MYRIAD COLOURS OF LIFE

  E veryone talks about creating spaces. But why do we need space? It's to retire at times when everything around appears so devastated. I have my own den where I return to. Curving out takes time and effort, but once you are successful you win the world. Nobel laureate Toni Morrison, writer of Beloved talks about having our own little spaces. She says writing is something that enables her to express in better ways. Away from the hustle-bustle of everyday life, create your own little space. Then maybe the peter-patter of the raindrops, the sound of the thunder, the fluttering of the butterfly, the clouds, moon all would appear to be in tandem with you day in and day out. Believe me, you would never feel lonely. Everything around appears magical!

  T here are so many of them spread over the lawn. Looking from a distance it would appear to be a blanket of yellow in beautiful motifs. Sometimes I would go to pick up some of those and put them in my bun. I move with cautious steps least they might get smashed under my feet. Then the rains came. And the next morning they are gone. My heart cried seeing them wither away. I thought I lost them for eternity. With the bright sun peeping through the blue clouds, as I got ready for my classes I was delighted to see them back in bloom.

  I often hark back to those days when the cuckoo would tune itself to its love song. And I would cuddle in my mama's warm nest and plant her a kiss. Those were the days of serendipity. With the arrival of monsoon comes the sweet smell of the earth. The petrichor emanating from the flower beds and the paddy fields. These are the memories of the days I spent as a child. How great it is to wait for the sweety showers? We would wait for hours to collect the bucket full of ripe mangoes from grandpa's paddy fields. The fragrance of these events gets somehow lost today amidst the hurly-burly of life. Do I sound plaintive when I open up my heart reflecting back upon these halcyon days today, which gave me so much of blissfulness as a child? Caught in the hustle-bustle of the tech-savvy world, life today has moved miles ahead. There is too much of higgledy-piggledy around.No longer do I get enough time to let myself hypnotize to the sound of the cuckoo. Yet I keep searching and someda

    M ajuli, considered to be the biggest river island in the world is located on the river Brahmaputra in Assam. It was the occasion of Rongali Bihu. Early in the morning, my father told me, What about a trip to Majuli. He had promised me a trip to Majuli after my 10th exams. I agreed readily. I consider myself lucky as my house is located in the Lakhimpur district of Assam. This makes it possible to travel to the river island so easy. I woke up early in the morning and got dressed. I was super excited about this trip. People around us were busy with Bihu celebrations. The sound of dhol, Pepa, and toka (musical instruments)was to be heard in everyone's courtyard. Bihu songs are very special. It is these songs that add to the beauty of the festive fervor. Bidding goodbye to my mother I got into my papa's bike. I had read so much about the river island ever since a child. Majuli has a large number of Satras. They refer to the Vaishnavite monasteries. We started our trip early in