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Ladakh - Planning The Trip

Over 2000 Km by road, in around 10 days. Stunning landscapes, wonderful people. That sums up our Ladakh trip. But how did it actually work? How did we make it happen? Read on to find out!  Leh, the capital of Ladakh , is accessible by air and road. Flying into Leh is the easiest, and time-saving option, while the road is the time consuming one, but with the added advantage of driving past some of the most beautiful landscapes in our country. Each option has much to recommend it, and we chose the road for just one reason – altitude sickness. Altitude sickness was one of my biggest concerns, since I suffer from motion-sickness. Yes, I do travel a lot, but that is despite my condition, and, over the years, have learnt how to handle it. I struggled with it when we visited Nathu-La in Sikkim, and wondered if I would be able to manage a week at the even higher altitudes that we would encounter in Ladakh. This was the reason we stuck to a basic plan, of only 9 days in Ladakh, thoug...
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Navaratri Experiences – 10

Navami – the ninth day of Navaratri is dedicated to Saraswati, the goddess of learning. At home, we place books and writing implements near the altar of the God, and place an image of Saraswati over it. We do not read or write the whole day, taking the books out and reading them only on the next day, Dusshera, when it is auspicious to begin studies. We pray not only to the goddess of learning, but also to those things which aid us in learning. In the south, students welcome this day, as it gives them a respite from studies, but for us, it has never been so. I remember, we not only had school, but also exams during this period, and had no choice but to study on this day too. My mother used to make me keep textbooks of those subjects whose exams I had already completed, and had to use the other books to study. Not once did I get a break from studies as my cousins in Chennai did. Today, Samhith has no exams, so thank God; we can keep his books for the puja, but just for a couple more years. Then he too will experience the same things that I did.

Navami is also the last day for the decoration at the temple, and predictably, it was of BRAHMA and SARASWATI.

From Miscellaneous

From Miscellaneous

Meanwhile, where ever I went, I could see preparations for seeing off the Devi underway. Here is a photo I clicked of a vehicle being decorated to carry the goddess on her journey to her home, via the sea. It looked beautiful even as they were decorating it. It will look fantastic in the night with all the lights on…..

From Miscellaneous

The festival dedicated to the goddess comes to an end with Dusshera –the tenth day. The images of the Devi all over India will be immersed in the water, Kolus will be dismantled, and this series of blogs on Navaratri will also come to an end. We have much planned for Dusshera, but to read about it, you will have to wait one more day. Goodbye until then………
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