City

Sipping on some kahwa to start off an elaborate iftar meal in his drawing room in Srinagar, Ferooz Ganai looks surprised when I enquire about visiting the old city the next day. A long-term acquaintance of my family, Ferooz uncle had…
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Like most non-resident Bengalis, I travel to Calcutta frequently, and every time, I chance upon some unexplored treasure tucked between the drapes of history. But this time was singularly special. I have been researching on the journey of…
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Stealth and grace marked his every step; his long furry tail swished like a bridal train, helping him maintain balance at the top of a ridge. The snow leopard paused, preened and then presented a proud profile, unaware of the adoring…
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Thousands of tourists from India and around the world have many reasons to come to Kashi, often called the world’s oldest living city. Some come to experience the “real India”, some to wash their sins away, and yet others come here to die…
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Phone charger, check. Toothpaste, check. Sunglasses, check. Itinerary, check. Ah, the good old itinerary. If someone’s familiar with those long sheets of paper, it’s me. A vacation essential in our house, only Papa found them appealing.…
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Think imposing palaces and gigantic forts, and Rajasthan comes to mind. Though Udaipur City Palace, Jaipur’s Hawa Mahal, Jodhpur’s Mehrangarh or the Chittorgarh fort are among the more popular ones, there’s one that deserves equal…
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“Ex Muslim and Queer, facing Islamophobia.” My eyes sweep through the hard-hitting banners and rainbow flags. I’m among the 15,000-odd attendants at the 12th edition of Queer Azaadi Mumbai Pride march on February 2, the first in the city…
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In the last dozen years, I’ve made at least one annual trip down this road; very often on my own, down a cut and dried route. It starts with a night bus from Delhi that reaches Haridwar in the wee hours. A quick chai in the lone, just-open…
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The first thing most people would notice about Imphal, Manipur’s capital city, is that it seems to be overrun with shabby, worn down buildings, traffic and dusty streets. And the city often becomes the mirror for the state. But if you have…
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As young, impressionable children, we were allowed to watch TV only on Sundays at my grandma’s house in the Himalayan foothills, even during our long winter vacations. The set was a grainy, black-and-white Jolly, kept behind a shutter, and…
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Tsering offered me a handful of ruby red finger millet grains to taste. A crunch and a pop, followed by a burst of sweetness. I then took a swig of a deceptively innocuous looking clear liquid, brewed from the grain I had just ingested.…
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