varunasharma

[varunasharma]

asdasfF

DSFDsfSFdafDFDS

[varunasharma]

Babble

They laughed and giggled over lunchabout his shirt and awkward hunch.How couldn’t he say ‘couture’ right?He’d definitely be alone tonight. But, oo la la, look at that chapwhose locks call out from beneath his cap!His charred lips sip a coffee as dark as his soulbut let’s talk about the brand on his sole. Yackity yackity yackity yack,we truly have lost track.

[varunasharma]

Freedom

January 17,2010 I dreamt a dawn breaking to brave;eternal shadows of grief,that stretch beyond the grave.Years pass on by as I,a million deaths I die.At last she arrives,after that endless night.Unspeakable, nameless-things take flight.Sentries to my tormented mindin which my soul imprisoned lies,waiting for freedom to find,of the infinite kind.

[varunasharma]

Fire

January 17, 2010 Darkness plagues his soul,as he embraces steel.Revenge is evoked,in the core of his soul. Forgiveness is turned away,and all emotion is numbed.Memories ignite a fire,that cannot be washed out. The black knight rides a white horseinto the forest of crows,taking with him struggling preyto silence their incessant cawand emerge their gallant saviour. But once a slumber deep…

[varunasharma]

There is an addictive serenity in the mountains which makes me wonder why we even bother with the robotic mundanity and sheer turmoil of urban existence. As we leave our matchbox prisons behind, the roads become narrower, oxygen levels rise and the black smog blanket which suffocates urban existence ceases to exist. There is no hurry to arrive ‘somewhere’ — no incessant honking or any of those flashy billboards selling you houses, emeralds or soaps. And for the lack of depressing skyscrapers, one can only be grateful that the urban plague cannot infect nature’s wilderness.

An archaic stone stairway leads up to a rustic brick house

One of the many colorful brick houses that are nestled in the valley

One may be reminded of W.H. Davies iconic poem titled, ‘Leisure’ as one enters the quaint artsy village of Gunehar nestled in the heart of the Kangra Valley, a serene little district in Himachal Pradesh in India. Gunehar is a therapeutic haven for those looking for time to, ‘stand and stare’ at ‘streams full of stars, like skies at night.’ It is situated between Bir and Billing, the world’s second highest paragliding site, approximately 5000 feet above ground level and 8000 feet above sea level. The paragliding  location is famous the world over for the experience that it provides.

A paraglider takes off from the point in Bir towards the landing point in Billing

A glider gets ready to glide through the skies

If you are wondering where you could spend a few quiet evenings sipping some hill tea or your favorite wine, musing on your life’s worth, you cannot miss German Indophile Frank Schlichtmann’s ‘The Four Tables Project’. What began as a little space with four tables in 2008 has grown to include an art gallery (The Gunehar Art Gallery), a fusion restaurant (The 4Tables Cafe), an ecological boutique hotel (The 4Rooms) and a camping site (Camping in the Fields). The project also hosts a number of  popular and innovative contemporary art events, residencies and exhibitions.

“The idea is to create and promote a space for alternative and meaningful living by generating employment for the locals,” says Schlichtmann who was born in Hamburg, Germany to a Bengali mother and a German father. He arrived in India for the very first time, when he was four. Frank, who is quite famous the world over for his art initiatives across the little village has been covered extensively across several domestic and international newspapers dailies, travel & art magazines and blogs.

It was November 2019 when my husband and I decided to escape the dry Amdavadi heat that spares no mercy on the people of Ahmedabad. Coming from Gujarat, where temperatures soar to touch 48°C in the summers, a pleasantly cold retreat up in the hills was part of our soul-searching getaway plan. We got in touch with Frank who assured us that our trip to Gunehar would be a memorable one. And indeed, it was every bit worth the experience that we were in search of.

Originally, the exquisite boutique homestay was the partially burnt house of a wealthy merchant. It was here that we enjoyed our three-day stay amidst the slow-mo life of the locals in Gunehar. Built with mud, wood and bamboo, the quaint homestay is a home away from home and for all the right reasons. After all, for those who want to hold meditative conversations with nature, all one needs is a comfortable bed, hot water and some good food. We spent afternoons, evenings and nights settled upon a bamboo couch placed on the balcony of our quaint cottage.

The setup on the balcony area of the cottage

A man overlooks his plants with a sense of satisfaction at his house next to the cafe

And from here, we spent our time gazing upon local shepherds guiding their cattle and sheep up and down the mountains. With a monastery in the vicinity, monks can often be seen traversing the narrow uphill roads. During the afternoons, a typical sight includes the local children, their cheeks akin to peaches, making their way back home from school. We spotted a group of school girls stop by the quiet little brooks, run their hands through the water, eat some berries or fruits and chat away until it was time to continue their journey upwards into the mountains towards their homes. It was with these sights before us that we spent endless hours doing exactly what Davies prompts us to do— ‘turn at beauty’s glance and watch her feet, how they can dance.’

School girls spend some time by a brook in the early evening on their way back from school

Sheep headed downhill towards their grazing point in Gunehar

When it came to satisfying our hunger pangs, The 4Tables Cafe left no stone unturned in treating us right. From a wholesome and delicious mushroom pasta garnished with homegrown spices and veggies, fresh out of Frank’s very own garden and breakfast spreads which still occupy a special place in my dreams, one cannot miss devouring the scrumptious food, made with tons of love, at the 4Tables Cafe. If a monarch were to visit the cafe, the service that he/she would receive would make him/her want to do things a little differently back in his/her own palace! Because, that is how brilliant the service is and Frank plays the perfect host!

Scrumptious sunny side ups garnished with cheese, fresh mushrooms and homegrown pepper

A delicious bowl of fruits, cream and honey

The author posing against an artsy seating setup at the cafe

The cafe is a canvas in its own right with abstract art occupying much of the space on the walls. A beautiful tandoor carved into a stone sits pretty at the entrance where Frank will greet and welcome you into his little haven up in the hills. From the bamboo shaded lights to the countless posters of legendary musicians, the space is designed to allow you to take in the essence of art, at its ethnic best.

A stone tandoor placed at the entrance

A yellow bulb placed within a cane shade above one of the tables at the cafe

Table decor at the cafe adds color to the scrumptious meals

After getting drunk on the best of food, music and wine, it is time to gaze upon the countless stars visible in the clear night sky. It is time to dream of a time when we would need not say goodbye to the magic of the mountains. We would much rather bid adieu our urban prison and welcome a sustainable, ecological and fulfilling slo-mo life as our way of living. And Frank Schlichtmann puts himself out there to inspire so many like us, to choose a path less travelled by, to live a life engaged with nature and weave a dream into reality.

Posing with Frank Schlichtmann (second from the left) and the lady who served us our delicious meals

The author’s handwritten review in Frank’s customer feedback diary

We shall return Frank, and when we do, you never know, we might not even leave! Do experience the magic of Gunehar at Frank Schlichtmann’s ‘The Four Tables Project’. It is bound to cast a spell on you, leaving you with an insatiable desire to give up the urban madness for a life in India’s countryside.

Leisure: Experience the Magic of Gunehar with Frank Schlichtmann There is an addictive serenity in the mountains which makes me wonder why we even bother with the robotic mundanity and sheer turmoil of urban existence.

[varunasharma]

To 1994

I wrote a letter to 1994 asking for access to archives no longer at the fore. The reply was certain albeit quick, quicker than today’s impatient clicks.

Of fields sunbathing beneath a tangerine yellow, with grass as high as an adolescent fellow. Of winds less turbulent and less strange the gentle kind which turns a page.

Of candlelight homework beneath starry skies, Of sweeter rains and cooler nights; O…

[varunasharma]

Now

Look at us weave,  memories in the now.    Touch them before they wither,  before they melt, change form and suffer.  Caress their expressions and live their moments,  in a present unwrapped by time.    Inhale their scent and hear the melody,  sung by memory in the now. 

[varunasharma]

#bluestrands #serene

[varunasharma]

M'Om' : A Treat for the Mind

M’Om’ : A Treat for the Mind

Directed by Ravi Udyawar; produced by Boney Kapoor, Sunil Manchanda; music by A.R. Rehman. (2017) In a country fast diversifying into new extremist ideas, Mom comes as a breath of fresh. After all, what must one do when the very police, protectors of the society, fail to listen to a young girl’s case. What business does she have coming to the thana and lodging a complaint against some…

[varunasharma]

#mondaymotivation #workweek #happybeginnings

[varunasharma]

Dancing with the Rain

Dancing with the Rain

Her coffee stares back at her as her clammy hands and arthritic fingers curl around the white porcelain cup. She sits at her favorite table in a cafe which had grown on her like a creeper, now inseparable from its root.   The rain would gently hum classic melodies of old and as the cold infectious drops would make their way from the sky onto her toes, a smile crept up on her disheveled faced. Her…

[varunasharma]

#venture #happybeginnings #startup #education #newageschooling #newmethods #kids #smiles #thedays (at Riviera Heights)

[varunasharma]

#photography #nature #nikon #parimalgarden #morning #walks #evergreen

[varunasharma]

“Born with a silver spoon in your mouth” means “born into wealth and comfort, born rich”.

Example: The boy was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and he has never worked in his life.

Want to learn English? Choose your topic here: learzing.com

[varunasharma]

#passion #registernow #Ahmedabad #ants #anandniketan #udgam #ais #riversideschool (at Ahmedabad, India)

[varunasharma]

@vowelcurry #vowelcurry #educl

[varunasharma]

Because they are my world and I shall do what they have done for me. 😊💟😊 #parents #45th #anniversary #love #beautiful #touchwood #happy (at Riviera Heights)