Rajasthan - the land of shifting sands, heritage structures, cenotaphs and vibrant handicrafts - has always fascinated me and I was quick to grab the first opportunity to visit Jodhpur, the state’s second-largest city punctuated with palaces where Rajas and Maharajas still reside. The city is a bit of...
Holi – that wonderful festival that conjures up images of rang, bhaang, gulal, abeer, and water pichkaris. It also reminds one of the childhood days, the complete abandonment with which kids play Holi and their oblivion to any notions of health or environment, as may be the case.
In India,...
“Holi Hai!” The sound of that instantly conjures a visual of a cloudburst of colours for anyone who has ever seen what Holi is. In a brilliantly plural country like India, every festival has its own unique tradition in different parts of the country and Holi is no different.
Holi...
These ghats of Haridwar for cleansing your soul
Haridwar, the literal translation of which is the door to heaven, is considered to be one of the holiest cities in India. It is the second-largest city of Uttarakhand and is located by the banks of the holy river Ganges, which...
Think culture, colour, food, festivity, businessmen, friendly people and you have a wholesome state of Gujarat in front of you! Sculpted from the erstwhile Bombay State and with the longest coastline that was an impetus to trade and commerce, Gujarat tempted the curiosity of travelers from the Far East...
Picture the serene backwaters of Kerala with its rain-washed monsoon splendor. Add to that, a number of boats flashing through the waters, racing each other with over a hundred paddlers thrusting their oars in union. That’s the Nehru Trophy Boat Race for you.
Something that began as a Vallam...
The chariot festival, more popularly known as the Rath Yatra, is the journey of Puri’s Lord Jagannath and his siblings in chariots, which is celebrated every year. This Rath Yatra takes place not only in Puri, Odisha, but also in many parts of the country. This festival is celebrated...
It was truly an exhilarating experience to visit Ladakh. Still untouched by urban jingbang, this far-flung and virgin snow desert with an air of enigma is a tourist’s target with a difference. The topography varies in height between 8,000 to 15,000 feet and is referred to as the “roof...
Equidistant from Mysore and the coastal town of Mangalore sits a cut of emerald called Coorg. It was since long on my wish-list to visit this terrestrial of undulating hills, populated by an honored race of martial men, good-looking womenfolk, and coffee plantations. It finally got crystalized with an...
Goa with its lush paddy fields, verdant hills, and the gushing shoreline is my go-to destination in the rains. This year, my stay in the most sought-after room (with a swing in the sit-out and easy access to a private beach) at the iconic Cidade de Goa Resort in...
I was fortunate enough to finish with my Vaishno Devi yatra just in time because immediately after the day I returned to Mumbai from Jammu, there was a lockdown imposed to contain the spread of coronavirus, which has wreaked havoc in many parts of the world already.
When I came...
West Bengal is not just Kolkata and the Victoria Memorial. The virgin territories of Dooars, the untouched mangrove forests of Sundarbans, the sylvan surroundings of Santiniketan are only some of the brilliant experiences that have made the state a vacationer’s delight. For centuries, Kolkata - the second largest city -...
