SG OwnBlog

Karnavati is one of the oldest cities of Indian state of Gujarat. You may recognise it as the city of Ahmedabad. Over the past few weeks I have been traveling to Karnavati on weekends. My brother had a minor mishap. He tore a few ligaments in his leg while playing football. The doctor suggested that he may need to have a surgery to fix it. The very next day my mother landed in the city to take care of him. Ahmedabad is less than 500 km from Mumbai. I could not miss it. So I did not. For the past month, I have travelled back and forth on every single weekend. I usually prefer the train. One, because it is cheaper than a flight (though not much) and second, because I can sleep comfortably. There are a lot of trains that ply between Mumbai and Karnavati. Duronto are the best. Where there is me, my bahan can not be too far away! Weather in Gujarat is oppressive. You have got good food, good roads, electricity and so on. But the weather makes anyone look forward to greener pa

I met Ali in the Leh airport,he drove us in our hotel. The very next morning we went for sightseeing. He used to drive very fast. I repeatedly told him to drive slow, he followed for  a short time; again continued in his own speed. On the way to Nubra valley the road was very stiff and the altitude was very high. As I was sick before our tour it was difficult for me to bear that fast ride.After coming back I complained our tour  operator for his driving and asked for another driver. Pangong Tso Iti Sidhartha Where I am, dogs are as well Our tour operator assured me that he would tell him to drive  comfortably.The next day Ali came drove the car and I enjoyed my entire remaining  trip. Sometimes he used to push the accelerator and I just told "Ali.....ahista"...he became consous. We used to chat during this long drive. I asked him "How old are you Ali?he replied "22years mam."He told me "At the age of 16 I started driving w

This is a guest post by my mother, Lily Ray Gangopadhyay. Once again in Mirik after 17 years, I felt very nostalgic because when we used to visit this place, my sons were little kids. Mirik is one of my favorite places. In 17 years it has obviously changed a lot, but still it remains sparsely populated,little crowded and a clean place.   Dad striking a pose (caption by Sarthak) Since this hill station is not at very high altitude one can enjoy a very comfortable stay here and the roads are very inviting.The lake is the main attraction of this place, the Buddha monastery,view point are very nice. I was lucky that the weather was so clear that Mt. Kanchenjunga was clearly seen all the time. Just for a restful walking around the lake, sitting on the grass and gazing at the bushes of pine and fur trees and the peaks of the Himalayas, this is my most preferred destination. How to go>> one can take a taxi , share taxi or bus from NJP station,Si

Yamuna was a beautiful river in Northern India. It originates in the Yamunotri glacier at a height of 6400 metres above sea level. You may not remember it, and no, it's not Ganga. Let me remind you of a picture of the beautiful river here, the river that flows by the Taj Mahal. That's how the Yamuna river looks! Or rather looked before Sri Sri came. Yes, the picture above was real. The river supported a population of 57 million people. It continues to do now. The water was pure. Animals were aplenty. The air was sweet and the birds flocked to the area in thousands. The local forests on both sides of the floodplain were thicker than those in the Amazon and the waters were filled with fish. The standards of conservation of biodiversity was impeccable and often produced as an example to other river management bodies. Then came Sri Sri. An Indian godman who owned millions to spread his pagan beliefs and something called 'Indian' culture along with the cultures of

We, the city educated have always looked down upon the village dwellers. Of course not all of us. And even those who do, don't do this all the time. But in general, it is true. This phenomenon is not restricted to India or any developing world but also all over the Industrial world. The perception of tribal populations is also nuanced. Some consider them exotic, some think they are uncivilized, some find them as an opportunity to proselytize, some wish to use them as cheap labor, some hope to drive them out for mining or dam projects, and so on. Very few consider them similar to us. This is very true for the Left leaning self proclaimed liberals. They are always at the forefront when demanding tribal rights. In some landmark cases they have achieved wonderful results that anyone, regardless of their political ideology can be proud of. But the politically biased conclusions they derive spoil the efficacy of such interventions. The worst being them called as interventions. The ver

Santalekhola, a very beautiful calm and quiet place in the district of Darjeeling in W.B. It is not a very popular tourist spot still now, and I think that'why its virgin beauty attracted me so much.Here you don't need to run from one place to another, you only come here,take rest and feel the vibration of nature. The West Bengal forest dept.cottages are very good and reasonable priced and the ambiance is truly very soothing. "Khola" means in Nepali a small river, you can hear the rhythmic sound of water all the time. The birds, butterflies and the  sound of silence will create resonance with the nature and you.

If you want silence, Lamahata is the ideal destination.As you approach this hill-station,it invites you with its serene and virgin beauty. A wide range of kanchanjangha is visible from here,you can also catch a glimpse of the statue of Buddha of Namchi(Sikim) right from this place.On the way to Lamahata you can take a break for a while at the sangam of the rivers of Teesta and Rangeet.The beautiful Lamahata park at the centre of this place is a treat for nature lovers. I must say you will enjoy a stroll in the park. How To Go :You can take a taxi from New Jalpaiguri Station (W.B.),you can go from Darjeeling also. Where To Stay:There are some homestays and tents among them Lamahata Lodge is very good.

After a very long time I actually felt sick. I mean physically sick. Thursday I came from office and slept right away. On Friday dragged myself to office. Irritated Jofi and when she hit back I almost felt like frying. So anyway, she had her dance audition and dressed in fiery red. Yes I hate auditions, never attended them, even when I was a part of it. But anyway there I was - on time! It started with some solo singers - some good, most terrible. Somehow I regretted not being a part of it. Finally the group dance happened and boy oh boy, she danced like anything. I really felt proud. The guy who was her partner was superb too - all in all great chemistry and a stellar performance. I was burning by then, so as soon as it was over I left. In the bus got a call from Lali and got down and walked back to stand. She did an epic screw up with her superiors. So heard her story and after she got down I slept. Reached home and slept again but not before recording a few songs.

Travelling long distances can come with some anxiety. What if you miss something? To prevent anything really critical and serious you need to make sure you have at least the bare minimum to work out though tough situations or mishaps. This list will not have what you want or wish but only those that you will need the most and cannot do without. 1. Laptop and charger 2. Tablet or phone and charger 3. Medicines if any. This is applicable only if you are suffering from some chronic disease and access to medical stores is limited. 4. Your ID cards. 5. Your purse along with your Debit and Credit Cards. Also make sure you have sufficient cash to survive a day without accessing any ATM. That's it. Anything else is a bonus. If you miss out your comb, or your blazer, you know the worst that can happen is that you will miss wearing it. But imagine you remember to bring your electric shaving kit and forget your driving license. To prevent that, keep the basic checklist with you a

After resolving my Pre Leave blues, I left for home. Naturally it was full of hiccups. But I got good luck almost everywhere. From Bangalore, the bus to Chennai was almost 2 hours late. What happened as a result? A good sleep. From 12 to 6, I had uninterrupted sleep, which was great. When I dropped in Chennai, traffic was low enough to avoid jams yet good enough to let me get an auto rickshaw in time. I would not have got it so quickly had I reached an hour earlier. From there I met a pretty talkative (read smart) salesman cum auto driver. He was instrumental in persuading me from going to the Koyambedu bus stand all the way to the Chennai Airport. Of course he charged almost a hundred bucks extra. But I was tired and I agreed. Problem was that I had reached around 5 hours before the check in time! So then began my wait. Cafe Coffee Day helped little. Even the Expresso seemed insufficient! Staying awake was important and difficult. But here also I was lucky. There was a swe

Mysore is a far from neglected when it comes to tourism. Mysore has long been a very beautiful small town with exquisite temples and destroyed forts. Once the capital of the princely state of Mysore, it has now been eclipsed by Bangalore. Even then the history is rich and has extremes of good and bad. Mysore palace topmost point Fake HDR-ed from the Mysore Temple complex - the aura should give you the hint We got a gorilla. If we are to go by what's written on the board outside, he is the sole gorilla in India now. Spotted this bear playing with a few ducks Mysore zoo - The look should tell you what he thinks about me or my camera A temple from the Mysore Palace Complex itself - fake HDR-ed Vrindavan Gardens - The cool thing is that this is built adjacent to the huge dam. The Mysore Palace from the cart that we hired for a round trip. The Mysore Palace - The House of Wodeyar has come to an end though. The last 'king' died a cou

I am approaching the bastion of Indian sickularism. Yes, what is known as God’s own country – this is called Kerala. This is one of those places that make a self-respecting Dharmic person to bash his own head at the mindless exposure to non Dharmic influences. I had plenty of experiences on my way itself. This is not the first time I am going to Kerala though. Actually this is the third time. The first visit was by far the best. It was a family trip to one of the most beautiful places of Kerala, the tourist circuit. From the backwaters of Allipuzha to the silent beauty of Munnar and the expanse of the Periyar, I have seen them all. Kerala is very green; there is no doubt about it. This is not entirely a plus point as I will expand later. The people are okay, I have had very widely mixed interactions as opposed to the people of the rest of India. The route that our train is taking goes from Bangalore to Tamil Nadu, all the while bordering Kerala. It enters Kerala at its ext

In India trains are a cheap and very efficient mode of transport. It is the largest railway network in the entire world. More number of people travel by train in India in a day than most other countries combined. Though they have a retro look, railways are fully functional and other than Wifi you get pretty much anything you usually get anywhere in the world. Of course, this depends on the class you travel in. If you are travelling in India for the first time, it would be best if you go for the 1st AC or the 2nd AC class. If you have travelled before you can go ahead and try 3rd AC or even the non AC Sleeper class. Beware of crowding in the sleeper class though. The cost of each class can be understood from the names. Irrespective of which class you are travelling in there are some things that you absolutely must carry with yourself. Wear Comfortable Casuals – This holds true for any part of the world and especially so for the hot and tropical weather of Ind

Coming home is always a special affair and rightly so. Everytime I come home, I feel great. This time I chose a slightly different route than the one that I usually take. Actually it was my Dad's idea. He said that instead of spending a lot on moving from Bangalore to Kolkata directly by air, I can move to Chennai by train and take a flight from there. It actually saved me around Rs. 6000! After somehow doing my work at office I left for the railway station - the Bangalore City Junction. After a sleepy ride to the station in a crowded AC bus I reached the Majectic Bus Stand. From there I got some help from a fellow passenger to identify the road to the railway station. The station was great. Though initially I was scared that I might not make it in time, I was relieved to find out that I was about a couple of hours before time! So I had a sandwich that sucked. Then after sometime I went to a eatery and had Veg Biriyani. They served it on a banana leaf! That was great. Rest