ADHVAGATI

Last Week, The Guild of Service ( an NGO) released the result of a survey on the widows of Vrindavan. Reading it depressed me, the feeling compounded by the resurfacing of some memories I had strenuously tried to exterminate. Travel does not always take one to enchanting places. There are visits that disappoint too and a few that fall flat . Yet , I have never really regretted visiting any of the places I ever have. Except one, because of the bitter after taste it left. Vrindavan. I wish I had never gone there. "The Forest of Brinda "( The Holy Basil) is where the Divine Brat Krishna played out his leelas, say our Myths. A land of Peacocks, parrots and deer, of gardens in perpetual bloom, of perfumed breeze and sparkling streams, of blissful people enjoying blessed lives............. Ofcourse, when I finally did visit Vrindavan, those rose-tinted glasses of childhood fantasy were not on. One was pragmatic enough to assimilate the fact that Krishna's fabled playgrou...

Old Mysore was full of parks and gardens. And Nishat Bagh was one of the most beautiful gardens in town. It is frozen in my memory like a beautiful Renaissance painting. Situated next to the Hardinge Circle , this ( approx.) 10 acre lung space was lush, cool and beautifully laid out. The huge, sprawling rain trees there seemed more than a century old. And the cobbled avenue running from one entrance to the middle of the park was lined with two straight rows of magnificent palm trees which gave it such a regal, ceremonial look. Small fountains and old fashioned wrought iron lamp posts dotted the emerald spread of lawns. And best of all, the park boasted the loveliest Gazebo in the whole royal city. This small pavilion, which served as the Band Stand , had pretty , turn- of- the -century European style railings and pillars and a high dome panelled with Glass Paintings of Mysore Art style . From the centre of the dome hung a sparkling victorian lamp- shade of brilliant...

Mt. Merapi in central Indonesia is making news - news of the ghastly kind. Recurrent outbursts in the past two weeks have wreaked much havoc. It is reported to be the worst episode in 100 years for the Holy Volacano. Reading reports of this disaster is distressing , all the more because one has seen that mountain in happier times. Though it is the most active volacano in the region, on both the occassions that I saw Gunung Merapi, it was beautiful, benign, bathed in picture-postcard loveliness. This was years ago. Merapi is the most sacred site for Buddhists who consider the "self-ignited" fire from it the holiest , to be used in rituals in the viharas spread around Central Java. The name Merapi is a combo of two Javanese words : Meru ( holy mountain)+ Api ( Fire). The first time I saw it, was during my visit to Yogyakarta , an elegant Sultanate that lies some 30 kms. from the mountain . The Yogyakarta Sultanate , considered one part of the holy trio that protec...

It took us a good fifteen minutes to cross the busy road to get to the muddy lot on the otherside. The patch was overgrown with weeds and strewn with urban waste . From here led a mud path to an enclosure sprouting a set of kalinga style spires. A dismal point of entry to an enchantment called MUKTESHWAR. Of the nearly 1000 temples in Odisha's Ekamra Kshetra or Bubhaneshwar, Mukteshwar seems to be the most elegant . It looks like a smaller, compact "pocket edition" of the magnificent Lingaraj temple in Bubhaneshwar. Built in 950 AD, it is profusely ornate ; the intricacy of the stone embellishments , simply stunning. Not an inch of stone left unworked. No wonder it is called the crown jewel of Classical Kalinga Art. The most eye-catching detail here is the splendid doorway, the "torana", influenced by Buddhist architecture. Of the carvings, a vast proportion portray scenes of skinny ascetics engaged in what looks like ayurvedic medicine preparation ri...

October I week We arrived in PURI ( Orissa/ Odisha) in the most inclement weather. Depression in the Bay of Bengal had caused the skies over Jagannath's citadel to go grey, meloncholic and vengeful. It kept pouring buckets, turning the town into a total mess ( not that it was a showpiece of civic beauty to begin with !). Would the all merciful Krishna and His Siblings give us a chance to realise our cherished plan of meeting Lake Chilika's most famous denizens : The Irrawaddy Dolphins ? Hoping to beat the clouds, we set out very early from the beach- resort in Puri, on NH-203 A for the 50km journey . A very pleasant drive, with lovely, lush vistas of glistening emerald on both sides. But as we neared destination , the wind started howling and rain fell in thin showers. At the boat jetty, the little shacks selling snacks had lowered polythene sheets over the fronts, while the ticketing agent in the newly constructed counter, pouted discouragingly. He opined it w...

While making travel plans, we usually collect info. of the Footnotes kind from different sources, so that we are not thrown off balance by little "surprises" we may encounter in alien lands. So far, I have not experienced any great Culture Shock , anywhere. Except in - of all places - Hampi. In our own backyard ! Three years ago, I was given a Hampi Trip as a birthday gift by my son and it served as a cherished refresher course, as the memory of my first trip to the wonderful place, eons ago, is less than sketchy  (and the four B&W 3-inch photos are dismal souvenirs that speak nothing.) We ( Son, Sis and I) checked into a homestay "guest house" adjacent to The Bazar Street at 4 am, and stepped out, refreshed, at 7.30 to find ourselves an ordinary Idli -Coffee breakfast. The arterial street was fully abuzz with activity, with more than a dozen thatch-roof cafes open for business. Most of them with signboards proclaiming " Recommended by Lonely Pl...