interlude

a space, evolving every day a story written, re-written every night stains of memories inking fresh air flying, settling down, contemplating...

A bonnet ornament of Rolls Royce commissioned in early 1920's. Form of a woman leaning forward outstretching her arms behind, flanking a piece of cloth, billowing it as if she is ready to fly. Yes she is. She is the woman of spirit, minted in metal, sparkling with the zeal to let go all fears, smile and take over the sky. The Spirit of Ecstasy also known as Emily, silver lady or the flying lady was designed by an English sculptor, Charles Robinson Skyes, and carries with it a secret story of a love affair which continued even after all the obstacles. To me she truly is a symbol of passion...she is and will always be an inspiration to let go worries and spread the wings of desires sought & unsought but dreamt!

My obsession   with   مصر  Misr  began with my father's first trip to Egypt when I was 12. He came back and told stories about three huge triangular structure made of yellow limestone [The Pyramids of Giza] standing in the middle of nowhere, Nile in its epic blue-glory, flowing along the city carrying the stories of historical & cultural importance & the largest monolith statue with lion's body and human head [The Sphinx] . The imagery was so strong that I could see myself seeing it, walking with it...breathing it. Nothing had left such an impression on me as that description. There were many more visits to Egypt but no photographs, but many stories. With each story I was building the city in my head, gathering whatever I could from school library or little internet access I had at that time. I still remember the first word I typed in Google search engine was EGYPT & it was not very different from what I had imagined. Since then there was ...

Tucked away from the hustle bustle of capital city of Gujrat, lost in time yet well remembered is the city's one of the oldest structures and architectural marvel  Adalaj ni vav... Built in 1499 A.D. by Queen Rudabai this step-well or Vav, as it is called in Gujrati , is intricately carved and is several stories in depth. The designs on its walls & pillars are highly intricate and show a great deal of intense workmanship. The motifs of leaves, flowers, birds, fish detailed out with outstanding ornamental designs, leave you awestruck. In the past, these step wells were frequented by travelers and caravans as stopovers along trade routes. This vav has five stories and three gates to enter. The first ingress leads you to a beautiful mandap, telling tales of queenswith her maids, the beauty of their shringar is resonating in the detailed carvings in niches & staircases. The octahedral dome shows the consequences of time on its shredding wal...