Most of his life Sugam has hid his face from people. He was 12 when a deadly disease left him with big pockmarks on his face, after which, he was afflicted with another skin ailment. He had to be forced to go to school where the other children would mercilessly make fun of him. The …
Tag: goddess
A Glimpse of Divine Beauty
You came in the vision of my inner eye So suddenly and unexpectedly In a flash of a moment You were there and then gone And in that moment I saw and experienced your true form Your astounding beauty Left me stunned I felt I couldn't breathe Tears filled my eyes and wouldn't stop flowing …
Who Was She?
I first noticed the strange happening when I went through the 1800 odd photographs that I had clicked at the recent Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, but could not find even a single photo of hers. I was absolutely sure that I had clicked at least 25 to 30 photographs of the young ascetic and was …
Awaiting A Miracle
The sun had just set a little while ago and darkness had descended. The place was in the outskirts of the village so a few sheep could still be found lazing on the ground, yet to return home and join the flock who had already been herded back to the village. They were the stragglers, …
Gangotri: The descent of a celestial river
High up in the Greater Himalayas, at a height of 10,200 ft is the temple of the river goddess Ganga. This temple marks the source of the sacred river, which originates nearby at Gaumukh, the snout of Gangotri glacier. For a river which is known to have many mysterious powers, a journey to its source …
The Chosen One
It seemed like an endless walk to her through the grey landscape. She was carrying a heavy burden, and not just the large rucksack she was dragging through the snow, too tired to carry on her back. But the load that weighed down her heart was much heavier. She was on her way to Itama …
The Forest Deity
Shom and Rajam were brothers, sons of the chief in a little tribal village in southern India. Their tribe of Ahamors, like most indigenous communities, laid a strong focus on their identity. A distinctive feature of their tribe was, decoration of their faces and arms with tiny white dots, made with sandalwood paste. The Ahamors …
Back from the Brink
Rasbihari waited in a dark area by the riverside. It was Diwali festival night, and like the rest of city, the flight of steps leading down to Ganga river were lit up by thousands of lamps, making the atmosphere surreal and magical. One of the oldest inhabited heritage cities in the world, Varanasi has always …
The Elixir: An Atlantean Tale
Shahan’s heart skipped a beat as the ground beneath her feet trembled. This has been happening since the last 12 days. She made her way quickly to the Elixir Temple. She was one among the 15 Shikas who were serving at the temple from a very young age. Kept in seclusion, and away from their …
The Manifestation
Shontu lived in his dilapidated ancestral home in one of the labyrinthine bylanes of Varanasi. He was an idolmaker, a seventh generation one, and the fifth son of his father. While all his elder brothers had got into different professions, Shontu continued to carry forward the legacy of his forefathers – for he loved his …
