The year was 1290 . A crowd had gathered around a clearing, where broken down pillars marked the presence of an ancient temple, now long gone. A young boy, just 14 years old, leaned against one of those pillars, deep in thought. Then, he began speaking, and the crowd fell silent, listening to his every word. He spoke without any notes, translating the Bhagavat Gita, from Sanskrit, which only the pundits knew, to the language everyone in the village knew and spoke – a variety of Prakrit which developed into the Marathi language. Even as he spoke, one of the men in the audience realized how momentous this event was, and how important this composition would be. He began writing down the words the young boy spoke, and this composition was named by its author and composer, the Bhavartha Deepika – the enlightening meaning (of the Bhagavat Gita). Now, the ancient, holy text, was no longer restricted to the pundits, but accessible to all, understood easily by them, composed as it was, in their...
Kashmir had been on my wishlist for years and years, but it was this year that the wish came true. Yes, we had less time than I would have liked, but simply setting foot in the state was enough for this trip, especially since Shankar wasn't able to join us. So it was just me, Samhith, my in-laws and my sister-in law. The 12 hour journey from Jammu to Srinagar was tiring, to say the least, but the views more than made up for it!
Srinagar was all we expected... and more.... Staying in a houseboat on the Dal lake was an experience we shall never forget...
Samhith went water-boarding on his birthday..
And nephew and aunt had the time of their lives in the many gardens...
And then there was Gulmarg, covered with ice in peak summer....
I have yet to write about any of my experiences... the problem is, there are too many, and I have loads yet to write!!
Srinagar was all we expected... and more.... Staying in a houseboat on the Dal lake was an experience we shall never forget...
Samhith went water-boarding on his birthday..
And nephew and aunt had the time of their lives in the many gardens...
And then there was Gulmarg, covered with ice in peak summer....
Needless to say, we had a blast!!
I have yet to write about any of my experiences... the problem is, there are too many, and I have loads yet to write!!
कश्मीर व हिमालय बार बार बुलाता है।
ReplyDeleteSigh .... you have ticked off "one of the places to see" and I have yet to go there.
ReplyDeleteWell one day :-)
Like those pictures especially the one of Gulmarg.
beautiful landscape. Warmm greetings and a Very Happy Christmas
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Beautiful photos. Waiting fo your detailed posts.
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