Of People and Places

  A palace in my sketchbook A view of the Kamlapati Palace from Ginnori road.  A very understated building, its beautiful ( and simple) facade catches my eye as I trudge down the road towards the Rani Kamlapati Arch Bridge. The view from the palace of the bridge itself is spectacular. It is less visited and conducive for contemplation and sketching. Although, I would have enjoyed it a lot more without the hot sun blazing down on me!  What visitors can see now is only part of the original construction built by Rani Kamlapati, the widow of Nizam Shah, the chief of Ginnaurgarh. As per legend, Kamlapati was an enchanting woman, renowned for her beauty. I read this charming couplet that immortalizes the beauty of the lake and Rani Kamlapati ( from an ASI board) -  ताल तो भोपाल ताल बाकी सब तलैया  रानी तो कमलापति और सब रनैया।  Tal to Bhopal Tal baaki sab tallaiya Rani toh Kamlapati aur sab ranaiyan All other lakes are mere ponds, not worth the name Kamalapati is t...

A sketch of a woman at Sethani Ghat, Hoshangabad On a cold morning, a woman offers prayers to the river Narmada at Sethani ghat. She is more sparrow-like in real life than in the sketch. She walks briskly up the steps, readjusts the shawl to cover her ears snugly, and disappears into the crowd. Even at this early hour, the road to the ghat is fairly crowded with devotees, wayfarers, sadhus, cattle, stalls selling poha jalebi, religious items, stray dogs, umpteen tea stalls (serving the best tea in the world!) goats, goatherds, boatmen. All Hoshangabad posts from this blog -  The Signalman of Hoshangabad   The Saptaparni tree in Hoshangabad Nostalgia in a bottle In Bachchwada Dhana in Madhya Pradesh Bandrabhan

The quaint town of Galle is right at the southwest tip of Sri Lanka, overlooking the harbour. The fort at Galle was built by the Portugese and fortified by the Dutch. Galle's strategic location made it much coveted among colonizers and is one of the oldest seaports in the world. The Galle clock tower is something you can't miss. Built in memory of a doctor, it was a later addition inside the fort ramparts. It was fantastic to see the sea from inside the fort. Don't miss Galle - it is worth visiting. We didn't have enough time to explore, but I think it's a great place for backpackers . 

In Gokarna, many women from the Halakki Vokkaliga tribe are seen selling flowers near the temple. Gaunt, tanned and barefoot, they are distinct because of their clothes, style of draping and the beads they wear around their neck. This 'gowdathi' was selling some lotus flowers and looked bright and pretty among a crowd of French tourists backpacking across Karnataka. I see a lot of old women...where are the youngsters of this tribe? Gokarna is a curious mix of a temple town and a hippie haven. It's a beautiful place. Don't miss it if you travel to Karnataka.  

On Day 2 of our tour in Sri Lanka, we took a road trip to the Pinnawala elephant orphanage . On the way, I was delighted to be on the canal road - where colorful boats lined up on the waterway on the right while tuk-tuks , cars and buses plied on the road that we were on. This is the Dutch canal/ Hamilton canal   connecting Puttalam to Colombo. It runs across many towns and landscapes and my only regret is that we did not go on a boat ride on the canal. It was constructed by the Dutch to be a supply route for agricultural produce and goods to be transported to the sea port at Negombo. It connects to the Muthrajawela wetlands in the Negombo lagoon, a marsh with incredible biodiversity, from what I've read. Next time I visit Sri Lanka, the canal  and Negombo lagoon are definitely on my bucket list.

A sketch I'd made of the view from Cinnamon Bey, Beruwala One of the best things about our trip to Sri Lanka was the magnificent properties we stayed at. The trip was organised by my father's alumni association ( Batch of '79, Agriculture college, Dharwad) with a conducted tour operator in Bangalore ( Ujwal International holidays ) who has good tie ups with travel companies in different countries. In Sri Lanka, it was with Royal holidays  . There were 34 of us. It was a surprise to me that we would be staying at swanky hotels, the likes of which I have seen only in TLC and insider TV. My favourite hotel was Cinnamon Citadel in Kandy. It's right next to the swampy Mahaweli river and the way it's built is fantastic. It is built on a hill, so our rooms were closer to the base, with the river in our backyard while the lounge and the pool are built upstairs with a superb view of the surrounding dense forests. Do check out their website - the aerial view is unbe...

We stayed at the Kulgi Nature camp in Dandeli for a little holiday. It's a lovely place to relax and catch up with some sketching. It's really quiet and the calm embraces your flighty soul and tethers it down for a while. We missed a black panther, the staff and tourists tell us. A pity. I would have loved to see that sleek, gorgeous animal.  I find black panthers so mesmerizing. The tourist consoles me with a picture. This is hornbill territory and I was lucky enough to see one right near our hut. But this was a Malabar Pied Hornbill, not the great Pied Hornbill for which Dandeli is famous. The next day, we joined ranks of tourists in the wee hours of the morning, patiently awaiting our turn for the safari. We spotted some barking deer,  A family of Bisons ( Gaur)  that looked angry and ready to charge, the heftiest one's muscles rippling. I am imagining what it must be like to meet him head on and it's not a pleasant thought! There was a lovely little pon...

The roads to Camp 4 are lined with Prayer flags fluttering in the wind. Old, tattered, new, bright, faded; all kinds surround the trees, the electric poles, backyards and fences. It is a sultry afternoon in April, and a cuckoo calls out for rain with longing. Rows of Silver Oak trees flank the roads and narrow streets and the bougainvillea are in full bloom. Across the Paljor Dhargey Ling guest house where we are to stay is a vast open space, leading to narrower gullies. Camp 4 is a quaint place.  There are monks in maroon robes and yellow shirts walking on the streets and  old women with colorful banded aprons, clutching prayer beads.  Located to the west of Mysore in Coorg in Karnataka, Bylakuppe has been the home of Tibetan refugees since 1960 after the Chinese Occupation of their country led to a life in exile. After Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh, the camps near Bylakuppe represent the second largest Tibetan settlements in India. Murky as the path to this ...