holi is not one of my favourite festivals. i know its got tomatina festival like status amongst tourists, but growing up in india i did not like it. playing as a child 0f 7 and then later as an adolescent of 15, this festival takes on different colours! i did not like the free license it gave boys to touch girls, anywhere. it was like during … Continue reading the non-religious origins of the festival of HOLI
every year, the ganga changes during the monsoon. she becomes mightier than ever… moves swiftly, charging down the slopes, and everywhere by her banks are signs of warning. “do not enter the water”. she becomes inaccessible to the fervent pilgrim & untouchable to the adventurous rafter. she courses down the mountain, as if she owns the land. as if she was never tamed in shiva’s … Continue reading desilting the ghats of varanasi
The ghats of Varanasi are a fantastic interaction with India in all shapes, sizes, forms and volume levels! Like a densely packed Gujarati thaali, there is always something new and lots of choice to find your favourite! Cows jostling along with the faithful, and then street dogs chasing each other. In the water, the fervent believer dipping his head in the water, making his offerings to … Continue reading the ghats of varanasi
graffiti has always meant rebellion for me! mumbai proved me wrong. walls were covered with the permission of the residents of that house / building. read more about my discovery of graffiti in bandra. but still, graffiti didn’t become ‘acceptable’. it has always had that streak of mischief embedded. so, varanasi and graffiti” in the same breath, didn’t seem possible to me. afterall, varanasi is … Continue reading graffiti in varanasi
there are many buildings in india that could do with a little more attention, a little more investment and a little more love! one startling example is right here in mumbai. this was a glorious hotel in the heydays of the british empire here in bombay. it was the tallest building and it overlooked the beautiful bombay harbour. it was said that a ship coming … Continue reading abandoned
so you’re visiting goa and this time you are around panaji. what can you do? don’t shudder and think the beaches are so far away, there is a lot of non-beach that you can do in goa! and this post tells you what all you can do within 10 kms from panaji. hire a bike and zoom around. 1. visit velha goa or old goa! … Continue reading 7 things to do within 10 kms of panaji, goa
and you are reading one of the top blogs in india – this is a list of the top 500 blogs in india. they have a process of selection and I’d like to believe it’s extremely rigorous and I got selected. doing my little dance around in my chair which involves me bouncing about in a rather sloppy, podgy way. interestingly, I made it to … Continue reading you are reading a TOP blog of INDIA!
you are at hauz khas, new delhi. There is the glitzy glamour of the designer boutiques on the main road… with their brightly lit front glass shop fronts, the slim mannequins that make everything look runway fresh and their dangerous promises to transform an average Jane into a Kate Moss. The halo of consumerism is alive here, tempting even the most inept window browser and pushing … Continue reading the two sides of hauz khas, new delhi
The Hauz Khas I was told to visit was all shops, designer outlets and eclectic array of restaurants, cafes and bars. That’s why I went there, for tea and then to meet a friend for dinner. The sheer density of shops startled me – neither did it have the cramped quirkiness of an actual bazaar, nor did it have the feel of a nice up-market mall. … Continue reading hauz khas – heritage for you and me
there he stood, in a dark greyish black sweatshirt and with a calm, quiet voice he said, “please gather around, we will begin shortly. i am a research student here and i will be your guide for the day.” what followed was a 30 minute treat where we roamed around the indian institute of advanced study, listened to stories, checked out exhibits and clicked a few … Continue reading 8 reasons why you should visit the indian institute of advanced study, shimla
merry to go around 