December 1990.
During the ISABS workshop on the first day, participants were asked to introduce themselves. This was my introduction. It still is.
पंथी एकाकी जीवन की
मैं यूँ पथ पर चलते चलते
ढूडूँ खुद को हर ओर छोर
हर नहर ड़गर आँगन अंबर
पतझड के एक झंकोरे से
पाती हूँ मैं, उड़ उड़ जाती
फिर गिर पड़ कर भी
हूँ उठ जाती, औ हौले से
आँचल के छोटे कोने से
कोर नयन की सहलाती
और ठहर सहर के कोने पर
लिखती दूजी पाती, स्वाति
-स्वाति सानी ‘रेशम’
From the diary of 1986 सर्दियों के घने कुहाँसे में अक्सर धुंदला सा एक चेहरा उभरता है उस चेहरे को एक बार फिर करीब से देखने को जी करता है और इसी कोशिश में अक्सर खिड़कियों के काँच जख्म दे जातें हैं रूह सहम सी जाती है और वह धुंदलाता चेहरा परछाईं बन अंधकार में … Continue reading अक्सर
From the pages of my very old diary. I wrote this one 23 years back, in 1988. उजड़े मकानों के साये में, उसी राह के मोड़ पर वह अचानक टकराना नज़रें मिलाना परिचय की कौंध का पल को उभरना और लुप्त हो जाना अनपहचाने चेहरों का लिबास ओढ़े आहिस्ता से गुज़र जाना फिर किसी विध्वंसक … Continue reading साये
कल शब बड़ी देर तक निकला रहा चाँद चाँदनी गिरती ओस को पिरोती रही रात घिरती रही कल शब तुम्हारी अलसाई बाहों में आने को मचलता रहा चाँद बेदम ठंड़ी साँसो को गर्म करता रहा चाँद कल शब बहुत उदास था चाँद सितारे थे तुम्हारी आगोश में राह तकता रहा चाँद -स्वाति सानी ‘रेशम’ کل … Continue reading चाँद का आइना
It was getting late and I had not decided on the dinner menu, so I peeped in the fridge and realized I have stuff to dish out a quick stir fry and fried rice. So here they are -fast to make, good to eat recipes. Stir fried chicken with baby corn and mushrooms You will … Continue reading Chinese menu – Stir fried chicken with baby corn and mushrooms & Egg Fried Rice
After the morning game drive at Manyara national park, we proceeded towards the Serengeti National park which is about 200 kms and 4 hours of drive through the beautiful Ngorongoro caldera rim. Serengeti gets it’s name from the Masaii language word “seringitu” which means endless plains. The Serengeti plains are formed because of the volcanic … Continue reading Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
Our plane was about to descend and I caught my breath as I saw a peak, completely covered with snow rising above the clouds. It was Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. As we touched down and taxied we spotted a few Zebras grazing along the runway (we later learned it was a private … Continue reading Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania
On 23rd May, 2010 I and Tarique were booked business class to fly from Nairobi to Mumbai. We took our boarding passes, and went to the lounge. The lounge itself was cramped and stuffy, but we endured. Around 4 PM we went out to check out the duty free shops and we heard boarding announcement … Continue reading Kenya Airways – Harrowing experience
Tere bin sanu sonya koi hor naiyo labhna jo deve ruh ko sukun chukke jo nakhra mera… It was 11.30 AM, we had finished signing that register, but it did not sink in till we sat together in the gypsy with my father-in-law and an aunt that we are now married. It had taken us … Continue reading 16 years to that hot, sweaty, happy afternoon
Very close to Banni grasslands is a place called Naliya, also called as Kutch Bustard Sanctuary, one of the very few places in India where the Great Indian Bustard is still found. While we did not get lucky to spot the GIB, the beautiful black partridge numerous raptors satiated our birdwatching appetite. After scouring the … Continue reading Coastal Kutch : Naliya Mandvi and Motwa
