Rathina's View Space
TRAVEL | CULTURE | FOOD
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Air Arabia Mumbai – Sharjah
Flying to international destinations from Tier 2 cities in India is a pain in the neck. You need to fly to the nearest metro with an international...
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Solo Travel
In my recent long distance travels whilst returning home by train the gentleman next seat asked me what took me to Kannur? “I was keen to explore...
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Chettinad doors to a faded glory
An edited version of this article was published in the February’15 issue of Travel + Leisure India and Southasia magazine as Chettinad’s treasure chest A beautiful Kolam...
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Goa paint me Red
An edited version of this article was published in the Feb’15 Vistara in-flight magazine. The waves lapped at my feet as the golden disc slipped down the...
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In love with Devon
An edited version of this article was published in Travel + Leisure India and South Asia magazine (December’14) It was my second trip to United Kingdom after...
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Dandeli Diaries – memorable experiences
Dandeli had been my abode for three days and I had enjoyed every moment of it. Three years back I had visited Dandeli but then it was just...
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Borough Market for the Global Cuisine
I climbed the stairs to step out of London Bridge’s tube station. A cold draught blew in and I zipped my jacket. It indicated I was getting...
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Balloon Safari – Romancing the sky
I woke up at dawn and got ready for the safari of my life. Have you ever been part of the limitless azure sky with white puffs...
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How Traveling Changes your Life
This post appeared in Women’s Web Traveling is the tonic for life that keeps the soul replenished. Every moment brings in a new perspective to the journey...
ABOUT
Want to know more about me? I am a freelance journalist based in Pune, India and write about Travel, Culture, Food, Wellness, Health and Lifestyle. My bylines have appeared in National Geographic Traveller India, Forbes India, Travel + Leisure India and South Asia, BBC Travel, Mint, NPR, Economic Times, Hindu Businessline and more. In an earlier avatar I worked as a software engineer. I let go off these 12 + years of cubicle life to spread my wings and explore the world. I am on the lookout for those offbeat extraordinary stories from…
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Chinnakallar Falls
Chinnakallar Falls located about 20 km from Valparai town is the wettest place in this region. It is also called the Cherapunji of the south as it receives second highest rainfall in India.
A small dam followed shortly by a beautiful roaring waterfall in the dense jungles of Anamalai ranges Chinnakallar is a must visit when in Valparai. Wild animals like the tiger, leopard and elephants frequent this place.
STANMORE TEA BUNGALOW
I was at the colonial bungalow of Briar Tea right in the middle of tea plantations at Valparai. Stanmore bungalow or Injipara bungalow was built in 1935 by the Britishers. Virgin Valparai in the Anamalai ranges at Tamilnadu is a pristine land that is untouched by the perils of tourism. As I walked into the bungalow I noticed a old world charm to this place. Manicured lawns, flower gardens and a breathtaking landscape coupled with the fresh mountain breeze Stanmore bungalow took me to the bygone era.
Country Club Bandipur
With two weeks of Diwali vacation for the kids we decided to stay put in Bandipur for four days. Being a member of RCI group we got accommodation at the Country Club resort. This resort is in the Bandipur Tiger Reserve about 8 km in the interiors.
I was in the city of Cuttack on the seventh day or Maha Saptami of Durga Puja. The city glowed with its neon light arches and the silver finery with which the deities were decorated. The city had it’s highs and lows with the economically not so well do to do one end and on the other end every family left no stone unturned to celebrate the festive occasion. It wasn’t grand scale like it’s close cousin Kolkata but never the less it had all the rituals followed to the T.
While many find Kolkata claustrophobic and too crowded during the Durga Puja days I found beauty in its elaborate and breathtaking pandals. These are last years pictures when wee wend pandal hopping for two days enjoying the frenzy, hype and the madness.
Despite the crowd I managed to enjoy the festive occasion with people thronging lines from all across the country because of a noble soul. The taxi that we had rented during our entire stay was driven by a Sardarji who had lived his entire life in Kolkata. He new the streets of Kolkata like the back of his hand and ensured that we visited the best pandals. He timed it such that before the lines got longer we were done with our darshan.
Dudhsagar
A modified version of this article was published in The Hindu.
I was deep in the forests of Dandeli enjoying the treks and hikes when I got to know, Dudhsagar is just few stations ahead of North Karnataka. I made an impromptu decision of hopping onto the train the next day and head on a day long trip to soak in the sea of milk.
Have you heard of Daarsaan? Well I had not until I walked into the cosy interiors of Mainland China. The quirky accessories with porcelain jars placed in numerous rows was quite inviting. It is told the Chinese would store country liquor in such porcelain jars. Two huge Chinese Men stood at the doorstep to greet the guests. I was there to experience a Chinese culinary trail one afternoon.
The Vasudevs are found all around Maharashtra in long flowing tunic and a dhoti with a conical headgear made of peacock feathers. Most mornings you could see them walking along the streets singing praises of the Lord and playing the cymbals. Today morning as I caught sight of a group of Vasudev I noticed they were dressed in their traditional best with colourful tunics and the rudraksh string around their neck
The community of Vasudevs has dwindled over the years but on and off you might catch sight of them in Maharashtra. They devote their life singing devotional songs of Lord Krishna and taking alms from the housing societies. Wearing anklets in their feet they dance and sing in tandem.
I had traveled by road in my Santro from Pune to Chikmagalur, the land of the younger daughter. The drive had been one that I had enjoyed completely, especially between Kolhapur to Shimoga with all the greenery of the paddy fields. There were many boards with the tourist map of Karnataka placed intermittently through the route. I found these were very helpful in terms of determining direction and also building onto my travel itinerary.
The Music of Bath
As I walked past the city of Bath and it’s open areas indulging into some window shopping time and again I stumbled into this quirky coffee shop serving breakfast for the famished souls like me. I had left early in the morning from London, visited Stonehenge and then reached Bath.
The food outlet had a very unusual chairs in its exteriors. Two wrought iron chairs were placed with it’s seats and back painted to show the deck of cards. They held me for couple of minutes and I stood still capturing them when suddenly the fading lilting music could be heard in the backdrop. I looked through the glass door to see few people seated inside and playing the musical instruments. As I entered I noticed their performance had come to an end.
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