Another City...

I want to run again like a little boy

Run and run with the wind

I want to look up at the bluest skies

Where amongst the clouds flutters my little kite

I want to watch the birds on the roof

Sitting together as if for a feast

I want to play all the games that we used to play

Oh it’s all rushing back to me

Now I wake up all alone

With no one there to care for me

I have a boring 9-6 like most of us 

Oh god why are you punishing me...

--

A pic each from the places I want to go back to: 

#1

London, United Kingdom

#2

Chamonix, France

#3 

Paris, France

#4

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

#5

Keukenhof, Lisse - The Netherlands

#6

Brussels, Belgium

#7

Venice, Italy

#8

Pisa, Italy

#9 Vatican City

#10 

Lucerne, Switzerland

As a little boy

It just wouldn’t happen. Father tried everything possible to lure me out of my hiding place, from under the bed. It was becoming a daily affair and I would cry and throw tantrums to stop them from sending me to school. It worked for me! Father would some days just let me be and take my elder brother to school on his old Bajaj Chetak.

Mother would carry me out of the bed and hold me up and brush my teeth. Then she would get me all dressed up while I stood in half stupor. The uniform was a red and white check shirt, bright red shorts and a little red tie. She would comb my hair and drag me to the breakfast table and help me with some cereal, milk and bread. And then when it would be time to leave for school, I would run and hide.

I had learnt the art of blackmailing form that time onwards when I would make my mother take me to school and wait for me the entire time. And she would sit outside the school building and wait. And then when school would get over and I would come out of the huge wooden gates, my eyes would search for the glimpse of my mother. For me that would be both a prize and a sigh of relief.

Now when I reflect on those days I feel how stupid, insensitive and insecure I was.

Water Falls

En route to Cherrapunji- the wettest place on earth!

Occasional herds of cattle were spotted on the road. This was a lazy group of cows jaywalking in the perfect weather conditions. The calm postures of these animals made me contemplate about my life, and the road ahead...

The roads towards Cherrapunji from Shillong are the best mountain roads I have traveled in India so far. I felt I was in Nappa Valley! I secretly wished to drive the car on these beautiful roads. The place is not called Scotland of the East for nothing!

A bit of grey, blue and green and a hint of red and brown...makes for a perfect picture with Mom and Dad. :)

Towards Cherrapunji, Meghalaya

Sight Seeing, Shillong

These are the evergreen pine trees. This photograph was taken at the Shillong peak region. Pine trees are found extensively in the mountainous regions of the northern hemisphere, there are about 115 types of this species throughout the world. Pine trees are gymnosperms and hence do not bear flowers, rather they have the male and female cones. The male cones, situated at the lower branches of the tree, are thinner and smaller and release massive amounts of very fine wind borne pollen which find the much larger female cones situated at the upper branches of the tree. The cones are visually very appealing and are often found lying at the base of the trees. People pick them up and take them home as souvenirs!Don Bosco Church. The biggest and best known church of Shillong. It is a beautiful building and has a very peaceful setting with loads of open spaces and a nice stairway up to the church.
A common dog resting peacefully in the shade off a wall. These dogs bear resemblance to wolves and have a thick coat of fur...
Mom enjoying a hot cup of tea at the Shillong Peak area. A conical wicker can be seen on the right, placed on a tripod, which is  being used as a dustbin. These wickers are made out of bamboo and are used for various purposes. People even use to carry wood, rock, vegetable etc.

This photograph is also taken on the premises of the Shillong Peak. The pine forest on one side and the beautiful road straight ahead with a commoner approaching towards the camera, completes the picture.

Our Hotel- Shillong

Our hotel, Blue Pine, was uniquely shaped in the form of a triangle. It was a very nicely done room with wooden walls and a nice and cozy bed. The feel of the room was very European with those big windows, framed pictures of fruits, wooden finish from ceiling to the floor, the soft lighting etc. Though the service was a problem as there were hardly and house-keeping staff available and we had to travel about 200 meters to another hotel. Itotally loved this tiny triangular room :)


With Mom and Dad. Took this photograph on the self timer with flash. The pic turned out to be pretty good.

Shillong Peak

This is a wonderful place located at the highest point in Shillong. The place is called Shillong Peak and is situated very close to the Air Force area. This is the best place to see the entire Shillong city in a beautiful panoramic view. I have taken a few photographs of the place and also had mom and dad pose for the camera :)

Here Dad is seen wearing a beret which I bought from a nice boutique store in the city- near Police Bazaar.

A Panoramic view of Shillong City from the highest point- Shillong Peak

This is one of my favourite panoramic shots taken off Shillong Peak. The shot covers an angle of approximately 270 degrees. If you look closely you might be able to spot the golf course, the main city, and the city's most important market- Police bazaar...

Golf Course- Shillong, Meghalaya

Meghalaya, literal translation: 'The Abode of Clouds' is one of the most picturesque states of India. This state was previously a part of Assam, but in 1972 it was made into a separate state with Shillong as the capital city. Incidentally Shillong was the capital of Assam till 1972 and after the state was broken up, Guwahati was made the capital of Assam. This photograph was taken at the golf course of Shillong, a very beautiful and picturesque place indeed- you can't probably look more photogenic when you have a backdrop such as this!


Pine trees in the backdrop...mom collected a lot of cones that had fallen off from these trees.

Nongpoh- a small village situated between Shillong and Guwahati

This small village, Nongpoh is where the drivers take a break while going towards either Guwahati or Shillong. It is about 36-40kms from Guwahati. This town is very strategically situated between two big cities. The roads are mostly very clean, but when we went there the roads were being widened and there was dust and sand everywhere, and there were so many trucks on the road. It took us almost five and a half hours to travel 125kms to reach Shillong.

Zoological & Botanical Gardens- Guwahati, Assam

This was one of the best Zoos I have ever seen in my life, very naturally situated for all these wild animals. We got to see tigers, lions, rhinos, giraffes, deer, birds, langoors, hippos...etc, in their natural habitat. Coming from Calcutta, i was always proud to proclaim that we had the biggest zoological gardens in India, but this little zoo in Guwahati completely shattered my pride in terms of the quality of the natural wildlife at show!

Cityscape- Guwahati, Assam

This photograph was taken from top of the Nilachal Hills in Guwahati. It was a breathtaking panoramic view of the entire city from up here. This is probably the first of the many panoramic shots I have taken in the trip. Beautiful place, if you look closely you will find a long serpentine train in the picture.

Guwahati, Assam

Our driver and guide in Guwahati. He was a great guy with a lot of patience, never complaining even once for the long waits while we made our visits to the local sites. He accompanied us to the local zoological gardens which was the best one in India i have seen so far!

Kamakhya Temple- Gwahati, Assam

One of those poor lambs on the premises of the temple for the sacrificing. Beautiful creatures!