yet again ... getting lost ... then enjoying self-discovery ...

I have attended 2 retreats at Tushita . An introductory retreat during June 2022 and an intermediate retreat during May 2023; each spanning 9 days. During the first I did not end up taking notes other than during the couple of days towards the end. It was more about just being there, observing, absorbing, and walking in the campus. During the second I enjoyed putting the pencils, the sharpeners, and the diary I had taken along, to work. Perhaps I was more at ease during the intermediate retreat, perhaps I had an urge to just get it all out, or perhaps I was just enjoyed the act of writing, the sound of pencil caressing paper amidst the silences of the Himachal hills. Some musing from my notes. Tushita A meditation centre, around 50 years of age, and if you enjoy walking in the hills - a pleasant walk uphill from the main traffic junction at Mcleodgunj. The Hyatt Hotel and the Goenka Vipassana Centre are its neighbours. We Indians seem to be flocking to Dharamkot only during the recent ...

Is baar aap religious ~ spiritual trip pe aaye ho! - I was told at the German Bakery at Naggar.  Well, let us begin with the temples at Jagatsukh ! Shiva Mandir This is what a report by ASI - Chandigarh Circle states on this : This Siva Temple, located on the left bank of the river Beas, is an architectural gem dateable to the 8th century. It consists of tiratha sanctum with a sikhara which is devoid of corner amalakas and a porch resting on 2 tall octagonal pillars.  Gayatri Mata Mandir Known for its 'unique folk style architecture', the temple today stands cheek by jowl with a school ( and its play area! ) The pujari aunty insisted that I enter the temple - 2 welcome surprises here! On to those within Naggar now ( Both of these are within a stone's throw from the Naggar Castle ) Gauri Shankar Mandir Tripura Sundari Devi Mandir Some temples strike you with the visual splendour on offer. This is one such. Another temple dedicated to the very Goddess - in Banaras - too is ...

Naggar has been a place I have enjoyed revisiting - since a few years now.  The walks up and down its steep slopes, winding conversations at the German Bakery and a lot more.  This time the camera too came along.  Some sights as we walked -  Devika Rani and Svetoslav Roerich looked on as we walked towards the Roerich Estate and Museum .  The campus has special feel to it.  Walls of the Naggar Castle .  We were told ( during this trip ) that the Naggar Castle was previously located - further up - near the Krishna Temple! The Naggar Post Office.  The only other time I have associated 'dainty' with a Post Office was with the one located within the Osmania University Campus.   How does one shut the place? Are they all connected? I had wondered on coming across this train of doors.  Jarokhas for some reason always seem to have that something about them! Wonder why this fetish to burden the younger ones ?  To drive pleasure out o...

Some books take you on a journey, Some remind you of the journeys you have already taken, This book does both. Title: Into the Heart of the Himalayas Author: Jono Lineen Publisher: Speaking Tiger Books 2020 (India edition) First published as Walking the Earth’s Spine in Canada by Pottersfield Press 2012. Also published in Australia by Melbourne University Press 2014. ISBN: 978-81-944468-2-8 Price: 499/- More on the book at The New Indian Express and Mumbai Mirror . Some lines - from the book - I read and re-read. After the silence of the plateau the water’s constant roar was intrusive. Slowly, over a day of walking beside it, the river’s hum absorbed me. Everything else became peripheral. I lost track of time; the sun moved overhead. I focused on the single footstep ahead of me and gradually, from behind the rush, a rhythm evolved. It was not water or wind; it was a thumping pulse. ^^ I was alone. I had walked for 8 hours that day. I had been walking for 3 month...

Bir . . Cafes, Monasteries and more . .  A fun place to walk and cycle is how I would describe Bir in a line. I treasure my walks in and around Bir the most. Slow and aimless walks where both the mind and feet wander. The phone stays shut. The gentle slopes and friendly smiles too have a role to play.   The first time I read of Bir was a few years ago in The Outdoor Journal . I recall being stunned by an image that showcased humans and birds in the same frame – both up in the air. I understand Bir’s reputation as THE place for paragliding in the country, and beyond, has only strengthened since. It is an experience to lie languorously on one’s back and look at people glide towards what is referred to as the ‘landing site’. Billing is where the take-off spot is.   By Dave Kleinschmidt - https://www.flickr.com/photos/dklein/2281407256/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15455538 Let me chat about the Bir beyond the flying and landing hum...

A Guest House at Naggar  On the last day of my previous trip to Naggar I happened to visit a Guest House as I walked from the Castle to the Roerich Estate . The Alliance Guest House is run by Gill; a person of French origin who speaks fluent Hindi. He had – with affection – shown me around the place and I recall being intrigued by the simple room; a guest staying there had to use a common toilet but the room had paper, pen, water-bottle, kettle and a torch. The basics were well thought out and in place. During this trip I made amends and stayed at the Alliance Guest House. Besides the stay enjoyed chatting with Gill. Image Credit: Alliance Guest House - Facebook Page The room I got ( the others were all occupied ) was the room where the then single room Guest House began in 1982; 5 years after Gill had arrived in India. It sat cosily near an open dining space; a lounge with a Himalayan view!  Enticing place for conversations and silences with those li...

Jibhi: Walks, Coffee and Conversations “ It will augur better, for both of us, if you visit me instead of my coming to your house; you stay in a Thakur village and my wife belongs to a lower caste. ” I heard one European tell another. Both of them had married and settled in the villages nearby. I was in Jibhi ( Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh ); at the cafe of the Doli Guest House.  Cafes and Guest Houses like these have become melting point for conversations, silences and – of course – surprises.  Image:  https://kshatra.com/ During my stay I bumped into 2 people, also travelling alone. We shared of our time amidst mountains and smiles. When alone, I sat with coffee, paper and pencil as the river and birds added to the ‘micro-climate’ the Guest House has successfully created. These places – amidst the Himalayas - possible destinations in themselves, one would want to visit and revisit to put in time with self and yet to be friends. Mr. R...

Scaling great heights This piece finds space in Spectrum (Deccan Herald) on 14 th October.  Thanks are due to the team at Spectrum. Image Credit: Himalayan Ecotourism Four of us sat in the dimly-lit room of a restaurant at Gushaini in Himachal Pradesh, eating noodles and momos. The discussion began with tree planting – local tree species, tree guards, funds required ..... The idea was to plant trees along trek routes, the routes beyond the Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) that today stood bereft of trees. This would also be an apt follow-up to the awareness campaign they had taken up with Himalayan Ecotourism . Cooperative here is the group of locals engaged in undertaking treks in and around the GHNP, and Himalayan Ecotourism is a set-up that helps market the treks . Gushaini, in the lower Tirthan valley, is the gateway to GHNP . At the restaurant, Sanju and Keshav shared how the cooperative managed the treks. Stephan, of the Himalayan Ecotourism, ...

Traffic jam in Tirthan valley Published in Deccan Herald's Spectrum here . The unedited version placed below.  Thanks are due to the team at Deccan Herald and Himalayan Ecotourism .  Image Credit: Himalayan Ecotourism Gushaini, in the lower Tirthan valley of Kullu district ( Himachal Pradesh ), is synonymous with the Great Himalayan National Park ( GHNP ). Till a few years ago broadly two categories of people used to visit the valley. Those seeking the peaks and valleys of GHNP – be it for treks, wildlife sightings, silences or else - and the anglers lured by trout in the Tirthan river! Their numbers were low; read manageable. Today, their numbers have been overtaken by the quintessential tourist. Those who come – with friends or family - looking for a good time, away from where s/he stays. These include people coming for weekends and those who add Gushaini to other destinations nearby or not so nearby. This summer I visited Gushaini after a gap of fe...