The Taj Mahal and Humayun's Tomb - a tale of two monuments.

If you have been to India, you have probably seen the Taj Mahal, one of the wonders of the world and the ultimate monument to love. Built in white marble and one of the most beautiful buildings in the world, the Taj was built by the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan in memory of his wife, Mumtaz. The building was completed in 1653 and stands 73 meters tall on the bank of the river Yamuna.

But if you travel upstream to Delhi, you will find another monument which has remarkable similarities to the Taj. Humayun's tomb stands proudly in the middle of India's capital city, not far from the same river. Humayun was the second Mughal emperor and his tomb was completed in 1572. It is 47 meters tall and is built in red sandstone and white marble.

So if you are unable to make a trip to Agra this time or want to visit only when you come with your wife or husband, take a trip to Humayun's tomb before you head for the airport!

#Tajmahal #Humayun #Agra #India 

Romantic Venice - celebrating life

We boarded Trenitalia from Milan on our way to Venice. Seated across us were an old and frail looking Australian couple who were coming back after twenty years. That kind of set the standard on how romantic Venice can be. And we hadn't even gotten there yet!

The rest of it was a lesson on how to celebrate life. Think about a city that started sinking even before global warming set in. Venetians have not only learnt how to cope with it but actually serenade it as their unique way of life. And the whole world comes to join in this celebration everyday.

The city is so old that there are no historical records of its founding. And old it looks. Parts of it are almost falling apart while the rest of it is struggling to stay upright. But the older it gets, the dearer it becomes and looks all the prettier for it. Although we were visiting for the first time, we felt that we had known this city for a long long time. We would love to go back in another twenty years.

#holiday #travel #photography #wanderlust #romantic #destination

The Hudson Theatre, New York - Magical Broadway

This iconic theatre was built by Henry B. Harris, a Broadway producer and opened in 1903. Harris died in 1912 when he sank with the Titanic during its ill fated voyage. It has survived 18 different owners since then including CBS and NBC and was twice almost demolished to make room for parking complexes but miraculously survived.

The Hudson Theatre has seen many momentous occasions during its more than hundred year history and even today seeps the rich heritage of New York's art and culture. The talk show format was invented here when in 1954 the original Tonight Show started with Steve Allen. Barbara Streisand started her career here and many other celebrities such as Elvis Presley have performed here.

My trip to New York could not have been completed without an evening spent at the Hudson Theatre and was the perfect way for me to time travel through New York's rich cultural history.

#hudsontheatre #broadway #NYart #NYculture #NYheritage #indranilgoswami

Fishing in the Indian Himalayas - Manali

The glacial and rain fed rivers of the Indian Himalayas offer many opportunities for game fishing. Although I am not new to these mountains, like most people I tend to think of the usual destinations when planning my holidays. This new sport compelled me to approach the subject in a different way. For example, I have been to Jim Corbett National Park a few times and this destination is usually associated with wildlife safaris. But I never knew that the Ramganga river outside the park offered some of the richest opportunities for fishing Mahseer. Similarly, Manali is usually associated with what can be expected of a typical hill station. But the Beas offers excellent opportunities for fishing Trout.

This April I went on a driving holiday to Manali and decided to try my luck at trout fishing on the Beas. The weather was quite pleasant with plenty of fresh snow on the higher slopes. The roads were quite well maintained and traffic not very heavy as the school vacations had not yet started.

I purchased some basic equipment from the local adventure gear shop run by Mr. Rajinder Paul (http://visitmanali.com/trekshop/). Mr. Paul is a very knowledgeable and helpful person and a trip to his shop is highly recommended for anyone planning adventure activities around Manali. If not anything else, you are likely to bump into an endless stream of enthusiastic adventurers who are his ardent admirers. He was happy to give me a crash course into the basics of fishing and suggested that I should purchase a fishing permit from the nearby Kunzum hotel.

Armed with my permit and newly acquired gear, I hit the road the following morning on my 4x4 vehicle. There are many fishing spots on the Beas between Kullu and Manali and it is a very comfortable day trip with plenty of time and opportunities for stopping over for lunch and sightseeing, especially for people passionate about nature and landscape photography. I drove downstream from Manali on the opposite bank of the river through Nagar, crossed over to the other side just before Kullu before returning back to Manali in the evening. The road on the opposite side is narrower and more scenic but the river is closer to the road on the side of the main highway that goes to Manali.

Fishing is a highly evolved sport with passionate following among its enthusiasts. But for a novice like me, the biggest attraction is the opportunity to be close to nature and the fact that it needs very little equipment or preparation. Not only is it a relaxing pastime, a little study and practice can add a rather addictive dimension to this sport. Experts tell me that this addiction grows steadily with time and unlike most other sports, can be practiced by people of all age groups.

#manali #beas #fishing #4x4 #himalayas #mahseer #trout #adventure #gear #photography #indranilgoswami

How to choose a good pair of binoculars

One of the most essential adventure gear to carry on a wildlife safari is a pair of binoculars. I strongly recommend that you invest in a good quality instrument or not at all. Essentially there are two parameters one needs to keep in mind, magnification and the diameter of the main lens. I use a Vanguard 10x42 instrument. This means that the magnification is 10x and the diameter of the lens is 42mm and is ideal for wildlife including birdwatching.

A higher magnification means that objects appear closer. You may be tempted to think that the larger device, the better but this is not necessarily true. Larger devices are cumbersome to carry and use up space in your backpack.10x is a good magnification to choose because anything higher than that is not suitable for handheld use. Subjects will be difficult to locate because of the narrow field of view and there will be excessive hand shake.

A larger lens diameter however means more light enters and therefore visibility is better under low light conditions. Often the best time to spot wildlife is early morning or late evening when they are more active. You will be amazed to see how a larger lens improves image quality under such circumstances. Choose a lens diameter greater than 40mm if you intend to use it outdoors for wildlife.

Another important feature is "eye relief" and is especially important if you are wearing spectacles. In case you wear spectacles and you want to share the device with your partner who does not, the eye relief setting can be adjusted so that the lens of the eye piece is always at the right distance fro the eye.

"Dioptre adjustment" allows the instrument to compensate for small differences between your eyes and can be quite handy for most people.

It is a good idea to buy a waterproof instrument with a robust body as it will be used outdoors, sometimes under adverse weather conditions. Make sure your device is not too large or heavy because it may not be comfortable to wear around your neck for long durations.

#geartalk #binoculars #adventure #wildlife #safari #indranilgoswami

Barcelona - sights and sounds

One of the ten most visited cities on earth, dating before Christ and a curious mixture of the ancient and the modern, Barcelona is unique. Oozing art, culture, history and signature architecture from every street corner and sporting a warm Mediterranean spirit, this city can leave you spell bound. Barcelona paints a canvass so wide that you can simultaneously experience Gaudi and Picasso as well as the street artists on la rambla. There is something in Barcelona for everyone, from people who savour culture through street music or food to those who practice a religion called football.

I still remember the opening ceremony of the 1992 Olympics when Antonio Rebollo shot a flaming arrow to light the Olympic cauldron, a brave thing to attempt but Barceloninas have always expressed themselves boldly. The statue of Columbus reminds us that after his first trip to the new world, he came to Barcelona to report to his king. And the statue shows Columbus pointing to the sea, urging his countrymen that their future lay out there. 

The rest was of course history as they went out to explore and conquer the world. But today, the world comes to Barcelona as if in a full circle in admiration of their exploits in art, culture and sport. 

CLICK HYPERLINK FOR: Street music of Barcelona

#barcelona #streetmusic #gaudi #picasso #rambla #indranilgoswami

Reminiscences of Jaipur - a day in the life of a royal city.

It was a hot summer day in Jaipur, also known as the pink city of India. Visitors as well as locals were either hugging the shadows of the thick palace walls or had retreated into its cooler interiors. We had arrived after a four and a half hour drive from Delhi and our first stop was the historical fort of Amer.

 Jaipur was earlier the capital of the kingdom of Amer and is currently the capital of the state of Rajasthan in western India. Although a large city with a bustling economy, many ordinary citizens still depend upon tourism for their livelihood. A city of many forts and palaces, Jaipur is crowded, noisy and chaotic at the best of times but a photographer's paradise. Walking down the streets can seem intimidating at first but one feels quickly consumed in the hustle and bustle of this friendly city. 

The kings of Amer had encouraged arts and crafts in their time and even today many families of artisans are still keeping alive this heritage as family tradition and livelihood. These are the sights and sounds that remain on top of mind and typify this colorful capital of the desert state of Rajasthan.

#jaipur #rajasthan #amer #indranilgoswami