October Bytes#4: Cave walk At The Thousand-Fold Spring

We call it Sahasradhara, the Thousand Fold Spring. With a name so lyrical, the place is famous for its natural beauty and the sulphur springs. I remember it from my childhood, a quiet picnic spot, surrounded by tall limestone hills, a sparkling stream, the sun shining, birds chirping and the gleeful shouts of the local…

Twisted

I confess, I am guilty of holding on to scraps and stuff. Sometimes I keep them for sentimental reasons but mostly for the kids if they ever wish to build a spaceship in the backyard. While my family despairs at my inability to deal with my hoarding syndrome, in a twist of fate I found…

The clue in the ancient writing.

It was billed as a walk among ancient edicts, read a message from King Ashoka himself, a man who lived 2000 years ago. Today he is a rockstar of his times, his life story is the stuff what legends are made of. Reputed to be ruthless, he renounced his blood thirsty ways at the height…

Painting a town called Jaipur pink

We had been friends for aeons now so it was bound to happen. More than a million conversations later, that stretched for hours on the phone, the girl gang of two (Number 3 dropped out), decided to take the long overdue no men or kids, girls only trip. We picked Jaipur, famed for its opulent…

Going Elephantastic in Jaipur

I am in a train returning from Jaipur and this is all I can think of- elephants in Jaipur and not the usual camels associated with the desert state. Apparently I came across one on each day of my short visit, which is mind boggling in itself. I had hoped to see camels roaming the…

WPC- Another face in the crowd

The path winds, golden rays, a hint of green, Are you really seeing it? "Nope. I'm into a portable screen." Clicking pictures, freezing moment in time, That's right, they can speak a thousand words. They scream,"We are all doing just fine." Red, orange, happy and loud, Congrats! A handcrafted persona. "Yay! I'm not just a…

Robber’s Cave Transformed!

Robber's Cave, locals call it 'Guchhupani', totally lived up to the drama its name conjured up. The old timers spun tales of deep underground caverns and tunnels that crisscrossed the city, many were used by the robbers of yore as shortcuts, escape routes and hideaways to stash away their loot. Folks still insist that much…

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…

Treasure hunt in Jagatgram.

Jagat= world, Gram=village. All the Indiana Jones and Lara Crofts were in a tizzy. From Kalsi, home to the Ashokan edict, we were driving to the site of the Ashwamedha Yagya, that’s an ancient practice of horse sacrifice conducted by a king who wished to flex his muscles without declaring a war on his neighbors. Nobody…

Collage

  All year long, little hands scribble and scratch, swirls of colours in waves and giant balls. They gleefully rip, many times carelessly snip and then glue the bits. The characters begin to come together; snakes and lamps, planes and trees, traffic lights, Santa, creatures under the sea. Then comes the time when it's imperative…