saurabhjn

Oh #Goa, you #beauty. Water lilies in a #lily #pond. Don't miss all the froggies behind the lilies.

#waterlily #frog #jungledance

Then boys are ready for #Halloween at school. Guess who they are dressed as.

We are off #camping in #Dandeli. This is how the #campsite looked last night. We are out for a few days, so give us a holler if you'd like to join us.

Out for a #morning #walk. These are some #fields near our #campsite.

Motivating a bunch of #teenagers to go for an early #morning #walk through the #forest is hard. Hard but rewarding.

#Kayaking in the #Kali river. The high point of any #Dandeli trip.

#Sunrise in #Gokarna

#दोस्ती #Gokarna #sea #rocks #sand #sunrise

I've often said that #travel doesn't have to be expensive. In Dandeli we stayed at a campsite called BeOnTheTrail that charged us ₹1000 per night for pitching three tents. This included the use of all facilities on their campsite including a bathroom with geyser, and a campfire each night. Boating was ₹100 per head, kayaking was perhaps ₹300. In Gokarna we are paying ₹500 for pitching a tent at a campsite by the beach. Food at both places was about ₹2000 per day for six people. Petrol has been expensive, costing us more per day than stay and food, but we could have used public buses instead of a car.

That said, I recognise that travel is a privilege. Not everyone has a job that they can work on remotely, or can get leaves from. Not everyone has a car to just up and go. We've paid dearly for the space to store all of our camping gear. I have Sharada to take care of my plants when I'm gone. The list goes on. Just because I'm not spending much on this trip doesn't mean that I don't have other hidden means that enable this trip.

So, umm, if my travel pics encourage you to take short breaks more often, that's very nice. If they make you feel that you don't have the means to enjoy life as much as others, then I'm truly sorry I've made you feel this way. I wish I could tag Instagram pics in a way that you could filter out the travel pics.

I went camping with some friends three years ago, to Kasauli. They reached out to say that that trip would always be a core memory for their kids. And that my kids would have so many more such memories. Which is very generous of them, but it is also true. If you do have the means, and you have kids, yet you just sit on your butt all weekend, or all you do is luxury travel that doesn't let your kids connect with nature and with rural India, then really, get off your butt and go somewhere.

Hello new trip around the Sun. Delighted to have started this one with laughter and dance.

The kids threw me a surprise #birthday #party. I walked into the house to see this 😍

यह फूल मिला मुझे, पणजी में, मंडोवी के किनारे। तमाम मुश्किलों के बावजूद इसने जिंदा रहने की ज़िद की। जो मंहुसियत कभी अहमदाबाद में फैलाई गई थी, नदी के किनारे को concrete में ढलने की, वो अब गोवा में भी फैल रही है।

दिल ढूंढता है
फिर वही
फुरसत के रात दिन

What a lovely voice

Without a care in this world

Surfing near Chennai is definitely an extreme sport. Rocks, Heavy surf, and dozens of people in the same spot. The chill surfing vibes are kinda missing.

The boys came out of the water last evening, shaken up, but still very excited about toeay. "The waves will be softer in the morning", they said. Why do I not see it?

Traveling out of Goa, food is always a pain. Not just the quality, but the portion sizes in Goa are also quite good. And the pricing is reasonable, unless you visit tourist traps. I don't know in what world this qualifies as a sharing plate.

Why, Chennai, why?

Just some dudes hanging out at the temple next to our house. Performing for themselves, because the audience size is just one.

Do you see the rainbow?

Everybody looks cool on an Enfield

भाई लोग

Kavin made this video to "explain a hw question to my friend". I asked him for the code and he said "it's messy" because "it's his first time".

There's been an ongoing tussle between me and him. I want him to do more with his time than his usual engagements - studies, piano and crochet (and other crafts). I've been trying to get him to work on a software project or community service project that solves a real world problem.

He'd rather use his time to do unstructured stuff - to experiment and explore.

I guess he won major points with this "boredom leads to creativity" video.

The bros dancing at their cousin's wedding ♥️

Carol singers went around our village this evening. Santa gave me candy 🍬 ☺️

Meanwhile in Goa - Please no laptop after 6:00pm. Live your fucking life, people.

Mornings like these ♥️

Every artist, every song talked about the end of colonialism, fascism and capitalist oppression. Rasta is about peace, love, brotherhood. And yet some Israelis whined about a woman wearing a Palestine flag.

An Odissi recital, against the setting sun, at inarguably the best sunset spot in Goa Velha.

And this is what the dancers behold as they perform

The Basilica of Bom Jesus and other gems of Goa Velha, the dancers, and the setting sun.

If there is an award for set design for concerts, then the team behind the Monte Music Festival truly deserves it. From between the artists, you can see the Church of St. Francis of Assisi. Up above you see the moon and what to me looks like Venus. Of course, much of the work was done 500 years ago. Goans knew fully well the scene they were creating from the Chapel of Our Lady of the Mount.

Foggy morning at the campsite

The gadariyas are back in our fields. Turning parali into goat poop. This time they're visiting from Karnataka.

Goa is a complicated place. Here you see boys and young men, spending time in the evening playing and practising music at a temple. From their build I can tell that they spend time at the gym too. One even had a very fancy motorbike.

I often get into arguments with young people who work at my office. I tell them that now is the opportunity for them to build a career. I'm used to the work culture in Bangalore, where young people stay back after office hours and learn. "You don't have to work; but there are all these resources available for you to learn and practice and become a better engineer". But no. They all have plans for the evening.

And I guess I'll never understand their plans. When Kavin plays the piano as part of carol singing at old age homes, I understand. When young people forego building a career to play music at a temple, I get it. But I also don't want to get it. I come from a world of single minded pursuits. It's a wonder how I made sure my own kids have well rounded personalities.

Holy roadside rock show batman

♥️

More train love

Morning views

Always a good day for a trek

I often go for a walk in the fields next to my home. Today I found these two dudes, just chilling in a tree.

In pursuit of peace

Viva São João

We celebrated Kavin's birthday on Sunday and forgot to talk about it.

Into the Ghats we went this morning. Chasing birds.

Hard to believe that this is also Siolim

I made a thing, and I'd like very much for you to see it. It's a new website, designed and coded from scratch. Part work necessity, but mostly a labour of nerdy love and passion. www.thinvent.in

Portals to magical places. In Quitula, Aldona, North Goa.

Bang in the middle of Panjim. And I somehow never noticed it. I should walk the city more often.