As I browse through some pictures on the Internet, thoughts whirr in and out of my mind. The mountains in the pics, the brown-earthed valley dotted with green; coupled with the lazy afternoon sun peeping in, yet playing peek-a-boo with my chocolate coloured curtains, do more than just calm my not-so-calm mind. The kaleidoscope of rich tones only sets alight a blaze of yet more thoughts.
Dreams are not ones to recede quietly into the background; they emerge and re-emerge every time the mand goes off on a short adventure. They are like those little peaks that exist but you never knew they existed till you climbed one and saw eternity almost vanishing into itself.
Sometimes I wish I were not sitting here saddled by technology and I wish it was just the guzzling waters of a river tucked far away in some fruit orchard that trickled life into me, like the dream that whir past on lazy afternoons. Sometimes I wish it was just the cacophony of grasshoppers and frogs singing soulfully to the first rains on a heavy night. And as they soak in it, that would be music to my ears. Sometimes I wish it was the tinkle in the laughter of the children that signified the time of the day as I sat in a corner brewing coffee and listening to the womenfolk share their tales. Sometimes, I wish I could walk through my dreamscapes and hold the slow flowing bubbles of reality in my hand as they bobbed up and down, collided with each other, and tottered around like a bunch of fairies on their first outing.
Sometimes I wish I owned a palatial, ancestral home tucked far inside the greens of the Kerala countryside. I would sit on a wicker chair in the verandah, overlooking the trees and the river flowing through the orchard, sipping hot tea. Mornings would be just a haze of sights, smells, and sounds....the freshly-watered rusty earth, the jasmine being strung together by toothy old women sitting in the courtyard laughing and sharing stories about the antics of their grandchildren, the steaming idlis permeating the air with a warmth that can be both felt and tasted. And as the afternoon sun would peep into the warm, mahogany-laden dining room I would traverse miles and miles, all the while lying cosily under pristine, white sheets, letting the coconut trees sweep coolness into my room, and finally awaking with a song on my lips. As the day would draw to a close, I would find comfort in the honey dripping off the branches of the immodestly green mango trees laden with plump yellow fruits. I would count the bursting jackfruits, sucking mindlessly on tamarind strewn around carelessly by the wind. And when the inky blue skies would descend, I would return to a night of sloth and Jim Reevs singing in sync with the croaking frogs and the barking wild dogs.
Sometimes I wish it was a tiny, cozy cottage tucked far away in an obscure hill-station that I could call home. I would own a little shop next door selling knick-knacks, home-made chocolate, and bread. The red door of the shop with its bronze bell and chimes sould sing a mellow song every time someone would walk in through it. Children would be running through this door to buy candy and big yellow lollipops that I had made and kept in big, glass jars on a high shelf behind the counter. Women would walk in, eyeing this city-girl humming Norah Jones. I would welcome them with a warm cup of coffee every time they walked in bringing with them a cold gust of wind to this little shop warmed by a baked brick firepace. I would listen to their woes and the occasional snippets they would allow me with soem trepidation while serving them freshly soft bread everyday. Their husbands would eye me with suspicion yet wonder what a girl like me was doing in a town like this. My golden comma of a cat would purr with sloth every time I would cuddle it in my arms. And after the children would have had their day's share of peppermint flavored candy and the women would have bought the spices lying in sacks at a corner in the shop, I would pull down the blinds and make my way to the sweet, incense-filled cottage of mine for a night of knitting and some reading. And when the local doctor would come knocking at the door to ask me out for a cup of coffee, I would bat my eyelids and say, "I brew my own."
And when reality tiptoes to the doors of my mind and knocks surreptitiously, I pull the door wide open, embrace it with warmth and quote Pico Iyer - "The best trips, like the best love affairs, never really end."
18 comments :
Whoa! Wonderful. I got swept away in wonderfully beautiful imaginations as I read through it.
Must, Must share this!
beauty.
So you are a dreamweaver too!
loved it. totally. yes!
Firstly- I am so glad people of my age do listen to Norah Jones. Congratulations on a good choice of music. God how much my friends take pleasure in laughing at me as I praise Norah Jones music and awesome lyrics.
Now the post: =)
Every line of this post had a hypnotizing effect of me and I was mesmerized with the possibility of actually living that kind of life.
This may not be possible given the current situation and demands. But makes a good post retirement plan. :)
PS: I am up with a new blog. Where I write in very different manner than I used to. Drop by. :)
:)
sweet aye?
come away with me. shit. aap inti dreamy kab se ho gaye?
i must also say, i am in awe of you. dreams as simple as those. imagine what the real thing would be like. :)
ciao.
Girl you have a talent in writing, do harness it. You can really portray vivid imagery through easy words
Best times of my life was growing up as an innocent kid in town of Srinagar, drinking kahwa, eating bakharkhani and going on shikara rides
dream dream dont go away....stay with me till the end!!!
the fact maybe none of this will ever come true makes me just yearn for it...i could just imagine u there in every scenario...blending and still being distinct in the crowd... :)
Baldie - You did?? Yayiee!!! :)
VC - We all are dude, we all are. *wise smile*
Glad you liked it. :)
@ Sameera - Okay, confession time. I DON'T listen to Norah Jones. It is only at times (and very very fewat those that I find her appealing). Her lyrics are abov average for sure, but music...well I call her SNORAH Jones.:D
But can I please keep the congratulations?? Please?? :)
Glad to have give you your post retiremen plan. :)
Will visit for sure. :)
Cheers
@ Raj - Tu tto na bus!!! chane ke jhaad pe chada de kisi ko bhi!!
Itni flattery mat kia kar bhai :P
Much love
@ Pesto - You are Srinagar kid!!??? Wow!!! It must have been amazing there!! Also, a lil difficult, I guess?
Pardon my ignorance, but what's bakharkhani?
And thank you for the generous appreciation. :)
Cheers
@ Bucking - *sigh*
Blend it is my friend, blend it is. Blnding into the background is all I want at times....
Cheers
flattery? kahaan?!
ab princess ko ur highness nahin bolenge to kise bolenge? maid ko?
trust me, i was just being honest. aapko line maarke mujhe kya milega? bahut saara pyaar?? yes the idea is quite tempting. but no.
i was just being honest :D
and waise bhi thapad ni khana maine! :P
Whaddaya know?I just got back from a trip to Kerala where I spent a couple of days in a houseboat and then in the country side.Ergo,I could really relate to every line you' written there...Yor imagery is so rich and satisfying! :)
And as for the bit about listening to children babble and the womenfolk chatter,I spent an entire evening doing just that.
Loved your post...oh and that dream about the owning a candy shop in the mountains?Reminds me of Chocolat,which reminds me of Depp,which makes me say ooooooh :)
Love the post!
@ Vidya - I have been wanting to go to Kerala for so long!! That explains the jealousy bit on reading your comment. :P
Depp!!! *dreams and sighs* :D
Thanks a tonne for the comment and the appreciation. :)
Keep visiting.
Cheers
wonderful piece of writin bt must say, dose dayz r gone, ur wish part made me thnk n feel dose specialS bt in real world, all has jus vanished, sad bt true
@ Vineet - I'm not quite sure if I understood your comment completely, but thanks a tonne for visiting and taking the effort to comment.
Cheers
Beautiful.. It is great how u have expressed the immense beauty of natures in such simple words. Loved the post :) We all share such a dream where life would be simpler and calmer. Where we would get the time and opportunity to halt every moment and savor the flavour instead of rushing everything to get the end.
@ The West Wind - Yeah, that WOULD be wonderful, innit?
Thanks for the appreciation. :)
Cheers
@ Raj - Uff!! *shakes head*
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