The Catch In The Calm

After returning from Kashmir, India's festival calendar opened up and I've had a gazillion days off - Bakrid, Gandhi Jayanthi, Dusshera and Diwali. Just one day each, but close enough to the weekend to merit a jaunt somewhere. And yet, I've remained calm. The angst to pack up and head out of town hasn't hit (yet?).…

Kashmir – Still Struggling For Words

It's been three weeks since we returned to home base, and I still haven't managed to say one coherent thing about Kashmir. It's a classic case of being overwhelmed, and it doesn't happen to me often. Although B and I have seen our fair share of other cultures, we realized that we harboured the deeply Indian…

The Day Before Our Flight

Written the day before we took our flight to Srinagar to embark on our first ever high-altitude, multi-day trek in the mighty Himalayas, seven days ago. If I think about it too much, I'm terrified enough to drop my bags, sit in a corner and refuse to take my flight tomorrow. I'll hate the cold,…