I would not call article 370 and 35A as special provisions. I would call them protectionist principles. And in this era of globlisation, excess protectionism does not pay. Like many Indians and non-Indians, I too had not expected this. It was only a couple of days back that in my blog post - A trip …
Tag: Travels
watchings of idle hours #9 : mountain
Only three centuries ago, climbing a mountain would have been considered close to lunacy. The idea scarcely existed that wild landscapes might hold any sort of attraction. Peaks were places of peril, not beauty. - Mountain (2017) My fascination for mountains goes back to my child hood days. I was born in a village flanked …
watchings of idle hours #8 : shades of tourism
Dark tourism, dark side of tourism, and the age of selfie tourism What would it be like to visit a museum that displays Nazi era lampshades made of human skin? How does it feel to swim in a lake created as a result of nuclear tests by the Soviets in Kazakhstan? Will your body and …
Continue reading watchings of idle hours #8 : shades of tourism
watchings of idle hours #7 : in convalescence
Tourism in Bhutan, a freak accident, and the flower pots in our balcony Bhutan seems to have woken up to the reality of over-tourism without suffering the wisdom of hindsight. Its policy of charging $250 per day for foreign tourists (excluding Indian, Bangladeshi and Maldivian nationals) is a big put off for the budget adventurers. …
Continue reading watchings of idle hours #7 : in convalescence
a meal to remember … and the journey
During High School days, I was an active member of the National Cadet Corps (Army Wing). When volunteers were asked for to attend the annual NCC camp of 1982 to be held at the HAL town of Sunabeda near Koraput, I was one of the first batch of students to register. Early one morning I …
Amarnath yatra : down memory lane (Part-3)
Amarnath Yatra : down memory lane (Part-1) This year, the form has become formless. But the priest insists we bow. After a glimpse of the void we retrace our path back to the tenth ox. The story of the tenth ox is like this. Some Japanese Buddhist traditions use a series of ten pictures …
Amarnath yatra : down memory lane (Part-2)
Continued from Part-1 The feeling of non dual consciousnessbecomes a reality as twenty of us huddle together inside a small tent.Some have taken off to their abode of blisswith a fleet of noisy engines waking up every one but themselves - a journey of awakening. Apart from paying to the Pithoo, the other expenses we …
Amarnath yatra: down memory lane (Part-1)
As I read about the hype created by self styled seculars and unapologetic Islamic leaders about the massive security arrangements done for this year's Amarnath Yatra I am reminded of my own undertaken twenty years back. I was able to undertake this trip thanks to my posting in an Indian Air Force base in Jammu …
the vikings of our times
There is no waiting list to line up for the last leg of the Mount Everest. The inclement weather sometimes allows a small window of clear sky for a couple of days. Then it is free for all. The peak, that did not see even a single visitor till 1953, is now a place of …
Reading : Out of Love or Obligation?
I am writing this post as a response to the indiblogger prompt #indispire268 which goes as follows: It is not a difficult choice for me to list the three books that I want to read. In fact I wanted to read these books so desperately that I got them one month back from the library …
