India travel stories
Back in 1968, music sensation "The Beatles" visited an ashram in Rishikesh, India. During their time there, they wrote over 50 songs and brought Eastern influences to the mainstream like never before. Fifty years later, in September, I had the chance to...
"Henna?" The banks of the Ganga were lined with woven umbrellas. There was a festival that day - I never found out exactly what. But it was the reason I came down to Dashashwamedh Ghat again, even though I had already come the previous day. India was abundant in holy...
My Visit to the Golden Temple I've wanted to visit the Golden Temple ever since I read about it in my history books. It was the last summer when I finally got the chance to visit the holy city of Amritsar with my father. We visited the temple in the night to avoid the...
The Desert is a great leveler The Desert provides. The Desert consumes. And you do not get to decide this. The Desert decides. I photographed this Buffalo carcass on my 4th day of my trek across The Thar Desert, Jaisalmer, India with the Youth Hostel Association of...
In September, just after the refreshing monsoons had cooled Kerala, I went on my first houseboat along the incredible lakes and rivers of Kerala. The slow life along the river and centuries old traditions, just seemed to be a wonderful break from technology, my...
Along the Ganges River The Holy Ganges The sun seemingly rose out of and above the holy Ganges river until it hung large and low in the sky. It glittered and reflected long, yellow strands on the water and casted a mellow, dewy glow over the the ghats. The misty...
Nestled in the south-east corner of the Himalayas, the ancient kingdom of Sikkim is the northern paradise of India. Known as Indrakil, the garden of the Hindu god of war, Indra, Sikkim exudes an other-worldly peace and serenity "“ it is no coincidence that the...
Edakkal Caves What drew me to these caves in the Wayanad district, Kerala was that it was a pre-historic site with mysterious engravings. I had read that the carvings resembled the rock impressions of Styrian Alps and that they were from the Neolithic period. So I...
For the kid in me... The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway was the 1st that I sat on. It's called the Toy-Train. They are also called Mountain Railways, and there are 5 such Mountain Railways in India "“ Kalka-Shimla Railway [Himachal Pradesh], Darjeeling...
Amazing things happen when Men and Mountains meet. I had trekked to Sandakphu, West Bengal, India [12000 feet] with Youth Hostel Association of India [YHAI]. More than the climb I was fascinated about the view of Mt. Kanchenjunga under Full-moon light. 25th December,...
Vanilla Pollination in India India's Human HummingbirdLast year in April, I was scouting for places to volunteer for coffee (berry) picking, but I was told that coffee harvesting ends by February and that it would be time for vanilla pollination in March and April....
