Kinara is a lovely film about love, loss and longing; just right for a lazy Sunday afternoon. It released in 1977, which makes it close to 50 years old. The film is written and directed by Gulzar, who also wrote the lyrics, and has music by R. D Burman. Does a film need better credentials … Continue reading Kinara @ Mandu
It was in 2017 that a friend and I decided to set out by ourselves and travel to different places around the country. We were very excited at the thought of this new adventure, although at that time we had little idea of how it would unfold. Since then we have managed to do a … Continue reading The Little Things That Matter
The planning that takes place before a trip can be as much fun as the trip itself. Looking up places, googling for information, chalking out an itinerary, booking tickets, the whole build-up to the final day...it can go on for weeks. This trip was no different, although experience has taught us to temper our excitement … Continue reading Great Expectations
We Punekars pride ourselves on our food: you name it, we have it- street food, fast food, swank restaurants, local cuisine, niche cafes and bistros, chai 'kattas', pretentious places, simple, homely eateries...I could go on. Someone has said that for a restaurant, being able to succeed in Pune is the acid test. Look, I am … Continue reading Sampling Street Food @Sarafa
Through the centuries, Malwa region in Central India changed hands several times. It was ruled over by the Parmars, the Sultans of Delhi, the Mughals, the Marathas before ending up as a princely state controlled by the British. It was Dilawar Khan Ghuri who formally established the Sultanate of Malwa in the 12th century with … Continue reading Malwa, Mandu and the Romance of Roopmati and Baz
Garh means fort and Padhavali is site of this temple-cum-fort, located about an hour's drive from Gwalior. Bateshwar, Mitawali and Padhavali are all within easy reach of one another, so a visit to one would be incomplete without visiting the others. And here, in a nutshell, is what Padhavali is all about. A 10th century … Continue reading The Beauty of Garhi Padhavali
There's a lovely story in the Puranas about why the Vindhya mountains are mostly flat in nature. The Vindhyas were jealous of the Himalayas and tried to grow in height to outdo them. The local people feared that these mountains would obstruct the sun. So they prayed to Rishi Agastya for help. Rishi Agastya was … Continue reading Sunrise over Mandu
It is impossible to drive through the rocky, dusty and largely barren landscape of this region without thinking of the bands of dacoits that once roamed freely here. We pass signboards bearing names like Bhind, Morena and Chambal- all famous (or notorious!) because they were home to the dreaded dakus; some of whom have been … Continue reading A Dacoit, An Archeologist and the Temple Ruins of Bateshwar
CONTEXT: Chausath or 64 is an important number in tantric rituals. The number 8 is regarded as having great power and it is the square root of 64. Which means that 64 has even greater power and is more auspicious. In tantric literature it is considered sacred, mystical and is used in rituals to acquire … Continue reading Chausath (64) Yogini Temple of Mitawali
Comparing Wordle scores with friends at the start of the day is like comparing marks when the answer papers are given out. Once one's own marks are seen, the next questions is "How much did he/she get?" We may have left our school days far behind but some things stay with us. Here are some … Continue reading The Lighter Side of Wordle
butterfliesonmymindblog 