Spots And Dots Of A Kumaoni Pichora

The last time we wore our ‘Kumaoni pichora’, or 'leopard spotted stoles' as my youngest insisted on calling, was for my cousin’s wedding two years ago. I took this picture of my mother around that time. She was among the few ladies who glowed in her distinctive Kumaoni nose ring. Draped on her was the…

The House That Nana Built.

82 Araghar was my Nana's house, my second address all through my growing years. It was tall, white, double storey opposite the Araghar Post Office. In fact Nana's house looked like a slice of cake with pretty white trimming, served on a narrow platter. A gushing canal ran along its boundary walls for many years…

A Hauntingly Good Walk!

The Forest Research Institute (FRI) in Dehradun India, is every bit grand as its name. Ask the locals and on cue they go into raptures. See the sweeping emerald green lawns and don't miss the museum and the botanical garden! The monkeys are a menace and be careful of leopards. Yes! They sneak up on…

Identity Crisis and The Indian Election Mahakumbh!

"Where are you from?" I am often asked this question. I blame my non distinctive looks that place me anywhere from the North Eastern region of India to Nepal, Tibet, Thailand. Once I was even excitedly pegged for a Japanese by my country men. Sigh! Closer home, confusion reigns supreme in my state of Uttarakhand.…

October Bytes#1 -The Wonder Wall

Behind the tree, On the wall. Neglected yet resplendent, Lord Shiva in his divine form. This was on the road I often passed, Eyes locked on traffic, honking horn, A flash of blue caught my eye, A Pahadi nose ring, And an enigmatic Mona Lisa smile. "And all the roads we have to walk are…

A peek into a Nature festival in the hills

"Rajpur is a charming hamlet by day but a ghostly one at night. Why on earth do you want to go to a nature festival organised there? Its hairpin turns and narrow lanes are mind boggling to navigate in the dark." Well, that meant I had to egg my family harder to join me in…

“Mural , mural on the wall…”

Dan Brown is writing a new Robert Langdon book 'Origins'. What if he heads to India this time? Well I lived the life of Robert Langdon over the weekend, for a short while. The mission - to decipher the clues left behind by the artists of the bygone era. Of course the setting was neither…

Harela and other Kumaoni things.

"Tomorrow is a holiday because of harela . What in the world is harela?" "Harela ? Actually it's a Kumaoni festival during which cereal grains are sprouted at home. After a few days when they begin resembling long grass ,they are cut and distributed among the family members in a ritual, praying for their good…