Left Behind.

I knew you wanted to be engulfed in the magnanimity of the sprawling Himalayas,

and walk the streets of New York,

you were a bit obsessed with the Swiss Alps,

and with the houseboats on the Dal Lake,

remember the times you'd point pictures of various towns and

cities across the world?

and that you wanted to be there,

live there,

see the snow melt in your palms,

I know you haven't been to any of them,

in fact, you haven't been anywhere,

but I will go to all the places you dreamed of,

touch them with your presence,

and maybe leave a bit of yourself there,

after all, I'm a bit of yourself that you left behind.

Not So Small Talk.

"Look to my right..."

"Where? I don't see anything."

"What? There are mountains. Look up."

"Nope, still cannot."

"What is the matter with you?"

"Matter with me? Why are we doing this video call in the first place when I can neither see you nor the mountains"

"Hey!"

"Hey."

"You cannot take the slightest joy in anything I do, is it?"

"That's not true. I'm listening."

"No, you're not."

"Okay, why don't I just close my eyes? Describe everything around you and I'll hear you out."

"Listen, I'm not good with words, okay?"

"But you're not bad either. Go on, give it a try."

"Alright. So.."

"Wait, let me get under the blanket and be cozy."

"Bah!"

"Okay, start."

"So I'm sitting on the porch with my feet on the grass. The grass is greener and softer here. And it's always damp, even when it is 2 PM."

"Hmm."

"The sun is shining bright and I feel the rays on my face. But it's not scorching, it's just warm and pleasant.

In the background, somewhere amidst the clouds are the mountains. I know you couldn't see them properly but they're snowcapped, and I wonder how they'd look in Winter."

"They'd look scary."

"Yeah, and maybe majestic too."

"See, how Winter works is.."

"Stop disturbing my flow. Let me do the talking."

"Ugh ok."

"So, last night when I was near the mountains, the sky was insanely clear, it almost felt like it was fearing the formidable mountains."

"That makes no sense."

"Just listen, alright."

"Okay sorry, please continue."

"The air here has a different aroma. It's fresh and chilling, but it also has this strange aroma that reminds me of something that we had years ago."

"Hmm. Tell me more about the night you spent on top."

"How do I put it into words? Umm...okay, the sky full of stars was a beautiful sight. Everything was dark and only the stars shone brightly. We ate our dinner under those stars, and although I couldn't see anything, it was amazing. And then there was the Moon. The Himalayas lit up in the moonlight as if they belonged together."

"Like how your face lights up when I am around."

"I guess so."

"You guess so?"

"I wish you were there with me."

"Why? What would you have done?"

"I would have cried with you."

"Well, I wish I was there too."

Tune for the day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eop8BC6N6gQ

Waking Up In Dharamshala.

This morning as I boarded a flight from Delhi to take me home after a short vacation, I tried hard to fall asleep after a sleepless road trip. But I couldn't as my mind kept gathering all the memories and experiences that I was carefully carrying back to Hyderabad.

Now, what's the big deal about traveling, you must wonder. Everyone is traveling, everyone is seeing places. But I haven't. This was the first time I traveled to a place without my family or one that doesn't have any family residing in. This was the first time I stepped out of the confines of my comfort zone, and the result was.....well, let's see.

To read more about my journey to Dharamshala, go here:

Waking Up In Dharamshala.