my foray into reading non-fiction began with city of djinns by william dalrymple. i loved the book, the narrative, what he chose to include and what he chose leave out, his entire journey of discovery of this city. with the lens of an outsider he managed to get under the skin, and show me a delhi that i actually fell in love with. (am a … Continue reading book review: degree coffee by the yard – good & bad
Gaiety has got to be one of the complicated words in English, or at least for me. I always mess up the ‘e’, then need to lean backwards and stare at the word till it says I’m missing an ‘e’ or its ‘i’ before ‘e’… The actual Gaiety Theatre in Shimla is not missing anything, and if you haven’t been there then you’ve bypassed a charming … Continue reading the gaiety theatre at shimla
‘A’ got back from Kolkata yesterday. He really liked the city, except for the traffic. (that might be true of most cities in India. You take away the traffic from Mumbai and it’s gorgeous and grand) It got me thinking about Kolkata and this great old city that stands strong in the East of India – though many people feel that it has lost it’s … Continue reading rabindranath tagore still lives in kolkata
the joy in colour can never take away from the romance in black & white. presenting shimla coloured with shades of black and white with a lot of greys. Continue reading shimla: it’s all grey there!
I had been to Shimla when I was 11 years old, and even then people spoke about the crowd, excessive development, commercial establishments ruining the city and the downward slide of the once summer capital of the British Raj in India. I don’t remember much about that trip. I had gone with my parents and my cousins, and like all family trips, the children tend … Continue reading shimla and why it surprised me
2013 was a year with a late start. we moved into a new house and with all the work that had us stuck in mumbai, we traveled only in the second half of the year. we went to 13 cities and a handful of villages (counting spiti as one city, though we went to five different villages there). i saw a lot, ate a lot, … Continue reading 2013 in travel: 12 cities, a handful of villages, 11 states & numerous stories
i started blogging regularly around one year and two months ago. and this is my first competition…. i need YOUR help and i want to be a strong contender. i want to be in the top 25. what won’t i do for free travel. what won’t you do for free travel. the kerala tourism board has been luring all the participants with all the beautiful … Continue reading change my world
mumbai is a city that has a lot to offer. i really believe that, i’m not just partial. but it’s also true that a lot of people dismiss the city; seen that happen on thorn tree repeatedly. i think that largely happens because of three reasons: traffic, density of people and concentration of visible heritage sites only in one part of the city. and once you’re … Continue reading 4 things to do in mumbai that aren’t in a guidebook
“i think we go to the mountains really often,” i said. “maybe…” came the stoic reply with the hint of the question mark at the end. i could continue it meant… i did. “we live in the coast, to the west of india. and towards the end of the year we seem to make our way to delhi, then by road we head further north … Continue reading what do you choose: mountains or beaches?
yes. its been a bit of a harassing spell from my end to all those people whose email ids i have, to all those on my facebook timeline… i am back here to persuade all those 300+ subscribers to my blog. there is a competition being run by the kerala tourism board and 25 lucky winners get to go for a two-week trip from the north … Continue reading help me win a trip to god’s own country
merry to go around 