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This tag is associated with 1049 posts

Spring is in the air

Spring is upon us here in Chandigarh and I got the time (finally!) to try out my D500. I bought it just before the pandemic hit and its first couple of years were spent languishing in my closet. Then over the last year and three trips I: 1. forgot to take the camera 2. forgot … Continue reading

Back after a long break

I don’t even remember when exactly I posted last. The dashboard shows some date at the end of April last year, but many of my posts were scheduled so probably early April? April. The start of one of the most challenging months in my life. As the delta Covid19 strain started ravaging India, no one … Continue reading

Views from the top of the constructed world

The peak of Mt. Everest is still out of reach for me but the heights of human endeavour were within reach at Burj Khalifa. The panorama of Paris spread before you when you’re atop the Eiffel is still my favorite, but the beauty that is the bubble that is Dubai is still worth a look! … Continue reading

A dance in the desert

Part of our Dubai desert experience was the camp where we got to taste some really good food and I got my first (and last) puffs of the hookah. After the sumptuous repast we got to witness a remarkable display of belly-dancing. Her control and timing were excellent (I do admit that I am no … Continue reading

Sunset in the Al-Badayer

The Al-Badayer is the desert of choice for desert safaris and dune-bashing. You can’t really share the fun of dune-bashing in a pic, but the rest of it can so here are some shots of the sun setting among the dunes. It’s nothing new of course, the sun sets every day, but the sight of … Continue reading

Dubai’s wildlife

Back in 2018, we took a short trip to Dubai. One of the highlights of any trip to the UAE should be a desert safari. We had to partake of that! The desertscape was so serene (as long as you’re hydrated, I guess). The safaris usually take place in the late afternoon and end in … Continue reading

Another blog

Recently, I have begun work on another WordPress blog in collaboration with a colleague and friend. It’s related to and discusses Lifestyle Medicine: the ability to make substantial improvements to our overall health by changing our lifestyle. Changes like understanding how lifestyle disorders impact us, how our eating habits affect us, how our stress levels … Continue reading

Hermaphroditos

The statue of Hermaphroditos closes my Louvre trip (over 2 years after I actually visited it!). While the exquisitely crafted mattress it rests on was created by Bernini in the 17th century – and is a masterpiece in its own right – the statue itself is a Roman copy of a lost Greek original. The … Continue reading

Sumerian antiquities at the Louvre – 11

Votive offerings Little models of homes/temples were offered to Sumerian gods and goddesses as part of worship rituals, asking the deity to protect the supplicant. What struck me immediately I saw these were the similarities with certain Hindu ritual offerings. On Diwali in Northern India, Hindus create a small temple of sorts at home and … Continue reading

Ain Ghazal

The Ain Ghazal statues are some of the oldest large-size depictions of the human form. These range from 8000-7000 BCE and were found in Ain Ghazal (hence the name) in Jordan. Some of the cache are distributed (London, Paris, Abu Dhabi) while the rest are (hopefully still) on display at the museum in Amman, Jordan. … Continue reading

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