PLEIN AIR PAINTING WITH VIKRANT SINGH RATHORE

August 25, 2022

Despite commanding his presence in the checkered world of data analysis and corporate living, his soul resided in the multifarious hues of art. He was leading a team of data analysts for ABN Ambro and Bank of America when he realised he was missing something important in his life. Through...

MOTORCYCLE DIARIES: HOMECOMING

August 19, 2022

I strolled past the neighbouring stupas before alighting on the Baby Tiger for the most legendary leg of our Spiti expedition. I gave the valley and its people my deepest thanks for hosting me and nursing me back to health. Even though I was still running at a moderate temperature,...

MOTORCYCLE DIARIES: PIN VALLEY

August 12, 2022

Every morning from 8 onwards, the monks at Key gompa congregate at the main sanctum to chant their morning prayers while ingesting a frugal breakfast of sattu and butter tea. The vibrations and visual spectacle are highly recommended experiences that I was first initiated towards by Karanbir. Eager to see...

THE KAZA MOTORCYCLE DIARIES

August 5, 2022

I downed yet another Tsampa pancake with butter tea before heading towards Kaza. With the Spiti river on my left and the mighty Trans-Himalayan range overlooking my ride, the sun shone and intuitively hid behind the clouds, making it a dreamlike ride. By now, the Triumph Tiger 660 a.k.a. the...

MOTORCYCLE DIARIES: TABO MONASTERY

July 29, 2022

The quaint and ancient site of Tabo lies at 10,800 feet, which is amongst the lowest elevations in all of the Spiti Valley. Home to what is also known as the Himalayan Ajanta, the Tabo monastery was founded by Rinchen Zangpo in 996 CE on behalf of the King of...

THE SANGLA VALLEY MOTORCYCLE DIARIES

July 22, 2022

Well-rested and eager to inch closer to my special place, I rode out of the Padam Palace gates towards the district of Kinnaur. For most of the way, I had the mighty Sutlej lend me her company. Deep mountainous arches engulfed the highway, a sight and experience that didn’t get...

MOTORCYCLE DIARIES: RAMPUR BUSHAHR

July 15, 2022

I call my annual trip to the Spiti Valley my pilgrimage. The surreal landscapes, starlit night skies, and stark beauty of Spiti make their celestial calling to me year after year, and I cannot resist but succumb, surrender and embrace the voyage. Traversing through what was once known as ‘The...

CHATTISGARH’S TWISHA SINGH THAKUR IS A LITERARY PRODIGY

June 17, 2022

While most of us battle performance pressure around our board examinations, Chhattisgarh’s Twisha Singh Thakur goes above and beyond with her unique mettle. Just around her class X central board examinations in 2019, this wonder became India’s youngest writer of philosophical fiction. Her debut novel, titled A Carol of Him was received...

DECOLONISING MENTAL HEALTH PRACTICE WITH SAUMYA SINGH

June 10, 2022

As per Abraham Maslow’s iconic hierarchy of needs, mankind’s dilemma beyond basic needs of physiological safety opens up to a plethora of psychological needs. That is to say, surmounting material deficits and securing financial comforts open up spaces for psychological navigation and existential dilemmas. It can be argued that mental...

REMEMBERING RAO GOPAL SINGHJI: FREEDOM FIGHTING FOREFATHER OF KHARWA

June 3, 2022

During the British Raj in India, several Rajput kings, princes and chieftains are known to have lent support to the nationalist movement against the colonisers. Most Rajputs exercised their prudence by contributing to the freedom movement on the one hand while maintaining diplomatic ties with the British on the other....