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

  Evening walks sometimes lead to surprises,  Surprises - around the corner - that do what no planning can,  Suddenly these flowers are there, and only there on the hill,  And, we dare not ask any questions, but do it all, Go close in awe, look with admiration, touch with trepidation,  just be there around them, We do not plan, but are back the next day,  To pay respects, to thank them for being there,  To the beauty that reminded us of Van Gogh, Beauty that, at times, in sheer human arrogance, is brushed aside as weeds,  Walks that gel with the silences around,  Walks that help set the pace of our lives, Walks where we are closer to ourselves,  Walks, one of the reasons we are here, 

These images, unlike the previous post on the topic , are from the lanes,  to be precise one lane  (with respects to Thomson and Thompson ) Aging with grace? Fading away? Or hanging by a thread?  Varying brick sizes and shapes? Or a tree taking over? Or dark lines on the horizon?  A balcony with waves?  Its neighbours are being repurposed as hotels.  Does it eagerly await its turn? Or does it dread the loss of peace?  How does HE see the changes?  Is the window partially open to allow only partial changes?  The lane's width ensures that one is either on two feet or on two wheels! Should we have trips for children to obverse where their elders lived? To see h omes that are disappearing from our midst!

Our large university campuses have a beauty, a feel of their own. Having savoured the environs of the Maharaja Sayajirao University, the Banaras Hindu University, the Allahabad University and the Forest Research Institute I was keen to put in time - doing nothing in particular - at the Aligarh Muslim University. Finally was able to visit Aligarh and walk the campus. The campus is open, treed and neat. The buildings it houses are inviting. Many of these buildings are old, some have the exposed brick exteriors and most seem to have windows which had us pause our walk and re-look. Jarokhas made for stories! Next to the very graceful jaali , the air-conditioner looks very much out of place! The art gallery is clean and spacious. Some of the paintings displayed were - to put simply - exceptional. Next to the art gallery sits a canteen - the late morning winter sun lent it a special feel. Just outside the art gallery sits an art installation made with used glass bottles. Inside a spiral sta...