws from many sources and transcends any one genre. Their rock-infused interpretation of the blues and folk genres also incorporated rockabilly, reggae, soul, funk, classical, Celtic, Indian, Arabic, pop, Latin and country." - Wikipedia


I wish I could have gone for one concert of their's in the 70's and seen them perform like Gods!



Misty Mountain Hop

If you go down in the streets today,
baby, you better, you better open your eyes. WOAH WOAH YEAH
Folk down there really don't care, really don't care, don't care , really don't,
which, way the pressure lies,
so I've decided what I'm gonna do now.


So I'm packing my bags for the Misty Mountains
where the spirits go now, over the hills where the spirits fly.
I really don't know.


'Misty Mountains' signify the Shire in LOTR


Over the hills and far away

Many have I loved, and many times been bitten,
Many times I've gazed along the open road.
Many times I've lied and many times I've listened,
many times I've wondered how much there is to know.

Many dreams come true and some have silver linings
I live for my dream and a pocketful of gold.
Mellow is the mind who knows what he's been missin',
many many men can't see the open road.
Many is a word that only leaves you guessin',
Guessin' 'bout a thing you really ought to know.
You really ought to know.
I really ought to know.


The 'pocketful of gold' mentioned here signifies the Ring


Ramble On

Mines a tale that cant be told,
My freedom I hold dear;
How years ago in days of old
When magic filled the air,
Twas in the darkest depths of mordor
I met a girl so fair,
But gollum, and the evil one crept up
And slipped away with her.
Her, her....yea.
Aint nothing I can do, no.

'Gollum', 'Mordor'...etc etc.

Customer Complaint

So, I wrote a customer complaint to a major footwear chain - Woodland. This is the first time I gave feedback to a company whose products I consume. And it turned out to be a hilarious exercise! There was no feeback book available at the store and I wondered if I should email them. And then my friend Sushmit inspired me, by calling the company’s lapse as "Sexist Capitalism!"
Here is what transpired:-

from Harmanpreet Kaur <harmankaur.82@gmail.com>
tocare@woodlandworldwide.com
ccsales@woodlandworldwide.net
date Sun, Jul 12, 2009 at 12:35 AM
subject Customer Complaint

Hi,
As a resident of New Delhi, India and a regular shopper at the Woodland stores, I'd like to complain regarding the availability of trekking shoes in the women's range. Why are trekking shoes for women unavailable in India? Doesn't the company manufacture them? Or are they just not stocked or sold in India?
As a woman who frequently likes to be outdoors, I would really appreciate if Woodland launched a few interesting designs for women in the trekking range. Woodland has such a wide variety for men's trekking shoes. Does the company feel that women in this country do not like the rugged outdoors like their male counterparts?
The designs that are available in the shoes range, are not made for the purpose of trekking. Women only buy them to keep their feet warm in the winter season. They are quite boring actually.
There is a market for a whole lot of women in this country who have started to travel and explore. It would be profitable if you would cater to their demand. There is also no other brand in this nation that caters to the demand of outdoor shoes like Woodland does. If a woman wanted to go a trek in the mountains, she would not buy sports shoes from Nike/Reebok/Adidas. She would buy them from your store, BUT you do not manufacture it for her! It's a clear gender bias.
As a customer of Woodland since it launched in the early 90's, I remember purchasing the women's trek shoe (olive and brown) with leather laces when I was a teenager! Please resume that style or launch new ones!
Rgds
Harmanpreet Kaur

from Harkirat Singh <harkiratsingh@woodlandworldwide.com>
toHarmanpreet Kaur <harmankaur.82@gmail.com>, pksharma@woodlandworldwide.net
mailto:ccchamanlal64@hotmail.com
date Mon, Jul 13, 2009 at 12:39 PM
subject Re: Customer Complaint

Dear Ms.Kaur,
We will certainly look into the issue and develop certain models for trekking and outdoors for women.Pls let us know your foot size and we will try to arrange something for you sooner.Thanks for your valuable comments.

Regards,
Harkirat Singh.

from Harmanpreet Kaur <harmankaur.82@gmail.com>
to Harkirat Singh <harkiratsingh@woodlandworldwide.com>
ccpksharma@woodlandworldwide.net,chamanlal64@hotmail.com
date Mon, Jul 13, 2009 at 1:58 PM
subject Re: Customer Complaint

Thanks for your response! My foot size is 5.
Rgds

Now, I still don’t believe I wrote this, but I did – my emotional agitation was deep, and I was feeling sarcastically comical.
Ha! And I’ve just realized that my friend Anjali in Aberdeen shares similar grievances!! She read my email complaint and tells me that she too has been unable to locate good trekking shoes under various brands online! In her words, "I found funny baby blues and shiny pinks and NOTHING AT ALL SUITABLE."

The situation of women’s trekking shoes is abysmal in this world! I demand the same shoes that women wear on Nat Geo/Globe Trekker.
But, I do feel like an empowered consumer. And as my friend suggests, I hope I’m in for a free pair of boots here.

The Importance of being Idle - Part 2

Idleness can be rewarding. Idleness can drive me crazy. It can clear my mind. It can jumble it more than ever.
I hurt my foot (a deep cut at the base) which had to kept bandaged and upright for almost more than a week. And I spent my time slobbing away to nothingness.

I read, cooked, watched a whole lot of television, films and wimbledon matches. I sat out watching the rain and staying blank. I sat staring up into the sky thinking a thousand things from apocalyptic conditions and futility of human life to the immense beauty of this universe, power of all the art created by us, why we indulge in art at all, and whether we are a lonely species.

I also pondered over different ways to cook potatoes. I tried making them with butter and garlic. It turned out to be a rather heavy affair.

I just saw a documentary on BBC World on Madeline Murray today. She'd founded and headed the American Atheist Association. Whether one agrees with her views or not, I realise this - that there are, were and will continue to be deviants in society. I heart this dynamism. Also another documentary on HBO, U.S vs John Lennon, was revelatory when it came to the same observation. Also the media was fascinated by them, not because they understood what they were saying, and what it held for society, but because they both spoke brilliantly and attracted eyeballs. Both Murray and Lennon were murdered by people with a past criminal or psychiatric record.

I wonder that if one remains idle for a sufficiently long time, if it will drive him/her to insanity? But then people go insane working in harsh environments. Sometimes people go insane with boredom of working in a safe montonous environment. Sometimes insanity seems sane.

So, I conclude that I'd like to be idle in Paris, or Roma, or Seychelles, or Spiti!!

Within You Without You

Writer: George Harrison

Album: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band (1967)

We were talking - about the space between us all

And the people -who hide themselves behind a wall of illusion

Never glimpse the truth -then it's far too late -when they pass away.

We were talking-about the love we all could share - when we find it

To try our best to hold it there - with our love

With our love - we could save the world - if they only knew.

Try to realize it's all within yourself

No-one else can make you change

And to see you're really only very small,

And life flows ON within you and without you.

We were talking-about the love that's gone so cold and the people,

Who gain the world and lose their soul - They don't know-they can't see-are you one of them?When you've seen beyond yourself - then you may find, peace of mind,

Is waiting there - And the time will come when you see we're all one,

and life flows on within you and without you.

This is one of my favourite songs of The Beatles. The lyrics are transcending, and the song never fails to lift me to ascension every time! And then I wish I could shmoke one up for them fellas!!

Cry baby cry

Make your mother sigh

She's old enough to know better

Cry baby cry

Song: Cry baby cry by The Beatles

Year: 1968

Album: The White album

Can you picture what will be

so limitless and free

Lost in a roman wilderness of pain

All the children are insane.....

waiting for the summer rain.

-Jim Morrison

Don't be shy

by Cat Stevens

Don't be shy just let your feelings roll on by 

Don't wear fear or nobody will know you're there 

Just lift your head, and let your feelings out instead 

And don't be shy, just let your feeling roll on by 

On by 

You know love is better than a song 

Love is where all of us belong 

So don't be shy just let your feelings roll on by 

Don't wear fear or nobody will know you're there 

You're there 

Don't be shy just let your feelings roll on by 

Don't wear fear or nobody will know you're there 

Just lift your head, and let your feelings out instead 

And don't be shy, just let your feeling roll on by 

On by, on by, on by, on by.....