Pelling, in West Sikkim, won my heart. We stayed at a place called Ifseen Villa, about a kilometre and a half away from the one-street town of Pelling. And I loved the place. Outside our balcony were lemon trees, and in the distance, the magnificent Khangchendzonga* range.On each of the three mornings we spent there, I woke up with a fluttering sense of excitement. Pelling inspired me, though I cannot quite lay my finger on why. It was beautiful, fresh and free.(I discovered in Pelling, by the way, that when the weather is very cold, my ball pen does not work! In the absence of a heater, my travel writing had to be paused because yes, I do still write in a book before I blog.)We did all the touristy things around town and quite enjoyed them too. We visited Yuksam*, the first capital of Sikkim, and learned about the legend of the pine tree that stands tall behind the … [Read more...]
Kolkata Diaries
Excited as I was about our adventures in North Sikkim, I dived in and wrote about Lachung and Yumthang. But the first place we visited was Kolkata. That's where the journey really started, and we spent a day there because it is a place close to my heart.My grandmother grew up in Calcutta. Having studied at Loretto Convent in the pre-independence era, she often told us stories about her childhood. One story that stands out in my memory is that of her classes on etiquette, where all the girls were taught to stir sugar into their tea without making a tinkling sound! I always found the idea of girls solemnly stirring tea hilarious, and it was just one of many tales I loved. I remember her talking about having been taught that her handbag must match her shoes (she never wore shoes, only slippers, because she dressed only in saris), and how to pronounce 'waistcoat' properly. Look it up. … [Read more...]
Yumthang Valley
I remember the first time I watched The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I watched the old movie, of course, where Mr and Mrs Beaver were people in beaver costumes, and the section where the children ride on Aslan was old-fashioned animation, to put it mildly.Yet, I loved it so much that I still remember much of it word for word. I remember the white witch saying, "How dare you come alone?" I remember "Turkish delight? For my little prince?" I remember the faun Mr Tumnus saying, "Always winter, and never Christmas!"Narnia is magical.And I could not stop thinking about it as we stood there in the magical Yumthang Valley. Frozen waterfalls, a blanket of snow, snow on trees all around us.When Pempa picked us up, determined to take us to Yumthang Valley, my heart gave a little leap. It was impossible! Everyone else had left, and it was still snowing. How were we going … [Read more...]
The Road to Yumthang
It was a bright, cold day. Bundled up in thermals, sweaters, mufflers, gloves and coats, we set off for Yumthang, famously known as the Valley of Flowers. In spring, a carpet of flowers rolls over the valley, and in winter, a blanket of snow.As we shivered with cold and excitement, we hoped we would be allowed all the way to Yumthang. The previous day, vehicles had been stopped because the roads were slippery, but perhaps today would be different. The day was clear, and our driver and guide Pempa, who belonged to Lachung, was optimistic.All along the road, we saw patches of snow huddled under rocks, hiding from the sun. As we moved further, the snow grew bolder, not crouching under the rocks, but showing itself above. Snow spread its fingers over trees and branches, bringing to mind the cotton wool we use as children to decorate Christmas trees.And yaks! What delightful … [Read more...]
North Sikkim
"Should we really go?""Is it safe?""Just yesterday, people got stuck in Lachung and had to be rescued!""And vehicles have not even been allowed to go towards Yumthang.""Maybe we should just cancel our Lachung-Yumthang plan and stay in Gangtok."On the 10 January, NDTV reported that over 150 tourists were stuck in the Lachung Valley and were rescued by the army. Was it sheer stupidity to stick with our original plan and visit Lachung anyway? We were to go there on the 12th, just two days later.We asked my friend from Gangtok, "Do you think we should go to north Sikkim?""You MUST go to north Sikkim!" she replied.Then, our flight was rerouted to Bagdogra. We were supposed to fly to Pakyong, closer to Gangtok, but Spice Jet said that the flight was being redirected owing to bad weather conditions.We, from the warm Deccan, dithered. Maybe going to the north was a bad idea.But … [Read more...]
Jannat Point, Pench Tiger Reserve
It's been over three weeks since the year started, and they have been incredible. I have much to write about--my heart and mind are full of stories.I wrote about bringing the new year in with the sight of a leopard at Pench Tiger Reserve, but anyone who loves the jungle knows that a "sighting" is not the only exciting thing about a safari. There's much more. The very sight of the gate makes my heart beat faster--unexplored, unpredictable worlds lie beyond!Pench, particularly, is teeming with wildlife. I would not be exaggerating if I said that we saw over a hundred peacocks during our four safaris there.We saw the young ones of nilgai, sambhar and chital, and I love fawns! They are an adorable combination of curiosity and fear. They gaze at us, as if to ask, What is this new beast? Who are these people? I wonder what they want! And then, suddenly, primal instinct takes … [Read more...]
The Forest Calls
It was New Year's Day. We sat in the gypsy, shivering with cold and excitement. There were fewer people in the jungle probably because many had stayed up to bring the new year in, and could not wake up in time for a safari on the 1st of Jan.For us, the whole point of being at Pench Tiger Reserve on New Year's Eve was that we would end one year with a safari and begin the next one with the thrill of another. As we turned into one of the forest lanes, we saw a tiger conservationist whom we'd met earlier that day standing in his jeep. He raised two fingers. "Two cubs," he whispered. He was still peering into the green.Aaah! said a voice inside me. Again!We didn't see the cubs, but that's hardly surprising. The tigers at Pench are famously shy. Even if they were right there, watching us, they would not emerge until we had gone away.But that day, the forest was full of calls. … [Read more...]
Top Ten: Young Adult Books in 2018
There's so much happening in the world of Young Adult books! Some people may classify a few of these books as MG rather than YA, but again, I put forth the usual disclaimer - associating an age with a reading level is impossible.Many of these books are crucial - they deal with ideas and issues that need to be addressed. Yet, when I read, the "issue" cannot ever be all-important. I cannot love a book simply because it is important. And that's why, even though I read books that are arguably more "important", my favourites remain ones that wring my heart.Boy 87Fourteen-year-old Shif is put into prison for something he has not even done yet. It is when he goes to jail that he discovers others who have been imprisoned for the kind of "something" which is actually nothing at all. Also, it is in Shif that every prisoner's hopes are vested, for Shif is young and can run away: his … [Read more...]
Top Ten: Middle-Grade Books in 2018
My list of favourite middle-grade books was the most difficult one to make! Until the second I hit 'Publish', I kept changing my mind about which books to include. I almost made this top fifteen - it is my blog after all, no one is dictating how many I should have here ... But I restricted myself. And yes, there are at least five more that I want to put here but didn't.The Girl Who Walked on AirThe Girl Who Walked on Air is the perfect combination of adventure, suspense and drama. Louie dreams of becoming the showstopper of the circus, but for some reason, Mr Chipchase never gives her the chance to demonstrate her talent. On the day he does, everything changes, and Louie must demonstrate her courage in more ways than one. From the details of a Victorian circus to the high drama of performance, I enjoyed everything about this book!Charmed Life (Chrestomanci … [Read more...]
Top Ten: Books for Young Readers in 2018
I know that 'books for young readers' is a very vague title, but these aren't all chapter books, though the age-group for all the books on the list is similar. I also don't read as many chapter books as I do other children's books, but as I was making this list, I realised that I probably should read more because I've enjoyed each and every one of these!The Last Tiger (Mark Greenwood)A work of non-fiction, The Last Tiger is exactly the kind of book I would have loved to read age eight. Even as a child, I was fascinated by the wild world, and aghast at what humans were doing to it. The Last Tiger is the perfect mixture of seriousness and hope, bringing home to me that nature is in danger, but all is not lost yet.Read a more detailed review here.Tilly and the Time Machine (Adrian Edmondson)I would imagine that writing a fresh story about a time machine is incredibly … [Read more...]