I had fun shooting this one… Look carefully you can see my sneakers The location was amazing with a great night sky and painting the tent from inside with light was something I was trying for the first time…. A few attempts did it though

What do I like about this photo? Just the colours and randomness…

As a child Malgudi Days was my first exposure to the life in a village. The people R. K. Narayan described were colorful and fascinating. For the first time I started to see more to people than what met the eye. There was so much more to people’s lives – the drama, the stories!

I started to look forward to staying in a small town or village and getting to know the people and life there. Not that there wasn’t enough drama in the city but rather just that people in cities didn’t have time to stop and talk. And so, I travelled and talked to people across India, getting to know them and their lives. I was hooked!

Then as the universe has a way of giving us what we want, I married Che who’s roots lay in a small town in Tamil Naidu (did I say I have a thing for South India? I belong here). The first time I came to Kovilpatti was as a new bride and everyone went out of their way to make this non-Tamil speaking girl feel at home. I did feel at home but then the first time I thought it was just because I was new. Not True! Not true at all!

With every visit I get to know people better, their lives unfold with its stories, twists and turns and intrigue. And every time I feel more at home. Its the place yes but more than that, its the people. Here people have the time to talk and share their lives. They take the time, every time to make me feel a part of it. Me the hesitating, English speaking girl who needs everything explained repeatedly, slowly and with gestures.

This is my own Malgudi, a quaint little town filled with colorful people and stories at every corner. This is the India of my heart, the real India in all its colourful splendour!

I’ve completed a month of blog posts today and its a milestone for me. I been blogging since 2004 but sporadically. I’ve not been constant and regular ever. This time I’m proud to have stuck it out for a month.

2004 – 12
2005 – 42
2006 – 39
2007 – 6
2008 – 0
2009 – 18
2010 – 20
2011 – 12

Looking at the number of posts I’ve done over the years was nostalgic. I hadn’t realised I’ve been blogging for 8 years now. I started blogging in 2004, the same year I started seriously touring on bikes. My introduction to blogging was travel logs; blogging was a good way to remember and share my travel stories.

2005 and 2006 were rantly years I wasn’t happy in life (well, so I think) and I found so much to rant about or even whine. But 2006 also saw me quit my job and travel across India for 8 months. 2008 was year without the internet. I spent 5 months of the year in Spiti and the rest I just stayed away. It felt nice to not be connected for a while.

The last couple of years I’ve been blogging whenever I felt like writing but this year I wanted to try out blogging regularly – a year of posts to look back at to document the year. And thats 1 month down and 11 to go…

Photos of me with the dogs are rare, I guess I can’t be in the picture and take it too
Here’s one with Cuckoo that I really love… Its one of those rare moments I have with her
The photo wasn’t posed, she did come and sit that way with me in a moment of coziness.