Till the Spring Lasts

                                                                                                                                             

The days are getting longer and nights shorter. Finally, spring is here! It is time to make the most of the pleasant weather in Delhi and other tropical regions too. For spring is short-lived it is best to get most of it. Picnics, outings, and visits to all the places you have been putting off. The sun with a blink of an eye is going to engulf us into its heat.

It has been over about 4-5 months, I visited the Lodhi Gardens in Delhi. It is one of its kind. And now is the best time to visit such a park. Taking a brisk walk by the sides of the lush greenery and colourful flowers is enchanting.

Springtime to me comes as music to the soul, with flowers glooming bright in its seasonal bed-chamber. The spring flowers bring an inner smile, the kind that burns warm and long. Making us feel light and content, with colours illuminating our world after long wintry cold days.

As of the Lodhi garden built in the 15th century, my favourite is a sprawling green park at the heart of the city where once upon a time Delhi rulers’ mausoleums rest surrounded by 90 acres of garden. The impeccable serene green setting and natural beauty echo its rich history. The gardens tranquil ambience, large spread jogging track, indigenous butterflies, birds and trees and flowering plants are what makes this park spring heaven. My love for old edifices, historic museums, forgotten ruins makes this a jewel in the crown.

The breeze in spring brings mild cool air rather than our usual winter chill, making me want to make the most of it before it dissolves into summer. Just exploring as much possible in this jubilant fiesta and storing them as memories for the rest of the year, for the harsh summers in Delhi isn't going to be merciful. 

©Shweta, 2021. All Rights Reserved.

Photo by Marie Tevosyan on Unsplash

Unannounced Hibernation

Hello there - Happy New Year 2021

Photo by Hans-Jurgen Mager on Unsplash

I know, I know it has been a while I have been writing and sharing my posts. But, you see I had to take a hibernation from my creative writing to keep me going in this period of the pandemic. I needed a change of routine & plans. I put my mind on a hiatus, no more thinking of ideas to write, edit & edit over & over and then bring a piece to life to schedule publishing. 

The last couple of months has enmeshed our lives, with the new challenges thrown at us by pandemic, and it still is in various parts of the world. We all had to re-think our priorities & pay attention to tiny bits of our day to day life which never crossed our mind, demanding more attention than ever before. More to a point, where we were getting our butts kicked and our hats blown, so much so that I needed some time to breathe. To soak in the change in my reality. 

So, I had to take a step back from my writing and refocus my energy and set the course of the wind to see how this site and my passion for words could thrive as a parallel universe outside my steady life. 

This was not a ‘good-bye’ but only ‘so long’ — for a short time.

I cannot express adequately how much I appreciate and value your time, patience and your support. It is in this spirit I took the liberty to best serve my well being by taking care during these extraordinary times as I hope you are doing the same & did the same last couple of months.

I intend to keep this rhythm of writing going. 

Till then, keep your spirits high, be kind and live to your fullest each day! :)

©Shweta, 2021. All Rights Reserved.

From the Dragon's Mouth: 10 True Stories that Unveil the Real China

Source: Shweta's Phone

Title: From the Dragon's Mouth

Language: English

Genre: Non-fiction

Pages: 288

Rating: 4/5

Excerpt:

Fuentes spent a few years living and working in China as an international journalist. The 10 short stories are portraits of citizens of the country she met during her stay. The book is a panoramic view into the psyche of the people, circumventing censoring authorities, about Chinese culture, history since the Chinese Cultural Revolution, etc. The book project began with a series of interviews with the locals Fuentes takes on. They talk about family, power, and the rest of the world; what makes them who they are; why they live in a dictatorship & why they are anarchic.

My Thoughts :

The book is an eye-opener to a world unknown to us, proving how fact reads better than fiction, claiming my attention for reading non-fiction yet another time. The book is an intimate sneak peek into China through the eyes of its people, voices of everyday people victims of all the ill fate. It a book unlike any other I have read thus far.

I found it interesting to read such differing accounts of life in China from rich, poor, migrants, journalist, an entrepreneur, a taxi driver and much more. The book captures the lives of different classes of people thriving there. For anyone interested in China or for anyone who just like well-written non-fiction, this book is for you.

©Shweta, 2020. All Rights Reserved.

Off the Traveler's Track

Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash

In the time before Great Pandemic in 2020, I was a frequent traveller. I received my first passport stamp back in 2016 To Europe and before 2016 my travel dominated in exploring my country in domestic travel. 

I recently finished reading Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert. It was a trip down the memory lane on how it felt like to travel endlessly. Much of the book is an insight & fact-based research on trying to make sense of marriage while on exile from her own country with her lover Filipe. They lived as a nomad moving from one hotel to another, one city to another. They did miss their real life, in a home, a stationary home. Travel and real-life give rise to a potent realization. The book is good, insightful & heavy on research than personal essays. 

I took thousands of pictures in varying locales over the years. It is a bliss, a ticket to the past, as I was conjuring up potent remembrances. Yet countless other photos are mere background noise, long expunged from memory, a placeholder of life on the move.

Then, the pandemic put a stop to most travel around the world. During the mandatory lockdown, I only went outside for essentials & food, not even for exercise. I’ve spent countless hours in video calls with family & friends. I embraced my hobby to keep the creativity flowing, started experimenting with colours & dabbling with brushes more than ever before, and read books rather voraciously. Kindle came to my rescue during the complete lock-down! I could buy ebooks since the shipping services had all come to a halt. 

How we all miss travelling, going around making memories. Even stepping out to a cafe. Seeing new places & learning about a new culture. And that’s the beauty of travel — it forces us outside our comfort zones & pushes us into the unknown sphere of our lives. Our lives are ceaselessly unspooling stories. How we make sense of them tells us about ourselves. Humans are eternal explorers, endlessly curious about life around them. On an eternal quest to look forward to keep moving. 

Much has changed, while other things remain the same in our lives. We can no longer hop on a flight or train to a new place without being fearful. We can no longer plan our vacations we grew up thinking — One day, I’m sure I’ll visit this place for the requisite sightseeing and explore a new side of life. In our hearts, we are so eager to go someplace new, beyond the grocery stores or workout, for mere entertainment. Feels like the 2020 pandemic has pushed us back in time before the world had so many different sources of entertainment, not to forget, we still have our internet keeping us connected. 

As I go through the old pictures, taking me back to the places I once visited, surfacing in my thoughts ever so fresh, like it was the only yesterday. 

I wonder when will it be next?

Droplets of Magic - A poem

Photo by Philippe Tarbouriech on Unsplash

The speedy winds

Whistling through the leaves

There is no echo but only 

Psithurism and nothing before it rains

Thick dark clouds blanket the

Light blue sky

Waiting to weigh down on us

Spurt out nothing but rain

Sitting by the door, with a book in my hands

Smelling the petrichor come through

Pages soaking up the mist sprayed

Curling in nothing by natures love upon us

As it continues to rain, the nature bellows

Making us verve & dreamy, comfortable & gleamy

Seeking coverture in the comfort of homes 

As we wait for the tumid clouds to pour love upon us! 

©Shweta, 2020. All Rights Reserved.