“ Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and
narrow-mindedness and many of our people need it sorely on those
accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things
cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the
earth all one's lifetime.”
-- Innocents Abroad, Mark Twain
Weekend trip to Khajuraho in February 2009. The temples are beautiful. We biked to the temples in the surrounding villages. Green fields and faraway mountains make it a wonderful ride.
Trek to the Indrahar Pass (June 2008). Unfortunately, I fell ill and was unable to continue beyond Triund. But I did get to spend three days snuggled up surrounded by the Dhauladhars. The closest town, McLeodganj is the home to Tibetan refugees and the Dalai Lama. The large number of tourists — both Indian and foreign and the flavour of Tibetan culture makes this place very different from any Indian town I've visited before.
Trek to Gangotri glacier. My first summer in HRI, we decided to explore the origin of the river so dear to us. We trekked from Gangotri to Nandanvan. (Part I,Part II,Part III,Part IV). The photos from the trek are here.
Ardha-Kumbha Mela. From December 2007 to February 2008, Allahabad was swept up in the Ardha-Kumbha Mela. Our pictures from that time can be found here.
Allahabad has been a site of civilization for thousandas of years. And souvenirs from all ages can be seen living together in everyday life. One such day is documented in a blog entry 2007 CE to 300 BCE . With many youths competing to get into IITs, IIMs and the Indian Administrative Services, there are still some who come to the banks of the Ganga to study sanskrit at the Durwasa Ashram.
Photos from the villages around Allahabad and some from the town can be found here and here.
I have been living at the Harish-Chandra Research Institute (HRI) just outside the city of Allahabad for almost four years. We live on the banks of the Ganga in view of the Sangam (confluence). This is a place where one can feel the passing seasons reflected in the river and the surrounding villages. Arid and barren in summer, lush green with roaring waters in the rains and tranquil in winters except for the month of Magh (January-February) when the river bed becomes a pilgrimage site.
I spent December 2006 touring Kerala with my parents. Photos can be found here
I lived in Roorkee from 2004-2006.