When we stood our ground for Bharat
This Independence Day was special for India (Bharat)since it was the first time it was truly one, in spirit, law and form, with the recent abrogation of Article 370 (all clauses except clause 1) and Article 35-A. It has been a momentous decision....
Manasarovar – the Lake of Dreams
“How long until we reach Burang?” I asked the driver. “Not much long, about an hour or so left”, he replied back. As we drove through the Qomolangma National Nature Preserve (Qomolangma is the Tibetan name of Everest), we kept seeing directions to...
Satyameva Jayate, Laissez-aller and India
When distant memories have crystallised in time, frozen, a story can begin. When the whiffs of half-forgotten glories rustle through the leaves of the Tree of Life, say the Kalpavriksha or Shajarat al-Kholoud or Etz Chaim, the poetry of...
Territorial Integrity and Self-Determination in a Postcolonial World
Recently I was speaking to a friend who prides herself on being ‘from the far-Left’ and the discussion was around the topic of nation states and nationalism. I have always been fairly interested in testing and hypothizing disparate scenarios, often...
Tales from Tibet – the roof of the world!
Tibet : 5:00 am - phone ringing in the hotel room I picked up the phone and a familiar voice spoke up - “Namaskaram, it is the wake up call for Yoga practice” Yes that has been our routine for the past 3-4 days. The initial bit to get out of the...
Kathmandu tales – final part
Kathmandu : “So how long have you been involved in tourism?” Vishal, our cab driver said “for more than 15 years now”. Tourism is a big industry of Nepal and why not! The country has so far amazed me with its historical places, monuments...
Let us not politicise Sri Ram anymore!
India is a unique nation in that its ancient history lies not but in tomes of reportage and dry facts but is encapsulated in the rich itihas of its epics and tales of the times of yore. A living, relatable history of a people whose historical...
Summer in Central Europe
I was born in a small town in eastern India and grew up in another tiny town called Raiganj. My father had a transferable job and we used to travel to various small town and cities of northern parts of Bengal. When I was a child and I visited any...
Hertzian Waves, Vedanta and the Feelings of Plants: A Jagadish among the Polymaths
Across the oceans, on the western shore, Reigns the temple of the Goddess Of wealth of science. There you journeyed, my friend, And returned richly crowned. You anointed the motherland, Modest at hear, poor and shy. The great and the glorified Of...
Le Castella
Calabria: Le Castella is a small town located on the Ionian coast of Calabria, 10 km from of Isola di Capo Rizzuto in the province of Crotone, Calabria . Official name is Punta Delle Castella. Calabrian people likes to call it as Casteddi. Town is...