Archives from the Gram: Part 2

Niharika
3 days ago
3 min read

Life is not always a whimsical dream-

sea breeze caressing your cheeks,

playing with your hair,

feet dipped in sand,

cold waves washing away the pain,

sun setting afar,

painting the canvas of sky,

in million hues of peace-

but sometimes it is.

Clockwise from the top-left: A Sunset at Shangumukham- (1) The beginning (2) The middle (3) The aftermath (4) Morning at Sreepadmanabhaswamy temple- another version of peace (5) St Joseph's Cathedral at night- a click from a moving bus- a surprise!

~07.01.23

Childhood dreams do come true. You do meet your heroes- just from afar. 166*

~15.01.23

How often does one get to witness two art forms in the UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage the same day?

Mudiyettu

Koodiyattam

Attended a literature festival for the first time. That's where this magic happened.

Clockwise from the top-left: (1) The huge installation at the entrance was captivating, so was the little things and the details (2) My favourite singer, poet and poem in a single frame (3) A slice of home- and good food! (4) After watching tons of YouTube videos, finally attended a live talk of Gaur Gopal Das. This is the person who made me realise being spiritual doesn't mean losing your sense of humor (5) One of the many beautiful little (big) things- these roofs (6) souvenirs.

I also got to meet one of my favourite authors and got an autograph!

~04.02.2023

Remnants of a festive season. Ishya- the college fest. Participated in a lot of writing events- wrote a lot- won a decent amount- but mainly stared at the wall and the abyss beyond for an insanely long time. Played with paint- for the fashion show team- late night creative bursts! Fought a war with myself- went on the stage and sang. Made mistakes, but finished it, enjoyed it. Finally, the clear skies of march!

~Feb-March '23

Vishu- far from home! Yet the kanikkonna yellows across the campus and a little bit of effort put into vishukkani made me feel at home. With a new year and new beginnings came a new hobby- only to be added to the list of discontinued hobbies, a few months later!

~April '23

Canvas of the setting sun,

this time in purple-pink hues!

Apart from that July was of reflections. Reflecting on hazy reflections. Reflecting in the midst of chaos. Huge trees standing tall in the middle of the bustling city evokes a strange sense of comfort. This huge Banyan tree became my home for the few hours trapped in the capital city's shenanigans. Finding stillness in chaos can be peaceful, powerful and a fodder for reflecting on life.

~July '23

August skies and Onam- flowers, colors, and bliss!

~Aug '23

September skies and someone's home!

~Sep '23

Campus climate resembling mood swings- bright, sunny days and rainy, moody nights and hazy, blurry in-betweens. All you need in the in-betweens is a cup of coffee, a comfort movie and complete ignorance of everything else. Yet sometimes, it takes a trip home to rest, reset and restart! The rainy Vande Bharat journey was a wonderful add-on!

~Oct '23

The changing skies remain unchanged in November. For a change sometimes it adorns itself with peacock flowers in reds and yellows. I try to translate the colors of nature into a bookmark and a sketch. Lent a hand for another colorful display. Diwali- Rangolis and Diyas made the whole place brighter. Finally, my nails became the canvas of a close friend for a colorful ode to an artist.

Snippets from a 'mountains and music' reflection:

No-one writes classics. Readers make them classics. Then how much of the art around us are just someone's one simple thought and it's our capacity to admire them in entirely different ways that makes it so layered and beautiful? And humans, their layers are complex or just humans being humans? Are we complicating little things or are they really complex?

And in this song, 'my love' is referring to a lover or the singer's own ability and capacity to love?

Any thoughts?

~Nov '23