Archive for June, 2014

Sherpas and the Truth about Mountain Climbing.

Sherpas and the Truth about Mountain Climbing.

Year after year, all manner of people, from the physically handicapped to the age defying – the very old to the very young- climb Everest and other big Himalayan peaks setting up new benchmarks and world records. The fact is, the easier the Sherpas make the climb for the amateurs the more they risk


Varanasi- A Divine City in Decay

Varanasi- A Divine City in Decay

The assault of the incessant honking, traffic snarls, the squalor and the general chaos can be overwhelming even for an average Indian city dweller used to the din. But instead of dismay there is a lazy romanticizing of the city, as a consequence nothing changes and the putrid Ganga continues to collect garbage from ghat to ghat.

Perhaps Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who won his election from here, can stem the rot. Or perhaps not. Because the decay is not just physical.Its also deeply cultural.


Serengeti : Africa’s Endless Plains

Serengeti : Africa's  Endless Plains

But when the herds begin to appear there is no ending. Miles upon miles in every direction, the wildebeests and zebras, the two species that intersperse casually with each other, dot the vast ‘endless plains’ (Swahili for Serengeti). Just like anyone else, I was there for the big cats and to tick off from my list the African Big Five. Eventually however it is the big herds that hold you spell bound.