My memories of hills go back as far as i can remember from my first memories as a kid.Perhaps my affinity for hilly regions are because of living(when i was one year old) and travelling across through many hilly regions/making yearly visits to the temples with family,most of which are located in hilly areas.

It didn't mean anything to me as a kid when i'd rather couch in my urban environ in front of the tv/play with my neighbour friends and their cousins instead of going to places far off with my parents and my brother whose idea of fun was to torture me.It's almost as if i had felt nothing for it.

It was a strange withdrawal feeling when i realized that i had almost reached the city after a two-day away to the hills. As rushes of my weekend whirled past my train of thoughts i began to wonder if it actually spoke of my dread for returning back to the world of mass consumption and more so because that puts me in a place when my choices/decisions would invariably be influenced by it.
Sometimes a transition in places can put things in perspective...I am not sure if it has given me an alignment but has definitely rekindled my love for the hills and all those things that i have learnt from it which are hard to put on words.

Someday

It's been more than a year i started reading Shantaram,but i still haven't done with it.I can't seem to decide if it's the book(although i enjoyed reading most of the half it is just too big a book for my liking) or just my new found companion-procrastination!Sometimes it's also hard to reason why,like in this case i don't know why i am being put off with completing the book.I sense my logical ability derated.
The book is a heady mix of mumbai's culture/anatomy and the exhilarating life of a convict turned fugitive.Cultural fiction/non-fiction being one of my fave genres i should have completed the book in a go.
It's amusing how there always a flurry of excuses scurrying through my mind when i ruminate over incompletion of things!But i feel dogged enough for now to fasten atleast a few loose ends.

On our way back from Khalo dhordo we stopped by at a hamlet adjoined to the main market of Khavda,it's primary population is potters.The family we visited has been keeping up with the tradition since 3 generations and i think that there has been outside help from which they have developed designed wares and painted clay articles. It was surprising to see rolls of bubble wrap,these little things has taken me aback at times! Commercial sensibility/intervention in a place which is the least populated regions of india,which has been seismically damaged wiping off an entire village,where people have to travel a 30km to a hospital and the movement of outsiders into this region limited by a strict permit policy  is a bit of a shock.

Little hands at work

They were my guides through the hamlet-Band of beautiful gals

The collection of articles,wares,curios

All pictures are copyright to Not-so-wordy