Winter Musings

  I am a huge hoarder of things. Old receipts, tickets, gift wrappers, fancy papers I collect it all. Not for no reason do my parents call me a rat. I store all these things in a corner of my cupboard. One can even find cinema tickets from years ago in that small box. Well, recently I have started decluttering it and have thrown away those scraps of paper but not before using them for writing. This habit of mine extends even to the collecting of makeup and skincare products. Recently I had a conversation with a friend of mine and she reminded me of my makeup products collection back when I was in college. I remember there were like a dozen different bottles and tubes in that small rack in the hostel room. Sometimes our room smelled a mixture of rose, lavender, lemon and strawberry, and sea. Sometimes it smelt like a chemist's shop. It was all due to my love for those cosmetic products. Even now when I remember those days I start laughing. I have always loved collecting makeup pro...

  To be a child is to look at the world with starry eyes To be a teenager is to hate the world and To be an adult is to fall in love with the same world  - Miss Ravenclaw, 2026 I have no qualms in sharing that Iam one of the most anti-social animals you will find out there. Though it largely depends on my mood and settings, Iam a fun person only around my friends. Rest of them get my Maleficent version, polished through the years. My friends know that beneath all those layers of ice, lies another ocean of fire and then there’s a river of thorns and then finally when you think you have reached the destination, there’s an active volcano ready to burst at any moment. But there are few adventurers I have met who have not only managed to cross all those roads to hell but also had fun along and are now chilling at my happy place, giving me tips and advices to improve the security measures. And to all these idiot adventurers, Iam grateful from the bottom of my heart. Because ...

  The very first memories of Ganesh chaturthi I have are from a place near my home. A small 1 BHK flat where all the relatives gathered around to celebrate Ganesh utsav. Our home was near this place but I preferred staying in that cramped place because somehow it felt cozier with all people around. After the family worshipped Ganpati was shifted to Mumbai I remember desperately waiting for Ganpati every year so that I could meet all my relatives in one place. I have fond memories of helping (rather disturbing) my most favourite aunty in her kitchen, making modaks and patolyas, sitting and chatting with all aunties and cousins. My most favourite place in the world is my kitchen and hence it’s not surprising that I would prefer keeping all the aunties company in kitchen helping them cook rather than go out and play with others of my age. I loved trying my hands at drawing horrible rangolis (still not good at it) and serving food to all, and prided myself whenever someone called me pe...

  I love winters. The pleasant cold atmosphere mingling with the delicious aroma of hot beverages, tasty soups and cozy nights. The heavenly feel while sitting on a couch, being wrapped in a blanket while reading a novel and listening to old Hindi songs. That’s winter for me. The season brings back some good old memories of school days, college shenanigans and of companionships and life. But it all feels so far away now, as if it took place in a different timeline, a different era. Winter now brings in harsh winds of solitude. Its cold breeze turns the pages of the books lying in dust since decades. It makes me ponder over life and reality, a difficult feat because people say I love my fiction and dreams. There comes a day in many of our lives when we realize that no matter where we go, no matter where we are, where we live, where we have our accomplices, we feel like the misfits. The constant feeling that we don’t belong here, that these places don’t call me, that these people are...

  An old Shiva temple located deep in the forest in a wildlife sanctuary, lush green surroundings, a waterfall nearby and the chirping of birds and suggestions of wildlife around. Doesn’t it sound like a perfect setting for an adventure or mystery movie? This place is real and so is the temple. Nestled deep within the forest and surrounded by nature’s treasures, this temple stands a witness to the Kadamba rule in Goa. Situated in the deep forest clearing at the foothills of scenic Western Ghats, it may have escaped foreign invasions due to its isolated location. I am talking about the Mahadev Temple located in Tambdi Surla. The only existing example of a basalt stone Kadamba temple in Goa, this nirandhara temple has stood tall since the 12th century against a scenic background. It is located at the foothills of Anmod Ghat. The temple gets its name from the area it’s located in, Tambdi meaning the red colour of the soil present and Surla after the Surla River that flows nearby. ...