Adieu.... and... Hello!

I was fortunate enough to explore various parts of India in 2007. From Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Rajasthan, Delhi, the Taj Mahal, Dharamsala, McLeod Ganj, Amritsar, Kashmir, Ladakh, Varanasi, the Konkan Coast, the various forts at Pune's doorsteps, Bangalore, Goa and Goa, and Goa, still Goa and again Goa….It's only fitting that I ended the year in one of the most beautiful states of India – Kerala…

Snippets of the voyage -

Reaching at dawn before sunrise and boarding the ferry to Fort Kochi which cost only Rs.3. Walking the streets in the dark in quest of our hotel, turning our heads in amazement at the sight of this architectural delight.

The narrow alleyways of Fort Kochi and Vypeen island, where the woman clad in bright sari at her doorstep, letting her long black wet hair dry in the soothing sun and offering a gentle smile as her child runs around the compound shouting and screaming "Hello, what is your name? Do you have a pen?"

Always like a spiral but never reaching the ground…

Offering liberation to a moth by means of continuous flashlights as they clicked away their digitals.

The serenity, beauty, silent, green, watery backwaters that I wanted to grab with both my hands and make my own.

Waking up to the sounds of birds, sitting on the edge of the Periyar river before sunrise looking at life waking up.

Edging towards bushes as I hear rumbles of a deer charging towards me, and making a run for it in fright.

Spending time with the locals as they washed their clothes and offered us their smiles and jokes in Malayalam, as though we spoke the same language. And at that time, we did.

Watching the 71 year old man, row his boat with a combined pride and humility, offering us Thadi and drinking 3 bottles himself.

At the local bar with the local drunkards – a moment out of this world!

With the family who opened their home to us in a village near Alleypey, drinking our last farewell drink and listening to the tunes of Kishore Kumar, as she embraced her nightingale voice.

India to me is like a range of high peak mountains. The climb up is slow and hard as you grasp its beauty, and once you reach the peak, some of its beauty is incomparable to any in the world, but just when you are in total awe, someone pushes you from behind and you go rolling down the mountain and see its deep ugly side leaving you scratched and torn in places, and then again, you start climbing… One thing is for sure, it's never plain.

2007 was very very good to me. I hope 2008 measures up to it, or is even better.

Hopefully, it will give me the opportunity to explore new worlds.