The Wanderlust Nomad

Embarking on a journey with your best friend is an unpredictable voyage that every person should experience at least once in his or her life. Exploring a different place, conquering fears together and discovering new perspectives ultimately progresses our relationships to levels never imagined possible. On the last day of the year, i was on one such journey with my friend - Vibrant to one of the beautiful hills - Devarayanadurga. Devarayanadurga Devarayanadurga is a temple town and hill station located in Tumkur, 70kms from Bangalore.We had been to a lake down the hill,  fallen to the beauty of the lake, felt to stay there. But Vibrant told, lets move on and adventures are waiting on the other side. Bending on every corner, the road takes you up the pleasant forests surrounded by the hills. The road up to the hills gives scenic views of nature and ever the wonderful climate and charming beauty. The undulating roads was one heck of ride that can never be forgot...

Early in morning the artistic golden sun got up like a baby and started painting the dark black sky into a bright blue sky. The bright looking milky clouds got up from sleep and started traveling around the sky visiting the wonderful environment. It's the paradise view of the first sip of coffee in the morning, as me and my friends en-route to Lepakshi . Lepakshi is a village in the Anantapur District and approximately 120 km north of Bangalore. There are several myths associated with this temple town.  According to Ramayana, when sita was being abducted by Ravana, the vulture demi God Jatayu tried to protect the queen. However, Ravana had chopped the wings and it fell to the ground. 'Le pakshi' said Lord Rama to Jatayu, the bird , asking to get up. That's why the place is called Lepakshi.  As we enter the village, the biggest monolithic Nandi (bull) of  India,  in a couchant position that has been created out of a single rock. A few meters furth...

Happy Occasion like Wedding Ceremony, brings a lot of joy among the people while also witnessing a rare moment of the new beginning of life. Attending a wedding ceremony with friends while on travel to a different place, gives more joy and fun to be with them. It's amazing how you can seldom see friends and yet be so connected. Lot of old memories, discussions going on with friends, we stop on Hassan Highway for Breakfast. After having the delicious Thatte Idli (Karnataka's Flat Idli) soaked in Sambhar and butter on top of it, we left to the marriage hall. With the boisterous and the exuberant notes and beats from the Nadaswaram and the Thavil, the Bride and Groom make their way to the stage, we also have our seats down on the left corner. The ritual of  Kanyadaan takes place after exchanging of garlands. It is emphasized during the ritual, that the parents are entrusting him with the most precious ‘gift’ in this world. It is expected of him that he will always take care of ...

What usually stops the "doing something" and "following your heart" is fear of course: a fear of failure, or humiliation, or rejection and so on. Fear either gives rise to desire to try and control everything, or a feeling that no matter what you do, it will never amount to anything. People who go out and experience the world may not be safer either but life is richer, more colorful and more wonderful. Yes, we might be stuck in the same old, same old. Life may be feeling mundane and boring, hard work and difficult. But what we will always have is choice - and choice is exciting. If nothing else in life, we have a choice in how we respond and react to the mundane and boring and difficult. But in that small moment of decision and change, adventure exists. Traveling to Chikkaballapur, one of  the most offbeat destination for Bengalureans and its also the birthplace of  eminent engineer Sir Visvesvarya. On the entrance of Chikkaballapur, there's the newly built temp...

As I uncover my eyes from underneath the covers, I heard the gentle tapping of raindrops against my bedroom window. I see a day, that I can enjoy the smell of the rain, the feel of the dampness on the grass. I see another day to seize and do all I can. Riding on the roads of Bengaluru, with water droplets showering on earth, we made it to the beautiful Twin Rock hill , Thimappana Betta .  Thimappana Betta The ride was a great experience, as we crossed some villages, forest and a mountain cliff to reach to the top of Thimappana Betta. With my legs  on the foot pegs of the bike, holding the handle bar loose and trusting my bike was riding it to the extremes. Down the hill is the temple. Thimappa Swamy Temple - with main lord being Vishnu. The hill offers a panoramic view of Ramnagara and its agriculture lands. After riding on the rocks, now we rode to Kanva Reservoir.  Kanva Reservoir is an artificial lake, formed by the damming of the Kanva River...

The first capital of the Ganga dynasty, Kolar has a rich history. Until not too long ago, almost all the gold in India came from here. Its mines, located at an astonishing 10.000ft, were the deepest active mines in the world. The year was 1871, Michael Fitzgerald Lavelle, a retired Irish soldier from the British Army, had made Bangalore cantonment his home. Although he hoped to make it big post-retirement, Lavelle spent much of his time reading; and a four-page article from the 1804 Asiatic Journal he came across, set Lavelle on a journey that eventually birthed the world's second deepest goldmine - the Kolar Gold Fields. Between 1804 and 1860, there were several studies and explorations of the gold mines in the region, but in vain. As some explorations in the ancient mines led to accidents, underground mining was prohibited by law in 1959. But in 1871, excited about a 67-year old report by Lt.Warren, Lavelle  made a 60-mile bullock cart trip to Kolar. During his investigation, he ...

Life is never ending battle between you and the uncontrollable force that creates pain to us. In general, people live with baggage on their backs. Everyday, we walk in this life with pain, doubts and worries. At the end of the day, you're your own hero. When you're feeling low, don't look for somebody's hands, lift yourself up and start traveling  to a place where falling looks beautiful.  Shivanasamudra is a small town  situated on the banks of the river Kaveri and is the location of  one of the first hydro-electric power stations in Asia. Riding towards Kanakpura, me and Atlee took the village route instead of  the National Highway, to reach Ganalu Waterfalls. It's a less known waterfalls near Bangalore and an unexplored place near Ganalu Village. Gliding through the forests. it was like crossing border from India to Pakistan. After a few kilometers of walk, we could the see a natural wonder that sits across the valleys. Trekking down the hills, we went near t...

On Kannada Rajoystava 2019, running to catch the train to Pondicherry. The train had almost left the station and  my friends pulled me in to the train. Having fun and sight seeing through the windows of trains which give immense pleasure as all we do at the window seat. Watching through the windows, we all fall asleep and wokeup in Pondicherry Railway Station. When we came out of train, the city ambience was so good. Making our expectations high and we went in search of rental bike and room for stay. Lucky enough, we found a Rental Bike Dealer near the Railway stations within 1km, and took three bikes. In search of room, we found a room to stay at Anna Salai (Road). Refreshing ourselves with hot water and we had breakfast served with served three types of chutney, making our taste buds ask for more. I was all packed with my Camera to take some beautiful shots around the city. We were all ready to get on the road with our bikes roaring. We first set our plan to visit ...

The sky seems gloomy. Who would have thought that something as colorless as water could make clouds so dark. It has started to drizzle now. I tried to rub condensed water droplets on the glassy wall of the room to get a clear view of the busy street ahead. Soon it will turn into an endless music of droplets hitting window panes, rooftops and tree-leaves; just like an old radio coming to life. For young couples, it's an occasion to express their love. For elderly, its a bitter sweet memory and for young ones, it's just a wet playground. Rain is like God's own poetry; each drop is a single letter in the song of  life. But most of all, for me it's day to ride, break barriers and let the emotions flow and allow the rain to dance with my ride. Myself and a friend, started our voyage to the beautiful hills of the eastern ghats - Araku Valley. It's an absolute stunner and is home to picturesque hill stations, pristine beaches and temples. Blessed  with so many options...