Categories
Literature

You

by Achala Parashar, 1st MPTh

You.

Who can’t figure what, but can’t think not of what is bothering you.

Who can’t feel the new year, new you.  Who wishes when someone says, “what is it? let’s talk”, you knew, oh how you wish you knew. You need saving and loving and that seems so much to ask for and no one to ask from, even with hands of assurance all around you. 

Hey you, saving lives without knowing. Easing pain with warm towels and ice bottles. Breaking down less, and ever so often. Let me let you speak, of your pain and how you’re breathing lately. How your sleep has been changing, how food doesn’t seem to be helping you.    

Second guessing, if the hand of assurance, loving and forgiving you’re awaiting, is of you.  

  Wondering if while learning to be a physical therapist, it is worth having a kit of tools and a set of skills that can save you. A warm conversational hot pack that breaks the pain- mind spasm cycle. An emo-meter helping you express where you are or mental mobilization when thoughts and feelings grip you. Why are we hesitant? Along with learning professionalism and cooking, “Tamara matha kharab hoye toh su karvanu che?” is worth addressing. “Mala koni prem karat nahi,” vaatlyavar knowing what to feel next can come in handy. Half asleep and half anxious almost adults have come together and are calling you. We are willing to make ourselves healthier and for god’s sake, happy. We are refreshing the memory of “neeehaaaa khelne aa rahi haaii??” realising it has got to be “Nehaaaa want to be working on your mental health and emotion? Come lets go!” Look outside. The corona and NRC, an impending nuclear war, broken marriages and the strangest atrocities, why does it look like the inside of my mind before a deadline?

 And how long am I willing to get knocked over by every breeze of change or challenge? It looks like it’s time for reconstruction. Of governments and policies, foundations of nations and relations and of you. It’s a good time you know, to let go, of the temporary fixes, and empty assurances because whether you like it or not,  inqulab ki dastak har darwaze par hai, how can we escape this one, this internal revolution? Let’s see it through this time.

Categories
Literature

Little Things

by Maithili Ghule, 2nd BPTh

A cup of hot coffee and your favourite read in the rain,

an unexpected smile while walking through the lane.

The rejuvenating dew on lush-green leaves at dawn,

Admiring nature’s best creation each time a toddler is born.

Those unapologetic sun tans on a breezy coast,

Little things matter the most!

Bursting into laughter till you can no more breathe

Relating to lines of a song with feelings lying underneath.

Curiosity of wrapped gifts on special occasions,

skies  transforming colours with the changing seasons.

An overloaded  chocolate dessert,

Hitting the party in your favourite skirt.

Dozing off on the corner bench going unnoticed almost,

Little things matter the most!

Building new relations,

catching up with old ones in some weird situations

A little messy, a little sweet

Towards perfection, yet incomplete.

Thinking (all of this) out loud, to someone in the middle of the night ; under the lamppost,

Little things do matter the most!

Categories
Food and Lifestyle Travel diaries

Glorious Gujarat: ‘Leaving with more love than we brought’

by Bilwa Sawant, 2nd BPTh

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I went to Gujarat this Diwali, and I felt lighter than I had in months. 

One thing I remember with fondness is that the people here are always kind; everyone is always willing to help you out. Smiles can be found in every little alley, in the pols and even in the jungles (we sighted a beatific nilgai). 

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Somnath Temple

Our first stop was Somnath. The Somnath temple is believed to be the first among the twelve jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva. The temple is situated at such a place that there is no land in a straight line between the Somnath seashore until Antarctica. An exceptional quality about the temples here is how disability friendly they are, replete with ramps and elevators. The temple is said to have been desecrated multiple times, but it has been rebuilt each time, and I like to think that I took back some of that resilience back home with me, echoing inside of the conch shell I bought from a quaint temple shop. 

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Diu

Next was Diu, which is a union territory. Diu has by default become a party destination as alcohol is legal here. It’s famous for its churches, and Portuguese architecture. The Diu fort is the most visited landmark in the district. Bearing big birder dreams in our hearts, we dropped by the Fudam Bird Sanctuary. However, we didn’t spot any of the rare species. Cattle egrets and Indian Spot-billed ducks are the staple population of these wetlands. Diu has pristine beaches and azure skies, wide horizons, and a great future. 

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River Hiran, Sasan Gir

Our last stop was Sasan Gir. Gir houses the Gir National Park and the Devalia Safari Park. Gir is the only abode in the world for the Asiatic Lion. We sighted chital, nilgai, and black bucks, apart from the magnificent lions, but the highlight was a Spotted Owl who decided to perch right in front of our jeep and stare at us rather disdainfully one early morning. We halted at Gir for three days and then left for home.


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   Kamleshwar Dam, Gir Forest

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An Asiatic Lion, Gir Forest

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An Asiatic Lioness, Gir Forest

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A spotted Owl

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Deer amongst Cattle Egrets

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A Brown-capped Pgmy

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The Surroundings of The Temple

On the way, by happenstance, we met an old tour guide who suggested a detour to an ancient Krishna Temple, which is built on the bank of the Hiran. The temple remains under water during the monsoons, and we were lucky we’d visited just after the rains had subsided. Photography was prohibited so we couldn’t capture it in our cameras, but I still remember the calm waters of the river, the greenery and the temple in the midst of it all, very vividly. 

On this positive note, we got back in our car and speeded away with more love for Gujarat in our hearts than we had brought with us from Mumbai. 

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