Goats Grow Beards
They are light sleepers and sleep in short naps. It is a joy watching them huddled together for warmth and security. I like baby…
Chander Guddu’s- I Adore
In my younger days, ‘romance and love’ was confusion. Taunts and dialogues often made the chat between us two. The Ghazal I wrote in…
Chander Guddu’s Your Doorway
Since my childhood I have lived with war and conflict in Jammu & Kashmir. On coming of age, I felt the destruction, and loss…
The Shoeshine Boy
In my boyhood, one day, in the fifties, my brother bought me a pair of ‘John Barrett’ shoes at Raghunath bazaar, Jammu; for Rupees…
The Tinkling Of Bangles
Bua Rani likes bangles. Each piece in her collection is one-of-a-kind, a symbol of love for us both. A bangle striking each other to…
Melodies On The Himachal Strings
To my pleasant surprise, Manu gifted me an iktara, a stringed drone lute. We have fond memories of our brief sojourn in Jaisalmer in…
Himachal’s Drums Resound Japan
The “Drum Gate,” at the East entrance of Kanazawa Station, Japan was built to look like the tsuzumi. Drums are a crucial part of…
Versatility of Stone in Creativity
The long-lasting edifices like temples and forts, were built of stone; not only for their durability but also to convey deep philosophical, religious, and cultural meaning.
Orchids From Baba Aadam
Orchids have been around from time immemorial. Whimsical growths are found globally, except on glaciers. A majority grows anchored to trees and shrubs. This…
Taste Buds and Sweet Tooth
I relish ‘Moti Seviyan’ from the legendary halwai of Jhakoo, Shimla. Kirti enjoys ‘Sund Panjeeri’ from Pahlwan the Hatti, Jammu. My sons Aseem and…