Yamuna

We went swimming in the River Yamuna last month. Not only is the river worshipped as a goddess, it has recently been legally granted human status by Uttarakhand State. As the river flows south into Delhi National Capital Region, it is relatively clean. We swam at Burari, close to the border with Haryana. However, by…

I feel naked

…without my camera. My trusty Panasonic Lumix LX100 has taken thousands of photographs in dusty, dirty environments in Africa and Asia. However, the focussing mechanism went on the blink last week and I have reluctantly sent it to a shop in Old Delhi to be cleaned and repaired. So I have been forced to take…

Apocalypse Cow

A month ago, there was a leader in the Times of India about cows. Or more specifically, about a man with the impressive moniker of Mahamandleshwar Swami Akhileshwaranand Giri. He is chair of the executive council tasked with protecting cows in Madhya Pradesh state. He stated that “the next world war will start over a…

Juhu Beach, Mumbai

The Hotel Sea Princess is right on the beach. There is a wall insulating the guests from the masses on the sands, but if you ask the khaki-clad security guard, he will unlock the gate and let you out. I wasn’t seeing it at its best. The sky was heavy with monsoon clouds, making the…