As a child, I fell often. The outdoors was my space and earth, my ally. Whether it was arbitrary running around with friends, or pretending to climb a mountain on a three-feet incline, or learning the life-changing skill of cycling, each scar on my body tells a different story. And each of these, I wear…
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It was a hot summer morning when I mailed Ishita Khanna, the co-founder of Ecosphere, a social enterprise in Spiti, Himachal Pradesh. At that point, I was a desperate traveller at my workstation in Mumbai. After an exchange of 42 emails across months of planning, my first solo trip to Spiti was finalised. It was…
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About 110 kilometres away from the state capital, Patna, Bodhgaya is a popular pilgrimage destination for Buddhists. The first time I visited this dusty town in 2013, I didn’t know I would return thrice over and it was deepen my inclination for Buddhism manifold. As I concluded my fourth travel to Bodhgaya, I knew I…
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After my session at a panel discussion last year, a number of women came up to me and asked what motivated me to travel by myself. I found myself giving various reasons why travelling solo works for me—it is liberating, I can wake up early, it helps me fish out personal stories of locals and…
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On a winter evening in Kolkata, I set out to try the signature cocktails of The Fatty Bao, Olive group’s Asian dining. By the end of my meal, I found myself comfortably seated in a corner of its cosy decor, satiated by the comforting flavours of its food and drinks. Cocktail #1 Risky Whiskey Base:…
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The grand grove of deodar in Jageshwar mirrored my idea of paradise. An undulating turn brought us to the Himalayan valley. Beside the concrete road, I heard a reticent stream trickle. And the ancient deodar trees rose stately from the earth to high skies. I stared at them from a half-opened passenger window of the…
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