The last weekend of June 2021 is more special than ever! It is every year but a little more this year. Because on this weekend… The elder sister celebrates her birthday, and Many of us celebrate 24 years of opening the doors on one of the most beautiful friendships in a world that had been lost in hard-hitting realities. I’m talking…
A few days ago, while going through my inbox to delete unwanted mails, I found a note sent by a friend. Mailed in May 2019, this note was an account of his eventful (and harrowing!) overseas trip in April 2019. It brought back memories of my own first foreign trip to Thailand – I accompanied my elder sister to spend…
On March 6, 1989, a 44 year old and his colleagues boarded a British Railway train at the Edinburgh Waverley railway station. The group of six men β all town planners from developing cities of India – was headed to Glasgow as part of a government initiative facilitating knowledge exchange. Among them was my father who returned thrilled with the…
I confess. I have a crush on Edinburgh. I have been in love with Amsterdam from when I first set foot on that gorgeous slice of heaven on earth. But now Edinburgh, with its cobbled streets, mix of old-new structures and a skyline that gives off a broody Gothic vibe on a cloudy day, has found its way into my…
Itβs going to be nearly six months since the world started its battle against the unknown. Itβs been a long few month, each day a fight. And as we slowly limp towards the easing of lockdowns, uncertainty continues to loom. The travel industry has been hit hard. Even as rules are being relaxed to allow people to cross borders, what…
If Baku is the potpourri of the old and new and Gabala is that beauty spot hidden in the mountains of Azerbaijan, Shaki is an old painting come alive. Cobbled streets, old buildings with exposed bricks, quaint coffee shops and tiny chai khanas, Shaki has held on to the old world charm that pulsed through Azerbaijan. The final destination of…
For most tourists, Gabala or Qabala is a preferred winter destination considering the plethora of winter sports that can be enjoyed on the slopes of the Greater Caucasus mountain range. In fact, Mount Bazarduzu, the highest peak in the Republic of Azerbaijan is located in this region. But summer in Gabala isnβt too bad, I say! This tiny city was…
Hey there. Iβm back! Hope you havenβt forgotten me! After all, itβs been a few days since I last posted βFrom The Corner Tableβ. I know pulling a Houdini is breaking one among the few rules of blogging and Iβve already been at the receiving end of the βyou have to be regularβ lecture from my parents. My sincere apologies to all of you…
Brutal honesty will more often than not set you on a path that is opposing to one taken by others. On this road, you will battle anonymous adversaries, and trolls that will fight you until their last breath, ready to martyr themselves for a notion they think to be right. It could be for a subject as complex as the…
As a child growing up on classical English literature, I was fascinated by terms like chimneys, fireplaces, scones, etc, and phrases like βlush greeneryβ, βrolling hillsβ, βwinding roadsβ, βsparkling waterβ and βgushing streamsβ. All of these seemed fantastical until, in a clichΓ©d but true manner, travelling broadened my horizon and gave meaning to these fantastical terms. However, it was only last year…