Month: April 2025

In the Wake of Dastardly Terrorist Attack In Pahalgam

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Most of you who have followed me for over four years might know how close my relationship with Kashmir has been. I have written, reported, extensively documented for various Organisations over the years. I have myself lived in Kashmir during curfews, the most vulnerable, volatile days. I have had the deepest time of my life as a teacher, as a Traveller and as a person who is dedicated to arts and expression. Terrorist Attacks are not new for my country. We have been dealing this for the longest time to an extent we were even called too much tolerant at one point because we never knew who our Osama was. But somewhere we do know. We cannot look back to 26/11 and many other incidents But what happened yesterday has taken not only mine but nation’s heart out. Terrorists before and mostly fought the Central Reserve Police Force(The CRPF), Local Police and some times clashed with the Army Personnel but attacking and murdering 26 tourists including 1 Local, 2 tourist from Nepal after identifying them …

Bopoluchi the Bride- A Folktale from Punjab

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A Short History of Folktales in India Folktales are Oral stories that are passed down by the elders to the younger generation. For centuries, folktales have been a crucial medium for preserving cultural traditions and teaching the youth to understand the world around them. Bopoluchi- The Bride’s Revenge: A Folktale from Rural Punjab A number of young girls were drawing water at the village well and telling each other their fantasies of when and whom and how they would marry. One of them said, My uncle will come loaded with wedding presents and dress me in a brocade, and I will get married in a palace.’ Another said, ‘My uncle is coming soon with a camel-load of sweets.’ The third said, ‘Oh, my uncle will be here in no time in a golden carriage filled with jewels.’ Bopoluchi was the prettiest of them all and she looked sad- she was an orphan and had no one in the world to arrange a marriage for her or give her a dowry. Still, not to be outdone …

The Golden and Silver Hair of Sona and Rupa

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Folktales are Oral stories that are passed down by the elders to the younger generation. For centuries, folktales have been a crucial medium for preserving cultural traditions and teaching the youth to understand the world around them. A folktale in Malwi, a Rajasthani Hindi dialect of Madhya Pradesh: Sona and Rupa One evening a prince was returning home on his black mare after a hunt, and took the mare to drink from a stream. As he watched it drink, he saw, along with his own and his mare’s reflection, several strands of gold and silver hair floating on the water. Obviously, lovely women with hair of gold and hair of silver had bathed somewhere nearby, upstream. He bent down and picked up the hair. The more he looked at it, the more he thought of the beauty of women with such hair and was infatuated with the images in his head. He tucked the hair into the folds of his turban, mounted his mare, and went home to his palace. It was time for dinner, …