Gypsy at Large

Siachen Glacier is far beyond what a common person’s imagination can conjure up. Even though the Indian forces have been braving against the formidable foe of weather and other extremities to hold on to the lofty mountains, when I told my mother that I would be heading to Siachen for a month long expedition being conducted by the Indian Army, her question was if it was in China? The question left me amused. The Indian Army personnel have been imposing the national will in those frigid heights and not many civilians are aware what it means to be at that height where chocolate bars freezes so hard that it has to be used as stepping stones. I was one of very few civilians, who were to get a chance to experience first-hand how Indian armed forces personnel are overcoming limits to human body at the world’s highest battlefield, even if for a short period of time. I undertook the journey in 2008 and after nearly a decade I am revisiting the journey that changed me. Pa...

Imagine you are over 6,000 km away from India setting your foot on an Island in the Baltic Sea where the chill in the weather has almost reached your bones. You encounter barely 12 people during your first few hours on the Island. And the first person you talk to refuse to let go of your hand and keep blabbering about Bollywood, when he comes to know that you are from India. Well this happened to me as I was traveling with a farrago (always wanted to use it after Mr. Shashi Tharoor enlightened us ) of mixed nationalities - one from China, one German, one half Canadian, one half German and of course myself an Indian. We reached Kuressare in Saaremaa island of Estonia in the afternoon, but did not see a single soul. As we took a stroll and zeroed in on a nice restaurant for our early dinner, an old man walked in and intrigued by our diversity struck a conversation and then it veered towards Bollywood. This was not the first time that the goodwill towards...

So kids’ summer vacation is commencing soon and all you have are clichéd holiday destinations to go to? How about living through the fairy tales and legends of your childhood with your children? Germany, the country which people generally associate with cars and world history, has a 'Maerchenstrasse' or a Fairy Tale Route that can regale kids and adults alike during the summer months. The world famous Grimm brothers had gathered the plot lines for their fairy tales from these mofussil towns of Germany.  Who is who!!! The rat bread! The notorious rats everywhere! The Pied Piper in action- the musical show at Hameln. Remember Pied Piper - the musician who led the hypnotised children of village far away after elders of the village refused to pay him remuneration for getting rid of the rats becoming a menace in the town?  I used to think it was the figment of imagination of some author unless I visited Hameln. This...

The little  MF Hussain in me has always drawn painting of a house with corrugated roof nestling in the cleavage of two mountains with a glistening and roaring river flowing next to it. It was three decades post my coming into being did I find something similar to my dream house – Tirthan Anglers’ Retreat. Symphony of nature It was an impromptu plan made with a group of avid travelers. I had never heard about the place and I don’t regret taking the leap of faith. A fauji brat and a corporate honcho gave it all up to start this little paradise tucked in the serenity of mountains in Himachal Pradesh. Far from the din of Delhi, its six rooms give you a breath taking views of the lush green mountains. The first day we were greeted by rain-laden clouds, which it seems had descended to earth just in our honour. The tiredness of overnight bus journey vanished in a jiffy as we made 800 metres trek to reach our destination. The Palachan river, a tributary of Tirt...

It is not the classic of the travelogues. But it owes its genesis to our very own modern day memory keeper – Facebook that keeps reminding one about how we spent our bygone years. It was a few days earlier that Facebook brought back the memories of one of the very few experiences when my hair were standing on their ends – at the Indian Military Academy’s Passing out Parade. I have had the good fortune of attending the Passing out Parade at the National Defence Academy as well twice. But this one scene from the whole passing out parade that made my heart race and I could feel the adrenaline rush. The Gentlemen Cadets were given the weight of the hopes and faith that the 1.2 billion strong nation reposed in them, in the form of the stars on their shoulders.  After the parents of these few good men (or shall I say boys as most of them just came out of their teens) did the piping in ceremony; the newly commissioned officers moved to the grounds of this sprawling ac...