A lesser known version of Rajasthan

The most touristy thing we did on this trip

Our annual road trip this time was to  Rajasthan -- yes, it was in Jan-Feb this time and  not in November and yes, it was much shorter than the usual three weeks, we did what we could, but at the end of the two weeks we had covered 3342 kilometers which is about the same if not a little more than what we had done in our annual forays lasting about three weeks in previous years. We drove a lot but all that driving was enough only to discover a very tiny part of that large, beautiful, colourful and extremely attractive state. 

There were essentially three cities we planned our trip around this time -- Bikaner, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur. But we also got to experience some parts of Rajasthan that tourists normally do not have time for. We saw many imposing but abandoned hawelis, huge but deserted villages, breathtakingly beautiful architecture and exquisite frescoes, pretty lakes, vast desert landscapes and much more... Also, it was the first time I felt that while on a road trip, the journey itself is what is special, much more than the destination. Looking out of the window of our Kia Seltos into the endless desert sand dunes and the scruffy green-gold landscape filled with low bushes and thorny shrubs, one could experience not just the magnificence of it all, but also the pettiness and meaninglessness of so many of our earthly ambitions...

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Back again in Germany at springtime

I don't have a lot to say right now....because just as I was planning to write a happy post about the lovely things I saw during a forest walk in the Eifel the other day, terror struck in Pahalgam and killed so many innocent people that I am terrified, terrified even to be happy. Terrified to say that this world is in order because my world back home is not in order. How could it be when so many people were killed needlessly by a bunch of terrorists who have no religion, no country, no God, or perhaps that is wrong, perhaps hate is their religion, their country, their God... who can say...

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The year 2024 : a short recap

The year began well with the starting of my pet project Creative Hands on the 6th Feb 2024. It was a lovely occasion and we were all very happy and enthusiastic. There was another big high with the starting of Sabhaghar at Panchabati on my mother's birthday on 29th November 2024. Besides this we had a memorial event for Jayantada on his first death anniversary on 26th August. It was held at the small hall at the ITA Machkhowa Complex with a screening of Bisheshwar's film and readings from the anthology Scent of Rain. 

And the year ended on a very friendly note when 15 of us went to the Bouganvillea Resort on the last Sunday of the year to spend some time together in memory of our dear friend Sruti. It was long pending and I was really happy and relieved that we could make it happen so beautifully on that day.

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Reckoning with death

Two deaths in the last days have shaken me up. The first was the death of my teacher from Gauhati University Professor B.P. Chetiya and then a day later Biren Datta Sir's baideo. I was not in direct contact with either of them in recent times. They were both ailing for some time. So the deaths were not unexpected. But still these two deaths have affected me in ways that I cannot explain at the moment. Let me try to put the facts down here and try to understand what happened.
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Travelling in God's own country

The three of us at the Padmanabha-
-swami Temple in Trivandrum

Kerala has been on my bucket-list for a very long time. So when Jaynee, my British friend from Leeds, UK, mooted the idea of travelling to Kerala and doing a trip together of the main sights, I was excited. Yesssss! Here are some thoughts on the 10-day trip that Jaynee, her husband Dugald, and I did starting at Trivandrum and ending at Cochin on Diwali day 2024. Our actual travel itinerary* is at the very end. 
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A weekend trip to the Land of the Thunder Dragon

These days it takes less than three hours of driving to get to Bhutan from Guwahati, yet I had never been there. So this weekend, Prabin da, Manjushree bou and I set off to Sangrup Jhonkar, which was supposed to be a very pretty place in the Bhutan hills. And since we wanted to make the most of the two days on hand we decided to take a long detour to Sangrup Khonkar and go via the scenic spot of Daragaon on the Diring river beyond Mushalpur and Nikashi. Here is the account of our trip.

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A dark week that only got darker...

Has it happened to you too? Everything is fine, till suddenly one by one, bad and worrying things start piling up, and before you know it, you are neck deep in sad and painful things....everywhere you look there is trouble lurking... and when you shut your eyes the only colour you see is black...

Over time some problems get resolved, but then new ones take their place... the general darkness takes a while to lift...

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My personal journey: existential questions

Last of the seven part story about my life in Germany and in India

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Civilizational markers

In part six of the seven part series, I write about the cultural scene in Wuerzburg, what I enjoy doing while here and also what it means to me. 

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Easter festivities in Wuerzburg

In part 5, I write about the expereince of again being in Germany in spring, after a gap of a few years.

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