Haridwar - Experiences and Introspections

Haridwar , in the state of Uttarakhand, India happens to be one of the holiest places for Hindus all over the world. 

It also has become my home, after marriage. We come to Haridwar often and each time its a new experience. 

This summer, we chose to escape the heat of Delhi city and enjoy the divinity of Haridwar. It's been a mixture of a lot of experiences, feeling and introspections being in this divine city.

For one, it feels funny to see the huge number of crowds in early morning hours at Har Ki Pauri.  Har ki Pauri is the most famous and sacred ghat in Haridwar and we visited it one day early morning(6:30 am to be precise) hoping to escape the crowds. Boy, were we wrong!!

 The ghat was packed, with people busy doing their thing - offering flowers to the holy Ganga river, praying and taking a holy dip.

On a clear morning, one can view the Mansa devi temple at a hilltop nearby the Har Ki Pauri ghat.

The flower offerings were  beautiful to look at and I also offered my salutations to the holy Ganga.

Eating out options are many at Haridwar, particularly at Har ki Pauri. Here are some spicy, tasty(but not necessarily healthy :P) options.

Walking along the streets of old Haridwar, it felt nice to see that not much has changed in the old town...the same street side vendors, monks, ashrams and shops. Sometimes, its nice to see things not changing!!

We wanted to escape the crowds and still have a nice time. Father-in-law suggested Kankhal, a small colony, which is one of the 'panch teerths' (five pilgrimigages) within Haridwar.

It is considered the birth place of Sati (consort of Lord Shiv) and her father Daksh's palace. It is considered a very holy place and has a lot of temples and ashrams.

We went there in the evening and found it to be much less crowded, in fact very less people and the ghats there literally empty. 

It was entertaining to see kids frolicking in the water and a stray dog cooling itself!!

Being in Haridwar is always an interesting experience and Im sure every time that I come here, there will be some interesting thing to do :)


Read my previous posts on Haridwar & rishikesh, here and here

Summer fun in the sun with Kyra!!

Summers mean sweat, heat , thirst and tanning. But Summers also mean endless fun lying on the beach, wading in the swimming pool and trekking on the hills.


This summer I have new best friend Kyra who loves outdoors like me. This makes the two of us a perfect pair and we are having a whale of time lazing by the pool for hours!!


And we dont have to worry a bit about tanning or harmful UV rays thanks to Lakme Sun Expert.

So , you can also have your share of fun without worrying about the sun this summer with Lakme Sun Expert!! check out Lakme's Facebook page for details - https://www.facebook.com/ilovelakme

This post is my entry for the Lakme Diva IndiBlogger Contest

Pushkar: The Flower Child Destination

Pushkar, a sleepy town in the state of Rajasthan, India,  is one of the most important holy places for Hindus. It is one of few places where the third god of the Hindu Trinity, Lord Brahma, has a temple dedicated to him. It is also world famous for the annual Pushkar cattle fair(mela), attracting hippies, flower children and free spirits.

I took off with family one weekend recently for a spiritual tour to the twin destinations of Ajmer Sharif Dargah & Pushkar. It was a calming experience spending time in this interesting town.

Here I share with you some images of this old yet charming town.

The whole town of Pushkar is habitated around the Lake and according to hindu mythology, this lake is of out most importance as Lord Brahma  performed penance here for 60,000 years to have glimpse of Vishnu.

The temple dedicated to Lord Brahma.

 The sunset at the Lake was nice experience.

Located in the Aravalli hill range, Pushkar has some interesting views to offer.

 There are around 52 ghats surrounding the Lake and it makes for an interesting watch!!

Pushkar makes for an interesting weekend getaway in any season, even in summers!!
Leaving you with some interesting and quirky moments of my trip.

Being a flower child :)......Today's Look #31

I love the 70s era and I love hippies, everything they had or have has a sense of freedom and love...and who doesn't love to love??????

Recently, I went on a quickie weekend trip to Pushkar with family and the place being a hot destination with hippies all the world over...I also tried being the flower child :)

Here's what I wore.

Top: Lee Cooper

Dhoti Pants: Anokhi

Bag: Anokhi

Shades: Ray Ban

Slippers: North Star

Watch: Titan

While I may again be criticized for 'ruining' the look with slippers, for me it is the most convenient way to walk around while exploring a travel destination.

Here's a snapshot of the entire look :)

These dhoti pants from Anokhi are just awesomely super, airy, soft and totally comfy for the summers...I have got another pair from Anokhi and they are my best friends for summer :)

So, how do you like this flower child ?? :P

I also wore these dhoti pants like this. 

The Devotion of Suspect X: Book Review

I just love blogadda team's book reviews program, they are getting better and better books everyday!!

The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino is the latest book I was offered to review and I'm glad that I got to read this novel.

Review: 

First, the facts - This novel was originally written in Japanese and translated into English by Alexander O Smith and Elye J Alexander; in my opinion it's quite a good translation with very minute detailing. 

The novel is a thriller with an unusual plot, the murder happens in the first chapter and the reader knows fully well how the murder was committed, the circumstances behind it, leading to it and also the murderer. The interest of the reader is aroused by this to a great deal, I mean everything is clear...so what next?????

Well, the story then takes very interesting twists and turns, when the police investigation of the murder starts.....and every event, right from location of the victim's body to the clues are totally different from what the reader knows in the first chapter; it becomes an exciting read, like a jigsaw puzzle for the reader to fill in the gaps between what he/she has already read in the first chapter and the subsequent chapter. Each character has been fleshed out very well with backgrounds and well rounded characterizations, even the minor characters. The characters, the circumstances and the plot are very very believable, the murder is committed by one of the main characters as a spur of the moment act, which is very believable, given her background and circumstances. In fact, the reader may even be sympathetic to her. The interactions between the various characters have been etched out very well and it reads like interesting everyday conversations. Also, every character is not black or white, all of them area bit of grey..all have thier everyday problems, worries and setbacks ..and each one has a past which has a shade of the usual unhappiness. It is on the basis of this very past, each individual character acts the way he/she does. In fact,  the brilliance of the whole plot after the murder lies in the action of another main character, who has behaved in the most natural way for him based on his emotions and feelings for the actual murderer.  As the investigations move forward, the plot becomes more and more complex and the police find themselves against the wall, all their clues lead to nowhere. Then, one of the main characters decide to confess to the crime and it becomes even more complex, the police cannot are suspicious of the story and so is the reader.  However, the confession is also very believable and not only that, it seems very very logical and one is almost sure it is the actual thing that did happen. The story then throws an interesting googly and it is the most bizarre one, which is the final piece of this thrilling murder jigsaw puzzle plot!! The ending is very exciting and also a bit painful, one does feel a bit for the devotion of suspect X, that he perhaps could have had a bit love requited back.  

The ending left me completely well satisfied having read a good thriller in a long time and I would recommend it to everyone who's interested in thrillers to grab a copy of this novel.

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books!

Trending Florals+Pastels+Palazzos...Today's Look #30

Instant love when I saw these pair of floral palazzos at Anokhi. For me, they brought together all the best trends of this season = florals, pastels and palazzos. 

And they were also the perfect palazzos for my body type :)

Wore them recently to another family evening out!!

Top: Soma

Palazzos: Anokhi

Flats: Westside

Bag: ASOS(pieces)

Shades: Ray Ban

Ring: Accessorize

Bangles: Dilli Haat

Isn't this floral print in pastel colors so soothing to eye!!! 

Here's a snapshot of my entire look :)

This being a sultry & humid summer in delhi for us, kept accessories to the minimal with my ray ban shades hogging the limelight :)

Btw, if you are wondering on buying new pair of shades and wonder which styles suit your face, check out my article on sunglasses types for different faces on maazu blog.

Have you got a fav trend this summer???

Summers, whites n nauticals go together, right!!?......Today Look #29

It's May and summers are officially in. There's nothing better to wear in summers than White & nauticals , right!! 

Soothing to the eye and to the body, White is the perfect color for summer and one can'rt go wrong with it. And pairing them with nauticals (or stripes) makes for a divine match!!!

This outfit is exactly that!!

Top: M&S

White Jeans: Levi's

Bag: Benetton

Shades: Ray Ban

Flats: Bata

On summer day outing, wore whites and nautical sky blue & white top and it was total comfort for me.

Love this top (check out the intricate lace work at the neck),  which I bought marked down almost 80%  at M&S. 

This top is simple, summery and yet so feminine with the lace work at the neck...it's turning out to be one of my favorites!!! 

Speaking of tops & necks, I recently wrote an article on different neck types for women for Maazu(click here to  read), one of the foremost professional fashion blogs in India.

So here' cheers to summer with whites & nauticals!!

I also wore this top like this.