Travels and thoughts

Yeh Dilli hei meri jaan .. Ishq, mohabbat, pyaar... Delhi the capital of India is a city close to my heart.  I had my high school days , university, wedding and kids here. Growing up in Delhi gave me a certain confidence and an attitude that can be truly termed as spunky Punjabi. As life took me elsewhere after marriage, I looked forward to my visit after a span of several years. As Shruthi outlined her plans over the course of her short and sweet stay in Dubai with a visit to Delhi, I thrilled in anticipation of rekindling old memories. Without a word exchanged between us, it was understood that I will accompany her. We landed at Delhi by early evening.  Shruthi's CEPT classmate Roopal welcomed us with the happiness and joy one can see only in India. They were meeting after three years and it felt like yesterday as they exchanged college stories. Refreshed  with juice and snacks we set out to make the most of the evening. This was Shruthi's first visit to Delhi. ...

My first initiation into Pink Floyd music was at Utsav College Festival at BMSCE, way back in the 80s. I was walking along the festive atmosphere in the college campus when the sound of what was playing perked up my interest. A few friendly inquiries revealed that 'Time' was the song playing and to the consternation of Arnab, my to be music provider for some successive years to come, it was my first hearing! From that moment, I was slowly but surely initiated to good, timeless music. With a job, marriage and moving to new destinations, the frequency of listening to such music reduced until Sanchit grew up exhibiting enormous interest in all kinds of music.  During his teens, we had great conversations on the timeless nature of music and heard quite a bit either at home or on long drives.  He was very open to hear music from another era. And so it was that I began to listen once again to PF, Cale, Doors, Led Zeppelin etc.  Once he moved out of home to...

There is a saying in Hindi.... भगवान की इच्छा के आगे मनुष्य दुर्बल है After a month long vacation with Shruthi in May 2018, I did not have any plans to visit Philly for the next couple of months. And then Sanchit Ram announced his plans to move to his new home in Cincinnati. Shruthi immediately and spontaneously volunteered to travel over the weekend to help him set it up. Fate intervened to create c ircumstances to prompt my travel in early July 2018 again to USA. Initially I was a bit hassled at the thought of another 14 hour travel within a span of one month and this constant itinerant gypsy streak that was developing in me. Yet the thought of meeting Shruthi and Sanchitram at the end of the trip was enough to act as motivation for the journey. I reached NY and Sanchit Ram enjoying his brief break prior to starting full fledged work was there to receive me. Both of us traveled to Philadelphia using the subways and Amtrak. Shruthi's home is a haven to our family. Her warmth...

It was a misty morning, damp and humid with a slight summer drizzle in Innsbruck, Austria. After a superb dinner at L’osteria, an Italian eatery strongly recommended by our receptionist, we had a refreshing sleep and were up by 0530 hours. The constant intake of beer and wine induced by the relaxed atmosphere and beautiful environs, was taking its toll on the waist. Plagued by a guilt feeling, we decided that a mountainous hiking trail was what the doctor ordered to start our day. The mountains beckoned to us from the window of our hotel room. Armed with a jacket, just in case the Dubai residents suddenly felt cold, we set off towards what the local Austrians call the jump, thinking that would be fairly exacting trek.  Guided by instinct and a nose for the slightly adventurous, we crossed the underpass at Tivoli, past the Olympic stadium towards what seemed some residential quarters. The quarters past a corn field were pretty ordinary with no architectural stand out as...