Palampur in autumn

Palampur is at its festive best in early autumn: late September, October and even early November. The sun is warm, balmy and resplendent, the air crisp. The monsoon-soggy earth fast turning green looks inviting  and it is sheer delight to go for walks and savour the beauties that mother Nature has generously bestowed on this valley. This is the time of the year when Bougainvilleas are in full bloom…and so vibrantly red. And whose heart wouldn’t dance with joy at the sight of the beautiful marigolds with their  balls of pure yellow or gold? Then chrysanthemums now begin to stir and wake up to the calls of autumn hastening to blossom into clusters of varied hues. Pansies, Antirrhinums and Petunias- thanks to easy availability of hybrid varieties - are there to be a part of the autumnal glory to add to our aesthetic joy.

As for my walks, I prefer the road from SSB chowk to Neugal café. (Of course the other road right from Hotel Tea-Bud to the café or straight up north that leads to Kandi is equally nice.) Walking up, I love listening to the persistent hiss of the Neugal river meandering down far below on the left. A lovely sprawl of tea bushes, and clumps of Pine trees with their green, bristly foliage on both sides of the road - standing in calm contemplation of nature or swaying gently - add to the solitude and ethereal calm that pervades all around in those fleeting moments. 

I, the Palampurwalla, loves it all!

But sadly, this otherwise beautiful stretch of road that I speak of has an uglier side to it too (of course all man's doing)… About that next time please.

        

                                                                         

News clips

• One looming  consequence of climate change: small island nations will cease to exist (Los Angeles Times)
• A New search for life on Mars: Scientists at the University of Texas have zeroed in on a depression that could possibly support life (R&D magazine)
• It's sometimes called the 'winter blues':With winter approaching it's not uncommon for  people to feel sad and moody. Those symtomps are typical of someone experiencing seasonal affective disorder(SAD) (Arizona Daily Sun)
• Regular intake of sugary drinks may cause diabetes:study
• While diabetes once used to be the disease of the old, it has now become a disease affecting people in their youth. India is home to 6.5 crore diabetics and 5 crore pre-diabetics (Daily News & Analysis) 
• New wearable device may help treat diabetes (The Hindu)
• Action star Jackie Chan wins an Oscar after 200 films and  56 years in film industry.  

Who said what:

       "Indian cinema is serving junk to its viewers at present."

                                 -Eminent actor and theatre personality Nasseruddin Shah during                                              his visit to Dharamsala for the just concluded International Film                                              Festival

   

         "The game has just begun."

                                                 -Arnab Goswami, the former Newshour anchor and editor-in-chief                                           of Times Now after his resignation from the channel

                         

            "In India a significant rise in sea level could lead to the loss of some 6000                             square kilometers, including some of the country's most fertile lands; many                           of  the sub-continent's low-lying islands, like the Lakshwadweep chain, may                         disappear."

                                     -Noted writer Amitav Ghosh in his                                                                                      recent book 'The Great Derangement'

         

        "हिमाचल की मिट्टी में खुशबू है" 

                                                   -Sufi singer Jasbir Jassi
           "नोट तो बदल जाएंगे लेकिन नीयत..."
                                            -A comment in a vernacular daily