Travels, books and music

RANTHAMBORE NATIONAL PARK-MEMORIES ETCHED IN WILDERNESS We have all grown up hearing the famous quote from William Blake “Tiger! Tiger! Burning bright/In the forests of the night/what immortal hand or eye ! could frame the fearful symmetry.” The mere thought of seeing these majestic creatures in their natural habitat instills a feeling of awe and grandeur unparalled by any other wondrous sight of nature. With these mixed feelings we decided to visit the grandiose Ranthambore National Park about 130Km from Jaipur because I believe that the world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page Jaipur to Ranthambore by road( October to june) We set off by car (leave by breakfast to catch the afternoon safari) taking the more hospitable road via the MI road (the central road of Jaipur which separates the old city from the new) straight to Dausa. The road from Jaipur to Dausa is a world class sixlane highway where you can whiz past the 65 km in about an hour in a comfo...

Sundarban trip-A pleasant diversion ”We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we can seek them with our eyes open.” Picnic, excursion, trip, expedition, jaunt-whatever you name it, are pleasant diversions. They break the monotony of life and bring into one’s daily life a touch of variety, for they carry us away from our everyday mundane world of daily existence into a world that is exotic, rejuvenating and exhilarating. Such short and  sweet jaunts give a touch of prose to the boring chapters of  life as they release the springs of joy chained down by the burden of duties and responsibilities.             My trip to Sundarbans exactly gave me the same fresh lease of new exhilarating life and boundless energy as the muddy eddies of estuarine Ganges and the brilliant green of the sundari trees swept away the dreary cobwebs of city...

                                                                                 Santiniketan-Paush Mela- An ode to the Bard. -Happy the man, whose wish and care  A few paternal acres bound Content to breath his native air in his own ground.                                                                                          ...

Gulmarg Trip. Experiencing snowfall, building snowman, skiing down the pristine white slopes or simply snowballing each other is a dream for every individual who is fond of nature, because they say when “snow falls even the nature listens”.  Keeping this in mind we decided to make a short sojourn to the valley of Gulmarg 56Km from Srinagar at the end of March. The petite flight from Jammu to Srinagar (about 15 minutes) took lesser time than the time to check in and boarding due to strict security military exercises at the Jammu Airport (be sure to check in 02 hours before departure time at Jammu and Srinagar Airport to avoid inconvenience due to elaborate security check up). With the low cost airlines charging between 1200/- to 1400/-, sometimes the return fare thrown in for free, it is a steal. Be sure to pack in protective eye glasses (the UV glare of the snow hurts your eyes when you are out skiing), gloves (if you want to stun each other with sno...

Mandarmoni-a rhapsody on sea The car lurched down the steep stony embankments and suddenly before my stunned eyes a rhapsody on sea –the beachside hamlet of Mandarmoni burst open in its full splendor and glory basking in the afternoon sun. As the tyres spin their way through the longest motorable beach you have a dejavu feeling of a set of a Bollywood blockbuster as the sun kissed beach lapped by the gentle surf shimmers- trying to embrace the distant horizon and as you are cruising on the beach, you wonder at the creative power of God Almighty. If you have planned for a quick weekend getaway from Kolkata, to shed the drudgery of everyday grind at a place unfettered by hustle and bustle of metro life, Mandarmoni is the place to go. Situated at about 175 Km and a three hour leisurely drive from the heart of Kolkata and with a galaxy of beachside hotels lining the small sleepy hamlet it is an ideal weekend getaway. Book your stay online on a host of travel portals offering you ro...

Black is mystique, Black is mesmerising , Black is ephemeral , Black is beauty and still black has no colour. I like the blackness of the night just before it climaxes to an kaleidoscopic dawn. Black looks as exquisite in a sartorial finery of an evening gown or a tuxedo as it does on the cascading mane of a wild stallion. Black is the colour of the eyes which can kill with ease with their murderous and enticing looks.There is no word to describe the colour black. The Black thoughts of Victor Hugo Classic- Le Miserable or Thomas Hardy s Mayor of Casterbridge makes us realise the value of actual pain, mirth heartbreak or the value of a lovers sigh.Black is like two headed Janus- while one façade may look bottomless, colourless and fathomless the other facade in the deep lies the sublime beauty when you  dive deep into its depths , like a river or the ocean where the jet black water of its deepest part  holds the most exquisite wonders. A thing of "black' beauty is joy forever...