It has been 23 years, Bryan Saunders‘ Drug-Influenced Self Portraits still garner contemplation on the internet. The artist had locked on to create at least one self-portrait every day and continue until the rest of his life.
From March 30th, 1995 he has created over 11,200 of them. Like fingerprints, snowflakes, and DNA they possess disparate properties. No two of his daily-self-portraits evoke similar features.
Artists, for hundreds of years, put themselves to represent the world around them. Whereas, Saunders believes in creating a paradoxical world. He places the world around him to represent himself. As he says, “I am more concerned with channeling experiences than I am collecting memories but I do both and much more.”
What’s inside an artist’s mind?
Creative minds, call it of an artist, a poet, a musician, or of a writer’s, are rarely tidy. The road to producing something unparalleled or exclusive is stuffed with inexhaustible rumination. Consequently, taking that imagination to reality require chewing over several predicaments. Over time, they are trapped in a cycle of undiagnosed mental health issues and addiction with mind-altering substances.
Saunders was another such artist who channels his anxious mind to visual art and musical performances. A way to deal with his demons.
He experimented with different drugs each day and sketched his portraits under its influence. The portraits narrate a powerful message- the power of addiction.
Here are some of the illustrations from his “Near Death Experience” album.
Amid the fast running and incessantly competing world, we could barely realize when we lose our existence and become one of those prime partakers in the race of survival. Thus, it becomes an essential responsibility to take a break and breath for a while.
I have always made it a point to take a small weekend break whenever it’s possible and come back rediscovering myself over and over again. While hanging out in a cafe in Guwahati, three of us friends were planning one such revitalizing weekend trip. Options like Cherapunjee, Shillong, Tawang, Ziro flashed out in our minds. But I was thinking of doing it off the beat this time.
Why go to the same common places where we have already been so many times! Suddenly something popped up in my head. I flashed back to one of the school picnics we were taken to, a place called Tipong, near Margherita. It was in the year 2002. The lovely place surrounded by gorgeous hills and frothy streams came alive in my imagination. And we decided to relive that school picnic again; this time in a better and more elaborate fashion, and for three days.
DAY 1:
Summer was at its peak in Guwahati. We packed our bags and boarded the evening train to Tinsukia at 7:45pm. Three of us snored away the 13-hour train journey overnight, and we finally reached Tinsukia the following morning around 9am. Following some refreshment at a nearby restaurant, we hired a cab to the small town of Margherita.
The small town in Upper Assam is merely 50kms from Tinsukia. But the views are breathtaking! As we crossed the town of Makum, and were gradually approaching Margherita via the NH 38, we witnessed a road that was no less than a spectacle.
Our car raced along a geometrically precise straight road with the deep green lustrous tea gardens festooned on both the sides of the road. In fact, the road is considered to be one of the longest stretches of straight roads in the world.
Driving through that stretch would any day be paradisiacal. I soaked myself in the sights, sounds, and smell of nature that pervaded the journey. Following one of the most pleasing drives, we finally reached Margherita at around 12pm. We checked in at Hotel Bluemoon on the NH 38 because of its strategically convenient location. By then we started feeling jaded and realized that we were starving. So, we took a quick shower and went to the Singpho Villa restaurant, famous for ethnic delicacies.
And the Villa stood up to its fame! The steamed rice wrapped in an aromatic leaf called Tora paat, the chicken salad and the traditional Singpho pork curry simply blew our senses. As we walked out of the ethnically designed huts of Singhpho Villa, our filled appetites promised to head back to the place soon.
From there, we decided to take a trip up to the oil town Digboi, which is only 17kms from Margherita. To be specific, we took a trip to the Digboi centenary Museum. Located close to the Historic Discovery Well No. 1 in Digboi, this museum is a one of its kind in India.
DAY 2:
Day two started with a heavy breakfast as we expected some desolate hours in the unconventional area of Tipong. Looking forward to reliving that school picnic, we packed our lunch boxes and set out to explore and embrace the tranquility of Nature.
Tipong Colliery is located near the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border, and is operated by the North Eastern Coalfields division of Coal India Ltd. It is listed among the operational underground and opencast collieries in the Makum coalfield, which was first commercialized by the Assam Railways and Trading Company in the 1880s. The coal mines were nationalised in the year 1973. Tipong is only 20kms from Margherita. Hence it took us hardly 40 minutes to reach the area in our cab. Tipong is unconventionally beautiful.
The medium hills, the thick wood, and the river crisscrossing at the bottom of a steep valley are nothing less than eye-soothers! The colliary that remained suspended for a while was about to be re-opened shortly during our visit. The broken metre gauges were under reconstruction. And the haggard little coal trains were getting a new makeover. It was an entirely new experience to explore the old tainted machineries used in the colliery. Imagining the kind of work that must have been carried out in the colliery with the help of those machines brought about a feeling of joy and amusement. How it must be to witness the work there, I thought!
The Tipong colliery has a community life respond of its own consisting of hillside housings, schools, Hindu temples, mosque, shops, post office etc. And how can I not mention about the beautiful picnic spots, the memory of one of which is still ingrained in my mind since childhood.
The surrounding hills, the deep green woods, and the shallow streams flowing over a legion of river stones, make for a surreal experience. As our eyes scanned through the wild timbers and berries and the captivating aroma of the wild orchids and dancing butterflies, “Aaahh……Paradise on Earth” was what went whirling in our minds. We paved ways towards the narrow pathway that opened up to the stream. SPEECHLESS!
For the next few minutes we stood there numb and dumb. It was like the scenario from Keats’ “Ode to Autumn” that unfurled before us. With the August sun blazing over us, surrendering my body full flat into the stream was a welcome relief! The clear cool water of the stream coupled with the rustling sound of the leaves had a spa-like effect on all the senses. We sat in silence listening to the sounds of Nature, breathing in deep and absorbing the quiet depth of the surroundings.
The silence was broken by a curious passerby who stopped by us and indulged in a friendly acquaintance, telling us about the whereabouts of the locality. A while later, a few other locals joined us too. While sharing our lunch box with them, the extremely amiable and effervescent locals introduced us to their ethnic food habits, especially the rice been It was during our lunch together that we got to know from then about the suspended colliery waiting to get resumed soon! It was heart-warming to see how excited the locals were about the restart of the colliery. It appeared as if their dreams and aspirations were deeply rooted to the resumption of the colliery.
The trip to Tipong surely broke my myth that the summers aren’t cool in the plains. When the endowments of Nature are respected, nature blesses us back. Following a full day of rejuvenation at the Tipong colliery, we made our way back to our hotel in Margherita in the evening.
DAY 3:
We packed our bags and made our way back to the town of Tinsukia. We decided to put up for the day in the tea town dedicated to shopping, good food and movies at the ATC Mali. While the day passed off spending some fun buddy time together, we boarded the train to Guwahati at 8pm the same day. The 3-day trip was enough to pump me up for another few months of non-stop labor and mundane life before my mind, body and heart called for another weekend break.
A coffee mug is something that always stands on my desk, irrespective of whether I am at home or at my workplace. I wasn’t a coffee fanatic until the caffeine rush hit me during my finals one day. And since then, it has been my favorite choice of beverage.
Growing café culture of Guwahati
While Guwahati is blooming in the different spheres of trade, communication, and lifestyle, advancement in its sub-categories, too is rising rapidly. In the last two-three years, Guwahati witnessed a massive growth of cafes, restaurants, and hotels. But often it is disheartening to discover that behind those gracefully crafted cafes, its visitors could barely track down a good cup of coffee. Only a spattering of cafes like 11th Avenue, Kalita Café, or Café brew bakes tends to serve an aromatic cup.
In the quest to procure a pure cup of caffeine, oftentimes, people here, dive into a puddle of pesticides and chemically preserved coffee. I realized that the veil draped by instant coffee is hard to tear when my mother complained about the freshly grounded coffee packet that I brought from Nagaland. To my horror, she said she had replaced the packet with a Nescafe jar.
An aromatic entrant in the city
Beyond the flawed practices like brewing coffee in boiling water or drinking plain premixes, Guwahati brewed a neat aroma on 24th May. Lavazza, since 2008, has been cultivating better coffee brewing culture in India. Consequently, with a brisk upsurge in café trends in Northeast India, the company hosted its first-of-kind coffee workshops in Guwahati and Shillong.
Baristas, chefs, café owners, and coffee fanatics from the eight states, are connected to brew an impeccable essence in the region. It was rewarding.
Coffee connoisseur, Mr. Abdul Sahid Khan
Coffee connoisseur and Training Manager of Lavazza, Mr. Abdul Sahid Khan, adroitly persuaded the participants to brew luscious aromas all over Northeast. He narrated how by playing with different techniques, procedures, and equipment, one can experiment and invent recipes of their own. Besides guiding to attain flawless shots of espresso, he also demonstrated frothing milk and supervised latte art.
Cooking with chemicals
Coffee Cavier, prepared using the molecular gastronomy method
Among those numerous coffee recipes that he exhibited, what thrilled me the most was the molecular gastronomy technique. A concoction of my curiosity and fate mingled with astonishment when I ate espresso. Coffee Cavier is an exclusive recipe of Lavazza. It is prepared by converting liquid to a solidified state. This process is done using calcium chloride with alginate.
When I ate espresso
The workshop was a pure indulgence of bliss and contentment, in particular. This workshop was a much-needed grasp for the region that believes in pouring a fantastic cup of coffee.
About Lavazza
Ruling for the last 120 years, Lavazza is one of the biggest manufacturers of coffee products from Italy. The company combines coffees from different parts of the world. These are then harvested, processed, mixed, and roasted to create several different and balanced blends, as well as satisfy the coffee-tooth of every fanatic.
Here are some of the pictures from the Guwahati as well as from the Shillong session.
Participants from different states of Northeast India
Note: If you are in Northeast India and wish to get hold of some finely roasted beans of Lavazza, you can ping Jyoti Brothers (Jyotishman: +91 9864311100) or Sumon Bora (Area Sales Manager: +91 9707639828).
Also, feel free to knock us for any queries or questions related to coffee/coffee making. Until then, like this article and don’t forget to share it in your circle.
After an arduous four years battle with depression, he finally got estranged from its claws. Numerous relapses and a mulish addiction to alcohol, brought him miseries that he could barely imagine in his wildest dreams.
“Depression strolls in one’s life begging for its existence. Once it senses any hint of odd, uncovers its majestic form, under different highs and lows.” He said.
An abusive father, bad companions, and maltreatment in school made the ground of depression fertile for him. He was one of those, who would suppress his emotions and cover his thoughts, no matter how devastating they are.
In the beginning, he was totally clueless about the series of unwanted events happening with him. Craving for high-calorie food, sleep issues, increased argument with his girlfriend, feeling numb and hazy every time, became his regular routine.
After much contemplation, he could match signs with depression. Spaced out, he decided to disclose the matter to his parents. But his surprise jumped in amusement when his dad brought him a Brainolia (a kind of memory enhancing syrup) while his mom massaged his scalp with Navratna oil (a soothing ayurvedic hair oil).
Finally, seeking a psychologist was his only choice left. He was prescribed with antidepressants. For four years he soaked in antidepressants, with higher doses every week.
A conversation about his struggle with prolonged depression
As he says, “Depression is all about self-esteem. We have a monitor in our mind. When we do good, it feels good and when something bad happens, it feels bad. But once you learn to distinguish between good and bad, learn to stand for yourself, that self-esteem gradually builds up.”
Q: How was depression, your old friend? A: I broke up with her now. There are times when she didn’t let me sleep for days. That phase was horrible but it taught me many things.
Q: How did it all end? A: I was drained, both mentally and physically. Depression had taken away my health, sleep, and my life completely. And antidepressants, they deteriorated the situation more. Around 4 am, one day, I was lying in bed and staring at the ceiling. Out of sheer frustration, I walked out of my home. Kept walking, heedlessly. After few hours, I felt good. And then, there’s no stopping since then.
Q: Did you get hook on to any sort of drugs? A: Yes, I was an extensively into alcohol and marijuana. In one instance, I drank a full raw bottle of whisky, with a hope to gain some sleep. But woke up with wide eyes within two hours. However, I am all clean now.
Q: Did you experience any suicidal ideation? A: I felt total numbness but there were no suicidal thoughts. Also, I was not afraid to die. It was like let things happen their way.
Q: How were your parents and friends? Did they support you? A: My parents and siblings were quite supportive, unlike my friends. When I discussed my condition with my friends, they lend a hand with alcohol. They were just waiting for me to get well. When I was recovering, still battling, they influenced me toward alcohol, once again. Further, relapse knocked.
Overcoming depression
After the fourth cup of coffee, he put forth some of the important practices he followed that helped him in his battle. Below are some of them:
Journaling helps a lot. I jot down all my good, bad, and ugly feelings. These anecdotes now help me in making music.
Stay away from bad influence and from any sort of drugs. Eventually, you will fall into the trap of addiction, further depreciating things more.
Avoid narcissistic people. Learn about narcissism and co-dependency.
Avoid any kind of spiritual modality. You will likely fall prey to these. Be VERY CAREFUL.
Exercise is a must. You will feel lethargic, not want to even think of it. This is a very slow process. It took me a year. But exercising augmented my thought process and helped in enhancing my self-worth. I started loving my life.
Self-counseling helps. I treat myself as a child. I ask questions, about things that hurt me, why did I feel bad about something that the other person had said, is it good? Is it bad? Then I come to the climax.
Know that you cannot please everyone. Society is a huge problem. Prejudices like you are too good to revert to an elderly person’s (wrong) views, would subsequently want you to restore their faith in you.
There have been numerous times when he was raped, mentally. After four years of living in absolute darkness, Ankit finally defeated his demons. He is now happy to embrace the scars left by his kick-boxing practices than by those dreadful four years.
Struggle of distinguishing depression
The word “depression” is powerful enough to frighten anyone. In a world with more than 300 million people struggling with depression, only a handful of them dares to speak up about their mental status. And others? They suffer in the shadows of misery, despondency, and ultimately seek suicide as their final destination.
Camouflaged by societal stigma, prejudices, and indifference, people battling with depression or any other mental clutter could barely distinguish their problems or seek professional guidance.
There are people who may not even realize the signs and intensity of depression and in turn, can fall in the vicious cycle of drug or alcohol addiction. Thus, it’s imperative to know and understand the signs before it is too late.
Editor’s Take: We will update an article on the signs and symptoms of depression in our health section soon.
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Over the years, Guwahati has developed gracefully with a number of restaurants, cafes, pubs, and clubs blooming amid the support of its inhabitants. These wings have flapped smoothly with time, offering excellent services and hospitality to its customers. Consequently, there are also some restaurants, who, with their appalling services, have disheartened many of the city’s food fanatics.
I remember visiting a café in Rajgarh road, Guwahati, sometimes back. As a café hunter, I popped to this restaurant in search of good coffee and ambiance. To my utter disgust, I was served with green chutney and chickpeas (chola) salad with pasta cooked with an emptied bottle of parmesan dressing and a cup of error-filled coffee.
I left the place and swore never to go back there or recommend anyone. But when I thought to drop a review on Zomato, I was surprised to see their enormous all-good reviews with four and five stars. And later that evening, a magazine carried an exclusive article praising their food. Horrible!
Another grievous tale
With tight deadlines and demanding schedules, it often becomes an arduous chore to balance family and career life. As a means to connect with those lost dots, 23 YO Rahul Rajkhowa, a musician by profession, thought of taking his family on an elegant dinner to a restaurant called Chung-fa, located in Zoo Narengi Road, Guwahati.
Because one pays a substantial amount to spend quality time with their loved ones, how can they not whine the uncooked food that was served after an hour of waiting?
On complaining about the “rubbery” under-cooked noodles, the waiter called the manager who instructed him with, “Array Garam kar de, phir kha lenge.”
When they questioned about serving them cold food and re-heating it, the waiter started arguing why they can’t eat that food or packed it home. And later with emotive throws like “You cannot talk to me like this just because you are from a stable economic background.”
As they moved to the cash counter, the owner, hiding behind her computer, began tossing them with rebukes. Furthermore, the waiter, along with another waiter started attacking him and his parents with abuses of being a liar.
Rahul took his social media account to shared his sour experience with Chung-fa restaurant.
This is what he wrote:
More horrifying abuses
Isn’t it distressing to pay a hefty food bill and earn such harassment in turn? Well, this reminds me of the scam momo sellers of Guwahati perform. The dispiriting onions and cabbage fillings (in the name of chicken and pork momos), covered with thick-unhealthy layers of maida, makes one realize how terribly these restaurants have deceived them.
And then comes the servers, who often gives you the feeling that you work for them, and your job is to feel fortunate whatever you get.
What are your views to change such a degrading scenario?
Every time someone plans a trip, Google stands as the ultimate guide to extract the essence of a place. But beneath the thick suggestions and plate full of recommendations, it often becomes a bemusing plight to settle with the final to-do list.
While some travel to explore the culture of a place, some travel to shop, to capture stories, for thrilling adventures, to experience the varied recipes, and more. From exploring culture and ethnicity to grabbing exclusive arts and artifacts, here is a complete guide list that one can pick for an all-around trip while in Guwahati.
Of mythical essence
Guwahati is more than Kamakhya temple and Kalakhetra. Straddled on both sides of the Brahmaputra, Guwahati possesses a trail of engaging events for its guests. Apart from witnessing the mystic Kamakhya temple visit, one can plan a visit to the Madan Kamdev temple located around Gorchuk. Known for its archaeological ruins, the place is surrounded by a number of sculptures and other related parts of the medieval era.
For some cozy time amidst nature
Take a stroll along DeeporBeel and capture the jovial birds chirping happiness. Chandubi is another fine spot to relish your spirit. About 56km from the city, Chandubi is an idyllic getaway to take a trip of the countryside breeze. Besides engaging in camping or indulging in ethnic cuisines, one can also take a stroll to the nearby village. (Quick tip: Get an inhabitant and ask him/her to guide you to the hills. It’s a fine trekking area as well.)
Where to hang out in the evening
Evenings in Guwahati are packed with beverages, starters, and music to gear for the night. The city owns a number of beautifully crafted cafes like 11th Avenue, Mocha, The Corner Café, The Zouq, and Café Brew Bakes that will sure leave its guests jam-packed throughout the evening.
Specialty beverages
Tea is not just a beverage but an emotion for Indians. And when it comes to visiting Assam, how can one check out without taking a reinvigorating sip of Assam tea? Guwahati has a number of tea stops that not only pour aromatic saga but also speak volumes about the intact of its flavors. 11th Avenue, Tea Story, and Kesariya Chaiwala has the best stories to tell its guests. Chaiwala galli of Fancy Bazaar is another essential stop one must not forget to check out during their visit.
Where to shop
Guwahati offers a range of shopping corners as per one’s needs and preferences. Fancy Bazaar, the popular commercial hub of the city, offers one with a range of options to bargain. The quite-well-organized market has numerous crowded alleys that takes one to the wholesale stops of apparels, stationaries, footwears, handloom, brass utensils, fruits, and more. Additionally, Central mall, Pantaloons, Roodraksh, Sohum Shoppe, Sohum Emporia, and Hub on the other end, gives one the privilege to revel with the numerous brands.
Nightlife in Guwahati
Guwahati brims with some of the coolest clubs, bars, and pubs. Café Hendrix, Terra Mayaa, Sanghai Salsa, Sura Vie, Bulls & Beers, Urban Mantra are some of the finest ones that not only entertain its visitors with great food and drinks but also with music of different genres. The only glitch that lies in this structure of Guwahati is that nightlife in Guwahati lasts only till 10 pm. So make sure to order sufficient before the counter gets closed.
Knock for flavors
The number of ethnic restaurants dwelling here abounds with traditional flavors. For quick chicken or pork bites, one can opt for Raja Mircha and Gogoi Pork, while locating Naga food court, Heritage Khorikaa, Missing kitchen, and Manipuri Hotels for a heavy meal.
Location of the places:
11th Avenue: Dighalipukhuri and Rajgarh
Mocha: Anil Plaza, Christian Basti
The Corner Café: Uzan Bazaar
The Zouq: Beltola
Café Brew Bakes: Six mile
Tea Story: Uzan Bazaar
Kesariya Chaiwala: Chandmari
Central mall: Christian Basti and Zoo Road
Pantaloons: Lachit Nagar, Adabari, Inside Roodraksh Mall, and Dispur
Roodraksh: Bhangagarh
Sohum Shoppe: Christian Basti
Sohum Emporia: ABC, G.S. Road
Hub: Bhangagarh
Café Hendrix: Dispur
Terra Mayaa: Anil Plaza, G.S. Road
Sanghai Salsa: Zoo-Narengi Road
Sura Vie: Bhangagarh
Bulls & Beers: G.S. Road
Urban Mantra: Khanapara
Raja Mircha: Both the outlets in Rukmini Gaon
Gogoi Pork: Dispur Supermarket
Naga Food court: Opposite to Panbazaar Police Station
Heritage Khorikaa: Goswami Service Station
Missing kitchen: Hengrabari Road,
Manipuri hotels: Ulubari. There are about 5-8 Manipuri rice hotels located in the Arya Hospital lane.
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Sedentary lifestyle, hustling schedules, and the race to stand tall among other competitions has disturbed numerous lives. Competitions have killed the world’s sleep and eating habits more than an outbreak. Lack of time is a major account why people buckle under unhealthy eating and sleeping patterns. As a result, prevalence rates for the number of ailments and afflictions have increased rapidly.
The body achieves what the mind believes. Thus, it is essential to watch out both the mind and the body in order to maintain the balance.
Highlighted below are some of the easy and effective ways that will help one engage in a healthy state, physically as well as mentally.
Exercise it out:
Source: BBC
Engaging in physical exercise is a great way to eliminate toxins from the body. Besides toning the muscles and tissues, regular exercise also helps in the release of the brain’s reward chemicals, the ones necessary to enhance one’s state of mind.
Cut off the intake of caffeine
The widely used mood-altering drug in the world, caffeine, when consumed in moderate proportion can yield a number of health benefits. Unlikely, heavy intake, more than 500-600 mg of caffeine a day, on the other hand, can lead to health issues like insomnia, nervousness, irritability, an upset stomach, restlessness, aggravated anxiety, and muscle tremors.
Switch to chamomile tea
Source: Medical news
Chamomile tea possesses a number of health benefits. The beverage is stacked with antioxidants that cut risks of life-threatening diseases like cancer and diseases of the heart. Additionally, chamomile tea treats sleep disorders, promotes digestion, better skin, controls blood sugar, boosts immune health, as well as helps one to relieve from mental clutters like anxiety and depression.
Expose to sunlight:
From regulating the level of insulin to maintaining cardiovascular and lung health, Vitamin D plays numerous roles in keeping the body hale. Exposing to sunlight, at least 15-minutes every day can also help in breaking-free from stress
Listen to good music
Music has the ability to influence one’s mental and physical state. The American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) announced music therapy as a therapeutic and effective means to combat problems of the mind. Distinguished philosophers like Plato, Confucius, and the kings and monarchs pronounced music as an effectual medium to heal aggravating conditions of their mind.
Replace your regular cup with green tea
Source: Prehab
Green tea has been known as an effective agent to treat issues of the stomach, skin, and brain. Besides, green tea also helps to curb blood pressure and drop an escalating heart rate. Amino acid or L-theanine present in green tea is an important agent required to abate stress and anxiety.
Yoga and meditation:
Source: Woman fitness org
Accepted since ancient times, yoga, and meditation are powerful antidotes for a healthy body and mind. Pranayama (breathing techniques), asana (body postures), meditation, and the ancient yoga philosophy, has strengthened millions of people with positivism and a new perspective on life.
It is not always possible to maintain a healthy diet. In such, balancing with alternatives can work wonder as well. Keeping alongside ditching smoking and drinking at least 8 glasses of water every day, sleep is an important factor to grasp while considering one’s health.
Albeit there are numerous ways to stay healthy, practicing a few simple and basic steps can prove beneficial in retaining one’s health in the long run. So, which are you going to adopt? Let us know in the comment section below.
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“Free the heart, and the trapped luscious soul craving to wander, and fly in its majestic manner. Let it explore the wilderness. Love the world”
Traveling is something that I adore, more than my NAKED Palette, my favorite iPhone, my preferred red wine, and everything a girl cuddles in prized possession. Call it my obsession to deal with my past, or maybe a way to escape my anhedonia.
Traveling sparked new horizons to a dark era
I was in a relationship, a toxic bond for nine years. A phase of my life was perfectly under the shadows of violence, abuse, torment, and harassment. As my lucky stars aligned on a particular day, I managed to break free from that bondage.
Over the years and amid the clutter of life, lucky are those who find a partner like Prasanta. Beside loving me, he also lusts exploring new places. And that’s how I probed into places that I could even imagine in my wildest desires.
But fate had its own surprises. My anhedonia was getting worse, with each passing day. I would often envision some magical bewitchment in my life. Spells that would transit me into a lost kingdom filled with butterflies, skylarks, and wild lilies.
Dawn of the desires
It was early autumn. The cherry trees were beginning to bloom. Prasanta insisted to join him on a bike ride to Cherrapunjee (Meghalaya). I agreed. It takes four hours to reach Cherrapunjee from Guwahati.
He accelerated the gears of his Himalayan. In no time we were floating abode of clouds. Abode of my fantasy kingdom where the butterflies were smearing colors to the grey fog and the skylarks, accompanying the sole travelers in the deserted highway.
We stayed at a guesthouse in lower Cherrapunjee. The owner brought us some traditionally made pork fry and pork sausages that we hogged with rice and dal alongside.
Next morning, I woke up at the sluicing sound at a distant. Sleepy-eyed, I toddled toward the back door and saw Prasanta waving at me. The air was inundated with fog. As I walked closer, the gushing sound was growing clear. And so was my curiosity.
After a 10 minutes walk amidst the thick long grasses, a breath-taking view broke my drowsiness. I stood there bedazzled (Ah! I am running short of adjectives). Had Wordsworth or Shakespeare been there instead of me, they would have filled pages of musings in their diaries.
Some things are inexplicable. So was that eye-soothing valley, thronged with wild lilies, and a dancing stream that swayed elegantly, sweeping the pebbles, trying to match rhythms with the butterflies.
As we rode back to the city that evening, I realized, I was inhaling feelings, of joy. I smiled glaring at the age-old tired hills.
“They are still romantic. Nah?”
Prasanta nodded.
#SayYestotheWorld!
Oh yes, to the world! To its vastness, to the enormous, and the colossal experiences that rejuvenate, thrills, and heals all the past bruises of the heart.
I, at last, found the key to that magic door. The wings never stayed calm since then. I travel, I listen to people’s stories, good, bad, ugly, grief-stricken, or whatsoever. Feeding my inquisitiveness to explore places made me a storyteller. I travel- to seek my existence, to capture stories, to learn, to depress stress, as a weekend escapade, and to breath happiness.
I travel for me.
Post Script:
The world loves stories. Thus Lufthansa, in an attempt to fulfill every travel enthusiast’s dream, gives a reason to love the world.
These impossible, rather improbable photographs of an Italian artist would, nevertheless irk one, make them wonder, reconsider, or probably bewitch them to scroll for the next.
Artist and photographer, Giuseppe Colarusso’s bizarre series of artwork titled, Unlikely, depict off-the-wall envisions of his mind. He weaves fantastic, singular, and strange fictive in each of his art. His peculiar, rather curiously fabricated pieces would, beyond doubt, trigger inquisitiveness to its viewer.
As the artist says, he trusts each of his pictures and they would definitely influence one to stop, stare, and ideally, bring smile on one’s face. Oh! Obviously worth it right?
Check out some of his amazing arts.
Who needs this?
Interesting.
Looks like a visual interpretation of Painful Death.
Can you imagine an ice candle?
Oh that’s an enormous penne.
Marry me?
Whaaaat!? 😮
You can also check out rest of his works in his website.
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Guy J was an alien name for me years back. And so, was progressive music. But over the years, the frequency at which his tracks began popping up in my social feed, prompted me to google few whereabouts about his works. As they say, he evokes emotive aspect to its listener, I firmly deem, he does.
In this growing age of electronic music, distinguishing the different genres and sub-genres of music is indeed an arduous chore. But because curiosity is the wick in the candle of learning, I, out of no good reason, flared my curiosity to explore Guy J’s style of narrating house music to his audience.
In course of time, I noticed another passionate heart (Debjit Kar), balancing beats with his musical notes. His eyes would fill with fanatic warmth every time he talks about his favorite Guy J. When asked about his zaniness, Debjit narrated how Guy J’s technique to create music attracted him. “He doesn’t stick around to a single genre, rather infuses numerous other genres to create a different style. He can make you smile, cry, and dance with his music,” he said.
What sets the musician apart from his fellow peers?
One of the pioneers of House Music, the Israeli musician Guy Judah, popularly known as Guy J, is known for serving his audience with an aura of sultry touch with music. Predominantly, the musician is widely admired for his state- of- the- art techniques that he tags along while molding a particular track.
About his music making
Ranked 525 on the official DJ rankings list, Guy J embraced success at a much younger age. His debuted single called Guy J and Sahar Z’s “Hazui, saw light in August 2006, was an incorporation with Sahar Zangilevich. However, his debut album “Esperanza” received much admiration worldwide. Some of the tracks like Indigo or Nebula speaks distinctively about his ethereal amalgamation of progressive house, techno, electro, and electronica in one universe. In fact, the album is also, far and wide, celebrated as one of the finest albums to have bloomed from Tel Aviv so far.
What spaces out the composer from his fellow peers is his remarkable stir of house and techno that he often garnishes with flavors of trance and ambient. For an electronic music enthusiast, his compositions are perfect cures for the ears. The established elements of house music, with minimal, progressive, deep and techno merged along with ambient and dubstep traced in his tracks are absolute picks for a music lover.
Rhythmically rich, his dramatic and peppy compositions holds that essence to weave magic and would inevitably heal a distorted mind with a sense of gratification and contentment.
Author’s Take:
Worry not! Guy J is all set to knit magic with his music on 18th March in Guwahati. Collect your passes and gear yourself to witness the biggest house affair in Greenwood Resort. For any queries, knock us in the comment section below. We will reach out to you.
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Guy J was an alien name for me years back. And so, was progressive music. But over the years, the frequency at which his tracks began popping up in my social feed, prompted me to google few whereabouts about his works. As they say, he evokes emotive aspect to its listener, I firmly deem, he does.