Uttarkashi: ‘Off’ is the new ‘In’
A trip to the remote hilly town of Uttarkashi during the monsoon was an eye-opener for Thommen Jose – off season doesn’t mean nature has taken a break from looking beautiful. Nature is like a little girl who likes to dress up when no one is looking. The nearer I got to Uttarkashi in the […]
Of Forts and Men
The Jaisalmer Fort stands out like a golden mirage – it is spellbinding by its sheer magnitude and imposing architecture. But once inside you feel like the subjects are running the country within its fortified ramparts and the royalty is in hiding ‘One of the few living forts in India,’ announced a brochure, the taxi […]
Chakrata: Let’s Wake up and Smell the Coffee
One of the many places that are under the army purview, Chakrata too has an immense, untapped potential. Thommen Jose suggests a serious re-look at the policies that have to be taken before the people leave – for better prospects at more tourist-friendly places. Just 30 km from Chakrata, I stopped by a dhaba for […]
With a Mission, on a High
Working to propagate his ‘mission hemp’ Thommen Jose undertook a journey to Pauna, a small mountain hamlet, 30 km by ‘foot or hoof’ from the last motorable point in Chamoli, Uttarakhand. It was an eye-opener in more ways than one. “Lord Shiva was missing and nobody could find him. His wife Parvati was immensely worried […]
Dunes and Desert Roses
“You happy?” asked Amar Khan, our camel driver. “Yes,” we chorused. “You happy,” Ekaterina, the Russian student who was with us, mimed along as Amar replied, “I double happy.” The ‘double’ had to sound like it contained more than one ‘happy’. But by now we had enough practice: Amar would ask after our gaiety-quotient every […]