Stray Birds @ Thalam -- A big thank you!

So I bussed it -- to and fro.

"To" was fine, "fro" was crazier than my craziest nightmares and reminiscent of the wild dashes to make it into the Rajdhani -- many a time while it was moving -- from B'lore to Hyderabad (surprisingly) less than a year ago.

Fro, wouldn't have been possible (since I cannot call up Enquiry numbers and bus drivers) if I wasn't lucky enough to have a good Samaritan (and a friend of long standing) along -- to put his baritone and hustling skills to excellent use.

Linking up again with M and getting babysat (yes, I am serious, what do you know) by his 2 year old daughter was in many ways the highlight of this trip (as was the pillion ride to some place where M owns land...).   

Speaking of Thalam itself, it was a cool do, with quite a few chairs filled for the duration of the Book Launch and poetry reading. I was lucky enough to benefit from the erudite expertise of poet and writer, Ms Shikha Malviya -- she introduced me and the book, read some poems from it and then even asked me quite a few thought-provoking questions.

Naturally, she also did me the honour of releasing the book.

I again (after the Goethe event) got the idea that the bird photographs were a big draw and it was heartening to see people inside Thalam and getting close up to the birds long before the exhibition opened.

And I am sure, the photographs will continue to be a draw all through the rest of this week.

Thank you Thalam for a memorable evening (and for giving the Stray Birds the perches of your walls).

Thank you Ms. Shikha Malviya for being the nice and genuine person you are.

Thank you everyone who made it to Thalam for Stray Birds.