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We had just set foot in God’s own country, in search of that elusive stuff called peace. It had rained just then. The sheer collage of colors blinded us – a natural mosaic of greens, yellows and browns which merged into a beautiful pattern. Even the muddy roads seemed picturesque. A narrow creek appeared out of nowhere .. We took a small detour and followed the stream , driving through the muddy road , cutting through the foliage, until we saw the board. Tharavadu Heritage Home, Since 1870. We were in Kumarakom, a small island carved out of the backwaters .

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Driving to the remote part of Arunachal Pradesh in the north east corner of India was an exhilarating experience . Colours change with every curve in the mountains and so does the scenery. bright yellow mustard fields merge ith some brilliant orchids that suddenly morph into dense forests with rivers gliding past them to snow clad mountains and conifers kissed by snow flakes to frozen lakes to a valley of clouds that wrapped mountains…

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There is something about us and wild life sanctuaries ..We chase and then we always get chased . We had gone to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh and on return, decided to pay a visit to the single horned Indian Rhino at Kaziranga Wild life Sanctuary. And the highlight of the trip is the early morning safari on an elephant back.

Now that , I call is an experience . Its dark and misty . If you are sleepy, you can easily mistake a tree for an elephant or a rhino . We are a motley crowd of wild life enthusiasts across the country who dont know each other and make polite conversation in the early hours , waiting for the elephants . A herd soon gathers including a couple of calves who totter beside their mothers and insist on meeting the rhinos.

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It is the classical Indian story . A tale told by Gods and demons, filled with kings and queens, replete with curses and boons. There is a little bit of history here, blended with some geology and topped with legends and myths. Set on the banks of the river Cauvery, this saga dates back to the 4th century and has certain intriguing elements, defying the very laws of nature . This is the tale of Talakadu, the erstwhile capital of the Ganga Dynasty ( 350-999 AD), which is now partially buried under sand dunes . Many rulers have reigned over this once flourishing city , but today it is a lost forgotten town, blown over by the sands of time .

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