A Letter To Someone on Everyday Tidbits of Life

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Hi there, 

I don't really know whom I am writing this letter to, but hope it finds you in good health and best of your moods.

I am from India, state Odisha. I live in Bhubaneswar, known as The Temple city. It has a string of centuries-old temples located in different areas and corners of the city, visited by townsfolk and devotees. These temples are frequented by pilgrims from far and wide. Among the most famous ones are The Lingaraj Temple, The RajaRani Temple, Dhauligiri Shanti Stupa (the Buddhist installation), ISKCON temple, and many more. Khandagiri and Udayagiri caves offer a glimpse into life ages ago. Bhubaneswar recently has been in the limelight for being chosen as India's first city to be converted into a planned smart city, in the first of its kind government initiative. It has also received an international award in the planning process.


Enough about my city. It's my hometown, so I have a deep-seated love for it. Home sweet home. I live in a colony that overlooks the Chandaka jungle in the outskirts of the habited area, and the suburbs that have buildings and projects under construction. The view from the terrace is beautiful. It's from the fourth floor. I like roaming on the terrace in breezy summer afternoons and evenings, watching children frolicking around in their bicycles, tiny tots prancing up and down in the park, and the young folk playing football or cricket. I sometimes find a certain father and daughter playing badminton near the empty parking lot. It's a calming sight. Elders walk their dogs, aunties chit chat and vendors sell a variety of fries to the passersby.


I watch the scene unfold as it usually does from the terrace, sometimes shifting my line of sight to the beautiful sunset on the horizon or the pigeons perched atop the water tank or the cable lines. I wonder about life, my purpose, dreams, and muse about wishes. I list down to-dos in my notepad- the digital one, or note down points for my next story(all are incomplete). Or else I listen to music, escaping to another land through the beats, in a trance-like state exploring the imagination that the mind has to offer. I usually than not read a Kindle ebook or a physical copy stopping to analyze, elucidate, comment upon, take in details and imbibe the words and the beauty they have to offer.


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PS: I wrote the above paragraphs sometime in 2018 when I was in my home, Bhubaneswar. From then on life has changed a lot. I have got married, shifted to Bengaluru. My parents have moved to a new home near the outskirts of the capital city. Reading this brought back memories, so thought to post for Blogchatter Half Marathon.

This post is a part of Blogchatter Half Marathon.  

Comments

  1. SuchitaJune 29, 2021 at 12:04 PM

    This was such an amazing read. You should do more of these letters :)

    ReplyDelete

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Queeristan by Parmesh Sahani

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  Queeristan (Amazon Link) Thanks to Audible Free Trial I listened to this amazing non-fiction on LGBTQ inclusion in Indian workplaces. Author Parmesh Sahani identifies as gay Indian, working closely with Godrej higher management and employees for years to create an inclusive workplace, both legally and in spirit. This book is a result of those years of experience, research, collaboration with individuals from difference spectrum of the society and organizations who has successfully transitioned into a queer friendly one.   Indian history is inclusive. From the Khajuraho temple architectures, to Konark to the Rig Veda, there is existing proofs even 2000 years ago of Indian inclusiveness of queer. It’s the draconian British law that criminalised it, which was scraped in 2009, came into effect once again following a sad judgement in 2013 and eventually was scraped off for good in 2018. I am in awe of the lawyers who fought this legal battle- colleagues and partners – Arundhati Katju
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