| India through your eyes. Your feedback of places and people, of a time and a space. Click HERE to send feedback.
|
* I am a student of IIM, Calcutta. This is very interesting and fascinatingly inspiring.
Regards,
Malli Mastan Babu, Calcutta, India.
* This is one of the best travel sites I have ever visited. My hearty congratulations to you and all members of your team. Keep it up! I will get back to you.
Regards,
Masarrath, India.
* My husband and I enjoy driving to beautiful places. While he loves to drive I love to take pics. But we lack the company of similar minded people. Now that I have come across this site I can't wait to share our experiences and know that of others.
* I like all the pics you put on the website. It is very cool how you have presented each state of India.
* NICE. EXCELLENT. I like the site very much.
Nature lover,
Siddharth, India
* The website has been very well maintained. The articles are truly good.
* Why are some of the good images missing from your Photo Gallery? It was there some weeks ago.
I would like to know the exact location of the photographs of the beaches/sunset. I think its Kerala???? Not sure...can be Goa also. The photographer has framed & captured the scenes aesthetically, but I think the scanner used was not upto the mark. Please let me know the place/camera used and the photographer's name.
* I found the information on Rajasthan good. It would be nice if there were pictures to go along with your desciption of what Rajasthanis look like with their traditional clothes and jewellery.
* I read the article on Dhyanalingam and liked it very very much. A tribute to the place itself. I have been there. It is breathtaking. Have you seen it?
The Bookshelf and theSacred Space is a great idea.
* Hello Romola,
Came across your profile while browsing the net to plan a holiday in the mountains of India with my husband & 2yr old twins! I am crazy about travelling,travelogues and travel shows. You must be very widely travelled? Liked your travelogue on re-visiting Manali. I have been there twice and would love to go there again. I was actually dreaming of a leisurely holiday amidst snow-capped mountains where we could stay in some quaint cottage!
Regards,
Moushumi, Kolkata, India.
* I enjoyed reading this piece on Japan written by an Indian woman. I am leaving for Japan in 6 weeks. I am a teacher and am traveling with 49 other US teachers. I am reading as much as I can and hope to enjoy the trip more than I can imagine in my dreams.
* Super article by Vilaiwan Fernandes. The style is absorbing and intense and unpretentious and funny - quite a package. My heartfelt compliments to the author. May we readers enjoy many more of such writings on your site.
 * I loved the way Ashish Kaul has promoted the beauty of Himachal. I have also been to Dalhousie and Chamba but he made me feel that the
places were Paradise even if I only thought of them as dreamlands. Please provide me with Ashish Kaul's e-mail so that I can personally give the kudos he justly deserves.
Ashish, Delhi, India
* Dear Romola,
It was nice to read so many stories regarding the Great Himalayas. However, I want to specially thank you for writing about your 'Badrinath'and 'Valley of Flowers' experiences. Can you suggest me other related material written by you?
With Regards
Regards,
Parul Tripathi, Allahabad, India
* Excellent descriptions!!! I aspire to take on such treks myself.
Rahul Chutake, Pune, India.
* I have just received the telegram from the MEA that I am being included in the Kailash Yatra, and I am so excited. I am alone on this trip except for other yatris ofcourse. Any advice would be welcome. Thanks for putting up this wonderful website.
* Romola,
Reading your description of Almora was a treat and it gave voice to a lot of similar but unworded feelings. I spent the first 15 years of my life growing up in another similar hill station, Kurseong, on the way to Darjeeling.
Regards,
Subhankar Sengupta, Mumbai, India.
 * Pinaki, thanks for your very well written travelogue on Madhyamaheshwar. Hope to read more from you.
* Hi,
I am planning to do the Gangotri - Gaumukh - Tapovan trek in Summer of 2003. I have always wanted to do this trek but have never found time. Your article is extremely informative. Since I am going to be coming from U.S., I was wandering if you will be able to let me know that for this hike, what is the minimum equipment one should have, like tents, sleeping bags, crampons etc. I will very much appreciate any help as it will help in
my preparations.
Thanks.
Sumanta RoyChowdhury's reply:
Dear Vijay,
All you need is a desire to visit these places. A car can take you to
Gangotri from Rishikesh (the nearest railhead) in one day (approximately 272kms). The journey from Rishikesh to Gangotri will take an entire day and if you want to take it easy you can stay overnight at Uttarkashi. Gangotri is just 97 kms from Uttarkashi and takes about 3 hrs. There are hotels with very basic facilities in Gangotri. Try to book the tourist lodge run by Govt. owned Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam Ltd. (GMVN).
Gangotri to Bhojbasa is 14 kms and is an easy trek. No equipment is
required, just carry your water bottle and camera. Start from Gangotri
around 6:30 in the morning and you will reach Bhojbasa by 2 pm. Stay overnight at GMVN Tourist lodge in Bhojbasa and next morning start for
Gaumukh (4kms). Take a porter cum guide with you if you want to go to
Tapovan, preferably from Gangotri itself. There is a small hotel named Sudarshan Sevasdadan in Gangotri, it is near the bus stand. The manager is a local lad named Bharat. Take my name and ask for Kishan or Devi Singh. Both are good. They should not cost you more than Rs 250/- per day.
Gaumukh to Tapovan, 6 kms, is slightly strenuous and involves crossing
Gangotri glacier and climbing uphill to reach the flat grounds of Tapovan. It is a bit tiring but the beauty of majestic Shivling rising from the plateau is sufficient to make you forget all your tiredness. No crampons are required, at the most you can take a pair of good trekking sticks. Tents will be required in Tapovan or alternatively you can stay at one of the ashrams run by Simla baba or Bengali baba. They provide basic food and expect a small donation in return. Don't worry about Tapovan trek, everyone makes it and you will also do it easily. Carry your own sleeping bags and carry mats even if you don't want to carry tents. You can pitch tents in Tapovan, Gaumukh and Bhojbasa, there is no place for tents in Gangotri.
Warm wishes,
* Hi Bittu,
I completed my M.A in Sociology from S.N.D.T Univ. and I always read your articles. You really write very well and you always state facts. I like that very much.
Thanks,
Yamini Kurani, India.
* Dear Mr. Sahgal,
I read your article about Gandhi's vision and I agree with most of what you have written. I am reminded of something that Gandhi himself said in this context - "There is enough in this world for everyone's need, but not for everyone's greed".
Having lived and travelled around the West for the past few years, I was also impressionable enough like most others to be impressed with the material prosperity here and wished India should strive for the same. While I still strongly wish that India should do all it can to become a prosperous country, I am convinced now that the road to prosperity need not be the one shown by the West.
Education should impart, in addition to science and technology and such, a strong moral/spiritual rooting that makes children into responsible citizens. It is important for us to shun the Western greed-based growth that is unsustainable in the long run as the West is soon to realize in the next century or so, and instead focus on growth with conscience.
Having said that though, I am still not sure of the answers to some of the problems that beset us. For instance, I was thinking about the inter-linking of southern peninsular rivers that has been getting a lot of media coverage lately. Now I know that embarking on this project would lead to some serious ecological problems accompanied by displacement of people and even deforestation. But on the other hand, this is not something that needs to be done for a powerful few but instead is a crying need for millions of farmers affected by drought on one hand and millions of poor people ravaged by floods on the other. Interlinking of all rivers would not only solve their problems to a large extent, but also generate employment for millions of people not to mention remove the consistent kiddish quarrels between the various states of the nation. While I am myself a "tree-hugger" and usually oppose projects that are done to enrich a few corporations at the cost of ecological balance, this seems to be a case where I am inclined to favor it in prinicple. I would like to know what your thoughts are on this.
Overall I agree that if India goes back to her roots, leaving behind the colonial mindest, and learn not only from Gandhi, but all the wonderful teachings of ancient India and her people who enunciated 3000 years ago such concepts as living with contentment, serving with no expectation of reward and being in harmony with nature - principles that not just Indians, but the whole world would be better off by imbibing.
Regards,
Suresh, USA.
* India has a true hero in Shabana Azmi. Until this year, I didn't know that she existed. She is the best actor that I have ever seen. Her performance in Godmother was extra-ordinary.
India is now more than just another country, and as its ambassador Ms. Azmi does her nation proud!
Laura J Richardson, USA.
* Thanks for the wonderful web site. I would like to know more about Pilot Baba.
Thanks.
Ashokanand, Japan.
* Some weeks ago I found a very interesting article about a climbing trip . For me, one of the most fascinating countries is India. I was looking for more information about climbing areas in your country, like Hampi.
|
|
