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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 - Festivals, Events, and other such interesting stuff

The year began on a festive note with the much awaited Kala Ghoda Fest. When I clicked this photo of one of the installations, little did I know how important a part cycles and the city would play in the coming year!



To begin with, the Fest was fun! As usual, I took Samhith along, and he enjoyed it so much, he actually wrote about it! And then, I went by myself, a second time, and had a blast with some blog friends! It truly set the tone for the year - me taking Samhith along first, and then going by myself to enjoy it in peace... something which I did through the year!

However, coming back to the pic, we loved the installation, simple as it was. Little did we know that stuck in the city, we would explore it more than we had for the past few years, or that Samhith would rekindle his love for cycles, and discover that he enjoyed cycling for long distances! Yes, he not only participated in a Cyclothon this year, riding 5 Kms to the finish line, he also cycled all the way from Chembur to Thane, a distance of at least 15 Km, accompanied by his dad! Is it any wonder that I can not stop bragging about it?

A small part of Mr. Swamy's Navaratri Golu 

Then, there were so many fests through the year - the Tata Lit Live, which I dropped into, for a while, the Junior Writers Bug, which I sadly missed, and the Earth Mela, where my photos were exhibited for the very first time!



There were events we enjoyed ourselves at, such as the Lego Train Building event, the National Book Trust's Book Fair, Sandcastle for a Cause, the Google Plus Photography Day event, and of course, all my sister's performances!


And then, there were the traditional festivals, which we couldn't celebrate, but made the most of, by attending others' celebrations!!! The most memorable among these was certainly the awesome Golu kept by Mr. P.E.P.Swamy, and the Ramlila finale!


The best thing about all the festivals and events this year, was that they kept us busy and occupied throughout the year, and helped us cope with the fact that we were stuck at home, and unable to travel! While I hope the new year brings me more travel, I would also like to be a little bit selfish, and also hope I am able to attend as many fests and such more such interesting events in the coming years!! 

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Location: Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001, India

Comments

  1. wholesale fashion jewelryJanuary 7, 2014 at 4:10 PM

    Thanks for your post .....Nice sharing this..

    ReplyDelete
  2. Factory Direct GazeboJanuary 10, 2014 at 12:48 PM

    The most anticipated of the year is welcoming events and festivities all over the world. Traveler, bloggers, and photographers love such events and thanks for encouraging us Anuradha for these memories of yours. Visiting Mumbai soon!

    ReplyDelete

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