travel

A trip into a jungle.

June 13, 2015September 27, 2025preethi shanbhagLeave a comment

I have often had the experience of hunting for something very important or valuable all over the place, only to find that it was sitting just there, under my nose, all the time. You end up wondering why you had not even thought about starting your search there! This was exactly what I felt when I visited the Bhadra wildlife sanctuary.

Just about 32 kms from where I live (in Shimoga), nestled amid the Western Ghats,is the Bhadra wildlife Reserve, which gets its name from the river Bhadra, which feeds the jungle. It is accessible through a government jungle lodge, a breed which is getting popular for people who want to gel with nature, alongside basic but necessary amenities.It is now a popular weekend getaway, with the added attraction of water sports like banana boating, water trampoline and kayaking which was what made us venture there in the first place.

I have been to the resort many a times with friends of ours, to have a lazy lunch after a frenzied session of romping in the water with kids and hence, would have no time or energy to indulge in a safari on a hot afternoon.Luckily for me, last week, I was booked into the safari inadvertently, because my daughter refused to go without me. I climbed into the safari jeep cribbing at first, but by the end of it, I was so serenely, blissfully happy that I have made return plans ASAP.

Bhadra jungle reservoir lies on the border between the districts of Shimoga and Chikamagalur. It has a large water reservoir as a part of it and has been declared as a Project Tiger Reserve since 1998. The actual jungle is situated about 4 kms from the River Tern Jungle Lodge, which is named after the terns which throng the place for breeding. As the jungle is a part of the Western Ghats, there is an amazing amount of bio diversity.I can safely claim that I have never seen so many trees, animals, birds and insects ever in my life in a short span of two hours, apart from in a zoo!

The jungle is lush, green and so very silent apart from the incessant creaks of some insects interrupted by a burst of chatter by the monkeys. Trees are so densely packed, that sunlight seems to be struggling to make its way through. And then suddenly there is a huge meadow in between left behind by the receding waters of the reservoir, where we sight upon a large herd of spotted deer.

Though we saw no tigers or elephants( I am told that you usually see the elephants coming in herds of 60 to 80 all at once to drink water early in the morning-what a grand sight that must be!), we had our hearts fill with a hoard of smaller, unexpectedly cute, strange and interesting animals.Whenever I used to read in the papers that the western ghats were a hot spot of biodiversity, and home to thousands of species of animals, I used to be skeptical. A lot of what I saw of the ghats were of the road side view,when I traveled. Now, I know that human habitation and intrusion probably makes the animals decide to venture backwards into the heart of the forest, which again offers little solace as trees are being felled indiscriminately! I wish all of you people could come and have a look at the magnificence of nature, so we could protect it all before it is too late!

two huge gaurs looking at us — *two huge gaurs looking serenely at us*

We saw tree snakes aplenty, slimy, bright green and thin, but were too scared to click snaps when we saw them up close and personal! Spotted deer, giant red squirrels, serpent eagles, spotted owls, peacocks, marsh crocodiles, monitor lizards, langurs, and a wide variety of birds of all colors, supremely unperturbed and oblivious to our curious gaze and hushed cries of excitement when we spotted them. It was nice to see that the animals seemed to be unafraid of our intrusion. We were glad to feel accepted by them.

*can you spot a camouflaged monitor lizard on the log of wood?*

Some important facts you should know before you get there:

It is about 300 kms from Bangalore by road.
The lodge has no television, so if you bring kids along, get something to keep them occupied.
Be careful as you can see snakes often all over, apparently most being non poisonous. This is not to scare you, but so you can get rid of your phobia before you visit!
Information regarding the place is available on the internet.

Must see, must visit- definitely a worthy trip into the jungle!

Memories of kashmir.

May 24, 2015September 27, 2025preethi shanbhagLeave a comment

Every time I visit a new place, there are a few things about it that I end up storing away between the folds of my brain. These memories are unique, customized and last me forever. There may be things which everyone remembers, important monuments which I may forget, but these special memories stay with me and make my experience unique. Thanks to digital cameras, (the old ones meant that I lost quite a lost of my pictures because of over or under exposure) and now smart phone cams, most of what I want to retain comes easier to me. Kashmir gave me many such favorite moments which I wanted to share.

A few of the photographs have been borrowed from our friend Dr. Deepak, courtesy a better camera to capture the same scene as compared to my phone cam.

1.This photograph was taken early in the morning from our houseboat on the first day of our trip. It was a cold chilly day, and we saw this couple start their day of work as usual. They seemed oblivious to the scenery around them, concentrating steadfastly on their work of fishing. They worked in harmony, no words needed. The mountains in the back, the bluish light of dawn and still waters made for a beautiful click.

On the way to Pehelgaum, we spotted a roadside stream and stopped for a photo shoot. There were some girls from nearby villages watching us curiously. We were reluctant to approach them at first, wondering how they would react. Finally when we did ask them, they were really excited and did an entire photo shoot with us! I love the smile on the first girl’s face. Such happiness!

This was a lovely sunset at Nishatbag, Srinagar. All of us tired after a long day. We were supposed to go to a Kashmiri friend’s home for dinner. There was a little bit of unease owing to the fact that, the area we were venturing into was a little unsafe, within the old city of Srinagar. Most of us were worried, but had no energy to think of an alternative. So we just sat and stared. And then came across such a lovely sunset,that it left me spell bound.
Well, the old city did come across as a scary place. There were no street lights, small gullies, houses packed against each other, and an eerie silence. There were broken down dust coated maruti cars, old scooters and small joints where boys stood smoking cigarettes and staring at people passing by. But, on the plus side, we got to see an authentic kashmiri house, which is so different from the ones we live in. There are huge completely opaque gates in front of every house. There are innumerable neat glass windows, but all are firmly shut.Even if a few of them are, they hide the innards of the house with gossamer thin lace curtains from which you can see some partly hidden faces peering out! On the first floor of this house, there was a small kitchen cum bedroom. Then on, upstairs a room with a single light bulb and huge pillows to lean on to while sitting on the floor. The floors are made of wood and carpeted. Food is served on a mat, and we need to pick whatever we want sitting around it. But the food compensated for any fear that we might have experienced. Our hosts, in an attempt to make us feel comfortable told us that they had stopped eating non vegetarian fare three days ago, to prevent us from feeling uncomfortable when we ate from the same china! Though we had not even thought about this, we were touched that they had been so thoughtful and hospitable!Each dish was finger licking tasty and we felt royal washing our hands from a huge samovar (a kettle like apparatus made of silver).
This photograph is my favorite. It looks like the snow is starting to form a wave and trying to move on. It almost seems alive to me.
We trekked on to a mountain about 7000 feet above sea level at Sonmarg. We were out of breath, cold and out in the open with frozen nose tips.Though it was beautiful, there seemed to be a hidden element of danger lurking somewhere. A sudden thought came unbidden that if we were actually trapped on to this mountain with no one around, it would have been really scary. This was when, as if on cue, we happened to spot a small hut across the expanse of snow. Our guide informed us that it was both a mosque and a temple for people who had strayed to pray for their survival. Unfortunately it was closed, but the image stayed.
This is a Chinar tree up close and personal. The leaves resemble maple trees and the color is a vibrant green belying the fact that the tree is at least 400 years old according to the board stuck on it. It feels so new and so old at the same time.
Kashmir is such a photographers paradise that you cannot help clicking away continuously. It is one place where you wish your eyes had inbuilt cameras to film what you saw continuously to remember for a later day. Choosing these few were a difficult task, so I hope you enjoy it and feel a little whiff of kashmir inside you:)

Jannat.

May 17, 2015September 27, 2025preethi shanbhagLeave a comment

*a view of srinagar with hazratbal shrine in the background*

There is a sense of trepidation at the beginning of any holiday. Especially when a holiday is hard earned, and has burned a reasonably big sized hole in your pocket. When I am travelling so far away from the place I stay, and when I know that the place I am going to was and is a place which has had a troubled history. Kashmir. The name itself generates a gamut of emotions from within. A sense of fear,awe, a thrill of excitement, a surge of patriotism and a burning urge to go on and explore despite all of these.

They say that first impressions are the best impressions, and aptly, the sight of Kashmir from the plane window was enough to convince me that this was a holiday well taken. I have always had a thing for the mountains. They make me somehow invigorated. At one end, they convey a sense of peacefulness, and wisdom akin to an experienced patriarch quietly observing life and whose presence gives you a sense of security like no other. At the same time, they feel like someone young, rough on the edges, dangerous but beautiful like a sorceress. Bewitching, dragging you into her spell to never let you go again.

*love at first sight- a view of the valley from the plane*

And Kashmir is a valley nestled between a ring of such mountains. Looking out from the window of any hotel room is guaranteed to give you a glimpse of all kinds of mountains. Some, dark, gloomy and jagged and others on which the clouds seem to be caressing the rich carpet of snow on top. The valley is filled with houses with slanting bright colored roofs which glitter in the sun. Everything appears sharper than it does in the rest of the world, as though you were looking through a HDR camera filter. One could keep looking forever and not get bored. Every look is click worthy and you finally get exhausted just trying to sort the photographs you have clicked in over enthusiasm.

*these are real flowers being sold on a shikara*

Srinagar, the summer capital of J&K, is a large, sleepy city surrounded by lakes and gardens. The lakes are filled with shikaras (boats) and house boats. The boats men told us that they were born on small boats on the Dal lake, and as soon as they were old enough to learn to swim, they were taught to row and given a boat of their own to go about their everyday work, like the way we own bicycles! It is a common sight to see small kids in uniforms and hijabs being rowed by their mothers to and from schools. The houseboats in itself are grand affairs built in with intricate carvings, wall to wall embroidered carpets, four poster beds and delicate cutlery to eat out of. Our cook rowed back and forth in his small shikara to bring us piping hot food from his home, which happens to be (no prizes for guessing), another boat!

*a samovar from which hot tea (kashmiri kahwa) is served*

The city of Srinagar, is bustling and full of traffic. The best view of the city comes from across the Dal lake, with the backdrop of the Hazratbal shrine. This shrine contains the hair of the Prophet, which is displayed to devotees at different times in a year. This shrine allows people of all faiths to pray and visit. Lal Chowk, which got its name from the massacre of a few militants in 1963, looks like any other market area from any city across India. The only difference is the silent presence of army personnel everywhere carrying rifles and walking about as a routine. Apparently, according to our guide, incidences of stone pelting, and street fights between the police and locals are so common that they don’t scare them anymore! At first the omnipresent presence of the convoy of army trucks and so many weapons around makes you uneasy, but as time goes by, just like the kashmiris, you get used to them and then they seem to fade away into the scenery.

Another amazing landmark is the Adishankara temple. It is said that Shankaracharya climbed on to this peak and meditated, before he set up a shrine there. The small cave which he meditated in has been preserved intact. And it seems easy to understand why he chose such a place. It offers a grand view of the valley below, and mountains around. It must have been a hundred times more beautiful in his time, if that is possible. It also must have taken a lot of will power to close his eyes to meditate as against just continuing to look.

The Mughal gardens and Nishatbag are abodes to huge chinar trees which are hundreds of years old and have probably witnessed the turbulence and grandeur of Kashmir with equal poise. The gardens reminded me of the Forbidden City of Beijing, China,in the way they are built. The first portion for the commoners, an area behind for the harem and ministers, then on for the king and the queen. There must have been so much similarity in the culture and systems of the yore!

Away from Srinagar, the roads are winding, small, with small quaint picturesque villages all over, which gives it the name of Switzerland of India. But in contrast, most villages up close have dilapidated, burnt down houses, age worn creased faces of the villagers telling you of their suffering, schools where kids have to walk from afar, and people sitting idly smoking hookahs. Through their travails, people seem to have learnt to enjoy the small pleasures of life. We saw in these villages, boys lazily playing cricket ( incidentally, I never knew that Kashmir produced cricket bats and has so many bat factories), villagers distributing free rotis in wicker willow baskets as a part of some festival, giggly girls doing their washing near crystal clear streams just off the roads. It may be a sense of acceptance that keeps them happy, or maybe the sight of so much tranquil, natural beauty around them. Or maybe it is just the sight of the mountains.

aru valley, pehalgaum -- wish I had a house there — *aru valley, pehalgaum — wish I had a house there*

Gulmarg, Sonmarg, Pehalgaum each offered us snow and mountains to our hearts content. These places seem to be made for early morning walks to watch the sun rise on the mountains, listen to the gurgling, rushing sound of rivers, hot kahwa steaming mist on my spectacles, smelling the clear mountain air with a hint of pine, lazy evenings of huddling in front of warm fires with monkey caps and shawls, and a persistent sense of confusion whether you want to finish the book you started on the plane or just soak in the scenery for future reference (for once, I chose the latter).

Kashmir is a land of contrasts. The natural beauty is so abundant that you are scared to blink lest you miss something. But the cities and towns are crowded, stuffy and basic though quaint in its own way. The people are so extraordinarily hospitable and warm, that you wonder whether the history of violence and terrorism that haunts the place was all but a myth. You feel as if you belong, but then somewhere at the back of your mind, there is a voice nudging you that you may not be let in so close.

Definitely as our kashmiri guide called it — “jannat”, albeit a troubled one!

Small breaks, Big fun.

April 11, 2015September 27, 2025preethi shanbhagLeave a comment

I have been so busy over the last three weekends that I had no time whatsoever to sit down and write. The great thing is that this time, I feel I have been busy doing things which make me really happy! Sunday afternoons of mine are generally spent moping about the loss of a promising weekend which turned out be finally the same combination of grocery shopping, spring cleaning (eternally through spring, summer and winter!) cooking and keeping things ready for the next long week, all done in different order every week to allay boredom! The last few weekends have effectively changed that!

My perception of a holiday was to go to on a long vacation. Small breaks used to put me off, because the time taken to prepare for a holiday would seem to be too much in comparison to the holiday I actually took. This, keeping in mind packing extensively and intensively for my kids, especially my younger one, who is quite finicky about her food! (that, with me being extremely finicky that she eats well!).

As a kid,I used to read and fantasize about picnics on river banks with a variety of fancy sounding food (courtesy Enid Blyton), trekking and exploring unknown places, not knowing that I would get to realize this dream close to my middle age! I have always found rivers and mountains fascinating. Images of misty mountains, sparkling streams, gurgling brooks, a house in the middle of long pine trees and forests make me go into a state of dreamy stupor. Therefore it was great to discover many such places so close to my home town which I had not explored.

The first experimental weekend started with a long drive on the banks of River Tunga on to a small hamlet called Keregade about 70 kms from home. The riverside was clean, unpolluted and had a makeshift, scary but surprisingly steady launch boat to take us to the other side of the river. The afternoon was sunny, bright and perfectly picnicky. We walked along the banks of the river, explored, went on a trek, listened to forest sounds and found footprint fossils of unknown animals. I had almost forgotten how good silence felt and how soothing was the sound of water, gently lapping the bank. The picnic we had was the icing on the cake! Home made bhel, cakes, juice, fruits and chips never tasted so good. We came back super charged and raring to go back to work.

So great was this euphoria, that we ventured a little further out and reached Chikmagalur, for the next weekend. Chikmagalur is a town famous for its coffee and natural beauty and is situated about 250 Kms away from Bangalore and hardly a two hour drive from Shimoga. Thanks to techies from Bangalore who visit for short weekends, a whole lot of homestays have mushroomed all over the place. The weather is awesome, the route is scenic and green, the air smells of the mountains and to top it all we found a charming little cafe on the way where we ate what seemed like the tastiest noodles ever(I strongly believe that Maggie tastes better when eaten in out of the way places!) and drank yummy smelling coffee. The highlight of our trip was our trek to Mullayanagiri, the highest peak of the Sahyadri range. The mountaintop has a small temple and the view from the top is amazing!

In the aftermath, a dull, delicious sort of calf pain(from the trek) which persisted the whole week kept reminding me of the weekend. By the time it subsided, we whisked ourselves away to Dandeli in the district of Uttara kannada. We got together with some of our friends to stay in a jungle lodge on the banks of River Kali. Dandeli is famous for river rafting on the rapids. It is also known for its almost untouched forests and its hornbills. The resort is right on the banks of the river and bang in the middle of the forest. For the first time, I realized that doing nothing also takes some effort. In the beginning, there was this unconscious urge to finish some task, call someone, check on something and so on. Gradually, I settled down into a lazy routine of enjoying nature, taking long walks and cool swims, listening to the sway of the trees, watching an early bird get a fish, just looking at the mist raising from the calm river, watching the water glide smoothly over a rock, wondering about how birds maintain an exact formation while flying and basically just BEING.

Today, I am a super happy soul. Just the memory of these sweet short weekends puts a big smile on my face. They gave me a chance to connect with myself and my kids full time. When we enjoy our work, we forget that, how much ever we do like what we do, our body and our soul need some time to recharge. And that we need to make memories for later. And that we need a change in perspective to start working all over again. So, people, get up, get going. Take a break, have fun and relive!

Art for the soul

January 6, 2015September 27, 2025preethi shanbhagLeave a comment

Wishing all of you a very happy and happening 2015. And heartfelt thanks for being regular followers of my blog and giving valuable feedback. It has been a very productive blogging year for me and something which gives me immense pleasure, so thanks again for making it happen.

Any form of art has always fascinated me. To do something which affects another other person’s life positively is exhilarating. I mean, we as doctors, try to do it on a regular basis. An illness has a well defined symptomatology, a specific set of diagnostic procedures and finally a text book prescribed treatment. We do tweak the treatment a little based on the individual patient, but we rarely do anything out of the box. But yet, when the patient goes home fine, we feel a sense of pleasure that makes us go on for hours without getting tired. Therefore, I always was fascinated by artists, who can create the same magic, or weave dreams and cause the same effect on a large mass of people with something innovative, new and never thought of before concept. It may be a good book, a new movie, some music or a painting. The way of thinking is so unique that the simplest of the things can transform into something magical.

It is said that great art forms happen when the artist works for himself and not for the masses. When his art is pure, passionate and honest. When it is an expression of what the artist is feeling and what he wants to say to the world. By which, it makes art the only thing where something done for purely selfish purposes gives someone else great amount of solace and pleasure! Strange, isnt it?

This year, one of my new year resolutions was to pursue and attend events which have always been on my wish list but always procrastinated! There are a lot of these, owing to work, kids and a million other things.

And the first in the to do list was to attend Chitra Santhe in Bangalore.

For the uninitiated, Chitra santhe is a programme put up by the famous Chitra Kala Parishat in Bangalore.Chitra kala parishat(CKP) is is an art institution and cultural organisation located in the city ofBangalore, in the state of Karnataka.Its main aim is the promotion of art and culture and it is well known for the various art exhibitions that it conducts both at the state and the National levels. It has very many museums and has the distinction of having paintings of Himalayas by the famous Nicholas Roerich on permanent display(these were donated by the artists son). The institution also has an academic structure where various subjects like visual arts, direction etc are taught.

The best part about it is the ambiance. Even though it is located right in the center of Bangalore, once you enter the campus, the noise of the traffic fades away. There is a large banyan tree encompassing a huge part of the campus below which you invariably see someone or the other engrossed in painting or sketching.

Once a year, CKP hosts a fest where in artists from all over India can come and display their art around the campus and along a one kilometer stretch on the road. This year, we reached the campus quite early to avoid the crowds and found that there were many more who had probably had the same idea! The place was teeming with people and artists. All things art were on display. It was a visual feast.

A few glimpses of chitra santhe:

20150104_105108 — *cloth paintings on display*

20150104_105916 — *i liked these best. marker on acrylic by an artist called sunil from bangalore*

20150104_111734 — *kids coloring away for a competition in the midst of the santhe*

20150104_115826 — *the young art enthusiast*

Iridescent Sri Lanka

November 24, 2014September 27, 2025preethi shanbhagLeave a comment

20141015_093014 — *the old and the new.. a Buddha temple between the lake and a skyscraper behind! a view of Colombo*

The first thing that stuns you is the amazing natural beauty of the place. And second, the cleanliness. Though the feel of the place is very Indian, there is something distinct about Sri Lanka which endears it to you. The locals are friendly, the cities are clean (even the countryside) and the greenery is a feast for the eyes.

When we planned the trip of four days, we felt that it might be a tad too long, but I was mistaken. The more I saw, the more I wanted to see.

Sri Lanka is called the tear drop of India. Though not one among the most popular destinations for a family to travel as compared to Malaysia, Bali or Hongkong, it definitely has its own charm.It is comparatively unspoiled by consumerism like other tourist spots.

One of the most surprising and great things about Sri Lanka is its cleanliness. Through the trip we saw vast expanses of greenery and fertile land which, though inhabited by people, remained extremely tidy. No overflowing trash cans, no garbage on the roads, no spilling of plastic waste everywhere, no stray animals! This is true even in the most remote of the villages.

Our first stop was Colombo, the earlier capital of Srilanka, before it was shifted to Sri Jayawardhanepura kotte! I know, never heard of the place before, never saw it either! Unfortunately, it was not a part of the itinerary.

Sri Lanka became a democratic republic in 1972, and also at the same time, ditched its old name of Ceylon. ‘Sri Lanka’ apparently means ‘Auspicious Lanka’, which is the name preferred by the locals, with reference to the Ramayana. Apart from Ceylon and Sri Lanka, this small island has many other names like Sinhaladvipa (Lion Island),Ratnadvipa(Island of gems),Tambapanni or copper water (signifying the copper color of the beaches), Zeylan (as called by the Dutch), Serendib(named by the Arabs, from which the word ‘serendipity’ – ‘happy discoveries by chance’ originated). Whew!

dscn23601 — *Buddha, Buddha everywhere..*

Colombo, home to about three million citizens of Sri Lanka, resembles most large cities. Chaotic, lots of traffic and people, with one side laced by long stretch of beach. The influence of Buddhism is seen everywhere. There are Buddhas of all sizes and shapes, gazing serenely at you around every corner. Apparently, Buddhism made an entry into the island in third century BC. The south of the island is populated with the Sinhalese who follow Buddhism,and the north (the infamous Jaffna strip, home to LTTE and Prabhakaran), is populated densely with Tamils.

Pinnewala elephant orphanage, is at half distance between Colombo and Kandy. It is the largest orphanage for captive and handicapped elephants in the whole world. It has to feed about 80 elephants every day, each one of them eating about 100 kilograms of food! The kids enjoyed the thrill of feeding milk in large bottles to elephants.

20141015_140801 — *elephants at Pinnewala, taking a bath break*

sam_0092 — *kids feeding elephants some milk*

Kandy is famous for its Buddha tooth temple (Dalada Maligawa). It is home to Sri Lanka’s most revered relic -the tooth of the Buddha, which was smuggled from India in the third century BC. It is said that the tooth is kept on display only when the island is struggling with a bad drought. And every time that the tooth has been opened from its resting place, it pours rain within 24 hours. This has, according to our guide happened thrice in the past twenty three years!

20141016_110647 — *offerings for the Buddha*

20141017_114741 — *tea estates, water falls and wonderful weather*

Climbing down the mountainside swathed with picturesque tea estates, beautiful and bountiful waterfalls at every turn and vast expanses of farm land filled abundantly with colourful plump veggies, we reached a quaint tea house. It gave us the view of a water fall and had fragrant Sri Lankan tea served in a house with white picket fencing straight out of an Enid Blyton novel and a perfectly manicured garden. Loved it!Tea, samosas and french fries never tasted better! Somehow most of my favorite moments center around food and nature.

20141018_1002211 — *In Bentota, at one end there is fresh water..*

20141018_083618 — *and one end is the sea*

Bentota was one the place we got unlucky. Supposed to be the epicenter of beach tourism and water sports, we were met with a heavy downpour-screeching winds, torrential rain and swaying coconut trees—a little creepy and somewhat scary! What little time we got when the rain subsided was spent on the beautiful, unpolluted beach and building sand castles!

dscn2809 — how often do you see a railroad, pavement and highway, next to each other and just jumping distance from the sea???

All in all, Sri Lanka threw us many surprises. I realized there was much more to see in this land filled with contrasts. In times of stress now, I close my eyes and picture the lushness of Sri Lanka and let out sigh of peacefulness.

we somehow zeroed in on this quaint, culturally as we1ll as geographically diverse land.

i feel i think i say

a little about everything….