Day 11: a fun day on the beach

2007-05-12T09:13:00.000+05:00

mote bhai being hurled into the wavesa lile exploration before lunch...at vagatorthe guys enjoying a lile lone time ;)from left to right, Ashish, Tope', Mannu, Chhabi, Chakre', Neha and Rashmi...soaking up the last rays of zee sun :) Breathtaking view from the cliff top thaana n I were on… sigh...

Day 10: calangute, goa

2007-05-12T09:00:00.000+05:00

Long walks n frolicking waves… couple of friends I know I’ll keep for life, and a bunch of memories I’d cherish forever… Their excitement over seeing the sea for the first time was infectious!! Though the beach wasn’t comparable to what we have in the Maldives, even I felt an adrenaline rush; after all seaside is one of my “happy” places…

Day 9: another day on a train...

2006-12-08T19:21:00.000+05:00

The shrill voice of the chai wala roused me from a deep slumber; it was barely morning! From my perch on the top bunk I could see the shroud of mist that had cloaked the train for the night receding, revealing fields of cotton n maize glistening in the early morning sun. We passed over rivers n plateaus; seeing diversity which made India so incredible. Diversity

Day 8: Time for good byes again...

2006-11-17T23:33:00.000+05:00

We packed halfheartedly in our hostel room; part of me wanted to stay back till the end of pulse and the other, couldn’t wait to get on with the rest of the trip. We bid goodbyes again; Rashmi M and Div were going home. After saying goodbye to Hassan n Munshidh who had come to see us off, thaana, Chabi n I filed into an auto n headed to the train station. Though traveling to the same destination,

Day 7: lub dub lub dub lub dub...

2006-11-17T20:46:00.000+05:00

In spite of being in AIIMS the last couple of days I didn’t really know wat PULSE was about… with plans to check it out in the evening we headed out to Connaught Place (built during the British raj) to do some shopping for authentic Indian goodies in a neighborhood which had the unmistakable colonial touch… as the day wore on we had gotten the art of bargaining down pat thanks to tanvi, payal n

Day 6: Agra

2006-10-01T13:42:00.000+05:00

It was barely morning when we started out to go to Agra; the hectic schedules of the last couple of days had us exhausted. In the late morning we stopped in what I would like to call a typical Indian Dhaba to have breakfast, which had the worlds best lassi, maybe its simply the exhaustion playing havoc with my senses… none of us was ready for the long trip ahead, not in the scorching Indian sun

Day 5: sights of Delhi

2006-10-01T09:08:00.000+05:00

We tried to cram in a few places of historic importance from around Delhi into a few hours of sight seeing… we ended up going to see the Qutub Minar, Lotus Temple, Raj Ghat, indhira Ghandi Memorial museum (I was the first one to protest when our bus stopped here, but ended up being among the last to come out of the place, rashmi pravi and I lost track of time…), and we saw the red fort and India

Day 4: Bhidh mein ghum…

2006-10-01T08:45:00.000+05:00

Dawn was breaking as we approached Delhi the night sky was just beginning to turn gold near the horizon… I was still trying to shrug off the sleepiness when the muezzin’s call for Morning Prayer filled the air; there was the silhouette of a minaret and dome almost right next to the rail way tracks; which took my breath away… We caught a train the day before in Gorakhpur (three hours ride

Day 3: Across borders

2006-10-01T02:34:00.000+05:00

It hardly took us 30 minutes to reach the border from the hotel, I never realized we were so close to India! At the Nepali Immigration we got down from the jeep; thaana, ashish, Chakre’, Rashmi and I… we were going to walk across… Nepal and India sharing an open border save for me n thaana no one else had to go through it… so the rest of the group went on ahead…

Day 2: Where did the hills disappear?

2006-10-01T01:07:00.000+05:00

The sunlight streaming into the room woke us up. Hosim, thaana Div and I were sharing a room… brimming with excitement we quickly got ready and went outside; we had plans to go to Lumbini… Wait a minute! Where’d the hills go?? There were no hills as far as the eyes could see; Nepal is supposed to be hilly or the horizon was supposed to be dotted with snow capped mountains! But no, we were

Day 1: we left; finally!

2006-10-01T00:24:00.000+05:00

I’ve always thought of Kathmandu as a little town hustling n bustling with activity on the top of the world, alive with colour, tiny buses and cars puffing up smoke, with tiny little mud houses in the periphery, (any ways that’s how I imagine it would be portrayed in a cartoon) little mud houses with its very own little goats n buffalos grazing nearby and cute little grannys on the front porches

flit.. flutter...

2006-10-01T00:01:00.000+05:00

Am just flitting around the house wondering what I should do, where I should begin… there’s laundry to be done and cloths to pack… but I don’t feel like doing anything :P maybe it’s the inactivity after so many days on the road or its simply excitement over going home? I miss my friends… the group of 24 started dwindling from Mumbai, by the time we reached kathmandu it was 12 of us and now

Memories of monsoon rain…

2006-07-28T16:11:00.000+05:00

making my way home in the falling rain; armed with an umbrella, was a perfect end to a perfect day… the soothing pitter patter of raindrops and the ambient smell of fresh earth never fails to trigger a cascade of memories… Back to a childhood afternoon, again the smell of fresh earth was in the air and the whole yard was dotted with water puddles… Kaaka was finishing up planting trees…I

crush vs common cold

2006-07-23T21:34:00.000+05:00

Apart from the letters these words start with, there are quite a few similarities I observed… to begin with, however much you try to stop their progression they will continue to run their course and are self limiting… as the saying goes; if you treat a cold its cured in a week and if you don’t, you get rid of it in seven days!!! Likewise given a few days in the absence of stimuli a ‘crush’

closure...

2006-07-22T22:25:00.000+05:00

Spring (Salzburg, April 2006) – a time for new beginnings

etched on a canvas

2006-07-22T22:10:00.000+05:00

hulhumale' - days were numbered for hosim's visit, we tried to make the most of it by taking her places... which usually was the seaside, cause that was one place she couldn't be when she went back to Nepal!

enroute to male'

2006-07-22T21:58:00.000+05:00

asaa kolhu

2006-07-22T21:03:00.000+05:00

a trip down south...

2006-07-10T21:17:00.000+05:00

It was a trip we had planned for over a year… it is what kept us going in the latter part of 2005 when we had spent all waking hours with our noses buried in books; the promise of six months’ holidays!! Thaana and I could hardly wait to go home… and the best part was hosim went along with us… we spent a few days in Sri Lanka before heading to Maldives…Here are some pics taken on a trip down south

once upon a dreamy day...

2006-06-25T22:38:00.000+05:00

fascinating...

2006-06-25T22:29:00.000+05:00

on the beach

2006-06-25T22:03:00.000+05:00

Leopoldskron - Austria

2006-06-16T20:51:00.000+05:00

Leopoldskron castle was the summer home of a prince archbishop... it now houses a university faculty and is open to public just once a year! In sound of music, the front exterior of the castle was used as the Trapp family home… the lake freezes over in winter, making it ideal for ice skating...the Von Trapp kiddos falls into the water, while boating in the lake...

time to sleep...

2006-06-16T18:16:00.000+05:00

“and its time to sleep” were the words that kicked started our forensic medicine lectures… as the lights dimmed, the first slide read “welcome to torture and torment!” of course it was a joke! the lecture continued with his numerous anecdotes and hilarious (enlightening) videos… it was anything but torture! At the end of class we were asked to read the 2nd chapter of Death n Deduction (“a

keukenhof

2006-06-02T17:16:00.000+05:00

haa olhu; foamullah

2006-06-01T21:01:00.000+05:00

one can make a difference...

bäume!

2006-04-17T04:15:00.000+05:00

palmengarten - frankfurt

2006-04-17T04:02:00.000+05:00

a year after tsunami - guraidhoo

2006-04-08T00:07:00.000+05:00

pictures taken on a trip to K.Guraidhoo, january 2006...

Guraidhoo sunset

2006-04-08T00:00:00.000+05:00

Looking at the tranquil sea its hard to imagine that it’s the very place the monstrous wave immerged from and washed away this islands’ beach… today its calm and fills one with serenity… sitting on logs on the shore, we (hosim, thaana, sharif, baaba and I) talked long into the twilight hours and watched the moon rise… at that moment, it was as though nothing could harm us... nothing at all...

thundi

2006-04-07T00:08:00.000+05:00

beautiful, isn't it? it may be huge compared to most beaches in the maldives.. but what remains now is less than half the size it was 50 years ago... its been disappearing slowly...this being the only affordable source of sand used for construction in fuvamullah... unless there's an alternative source (maybe it could be imported from india or someplace n sold at reasonable prices at STO(?) shops

On a walk..

2006-04-06T20:56:00.000+05:00

Nagarkot is a popular tourist destination in nepal, where a lot of people flock to view the sunrise n the sunset… most major peaks of the Himalayas including mt. everest can be seen from there…Unfortunately for us, the morning we were there, it was too foggy to see the sunrise… but we enjoyed a little walk in the village any way…Here are some pictures of people, particularly of children going on

seven dollars..

2006-03-14T19:39:00.000+05:00

Ever wonder just how much a human life is worth? Its ironic how it can rise n fall depending on ones’ stand on the social ladder… a Nepali girl in her mid twenties lie in a hospital bed, distraught parents by her side, praying for a miracle… doctors say that there is little chance of her surviving…She worked as a housemaid and tried to take her life after getting busted for pinching off 500

eeko's day out...

2006-02-08T16:49:00.000+05:00

altho

2006-02-08T16:20:00.000+05:00

glimpses from fuvamullah - fathis

2006-01-25T15:47:00.000+05:00

nerugandu - fuvamullah

2006-01-25T15:36:00.000+05:00

Dhadimagu kulhi - fuvamullah

2006-01-25T15:21:00.000+05:00

one of my favourite places in fuvamullah...

glimpses from fuvamullah - hukuru miskithu therein

2006-01-24T12:26:00.000+05:00

end of the day...

2006-01-24T12:14:00.000+05:00

sigh... take me back!!! Octopus hunters :P

glimpses from fuvahmullah - bandharu sarahadhdhu

2006-01-24T11:59:00.000+05:00

this is a favourite spot for love birds...

glimpses from fuvamullah - Bandaara kulhi

2006-01-24T11:51:00.000+05:00

sigh... wish i cud go back again... specially at night... you can see the reflection of stars on the water... i've always wanted to go boating here...

glimpses from fuvamullah - Kedeyri Miski

2006-01-24T11:02:00.000+05:00

One of the oldest mosques in fuvamullah; Kederyri Miski was built by Muskulhi kaleyge when people of fuvamullah resettled in the island for a second time; a pandemic which had swept through the island had forced its people to leave and settle down in other islands… A tomb stone i liked...kids flying kites behind the mosque

dhadimagu kudhin...

2006-01-04T19:19:00.000+05:00

glimpses from fuvamullah - sunset

2006-01-04T18:55:00.000+05:00

glimpses from fuvamullah...

2006-01-04T18:48:00.000+05:00

some pictures taken on a trip to GN. Atoll

splash? splash!!!

2006-01-04T12:59:00.000+05:00

Bats' Cave

2005-12-16T19:53:00.000+05:00

After a scrumptious breakfast by lake fewa, we headed to explore the caves… Mahendra Gupha (cave) was first on the list; it was a test to see if I was fit enough to try out bats cave; which I was told was treacherous… the exit looked easy enough, but turned out to be an entirely different case when tried… a little climbing, twisting and turning and I’d made it… now for the challenge; bats’ cave…

Gupha...

2005-12-16T19:45:00.000+05:00

A cave we discovered while walking near the power station in pokhara...

Annapurna

2005-12-16T18:45:00.001+05:00

himalayan sunrise

2005-12-16T15:35:00.000+05:00

At 5:00 am in the morning we were at the foot of a hill called Sarangkot, mentally preparing ourselves for the long hike up hill in freezing cold…I am glad I went up there; the sunrise was spectacular to say the least, and it was made all the more special by my sisters’ presence… its one of those moments one treasures for life…

lake fewa

2005-12-16T14:50:00.000+05:00

First afternoon in Pokhara was spent boating in Fewa lake with my sister and some friends… we drifted across the stretch of water for hours until sunset…

Ding Dong Bell...

2005-12-13T23:36:00.000+05:00

The bell hangs in front of the main entrance of the courtyard, this was used as means of communication when the king and queen wished to gather their subjects…

Kamasutra temple

2005-12-13T23:30:00.000+05:00

In the days gone by, children are married at a very young age. When these children reach puberty there are sent to this temple by their parents to learn about kamasutra, tanteric sex and yoga… Sex education was an integral part of society in Nepal centuries ago!!!

Open windows...

2005-12-13T23:23:00.000+05:00

Legend has it that the last king of the Malla Dynasty is still alive and so these windows remain open for him and a priest awaits his return inside the palace…

ankey jaal

2005-12-13T23:16:00.000+05:00

As in custom; a girl lives in her husbands house after marriage, and the door to the outside world is closed, except for this window, from which she can peer out and see the rest of the world going about their business, while she remains forever hidden from their eyes… if someone one looks carefully only her eyes maybe visible through the holes, thus the name aankey (eyes) jaal (window).

Stair way to heaven?

2005-12-13T23:10:00.000+05:00

the hanging belt is symbolic for path to heaven... depending on karma a person is allowed to ascend it... if he's done good in his life, the snakes which guard the belt let them pass and go to heaven, but the if the karma was bad, he's attacked and he can't go further...

Faces...

2005-12-13T23:06:00.000+05:00

Sundhari Chowk

2005-12-13T23:00:00.000+05:00

Sundhari (beautiful) Chowk (courtyard) houses the queen’s quarters in the royal palace… today its doors are closed to public as restoration work is underway to restore it to its former glory; the courtyard had been badly affected by an earthquake...

Patan Darbar Square

2005-12-13T22:45:00.000+05:00

Patan Darbar Square dates back to the 18th Century... in a time when gods and goddesses were believed to have walked among the commoners, it was home to the kings of Malla dynasty… The rich culture and architecture of Nepalese is clearly evident in every corner…

Temple in the hills...

2005-12-12T20:33:00.000+05:00

nestled in the hills, swambunath is a must see temple over looking the kathmandu valley...

flowers blooming...

2005-12-11T19:12:00.000+05:00

Finally I had the time to do some gardening… been meaning to do it for the last two years!!

exam fever!

2005-11-15T22:41:00.000+05:00

Its that time of the year again; when we hardly notice the person walking next to us as we scurry towards the laboratories or the library… lost in our own little worlds…Sitting on the steps (waiting for my turn to go in for viva) I looked around; couldn’t help laughing out loud at what I saw! a mad bunch we would have appeared to anyone around us!!Everyone was agitated, you can see it in the way

His heart in her hands...

2005-11-07T10:47:00.000+05:00

Eerie it was, to see them huddled together around the table, shadows cast around, thanks to the tube lights above. A silence filled the room, broken only by the hum of the exhaust and punctuated sniffs. They shivered as the wind swept through; it was the beginning of winter 2005. Eyes welled up with tears (formalin can do that to you when the fumes are too intense and there’s always its taste;

Thoughts...

2005-11-05T12:15:00.000+05:00

Since I started understanding the world around me, I’ve known that Dhaththa was special. Not just because of the special care, love and affection showered on her, but because even at an early age I could make out the difference. She hadn’t been able to speak like the rest of us, but she had her own special ways of communicating and making us understand… I’d always been pampered by her, she was

Marriage does not make it right…

2005-11-04T22:30:00.000+05:00

A lot of women out there in the world have been subject to one form of abuse or another (rape?), be it in marriages or relationships through out there lives… sexual assault can be what leaves a person with the biggest scars ever… physical wounds can heal, but the psychological consequences are a different story and that is the reason why it should be stopped… brought to light… and the people

Never a bed of roses...

2005-11-04T22:12:00.000+05:00

A musky damp room, Odor of moist ash hung in the air, I stooped down; there was my koala bear, Memories tossed about… All lost, all burnt. The angry storm lashed outside, Harsh winds whipped through the sides, Ashes rose in tides, Uncovering more mementos I couldn’t recognize. There was the family portrait, Taken when I was just seven days Burnt beyond recognition… From the frame I could tell…

hello! i am kokaa...

2005-11-04T21:32:00.000+05:00

I’ve been flitting around, thinking about taking up knitting or whittling (too much time one my hands!!) but, thought I’d give a shot at blogging first!So here I am, to share a little part of my world with you; my dreams, joys and fears…cheerskokaa

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