Aaj ka Arjun......

My blogger and FB friend, and prolific chronicler of interesting and out-of-the-way places to drive to, on road trips across Maharashtra, particularly in the Sahyadris, Priyadarshan Kale, gets so immersed in photos of mountains, rivers, rural roads and greenery, that sometimes a bunch of backpacks (his own) strewn on a green plateau, makes for an interesting composition.

Riding his Zen, through forests for extended periods, before returning back to the intrigues of civilization, made him remember the story of the Pandavas, retrieving their "weapons" from the Shami tree, after completing their banishment to the forests and the incognito-one-year, before returning to face the Kauravaas...,  to face the realities of life .....

Inspired in Marathi , then an effort in English....


(photo by Priyadarshan Kale)

सह्याद्रीच्या कड्याकपारीतून
"झेन" मनस्थितीत फिरताना ,
अचानक काळेकाकांना
आपली खांदाशास्त्रे
शामिवृक्षा ऐवजी
दुसरीकडेच दिसली ......
हिरवे कडे, खोल दरी ,
दूरवर दिसणारे कौरवी गाव ,
त्यात फिरणारी लाल दिव्याची गाडी...

निळ्या आकाशाकडे कटाक्ष फेकत ,
त्यांनी  खांदाशास्त्रे उचलली ,
सुंदर प्राणवायूचा दीर्घ श्वास घेत
मान हलवत रथात मागे टाकली ,
आणि साश्रू नयनांनी
सौंदर्याचा निरोप घेतला...

सोमवारी हस्तिनापुरात
जाणे अनिवार्य होते .....
अज्ञात वास संपला होता आणि
ट्राफिकवास व  डीझेलवास  
सुरु  होणार होता !

 Traversing
the exalted green
of the Sahyadris,
on an incognito weekend.

He stops
the Maruti Zen,
to stretch his feet,
and looks for his usual goodies
in his shoulder bags.

Double shouldered bows
with no arrows,
he is Arjun
retrieving his stuff
from the Shami tree.

Immense plateaus,
green valleys,
Boring civilization in the distance
and a  red beacon car
advancing
a few miles away.....

He sighs,
and throws his stuff
in the back
of his Zen chariot,
bidding the woods goodbye.

He must be at Hastinapur-Mumbai
by Monday...

It is now time to
to give up
the mountain spray,
and meet up
with
the perfume of traffic and diesel
once again.....