When it’s not crowded with tourists, Ram Ghat is the best place to be in Chitrakoot. The best time is around 5.30 pm as you can join the Mandakini River aarti (prayer). Compared to the grandeur of Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat in Varanasi this one is much simpler, but
May is one of the most challenging months of the year and the hot and humid weather of Mumbai makes my family members irritable and angry. A holiday in the hills, the brood demands. Sikkim and Darjeeling announces our older son,…
With its limpid, big eyes and mermaid-like postures, this spotted seal at Hong Kong’s Ocean Park was so cute that I felt like bringing him/her home. The largest theme park in Hong Kong, Ocean Park has rides, a huge aquarium, an…
I met Menaka, freelance naturalist, at Singinawa Jungle Lodge during a visit to the Kanha National Park. She struck me as a fiercely independent woman who could defend her turf in a male-dominated field of work just as easily as…
Sri Lanka’s international airport in Colombo is just a 1.5 hour flight away from Chennai and 2.5 hours from Mumbai, a duration short enough to theoretically qualify as a domestic flight. So if you live in India and want to…
Exploring different mediums is fun. I was a bit apprehensive though when Saif from Musafir Stories approached me for a podcast ‘coz I’m not used to public speaking and was pretty sure I would make a fool of myself. It didn’t…
Once the exclusive preserve of Sri Lankan royalty, Peradeniya Royal Botanical Garden in Kandy has cannonball trees lining certain sections of its pathways. While the garden is known more for its collection of orchids, some of which were very pretty…
I only stopped at Gregory Lake in Nuwara Eliya long enough to take a few pictures on the way up to Seetha Amman Temple. I could see locals enjoying rides on speed boats and ponies and it seemed like a…
Sri Lanka’s most revered temple and the No.1 attraction in Kandy, the Dalada Maligawa or Temple of the Tooth Relic, as the name suggests, houses a tooth of Lord Buddha. Kept in a casket, the tooth is believed to have…
Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum has transformed from the oldest museum in Mumbai to a vibrant hub for the arts. Here’s all you need to know. Do you love Indian ceramics? I do and just presumed that we always…
I call Editor-in-Chief of National Geographic Traveller India Shreevatsa Nevatia for an interview and he’s busy. When you’re leading the Indian edition of one of the best travel magazines out there, one that attracts the most readers (9.6 mln according to…
Iconic landmarks of Mumbai, Gateway of India and Taj Mahal Palace Hotel are synonymous with the city. Despite a terror attack on the former on August 25, 2003 and the latter on November 26, 2008, together they’ve lent permanence to…