Knocking On Heaven’s Door

This happened ten years ago, when I used to travel ‘mapless and ungoogled’! My first significant solo trip off Bangalore. The thrill of discovering a place through a chat with a local or getting willingly conned into an extra long auto ride was how I started. Throwing caution to the wind and clueless that I […]

More Than Just Beaches

I was the youngest of six playmates in a large house with two sprawling gardens, a busy mango, plum and guava orchard and a sticky floored cowshed. A large patch of veggies was covered with grape vines for the much needed shady breaks in the bright Dehradun summer sun. There was always a large bushy […]

Bedtime Stories

As I plonk on the yellow couch at Stops Hostel in Delhi, I am immediately joined by Jenny, Ginger and Pepper and together we sink in further into the large soft cushion. The blast of cool drift from the air conditioner nudges us to a comatosed half an hour snooze in the middle of a […]

Penny Wise

Khan Bahadur Haji Abdullah Haji Kasim Saheb Bahadur’s labyrinthine name is associated with a contrastingly small, unassuming house, not too distinct from other buildings of Udipi. Characteristic to coastal Karnataka, the weathered red Mangalore tile roof hangs over bluish-whitewashed walls in the heart of the town. The century old house lies adjacent to the Corporation […]

Version 2.O

It is easy to yearn wistfully at a worn-down spot in the city, and remember its former days of glory. When buildings disintegrate with the vagaries of time, it is but imperative that a new scape will emerge. Every city witnesses old buildings acquire the glitzy sheen of urban revamp – sometimes distasteful, but other […]

Heritage Arc

Two thin blue capillaries can be seen on the vast map of India, fusing with each other, close to where the heart of the subcontinent lies. Allahabad is situated at this significant confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers (along with the mythical Saraswati), opening the traveller to a world of mythological and spiritual wonder. […]

A River Runs Through It

“Your hair is shorter! Not nice! Long hair better!”, came a sharp chiding voice from a distance, as I flung my backpack on my shoulder, while trying to haggle with the auto rickshaw driver at the same time. In a quick swooping moment, my backpack was plugged away from me, strapped onto thin brown shoulders […]

Work, Sing & Love Together

Earlier this year, Homi Adajania’s misplaced tribute to women making their own choices didn’t quite get the stamp of approval from everyone. It fell somewhere between patronizing and superficial! One didn’t feel the need to hear it from a Bollywood diva swishing her hair to a gripping soundtrack, interjected by rapid visuals of women from […]

Chateau Woods

A plush, jungle- and plantation-fringed boutique property in gorgeous northern Kerala that promises an uncluttered view of low hills stacked one after the other, carpeted by clumpy tea bushes. Think stunning sunsets, the best brew in your hands and a million shades of green all around. When travelling through a destination as well-trodden as Kerala […]

Shivavilas Palace

Sink into luxury at the refurbished palace of Sandur’s royal family, located just an hour’s drive away from Hampi’s boulders.The Raj-esque grandeur of this heritage hotel starts right from the long driveway that curves into the high-roofed porch of Shivavilas, and extends to each nook and cranny of the Ghorpade family home. The decidedly vintage […]

Cultural Landmarks Of Bangalore

Bangalore just doesn’t feel the same. Each time I visit the city, even after a short hiatus of 20 days, something has relocated, closed or altered, and standing in its place is a glitzier, swankier or more kitsch version of the previous establishment, undoubtedly one that serves beer (which is nothing to complain about!). Once […]

How To Spend Your Time In Cochin

Kochi, or Cochin, is certainly the most captivating of the not-quite-islands around the large Keralan coastal conurbation, and district, of Ernakulam.While Ernakulum proper is largely residential with lots of traffic, Kochi and its Fort Kochi and Mattancherry neighbourhoods are more laidback. As a tourist, this is where you are likely to spend your time.