Wednesday 28 January 2009

Destination Nalagarh



I had heard my Dad talk oft about Nalagarh but this tiny but lovely town piqued my interest were a few pictures of the town that a friend recently shared with me. The locale is as mesmerizing as the heritage resort where they had put up. It brings visions of Rajahs holding court, his ministers seated in the plush and exquisitely crafted furniture. Visions of the splendour of India at the time of the British Raj. The many rifles adorning the walls of the palace floods my mind with imagesof the His Highness hunting in the surrounding thick evergreen forests. I'm so enchanted by the beauty of this place that I'm consideringpacking my bags and going back in time. Just the sort of place I was looking for to unwind over a weekend.
Here's something that I discovered while scouring the internet for facts to wise up to:
Nalagarh (also known as Hindur or Nawalgarh) is a city and a municipal committee in Solan district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It was the seat of the eponymous princely state during the British Raj, and known in medieval period as the state of Hindur. It was founded by the Chandela Rajputs in 1100AD. At present Nalagarh is an emerging town for industries as it hosts Production units for leather, steel, chemicals, thread mills and breweries, thus air pollution is quite a concern here. It is situated at 65 km distance from nearby major city Chandigarh Nalagarh is a gateway to Himachal Pradesh in North India, 300 km of north Delhi and 60 km from Chandigarh. The Fort which was built in 1421during the reign of Raja Bikram Chand is located on a hillock at the foothills of the mighty Himalayas affording a panoramic view of the Shivalik hills beyond River Sirsa. In the early twentieth century, Nawalgarh was one of the Simla hill states, under the government of the Punjab. The country was overrun by the Gurkhas for some years before1815, when they were driven out by the British, and the raja was confirmed in possession of the territory. Grain and opium have, in the past, been main agricultural products. Nalagarh was ruled by the Chandela Rajputs who originated from Chanderi in the Bundelkhand regions of central India. Fort Nalagarh surrounded by endless acres of greenery, with all modern amenities is an ideal retreat away from the madding crowd of metropolitan cities.

Tuesday 27 January 2009

In search of happiness


We all seek happiness in our lives. Fortunately, it's not an onerous task. You don't need to go searching in far-off lands, or engage in expensive recreational activities to find happiness and peace. All we need to do is realize that everything we need to make us happy is inside us. Find joy in simple pleasures. Find your smile in delighting in the nature around you. Smile at the Sun, the Moon, and the trees. Find joy in the wind blowing though your hair, in running up a flight of stairs, in greeting the milkman, the driver and the security guard. Discover the beauty all around, not just in expensive objects in antique stores.

Thursday 22 January 2009

A drop of pure honey


This morning, I’ve just put together a tiny verse in the rhyme scheme abab. It goes like this:

It's like honey when it washes over me
Because SugarFree was never ever so sweet
Now it's hard to wait till it's you I see
When at the arrival lounge, we will greet and meet

Tuesday 20 January 2009

Living together



Here's a brilliant song that I've come across today on Sky.fm. Fairly
well expressed. Rendered beautifully by Amy Dalley, an American country
music singer-songwriter, in a punchy country tune.

Pay the bills
Cut the grass
Someone forgot the trash
All the talks we've had about the toll the saved
A few anniversaries, fights and apologies
Sometimes what love needs is a good referee

I'm his best friend, I'm his room mate
I'm his partner, I'm his wife
He's standard date for dinner
That stays over every night
Being married aint the struggle
You could stay that way forever
The hardest part is living together

Stack of plates
Whose turn is it anyway?
That frozen chicken aint gonna cook itself
How much did that cost?
Who forgot to walk the dog?
Ones about to freeze to death
Ones about to melt

I'm his best friend, I'm his room mate
I'm his partner, I'm his wife
He's standard date for dinner
That stays over every night
Being married aint the struggle
You could stay that way forever
The hardest part is living together

It's beautiful it's ugly
It's passionate its don't touch me
Its being stubborn it's giving in
Waking up to do it all again

I'm his best friend, I'm his room mate
I'm his partner, I'm his wife
He's standard date for dinner
That stays over every night
Being married aint the struggle
You could stay that way forever
The hardest part is living together

I'm his best friend, I'm his room mate
I'm his partner, I'm his wife
He's standard date for dinner
That stays over every night
Being married aint the struggle
You could stay that way forever
The hardest part is living together

The hardest part is living together

Monday 19 January 2009

She wouldn't be gone


A peppy country song by Blake Shelton. I enjoyed the music and the lyrics, kind of makes you feel sorry for the guy and yet you tell yourself, 'serves him right'! Here it is:


Red roadside wild flower,
if I'd only picked you,
took you home and set you on the counter,
oh at least a time or two,
maybe she'd have thought it through.
Yellow sunset dippin in the rearview,
oh how she loved to sit and watch you,
I could have done that a whole lot more.

[Bridge]
If I hadnt been so stubborn,
been so selfish,
thought about her more,
thought about me less.
Joked to make her happy,
held her when she cried,
a little more of that, maybe i..

[Chorus]
Wouldnt be drivin like hell,
flyin like crazy down the highway,
callin everyone we know,
stoppin any place she might be,
goin anywhere she might go.
Beatin on the dash,
screamin out her name at the windshield,
tears soakin up my face.
if I'd have loved her this much all along,
maybe, maybe, yeah maybe,
she wouldn't be gone.

She warned me it was comin,
said if I didn't change she'd be leavin.
I just didn't believe
she'd ever really walk out.
God I believe her now.
Called her momma,
cried like a baby to her best friend,
if they've seen her they ain't sayin,
they ain't sayin.
Now I'm cursin like a fool,
prayin it ain't too late,
all i wanna do is fix my mistakes.
Find her, beg her, for one more try,
untill then damnit I'll..

[Chrous]
Be drivin like hell,
flyin like crazy down the highway,
callin everyone we know,
stoppin any place she might be,
goin anywhere she might go.
Beatin on the dash,
screamin out her name at the windshield,
tears soakin up my face.
If I'd have loved her this much all along,
maybe, maybe, yeah maybe,
she wouldn't be gone.

I wouldnt be beatin on the dash,
screamin out her name at the windshield,
tears soakin up my face.
if I'd have loved her this much all along,
maybe, maybe, yeah maybe,
she wouldn't be gone.

Red roadside wild flower,
if I'd only picked you,
took you home and set you on the counter,
oh at least a time or two,
maybe she'd have thought it through.