What have you heard about the Sundarbans? I've heard all kinds of things. Most of the tigers are man-eaters.People who step out hope not to see a tiger because if they do, they probably won't come back.Like any other water safari, you don't really see animals because you're in the water, and why would animals come out of the woods to see you?Most of what I knew was like that. A rudimentary search told me nothing about how to get to the Sundarbans. Following my school text book, I even wrote it Sunderbans because I didn't know that it got its name from the sundari tree. What are the safari timings? Where does one stay? How does one get there? Is the forest closed in the monsoon? Zilch.Thanks to a friend who's been there, though, we contacted a guide and got a little more clarity--eventually. We learned that the forest was open, and so, off we went to figure out how things work. … [Read more...]
Pench 2025
Pench is magical. I've been there five times now, and each time, I come back refreshed because the forest is so breathtakingly beautiful.There's Venuban (Bamboo Forest), a canopy of bamboos, full of secrets. That's where we saw paradise flycatchers in the past, and Malabar Pied Hornbills this time.There's Jannat Point, where we saw our first jackal.Totladoh, an erstwhile village, close to which we saw the tiniest crocodile I've ever seen. And of course, there's all the rest that I love--the garadi forest, the teak trees that are different in different seasons, the Indian ghost tree, the crocodile bark tree ... Joy! Peacocks One of the highlights of this visit to Pench was certainly the dancing peacocks. We saw a dozen or more! The one here was probably the most magnificent, trying hard to attract a peahen that seemed, for the most part, quite … [Read more...]
Kadbanwadi Grasslands
Ever since grassland safaris were launched several months (years?) ago, we've been meaning to go. Although we've been on countless safaris in the forest, the grasslands were new to us, and the idea of seeing a whole range of birds, in addition to the possibility of hyenas, foxes and wolves was exciting! Finally, last week, we went to Kumbhargaon, which is where we usually go birdwatching (I blogged about it in 2015 and in 2018), and from there, on to Kadbanwadi.The grass, as you can see, is dry, and the weather was hot. Not ideal for a safari, but we enjoyed it nonetheless. The vast expanse of dry, brown grass stretches for as far as you can see. Yet, the number of birds we saw was incredible. I saw birds I've never seen before, and I'm sure I won't identify unless I get to see them many more times!I don't carry a camera, so I don't have pictures other than the ones that Karan … [Read more...]
Nagaland 2025
It's been ages since I wrote a travel post, although I've been thinking about writing one for a while. Often, there's so much else I want to write that travel posts take a backseat. But Nagaland was special for so many reasons that I decided to write about it even though this post comes almost one month late.The White Owl Literature Festival and Book FairI always dreamed of my writing taking me to places I've never visited. Going to Dimapur, Nagaland, for a literature fest was surreal!I did my first ever event on How I Feel, and although I had a very mixed audience in terms of age-group, I loved it. We explored emotions, drew emojis, and wrote a little, all in this beautiful bookstore, The White Owl. Among the many charming things the literature festival did was to make these steps with our books on them!I did a writing workshop based on my first novel-in-verse, … [Read more...]
Daulatabad Fort and Ellora Caves
The view from the top of Daulatabad I first visited Daulatabad about 25 years ago. From all those years ago, I remember two things distinctly: the frighteningly dark passages that can lead you straight to a moat full of hungry crocodiles if you take the wrong turn, and the smell of bats.The latter stays the same, except that it's mingled with the stench of sweat. What has changed, though, is the passages. A few electric lights have been installed, but what really changes the feel of the place is the fact that everyone has a mobile phone with a flashlight! Where's the drama of a flaming torch leading the way through dark, unpredictable, winding passages? The walls of Daulatabad Fort Daulatabad on a cloudy Sunday morning Unlike most other people who link … [Read more...]
Pench – December 2021
Should we even consider travelling? Maybe we should just cancel and stay home.We haven't gone anywhere for so long! Surely, a jungle is safe! Where else will we actually be able to stay socially distant?What if we have to do an RT-PCR before taking our flight back. Will we have to spend a night in Nagpur?Let's not cross a state border. That way, being doubly vaccinated should be enough for us to catch a flight.Wondering, debating, planning ... we finally did go to Pench Tiger Reserve in December 2021, and I'm so glad we did. Safari in the Rain Watching the rain, all by ourselves in the wild The weather report said there would be a little rain. A little rain.Not a thunderstorm.But have you ever been stuck in a thunderstorm in the middle of the jungle?It was incredible. We stood at Bakhari Camp and watched the rain pour down on huge teak … [Read more...]
Beginning 2022 On a High
And there, having looked back at the year that went by, I can't have asked for a better way to begin 2022. In December 2021, I travelled after nearly two years. The forest had been calling me for months, but I knew I had to bide my time. We went back to Pench, the place where we brought in the year 2019, and there, we brought in the year 2022.And on the morning of the 1st of January, this beauty greeted us. It was one of those dream sightings, where we, rather than the guide or the driver spotted the tiger. There was just one other jeep, no whispered shouts, no revving and roaring of engines, nothing. She walked by us on our right, looked at us, and then bounded across the road behind us, striding through the jungle for a few moments before disappearing. Picture by @karannagupta If you've been reading my blog for a while, … [Read more...]
Bangalore 2020
Bangalore is probably among my favourite cities in the world. I love the weather, I love the trees (even though so many have been cut), and most of all, I love the mood of the city. As a child, I used to spend every summer there, at my grandparents'. Now, I continue to go there at least once a year, sometimes more.This year, I went for my great-aunt's 80th birthday. For a long time, my great aunt and great uncle have been asking us to perform at the senior citizens' residency where they live, and we finally did! It was lovely, absolutely lovely.They last saw us perform when we did our Arangetram - over 15 years ago. To their minds, we had just continued. We performed and all of that, but I don't think they expected us to be professional dancers. They were overwhelmed, and that's what makes me feel that a performance was possibly the best gift we could have given my great aunt for her … [Read more...]
A Day in Luxembourg City
The strangest thing about visiting Europe in the winter is how late the sun rises. In France, it was bewildering. Pre-dawn hours, to me, should be unearthly. But 8 a.m. in December is still pre-dawn!The lovely thing about the late sunrise in Luxembourg, however, was that I had a table at the window and could watch the daylight slowly purpling the sky and spreading over the city. I sat and wrote, watching the lights of the city go off, and the sunlight make it all come alive. From the warmth of a heated room, it felt like a beautiful, toasty day.It took Google to tell us that the temperature was -3ºC.Jack Frost had spread his fingers over everything. It was nearly 10 when we finally stepped out - late by my standards, particularly considering the sun sets at 4 - but the streets were empty. Many shops and cafes hadn't even opened yet!At the tourist office, we learned that the … [Read more...]
Luxembourg – A Train and a Bus
More than once, we went to the station to check if our TGV from Paris Gare de l'Est to Luxembourg would run. We went first to Bouray, and were told to check at Paris. When we went to Montparnasse, we went to the station there. Our train, we were told, was 'sure to run', despite the strikes.Yet, just to be on the safe side, we decided to leave early and get to the station. Sure, options of buses existed, but we had tickets already. Most importantly, even if everything else got delayed or cancelled, we needed to reach Luxembourg in time to catch our flight back!On the day we were to leave, a huge protest was organised - from Gare du Nord to Republique. And Gare de l'Est is exactly in the middle. Nervously, we made our way to Paris, and reached, much to everyone's relief, well in time, and once more, with the guarantee that our train would run.So that was that. Goodbye to … [Read more...]