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Gulikan Theyyam
This was the only Theyyam that did not have the traditional colours of red, orange and black, but was covered in white, almost the colour of ash. Stripes of black lines ran through his bare body and he wore a waist adornment made of nimble palm strands. His eyes were covered in patches of black…
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Kandanar Kelan Theyyam
This was my 1st brush of the Theyyam performance in the dead of the night, which included spectacular dance rituals around and within leaping flames of fire. This is one of the most famous and sought-after performances and for good measure. After an elaborate dance on the legend of the deity and depicting its fury…
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Theyyams: A Dance Divine
The December air is sticky with perspiration, as mosquitoes buzz around and fly into our faces, like little drunks who have lost the way, in the thick vegetation on either side of the narrow mud road we are traversing on. A numb thumping of the drums in the distance breaks through the 2 a.m. darkness…
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The White Desert: Great Rann of Kutch
I remember reading about the term “mirage” as a child in school and always imagined it to be a magical thing. As our bus trudged on the soft part-sand-part-mud path, outside the window a thin white line started appearing on the horizon. The nearer we approached the brighter and broader the line became. Settlements on…
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Kolkata Chronicles
I have called this city a partial home, where most of my vacation days were spent as a child. Visiting here after two decades brought back memories that I wanted to capture before they were lost to time, as the place undergoes drastic changes yet retains the essence of what my childhood felt like.
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Faces of Kutch
Against the stark barrenness of the white desert, there live numerous colourful faces and each has a story to tell. Here are some of them who walked a while with me on this journey and left an impression on my soul, through theirs. The Tanpura Singer Deva Bhai sat under a shaded canopy, surrounded by…
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A Glimpse Of Love
“If you ever write about this, name it The Search For A Perfect Thangka,” says Norbu, my guide, and displays his pearly whites in a smile. “Very funny, but I will consider it,” I respond, “and you can be my editor for the article!” After driving me around for almost two hours in a near-deserted…
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A Rustic Akhara
In a bylane of Banaras, we went to witness the age-old tradition that is still kept alive in these parts of the country – an akhara. The traditional wrestling format imbibes the spirit of guru-shishya traditions. In the early hours of the morning, seeing these athletes in action was an experience like never before.
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Dev Diwali
Varanasi celebrates Dev Diwali – Diwali of the Gods, which takes place 15 days after the usual Diwali festival on the full moon day. Morning sees the devotees swarm the riverbank to take a dip in the holy river and as the sun sets, the ghats are lit up with a million tiny lamps to honour the…
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Postcards From Varanasi
Kashi, or Varanasi/Banaras as it is known today, is the oldest continually inhabited city in the world. The history of the place is writ amongst its charming ghats to its maze-like by-lanes. Life here is bodacious, vivid and gives you a sense as old as time itself. The Ghats This place is an important site…