Genesis - soumya.org

Along The Ganga

Rishikesh is a small town nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas where the Ganga emerges from the mountains. Spent a quiet weekend there reading a book 'Along The Ganga', written by a European,  Ilija Trojanow who journeyed from its origin at Gangotri to its confluence with the sea at GangaSagar. Was humbling to see how a 'foreigner' knew more about my country, its mythoglogy and social fabric than I did. The chapter on Rishikesh was enlightening since I had the privilege of relating the written word to the scenery and people around me...

Gift From Alien

Nasa sends space probes to discover life on Mars.Satellites orbit outerspace eavesdropping the radio spectrum. Cant afford such high tech gadgets? All you need is a stroll down a Amritsar neighborhood, where the aliens have set up shop...Fancy buying a gift from alien?

Soumya Bar

Retiring early, opening a pub in a small town, where everybody knows your name...The stuff that dreams are made of. I found a small town, a pub and they even knew my name... Now I just need to figure out how to retire early...

Vignettes Of Amritsar

Amritsar...the name conjures up visions of the Golden Temple, valiant sikhs,  talwars and kirpans, corpulent prosperous businessmen, tandoori chicken, amritsari fish, tall glasses of lassi and dollops of butter. Took a few days to wander around the city, savoring the flavors and soaking in the joie de vivre of punjabi culture...

The Golden Temple Of Amritsar

The Golden Temple in Amritsar is the spiritual center of the Sikh religion. It is situated in the most crowded part of the city surrounded by narrow streets and bylanes and houses from a bygone era. You make your way through the maddening din outside the temple, wash your hands and feet, cover your head and walk on the cold marble steps into the temple compound...and you are transported into a oasis of calm centered around one of the most spectacular shrines in India. As you walk around the perimeter of the tank, you see microcosms of a proud culture and way of life that has stood through the trials and tribulations of time...

Thanda Matlab

The TV ads for Coke portray the hip, the happening and the trendy thirsting for the ultimate salvation. Wonder which demographic the marketing gods would slot this lady into. And before you say that she is not drinking coke... you are right...it is lime and lemony Limca!