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Odisha Part 4: Chilika – Experiencing the lake, in and out of season

My first visit to the Chilika Lake in Jan 2017 was for content for a resort. It was peak season, and I would have loved to stay near the lake, but the brief was to stay at Puri and cover areas that could be visited from Puri. And so, I did the usual touristy thing, taking a boat for half the day. Which is why, on my next visit to Odisha, if there was one thing I was clear about, it was that I wanted to stay near the lake, at least for a day, if not more. However, unlike my first visit, the second was in end of May, and the season was long ended. There would be no birds, I was warned by anyone and everyone I spoke to, including the people at the stays I was considering. But those who know me, know how stubborn I can be, and so I persisted. I eventually decided to stay at two of the Odisha eco-tourism resorts, at Mangalajodi and Rajhans, keen on experiencing the lake, even minus the birds. I had expected it to be hot, but as it turned out, the rains turned out to be even bigger spoilspo...
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Faces in the Crowd - the girl drawing a rangoli

It has been a long time since I posted anything in this series, so reviving it with this pic from the Sirpur Village.



We were wandering around Sirpur village, when I noticed her. I am always drawn towards Rangoli, and hers was the only one in the village! When I asked, she said that they rarely drew Rangolis, unless it was a festival. "Why now?" I asked, and she replied "Because we cleaned our front porch and I felt like!"

P.S. I recently visited Sirpur to attend the Music and Dance Festival on invitation from Chhattisgarh Tourism. Read my other posts on the trip for more details and information,
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Location: Sirpur, Chhattisgarh 493445, India

Comments

  1. Ranjana's craft blogJanuary 27, 2015 at 11:56 AM

    The happiness of drawing Rangoli is seen on her face too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarJanuary 30, 2015 at 2:37 PM

      Absolutely, Ranjana. She wasnt doing it because it was the norm, but because she wanted to. and that makes all the difference, doesnt it>

      Delete
  2. BikramJanuary 29, 2015 at 3:04 PM

    She looks HAppy doing that .. lovely rangoli too so many colors

    Bikram's

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarJanuary 30, 2015 at 2:38 PM

      Yes, Bikram, she does... as I said above, i guess its because she was really enjoying it

      Delete

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