Tourism is a deadly sin
It was four in the morning and we were slowly making our way through the dark lobby of our hotel to go outside. There were two dark figures, probably the night-shift receptionist and another person presumably to attend calls to housekeeping, snoring without a care on the sofa there. As we stepped out and breathed...
Our yellow-infused blind travel date
‘I think I’ll pack this yellow khadi suit,’ said Specky, my wife, ‘will be absolutely cool and go well with the blue skies in Goa.’ I smiled because this was the fifth yellow to go into her bag after yellow silk jootis, yellow cotton cap, her notebook with a textured yellow cover, and a pen...
Driving along the Ganga
Driving along the Ganga Note: We have just returned from a trek to the Valley of flowers and Hemkund. We had a long conversation with River Pushpavati, River Laxmanganga, and the mighty River Alakhnanda which finally gets to be called The Ganga. This poem is a tribute to these conversations. LaxmanGanga is also called...
Mughals for the travel enthusiast
The representation of the Mughal Era doesn’t revolve only around a road in Delhi named after Aurangzeb. Kebabs originating from the imperial kitchens of the Mughals, Persian that converged with Turkish and Arabic to transform into Urdu, art and painting styles, and architecture are just a few connections that still go on and converge with...
The fearful and the fearsome at Bhangarh
Where there are crowds, there will be noise. I’m sure this disorients and puts fear into the ghosts that are said to haunt the ruins of Bhangarh in Rajasthan. The fort of Bhangarh in Alwar district is on the border of Sariska Reserve in the Aravali range and is on a slope overlooked by hills...
On a catamaran to see what Indra’s jealousy did
Trip to Mahabalipuram – 02 ‘If you want to go on a catamaran to see the submerged pagodas, you will need to be at the shore at sunrise,’ said the friendly manager of Chariot Beach Resort. And yes, I was there and I must say the sun rising on the horizon has an hypnotic...
In the midst of everything that matters
In the midst of everything that matters Trip to Mahabalipuram – 01 Travel isn’t an escape… and yet it is. If subliminal urban charms like mall-hopping, weaving in and out of intense traffic, racing with city-bred stress, and posturing in the virtual world need to be distanced, one needs an escape. However, every escape...
The many faces of retreat
Someone rightly pointed out that it takes more courage to retreat than to advance. After all, to retreat, in the parlance of generals and commanders is to regroup, rejuvenate, and be ready for another assault. A retreat thus isn’t about forgetting the art of advancing but just another effective method to re-energize, replenish, regroup, and...
Great tourism statistics has great ideas working for them
Great tourism statistics has great ideas working for them Look at any of the cities or countries where tourists queue to go to and the first realization is that the government, big corporates, and the people have come together and woven mysteries that bring in people with a lot of curiosity within them. I believe...
On Cloud 9 and under an umbrella in Mumbai
On Cloud 9 and under an umbrella in Mumbai Mumbai in August can be charmingly unpredictable and yet smiles at you in a myriad ways. From couples huddling under an umbrella to a bhel-puri seller ready to prepare a helping for you from under his weather-beaten umbrella… from beach photographers protecting their DSLRs to your...
Finding yourself – poetry and the potter’s wheel
Pottery-making, some of us may think, is just another job… but trying to discover elements of poetry in it is certainly an adventure. Adventure, let me add here, isn’t about confrontations with evil forces, nor is it about victory over whatever is perceived as unwholesome. Adventure has more to do with travelling into the heart...
Finding yourself – The Fort
Adventure isn’t always about risks or hazards. One doesn’t really have to hang dangerously from a precipice or step into perils to taste it. Adventure is all about finding yourself, finding life… or as Forrest Gump famously said, ‘Life is a box of chocolates’ where every bite is going to be full of new and...
