Rakhee Ghelani

Category: Culture

  • Delhi as a Tourist

    —

    by

    Delhi has been a like a base for me over the past 8 months, I have passed in and out several times and been lucky enough to see a lot of it with locals, experiencing the things they enjoy and discovering my own new ones as well. However its been over 10 years since I…

  • Following the Ramayana: Adam’s Bridge

    —

    by

    Rameswaram is a town in the south east of Tamil Nadu with a spectacular temple and an important place in the ancient epic story the Ramayana. It is at the end of this island where it is written that a bridge was built by the ape army so that Lord Rama could go to Sri…

  • The Temples of Tamil Nadu: Kanchipuram, Mahabalipuram, Thanjavur, Madurai, Rameswaram

    —

    by

    Tamil Nadu is famous for its many temples and architecture.  I was fortunate to see several of them in various towns, namely Mahabalipuram, Kanchipuram, Thanjavur, Madurai and Rameswaram.  Whilst the architecture is similar, each temple had its own unique features.  Here are some photos of my favourites of each. Kanchipuram A quiet town with not…

  • Is the real India Invisible? – Andhra Pradesh

    —

    by

    As I made my way down the east coast of the country, I decided to stop in a few places in Andhra Pradesh along the way, which gave me quite a “real” Indian experience.  First stop was Visakhapatnam, otherwise known as Vizag.  This is a beachside city that is touted as the best beach on…

  • Puri, Konark and 64 Yoginis

    —

    by

    Puri is a small seaside town in Odisha that is a popular holiday retreat for local Indian tourists.  A stroll along the beach on a Sunday afternoon had a great carnival feel lots of bathing in the sea (fully clothed of course) and camel rides.  Everyone seemed relaxed and they were certainly enjoying themselves. I…

  • Cultural Misfits: Where do I fit in?

    —

    by

    I am learning Hindi and have found the experience particularly challenging given the rather diverse cultural history I come from ( something I have discussed a bit previously here). My grandparents were born in India, my parents in East Africa and myself in Australia. Growing up, a mixture of four languages were spoken in my…

  • In any language?

    —

    by

    I started learning Hindi this year. I thought it would be good preparation for my big move. Before this, I knew only a few basic words like “Namaste” and that was it. Whilst my background is Indian, my parents first language is not Hindi, but rather Gujarati (Gujarat is a state in North West India,…