Back to the Thames River walk
London. 09 June 2014. We’re a mere 10 minute walk from our sighting of the Tower Bridge in London. Our first day in London began as a day that was classified as a pleasant day here and towards afternoon, Monika said, ‘Let’s go out.’ And thus began our Thames River walk again after a gap...
QR 565 and QR 005
New Delhi to London via Doha. Qatar Airways. 08 June 2014 Uber. The day has been outstanding so far or as the German would have said: ‘Above the ordinary!’ It began with a ride in Uber Cabs to IGIA, then some great service in Qatar Airways, and then a few hours spent at a...
PawanKali is in love with Batalik
‘First Aid Box. Check. Knife. Check. Spectacle Case. Check,’ I said aloud. ‘Knife?’ asked Specky, ‘Why are you taking a knife with you?’ I corrected her, ‘It’s that Victorinox Swiss Knife. And I need to have it with me. After all I’m going on a wildlife safari to Dudhwa.’ So this was how I began...
Bloggers – the online chefs
I’ve headed Corporate Communications for years and I know how expensive one print insert is. But does this mean that every insert must necessarily lead to purchase decisions? No. Every print media insert costing lakhs or av bytes on the av media will not necessarily make the sales charts sing with joy. The ad-campaign decisions...
TRAVE-nama
This is no drama Nor just a fancy panorama And if you’ve heard of Akbarnama Or Dozakhnama You’ll know what I mean When I ask you to read my TRAVE-nama! My Trave-nama isn’t just an account of my travels into lands that stay forever in your memory. There have been many such travels and I...
PicTale 012 – What you see is never the truth… in Delhi
‘Which side is Naurang House,’ I asked when I was somewhere on KG Marg in Delhi. He immediately waved to his right and confidently said, ‘Just 10 minutes in this direction.’ As he walked away I happened to look straight across the road and saw the place I was searching for… and all I...
PicTale 011 – Dissection of a racing car
I flew down to Coimbatore in December 2012 to drive with Narain. Yes, Narain Karthikeyan, the legendary Formula 1 driver from India. I was right next to him as he drove his twin seater at a mind-blowing… oops, body-blowing 260 kmph for full five rounds of the racing circuit there on the outskirts of...
PicTale 009 – ‘Sarfaroshi ki tamanna’ in Singapore
We stumbled upon a not-so-obvious lane in Singapore that was brimming with graffiti… wall after wall of fascinating art. And yet, the longer I looked at the artworks, I felt uneasy. This wasn’t spontaneous outpouring of emotions… there was something too cosmetic about it. Look at this picture… you find an almost deliberate attempt...
The mathematics of travel
Travel is all about happiness… and happiness is all about togetherness. To be travelling alone doesn’t deprive you of the experiences and impressions of the place where you are, but you always feel there was something missing in all these smiles that you gave while being clicked, or something incomplete in the way you described...
The truth behind freedom
Yatra. Yatra is the truth behind freedom. Yatra is the truth that the historians and all the other thinkers and writers have mentioned but never really got down to identifying it as the one vital reason that led to India’s freedom. When I say yatra, I mean travel… travel is what opens the mind to...
In Coimbatore with Narain Karthikeyan. A great drive – entry for Michelin Pilot Experience by Arvind Passey
A Great Drive – entry for Michelin Pilot Experience by Arvind Passey We were waiting for Narain to come. Narain Karthikeyan, the legendary Formula 1 driver from India. I had flown in from a cold Delhi to a warm Coimbatore in December and loved the tepid sun though I felt better in the shade...
Searching for roads in the sand dunes
Searching for roads in the sand dunes A great drive – entry for Michelin Pilot Experience by Arvind Passey ‘The great escape,’ I heard someone say, ‘is like searching for roads in the sand dunes.’ I thought for a while, turned to him, and asked, ‘Roads in the dunes?’ he was one of the rally...
