Vazhapally: An Accidental Discovery In Changanassery

By the time the headlights of Hari’s Datsun Go was illuminating the mossy residential walls of Vazhapally in Changanassery, I knew I had truly gone off beat with my Kerala drifting. Two weeks ago I had had to Google Changanassery and struggled to pronounce it without losing my way in the alphabets. And now, here

Getting An Intro To Kerala At The Padmanabhapuram Palace

Today Pabla and I leave for Thiruvananthapuram; entering Kerala at its southernmost tip. But first we halt at Padmanabhapuram Palace – the architectural miracle from where the Tranvancore dynasty ruled for 65 years. But none of this before I stroll down the street at 8 a.m. to take a walk across the rock studded Muttom

How To Last 2 Days In A Sleeper Class Train (In India)

I almost forgot to add that last bit but then realized this post would hardly make any sense without the mention of the country. I’m not quite sure if trains of other nations require survival skills. The struggle with Indian railways starts from irctc.co.in. Where the session keeps logging out every five minutes, where the

Signing off Spiti

It’s past 8 p.m. Sita and Norzom have left for Ki to water the fields and run other agricultural errands (I heard something about grinding Jamuns, I’m sure). Tandup has been taken too, in case he bawls without his mother. A cousin brother is here now. Smoking cigarette after cigarette. He’s supposed to be a

Cold Feet

This was the day I almost left. The ticket had been booked. An RC sleeper class berth had been promised by IRCTC for Rs. 620. I had rolled a bare minimum number of clothes into my rucksack the previous night. Downloaded travel music into my phone, printed out the ticket and neatly folded it into

Too many options!

When one decides to leave for a long weekend, with friends to that not so far away destination, a certain kind of pragmatic thrill is involved. It’s the joy of a short break mixed with the angst of an unavoidable, impending return. The mega full stop to everything you wish life would rather be about. But

Kolkata Nei Ar Kolkata Te (Kolkata has finally left Kolkata)

So, I’m leaving. To find new stories for myself, to define my existence beyond the middle class and to either win or fail trying.