Category: India

  • Jibhi: A Month in the Mountains

    This Himalayan trip was easily one of my best – a week in the astounding desert of Spiti and then over a month in Jibhi – a beautiful, lush green mountain town at 7,000 ft. The idea was simple, leave the metropolis madness called Mumbai behind and be closer to nature. And so it happened.…

  • Wandering In The Himalayas : 50 Days In Spiti, Jibhi and Shimla

    What is it about ‘a month’ of time, that makes it really exciting to spend ‘a month’ in a place? Wandering in the Himalayas for a month had been on my mind since a long time. Now that it has happened, I am thinking of spending a few more months next time around. 😀 I think a…

  • Reflections: The People Of The Himachal Villages

    Small friendly gestures, quick laughs, a fleeting romance in the heart or a simple, resonating conversation on the road. Cherished by travellers, these interactions are unexpected and what makes them more special is that they are between complete strangers. You may not know the person’s name, background or any details at all. And yet those…

  • Spiti Valley Travel Guide: Meeting The High Himalayas

    योगीश्वराय महादेवाय त्रयंबकाय त्रिपुरान्तकाय त्रिकाग्नि कालाय कालाग्नि रुद्राय नीलकण्ठाय मृत्युञ्जयाय सर्वेश्वराय सदाशिवाय महादेवाय नमः महादेवाय नमः महादेवाय नमः I have explored various parts of the Himalayas in India. The chardham in Uttarakhand, gardens and lakes of Kashmir, Buddhist ambience of Sikkim, amazing hospitality of Himachalis – the diversity and mountain environment make a rich experience. I have…

  • Solo Cycle Touring In Different Corners Of The World

    I prefer slow, immersive travel experiences. In the Summer of 2015, I went on my first trip to Europe, and tried out solo cycle touring. It was amazing and I found it very well suited for my tastes. Since then I have been on more cycling adventures in other countries and within India too. Writing…

  • Kalaghoda Arts Festival, Mumbai

    A few pictures from the Kalaghoda Arts Festival 2017 & a quick note on how to best experience it. These are overall my thoughts about how this festival can be experienced. If you want to go there to take your photographs with the installations then I suggest you do that along with other more immersive…

  • Konark Temple : Abode Of The Sun God, Orissa

    Which is the only god worshipped across the world? Err… Not sure One and only – The Sun!! And that is why this is the greatest temple in the world. Ehhh… Everyone doesn’t worship the sun. Who doesn’t? In Egypt he is known as Ra, in Greece as Apollo, in Rome as Helios, even the Incans…

  • TriMandir – Adalaj, Ahmedabad

    Trimandir on the outskirts of Ahmedabad is a unique temple officially called a “non-sectarian” temple. It has three major deities – Simandhar swami, Shiva and Vishnu. Simandhar swami is from the Jain religion is the main deity of this temple with a large idol (about 14 ft). Along with him there are a number of…

  • Kali Temple of Kolkata, Shakti Peeth

    Spent a relaxed 5 days in Kolkata last month. I have been to this city earlier but always with family as my close relatives stay here including my grand mom 🙂 This time I planned to spend time with family AND explore the intriguing Kolkata! One of the first places that I wanted to take…

  • Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra – Behind The Scenes Story

    It so happened that I planned my Jagannath Puri trip a week before the Rath Yatra which brings millions of devotees to this sleepy, coastal town in Orissa. If I had planned a week later, I would have really struggled with booking and high costs. To attend a festival like the Rath Yatra – which…