Some things just creep up on you. And realisation dawns slowly, but then the joy blooms. Editor: “Can I run some of your pieces that have already appeared in an online magazine?” Me: “Ok, that’ll be great.” A pause and then a second email followed… Me: “Will they pay?” Editor: “No, we cannot… sorry.” Me: “Ok, fine…It’s good exposure” (And in my head, Damn DAMN DAMNNN… But … Continue reading And I’m printed!
“you’re a vegetarian? oh…ok, yeah there are nice places for that too…” the homestay owner said in a rather disinterested voice… i understand. after years of being a vegetarian traveller, i know when people are flustered. and a vegetarian in kerala is always looked at as a weirdo. why come here and eat if you can’t eat the fish & etc… that’s the feeling. for all you vegetarians out … Continue reading top places to eat vegetarian fare at fort kochi
you live in maharashtra and are searching for that ‘lovely’ hill station to escape the heat. (a modern myth – there is no brilliant hill station close by) lonavala is hardly a hill station anymore. it’s definitely not cooler in temperature. matheran – you’ve been there, love it. but it’s too dusty to go in the summers; you need to wait for the rains… you are left … Continue reading panchgani & mahableshwar can also be fun
i would like to pack my bag, not have to work and travel all my life. wouldn’t you too? BUT (and there is always a but in most dreams) there are bills to be paid, EMIs to be deducted, restaurants to eat at and tonnes of books i must-must own. so we stay put, dig in our heels, settle into this city, feel jealous of RTW travellers and look forward … Continue reading confessions of a serial traveller
this was the first time i have consciously seen lavender flowers (and i think these are lavender flowers). i saw them from a distance and went running saying, ‘lavender, lavender…’ so if these aren’t lavender flowers please don’t tell me so, i’m oblivious-ly happy. (pun completely and totally intended; i thought through it – i wonder why people say unintended!) i have heard about those beautiful … Continue reading lavender flowers and whispers
graffiti that always catches my attention and keeps me revetted. i don’t know if this happens to you, but once i see one piece of graffiti or street art in a city, i start searching all the walls almost frantically. because if there is one piece, there are always more! i scanned the walls as i made my way from rome to venice years ago, i searched the walls to find graffiti in varanasi, visited … Continue reading walking the streets of kochi – the street art
i have to admit it, i cannot lie. i visited chennai every summer when i was in school and recently lived there for two whole years but i didn’t know all these things about chennai. when i visited last week, i decided to act like a tourist and comb the streets for facts, fiction and stories that quenched my thirst. and wow, what a find! i dare you, … Continue reading 6 things YOU didn’t know about Chennai & Madras
my article: “6 water bodies with a story to tell” is now up at The Alternative. this piece talks about crocodiles, 17th c rain water harvesting and a bubbling tank – amongst other things! let me know other water bodies with crazy stories that you have come across while traveling or in your city. pasting the link and text below. 6 Water Bodies in India with … Continue reading 6 water bodies with an unusual tale
let me begin by saying that i am a confused atheist. my parents never really took us to temples; no childhood memories of peeping over those bars for the ‘darshanam of shiva’. my mother prayed fervently till i was around 14 – she bribed god, begged god, gave up chocolate in exchange for better marks in exams for her kids… you know the stuff. and … Continue reading amritsar and her golden temple
i’m off to chennai… the land of my forefathers and the land of my parents. i never grew up there but in pune. i recently read degree coffee by the yard and you might have read my review here. it got me thinking that i didn’t know the history of chennai. so while this trip is a family reunion, it is also about me rediscovering, … Continue reading chennai “rediscovered” (coming up soon)
merry to go around 