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Dear Readers, 

                     Monday, October 29th, happened to be Sharad Purnima (a special date according to the Hindu Lunar calender when the moon is full). They say that it is the most gorgeous of all the full moon lit nights throughout the year. One can feel a nip in the air and the scent of the approaching winters. It is also believed that this night holds a special charm for worshipers of Lord Krishna as it was on this night that he wooed Radha by seducing her with his Raas (a special dance form of India). Thus, this night is a night of lovers. 

                      As it may be conspicuous in my thoughts, love has eluded me ever since I left the lush environs of muraqqa-e Dilli to migrate to this corner of the Thar in search of knowledge and wisdom. So, on this occasion as well, I chose to expect nothing. However, I could not let go of the spirit of celebration. I decided to go for a long drive in the desert countryside. By the time, I made this decision, it was 10:10 pm so I sought a company lest it would be a bit unsafe to drive along the border areas all alone. In short, I was shit scared!    

                      We drove down to Kodamdesar which lies north west of Bikaner. The landscape on either side of the road was very pretty. The road till this destination was all very well-known. The spirit of celebration gave way to that of adventure. We decided to flirt with the landscape by taking a right turn right before Kodamdesar which would lead us into the interiors. 

                       The drive past that turn was really intimidating. The time was well past midnight. There were no habitations on either side of the road for miles. Any mishap would have gone unanswered. When sensibility prevailed over exuberance, I took a U-turn but before speeding off back to the town, I drove the jeep off road over the silvery sand dunes. We reached the top of a 30 ft high dune and got out of the vehicle. The view was chilling to the bone. Not a man or signs of his dwelling in sight. Vision of dunes after dunes colored in shades of silver and black greeted us as we ourselves glowed in the moon light. The undulating dunes created an impression that we are ship-wrecked and lying in the middle of an expansive ocean. You can also  imagine  that it was a way to celebrate Halloween that very night!!...