The Black-necked Cranes of Zemithang Valley
The winter Sun is sparkling,Nyamjang Chu too cold to touch.In a valley surrounded by sea buckthorn and snowy mountainsLand the pair of red crowned birds. Nyamjang Chu in Tawang originating from Tibet and being fed by high altitude lakes and many Himalayan springs, splits the Pangchen valley. Pangchen, meaning ‘the land who gave up the […]
Flavours to savour in Meghalaya
The Khasi, Garo and Jaintia communities have their own culinary specialties. Here are eight recommendations Meghalaya – the abode of the clouds – comprises three main ethnic communities, namely, Khasi, Garo and Jaintia, with each tribe boasting their own unique cultural and culinary traditions. Meats such as pork, beef and chicken as well as preserved […]
Glimpses of the Kanchenjunga
Third highest peak in the world. It rises 8,586 m (28,169 ft) in a section called Kangchenjunga Himal of the Himalayan range and three of the main peaks lie in the border of India and Nepal. The first man and woman were created from the snow of its icy summit. Two British mountaineers, Joe Brown […]
A home for the holidays
As any seasoned traveller will tell you, the best way to experience the indigenous flavour of a place is to live like a local. One way to do that is to choose a homestay over a hotel or resort. For one, you’ll become part of your host’s family for the duration of your stay. This […]
COINING GLORY
Finds of and research in Ahom coins have revealed fascinating details of Ahom heritage. “If the sun is once eclipsed, does it not make its appearance again?” was the maxim of the legendary Ahom dynasty that ruled Assam for almost six centuries (1228-1826), holding its own and even keeping the mighty Mughals at bay. A […]
A Portrait of a Market in India Run Solely by Women
At the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, with travel restrictions in place worldwide, welaunched a new series — The World Through a Lens — in which photojournalists helptransport you, virtually, to some of our planet’s most beautiful and intriguing places. Thisweek, Trishna Mohanty shares a collection of images from Imphal, the capital city ofManipur. Barely […]
Travel Memories – Eating in the Northeast
A photo journal from a trip to Assam and the Tura hills of Meghalaya in November 2019. Day 1 We began by exploring the markets of Guwahati. The reason the produce (elephant apples, Indian ‘olives’, and banana varieties) looks so good is because most come fresh from the farms right across the river. Then as […]
OH, THE LOVE OF FOOD – EXPLORE THE REGION THROUGH THESE RECIPES
When it’s time to travel to a new destination the eager anticipation to try novel activities and cuisines is for me one of the most wonderful things in life. A market visit to visually feast over the local vegetables, flowers, sample the indigenous fruits and meals in little eateries are definite features in most of […]
FROM THE PLANTER’S TABLE – COLONIAL CUISINE OF ASSAM
The gorgeous painting ( cover image ) was done by the artist, Dr. Sanjeev Handique as a little boy in 1979 of a bungalow in Digboi. Both he and Kashmiri Nath, who has contributed the article and photographs grew up in this quaint charming old town in Tinsukia district of Assam. When Assamese Cuisine is mentioned […]
River travel to the Sunderbans
This account of a river cruise to the Sunderbans, West Bengal in February 2020 by our guest Arvind Palaniappan is so nostalgic about a time when terms like pandemic, new normal or cyclone Amphan were not a part of our vocabulary. As I read on its hard to believe we had done this trip just […]