A 70-Year Journey Through Passports
We all have our own journeys. We navigate the world through our unique lens of experiences.
My father navigated his by being a traveler. The best times of his life were when he was on a flight to a city
The Mughal Mallika of Hindustan: The then and now of Noor Jahan
My love for Noor Jahan started over a decade ago. It is probably why I go the extra mile for her – be it hunting down an obscure tomb “Shahpir ka Dargah” she built for her advisor/physician, in a hidden … Read the rest
Belgrade
I traveled to Belgrade in February carrying the information that a first time visitor to the city would normally have – the confluence of two rivers, Sava and Danube, old fortress, museums, squares, temple, a mausoleum and the unmissable Knez… Read the rest
All in a Flash Flood
It’s August 2010 and I’m in a village called Domkhar Barma half way up the Domkhar Valley, western Ladakh. The mountain river coming from the snowmelt higher up the valley divides the village with a few houses on the far … Read the rest
Jenny wants to Sing
The song draws to a close. We are a small group sitting, mostly cross legged, on the floor of a Tibetan Buddhist shrine room which somehow feels golden, with glorious, colourful Tibetan art on the walls and surrounded by statues … Read the rest
Bakshi Barir Pujo: An Old Custom and its Storied History
Love, Loss and Objects from the Past
Smile – and the world smiles with you. Grieve – and you grieve alone.
These had been the words I had somehow memorized in my childhood when I first went to school. It was a school run by Catholic nuns. … Read the rest
The Mere Tale of an Er….
‘Everyone thinks that they have the best dog and none of them is wrong’
On one rainy day, the tiny tots of the family caught me unawares. “Do tell us a story please…..!”
Oh sure, let me start. Once upon … Read the rest
Fight, My Beloved Country
Call it a woman’s intuition, but for a week I had been fearful that something was about to happen. I spoke about my apprehensions to Alex, my husband, even suggesting that we should prepare to leave. He dismissed my fears … Read the rest