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

Let us have a meeting Published at Raiot  on 28th November 2016 Thanks are due to Raiot , Angela and Tarun. At a recent meeting it was a pleasant surprise to hear an agitated voice state that we need to move beyond talking of what was discussed during the previous meeting and what we could possibly discuss during the next meeting. We need to talk of work progress ( and lack of it ) between these meetings and ask ourselves why meetings have become an end in themselves. Angst in the tone ensured silence for the 5 odd minutes that followed. On way back home that evening I recalled the different categories of people I have encountered during meetings, people who left me – well, wondering. People who fly half way across the country or the globe for a meeting and then are busy checking emails and face-book. They have little idea of what has been discussed and suddenly they wake up to the discussions around them. This happened recently at a gathering ( at Lamakaan ) tha

Stepping into history Once I got to know that I will stay on Lodhi Road, during the short trip, I was clear I had to make the best of the opportunity. Chance Pe Dance is not exactly a set of words used to bring out a positive act; another perspective however is that life is all about taking chances and opportunities. The fog, smog, pollution and whatever else it was did not deter me from walking to the Safdarjung Tomb on an early morning. With the very low number of people present then, the place had a separate feel. We are so tuned to having people around us, especially when moving in these cities, that their absence has an impact on how we see and feel the place. What I love at these places is that one can touch and feel the stones and walls; caress history. I climbed up, walked along the periphery and wondered if it was the boundary even then. What then lay on the other side? These questions of how would the place have been then I ever have as I walk these places.

People, we were told, were not keen to participate in more meetings with NGOs as promises, by most NGOs, had not been kept. We had gone to discuss conservation education, seek inputs prior to freezing the plan, and ended up listening to the story of human – elephant conflict in the neighbouring villages. Story of the situation having gone from bad to worse. Village A had planned a meeting to discuss human - elephant conflict. Besides the villagers the meeting was to include members of two local organizations.   A local politician got a whiff of the meeting and came over. During the meeting he actively participated in the discussions and promised to help. Elections were around the corner and as a corollary he was pro-active in not only taking the discussions further towards actions but also sanctioned funds. His only condition was that the fence, which had been decided during the meeting, should come up prior to the elections. Image: Karpagam Chelliah The electric fence,

~ ~ More thoughts from rail journeys Thanks Apurva Bahadur for the images आप की तस्वीरों ने तो रूखे सूखे से शब्दों को जैसे बारिश की मस्ती से भिगो दिया है ~~ Sunsets at the train door are ever endearing, Half moon somehow makes an early appearance, Together, we see the unending and unbothered tracks, The vast openness offers its hand, To walk together and share silences, The green, brown and blue around nod in agreement, Heart gets clearer on what it wants, Like I do on such evenings, I hear, or do I hum, Kahin door jab din dhal jae ~   कहीं दूर जब दिन ढल जाए Image: Apurva Bahadur ~ ~ Moon and stars as if run with the train, While the Trees below, stand still, Their silhouettes darker than the sky, Lights afar, yellow and white, caress poles and roofs, Time floats with the rythm of wheels on tracks, Music that flows into silences, Once in a while, a river changes it all, And reminds on

Book review which finds place in November 2016 issue of Teacher Plus . Title: Sangla: A valley of strange happenings Author: Katie Bagli Published in: September 2016 Publisher: Inking Innovations   Twice during the past two years, I have been fortunate to trek in Himachal Pradesh and come across some of the species that the author mentions, including choughs and vultures. This book took me back to the endearing mountains. Sangla: A valley of strange happenings is a story of a four-year young girl from Mumbai who invests one year of her life in the mountains and her experiences during the period. It touches upon different aspects of mountain life like changing seasons when the snow keeps the family inside the house to customs like the to-be bride weaving the shawl she would wear during her marriage.   One experiences some beautiful moments as one reads the book. These stand out. The very first page says ‘ To the majestic deodar trees in the Himalaya