Chandigarh I miss you

In the foothills of Shivalik mountain range there is a city near Punjab called Chandigarh. The whole city was constructed from scratch. A famous French architect named Lee Carbousier was hired to construct the whole city. He gave the city a boxy look, something like Legos with unique exteriors. Eight years of my very productive life were spent in this city. I have all the bittersweet memories when I think of the city. The friends I loved and people I knew disappeared in time, but buildings and structures are still standing as a witness to that wonderful memory lane.

Monkeys

India inhabits many species of monkeys, but the Indian monkey and the Langur are the two common ones. Monkeys are associated with human habitation in many locations. They have become scavengers and dependent on human handouts. At Rishikesh the grasping skills of Indian Monkey is seen on the Laxman Jhula (hanging bridge) where they could walk on the metal wires hundereds of feet in the air.

Haridwar (A door to God)

Haridwar is a holy town in the foothills of Himalayas. Thousands of tourists go there every day visit various temples and Ghats. The main visiting place is ” Har Ki pauri” (steps leading to God). Most people go to the temples to worship God and bestow their offerings in the holy river Ganges. Most worshippers take dips in the Ganges River. The main ceremony in the evening is the Aarty the finishes the worshipping for the day and all the people will go to their hotels to rest and show up the next day.

The Pre-Monsoons

During the summer the most fascinating thing that happens in India are the Monsoons. The Monsoon season ranges from July to September, but sometimes it starts early in the form of the Pre-Monsoons. My travel to India this year is marked with pre-monsoons. The Monsoons are nothing like California rain that is more like a drizzle. Monsoons are heavy rains and many times it feels like someone is pouring non-stop buckets of water. The Monsoons are awe-inspiring, they clarify the sky, the wash the cities clean, and of course they flood areas. Here are some pictures that I took in the last couple of days.

My favorite place on the planet has Water Hyacinths.

During my college days I started to question and think about life. I lived in a small town called Bhatinda. On the outskirts of the town there was a canal with some natural tree lines, and plants. There was a spot on the canal where I spent many hours of my life pondering and making some sense out of things. This place provided the solitude, natural beauty and a part of the planet that I called mine. This is my favorite part on this planet. Whenever I come to visit Bhatinda that is where I go first, like I am visiting a long lost childhood friend. This time when I went there after three years, I saw an introduced species called Water Hyacinth growing on the banks of the canal. This plant is a clear-cut sign of the water pollution that is becoming rampant in the canal. I see the life crumbling around me and my favorite place on the planet has Water Hyacinths.

Flowers from my Mom’s backyard

While I was growing up my life was filled with love, care, and concern of this tall, slim and beautiful woman I called Mom. She is in her 70s now and age has affected every facet of her life. It was hard to hold her in my arms and wonder that she was the same person. My main reason to visit India this time is my Mom, I am trying to spend most of my time with her, cook with her and talk to her, and maybe I can try to replace some of the years when she missed her only son in some distant foreign land. I know all of us are following the same path of age, and all we can do is accept the reality or sometimes say,” It is God’s will”. I wish I could say similar things to delude myself, but I am going give peace to my restless mind by sharing some of the flowers from my Mom’s backyard.