Dr. Babu Paul, a retired IAS officer (1964) goes on a nostalgic trip to Mussoorie with his grandson.So many things have changed since he left the academy, he finds out.

I had just about turned 23 when I came to this campus for the first time in 1964. I recalled that when I reported to a certain Kukreti who was the Assistant Administrative Officer then, a Deputy Collector on deputation from UP service, who told me that my name was not in the list of IAS probationers! I was dumbfounded for a while, and my colleagues in the queue were in a hurry. I waited until another eureka solution appeared to Kukreti and me simultaneously.

May God keep him safe and healthy to go back to Mussoorie in 2014.

South point on the island gave me something that i havent encountered often in Newyork – Silence. Its like a little oasis of desolation right in the middle of one of the noisiest cities in the world. [sic]

This intriguing insight from Amreekandesi is the result of taking the tramway in New York City recently. Having lived my entire life in New York State, I only learned about this unique attraction a few years ago. Thanks for sharing the photos and video that sells me on having to visit this place in the future!

The Island of Bali is unique in many aspects; it is a cultural entity; an island in the Islamic sea of the Indonesian Archipelago. A tiny island that still remembers the myths it was taught by the ancient masters who came from India armed with baggage full of myths, legends and never ending stories. Mahabharata, Ramayana and all epics found their way direct in to the hearts of a group of people who were not used to stories of such proportions. There a Hindu Empire by name Majapahit was established on these ancient wisdom and unending myths.

Sasi Kumar writes about Bali, the island of thousand temples, where Hindu culture still survives.

Harsh writes about his first day in Jerusalem, a place that holds him in thrall for how very alive it is.

In the relative shade of a café’s deck, I’m struggling to find words to take some of this weight off me, munching on a curious burger – pita bread stuffed with shawarma, hummus, greens, fries and don’t know what else – and downing it with Maccabee. Don’t like this beer much.

I have had to wait patiently for the sun to set. Summer in the Mediterranean is long, languid, splendid, at least for me since I love dry and hot afternoons.

The breeze in Jerusalem, when it blows, is cool. Before me, I see the sprawl of the city drenched in gold dust. It gives way to a faint blush that mingles delicately, demurely with the still bright wash of yellow. It descends during the next hour, emboldened steadily to touch every wall, every façade. Then you see treetops turn dull green and the few scattered lamplights falling in dreamy cascades – tiny rivulets of a deeper gold from this distance – on the landscape. As I begin my walk back, the orange is deepening before it finally bows out and ushers in the blue floating down unhurriedly from a spotless sky.

Even the sun dies reluctantly over the immortal city.

The views of the Tamil Nadu towns from the Kerala hilltops at Ramakkalmedu is beyond poetry in the photos as posted by Kerala TIps in the second installment of Kerala Travelogues. The detail in the post can make any tourist or new comer to this part of the country feel comfortable moving around, and avoiding the unsavory parts as well. Now we’ll just have to wait until our next Kerala adventure…

Any way if someone needs to have a bird’s eye view of  Tamilnadu, I don’t think there is a better place than Ramakkalmedu. According to local experts, on a clear day you can get a good view of 6 major towns of Tamilnadu!

Ramakkalmedu was a relatively unknown tourist destination till recently. Thanks to its location (between Munnar and Thekkady) and also due to wind energy farms setup recently, this place now attracts thousands of visitors every day.

After her wonderful post on Datia, (previously linked on DP) Celine writes a long narrative on Orchha, a town in Madhya Pradesh that seems to still lie in medieval times.  She writes about Orchha’s history, legends and the sights, but the photographs alone would make the post a worthy read.

Imagine walking serenely on a path with the Thames on one side and open fields on the other. You will meet people strolling, cycling or running from time to time. There are flowers to be clicked and admired, in that order. The weather is mild (gave me a mild sunburn later as I was not using any lotion) and all is at peace in the world! Right? Wrong.

Mridula is out for a walk in Oxford but unfortunately runs into creatures that she fears a lot. Come on, they are out for a walk too after being cooped up at home waiting for people to come home.

Recently having had planned a week’s tour in some of the most heavily travelled areas in Kerala, I was surprised to find there is a dearth of information not only about that area, but many areas in Kerala on the net. Kerala Tips hopes to fill this gap with a first in a series of Kerala travelogues on Veli, a park outside Trivandum. Even since we had gone there in late 2006 (photo by Krishna Kumar), there has been a lot of updates as aptly noted in the narration and photography.

Veli is a very popular picnic spot in Trivandrum and is heavily crowded during weekends. The major attractions here include boating in the Veli lagoon, a nearby beach, children’s park, games, horse riding and a lot of disgusting/beautiful(take your pick!) artwork on stone and grass by sculptor Kaanayi Kunjiraman.

If a picture can speak a thousand words, Tarun’s post merits a book- one called ‘Why I love Pune’. 

I sat on the road, I jumped on the road, I kicked the road and at last I got tired and asked the road; how can I reach my destination? The road smiled and said, just walk with me I will take you there.

Anita spends a weekend at Fringe Ford, a picturesque homestay in Wayanad.

The road to Fringe Ford is a long and winding one. Around 5 kms through coffee plantations to your right and hills to the left. It goes on and on and you start peering around every corner to catch sight of your destination. Except that it’s where you least expect it. Down below, between the clearing of the tall trees, you get a teasing glimpse of a cottage sitting pretty in the centre, surrounded by green all around.