somewhere in the himalayan range, hidden between two passes lies the spiti valley. it is a 5 – 7 hour rocky journey from manali or shimla, depending on which side you enter from. an arid landscape, above the snow line, with no trees and just shrubs eating up the sun with a hungry thirst. it was a jeep safari, that lasted 9 days, but a … Continue reading a taste of spiti, himachal
it was the first night at varanasi. as i decided to venture into the dark & dingy ganga-fuji restaurant. the owner waxed eloquent about his food and chatted about tourists, varanasi and everything by the river. the food turned out to be decent though not as brilliant as he promised it would be. he was warm and chatty and made the experience interesting. what i liked … Continue reading varanasi by the ganga: a sketch
I love Varanasi. And at the same time, I hate Varanasi! Read no further, if you cannot understand this emotion… if you think you feel the same, continue. Varanasi startles each of my senses every time I visit… and it always takes a little time getting used to the city. From the loud, incessant horns and the clanging temple bells to the dung-lined lanes with … Continue reading why i LOVE to HATE varanasi
First published on the AudioCompass Blog, written by moi 🙂 This is the link to the piece there: Five Best Places to Celebrate Holi Holi, the wildest Hindu Festival is loud, chaotic, lively and colourful. And, of course, you want to celebrate it. This festival is not celebrated in the South of India, so we focus our lens to the cities and towns in the rest … Continue reading five best places to celebrate holi
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
merry to go around 