DesiPundit

I leave it to the readers to imagine a government committee selecting artists based on their work. Finally what has been achieved is an amalgamation of nothingness, a rude collection of art pieces each speaking their own language (often gibberish). Here is a sample. This odd set of smiling kids (the white ones) now lies dilapidated, with headless pieces and steel rods peeking out of them.

Based on the recommendation of his architect friends, Arvind decided to check out the Garden of Five Senses and came away with not a sense tingled. I’ve never heard of this garden let alone be the kind that is recommended by architects. Have you?

Deepak goes to Bhutan, and he takes us with him. Vicariously, of course.  He recounts his travels starting with Day 1 in Phuentsholing and Day 2, in Trongsa, and there is much more to come….

Parmanu spends a weekend in Paris - strolling along the Champs Elyses and smaller streets, people-watching at street-side cafes, and taking in the view from Montmarte.

Charu visits Gokarna, home to the famous Shiva temple and beautiful beaches.

Gokarna is a heady mixture of spiritualism and religion on one side, and fun and relaxation on the other. For if the devout come here for the temple of Lord Shiva and prefer to frolic in the beach inside town after worship, the other type of ‘pilgrims’, many of them Westerners are here for the sun and sand, for the inexpensive beach shacks and cold beer and hot snacks. And sunsets on the beach. And long arduous treks up the hills and views from the top worth every bead of sweat.

That’s the place you go in search of gold. Or at least it used to be. The Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) have since closed down so we couldn’t really go in search of our pot of gold after all.

The idea was to ride to Kolar in sleek horses, in full cowboy (and cowgirl) attire and swing up to some poor unsuspecting locals and say “Sona ke paas le jao!?” Okay, so this was all of course mostly in my vivid imagination. We took a Ford Fiesta instead.

Anita makes a day trip to Kolar, where she visits a few interesting temples, including one that has around around 86 lakh lingams.

Arun kicks off his travelogue capturing images of India.He shares photographs from his trips to various parts of India.Some really amazing shots.

You would think one beach would be pretty much the same as another, wouldn’t you? Over at E Vestigio, Extempore knows better as she experiences the sands on the Eastern Coast of the country, comparing them to the more familiar ones in Mumbai.

The best part of being there was finding out what coming face-to-face with the Indian Ocean was like, especially after a lifetime of a very intimate acquaintance with the Arabian Sea. The ocean, whether in Madras or along the ECR, seems wilder, the waves crashing with more force than I remember seeing in Bombay. It is also certainly cleaner and with more vividly azure waters. The one thing that stands out most clearly about that night on Marina is how threatening the waters seemed. Two months and more down the line, I am not entirely sure if this is because I am aware of the tsunami.

k0k s3n w4, a Malysian student in India, travels through Jodhpur and captures the city through his eyes.

This guy, Gawlani, owned a stall (which served rice, lentils and occasionally, omelette) and when the famous Lonely Planet guidebook accidentally renamed his business “The Omelette Shop” in its listing. And Boom. Suddenly, hundreds of backpackers flock to his stall daily demanding only greasy, egg-based snack food. So he scrapped his old menu and now, serves about a thousand eggs every single day. The heart-clogging omelettes are okay, but the irony that tourist guidebooks not only recommends popular places to eat - but also creates them - is really why you want to visit this little establishment for.

Bongop’o'ndit isn’t too impressed with Singapore Airlines, (or with airlines in general..)

The so-called ‘warm towels’ handed out were regularly quite cold, and smelly (not the good smell). In one trip, half of the passengers got the towels before take-off and half later. Then there was the irritating habit of serving spirits only with the meal; pre-dinner Gin and Tonics had to be asked for (the horror!). The worst part was their highly touted personal entertainment systems.

A history-buff and a photography-enthusiast, Anoop explores the Somnathpur Keshava temple Nanjangud Nanjundeshwara temples near Mysore.