Easter traditions across the world Easter traditions are similar yet different in various parts of the world. From simple painting of eggs and Easter Parades to the sumptuous Easter meal and lots of chocolate. There is the Smigus-Dyngus (Easter Monday) in Poland when the entire country becomes a huge ground for water fights on the streets…...
Burma and Madras have traditionally been linked by the British rule, people and customs. They still are... Burma- A mix of the old and the new This is a picture that I had clicked of a monk in one of the temples that I visited in Burma (current Myanmar). He was delivering a sermon under a makeshift...
Uganda used to have a healthy population of both the Eastern Black Rhino and the Northern White Rhinos. But years of internal strife and wars, encroachment, rampant poaching and hunting, lead to the extinction of the Rhino. The Northern White rhino was last seen in 1982 in Murchison Falls National Park. Similarly, the last Eastern Black...
Welcome to Mawlynnong –“God’s own Garden”, a small village in Meghalaya India. So what’s so special about this village? It is called “God’s own Garden” because of it’s cleanliness. And it was declared as Asia’s (not India’s only) cleanest village by Discover India , way back in 2003. Just an hour away from Mawlynnong is...
Uganda – the Pearl of Africa, has been on my bucket list for quite some time now! I have been long fascinated by the lure of pristine wildlife areas and of course, the star attractions: the Mountain Gorillas and Chimpanzees in the tropical rain forests! For magnificence, for variety of form and colour, for profusion of...
My kids have always been wanting to witness snowfall, always had skiing in mind coupled with some amount of hiking, trekking etc. So after a lot of iterations we decided to visit Himachal Pradesh and planned for a 10 day trip. Interestingly , while we were trying to optimise travel time, break the trip...
A few days back my neighbors son 'Thomas' ran up to me doubting, if he indeed would be promoted to the next grade without writing his exams? Considering the Covid19 pandemic and the countrywide lock down imposed across India in 2020; it is natural to raise a doubt when not sure. So why blame Thomas? I am...
The Beatles and their India connection. Their spiritual journey with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Indian music and the White Album. The Hippie generation. The Swinging 1960s, The Beatles, India and The Fab Four. A generation disillusioned with the rush for materialism. The turning away from it all. Idealism, Spirituality, Yogis and Sanyasis. The search for Utopia. And...
You think Bridges are non-living things? Wrong You think Bridges are always built? Wrong You think Bridges become weak with time? Wrong You think Bridges retain the same size? Wrong You think Bridges are not handmade? Wrong You think Bridges are built by engineers? Wrong We are talking about the living root bridges of Meghalaya locally known as Jing Kieng Jri,...
I have traveled a few times to Belur and Halebid in Hassan famous for its UNESCO heritage temples. I was however not aware of the Shettihalli Rosary Church - a 160 year old church until I read upon it. Shettihalli Rosary Church The French Missionaries built this church in 1860 for the wealthy British estate owners. I...
