The gushing water frills and forks its way through precipitous ravines as far as the eyes can see. On the other side, the sleepy town of McLeod Ganj unfurls with its typical Buddhist serenity halfway to the horizon. In between these two are a bunch of rocks that are holding me from sliding towards the Bhagsunath Falls. Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh had become crowded even during the days of the British; McLeod Ganj was established as a respite. The Namgyal Monastery here is where you can pick up the essentials

An overcast day. It was blue everywhere. I was feeling some too. What could I do? I had reached Kashmir the previous evening en route my motorbike run to Leh and Ladakh. An out-of-turn shower had ensured that it was not only the engine that shuddered – my entire body was shaking from icy gales that tore down at a merciless angle. Checking into a houseboat on the Dal Lake, today and tomorrow was to clean sparks, check cables and change oil. And scrub myself. The early morning muezzin call

All around me were the soothing grey of calm waters at dusk punctuated by remnants of tree trunks that rose fiercely in a thousand tales. Smack in the middle of the Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala, this was indeed an Alive is Awesome experience. The Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, widely known as Thekkady, is a 777 sq km tiger reserve, and is among the most popular ones in the country. While most travellers stick to the properties in the periphery of the reserve, unknown to many is an erstwhile palace on

You can bathe in water. But when you bathe in a postcard, it is an Alive is Awesome experience. Frame the Fewa Lake at dawn and you elevate your photography. This picturesque lake is in the valley of Pokhara, 200 km from Kathmandu. The Annapurna range is around you with its several eight-thousanders. On a clear day, the Machhapuchhre throws its fishtail reflection on the shimmering surface of the freshwater lake. Adding to the pervading tranquillity is the world peace pagoda, a Buddhist stupa built by Japanese monk, Nichidatsu Fujii

If politicians do it, the army does it better. Hindi film songs that were paeans to patriots and patriotism bellowed out from half a dozen loud speakers. Tens of thousands swayed, sang, lip synced and grew goose-bumps in unison. The more patriotic lot, actually those who were seated in the front row, sprang up in obeisance to some alien power that possessed them and shuddered off some very violent moves. The Wagah Dance. A stern-looking soldier of Hulk proportions, moustache dangling like a sword, a sheathed dagger that actually upped

It is awesome when you all have to do to touch a rainbow is reach out. At the Tiger Falls in Chakrata, apparently the second highest in India falling from 312 feet, you can actually do that. And with several smaller, shallower pools making for your own private whirlpools, bathing becomes an Alive is Awesome experience. Established over 130 years ago by Colonel Hume of the colonial English Army, Chakrata is a cantonment town in Dehradun district, Himachal Pradesh. This quaint little town is perched between the Tons and Yamuna

A bath that cleanses not just the body but the soul too is awesome. That too when it is surrounded by a 25,000 feet snow-lit massif, then it becomes an Alive is Awesome bathing experience. The Lake Manasarovar in Tibet is also known as Mapham Yum-tso (‘Victorious Lake’) by the locals and is believed to be the source of the four great Indian rivers – the Indus, Ganges, Sutlej and Brahmaputra – as per Hindu and Buddhist cosmology (In truth only the Sutlej originates from here.) Unseen to mortal eyes,

Not that I needed to be, but my mobile service provider who also happens to be a co sponsor of the Formula One in India, has been priming me for the event less than three weeks away with interesting titbits like ‘A driver loses up to 4 kg of weight due to G forces after a race’ and ‘Disc brakes in an F1 car can withstand temperatures over 1000 degrees Centigrade.’ Given a chance I would have returned the favour with stuff like ‘The engine life of an F1 car

Mangal and the state of happiness Two seemingly disconnected sights abound in parts of Himachal Pradesh – cannabis plants growing in disarray by the roadside and cafes announcing Israeli culinary delights. Then, there has to be a connection. Going by history at least. History: Charas – made from the resin of the cannabis plant – has been billowing heady out of sinuous chillums in the country for thousands of years as part of religious rituals and culture. Though there was a clampdown on the drug and its users during the

“Look, there kaattupothu,” bellowed the tribal tracker in unfettered relief at finally being able to spot game after hours of squelching through sodden tracks, sweat-drenched in the tropical humidity, plucking out leeches that squirted a gallon of blood when quashed between thumb and forefinger. The incongruity of the lingual mismatch in the exclamation was lost on the group that comprised mostly of westerners who were also equally relieved at having spotted something wild after so many hours of futile wandering. “Oh, hey, look over there, a bison.” A stocky Englishman