This is the life.
So you thought the backwaters were synonymous with Kerala. Think again 🙂
The Goan backwaters start at Aldona, a small sleepy village in Bardez, North Goa, and gently flow through lush green mangroves all the way to Panjim where it meets the Mandovi river. It is a different world here. The serene glass like waters mirror the landscape to uncanny perfection, the silence broken by the cry of a cormorant… Continue reading
The headless nandi in the center of the mandap, poignant yet serene
At times it’s all about taking the road less travelled…
Driving through miles and miles of forest of the now Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary, I finally reach a tiny exquisite 12th century temple dedicated to the Lord Shiva, its basalt slabs brought from across the Deccan. Till recently the only way to reach the temple was by trekking through the dense forest. Continue reading
The subtleties of facial expression carved into ivory
(Crucifix, 18th Century, Ivory, wood, paint, gilt and mother of pearl)
If there is only one museum that you visit in Goa, let it be the Museum of Christian Art in Old Goa. One of the very few of its kind in Asia, the museum, housed in the convent of Santa Monica (1627), is a treasure trove of Indo-Portuguese statues, paintings, and sculpture used in the celebration of Holy Mass. Dating from the 16th to 20th Century, each object is a piece of art revealing the depth and splendor of an era; Created by Hindu artists they represent a style unique to Goa alone. Continue reading
The Indo-Portuguese Basilica of Bom Jesus, Old Goa’s most revered church
I am not too sure what I expected when the cab driver dropped me off in Old Goa by the gates of the Jesuit Basilica of Bom Jesus this morning. Jostled by women selling candles and marigold garlands with the cheerful assurance “aapke prayers bhagwaan zaroor sunega (god will definitely listen to your prayers),” how could I say no to their strategic saleswomanship 🙂 Continue reading
“You are going to Goa??? Wow.”
“???”
“Hey, Goa is all about rave parties, bikinis, testosterone laden men, unbridled booze, sex, beaches, the sussegado way of life… Lucky you!”
Yup, lucky me. 🙂 It is said that you see what you want to see. I saw swaying palm trees snugly holding in its folds a rich Indo-Portuguese history, happy families taking pictures of each other, groups of college kids creating ‘dil chahta hai’ memories, and innocence. Continue reading
My favourite walk in London. 🙂 It is also a long walk—from St. Katharine Docks to Westminster, by the South Bank, meandering over London’s many bridges and through the cathedrals, theatres and pubs that line the edge of the River Thames. The nicest part is that as you walk, the sun starts to set and the lights come on and it is like walking through one huge painting.
St. Katharine Docks were once the Port of London’s most central docks Continue reading
Early Saturday morning and all of London seems asleep. The only sounds I hear are that of my running feet on their way to the tube station. It is a good few hours to Wells and Glastonbury. And when you leaving in a few days, oh well, sleeping in on a Saturday morning is the last priority on one’s list. 😀
England’s smallest cathedral city, Wells, derives its name from the three wells within its walled precincts, which during the Middle Ages were believed to have therapeutic qualities. Its other key attraction, for nearly a millennium, has been its cathedral [Cathedral Church of St. Andrew], and understandably so. Continue reading
“We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.” ~
Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
There are many advantages to travel—it reveals facets of people, places and our world which are often quite extraordinary.
Blenheim Palace is not in the top “things to do” list, and so tends to get sidelined. Which is a good thing, as it is thus, saved from the crowds and plastic commercialism which invariably smothers the real essence of overtly popular places. But what is Blenheim? It is a home, a very grand home of a man who was a statesman, orator, writer and artist, all rolled into one. It is the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill—Britain’s most famous prime minister and Nobel Prize laureate for literature in 1953, who also happened to be the grandson of the 7th Duke of Marlborough.
The 300-year-old baroque palace puts Britain’s statesman in a completely different context, amidst ceilings by Nicholas Hawksmoor and stonework by Grinling Gibbons. I had to keep telling myself this was somebody’s “home”! Look at the pictures and you will understand my awe.
The baroque splendour of Winston Churchill’s family home:
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This is my favourite photo. I was walking across Parliament Square towards Big Ben and Winston Churchill’s statue rose in front of me …
I love the way London is segregated in its functionality. It is pure Classicism in its order. There is legal London. Royal London. Financial London. And political London, also more commonly known as Whitehall.
Whitehall is a homogeneous line of government buildings, pierced with landmarks both significant and world-famous such as No. 10 Downing Street, Horse Guards Parade, Banqueting House and the Cenotaph. Not many tourists take this road. It is populated by government officials going about the business of running a country. Yet, Trafalgar Square at one end, and Westminster Palace [housing the UK Parliament] and Westminster Abbey at the other end, constitute the most visited tourist spots of London. Continue reading
Some places turn out to be such a pleasant surprise! I had put down Kew Palace and the Kew Royal Botanical Gardens for today. I’d been starting to feel a bit jaded—you know the “been there, done that” feeling and I, therefore, wanted to do something inconsequential for a change. Botanical gardens and palaces seemed to fit the bill perfectly. 🙂 Not too demanding was what I told myself. Continue reading
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