Distinctiveness - Travel and Lifestyle Blog

A picture from years ago, which always urges me to keep the wanderlust alive [Photo Credit - Sudip Pandit] I recently went on a long drive to fuel my wanderlust. The positive was that it was a long drive home and when you take the route home, the world always looks rosier. However, it was only when I was returning back, at the end of my holidays, that a certain thought struck me.  It was a beautiful afternoon outside, my stomach was full of the wonderful Pork curry I savored at Bongaigaon and my tongue was still relishing the reminiscent flavours. The road was empty, Mohit Chauhan was singing “Phir se Udd Chala” on the stereo and I was feeling a bit nostalgic, wishing that I could have spent a few days more at home. I snapped out of my daydream with the sound of drums beating at a distance.  Bit by bit, the sound got louder, until I realized the actual source of the sounds. As the long stretch ended in a turn, I saw a group of Bikers emerge from the bend, pa...

I am hugely grateful to Garrett Hedlund, for his beautiful song – “ Timing is Everything ”, from Country Strong . Because, he told me – “ When you think true love is hard to find, that’s when love comes along, just in time” . He beautifully analyses how, had things been different, he would have never met her. How “ I could have been another minute late, you never would have crossed my path that day”. He sings about destiny and fate and above all, waiting for the right person and meeting her at the right time. Time is a funny, unpredictable bugger. Let’s go a year back, sometime in the middle of February last year (2013). Things were terrible then and there were more downs than ups in my life. I was beginning to feel Time’s playing games with me. But just when I was about to give up on him and all the notions about the good things in the world, he bestowed upon me, my miracle. My time, you see, had come. My savior, at last, was here. Right now, when I look back at things, I can alm...

I am a music addict and even when I sit to write, I always need good music playing! How do I define good music? Rock, Pop, Ballads, I basically like all kinds of music, but somewhere within I think the acoustic and semi-classical ones enthral me the most. No nasal efforts or cut-n-paste jobs please! And no hip hops either! Being such a fanatic has its good and bad phases. You meet more of your kind, discuss music, share and learn about new music. I have some really good people around me, who are constantly sharing their tastes with me, referring new songs to me. It's like a carnival all the time. Not always. My neighbour who stays in the flat above mine is always complaining. "Aareh! Why do you listen to music at such high volumes? I cannot sleep!" (7:30 PM) "Aareh! You have such poor taste of music, haan?! I'll give you some good songs someday!" and he departs singing some crap "capped bugger" song!! (7:30 AM) Sometimes I wonder why. What is it ab...

For those who know what it feels like to have a dog to call one’s own, there is nothing better than walking through the front door after a day’s work and seeing a furiously wagging tail and barks of love. Just drop the bag and get showed in licks of love as you are pounded by a ball of warmth. I love Dogs. There is no doubt that they are my most favourite mammals in the world! I have been fortunate enough to have grown up in the company of great friends, many of them dogs (pun intended!). When I look back at childhood, there was Kitty at my ancestral place in Coochbehar. She’d drink tea, love to go to walks with us kids, she just loved all of us. I have so many beautiful memories with her. Jespa arrived from Nepal when I was in class 8. My life changed instantaneously, ‘coz here was someone who needed to be cared for and loved and attended to and who’d give back so much more. Jespa was a gem, from saving my bicycle from being stolen to irritating people I loathed, She always knew what...