I have a fascination with spoons — hand carved wooden spoons, to be precise. Not the smooth, glossy perfection of mass produced or machine made spoons, but the organic beauty of a spoon carved lovingly by hand.
So when the husband finally decided to hold a spoon carving workshop for beginners {the first ever spoon carving workshop in India!}, I was the first one to sign up for it!
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I love taking photographs through the window of a moving car. As I point and shoot, I end up with a roll full of images – some blurred; some without any focal image or meaning; and some, like this one, that capture a sense of timeless, stark beauty.Continue reading
“Rainy days should be spent at home with a cup of tea and a good book.”
― The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book
Or in my case, a sketchbook and watercolours.
But I must admit that I’m not a huge fan of the rains, especially in Delhi-NCR, and particularly on week days. Because when it rains, the roads invariably get flooded, and new potholes appear miraculously and there’s no way of knowing where they may have decided to spring up.Continue reading
There’s something about the old city that really appeals to be. I’m not one for crowded shopping malls – they make me a little overwhelmed and anxious. But put me in the middle of an old city, anywhere in the world, and I feel completely at home!Continue reading
Central Park, New York
When I visited New York a couple of years ago, I had a few place marked down on my must-visit list. There were the usual suspects like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Wall Street, as well as iconic eateries in Little China and Little Italy. But along with the usual list, there were a couple of places that may not make it to people’s must-visit itinerary.
One such was the Bethesda Fountain.Continue reading
In our quest to be far away from the maddening crowd, we visited some truly stunning, less touristy places in Kashmir. The one that really stood out for me is Doodhpathri, which is still being developed and promoted by the Jammu and Kashmir tourist board. Located in the Budgam district, it is a roughly 3 hour drive from Srinagar. And what a drive it is! There are some breath-taking valley views and lots of cute little villages along the way. In fact, the entire route is dotted with rivers and streams and small, tinkling waterfalls.
Winding roads, Doodhpathri, Kashmir
Sometimes things happen by chance, and they turn out to be absolutely wonderful – like our day trip to Naranag. We had originally set out for Sonamarg, but encountered a major jam on the way. So our driver suggested we turn back and go to Naranag instead. We had passed the turn-off a while back and had been wondering whether we would have enough time to visit it on this trip. Turns out, we did!
Shepard’s huts built into the hills, Naranag, Kashmir
The road to Naranag is steep, winding and narrow. Lined by small villages on one side and gorgeous valley views on the other, the drive itself is beautiful.Continue reading
Kashmir is reputed to be heart-stoppingly beautiful.
It’s called India’s Switzerland.
Ghalib famously said if there’s Paradise on earth, it’s Kashmir.
Honestly, after seeing Sringar, I was rather cross with all these descriptions.
Sure the Dal Lake is beautiful and the Mughal gardens are a piece of living history, but it’s a busy, bustling city like any other. Comparing this to Paradise, really?!
{Yes, I realize I equated the city of Srinagar with the whole state of Kashmir, but bear with me. I am only human, after all! I also blame some of the husband’s grumpiness rubbing off on me. Moving on!}
When you drive down from the airport into Srinagar, one of the first things that strikes you is the army presence. After all, the state is regularly in the news for skirmishes between the army and militants. Kashmiris are quick to assure you “yeh yahaan nahin hota” (this doesn’t happen here). Indeed, skirmishes are often closer to the border or in areas that don’t get much {or any} tourist inflows.
The main pavilion at Shalimar Bagh
Then you notice the houses and how they are constructed. Almost all the buildings have gently sloping roofs, and a lot of them – even the big houses – have tin roofs. Most houses are built on a base of stones, with liberal use of wood and tin – to better insulate them during Kashmir’s cold winters.Continue reading
When you think of Srinagar, you think of the Dal Lake.
And I think of Shashi Kapoor romancing Sharmila Tagore in Kashmir ki Kali. {Yes, yes, complete cliché, but it is what it is.} So it should be no surprise that a shikara ride was right up there on my have-to-do list. I was so eager to experience the romance of the shikara that I dragged the husband to the Dal almost as soon as we had checked in to our hotel.
Sailing into the sunset
I had heard that the Dal Lake is dotted with shikaras selling everything from trinkets to chips and Coke, and that they start hounding you almost the minute you get into a boat. That was not what I wanted at all, and I was prepared to tell the boatman that in no uncertain terms. But when we reached the lake, I didn’t see any other shikaras floating around – how lucky was that?Continue reading