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

Some spots are special The other day, I was left wondering all of a sudden Why isn't this the logo for our school Peepal, Ganga, Dufferin Bridge, walk-path, the hour of cowdust And Yogesh's classic from Anand   कहीं दूर जब दिन ढल जाये  सांज की दुल्हन बदन चुराए  चुपके से आये  As carpets and locations go, this will have few parallels Leaves move towards the river, the river moves towards the sea,  Does it also want to meet the sky?  Indivar's lyrics from Anokhi Raat  come to the fore ओह रे ताल मिले नदी के जल में नदी मिले सागर में सागर मिले कौन से जल में कोई जाने ना The branches dance with grace, happiness and abandon They remind of Shailendra's classic from Madhumati ये गोरी नदियों का  चलना  उछलकर की जैसे अल्हड चले पि से मिल कर More about the spot and the tree in another season 

Kaithi Ganga appears different here from the one at Banaras Calmer, wider and at times almost a different being This is very near to Markandey Mahadev One of the better know temples of Shiva This is also where Gomti meets the Ganga Gomti flows between Banaras and Ghazipur in this stretch Dhakwa  During recent years has got famous for Dolphin sightings We, of course, could not spot one This place has a special feel to it, a Peepal tree adds to this feel A place where one would want to go and just be Both places stand approximately 5 kms from each other

An encounter with the elusive Gangetic dolphin in northern India A slightly edited version of this piece appears at The Third Pole . Acknowledge and appreciate the time taken out by Samir Sinha, Nachiket Kelkar, Venkatesh Dutta, Zak Klausner and of course the team at The Third Pole for enriching this piece. Dhakwa In summer 2020, I caught glimpses of a creature I had never seen before, at the point where the Varuna and Ganga rivers meet in the holy city of Banaras. It was early evening, and I was looking at the monsoon flood waters. I have had many memorable birding experiences at this confluence. Banaras, in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, is famous for its ghats (series of steps leading down to a river), and I often go to Aadi Keshav Ghat, the site of the ancient Aadi Keshav temple. Brown- and black-headed gulls migrate here in large numbers. On some occasions smaller flocks look like paper boats swaying on the water; on others larger gatherings are like a wall arising from ...