Shakarparay

I’ll go down the memory lane and share two memories with you. While writing this post I’ll relive those moments and you will probably reconsider the fact that we live in an eventful world and one life is too short to experience everything. That’s why we tell stories and that’s why we read 🙂

In a small village an elderly man lives in a small house. Every afternoon he makes around 20 Kilograms of “Shakarparay” (It’s name of a sweet) and opens a door of a room in his house that opens into the street. There isn’t any board, nameplate or wall-chalking to attract people. When he opens the door, smell of the fresh sweet fills the streets of the village and everyone knows what to do. Like roses and jasmines attract honey bees, this smell attracts people towards this opened door. I passed through that village one afternoon and was lucky to stop and buy warm and fresh “Shakarparay”. Unfortunately I don’t remember the face of the person who makes the sweet as it was a bit dark inside that small room from where I bought the sweet however the smell, taste and that small street is still fresh in my mind.

It was a cold morning – I was traveling on an old bus that was cruising through small localities. It stopped every now and then because either someone wanted to get off or board it. It was an annoyance but I was also observing the people as well as enjoying the fields and houses on the sides of the road that were flying past my eyes so I wasn’t that annoyed 🙂 Eventually it crossed a long bridge on a river and the driver parked it in an open area beside the road. People started getting off the bus, I had no idea what’s going on as I wasn’t expecting this stop at all. Probably it was well understood by the people who traveled through that bus that it stops after crossing the bridge for a while. Anyways I came down to be welcomed by the cold winter morning – my hands quickly went in the pockets of my jeans and my chin started exploring the possibilities of hiding itself in my sweater but to no avail. The river was covered by a thick sheet of mist and far in the east the sun was about to rise. The warmth of the first rays of the sun that rose there after a few minutes, are a source of warmth and joy for my heart till this day.

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I saw your face in an uncrowded place

A few days ago i saw this scene and it got stuck into my mind. I literally laughed at myself for taking it so seriously.

Hence,following a reverent poet’s advice:

Lazim hae dil k sath rahe pasban-e aql
lekin kabhi kabhi isse tanha b choriae

i cherished the memory and painted it to preserve it for rainy days . 😉

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rain rain go away ! come again ; some other day

Clouds are conglomerating around and it seems that the chilly breeze is resting somewhere for a while. Yellow and reddish streaks in the grey clouds with light blue background are compelling me to paint this beautiful scene. The sun is about to hide behind the Margalla hills, leaving the land of Asoka drenched in darkness and cold.
How funny it is that on certain occasions, we wish for something that we are sure that someone else also wants badly; but we pray for it and struggle for it, even knowing that others are also doing the same.
It also happens that sometimes we want something badly even when we know that if our wish come’s true someone else would be in trouble.
like today; if i were a potter and i had my pots placed in open to dry i would have prayed that “how good it would be if it doesn’t rain today” on the other hand a farmer would be praying “O Lord open the gates of sky and let it rain cats and dogs, my crops are thirsty”
Well; tonight i would vote against the rain without any strong reason. What do you think?, Is it always important to be slave of reasons?
But in fact their is always some reason behind our actions; even our choices and wishes. Maybe the fear of not being able to enjoy the rain, the way i want to, is not allowing me to opt for it. The memories of some colorful rainy days, the fun, the oblivion and the unforgettable touch of refreshing showers on the face, just compell me to sing the old nursery rhyme with some modification; “rain rain go away” – come again; right after the exams, so that i can enjoy the merriment you bring along, the way i want to.

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