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Somewhere in a travel journal I had read that India offers many, many dimensions to a traveler (or is it tourist?) and it is unto the traveler to make what he wants of it. The same is true of any holiday. A holiday is precisely what you make of it. You can opt for lazy, somnolent relaxed days or active sensory rich experiences, passive observers from a car window or active involvement in a local bus, a gastronomical overload or a bread and butter blandness. As long as you enjoy it, who cares.
I have my own list of top five exotic Indian destinations. The list is a personal choice of favourite holidays enjoyed and places I dream of going someday. This is definitely not a listing of tourist attractions or monuments, rather impressions gained and dreams dreamt. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing about it.
GOA : Goa falls into my list of lands not visited, yet experienced vicariously through books, photographs and films. In my mind, Goa is always personified as a vagrant, gypsy girl, with swirling skirts, wild tousled hair and always ready to join in a song and dance. Its unpredictability and a bit of illicit fun always makes Goa seem more desirable. At one level, one is scared to visit Goa, which seems to be so over hyped that one wants to retain the illusion and not face the probable disappointing reality. However by all accounts, Goa has something to offer everyone and is rarely disappointing.
Goa is truly exotic. Being a Portuguese colony till late in the century it reeks of the Spanish – Portuguese attitude to work and life and an uninhibited, c’est la vive kind of spirit. It makes the rest of India’s laborious, thrifty attitude seem so archaic and boring. No wonder, most people want to keep visiting Goa again and again, to revel and revive themselves, shed their inhibitions and live totally in the present with no thought for tomorrow. No wonder, Goa is India’s favorite wild holiday destination, and the peak season of Oct- February is a never-ending party. Celebrity spotting; trance parties, beach markets, tattooing and Thai massages, beachfront shacks, a cosmopolitan mix of hi fashion and backpackers, Goa is bound to be a party on the edge. Rumors of a nudist island nearby fan Goa’s reputation as worldwide party destination. Be it Baga, Calanghut, Candolim, or Anjuna, Goa has plenty of touristy or untouched beaches depending on your inclination.
Goa has many other facets, apart from it’s holiday mood, superb seafood cuisine with plenty of coconut based gravies, irresistible seafood, feni the local heady brew, the wonderful architecture churches and villas Spanish style (many now converted to hotels), the small idyllic villages that one suddenly comes upon- the list goes on. Goa is a heady cocktail, an addictive drug that just makes you want to stay on forever. I end with my favorite story of a stout, Punjabi friend, working in the commercial world of advertising for four years, who gave it all up to set up a small shop in Goa. Today, Happily UnMarried, he still runs the same shop, enjoying life to its fullest.
KERALA: Take any random dipstick survey about exotic Indian places and chances are that Kerala will feature in the top 3, if not top the list as the most ethereal experience. That’s because Kerala is difficult to beat as a destination with both vagrant and virgin beaches, misty mountatinscapes, tusker sanctuaries, lush backwaters and bustling commercial cities. (Kerala just seems to inspire superlatives). If one wishes to see an imaginary equivalent of Kerala, perhaps walking through film version of Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book will give you a fair idea of its abundance and vitality (Thankfully the possibility of spotting Bagheera and Kaa are low, though you just might end up saying hello to the Haathi family). Plus additional attractions like the superb culinary experience, relaxing ayurvedic massages, yoga lessons, performing arts like Kalariyappayyta and Kathakali, Chinese fishing nets fluttering in the Arabian Ocean and the legendary boat races make Kerala so alluring that the gods must want to holiday here. After all, Keralites say that theirs is “God’s own country”
However for me, Kerala is really defined by 3 colors ~ green, black and white. Green is all around you especially as you move out of the cities. Dark, Light, verdant, variegated, luminous, dull bright, glistening one realizes the endless possibility of green as a shade. After many hours of traveling, the green landscape may become a little mind-numbing and you wish for some, just about any color to break the monotony even if it is the politically incorrect red or blue polythene bag carelessly thrown by the wayside. In fact, reading Arundhati Roy’s God of Small Things, a book about the Syrian Christian community in Kerala is also suffused with shades and hues of green, both physical and figurative. Black is the normal color tone of the famed Malayali people. A community blessed with black skin and even blacker hair. The hair has great importance for The Malyalis, women oiling their tresses regularly and men tending to their facial hair with great care. The moustache is the sign of virility amongst the Kerala men and no matter where he is in the world, the moustache goes with him. Lastly the pristine white. What a mix of Ebony and Ivory. Black Malyali men are always dressed in white. It is pure white, not beige, not gray, but a blinding detergent white color. Across the state, 90% of the men only wear white~ white shirts, white lungis, angvastrams are all white. Possibly in the humid weather, white acts as a cooler and keeps the wearer feeling clean and pure.
Kerala has something to offer any traveler, be it luxury or budget. Thekkady; Munnar; Kovalam; Kollum; Kanyakumari; Varkala, unraveling the whole of Kerala is turning the pages of a beautiful book, each page, eliciting oohs and aahs. However my all time favorite place in Kerala has got to be Alleppey, the back water paradise. Taking a ferry ride through those backwaters, a 10 rupee coconut water in hand, passing small village communities, smiling kids and busy housewives, gives you a sense of peace, serenity and the simplicity of life that you rarely find. It can make you feel like you have achieved Nirvana. The labyrinth of freshwater, often passing through a tunnel of swaying palms make this place so exotic that one has to pinch oneself to confirm reality. My secret dream is to hire the cane houseboats available for rent and spend 3-4 days just floating and getting lost in the maze. Well therby hangs another tale.
Memories I Carry of Kerala are many (and yours will be different I’m sure), all food cooked in coconut oil, the divine banana chips, massages on the beach, swaying palms and a feeling that God’s in his heaven and all is right with the world.
RAJASTHAN : India has moved so far beyond the imagery of a mystical land of maharajas, tigers, and snake charmers that it seems unfair to perpetuate the cliché. However Rajasthan is so rich and so truly out of a fabled movie set that even Indians can get intimidated by the majesty and valour of the royal state. If Kerala was about monochrome colors, Rajasthan resounds with colors. Not for Rajasthan, black and white, or a sophisticated pastel palette, the state sings and celebrates color vivid reds, magentas turquoise, oranges, greens and blues. Bold, Strong and Basic.
In Rajasthan, colour often has strong symbolism. The colored turbans are not just a visual delight but also a subtle symbol of the wearer’s clan,, caste and often village, Jodhpur is the blue city because the houses of the Brahmins were colored blue to distinguish them from the lower castes, a tradition carried on till date. There are many such stories in Rajasthan. In fact Rajasthan is a place meant for colour and romance because the land itself has so much romantic history attached to it. In Rajasthan wars were fought not for land, but for honor and for beautiful women. The beauty of its women was so legendary that no one could see them face to face, their reflection would be seen in a pool of water. This is where kings played chess with their servants dressed as pawns, maharanis played polo and drove Rolls Royce, and enormous Art Deco palaces were constructed to provide employment during famine. Rajasthan abounds with stories of valor, limitless chivalry and decadent luxury.
To get a glimpse into this lifestyle of decadent luxury, one needs to stay at the Heritage Properties. Across the state many of the princely hamlets- forts, castles; lodges, holiday homes have been converted into luxurious hotels and resorts. A stay in any of them is a glimpse of a forgotten world of chivalry, hospitality and king-sized lives. These hotels, including 14th century forts, palaces, and huge tents have been lovingly restored to create a feeling of hedonistic luxury and indulgence. Sitting on the ramparts for your morning tea, going for a tiger viewing on elephants, cheering a royal polo team to victory, all combine to make it an unforgettable experience.
The uniqueness of Rajasthan lies in the fact that it is a man made land. Other exotic holidays like Goa; Kerala etc are all naturally beautiful, God gifted locations, Rajasthan, a land of aridity, devoid of any natural greenery, prone to famines, went about creating its own fabled beauty. Rajasthan is all about forts, palaces, lakes, desert, and their likes. Jaisalmer, a beautiful golden mirage, a fort set in a desert is so unimaginably beautiful that one is mesmerized on seeing it. Shekhawati, an art gallery al fresco, where there are beautiful murals painted on the havelis or homes of the local people, Udaipur, the city of lakes is so picturesque with it’s Lake Place and innumerable lakes, that it has become favorite marriage destination, Sariska and Ranthabore, the royal hunting retreats, home to the erstwhile tiger, once the shikhar of so many maharajahs, Pushkar, the worlds largest camel fair, where the locals come from hundreds of miles to race and trade their cattle and camels, …… Rajasthan will always remain a land of romance and chivalry. Couldn’t resist putting this in- A very popular tourist T Shirt says tongue in cheek, depicting a camel with the tag line Rajasthan: A great place for a Hump.
HARIDWAR : A supremely pious city, Haridwar means the gates to enter heaven. Throughout Haridwar flow the sacred water of the Ganga and it has forever been every good Hindu’s wish to cleanse himself of his past sins by a dip into the pure, Ganga Maiyya (Mother Ganga as the river is popularly called). The cold water of the river, the bathing ghats alongside crowded with women clinging to each other as they immerse themselves in the water, kids bawling as they take their dip and daring young men venturing ahead to take a swim in the fast flowing river are all vignettes of this famous city.
Paradoxically, for the holy city, Haridwar (just like Varanasi or Benaras) is a very dirty city. It abounds in Indian populace and the ensuing mess that the populace carries in its wake. Polythene bags, mineral water bottles, squashed marigold flowers, wet, slimy newspapers, discarded chappals, biscuit wrappers and many of their ilk lie in huge masses making it impossible to even think of walking barefoot. Haridwar is a sociologist’s dream come true. Full of Indians from all parts of the country, a raucous, cacophonic bunch of uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces, grandparents, servants, talking in a multitude of languages, Haridwar is often like a family outing.
Amidst all this alive and vivid bunch of the living, Haridwar also has a more somber side. The last ashes of Hindus are meant to be flown into the Ganga and one finds many families there to submerge the ashes into the Ganga. The charm of Haridwar lies in seeing the Hindu Religion in its living form, a never-ending cycle of life and death. The exotica lies in the matted lock sadhus begging for alms, the many tiny mandirs dotting the ghats, the astrologer and future foreteller extolling their prediction abilities, promising you marriage, sons, a trip abroad, worldly success and all your worldly desires., the amazing sight of a conservative society changing clothes in full view, the little roadside trinkets available – bindis, bangles, toys, false moustaches and beards for kids, saffron scarfs and tops, jerry cans to carry Ganga jal, the supposedly unhygienic foods, which most of us just keep gorging on, the exotica lies in seeing the middle class India on a pilgrimage holiday.
However do not think Haridwar is just a mini India. a little distance up or down the river, away from the main bathing ghats, one can experience the spirituality of the land. Silent and deep flows the river, and you breathe in the tranquility and serenity, which comes from sitting by it. Across the shore lies a deep forest where you fancifully imagine sadhus doing great penance and achieving supernatural powers, while you sit and introspect about how futile the chase for materialism and worldly success is. For its hustle bustle, there is a genuine spirituality to the land and few minutes spent in solitude bring it alive.
Haridwar truly comes into its own at the twilight, the magic hour between daylight and nighttime when it is time for the daily aarti (a ritual involving sacred fire that is circled around Gods’ images). A flaming blaze of an aarti done by the pandits to the chanting of the evening prayers at the riverbank is an awe-inspiring sight. At the end of the aarti, one suddenly sees the river alight with thousands of wishes. The wishes are represented by small baskets made of leaves, filed with marigold flowers and a small-lit lamp nestling within. The hundreds of pilgrims, place the baskets in the river, and give their wishes a gentle push to flow down with the river. The Ganga is lit with hundreds of these baskets and looks unbearably beautiful. It is a magical moment, that can only be experienced if one is actually there. Haridwar: spirituality and worldliness at it’s best
LADAKH : Every time I Think of Ladakh, I close my eyes and hear the Buddhist flags fluttering in the crisp, cold wind. Only when one has been to a Buddhist retreat, can one hear and recognize the distinctive thad thad sound. This sound is enough to transport me to the northern most tip of the country, Ladakh, a sparsely populated land full of monasteries and bursting with the elemental force of nature. 'La' is the Ladakh word for 'mountain pass', and 'dakh' the approximate word for 'many'- the Land of Many Passes. Tucked away in the northernmost state of India, Ladakh is a high-altitude desert, startlingly different from the rest of India- and beautiful beyond compare. There is one experience the adventurous can consider-Riding to the world's highest motorable road Khardung La (18,380 feet) on a motorcycle. Ladakh is a place for trekking, climbing, rafting, cultural tours, safaris, exploring some of the most unknown regions of the world, and looking at the world from a completely different perspective.
Unlike Haridwar, where religion is more overt, Ladakh inspires spirituality; one cannot go back untouched from this land. It makes you feel small and insignificant against the vast panorama of space and time that unfolds before our eyes. If you fly from Delhi, you discern, hidden in this bewildering corridor of immensity, some green patches, some clusters of life. They seem to have been placed near young and powerful rivers, the Shayok, Siachen, Zanskar and Indus, to contrast harmoniously with the austere magnificence of the Ladakhi landscapes. Getting off at Leh, the capital, stretching out its human canvas between the Indus and the mountains, or while crossing Zoji La on the road from Srinagar, the traveller is struck by the altitude combined with the absolute purity of the air, the mountains of varied colors, seeming to be covered with a sheet of steel, cut through an intense blue. Leh opens up a world, before which one has to relearn how to see with the large wide-eyed gaze of a wonderstruck child. The natural splendor of the mountains is the biggest draw for most tourists.
However, the other facet of Ladakh is as one last bastions of practicing Buddhists in India. While the Buddhism tradition has practically disappeared in India, Ladakh continues with ancient practices and artistic traditions dating back to over a thousand years. Nestling in isolation between the Karakorams and the Himalayas, the Ladakhi monasteries, the Gompas, are excellent examples of Tibetan architecture and they contain gems of a school having multiple but dry roots. The gompas are made up of several rectangular buildings, with flat roofs. These structures possess a strength mixed with dignity, a form of respect for nature. Monasteries abound in Ladakh-Tikse, Lamayu, Shey-all fortress like, placed at peaks looking down into the valleys and are of great architectural interest.
Ladakh has much to offer you, if one is prepared to accept the offering- a life that goes back to the basics, and possibly refreshes and cleanses you of all your past baggage, if you so desire. Amidst that formidable and splendid landscape, you find many Indians and foreigners who find the wilderness so spiritually addictive that a visit to Ladakh is like their annual pilgrimage, a time to recharge their batteries, get back to the basics, and of course to hear the fluttering flags.
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The Writer, on herself....
Described variously as the laziest Brontosaurus, the scatter brained Phoebe (of Friends fame) an agony aunt, and my husband’s wife, I like to go through life donning different hats and caps. Born in a conventional Punjabi family, I have been blessed with a mother, a father, a brother, 2 dogs, a husband and some extended family (in no particular order of importance). A pucca Delhi person, I thrive on spicy Indian food, roadside bargain hunting, political reading and bad driving skills.
8 years ago, I traveled to a remote, inaccessible village near Ahmedabad to learn the basics of advertising and communication (MICA) and thus entered the haloed field of advertising with O&M, Bangalore. In a career spanning 6 years, spread over 3 agencies and 2 cities I consistently proved my total inability to perform my job. Thus I am currently lotus eating at home (occasionally exerting the gray cells for some consulting work) and getting my tarot cards read to understand the divine purpose of my life
A lifelong Wodehouse fan, bitten with the travel bug, I remain addicted to the written word. I listen to Bob Dylan, Abida Parveen and Lata Mangshkar in my spare time. I love giving advice but seldom take any. Sleeping and snacking are my lifelong loves
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