Journey to nowhere

I did not know what fate had in store for me when I accepted my cousin’s proposal to go fetch her newly married sister, Suyog, from a small little village where her doctor husband was posted. I lived alone in a rented room in front of Maharana Bhupal College, Udaipur where I was doing my …

Bunda Pahalwan

I was first published almost 65 years ago in the Hindi magazine ‘Dharmayug’. The magazine ran a column called ‘Ek Din Ki Baat’ and I contributed two very small pieces to it. I earned the princely sums of Rs.5/- and Rs.3/- for them. This has been the only income so far from my literary career. …

कश्मीर में दो हफ्ते

गर जन्नत  है  ज़मीन  पे  कहीं यहीं  पे  है  हमीनस्तो, हमीनस्तो, हमीनस्तो श्रीनगर  पहुँचने  से  पहले  ही  फिरदौस  की  इन  पंक्तियों  की  सच्चाई  झलकने  लगी  थी. हम, महाराणा भूपाल कॉलेज, उदयपुर के  भूगर्भ  विज्ञान  के  छात्र,  कश्मीर, जो  कभी सागर  में  था, में  पाए जाने  वाले  फॉस्सिल्स  एकत्र  करने  और  उनका  अध्ययन  करने  के  लिए …

The trek that never was

THE TREK THAT NEVER WAS I jumped with joy when my brother Ravindra proposed a trekking trip from Shimla in Himachal Pradesh to Chakrata, in Uttar Pradesh (now in Uttarakhand). Ravindra, whom every one called Robin, an army officer, was posted in Chandigarh. Our eldest sister Manorama, or Nanhi - ‘Little Girl’, as I call …

सुहाना सफ़र – 5

तब  लखनऊ  और  दिल्ली  के  बीच  सफ़र  करने  के  लिए  दो  ही  ट्रेन  सुविधाजनक  होती  थीं.  लखनऊ एक्सप्रेस  और  लखनऊ  मेल.  दोनों  ही  रात  को  चलती  थीं  और  सुबह  पहुँच  जाती  थीं.  एक्सप्रेस  कानपुर अलीगढ़  के  रास्ते  चलती  थी और  मेल  मुरादाबाद  के  रास्ते.  न जाने  क्यों,  लेकिन  मेल  बेहतर  ट्रेन  मानी  जाती  थी.  हवाई …

A Theft that Averted a Riot

‘What have you done with the bomb?’ ‘Hid it under this garbage.’ ‘Good. I will come back and put it in fire just before Holi puja begins. Let’s leave now.’ And the two sinister looking men departed. Bhaiya lost no time in digging the bomb out of garbage and we ran home with it. We …

Halebidu & Belavadi, Karnataka

A short 16 kms pleasant drive from Belur, and we were in Halebidu, another fine monument showcasing the height of artistic architecture achieved during the reign of Hoysalas. The rain had stopped, the weather was pleasant – ideal for such an excursion. The Hoysaleswara temple at Halebidu is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The construction of …