Operation Bluestar – Let’s not forget!

        That alone is a temple, where He can be known. Through contemplation in human body, one understands His omnipresence. Don’t look for him outside, He dwells within the Heart. The ego-willed cannot appreciate this fact, in mere worldly pursuits he wastes his life. He pervades everywhere,...

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Kalari

Kalari (कलाड़ी or کلاڑی) – “mozerella cheese of Kashmir”, the taste of which is still fresh on my palette from the servings made by my mother during my upbringing at Gorakhpur, a place far away from Kashmir. This special cheese is indigenous to Kashmir region of India and Pakistan. Since...

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Allah

During a visit to Jamia Masjid, the largest mosque in Old Delhi, India, on the roof I found two boys engrossed in their prayers to Allah. Photographing them, I was reminded of the verse below by Saint Kabir on page 1349 of Guru Granth Sahib, the spiritual scripture of the...

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Mount Batok

Sometimes beauty is overshadowed by popularity! Mount Bromo (2,392m) in Indonesia is popular because it is an active volcano, constantly throwing hot gases. In it’s distant horizon lies the larger Mount Sumeru (3,676m), which is also active. Mount Batok (2,470m), though lying adjacent to Mount Bromo, is overshadowed by the...

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Guge Kingdom – The lost civilization

“vivid colours, chiseled forms of rocks and mountains stand out in brilliant clearness, divested of any trace of vegetation, like the world on the first day of creation, when only heaven and earth were facing each other in the primal unity.” by Govinda, Lama Anagarika from The Way of the...

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Why fight it?

Why should one fight a challenging situation? Rather working with it, one can capitalize to an advantage.   At Tawang Monastery, watching a group of Monks dance, photographically it created a challenging situation. The camera was directly facing the setting sun, creating dark silhouettes.   So I decided not to...

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Muzaffarabad (Pakistan) : In search of roots

Postman to my father, “Sunder Singh, this is a strange postcard and I believe it is for you.”   With a two line address that just read “Sunder Singh, Gorakhpur,” it could only be a divine intervention that the postcard sent from Rawalpindi (Pakistan), found it’s way to my father...

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Mount Everest – North face from Tibet

An evening spent in the lap of Mount Everest (29,029 feet) at the remote Tibetan village of Tingri (14,107 feet), offered us an opportunity to admire the world’s highest peak from close quarters. The near vertical north face of Everest in Tibet is the reason why expeditions to the top...

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Guns of Nihangs

Nihangs, the last guardians of the Sikh martial spirit, roam freely across the Punjab (western state of India). Their nomadic lifestyle is dedicated to praying the almighty and practicing the Sikh martial arts. They maintain these traditions from the time of the 10th Sikh Guru, who left this world in...

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