Want to have a true Goan experience? Try this!

Palm trees, two wheelers, waves, seafood and yellow buildings. That is Goa for me. Though I visit it every year, it just never seems to grow old for me. Honestly, I’ve always been captivated by beaches. Those calm, serene yet fierce waves take with them. That wet sand on the shore fills my dry heart with a feeling that cannot be put into words.

Goa is the ultimate beach and party destination in the country. From lively pubs to calm cafes, from comfortable shacks to heritage hotels, Goa has it all. Most people prefer to stay in a luxurious five-star hotel and enjoy the pool and beach. They spend most of their time in the hotel itself, and often end up spending a lot. This may be a good idea if you wish to have a ‘chill’ vacation. However, if you wish to truly discover Goa, I suggest you stay in a boutique hotel or a heritage resort. Even Home stays are a great option. Not only do they have traditional Goan architecture and rooms, but they also serve local breakfasts and meals. I’ve stayed at one home stay (Quinta Da Graca) and two boutique hotels- Shanti Morada and Andores Resort and Spa. I’ve been to Goa numerous times, but it was in these trips that I actually ventured into the heritage of Goa and tasted some of the best local flavours.

Beaches and pools are just a part of Goa. Food, Churches and Forts are also very important in Goa, and one understands the true essence of Goa when you visit these. I’ve mostly visited North Goa, and stayed in Saligao, which is near all the major beaches- Calangute, Baga and Candolim. Zomato and Tripadvisor are great help while looking for eating options, but asking the locals is the best way. Baba Au Rhum, Black Sheep Bistro, Arthur’s Theme, Soro,Mum’s Kitchen, Artjuna, OCoquerio, Fisherman’s Wharf, Pousada, Fisherman’s cove are some great dining options. Some places like Antares, Co Co Mo, Purple Martini, Eva’s Café, Olive, Thalassa offer a great view of the beach and are ideal for sunsets. Most of them are heavy on the pocket but the views are breathtaking. There are of course classics like Ritz, Anand, Martins, and Brittos. Beach shacks serve decent food too, and are a good option if you want to have lunch after the beach. Some heritage houses and old resorts also have typical Portugese lunches. These need to be booked prior.

The Churches in Old Goa are a must-visit. Reading a bit about them before the visit helps to understand the architecture and history of the place. The Chapora or Dil Chahta Hai fort, is pretty famous due to the movie. It isn’t really a fort, and more of ruins. However, it has an amazing view! A visit to the Chapora fort for sunset or sunrise should definitely be on the cards. The Reis Margos fort and church have been restored beautifully and deserve a visit. Also, try and visit lesser known beaches as they are less crowded and cleaner. Morjim, Arambol, Ashvem are really good beaches to visit. Cycling in Goa is a great way to discover the place.

So, hopefully you have a true Goan experience next time you visit Goa!

The cursed tree

The noose of society was tight on her neck.

She hung on the tree of caste,

With scratches of discrimination on her palms.

The blood of her jaati still flowed in her veins.

The stamp of domination and authority was vibrant on her forehead,

And the mist of fear around her was still not clear.

The fasal of submission was harvested every year in her village,

And the hall of self-respect was used.

She didn’t even know what the tree stood for,

When she was hung on it.

The tree that shook when a new body was hung,

But it never fell.

खिड़कियाँ

ख्वाबों की खिड़कियाँ कुछ बंद सी है,

दिल की सोती उमंग सी है.

ख्वाबों के रंग ज़रा फीके पड़ गए हैं.

दिलों की बेताबियाँ अब धीमी सी हो गयी हैं.

ख्यालों के दरवाज़े पर कोई पहरा सा जमा है,

खुल कर सोचना भी गुनाह सा बन गया है.

मेरे प्रिय मनोबल,

अब सिर्फ तुझसे ही उम्मीद है.

इन दुश्मनों से लड़,

और डटकर सामना कर.

मुझे ख्वाबों के रंग फिर दिखा,

मुझे खुशी का अनुभव फिर करा.

मन में छुपी इस धुन पर इख़्तियार न रहने दे तू,

दिल के सभी अरमान अब पूरे कर ले तू.

मेरे सपनो को मार्ग दिखा,

मेरी आत्मा को निर्वाण दिला.

मेरे सपनो पर पहरा न आने दे तू,

बस जैसा मेरा दिल कहे,

वैसा कर तू.

In Search of the Cradle of Civilization: A book review

Once upon a time, the Aryans, utopian, blue-eyed and intellectually ‘superior’ beings of the West, invaded the Indus Valley Civilization, a peace-loving and serene settlement. Sounds like a short and simple story, doesn’t it? Unfortunately (or fortunately for mystery lovers), it isn’t that simple. The so-called ‘Aryan invasion’ has been debated extensively in the past century with various new theories coming up. Droughts, floods, massacres, diffusion of cultures are few of the theories which scholars have come up. The Aryan invasion has often been criticized citing ‘Western worldview’. ‘In Search of the Cradle of Civilization’ by Subhash Kak, Georg Feuerstein and David Frawley makes an attempt to erode the widely accepted Aryan invasion theory, and put forward the ‘Eastern worldview’ on the issue. The authors propose that the Indic and Vedic people were, in fact the same.

The book is divided into two parts: the first one elucidating the main argument regarding the decline of the Harappans, and the second one focusing on the spiritual heritage of India.

A great introduction to the book and the concepts keeps the reader gripped to the first part. The language is quite analytical, and forces the reader to question what she is reading, for every argument is unique and almost unheard of by most common readers. The first part describes the similarities between the Vedic and Indic cultures, the ambiguous definition of the word ‘Aryan’, the excavation of the Indic cities, etc. A perfect summary of the arguments is the last chapter of this part, which is named: Why the Aryan invasion never happened: Seventeen Arguments.

The second half of the book describes the cultural and spiritual legacy of India. Everything from spiritual heritage, Vedic psychology, astronomical basis of myths, and the birth of Vedic science is covered. This part focuses more on explaining the metaphorical aspect of the legends and writings, rather than the common literal aspect. Spectacular revelations about so many common legends are made, and they will leave you spellbound.

The book is quite well-written and an interesting read overall. However, it isn’t particularly neutral. It is quite focused on eroding the Western worldview, and emphasizes on this idea quite frequently. The reader, hence needs to be cautious. If you wish to read this book for research purposes, read it from a neutral point of view, without any biases. Do not get swayed by the Western view or the Eastern counterviews on the issue, rather study the evidences in both cases and come up with your conclusion. Forget the Eastern or Western worldviews, or any such other biases, and read the book from a state of mind which allows you to take in information and evidences, not opinions. The book is quite old, and a couple of theories put forward become either more substantive or unacceptable citing the recent discoveries such as Rakhigarhi or Bronze chariots. So, do not read blindly. Research, revise, understand, question and interact with the ideas in the book. That’s when it becomes fun.

What are you waiting for? Get that copy now and go on a horse ride with the ’Aryans’ to the ancient past!

A girl named Grace

That silhoutte. The perfectly curved dome-like structure on top, with the intricate carvings relieved her soul. The breeze from the windows in the chatri blew across her heart. Every evening, everything was the same, the same orange sky, the same black outline of the chatri, the same beautiful girl pirouetting to the beats of her ghungroos, and the same woman who came to see them each day.

She had been visiting the City Palace every evening since the past 10 years, just to witness the luminescent sun disappear into the folds of clouds, and to watch the rustic old chatri turn a dull black from the effervescent brown. The bright orange sky turned into a blinding black, just like jovial youth turning into the setting old age.

A girl as beautiful as Grace herself, came every evening to pour her heart out by swaying her elegant limbs. Her hands touched the wind as gently as a mother touched her child. Her feet, with the ghungroos, let out a sound as beautiful as Krishna’s flute itself. Even the dark setting sun, the radiance of the adas on her face shone as bright as Surya devta himself The tunes of her ghungroo, settled in her magn man, and her immersed soul spoke to her body through her dance steps. Her grace was immortal, timeless and ever-lasting. It would go on to stay in her soul forever.

The wheelchair creaked. The old lady was brought back to reality as her wrinkled cheeks became wet with her teardrops. Her grace persisted, but her youth had died. She was no longer her past. The girl dancing in the chatri every evening, was her, yet not her. Her physical beauty had now died, she could no longer sway her limbs and dance to the beats of her ghungroo. Her charming young self was now dead. Youth wasn’t immortal, timeless and ever-lasting like her grace. But she still came every evening. For she knew, that the girl only she saw every evening dancing in the chatri, was her. She may not be the luscious, enticing beauty she once was, but she was still graceful and dedicated. There were wrinkles on her face, but none in her soul. Her life was like a ghungroo, and its beads were now rusted. They were gradually falling off, taking a piece of her soul with them.   But she still remained the dancer she once was, and danced every single evening in her own thoughts.

Tangled Forever

Her jet black, Rapunzel-like hair,

Trickled down the tower of her soul.

But they were tangled and confused,

Just like her mind.

Her castle was filled with people,

Who wore fake smiles and fake masks.

In this ocean of heartlessness,

She had learnt to live alone.

Or so she thought.

One fine day,

When she was on her way back to her kingdom,

She met a wanderer.

The wanderer was just not like her.

Her hair just reached her shoulders,

And her smile beamed the confidence that lay underneath.

They became friends instantly.

The princess got back to her castle,

And all she could think of was the new friend she had made.

Even though she was new, she was real,

The princess felt.

As time passed,

The wanderer and the princess became friends,

Untangled each others’ minds,

And enhanced each others souls.

They stuffed their stomachs together,

And broke their hearts too,

Their passions wavered,

But their comradeship never faded.

They grew up and their paths took them to different places,

But their hearts stayed together,

And kept them connected.

They spoke every single day,

Not through the telephone,

But through their connected minds.

She’s so girly

The jet black, silky hair trickle down her shoulders, and her dark black heels make noise as she walks. Her tight pink dress shows off her lean figure, and the pink lipstick on her soft lips makes her even more attractive than she already is. The kohl, kajal and eyeshadow make her eyes bright, but somehow hide the shine of her inner self. Her hands and legs have undergone the painful procedure called waxing. They call her a ‘perfect girl’. But the desire to do more makes her doubt how perfect she truly is.

There she goes. Her overgrown pixie cut hair lingers over her eyes, making it difficult for her to see the world.  The tag of her loose, plain white t-shirt says, Zara Boys-14. Her HRX running shorts end just above her knees. Her eyeliner-less eyes have a glimmer of unconventionality. Her purple Nike shoes, with her grey socks are a total fashion disaster! The hair on her unwaxed arms sways proudly with the wind. She’s been jogging, so her luscious pink lips have a mixture of Vaseline and sweat applied on them. They call her a ‘tomboy’.

For her, she as girlish as one can be.

Who is a girl after all?

Is being a girl about how one looks? She doesn’t think so.

For her, being a girl is so much more than that. Being a girl is about having the strength to define oneself. Being a girl is all about having one’s own personality, which is determined by one’s own thoughts, and not by what the world thinks of her. Being a girl is about being confident, strong and a fighter. It’s about fighting with one’s own muddled conscience, which sways between the thoughts of the world, and the thoughts of her soul, while defining herself. The world may dictate the rules and way of living to her, but she is one who breaks all these boundaries and creates her unwavering self, and moulds herself they way she wishes to. She doesn’t allow the views of society to contaminate her imperfectly perfect self. She just wishes to be herself.

A true girl is the one who dresses up and applies makeup to satisfy herself, and not to impress the world around her. A true girl is the one who understands how beautiful her soul is and embraces her true inner beauty. On the other hand, if a pair of boxer shorts and a pixie haircut make someone feel good about herself, then that is her ‘girlishness’ defined. Girlishness is all about feeling about who you are.

Over time, being girly has been associated with wearing pink, using makeup, dressing in skirts, dresses or blouses, taking an hour to get ready, and shopping. I really think that as the world around this is changing, the outdated and restricted definition of ‘girly’ needs to undergo a change. Girlishness needs to go beyond one’s appearance and its time that being a girl becomes something beyond applying pink lipstick and wearing a pink dress. Its time that being girly becomes about embracing one’s inner self.