Soliloquy of a Wandering Pilgrim

The Sahara Quartets My route of cycling by the Atlantic route of the Sahara As I started to pedal my way across the Atlantic route of the Sahara , on the very first day a rhyming quartet came humming in my mind. It was inspired by a conversation at a shop where I stopped en route that day. I tweeted that when I reached Tan Tan, just for fun. When Agnidip Mukherjee, a friend, a poet, liked it and wrote words of encouragement; I decided to stay at it. Thus for over next 3 weeks, almost everyday, whether I rode or took rest; I wrote a quartet. Each was inspired either by the people I met or the elements of the desert itself. Just for fun. There were 34 such.  Agnidip had called it the 'Sahara Quartet' and I liked the coinage.  I have put them together here knowing fully well that I do not have what it takes to be a poet. But since they are harmless little quartets after all, there is no harm in sharing I guess. Read at your own risk.   ( Note: Photos and the ...

In 2012, I embarked on an inspired journey across Africa with my bicycle. I started off from the small town of Nanyuki in Kenya and finished pedaling in Walvis Bay, Namibia. 49 days on the road, 5 countries and 4500 kilometers later I realized that I have met the 'Real' Africa- its people. However the details of my journey can be found by visiting the following link : (http://himalaya-raja.blogspot.in/2012/09/trans-africa-on-bicycle-solo-tribute-to.html) It truly was and still is the best journey of my life so far. Within the first few days of riding I had realized that this was going to be a very unique trip indeed. As I progressed I met people and made friends. Everyday, every place, every time, without fail I found friendship and unconditional help came in the form of food, shelter and even cash. They were always there when I needed one. The universal language of friendship prevailed. During those days in Africa I used to send dispatches to Uttar Banga Sambad, a Be...