My pictures with their little stories

Twilight at Viper Island, Andaman sea The mood was sombre while returning from Viper island in Andaman sea . It was here that the British used to imprison convicts and political prisoners. There are ruins of the notorious gallows which the British must have used remorselessly to crush the radicals amongst the freedom fighters.  The jail here was abandoned after the construction of cellular jail at Port Blair in 1906.

Corridor at Cellular Jail, Port Blair So many years after visiting cellular jail at Port Blair, the memory sends a chill down my spine. Emotions are strong - anger at the extreme torture inflicted by the British on the freedom fighters, sadness that these bravehearts had to suffer so much and that we continue to bicker over honouring them, frustration that despite all these sacrifices where we are today and pride that there was a bunch of people who had the guts to take on the might of the British Raj and dream of throwing them out despite all the adversities and personal risks to their life and family. It is indeed a vortex of emotions that run high when you visit cellular jail. It is the ultimate temple of independent India.

Andaman sea The jetty at Port Blair is quite busy. Never realised that there would be so much traffic to not only islands in Andamans nearby but also to ports in mainland India. The sights at sea were spectacular with ever-changing sky and the movement of ships and boats.

Village elders watch festivities at Ura Yakchoe near Bhumthang, Bhutan These village elders had a special enclosure for them and sat patiently watching all the dances at the monastery. They have obviously seen years pass by so few hours did not matter.

Steam locomotive at Coonoor Loco Workshop I spent several hours on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway. While everything about this route is romantic, nothing beats the raw steam power of the vintage steam locomotives still in operation.  The loco workshop at Coonoor must be having a bunch of passionate magicians who keep very old steam locomotives up and running.                     Here is my blog post on Nilgiri Mountain Railway

At Pande Ji's Maggi Point, Kathgodam. We were asked not to miss the noodles at Pande Ji’s Maggi Point at Kathgodam . The place did not look impressive but the noodles the fellow made were fabulous. We were stocked up just right before our drive into the hills began. This was in 2012 well before the controversy about Maggi noodles in India .

Home in Kumaon Hills While walking in the Kumaon hills, we visited several homes. Stocking up for the winter was an essential task for everyone. Their cattle is precious and they need to be fed during the winters when there is snow all around. This is primarily an agrarian economy in a region where many villages in the hills are not accessible by road.