Sugita Vani

I am a lapsed art historian who turned into a shastric teacher - I teach the Bhagavad Gita. I travel widely in order to teach and I love to travel. Mountains and particularly the lower Himalayan range is my favourite destination. I love to walk and explore though that�s not always possible. I like to think of myself as something of a lekhi ( writer ).

On The Ramayana Trail in Sri Lanka

By Sugita Vani

The high point of our yatra was the visit to Sigiriya, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Sigiriya or Simha Giriya ( Lion Rock ) is a gigantic rock formation ( 660 ft high ) on top of which a complex capital city was built by one king Kashyap and which was said to have been later usurped by Ravana. Still later, it was used by Buddhists to promote their religion. The rock and its surroundings presents a unique concentration of urban planning, architecture, gardening, engineering, hydraulic technology and art.

Amid nature in Camp Corbett, Kaladhungi – Uttrakhand

By Sugita Vani

very much a bird-watcher’s paradise . Purple sunbirds, orange bee-eaters, humming birds, pintails, wagtails, minivets, flycatchers, jays, bronze green doves, golden orioles, baya weaver birds, hoopoes, woodpeckers, kingfishers, whistling thrushes, drongos, cuckoos and the green coppersmith barbet calling “k-tong ! k-tong ! “ were all out there . A family of transiting langurs were busy shaking trees