Genesis - soumya.org

Chronicles Of The Raj - Christ Church Mussoorie

A few sharp turns off the Mall Road of Mussoorie, led us to the doors of the Christ Church, the oldest church in the Himalayas. Consecrated in 1836, the chapel holds a treasure trove of chronicles from the years gone by. Memorial plaques for fallen soldiers and members of the East India Company stand next to stained glass panes imported from England and a William Hill organ gives company to a bible dating back to 1889. Sitting in the pews, it was easy to be transported back to another era and visualize the generations which have  congregated under the high roof and prayed at the glorious altar. Leaving the church we stood for a moment to touch the deodar tree planted by Mary the Princess of Wales in 1906 and turned to catch a repeat glimpse of this majestic sentinel of the Himalayas, whose memories we will always carry in our hearts...

Contradictions In Chakrata

Every two and a half hours, the iron gates at Kalsi open up to allow the convoy of waiting cars past military check posts through rolling hills (rumored to be the training grounds for Indian Intelligence Forces) until the road finally winds into the small hill town of Chakrata. Chakrata has two distinctive sections...the mostly inaccessible cantonment area (home to the ultra secretive Special Group, an elite unit of tibetan commandos used by the army in sticky situations)...and the market area where somewhat decrepit wooden houses and shops compete with old british stone bungalows for space on the steep hillsides. Serving up long walks down lined with rhododendron trees, breathtaking sunsets, multiple cups of chai and the best rajma (kidney beans) in India, the town is also the base for a day trip to the relatively unknown Tiger Falls. As the trail to the falls petered out mid way...a passing villager came to our rescue and led us through streams and unmarked trails to a jaw dropping view of the second highest falls in India. Drenched and euphoric, we bid goodbye to this marvel of nature  and our new friend...who excitedly told us to come back in a year when the road was promised to  be complete and the falls would be easily accessible with even a boating area and numerous shops, one of which would proudly be his...

Legends Of Lakhamandal

A bumpy landslide prone journey hugging the banks of the river Yamuna gushing through the rocky chasms of the Jaunsar region in Uttaranchal, brought us to the tiny village of Lakhamandal, whose history goes back to the sixth century. The center of attraction is the Bhagwati temple, scattered around which are multiple shivlings and statues dating back to between the sixth and eight centuries. The pujari recited to us the history and the many legends associated with the village including the one where the Kauravas built the house of 'lac' to burn the Pandavas as documented in the Mahabharata. As he walked us through the temple complex admiring the giant shivling, the imposing dwarpal statues guarding the temple and the  excavation site which  still brings up hundreds of statues, we met a little drummer boy twirling a drum twice his size and his father who play at the temple ceremonies. Their rhythmic beats transported us to another plane and reminded us once again how the past and the present magically come together in far off places like these..

Signs Of Diaspora

Last weekend the entire family was in New York and we made a culinary pilgrimage to Jackson Heights, the mecca of all things Indian and Bangladeshi. While my mom was busy tracing back ancestral villages of people she met in the fish shops...and my brother tracking down the best dhaka biryani, I popped around taking photographs of the signboards and posters in the area. The neon  signs and colors brought warmth to the cold winter morning and seemed to recreate a land which was very familiar but had a slightly different twist...