After completing our visit to Hampi, we boarded a train to Mysore, from where our four-day road trip through Coorg (Kodagu) began. Covering nearly 350 km by road, this journey offered a delightful blend of spirituality, scenic landscapes, waterfalls, wildlife, and the rich coffee country of Karnataka. Our itinerary included the Golden Temple at Bylakuppe,… Continue reading
My spouse and I began our journey to visit twelve ashrams across India more like a themed vacation. What we received instead were quiet teachings. Simple but powerful lessons that arrived subtly. Each ashram revealed something different, yet together they formed a map of gentle truths that continue to guide us. Our journey began at… Continue reading
As International Yoga Day approaches on June 21, I find myself reflecting on a lifelong relationship with yoga, a journey that began when I was seven years old and continues today, more than six decades later. First Encounters Like many children growing up in India, I was exposed to yoga at an early age. My… Continue reading
Hampi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, is truly a paradise for history lovers. Nestled amidst boulder-strewn landscapes along the banks of the Tungabhadra River, Hampi was once the magnificent capital of the Vijayanagara Empire, which flourished between the 14th and 16th centuries and was one of the most powerful kingdoms in South… Continue reading
Honest reflections after seven decades of mistakes. I spent nearly five decades building a career across three regions of the world. The first half of my professional life was in India, where I learned the value of hard work and perseverance. A brief chapter in the Middle East exposed me to a truly international work… Continue reading
When we tell friends that we have visited all 63 U.S. National Parks, one of the first questions they ask is which parks we enjoyed the most. Having visited all 63 parks over several years, we wanted to answer this question thoughtfully rather than rely on memory or personal bias. To approach this objectively, we… Continue reading
In September 2025, we undertook a four-day journey through southern Tamil Nadu, tracing places associated with the Ramayana while also visiting several other ancient temples en route. Day 1: Madurai to Rameswaram We travelled by Vande Bharat to Madurai, and from there we hired a cab for the entire trip, ending at Nagercoil. In Madurai,… Continue reading
In September 2025, we went on a four-day pilgrimage covering Gokul, Mathura, Vrindavan, Barsana, and Govardhan. Walking through the very places associated with Lord Krishna’s childhood was a deeply moving experience that blended devotion, history, culture, and faith. Day 1 – Journey from Delhi to Mathura Our pilgrimage began with a train journey from Delhi… Continue reading
A Scenic Journey Through Zagreb, Plitvice Lakes, Split, and Dubrovnik In recent years, we have made it a tradition to include a short European stopover on our trips between the U.S. and India. Last year, our journey led us to Croatia. Arrival in Europe – Frankfurt to Zagreb We landed in Frankfurt on August 26… Continue reading
In October 2022, we undertook one of the most sacred pilgrimages in India — the Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand. The tour was arranged by SOTC with Heli Yatra being the local operator. Nestled amidst the majestic Himalayas, the Char Dham circuit includes Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath, each carrying immense spiritual significance in Hindu… Continue reading