A couple of weeks back, we were going past Gurudwara Bangla Sahib in Delhi, and our daughter, the Little One or LO, looking out, said, “Someday I want to go there” (the LO says that about every five minutes when she’s in the car; the place in question could range from a park to a temple to a medieval tomb). I looked at the glittering domes of Bangla Sahib and said that if she wanted to see a beautiful gurudwara, she should see the Golden Temple. That got the LO excited (she loves anything golden—she’s loved it ever since she was a tiny tot, barely even walking, but exulting over what she called ‘gongong’). And, there and then, we decided we had to go to Amritsar.
Category Archives: Travel Writing
Fun Under the Sun: The LO Goes to Goa
My four year old daughter has finally begun to read simple three-letter words. We bought her some books she could read on her own, and within minutes of starting, the LO (‘Little One’, in case you didn’t know) had settled … Continue reading
Mad About Step Wells
A few days back, an old photo I’d posted on Facebook, of the Chand Baori at Abhaneri, suddenly began drawing a good deal of attention. People wanted to know where it was, how old it was, and so on. That … Continue reading
Hampi in a day and a half
Many years ago, a colleague who had been to Hampi told me about it. I already knew a little about Hampi: the capital of the mighty Vijayanagar Empire, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a fine example of an entire city’s worth of ruins. I’d seen photos. What I hadn’t known was the nitty-gritty: how to get there, what to see, how much time to allocate for the trip.
Three days, she told me. Four or five days, said another seasoned traveller.
And guess what I got? A day and a half (or less, considering I spent part of that half day sitting at the foot of a hill and chatting with a couple of fellow writers). And yet, though I didn’t get to see all there is to Hampi, when I left, I was pretty much sated with temples and monoliths and boulders. I didn’t yearn to stay on for another day or two. Perhaps I will go back someday and see all there is to Hampi. Perhaps this was enough.
Outside the Hazaar Rama Temple.
At work and play in Vidyanagar
I’ve received a couple of e-mails over the past ten days: am I well? Is everything all right? (These from fellow bloggers whose blogs I frequent). I had to tell them: I was travelling and the net connection was somewhat dodgy. Besides, I was very busy. I often got only about half an hour to check my e-mail and catch up with what was going on at my blog.
To explain: I was at a writer’s conclave. The JSW Group, in partnership with The Hindu, played host to nine writers, including yours truly, for ten days, for a conclave named The Spaces Between Words.
We stayed at JSW’s very own guest house, Hampi House, at Vidyanagar, one of the townships that JSW has built around its steel plant in Karnataka’s Bellary district. Most of our writing was done at the nearby Kaladham, a lovely space just five minutes’ leisurely stroll from Hampi House.
Kaladham.
The LO goes to Singapore
Those of you who’ve been reading the travelogues that I’ve posted on this blog in the recent past may be aware of my darling daughter, the Little One or LO as I refer to her here. The LO, as you … Continue reading
Restaurant Review: Burma Burma
It’s been a long time since I reviewed a restaurant. Part of the reason has been that, what with the Little One (or the LO, as I refer to her) in tow, we’ve had to confine our eating out to … Continue reading
Kasauli: Kissed by Clouds
I have often said that I am a pahaari at heart. I don’t have—as far as I know—any ancestors who belonged to the hills, but there is nothing that rejuvenates me as much as going to the hills. Remember Wordsworth … Continue reading
Restaurant Review: Mr Choy
What’s better than going to a restaurant for the first time and finding that it’s worth revisiting? Going with somebody with whom you share a lot in common. Someone who pretty much likes the same things as you: the same … Continue reading
Birds, baoris and more
There was a time when I used to travel a lot (by my standards, which meant taking into account things like the fact that writers like me make money enough to do about one Delhi-Agra round trip a year—if that). … Continue reading
Dustedoff 