Genesis - soumya.org

A Call To Prayer

Freshly washed by the early morning rain, the open doors of the Mount Mary Church in Bandra welcome the faithful to prayer...

The Recycled Leader

In a country where recycling is a way of life, a politician's watchful eye protects docked boats from the vagaries of monsoon weather...

Korlai Fort And Lighthouse

On a rainy Sunday morning, a scenic coastal road led me to Korlai, a small fishing village tucked away between Alibag and Murud. Apart from being one of the few remaining places in the world where a Portugese-Creole dialect is spoken by the locals, Korlai is also home to an abandoned fort built by the Portugese in the fifteen hundred's in their quest for domination of India's coastline. Past the quiet village village bylanes and fishing boats shuttered for the monsoons, a motorable dirt track petered out at the locked gates of a quaint lighthouse behind which began the steep steps to the fort. Failing to attract the attention of the lighthouse keeper (who was probably fast asleep at 6.30 am), I clambered up the hillside to discover some magical views from the ramparts of the fort once known as El Morro De Chaul...

The President Does Not Pay Toll

An impressive  signboard provides instructions for toll booth attendants in case the president happens to drive by on the NH2 (Grand Trunk Road). On a more serious note, the only people on this list who are likely to be hassled for id are the ones in category 12...

The Holy Man

People travel many miles to visit the shrine of one of India's most revered saints and wait for hours to catch a fleeting glimpse of him. On a sunny Sunday morning in Mumbai, we were pleasantly surprised to see him far from his usual quarters, quietly enjoying the sea breeze under the shade of a solitary pipal tree...

Spell Check

A salon signboard in Mumbai reflects the owners valiant effort at spell check...a case study of too little too late...

The Flamingos Of Sewree

A sharp turn down a grimy road opposite the eastern side of Sewree railway station in Mumbai, took us past haphazardly parked petroleum tankers, weighing stations and truck depots and deposited us on the empty quay on Sewree jetty. Striking up a conversation with the portly policeman on duty, we inquired if the visitors were still around at this time of the year? He nodded his head, smiled and said yes, adding that we had come at the perfect time to meet them. We followed his gaze over the adjoining mudflats to see a myriad pink specks dotting the black earth..these were the esteemed visitors...the flamingos of Sewree. In a phenomenon which defies some amount of logical explanation, every year thousands of flamingos come to this area surrounded on all sides by factories and refineries, calling it home for six months before they fly back to the Rann of Kutch to avoid the monsoon rains. We spent the next two hours watching the tide roll in, bringing the birds closer towards us and into the surrounding mangroves, marveling at this rare spectacle of nature in the midst of a giant metropolis and taking photographs of the flamingos of Sewree...

Bet Dwarka, Gujarat - A Ferry Trip Across Time

A twenty minute ferry ride from the port town of Okha, takes one to the island of Bet Dwarka, where Lord Krishna was supposed to have met his friend Sudama. Dotted with many temples of religious significance (a trip to Dwarka is not considered complete without visiting Bet Dwarka), the island also has immense historical heritage with excavations revealing it to be a center of Indo Roman trade many centuries ago. With the gentle sea breeze giving relief from the hot summer sun, the humming of the motor and the blue waters of the Arabian sea provided a new dimension to people watching as we spent a magical morning on a colorful journey across time...

Dwarka, Gujarat - Atlantis Rediscovered

An impulsive 1000 km drive over a long weekend took us to the holy town of Dwarka, one of the westernmost coastal points of India. Swallowed by the sea and rebuilt seven times over 4000 years, the town rumored by some, to be the inspiration for tales of the city of Atlantis, was also the legendary capital of the kingdom of Lord Krishnafrom where he ruled with his consorts. We found it to be a town of myriads moods where a few bylanes can transport a person from the religious fervour surrounding the hallowed Shree Dwarkadeesh temple, to a lighthouse keeping vigil over the restless Arabian sea or bustling ghats where colorfully clad villagers jostle with little kids diving into the river Gomti as it ends its journey in the blue waters of the Arabian Sea...

Jamnagar, Gujarat - Architectural Vignettes

Strategically located on the western tip of India, Jamnagar ranks as one of the oldest cities in Gujarat. What today is the base for one of the world's largest oil refineries, was for centuries the jewel for many kings of Saurashtra, the most famous being Maharaja Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji, the famous Indian cricketer who was also the creator of modern Jamnagar. Avoiding the baking summer sun, we ventured out in the cool sea breeze of early mornings and evenings, to discover...lakes, palaces, temples, mosques and museums, each with its own unique character, creating the wonderful architectural vignette that is Jamnagar...

Upper Lover

If you needed something to shut up your lover, an 'exclusive' showroom in Jamnagar will fit the bill.

Why Indians Are Good At Math

In a nation where coaching for IIT entrance exams starts in the sixth grade (equating to six years of coaching)...it was inevitable that someone would latch on to the pre natal coaching market!

Hot Cross Buns

Hot cross buns! Hot cross buns!
One a penny two a penny - hot cross buns! The rhyme came floating back from the recesses of my memory as I savored the smell of freshly baked batches at the quaint and slightly rickety Sassanian Bakery and Boulangerie in Mumbai. Add a beautiful Easter egg for company, some brun maska (a Mumbai specialty loosely translated as small crusty bun slathered with butter), three cups of Irani chai, an eccentric  bakery owner with a great sense of humor and it was the perfect start to the Easter weekend!

The Ride Of Your Life

In a myriad different ways, an enterprising auto rickshaw driver holds out a promise for the ride of your life...

Last Man Standing

As the sidelines of cricket grounds get increasingly crowded by ritzy owners and their glitzy belles, clinking glasses and cheering fast changing scores on glowing screens, a diligent scorekeeper at the local gymkhana holds his ground as the last man standing...