Literary Voyage

Guwahati is the gateway to North-East India and also the gateway to divinity and spirituality, as it is home for Goddess Kamakhya who is one of the several incarnations of Goddess Durga or Goddess Shakti, hence, Kamakhya Temple is among the oldest of the 51 “Shakti Peethas”. The temple is situated high atop Nilachal Parbat or Kamagiri in the heart of Guwahati city. Kamakhya Temple is one of the several religious landmarks of Assam which speak volumes about the rich cultural, religious and historical heritage of the state. In addition to the main Devi temple, it also comprises of other major temples, namely, Devi Kali, Bagala, Tara, Chinnamasta, Bhuvaneshvari, Bhairavi and Dhumavati.  There is an age old legend behind the Kamakhya Temple which dates back to the mythological era. According to this belief, Goddess Parvati (wife of Lord Shiva) took her life by jumping into the fire of a “Yajna” ceremony organized by her father Daksha as he did not invite Parvati and Lord Shiva to the c...

Amidst a hectic and monotonous schedule, sometimes our mind, thoughts and spirit deserve a treat. For me, it was reading “Saudade- tales of love, longing and loss” an anthology of ten short love stories curated and edited by Jyoti Doley and Jahnavi Gogoi that was first published in April 2023 by Guwahati Grand Poetry Festival. What amused and kept me gripped in this book was the fact that all the stories presented here were such unique, whether in relation to their storyline, style, narration, length or theme. I have been on the reading journey since childhood and I mostly found myself sitting down with a novel out of all other genres like short stories, prose, poetry, haikus etc. So, to be precise, this is my debut in reading an anthology and I cannot believe how much I have been missing out on. This book can provide the readers with an opportunity to delve deep into the imagination and fiction of all the ten authors, allowing them to see how they viewed the simple yet most complex fe...

There is a sudden change in the atmosphere and the air feels refreshing and humid against my skin, I look up and notice some super trees which resembled just like taken out straight from some sci-fi movie. Yes! We have entered the high-tech botanical gardens of the future- Gardens by the Bay, Singapore. It felt like we left our world behind and stepped into the lush alien world of Pandora.  Gardens by the Bay is a nature park and a showpiece of horticulture and garden artistry spanning 101 hectares in the bay area of Singapore, adjacent to the Marina Reservoir. The park consists of three waterfront gardens: Bay South Garden, Bay East Garden and Bay Central Garden, hence, the name: Gardens by the Bay. When me with my family visited Singapore, it was not a part of our itinerary, but thanks to our tour guide who suggested us to spend a day in this lavish and jaw dropping garden as it is surreal and a sight to behold our entire life. We started our walking tour of Gardens by the Bay an...