It is one of the greatest mysteries of our times. It has been chronicled so much by historians, sociologists and scientists, alike that one can find internet abuzz with the different stories and theories. Hence makes not point for me to try to tell the history, at least not more than this that lake is usually called the ‘Mystery Lake’, since centuries old human skeletons and remains of horses are found here. By most accounts, these skeletons are almost 1200 years old. But besides this, Roopkund is also one of the most fascinating treks in Uttarakhand Himalayas, so much so that it always ranks among the top 10 treks in Indian himalayas. Hence it was always in my wish list for years, that ultimately got fulfilled. Roopkund in this reference also becomes a mythological place and it ind...
Read MoreMonth: March 2016
Bugyals are the meadows in the lower himalayan region- lush green, out of nowhere on the top of the mountain or on its edges, surrounded by heavy forest of pines and deodars. All of sudden tree-line ends and meadow begins. Uttarakhand has many of them in its higher reaches. Many of them are very popular and few quite obscure & less visited. Ali Bugyal perhaps lies in the later category. Ali Bugyal is near Didina village in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. Said to be arguably the largest meadow in India, Ali has often remained forgotten to its nearest cousin the Bedini Bugyal, which is perhaps among the most popular meadows in India. Locals also say term Ali is one of the most beautiful meadows in India and having seen it, I don't doubt this claim. It is indeed very beauti...
Read MoreIts one of the most popular tourist destinations in India—for domestic and overseas tourists alike. Udaipur, better known as City of lakes is truly special, calm and beautiful. It has lot many things to offer to the tourists from temples like Eklingji and Nathdwara to historical places like Haldighati. So much so that you can’t probably do a justice to it in a short trip. It is also a perfect place for shopping a lot of traditional items. From all those things to do in this historical city, here is a top 10 list for you lest you don’t miss something big once back home. A few of them are guaranteed to be missed, if you wouldn’t know. A boat trip to Jagmandir A visit to Udaipur is incomplete without a boat cruise in Lake Pichola, the historic 14th century lake made by a local banjara (
Read MoreNepal has had the worst year imaginable. But even after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake, political unrest that resulted in a five-month blockade, and the two deadliest years in the history of climbing o… Source: After Two Deadly Years, Everest Climbers Gear Up for a Strong Season
Read MoreIts the story of the 'goose that laid the golden egg'. Quite similar to my earlier post on Hills: Don't we need them anymore. But irony is, while the earlier story was about a place some distance from Delhi, this one is right from the heart of the capital. This too is about something equally crucial or perhaps more in the immediate future. This also had a bit more of emotional connect as it relates to the place which I visit almost daily. Another fact that it is also the place, where I had some of my very memorable photographs. So this was the scene yesterday (image below), that saddened me and prompted me to write about it. And honestly, I had thought about writing on this a number of times earlier as well, but couldn't muster the will. As could be made out, this image and the imag
Read MoreNuwara Eliya is not the name that automatically pops up in your mind, when you talk about Sri Lanka. One keeps talking about Colombo, Galle or Kandy. But Nuwara Eliya is an important tourist place in central Sri Lanka. Its very close o Kandy. One can assume the importance of this place by the fact that it finds place in three of Sri Lanka's tourist circuits- the tea circuit, the colonial circuit and the Ramayana circuit. Indian tourist will certainly find the last one very interesting. What's more interesting is that Nuwara Eliya is the coolest area in the Sri Lanka, a sort of hill station for the emerald island at an altitude of 1868 metres. Nuwara Eliya is very picturesque with a temperate climate. The city is overlooked by Pidurutalagala, the tallest mountain in Sri Lanka. Surrou...
Read MoreOne of the many lakes the lower himalayan region of Nainital is famous for- Naukuchiatal (नौकुचियाताल) is one of the biggest among them and perhaps most serene. The only lake comparable to this in serenity will be the Sattal. Located at an altitude of 1220 metres, this is also the deepest lake in the region. Fed by underground perennial spring, this lake is an all the year round spot to be. Might not suit those bubbly-shubbly north Indian tourists who prefer to have some 'happening' spot, but will certainly be liken by all those who want to spend some quite quality time in the lap of nature. This lake is within a beautiful valley offering tremendous opportunity for angling and bird watching. Off late many adventure activities like paragliding, rowing, paddling or yachting have also ...
Read MoreWe have already read about how city of Bruges in Belgium showcases its Public Art. Another city in Belgium is know for its different form of art- graffiti. This is Ghent. We are talking about Graffiti Street in Ghent. This narrow alley called Werregaren straat, between Vrijdagmarkt and Groentenmarkt is know as Graffiti Street- a street full of graffiti. Ghent is a university town and hence obviously a city with active youth culture. We associate this generation with more expressive behaviour such as graffitis. Belgium has historically been a big centre of art. Combined with a historical interest in art, in Ghent we see streets where whole walls are covered in cartoons. Ghent is also territory of renowned artists such as ROA and the Blue Warrior. So this street has graffiti al
Read MoreWho likes to be alone! Whether it is a human being or birds, everybody looks for a sweet, cute, like-minded company!! Isn't it.. As is a line of a popular hindi Bollywood song... एक... एक से भले दो. दो... दो से भले तीन (One... two is more better. Two... Three is still better than two), और मैं जोड़ रहा हूं- तीन... तीन से भले चार! (Three... four is far better than three). So here is one little bird, all alone... Looks around for some company... Anybody there? ...or on this side? Here one comes to join the friend! Now they look for the third one... Hello there! Isn't there anybody else? Oh hi! How are you folks! Nice to see you. I am here too. Let's call our fourth friend... So that completes our quartet. Lets now start the chorus! "In the sweetness of friendship let t
Read MoreIts World Wildlife Day today. UN has been celebrating this day since last year. This year theme for the World Wildlife Day is "The Future of wildlife is in our hands" and it also has a sub-theme "The future of elephants is in our hands". What an immense joy this nature gives us in form of these beautiful creatures. Few rare and many around us! Wildlife is a photographer's delight. SO here are some images of few rare wildlife creatures that we need to preserve or we are going to miss them for ever. A journey of a photographer all these years and through many terrains, starting with our sub-theme of the day on elephants. A kid is all ears to some important life lessons from mother elephant UN agrees that world's wildlife, whether charismatic or lesser known is facing many challenges. T
Read More