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Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Twelve Hours With A Highway


There is something emancipating about being in a bus that's doing 140 kms an hour, on a highway that rolls on through deserts and mountains and shrub forests. The place you are leaving behind had no bars, the place you are heading to promises no extraordinary freedom, but still you feel like you are escaping, you are breaking parole, you are rushing headlong into adventure.

As your bus scurries like a terrified ant in and out of one of the world's most ancient mountain ranges, Gilmour and Wright sing in your ear-

Ancient bonds are breaking,
Moving on and changing sides.
Dreaming of a new day,
Cast aside the other way.
Magic visions stirring,
Kindled by and burning flames rise in her eyes.

The doorway stands ajar,
The walls that once were high.
Beyond the gilded cage,
Beyond the reach of ties.
The moment is at hand.
She breaks the golden band.


Every ten kilometers or so, the sky changes from sunny to cloudy to rainy to furiously sunny. The scenery changes too. Sometimes you see fields where mustard will perhaps grow later this year. Sometimes you see villages in the distance, and goatherds sing in some weird dialect as they guide their wards home alongside the road. Sometimes you see a lonely chimney that puffs black smoke into the yellow sky. and sometimes the desert takes over triumphantly, and you see nothing but miles and miles of unfriendly shrubs and thorn flora.

If you are lucky enough not to sleep through it, you might also get to see the sun set on the Aravallis, and a purple pall descend over the heated desertscape. Then impenetrable darkness, and sitting amidst twenty odd strangers sleeping fitfully, you are left with your own thoughts. You ponder upon the directionlessness of your life, and why everything is so scary, and how things change so fast and never go back to what they used to be, and how it's okay, it's always okay. And they still sing to you, those two, of burning bridges.

Bridges burning gladlyMerging with the shadows,Flickering between the lines.Stolen moments floating softly on the air,
Borne on wings of fire and climbing higher.

Amritorupa Kanjilal also writes at Rivers I Have Known: Books, Reviews, and More. Please visit her there! 

90 paper boats came floating back to me:

buno mainak said...

I picked up my bag, I went lookin' for a place to hide;
When I saw Carmen and the Devil walkin' side by side.
I said, "Hey, Carmen, come on, let's go downtown."
She said, "I gotta go, but m'friend can stick around."

Arv said...

makes me want to hit the road for a long trip :)

well captured mate...

take care... cheers..

Shravan RN said...

comment same as arv. am thinkin of a trip soon after the exams..

@ buno mainak, that was wonderful.

@ Amrita, i knw its your blog :D :P

Catherine Vibert said...

Gorgeous. That reminds me of my road trips in the Thar.

Anil Sawan said...

amrita, is this fiction or is this real?? my comment wud follow after ur reply :)

Anya said...

you changed your writing style girl..
good change...

:)

i wanna go for a trek now

chriz

Mahesh Sindbandge said...

Well i am not new to all this... it has become a habit to me from last 2 years... But i dint gave much thought to it, like you did...:P


good one miss...:)

Cheers...

The Sunflower Collective said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

This piece was especially striking. I love the aura around it. Especially the bus sailing through the darkness.

Deepa Gopal said...

The word that came to my mind was also 'Striking'...there's something striking abt this post...very well rendered. The desc of what you feel when travelling is lively pictured.

No wonder everyone is ready to hit the road:)

As for ur query, i've posted my answer in my blog.

Have a wonderful day!

yoon see said...

Wow1 I really want to travel again, my last trip was in 2005 to Beijing.
Lovely and engaging, made me want to follow through the adventurous path, never mind a long journey...as long we learn something, experience something and hope for some great things to happen too:)
Thanks nice sharing:)

Unknown said...

This reminds me of my few months back rock climbing trip. Way to go gal!

Quaint Murmur said...

Lovely, lovely, as always,,,
how i miss my college trips- trekking, wandering, walking, sightseeing.....
sigh.

wonderfully captured:)

Anurag said...

Nice pics and a lovely post!I do not know if that is what this post went out to achieve(is a post written to achieve something???????????)but it makes me reminisce about a quite a few things,it makes me nostalgic.

Amal Bose said...

superb writing..
makes you want to go on a trip right now.. :-)
well done

What About The Girl? said...

Your poems are great. But I think I prefer this style :-)

Anonymous said...

I'm going on a trip with my friends in October, this has got me SUPER EXCITED :D

Arnab Majumdar said...

I've got that album at home, but I've not heard it that often. Now I gotta do that :P

I know what you mean by the feeling of freedom when you're out in the road. Every time I'm on a roadtrip somewhere, makes me think what if I just get down from the bus/car right here, in the middle of nowhere, and get lost here?

I know it's a crazy thought :P

Cheers...

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

bokom- you're the reason i'm a-travelling on... but don't think twice, its alright.

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

arv and shravan- a long trip sounds good. hope you guys get rain too.

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

cat- this is the thar i am talking about :)

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

sawan- real buddy. i've been travelling a lot the last few days...

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

chriz- i didnt change nothin dude... you are just new here :)

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

mahesh- ya, well the thoughts just keep coming to you one after the other.

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

goirick- will wait for your detailed comment...

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

jason- thank you for saying it has an aura.

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

deeps- thank you also :)

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

yoon see- it has been my dream to travel through china some day :)

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

pradiptaa, rock climbing? where?

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

QM- thank you :) welcome back...

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

anurag- thank you. yes, nostalgia was one of my targets...

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

amal- thank you so much buddy...

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

cherry blossom- i'll keep that in mind :)

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

ki- yay! so happy for you.

Kriti said...

You came here and I was never informed?

:-(

You returned and put up a sublime post about it... and that's how I learn about the trip?


Not fair, LGL!!

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

arnab- do you know man, ive had that EXACT same thought some times...
i guess we r both crazy...

Me said...

Sometimes I feel like losing myself on a trip.. ;) hehe... Funny isn't it??

I am like,"God, if I get lost here in the middle of nowhere, no onez gonna find me and I can be the way I am"

Reminds me, long time I have not been on a road-trip...

Loved your post. :)

Anonymous said...

yeah, there's something of an impending feeling when you look back at what touched our lives and gave us memories, never to return...pink floyd are the gods of emotional trancending....i always say, who needs dope, i got pink floyd!

sigh. wud u believe it if i said that work took such a huge toll on me that i forgot about pink floyd?
thank u for reminding...am playing burning bridges as i write...
every pink floyd follower is my my bro / sista....hugs!

lovely piece LGL, it must have been quite an overwhelming experience...
fleeting seasons and sight
accented by gilmour and wright!

Utopia said...

and where did you go to btw? :-)

Aniket Thakkar said...

Looks like you are having a fun time. All I could manage was a highway drive at 3 in the night yesterday. It was so refreshing!

The only Trek I wanna go right now is Star Trek. Have to see how Quinto played out as Spock. Can Sylar pull of a Spock? I'll have to see for myself. Mean while, beam me up Scotty! :D

Utopia said...

Yes I did and think I told you that before. :-)
I love your poetry.

alpez said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
alpez said...

u knw, id rather be absolutely silent n not think bout anything in my car @ 140 kmph on a national highway...hoping id hit something!!!

Pallav said...

ths reminded me, tht its being long time i hv not travelled anywhr...

Pallav

Shubhajit said...

Nice post! Hitting the road is indeed one of the most sublime pleasures of life.

On the road again,
Just can't wait to get on the road again,
The life I love is makin' music with my friends,
And I can't wait to get on the road again...

Tanaya said...

Nice style of narration. :)
I was reminded of all my beautiful road travels in the North East India.
The road journey Shillong to Silchar is just too beautiful..U miss a hell lot if you sleep on the way..the clouds kissing the hills..the gurgling waterfalls, the wild flowers..all so very beautiful..

Preetilata【ツ】 said...

while reading it, i was experiencing an immense pleasure. loved the way u hv garlanded it with the song.

beautifully written. :)

thnx for ur visit. loved ur blog too. will definitely be regular to ur blog now. :)

take care :)

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

kriti- sublime post ? LOL!

don't worry i'll be back soon...

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

harshita- yeah, trips make you feel like losing yourself. just dont stay lost, though...

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

hugs to you too crafty... pink floyd sort of makes any experience surreal, no?

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

utopia-
i went to da moon
ain't comin back soon
tra la...

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

don gujju- dude, try to get some sleep some nights. i bet you'll find that refreshing too. (unless u r dracula's descendent)

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

alpez- dats the fun of being in a bus rather than driving a car :)

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

pallav- maybe its time to hit the road...

Aniket Thakkar said...

I wish! Am sure it will! I wish! :D

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

shubhajit- you said it, nothing beats a road trip to nowhere...

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

tanaya- that's such a contrast... my desert and your snow laden mountains :)

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

preetilata- garlanded it with a song--- i loved that :)

pradipwritenow said...

A journey which was speedy but not through them whom you crossed or snapped as quckly as one mixes the drinks.

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

pradip-da- ki bolle arekbar bolo, ektu aste aste :)

Sam said...

wonderful!! you captured a mundane ride through on Rajasthan highway well... kinda reminds me of the drive from Jaisalmer to Jodhpur, but then it was a long time ago, I vaguely remember it now.

ARUNA said...

wow i so want to go on long drive now!!!!Nicely written lil gal!I think this is my first time here, cool dear!

Pesto Sauce said...

Nice stuff you have here...especiaaly liked your post as to why men touch themselves...men do get touchy at times!!!

Btw you have a charming face

Akash said...

what IS this??? *thinks a while...what to write* i'm sorry..i'm out of words...leaving aside a few memories this post restored...i'm really amazed by your post...how the hell(pardon me) can you write like this??? you drew a wonderful picture of aravalli and the desert mountains and shrub forest....thanks for this wonderful post...it must have reignited the crazy traveler in everyone...

BrownPhantom said...

Are you always that contemplative :).I guess Pink Floyd furthered the cause.
Insightful and lovely read.

Blogrolled you. And there's a new post too now on my blog :).

Onward said...

hmm..i need a vacation...i need one now!!..ufff...u just had to post somethin like this didnt u!!...hmmmpphhhh!!

u captured the essence of it brilliantly..good job LGL...

luv
amith

Karen said...

You know, lgl, your writing is really GOOD. Period.

SquirrelQueen said...

What a charming blog you have, the photos are beautiful.

SQ

SquirrelQueen said...

Little Girl Lost,
Thank you for visiting my blog. I thought I had signed in to follow you when I was here before. I think I was so taken with your photos I forgot. Now I am following.
SQ

coffeeismypoison said...

ok...I'll admit...I hate travelling. Especially on a bus. I hate having to sit on my ass for hours. No loo. No room to shift formerly mentioned ass. but this post made me want to hop right on one and just sit n stare out of the window. The trip u took sounds amazing. the songs just hit the spot...and the pictures are amazing~! Kudos...!

man in painting said...

excellent post..
take care..
wishes..

Toonfactory said...

Waaaoooooo...cant wait to go on a long trip :) Lovely writing...it makes me feel like running away right now

Sharmistha Guha said...

Hello! Hello!! Here I am...was very much here...read your posts too...loved the 'On a Wooden Bridge' and this post has tempting me to just pack a backpack and be on my way .....

Kartz said...

Loved the imagery... Beautifully done!

Keep writing. See you around.

Peace.

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

sumit- jaisalmer in this weather?? i would have been toasted man!

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

hey aruna, welcome board :)

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

pesto- *blush* thank you...

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

akash- that was SUCH a lovely comment. thank u so much...

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

BP- pink floyd and boredom... :)

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

amith- yes you really do sound like you need a vacation...

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

Karen- that is the nicest thing i've ever heard about myself. :)

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

SQ- you are the squirrel queen? DAMN! i always wanted to be the squirrel queen...

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

sweta- LOL! i hate buses too. i wrote this just to keep my mind off of what a bad time i was having...

nsiyer said...

Hi Little girl , your blog appearance and the post is fantastic. I enjoyed every bit. I will keep visiting.

Renuka said...

You have got a great blog...Excellent posts...

joaquin carvel said...

there is something about pink floyd & the desert....for me it's the wall or wish you were here and joshua tree (the desert, not the album) - but they just go together.

anyway - this is really, really good - but the last paragraph is amazing. i don't know if this explains it, but it's like locking eyes with someone with whom you share a secret - you just know - that's how it felt.

SSQuo said...

That one paragraph seems analogous to life....we may have regrets from the past, we know the future is bleak for all (death) or at least we may not have the brightest light at the end of the tunnel BUT its the journey that we take, all that is in between that makes this ride totally worthwhile!

Atanu said...

@little girl lost... amar porikkha ei 20 tarikh theke... tai prochondo chaape achhi...!! emni roj bristi dichchhe... emon abohaoay... jodio porikkha system r proti bitrisna ta aro o bere gechhe... tobu kichhu korar nei.. power thakle porikkha tule ditam!! jaihok... tobuo abohaoa likhte badhyo korechhe... ekta likhlam... kintu tomar post ta porte parini ekhono... porikkha 1 tarikh sesh... tarpor bhabchhi mon diye porbo..tarpor comment korbo... apatoto samoyik biday nei...!!!

Atanu said...

kichhu na pore ekta jinis bolte pari... sesher chhobita odbhut bhalo legechhe amar... okhane giye onkkhon bose thakte chai...

muthu said...

vivid lines...

esp loved the way u played around with colors...

black smoke, yellow skies...

and nice way u mixed poetry and prose.

try my own such attempt at a mix of poetry and prose.

http://average-everyday.blogspot.com/2009/04/spring-short-story.html


cheers then


muthu
www.average-everyday.blogspot.com