The Timber Trawler

Musings in Malwa: Mandu

Right on the heels of the Aurangabad affair, we took an overnight bus that rocked and rollicked its way to Indore, where we learnt that the self-drive car that we had booked much in advance was no longer available. Fortunately, a cab through the hotel concierge became available on short notice. It was now time…
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The Aurangabad Affair: Ellora, Ajanta and Daulatabad

This November, almost 5 years to the time this trip was first mooted, we managed to set foot in Aurangabad. Back then, the first Covid-19 lockdown had come into force just as we were about to book our air tickets. Aurangabad would be the gateway to the Ajanta and Ellora caves, both UNESCO World Heritage…
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Jodhpur Journal: Three Discoveries At the Edge of the Thar

In October, during a brief illness, I got hooked on a book I had picked up in Udaipur in 2019 – Rajasthan: An Oral History, written by Rustom Bharucha, based on his conversations with the late Komal Kothari. Komal Kothari, who spent most of his prime documenting the folk music instruments, oral traditions and puppetry…
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Meandering in the Monsoons: Bijolia, Banswara, Arthuna and Udaipur

Continuing the tradition of the annual self-drive family trip, this year we decided to explore the lesser-known side of Rajasthan. Of course, this trip came about after having exhausted the roster of all the well-known Rajasthani cities, except Barmer, but it was really hastened by the incidence of the monsoons. It was now time to…
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Uncovering Khetri : A Hidden Gem in the Shekhawati

In my search for places that could be visited on a single day trip from Gurugram, Khetri seemed to pop up on a few occasions. I did try to plan a Khetri trip a few times over the last three years, even attempting to rope in my colleagues once, but it was not to be,…
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Barely Bright and Bovine Encounters at Bayana Fort

Somehow, circumstances lead me into situations where I land up in remote places on the verge of sundown. This time, it was at the base of a high cliff atop which sat the Bayana fort, with fortification walls stretching for miles and miles. I learned about Bayana Fort only a few months ago from a…
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