-
Travel
Andaman & Nicobar Islands Diary: The Cellular Jail – Symbol of undaunted spirit
Port Blair: As one moves towards the main gate of the Cellular Jail complex in Port Blair a sense of grief takes charge of the body and mind, flooding the heart with sadness. Suddenly the subconscious mind on its own goes active digging up the memory bank and starts retrieving reports and stories of Indian freedom fighters read decades ago…
Read More » -
Travel
Andaman & Nicobar Islands Diary: India’s largest archipelago
Port Blair: Landed in Port Blair on October 8 to explore one of the two archipelagos of India, in seven nights and eights days. One-stop Air India 5.30 a.m. flight from Delhi to the old world Veer Savarkar International Airport in Port Blair, covered the 2483 km aerial distance in five hours. This airport, under the control of Indian Navy,…
Read More » -
Travel
Indonesia : ‘unity in diversity’;Travelogue Day 18
Jakarta : Jakarta is a city of skyscrapers, LED billboards, toll roads, flyovers, foot over bridges, museums, shopping malls, food courts, cafés, food streets, restaurants, colourful mosques and tree-lined verdant avenues. It is also the capital of Indonesian, Japanese, Korean and Chinese cuisine. Rain washed trees, skyscrapers, red-tiled roofs of homes, buildings, avenues, litter free pavements, roads, canals and rivers…
Read More » -
Travel
Indonesia : ‘unity in diversity’;Travelogue Day 17
Melting pot of multiculturalism Jakarta : I visited a mosque and a church facing each other separated by a busy road in Jakarta. These two were being connected by an underground tunnel for a trouble free movement of devotees since they have a history of sharing their parking facilities on special occasions like Eid and Christmas. I went to a…
Read More » -
Travel
Indonesia : ‘unity in diversity’;Travelogue Day 16
Jakarta’s Dutch Connection Jakarta : For centuries Pelabuhan Sunda Kelapa has been a busy harbour of Jakarta. Once it was a favourite port of merchant vessels from Europe and India. Its role as an international port of importance is over in the 21st century. Now it is playing an important role in the country’s march to progress by managing inter-island…
Read More » -
Travel
Indonesia : ‘unity in diversity’ ;Travelogue Day 15
Jakarta’s mini-China Jakarta : With my son and daughter-in-law busy with their offices from Monday to Friday, I had come prepared to Indonesia to be on my own during the weekdays. After my arrival in Indonesia I realised that in this nation English is only the script of Bahasa. It is not a part of verbal communication in the country.…
Read More » -
Travel
Indonesia : ‘unity in diversity’ ; Travelogue Day 14
Of Shiva, Ganesha & Mt Bromo Jakarta : Indonesia is the only Muslim majority nation with motto of Unity in Diversity enshrined in its constitution. After spending nearly a month in Java, where more than fifty percent of the country’s population lives, I can say that this motto is not a mere slogan. It is an intrinsic part of the…
Read More » -
Travel
Indonesia : ‘unity in diversity’ ; Travelogue Day 13
Sea of sand & a live volcano Jakarta : We witnessed the most beautiful sunrise of Java from Love Hill at Penanjakan, which is at 2751 meters from the sea level and a part of the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park spread over 800 square kilometres (5250 hectares). Penanjakan is a part of the Tengger cardela which surrounds the sea…
Read More » -
Travel
Indonesia : ‘unity in diversity’ ; Travelogue Day 12
Jakarta : July 8 was my birthday and I was doing what I enjoy doing the most. Travelling. That too with my son Shashank, daughter-in-law Arsh and grand daughter Mehar. We decided to head out for a three-day weekend to visit Mount Bromo (2329 meters), Java’s most popular and accessible live volcano. We reached Surabaya, capital of East Java, after…
Read More » -
Travel
Indonesia : ‘unity in diversity’ ; Travelogue Day 11
Milk consumption trends Jakarta : Indonesians believe in an early start. I have been watching construction labour walking in for work at a nearby site every day at 7 in the morning. When I step out for a walk roads are choc a block with two-wheelers and cars. Local vegetable, meat and grocery market (Prasar) is bustling with shoppers much…
Read More »