It was dusk at the Triund hilltop, Dharamshala. We arrived at the summit after an arduous trek of five and a half hours. …

Everything else becomes darker when you become the focus. You are challenging, not impossible. You seem unscalable, but you are not unconquerable. That strong armour you put on on the outside to shoo away the passing chilly winds, rains and hailstorm, shall soon shatter. That strong armour you put on…

Staring. Plain staring. That’s what I have been doing lately upon this huge canvas of my life. “Paint” says a voice. “Don’t worry about how you’re going to cover it all. For now, just paint.” Paint everyday. Paint every moment. Keep your eyes on the snow-capped mountains ahead. But to get there, let’s first jump that small railing in front of you, then the trees, then the woods, then the smaller mountains, then begin climbing the summit. And finally beyond it.

Today I saw the mountains and felt powerless, weak and meek. There are billions who walked on the face of the earth, but barely a few who conquered them. Literally and metaphorically. There is ambition within me in plenty; I feel my knees weakening. There is strength within; I’m unable…

Just after I got down from the bus at Dharamshala, into the 5 degree Celsius temperature, I saw this view of the sun. As if sun had unzipped his sleeping bag to peep what’s going on down there. I shivered, took out my camera, adjusted the focus, aperture, ISO and…