Earthmovers rest on either side of the road after upturning vast stretches of soil. In a few years, travellers would stop here by a bridge over what would be the Left Bank Canal of Indira Sagar Hydro-electric project. [View Full Entry]

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The sky is surprisingly clear as we board a boat from Nedumudi to Chambakulam on Midhunam 15, 1182 (Malayalam Era). It's a special day for the denizens of this backwater country, who believe it marks the installation of Krishna's idol in Ambalapuzha temple four centuries ago. The entire population of the riverside villages seems to be on the boats that travel upstream to Chambakulam to witness the snake boats (chundan vallam) in action. Yesterday’s monsoon wind had razed several houses in parts of Kuttanad, the backwater maze off Alapuzha. But that was yesterday. The natives, who toi [View Full Entry]

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It was like an island - shields of water keeping reality at bay. Rain, white and whistling beyond the windows, and morning dreams were the only things real. “Isn’t it time to go?” somebody asked. No one, including the enquirer, bothered to find out. Last night, we were all excited about the morning trek. Now no one wanted to break the spell. We were dreaming about a drenched dewy forest, perhaps. There’s something magical about rain in the high ranges. It goes on and on and no one complains. Rain becomes a refuge - an excuse for inertia. Irshad and [View Full Entry]

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Sleepy tourists follow singing pilgrims on the road to the Ganga. At this wee hour, a handful of pilgrims and vendors keep alive this road, which was a river of cycle rickshaws last evening. The motley crowd takes a detour at one of the entrances to the Vishwanatha temple, the famed destination in Kashi aka Varanasi aka Banaras. Their bhajans will wake up the deity, Shiva. Then they will visit the nearby Sakshi Vinayak temple, where Ganesha the elephant god keeps an attendance register for the devotees of his father. Farther down the street, priests and boatmen wait for more pilgrims [View Full Entry]

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Apart from a handful of minibuses and the big autorickshaws that could accommodate a dozen passengers (and long distance trains, of course), public transport is scarce between Varanasi and Saranath. But the wary traveller doesn’t need a route map on the road to Saranath. Houses, shops, gates, billboards…everything features a familiar leitmotif - Ashoka Chakra, the wheel with 24 spokes. Ashoka Chakra, the motif on the Indian tricolour, and Ashoka Stupa, the national emblem, come from the excavated monastery complex of Saranath. The stupas (columns) and sculptures patronized by A [View Full Entry]

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In the twilight hour, chants and chaos reign the riverbanks. Priests are waiting for the last few pious of the day. Vendors sell out flowers, grains and earthen lamps to be flown in the river. Policemen keep a vigil on any overenthusiastic pilgrim on the riverside. The Yamuna is deceptively deep on the flank in Prayag, where it meets its magnificent sister, the Ganga. Prayag aka Allahabad is blessed by the union of the two mighty rivers and the mythical Saraswati. Pilgrims flock to this ancient town every year for Magha Mela; every six years for Ardh Kumbh Mela; and every [View Full Entry]

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A procession of decorated elephants snake through the winding stone path to the Amber Fort. Rajasthani men in their traditional dress and flashy turbans ride their big pets on a neat line. Amused foreign tourists, playing to the mood with hired headgear, silver ornaments and tilak, fight their fears atop the animals’ spines. The scene looks a straight lift from David Lean's A Passage to India. All it takes to end the romance is a shower of snort from the beast. Located 11 kilometres east of Jaipur on the road to New Delhi, Amber was the ancient capital of the Kachwaha [View Full Entry]

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Gita and Sita pose impulsively, fingers swirling, feet tapping, eyes smiling. No lens could resist the frame. As the shutter closes, the sisters cease to be exotic gypsy dancers. "Das-panch dena," the models ask for their remuneration. A picture costs at least Rs 5 in the desert. Pushkar fair, arguably the largest camel and cattle fair in Asia, is a marketplace of frames. On offer are beauty and valour, curiosity and colour, velocity and gore. It has everything the West asks of India: ascetics, gypsies, snake-charmers, camel riders, long moustaches. Wherever you point the lens, Rajastha [View Full Entry]

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The road to Munnar is lined with signboards on Neelakurinji and Nilgiri tahr. The Kerala forest department is on a double-edged drive to advertise and create awareness on the rare flower that blooms only once in 12 years. Official estimate expects 5 lakh visitors to this popular hill station this season. Forest and tourism department have joined the Idukki district administration to form task teams to manage the mega event. Munnar town is in festivity. The town survives on tea and tourism. Hotel managers, taxi drivers, roadside vendors…everyone is working overtime cashing in on the f [View Full Entry]

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Praveen aimed the D100 as soon as he spotted the wild boars, big sturdy ones and small shy ones, grazing on the wayside. He has not come across such a large sounder of boars in his years as a wildlife photographer. Tiny eyes above fatal tusks watched the intruders uneasily. As Praveen moved the car forward for a better view, tiny boars ran to their parents. Slowly the sounder vanished behind the undergrowth. The first creature to greet us inside Top Slip sanctuary was a common langur. Peacocks, eagles and bonnet macaques followed before we reached the entrance to Parambikulam Wildlife [View Full Entry]

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