It is high time I stop cribbing about summer. It anyways has no effect on God or the force that controls the country's thermostat. So here goes, and I will try to be as positive as possible. While summer can be very prohibitive when it comes to venturing out during the day, the season is also the one that offers maximum travel and exploration opportunities. Children have their long summer vacations, hill stations that are not accessible in winter are now reachable, and for local explorations, enough interesting events are being organized in air conditioned venues. So you win some and you lose some, as with everything else. Phew. There! I've gone ahead and done it. I have managed to say something positive about the season I... never mind.
Anyways, cribbing aside, Photo Journey loves all seasons, including Summer. And, therefore, here are some trips you can plan over the next few months:
If you wish to be away from the tourist hubs, then we have a great recommendation for you. You can visit Firdaus at Naukuchiataal. Quiet, serene, and pretty - these three words quite aptly describe the place.
The next write-up comes with a bit of a warning, only so that you don't end up being disappointed. Here's about the Reality of Snow at Rohtang Pass.
Kinnaur and Kaza are two of the most exotic locations of Himachal Pradesh. But here's our twist to the tale. Here's an Economical and nice option to stay on your way to Kinnaur/Kaza.
Everyone's creating lists these days. In fact, if you do not have a list, you may as well not exist. We can't risk this, so here's our list: 15 offbeat destinations to beat the heat in North India
For people who are looking for some adventure without putting their lives in risk, here are two treks that are not so difficult -Trek through the Colorful mountains of Murari Devi and the Beautiful trek to Serolsar Lake from Jalori Pass. Who said all treks are difficult?
Despite the heat there is much scope for local travel and the last month was exciting with many interesting events being organized. And as a result we found ourselves at our exploratory best in the past one month as far as local explorations are concerned. Following is what we spent our time on:
We were fortunate to be amongst the learned at Baat Cheet, a weekly discussion event organized by ANHAD. The guest this time was eminent photographer Dinesh Khanna:
"Baat Cheet" with Dinesh Khanna - A thought-provoking discussion around the Qawwals and Pilgrims of Nizamuddin Dargah - By Vibha Malhotra
We met some of our Photo Journey friends during a workshop on Adobe Lightroom. And as usual it was a pleasure to meet all you great people. Here's our bit on the session: Lightroom meet with PHOTO JOURNEY friends
There were several initiatives to help the victims of Nepal Earthquake. We came across this excellent book sale, the proceeds of which were to be donated to Nepal Relief, and we headed there. Here's our report on the event:
We did the unthinkable. We woke up early and drove all the way from Noida to Green Park at 6 in the morning. And it was all worth it, and in all likelihood, we will do it again sometime. Here's how we spent our time there:
And this is one thing we regret. We are missing the Summer Theatre Festival at NSD.
Continuing our Kerala Diaries:
And our California Diaries:
And yes, we did eat out a bit. This time we visited this interesting joint in SDA Market, Delhi, called BEERYani. And they serve just that: Beer + Biryani. Here's our review of the place:
Apart from this, we also tried out the camera of Samsung Galaxy S5 Smartphone. Following is what we think of it:
The month was as much about the people we admire, both within and outside our community. So we decided to give both their fair share of spotlight. Here's our write-up about the Theatre Artist Loveleen Mishra.
And here's Sumit Sond, in the spotlight -
From our posts this month - in fact, almost all months - it is easy to feel that the world is perfect. But it is not. There are people out there who do not necessarily have your best interest in their minds. They would go to any length to take advantage of the gullible, even if the gullible happens to be a little child. One of our friends was recently duped by one of the top brands in the country, and here's his story:
We will deliberately take our mind off the hurtful incident and bring it back to one of the best section of our monthly digest, our guest posts. Following is what our guest bloggers have been up to:
We hope you have had fun and have managed to forget the sun blazing outside for a bit. If not, we will give you another opportunity next month. After all if May is hot, June is scalding.
Cheers and have fun.
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