Cuisine as Culture
Readers are welcome to enjoy the video above and feel hungry at the mouthwatering sights of the great cuisine that Iran is known for. But please don’t spoil the taste of your mouth by reading the comments below this video on the Youtube page. I have always wondered why the youtube videos that focus on … Continue reading
Saindhavi – A Classical Musical Mode and my New Pen Name
Indian Classical Music Singing (See original image here) I am sick of convincing the publishing industry that I’m not someone else! This comes of having such a common name that one could find a dime a dozen Archana Vermas. All these years I have adjusted myself to the situation of being surrounded by a dozen … Continue reading
New Year Day or Coming out of a Year and Going into Another…
Sunrise, Goa I guess as a blogger I must recount the year gone by as we all stand at this juncture of the year gone by and the one standing before us. So, what did I achieve in the past year? Well, I sent two important books to publishers, so it was not all that … Continue reading
My travels through the Himalayas VI – Simla to Spiti via Kinnaur
Travel to Tabo Monastery in Spiti – Ajanta of the Himalayas This is the last post in the series on My Travels Through the Himalayas. I hope you have enjoyed travelling through these majestic mountains with me. Do continue reading the blog for posts on other topics. The most exotic places in Himachal lie in … Continue reading
My Travels through the Himalayas – V (Simla to Rohtang Pass)
This was one of the two most exotic trips I made in Himachal. In May 2007 my family members had come to visit me in Simla. We planned to go to Rohtang Pass, a famous 13,500 ft peak at the juncture of Kullu and Lahaul-Spiti districts, which has a permanent snow-cap. Our team had a … Continue reading
My Travels through the Himalayas – IV (Simla to Chanshal Peak)
Woman in her Apple Orchard, Shimla District The town of Simla is only a few kilometres long, but Shimla district is a large one and includes some very high peaked mountains towards the eastern side, which are good for apple cultivation. The best apples in Himachal are grown in Kinnaur, but the apples from Shimla … Continue reading
My Travels Through the Himalayas – III (Simla to Dharmashala and Dalhousie)
Dharmashala is of course famous for its Tibetan Monastery and the Dalai Lama’s residence here. I wanted to go there from Simla and had two chances to visit the place – one with another woman fellow and several Associate Fellows who visited the Institute – Prof. Kailash Pattanaik from Orissa, Jaydeep from Bengal and Nirmal … Continue reading
My Travels through the Himalayas – II (Simla to Renuka Lake)
Renuka Lake is the biggest lake in Himachal, lying at a low height of 636 ft south of Simla, which means that the drive from Simla to Renuka goes down the slopes for most parts. The lake lies almost in a valley between several hills and hence, it feels quite warm here, especially if one … Continue reading
My Travels Throught the Himalayas – I (Simla to Kharapattar, Tattapani, Naldehra)
Places Around Simla My First Experience of snow! Most Indians don’t get to see the snow on a regular basis and hence, they find the idea of snow exciting – just as the British find the idea of sun exciting! 🙂 Indians don’t like to be in the sun, because sun is so hot here. … Continue reading
My Travels Through the Himalayas – I (Monuments of Simla – 2)
Monuments of Simla – 2 While the Viceregal Lodge was the power-centre from 1889, architectural constructions – both private and official had been built here from the early 19th century onwards. I have mentioned some of these in the first post in this series. Most of these buildings are renovated now, but they still exist. … Continue reading
The World Around Me 