Barely two months ago, 2200 kilometers away in the tiny village of Gunjung nestled in the hills of Assam, I was walking around paddy fields with villagers who had no exposure to structured scientific education and global conversations on climate change, but who understood the importance of water security. Passed on through generations, they had intimate knowledge of how to build their lives using the resources in their surroundings.
Category: Mountains
Experiencing Bir during the rains
I had arrived a couple of hours back after an overnight bus journey. It had been drizzling as I got down from my bus and walked a kilometer to my hostel through narrow lanes lined by local homes and shops. It is 11 am now and raining heavily. I have been roaming around for the…
Meditating on a cold morning in Dharamkot
It’s a cold and incessant drizzle. The sky is laden with clouds with thin streaks of sunlight trying to sneak through them intermittently. The cold wind shivers through my ears. In this weather I take the fifteen minute walk from my hostel in Upper Dharamkot to Lower Dharamkot on the rocky, uneven path wet with…
Finding meaning by the Baspa
A couple of months ago, I was sitting by the Baspa River near the India-Tibet Border Police checkpost in Chitkul which is the last Indian village on the India-Tibet border in Himachal Pradesh. I had been travelling in the Kinnaur region laden with yet to ripe apples for the last few days and Chitkul was…
The idyllic serenity of Mcleodganj
Being home to the Tibetan government in exile since 1960 and the official residence of the 14th Dalai Lama, McLeodganj has a large Tibetan population and a strong Tibetan Buddhist influence. People here are peaceful, smiling and ready to help. The prayers of the aged Buddhist monks softly chanting mantras with meditation beads between their fingers seem to permeate through the air. It is an ideal getaway to just be with yourself in the lap of nature and not spend a lot of time and money on sightseeing tours. Go for long idle walks or read a book by the window in a quiet cafe over coffee with the mountains looking over you.
The wilderness of Kasol
In the gentle winter sunlight, listening to the soft music of the winding Parvati river, a breakfast of salad, sandwiches and hot coffee amidst towering trees is like the illustration of my first trip to Kasol. This picturesque hill town in the Parvati river valley has gained popularity as a backpacking destination in last decade…
The Nag Tibba trek
In May this year, I went for what is one of the easier treks in Uttarakhand, the Nagtibba trek. The 8 km Nag Tibba (Serpent’s Peak) trek starts from a village called Pantwari situated around 100 kms from Dehradun. The trek takes one through thick forests and verdant meadows to an altitude of 3022 metres….
The Goat Village…living the simple life in the hills
Today our lifestyle choices based on our increasing needs of comfort and convenience have led to creation of a mechanized life based around cars, elevators, air conditioners, microwaves, coffee machines, online shopping, and the all pervasive smart phones. Some of us have heard stories from our grandparents about the charm of a simple village life…
To the origins of Yamuna…..
As one crosses the DND Flyway from Delhi to Noida, it is difficult to miss the mucky and shallow waters of river Yamuna, India’s fifth largest and most polluted river. Industrial pollution, uncontrolled flow of untreated sewage, dumping of solid wastes, sand mining have all contributed to the destruction of the ecological balance of this…
A few days in Coorg…
Referred to as the Scotland of India by the British, the Coorg district in Karnataka with its eternal misty atmosphere, lush green landscape and dak bungalows within coffee plantations, can be an ideal setting for a Victorian era murder mystery. It is a popular weekend getaway near Bangalore and offers plenty for nature lovers, adventure…
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