The view from the top of Daulatabad I first visited Daulatabad about 25 years ago. From all those years ago, I remember two things distinctly: the frighteningly dark passages that can lead you straight to a moat full of hungry crocodiles if you take the wrong turn, and the smell of bats.The latter stays the same, except that it's mingled with the stench of sweat. What has changed, though, is the passages. A few electric lights have been installed, but what really changes the feel of the place is the fact that everyone has a mobile phone with a flashlight! Where's the drama of a flaming torch leading the way through dark, unpredictable, winding passages? The walls of Daulatabad Fort Daulatabad on a cloudy Sunday morning Unlike most other people who link … [Read more...]
Reading Challenge at Clover Dale, Aurangabad
I put a ten-rupee coin into the bubblegum machine Soon, bubblegums flew out and hit my head! For a moment, I wondered; then I realised That I'd put a hundred-rupee coin into the machine instead! - adapted from a poem written in about seven minutes by one of the participants at yesterday's workshop.* *If anyone who reads this knows the name of the writer, please share it in the comments below!I love the Reading Challenge, and The Big Friendly Read is among my favourite themes."Could you name a book you enjoyed?" I asked. "Grrr," replied a serious-faced young participant. For a moment, there was silence; then everyone burst out laughing. "I've read it too!" cried one. "Me too!" "Me too!" "I liked No!" said another. "No!"Laughter and madness go hand-in-hand when we explore Roald Dahl, a range of other stories in the collection, and Sir Quentin … [Read more...]