top of page

Dear Readers,

 

Welcome to the second edition of our digital wallpaper, Tapri on Wheels. We are delighted to bring to you not just an experience, but an abode we collectively can call home. The hometowns of 37 students reside in these panels, waiting to be explored. Upon entering, instead of laddoos and snacks, we invite you to relish the soul food; filling your heart with a warm sense of nostalgia, reminiscence, reflections, and metaphorical chai that seeps way past into your bones, hugging you like a warm, soft blanket on a rainy day. 

 

This wallpaper features written works from across the country - taking you into an immersive journey where every one of us tells you the story of where we come from and how it's made us who we are. The chai tapris nascent to conversations, thoughts, and a quaint sense of belonging and love from across our hometowns will wheel in a memorable experience should you choose to pick up a matka, cup, or glass and sip from it wholeheartedly. 

 

Presenting to you the 2021 edition of Tapri On Wheels called 'Sheher-dar-Sheher: Hometowns' along with the very first Tapri On Wheels original soundtrack. Don't forget to press play before you start reading, let the music waft through your ears while our words waft through your heart.

 

To us, 'Hometowns' feels like the perfect theme for the second issue of the digital wallpaper - the first issue's theme being where we want to be and this one focusing on where we're from. This issue is all about where you're from and how it's made you, you. This issue is all about meeting new people on campus under the beautiful Lavale sky and talking about your journeys so far. This issue is for all of you, from all of us.

 

We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to Professor Mithunchandra Chaudhari for his support, guidance and belief in our ability to translate feelings into art - creating a community of not just those who write, but those who live too.

 

Warm Regards,

Aashay Inamdar, Gitanjali Tyagi, Trina Dutt

Editors - Tapri on Wheels

Grounds

Joseph Antony


I venture out into the know,

Yet unknown alleys of my past

Never-ending roads leading to a light that shone

The city I live in, the city of contrast


Empty land turned into home ground

Held a bat, threw a ball, rode a bike

Learned a lot, lost a few, ran around

The city of grounds, the city I like


Children of today have a race to ace

Not on the grounds, as they are no more

Building blocks placed all around the base

The hustle to find more blocks is the race that tore


With spaces confining and walls kissing each other

No space to play, no space to live but enough to sit

My children would get a chair to discover

And join the race to make chairs that fit



Memories Of A Cinephile

Eshwarchandra Josyam


What a gorgeous baby. You must be so proud

“I’m Mrs. Cotwell”

I’m Mr. Charlie

Shall we begin?

(Baby’s Day Out, 1994)

















Ever since

my definition of happiness has changed.

Finding a reason to smile became meaningful.


X


Twenty-six years ago,

We started playing a little game

And now we’re all sitting down

And we’re finishing it.

(Jumanji, 1995)
















Ever since,

my search for adventure has started.

Finding the magic in every game became normal.


x


“911, Emergency”

I saw a burglar

“Are you by yourself?”

My mom just had to run out for a few minutes. I have chickenpox.

(Home Alone 3, 1997)


















Ever since my silence towards wrongdoings has vanished.

Contemplation on how to right the wrong began.


x


Let them bring me to your holy mountain,

in the place where you dwell.

Across the desert and through the mountain

to the Canyon of the Crescent Moon.

(Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, 1989)















Ever since,

my dreams of the canyon and the crescent moon have multiplied.

Unraveling the mysteries and myths has become exciting.


x


“We have both come to ask you about the puzzle box”

No. You came to ask me about Hamunaptra.

“How do you know the box pertains to Hamunaptra?”

Because that’s where I was when I found it. I was there.

(The Mummy, 1999)
















Ever since,

my curiosity about mystical places has grown exponentially.

Solving the puzzles has never been this easy.


x


The enemy has only images

And illusions,

Behind which he hides his true motives

Destroy the image and you will break the enemy.

(Enter the Dragon, 1973)














Ever since,

my eyes have looked for images all over.

Diving through hidden motives of the human mind.


x


You stare at him and he just stares right back

That’s when the attack comes

Not from the front, but from the side

From the other two raptors, you didn’t even know were there.

(Jurassic Park, 1993)

















Ever since,

my coordination with the five senses has been smooth.

Fighting my inner demons became simple.


X


Hello, Jack. I changed my mind.

They said you might be up here.

“Sssh…Give me your hand.”

“Now close your eyes. Go on.”

(Titanic, 1997)
















Ever since,

I have understood the liberation of the self

We cannot love someone without totally loving ourselves.

x


You never really remember the beginning of a dream

You always wind up right in the middle of what’s going on

So, how did we end up here?

Think about it…How did you get here?

(Inception, 2010)

















Ever since, I have realized that I’m living a dream of my subconscious.

My conscious mind is also a part of that dream.


x


One of these bullets is like us

Traveling forwards through time.

The other one’s going backwards.

Can you tell which is which?

(Tenet, 2020)




















Ever since,

I have stopped chasing memories of the past.

Instead, I focused on creating timeless moments in the present.


Me & My Hometown

Keshav Vashisht


I belong to North India, Jammu to be precise. In my hometown we speak the language Dogri. A dialect which you can only speak, not write. Often when I tell people I belong to Jammu and Kashmir, they get confused and say ‘Oh you belong Kashmir’ not realising that people who belong to Jammu and those who belong to Kashmir are two different people, two different cultures. Kashmiris eat different types of food, wear different clothes, speak a different language and follow a totally different type of lifestyle and same goes for the people who belong to Jammu. People who belong to Jammu are known as Dogras and those who belong to Kashmir are called Kashmiris.


In Jammu people have a very good habit, they will never let you go empty handed and empty stomach. Like, be prepared when you enter a dogra household you will definitely leave with a box full of sweets and a stomach full of food, food that you would want to eat even though you're full. In Jammu we have a special tea called ‘Desi Chai’. I really don't know how to explain how it's made but it's entirely different from regular tea. People over there are a little lazy as well, but loving and caring to no end. Ask anyone for help and they will not turn you down.


Seeing the people over there I have learnt to be kind, it helps you a lot. Because you never know when you will come across that person and need their help. Being in my hometown I have learnt that sometimes others will never know about your roots or background but it shouldn't stop you from being proud of who you are and where you come from. Not many people know about Dogras. Imagine speaking a language that you CAN NOT write. Not everyone knows that people of Jammu are different from those who belong to Kashmir. Often people confuse that the two are the same. But still even if most people are alien to our culture, we still take pride in ourselves and in who we are. We never stopped speaking our language, we never stopped being who we are. After all, you can't always change yourself just because others don’t get you.

bottom of page