Slow Travel in Chiplun : Finding Silence and Time.
It is day two of life in the mountains. We are up early, as it is a day to explore the land. A cup of tea and then a delicious breakfast of the oh-so-Maharashtrian kanda poha and some rice bhakri.…
India Wayfarer
Sudhir Bhattathiripad
Life in the Slow Lane: A Leopard and Human-Wildlife Conflict
A peaceful weekend in the hills of Chiplun takes an unexpected turn when the presence of a leopard reveals the uneasy reality of human-wildlife conflict.
Pu La : The Voice That Taught Me Marathi.
A personal journey back to Pune leads to an unexpected encounter with the memory of Pu La Deshpande—the writer and humorist who, through an old cassette gifted by a friend, helped me discover the beauty, wit and music of Marathi.
The Trap Clicked: My Forty-Year Captivity in the World of P. G. Wodehouse
A dusty library, a book thrown across a room, and one unsuspecting teenager. That was how my forty-year captivity in the wonderfully goofy world of P. G. Wodehouse began.
St George’s Market Belfast: Where History Meets Everyday Life
A Sunday at Belfast’s St George’s Market reveals more than food, music and old brick walls. Among the aromas, laughter and bustling stalls, a conversation with a local farmer offers a reminder that, thousands of miles apart, the struggles of those who grow our food are remarkably similar.
Belfast, Titanic and a Thought from the Back Seat
Belfast Titanic Diary I have been taught the tricks to handle the weather by Christy the elderly concierge at the Hilton ( Read here ), and I now understand a part of this city’s glorious tryst with linen. I still…
I Can See Wind: A Belfast Memory
A few years ago Belfast beckoned. I knew Northern Ireland mostly through fragments—newspaper reports of street violence during my college days, names like Gerry Adams and Bobby Sands. And football: Danny Blanchflower, Pat Jennings, George Best. Best especially, the maverick…
Ganpatipule Temple: Aarti, Legends and Divinity by the Sea
A short drive from Ratnagiri is Ganpatipule, a small village disguised as a town. It sits beside a long stretch of golden beach, facing the Arabian Sea. Amongst the many small temples and centres of local faith and devotion scattered around Konkan, Ganpatipule is probably the most revered and visited. The Velneshwar temple, located a […]
The Opera of Life by the Sea
The fisherman, the boats, the crows, the eagle and the restless sea are all playing their parts. I sit on the shore and watch, reminded that this is the eternal opera of life. The show must go on.
Ratnagiri, the Maratha Lion and the Story of Kanhoji Angre
The morning is calm, and so is the sea. The sun rises behind us, and the sea gets a tinge of light. It is time to get around and see what Ratnagiri offers, and a drive around the city would…