From a winter convert!

A visit to Chandigarh Rose Festival.

As the temperature rockets I miss winters. Being born and bred in South India, I seldom understood the eagerness with which North Indians looked forward to the winter and the treats that come with it. The cool, rather cold temperature is welcomed with joy (I was like duh!!! This year night temperature dropped to 1.5 degree C and did not rise above 6 degrees C for about 10 days. Brrrr). There is a frenzy of activity – the winter comforters are aired/dry cleaned, the colourful winter clothes, pashmina shawls, phirans are ready for display.

The vegetable market is filled with energy and residents rush to pick up the sweet red carrot for yummy gajar ka halwa, and mustard leaf for the sarson ka saag! To top it all, it is a delight to drive around Chandigarh where every household plants winter flowers in their garden and every rotary in the city is brimming with colourful, vibrant flowers.

In brief, I am a winter convert!

Towards the end of this joyful season arrives India’s largest Rose Festival in the month of February. How could I miss it?

As I look out of the window towards the blazing heat that promises to cross 42 degree C next week, I miss winter. In memory, and anticipation of the coming winter, I am posting the photo essay of the Rose Festival I visited at Zakir Rose Garden at Sector 16, Chandigarh titled ‘White is my colour of Rose’. 

Photo essay ‘White is my colour of Rose’

If only one could live a Mirage...oh wait…we did!

Mountain holidays - Andretta in Himachal Pradesh

Us

Reproducing the guest post I wrote for Aditi, my best-est friend and partner-in-crime on her aptly named travel blog http://loonyontheloose.blogspot.in/

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Aditi and I started travelling when we were barely out of high school. As Aditi says in her guest post ‘Idealism of Youth’ on our blog (the blog belongs to both me and my husband Guru aka G ) which she wrote for me a few years ago, “Youth gave us optimism, vigour, vitality and a feeling of invincibility”. We were young, poor and foolish. I say foolish because of our then headstrong devil- may -care attitude. We had the nerve to travel all the way from Bangalore to Delhi and then up to Kulu Manali for a longish trek (Chandrakhani pass) and back. We even managed to pack in a side trip to Agra. All this with only Rs. 5,000 each in our pockets and no credit card / debit card to come to our rescue when we almost ran out of all of our paisa towards the end.

Every trip becomes special for a particular reason. The Chandrakani pass trek, we remember for the fairly remote hamlet of Malana where the inhabitants, to this day are of the unshakeable faith that they are the proud descendants of Alexander the Great. And therefore for a reason unfathomable to us, superior beings! On the plus side, being ginger at least in some places is not so bad after all. The Goa trek is etched in our minds for the sheer joy of stealthily sneaking away to Dudh Sagar falls at midnight to welcome New Year by the light of the moon!!! What fun. And more recently, my trip with G to Srinagar, apart from the incredible beauty of the valley, we remember for the unalloyed excitement of driving to a lesser driven place.

At Andretta, the breath taking beauty of the place, the things G and I wanted to see and experience were a given. However, we will always remember this trip for our choice of tasteful/unique accommodation. And true to its name, The Mirage Heritage Homestay was quite a dreamy place not just for its elegance, setting and style but also for all the wonderful people we met there.

The Mirage Heritage Homestay

Andretta

Andretta an artist’s village with its curious Italian name came into being about 75 years ago when Norah Richards, an Irish writer, dramatist and a follower of Tolstoy came here. Norah Richards, the "Nani (grandmother) of Punjabi Theatre", Gurcharan Singh who introduced studio pottery to India and known for Delhi Blue pottery and his son Mansimran (Mini) Singh also a well-known potter,  Sobha Singh painter of Sikh Gurus, B.C. Sanyal painter and sculptor, actor Prithvi Raj Kapoor, Freda Bedi first Western woman to take ordination in Tibetan Buddhism and also mother of actor Kabir Bedi are some of the stalwarts whose names are closely associated nay synonymous with Andretta. To know more about Andretta’s history and culture, read the article written by Mary Singh of Andretta Pottery. Link

Morning walk across fields ripe for harvest

The Mirage 

Food at The Mirage

The Mirage is a homestay run by Denis and Dolly, New Zealander - French couple who have painstakingly created this cosy abode. Mirage sits amidst lush pine forest with the majesticsnow-capped mountains of Dhauladhar for a backdrop. The house is filled with exquisite Indian furniture and handicrafts collected over many years by the couple. We were welcomed with great warmth and diligently served the most delicious and healthy home cooked food - thanks to Dolly. Denis every morning, made sure that we were taken for a brisk walk up the hill, down the gorge, across fields ripe for harvest and through the chai shop. This is probably the healthiest vacation we have ever taken! Our fellow house guests provided stimulating conversation over lazy repasts of breakfast and countless cups of chai on the patio making our stay all the more pleasurable.

But wait, there is more. If you can manage to reluctantly to tear yourself away from the patio of wonderful camaraderie, you can engage in a host of activities in and around Andretta.

At Andretta -

Walk across to Andretta Pottery run by Mini Singh. They have a terracotta museum with authentic Himachali pots and a small shop where you can buy pottery made by them. If a potter’s wheel is available, you can try your hand at it. They charge Rs. 150 for a 20 minute sitting or Rs. 1,500 for the entire day. If you are a serious potter you can enrol yourself for a three month residential course which will set you back by Rs. 75,000. I’ve heard that it’s worth every penny or in this case paisa.

Andretta Pottery. Work in progress.

After, you could walk down to Andretta Chowk to check out the Sobha Singh Art gallery. It is now run by the renowned painter’s family and has a small collection of his original work. Paintings of heroes, freedom fighters, religious figures, romantic tales and portraits- you have it all there- exclusively for your viewing pleasure.

Seasonal entertainment

If you are travelling in October you can expect action at Norah Richard’s house. The house has been renovated by the Punjabi University, Patiala. They perform plays every year on Norah Richard's birthday October 29th at the open air theatre. Entry is free.

Around Andretta -

Temples and Monasteries

Bir is a Tibetian settlement about 22 km from Andretta. Bir houses the Dirru Sakya Monastery which belongs to the Sakya School of Tibetan Buddhism which was founded in 1073 by the distinguished Tibetan Master Khon Konchok Gyalpo.  You can also visit Tashi Jong Monastery in the vicinity and also the SherabLing Monastery at Baijnath.

Dirru Sakya Monastery at Bir

A trip to the ancient Shiva Temple at Baijnath (11 km) may also be worthwhile. This is a temple built in the Nagara style, a medieval  Noth Indian style of architecture in the year 1204 AD. Lord Shiva is represented as Vaidyanath or ‘the Lord of Physicians’ at this temple.

You can also visit Jwalamukhi Mata Temple about 65 km.

There are natural flames in the temple which are worshipped as a manifestation of the nine Goddesses - Mahakali, Unpurna, Chandi, Hinglaj, Bindhya Basni, Maha Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ambika and Anji Devi. These flames burn continuously without any fuel or assistance and may be seen erupting from a rock-side.

If you travel 65 km you can visit McLeod Ganj and visit the Tibetan Government in exile which is about 65 km away. Here you can visit Norbulingka Institute at Dharmshala 40 km away, where you can pick up some authentic Tibetian artifacts made at their training centre, Namlang Monastry etc.

Adventure Sports –

Bir-Billing (elevation 5,003 ft and 12,762 feet) is a high altitude paraglide haunt. A 14 km picturesque drive from Bir takes you to Billing the take-off point. It is the world’s third highest and Asia’s highest take off point. G enjoyed a tandem jump with PG Gurukul a paraglide academy. You can call Gurpreet who runs the place on +919816 525205 to book a slot.  If you are too queasy to jump off the cliff, I suggest you take a picnic basket to Billing and delight in stunning views of the valley.  A trek in the region is also a good idea.

Massage –

To relax after the adrenalin rush of paragliding, visit Kayakalp, Himalayan Research Institute for Yoga and Naturapathy at Palampur for a rejuvenating ayurvedic massage. To continue with the pampering, why not follow with a lovely lunch at Taragarh Hotel near Palampur. This imposing residential estate now belongs to the Royals of Jammu and Kashmir and was previously occupied for several years by their dowager Maharani.

Getting to Andretta –

You can reach Andretta via the much plied Dharmsala – McLeod Ganj route. While driving to Andretta via Kangra, I would highly recommend a visit the Kangra Fort at Old Kangra. Do hire the audio guide available both in Hindi and English which will gives you a fair understanding of the history and story of the fort.

a) The Jammu route

You can also get therevVia Jammu – Fly to Jammu  and  then drive down to Andretta which is a 5 hour drive  via Pathankot. You can also get to Pathankot by bus or train. From here it is an easy bus ride away. Alternatively, take the scenic toy train from Pathankot to Panchrukhi. Andretta is about 2 km away.

Driving route: Jammu – Pathankot - Nurpur - Gaggal – Mataur - Nagrota Bhagwan – Maranda – Rajpur - Panchrukhi –Andretta (take right at Sobha Singh Art Gallery which is also known as Andretta Chowk. It is the house opposite Andretta Pottery).

b) The Chandigarh route

 Fly, or take a Shatabdi train (from Delhi) to Chandigarh. Andretta is a 7 hour drive away from Chadigarh. There are also buses which take you very close to Andretta – Palampur, Baijnath, Kangra from where you get plenty of connections to Andretta.

Driving route: Chandigarh – Nangal - Una – Amb – Old Kangra – Kangra bypass towards Tanda Medical College – Nagrota Bhagwan – Maranda – Rajpur - Panchrukhi –Andretta (take right at Shoba Singh Art Gallery which is also known as Andretta Chowk. It is the house opposite Andretta Pottery).

c) Direct buses from Delhi

We saw a lot of buses plying from Delhi to Kangra, Baijnath, Palampur. There is a Volvo service as well.

d) Other route suggestions

Chandigarh – Andretta / Kangra – Amritsar is a triangle. On the way back you have the choice of driving down to Amritsar. You can connect direct to Delhi by Shatabdi or alternatively fly back.

Accommodation Recommendations-

Andretta – The Mirage Heritage Home stay www.mirageandretta.com
Palampur – Hotel Tea Bud run by Himachal Tourism http://www.hptdc.nic.in/cir0302.htm#htbud
Bir – Blue Umbrella http://www.blueumbrella.co.in/, Colonel’s Resort http://www.colonelsresort.com/ and  Namlang - Himal Resort www.namlanghimaltourism.org
Gunehad (off Bir)- 4rooms (yet to be completed)https://www.facebook.com/pages/4TABLES-Cafe-Gallery-Village-Bir/124614917546