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 87 Fourteen-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 Air The 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...]
Top Ten: Picture Books in 2018
It's when I make lists like this that I realise how many books I read each year. It makes me deeply conscious of how privileged I am to be able to devote so much time each year to reading. Year after year, I read more books. More often than not, I don't buy them - it's impossible to buy every book I want to read - but libraries, online platforms like StoryWeaver, Kindle Unlimited ... These are a great source of stories. Many of these stories were not published in 2018; they're just books I read last year. It was difficult to make this list, but here goes, in no particular order ... Lion Goes for a Haircut Author: Swati ShomeIllustrator: Sayan Mukherjee When a lion walks into a salon for a haircut, what happens? Here's a story that shows you why lions don't go for haircuts! I enjoyed it tremendously. Ammachi's Amazing Machines Author and illustrator: Rajiv Eipe This … [Read more...]
Invisible People
How does one begin to write about a book as powerful as Invisible People? Stories of hope and courage - that's what the cover promises, yet I did not expect to be moved as much as I was. I knew I would come across extraordinary stories because I have faith in the fact that there are extraordinary people in this world. But Invisible People? Each story moved me so much that I had to look away, swallow a gulp in my throat, and just feel all those thousands of emotions that make me human, before I could read on. In the preface, author Harsh Mander says that none of the stories in the book is fictionalised. At most, names have been changed to preserve confidentiality; other than that, the stories are true to reality. And every one of these stories shows us one thing: that when human beings are at their cruellest and most brutal, there emerge other human beings who redefine what … [Read more...]
Bhigwan 2018
It was 8 in the morning. We'd woken up at 4:45 and driven over a hundred kilometres to Bhigwan. We waited a long while for our boat, and as we waited, we looked at terns, gulls, storks and stilts around us. And then, eventually, we boarded a boat and made our way across the waters towards the flamingoes.As we sat there, watching geese and ibises, I looked at the water around me and thought about what draws me to Bhigwan year after year. Why do I wake up in the pre-dawn hours and travel before light to a place two hours away? (Incidentally, when we went this time, my great-aunt had an interesting question, "Do flamingoes stink?" That was one of the questions I pondered as I sat and gazed at the pink-legged flamingoes in the distance. I still cannot answer that.) I looked at the painted storks, which look like old men walking with their hands behind their backs. I gurgled with … [Read more...]
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