walk like an elephant…
i had never ‘met’ an elephant!
growing up in india, i have seen many elephants of course. and not in zoos! a lot of big temples in the south would still have their stable of elephants. plus occasionally an elephant would walk down the road… and we kids would rush to see… peep out of windows… bend over from the balcony… run down the stairs and stare… in wonder…
walking down the lanes of bandra…
there is this quaint part hidden in the midst of a large, hip suburb with big buildings on either side with a suspension bridge on the third stuck in time. between modernity. this little village. stays afloat. islamic architecture melts into christian porches crosses at every turn that date to the 17th century. drying teddy bears dot today’s presence graffiti welcomes in freedom of expression … Continue reading walking down the lanes of bandra…
possession… traveling makes you let go?
“Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off-balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things – air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky – all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it.” –Cesare Pavese Continue reading possession… traveling makes you let go?
athangudi and the creators…
during my visit to chettinad, i went to a tile factory at athangudi, close to kannadukathan village.. its a common enough thing to do. and there are sufficient of them, and all tourist-friendly. that’s not a compliment. but in a village known for tiles and their aesthetics, they charge to watch them at their art! but, anyway i was there. and people had told me about it. and i had to do it.
driving from trichy to karaikudi
it had been a long journey. it had been difficult to sleep all night on that tiny seat of a mini-van with loud music, only on to keep the driver awake. but, given that our train tickets didn’t get confirmed, we were forced to make do with a last-minute haphazard plan which involved two buses and two car rides to get ketti (near ooty) to trichy! and given that it eid, and thus a long weekend. there was a never-ending stream of traveling who all seemed to be better prepared than us or rather better equipped to handle uncomfortable rides!
lesson: always book in advance when there is a long weekend in india. everyone is on the road! Continue reading “driving from trichy to karaikudi”
chettinad – love at first ‘site’!!
had heard so much about chettinad cuisine over the years, but being vegetarian it never really excited me. but, then my husband and i saw pictures of some old mansions in chettinad and knew we had to visit… the old mansions looked beautiful, and there seemed to be way more to chettinad than food and saris!
first steps we had to find a nice place to stay. we chanced upon Visalam managed by CGH Earth. it seemed to have captured that old-world charm without going over-board! none of the places in karaikudi or nearby seemed nearly as good! when we reached at an early 8am, we were awed by the beauty of the house. how they had managed to renovate it! Continue reading “chettinad – love at first ‘site’!!”
children during travel…
realise that title could be misleading! i don’t mean how to take children along when you travel, have no experience of that, and currently, well don’t wish to either! it feels like it will be akin to traveling with mr-demanding-my-way-all-time and then they always want their way! god. [yeah that my (maybe myopic) view of kids right now!] i like bumping into kids. sometimes local, sometimes other … Continue reading children during travel…
the woman with the funny nostrils…
it was a road trip. and like all road trips begin… this one started late. we were to leave a good 2 hours before we finally left. we were to leave earlier so that we avoided traffic on the way out of bombay, which we didn’t! so… well… its ok! we were driving to goa. had a friend’s wedding and decided to make it into … Continue reading the woman with the funny nostrils…
the man from beyond
he was standing there in the corner. suspicious. wondering why i was peeping into his private space. his 2 ft by 2 ft home. in the morning time, while he say brushing his teeth in the corner. i had looked in from the window in the wall. in an otherwise quite space, in the middle of an orchard of trees, no one came sauntering in. his … Continue reading the man from beyond
bangkok and swaadeeeka
i have been to the ‘red-light’ area in pune, india. the first time i went with my mother!! she needed to get a tabla repaired and the person who worked best with tablas had his shop in the middle of the red light area. i sat and waited on the scooter. i must have been 14. i watched women dressed in saris, with pallus hanging … Continue reading bangkok and swaadeeeka
merry to go around 