“The real voyage of discovery consists, not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”
– Marcel Proust, a French novelist, essayist and writer of the renowned novel À la recherche du temps perdu (In Search of Lost Time), published in seven parts.
Every time you travel across cities and town in a country like India, these words of Proust resonate in your quest for exploring the landscapes/cityscapes and their inhabitants. Such is the cultural, linguistic and ethnic diversity of the country that there’s so much out there to soak into the experience of places and its people even in the fleeting moments. If the breezy, sun-kissed coastlines give you an open-ended sense of their unending vistas, the people by the sea display an unmatched zest for living life to its fullest. While the quaint and mighty mountains make you realise the power of the unseen, the people of the hills exhibit ways of building lives around the ups and downs of nature and not against it.
Amidst the vastness of the landscapes and cityscapes, it’s not difficult to spot moments that are innately intertwined with their surroundings and yet stand out from the rest. They blend and un-blend with the limitlessness nature and massiveness of human creations. And above all, these are moments that change in split seconds and yet freeze in time forever…
From landlocked towns to vast seas and from metros to mini-cities, here’s a medley of some such fleeting moments brought to you by Asra Shaheen Photography.
If houseboats are iconic images of Alleppey, small boats are the only lifeline of its inhabitants
Houseboats may be the most iconic tourist imagery of the popularity of Alappuzha or Alleppey (Kerala) but it’s the smaller boats that are the lifeline of the local inhabitants living along this inlaid with water channels, which is known as the ‘Venice of East’. The residents use these boats to navigate and carry all their everyday essentials.
In the vicinity of Bidar Fort
The Bidar Fort remains one of the well-known tourist destinations in the state of Karnataka. However, a walk in the vicinity of the fort gives you a chance to catch a glimpse of the small-town life, such as children on their way to schools or freewheeling with their friends.
Coorg – A land that nurtures some of the endangered species & dialects
Coorg or Kodagu is nestled in the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats. According to studies by UNESCO, the Western Ghats are in fact older than the Himalayas. It is the land of an endangered Dravidian language, which has two dialects, Mendele and Kiggat.
Gangtok – the Queen of Hills is also a model city and civic pride of India
Situated at the height of 5,500 ft the above sea level, the capital of Sikkim is known as the Queen of Hills. Not many may know that Gangtok is also the civic pride of India. No honking in traffic… abiding strictly to rules… and clean and green spaces… all of this and much more make it one of the best cities of India.
Beaches, yes, but there’s more to Goa when you walk down the roads of Panjim
Looking beyond the beaches of Goa, there’s a scintillating cityscape out there for you to admire. With its Portuguese past written all over the buildings and churches, the capital city of Goa has a very distinct character to it.
In the middle of the bustling port city of Kochi, Kerala
No matter how busy a port city becomes, simple joys of street life still hold the all-time charm.
Dreamy trek through the hills of Kodaikanal
For many tourists, the reward of trekking through the hills of Kodaikanal is the breath-taking view of the skies and hills but if you are luckier, the foggy weather plays it’s own peek-a-boo.
Kovalam’s coastline has a mash up of both exotic and rustic elements
Think of an exotic beach in India and what instantly pops up in your imagery is Goa. But when you look beyond the regular travel itineraries, you get to make the most of a country like India. Kovalam has some of the most scintillating beaches in India.
The Maximum City of Mumbai & its all-embracing Arabian Sea
While the densely populated city is packed chock-a-block with its skyscrapers and slums, it’s the magnanimous Arabian Sea that gives the city-dwellers the “space” to nurture their dreams.
Pondicherry & its Cycling Culture
They say the best way to explore Pondicherry is by cycling through the length and breadth of the city. A sense of freedom and a clean and green choice is what many residents of the city experience by cycling. And mind you it’s young and old alike.
The Fatehsagar Lake is the soul of the zestful Udaipur City
If you have been to Udaipur, you simply cannot miss this sight of freestyle swimmers diving into Fatehsagar Lake in the mornings and adventure enthusiasts kayaking in the scenic waters in the evenings. Being a popular lakeside promenade for walking and leisure, Fatehsagar is indeed the soul of this zestful city.
