Picnic at the big mountain

Chilly morning wind, bank of of an Himalayan lake and and a backdrop of breathtaking mountains, what could be a better spot for a picnic. I saw this group of Americans braving the sharp cold on the side of lake Pangong at 13,500ft up in the Himalayas. Swaddled in down jackets they were enjoying mangoes, the bounty of the tropics. Watching them made me hungry too. All you need is the company of your friends to make even an inhospitable terrain a party place.

I See You

It is said the eyes are the windows to the soul. They show what the face tries to hide. There eyes that are innocent or soulful or mirthful or shifty. The eyes say it all when they blaze with anger, shine with excitement, cry with anguish or twinkle with naughtiness. A laugh is meaningless until it lights up the eyes. Eyes communicate without words without sound. There are looks that can kill and then there are come hither looks. A mother can admonish or reward a child with just one look. Eyes are all seeing but can choose to be metaphorically blind.

Eyes form prominent imagery in Hindu and Buddhist culture. Goddess Kali is depicted by blazing eyes. Shiva's third eye is believed to destroy all. They have inspired centuries of poets. Every artist has tried to capture the soul of the subject in the depiction of the eyes.

Eyes are what attracted me to this statue of the Buddha. The exude a serenity that is very de-stressing. Every time I look at them I feel a little more peaceful with my surrounding. They draw me inwards to the anchor of my innermost thoughts and to the place that calms me. They tell me 'I see you' as you are and not as others perceive you. Be true to yourself and you need not fear what others think of you.