Measuring Mount Everest: a proud Nepali on his dangerous mission to the top of...
On reaching the peak of Mount Everest, climbers usually pose for photographs, fly their country’s flag, or just gaze at the majestic Himalayas.
Khim Lal Gautam, a surveyor...
Would the Himalayas survive the impacts of Global Warming?
Photo: Climate4life
The Himalayas, which also translates to an ‘abode of snow’, is home to 9 out of 10 of the world’s highest peaks, including the mighty Mount...
In a land of Mysteries
Travel Journal ( 02-07-2017 to 09-07-2017)
Destination - Roopkund, Uttrakhand.
ROOPKUND - The Skeleton Lake
"Mysteries fascinates peoples", true, but "Unsolved Mysteries" are the one's which lead people to them....
The Forest Man of India
Majuli (in Assam) is known for many things, to be the largest river island in the world, to be the first island to be a district in...
Covid scare hits Kullu-Manali hoteliers hard
The Covid scare has ruined the business of hoteliers in Kullu-Manali even on Diwali holidays. Room enquiries for hotel occupancy have witnesses a sharp dip.
The hoteliers have...
Could the Himalayas harbour the next pandemic?
The world is in an “era of pandemics”. Unless the destruction of the natural world is halted, diseases will emerge more often, spread more rapidly, kill more...
Life That Flows
The age old river flowing seamlessly,
collecting memories and desires,
hopes and lost dreams
as it slithers over rocks and crags.
Many a miles it has covered,
many more to go.
It offers...
Key Monastery
Key Monastery or some may pronounce it as "Ki, Key or Kee". Whatever you may call it's all the same. Well, many of you would be familiar...
COVID-19: Every third student in Indian Himalayan region couldn’t access online classes
Educational learning has been an unusual victim of the ongoing novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Continuity of learning has been impacted adversely — so has the students’...
From Dharamsala to Darjeeling, 12 Indian hill-stations you can fly to right now
It’s not the easiest time to plan a holiday, but here’s taking one little pain-point away: we looked up the top Indian hill-stations that you can fly to...
My Inspiration this Environment Day – Birdwoman, Niharika Rajput
Year after year, we celebrate ‘days’ like today to raise awareness of our impending doom, and then out of contrition, indulge in taking pledges to overcome them....
Tata Literature Live! 2020: Ruskin Bond conferred with Lifetime Achievement Award for his prolific...
Celebrated author, columnist and short story writer Ruskin Bond was conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2020 Tata Literature Live! Mumbai Lit Fest on 21...
Gift a dream
She has never read a fairytale, never seen a story book before. I kept wondering how will she imagine her life without these mundane tasks if not...
A trek up to Tiger’s Nest
Bhutan is intriguing. The place, the people and the breathtaking scenes of the Himalayas.
I was excited to be part of a car rally held in September 2016,...
Indigenous India
After arriving in Delhi I met a very friendly man from Kashmir called Ishak. Just by chance he gave my rickshaw driver directions to the hostel I...
A Momentary Acquaintance
Fall engulfs the valleys of Ladakh each year, before it dissipates to give winter way. But while it lasts, sheets of auburn and bright, burning yellow light...
My Bhutan Diaries – Day 1: 29th December, 2016
Why do we travel? :)
I didn’t have to try and wake up that morning, because I hadn’t slept the previous night. Yeah. I’d put myself in a Passport...
Making a Real Difference – Project EBC
‘It’s Awesomely Awful!’ exclaimed Bette Chen in a blog post about Project EBC - her ‘Adventure with a Mission’, that was born from a few chance meetings...
A train from Uttarakhand
Picture Source: www.pixino.com
It's not the goodbyes that hurt, it's the flashbacks that follow.
Nobody could understand this quote better than Mr. Shyam Prasad Baluni who is a retired...
Sundakphu – A Place Above the Clouds
Sundakphu, 3636mt above sea level, is a nature's paradise, a place above the heavens. The soothing view of the sea of clouds beneath is a treat for...
2 must-see locations in Himalayas
If you really want to celebrate winter, then it's time for a trek.
Tap into your inner adventure junkie and head straight to our majestic Himalayas.
Yes, the cold...
North East India Cultural Diversity
North east India, one of the most beautiful region of India, also known as the “Seven Sisters”. It includes Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura...
Himalayas poised for a series of big earthquakes, says study
The entire Himalayan arc is poised to produce a sequence of great earthquakes, and the next big quake -- of the magnitude of 8 or above --...
The Monastery Vibes
"Living in a monastery, even as a guest rather than a monk, you have more opportunities than you might have elsewhere to see the world as it...
Stephen Atler wins Banff’s Mountain Environment and Natural History Award for his work, Wild...
Author and Fulbright scholar Stephen Alter has been announced the 2020 recipient of the notable Mountain Environment and Natural History prize, awarded each year as part of the Banff Mountain...
Buddha, Streets, People – Dharamshala it is
Buddha, Streets, People - Dharamshala it is
Walking down the McLeodganj lanes, crossing across the traditional souvenir shops and food stalls, I found life so much engrossed in each...
Mount Everest: Coronavirus reaches world’s tallest peak
COVID-19 has not left a single spot where it hasn't left it's footprints. Only this time it reached the world's highest mountain peak.
The coronavirus has conquered the...
From Monoliths to Yetis in the Himalayas; a look at mind-boggling mysteries of the...
From the monolith mystery on the Compton beach of the Isle of Wight by beach-goers after the mysterious disappearance from the Utah desert and a Romanian mountainside...
Wanderlust in my soul
This line from Tennyson's "Ulysses", always comes to mind whenever I set out on a trip.
"I cannot rest from travel; I will drink life to the lees".
Few...
The Annual Black-necked Crane festival in Bhutan
Phobjikha valley in Bhutan, also known as Gangteng Valley is named after the impressive Gangteng Monastery of the Nyingma sect in central Bhutan.
At an average altitude of...
First solo experience with the mountains
I always wanted to go for a solo trip and nothing could be better than a mountain biking expedition in Manali. I was there for 7 days...
Photographer Trupal Pandya’s Stellar Vision of The Himalayan Tribe
Born and brought up in Gujarat, Trupal Pandya is a professional photographer who is based between Washington DC and New York.
As a photographer, mastering a photography technique...
Himalayan Birds Are at Stake: Is Forest loss to blame
Birds are reliable and widely used indicators for conservation planning and monitoring.
Himalayan Forests happens to be a global biodiversity hotspot with not one but innumerable endemic species....
Magical Paro
The beautiful town of Paro in Bhutan, casts a spell on you, the moment you set eyes on the terrain. We were there in November 2015, when...
Witnessing the Guru Thongdrol and being blessed by Guru Rinpoche at Paro Tshechu
Witnessing the Guru Thongdrol on the last day of Paro Tshechu was never on the cards during my 12-day Bhutan trip, but it started to make sense...
“The KedarKantha” – Our Story to reach at top of it!!
It was about to start a new year and I was still in process of thinking to go for my next trekking expedition. So I don't want...
One woman’s quest to build schools in Nepal
When I want to volunteer, I spend a few hours helping out at a soup kitchen or tutoring kids for the SATs (*pat myself on the back*).
When...
The daughter of the Koch tribe
The girl in the photo is a Koch Rajbongshi girl who is wearing the traditional women attire of the Koch Rajbongshi Tribe.The man behind the girl is...
Tihar- A festival for all
At last it is the time of the year we all have been waiting for the whole year. Diwali is here!!! But this time with a twist....
Preserving Ladakh: Culture, History and An Abundance of Serenity
The former royal palace of Leh, built in the 17th century is a prominent landmark currently being restored by the Archaeological Survey of India. Housing a museum...
Walking down memory lane
It was the summer of 2009, when I had visited Manikaran for the very first time as a child and the effect it left was that of...
Kinnaur’s Rum Theology
Precipitous heights, deep gorges, hillsides replete with sub-alpine vegetation and patches of the cold desert sandwiched between the Great Himalaya and Tibet; Kinnaur’s landscape wears such an...
Chitkul – Last village near India-China border
Chitkul
Chitkul is the last inhabited village near the India - Tibet Border.
Approximately 600kms from Delhi, Chitkul is situated on the banks of River Baspa. Chitkul is...
Realm of reality
The breathtakingly beautiful Tachog Lhakhang Dzong on our way to Thimphu, from the valley of Paro. It was constructed by Thangtong Gyalpo, also known as Chakzampa, the...
Kedarkantha Trek : Changed into a tougher goal than it is!
Kedarkantha Summit : Our Trekking Journey
====================================
They say that - When the going gets tough the tough gets going..!!
Myself, along with a traveller friend of mine, reached Sankari...
Why Do Airplanes Avoid Flying Over The Himalayas?
You might have thought there were no corners of the earth modern aircraft didn’t fly over. But there are still a few last frontiers – the Arctic,...
The Sands of Heaven – Nubra Valley
Beyond the grandeur of Khardung La and before the mighty pillars of Lahaul and Spiti, lies the Nubra Valley with its rather unique, high altitude sand dunes....
LAND OF THE THUNDER DRAGON—BHUTAN IN PICTURES
1.Land of the Thunder Dragon
Bhutan, fondly referred to as Land of the Thunder Dragon is a nation that leads by example. Besides the staggering natural beauty of...
Cleaning souls
Cleaning souls
“ bura mat dekho, bura mat suno, bura mat bolo” contradicting this mantra of the father of the nation, a gentleman followed its flip-sided mantra. Rather than...
Women from the Kumaon Himalayas.
Several cultural norms have accustomed women to live the life of inferiority in rural areas. Where a woman catalyses development, but she is often pulled down to...