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We’ve spent so much time with loneliness;
That perhaps loneliness is lonely no more;
Why then won’t she leave us;
The wicked witch, the controlling whore…

- The Unfinished Diaries of a Lonely Traveller (by Alankar Misra)

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There’s hope beyond the bend. Promises lurking around every twist. A prospect for conversation that would perhaps carve out new directions. A longing for highs so we may indulge in an orgy of perspectives. A longing for lows so we may remember not to take ourselves too seriously. We’re dream chasers, hopelessly in hope. We ride not towards our destiny but away from it, for destiny begs we stop… and stop we won’t.

- The Unfinished Diaries of a Lonely Traveller (by Alankar Misra)

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And then there’s the moment… the moment when Time loses track of you. It’s as if the fabric of the Universe frees you from its grind, placing you by its side. “Rest”, it whispers. You watch galaxies swirl by. You catch glimpses of past, present, future. You become thoughtless, directionless, desireless, ageless – a constant, at the edge of the Universe – a traveller at his ultimate destination.

— From the Unfinished Diaries of a Lonely Traveller

Hampi – the final chapter (coming soon)

I’ve become the unexpected – a traveller in my own city, stranger in my own home, prisoner of my own soul. Never before has my mind been so empty, never before has my heart been so alone… never before have I felt so complete.

Celebrations

This gallery features Durga Puja and Lavani (dance) performances being held in my neighborhood to ring in Gudhi Padwa, the new year (as per the lunisolar Hindu calendar)

Gudhi Padwa is the Marathi name for the Hindu holiday of Chaitra Shukla Pratipada. It is celebrated on the first day of the Chaitra month to mark the beginning of the New year according to the lunisolar Hindu calendar. This day is also the first day of Chaitra Navratri and Ghatasthapana also known as Kalash Sthapana is done on this day.

In Hinduism, Durga (Sanskrit: दुर्गा); is a form of Devi, the supremely radiant goddess, depicted as having eighteen arms, riding a lion or a tiger, carrying weapons and a lotus flower, maintaining a meditative smile, and practicing mudras, or symbolic hand gestures.The name is made of Sanskrit dur- = “with difficulty” (compare Greek δυσ- (dys-)) and gā (“come”, “go”).

Lavani (Marathi: लावणी) is a genre of music popular in Maharashtra and southern Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in India. Lavani is a combination of traditional song and dance, which particularly performed to the beats of Dholak, a percussion instrument. Lavani is noted for its powerful rhythm and erotic sentiment. Lavani has contributed substantially to the development of Marathi folk theatre. In Maharashtra and southern Madhya Pradesh, it is performed by the female performers wearing nine-yard long saris. The songs are sung in a quick tempo.

“Message To Our Descendants” by Bertrand Russell – Kinetic Typography in After Effects

Work in progress. There’s a LOT I can do to add finesse and movement to the typography and I’m working on it and should have an updated version soon. The audio is from a clip of ‘Face to Face (1959)’ by the BBC. In no way do I represent BBC. I’m a big Russell fan and consequently made this as more of a fan video and of course to get some practice with Kinetic Typography. Long way to go, I know! Wondering why this is on my travel blog? Well, I’m working on my video editing chops so I can create better travel videos for ya!

Taming the Lion

About this episode
Lonavla is about 90km away from the city of Mumbai (111km from where I am), Maharashtra, India and 65 km away from Pune City, Maharashtra, India. The locations are easily accessible by road and by train from both Mumbai and Pune which are one of the nearest locations although a road trip is highly recommended. The best time to visit Lonavla is during the monsoons (June to September). I will cover the route during monsoons in the coming months.

Head on over to
http://wikitravel.org/en/Lonavala
for more information.

Please subscribe
If this series piques your interest, subscribe to my YouTube channel and I promise many more videos! Furthermore, all the content is released under a Creative Commons Attribution License allowing you to reuse footage should the need arise. You can find my YouTube channel at:

http://www.youtube.com/user/alankarmisra

Credits
The song is “Somewhere only we know” by Keane. If you like the song, please, please, please support the artist by purchasing the song on iTunes or the like.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/somewhere-only-we-know-ep/id5625957

Note that even though I allow free usage of the video footage, I do not own the copyright to the audio. As such, I can only allow free use of the video footage and make no claims as to any ownership rights on the audio.

Whispers from the highway (from the unfinished diary)

Born of the highway you were;
Die of the highway you will;
I’ll keep you close;
Hold your body still;
As mother and child, you and I;
We bleed in inverse deep into the nigh’;
I squeeze you tight, release your final breath;
Say goodbye to you, grant the kiss of death;
I’ve waited for miles to see you smile;
Why did they do this to you, you’re just a child;
And while strangers may surmise;
The apparent cause of your complete demise;
It is only I who shall really know;
Why it is that you had to go;
Born of the highway you were;
Die of the highway you will;
You may be long gone;
But I’ll remember you still.

Raison d’être

T’is clear to me, why I ride to be;
A million lives, this throttle has surmised;
Each for but a second, for I hear another one beckon;
And what the velocity conceals, the imagination reveals;
Tears – perhaps of broken lives and bloody fears;
Laughter – perhaps of victories or a whole new chapter;
For the greatest show on earth is earth alone;
Together – me and her – we live our own.

More funny offroading spills, chills and tumbles from Rajmachi!

A continuation of the previous post, this clip was shot by my friend Ninad (Youtube ID: nin5927) at the same location from the hill top (you can see me at the foot of the hill, I was recording this too!).  This is WAY funnier than the previous one! I’ll mix the two perspectives in the final video