#Kathalaya

[uttarakhandtoursblog]

https://uttarakhandtourism.gov.in/trek/devi-darshan-trek

Destinations: Rishikesh, Chandrabadni, Chamba-Surkanda Devi, Dhanaulti, Kunjapuri

Duration: 4 Days

Experience: Trekking and Hiking

START

1

RISHIKESH

Take a train to Rishikesh and rest at Muni Ki Reti. Enjoy an overnight stay at the Tourist Rest house and explore the city which is often dubbed as the gateway to the Char Dham pilgrimages in Uttarakhand.

EXPLORE DESTINATION DAY

2

RISHIKESH TO CHANDRABADNI

Enjoy the scenic drive to Chandrabadni while traveling through the green environs of Devprayag with a packed lunch. Trek your way to the Chandrabadni temple and enjoy the all-embracing mystique of the Himalayan Range. Trek your way back to the city and enjoy an overnight stay at the camp.DAY

3

CHANDRABADNI TO KADDUKHAL

After waking up, set off to Kaddukhal packed with a hearty lunch. Upon reaching, you can explore the city before embarking upon a 3 km trek to Surkanda Devi. As you reach the top, you will be elated with the sight of nature at its finest. In the evening, trek back to Kaddukhal. Enjoy a 7km drive to Dhanaulti for an overnight stay.DAY

4

DRIVE TO KUNJAPURI AND RISHIKESH

Wake up and enjoy the hidden gems of Dhanaulti before driving to Hindolakhal. The 64 kms drive is filled with breathtaking views and the serene beauty of the Himalayas. Spend some time wandering in the lush green surroundings before heading for Kunjapuri with a packed lunch. Trek your way to the Kunjapuri temple and soak in the view of the beautiful Himalayan peaks. In the afternoon, head back to Rishikesh where the tour concludes.

[lekshk]

Bangalore days - Nanna Life in Namma Bengaluru

If you hear the word Bangalore, which Malayali would say no? ~ Kuttan (Nivin Pauly's character from the movie Bangalore days) That was the case for me too but life had become stressful when I moved from Mumbai to Bengaluru a year back. My parents settled in Trivandrum, I was juggling between 3 cities. Three operations and a dialysis back to back, my move was a blessing because I could reach my parents faster anytime at a cheaper cost. However, the strain associated with it was good enough to take a toll of my mental health. I was missing Mumbai and all the struggles associated with moving to a new city were clearly affecting me. Work was equally demanding and even though I had a supportive team, I was always having a sense of not being able to give enough. Soon, I started becoming toxic to everything around me. Nothing made sense and I would get irritated at the drop of a hat. Loneliness started creeping in and it just felt like the odds are not in my favor. If only someone could understand me. That's when I came across this quote. Have 3 jobs in life – one that gives you salary, one that keeps you fit and one that gets you creative. ~ Unknown source What excited me reading it, I don't know. Probably the possibility of donning multifarious hats awoke my Mumbaikar spirit. Suddenly, I could feel the buzz and the energy in my bones and I started looking forward to it. To start with - Salary, well, I already had the job. What should I do to keep fit? That's when another quote struck! When you want something badly, the whole universe conspires to make it happen. ~ Pauolo Coehlo (The Alchemist) Salsa, Bachata, Jive – as if the ballet dancer in the picture of Dance with me studio was staring at me. I used to see it everyday while commuting to office, but how come I never payed attention to it?! So, dance it is! Fitness – check it off! Next- Creativity Again, Paulo Coehlo's words started ringing in my ears. I had always wanted to learn art. Cool, that's settled then! Enroll for art classes and burst your creativity! Now, a 9 hour job and Bengaluru traffic don't go hand in hand. I had to find a way where I could have the cake and eat it too! Soon, a time table was set considering the commute time and the space for intermittent relaxation periods. Because self care, while necessary, shouldn't become exhausting by overdoing it out of excitement of newfound strength and invincibility! You can conquer the world but hey! hey! take one day at a time! I realized weekdays I was out for work anyway. So, enrolling for classes on such days would be a good idea because that would ensure I attended them no matter how much ever tiring they seem because the traffic here would discourage you to step out of the house on weekends. I decided the weekends could be a leisurely one instead. Hence, I chose the less peak hours of 12 to 9 pm shift which fortunately my project had. Twice a week, I would attend dance classes in the mornings and freshen up in the office shower rooms and login to work. Surprisingly, even though initially, it was hectic, dance brought out joy in me. I would feel rejuvenated and work was becoming pleasurable. My face started to glow, I would joke with my colleagues, call my parents regularly. There was more laughter and happiness around. The remaining 3 days I would do simple yoga in the meditation room in the office premise. I also made it a point to spend half hour in the library known as the Information Resource Center (IRC). Reading edit page in Bangalore mirror became a ritual and attending video screenings arranged by IRC became part of the work DNA. It motivated me to work better and build effective relationships at work. I enrolled for art workshops during weekends and would spend an average of 3 hours of learning. Here, there was no pressure of commitment because it would be a one time activity and one could take our art work the same day. Soon, I ended up making macrames, dot mandalas, paintings using fluid water colors, acrylics and pallete knives. A finished art work would make me feel proud and the weekday stresses melted away in the art. The remaining hours went in cleaning my room, washing clothes, watching movies, go for shopping etc. The new found love for myself, made me even bolder now. I realized, I had always wanted to teach music. And lo! the opportunity came in and I got 3 kids between 5 to 16 years of age under my tutelage! I was now an entrepreneur! It was here Maya Angelou's words came to my rescue- If you get, give. If you learn, teach. I realized only when you give back to the society, your life becomes meaningful. And volunteering is a great way to start here. What better than TATA initiatives? I began teaching spoken English to security and house keeping staff once a week on weekdays. Though my joy grew multi fold, so did my work obligations. Volunteering on weekdays gradually became a distant possibility. But I was not to give up. When plan A doesn't work, there's always a plan B and the remaining 24 English alphabets! I decided to contribute through content creation instead of teaching and shifted volunteering to weekends instead of weekdays. This resulted in getting associated with other volunteering activities such as making doodles for road safety or attend awareness sessions on mental health or environment conservation or read stories to kids in a children's home. It is said that charity begins at home. For me, it began with myself. The moment I started to take care of myself, it got extended to my family and friends, colleagues and relatives, work place and communities. It was now time to give back to the city that embraced me with open arms. Through The Ugly Indian suggested by a dear friend, I contributed to this NGO's efforts to beautify Bengaluru by adopting the streets, flyovers, underpasses, metro stations, parks through simple geometrical wall paintings, garbage cleaning and sapling plantation, all of them famously known as spot fixing. I realized my problems were indeed manageable. And slowly my cribs turned into love. The expectations from myself, my family, work, colleagues, friends, relatives, communities became easier to maneuver. I started maintaining Gratitude and Thought journals. It is said that either you do what you like or like what you do. I know I have the capacity to look for things I want and pursue them. How about trying the other way round? i.e. instead of going for what I want, can I go for what is available? What does the city offer? Do I like it? Do I want to experiment with it? The answer was a big YES! Famous for numerous start ups, the city is active with events such as dialogues with books, travel, cinema, board games, comedy nights, karaokes in various cafes or at cubbon park and with film screenings and theater performances in metro station auditoriums too! People are ready to welcome new ideas and experiment with them. Boasting of cycling enthusiasts too, I also went for one day cycling trips. The Indian Heritage Walks (IHW) helped me see the city through a different lens. Karnataka being a state blessed with forests, beaches and heritage sites, weekend getaways are pretty popular in the city and I managed to visit Hampi (a long time wish, thanks to the Malayalam movie Aanandam) and Coorg through an adventure group and Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) respectively. My next in the wish list is Jungle lodges! As Bengaluru traffic is unavoidable and since I travel by AC Volvo buses of Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), I decided to read a book during the commute to not only avoid the boredom but to also add variety to my creative pursuits. Known also for pub culture, I reconnected with my cousins already settled here, and together, we explored pubs, fine dine restaurants, reminisced the old days, shared laughter, played poker, watched cricket matches and had loads of fun in simple terms! From all this I realized, when you know and accept who you are and then go for what you want, what you think, say and do, come in perfect harmony. You end up loving more, giving more and caring more. Genuinely. At the risk of sounding cliched, life is indeed a balance. It is simple but we make it complicated. That reminded me of a joke shared by a psychiatrist in the TV show Satyamev Jayate - Agar 100 saal ki zindagi, 10 saal mein jeena chahoge, toh pareshan hi rahoge na? (If you aim to live a 100 year life in 10 years, wouldn't you be stressed?) Now I give percentage of importance to all that matters to me. I neither chuck out anything or compromise anywhere. Because I know I can have it all but not all at once. I remind this kindly to myself and just play with the levels of significance. I try to be flexible enough to change them when necessary. I also try to embrace negative emotions like disappointments, anger, frustration and later change the way I feel about it. Now I don't feel like running away from the past or being afraid of the future. My endeavor instead has shifted to be the first rate version of my unique present. Trust me, it's very hard to practice but it is definitely worth giving a shot. I would like to end on a funny note, keeping in mind the pub culture of the city - When life throws lemons, I order a tequila. In true Bengalurean style, Enjoy Maadi!

Picture collection 1 - (From top to bottom) Family, Cousins, Friends

Picture collection 2 - Volunteering with The Ugly Indian

Picture collection 3 - Alumni meet with storytellers (Kathalaya Academy of Storytelling)

Picture collection 4 - (From top to bottom) Know Your Indian Roots, Dialogues with Books, Tipu Sultan Palace through IHW, SPIK MACAY Classical Vocal Concert

Picture collection 5 - Mime performance with TCS colleagues (Team Mounam)

Picture collection 6 - Art & Craft Workshops

Picture collection 7 - (From top to bottom) Story reading at children's home, doodling for traffic awareness, mental health awareness session at NIMHANS through Volunteer For Cause (VFC)

Picture 8 - Trip to Yelagiri with family and cousin's family

Last but not the least - my love for plants as a gift to all my wonderful readers

[thenesavu]

We are all excited for our upcoming live session 😍 Pragi Padmanaban, Storyteller from Tirupur trained by Kathalaya Academy of Storytelling. Fondly known among the kids as Pragi aunty, Pragi has been capturing kids heart for 6 years with her stories! An ex Googler who took up storytelling as a fun hobby initially, made it her Ikigai. So come join us for a fun story telling session with @storytimewithpragi on Sunday 14th at 10 AM! And don’t miss it 😆 #qurantineandchill #nesavu #toddlermoms #livesession #storytelling #thenesavu #toddlersofinstagram #coimbatoremoms #bangaloremom #momblogger #mommyblogger #chennaimom #gajapathykulapathi #bondapalli #instalive #indianmom #indianmomblogger #indianmoms #indianmommyblogger (at Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-wm4nPp_1d/?igshid=rvk6nskelu93

[buzzingbubs1-blog]

All About Warli: Workshop by Kathalaya

Here’s a unique workshop that brings together ‘chitra’ and ‘katha’. A journey to experience storytelling and art and learn all about Warli tribe. See more at https://buzzingbubs.com/

[uttarakhandtoursblog]

https://uttarakhandtourism.gov.in/trek/sunderdhunga-trek

Sunderdhunga Trek

Destinations: Bageshwar, Saung, Loharkhet, Khati, Jatoli, Kathalaya, Sunderdhunga

Experience: Trekking (moderate to challenging)

Maximum Altitude: 4,320 m (Approx)

Duration: 8 days

Ideal Time: May, June, September and October

START

Tour OperatorsDAY

1

BAGESHWAR

Day 1 of the trek starts from Bageshwar. Try to squeeze out some time to visit the ancient Baghnath temple. Cover a distance of 40 kilometers by bus while traveling to Saung. Then a 3 kilometers trek to Lohanhel.DAY

2

KHATI

The next morning after a hearty breakfast, set off for Loharkhet. While covering a distance of 19 kilometers by trek reach Khati. Khati is the campsite and is the largest village in this region. One can immerse in the captivating beauty of the Nandakot peaks. Overnight in Khati.DAY

3

JATOLI

Day 3 of the Sunderdhunga trek comprises a 14 kms trek to Jatoli. The trek starts from Khati village. It is the last village en-route Pindari and Kafni glacier. This trail passes through a thick cover of Rhododendrons. Reach Jatoli post evening and spend the night there.DAY

4

KATHALIYA

Next morning grab a good breakfast as again it is going to be a long day. Pack your rucksack for Kathaliya. In this 13 kms trek you will cross thick covers of alpine. The intensity of this stretch is moderate. One will reach Kathaliya post evening. It is the last inhabited village enroute Sunderdhunga glacier. Dinner and overnight halt in Kathaliya.DAY

5

SUNDERDHUNGA

Eat a good breakfast at Kathaliya. This will be the ultimate stop now, before descending back to the base. Get ready for a trek to Sunderdhunga post breakfast. You can choose to trek via Makoli Top or Sukhram Cave. The route via Makoli Top is steep but it’s worth taking. Reach Sunderdhunga and return to Kathaliya the same day. Dinner and overnight stay at Kathalia.DAY

6

JATOLI

The descent starts on day 6. Start your trek in the morning. It is a 13 kilometers trek to Jatoli. It will take around 5 hours to reach Jatoli. Overnight stay in Jatoli.DAY

7

DHAKURI

After a good night’s sleep, it’s time to pack up from Jatoli. Start your day early for a 14 kilometers trek back to Dhakuri. Overnight stay in Dhakuri.DAY

8

LOHARKHET AND BAGESHWAR

It’s time to go back to the pavilion. Start your 14 kilometers trek to Loharkhet from Dhakuri early in the morning. This is again a 14 kilometers downwards trail. After reaching Loharkhet, take a bus for Bageshwar. Tour concludes in Bageshwar.

[uttarakhandtoursblog]

https://uttarakhandtourism.gov.in/trek/sunderdhunga-trek

Destinations: Bageshwar, Saung, Loharkhet, Khati, Jatoli, Kathalaya, Sunderdhunga

Experience: Trekking (moderate to challenging)

Maximum Altitude: 4,320 m (Approx)

Duration: 8 days

Ideal Time: May, June, September and October

BAGESHWAR

Day 1 of the trek starts from Bageshwar. Try to squeeze out some time to visit the ancient Baghnath temple. Cover a distance of 40 kilometers by bus while traveling to Saung. Then a 3 kilometers trek to Lohanhel.DAY

2. KHATI

The next morning after a hearty breakfast, set off for Loharkhet. While covering a distance of 19 kilometers by trek reach Khati. Khati is the campsite and is the largest village in this region. One can immerse in the captivating beauty of the Nandakot peaks. Overnight in Khati.DAY

3 JATOLI

Day 3 of the Sunderdhunga trek comprises a 14 kms trek to Jatoli. The trek starts from Khati village. It is the last village en-route Pindari and Kafni glacier. This trail passes through a thick cover of Rhododendrons. Reach Jatoli post evening and spend the night there.DAY

4. KATHALIYA

Next morning grab a good breakfast as again it is going to be a long day. Pack your rucksack for Kathaliya. In this 13 kms trek you will cross thick covers of alpine. The intensity of this stretch is moderate. One will reach Kathaliya post evening. It is the last inhabited village enroute Sunderdhunga glacier. Dinner and overnight halt in Kathaliya.DAY

5. SUNDERDHUNGA

Eat a good breakfast at Kathaliya. This will be the ultimate stop now, before descending back to the base. Get ready for a trek to Sunderdhunga post breakfast. You can choose to trek via Makoli Top or Sukhram Cave. The route via Makoli Top is steep but it’s worth taking. Reach Sunderdhunga and return to Kathaliya the same day. Dinner and overnight stay at Kathalia.DAY

6. JATOLI

The descent starts on day 6. Start your trek in the morning. It is a 13 kilometers trek to Jatoli. It will take around 5 hours to reach Jatoli. Overnight stay in Jatoli.DAY

7. DHAKURI

After a good night’s sleep, it’s time to pack up from Jatoli. Start your day early for a 14 kilometers trek back to Dhakuri. Overnight stay in Dhakuri.DAY

8. LOHARKHET AND BAGESHWAR

It’s time to go back to the pavilion. Start your 14 kilometers trek to Loharkhet from Dhakuri early in the morning. This is again a 14 kilometers downwards trail. After reaching Loharkhet, take a bus for Bageshwar. Tour concludes in Bageshwar.