It was dark—much before daybreak. I was woken up by a crazy cacophony of bleating goats, mooing cows and barking dogs. Confused and groggy, I was also surprised by a deluge of Whatsapp texts that just won’t stop. I read the first from the series…and as if magically found myself next, popped out of my warm bed, standing barefoot on the cold stone of my balcony, wide awake…peering hard into the inky darkness of the […]
I was out for a walk this morning. Mid-morning is more like it. It was pouring incessantly these past two days. So, a glorious sun after its long absence seemed welcoming. In the wake of the atmospheric wash out, the filtered air allowed for the camera filters to be put to rest. It also had a few other effects. It made the mountains appear nearer…the piercing azure of the sky, a perfect backdrop for just […]
I took a walk into the woods and ran into myself. The pines as ever, giving—tales from my childhood, a soft silken ground to tread, a constantly scented air and a hope that just won’t die. Wood smoke wafts from the lone house so far below, the tinkering of a bell, bird calls. It’s so silent and beautiful. The trail turns up sharply—beckoning to see beyond the first false crest. A sudden flutter in the […]
“An apple a day—will keep anyone away (if thrown hard enough)”. If only, you really have the heart—to throw one away. Especially, the ones grown here…locally…in Himachal—the Apple Bowl of India. And its begun..the apple season!! What started as an experiment back in the British era, is today a major economy for the State. All courtesy, Samuel Evan Stokes (later Satyanand Stokes)—an American, who came to India on account of charity work, and […]
You have been warned! Bichhu Booti (BB) (translated—the Scorpion Plant) or Stinging Nettles are in abundance in this region. When you go out…completely immersed in the beauty of your excursion, chances are you make a ‘brush’ with the infamous BB. In case this happens to be on bare skin…be prepared to be stung. Badly. The scientist in you wants to know why? The plants contain long, thin, hollow hairs that cover the majority of the […]