yet again ... getting lost ... then enjoying self-discovery ...

Bird by Bird :  Some Instructions on Writing and Life Anne Lamott Anchor Books A Division of Random House, INC. New York One of those books that A. You begin in a hurry and then slow down as you realize that this is what helps to absorb it better B. Before you finish - you know - you will want to re-read Please get and savour the book  If you   A. Like references from other books embedded B. Look forward to a book in conversational tone C. Write or are planning to D. Love an author who is frank and direct E.  Are a fan of one liners and quotes   Two points - though - left me wondering A. Why ‘instructions’ in the title and not ‘conversations’ or ‘experiences’? B. Why the negativity ( after sending drafts ) and its perceived presence in all? Reviews New York Times   Daily Writing Tips   Thanks   Shankar Raman for introducing me to the book

Cat Condo :  Dampa Tiger Reserve, Mizoram Big cats and bamboo enveloped silences This finds place  in National Geographic India Traveller August 2014 issue within the cover story :  Myth, Mystery & Unexplored Beauty Redolent with promise of the unexpected, the seven sister states of India’s Northeast present a tableau of cultural gems. I had spent three lovely years living in Saiha, a town in the southern Mizoram, during 2007 – 2010. So when I returned to visit Dampa in Mamit district in 2013, Mizoram’s only tiger reserve, I couldn’t wait to embrace the comforting warmth of the people and the place again. We landed at Lengpui Airport, close to Aizawl, the state’s capital, on a Sunday. Everything was shut, so we drove directly to Dampa on very uninviting roads and wooden bridges. I stayed in Phaileng, headquarters of the Tiger Reserve. The evenings here are special, the green and brown hills around seem to rise to greet the night sky. Homes along...

Musings on train journeys ** Clouds, as if, give the night sky a red hue and hide the stars, The moon peeps from within and – like someone close – asks Why don’t you sleep in the open? Weren’t even the warm summers – under the stars – dear then? As the train tries to cradle me to sleep in the shaky silences, I ask me: Why? And to the night sky: Can I make amends? ** Barren landscape was lovely the last time I rolled on tracks here, Rains have added that chutzpas: akin to pineapple in a salad, Green small carpets hide some rocks and bring out the beauty of others, Sun, as if, acts human and wants to do both: flirt with clouds and play with rocks. ** Sights and smells of clouds and rains as the train moves: induce endearing silences ~ Just love(d) getting wet at the door ~ The window brings forth ‘open-ness’ which is as intoxicating now as it was fascinating then: during childhood days ~ Yes: the questions have changed ~ The younger me...

Keeping the questions alive This piece appears in the August 2014 issue of Teacher Plus. Thanks are due to Shalini, Teacher Plus, Rishi Valley School, its students and teachers - especially Radha, Santharam, Kaustubh and Sonali.  A recent trip to Rishi Valley School ( Andhra Pradesh ) presented an opportunity to interact with students in different classes on divergent topics. During the trip I enjoyed being with the students and partially succeeded in soaking in their energies, enthusiasm and knowledge. But, it was their eagerness to know more that left me stunned and pleased at the same time and in no small measure. As Eugene Ionesco put it: " It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question. " My interactions with the sociology and ecology students I shared my experiences at Baghmara ( South Garo Hills, Meghalaya ) and Saiha ( Mizoram ) with the two sets of students. For my interactions with the sociology class I decided to focus on my experiences in...

Dampa  Walking in a tiger forest This piece appears in Sanctuary Asia August 2014 issue. Thanks are due to Sanctuary Asia, Lakshmy, Anirudh, Dampa Tiger Reserve, Johny, Pu Zakhuma, Joseph and Pu Tlana. The amazing video clips that accompany the text are courtesy Pu Zakhuma / Mizoram Forest Department. Wooden-houses dotting the highway, edibles laid out to dry, young men playing with small-sized and small-sized footballs and their younger counterparts playing imaginary games with miniature trucks and earth-movers. I was in Mizoram – again -- and how I loved these sights, sounds and smells. Soon after landing at the Lengpui airport, I found myself driving along the 70 km. road towards the Dampa Tiger Reserve. I had spent a full three years in Saiha ( south Mizoram ), but had never had the good fortune of visiting this tiger forest located on the states’ northwestern fringe, bordering Bangladesh. Until January 2013, when I planned to join some Forest Departme...