The Impulsive Traveller

The whiteout around us circled and blinded us as we climbed the slopes of Himalayan peaks in our Travera that was our lifeline here in Srinagar....The untimely snow in the the higher ranges of the Himalayas had caught all tourists unaware in the month of April...but this place was a lure inexplicable...This was Gulmarg which was covered with ten feet of snow... In this haze of snow that lay everywhere like a sheer white cloth on mother earth, we were nearing unknown land and unending sea of snow..when suddenly we saw a crowd in the distance and as we neared further, we saw a bunch of earlier invisible tourist crowd...We breathed a sigh of relief on seeing signs of life as we were venturing into unknown territory and we didn't know what to expect... This was a small market place with a difference...the small shops boasted of the best boots, socks, gloves and furry coats on rent! and you didn't have a choice but to hire these commodities whether you had these on or not. Th...

Times have come to naught it would seem! This apathy factor of everyone around us― we are just not bothered about others….whether someone lies bleeding on the road or a robber runs away with stuff or someone guns down a person in broad day light….what are we doing as spectators and why aren’t we moved enough? Why? Why? I have donned the task of a ‘cop’ going around the sultry summer sun in the busy market place, questioning onlookers or even hawkers, trying to find out who stole my laptop….. The day was full of activities...the housemaid didn't turn up on time so I set about completing my household chores trying to meet the deadline. Like an automaton I managed to complete washing, swabbing and cleaning on time. As soon as I procured the car keys from inside the drawers, hung my laptop around my shoulders and my lunch box and went down the steps two at a time to my car...it was already 10 AM and I had to be in office by 11! I decided to call office to inform that I would be in lat...

THE CLASS ACT A paramount part of her life was spent here in Pune. She did her Pre-University from Wadia College, and went on to complete her degree in Applied Arts from Paris when her father was sent there on an Ordnance mission. Anupama Singh is one of the eighteen artists in India to be chosen by United Nations Development Project (UNDP) to work with a plethora of artisans spread far and wide in remote places of the country. A rare combination of pen and sword has guided her through life’s journey. Anupama Singh’s father was a celebrated Army Officer and mother, Prabhjyot Kaur is still a renowned Punjabi novelist whose writings are inspirational and find their markings in every Punjabi literary record. Anupama’s artistic talents came to the fore at a very young age with her parents encouraging both the sisters to pick up fine arts. “At a young age my sister and I had been encouraged to hone our skills in every aspect of art and crafts,” she reminisces. “Although my father h...

A TIMELESS EXCURSION The land of Sandalwood, Elephants and Coffee ! the Deccan heartland holds many topographical and natural wonders. As my hired car sped past the Western Ranges, I wondered at nature’s miracle. Thick foliage on both sides with small springs rising from small cracks and crevices on the rocks, interspersed at regular intervals. The road looked down menacingly down on the right. I was headed towards Hampi – my destination, a 350 Km drive from Bangalore, the ‘Silicon valley’ of Indian. Learing behind the hub ub of modern civilisation. I was heading for an excursion back in time. Hampi has been declared one of the world heritage Monuments of India. The 14th century capital city of the Hindu Kings called Vijaynagar Empire lies in the plateau, in the state of Karnataka. The ruins, excavated recently spread over an area of more than 26 Sq Kms, protected by the tempestuous Tungabhadra river in the north and by rocky granite ridges on the three sides. A terrain such as this wa...

... Aaditya (tiger) The sun seems far away from my dreams.. the moon is yet to be and yet so near, I have heard of its conquer! what about the ball obscure? ...the yellow one that is so far off? The ball that looks oh so puny? Pluto you said? came from comet says my book so tiny.. i wonder at the blue one that is my house colour and is called the Jupiter! my favourite of all But where is life in all these wonderful rings? I wonder.... but mom says we will find in them one day we will and that day is yet to be as I soar above with this wonderful solar system and put wings to hop from one to the other!!

Glorious Past Rukshana Nanji stumbled upon a female human skeleton as old as three thousand five hundred years, while digging a site in Navadatoli in Madhya Pradesh. Back in the early nineties this was a stunning discovery when historians believed the Harappen Culture to be existent around the Indus. A masters degree in Archeology and Ancient History from Deccan College Pune, Rukshana is one of the few women in the country to have worked in new and ancient sites like Harappan port city, Padri, Samrapur, Daulatabad, Hampi ,Sanjan ………….. . A bizarre turn of events strikes the life of the young Archeologist. Mysteriously her discovery containing data and log books get stolen from her study in Pune. The chapter of the buried Chalcolithic woman buried deep in the heart of a big civilization clasping an herbivore molar tooth in her palms remains unsolved. The whole episode was heart ranching for Rukshana so much so that she left archeology to look after her family business. “ I did not...

"Because we all spring From different trees Doesn’t mean We are not created equally I find greatness in the tree That grows against all odds It blossoms in darkness And gives birth to promising pods" These striking lines like the scenic locale of the SOS village, Shillong is the evocative poem written intrepidly by Gustav, a volunteer from Sweden on the red notice board at the entrance of the counselor’s office. This sums up the lives of the 124 children blossoming here into talented young individuals; away from the nearness of their innate homes and parents. The SOS villages were set up during the World War II in 1949 to provide homes to thousands of children rendered homeless all over the world by Dr. Hermann Geimner, a Swiss philanthropist. They have 34 such villages in India too. Headquartered in Vienna, Save Our Souls villages possess an ambience and the environment of the disciplined, systematic coordination of its headquarters. These villages are lesser known for their...