Anya's Musings

I'll just start with Surajkund Crafts Mela first. There are reasons for it. See, first, it started before the Book Fair did and I went there before I had a chance to check out the book fair. Second, I have been visiting the Surajkund Mela since I was a little child. For those who don't know what this is, a little background: Surajkund is a place in Haryana, a little while away from Delhi (its part of the NCR) and every year, in the first two weeks of February, the Haryana government organises a fair or a mela to celebrate and promote the beautiful crafts of India and even of some of the other countries (like Nepal, Bhutan and so on). The "look" of this event is very rustic... they host it at the exact same place every year which is a large ground with a rustic, rural look. The craftsmen sit in stalls with thatched roofs (thus completing the rustic look) and everything is amazing!

The decorations!!

One of the stalls at Surajkund mela.

See, told ya, rustic feel and all.

The statue of the Goddess killing the demon was too pretty... I had to click it.

More stuff.

I went there only once this year because of the usual reasons of work and being busy etc. I don't have much to tell you about this year's mela because of that and also because the one time I went there this year, it was pouring like crazy, so that made the crowd a lot lesser and the craftsmen a little damp and it was evening time. But I loved whatever I saw nontheless. Here are some pictures I managed to click of this year's Surajkund Mela...

What is this thing? Why was it even there on display in a Book Fair? Loved it anyhow!

Okay, so now time for one of the events that I wait for all year round: New Delhi World Book Fair. Yay!! I swear, going there is like going on a mission for me. I just have one pic of this year's Book Fair (and it's a very weird pic, as you will see in a bit) because frankly, I was two busy oggling at the books than clicking pictures. I go to the Book Fair armed: running shoes, a bottle of water, sunglasses and food. All ready to go. And then I hunt.

I brought some books this year, not too many because I have to "study" and not get distracted. But I absolutely fell in love with two of the books I brought at the Book Fair. The first one is a short story collection that took my breath away called The Gurkha's Daughter by Prajwal Parajuly and the other one is a brilliant novel by Devdutt Pattanaik called The Pregnant King. But more on those two later if I ever decide to write book reviews on the blog. Also, this shows that I do, in fact, read Indian authors.

 Let's see, what else happened? Oh a cousin of mine got married on Valentine's Day. The followings are pictures of the mehendi I got on my hand.

The mehendi right after application.

The mehendi, the day after, all dried of and dark.

 That's pretty much all that happened, really. Unless you count a friend of mine having (in his own words) a "How I Met Your Mother moment" where he insists he saw his soul mate at Starbucks today, didn't even to speak to her but kept talking about her non-stop.

That's all for now.

Though for a while there it may have seemed like it. I have no decent excuse for why I haven't been blogging so much off late. I suppose that I just haven't had anything to blog about. Either that, or way too much.

So far, February has been quite interesting. Many events in Delhi-NCR, some of which I managed to go to (like Surajkund Crafts Mela, The Annual Delhi International Book Fair etc), and some of them I had to miss (Comic Con). Went away from Delhi for a wedding (not mine, for the last time, NOT MINE). I have begun drinking coffee again.

And most of all, February has brought on a lot of introspection, a lot of getting over denials, a lot of not attacking the ostrich. I am as clueless as ever about how life goes, but at least I am a tinsy bit hopeful now.
             

Not everybody is a fan of winter showers. I'm not all that gaga about them myself either but I also don't mind them. Rain, at any point of time, has the effect of lifting my spirits (even if people are determined to do otherwise). It's been raining like crazy here since yesterday morning and while it's no longer the peak winters over here, there has been a considerable drop in the temperature (when you compare it to earlier this week when we had already begun shedding our layers and sweating like pigs).

I don't mind any of it. Yesterday morning I was happy enough to go out even if it was raining. I don't understand people who want to stay put in their houses all alone in such glorious weather! Last night was a fine night. It rained all night, and it was pouring so hard that we could hear the rain even while we were inside the warmth of our rooms. I am sure it scared some people, irritated others and some might not like the "gloom" (honestly though, it's not like we live in London!), I thought it was a fine night. I was up, reading a what I call a "warm book" (I've read that book before and I know for a fact that that book is a warm one), listening to the thunder. And there was something oddly soothing about that. I prayed for more such nights.

It has been raining all day today and I was out, and I think I pretty much froze. But I loved every bit of it. In fact I was just telling someone that if this beautiful weather were a person, I'd marry it. End of discussion. Stay happy, stay warm.