A stormy morning in Mussoorie

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Travel photographers are crazy souls. We can tradeoff sleep and comfort in order to capture a perfect moment!

On that cold winter morning, I woke up very early to watch the #Sunrise. But my bad luck, it was cloudy and drizzling outside. Capturing the sunrise was out of the question but my persistence and sacrifice paid off finally when the clouds broke a little later and the golden rays of light beautifully beamed down on the mountains, and spread warmth all over the place! It was a satisfying moment to watch and capture.

Have you ever experienced such magic on the mountains? Share your experience!

10th anniversary of Mumbai Terror Attacks

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Remembering the beautiful Mumbai CST station on the occasion of 10th anniversary of 26/11 attacks!

On that fateful night, 2 terrorists simply walked into one of the busiest railway stations of Mumbai and opened fire on the innocent public, and killed whoever came their way. Many brave heroes emerged out of the situation selflessly fought and protected others by trying to stop the terrorists as much as possible.

While the terrorists were caught and the justice was served finally, praying for this hatred and terrorism to end completely.

Winter morning at Pushkar

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Beautiful winter morning scene at Pushkar Mela grounds with a picturesque hilltop temple in the background.

For those who are unaware, Pushkar Mela is one of the largest camel fairs that happen in the Indian state of Rajasthan. Villagers from far and wide flock to the small town of Pushkar to trade their livestock to make money and shop essentials for the family. The small desert town which is otherwise chilled out rest of the year becomes buzzing with tourists during this time of the year.

 From camel rides to hot air balloon rides, camel race to fashion shows, this rural cattle fair is growing and attracting more people year after year with its colorful theme!

Hike to Kalapathar

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After trekking continuously for 8hrs from the morning, by the time we started our ascend to Kalapathar it was almost late in the afternoon already. Not even halfway through and we were already above the clouds with only the tallest of the tallest 8Kers visible. And there it was, right in front of us at a seemingly stone throw distance away, the majestic black rock stood with tiny patches of snow on its shoulder glimmering in the golden light.

We knew it's humanly impossible to make it to the summit that evening. Nevertheless we tried. Not that we made it to the summit but the experience of descending down with zero visibility and only with the aid of light from our head torches was surreal!

Can't believe it's already a decade since my trek to the base camp of Mt. Everest! Sitting at the summit, freezing yet staring at the majestic peak seems just like yesterday :)

The little planet of Old City Hyderabad

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When you are surrounded in 180 degrees by beautiful heritage buildings, you cannot make up your mind to point your camera in a certain direction. You make your own little planet instead, accommodating all of them!

Sometimes it's a curse that in the pursuit of traveling and seeing the world, we miss to explore our own backyard gems. Think I should make it a point to explore my own city Hyderabad more in the coming days like I used to.

 If you are a traveler/blogger/photographer, tell me how you balance out exploring your own city/country vs traveling to explore other countries?

Serene backwaters of Dandeli

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Serene backwaters, gentle drizzle, earthy smell, distant rain, golden light peeping through the dark clouds backlighting them beautifully, tranquil jungle, the silence of which is occasionally broken by the distant sounds of hornbills. That's exactly how I would describe my blissful evening in Dandeli!

Hiking in Har Ki Dun Valley

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Nothing beats the experience of hiking in the Himalayas!

This is the beautiful Har Ki Dun valley I had gone for trekking in the summers. The experience of walking alongside a glacial river, crossing thousands of years old villages, feeling nothingness while being surrounded in 360 degrees by tall snowcapped mountains, sleeping under the pitch dark starlit sky and most importantly spending countless hours (gadget free) with like-minded people, playing games and sharing memorable moments with one another, is always revitalizing!

Where did you go hiking recently? Share your best hiking experience in the mountains? 🙂 

Diwali Celebrations

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This is what you see when you compress one hour of Diwali celebrations into one frame! 😀

Diwali is one of the biggest festivals in India and it is celebrated by all communities with equal fervor. The way the sky is lit by fireworks of all shapes and colors is always a treat to watch.

Loy Krathong, the festival of lights

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As we prepare ourselves to celebrate the festival of lights Diwali here in India tomorrow, wanted to share a very similar Siamese festival of lights celebrated on the full moon night in Thailand, to pay respects to the goddess of water.

I captured this beautiful moment in where all the monks gathered together to light the entire temple with lights and sat down to pray in front of a large Buddha statue.

For the benefit of people who may want to experience this festival firsthand, in 2018 this festival is celebrated from November 21 to November 24, although the main Loy Krathong falls on Friday, November 23. While the festival is celebrated in different ways all over Thailand, I experienced the festivities in Chiang Mai, in Northern Thailand. This city is also famous for mass lantern release festival, Yi Peng, which happens around the same time.

Wishing all my blogger friends a very Happy Diwali!

Morning at Man Sagar

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As the warm golden light shines from behind the Aravalis, one can watch the tiny silhouettes of people flocking to feed the birds and fishes in the Man Sagar Lake. Keeping alive the age-old tradition of feeding the fishes, pigeons, and ducks in the morning!