After so many hurdles such as road being washed away, staying at a very small place, travelling in broken state buses, getting stuck in 3 KMs road jam, at last reached at this serene place.

Right now posting from sitting in front of this lake !

Guess where am I ??

It is monsoon season and as usual, roads in Mumbai are waterlogged. But this time Delhi is also facing similar problems. And probably that’s why they are called rainy days…  at least in these two cities. At every possible opportunity people try to run away to some place where they can find some solace from potholes.
Nonetheless, rains are beautiful too.

With sparkling droplets like shining stars, can you have anything more beautiful than this ?

P.S.- Tomorrow morning (more…)

One of the most exotic places I want to spend my time is in Canary Islands, also known as the Canaries.

Situated just off the north-west coast of mainland Africa, this cluster of islands is a holiday paradise for everyone. Wonderful all year round weather conditions, great natural attractions, and booming nightlife make the islands a major tourist destination.
Whether you are going as a family, a couple or a bunch of friends; want to relax or try some adventurous stuff, it has plenty to offer. Just choose the right island and you will have a dream holiday in the Canary Islands.

One of the most popular and the largest of them all is Tenerife. From white sand beaches, waterfront opera house to 12,000 feet high volcano of Mount Teide, it has so much that you would not want to come back. If you climb Mount Teide during winters, you can often see it covered with snow.
And you can always find cheap Tenerife holidays to enjoy Tenerife for longer period.

Most of the tourists head to (more…)

My train reached Thanjavur in morning around 6:30. After getting down I followed other passengers from platform to get out of the station. At the station I stopped; some shops had started opening. I wanted to have a hot cup of coffee before I start hotel hunting.

I looked around, no such shop was open. Then I approached a book stall and asked for a good map of the town so that I can navigate easily through its roads and landmarks. That’s the first thing I do when I reach a new place. Strange enough, the shop had all newspapers, film magazines, some novels but no map of the town !
I came out of the station. The morning chill and the fresh air was very welcoming. The chores of daily life had started to begin. I had checked in the internet and had a fair idea as which direction to take for hotel hunting. I started walking slowly enjoying the surroundings. Lone woman and you become a subject of awe. Some auto-rickshaw walas wanted to oblige me with their (more…)

Today is India’s independence day. I wish all Indians across the world a very happy Independence day.

The photo is from the same trip and the shot was taken at an angle.

Note:- This solo trip of Tamilnadu has done much damage than I had ever thought. I was unwell for a long time because of Dengue and then some other related problems. I had fever till 5 days back and confined to bed.
Now I am okay and hope to make up for the lost time.

Jai Hind !

Here is a video I shot on making of wedding garland in south India. You can read the details here.

There is a street called Big Bazar street in the heart of the town Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu. Surrounded by temples this street is famous for flowers, garlands and such likes. When I saw this skilled man making some wedding garlands, I requested for a video. Language was a problem but I managed to get his permission before he finished off his work on this stump.

Note:- I had to compromise in quality to upload the video. The original is much better.
So, now (more…)

These thick & heavy special wedding garlands are called Kalyana Malai ( कल्याण माला ) in Tamil and are made of mainly rose petals and chopped leaves. To keep them together in this conical shape and to prevent the petals from falling off, they are ‘wrapped’ in threads. You can watch this video how it is done.

After wrapping up with thread some decorative pieces are being inserted.

There are two such pieces of each garland. Mostly, only one piece (more…)