Stirrings of spring up North

The ripples quivered in joy,

as the wind  swam across the river

The black mass above cracked

letting the waning light through,

casting gleaming patches on the water below,

filtering through the leafless branches ashore,

over the rain washed bench,

across the orphaned railway line

and onto the little wooden houses along the bank

framing their pretty colored rooftops

Red, blue, pink and yellow.

A few days hence there will be a dusk no more

only a perpetual light and a kingdom of life dying to come alive.

बात मैं गहराई है

 "That which needs to be refined is my own mind”.

Ramana Maharishi

~Rumi

'It is a sign of intimate friendship,
when speech flows freely from the heart.'

Life's lessons from HP

"Listen to me, Harry. You happen to have many qualities Salazar Slytherin prized in his hand-picked students. His own very rare gift, Parseltongue - resourcefulness - determination --a certain disregard for rules," he added, his mustache quivering again. "Yet the Sorting Hat placed you in Gryffindor. You know why that was. Think."

"It only put me in Gryffindor," said Harry in a defeated voice, "because I asked not to go in Slytherin . . . ."

`Exactly, "said Dumbledore, beaming once more. "Which makes you very different from Tom Riddle. It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." Harry sat motionless in his chair, stunned.

~Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

A joy revisited

She stepped out during working hours into a glorious summer afternoon thrilled at this little day adventure. The breeze was just about right balancing the heat optimally to the point where the lake in the middle of the buildings beckoned her for a siesta. She trotted on to accomplish the task she had been planning the whole past week. Everyone had told her she needed to lay her hands on it, they had even suggested to get her copies online. Nowadays things are just a click away on the internet you see. She chose to stick to the original plan anyway. The library was quiet, (ironically) as it is meant to be, and empty, barring a few students scattered about and deep into their reading materials. Summers are holidays time and the campus bears a lonely look during the few months this city gets some heat.

It took a little getting around but libraries had been familiar turf, and coming back to one brought a smile on her face. The musty smell emanating in the room full of neatly stacked books sent her into a tizzy. How can searching for a book in a library ever compare to ordering a new one off the net or even buying one at a  bookstore? The cracked edges, yellowing pages, pencilled notes, worn paperbacks.. all the elements that make a book so endearing...all the things a fresher just cannot offer. A book that has passed through so many hands and carries a rich history of its own.

She had it in her hands, her first copy of the series. The smile she now carried was that of a girl in her early teens who had her first brush with reading and knew she had just embarked on a wondrous and life-long journey.

Midnight it was and the first page turned to read 'The Boy Who Lived'.

Mohabbat-e-rickshaw

Yes our very own rickshaw has come to symbolize a romantic outing this summer in Umeå. While enjoying a terrace dinner downtown, we were surprised to see a lady driver pulling on an authentic rick, careening around, with a passenger at the back. She jumped out and started handing out flyers to curious sun baskers. It read 'enjoy a romantic getaway with your beloved, take them for a ride along the river' cost: 50SEK'.

I remember daily rickshaw rides from the bus/metro station, just about avoiding potholes, and almost always hitting a high on the speed bumps, passers by ogling, dealing with loud music on their transistor sets, haggling with the driver at the end of the ride... Phewwww!!!..none of which even remotely bears a romantic note.

An amusing sight it was :-)

Rare gems

In present times there are certain qualities and traits that have become very hard to find...
it is this rarity that makes them exceptionally compelling.