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.

Travelling doesn’t provide life’s answers

We will travel to get out of our comfort zones. We will trek up to 5000 meters to witness first rays of the sun kissing the snow capped peaks surrounding us. We have, however, never seen the same sunrise from the balcony or terrace of our homes as we always wake up late and are rushing to work with a sandwich in our hands. We avoid talking to our family who have seen us through all the crests and troughs of our lives so far as they won’t understand the travails of our wandering heart. We don’t reach out to that old school or college friend whom we haven’t spoken to in years in spite of living in the same city. We can only open our hearts and laugh uninhibitedly during fleeting conversations with random strangers in an obscure bar in an obscure street in Amsterdam.

Tungnath Chandrashila Trek…

The Tungnath – Chandrashila trek is one of the shorter and easier treks in Uttarakhand, India. A very manageable 4 km trek from Chopta takes you to Tungnath, the highest temple in the world dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is located at an altitude of 3680 m with a view of the Nanda Devi, Trishul, Chaukhamba, Kedarnath and other peaks of the Garhwal Himalayas.