Divya Narain

The Hills Beckon Again – 4

I am cold, very cold now. My feet are freezing, the cold penetrates my clothes and soaks through the skin, freezing the bones. I am about to lose my patience, to seek the shelter of the house when the song begins. It’s an ancient song in a strange tongue, it’s the song of the mountains.…… Continue reading The Hills Beckon Again – 4

The Hills Beckon Again – 3

The lake has turned dark now. As if the receding sun has kindled its inner darkness, encouraged it to come out, express itself, without fear or care or shame. The darkness is now animated by its own will, it has a life of its own, its own volition, energy….it spreads from the one focal point…… Continue reading The Hills Beckon Again – 3

The Hills Beckon Again – 2

And so I sit, out in the open, in the balcony, the parapet that juts out over the slender road that leads up to the house, juts out over the valleys between the mountains where the lake, the nine-cornered lake is nestled, emerald green and shimmering in the dying light. I sit out in the…… Continue reading The Hills Beckon Again – 2

The Hills Beckon Again

Lucknow to Bareilly to Haldwani once more, with a fuel stop and car wash before we reached the foothills. Yes, the mountains had beckoned once more, and I had answered. From Haldwani we could see the hills in the distance, but it was not till we reached Kathgodaam that the crisp mountain air actually hit…… Continue reading The Hills Beckon Again

Of endings and new beginnings

Suddenly I have nothing left to say. The last series of blogs is done and dusted, finished, the end, and all of a sudden, I do not know what to write anymore. It is like losing a favourite pillow; you can’t sleep anymore. But this is the way of nature, of vidhi as they say…… Continue reading Of endings and new beginnings

Varanasi Again – 74: Farewell Eternal City

My story must come to an end, the story of my trip to Varanasi, the city eternal, the city of Mahadev, the city of Shiva, of Shakti, and of Aditya, the sun god. The city nestled on the banks of Ganga, the river which has nursed the teeming millions who live by her banks. Varanasi,…… Continue reading Varanasi Again – 74: Farewell Eternal City

Varanasi Again – 73: Dinner and Goodbye

It was an average sized hall, with large Italian tiles for floor and murals on the walls. The false roof was low enough to give an impression of cosiness without making the hall seem stuffy. The lights were appropriately ‘disco-esque’, and there was even a DJ at the far end of the hall with a…… Continue reading Varanasi Again – 73: Dinner and Goodbye

Varanasi Again – 72: Last evening in Varanasi

We took a different route this time, to return to our hotel situated near the cantonment area of Varanasi. This was the route we have already talked about in our previous blog – ‘And the other places we may go’. When one is entering the gate, the Lion gate, of the university, one may choose…… Continue reading Varanasi Again – 72: Last evening in Varanasi

Varanasi Again – 71: Driving through the campus

Lunch over, we walked out of the hall, and made our way towards the exit. This was the time everyone was preparing to go visit their hostels and departments before wrapping up the visit to the campus and return to the hotel for the final, parting dinner. We, myself and Vaishali, had already visited our…… Continue reading Varanasi Again – 71: Driving through the campus

Varanasi Again – 70: Lunch time

The alumni function over, everyone in the hall filed out of the LT and started to walk towards the lunch venue which was in a hall in the new lecture theatre complex built behind the main institute building. I could never imagine, looking back now, that there was space enough there to erect another building.…… Continue reading Varanasi Again – 70: Lunch time

Varanasi Again – 69: On the lectern

I walked down the steps of the LT, with the children tagging along, into the well and then up to the lectern. Vaishali moved aside to let me take the ‘stage’, eyeing me mischievously, and smiling knowingly. The alumni were quiet, listening intently, smiling, some of them pointing at me, some nudging each other. The…… Continue reading Varanasi Again – 69: On the lectern

Varanasi Again – 68: The alumni function

Vaishali started by welcoming all the former teachers one by one. The teachers were presented bouquets by the organisers, and the alumni, and then she invited the alumni to the podium one by one, by their roll numbers – their undergraduate roll numbers!! It was fun! The alumni walked down to the well of the…… Continue reading Varanasi Again – 68: The alumni function

Varanasi Again – 67: The proceedings begin

KG’s wife was helping organise stuff down below in the well. The flowers, the bouquets to greet the teachers who would come, the stoles which all the alumni had to wear and, pagris. Yes! A man carrying several bag-loads full of the typical Indian headgear known as pagri walked in and, with the help of…… Continue reading Varanasi Again – 67: The proceedings begin

Varanasi Again – 66: Inside the ILT

We climbed the steps of the aisle to find ourselves a comfortably distant vantage point, and a suitably unpopulated seat in the farther benches of the ILT. As all four of us settled down, I had a good look around. The poor old ILT looked like a bad case of facelift performed on a gracefully…… Continue reading Varanasi Again – 66: Inside the ILT

Varanasi Again – 65: The corridors of the past

We walked past the atrium with the guard desk, or the reception, on our right side, the entrance to the corridor which housed the Preventive Medicine department and the Institute library at the end of it, on our left, and the main corridor of the institute, the spinal cord, the hollow bowel of the building…… Continue reading Varanasi Again – 65: The corridors of the past

Varanasi Again – 64: Ghosts of the past

The temple stood to our left side, mute, beckoning, nursing dark secrets from our past lives inside its bosom, not revealing, not sharing, just waiting……waiting for me…. But that was last year. I had already honoured my tryst with the temple, and the bright orange deity with the large, dark eyes who resided inside the…… Continue reading Varanasi Again – 64: Ghosts of the past

Varanasi Again – 63: Retracing our steps

We exited the Radiology department, and the hospital building, and started to walk towards the Institute building. Vaishali kept talking about the department, about the faculty there in her time, about the academic program, the training, the equipment they had back in her day, while I kept thinking about Lahiri Dada, the Cardiothoracic surgeon who…… Continue reading Varanasi Again – 63: Retracing our steps

Varanasi Again – 62: Radiology and more…

We entered through the glass door and, with some help, found ourselves in familiar corridors. First stop was the MRI unit where Vaishali had spent a considerable part of her training, and had done her thesis work on MRCP, Magnetic Resonance Cholangio Pancreaticography or imaging of the biliary tract using MRI. We especially wanted to…… Continue reading Varanasi Again – 62: Radiology and more…

Varanasi Again – 61: Urban legends

‘Tell us some stories Papa’, Vandita said. ‘There have to be some stories, some interesting anecdotes from your times, some urban legends that were handed down, or were circulating in the hospital?’ ‘Legends?’, I said, my eyes twinkling,’Yes, I do have some.’ ‘Tell, na…’, the children sang in unison. I laughed and then obliged. ‘When…… Continue reading Varanasi Again – 61: Urban legends

Varanasi Again – 60: Change is the only constant

The familiar vista of Asoka lined, two lane, partitioned road greeted us as we entered the university campus through the Lion gate. The gate seemed smaller now, and the roads narrower, than what we seemed to remember. But I guess it is our fond memory of things which make them larger than life, even though…… Continue reading Varanasi Again – 60: Change is the only constant