Tamil Nadu with Mr Bala

I remember my first day in Kozhikode, I was 20 years old and yet terrified of being left alone 'cause well I had never stayed a t a place with such lush greenery, I did n't understand the language and in general it was all so different from Delhi, where I had spent the first twenty years of my life.

Six years hence, now whenever I travel to any part of South India I am constantly reminded of my latent preference for that part of the country vis-a-vis the North. There is just something immensely homely about the roads, the palm trees, the humidity, the temples, the sarees and the gajras, the coffee and the food!

This time I was travelling through Tamil Nadu with my boyfriend and his parents and Mr Bala as our trusty companion and driver throughout the journey.

Madurai
This was my first time in Tamil Nadu, if I don't count the several flights via Chennai. Immediately after picking us up, Mr Bala took us to the Thirumalai Nayakkar Palace. Built in the 17th century the current remains only account for about one-fourth of the original palace. The remaining was supposedly taken away by the king's grandson to build his own palace in Trichy. Nonetheless the palace  is still a sight to behold with its massive white pillars supporting the structure, the high ceilings adorned with the most intricate and colorful paintings and mandalas. And yet again I encountered one of my usual travel pet peeves; how hard is it for people to respect any structure of historical , cultural, architectural or artistic significance unless there is some iota of religion attached to it? I mean scribbling on walls and declaring undying love really does n't lead to a happily ever after, but then again sigh!

Intricate paintings on the palace ceiling

Mighty facade of the Thirumalai Nayakkar Palace

Thirumalai Nayakkar Palace

Next up after a quick lunch we headed towards the Meenakshi temple and oh.my.God!!! Out of all the temples I have visited till date (which is a lot given my extra religious mother), this one was by far the most grand and awe-inspiring temple! Apart from the mind boggling number of statues and artifacts inside the temple, it also evokes a heady combination of emotions. The sun was setting and painting the sky in pretty ochre tones, thunder in the background serendipitous-ly in tune with the chants from the temple and a slow but steady drizzle topping it all.

Glorious Meenakshi temple

Rameshwaram
This was my first time traveling so far down south. The Pamban bridge which leads to Rameshwaram is another sight to behold. Flanked by the Indian Ocean on one side and the Bay of Bengal on the other, each competing to be more cerulean than the other, fishing boats dotting the shores, white headed eagles gliding around in slow motion, it was truly a postcard worthy sight.
Before visiting the temple in the evening we went to Dhanushkodi. About 20 km or so from Rameshwaram this is where the mythical Ram Setu or the Adam's bridge starts. The once bustling fishing village is now a ghost town with a population of just about 500 odd fishermen and their families. In December 1946 a super cyclone hit the coast and with it destroyed  the entire town. Dhanushkodi is only accessible via jeeps or mini vans which traverse over bumpy mashes, arid and deserted expanse of land only inhabited by various avian families. It is quite eerie to see the lone skeletal structure of the church which survived the aftermath of the cyclone and the crystal blue waters in the background. It is a strange and humbling experience at the same time.

Near Ram Setu

Ghost town of Dhanushkodi

Remains of the church at Dhanushkodi

 Chettinad Region - Karaikudi
Our final destination was the Chettinad region which is known for its massive mansions built by the Chettiyar merchants, dating between 70-200 years old. The layout of the houses are common, they usually start with a huge open verandah, followed by a series of porches; each usually used for a different purpose, the whole mansion replete with intricacy and yet simplicity.

Inside an old Chettiyar mansion

Just a few short days in Tamil Nadu and every time I board a flight to go back home I am so overwhelmed by the beauty that exists in our country and how much there is to learn about and appreciate!

Kila Raipur Sports Festival : A Weekend of Ingenuity, Entertainment and Entrepreneurship!

"We reveal ourselves in the metaphors we choose for depicting the cosmos in miniature" - Stephen Jay Gould

I don't quite remember when and how I first heard about the Kila Raipur Sports Festival, perhaps it was after its cameo in Rang De Basanti, however, I have been extremely intrigued and fascinated by it for the longest time and really wanted to go visit it once.

The festival. also popularly known as the Rural Olympics was started way back in 1933 by Inder Singh Grewal who envisioned the event to be an annual recreational meet for locals around Kila Raipur, and from what I witnessed it does live up to that vision!

How to get there?
Like most places in India, reaching Kila Raipur too is a slightly long winded effort. The closest train station is Ludhiana and the nearest airport is Chandigarh. We flew from Bombay to Delhi, took a chair car train to Ludhiana which was our base and traveled to Kila Raipur for the festival which is about 20 km away.

Why did we like it so much?
Honestly, lush green fields, clean atmosphere, nip in the air, more butter on a single parantha than you have in a whole week and even more swimming in butter chicken...what is there to NOT like!? But some of our favourite moments from the festival where literally all kinds of species test their spirit and skills are:

⤮ Hound Racing
I had never quite seen hound racing in real and to be honest was very intrigued by how ridiculously fast these dogs are!! But more entertaining is to see the hounds race into the neighbouring fields,being chased by the owners only to be finally caught and picked up and cajoled like little babies!

Hounds readying to chase the motorized chicken

You really would n't think they can run so fast!

Running into the horizon

⤮ Bicycle Racing
The stadium one must admit is quite big and well maintained we were quite excited to see a host of cyclists start from one end in their aerodynamic gear speeding towards the finish! Only when they got closer did we realise that they were all on the very humble cycle used daily, one cyclist had to stop mid way as the chain came off (!!) and another kept peddling hard as the basket attached in front threatened to fly off! Totally circa Joh Jeeta Wohi Sikandar!

Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar!

⤮ Mule cart race
Mules are capricious beings I came to realize. In almost every 'heat' there would be one mule who would start with so much gusto and brio, halt instinctively after about 100 m and just stand there thinking what-on-earth-am-I-doing-here. And then just REFUSE to budge.
My soul animals they be!

The ones that decided to run, kicked major dust!

⤮ Horse Racing
Two weekends back I went to watch the Mumbai Derby in Mahalaxmi Racecourse. The atmosphere with the immaculately dressed who's who, the well manicured horses and their petite jockeys all vying for crores of rupees in the prize money, I realised this weekend had NOTHING over the horses and their riders in Kila Raipur! With no saddles, stirrups or any sort of protective gear, it was a full display of bravado from members of both species! Every race ended with spectators running away from the speeding horses to safety, and in one of the races a horse just decided to take it to the next level and galloped in all its glory into the village!

Horses and their riders in all their vigour!

⤮ Hockey Match
So from what I read the Bhagwant Gold Cup is supposed to be a huge draw and attracts hockey teams from across the state if not beyond. Sadly there was n't much of a game we got to see. Some sort of altercation broke out on the field between one of the teams and the referee (pretty common I'd suppose in a lot of sports), which spiraled and embroiled the spectators as well (not sure how common this is) which eventually led to one of the teams just abandoning the game in the middle, walking till the periphery of the stadium, casually changing into their jeans and t-shirts and just walking off (definitely sure this is uncommon)!!!

⤮ DSP's and Daredevilry
Kila Raipur festival is marked by a multitude of events and sports all happening simultaneously making it mind boggling for all your senses to fully engage. Some of such events includes DSP's from the police forces across the state displaying their skills of standing on a booking motorbike, gyrating to Punjabi songs and even reading the newspaper all very casually while standing on a moving bike!!!

Taking Friday morning chill scenes to a whole new level!

Apart from these events, there were endless bouts of kadabbi, tug of war, people pulling tractors with their teeth, athletic events from men and women across all age groups, martial art performances by Nihang warriors and a lot of dance and show!

Not sure how the event has evolved over the last almost eight decades of its existence but it felt good to see it not being marauded by mindless commercialization like we witnessed in the Hornbill festival last year.

Jhapan Mela : Of Cobras , Vipers and their Charmers

We live in a big country. A big, strange and diverse country. Rituals, landscapes, clothing, food, languages keep changing every few hundred kilometers. There is so much to know, so much to see and learn just within the geographical confines of our own country.

So when I heard about the Jhapan Mela, literally the festival of snakes and snake charmers I couldnt be more intrigued especially now knowing that it is celebrated in the same village that some of my relatives are from! Another example of how diverse our culture is, and how much there is to see for all of us, even for the most seasoned traveler!

Below is the article I wrote for Bizarre Culture on the Jhapan Mela.

Bishnupur. 140 odd kilometres from Calcutta. Known to have the highest number of historic temples in West Bengal, mostly made of terracotta. And yet another seemingly nondescript town in a country that is marked by one every hundred kilometres or so.

But with August and the post monsoon lushness and hopes of a good harvest, comes one of the most intriguing festivals celebrated in India, the Jhapan Mela.

On the last day of the Sharavana month of the Bengali calendar, scores of snake charmers gather to worship Manasa Devi, the serpent deity. Members of the Rajbongshi tribe appear with their small bamboo baskets with snakes to honour the fierce Goddess. Many gather to seek her blessings for a good harvest, fertility, prosperity and protection against diseases.  Though throughout the festival one may not actually see idols of the deity, instead followers worship trees, rocks and other aspects of nature. In fact most of the Manasa devi worshipping revolves around being one with nature.

While as per one school of thought, the word Jhapan seemed to have originated from the Bengali word Jhapi, meaning the bamboo basket in which the snake charmers (called the Jhapanias) keep their snakes, as per another school of thought Jhapan literally means a large stage erected to exhibit tricks with snakes.

The festival is celebrated with much fanfare, and for the Jhapanias it is a day to earn the extra income in an otherwise penury ridden life. Snake charming, like most traditional occupations in India have been carried on for generations now. Earlier the snake charmers had a profitable business owing to the demand for venom to be used to treat snake bites. This has now been replaced by synthetic venom being used by the government. Apart from this, with the Wildlife Protection Act making it a crime to own wild animals and use them for personal or commercial profit has further pushed these snake charmers with no alternate source of income into further destitution. Adding to it, in the recent years, the mela has seen a rise in Bangladeshi snake charmers participating as well, thus further reducing earning opportunities. As a result, for a greater part of the year one can mostly see these charmers proving a hit with tourists and cajoling them into taking pictures for a few extra rupees, and living true to the image of India still being a land of snake charmers!

However, for that one day in August, these charmers and their cobras, vipers, pythons take the centre stage as the rest of the public swoons in religious revelry.

The Rajasthan Odyssey: Solo Indian Woman Travel V4.0

"Had I not created my own world, I would have certainly died in other people's" ~ Anais Nin

Last month I quit my job in Bangalore. No, this is not the beginning of another “How I quit my job to travel the world” blog. I quit my job and now I have moved on to another in Mumbai!

Anyway, the job switch left me with a couple of days in the middle; all to myself and then again the travel bug started itching my insides. And this time I decided on a royalty laden odyssey in Rajasthan.

Being one of the most popular tourist destinations in India, much has already been said and written about Rajasthan, however much still needs to be explored and maybe the same old needs to be explored with a new eye, as I did in my week long stay there.

My journey began from Jaipur, weaved through Udaipur and Kumbalgarh and culminated in Jodhpur and some of most memorable moments are:

1. Visit Nahargarh Fort , Jaipur

Built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in 1734, the fort was meant to serve as a royal retreat. Standing on the edge of the Aravalli Hills, the fort offers magnificent views of Jaipur city. Along with Amer Fort and Jaigarh Fort, it forms a strong defence ring for the city.

However, make sure to have proper planning while visiting the fort. While buses take you all the way to the entrance of Amer Fort, they drop you around 5km away from Nahargarh. And with the heat, dust, steep climb and poorly functioning lungs, the only way to go up would be to hitchhike like I did if you don’t plan for your own transport! But the view from the top is well worth the hassle!

Also rumour has it that Rang De Basanti was shot here!

Amer Fort

One of the many sights at Amer

View from Amer Fort

                                      

View from Nahargarh Fort

Hawa Mahal, Jaipur

2. Stay at Zostel Udaipur (and also the other Zostels)

Udaipur is definitely one of the prettiest cities in Udaipur. And the beauty quotient increases a few notches when you’re staying at Zostel Udaipur! What can be better than waking up, pulling the curtains, only to see the sun rising and illuminating the city palace! Yep, all of this from your bunk bed! You have a worthy Instagram shot at 7am!

Another nice part about Zostel are the people! The managers in all of them are super friendly and helpful and during your stay you’ll end up meeting a wide variety of people which will only add to the deliciousness of your travels!

Entrance to the City Palace, Udaipur

3. Go for a cultural show at Bagore ki Haveli

Just in case the ghats, the city palace, Lake Pichola, the tiny shops selling silver jewellery weren’t enough to capture your heart, go for a cultural show in Bagore ki Haveli. These shows are organized every night and display the varied cultural heritage of Rajasthan. From Chhari dance (ladies dancing with pots balanced on their heads lit with fire) to Bhavai Dance (at least a dozen pots balanced on the heads) and dancing on broken glass, and puppet shows, this one hour is guaranteed to regale you!

Bagore ki Haveli on the ghats of Lake Pichola

                                      

                                      

4.  Definitely check out Kumbalgarh

Just about a 100km away from Udaipur, yet most people would have never heard about it. The Kumbalgarh fort is a Mewar fort, built on a hilltop which is around 1100m above sea level and has walls extending to around 38km, making it the second longest continuous wall after the Great Wall of China. From the top of the palace one can see kilometres into the Aravalli range.

Walls of the Kumbalgarh Fort

5. Only travel in local buses

Needless to say some of the best experiences that one can have is on local transport and Rajasthan is no less. With a landscape so dry, arid and barren, the colourfully dressed locals thronging all buses could not have provided starker contrasts! Also, these are the cheapest and some of the most entertaining ways to travel.

6. Walk up to Mehrangarh Fort

Finally, in Jodhpur, the most famous place of visit is the Mehrangarh Fort and it is worthy of that status. While visiting the fort, instead of driving all the way up to the entrance, it is better to go via the Clock Tower and actually climb up an extremely steep path of close to 2km. The path meanders through tiny houses, all painted in bright blue shades and on the way you’ll mostly encounter curious kids and happy go lucky goats!

Mighty Mehrangarh Fort

View of Mehrangarh Fort from Jaswant Thada

Jaswant Thada

                                                  

Mandor Garden

Umaid Bhavan Palace

Though these for me were some of the memorable moments, but my trip was made with the countless hours of waiting at bus-stops and train stations, of meeting warm strangers and striking up conversations, of watching sunsets and feeling lucky.