Nandan Jha, Author at Ghumakkar - Inspiring travel experiences.

Vishal Rathod in a tête-à-tête with Ghumakkar

By Nandan Jha

I am fairly prepared for going through this kind of stuff, and often multiple times and having learnt through trial-and-error, I believe that if you hang-in long enough, you would get through. In this particular case, I could sense the perseverance. I had my doubts but I kept my belief intact. More weeks went by and Vishal, the alert among you would have made this out, and myself continued to find our ways together, stitching stories and getting better with every new day. We hanged on (or hung on, whatever) and it is been less than a year and I am so proud to share with all of you (one more time) that Vishal is our ‘Ghumakkar Featured Author for April 2012’. I had the opportunity to talk to him early this month and here is the conversation we had with Vishal over phone and email, where we discussed spirituality, travel, NASA and much more.

Binsar Eco Camp – Hotel Review

By Nandan Jha

Rooms are humble and washrooms are utilitarian. If you are looking at spending time indoors over cosy conversations and luxurious room-service then this is not the place. Rooms are best used for sleeping (and do a good job with that) and then you should be outdoors. Room fittings, furniture, bathroom fittings are all there for their functionality, they are comfortable and value for money.

Bed sheets were OK (not crisp as in Chaukori) but I would blame that on rainy season.

Ghumakkar Featured Author Interview with Professor Manish Khamesra

By Nandan Jha

I often cherish the only trip I did with the couple in 2002 (or may be before) to Orchha. Countless evenings of Tea, Rajasthani namkeens, sitting on those cool white marble floors at their place, discussing books, religion, morals, Hindi poetry and numerous stupid things which we do when we are young. Even the local market (the now famous sector 18 of Noida) was not at all busy and one can just sit alongside those rickety fountains and spend the evening, doing nothing. Sometimes we would polish the day off with a movie at Dharamplace or Alka theatre which still looked and acted like being in 60s, frozen in time. Old world charm is what some say. When you meet your old friends you always feel the warmth of assurance, the ether which connects you is just viscous enough to hold you together without restricting any freedom.

Leaving Munsyari – The long drawn route

By Nandan Jha

So with full gusto, I rev-ed the engine and started back amid beautiful landscapes, away from the thoughtful and calm gaze of Panchachuli, the peak which was in the back yard of our stay. The journey from Munsyari to Birthi was spent gazing at mountains, standing tall and quite, looking at the occasional habitat along side the road with Pahadi folk wearing black topis, half jacket over long shirts and pajamas and throwing infectious smiles as they go through with their daily chores. Because of rains, the road was not in its prime so we were a tad cautious; but there was an natural desire to drive a little faster and be able to reach Sattal, which as per our friends from Pahad was not a realistic goal.

Presenting Nikhil Chandra, “Ghumakkar Featured Author” for February 2012

By Nandan Jha

I also apply the usual tricks of showing interest in those things that has been mentioned in the Bio, and try to put up a fake face of being someone who is so passionate about those interests as no body’s business. I know it sounds so stupid and average but then you have to do full justice for any job you take on. To appreciate and understand this better, I would encourage you to read his profile at Ghumakkar. For February 2012 ‘Ghumakkar Featured Author’, I did all of this but realized that I am as ill-prepared and un-equipped as I was a fortnight back. There is hardly anything (Ok, may be 3-D modeling is not listed) which is not there.

To make things worse, there was a scheduling gap so the interview didn’t happen at the identified time. The few hours delay, didn’t make the things any easier for me and I braced myself for a eventful and adventurous talk with Nikhil Chandra, the ‘Ghumakkar Featured Author’ for Feb 2012.

घुमक्कड़ साक्षात्कार – द्विभाषी घुमक्कड़ मुकेश के साथ

By Nandan Jha

घुमक्कड़.कॉम के पाठकों को नव वर्ष की हार्दिक शुबकामनाएं| “Featured Authors” की श्रंखला में २०१२ जनवरी में एक ऐसा नाम जुड़ा है जो इस…

Ghumakkars of the year – 2011

By Nandan Jha

Thank you Ram, Nisha, Manish and Jaishree for readily agreeing and for your detailed write-up on your selections. Thank you.

Yet, as expected, we did not get the same names so we did a little bit of union and intersection and arrived at top 6 Ghumakkars. Each of these 6 had at least one vote on each parameter and most of them had more than one vote while one person had all three. I will hold the excitement here.

So we did some slice-n-dice of data, looked at relative rankings from the jury and in the end fell back on our own judgment to arrive at the final 3. So far so good. After we arrived on final 3, we incubated the decision for some more time. This was to ensure that we are indeed fully convinced or not and once that went past, it was time to raise the curtain.

So with much ado, I take pride in announcing the winners of ‘Ghumakkar of the Year 2011’ award and the names are (in no particular order)

Featured Author Interview – In a tete-a-tete with Devasmita

By Nandan Jha

Ghumakkar: Besides being a Ghumakkar, what else does DC dabble in?
DC: I love to dabble in photography. A good picture opens the gateway for many a stories to unfurl without a single word spoken. Such is the power of photography. I am also an ardent believer in the power of the pen. I love to write about anything I see: about places, about people, about relationships, about families. Over the years, I have made a little niche for myself in photography and writing. I have done a little bit of script writing and stage performances in Seattle. I have also participated in a couple of dance shows. Between academics, writing, photography, and traveling, I manage to keep myself happy.

घुमक्कड़ साक्षात्कार – जीवट जाट संदीप के साथ

By Nandan Jha

घुमक्कड़ पर साक्षात्कार लेने के परंपरा बहुत पुरानी नहीं है | हालांकि हम हमेशा से मौके ढूँढ़ते रहे हैं की किस तरह से घुमक्कड़ों…

Chakori To Munsyari via Mighty Birthi Falls

By Nandan Jha

The break at Nachni gave a lot of calm to cabin crew and the drive thereafter was spent gazing at might Himalayan views, almost a sombre drive with not much of chit-chat followed. Kids found time to catch on some sleep and I quietly moved on from one Himalayan village to another till someone asked on a white line, visible from afar. As we continued to drive, we could witness the Himalayan beauty in full glory, the tall blue mountains, the green carpet of flora and the thick white line. After about 30 minute of drive, it was getting clear that this white line is the famous ‘Birthi Falls’.

Meet Aurojit, Featured Author for October-2011 – Interview

By Nandan Jha

And then ensued a high energy interaction, anecdotes, life experiences, general gyaan and how Sharmi and Auro are more of Sanki travelers hunting for special plans and scouring local stone shops for the special gems.

Thank you Auro and Sharmi for the lovable and warm conversation, your thoughtful insights and the frank admissions.

Neelesh Inn, Bhimtal – Hotel Review

By Nandan Jha

I have been making trips to Bhimtal area almost every month and though most of the times, I stay at my old joint i.e….