Majestic Syon Park House came into view across an expanse of emerald green lawn with a backdrop of sapphire blue sky- an awe inspiring sight!  400 years ago from the monastic remains of the 15th century Syon Abbey a royal palace of the Tudor era ascended that remains home to the Duke and Duchess of […]

It all started on an eventful day in early 1900’s near Layalpur, now in Pakistan, when tall handsome Lala Lakshmi Dass Chopra, the upright Indian- Collector of the area was confronted by a British inspector and roughly ordered to dismount from his horse and pay respect to him. Humiliated, he refused to oblige the British […]

Browsing the Galleries of the magnificent Viceregal Lodge Shimla – now the Indian Institute of Advanced Study one can feel national pride viewing the photographs of the national leaders of the Freedom movement that followed the birth of an Independent India on the15th of August 1947! Few such photographs are that of Gandhiji with Rajkumari […]

Walking past panoramic emerald vistas – green meadows meeting sapphire sky, we approached the Greys Court family home. In its vicinity was, at one point of time, a Castle, maybe a thousand years ago! Crunching ahead on the gravel path we caught the first view of the three storey brick and stone edifice, developed from […]

Recently I received an invite to the Virtual exhibition dedicated to Nobel Laureate Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. In the year of the maestro’s 160th birth anniversary in May 2021; these virtual programs and exhibitions during recurring pandemic give the opportunity to art lovers, artists, art connoisseurs, students and teachers to see the rarely presented artworks from the safety of their homes! Tagore […]

The year was 1942 when winds of the call for August Kranti- Quit India movement by Mahatma-Gandhi reached the soul of every Indian. Faraway in the city of Lahore a young student Romesh Chandra was roused enough to join in promptly, following the footsteps of his father Lala Jagat Narain ji who already actively participated […]

After a long walk from the car park through lush emerald greenery we came upon the honey- hued Bathstone stunning façade of the Basildon Park House in Reading England, set within 400 acres of splendid woodland. We set out to explore its journey from an 18th century home to a deserted home to a fashionably […]

Around the Holi and Vaisakhi one’s memories turn to the majestic kaleidoscopic Hola Mohalla and traditional Baisakhi celebrations at the historic Gurudwaras. Vaisakhi marks the commencement of solar New Year and the month of Vaishakh- a historical and religious festival! Though this year the celebrations lacks the lustre   and have lost its sheen to the […]

Alongwith the Indian Spring season of festivals – Navratris, Hindu New year, South Indian states New year-Ugadi to Ram Navami; co exists the forty days long Christian month of Lent, ending before Easter that brings to mind the celebration of Good Friday and Easter. Good Friday and Easter bring to mind festivities associated with it […]

We were at the unique name Hinton-Ampner stately home – the ‘House on the Hill’ with enough reasons for us to explore it. In the last 400 years it rose from the ashes twice, rebuilt twice; back to its glory, after being haunted for over a century! Driving through the rolling green Hampshire countryside, we […]