What Making the Mountains of Manali a Home Feels Like

Suddenly, an email popped up today with this video created by my dear friend Jay Mishra, who had visited Khwaabgah: our home, last winter. I remember it to be one fine morning in January this year but now it feels like an aeon ago. When winds of change hadn't stepped in our little sleepy and little snowy village. When all we were celebrating was the winter sun. When all we were waiting for was snow. Our conversations mostly circled around chai, more chai, sun, lazying around in the sun, and the adoption of our pups. Our diction lacked words like Covid or quarantine. Life was simple back then. Eh?

Manali has been experiencing an extended off season and it doesn't feel the same. The lanes are empty and there is barely any music on the street. The cafes are sleeping and so are the dogs. It's just unreal, like a lot of other things.

But hey, thank you, Jay Mishra for creating this magical video and sharing a slice of nostalgia with us. The days when life was simple and all we were waiting for was snow, chai and more chai.