Aguada Fortress, Goa

Early morning fog lifts over the Arabian Sea in this view from Aguada Fortress, Goa.

Tourist boats weave patterns in the calm waters of the bay below Aguada Fortress.

Away from Calangute and Baga, I found the Sinquerim beach quiet and beautiful.

Huge sea-facing mansions

Nagarjuna Sagar

Once the muddy monsoon inflow has settled down, the Nagarjuna Sagar Dam can be a good place to spend a day.

The huge reservoir acquires a blueish tinge and the bare rocks and small islands give it an ethereal look.

The Nagarjuna is the largest masonry dam in the world. There is one small island about 2 kms in the reservoir where there is a museum which exhibits all the relics of a third century Buddhist settlement that were found when the reservoir was being dug.

Ruins of centuries old temples were also unearthed which have been reconstructed on the island.

Ruins of centuries old temples were also unearthed which have been reconstructed on the island.

Bannerghata National Park

I was lucky to photograph these beauties at such close range at Bannerghata National Park, Bengaluru.

A beautiful place

There are so many beautiful yet unknown places in India. One nice corner I discovered during one of my adventures is Maredmally in Andhra Pradesh.

The rains had made it lush green and the heavily wooded hills and grassy plains promised adventure.

  I believe it is a tourist destination but few bother go there probably because of its remoteness.

I found it close to what nature can offer.

During the monsoon, East Godavari district can be as beautiful as God's own country. The abundant rains transform the landscape into shades of lush green.
Your heart leaps to celebrate the vast expanses of paddy fields, grasslands, and rolling hills. Brooks sprout out of nowhere, flow merrily for a distance and disappear again into the rain-soaked ground. Wild flowers in myriad hues of azure, bashful orange, subdued lavender, blazing red and yellow explode all over the countryside. It is one huge canvas on which nature has splashed its palette. Driving on the NH 214 from the port town of Kakinada, we descend into Narsipatnam where paddy sowing was in full swing. Women singing some folk songs were in the fields working in total coordination. The men were diverting the excess rainwater from the fields into channels that seemed to stretch till the horizon.

Election tours provide great opportunities to go to fascinating places and meet interesting people. Chasing candidates in the Naxalite-infested areas of Telangana region in Andhra Pradesh, I had some of the most memorable experiences.


The legendary 1000 Pillars Temple of Warangal.


Hot idlis and coffee at a roadside dhaba at Suryapet in Nalgonda district, on election tour.




A temple of the toddy-tappers in Naxalite area of Karimnagar.



Beautiful gardens dot the Suryapet-Khammam Highway. This is at the Palair Reservoir. (Right)


Belying his age this toddy-tapper in Jammikunta near Warangal is about to reach dizzying heights as he takes to a palm tree.


(Right) A toddy-tapper with a fresh pot of the heady stuff.




It is a great drive on the Suryapet-Khammam Highway. My driver was happy to let me take the wheel!!



Early morning mist over this small lake on Nalgonda Road.

Sun'N'Sea at Chirala

..we burnt some rubber on the highway to reach this place. On the way, we emptied a liquor store..well almost. Breezing through breezers, zipping on windswept roads, and making merry. Reached there almost midnight so it took some time to find the little guesthouse. as soon as i heard the sound of waves the weariness of driving 300kms disappeared. dumped my stuff in the room and ran to meet the sea and spent a long time chatting with friends, sitting on a boat on the shore. went to sleep at 3 am but i was up again at 5 as the first rays of the sun streamed in. It was a beautiful morning on the beach though a bit hazy. Spent two wonderful days here..

Take me out to the ocean,
Take me out to the sea,
Show me the foamy waves rolling there,
As I breathe in the salty sea air!

Take me out to the ocean,
Take me out to the sea.
Show me the currents and ocean tides,
Let me see where the seaweed resides!

Romancing the mighty Godavari

Sweet River, run softly till I end my song,
Sweet River, run softly, for I speak not loud or long
Yes, we'll gather at the river,
The beautiful, beautiful river --
On the bank of the river,
Washing up its silver spray,
We will walk and play,
All the happy, golden day.

This great bridge across the river
Nay it isn’t Brooklyn
Nor the Thames
It is the bridge across the Godavari
Mighty flows the river from underneath
Its waters clashing with the giant pillars
But it gushes forward on an unbriddled song
Whisper to the clear deep blue waters
The mighty Godavari will ask you to sail along
Underneath the bridge, there flows the Godavari





One small sandbar splits
the river, then it loops left,
and the river's silver
slips under the trees,
into the forest,