Rasta Aur Basta

Inner  hall of Dastgeer Sahib, a Sufi Shrine in Srinagar during Ramzan. ( Image Source: Instagram account of Aamir Wani) To Muslims, fasting from dawn to dusk in the ninth month of the lunar Islamic Calendar, Ramzan is the month long self-control holiest resistance to daily appetites & a pledge to perform good deeds all through the year. As per my friend, the very idea of Ramzan is to show resilience, but also a reminder of how close nature is to life. Though, the valley has witnessed some of the bloodiest days in the recent years, there is something to cheer for the locals, thanks to the month of ceasefire, announced by the Union Home Ministry on request of Kashmiri Political Parties led by CM Mehbooba Mufti. Home Minister (HM) Rajnath Singh during his recent visit to Jammu & Kashmir was happy after a security review, but a surge in grenade attacks, ceasefire violations from Pakistan, death of Shujaat Bukhari: all tell a different story. And the question remains, W

Chennai Central Railway Station As you read this piece, the writer has lost the mission for which he travelled 2000 kilometres way back into the South. The journey though was full of heat waves but this never let down the hunger to explore the city's heritage by walking through the winding alleys, tasting the nukkad food joints & visiting the darker gullies where the Kollywood (Tamil Cinema) is said to be bloom. The journey commenced amidst spasm from Delhi heat & soon witnessed being air fried, as I moved towards an unknown city, among unknown people, to look for the unknown university, yet with HOPE! The MGR memorial, where Amma was buried too Undoubtedly, the voyage was full of diversity. Moving towards Chennai, every time when the train halted at the upcoming station, a new state & a new language sprung up. The night was bit cooler, thanks to Katra-like tunnels & dense forests of Madhya Pradesh. Fresh mangoes, each weighing 500 gm, from Vijayaw