Crossing Zoji La, I had made my way into the Kashmir valley. Through the tunnels of poplar trees meeting high up in the sky, and golden saffron flourishing in the fields, where gurgling streams made their way sometimes underneath the many small bridges, at others curving around along the highway, I entered the capital of…
SPROUTING GOODWILL AT CHIGURU FARM
“Climate change is very evident,” said Mr Raghavendra as he took a quick turn to find a way between two cars at a packed Bengaluru traffic signal on a Saturday morning. “Last year, straight after the winters, it rained from February till July. And the monsoons never came. I had some lichi (a summer fruit)…
MAPLE TREE FARM: A GRASSROOTS FOOD REVOLUTION
“I believe people who have done a lot of “punya” or good karma in previous births get to be into agriculture,” Mr. Shankar Venkatraman addresses me, finding time between his on-going discussion with his team over his upcoming farmer training event. 100 farmers are attending. “I must have been one of them,” he adds, with…
AN ORGANIC PERSPECTIVE
“Organic is not a luxury. Organic is the way it should be. Organic food should not be a status symbol for the elite, but a right for one and all to exercise, a lifestyle that is conscious of how nature works. I want to contribute to the vision where the common man consumes healthy food…
BIR: A JOURNEY WITHIN
A dog licks my hand as I take a seat at a roadside dhaba in Billing. I and Kim, my friend and a spiritual healer, order chai and parathas, the staple food of the mountains. “Now let’s disperse, reflect and write. See you all after the lunch break. And remember, the writing knows more than…
WHEN I REACHED THE LAST VILLAGE OF INDIA, BY MISTAKE
“What is the purpose of your life?” I heard a voice buried deep down in my consciousness, as I continued riding on the sand-covered road. “Is waking up every day to an alarm clock like a robot, polishing your shoes at exact 8:50 am to leave for your corporate job of selling irrelevant financial products…
APPLE AND THE CHANGING MOUNTAINS
Until very recently, mountains for me were the places preserved in their own pristine time and space. I used to think that unlike cities, life in the mountains isn’t yet shrouded in the thick smog of “modernity”. On my recent trip to Kasol though, I realized nothing is farther from the truth. In just 6…
CLIMATE CHANGE ACTIVISM BEYOND INSTAGRAM STORIES
In a democratic society, protesting is our fundamental right. These days, people on social media platforms can be seen posting stories around the most burning issue of the 21st century, climate change. From stories about the Amazon forest fires or the very moving speech by environmental activist Ms Greta Thunberg at the UN climate action…
MALANA: UNRAVELLING A MYSTERY
Is it the end?” a thought passes my mind, blocking all wit and hope, just like a black cloud blocks the sunshine. I am on my bullet on the edge of what looks like total mayhem. I and my two friends, Danish and Anurag, have just crossed our first waterfall formed on the way due…
MY STAY AT THE PANGONG TSO
I entered the tent at 10pm. My body was thoroughly exhausted. The bitter relentless wind had reduced my muscles to shreds. Even now it was shaking the entire tent like a thin dried twig twirling in a storm. I was famished. The last meal of veg noodles I have had was at 11:30 am just…
Shikhar Mehrotra