Ganga At Haridwar

Alone on the lonely bridge
Where the river chortles under eternally
I ran into a Scottish lady.
She was recording
The gurgling sound
Of the running water.

Har ki pauri, Haridwar

She switched the machine off
And said,
With her opal eyes
Fixed on me:
“This continuous gentle trilling,
This everlasting murmur
Of the flowing water
Is the sure-fire cure
For all ailments of heart.
It works magic
On my jangled nerves.
Have you read
Chekov’s THE KISS?
Nothing really matters, you know.”

I felt as if
I had met her before.

First published in The Economic Times

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