#chasingthemonsoon

Pic 7 of 7 - #Gurgaon. We live in a city of islands each separated with other with fences with barbed wires and 24/7 security, giving rise to " Great Gated Communities of #Gurugram". But these gated island arose due to the morbid apathy of the civic authorities to provide even basic amenities like water, sewage, roads and power to the Gaon, that was in a hurry to become a " Sheher on Steroids". The stark contrast between the islands and the back and beyond is clearly visible. As the high rise residents look at the old villages and the new emerging Shanty Towns next to their fences they carefully look at other way avoiding the " Other Gurgaon" in the carefully curated #Instagram feed. For every Beverly Hills we have a Badshapur, for every James Court we have a Jharsa, For it is in these Kanhais, Nathupur, Jharsa the other invisible Gurgaon lives. Ever wondered where your security guard, your maid and your car cleaner lives? Anyways I leave you with questions I have no answers. Hopefully you like this picture clicked from a beautiful highrise balcony on a beautiful #monsoon day. ================================== BTW: The entries for the August travel digest are pouring in. Join by simply following @desiTraveler and using #desiTraveler. For previous entries check the link in bio. . . . . . . #rainyday #rain #Chasingthemonsoon #trees #artofvisuals #treeporn #umbrella #IncredibleIndia #desi_diaries #sodelhi #everydayIndia #mobilephotography #mobileclick #StreetsofIndia #_soi #wearegurgaon #treesofinstagram #treescape #tree_magic #indiaphotoproject #dfordelhi #desi_diaries #cntgiveitashot #artofvisuals (at Gurgaon, Haryana)

I have always considered the rain to be healing -- a blanket -- the comfort of a friend. -- Douglas Coupland . . . . #Shillong #Meghalaya #India #igers #ig_meghalaya #rains #friend #blanket #igrammers #chasingthemonsoon #thebetterindia

The art of storytelling is almost dead. Almost because a few rare: "Kissagos" like Sohail Hashmi Saheb are keeping the art form alive" & thank god for that. Now to those Khattee Meethee stories by Sohail Sir, add a day out to the famed Mango orchards of Rataul and you have a perfect day for #ChasingTheMonsoon. And what better place than the rain-soaked orchards of Rataul a normally dusty village in the heart of Middle India, less than 50 KM from the Lutyens's Delhi. Even before you leave the highway you can feel the difference. The potholes on the road are bigger, the traffic slower and honking louder. But you forget all that once you are in the #Mango Orchards and the storytelling begins. You listen to him as if he is singing a lullaby only instead of falling asleep your desire to taste these delicious mangoes that surround you keeps on increasing. Only the mangoes are too high on the tree and still not ripe. What to do What to do you wonder. You really want to dig in these mangoes. > >> Fikar Not dear reader for mango gorging is near as our hosts has kept countless varieties of tree ripened mangoes ready to be gorged on. There are the usual suspects like the Dussehra, Langra, Chausa, but the pride of place of this village is the " Rataul". Once bite into the sweet flesh of Rataul and the debate which is the best mango in the world is pointless. Ladies and gentlemen Rataul is what every mango hopes to become one day. The fancy named varieties may be exported and adorn the shelves of supermarkets it is the tiny Rataul that you need to dig in if you want to know what why Mango is considered the " King of all Fruits" Those buckets full of mangoes have saliva-inducing names like " Wazir Pasand, Nayab, Gulab Jamun, Tukmi, Samar Bisht Rampur, Makhsoos and then there are those naughty ones like Dogla and even a Green Mango More, the favorite way of kids in India learning their first desi Abuse. > >> More is coming on the desi Traveler blog, in the meantime the 2nd travel digest is live and if you would like to be part of the 3rd one just follow @desiTraveler and use #desiTraveler for feature. (at Rataul)

Monsoon Chasing #lpmi #chasingthemonsoon #kolkata #NAMES_TRAVELLERS