http://himalayanwind.blogdrive.com/ Himalayan Wind - Trekking Tales Thu, 12 Jan 2006 05:10:01 PST http://www.blogdrive.com Copyright 2006. Destinations Photography Spirituality http://himalayanwind.blogdrive.com/archive/34.html Wed, 11 Jan 2006 23:36:10 GMT View from my room balcony on Eid dusk This conveys little of the experience though, since you can't listen to the sound of birds as they return home, and the distant call of azaan by the muezzin in a mosque downhill. This azaan has become an indicator of my schedule here, since he also calls at around 5:10 am (Should be about to call now). Whenever I stay up till late due to some work/entertainment, the azaan reminds me that dawn is about to come. Around 20 minutes after the muezzin's call to the faithful is over, Venkatesha Suprabhatam starts in a... (more) http://himalayanwind.blogdrive.com/comments?id=34 http://himalayanwind.blogdrive.com/archive/33.html Wed, 04 Jan 2006 21:49:42 GMT A (too short) term break is over. Over the past 17 days, I've travelled across 17 degrees of latitude, about the same degrees of temperature, and back again. I've started to love the romance of long train journeys, as opposed to the rushed, storyless experience of local air travel. On rails, you get to meet so many interesting people, see so many shades of India, and get the chance for unbridled sleep and novel reading, both of which have become rare commodities lately. You also get to discover varied facets of your fellow travellers, which you hadn't noticed while studying with them. A... (more) http://himalayanwind.blogdrive.com/comments?id=33 http://himalayanwind.blogdrive.com/archive/32.html Mon, 28 Nov 2005 19:53:42 GMT Though this year's is long past, the alumni newsletter of our insti was just sent, and I wrote an article on Diwali in it. Is short (Was much longer earlier, but had to fit in the word limit), but the photos should make up for it: The warm, golden light of diyas replaced, if only for a brief while, the harsh antiseptic tubelights that we have become all too familiar with. You could hear greetings in several languages and dialects, unfathomable, yet mellifluous. Corridors where mornings witness people rushing to class, saw people walking gingerly, to sidestep a beautiful Rangoli. The rate at... (more) http://himalayanwind.blogdrive.com/comments?id=32 http://himalayanwind.blogdrive.com/archive/31.html Wed, 12 Oct 2005 23:18:05 GMT Continuation of last post. Every single one of these photos has been taken on the IIM Kozhikode campus, apart from two of the freshers' party, which were taken at the Taj Residency in Calicut. Captions, where they are given, precede photos. The day cleared after a monsoon rain. A friend took this from his hostel room. Clouds often flow across the campus, bringing fogs of varied density. This was one such light fog. The road connects the campus, located at the hilltop, with the main gate at the bottom. Raindrops keep falling almost on my head. The aspect ratio's incorrect,... (more) http://himalayanwind.blogdrive.com/comments?id=31 http://himalayanwind.blogdrive.com/archive/30.html Wed, 12 Oct 2005 22:58:16 GMT All sorts of photos. All have been mercilessly reduced in size & quality to make them less of a headache to upload. If you really like any, mail me ('Contact Me' at left) for the full pic. The photos are spread across this post and the next, and there might be still more if I can find the time (Fat chance though of that over the next few days). Some photos have descriptive filenames; I could've given them to all, but time's short. Captions, if any, precede photos. From my trip home during the term break. A little squirrel peering through the leaves of a papaya and a guava tree. Long... (more) http://himalayanwind.blogdrive.com/comments?id=30 http://himalayanwind.blogdrive.com/archive/28.html Mon, 15 Aug 2005 21:02:09 GMT As there's hardly ever enough time to sit down for the exclusive purpose of writing a good blog entry, I decided on a sort of compromise for now. Am posting some photos of the places I've been to recently. I'm afraid that for now, I can't tell the stories of any of these journeys in full. That may come later, depending on availability of time/inclination. The following is from the train that brought me here. Is Mangala Express (Hazrat Nizamuddin in Delhi to Ernakulam in Kerala). Passes through the famed Konkan coast. This photo was taken when the monsoon was washing over... (more) http://himalayanwind.blogdrive.com/comments?id=28 http://himalayanwind.blogdrive.com/archive/27.html Sun, 24 Jul 2005 22:31:50 GMT One of the reasons why I came here despite FMS, MDI, IIM Indore (Converted waitlist) etc: The laptop's delayed by 2 weeks; then I'll be more regular. Thanks for your patience. Arnav's restarted again, his new link's been added. Another revival from hibernation in the offing. Just in case you're a chance visitor to this blog, the photo above is not of the Himalaya, but of the Western Ghats, on the southwest coast of India. This is taken from a place called IIM Kozhikode, which probably has the most beautiful educational campus in India; in Kerala state. This photo doesn't do... (more) http://himalayanwind.blogdrive.com/comments?id=27 http://himalayanwind.blogdrive.com/archive/26.html Wed, 15 Jun 2005 20:07:00 GMT Hi everyone! This is more an explanation than a blog entry. I'd gone to Australia for a cousin's wedding. Now I'm going to IIM Kozhikode and should be there in a week's time (Kozhikode is the same as Calicut; à la Mumbai and Bombay). A little bit about Oz. Almost the whole of May was spent there. It was a beautiful experience. For the first time, I had a real yardstick with which to compare India. Reading about it in books or watching movies is OK, but getting a first-hand feel of a foreign land gives you a very vivid point of reference. I can talk about it for days together, but time's... (more) http://himalayanwind.blogdrive.com/comments?id=26 http://himalayanwind.blogdrive.com/archive/25.html Sat, 09 Apr 2005 14:42:51 GMT Today is the first day of the Hindu New Year. This is the month of Chaitra, and the waxing phase of the moon begins, heralding a new Samvat, year 2062 of the Vikrami calendar. In Sanskrit, this date is called Chaitra Shukla Pratipada. Today is also the beginning of Navratri, the nine days of worshipping Shakti, the female creative force. According to legend, among other things, on this day Lord Rama was coronated as the King of Ayodhya; Vikramaditya* was coronated as the Emperor of India; and King Yudhisthira became the just ruler after the war of Mahabharata. May the day bring a new... (more) http://himalayanwind.blogdrive.com/comments?id=25 http://himalayanwind.blogdrive.com/archive/24.html Wed, 30 Mar 2005 14:11:09 GMT Ok, many posts are due, including, but not limited to, a trek tale, the second part of Haryana, and atleast one interview story. They're already written, more or less, in my mind, but articulating them needs effort that I'm not ready to expend as of now. Many novels await, you see. So I'll write a normal blog entry that'll hopefully interest & entertain you. I went to a cousin's home a few days ago. Now my cousin's father, who is a vet, is very fond of gardening. Outdoors, indoors, on the roof, wherever you go in their home, you have to weave your way among potted plants. More on this... (more) http://himalayanwind.blogdrive.com/comments?id=24