India Archives - Rakhee Ghelani

Is it too late to save Majuli Island?

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Majuli Island, in the remote North East Indian state of Assam, is the largest river island in the world. It is rapidly being lost to the savage effects of climate change. Surrounded by the mighty Brahmaputra River, scientists predict that Majuli Island will be entirely reclaimed by the river within 20 years, and along with…

Meghalaya: Root bridges and climacophobia

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Meghalaya is a wonder. In the western corner of North East India it’s rolling hills are silent, a welcome contrast to the busy dustbowl that is Guwahati (in Assam) where most visitors begin their journey. Even the small town of Shillong has lost the romantic aura of a hillside town, now packed with merchants who…

Nagaland: The last frontier

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Two boys no older than ten wander the dusty roadside, semi-automatic rifles slung casually across their backs. Hearing the vehicle, they meander off-road into the thick verdant forest that’s lush but eerily silent. I ask my driver where all the animals are and he responds drily, “These Nagas eat everything.” Characterised by headhunters and a…

Things I’ve Learned From Back Pain

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It’s been ages since I blogged and I have my reasons I promise. Most recently I’ve spent the majority of the past couple of months flat on my back…. literally. I thought debilitating back pain was just exaggerated or something old people got. That is until it happened to me and I was flung straight into…

Exploring Bhubaneshwar: Dhauligiri and Ashoka’s Edict

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I’ve been very bad at keeping my blog updated this year, busy working, travelling and collecting new stories. But I’m keeping a record of all the incredible things I’ve seen, eaten and done so that I can keep sharing them. Visiting Dhauligiri near Bhubaneshwar is one of those experiences, I visited there a couple of…

Exploring Bhubaneswar : Khandagiri & Udayagiri

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I’ve been spending some time in Bhubaneshwar lately, and while I’ve been here before, the extra time has allowed me to explore the city in more depth. This week I visited the famed Jain cave temples of Khandagiri and Udayagiri. While these sites are beautiful , what really stood out for me was the appalling…

Naga Vilages: Near Mokokchung

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Visiting Nagaland had always been on my India bucket list. I’d heard too many stories of head-hunters, mystery and remote villages, something I had to see for myself. What I found when I finally visited Nagaland however was very different. It didn’t meet the expectations I had, but surpassed so many others that I didn’t…

Nagaland: Sign of the Times

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One of the things I found pleasantly surprising about Nagaland was the openness in which they seemed to at least acknowledge social issues. In a country where a lot of things are left unsaid, the public signs found all over Nagaland addressed some hard hitting topics head on. By far, my favorite sign was this…

Restaurant Review: Indian Accent, Delhi

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Indian Accent has been called the “best Indian restaurant in India”. It’s a big title to hold, so of course I had to try it out for myself. It’s a fusion restaurant, and I’d been told by foodies I respect that it was superior to one of my favourite restaurants in Mumbai, Masala Library, which…

My Shoe Addiction

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One of the rather decadent pleasures of living in India is that you can find anyone to make almost anything you want. For me this has meant that I now have my favourite dress in 6 different colours, (all for cumulatively less than I paid for the original), and I have some rather special shoes…

Discovering New Places To Visit in Bombay: Mazagaon and Khotachiwadi

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I seem to spend so much of my time these days either at home working or going to the same places to meet friends, that I’d almost forgotten about the joy of discovering new places to visit in Mumbai. So one surprisingly sunny monsoon afternoon a friend and I decided to do just that. We…

Bangla Affair : Kolkata

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I can’t believe it took me so long to visit Kolkata. Even though I’ve passed through the city on my way to Odisha, for some reason I’d never stepped out of the airport until now. By chance I managed to pick up a cheap flight about 6 months ago and forgot about it, so it…

India Travel Advice Part 2

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Following on from my last post providing India travel advice for women, I thought it would be worthwhile to provide a few more tips that I’ve found handy while travelling across India. These ones are relevant regardless of gender: Eating in India One of the most common questions I am asked about India is about…

India Travel Advice For Women

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As promised in this post, I’m writing a few posts with my advice on travelling to India. The advice is based on my experience, and that of other travellers whom I know and trust. There is a lot of bad and sugar coated advice out there, designed to please tourism boards and PR / Marketing…

Peace, Love & Mung Beans: Should You Believe that Travel Blog About India

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I’m pretty sure this post isn’t going to win me some friends in the travel blogging space, but something happened yesterday that just infuriated me so much I felt the need to write about it. I put a photo on my personal (private) FB page and one of my “friends” (although not now as I’ve…

Ganesh Chaturthi in Mumbai: The Lalbagh Walk

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Ganpati or Ganesh Chaturthi would have to be one of the biggest festivals in Mumbai. The festival is in honour of Lord Ganesha, who is the remover of obstacles. A Ganesh statue is traditionally installed in the home, or in the neighbourhood in many cases, and people worship it for 10 days. The statue is…

Why #IndiaNeedsFeminism

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This week I participated in a campaign by BuzzFeed where people explained why they felt feminism was relevant to India. Now anyone who’s read my blog for a while knows that I believe feminism has a long way to go here. So when I saw a call-out for people willing to participate in this campaign…

Flying High : Paragliding Near Mumbai

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I will let you into one of my not so favourite secrets. As I get older I am becoming more and more scared of heights. I don’t have an issue going up, but when I have to look down or try to walk down a steep incline, I become paralysed with fear. Only a few…

Expats Behaving Badly

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Something happened this week that made me so mad I felt compelled to write about it. Of all the things that annoy me about living in India, the thing that makes me most upset is when I see someone with means exploit someone without. In this instance it’s an Australian expat in India. The income…

Hello Summer, Bring on The Mangoes

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Summer is finally here! While the temperature is close to diabolical and the humidity means Mumbai currently resembles a pressure cooker, I still love summer for one reason. Mangoes. It’s mango season and they are just spectacular. The sweet orange flesh has inspired me this year to create a salsa that I have with almost…

Category: India