Lively dew drops, brought to a standstill by frost... hurried morning walks and the child-like fascination with cold breaths... surreal yet real imageries...of a city unfolding bit by bit... A city that whispers- about the land and its people... A shadowy stranger, listening to those... and then like some sudden wave of cold... nothing was left to be said- but the stillness of frost!!
In the dusty lanes of Haridwar Rumbling with the echoes of the Om The smeared vermillion- ash and the karmic cycle of life and death All these I see; I being the spirit of the traveler
In the sunshine land of Goa The feni and the swaying palm leaves, blonde hippies and youthful rave Dancing to the tune of Galiyan Saakli Sonachi All these I see, I being the spirit of the traveler
Hindustan ka Dil- or call it Lutyen’s Delhi The stroke of the midnight hour, the unfurled tricolor in the Lal Qil'ah The days of the Raj, of Firangi Paani and Paranthe wali galiyas All these I see, I being the spirit of the traveler
In the land of the Rajas; bounded by the Thar Brave people long gone; but their legends still holding strong The azure of Jodhpur, the balletic poise of the Ghoomar All these I see, I being the spirit of the traveler
In the land of the mighty Hoogly The early morning daaks and the festivities of DurgaPujo Enthralled by the Bauls and the ektaras; and the crescendo beat of Tagore’s ekla chalo re All these I see, I being the spirit of the traveler
In the misty fog of the Lake Umiam Meghalaya- they call, the abode of the clouds The Strummin’ of the guitar and the alluring Miss Monalisa Lingdo All these I see, I being the spirit of the traveler
The birthplace of our Father, Gujarat it is- On the western front The salty desolateness of the Rann of Kutch, the holy Jyotirling of Somnath Temple The Dhoklas and the Theplas and the youthful beats of the Garba All these I see, I being the spirit of the traveler
Aamchi Mumbai- the Sapno ki Nagri-Of Stardust and Greasepaint The City that gives everything but takes some part of the soul in trade The Taj of Apollo Bunder and the teeming millions of the Churchgate station All these I see, I being the spirit of the traveler
Kashmir- the jannat on Earth, bounded by the Himalayas The boat ride on the Dal Lake, the coveted invite to the Wazwan feast Of Rogan Josh, saffron flavored Kahwah and the comfort of the shawl Cashmere All these I see, I being the spirit of the traveler
Karnataka- Of boiled beans and the Sword of Tippo Sultan The ruins of Hampi and the Vijayanagar Empire The mridangam, tambura and the kanjira and the divine gāyaki of Carnatic music All these I see, I being the spirit of the traveler
Assam- The land of the Red River and Blue Hills Of the Rhinos and the slopped beauty of the tea gardens The enchanting spirit of Rongali Bihu, bringing distant hearts together All these I see, I being the spirit of the traveler
I am- the spirit of the traveler I wander, I search, I seek; I tread the path unknown- far and wide Nameless; yet a chronicler of the living history I am alive within all, I am- the spirit of the traveler- unbound!
