Rains in Solan, Himachal Pradesh

Author : Indrani      Blog : i Share      Date : 5/22/2013 6:28:00 PM

'On our onward journey to Kufri, we halted at Solan; to eat noodles and have garam chai (hot tea). Everything seemed fine, pleasant climate, friends, chatting and all. Then suddenly the whole atmosphere changed, dark clouds, wind, drizzles and finally heavy downpour… all appeared from nowhere. It was pelting small ice cubes from above!One by one, hands extended out of the shade to feel the rain drops and catch the falling hail stones. I don’t know if it was the sweet scent in the air(...)'

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Street Walk, Chandigarh

Author : Indrani      Blog : i Share      Date : 5/21/2013 1:27:00 AM

'Here are some random shots taken during my walk in the streets of Chandigarh. It was quite early in the morning. Saw this man sweeping up the area, collecting the leaves and other dry stuffs at one point and setting them on fire. The place does look neat, but up goes the smoke.This man seemed to be waiting for a customer, probably hoping I might take a ride.The brightest spots on road were the flower shops. These are for offerings at Gurudwara, the Sikh temples.  A Gurudwara p(...)'

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Medical Tourism

Author : Indrani      Blog : i Share      Date : 5/20/2013 6:49:00 AM

'(Written as an entry for the Modern Healthcare Indiblogger contest in association with Apollo Hospitals) Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind. ~ Lucius Annaeas Seneca, De Tranquillitate Amini, A.D60 Don’t you agree?! Extend the quote a bit more: Travel and change of place impart new vigor to mind and body!The private health care institutes of India have adopted this mantra today! People travel to countries (India being one of them) with a purpose of(...)'

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Wild Daisies at Kufri, Himachal Pradesh

Author : Indrani      Blog : i Share      Date : 5/19/2013 1:44:00 AM

'Wild daisies were in plenty in Kufri. The ox-eye daisies were thriving so well by the roadside, in the bushes, totally uncared. As I crossed them on the paths, I was confused whether they annoyed me or delighted me. I wondered why they act so pricy in my pots here in Bangalore, never showing a bud or a bloom. So small and dainty, I walked carefully so as to not stamp on them accidentally or brush my feet against the petals. Let them be!Today's Flowers'

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Faces of India - 110

Author : Indrani      Blog : i Share      Date : 5/18/2013 2:00:00 AM

'A lady police woman from Chandigarh, Punjab. The shot was taken from a moving vehicle and she definitely is not aware that she was shot at with a Canon! But I must admit that, it is officers like her who instill confidence in minds of lady solo travelers and also the general public.I salute you Ma’am!Faces of India, a series through which I intend to portray the various characters of my country whom I met during my travels. See more here.'

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Shyama Raya Mandir, Bishnupur, West Bengal

Author : Indrani      Blog : i Share      Date : 5/16/2013 6:42:00 PM

'The Shyama Raya Mandir (temple) of Bishnupur is unique because of the Panch Chura (five canopies). It is of the Ratna Chuda style of architecture. The temple was built in 1643 by King Raghunatha Sngha. Access to the terracotta work on the temple wall is restricted, but what I saw from a distance of few feet was mind blowing. Stories from epics like Ramayana, Mahabharata are elaborately portrayed.The craftsmanship of 17th century displayed is amazing! The huge temple, 10.7m high, is (...)'

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A for Apple

Author : Indrani      Blog : i Share      Date : 5/15/2013 6:27:00 PM

'A for Apple… that was my first step into English language! But till last week had you asked me to identify an apple tree from group of different kinds of trees I would have failed miserably. Not any more.Kufri trip took me back to those childhood days when I had pestered my mother to show me an apple tree. She was my google those days, but then we were in Trivandrum; the southern most tip of India, where the climate is hot and all one can see are the tall coconut trees. The urge to (...)'

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I was away...

Author : Indrani      Blog : i Share      Date : 5/14/2013 1:28:00 PM

'Past few days were hectic, exciting and thrilling! I was away from blogging, from my virtual world into a real world with virtual friends who turned real! Sounds confusing?! Let me tell you straight. I was with several other bloggers far away from home, on a hill top! Ten bloggers from different parts of India decided to converge at Himalayas to give a new meaning to our association in virtual world.Kufri was our world for the weekend! All of us assembled at Chandigarh on Friday (10(...)'

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Faces of India - 109

Author : Indrani      Blog : i Share      Date : 5/11/2013 2:00:00 AM

'Met her at Tarapith Temple, West Bengal. We were a part of the same group offering prayers. Hope she is happy where ever she is!Faces of India, a series through which I intend to portray the various characters of my country whom I met during my travels. See more here.'

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Sunset at Shanti Niketan, West Bengal

Author : Indrani      Blog : i Share      Date : 5/9/2013 1:00:00 PM

'May 7th was Rabindranath Tagore’s birth anniversary. It was in mind since then to post a picture of Shanti Niketan, his karmabhoomi (work place). I will start posting on Shanti Niketan soon, for start here is a sunset from Shanti Niketan.SkyWatch Friday'

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Pillar Of Judgment, Strasbourg, France

Author : Indrani      Blog : i Share      Date : 5/7/2013 4:17:00 AM

'Strasbourg cathedral is unique in its own way. The first conspicuous factor of its uniqueness is its single tower. During the French Revolution, some anti-religious leaders had conspired to destroy it. But it was unharmed miraculously or rather by sheer brilliance of a local locksmith. A huge Phrygian cap made of metal was made to cover the tower. The cathedral was undamaged during the bombings of 1870 and 1944. I am amazed at the engineering skills that existed then.Sharing the pic(...)'

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Strasbourg Cathedral Door, France

Author : Indrani      Blog : i Share      Date : 5/5/2013 11:48:00 AM

'This marvelous façade was built between 1277 and 1365. Such a lot of characters! It will be a huge exercise to write a book on the characters sculpted here, I wonder if anybody has attempted it! If there is one I want to read it for sure. The façade has a nice brick red tinge, a very different flavor from the ones I have seen till date. Here are some pictures from the central door and the grand sculpted figures around it.Intricate Gothic carvings by Erwin von Steinbach over central (...)'

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Faces of India - 108

Author : Indrani      Blog : i Share      Date : 5/4/2013 2:00:00 AM

'Picture of a shop keeper, as I focused on him he shied away from looking at the lens. People around him were telling him: “Dadu (grandpa), you are soon going to be famous!”Faces of India, a series through which I intend to portray the various characters of my country whom I met during my travels. See more here.'

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Sunset At Sunderbans

Author : Indrani      Blog : i Share      Date : 5/2/2013 12:31:00 PM

'It is already May, how soon time flies! It seems as if it was just the other day I was making my vacation plans and now it pains to think vacations are over and I am back to same routine once again. The best part of vacations is the planning part; in fact the joy and excitement is more than that of actually experiencing the vacation. When the vacation is on, often you are so involved to see if things are moving as per plan, or worrying will there be delays, and with children there i(...)'

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Interiors Strasbourg Cathedral, France

Author : Indrani      Blog : i Share      Date : 4/30/2013 11:18:00 AM

'Strasbourg cathedral, it is almost a year now we were last there. A grand piece of Gothic architecture, it attracts hoards of tourists and pilgrims every year. It is unique and one of those few Gothic cathedrals that have just one tower. The space around the cathedral is very less and from no point I could capture the entire façade in one frame. This pic below is from one end of the street leading to the cathedral. The façade and door details are fantastic; I will present it in my n(...)'

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Mexifornia Food Festival

Author : Indrani      Blog : i Share      Date : 4/28/2013 8:04:00 AM

'1850s… those were the years when French army was on a conquering spree. However on 5th May 1865 the ‘well equipped and armed’ French army tasted defeat in the hands of Mexican army near the city of Puebla. Later the French reorganized themselves and won but that one victory was an inspirational event for Mexicans. The day every year is celebrated as "Battle of Puebla Day" or "Battle of Cinco de Mayo"… went on the Chef Kuldeep at California Pizza Kitchen, Indiranagar, Bengaluru. The (...)'

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Faces of India - 107

Author : Indrani      Blog : i Share      Date : 4/27/2013 2:00:00 AM

'This cheerful lady gave us a warm welcome as we entered our resort in Sundarbans Tiger Reserve. I liked the fact that the Tiger Trail resort, where we stayed, had employed many women. They are the locals there. The resort has trained them to speak English and interact well with guests. Faces of India, a series through which I intend to portray the various characters of my country whom I met during my travels. See more here.'

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Wedding In Paris

Author : Indrani      Blog : i Share      Date : 4/25/2013 4:38:00 AM

'How about Paris as wedding venue! I am sure many among us would have secretly desired to have weddings at some exotic location, no? At Eiffel Tower I saw one couple living their dream. Post wedding they were at Eiffel Tower for some sensational photo shoot with the tower in the back ground.One moment the groom would lift the bride and the bride would raise the bouquet, the next moment the photographer would tell them to shift to right or to left… little this side, little that side. (...)'

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Speyer, Germany

Author : Indrani      Blog : i Share      Date : 4/22/2013 1:15:00 PM

'Speyer doesn’t sound very significant from tourism point of view, except that it has a huge Romansque cathedral dating back from 10th century listed in Unesco World Heritage site. And since we were traversing through upper Rhine-Neckar valley while targeting to reach Heidelberg from Strasbourg, we decided NOT to give this place a miss.Yes, as expected we saw the church spires from far, the four bell towers of the giant Kaiserdom dominated the skyline. A neat and clean city with ever(...)'

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Sundari Flowers Of Sunderbans

Author : Indrani      Blog : i Share      Date : 4/20/2013 5:29:00 PM

'Here are some flowers fresh from Sunderbans Tiger Reserve.The fact that I am ‘alive and blogging’ is a proof that I could not spot a single tiger there. In Sunderbans they say that: Seeing a tiger in Sunderbans is as good as being inside its stomach! Well! That was the only consolation (celebration) of not being able to see the ever elusive Royal Bengal Tiger of Sunderbans.Though the word ‘Sunderbans’ literally means ‘beautiful forest’ in Bengali language, the place actually got its(...)'

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