Ghumakkar's Diary

This post is in continuation of Series of posts on my recent Zanskar trip. For the first part on Srinagar, Click here . Dal Lake Famous as " Jewel in the crown of Kashmir " or " Srinagar's Jewel ”, Dal Lake is the second largest lake of the state with a shoreline of about 15kilometers and covering 18 sq km area. While, Houseboats and Shikara (small boats or gondolas) bejewel the Lake, Mughal era gardens decorate its periphery. During winter season, the temperature sometimes dives sub-zero and freezes the lake. Sunset at Dal Lake Spread over 18 square kilometres, this Lake is essentially a part of a natural wetland which covers 21.1 square kilometres (8.1 sq mi), including floating gardens that are actually fenced and tied to wooden logs. These floating gardens are known as "Rad" in Kashmiri. The wetland is divided by into four basins; Gagribal, Lokut Dal, Bod Dal and Nagin. Lokut-dal and Bod-dal each have an island in the centre, known a...

Varanasi is world famous for annual celebration of Ram Leela and Krishna Leela. Leela or Lila means an act or dance. Particular chapters of the Leela have got associated with particular places in the city. Like, Bharat-Milap ( when Ram returns to Ayodhya and meets his younger brother Bharat ) of Naati Imli, Ravana-dahan ( burning the effigy of Ravana on the tenth day of Dussehra ) of RamNagar and Nag Nathaiya of Tulsi Ghat. Krishna and Balram at the Leela It’s said that the Leela of Nag-Nathaiya was started way back in 16 th century by Tulsidas. The tradition is still being followed at the Tulsi Ghat and is being organised by Tulsi Das Akhada. Tulsi ghat is almost adjacent to famous Assi Ghat. Nag Nathaiya is celebration of young Krishna’s victory over a gruesome serpent Kaaliya. It is organised on the Chaturthi tithi of Karthik month of Hindu calendar. This is the fourth day from Diwali and falls in the month of November-December. Nag Nathaiya basically means 'controlli...

This Diwali, I was lucky enough to witness the famous Nag Nathaiya festival of Varanasi . Thanks to my best friend’s father, we got VIP passes of the fest and with the help of DSLR and its long zoom lens, could get VIP-Media treatment too. I took a lot of pictures of the festival, and to not to miss a single Best shot – I was on Burst mode. Back home, doing basic processing I got what I love to discover – a pristine Smile ! This smile developed on an old lady’s face, when she was able to reach the feet of Krishna and accomplish a feat! Religiously pure bliss, Blessed!  Look at the anxiety on the Old Lady's face (Behind the marigold flower, left corner) And now the Smile of Being Blessed :) Shot these pictures using Nikon D5000 using 55-300 lens at f/4.8 Exposure 1/100 ISO700 and edited on Picasa for dramatic enhancement of the subject. Keep smiling, Keep posing :)

Talked and planned over mails and phone-calls, I reached Srinagar a day before Dheeraj and company. I was expecting a VIP welcome at airport by a drive holding a ply card for me, as a friend has got booked a government rest house for me. But there was none, mobile network was down and there was no public booth near airport. All thanks to sh*thead insane  Nakoula Basseley   who directed a sheer nonsense movie to hurt public sentiments, and to control any outrage in the protest-affected Srinagar, all the mobile networks were jammed. After spending about an hour there waiting for the guy, I took a taxi and planned to book a hotel at Lal Chowk, one of the few places I know well about the town. As I saw the Heaven from the Sky As we moved through the streets, I could easily see what I read before in a    Curfewed Night . Streets were mostly empty or dotted by a few people here and there. It was a sunny day with a pleasant atmosphere but without charm . Shops were c...

Putting into words, that emotion, which is transcendental, is often a hard thing to do. The trouble lurks in running out of metaphors and analogies to give a shape, form or color to such an experience. Greece is just that place. A brooch adorning mother Earth’s bosom, it lays scattered in the Aegean and Ionian Seas, reflecting our world at its best. It welcomes you with those personal moments when you can feel as invisible as the breeze, or as light as the sky. The heaven on earth that you define on your terms awaits you. For a honeymoon, there surely could be no better place. The ideal climate, safe waters and montages of landscapes makes it complete in an exhaustive sort of way. Is that a 'little Venice' in Mykonos, Greece Many of Europe’s oldest civilizations developed on the Greek islands. The Cycladic civilization, Minoans- all painted the town with their unique styles, thus gifting Greece, its distinctive archaeological sites and heritage. The number of architectur...

Dear Achtung! It has been 3years since the day you entered my life and changed it completely. With over 35000 kilometers to show, hundreds of stories to tell, number of friends to boast, lengths of highways to conquer and an oath to live the rest of my life as a Rider, I am overwhelmed to write any further.... Achtung!   and Me (thanks to Vineet for the click and Abhimanyu for the edit) Thanks for accepting me as your Rider, it's an honor :) Yours truly, Punit Dubey

Story of  Two Smiles and A Frown, Tale of the Richest Candy Lady of Town! Ladakh region provides an opportunity to appreciate the faces! One would just fall in love with them and the super innocent expressions they carry. My Zanskar trip proved to be an extravagant chance to capture few of those expressive moments, especially Smiles. These smiles we captured near Rangdum. We were distributing candies to the kids, when one of those kids asked us to give a few to a cute girl. She exchanged a mystically innocent smile when I handed over a few candies. Reason? She got her share moments ago from my friend on the other side of taxi, and what I gave made her richer than the guys there! She was so cute, that I couldn't resist offering her a few more :)  Following are the smiles (and a frown) telling the story... Mr Advocate (for the pretty Lady)'s Smile Richest Lady of the Kid-clan Mr Advocate after realising the Lady got hell more...