Krakow was a 7-hour journey by train from Berlin. The previous day, the Ukrainians had carried out an audacious strike on Russia’s strategic bombers, and there was a lot of online chatter about Putin contemplating a nuclear response. And here I was, chugging along in the direction of Ukraine. Fearing nuclear annihilation twice in four … Continue reading Krakow Notes
When Napoleon entered Berlin, he is believed to have remarked: “Six months of rain, six months of snow—and this is what these fellows call Fatherland?”. I was in Berlin for a few days earlier this month. While I wasn’t in awe of the city, the sheer sense of history surrounding the place was overpowering. The … Continue reading Berlin Notes
I returned from Agartala yesterday. The one-day trip for work was my maiden visit to the state. The sheer distance and the fact that one has to cross the Bangladeshi airspace made the journey quite fascinating. Added to that was the trivia that the aircraft that flew me out had just completed a Delhi-Baku-Delhi-Agartala sprint. … Continue reading Agartala Notes
I visited Bhuj for the first time earlier this week. The first thing that struck me was the barren landscape, the hardy Mesquite trees, herds of goats and gaushalas – each a testament to a land shaped by sparse rainfall and arid conditions. (This Wire piece on the role of the mesquite in Kachchh is … Continue reading Bhuj Notes
Mark Twain kept me busy for the last two weeks. Tom Sawyer was a fun read but I found the going hard with Huckleberry Finn. The bulk of the book employed the dialect of the blacks of late 19th century America. I followed up the books with Ken Burns’ 2001 documentary on Twain. In it, … Continue reading Twain in India
On hearing that I was visiting Mookambika, a friend wondered if I was on some sort of pilgrimage. The answer to that was no. But here I was, at the Mookambika shrine, deep inside the rainforests of Kollur, a village 130 km north of Mangalore. The Madras Mail from Mahe took four hours to reach … Continue reading Kollur Notes
I lived in Thiruvananthapuram from 2005 to '07 and also spent significant time in the city during the 2018 floods. This December, I found myself back in the city, accompanied by an entourage of 14 family members! As expected, I revisited some of its main attractions. The most shocking development was the overwhelming rush of … Continue reading Thiruvananthapuram Notes
Soon after landing in Calicut, my mother whisked me away to Guruvayoor. Visiting the temple town after seven years, travelling by auto, train and bus, was a memorable experience. The highlight was the hour spent sitting just a meter away from a tusker – Monsieur Peethambaran. My daughters even managed to touch and stroke his … Continue reading Guruvayoor Notes
Yesterday, I was at the Chandigarh Secretariat of the Government of Punjab. The structure, an iconic landmark of the city, is also one of the best representations of Brutalism - the minimalist architectural style emphasizing functional designs employing raw materials like exposed concrete. While much of the interior has been redesigned and repurposed, the staircase … Continue reading A ‘Brutal’ pic
The coastal districts of Odisha are often the Ground Zero of the ferocious cyclones that originate in the Bay of Bengal. But what was once a destructive phenomenon has now been tamed by the state thanks to a comprehensive, community-centric cyclone preparedness initiative that began twenty-five years ago. Last week, I spent a few days … Continue reading Balasore, Bhadrak Notes
