Ishani's Pen

  Travelling has never been my thing! As a person who suffers from major motion sickness since childhood, the travel or “journey” part was never a “fun” experience, rather it is more of an ordeal. However, after many years I decided to challenge myself (and my 68-year old mother) to make a trip to the beautiful valley of Kashmir! There is no doubt about the fact that Kashmir is beautiful – we have been reading about it in school and watching videos (and movies) from the place. But what we experienced was beyond our expectations – the valley was beautiful beyond words! Being blessed with a large no. of Kashmiri friends, I had received a suggestion to spend one night in a “houseboat” on the Dal Lake of Srinagar. So as planned, our tour guide dropped us in the Shikara of the “Nanga Parbat” houseboat – the place which was supposed to be our residence that night. My mother was initially a little apprehensive of the idea of spending a night in a houseboat. But her doubts all flew out ...

The Mughal emperor Jahangir or Salim had once commented “ Agar Firdous bar ru-e-zamin ast, Hami ast o-hami ast o-hami ast ” (If there is heaven on earth, it is here) on the mesmerizing beauty of Kashmir. The vast expanse of land dotted with pines and maples (chinar), bubbling waters of Indus and Lidder provide a breathtaking view as soon as one lands in Srinagar. The most common places to visit on a trip to Kashmir are Pehelgam, Sonmarg, and Gulmarg (especially in winter). However, a place that very few tourists visit is Doodhtpathri, which literally means “Valley of milk”. Located in the Budgam district of Kashmir, this small, hilly region is located approximately 30-35 kms from Srinagar. As the location is at a higher altitude than Srinagar, the air and wind are chilly and fresh. Traveling on the curved roads of Doodhpathri, one can actually experience “Europe” in India – it is no less than any Bollywood movie shot in Switzerland. On both sides of the road are lush green valleys co...

  Over the last few months, the country was devastated by the sudden demise of young people like Siddharth Shukla and KK, and even Raju Srivastav recently. There were similar tragedies closer to home too but they were not in the limelight. For instance, a resident of Zoo-road, Guwahati lost his businessman brother (aged 46) suddenly, a non-smoker, non-alcoholic fitness freak, while working out in the gym. Such news has managed to instill fear in the minds of young people because now, it is death of young people which seems to be in “trend.” If people who work out regularly in the gym are suffering from sudden cardiac arrests, what about the average “young” individual who is not very conscious of his health? As such, there is now a shift towards “healthy lifestyle choices” especially among young people. Gym registrations are increasing, along with the work pressure! YouTube is also helping to fuel this choice – fashion influencers like Komal Pandey, FitTuber and others releasing v...

Remember that heavy, fat book that used to be a constant in every household back in the 90s? The book that was the most difficult thing to carry if anyone at the house wanted to know the correct spelling of a word? Yes, I am referring to the house of huge no. of words “Dictionary” or “Obhidhaan”! Some assamese households even had the linguistic version of it, referred as “Hemkosh”, after the legendary Hem Baruah. Searching for new words and their meanings in an alphabetical order used to be such an exciting job then. With the passage of time, dictionaries started becoming compact and started to being available in pocket sizes; the first of its kind being provided by the Oxford house. English literature was incomplete without the use of dictionary, especially for poetry. In fact, there used to be a question for lower classes as “Write the meanings of the following words” – something that used to inculcate the habit of turning the pages of this fat book at a young age. Even writers of ...

 You will love many a times, but there will be only one love, only one moment, after forever of union, that'll burn your soul. And in that surrender you disappear, eternally. You become, FOREVER!

  It was probably the year 2000 when I had first come across the famous lines of the Welsh poet, W H Davies “ What is this life, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare… ”. The poem “ Leisure ” had surely been the part of English literature for many in school; I am pretty sure we had known the poem by heart then, along with the substance. But did we actually comprehend the essence of these lines then? Maybe NO! Today, 22 years later, those lines truely make sense to me. Each one of us, irrespective of the age, qualification, economic status, gender, is running continuously (not literally!) – whether it is to score the highest marks in class or to get more clients or to fight the traffic and reach work on time! In this state of life, we all have lost or forgotten to enjoy the simple pleasures that life has to offer. No more do we spend time with our friends and family playing outdoor games like kabaddi or badminton, or even silly games like hide-and-seek or blindman’s buf...

A broken heart beating in pain Drenched in tears like the soil in the first rain Longing for the return of another being Whose name she paints With whom she can sing!   There is not a word exchanged Yet… She hopes his mind gets changed ‘Cz from an acquaintance, they became friends Comfortable and funny conversation threads Between them…they shared Private feelings she had bared…   It is not easy for him too She knows…. Why then he doesn’t say I want you too And take her along in a sway   Is it only hope without any reality? Him alone she wanted to give her chastity As chill replaces sweat, she wonders Is this foolishness….. “Her Wait”?

 It is the 14th of Feb once again The day of love as they call it But till today nothing in love I gain What I planned for didn't get... When you had confirmed a 'yes' I had planned in my heart....the date This very day for the exchange of rings For the rest of our lives, we would celebrate! Alas! This was not be had On the day of love, I am again sad Tired of a V-day being alone A wish to be with you along Don't know why I still hope That you will again beg and mop We are bound by destiny, I believe Someday this date, together we will laugh And heave a sigh to relieve....!

  It is again that time When she had once again tasted sour lime They are again silent Even though She hoped the second time she wouldn’t repent..   How very naïve was she That she expected “I love thee” He didn’t return for attraction It was just an act of pity To her broken self He was just giving temporary sympathy.   Her favorite sound of “Serendipity” A believer in the signs of destiny Presumed the interactions as love Began acting as a “mated dove.”   Once again it is a no return With a shattered heart, she remained baren No more efforts, not a cry Not again will she try Even with the next lad in queue To whom she will paint herself in hue There is not an ounce of love left This is the actual destiny She had misunderstood signs, but now accept!   What was pity she took as romance Not once but thrice The hourglass is now empty without sand Weighed heart closes the chapter forever This goodBYE...

  In this modern era of technology, science, and development, we as a nation have not been able to get rid of the big taboo associated with women, “menstruation”. We still believe that during “those” days a woman is so unclean and impure that pickles rot if she touches them, and the lifespan of the husband of a married woman diminishes if she comes in contact with him! YES, WE STILL HAVE THIS THINKING!! The Govt., different organizations, NGOs are all taking rigorous steps and launching different campaigns to educate women and raise awareness among them on the importance of menstrual hygiene. But what about the menfolk – how educated are they about this aspect?? An immediate question on this would be that menstruation or ‘periods’ is a woman’s issue so why should the men know about it? Well, imagine a situation where a girl, traveling with her male colleagues, is completely unaware of her stained dress due to the early onset of her periods. What should be her condition now? It wa...

 Those moments of togetherness With personal conversations The planning of future with playfulness Without any care and realisations... The period of courtship was brief Time and situation again became thief Our privacy we protect; all inhibitions gone For a family we would try from Day One! Even when our hearts beat together Days and nights we shared undivided Casual and serious stuff bared with each other Why then we still aren't united? The emojis revealed our feelings Speaking of strong attraction Once again you stirred my emotions Cooing to your every word like a dove But... Doubt lingers if from your end Wasn't there even a tiny bit of love?

                                                                                                                         It is again one of those times When only silence endures In love are beating two hearts Yet the next step no one procures…….   First he wasn’t ready, now isn’t his family Well, what about her? Just like the river water She just remains situation-friendly.   Arranged was the situation before But now there is love…yet Not for each other, they take stand ‘cz One believes in natural selection, other is destiny With aged parents, both avoiding a mutiny!   He doesn’t utter anything even to let her go To all questions, there is...

  How many times has it happened to anyone that you had a raging storm inside you but you had put on your best smile and behaved completely normal? When you felt like screaming out with rage and frustration but all you did was smile and laugh as if it was the best day of your life? Each one of us does this probably on a daily basis – to be at our most composed self as if we have it all sorted. We tend to keep quiet and hide our inner self from our families and dear ones because we don’t wish to hurt them or make them sad and load them with our baggage of problem as they also might be carrying their own – so why put an additional load on them isn’t it? With this stressful and hectic life of today, we always seem to have our hands full at all times – multitasking every moment, putting a work-life balance, managing work and household. Having so many eggs in the basket, we don’t really have the time to vent out and stop because if we pause, we would be left behind in the rat race of th...