‘Withering moon’s last impression’

Noni is always been an eccentric female, she has never really bulged herself into the corridors where, though, she sees lights, but her heart cannot foresee any creative expeditions.

Though she remain smitten with every chord of music and art ,but her heart rises up only when she witnesses ‘those’ enthralling beautiful objects in ‘black and white’.

Being a muse of star full sky, she always wonders about the limitless sophistication of the dark sky. She can flank her camera lenses to capture nature’s endless creativity but again the chime and the mystic which the ‘sky’ offers has always left her heart awestruck and unfulfilled.

So one find day, Noni decided to pursue her quest. With a dream to capture the limitlessness of the dark sky and its white sapphires, she started her journey for the highest point of dream valley, a place from where her lens can accumulate the entire sky gallery.

As she reached the penultimate point, a place where she can see nothing but the trillion stars riding in the plains of sky, Bedazzled by it sheer beauty, her hands got numbed and somehow due to sloppiness she dropped her lens in the bushes far and far under. Hurriedly she started looking for her lens and in the trail for it, she got lost in the dense jungle.

Finally she got hold of her lens but again she didn’t know where she had landed. Noni was lost but she was not scarred, somehow her heart said that there is a hidden mystery behind all these lost games. She lit her torch ‘What a luck !! its battery discharged’.


With a camera in her hands and a chewing gum in her mouth Noni marched on , She was clueless with all the dark directions , but she couldn’t help her restlessness. With thick trees above her head she was eluded by her lovely sky net.

Its was now more than one hour , she has strolled in every direction , perhaps her mind started governing her lost stature ,but her heart firmly said ‘Naah… I have seen worst situation’.


Thirsty and tired Noni kept on walking by. Suddenly she felt a giggling touch of cold air , a heavenly breeze from somewhere. Her eyes welcomed the literature of this breeze as she started walking towards its cold density.

‘A white light looked so divine, as if it’s the entire world that is waiting by’

Noni cannot believe her eyes that she has actually reached the helm of her dream & desire
This breeze let her to the opening of the sky and with God’s diversion she was in front of the most scintillating sight.

‘Ashen Moon, you complete me.
Your reverie illustration unfolds me’

What a ploy of life, Noni was on the helm to seek her desire. Her life long quest got conquest with its single sight

‘What a shivery shining moon in the bridal night..
A real compliment to her heart... A perfect signature of Sky...Black & White ‘.


Her quest reached the ‘Climax high’

At this moment Noni is not numb, Noni is not nervous, Her Camera is firm, her angles are right .

She captured her image ‘Sublime’.





















(Picture of Moon escaping it Black attire,by Neha Bahl(2008))




The legend of

‘Withering moon’s last impression’

Skyline - A tribute to 'The Reader'

(Kate Wiselet , The Reader (2008))




Along came a woman, so subtle like a parson.
She ponders through the mirror, her images reveals her wrinkles.
Life might have been, something near to an agony, her old memory keeps riding back to old galleries.



‘There was the plain road, a stoned white building, a wooden church and old coffee shop.
A young boy with nervous smile asks her for a bicycle ride.’




Its dawn and she hasn’t nearly slept, withering winds are not letting her miss those clips.
She found her self swimming in the rear pound with his tearful thoughts.



‘Her head is on his lap, finger rolling upon his forehead.
She knows that he has never seen someone as beautiful as her’



Her foot crumbled, the scene from window looks so surreal.
The white snow pouring outside is like her fading tears.



‘He moves near, she moved away, a guilt struck fear to open one real self.
He succumbed to her. She looks in despair, why heart says yes to mindless mindways?’



It’s a winter fog, she uncluttered her black gown. A small dusted frame of his stands silently on her dressing table
The buried heartfelt wound sungs in to her disdain.



‘I love you is all I have learnt, in this open sky of beautiful rhythm.
She said nothing but was happy in her heart. At least there was someone who witnesses her real heart.'

Ginger Tea

‘What is with you? Why are you acting as if I m not visible to you ‘

‘Oh … No actually I was… just you know! Was observing this glass. I
mean don’t you feel this cool ginger tea in it, is actually giving a
look of brown cloud spreading over the sky.’

‘What ?...What ..’. She trembles her eyes.

‘Oh God, I left my work, came fast forward, dint even wait for a bus
and month end!! but still grab an auto, only and only, so that my
poetic friend do not wait in the sun. and here is this goof head
fellow !! all busy , finding metaphors in this awfully tasting ginger
tea….Amazingly awesome huh!’. She was sarcastic.

‘Oh yes metaphors!! Awesome…naa!’ I replied smiling to her

‘You are crazy ..You know that..’ she made her point

‘ahmmm..yea but I m crazy for other things too!’. I winked my eyes on that.

‘Hey ..did you notice I am looking a little different today’

I was waiting for this line.

‘Yes you do look different today!’

‘Okieee ..what different ?‘. Now she was excited.

‘Ah…..Not much different…I mean..! you know… you got this nose ring
..and I mean its looking hot! ...making your face more artistic’.
What a scrimpy reply

‘Hmm… and what kind of artistic..?’ .Why this a question?

‘ What kind of artistic….mmm..ok ..ok.. its like Gypsy or Nomad kind
of artistic..I mean have you ever seen those rajasthani females with
three black dots on their chins and those deadly eyes..that kind of
artistic.’
I felt it was the end of this topic but actually …

‘ First of all Dude!! Rajasthani females are not gypsy or nomad its
their culture thing. Second , I never felt that the nose rings which
rajasthani females put on are artistic..
I mean they are huge and they look horrible on anyone… oh Great !!!
you feel my nose ring is like that..Oh god why ‘.
Why she have to make that kind of face ..

‘You think I m making fun of you….No ..i mean it my way of looking and
I think Rajasthani females are hot!’ I tried to pacify

‘So why don’t you go to rajasthan with this argument and marry a hot
nose ring rajasthani girl’.What a fountain of thought.
‘ Oh…Oh I actually wanted to do so…believe me since child hood I am
like dreaming to do so ..going to rajasthan and finding a huge nose
ring ridden female’. I reacted ..

‘Whatever man! Its your life…’ now she is all selfless.

‘Ok Shuuu.. I don’t want to continue on this’

Its was a two minute pause and I could feel her fast heart and the
deadly scorns which were that kept flying through her eyes.

…..After 2 min ……………’

‘You know while coming here ..I saw this huge hoarding of this Mall
and the discount they are offering and tagline was Recession is not
for you to get worried but for you to really enjoy. OK!! Now honestly
what dumb mind could really think of this…’ I tried to make a new
conversation.

‘Hmmm..actually I feel it’s a very smart tagline..Have you ever
observed that malls earn more in discount season than the overall
period..We folks are so obsessed with the word discount that whenever
and whatsoever shop has this lable like discount ..we always and
always rush into it or check it first.’

‘Yea…C’mon it’s a proud Indian thing’. I giggled.

‘Yes now when there is no discount season..the smart asses down there
have discovered a new season..recession season, and believe me the
dumb hoarding like this will do wonder the mall’.

‘Hmm…50% discount but yes don’t fall for it ..coz there lies lots of
deceptive *Condition apply’. Finally we both had a laugh together.

There is something about this female ..I mean you can not keep
yourself away from that thing.. She is like a Trojan ..honestly I
realized the meaning of word platonic because of her but again I can
not really make sense out of this word for long ..because, I feel
every word governs a feeling that is temporary and feelings can never
be a word..actually.


‘Ok ..why female wearing pink becomes eye catcher to guys like you ?’

‘Huh ..pink..Oh no ..actually I was not at all checking her’

‘Oh Come on..you loser’


And hence our small rendezvous continues and streamed like this….

VIP Road

It’s Friday night and I am moving slowly on the walkway of Marine lines, Mumbai.

The night is dazzling with streetlights and overflowing vehicles .The flashy hoarding on the sideways are continuously flickering ‘mega city ethos ‘ advertisement .With humid air sweating under my nylon shirt, I started contemplating why there is nothing peculiar about Marine Drive , at least for me . I mean no matter how astonishing its exquisiteness is ,no matter how big a land mark it is , no matter how many people has succumbed to its grand remembrance . I actually have never really felt for it.

Now why i never felt for has again a very weird, but a wonderful reason.

All right! I confess..
Whenever I walk upon the marine lines, the first thing which strikes me is, “ ‘C’mon our VIP Road is much and much better than this:”.




I understand it is a regionally biased and totally irrational comparison, but I can’t help being hopelessly in love with Bhopal. No matter how far I travel, where so ever I go, Bhopal is always there for me, somewhere in the near vicinity.

On any given October morning, with mist playing above the serene surface of ‘Bada Talaab’ ,walking on VIP Road can actually lead you towards a heavenly bliss.

‘By GOD!! Its true’

Standing opposite to ‘dhaie seedhi ki masjid ‘ and alluring the astonishing streak of wall arts, I always found my self amidst ‘Bharat Bhavan’s ‘ workshop. Those lovely walls and road paintings can even give ‘Philadelphia wall art’ a run for its money, Now this is not biased !

You start from ‘Rait Ghat , with majestic ‘Gauhar Mahl at your behest, you look in line to find the end horizon .(What a View!.. Awestruck)

The sublime road captivate the real essence of the ‘Sageray Bhopal ..a.k.a Bada talaab ‘ in a way similar when ‘A R Rehman music get more poetic with Gulzar words’.

Its 11.15 pm ,Friday night

You can never get more metaphorical than this feeling of being alone on ‘Lake View Road’, without any scurry sound , your heart and mind in symphony with a view of this long lasting road, decorated in a bridal gown(street light), You along with this great lake in front, fall in love simultaneously with its ember reflection and décor beauty .















‘Guzaarish hain ek raastey ki
Ek halki si hawa aur chotey sey noor ki
Mohabbat ki masjid aur khushnuma Mandir ki

Yaad aayi Badey talab ki ,
Us beetey ehsaas ki, un beetey huey lamho ki
Ek khobsuraat sey raasta ki , Ek khobsuraat sey raasta ki ’

U2 & A friend

Recuperating lunacy !!!



You are stiff, but you come out of it, you gaze the glass prism, unable to lose the blinding affinity (its dark reflection & surrealism).


It takes time for you to relinquish her deceptive image. You flipped your eyes !!
& Damn!! ' Am i awake?'

Yours friends are energetic with their casual talks .You just can not wait to light a cigarette through your heart.

‘As her light again comes hunting on the road’. Your nth fag!

'Dude aint you going over board ?'


‘The worst of us are a long drawn out confession
The best of us are geniuses of compression
You say you’re not going to leave the truth alone
I’m here ‘cos I don’t want to go home’

U2 , Ceador of Lebanon

Outside the coffee shop, every one is running to standstill . You with your trade mark style seek only one horizon .

Your friend asks ‘Hey! you fine Bro ?

‘Things are plain and oh yea .. I feel no thing, so ..hmm Yes i m Cool ’

You see the amber cloud shadowing the sun.













‘I know a girl who’s like a sea
I watch her changing every day for me
Oh yeah, oh
No line on the horizon ‘

U2,No line on the horizon




Your heart plunders, your cigarette is almost on life line.
‘I care a fuck ‘


and you move on!






















‘If I could, you know I would
If I could, I would let it go, this desperation, dislocation
Separation, condemnation, revelation
In temptation, isolation, desolation

Let it go and so fade away, to let it go
Oh yeah and so fade away, to let it go, oh no
And so to fade away, I'm wide awake, I'm wide awake’

U2,Bad