Shweta R Manian

  captured by - @shwetarmanian It was January 2017. The year had started off quite well; at least  until that month. It was just after the new year craze had slowly started to tone down and now everyone was waiting for the Pongal holidays. Unlike my school in Delhi where we would barely get a day of holiday, Pongal here is an extravaganza so you can expect people to disappear for almost a whole week. Everyone was packing their stuff (and by stuff, I mean all the laundry that they were too lazy to wash) with the contentment of not having to look at the campus for the next few days. I was as usual seriously planning to get new movies and series to binge watch even though I was sure I would end up watching the same stuff on repeat. Even though none of us morons are good with expressing emotions, I definitely do miss my family and home, especially at these times. Not that I am that much of help anyways but still some part of me wanted to be home because of how much I used to ann...

 PAZHANI After we were enjoying the cold weather and mountains of Kodaikanal we headed off to Pazhani. The bus ride from kodai to Pazhani is very blissful. We could see the fog and clouds slowly disappearing as we headed downwards from the hills. The driver for our bus was surprisingly patient and cautious with the roads as it were rocky and also slippery due to the water descending from the hills. The bus took a 10 minute break which was a small tea shop located at one of the roads curves with the backdrop of the shop being an amazing viewpoint of the hills covered in trees and villages and fields beneath those hills. captured by - @shwetarmanian After few hours of more bumpy rides we finally reached Pazhani. Even after visiting this place numerous times, it still feels special everytime. Right from being surrounded by lush greenery and hills to friendly people and vibrant streets , it just enhances our spiritual journey. After a little bit of rest at our hotel which was a modif...

  KODAIKANAL In between this all round pilgrimage visit, we decided to visit someplace different. No matter how many hill stations you have been to, nature always has a way to fascinate. And that’s how kodaikanal came to our minds as it was nearer to Pazhani. We had to wait for nearly 8 and a half hours at the Madurai bus stop, which adds to one of the worst experiences we had. Staring at everyone leaving for their buses early and desperately looking at the bus stand entrance at midnight only to see nothing, by the time the bus finally came, add on top of that non-stop rains, I could merely remember anything and pretty sure was literally looking like a drug addict. Even though the bus probably traveled through some pretty steep roads, filled with rocks, I didn’t give a single damn about anything and dozed off the minute after the bus started travelling upwards. The only thing I remember waking me up was the cold winds passing through and me hitting into the window glass. ...

Travelling with Asian families is a whole different experience which in my opinion,   everyone needs to go through. Especially if the ‘family’ is Indian.  Travelling with Indian families will really help you know your survival skills and patience. Also, none of the family trips are complete without having at least one religious place in the ‘must visit’ list. In fact, religious places are the only trips most of us ever got to have as children and teenagers (even, as adults sometimes).  As exaggerating and dramatic as it sounds, it’s still a memorable experience depending upon the perspective you see it from, especially if you are more into exploring the diverse culture of devotees, streets and history of the place rather than “oh! Ok now that I have fulfilled my religious duty , let’s keep moving.” Kind.  And trust me, this happens; every time.  So I am sharing a few of my throwback trips which I really got to enjoy and cherish.  But the starting of th...