India

Wanderful Words No. 27: The Secret Destinations of a Trip to India

India

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” – Martin Buber A four day wedding and a little journey across northern India, that’s all. That’s what I thought before I left. I knew challenges might accompany me on that journey, but those were largely my thoughts as I embarked on that trip. […]

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Songs for the Road No. 11: Indian Music Fusion

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Hindu Chanting + Reggae Years ago, I stumbled upon this song when this video was played on a short-lived world music channel. I was intrigued by the chanting at the beginning, but when the singer opened his mouth, I’m pretty sure my own mouth dropped open. There were so many things about the artist that […]

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I Feel So Broke Up, I Wanna Go Home

India

India didn’t just let me go home with ease. A formidable and unpredictable trip doesn’t suddenly become simple because its almost over. That wouldn’t make sense. To be fair, the last barrier to leaving was not another challenge India presented, it was England’s snowy weather. Much of Europe was frozen over and it was causing […]

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Self-Proclaimed “Ugly Indians” Take a Stand to Beautify India’s Streets

India

In India, I encountered a lot of Indians who would like to see India as what it has the potential to become rather than what it is right now. I also met a lot of Indians who seemed to truly want outsiders to enjoy their time in India and see the merits of their country. […]

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Photo Essay: Life and Movement in Delhi

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On my last day in India, I hired an autorickshaw driver to take me around to some of Delhi’s main sites in the morning. Getting from place to place in Delhi provided a great glimpse into everyday life: A vendor finishes setting up his apple stand. Behind him, the shops are just beginning to get […]

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Photo Essay: The Jama Masjid in Sepia

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India is the ultimate destination for the photo happy; it seems that in any direction you point your camera, there is something fascinating to capture. There’s so much detail, life, and scenes that are unique to the subcontinent. And of course, there’s all the color, that integral part of India. As I looked through the […]

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Relieved in Smoggy Delhi

India

Delhi has quite possibly the most polluted air my lungs have ever inhaled. So it might seem strange for me to say that along the northern route I took in India, Delhi was the place that gave me a breath of fresh air. Metaphorically, of course. The first sign that I might like Delhi came […]

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India’s Staring Culture

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There were numerous aspects of India that could have shattered my travel resilience, but what ultimately did it was the staring. It wasn’t just that I felt eyes on me regularly, it was also that the eyes were blank and unrelenting. And they continued to stare and stare even when they met mine and I […]

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