To Kill a Mocking Bird

I was quite an avid reader in school. I still like to read but somehow with the distractions in life increasing, the frequency of reading has reduced. Recently, I was reading a classic – “To Kill a Mocking Bird” and wondered why I didn’t read this masterpiece earlier.

The best part about the book is the way in which it conveys important messages without being preachy. The ability of Atticus, the protagonist to stand by what he believes, even in the face of adversity is something that forces the reader to think. The innocence of the kids and how Atticus deals with it, along with laying certain important ground rules that would lay the foundation of their personalities is a lesson which all of us could learn from. The entire emphasis of the book according to me is to get the basics and the fundamentals right. Rest things will fall in place.

Hats off to Harper Lee for writing this masterpiece.

Little bit of a difference

Going through today’s paper I came across an interesting concept of Your Turn Now (YTN) which aims at spreading goodness. It’s about how when someone thanks you for some help, instead of just saying a welcome you also give them a YTN card and encourage them to do a good deed.

The article made me think that how most of us forget the little things in life these days. It’s very easy to get cynical and crib about how the world is becoming unhealthily competitive and not so nice to live in anymore. However, it’s even easier to just appreciate the little things in life and do little acts of kindness and politeness. Things like saying a thank you to the person who serves you food at home/restaurant, smiling at the acquaintances you pass by everyday or just listening/being there for a friend are little things that don’t take too much but might go a long way in making this world a better place to live in. It’s about pausing a bit in the daily fast paced schedules.

It’s very easy to get carried away in the flow of things but as a friend rightly said that it’s the journey and not the destination that matters in the end. In the quest to reach the destination we often forget the journey part. I think it’s worth pausing a bit and seeing where we are heading and in case I’m able to make a little bit of a difference, I think it would be a life well lived.

Just a Thought: Six

What do you do when the world around believes in you but the mirror tells a totally different story

Spark

Spending some time in Narhat and Thanagazi, away from the hustle bustle of Bombay has given me time to think about where I’m heading and what I might possibly want from life. I haven’t even come close to answering those questions but what I’ve definitely felt is that there’s something missing from my life.

I mean I don’t really look forward to a lot of things and the usual energy and optimism I used to associate myself with is missing. There’s nothing I would put my life and energy into and that really upsets me. Not having the attachment, the passion or the desire to do that one single thing. I’m missing the happiness and high that one gets from working towards that single minded goal.

I really feel jealous of people who are madly passionate about something. It gives you a certain confidence and spark in life. It keeps you going and life doesn’t become monotonous. Yes, the spark is missing from my life and I hope I’m able to find it soon.

Yellow with a dash of Green and Blue

One of the ways to make the most of my stay in Rajasthan is to travel whenever possible and see as much of Rajasthan as possible. Keeping that in mind we decided to visit Jaisalmer over the weekend which is more than 12 hours away from Thanagazi.

During the never ending train journey I couldn’t help but see the huge tracks of barren land with some shrubs and trees growing on it. For miles and miles one could just see barren land till the horizon. It struck me that here lies a brilliant opportunity to generate solar energy in a place where unusable land and sunlight are in is in abundance. An energy starved India could do with whatever extra energy it gets from whatever source. Though I did see some wind mills in the area but I feel solar energy would be more efficient in Rajasthan.

We were going to freshen up in the guest house before leaving for the desert. The guest house was inside the Jaisalmer Fort. Unlike most other forts, the Jaisalmer Fort is not a property of the Government of India or converted to a hotel but is inhabited by the descendants of the King and the people who use to serve him. Numerous hotels, guest houses, restaurants, shops and houses make up the fort. I always use to wonder how life would be in a fort during the times of the king. Seeing the Jaisalmer I got a feel how it would have been.

Another thing that was struck me was the architecture of Jaisalmer. All the buildings in Jaisalmer are yellow made mostly from the yellow jaisalmeri stone. From the fort, to the hotels, shops, houses and even the police station, ATM and petrol pumps. All are yellow giving a unique standardization to the place. Also a lot of houses had very fine carvings on their walls and windows. So from the desert to the city, all our eyes could see was yellow (with a dash of greenery here and there and the blue sky whenever we bothered to look up).

We saw a couple of Jain temples in Jaisalmer which have to be marveled for the brilliant carvings on the ceilings, arches and the walls. The desert as we had expected to find on reaching Jaisalmer was not there. The sand dunes that we see in the pictures and the movies are actually another 40 kms away from Jaisalmer. The trip to the sand dunes was a good experience with a bumpy camel ride adding to the fun. The night was spent in a camp near the dunes where we were supposed to spend the night in tents. However, the weather in the open being windy and cool we slept in the open which was far better than the tents.

It was a nice small trip which I’m glad we took despite the heat and the distance.

Bhangarh

Rajasthan has numerous forts and havelis spread across the state in varying conditions and each has its own tale to tell. During my visits to various villages in the Thanagazi area I came across an abandoned settlement called Bhangarh and like any other fort this one too has a tale.

The myth goes that Bhangarh was a very prosperous settlement and the queen was very beautiful. A hermit of the village fell in love with her and on being unable to win her, cursed the entire settlement to doom. Ever since Bhangarh lies in ruins (though recognized by the Archeological Survey of India as a protected site). The myth also says that whoever tries to settle there either goes mad or dies. Therefore no one ventures in the area after sunset even though it’s a tourist destination during the day.

The ruins of Bhangarh are simply majestic and convey signs of prosperity even in a dilapidated state. The settlement area is massive with 4 temples still there. One can see the equisite carvings on the temple walls and ceilings. Apart from temples there are havelis, an entire market and the majestic palace overlooking the entire settlement. The palace is covered by the Aravalis from 3 sides and the entire settlement is protected by walls and gates.

The visit compelled me to think and wonder if I should believe the myth. It made me wanting to go back in time and experience how life must have been in the settlement, how the king might come out at the palace balcony every evening and see with satisfaction the prosperous settlement he had created and how one curse could ruin it all. I don’t know whether to believe the myth or not but what I do know is that the palace, the temples, the havelis and the market of Bhangarh have stood the test of time and even in a dilapidated state reflect some glory. It seems as if they are all standing there waiting to tell their story.

The Rajasthani Goonghat

My village stint in Rajasthan so far has been pretty interesting (and difficult also logistically). Away from the hustle bustle of the city, living in a village is a totally different experience and makes you appreciate simple things like a running tap in your bathroom with we otherwise take for granted in the city.

The interesting thing that I would want to share and noticed here (contrary to popular belief) is the practice of ghoonghat. Strangely enough all the women that we have interacted with so far have not hidden their faces from us. In fact they are quite comfortable talking to us. The ghoonghat is immediately drawn the moment some elder of the house or the village is around. The hesitation also creeps in then. Thus, the veil and the hesitation is from the known and not the unknown. I’m yet to figure out the reason for the same. However, whatever the reason be I found the practice quite interesting.