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The Vaishnodevi Experience 2023

My first trip to Vaishnodevi was unimpressive. Climbing was hard, and it only served to highlight how badly out of shape I was, while my in-laws managed to cope so much better. Further, I hadn’t quite realized that the cave experience wouldn’t be the same as I had imagined, since the original cave was only opened at certain times a year, and that we only entered a newly created tunnel, one far easier to access, and hence more manageable with the crowds that thronged the mountain shrine. The resulting experience at the shrine, for barely a fraction of a second, hardly compared to what I had expected / imagined / heard about. So, for me, Vaishnodevi was like any other temple, nothing to write home about, something that was reflected (though not explicitly mentioned) in the blog post I wrote then.
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Memories of 2013 - Books, Reviews and so much more!

How can I think of wrapping up the 2013 retrospective without talking about books? This has been a year when I have (sort of) caught up with my reading. I have never, ever, been without a book in my hand. But, over the years, my reading had reduced, and recently, had been restricted to reading for Samhith, and thanks to buying more books for him, I have bought fewer for myself. The change began some time in 2012, but 2013 upped the pace. I began receiving more books for reviewing, till, eventually, I had to refuse some, since I didn't have enough time to read! It has been an interesting journey, reading books I probably wouldn't have bought, reading authors I had never heard of, genres I would tend to avoid, and in the process, re-discovering the love I have for the written word.




I can not mention books without mentioning #TSBC. For those of you who are wondering what that is, it is 'The Sunday Book Club' - a group on twitter, which tweets with the hashtag 'TSBC', and talks about, well, obviously, books! One of the founders is a dear friend, Sudha Ganapathy, and though I haven't been as enthusiastic a participant as I would like to be, TSBC has certainly led to me reading a lot more, and, more importantly, connecting to like minded people, who read just as much, or more, than I do! And yes, this year, I have also met some of these wonderful people!

With the #TSBC gang at Krishna Udayasankar's reading of the second book in her Aryavarta Chronicles series - Kaurava


Taking part in the #TSBC Book Exchange brought me some wonderful books, and sending off books to someone I didn't know was a wonderful experience too. After all, what can be more fun than picking out books for someone!!

These were the wonderful books I got from my secret book giver, through the TSBC Book Exchange! And they also sent me some lovely postcards! 

Meanwhile, this year, I was interviewed, for the very first time, by Fablery.com! interestingly, it wasnt as a Travel Blogger, but as a Book Reviewer, that I gained this fame!!! Makes me wonder - should I switch to blogging full time about books instead? What do you think? 

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Comments

  1. UnknownDecember 31, 2013 at 8:24 PM

    Per my opinion,traveling and books complement each other. For instead, I can't imagine to travel without carrying Ruskin bond' books.

    Regards
    Rachit

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarDecember 31, 2013 at 8:35 PM

      Thank you, Rachit, but travel and books cant be said to complement each other. while reading while travelling is always an interesting way to spend the time, I am sure there are many others who dont feel the same, as for me, i can never stay long without a book in my hand, travel or not. and also, as far as Ruskin bond books go, i have read and enjoyed many, but i prefer books which will last me through the trip. else i will have to carry a library along :D

      Delete
  2. UnknownJanuary 1, 2014 at 4:01 AM

    Sweet memories, Indeed! Have a great year ahead :)

    ReplyDelete

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