Its beauty, its temporary

Thu, 09 Nov 2017 12:00:00 +0530

My earliest memory of going to Sukhna Lake is from the winter of 2004. My cousins were here, and we were off checking out all the great places in my city – the Sukhna Lake, the Rock Garden, the Rose Garden, the Sector 17 Shopping Plaza, the only multiplex – Fun Cinemas, and my now favourite restaurant – Ghazal in Sector 17. We reached the Rock Garden by 10, and I got to witness, I guess, the world’s best “best of waste” art ever made! At lunchtime, we went to the café at Sukhna Lake, and after that we got a look at the lake itself. Spread over 3 sq. km, the lake was a haven of calm, with many people along its shores. It was beautiful. And there were white birds. And there were people boating. And we did that too. It felt different in the middle of the lake (behind the small island) on a boat; it was away from the fast-paced life I was about to start living. Over the years, I have been to the lake so many times. And it keeps on changing. It is not always beautiful. Its beauty is temporary. It is not even a lake sometimes; there is not enough water. It has also witnessed some of the region’s largest culling operations. It has witnessed people dying there, accidental drowning and suicides. Been in the news for its beauty and for the politics done over it. I have started hating the lake because of the people who have done so many wrong things to it. The photo taken above is just a month old, and it’s beautiful. But it’s temporary. Though one thing is not temporary – that different feeling when you are boating in the middle of the lake. It’s the same feeling I have had over the years. There is calmness, distant from the world around. And I love it! And I still visit the lake for this different feeling.

Keema, kindness and dacoits

Mon, 10 Jul 2017 12:00:00 +0530

It happened nearly 65 years ago. My grandfather was in his early teens. And my great-grandfather was finally settled with his new hardware store in Shimla.

It took him some time to get it up and running again after the partition. They had a large hardware store in Lahore, but during the partition, like everyone else, they left behind all their belongings and came to newly independent India. But when the family is together, I don’t think anyone can stop them, huh? With the help of my great-great-granduncle, they finally put all the pieces together and started this new store.

2017 on The Field Blog

Its beauty, its temporary

Keema, kindness and dacoits