Shivaji

Title (Sanskrit) - Lord Ganapati, who resides in Srinagar, I pray to you. Blazing leaves of Chinar in Kashmir, Autumn. The second half of September and the whole month of October turn the valley of Kashmir into a beautiful heaven, which seems to be engulfed in orange fire. These 2 contradictory statements to describe a single phenomena sound absurd at the first encounter, but one understands them in a true sense when s/he experiences it with her/his own eyes. I have never been to my homeland, never seen that phenomenon with my eyes, but impeccably imagined it. That imagination and visual sight, runs in our blood now.  The months of autumn engulf the whole valley with dead and orange coloured Chinar leaves, which creates the sight of a burning heaven. Walking across the orange Chinar drenched footpath along the banks of Dal, with a soothing breeze from the lake patting your cheeks, says my father, is the most beautiful sight on this planet.  On one such autumn day of September 18, 1985,