Deepavali Wishes

Happy Deepavali to all of you..please have a noiseless Deepavali..The best thing I like about Deepavali is having an oil bath and eating a lot of "bakshanam" or savouries like murukku and mixture which are typically South indian ..and I love lighting lamps..Here are two traditional pictures, one from a typical Coorg home and another at the Big temple at Thanjavur which showcases the spirit of the moment.

Warangal - a sneak preview

A sneak preview into the historic past of the old city , Warangal. The fort built by the Kakatiya rulers in the 12 century. The four Keerti Toranas (gateways of glory )which symbolise Kakatiyas architecture still stand today in the four directions...More than 30 feet high, these stone gateways enclose many sculptures and pillars ..more on this in a few days


Pls do click on the snaps to see them in their original size

Visiting the twin cities Hyderabad and Secunderabad

I am in the twin cities after almost a year and a half. My most memorable trip here was when I was here when I launched a media product here a couple of years ago ..and my trips gradually stopped after I left my job .The Charminar has always been one of my favourites and I strolled along the vibrant lanes of the Bangle Bazaar and shopped till I dropped..

Well, I havent had the biriyani as yet and I am off to Warangal today, an ancient town and probably the capital of the Kakatiyas who ruled here ...one of my most impulsive and unplanned trips. I dont even have a roof tonight over my head and I need to figure that out once I get there ..see you next week and have a great Deepavali if I dont see you guys before that..

India through my eyes - carrots in kodaikanal

We were passing through this idyllic village called Mannavannur near Kodaikanal looking for a lake ..it was an agricultural belt and the terrace farms looked inviting..we did not see anyone and then in a green corner, we found four men "cleaning" the carrots they had harvested..the carrots were left lying near a small stream and the men would then do a little dance on them, rubbing them with the soles of their feet ,probably kicking them a bit as well and then packing them into little sacks that were later sold in the market..I did not have a video camera..so here are the pictures..



This post is dedicated to Jeevan who reminded me regarding the Kodai post..will be putting up a longer one soon

Stuck at home with itchy feet

I am stuck at home as I am broke..no money to fly or stay in a decent hotel and all trains are running full.So am currently looking for sponsors and well wishers and good ideas to travel without spending much.I write for a living and so if any magazine or website out there wishes me to travel to Kerala or Kumbakonam in exchange for a story, I am game. Hope some resort or hotel owners out there are listening as well and will show me some hospitality in return for some publicity. This weekend has been particularly disappointing. Four destinations were planned and they all remained in the planning stage only . Next week seems to be going the same way . So, here I am sitting and looking at my old pictures and feeling nostalgic

India through my eyes - What the Gods eat !

Grams sold outside the Azhagar (Alagar )temple dedicated to Vishnu near Madurai . This is bought by devotees and served to the Gods.. I asked why and no one answered..

Travel plans - Can you guess this destination ?

I did not travel anywhere in September . And October has been disappointing as travel plans were altered or canceled. I had already dropped out of two trips that were scheduled to happen this month and finally even today's plans got altered - a simple day trip. But an impulsive decision at 12.30 pm this afternoon took me to the above mentioned destination, a place where I have been wanting to go for ages - any guesses

Update - The guessing game is over and the answer is simple..all you need to do is to click on the picture and it will tell you the location. This Nandi is also the tallest Nandi sculpture in the country. I am talking about Lepakshi...