RENO -Journal-February 15-19, 2025
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Snow, Winter’s Glory
2007, the last time, when I was,
With mother nature’s pure raiment.
Now ploughing speedily on I 80,
Admiring the white embankments,
Never tired of seeing the unending,
Prominent color, soft white!
It seems that all other colors,
Pay homage to the goddess of knowledge,
Sarasvati, who shines with the garland made of snow,
By shedding all their leaves and fruits,
Exposing only the grey and black,
Making a fitting color contrast to the white of the snow!
Concretions lining the city streets,
Had lady like snow caps all in a row.
Icicles hanging from roof edges,
Keep the spirit of Christmas still alive.
Sinking one’s feet into the soft snow,
Cupping some in my palm,
Felt the natural silence and peace,
Brought on by Winter’s Glory.
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Truckee Meadows and the Sierra Nevada Mountains
Throughout even my youth, I have been fascinated
By those giants, that rise from the earth.
Mountains are best appreciated,
When poised below in a valley.
Scaling their size with head tilted up,
Moving from the ground and up to the skies.
Here I am surrounded, no matter where I am,
By great tall giants, all covered in white.
To me they seem so much wiser,
As they are closer to the sky.
I have no words to describe their serene beauty.
Over- awed, I simply am !
The old and the new -Reno
The colorful welcoming greeting,
Reno, that bridges the 2 sides of the road,
Still smacks with a casino flavor.
“The Biggest Little City in the World”
Takes me right into the town.
The old and the new buildings,
Blend smoothly side by side.
Sidewalks are frequented by folks,
From all parts of the world too.
A friendliness here like that of Petaluma.
The cleanliness, the good roads, the cheaper fuel,
Makes all the difference to the tourist from afar.
ART is everywhere here
Driving in and around town,
From all sides, mural art,
Reaches out to you.
Each one, so sophisticated,
Placed well to get attention.
Then there are the sculptures,
From the “Burning Man”,
That speak to you,
Without words.
Bridges, store fronts, electric boxes
Colorfully decorated, all point
To the hand of many talented artists,
Who found much inspiration here.
One of two reasons for a forth coming visit,
By me, to this high desert, little city.
RENO, yet to please.
Coming from California, with a picky palate
Reno has yet to please the gourmet in me.
Even the best ones here are a poor show.
The food somehow lacked life and lustre.
However, breakfast at Peg’s Café,
Had my eyes swell up with tears,
My heart full of memories.
The hearty, hefty meal, the ambience and service,
Recreated the 60s when I arrived, a foreigner.
This country welcomed me with open arms, then.
A time when humanity was perhaps at its best.
Here did I find a system so different,
From the homeland, India.
This new country nourished me,
The total human being that, I now am!
Night time grand illumination
Never been a fan of gambling.
The drive through downtown, though
Held my interest, admiring the architecture,
That went into the building of these casinos.
The sculptures had a Greco- Roman touch.
The fancy gaudy illumination, that shone at night,
Now a mockery to what the city previously thrived on,
Funds from human weakness!
I hear that many are abandoned.
If so, why not convert them into malls,
Some into affordable office space,
Most of all provide creative, adequate housing,
For UNV students, who need them so badly?
The Abode of Knowledge-UNV Reno
Being a Hindu by birth and faith,
I know the famous truth,
That wherever Sarasvati,
The goddess of Knowledge triumphs,
There, Jyeshta Lakshmi, the older one,
Whose abode is the gamblers’ den,
Sister to Lakshmi, the goddess of Bounty
Undernourished, will slink away in time.
UNV, Reno, seems to spread in all directions.
Though quiet over the weekend, I could sense,
A vibrancy in its buildings both old and new.
Reverence and gratitude to the past,
Seen in the mural dedicated,
To the many native tribes of this area,
Whose connection to this land,
Is woven in spiritually and to life, itself.
The sculpture “The Shepherd,
Serves as a tribute,
To Basque immigrants, for their courage.
Who brought old world values,
To the American West.
A clean campus, where the few students,
Seemed to hold a sense of purpose,
While walking or seated at consoles.
Facilities like the unique library and the gym,
The various halls, the treelined pathways,
The awesome Mackay Stadium, home to the Wolf Pack,
Kindled in me a wish to be a student,
A devotee to the Muses, once again.
Truckee River-The Vibrant Soul of Reno
Rivers and creeks speak to my soul,
Like no other form in Nature.
Of these those rivers that rush,
That tumble, splash and whoosh,
Hastily riding over rocks and boulders,
With bravery tinged with confidence,
Feed my soul with much power and love!
She, the Truckee River, sole outlet,
From the blue waters of Lake Tahoe,
To me, has taken on a color of her own.
Unlike her mother she is far from the calm.
She has a zest for life, that is displayed,
So vividly throughout her journey,
Through this little city of Reno.
Not just by her sounds but also,
By her temperamental looks,
With every few steps, so unpredictable.
Only a small part of the River Walk,
Did I have the time to pace and gaze,
And yet I was rewarded in plenty.
So much so that now I am here,
So far away and strangely yet,
Just thinking of her, I am filled,
With a deep sense of buoyant bliss.
Herein lies my primary need,
To visit that River, in that City again,
This time perhaps in Spring!
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