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Tora Rang Man Bhayo Nizamuddin!
Nizamuddin Dargah at night is a beauty unparalleled. Though I've been to the place quite a few times and all in the mornings and despised the state of the place at all times, the dargah at night made me fall in love with each of its corners that I despised and each of its people that I felt sorry for. There is something magical about its air once the sun sets. Adorned in the soft glow of yellow lights and coloured papers that hang mid air, the dargah and its narrow alleyways are a sight to behold. And then there are those small shops inside its alleys, selling rose petals, colourful 'chadars', athars, rings and tasbis that beam in the glory of the night, adding to the mystique of the place. As a qawwali enthusiast, I've literally grown up listening to qawwalis that sing praise of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya (most of which were composed by Amir Khusro, whose tomb lies just opposite the sufi saint's). And the first time I visited the place, I expected to be transcen
The Cat which lived in my Suitcase
A sinister looking cat; black Lived in my suitcase On odd winter nights. On even nights, I'd straighten My suitcase; a golden brown ; Heavy from the chips I had brought from home. The night after I found the cat Sleeping on my bed next to my head, I bolted the room And sealed it from him. How do I let a cat steal my thoughts, Staring at me from my bed, While I sleep? But on other odd winter nights I'd still forget to lock the room And the hostel cat Would sneak in for the heat Of my suitcase. The next day I decided To prepare my dead suitcase Into a living room for this cat Which must have had mutliple names In the history of her hostel life. I removed the packets of chips And the few unwashed clothes inside. For want of old clothes for comfort, I placed the soft posters and The slogan printed fabric I had collected from the protests Around the city, on one side And a few newspapers, On the other. The cat sneaked in one odd night, And
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