Diwali in India and visit to Sangam at Allahabad

Diwali in Delhi

Diwali at home

Last year, after many years (8 years actually!) I got to celebrate Diwali at home in India. And even though all these years, I have been celebrating Diwali abroad, being at home made me realise that what we were doing wasn't really the real thing. So many years of being away had blurred our memories and we thought it was enough to have dinner, games and fireworks on the Diwali weekend with friends. And that's all there was to Diwali 😊.

So on my trip back home this time, we went the whole way, celebrating Diwali as it is supposed to be celebrated. We decorated our home with flowers and lights all over, from top to bottom. And made a few rangoli around. I also made my first one ever with colours and realised that even the easier looking ones take so much effort to make.

We ended up going to the bazaar almost everyday and I realised how there was a flurry of activity all the time everywhere. It was all so lively everywhere we went, all lighted up, flowers everywhere, small stalls outside the markets selling sweets, rangoli colours, decorations and so on. And mehendi artists sitting everywhere. I even got mehendi done this time. There were sadly no fireworks this time though because of the court ban, which was quite sad.

Random haveli

We even went to Chandni Chowk one of the days for some shopping and I was impressed. Chandni Chowk is a world by itself, with its narrow gullys, its unlimited shops, its hidden gems and old havelis that you come across in the middle of nowhere and its feel of being from a different century altogether. I loved the feeling of being there, soaking in all the sights and experiences. I did feel like a tourist in my own country, taking photos as I walked along. But it is what it is.

Gullys of Chandni Chowk

Gullys of Chandni Chowk

Diwali wares being sold

But on top of the usual Chandni Chowk feel, the whole area was full of Diwali roadside stalls coming up everywhere, selling colourful statues and decorations for Diwali. And we also ran into one of the streets which was decorated so beautifully with flowers, apparently it is a thing to come and see. We also spotted some hijras coming and taking donations from the shop keepers, even doing a small performance for them. It was quite an interesting experience and I loved being there.

Decorations being sold

Decorated street in Chandni Chowk

Around Diwali time, everything was decorated everywhere and all lighted up. Malls and shops were full of gift offers and discounts to encourage shoppers. Houses you drove past were all twinkling with lights. Everyone was our shopping for gifts and new things for the house. Friends and family came visiting and it was nice to meet everyone. It felt like the whole of the country was lively suddenly. Its how christmas time is in the West. And something I had missed around Diwali time for so long.

Rangoli

On Diwali day, we did an elaborate pooja which is much more than what we do in London. And then burnt a few of the fireworks we had manage to source. Till a day before Diwali, there weren't many fireworks going off and it it did not even feel that Diwali was approaching. On the day though, it looked like lot of people broke the ban and celebrated the festival how they are used to celebrating. And till very late. The next morning though, the roads were all empty for a long time as everyone woke up late. The whole experience of being back and experiencing the real Diwali felt almost surreal and amazing. And I decided that I should try to get back home for it as much as possible.


Visit to Allahabad and Sangam

Last year, I also got a chance to visit Allahabad and take a dip in the holy Sangam. My parents have stayed in Allahabad before and I have been to Sangam countless times. But there is something still very calming and inviting about visiting the Jamuna and Ganga again and again. It never gets old.

We went to Allahabad by train and I was travelling in Indian trains after 5 years. I was quite surprised to see that the train station at New Delhi hasn't changed at all since then. It is the same, and nothing has improved since then. Being in a train station always had an excitement linked to it for me. As the visit to the station meant we were moving or travelling to another part of the country. And were ready for adventure. And this time too, I felt the same excitement all over again.

The city of Allahabad hasnt changed at all in the 10 years since my parents moved away from there. Even the name which had been recently changed to Prayagraj hadn't taken roots yet 😁. The air was definitely cleaner and fresher given we were coming from Delhi. But otherwise, it felt the same - the same run down buildings, the same busy bazaars, the same crowded roads the same slow pace of life and so on.

There are many pretty buildings in the city from British times - the high court, a few churches and some colleges. Some of them are maintained but a lot are not. And other than these places, the city doesn't feel pretty at all. I wonder so many times how will my country ever reach the Western standards if the cities are not constantly improving?

A church on the way

And the people felt the same to me too. Its a bit of stereotype, but the image is that people in UP always talked too much and argued too much. And were quite lazy overall. And we saw the same on this trip too. The auto guys kept arguing for no reason, ours did because we did not know the way to where we were going. I was actually laughing by the amount he complained because of that 😆.

We first spent some time in the Cantt area which is always pleasing and the best part of any town for me. With its green open roads lined with trees, huge British bungalows and huge gardens around them, plus cleanliness everywhere - its where I come and catch a breath, whether its in Allahabad or Delhi.

The bungalows in Allahabad Cantt have a very interesting history. These were built by the British but before they left India, they leased a lot of them for 99 years at minimum rent to civilians, right in the middle of the Army areas. The Army owned bungalows are well maintained but the ones owned by civilians lie in dilapidated conditions given the amount of resources required to repair and maintain them. Also there are restrictions on what you can and cannot do to these bungalows. But the ones which are maintained look so charming, I wish I had a few photos of them with me to share.

Boats to go to Sangam

After that, we went to visit Sangam. We took the e-rickshaws which have become the common mode of transport now. The road to Sangam is lined with some pretty buildings from the past, huge colleges set in sprawling lawns which if maintained would look very picturesque. But all of them are rundown now. Also most of the roads on the way were being constructed and there was a lot of dust in the air.

Akbar fort

At Sangam, we first took a boat ride for a couple of hours. The Jamuna always has more water than the Ganga and hence its easy to row a boat here. So the boatmen take you on the Jamuna for a bit till the bridge to Naini, along Akbar's fort. The fort is very imposing and provides many mesmerising shots all along the river.

Sunset and the bridge on Jamuna

There were a few seagulls flying above but mostly, it was very quiet there the whole time with only a few boats on the water. The whole area felt so serene and almost spiritual, I could have stayed there for a long time. With the boat slowly gliding on the water, and all you have around is a vast river with a lot of history and stories about it. It was lovely. We experienced a very serene sunset from the boat, and the silence around it was perfect to enjoy such a fascinating scene.

Boats on Sangam

And then we went to the Sangam which was more crowded than Jamuna. It is said that Jamuna is the elder, deeper and calmer sister, while Ganga is the younger chanchal sister. At the Sangam, you can clearly see the waters from the two different rivers merging given the different shades of the water. Ganga has a lot less water and is very muddy, so it was very shallow at the Sangam. There were a lot more boats and people there, though not as many as there would be in Kumbh. We washed our hands in the water but did not take a dip as it was too less water and felt muddy.

Near Sangam

After the Sangam, we stopped at the Akshay Vat temple which was earlier located within Akbar's fort and was under Army control but now is open to the public. The tree is supposed to be eternal and existing from Ramayan times. We also visited the Patalpuri temple which was underground and had always been closed, but only recently been opened to public. Last we visited the 'Sleeping Hanumanji' temple. All these temples have a long and holy history. And I love visiting places of culture and religion everywhere. But I do always wish Hindu temples were better maintained and cleaner than they are. That would make the whole place a lot more spiritual than it currently feels.

The whole area around Sangam was getting ready for Kumbh and we could see the infrastructure being put into place for the whole event. It was also being said that a lot of construction work was going on in the city for the upcoming Kumbh. Apparently there was no labour available for doing other work either! And the city would be a different place by then, a smart city:). Tall promises, but our countrymen are always hopeful 😜. I dont know if things really changed or not, but I do hope that Allahabad changes a bit. Its not encouraging to see a city the same in 10 years!

The glamourous ski resort of St Moritz

St Moritz is quite a popular and famous ski resort in Switzerland, known as a very exclusive and fancy place. We somehow landed up there without really understanding what we were signing up for. It was a bit pricier than other ski resorts that we have been to, but we could not figure out why! The slopes there were definitely more wider and less crowded. And the snow and weather was great when we went. But I don’t think that’s it what drives its price tag. But what that is, I still haven’t figured out!

Getting there and back

We took a flight to Zurich and drove about 3 hours to St Moritz. While going, it snowed in London as well as Zurich, and much more heavily all the way till St Moritz. Our flight had got delayed while taking off from London, so we got pretty late by the time we rented the cars and were on our way to St Moritz. It was dark all the way, so we couldn’t really see anything around. But of course we could make out the small cute villages we drove through, the high mountains around us, and everything covered in white all around - am sure it would look stunning during the day.

It also kept snowing during the night, so we had to put snow chains on the way. We of course had no clue how to do that, but when we stopped on the side of the road, a few guys there realised too that we had no clue and offered to help us out!! It turned out as a life saver for us as the last 1-1.5 hours of travel was through narrow roads ascending the mountains, covered with up to a feet of snow and it would have been tough to drive without snow chains. In fact once we reached our airbnb in St Moritz, our car did get stuck in 2-3 feet of snow right next to our place. Thankfully we were able to get it out, but still we were awed by the amount of snow all around.

Drive back through Swiss Alps

On the way back, we drove during light hours and saw the pretty Swiss Alps countryside. We passed through loads of small villages, some huge valleys and passes, huge lakes and high snow covered mountains and forests - they all made for mesmerising views. Everything was covered with snow and looked totally heavenly and calm. Also part of Zurich town which runs all along the lake was twinkling by the time we reached Zurich and looked scintillating and christmas-ey.

Slopes and skiing

The slopes at St Moritz are amazing. They are a lot easier than other resorts, very gentle and much much wider. So it felt so much easier skiing there as a beginner. Also when we were there, there were quite less crowds. It might have been because it was snowing the first two days, or because it’s an expensive resort. But it was very easy to practice and learn skiing, and enjoy it all along 😊.

Around St Moritz, there is lot of cross-country skiing and we saw a few people coming back with their cross-country skis in the afternoons. There is a lot of off piste skiing too and it seemed not too dangerous around here given the lack of trees on the top of the mountains. In fact, we saw two people coming down a mountain off-piste from one of the gondolas and it looked so stunning. Seeing a small dot moving at fast speed down a mountain and creating a zig-zag track in the snow as it comes down. It was a priceless moment, something I have seen many times on television but for the first time in real.

The peaks

The first day it was cloudy and there were lots of moguls. And a lot of the lifts on the top of the mountains were closed. The second day it was snowing a lot and very foggy, cloudy and windy the whole day making it tough to see. But the slopes and the snow that day was amazing to snow on. It even made it possible for me to try red and blue slopes, it was so good. And the last two days, it was sunny the whole day giving us some fabulous panoramic views of the high mountains around, of the lake and villages in the valley and an airport far off. The sunny days were colder than the others but overall, the weather was never too cold.

Just limited to St Moritz, the length of ski slopes felt little less than resorts like Kitzbuhel and St Anton. But apparently, there are a few other resorts just 15-20 mins bus rides away which have a lot more kms of runs. The slopes at St Moritz have lot of gondolas, funiculars and lifts running, but I found the infrastructure there a bit dated. Also, the main gondolas and funicular have 10-15 minute gaps between each of them. Which took a lot of time to get moving and also meant that each of them was filled up to capacity before it would move. And they had no place to sit inside either! The places to eat on the slopes are also just about ok. They all served average and high cost food. So I am still wondering why it is so pricey!

The slopes

But altogether, I loved the resort and totally enjoyed skiing there. The views from the top of the valley and lake were impressive. As well as the mountains all around. And with the sun above, and skiing at top speeds down steep slopes, it actually felt like I was in fast-track heaven 😜. We skied for 4 days, every day from 10 am - 4pm, with a break for lunch and skiing directly back to our airbnb. I did some very small spells of off-piste (while connecting between runs not connected) and it was amazing given the fresh snow. So all in all, a great experience.

The village and around

St Moritz from the top

The twin villages of St Moritz Dorf and St Moritz Bad are located around a lake, which right now was frozen. It was a charming resort, with a couple of high-rises but mostly small wooden alpine houses. And they all looked very cosy and cute, covered with snow all over. We went to the city centre one day after skiing and were surprised to see it all dead. There weren’t a lot of restaurants and clubs open as you would expect in a ski resort. But there were loads of high end brands everywhere, so clearly people shopped here but didn’t really party. We did see a lot of people in fur coats and dressed expensively though. The lake was frozen right now but might be fun for water sports in summer. And there were a few places to visit and activities to do around the place. But honestly, I still wonder why its such an expensive resort, someone please help me figure that out!

Accommodation

Our airbnb was a huge apartment in the village of St Moritz - Bad, located very near the lift. It was amazingly convenient to just walk to the lift and the ski slopes whenever you wanted to get out in the morning. In fact, we even skied to the front of our gate in the evenings. There was a small rivulet flowing right in front with a little bridge. And small icebergs floating in the water. And on the other side of our apartment, we could see the well-lighted and expensive Kempinski hotel. So it was quite cosy and picturesque all around, and a very good location.


All in all, turned out to be a great skiing weekend, with great weather, inviting slopes, huge improvements in skiing skills and no big mess-ups. Yay for St Moritz!!