In late 2020 when Covid was at its awful height, I bailed out and traded Gurgaon for Goa for six months. It was the single best move I made during the entire two years of the pandemic. I made lots of new friends, I discovered Goa from the inside out as a tourist-resident and I…
Being fortunate enough to be married into a pahadi family for the last 35 years, I get to spend a lot of time in my beloved Himalayas. My in-laws have orchards in Kotgarh, the apple-growing belt spread high above the right bank of the Sutlej, about three hours northeast of Shimla and on the way…
In the lexicon of great Himalayan treks in Nepal, ABC comes before EBC in the alphabetic sense. Not surprisingly though, the iconic Everest Base Camp trek is at the top of everyone’s wish list. This doesn’t mean that the Annapurna Base Camp trek is without attractions and charms. Sure, it is shorter in length (five…
The lone shikara (Kashmiri gondola) carries us silently across the placid surface of Srinagar’s Nigeen Lake to the far shore, where a large number of wooden houseboats are strung out in a line.We stretch out on colorful recliners under a tarpaulin canopy while behind us a boatman deftly steers us forward with steady strokes from…
In the history of colonial India, the British will always be the dominant imperial power that ruled the subcontinent. In contrast, the Portuguese were a middling power, confined to a small part of the country, and with no overreaching political vision but with strong mercantilist and religious ambitions. They came centuries before the British, in…
Kashmir is a land that strikes both fear and fascination in Indian hearts. Fear because of the long decades of violence and turbulence that have ravaged the place since the armed upheaval of 1990. Fascination because of the long tradition of elegant Muslim culture, poetry, song and dance, fabulous cuisine, unique wooden architecture and spectacular…
This article was originally published in the “National Geographic Traveller India” in October 2021 edition. Check it here. “As you walk down the fairway of life you must smell the roses, for you only get to play one round.” — Ben Hogan For the Indian golfer, I would alter that adage by one of the…
A heritage walk through the heart of Old Srinagar reveals the faded glories of a land that was once called “the paradise on Earth” by Emperor Jahangir. On the banks of the Jhelum stands a beautifully carved and intricately painted wooden structure known as the Khanqah Shah-i-Hamadan. This shrine was built in 1395 to honour…
Standing with my back to my favourite shack Sam’s Paradise, I gaze out at the enormous immensity of the blue-green Arabian Sea before me. I have learnt how to swim far out into the sea but the sheer unknowingness of it always fills me with a flutter of trepidation. On the mornings that I need…
Goa has always had the reputation of India’s premier party destination and none more so than in these post-Covid-19 times as tourists by their thousands have been flocking to this safe haven encouraged by the lack of quarantine or mask protocols. An essential ingredient of a good party scene is the availability of copious amounts…
