This a place which most of the tourists travelling to Kerala will overlook. But I was told that foreign tourists are more inclined to go there than Indian tourists. But I was anxious to be there, as soon as I came to know about this place. Still, when I ultimately reached here, I was the lone traveler. I am talking about ship building yards of Beypore in Kozhikode or erstwhile Calicut in Kerala. Its the traditional way of ship building both in wooden and metallic frames for bigger fishing boats and smaller passenger boats (and not for bigger passenger ships). This traditional art of ship-building is called as uru. Actually this art came to Kerala centuries ago from the Arab world. The Arabs used to call them dhows. They were used as traditional Arabian trading vessels. Arabs used to...
Read MoreCategory: Photogallery
Its fun to be on window seat of a plane, provided you are interested in capturing images. And if images are from a beautiful beach resort like Bali, then you just can’t stop clicking. How different it is to see a place from the top, then being there! A lot perhaps. Lot changes with the change of the angle and perspective. Eye angle is more wide than ever. The view and the perspective, both become more holistic. Hence the idea of beauty also changes! So here starts the fun- Plane looks like walking right into the sea! ... or along it! Is it quite close for comfort or just thrilling!! It looks more normal now- Quite different to see a beach resort from up in the sky! ... but it still looks amazing with all those boats and yachts lined up! The three s...
Read MoreIt is one of the most awaited celestial phenomenon of the year- the Supermoon. This year it was special as moon was closest to earth since 1948. It was just 356, 509 kilometres away. For us Indians, the supermoon night was one of the most auspicious full moon night of the year- Kartik Purnima or the full moon day of the Kartik month of the hindu calendar. Skygazers took to high-rise buildings, tourist landmarks and beaches worldwide on Monday to catch a glimpse of the closest supermoon in almost seven decades. Many of enthusiastic Indians enjoyed the sight of the moon while taking dip in waters of many holy rivers. Actually, on the occasion of Kartik Purnima people take dip in the rivers considered to be holy. This bath is taken mostly in the early hours of the full moon day. It is con...
Read MoreThiksey monastery has one of the most recognisable images of the Ladakh. It is imposing- standing on a hill top with complete hillock dedicated monastery campus. One just can't miss this place as it is right adjacent to the road to Leh while coming from the Manali side. Its also very close to Leh, just 19 kms before it. It is also one of the biggest monasteries in Ladakh. It is also said to resemble Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. At the altitude of 3,600 metres this monastery overlooks the Indus Valley with full view of the magnificent Stok range. There are two ways to reach the monastery on the top. There is a pedestrian way but that is quite steep. But one can also drive right to the entrance of the monastery via a loop on the hill. That route is just more than a kilometre. Ther...
Read MoreFestivities also serve the purpose of breaking the usual cycle of work and give time to rejoice and strengthen bonding with near & dear ones. It gives you time to reflect upon yourself. With so much of hatred and violence spewed upon everywhere around, festivals like this give chance to reflect on our inner self. What I love the best is the moment when all the 'diyas' in the rangoli are lit to spread their glow in the colourful base. This symphony of colour and light is the most satisfying moment of the evening, more satisfying then any cracker... any sweet. Few snapshots from this Diwali. ...
Read MoreWell, honestly it was always on cards while visiting Agra. Honestly also, the trip to Sheroes Hangout meant for us more than a stopover for a food to a restaurant. Also, because Sheroes symbolises the strength of the human spirit against all odds. We also needed to visit this place to realise the tough times we live in! For anybody coming to this place a restaurant run by women survivors of acid attacks is altogether a different experience. Therefore, I feel that for any tourist coming to Agra this place is a must-visit. A visit to place like this make you more humble and perhaps more committed and strong. Its a great inspiration. Agra is said to be place for monument of love, but I have no doubt in saying that in Agra Sheroes hangout is actually the real monument of love and compas...
Read MoreWatch these two for minutes and you will feel how close these two creatures are to each other. The heron closely follows each step of the Blackbuck. But then, follow more closely and you will notice that heron walks so close to deer because when the blackbuck is walking while grazing it is disturbing the insects resting in the grass, which are forced to fly and then they become easy prey for the herons. How nature has created this cycle! Well, this is Sikandara in Agra, which is mausoleum of one of the greatest kings Akbar, the third mughal emperor to rule India. I had already done a post on the blackbucks of Sikandara, sometime back after my last visit to Agra. But couldn't resist doing one more after the most recent trip. Sikandara has hundreds of blackbucks in the four dev...
Read MoreReflecting the Himalayas in the Nubra valley of Ladakh. Ladakh is actually lot more than just Leh. The last permissible point in Nubra valley is Turtuk which is more than 200 kms away from Leh. But the highlight of the Nubra valley is Hunder sand dunes near Deskit. People go there for riding the double humped camels. Right close to dunes is the section of Karakoram wildlife sanctuary where you can see scenes like this. Marvellous. Isn’t it! The dunes, the pool, the forest and the Himalayas! The stillness of water can make or break your photo! ...
Read MoreThese are days of Ramlila around the country and perfect time to see Ramayana as performed in different parts of world. Prominent among them is Indonesia. The islands of Java, Bali and Sumatra still have the historical hindu influence and they still follow the hindu culture and traditions. Java is also famous for its theatrical rendering of Hindu epic Ramayana. Although the story is more or less the same, but the presentation in traditional Java style is very fascinating. It is one of the high points for tourists visiting Java, specially Yogyakarta. Ramayana Ballet is performed at Purawisata, located just one kilometre from Jalan Malioboro at Yogyakarta in Indonesia. Purawisata is a place where legendary Ramayana Ballets are performed. This particular Purawisata is very close to Yog...
Read MoreIn India we miss colours of fall (autumn) as they are in many other parts of the world. Only place in India to come close to the beautiful golden colours of fall is Kashmir. Kashmir is indeed spectacular during fall. Fall colours are always amazing and to me they are as beautiful as colours of spring. So, while on my solo biking trip to Ladakh this month I was looking everywhere for the changing colours as I was fully aware that autumn was just round the corner. And the difference in colours was very stark from Delhi to Leh. See for yourself: These are the lush green fields of our Haryana, no signs of autumn- The scene was quite unlikely to change until this side os the Rohtang Pass. But after crossing Gramphoo and moving towards Spiti, some wild flowers brought the joy- ...
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