Reminiscences

My cheeks caressed by a winter filtered sunbeam,

Half asleep, of her I always have a pleasant dream.

About her presence, her smell and a splendid time,

Eating pani puri flavoured with tamarind and lime.

Sparkling eyes, clear complexion, throaty laughter,

And thick black tousled  hair in the morning after.

O Time! Take us back to those happy, carefree days,

For after tasting Bliss, I don’t want to change my ways.

My Cat

Right from childhood, I have been a connoisseur of cats – both the two legged and four legged variety. Forty years down the line including twenty years of marriage, my fascination still persists albeit only for the four legged variety. We have one in the house – a spoilt tomcat whose only interest in life … Continue reading My Cat

दूजी पाती

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 … Continue reading दूजी पाती

अक्सर

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

साये

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

चाँद का आइना

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

Chinese menu – Stir fried chicken with baby corn and mushrooms & Egg Fried Rice

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

Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

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

Lake Manyara 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

Kenya Airways – Harrowing experience

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