journeys

Drum Beats

April 20, 2019ByteSizeblogger, Blogging, character, chithiraifestival, colour, Dance, destinations, devotion, dreams, festivalfashion, India, instapassport, instatravel, journeys, Joy, latergram, Life, Love, Madurai, Mind, opportunity, People, traveladdict, travelinsights, traveller, traveltheworld, wanderlust, wonder

If there’s one thing that refuses to sit still, it’s the drum. It calls, it commands, it moves. And when it does, so do you.

At the Chithirai Festival, the best drums don’t just set the rhythm—they set the spirit free. Feet tap, bodies sway, the energy sweeps through the crowd like a fever. You dance. You pause. You catch your breath. And then, you look around.

They’re still moving. The colours, the finery, the rhythm—it’s all alive, pulling you back in. You realise you’ve been out of action too long.

So, you move again.

Because that’s what the festival, and the drum, are here for.

That is the Chithirai Festival for you.

Small Bags. Big Wishes

January 11, 2019ByteSizebelief, beliefs, blogger, Blogging, destinations, devotion, energy, God, Home, hope, indulge, instapassport, instatravel, journeys, latergram, Life, Love, momentsofmine, opportunity, People, pilgrim, Roadtrip, sea, skyline, traveladdict, travelinsights, traveller, traveltheworld, wanderlust, wonder

Small bags, bright with turmeric, jingling with bangles, dance in the morning breeze. Tied to a tree, they catch the first rays of the sun—fluttering, whispering, waiting.

Each knot holds a wish. Each thread, a quiet prayer. A mother’s hope, a daughter’s dream, a whispered plea for health, love, or a future yet unseen.

In rural Tamil Nadu, faith isn’t just spoken—it is tied, woven, and left to sway with the wind. And as the sun rises, the colours shimmer, as if the universe itself is listening.

(at Thiruchendur, India)

Idli Vada

December 14, 2018ByteSizeauthenticity, beliefs, bengaluru, blogger, Blogging, celebration, coffee, destinations, energy, entrepreneur, eyes, Food, hope, idli, instapassport, instatravel, journeys, Life, Love, memory, People, roadside, traveladdict, travelinsights, traveller, traveltheworld, vada, wanderlust, wonder

The simplest foods change the mood inside the mind. Bring alive memories. And sometimes make you long to come back for good. The food pipe is the best route on the map of life! ..

Oh. What I not do for Idli vada?

(at Bangalore, India)

Mumbai’s Rain: A City of Anticipation and MagicFocus

June 3, 2018ByteSizeblogger, Blogging, businesstravel, conversations, flow, Ideas, imagination, instapassport, instatravel, journeys, lessons, Life, Love, marinedrive, master, Mind, Monsoon, Mumbai, Musings, passion, rains, traveladdict, travelblogger, traveltheworld, wanderlust, wisdom

There’s something about Mumbai when it rains. The city slows, just a little. The streets glisten. The sea looks alive. But there’s also something about Mumbai when it waits for rain. The air is thick with hope. The sky teases with grey clouds. People glance up, waiting.

Anticipation fills the city.

And when the first drop falls, it feels like Mumbai breathes again.

The wait makes the rain sweeter.

That’s Mumbai—a city of moments.There is something to Mumbai when it rains. There is something to Mumbai when it expects the rain!

Stories a Brass Kettle

April 21, 2018ByteSizeblogger, Blogging, businesstravel, Chennai, coffee, family, filter, History, Ideas, imagination, instapassport, instatravel, journeys, kettle, lessons, Life, Love, Metaphor, Mind, passion, People, simple, traveladdict, travelblogger, traveltheworld, wanderlust

Objects have character. Don’t they? This brass kettle from another era sat quietly, serving filter coffee and cardamom tea for generations. Imagine what it has seen!

Families growing, stories flowing, and lives unfolding—all while it stayed still.

Sometimes, I wish it could talk, spilling tales of the people and the times. But its dents and marks do the talking. They hint at the lives it touched.

So, I let my imagination take over and weave my own stories.

After all, isn’t that what character is—a silent storyteller of time?

The Weight We Carry: Mind Over Matter

April 15, 2018ByteSizebaggage, blogger, Blogging, businesstravel, Ideas, imagination, instapassport, instatravel, journeys, kolkata, latergram, lessons, Life, Love, market, Metaphor, Mind, mindgames, passion, pulley, simple, traveladdict, travelblogger, traveltheworld, wanderlust, weight

It’s not always about the weight. It’s about how we carry it. A heavy object isn’t just physics. The mind plays its part, adding or easing the load. What’s weighing you down today? A worry, a regret, or just a bad day?

Sometimes, the trick isn’t to put it down but to carry it differently. Shift your perspective. Find a new balance. After all, the mind can make even the heaviest burden feel lighter—or unbearable. So, how will you carry your weight today? Lighten up.

You might just surprise yourself.

The Potter’s Quiet Emotion

April 13, 2018ByteSizeblogger, Blogging, businesstravel, Choice, entrepreneur, instapassport, instatravel, Job, journeys, latergram, lessons, Love, Metaphor, Mind, ordinary, passion, pots, pottery, simple, tall, traveladdict, travelblogger, traveller, traveltheworld, wanderlust

A mound of clay transforms into pots in hours. Each pot looks identical. But I wonder—does the potter feel the same shaping every one? Is there joy in the rhythm, or is it just routine?

Each curve of the clay carries a trace of his hand, maybe even his mood. A fleeting emotion, frozen in form. What stories would he share if asked about the pots?

Or perhaps, like the clay, he’s shaped by the act of creating—silent, steady, and a little mysterious.

A potter’s world is one of quiet emotion, moulded into shape.

The Ocean’s Eternal Charm

April 9, 2018ByteSizeblogger, Blogging, businesstravel, earth, eyes, Ideas, instapassport, instatravel, island, journeys, kotakinabalu, lessons, Life, Love, Malaysia, Metaphor, Mind, Nature, ordinary, passion, sabah, simple, traveladdict, travelblogger, traveller, traveltheworld, wanderlust, yacht

There’s something magical about the ocean. She kisses the shore endlessly, even when sent away. Her waves are calm one moment, terrifying the next. Yet, she never fails to soothe a restless soul.

Add to this the South China Sea at sunset—hues so breathtaking they need no filter. The sky and sea meet in a silent embrace, as if sharing secrets. It’s a moment that captures the ocean’s timeless charm: her power, her grace, and her quiet promise to amaze, always. Sometimes, all it takes is a glance at her to find peace.

(at Kota Kinabalu)

February 4, 2016Uncategorizedbaggage, bags, eyes, fort, freedom, Goa, India, jail, journeys, neweyes, prison, Travel, travelblogger, travelblogging, traveller

We are prisoners of our minds. Of our biases. The unconscious ones especially. The trouble with those is that we think we are truly free. We don’t recognise our prison term.
Freedom comes long after recognition of the world in the prison and the truth that lies beyond.

That recognition comes from open conversation with diverse people.

It comes from cultivating friendships across the spectrum.

And of course, it comes from travel.
Do pack your bags and go somewhere. You’ll shed some baggage you didn’t remember packing.
#freedom #travel #eyes #journeys #traveller #travelblogging #travelblogger #India #Goa #fort #prison #jail #neweyes #baggage #bags # (at Aguda Fort, GOA)

January 31, 2016UncategorizedChildren, daughter, daughterdiaries, daughters, flowers, games, garden, journeys, Joy, kids, Love, Parenting, Sharing, simpleliving, Sunday, Travel, travelblogger, travelblogging

The girls played well!
We were at the garden. The daughter and her friends. And me. Tasked with minding the girls.
Every such task I lap up with energy. For it teaches me the journeys that I have gone through and an opportunity to gawk at the magic of creation.
Amidst the games we played, the most enjoyed one was called “Yellow Flowers”. It had no rules and no boundaries. Other than running about and picking yellow flowers.

The morning reminded me that it takes very little to be happy. A child like imagination and curiosity will get us all there.
#kids #garden #Sunday #travel #travelblogging #travelblogger
#parenting #daughter #daughters #daughterdiaries #flowers #games #simpleliving #sharing #love #joy #journeys #children (at Mumbai, India)