Going For The Ram Mandir Darshan In Ayodhya

If you are in or around Ayodhya, literally all conversations and roads lead to the Ram Mandir. It doesn’t matter that the said temple is under construction. It is a magnet for everyone visiting the city. We want to see it and the locals know it too. Flower Power I must have been accosted by…

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Finding Peace In Ayodhya

I first visited Ayodhya, land of Rama, in December 2021. It was a city doused in the colour yellow. The golden haze of the winter sun enveloped the walls and the building by the side of the road which lead to the city center. Coincidentally all of them seemed to be painted in a cheery…

Strolling In Sarnath, India.

Sarnath was never on top of my list of places to visit. I was mildly curious though. Gautam Buddha had preached his first sermon there and it was home to the Ashoka Lion Capital (India’s national emblem). Honestly, I had no idea what I would see other than perhaps it would be a huge thing…

In Varanasi, Travel Taught Me

“That’s the thing about time, isn’t it? It’s not all the same. Some days, some years, some decades are empty. There is nothing to them. It’s just flat water. And then you come across a year, or even a day, or an afternoon. And it is everything. It is the whole thing.”Matt Haig When did…

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…

Unexpected Beauty Of Akhnoor, India.

When your expectations are low because everyone says there isn't anything to see in a small, dusty town called Akhoor, you hide behind your sunglasses and nod off. You instead look forward to sampling the flavours of the sprawling Jammu City next door, perhaps launch a pilgrimage to the Vaishno Devi Shrine. Till your eyes…

October fiestas and spooky discourse.

The festive month of October is over. We prayed and worshipped, fasted and feasted, exulted when the demons burnt and basked in the presence of family and friends. We glowed with desires and wishful thinking on karwachauth, the desi Valentines Day for the truly madly deeply in love and then in a blink of an eye,…

October Bytes#3: Ravana Rush

Dussehra had always meant watching the towering effigies of the Asura king Ravana with impressive ten heads, Meghnad, his valiant son and Kumbhkaran, his fierce brother, installed in the huge open maidan appropriately called Parade Ground. Much of the conversation would centre around how it was a shade better than the year before; bigger definitely…

Agartala Adventures-Things that made me go whoa!

What did I know about Agartala, other than it was Tripura's capital? Nothing really. To tell you the truth, I did the mandatory reading and research befitting a traveller on her maiden visit but nothing quite prepared me for the place or the surprises tucked away. This post is therefore devoted to my Dora the…

My Hymn For The Weekend-The Jhanda Fair

The widely popular Jhanda Mela began with a gusto on the same day the world turned green celebrating St Patrick's Day. Here it was a sea of saffron as far as eyes could see, it was the opening event of the annual pilgrimage to the Guru Ram Rai Darbar Sahib. For the uninitiated, the Darbar…