The Pushkar Mela in Photos

A photo essay on the Pushkar Mela with its camels, street artist, elaborately turbaned villagers, naga sadhus, colourful nomads & everything else in between.

Anandpur Sahib and a short history of the Sikhs

If Amritsar is Punjabs heart then Anandpur Sahib is its soul. Read about one of Sikhism’s holiest sites, the ancient warrior order of the Nihangs & the Virasat-e-Khalsa museum with its excellent documentation of Sikh history.

Punjab’s Princely Past, Part II: A Moorish Mosque in Punjab

Over a century ago a young flamenco dancer caught the eye of a well traveled and intellectual young Indian prince and against all odds ended up marrying him. The fascinating story of Anita Delgado, a barely literate Spaniard and daughter of a cafe owner, is well documented, and is the stuff that fairy tales are…

Punjab’s Princely Past, Part I: Of Posh Palaces & The Patiala Peg

India is teeming with history, from the magnificent forts in Rajasthan and the ornate mansions in Chettinad, to the Mughal palaces in parts of the north, each one more royal than the other. When we think of royal history we largely think of UP and Rajasthan or Delhi and Hyderabad, and perhaps to the more…

Life in a Naga Village

I was stuffed. I had just eaten a massive plate of the yummiest fried duck with rice, bamboo shoots, and yellow lentils, made local Lotha style. There was boiled squash along with the meal, but after 10 days of boiled squash, I was ready for a different vegetable. The duck was soft and mildly spiced,…

In Search of Nagaland’s Tattooed Headhunters – Part II

Read Part I here We sit sipping tea and eating surprisingly good chocolate croissants as the sun sets over the Naga hills. All around us are acres of tea estates, waves of short green shrubs punctuated by the occasional tree; the first we have seen in Nagaland. We are outside the village of Shiyong, at…

Our first taste of Nagaland

Our first few days in India’s far east were spent absorbing Kohima, getting into the Nagaland vibe and visiting the beautiful village of Khonoma. Read about it here.