India
India, is one big country and for a foreigner it is very hard to navigate through the diverse cultures, languages, food and terrains. The diversity which India represents is unique and found nowhere else in the world. Places to visit in India are present throughout the country. From the high Himalayas to the long peninsular coastline. India is a country which has both a hot desert and a cold desert. It has forests, mangroves, vibrant cities and colourful villages. English is widely spoken and understood in the country. Mumbai, Hyderabad, Delhi, Jaipur, Varanasi and Kolkata are some of its interesting cities. Food in India is spicy.
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The forest is gone but the embroidery lives on
I walk barefoot on the rolling grassland. A little ahead, rising from the velvety grass, is an oval shaped bamboo hut. Thatched by dried grass, the hut has no window and just a tiny door for people to crawl in. By the fence that surrounds the hut, an old frail woman wrapped in a remarkable woolen shawl gives me a toothless grin. I am in a hamlet unmarked on Google Maps in the Nilgiri district of Tamil Nadu. Here live the Todas, a tribe indigenous to the Nilgiri mountains. The Toda women are custodians of the unique embroidery called Pukhoor, G.I tagged since 2013. Before the British arrived in the…
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An Outing to Chupi Char in Purbasthali
The tangerine hue of sunset paints the canvas both above and below the horizon. Gentle waves in the water sway the rickety boat. Silhouettes of odd poles, used for fishing and anchoring boats, jut out of the lake bed. I’m in Chupi Char, an ox bow lake formed by the water of river Ganga in Purbasthali village of Purba Bardhaman district in West Bengal. Where exactly is Chupi Char? By road Chupi Char is around 128 kilometres north of Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal in India. Purbasthali is the nearest railway station on the Bandel-Katwa line. Battery rickshaws, known as “totos” in this part of the world, take passengers…
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Kalpeni, Lakshadweep- A Treasure Island
With a mild thrust, I leap two metres forward and throw myself horizontally over the salt water. When the initial haze of bubbles subsides, I find a patchwork of colours woven on the sculpted humps protruding from the ocean floor. Thousands of years-old fauna revels underwater. Purple hued corals branch in a variety of shapes, so close that I could touch them; but I know better—the sight of the corals is to be enjoyed from a distance, even a slight touch can disintegrate them. I am 155 nautical miles west of Kochi, snorkelling in the turquoise blue lagoon of the uninhabited Pitti islet, a part of Kalpeni atoll in the…
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Pahalgam in Autumn: Harud and the colours of Chinar
If you have read my last post on Srinagar in Autumn, you would know the context. Still for the new readers, here is some orientation. Autumn is known as harud in Kashmir. It is the season of change. It is when the state tree of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in India changes the colour of its leaves. From green it turns amber. Then the amber gives way to a fiery red shade. It is very dicey to catch them in action. The popular consensus is that Chinars came to Kashmir from Greece. Kashmiris call Chinars “bouin”. The tree is extensively found in Central Asia. Felling of chinars…
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Srinagar in Autumn: Harud and the Chinars
‘Harud’ is what the Kashmiris call the season of autumn. It captures a special place in the hearts of the residents. The Chinar tree is the state tree of the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir in India. Tall leafy chinars act as indicators of seasons. The trees become barren in winter. The leaves are green in summer. And during autumn the leaves turn amber before finally turning into a fiery red. Thus, almost every week of harud is a picture worth saving. Chinar is known as Bouin in the Kashmiri language. It is said that the tree was brought to Kashmir from Greece via Iran. I remember seeing chinars…
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The Heritage Ganpatis of Mumbai
“Ganpati Bappa Morya,” the whole group chants. In a September morning, I have reached Girgaon to join a group of fellow Mumbaikars. We will do Ganpati puja “pandal hopping” in Girgaon. The guided tour called “Ganpatis of Girgaon” has been arranged by Khaki Tours. In the last 7 years of living in Mumbai, I have never been to the old neighbourhoods of the city during Ganpati festival. From a different walk, I already know that public or “sarvajanik” Ganpati pujas of Bombay had started in Girgaon. So ofcourse I cannot leave an opportunity to know more about it. The history of Girgaon in Mumbai About three centuries ago, Girgaon used…
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A guided walk in Kamathipura
Early on a cloudy Sunday morning I stand with a bunch of strangers on a busy street opposite the Royal Cinemas in Kamathipura. I have heard seedy stories of Kamathipura of the past. This neighbourhood is a famous red-light area of Mumbai but somehow its fame has waned overtime. Today I stand here waiting for Zoya Kathawala, an insider of the neighbourhood, who has promised to show Kamathipura in a different light with her walk “Kamathipura- Beyond the Brothels”. What eventually came to be known as Bombay used to be an archipelago of seven islands—Bombay, Mazgaon, Parel, Worli, Mahim, Colaba, and Little Colaba. These islands were separated from each other…
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Heritage Walk in CSMT in Mumbai
It was 2017 when I had first set my eyes on this iconic railway station. My fascination has only increased in all these years of living in Mumbai. The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus(CSMT), also known by its older name Victoria Terminus, is one of the most important railway stations in Mumbai and in India. Built in 1887, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the headquarters of Central Railways. The impressive edifice of the CSMT is something to be enjoyed from a distance. Beyond the platforms and ticketing counters, entrance is restricted to just railway staff. This rule was enforced after the ghastly terrorist attack of 2008 where Pakistani…
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Experiencing Art Deco near Oval Maidan, Mumbai
On a cloudy Saturday evening, 16 people gather around a house, just to crane their necks up and check out fine architectural details. Some point their fingers to the rounded edges while others stress on the “waves” patterns on the balcony grills. Here, braving the possibility of a heavy Mumbai-monsoon downpour, are 16 architecture and history enthusiasts standing on Maharshi Karve Road along Oval Maidan in Mumbai. This precinct is a part of UNESCO protected “The Victorian and Art-Deco Ensemble of Mumbai”. I am a part of this group and we are here with Khaki Tours for an Art Deco guided walk. The history of Bombay Bombay was an archipelago…
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A Heritage Walk at Haffkine Institute, Mumbai
I walk on the erstwhile Queen’s Way (Dr.Babasaheb Ambedkar Road now) to reach the gates of Haffkine Institute in Mumbai’s Parel on a rainy morning. The security person signals me to enter as the MTDC (Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation) guide waves at me. In the peeling ceiling of the building’s lobby its age is somewhat palpable. Today the door to the museum opens exclusively for the six of us. “Welcome to the Haffkine heritage walk,” the guide greets. In 1896, bubonic plague epidemic broke out in Bombay. Ships arriving at Mazgaon brought the plague from Hong Kong. In the wake of the plague, Russian-French bacteriologist Dr. Waldemar Haffkine was summoned…
