Caught In The Act – Candid People Photos From The Streets Of India
A street photography gallery captures candid scenes from the streets of Delhi, Kolkata and Varanasi.
Read MoreAuthor: Madhu
Madhu is an Interior designer turned travel blogger on a long sabbatical to explore the world. When not crafting stories on The Urge To Wander, she's probably Tweeting @theurgetowander or sharing special moments on instagram.com/theurgetowander
Varanasi – Three Picture Story
I take you back to Kashi with these visuals. You can view the entire series (sound effects and all!) here. Happy travels………..no mater where life takes you.
Read MoreSurviving Kashi
I tried hard to like Varanasi. There is no doubt that the city – alternately referred to as Benaras or Kashi – is remarkable. In its geography, arrayed against the left bank of the sacred Ganges, as well as its fascinating history, woven with fantastic legends*. I am not sure how its claim to being […]
Read MoreChai On The Road
I confess to being a bit of a chai snob. Having consumed flavourful high grown Nilgiri tea at its source for decades, and brewed the propah English way, it would be an understatement to say I am picky about my tea. I detest the thick, sugary, milky cha/chai served in homes across India and when […]
Read MoreParis – Flea Market Finds
The Village Saint Paul is a block of medieval buildings in the historic Marais neighbourhood in Paris, sandwiched between Rue Saint-Paul and Rue des Jardin Saint-Paul. It is a lovely tranquil space to while away a lazy weekend afternoon if you are in the vicinity, rummaging through antique and second hand stalls. The weekly Brocante […]
Read MoreArt Inspired By Faith
From dust to dust. Or in this case from the clay dredged from the bottom of the holy Ganges, and back to its murky depths. The journey of Goddess Durga, believed to be her annual sojourn in her maternal home, is a metaphor for impermanence and temporality. Of all life. But also, in the sacred ritual that […]
Read MoreParis – Oddly Juxtaposed
The integrity and identity of historic urban spaces the world over, is under threat from unbridled growth and global integration. Especially in third world countries, where cultural heritage takes a back seat to new found aspirations of development & progress, despite the efforts of conservation groups. But when managed sensitively, it is the very contradictions […]
Read MoreShichigosan At Meiji Jingu
On a Sunday closest to November 15, considered the most auspicious day in the Japanese calender, families descend on Shinto shrines across Japan, to celebrate a rite of passage called Shichi-go-san. The name literally translates to ‘Seven-Five-Three’, indicating a medieval tradition among aristocratic/Samurai families that stipulated that boys and girl stopped getting their hair shaved when they turned three, that boys aged five […]
Read MoreMelancholy Reflections…
I had meant this to be a gallery of vibrant reflections, one from each of our 2013 travel destinations. A year end review and a celebration of my urge to wander. But the shocking demise of my sister’s daughter in law – a beautiful, vivacious, happy go lucky and heartbreakingly young mother of a […]
Read MoreFestive Cheer From The City Of Joy!
Wishing you many reasons for happiness this holiday season, and throughout the coming year. And oh yes…..happy travels, no matter where life takes you 🙂
Read MoreFramed Stories
There are times when a passing glimpse through a window or on a street corner, that I didn’t pay much attention to at the time, sticks with me longer than any travel memory. A poignant scene. A mysterious face. Those fleeting fragments of life that register in my subconscious and return to haunt me. And […]
Read MoreHoly Cow!
While we do have cows on our roads in Chennai, the numbers in the smaller towns in North India seem to exceed their human population! Mathura and Vrindavan, not surprisingly, being the towns associated with the cow herd God, Krishna, were over run by cattle. I had to leave my camera in the car when […]
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