Rakhee Ghelani

Category: Travel

  • Varanasi: Is there any hope for India?

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    Distressed. Helpless. Filthy. Nauseous. This is how I felt in Varanasi, one of the holiest and most revered places in India. Wandering along the ghats, I observed the rituals. A man placed a cup in the Ganges, pulled it out and drank in the holy water. He looked at peace in the belief that this…

  • Pictorial Post Khajuraho: A Celebration of the Beauty of Women

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    Khajuraho is famous for its World Heritage Site carvings, and specifically for the erotica and kama sutra positions that have been carefully etched into its walls. However for me, this is not what makes Khajuraho’s temples memorable, for me its all about the women. For those of you who want to perve at the kama…

  • Orchha: Celebrating Dussehra Madhya Praddesh Style

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    Navratri is a Hindu festival that means 9 nights and is a celebration of the Goddess Durga as Autumn begins (at least in very simplistic terms). For me growing up in Australia, Navratri was the time of year we gathered together in a school hall with other Gujarati families and did Dandiya Raas.  This is…

  • Pictorial Post: Orchha

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    Orchha is a lovely little town in Madhya Pradesh.  It is tiny, with the main drag comprising only a few shops at a cross-road. At one corner of the town is the Betwa river with crystal clear water flowing alongside centuries old Chhatris (cenotaphs), the opposite corner has a dusty road leading to Jhansi (in…

  • Pictorial Post: Gwalior

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    Gwalior is one of the towns that not many tourists go through.  This makes it a fantastic town to visit.  It is quiet, the locals all go about their business, not too disturbed by the strange looking woman walking around. There are no touts, no other tourists and absolutely no hassles. “What is there to…

  • Haridwar: The Reality of a Holy Land

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    Haridwar is one of the holiest cities in India (for Hindus).  It is where Lord Vishnu dropped “Amrit”, holy nectar, and left his footprint on the banks of the Ganges.  Millions of pilgrims come here each year to bathe at the holy ghat of Har Ki Pauri. As a town, Haridwar left little to be…

  • 5 Things India Does Well

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    Whilst I have moved to India permanently, it has only been two months and I am still a foreigner in this country. For a foreigner India is a land of contradictions, frustrations and challenges.  She is also a country that has so much to offer and teach the Western world. Here are my top 5…

  • My own personal yoga ashram

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    I have been in Rishikesh for 11 days now. For someone who is used to the buzz of backpacking and exploring a new place every few days, 11 days is a long time to stay somewhere, and I still have another 5 days before I plan on leaving. Rishikesh is on the banks of the…

  • Chandigarh: Is it a prototype for India?

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    Chandigarh is a rarity in India, being a planned city.  At its inception, it was considered to be a futuristic city with world-class architecture by Le Corbusier, a French architect. The city is structured into sections, with some primarily dedicated to specific things, such as restaurants. It is also peppered with many gardens, which is…

  • Riding the Buses in India

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    The mere thought of taking a long bus journey in India now brings a shiver up my spine. It has taken only three bus journeys to bring me to this point. As I now sit here and plan out the next few weeks of my travels, I am deliberately choosing routes that allow for train…

  • Pictorial Post: The Golden Temple of Amritsar

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    I have seen many temples and monuments in my life from various religious denominations, but none come anywhere near the ethereal beauty of Amritsar’s Golden Temple. This temple hosts upwards of 60,000 people a day, yet still remains a place of calm and peace. With the religious chanting and songs piped through the entire complex,…

  • India and Pakistan: Not ordinary enemies

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    Before I start this post, I must clarify that I am NOT writing this based on a deep and studied understanding of the politics of the relationship between India and Pakistan. This post is based entirely on my observations of the Wagha Border Closing Ceremony that I attended yesterday. The Wagha border refers to the…

  • Pictorial Post: Dharamsala

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    Dharamsala is the home place of His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet in Exile. It’s a town of contradiction. On one hand it is peaceful and calm.  It must be the only place in India where people apologise if they accidentally bump into you, and don’t try to swindle you out of too much…

  • Foodie Post: Bhel

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    Bhel is one of those dishes that my mother makes very rarely, usually when we have some family around for a casual Sunday lunch. My cousin here in Delhi refers to it as “junk food”. I will just refer to it as Bhel. It’s from the family of Chaat, which is basically snack food. I…

  • Pictorial Post: Shimla

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    One of my regular readers has suggested that I put more pictures in my posts to give readers a feel for the places and things I am writing about.  As I now have a brand new camera that works, I can finally do this.  So here is the first of my Pictorial Posts, on Shimla,…