Jaigad

 

I still remember

That traffic snarl from Ratnagiri –

And our detour to Jaigarh

The last fortress

Overlooking a river

Ruins everywhere

Yet a vision to the sea

That expansion to breathe

 

A beautiful, moody day,

We did not speak a word -

Just your tresses blowing

In monsoon’s benevolence

And I framing those moments

Did Life know better than us?

Perhaps it did - In its prescience

Sometimes it turns gracious

 

It grants little hidden moments

Tiny jewel boxes

Meant to be opened

In the distant future

Only then the gems sparkle -

But if precocious, the box

Will seem to contain

Reflections of our own emptiness

 

We who both loved

The melancholy of the monsoons

The foray to the fortresses

Needed another trek

Perhaps without the rains

But with the redemption of the clouds

The forgiveness of the sea breeze

And the sense of conquest

 

 

And Jaigad appeared –

The ‘citadel of victory’ –

‘Come,’ it must have said,

‘Conquer yourselves if not me’

Yes, we reached the very top

And only then realised

We had conquered indeed

All that we couldn’t win…

 

 

 

8^th Feb’ 2026