2023

What a lovely voice

दिल ढूंढता है
फिर वही
फुरसत के रात दिन

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।

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

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

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.

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

#Sunrise in #Gokarna

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

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

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

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.

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

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

#waterlily #frog #jungledance

Portraits of #birds in their #natural #habitat in #Dhanaulti, just the way I found them, without any filters or cropping.

Somewhere in #Dhanolti. Some time this summer.

The bird is some kind of thrush, I think. Can you help me identify it?

#dhanaulti

#Goa nights. Chaotic and fun.

Reminds me of Park City, the only phoren hill station I've been to.

#Milky #River #Water

#Kamal kamal kamal! कमल पर मोहर लगाएँ।

भोर भई

What goes into a well made cup of #kahwa

Accomplished

Because his grandfather swam here too.

Gotta love pics with progression. #lake #flowerman #mountain #sky. And in the center, the chaos of the #city, too far to notice.

Can't have enough of these beautiful homes

These peanuts or potatoes, whatever you wanna call them. Sticking out of the ground, a hybrid between a geodesic dome and a hangar. A structural engineer's dream come true.

Up close they're just mud and wood. And nothing else. A thin sheet of tarp on the roof; the rest is biodegradable.

Hurriedly taken pics of milky white water

You'd be tempted to call them Hobbit houses, except they likely predate Tolkien's imagination by hundreds of years.

This is a random pic with a lot wrong with it. But I'm posting it anyway because kid took it and I never seem to post pics of myself.

This man's great grandfather was born in Pakistan. So was mine. He makes kahwa; I make computers. But judging from our bellies, we are both equally prosperous.

Is this the Russet #Sparrow? Seeing sparrows after so long; I don't see them in the cities any more at all.

The Scaly #Thrush . Now that's a #bird I didn't even know existed.

The #Himalayan #Bulbul, बुलबुल

And here we have an Indian Grey #Hornbill #pair.

Wait patiently as this #bird slowly reveals itself to you. The Indian Gray #Hornbill. I don't know why some people find it an ugly bird. I don't. Do you?

Good old White-throated #Kingfisher. Travel all the way to #Rishikesh but find the same old Kingfisher that I see in the cities also. So many Kingfishers in India (https://www.natureinfocus.in/animals/get-to-know-india-s-kingfishers) but all I get is this fellow.

So many #Baya #Weaver #nests. #Birds of #Fagsi.

The #Baya #Weaver #weaves its #nest. #Birds of #Fagsi.

I don't like how Insta crops my pics.

#Baya Weaver, बाया, सोन चिड़ी. #Birds of #Fagsi.

An Indian Yellow Tit performing an electrical inspection in the #evening light.

And an Indian White Eye observing the Tit with consternation, from a safe distance.

The White Eye has a name in almost every Indian language: https://maghaa.com/indian-white-eye/

The Rufous Sibia, spotted this rainy morning in #Dhanolti. #Rufous means #बादीमी in #हिंदी। It is a #bird of the lower #Himalayas.

Must there be a cable running through every beautiful pic of the #mountains and #clouds ?

A lot going on in this pic. #Trees, a #cityscape, #mountains,#clouds and #fog. Even #monkeys, if you zoom in and hunt (not sure if Meta retains enough resolution for that).

It's all just #forest and this #abutment.

Or at least I can frame things that way 😁

Insta insists on cropping the sky out of this pic. Sigh.

And here, #hidden in the #foliage, lies the other end of the #bridge

The old #bridge spanned this #river. The river somehow has no name; it just meets the #Ganga at Phool Chatti

The new framing the old. Where somehow the old is better maintained and more elegant than the new.

Spectacular #sunset scenes like this one are a bonus

...and away from the #chaos of the #city.

Birding brings me close to #nature...

आज सुबह की photos की खेती

#Peaches, #apricots and #apples. And #fog. So much #fog. Or are they just #clouds?

Don't go into the #mountains in the #monsoons, they said. We've been driving through #clouds and the #rain for hours now. Wonderful #roads so far.

Fun Intended is the band name. In free fun events, Bangalore isn't behind Goa or San Francisco!

Oh, #Bangalore. For five days the traffic and chaos f*** with you. On the sixth day, the city soothes you back to life.

Or, perhaps, Marathahalli and Vasanth Nagar are chalk and cheese.

The king. Chilling brightly in the middle of Cunningham Road.

The guards smiled as I took the pic. He has a fan club 😁

More #cloud #paintings, as night falls over the #japanesegarden in #Vasco. Is that #Grande in the distance, or #Pequeno?

#Clouds #painting the #sky last evening. View from #Baina beach, looking out towards #Pequeno and #Grande islands.

So apparently I was out #birding two years ago, in #Pangot. Chasing angry wet #birds

We got to meet up with the skater girl. And watch her in action! And participate. Woo hoo.

When you buy gifts for your friends, and they love them and use them ❤️

For too long I've shown up at people's homes, eaten their food, drank their wine, and then promptly gone to sleep on their couch. Someone finally gathered evidence.

Some not so drunken dancing

A lovely evening spent catching up with old friends.

More magic from #Alvekodi

#Karnataka #incredibleindia #clouds #sea

I don't think we've ever experienced anything quite like the #Alvekodi #Sea Walk.

#Karnataka #incredibleindia #clouds

#Maravanthe is the opposite of #BabaBudanGiri. It looks better in pictures than when you're actually there.

#Karnataka #nature #indiaclicks

Being #blue at the #Alvekodi Sea Walk.

#sea #Karnataka #Ambedkar #clouds

#Maravanthe was a bit of a let down. I suppose it's the kind of place that only looks glorious in drone pics.

#Karnataka #India #indiaclicks #incredibleindia

So many big #fish in the #Tunga river.

#Karnataka #nature

Baba Budan Giri. Pictures cannot capture the beauty of this place.

#nature #Karnataka #naturephotography #india

The view from #Sravanabelagola.

You can almost see the curvature of the earth 😳

#clouds #Karnataka #panorama

So, the kids went to the OG Amoeba on Church Street today

(Warning: noisy)

The kids will #camp with friends in our #tent, while I occupy this cosy #farmhouse

I've been unwell for some time and unable to work. So we stepped out tonight for a change in scenery and some fresh(er) air. Spending the night #camping at an #arecanut #farm.

The Southern Plains Grey #Langurs also took full advantage of the foliage in the forests of #Dandeli to hide.

#nature #naturephotography #wildlifephotography #wildlife #indiaclicks

The other fascinating creature in the hills of #Dandeli is the #Malabar Giant #Squirrel or shekaru. This cute and majestic animal lives high up on tall trees. It's bushy tale is a sight to behold as it scurried from one place to another.

#nature #naturephotography #wildlife #wildlifephotography

This pair of Malabar Hornbills was way up in the trees, well hidden. And it was a cloudy morning. Hence I've had to do some post to bring out the details of the pics.

#birdsofindia #birds #Dandeli #Goa #nature #naturephotography

In January we went camping in Dandeli. There we met the Grey Malabar Hornbill, a.k.a. dhanesh, gobre vaayre or kaldal hakki.

#birds #goa #Dandeli #birdsofindia #nature #naturephotography

This tube was destroyed by the kids within minutes of this pic being taken. Fun times :-D

Throwback to when we went camping by the Terekhol river.

A sea eagle story. In four parts.

Yeh mile the hamein, kabhi. Abhi camera mein se nikala.

आप दिल्ली आएं, बारिश हो जाए, और आप Zorba में हों। और क्या चाहिए?

Throwback to our caravaning+camping trip to Himachal four years ago.

They're having a prom!

(No, they haven't finished school yet.)

His favourite part of the Prom

Something about this gesture, of a senior student encouraging a junior through the finale performance of Imagine...

Kavin made his big screen debut today, in a ̶h̶o̶m̶e̶ school video.

The part where Nilay appeared was too hilarious for me to be able to record.

The big boy is in the red hat at the back

Somebody cleaned up nice today

More dancing at the annual day

La day annuel

Interesting music today at Baba Au Rhum. I actually worked and finished writing a technical document in this environment.

The obsessive father in me: oh yeah my kid is also learning the piano; it is only a matter of time before...

@rochelledsilvapoet doing @rochelledsilvapoet things. Waxing eloquently about her love for Goa.

It you've heard of the stereotype "Goans just need an excuse to party", I assure you that it's entirely true. I think we're just celebrating that Easter is over and all the bleeding tourists should have left by now.

The lady in the pics in Lorna. I have been properly chastised today for not knowing that in Goa, Lorna isn't just a singer or entertainer. She is an institution.

आज गोवा में हिंदी नाटक देखने का सौभाग्य प्राप्त हुआ। जामुन का पेड़, कलाकार मंदार जोग। शानदार प्रदर्शन।

Last night I encountered these two at a bar. They were having the time of their life. Both of them was so happy doing their thing, that it didn't really matter what music they were performing.

Music in Goa is the gift that keeps on giving. Today we are at the Institute Menezes, as the famous pianist Karl Lutchmayer lectures and performs.

There were two things that I realised during the concert. The first was that composers are handicapped by the mechanical limitations of the piano hardware. They are also limited by the ten fingers, two feet, and dexterity of the human form. All fingers are not equal, and the two hands have trouble doing completely independent things. Orchestras have there limitations too, and two pianists in tandem do not make twenty fingers.

So it was today that I truly realised the importance of synthesisers. I always thought that synthesizers are about sounds that natural instruments cannot produce. But a simple MIDI file can produce music that a human pianist never can.

The second thing I realised was the importance of buying local. The younger one, who accompanied me today, was in the market for a (digital) piano last month. He cycled down to Furtados, Goa's go-to musical instruments store, and figured out what he needed. Thereafter, me being the miser that I am, proceeded to hunt all over the Internet and Gurgaon for a cheaper source. While deferring the decision to me, Kavin patiently pointed out that a local store means immediate delivery, checking the piece before purchase, and local support and warranty. We did eventually buy from Furtados, but only because the price difference outside was <5%.

What I hadn't factored in is that buying from a local store is like investing in the local music scene. Furtados sponsored this piano and the performance today. Kavin is there practically every week to buy Trinity papers and other things. And it has perhaps helped build quite a bit of the local music scene that we so enjoy.

आज दूसरों के बच्चों को झाड़ पर चढ़ाया

Last night I heard Gaudi, an Italian DJ who performs dub and reggae, play the theremin and many other instruments. I've never heard the theremin performed live. It was something else.

Goa has been hosting such amazing concerts and I've been sitting at home 🤦🏽‍♂️

Is this normal - playing two different instruments with two hands on two keys - or are we witnessing something freakishly awesome? Oh, and we're here at Mojigao for some time, if you'd care to join us.

गए तो थे हम सुबह सुबह बत्तख देखने। मगर बत्तख हमें देख कर भाग गईं तो हम भी कमल देखकर लौट आए।

An orange moon rises over a red tiled roof.

M2 slept in late. M1 sat in a boat and looked fashionable while studying. Sephi cooked. The kids played games. I chased birds.

Everyone did their thing on a beautiful Sunday morning.

@sephibergerson 's lovely family invited us over and fed us yummy fresh cooked #food.

I finally found people in India who have more camping gear than me. My tribe 😁

Over the weekend we went #camping in #Maharashtra, by the #Terekhol river.

I wish I'd taken a nicer picture of the beautiful river and the fresh, cool water.

We leave you tonight, with what seems like the depiction of a tourist photographing a Goenkar who has had too much to drink and is now have a siesta on their Balcao. There can be nothing more Goan than this.

The dragon fellow was there too

When at the carnival, do as the locals do.

It was at this point, that Nilay decided to leave us, and be one with the Talegaon Boys' Club and their float

There were entertainers of all hues

Groot was there, for some reason

Some scantily clad men were seen promoting the virtues of coconut oil. Women were having a field day photographing this guy's naked butt.

I really liked this float promoting vocational education at the school level

This Gomes is a goner. He had a Mardi Gra-esque party going on outside his bar, with drunk ladies attracting a lot of attention... till the cops got attracted too.

This lady was at it all day, grinding away on her float

Some intense octopus sea life murder thing guy

So was the fresh produce guy

The junk food guy was there.

The random things that make a parade fun

Popularity is guaranteed if you're gonna chuck free onions and dried fish at people.

The flower girls look happier in person

King Momo surrounded by beauties

And so begins the Goa Carnival 2023

The customs guys being the little shits that they are, they've put this board up at the entrance of Betul Fort, which is the only fort built by Shivaji in Goa. When the Portugese clawed this fort from the Marathas, they turned it into a customs office. When India clawed Goa from the 'gese, we merrily handed over the fort to our customs department instead of the ASI. Now this fantastic piece of heritage is literally crumbling, and has no functional office or any customs presence beyond this board. Why oh why do the military, customs and what not continue to squat over our cultural heritage instead of handing them to the public or the ASI. Infuriating.

The view from Betul Fort is hard to describe. Something else altogether. Must go back there soon.

M2 contemplates the lake one last time before we leave. Good times were had. Memories were made.

The elder one dialed things up a couple of notches and took the dinghy out into the sea. The island was too rocky and he couldn't find a place to tether his boat, so he came back. He saw lots of big red and yellow crabs on the island.

#boat #sea #island #rowing #karwar #karnataka

Absolutely fabulous custom vehicle made in Bhilwara, Rajasthan and operating in Karwar, Karnataka. It isn't a modification of an existing vehicle; it's completely built from scratch. It has leaf spring suspensions, rear differential, and a gear box. The motive force is also used to operate the sugarcane crusher. Lots of carefully designed storage space. The owner keeps it very clean and is very proud of it too.

#custom #customs #travel #innovation

This pic turned out rather nice

#boating #boat #lagoon #karwar #karnataka

More boating. This time with towing.

#boat #boating #karwar #karnataka #camping

Camping under trees and the stars.

The campsite came with a swing and a hammock.

#camping #swing #hammock #trees

Boaty time

M1. Boating. With a headlight. On an inflatable boat we picked up five years ago and never got to use. Till today. Big day ha ha.

#boating #boat #karwar #majali #karnataka

There is a bird sitting on top of that tree. It's been there for a long time. I wonder if it is fishing, or just contemplating life.

#caboderama #goa #tree #sea #bird #nature

Fishing boats look rather romantic from a distance

#fishing #boat #sea #rocks #caboderama #goa #trees

The view from Cabo de Rama fort is something else.

#caboderama #cola #canacona #fort #goa #travel #sea

You ever think who's gonna sing us #rockandroll when all the older folks die? No, you only think about how boomers are ruining politics.

#arambol #goa #live #music #band

Is it just me, or is this band really really good?

The sounds of the forest and birds and the river.

#Forest #sounds from the #river

We look happy, but some of us are cold and sleepy

Early morning #murmuration of #birds over the #Tungabhadra

Lots and lots of birdies in a tree

#early #morning #boat #rides be like...

What do you call this? When it's early in the morning and the moon is setting. Is it a moonset?

Halp. My knuckles are white from climbing.

Climbing and falling and jumping. That's all they do all day.

When in Langur country, do as the langurs do. The boys got proper training in #bouldering. Cool stuff.

The day began with a very nice #coracle #boat ride that was ruined in the end by the boatman insisting on giving us a spin in spite of my protests.

Today was a day of many adventures. Here you can see Nilay taking my comment "go jump off a cliff" rather literally.

Why my child is like this?

The #moon rises from behind the #rocks that the boys went #bouldering on

I could take a million pictures, and they wouldn't do justice to the beauty of the place. People come and seek divinity in the temples here. But the real peace is in the nature - the rocks, fields, birds and animals.

Spot the #langur chilling out in the #paddy #fields, as the #sun sets over the #Tungabhadra in the background

Far away view of our #campsite in #Hampi

A far away view of our #campsite in #Hampi

#सागवान के #जंगल के #जाले

#cobwebs in the #teak #tree #forest adjoining our #campsite

Barbequeing seems like such an inordinate amount of effort. And yet being out in the hills, under the open sky, with a chill in the air, it's all so therapeutic.

Smoked barbecue. Made by smoked children.

I really have no good answer for why we didn't go camping or caravaning for more than an year.

After what seems like an eternity, we are back at it again.

New year fireworks 🎇

The new Zuari bridge. From far, far away.

Our rooftop. 30th night. Some new friends, some old. An evening well done.

We got invited to a boat party on Christmas eve