Sunday, January 10, 2010

Ladakh - Day 4 - After Khardongla, Towards Nubra


The journey after Khardongla was one of the most memorable things in my life. The landscape changed as if by magic.

Where went the snow?
Whence came the sand?
Whose hand carved temples out of stone?
What are green fields doing in the heart of a brown desert?

Blow gently wind
The creases on that mountain
Are really the mane of a lion
Nay, the tresses of a woman
Blow gently wind
Run your fingers delicately through her curls
May not thy carefree vagary upset her locks

Those needles in air
And castles of sand
Erase not their carvings
Nor blow away their delicate tip
With thy careless hand

Someone painted the sandy slopes
With their finger nails
And sprinkled powdered snow
To fill the grooves

It was a world of brown and beige and grey
A child walking past got bored
He thought of that colourful cake of last week
He baked a mountain and dressed it
In moss green, onion pink and mango on top

Or did a woman drop a piece of jewelry?
Of jade, amethyst and gold?

Blow not O wind
Touch not this pretty picture
Sigh not
Breathe not. Just be still


































4 comments:

Satish said...

Firstly, wishing you a happy and prosperous new year.....I was away from your blog for a while, been caught up with travel.Nonetheless, have gone through all your posts since my last visit... Too lazy to post comments on individual posts, hence leaving all the comments here

1) Ladakh - What more can i say, my envy and resolve to visit just gets stronger. Beautiful pictures and detailed narrations. Admire you patience, firstly for clicking the photos and sorting them out and secondly for writing about. It is a joy to go through these posts. Many photos are simply amazing. Hope you have applied for a copyright for them.......

2) Springing Free from Moorings - I completely agree, meeting people is an interesting affair.Many a times, we are caught in our perceptions of others and seldom get out of it.Also many a times, we try to mould our behaviour on what others think is correct. Seldom do we throw caution to the wind and discover ourselves. In a quest to discover ourselves, we just have to be touch rational so that we do not loose ourselves completely. Crutch or no Crutch, hope you discover yourself and wish that it is not different from what you are now :)

Glass Palace - Amitav Ghosh - Many have recommended this book in the past month.After reading the posts, it is a definite read for me. I will reserve the comments on the book till i read it

Jonathan Livingston Seagull - What more to say. It can be made a compulsory case study for all the management trainees..Simple but has far reaching ideals....

Satish said...

Also Congrats for being ranked 66th in among all blogs.....If not a party, it surely calls for cheers... Keep them coming and keep climbing

Cheers,
Satish

Sowmya Chakravarthy said...

Satish,

Be around na... Dont disappear...

Thanks for the nice words about my pics. How did you like my poem. It was sheer serendipity...
No, I havent copyrighted any of the pics.

Yeah... read Glass Palace and let me know how you like it...

Global Corporate Tour said...

Wow, Day 4 in Ladakh seems incredible! The journey after Khardongla towards Nubra must have been breathtaking. The landscapes in Ladakh are truly mesmerizing. Can't wait to read more! Please read this blog for information Couple Trip to Leh Ladakh