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...

From Heaven Lake Travels through Sinkiang and Tibet Vikram Seth A Penguin Book Non-Fiction / Travel ~ ~  Many a line in the book is stunning, share some below  Some of these stayed with me without telling me why, Some had me think if I think and / or could think on these lines, Some made me wonder how he wrote - as in - put these sets of words together, Some had me react “ of course this is it ” ~ * The status of a ‘ foreign friend’ or ‘ foreign guest’ in China is an interesting if unnatural one. Officialdom treats the foreigner as one would a valuable panda given to fits of mischief. On no account must any harm come to the animal. On the other hand, it must be closely watched at all times so that it does not see too much, do too much on its own, or influence the behaivour of the local inhabitants. * John would make, I think, an ideal travelling partner, with his practical manner and his sound core of madness. * I recall dri...

Che in Paona Bazaar Tales of Exile and Belonging from India’s North-east Kishalay Bhattacharjee Macmillan 2013 Question Answers Does author know the place well? Yes. Is the book crisp and interesting? No. Is the book critical of actions in the state? Yes. Would I recommend the book? No. Books on similar lines   Highway39 – Journeys through a fractured land. Acrossthe chicken neck – Travels in Northeast India. Some (unconnected) snippets from the book "Ironically, HIV became a source of livelihood for several people in Manipur and the north-east. International funding was channeled into the drug money nexus and a percentage of that went directly to militant outfits. The failure of the government at every level has allowed the militia to gain control. But if the government has failed to provide, the militants have hardly done any better. Their stringent tax collection bleeds every family, rich or poor." ...

Started getting Mint on Saturdays on a friend’s suggestion and read a piece by Ananda Banerjee ‘ The dhole remains an enigma, even as it struggles for survival’ on 19th April 2014. More than happy on coming across a non-tiger piece on the front-page and positively agree on the species being an enigma. Dictionary.com refers to enigma as ‘ puzzling or inexplicable occurrence or situation’ and ‘ a person of puzzling or contradictory character ’.   However, by the time I folded-up the paper, some questions had propped up. v ‘ It was last seen in north India a full 10 years ago, at Ranthambore in Rajasthan ’ ~ does this refer to tourists? Locals? Published literature? Or else? v ‘ After 35 years of my study there are still lingering questions ’ ~ Would not questions ever exist for each species given the dynamic socio-economic-ecological-climate situation in the landscapes today? v What about the people who share the landscapes with the species? Their views on and...