The End..

Music: Green Day - Boulevard of Broken Dreams

The boy and the girl rested on a rock inside the Bedouin camp. A fire of wood crackled in front of them. The flame made beautiful, unpredictable patterns. A pot of tea simmered on the fire and spread an earthy aroma in the valley.

Red mountains rose high all around, looking down on them. A great sand dune lay leaning at the mountain in front. It felt like a traveler resting under the shade. The boy wondered how long had the dune stayed there. He was a traveler himself. His stay was nearing its end.

The Bedouin got up, offered him tea, and said - "I am the heir. I own these mountains, this valley and this desert." The boy gazed at the mountains for a while, then took a sip. The tea was unusually refreshing. He replied - "I own little. I may lose all I have soon." The heir paused, and looked all around like a prince. Then he announced - "I give you that land, there. Take it. It's yours, forever."

The boy smiled. He felt his spirits rise. He said to the girl - "I am a Bedouin. But I will always have something." The girl felt amused. She asked - "Do you know where your land is?" The boy said - "No. Maybe it's for the best."

He looked at the sand dune. It seemed as if the dune had shuffled its feet. The boy got up. He was ready for his journey back.

~ Ankur.

The Sand Storm..

As I hold on to the sand particle

to not get blown away,

I wonder if we would've ever met

had the sand storm not come by.

And now that we did meet

what does it mean for me?

Will I get to say goodbye?

~ Ankur.

The Nubian Village..

Music: Carla Bruni - Quelqu'un m'a dit

The boy stood by the great river.

A gentle dusk breeze blew across his face and he felt an uncharacteristic calm. Sailboats slowly drifted across the river in both directions. The pole star overlooked a line of palm tress that softly swayed with the wind, as if nodding to him in agreement. The dusty form of the Nubian village across the river felt dull, as though colours had been taken away from nature's palette.

The monotone made him think about the people of the Nubian village. He imagined what lives the village folk lived. He pondered over where they went in their small sailboats and what the pole star told them. He wondered if the pole star told him anything.

As the sun set, small lanterns lit up in the village and in the sailboats. It appeared as if the night snapped the village out of slumber. The sailboats looked like small stars navigating the river. The boy could not make out the horizon where the river met the sky. Sailboats and stars transcended and became one.

The wind slowly started to pick up. A flock of gulls flying west appeared hung in the air above the water. The sailboats made haste. The trees danced. The boy saw a desert storm build over the village.

The wind gained sudden force, as if telling him it was time to go. "Where?" he quietly asked the river, bemused.

The river did not answer.

~ Ankur.

Definitely, Maybe..

Music: April's Story - Clint Mansell

The boy and the girl sat on the beach. She looked at him. He looked at the sea.

The waves gently forged towards them, lively and white, paused for a bit, and then silently receded. Sometimes the waves left behind silvery shells around them. The boy picked each shell and put it between them. The girl washed the sand off each shell and collected them in her scarf. Silently, they did this for a few hours.

The boy then looked at the girl. She saw he had something on his palm. It was a blue shell. He said - 'The wave left this behind.' She said - 'Keep it. It's precious.'

They looked in each others' eyes. He said - 'Maybe that wave will come back.' She took his hand in hers, and said - 'Definitely.'

The boy looked at the girl. She looked at the sea.

~ Ankur.

Shine on you crazy diamond..

The boy woke up with a start; something bright was shining on his eyes. He lay by the window, and looked up. A big white disc was radiating soft light on him. He gave it a sleepy, dazed look. One, two moments passed before he awoke and gathered what it was.

It was the moon. The boy now felt startled at this realization and stared at it again in amazement. He had never seen the moon so big and radiant. It was beautiful. And gentle. He pressed his face against the glass window and got lost in thoughts. He thought if he would ever be able to go to the moon. It wouldn't be as beautiful from up close, he decided.

For no reason, he was reminded of his grandmother. She was very old, and feeble. She was his favourite person, and he was her favourite grandson. He had only one grandmother, and she had only one grandson. She was losing her memory nowadays. She did not remember when she last saw him, or where he lived now. He suddenly felt very frightened. He wondered if he will ever see her again. His eyes welled up involuntarily, and he felt an urge to be by her side instantly.

He looked at the moon again. Ah, he quipped to himself, his grandmother's name meant shining moonlight. He smiled.

Suddenly, someone touched his shoulder. She said - 'Sir, kindly fasten your seatbelt for landing.'

He sighed, and closed his eyes.

~ Ankur.

Playlist blues!

Mood: Amused

I suddenly realized today that my playlist for some time has consisted of songs only from lady singers, such as Alanis, Cranberries, and many few-song-wonders.

I wonder why - are they more soothing? Which pops up the question - why do I need soothing songs, am I under stress?! Or is it just over-analysis.

Whatever it may be, here is one of the songs from my playlist these days. Bang, Bang - by Nancy Sinatra from the soundtrack of Kill Bill.

I was five and he was six
We rode on horses made of sticks
He wore black and I wore white
He would always win the fight

Bang bang, he shot me down
Bang bang, I hit the ground
Bang bang, that awful sound
Bang bang, my baby shot me down.

Seasons came and changed the time
When I grew up, I called him mine
He would always laugh and say
"Remember when we used to play?"

Bang bang, I shot you down
Bang bang, you hit the ground
Bang bang, that awful sound
Bang bang, I used to shoot you down.

Music played, and people sang
Just for me, the church bells rang.

Now he's gone, I don't know why
And till this day, sometimes I cry
He didn't even say goodbye
He didn't take the time to lie.

Bang bang, he shot me down
Bang bang, I hit the ground
Bang bang, that awful sound
Bang bang, my baby shot me down...

--

~ Ankur.

So it begins..

This webspace has been my project for the last month or so, and today it finally gets launched.

I have realized that for an amateur such as me, it's not an easy task to go the entire distance from thinking of a dedicated webspace of own to actually being able to create it satisfyingly. Nonetheless, here it is then.

I guess I'm not in a great mood to be able to write a great first post. So, I shall quit attempting one.

Welcome and all the rest.

~ Ankur.