Cheeron Par Chandani

Nirmal Verma says, I often wonder what the right way is to understand the ethnic qualities of a country? Perhaps through very small details, of no particular significance, which can be overlooked. Nirmal Vermas traveler-mindedness explores the past, future, and present of any country through such small details, across cities, countries, societies, historical sites, museums, pubs, and bars, and conveys them to the reader. Perhaps thats why reading his travelogues neither tires us nor burdens us; on the contrary, we let the fatigue of our daily lives dissolve in the flow of his prose, feeling light and enlightened. Moonlight on the Pines (first published in 1964) is not only a sample of Nirmal Vermas excellent prose, but as a travelogue, this book has also achieved a standard status. The journeys he describes in this book arent just outward journeys, not just limited to the moment they were madetheyre also inward journeys, and journeys of memory, of history. Journeys through cities and roads where the remnants of past destructions sometimes shock and depress you, while at other times, the timeless presence of great writers, painters, and artists, who, in their time, paved far-reaching paths for humanity, fills you with hope. Stories, essays, diaries, and traveloguesall these genresare brought to fruition in this book. Through these journeys, we are enriched on more than one level.