Agast ke phool ke bajke: Festival-special fritters
Fritters (bajke) made out of Agast flowers are commonly made around Chhat in Bihar, and usually on Bhai Dooj day. On these festival days, due to the huge demand, these flowers sell for anywhere between Rs 800…
Landscapes at Bor
The usual notion is that wildlife sanctuaries are to look at animals. But sometimes the background and the wilderness are equally enchanting. Leaving you with some clicks from Bor Wildlife Sanctuary.
The Mussaenda Memories
I was in Pondicherry three decades after I had left the place. Pondicherry is where I grew up, and memories from those formative years clung to me like a second skin. The house where we lived for…
Amaltas: The golden shower tree
The golden chandelier-like blossoms make you stop in your tracks, even when the firmament is afire. Pendulous yellow flowers cascade down in plenty making the green of the leaves redundant. The golden shower tree or the golden…
Bael sherbet: The summer cooler
Just behind my house, is a Bael tree. It caught my interest last year, when I found a pair of yellow-footed green pigeons making a nest in its branches. This year it is the koel’s favourite haunt.…
Cheezbilai or Junglee Jalebi
Just at dawn, on our walk, we discovered a flock of plum headed parakeets fly from one tree and rest on an adjacent branch and peck at something. They did that repeatedly and then one parakeet dropped…
The pumpkin patch
This morning we discovered a pumpkin patch. Actually, it was more than a patch, it was a field where they were growing red pumpkins. I’ve always found the local nomenclature for pumpkins and squashes very confusing. Now, this one…
Kaziranga National Orchid and Bio-Diversity Park
At Kaziranga, 2 km from Kohora, you must visit the orchidarium and biodiversity park. We just got a few minutes before the place closed down for the evening, but we were guided into the greenhouse by a…
