Dialects

New Delhi 11:30 p.m., Thor’s day It’s so easy and natural, it happens in a blur of acclimation. My language goes local to make easier my communications with people with often limited or unconventional approaches to English comp. Sara’s been noticing it in our phone conversations. Perfect example tonight speaking with Kamal here at Abracadabra: Me: Kamal…

Grinding On

New Delhi 11 a.m. Can’t say these have been the most inspiring of days. (Though there’s been a few moments.) I quasi-tweaked my back in Jaipur—just one of those funny movements where I felt a sheath of muscle in my mid/upper back suddenly tense and contract and serve notice that any more bad moves would likely…

Au Revoir, Rajasthan. Bon Soir, Delhi!

Freshly arrived back in New Delhi, Midnight Every nerve in my body is so vacant and numb, I can’t even remember what it was I came here to get away from. Don’t even hear the murmur of a prayer It’s not dark yet, but it’s getting there. Bob Dylan Can’t say I’ve been looking forward to…

Escape from Sun City

Back in Jaipur Rajasthan, Tuesday 8:45 a.m. (still no photos uploading…) Groggily awakening from the warehouse-cruising stupor of recent days, and recovering from last night’s hair-raising ride down what passes for the Jodhpur-Jaipur highway. I’ve generally appreciated my driver Ram’s acumen behind the wheel, and yesterday’s 5:30 p.m. departure started well—making good time, safely. But come…

Dhrupad Festival of Classical Indian Music

Jaipur Rajasthan Wednesday 2:05 p.m. At last night’s Dhrupad Festival of classical Indian music, I was blessed to hear some outstanding pakhawaj drumming by two excellent players: Mohan Sharma (the teacher of my friends Vasant and Tulsi), and Devaki Nandan, a man Shyamdas described as possibly the finest pakhawaj player in all of India (which is…

Going All In

Sunday night 8 p.m. OK, I’m about to leap off a precipice I’ve been previously intending to avoid. Isn’t it funny, that moment where we just change our intention? We used to want that, but now we realize or simply decide ‘you know, I want this other outcome instead.’ I had come here thinking my…