Selenophile

I came across a word today. A newly coined word it ought to be because the entries that i got while i googled the term, not a single option was from the dictionaries we check. Well, while I am writing this, I went on Oxford Dictionaries' website to find out whether the word exists . And I am not surprised by no trace of the word. It may end up one day who knows. 

Tonight the sky is garbed in clouds. Wherever the eyes move, not a single star can be traced. I read somewhere that today is the Summer solstice, the longest day of the year. But I think here in India, since we are in different time zones, it falls tomorrow. Why do I mention the solstice at all. It seems it was in 1967 when the summer solstice and full moon day clashed and fell on the same day. 

Tonight is the Full Moon night. However, the clouds have decided to hide the Moon from innumerable admirers of his . It would have been a beautiful sight, it has been so long that i saw a full moon night, almost 30 days to be precise

. Well, for sure, I think I am a SELENOPHILE.

As I stopped over to my sister's place while returning from home (my parents' place), I had but one night before heading back to my own place. All of my books/diaries, almost everything is there in my sister's house when I had shifted, I should rather use "finally shifted from my University campus" after having spent a decade there. I was searching for a book, I knew I had bought but couldn't find it earlier. The book 1984 I finally managed to catch hold of from one of the cartons. My sister had been gravely looking for it to read. With that I also chanced upon a beautiful diary I had gifted myself some years ago. And there were a few poems which I had written. I guess that was before I created this blog. But I have always had an inclination for ink and paper. So I carried it along with me. And now here is one of the poems that has adorned the diary.

Droplets of rain
touch my feet,
Grey clouds spread out in the sky
and our eyes meet.

Wind blows away these clouds
Rainbow colours have come about
The sky is of a lightish hue
As I go along with you.

Rain has washed away all our doubts
Bright green leaves smile at us
The sky blushes red with evening Sun
As our souls come together and become one.

So after having heard so many times from friends, after having been asked by some others, been recommended by the rest and after having searched it online on all the wrong places, I finally managed to watch the movie "Queen". Well, I heard so many rave reviews about the movie which certainly raises the bar of expectations. But when it started to play, I told myself that "you know what it is about, you have heard it so many times, so do not expect something extraordinary and then get disappointed in the end". Well I cannot be disappointed at all. But I certainly do not jump on the wagon of zeal and enthusiasm that had been created by the movie when it had released. 

One of my friends (a guy), when he had watched the film, he somehow got reminded of me and had told me about it, maybe because I went to France for a 7 months trip as an English language Assistant, so definitely he saw the Paris connection. Secondly, he might have thought about my Couchsurfing experience which I did while I would travel in France. Well, that's another story. When I would travel in France, I would couchsurf with a friend at strangers' places , and whenever my parents would ask me, I would tell them that I was going to stay with friends.. Well this could have been quite a surprise for them , they must have found it bizarre for a girl whose friends were limited to one or two beyond her sisters, how would she manage to find friends in new cities? When I came back I told them about couchsurfing. It was about meeting nice and kind people offering their places to stay, any kind of help if required. It was like sharing a little part of their lives and they stay with you forever., 

As I have just finished watching it, I can understand how it would have struck a chord with every female in India (and the insistent recommendations from my female friends confirm it). Even my Supervisor had advised me to watch this film. The way Rani puts it in one sentence "This is not allowed in India" sums it up pretty much for so many girls out here. 

But Who is stopping you? There you go girls!! There I go too :)

Winged visitors in my balcony

Some scorching days ago,
my thoughts had flown,

towards the upward sky,
and its winged inhabitants that fly,

from here to there,
and go about everywhere.

Long distances some cover,
above my campus some hover

For those who keep close to us
 I thought about thus

"How hungry they must feel!
finding food, is it an ordeal?"

I sprinkled some grains of rice
and thought the sparrows would find 'em nice.

Grains of grounded wheat would be better,
suggested a friend a few days later.

Sprinkling some grains, I had sworn,
without a miss every evening and morn.

A couple of days as passed by,
more frequently the travelers came from the sky.

Every morning while I would be asleep,
they would chirp and awake me from my slumber deep.

I would then get up to feed,
as much as they would need.

Gone away for work during the day,
I wouldn't know how many would have come my balcony's way

As I would return to my place,
I would be curious to check the case.

To my great delight, the grains would be gone
Would have to sprinkle some more thereupon.

Today as I stayed in the house throughout,
I got a chance to check them out.

Pigeons came and they pecked
and some water they necked.

Later joined some sparrows to eat
and drank some water to beat the heat.

I love my visitors who come daily
I would always feed them so gaily.

And I reach the city ...

Never ever I imagine or dream of where I will stay. Yes, I do dream of visiting different cities or places but of the ones where I will settle for long or for a shorter while, I never think of it. 

When anyone asks me where do I stay, I tell the city's name and if the conversation goes on for a little longer , I have this habit of being precise and telling that I live on the Highway.

It has almost been an year living on the Highway. It takes around 40 minutes to reach the city. How does one reach city? So, there are Rajasthan Roadways regular buses that start from Shahpura and go till the city. There are other Roadways buses too which come from Delhi to Jaipur, only these buses often do not stop if you want to go towards Jaipur. Then, mini buses can be an option too. And the most interesting means of transport is the "Jhonga" as they call it here. I have asked so many times to my friends to specify which one is the Jhonga but what they tell, and what I have in mind might be two different means. For me the Jhonga is the prolonged version of a Jeep. Yes, there are Jeeps too.

So many ways to reach city. 

Today I needed to go to the city. I started at 7 30. Let me rephrase it. I reached outside campus at 7 30. I was not sure if I would get a bus or not. I waited on the Highway for about 5 to 10 minutes and there it was, my means of transport for today: a Mini Bus. Generally, if I were not in a hurry, I would have waited for the Roadways bus to come. Why? Because the Roadways bus doesn't stop wherever it finds passengers. It most often stops on the designated places. But I could not have been a chooser. I had no option. So I boarded the bus. As opposed to my previous experience of travelling in a Mini Bus, today I felt the speed was much improved. The last time I had sit in the Mini bus was when my sister had come to visit me. I made her and my niece travel by the mini bus whose speed was as slow as a snail. Anyhow, I was pretty much impressed with the speed today and thought it might not stop everywhere. Well, I was not completely right neither completely wrong. After a while began playing the long lost music of 80s and 90s of Bollywood , which you(only those who grew up around taht time) might have heard while growing up and later on would have locked them in a box and would have never wanted to open it by choice, or maybe they would have, who knows?

While the music was on, everybody was getting into the bus with their wares as they had to be there in the city for business. A milkman boarded the bus and along with him came seven to eight heavy milk cans. They seemed to be so heavy. I sat wondering how he must have been carrying them. There were people who helped keep the cans inside the bus. While the bus moved ahead, on another stop a young boy, a teenager it seemed jumped in the bus with a heavy bundle. The bundle was wrapped in a colourful cloth so I could not see what was inside. But the way he put it down from his head, it surely felt gravely heavy. Then joined the wagon, another lady with a different coloured bundle, but it had some plants or a sort of bush. I really got curious when she entered with her green companions, but I did not get to ask what it was. And with getting in and descending from the bus of the passengers, we arrived in the city. I imagine every morning they get up early and go about their grueling businesses.

So, this is how I reach the city. And to add a little flavour of what it is really like, here goes one of the songs...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvS7hj6FE24

PS : I never knew what was the video like until I looked for the link to post it here .:)