Recently I have been bitten by the bug of paddling down rivers. And as each day passes by and I inch just a little bit closer to the day when I will be crossing the river into the afterlife, I am consumed by the fervent hope that there will be enough water in the river …
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Subsequently, as I grew up, I went through various phases of my life, as is bound to happen, and I moved from one phase to the next, thinking (erroneously?) that I was growing as an individual. Not too many other people quite agreed with my growth curve, but I went on growing anyway. School was …
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Being alone is not the same thing as being lonely. I think I read this somewhere many years ago and I have entirely forgotten who said it, or in what context. However, having internalised the thought behind the statement, I have almost attributed the saying to myself, and constantly repeat it to whoever is willing …
Find your solitude Read More »
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Slow Boat Down the Ganges Update 63 Finally reached the destination Today was a watershed day. The final push to Calcutta to end what has been a fantastic journey. The excitement was coursing through my body through the night, sleep was sketchy, and when I woke up it was still dark outside. I was up …
Jan 10, The Final Push Down the Ganges Read More »
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Slow Boat Down the Ganges Update 62 Katara Masjid Murshid Quli Khan, the Diwan of Bengal under Aurangzeb transferred the capital from Dhaka, Bangladesh, and renamed the city Murshidabad after his own name, after getting Aurangzeb’s consent. Murshidabad became the capital of the Nawabs of Bengal, and even remained the seat of administration for the …
Jan 08, Jewel in the British Crown Read More »
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Slow Boat Down the Ganges Update 61 The Farakka Barrage One extra day at Farakka was called for. I have been to Farakka before, many years back, when I was motorbiking to Sikkim and Bhutan, and apart from the horrendous condition of the roads, I do not remember much of anything else. The Farakka Barrage …
Jan 07, Goodbye Holy Ganges Read More »
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Slow Boat Down the Ganges Update 60 All this paddling has developed many muscles We were in what is unkindly called the badlands of Bihar. Yes, these lands were made of legends, of stories of local gangsters, of complete lawlessness. Here lived people who had virtually no sense of worth of life and could and …
Jan 05, Paddling to the land of my birth Read More »
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Slow Boat Down the Ganges Update 59 Lots of locals to lend a helping hand We woke up to the renewed hospitality of the Sharma brothers. It was fogged out outside, and the river ahead was not visible, with visibility down to a few hundred metres. There also did not seem to be any hurry …
Jan 02, 2019, On to Munger Read More »
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Slow Boat Down the Ganges Update 58 At the very outset let me wish everyone a very happy 2019. Today, as the old gives way to the new, it provides an opportunity to make new dreams and look forward to an even better future. In the larger scheme of things, a new year is just …
Jan 01, 2019, Pottyfull at Patipul Ghat Read More »
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Slow Boat Down the Ganges Update 57 The Bodhi tree After many years of being partial to the teachings of the Lord Buddha, I finally managed to walk the path that he walked two thousand five hundred years ago. Well, it is impossible for a person like me to walk on the Buddha’s figurative footsteps, …
Dec 31, 2018, In search of enlightenment Read More »
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