Of People and Places

Illustration - Mango Mastani and Pineapple Ice Cream Sharbat at Samarth Juice Center If you've been to Nashik, you've probably tasted the delicious Pineapple Sharbat that's famous at Samarth Juice Center . My friend took me there on a sultry late afternoon ( Or prevening) after a heavy lunch, with no room at all for more food. But good things always find a way to reach you :D  We had the Mango Mastani, Rose Mastani and the Pineapple sharbat. All of it was delicious and I really recommend the pineapple sharbat - it is light, frothy and absolutely yummy! Sigh, cravings.  Other food related posts -  Paddy transplanting in Harlimatha  Prawn Ghee Roast in Kundapura  UtpaDhan - Farmer Producer Companies in Rural Karnataka Fayyaz, the fish seller Japanese Food in Bangalore

On a trip to Mysore, we met this little fella in Dubare - A frisky baby elephant happy to be let loose for a little while. His mahout was a little kid of  about 8 or 9 years and I thought to myself, Well! Isn't this a great pair. They both ran into the Kabini river for bath time accompanied by a horde of tourists  wanting to  'bathe' the baby elephant while he just laid there in the cold water , happy as a lark , making gurgling noises and flapping his ears. I was one of the tourists and I was also happy to give the little one a scrub. I like elephants. As do most people. But I suppose humans liking them is not a very good thing for elephants themselves. There is a lot of cruelty involved in making them ' human - friendly'. Have you visited the Mysore Dasara and seen the elephant parade? Or seen an elephant in South Indian temples? And admired them because they look so mammoth, majestic and grand? And felt affection and warmth for them, accompanied by a lit...

On the way back from Nashik to Pune by bus, we stopped at a wayside dhaba for tea. It was around four in the evening and a very beautiful windy day outside. I saw this unforgettable landscape - A goatherd in a red turban surrounded by the beautiful green of the countryside and the goats happily grazing near the trees. As the bus moved away, they almost disappeared until  I could see only a bright red speck in the distance with black dots hovering around it.