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There are many places I may never be able to access legally. These water tanks are among them. I have always imagined the vista that they open up, before there were high rises in the city. I have just a slight tinge of jealousy. #urbanlandscape #mumbai #ltmc #walking https://www.instagram.com/p/CPs3zBfJH1_/?utm_medium=tumblr

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The nooks and crannies of my neighbourhood #ghatkopar #ghatkopareast #temple #cat (at Ghatkopar East, Mumbai (Suburban)) https://www.instagram.com/p/CPf63jwpJ0P/?utm_medium=tumblr

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On the occasion of the Buddha’s birthday or Buddha Purnima in india, here are a few of my encounters with art and architecture that grace our history and culture with his presence. Creations of artists and master builders from the Mauryan, Satavahana, Gupta, and Vakataka to the Pala periods touch nearly every modern Indian state. From the sites at Sanchi, Bhaja, Karle, Kanheri, Ajanta and Ellora to the collections in museums of India and abroad. From monumental architecture to massive paintings, from caves to Greek influenced statues of Gandhara Buddhist art has fueled our imagination for millennia. Now relegated to a fringe religion practiced in the extreme north and northeastern states, it was once the dominant spiritual force in the subcontinent. It still remains one of India’s greatest cultural exports #buddhapurnima #buddha #buddhpurnima #art #culture #buddhism https://www.instagram.com/p/CPVAmaIpiXz/?utm_medium=tumblr

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Colour brings joy. #hibiscus (at Ghatkopar East, Mumbai (Suburban)) https://www.instagram.com/p/CPQRdF9pGos/?utm_medium=tumblr

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Got my first dose of #covishield today! #vaccination (at Rajawadi Hospital) https://www.instagram.com/p/CPLObUlJCDb/?utm_medium=tumblr

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They still exist. Mostly empty, forlorn relics of an age that seems ancient. An age of patience, of being able to describe your world and state of mind in long form. #postbox #mailbox #indiapost #minimal #stilllife https://www.instagram.com/p/CPIw36HJLZL/?utm_medium=tumblr

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#nature in my backyard. I just learnt out that #anthecology is the study of pollination and the relationship between flowers and their pollinators! #honeybee #bee https://www.instagram.com/p/CPF46GKpCSH/?utm_medium=tumblr

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Mother, son and the unbroken horizon. Another blast from the past, I am time traveling via my memories #motherandson #beach #sunset #horizon #twilight #latergram #reflection https://www.instagram.com/p/CPDuK8JpCku/?utm_medium=tumblr

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#orchids. The dense subtropical and temperate forests of Sikkim are among the most biodiverse on the planet. They are home to over 600 species of Orchids. Here’s four that I came across. #orchid #himalaya #sikkim #flowers #biodiversity (at Khangchendzonga National Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/CPAdU3XJ3Td/?utm_medium=tumblr

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From my desk, I can see this plant swing like a #pendulum in the gusts of wind battering Mumbai today. The energy of #cyclone #tauktae moves past the coast. The air that we think as benign turns into an instrument of nature’s fury. #cyclonetauktae #longexposure https://www.instagram.com/p/CO9tOxPJ_Fd/?igshid=fc5gcevfespj

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Our guide, Changpo, makes #tea. The steaming, sweet, black tea kicks off every day in the mountains. (at Tshoka) https://www.instagram.com/p/CO7DjMppJeE/?igshid=1edddeld3itnf

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I just finished reading A Time of Gifts by Patrick Leigh Fermor. One of the finest pieces of travel writing I have encountered till now, and I doubt that it will be ever moved from that position. That prose is almost poetry! Open to any page and you peer into the mind and skills of a master storyteller. What words, and what feelings they insert in my head - it felt like I was on the journey. I don’t know how I never knew about this book till an obscure reference in another one made me curious. Reading it in this environment took me to a time and place that made me feel better and inspired me. #books #reading #patrickleighfermor #atimeofgifts #journey #walking (at Ghatkopar East, Mumbai (Suburban)) https://www.instagram.com/p/CO4lshDJqEl/?igshid=xaiq9uaokfvv

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Because #chunda should be #homemade. Chunda is a sweet and sour, slightly hot mango preserve, a staple of any Gujarati home. Grated raw mango, sugar, salt, red chilli powder and a few more spices that vary from home to home, are “cooked” with the heat of the summer sun over a week or two. One chore I have for my mother in this time is to put the pot on the roof in the morning and bring it back for the evening. It gets a good stir every day before being put out in the sun. Soon this will be ready to eat with some #thepla or #puri #indianfood #preserves #pickles (at Ghatkopar East, Mumbai (Suburban)) https://www.instagram.com/p/CO2AR5vpSql/?igshid=dfd9gm0am7xd

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Finally ran out of my favourite #ink today. Writing with the Pilot #iroshizuku #konpeki has been a delight. I like the rich, bright blue and the nice shading. It is expensive though. I won’t be replacing it like for like. It’s time to try something else. Any recommendations? #fountainpen #foubtainpenink #handwriting (at Ghatkopar East, Mumbai (Suburban)) https://www.instagram.com/p/COzhE5ip-Bz/?igshid=1h023uqm66cp6

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The Prek River #prekchu #kokchurang #goechala #sikkim (at Khangchendzonga National Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/COxoEBXpxvS/?igshid=1unhkwy70vwrq

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Humans move on two feet, their luggage on four #transport #himalaya #mountains #goechala (at Khangchendzonga National Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/COvcQGUJzDY/?igshid=1ue39cq9gtdfe

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#goechala 10. The final day of any trek evokes mixed feelings in me. On the one hand there is the anticipation of what awaits you in civilisation, on the other is the last hours of enjoying the wilderness. I am no hermit and sometimes I yearn for a soft pillow, clean freshly laundered sheets and a mattress that I can sink into, hot showers, ordering food off a menu, and the occasional single malt. There are stories to be heard from the family and friends. And then there is my work which I enjoy. On the other had there is a certain stillness of the mind, the solitude, and the refuge of the wilderness, the mountains. I have learned to reconcile those two, but imperfectly. I feel lucky that I can, however imperfectly. I ponder on those questions as I walk up to and then around the #monastery at #tsoka. The water in the pond is still. Birds chirp and hop from one little island in the pond to another. The first rays of the sun fall on the mountains in the background. Sunlight begins to fill up the valley. I absorb the warmth and I feel a smile appearing on my face. I remembered the philosophy of the Buddha’s message, middle path - everything, but in moderation. I am contented. We begin our final hike to retrace the trail from Tsoka to Yuksom. It’s a long day of nearly 10 hours of hiking. The familiar routine of down to the bridge on the river, across and up again starts. It’s now quite warm during the day. The fog has deserted us. We are at the mercy of shadows. Cascades of green-blue water form inviting pools. Inviting, but out of reach. The tall peaks are gone. Layers of stout and curvy hills replace the jagged, sharp angularity. Unseen birds call, six chirps, each one louder than the previous. At first you don’t notice, then you count. And then you wonder if the bird can count. And then, why six? You see the first dogs in a while. Where there are dogs, human habitations are not far. Then the first fields and the colourful houses on the outskirts of Yuksom welcome you back to the world you left behind. We pass through a gang of kids playing football into the bustle of Yuksom Bazar. It is time to go home. #sikkim #hiking #himalaya #trekking #outdoor #yuksom (at Khangchendzonga National Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/COsNbcKJY__/?igshid=l84wyhg3nh8z