The Holiday

It has been an exhilarating holiday. I will recapitulate the incidents of those days in as exact a manner as possible. First, I went to Vrindavan, where my mother was at that time. The next day along with all the Iskon people, we went to Jaipur and came back on the same day on an appalling bus, which flattened my posterior. Then I was at Vrindavan again. It was lots of fun waking up at 3 am in the morning and taking a not so warm bath to attend some ‘mangal arti’. And that was nothing compared to the excellent 22 km barefoot walk for the Vrindavan Parikrama and the following 24 km barefoot walk for the Govardhan Parikrama the day after. The sole of my feet is never the same after that. The next day, a visit to all the important temples took all the time for sun up to sundown, and by the time we reach back to where we were lodging, I was surprised that I still have my feet with me. Since my feet are intact the following morning, we again set out to conquer the intricate labyrinth that was the market of Vrindavan. As expected, it took us all the daylight out of us when we returned. My mother was not to be put down with such minor things as physical exhaustion, so we again set out for a tour to the city of Taj, where awaits the romantic Taj Mahal. I never understood what is so romantic about big scrapes of marble on a tomb. Ofcourse when we were returning we could not skip the beauty of the city of Mathura. Those were my days during the first half of the Holidays.

On the day after returning from Agra, we left for delhi. And that day, my mother left for home, and I stayed behind at my brother’s place. For 3 straight days I sleep and eat and sleep again. But I came to know that it was the season for fest in the colleges of delhi university. So, promptly, I went to my friend’s place, who is a student of a DU college and together we went to many college fest. The first one was at SRCC( Sri Ram College of Commerce ). On the first day they called Bombay Vikings. It was good but not that much good. Next day we went to Ramjas and just absorbed the college spirit. It was fun. And yes, the Jam session was quite rocking. The next day, Aryans performed at Ramjas and Band of Boys at Daulat Ram at the same time. We chose Aryans. Later, we went to SRCC and enjoyed live Rock from ‘Them Clones" and another band called something like ‘Helgas Fungus’. After all those, I again came back to my brother’s place and took up sleeping and eating again. And with that my holidays came to an end.

Holiday season again!!

Quite a winter it has been. And since the exam is all done and well, I am off to another holiday now. I am going first to Vrindavan, then to Jaipur, then to Delhi, and whither then? I do not know.

Bilbo once said, "It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door," he used to say. "You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to. Do you realize that this is the very path that goes through Mirkwood, and that if you let it, it might take you to the Lonely Mountain or even further and to worse places?" He used to say that on the path outside the front door at Bag End, especially after he had been out for a long walk.

And after that he used to sing softly to himself,

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with weary feet,
Until it joins some larger way,
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.

And whither then? I cannot say too. But I am sure the road will sweep me for another 20 or so days.

Von Voyage to me.