Travel Express with Mastani Musafir

The hills of the Himalayas in Himachal awe struck me early this year. The towering snow-gilded peaks were grandiosely beautiful, overpowering in their influence and made me surrender to their superiority. I came back as a vanquished skeleton to my mundane and drab world. But in June something different happened during my over a weeklong sojourn at Shillong. They take pride in calling Meghalaya the Scotland of the North East but my experience elevated me to something beyond symbolism. The hills were small and undulating, appeared more human and part of your life. More than enchanting, they drew me into an intimacy, which was not exactly spellbinding but rather an embrace where you feel your own being getting lifted to their abode. The troupes of clouds rolling over the low-lying, curvaceous mountain horizon spread an exhibition of romance under a transparent blue sky that can only be seen in Meghalaya. The mumming sound of the streams, crystal clean in their colour to the botto...

Spiritual Pushkar and its material magic Padhaaroni Mahre Des Re!!!! Apart from the barren and dusty desert, amidst the hilly and mountainous region of Rajasthan, there is a hidden gem surrounded by hills and sandy plains. Often thronged by foreigners, some with colourful Bandej turban, a visit to the holy village Pushkar during the chilly winter was something unplanned and sudden. I had a plan to explore the Punjabi tadka and was set to go to Amritsar but I think that was not to be. Being only 146 km from Jaipur, it was an easy escape, and being on Sakrat, it made all the sense ultimately.   At Pushkar Ghat I reached Pushkar early morning and headed to the Brahma Ghat. I sat on the edge of the holy lake as I always liked to see ripples across a vast stretch of waters particularly when ducks and other winged wonders relish and revel in the undisturbed waters. I could also see some devout ladies on the ghats almost naked and taking bath in the sacr...