Antara Echoes

Am back home, tired and weary So has it travelled miles, the coffee berry Seeds of coffee, blended, mixed, & filtered Aroma of which, makes my mind careen unfettered Swirl a little storm, dark & brown And leaving behind a smile, is my frown

U may… Think not like me Don’t say…. How it is supposed to be Please, Try not to judge me Pray… Set your thoughts free Let me be For I am ‘Me’

Visited this awesome place called Pondicherry about a month or so ago. It was a memorable trip indeed and it had all to do with the place. Won't rave more about Pondy as there are umpteen websites & blogs which do the same. Will instead give all details need to take a drive to Pondy. Destination: Bangalore-Pondicherry Route Bangalore-Hosur-Krishnagiri- Chengam-Tiruvannamalai-Gingee-Tindivanam-Pondicherry Distance 340 km At Krishnagiri take a left leading towards Chennai and within about half a km you got to take an immediate right. Keep a lookout for the sign else you can miss it. Why drive?: The roads are fantastic, well maintained and not much of traffic. Better than going via Chennai. Enroute Stopovers Tiruvanamalai is a holy town replete with ashrams, temples & holy mountains. The gigantic Arunachalam Mountain makes an awesome view. Chenji Fort falls between Tiruvannamalai & Tindivanam and is worth a brief stopover. Fuel Stations Hosur, Krishnagiri, Chengam, Tiruva...

It had been a hot afternoon for August. The windows of the car had been rolled down to freely admit the cool breeze accompanying the dying sun. The campus was lush green amidst the glass buildings & rows of indicabs lined up neatly along the tarmac awaiting their first set of passengers. “Nagappa, have you got a bottle there?” hollered Raju, walking up to him. Nagappa sat upright inside his cab and readjusted the seat into an upright position. “Nann Magane, so soon you are looking for a bottle eh?” he smirked picking up the half filled Bisleri bottle from the back seat and handed it over to him. Gulping down the warm water thirstily he fumed,“ They are going to be changing the routes once more. This new manager guy is no good. Ravi, our 895 (cab no.) was saying that security guards would soon be accompanying us in every trip we make. Baddi nann maga, one stray incident and they think we all are murderers.” Nagappa digested this new piece of information without offering any comment...

Madhavi was born during the week she had viral fever. Left alone at home by her working parents, with only the maid for company, she made the PC her best friend. Madhavi was the online persona she had created to amuse herself till she could get better and go back to her hostel & friends. As a joke she sketched Madhavi as complete anti-thesis of herself. So was born Madhavi a shy introvert with long hair, dark eyed & with a dimpled smile. Getting on to a popular chat room she was deluged with chat offers from various people and she felt on top of the world. Soon she found herself chatting with a captain from the Indian Army who was extremely charming with a great sense of humor. He rarely seemed to cross step the line of decency yet regaled her with interesting anecdotes and soon completely encroached on her attention. His subtle sense of humor made her laugh while his worldly intelligence had her awed. She told him stories of her college life & friends without revealing mu...

A travel article written by me gets published in Rediff . ************* We continue our reader-driven getaway series. Swetha Iyer suggests a trip to Sanasar in Jammu and Kashmir if you are looking for a quiet holiday . When it is not casual travel, but a real vacation that you are looking for, try Sanasar, located just about 17 km away from the famous hill resort of Patnitop. My husband and I decided to visit Sanasar in Jammu on the advice of a friend. Jammu might evoke images of gun-toting policemen, riots amidst snow-topped mountains, but no place is more peaceful than Sanasar. Tall trees, cool breeze, scenic pastures stretching to the horizon -- it is heaven unexplored! Sanasar is all about stretches of green meadows under clear blue skies, huge conifers and pines, sparkling brooks, locals grazing their cattle and horses... It is completely enchanting. So if you are looking for a quiet holiday, head to Sanasar. This place also provides opportunities for paragliding and the area is ...