After my daughter’s examinations got over, I decided we needed a break. My son’s music teacher is a very able lady and she often goes on these tours abroad and in India. I decided to plan an outing with her this summer. So after a great deal of planning, and thinking, we finally decided to go to Shimla. We were 15 of us. Three families and total fun unlimited was guaranteed. Who would not want to visit this land of Shyamala Devi – the reincarnation of Goddess Kali after whom the city has been...

Finally I finished my satellite imaging and the analysis of the entire thesis. Submissions tomorrow and then FREEDOM!  I could be free for the next fortnight till I joined work at my new company where I have been placed from the placement interview in the campus. 15 days I have at my disposal. I mused over the possible things I could do. I could go to Thol for bird watching, I could go to Jamnagar for the World Nature Conservationists Conference, I could go to Mumbai to be with my parents, or I...

As Ganesh sang the Boulevard of Broken Dreams, I just wished I could play the guitar along with him. The atmosphere was electric and the entire compartment was agog with lot of gaiety and fun. All of us were in the train to Delhi – The Rajdhani Express. We had booked a whole compartment for our family – it was Ganesh’s wedding. He was finally getting married to a girl of his choice. It was an arranged love marriage. I couldn’t believe he had agreed and now we were all on our way to Delhi. The...

“I will come in the first week of June” Lakshmi said. “I will bring Shardul along” she added. My heart leapt with joy and I thanked Lakshmi whole heartedly. Just recovering from a surgery and I was in the 8th week of convalescence. I had requested so many of my friends to take my children out somewhere but each one got busy with his daily routine and it was left to me to feel bad I cancelled their vacation to Thekkady and rue over it. So this sudden unfounded offer of Lakshmi , my sister...

The beauty of the snow capped mountains in the distance did not cheer me as I looked out of the window. We had left from Mussorie on a Himachal Pradesh pilgrimage. We had covered most of the temples and we had halted at Kangra. I had been to visit my aunt and while coming back last night I had got stuck in a small snowstorm and couldn’t get my car past. Thus when I reached Holiday Spot, Kangra, the lodge where we were booked, my group had already left and proceeded on the pilgrimage. There on the...

“ The show goes on. Aren’t we the best? And the crowd cheering me, I got down from the stage and settled on a chair with everyone coming to me and thanking me for putting up a wonderful show. My NGO show over and this to the ire of my cousin who had to postpone the travel tour to Kullu Manali because of this. The next morning saw Arun, my cousin calling me and saying we got to get ready to go to Kullu Manali. My kids and I reached Delhi by the Rajdhani Express and met my cousins, uncle and aunt...

My hand touched the water and I could feel the cold water calming all my frayed nerves. The mountains seemed to beckon me and ask me to go running into its arms. The birds were twittering and I was trying to locate a rare species amongst the ones flying. The countryside with its mesmerizing small cottages and huts and the lovely path leading us into the land of Eden. I recollected how the night before we suddenly planned to go for a night out for the weekend. We couldn’t decide where and then one...