It is that time of the year when the pleasant February air BECKONS travellers who enjoy winter breaks much more than the summer ones. Usually, people run to warmer locales in winters (running away from the chills) but Himachal Pradesh is another story. It makes you fall in love...
It’s an interesting question that experts, psychologists, and spiritual gurus are perpetually giving us answers to. Everyone is seeking happiness - some find it in a stable career while others find it in the pursuit of more wealth. Some find it in close-knit relationships and familial ties while others...
The flawless blend of history, culture, architecture, natural beauty, spirituality, and serenity - Pondicherry is a must on every traveller’s list. It is one of those places that feels as familiar as home no matter whether it is your first visit or the tenth one. Such is the hearty...
A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song - Maya Angelou
That's the beauty about birds; they sing irrespective of being aware of what pleasant and soothing music they make in the earth's diurnal course. So, while it may seem my...
Mewar: the food and culture of central Rajasthan
Mewar - the name itself carries with it the sounds of royalty and centuries worth of cultural richness. Mewar (or Mewad) is the south-central part of the largest state of India, Rajasthan. Although not a single city or district, Mewar is the...
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 -...
Delhi means so many things to so many people. For people living in Delhi, no other place compares to it. Having spent my childhood in Delhi, having worked there in later years, and having close familial ties there, I have a fondness for the city that ensures I keep...
Once upon a time, there was a town that was frequented by adventurous travelers who did not mind driving over bumpy, narrow roads for four hours. After all, it was the only way to get to the Scotland of the East. Today, this picturesque town can be reached in...
Here's how India would truly BECKON in 2020! You could start making your bucket list but before you do that, we would like to share with you our pick of five offbeat spots in the country every adventurer and traveller must explore.
The great French author and Nobel Prize laureate...
18th September of 1950 in Hyderabad witnessed the birth of an extremely talented actress that Bollywood and the theatre have seen. Born to a poet and an actress, Azmi graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, in 1973 and signed on to her first gig, Faasla....
Kumbh mela, by far India’s most revered and sacred festival, is now also inscribed by the UNESCO as the intangible cultural heritage of humanity. Tens of millions of devotees attend the purna kumbh mela that takes place every 12 years in Prayagraj, Haridwar, Nashik-Triyambakeshwar and Ujjain. Apart from this,...
"This is the right place for our activities to carry on the search for truth and develop fearlessness. For on one side are the iron bolts of the foreigners, and on the other, thunderbolts of Mother Nature". - This is how Gandhiji described the site of Sabarmati Ashram when...
It is the month of Shravan and the atmosphere is resplendent with devotees thronging temples, offering obeisance to their favourite Lord Shiva, also known to be quick to grant wishes or bholenath. Men and women offer water, milk, honey, bhasm, fruits, dhatura, flowers and garlands to the shiva lingam...
Blessed to have attended this utsav last year, here is a photo blog on the Kaartik Poornima Paalki Utsav at Shirali
Alibaug (Arunima Takiar, 2019)
Cracked seashells,
your pointed edges
lucidly reveal
intact sand grains
wrapping fervently
around your body parts,
twisted in
unfamiliar time zones
fast-forwarded
from a past
of splinters
that defied
permanence,
trodden by
unknowing feet
on happy sojourns,
(broken)
not lost,
vestiges
in shining specks
of beach shimmer
that defy
impermanence.
When yours truly wanted to escape for the weekend and was looking for inspiration to write a poem, a...


























