Nature Trails Around the World

Stretches of green meadows, uninterrupted views of majestic mountains, songs of birds, healing power of trees or changing colours of the sky—all nature experiences are best accessed on foot. Trekking has an infamous reputation of being strenuous. But if you, like me, tread these trails to be one with nature without exhaustion, there are quite…

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Away in a Dream Called Binsar

No matter how far we go, there are a few sights that give our life a direction. They become a part of our memory and sometimes, our waking dream. I’ll call my dream, Binsar. This was my second time in Uttarakhand’s Kumaon mountain town of Binsar but it felt like a first time. It was…

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Photo Story: Jageshwar, Uttarakhand

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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People of Kumaon, Uttarakhand (Part 2)

It is difficult to escape their charm. Every time I travel to Uttarakhand, the loveliness of the people I meet seem to only increase. I recently wrote about the women who I met in Kilmora and Chirag and as a continuing part of my conversations with the people of Uttarakhand, I’d like you to meet two…

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The Kilmora Women of Kumaon, Uttarakhand

Two of my three travels to Uttarakhand, last year, introduced me to some of the most enthusiastically independent women I have met. The first bevy was in Chirag (Central Himalayan Rural Action Group) in Kasiyalekh. Chirag is a social enterprise that works with local communities by diversifying and creating various livelihood opportunities. In Chirag, I…

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Photo Story: Trees of Kumaon, Uttarakhand

This year, I have spent a significant amount of my time staring and observing trees. It is one of those therapies that I cannot quantify. As an extension to my Instagram series, this post includes more visuals of trees from Kumaon in Uttarakhand. Also known as the fruit belt of India, I’ve been to the region…

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