charukesi December 20th, 2007
My husband left home this morning as usual for work - and called me five minutes ago (at 1 p.m.) from Bandra flyover - he has been stuck in a traffic jam since morning and taking detour after detour to find himself now in what is possibly the mother of them all. The only consolation, if that, is now he knows what this is all about - thousands of protesters making their way to a certain residence in Bandra East, demanding Mumbai for Maharashtrians.
And oh, now that I am ranting, may as well bring up the famous batti bandh campaign - the one that evoked mixed response (read very poor response) from Mumbai. The idea was to turn off lights for one hour in the city to save power and pitch in for climate change but some residents in Mumbai seemed reluctant to spend their Saturday even in partial darkness. I know I didn’t take part in it - but that is because I don’t live in Mumbai, I live in Navi Mumbai where we have power cuts for three hours everyday. And this is in “winter”; in the summer, the shut-down lasts from three to eight hours in a day. So much for voluntary participation in batti bandh. But yeah, I know, this is not Mumbai; even the protesters do not want Navi Mumbai - and can you blame them?
I think if this is what Mumbai is becoming, I am tempted to return it to the Maharashtrians. I know my husband is by now. Except neither of us know any other city where we would rather live and work. Mumbaikars, please don’t make me hate Bombay.
charukesi December 10th, 2007
Published in HT Brunch (Dec 09) as Burning Bright…
As always, link available online for a week - so here is Burning Bright, page 1 and 2.
The park opened in October after the rains and if you have not been to Ranthambhore yet, now is the time to go…
charukesi November 15th, 2007
Still in Chennai, enjoying ma ke haath ka khaana and this long break away from anything resembling work. As always while in Chennai, have not stepped out of home much… In the meanwhile, here is a story from an earlier visit to Mahabalipuram - published in the travel section of today’s HT Cafe…
The article is Available online for only a week here… Quick! Read while offer exists 
Update : the link does not work any longer. You can Read the blog version of it here…
charukesi October 28th, 2007
More on Hampi - yes, I know this is overkill but Hampi is the kind of place that never leaves you even long after you have left it. This piece was published today in BRUNCH - the Sunday supplement of Hindustan Times as ‘Written in Stone’ - the link is valid only for a week, so this is the published piece - on Itchy Feet.
charukesi October 26th, 2007
The black horse rides again -this time only for three days - today till Sunday for the Diwali Kala Ghoda festival. Since I go to Max Mueller Bhavan everyday for my German classes, I have been noticing a lot of activity around the area - the artists and sketchers have been up and about, setting up their stalls on the side of the road for the last couple of weeks. And the familiar sights today - the flutist, the man with the paper fans, the bookshop, Chetna’s yummy chaat. I am going back on Sunday to see if I yield to the temptation to pick up some of the gorgeous Tussar silks at the shops that stretch all along the road. Will try to post photographs if I find anything interesting. Do visit if you are in the area - I wonder why there has not been much mention of it in the media.
charukesi October 4th, 2007
Photo essay that appeared in the October issue of India Today Travel Plus…
Don’t believe everything they tell you about Hampi – all those stones do not sing. Some of them speak to you with unmatched eloquence, some others stutter while others stare at you silently, mute witnesses to centuries of destruction wrought by nature and man.
Here among the ruins of the Vijayanagara empire is really the closest you can get to time travel. Watching the sun set from Hemakuta hill, watching the sun set or enclosed in the almost completely destroyed Achutaraya temple, it is possible to close your eyes and imagine that you have been thrown back a few centuries.
Keep your ears open, however, and listen to what the stones are saying. They ask you to return, and you will.
charukesi September 23rd, 2007
My first article to be published - ‘River Town’ appeared today in BRUNCH, the Sunday supplement of Hindustan Times - I had sent it originally as ‘A-punting we go on the Cam’.
Read a-punting we go on the Cam at my travel blog Itchy Feet, published in HT with minor edits. Comments welcome.
You can also read it online in the Hindustan Times epaper (23 September - click on HT Brunch on the left side-bar)
Also see : Cambridge photo gallery here…
charukesi September 18th, 2007
When we went on our holiday, we had no idea it would turn out to be a pilgrimage of sorts… first a too-short day at Amritsar, a few days at Mcleodganj and then a weekend in Delhi, time divided between a hasty visit to the Ganpati temple and a more leisurely hour at Juma Masjid. And we came away surprisingly refreshed, mind more peaceful than it had been just a week ago, from each of these places - not something I ever expect from religion. And then looking at the photographs, I think I saw the reason, faith and not religion. Inward looking, introspective, peaceful and soothing - not violent, agenda-driven, aggressive or loud. Not driven by the idol or the even the physical presence of the place of worship itself but the spirit that seems to envelop everyone inside. (I am not expressing myself well here, but see these photographs to know what I mean…). I could have sat at any of these places for hours on end (and actually did), never wanting to let go of that buzz.
At Amritsar…
At Mcleodganj…
At Juma Masjid…
charukesi September 8th, 2007
Am on a short break (again) - in Amritsar and Dharamshala for a week - will try to blog or upload pics from there. Any recommendations on things to do (very very relaxing, non taxing), places to eat etc welcome.
In the meanwhile, hop over to Itchy Feet for notes on Hampi…
Read about the inverted shadow at the fabulous Virupaksha temple and a rant on
the lonely planetization of travel
charukesi September 6th, 2007
Ek akela is shahr me…
It is difficult to feel crowded when the entire sea and sky are stretching out in front of you… That is where Bombay finds its space. One of the places. Also… In a book read standing in the super-crowded ladies compartment of the Borivili local in the evening. In fingers tapping to the music from your ipod, all other sounds shut out. In hands held tightly coming out of the movie theatre. In hushed whispers, hurried caresses, in bites from the same bhutta on Worli seaface late in the evening. On the rocks at Bandstand. At Essel World and at Borivili National Park. In the shared pani puri at Juhu. In a dimly lit auto-rickshaw on your way home. In aati kya khandala in the monsoon, in impromptu showers under the waterfalls on the way.
Under the stars at night…
