Jerusalem, Ayodhya and the God question

[I wrote this long read travel essay in 2018 after a vacation trip to Israel-Palestine.] The streets of Jerusalem lay empty the day we landed there. It was 10 am. The winter sun peeked from in between the puffy, white clouds, but not a single person could be seen walking down the streets. The shuttersContinue reading “Jerusalem, Ayodhya and the God question”

What a Himalayan trek taught me about perseverance

[First published in The Hindu, MetroPlus dated Aug 26, 2016.] My sole climbing feat before I set out on a high-altitude trek of 14,000 feet in the Himalayas was climbing a 50-feet-tall water tank in Puducherry. And that too nine years ago. I often recollected, with an odd mix of amusement and shame, how myContinue reading “What a Himalayan trek taught me about perseverance”

Calcutta Sojourn – following the trails of the past

[This is a republished version of an old blog I wrote in 2005 as a five-part series] Before the gulf between Calcutta experienced and Calcutta remembered widens, I’d like to ink down whatever my heart longs to say with regards to my recent visit to the city. This particular piece of writing is less anContinue reading “Calcutta Sojourn – following the trails of the past”