Stories

This is the story of Ekananga and her reason for being here in India. I never wanted to go to India, I was always scared of India. I always said that I will never go there, that I want to go to America. When I was a teenager in the seventies, India was very fashionable for the Hippies. I was…

What was it like to find a scorpion in our backyard? Well, I wasn’t there at the exact moment but the story is longer than that. I never thought of meeting a scorpion in India but well, life can be exciting! We lived in India already for a few months and this time we were renting a place in Auroville…

How does the perfect school look for a teenager? A school named ‘Last School’ from Auroville was the best school of my life. I was 13 years old when we moved to Tamil Nadu, Auroville. It was already 3rd month of our stay in India. At that time there were holidays, so it was a perfect time to join the…

The Mahabharat is one of the two major epics in Sanskrit of ancient India. It contains over one lakh couplets and is thrice as long as the Bible. However, only a fraction of the narration deals with the main story with the rest containing additional myths and teachings. It clearly states: “What is found here may be found elsewhere but…

Quick Introduction Emperor Aurangzeb was considered as the last great Mughal Emperor who extended the Empire over nearly all the Indian subcontinent. He was born in 1618 and ruled for 49 years. He brought to his rule a strict Islamic law called Fatawa-e-Alamgiri. It was said that he imposed a ban on music but it seems that not completely. The story Long ago…

Katthak is one of the classic Indian dance styles, also practiced in Nepal. “Now I present a well-known katthak dancer from Nepal, whose special feature is to overcome her imperfections on the way to fulfill her life dream. The katthak style is characterized by very quick leg movements at certain times. Sita has one leg and is very good at…

The Mahabharat is one of the two major epics in Sanskrit of ancient India. It contains over one lakh couplets and is thrice as long as the Bible. However, only a fraction of the narration deals with the main story with the rest containing additional myths and teachings. It clearly states: “what is found here may be found elsewhere but what…

“I am Ranjana Dhami. I’m 27 years old. Originally my family comes from Nijgadh Bara in south-eastern Nepal. My family belongs to the Tharu community, which is indigenous to the Terai area of Nepal. Terai is the plain territory of south Nepal. The tradition of my family is farming, but because of the hard situation of the Nepal economy, my…

The Mahabharat is one of the two major epics in Sanskrit of ancient India. It contains over one lakh couplets and is thrice as long as the Bible. However, only a fraction of the narration actually deals with the main story with the rest containing additional myths and teachings. It clearly states: “what is found here may be found elsewhere…

Blue is the color of all-inclusiveness. You will see in the existence, anything that is vast and beyond your perception generally tends to be blue, whether it is the ocean or the sky. Anything which is larger than your perception tends to be blue because blue is the basis of all-inclusiveness. It is based on this that so many gods…

The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India. Here is one of the stories telling about the true view of the human body. ‘There was once an extremely beautiful young woman, everybody fell in love with her, as soon they saw her. One king, in particular, wanted her very badly and he was hypnotized by…

Varanasi, Monday, 25/06/2018 My name is Deliv, I will tell about the cremation ritual in Hindu tradition, just as we keep it here in Benares. We are currently at Harish Chandra Ghat. Here, all bodies are cremated, with no distinction between castes and religions. Cremation here also includes electrical combustion. Besides, there is another ghat in Varanasi, where only Hindu…

Castes Rai and Limbu are known to be called Kiranti. But once, it is possible those two castes were one tribe. As their physical characteristics is quiet Mongolian it is clearly seen that they are from north. North Tibetans call Limbus Monpa meaning those who live in South of the Himalayas. Rullers Sources reveal that the Kathmandu Valley was under…

Here is a story of our dear friend from Kathmandu, Nepal. She told us a story from her childhood. A terrifying story of mistakes and hardship in life. Now she lives in the Baudha region with her family; husband and 3 sons. “I have written a short story about an incident that I cannot forget. It’s a story from around 1997 AD when…

Ghode Jatra, or the Horse Racing Day According to the tradition, on this day is celebrated the defeat of Tundi, a demon who once lived in a meadow known today as Tundikhel. After his death, he was trampled under the hooves of dancing horses. It is said that the Ghode Jatra festival was initiated to make sure that his spirit is…

Once Death arrives from an intergalactic conference on the rights of sinners, at which God gave a lecture on the norms of psycho-physical behavior that allows all living beings to live a full physical and joyful mental life up to 300 years, and ideally up to 1000 years. Death looks upon Earth, and sees hers temporary deputy zombie named Virus…

In the picture above – the Temple in Kaladi, the birthplace of Saint Adi Shankaracharya  „Jagat mithya, brahma satyam” जगत मिथ्या, ब्रह्मा सत्यम Means that the world we experience, including tangible scientific conclusions, are essentially illusory. The only original truth that is independent of the mind is brahma – translated as soul, consciousness, language or infinite, eternal, unconditioned mind. Those…

According to the Hindu cult, the puja for Shiva is made every morning and evening. The offerings are made of what brings a good impression in the cold region of the Himalayan foothills – light, clean water, the smell of incense, flowers, fire, and delicacies. The lingam – Shiva’s symbol – is commonly worshiped as a source of power and…

Lumbini is a city situated in south Nepal. It is a place of buddhist cult believed to be a birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama. Lumbini was made a World Heritage Site status by UNESCO in 1997. Gautama was a son of Queen Mayadevi, born in 563 BCE. When he achieved Enlightenment some time around 528 BCE, became the Buddha and founded Buddhism. In Lumbini there are many temples, monasteries and monuments….

Here is one funy fact about Indians, the ones that live in the smaller cities or villages, is that they almost always answer “Yes”. I’m talking about Indians that have seen a white person only few times in life and know little English or at all. You ask a man “Can you show me the way to this hotel?” You…

The culture of Western Bengal in its natural meaning is first of all the creation of Bauls, mystics so old that one can find their connection with not only religions but also the sciences that are commonly called esoteric. It seems that the whole ancient Asiatic culture originates or is interconnected with this culture of ancient travelers. And the most interesting…

Today is the 145th birth anniversary of legendary dancer and singer Gauhar Jaan. Gauhar Jan was a very noteworthy artist of Calcutta at the turn of the 20th century.  It seems strange that today she is largely unknown, but at the time, she was one of the most famous vocalist in India.  She was one of India’s first recording stars. She was…

In 1921, 23-year-old sewer Ada Blackjack boarded on an expedition to a distant Siberian island with four white men. They would face -50 degree temperatures, starvation, bears, and scurvy. Only one of them made it home. On September 16, 1921, Ada Blackjack watched as four white men planted a British flag on the shore of a desolate Siberian island. The…

We were invited to join the Children’s Day organized by Krakow Culture Center, Podgórze Culture Center on the 5th of July 2021. As lockdown was not in power by that time there were many different celebrations all over Krakow. We didn’t know what we were invited to and how it will be. It was the celebration of Children’s day. It…

How to deal with spicy food in India? When you are in India for the first time you certainly search for not spicy food, if you are like us. And maybe you already know, India is full of spices. So, when you want to eat something, no matter is it street food or a restaurant, you should ask for not…

This winter was weird. It snowed well at the beginning of December and then in January. Afterward, it was only some sporadic snowfall. But we managed to take advantage and went outside into the cold a few times to make a snowman and to sled. Furthermore, there were many other snowmen all over the area. We made one big and…

What is Coronavirus? It came to us like thunder from the sky. I don’t exactly remember but it was somewhere in January when I woke up early in the morning, getting ready for school, when my dad, who is familiar with all the surrounding news, informed me about the new virus spreading in China. We didn’t take it seriously nor…

As I turned 18 my doors to get a job were open. All dough there was still the case of sanepid card which are the tests that confirm your health and your ableness to deal with food. Having not yet done these tests means limited choice in choosing work. I thought to try with something like a seller in one…

Hello everyone!!! As you might know, I am Maya and I attended the Saint Rita High School in Krakow. While I was in third class, there was organized a competition for the best film about Mother Katarzyna and Augustian Sisters. Together with a friend, we did it for 3 weeks and hoped to win. In the meantime, we interviewed the…

That’s it friends. I have recently described in detail how to complete the visa application correctly and what the Indian visa procedure requires. We did all the necessary activities. One of the applications we corrected twice, using the computer at the Visa Center for the second time thanks to the courtesy of the clerk who was selling the coffee. Submission…

The Mahabharat is one of the two major epics in Sanskrit of ancient India. It contains over one lakh couplets and is thrice as long as the Bible. However, only a fraction of the narration deals with the main story with the rest containing additional myths and teachings. It clearly states: “what is found here may be found elsewhere but what…

When we got to know that at Khulna we can’t make Indian visa we headed to Dhaka. 18th in the morning we started packing. At 12 we left our bags in the office room and went to kill time. We had a bus ticket for 7 pm which meant that we had all day to spend. So we made a…

Can you make an Indian visa in Khulna, Bangladesh? While traveling from the borders of India to Bangladesh we went by bus to Khulna paying 150 Taka (1.77$) for one place. To Khulna We arrived on the 15th in the evening, and our aim was Jalico Hotel. We paid for a rickshaw 100 Taka but he didn’t know where the…

Journey 8th  in the morning we woke up and made all we could to organize and pack everything. Dad went to manager and ordered a rikshaw for 5 o’clock. At 8 o’clock we had the train. When we did everything we ate lunch, packed some food, and had cleaned a little bit. At the right time we took our bags,…

22 September So finally after 2 weeks of travel, we are home again. Bangladesh with its culture and people welcomed us. The religion in Bangladesh is Islam which is an interesting new experience for us. People are different and surroundment is too. Kolkata So 8th of September we packed and went by train from Puri to Howrah, which is attached…

Few days before our journey we went to the train station to buy a ticket. Our new destination was Kolkata. Train Apps I have few apps on my phone that track the trains. I used them to check the available trains but it had no use. Each showed the same which wasn’t true. There were few available; One had no…

As the end of our Indian visa comes in bigs steps, we have to pack and pick up a new destination. We have been trice to Nepal, each time for 5 months. And in Sri Lanka too but it is far and the foundation does not allow us for the journey. We have chosen to visit Bangladesh. A new place…

23rd July I had my 17th birthday. I actually kind of forgot about it, I mean to write about it. Now I understand, I woudn’t say adult but, grownups in not being so excited about a birthday. I was happy but not so excited as the previous years. Its just another year; cake, more food, playing with sisters, new things….

We are traveling and what we carry with us is our house and equipment. For me all that we pack is usual but I am curious; do other travelers have similar or different equipments. Here the time comes, in few days, we will leave Nepal so the packing comes, with it also a big cleaning, segregating, choosing etc. So here…

While traveling in a train for 3 days or staying in a rented house for 5 months, we, and specially children need some entertainment. Besides books, mobile games and videos, we make games. It, of course, depends if you are currently traveling or staying. In the first case there is a smaller diapason. The easiest are word games like ‘make a…

Today I would like to say few words about funny fact we have here. Our attitude towards tomato For us it’s normal to eat raw tomato. We make salad of it. And some of us, (like my father) like it so much that we eat it plainly. I mean that when my dad is hungry we can just take a bowl of…

A few days after the Nepalese New Year, the Hindu festival Parshuram Jayanti was on… celebrated by the Bikram Sambat traditions as Parshurama’s birthday. This year – 2018 – the holiday fell on April 18 according to the Gregorian calendar. According to the ancient book of Ramayana, Parashurama arrives at the engagement ceremony of Sita and Rama on that day….

Here is the story of a Nepali family… “Namaste. My name is Durga Devi Dulal. I was born in 1977 March 20, Sunday. In the village called Madhumalla of Morang district (East Nepal). My family had 7 members. Father, Mother and 5 children, among them 4 were daughters and one son. I am the 2nd daughter of my family. I was very discipline…

Mom and the cooking Everyday my mom cooks. Mostly she makes dall bhat which is rice with legume sos. Sometimes, also aloo dum, potato curry. She is a busy woman. Beside housework and cooking she writes and makes movies for our Polish website. And its her favorite occupation. Sometimes she wants some more time for her artistic expressions, so she…

On Saturday morning I heard a great noise on the street informing about another party. I caught my camera, ran and saw crowds of women dressed in red, fast-paced with jugs on their heads. What’s going on Nepalese asked what this party is about, are saying that this is not a special occasion and not a festival at all. Pressed…

Buddha Purnima is the most important festival of all Buddhist groups. This day celebrates not only as the birthday of the great Shakyamuni, but also the anniversary of his enlightenment and the anniversary of entering the parinirvana, meaning the leaving of body. Before the Happening Anniversary of the death Buddha’s birthday festival in Kathmandu lasted two days from 29 to…

Wandering around Bauddha on the day of Buddha Purnima – 30 may – we came across partying Tibetans. Organization The wedding party took place in a regional clinic of Tibetan medicine. The area of ​​the wedding celebration consisted of a small square with a tent, where tables and chairs were set up, and the waitresses were carrying dishes and drinks….

Our visa was about to end so we went to the Department of Immigration to extend it. In Nepal we can be maximum 5 months in time of 1 year. The visa we took was 3 months long so we could have take 2 more. It costs 2$ a day. The preparation We have got ready all the papers, the…

On 1st April was Annas 5th birthday. It happened to be that her birthday is the same day as Easter. Already month earlier Katia had a wish to paint eggs, anyway, eggs were forgotten and gifts were more important. However, after the birthday celebration we painted eggs. Gifts and cake In accordance with the birthday mode, which we invented recently…

Tamangs believe that the tradition of celebrating Temal Jatra was initiated 300 years ago by King Rhinjen Dorje Bal. According to historical data, it is believed that in the late Middle Ages, when Nepal was divided into many small states like Baisi (a group of 22 states) and Chaubisi (a group of 24 states) in the present province 3 –…

Here is the story of the wedding ceremony of the parents of our friend, interspersed with comments and additions regarding the Hindu wedding tradition. “My dad’s name is Padurag Shankar Gookar. He has three brothers and four sisters, they lived in a large house in Kolam. Both our families – dads and moms – come from the Chhetree caste, in…

The Boudhanath stupa is located about 7 km northeast of Thamel – Kathmandu city center, near the ancient trade route leading from Tibet. The stupa is 44 meters high, the stupa dome is about 7 meters in diameter. The area of the stupa is approximately 6,756 square meters. Bauddhanath is one of the largest and most significant Buddhist objects in…

Today is Katia’s birthday, her 8th birthday. She is so big, I still can’t believe. It’s like I have one part that remembers my age of 8th and that I felt so big – and that she feels the same. And the other part still looks at her and sees her as a small girl and that she can’t be…

Today we have a lot to do. I had thought of a gift for my sister, that I have to make today, and, with dad, we are making another sky lantern. Tomorrow is Katia’s birthday so I have to make it in time. About my gift, I will write in tomorrow’s post about Katia’s birthday. And today I am writing…

Today for the second time, we are trying to make the flying lampion. 9:05 pm The first didn’t come out well. The fuel was used up and the balloon did not go up. It was made of bamboo sticks, thin metal wire, paper and a plastic bag. To stick together we used tape, treads, and super glue. As a fuel,…

17th February we went on a walk to Kopan Monastery. From our house, it looks like on the other side of a city. We asked the owner of our flat, how many kilometers were between us and the Monastery. He told us that only 2 kilometers, we were quite surprised, as you can imagine. It so happened that the day we…

While we wandered around, on the hill, our father called us to see something great. We went to see what he was looking at and on the edge of a hill was a barrier, behind which we could see something magnificent. We didn’t know what it was but it was very, taking the breath. There was a river and small stupas…

11th February 2018 Today while walking through the city we sow stairs leading up to the hill and we didn’t expect what we were going to see. Today started as usual. I woke up, made exercises, ate breakfast while talking with mom in between. When sisters woke up we served them breakfast and took care of morning washing teeth. In…

Today, 15th February 2018, is my mothers birthday. Our planning and gifts We (me and Katia (my biggest sister)), planned to make some surprises for her, like gifts and morning taking care. While we reminded ourselves of her birthday only 10th February when I talked with Katia and then said something about Katia’s birthday and in that moment I remembered that our…

Today sitting with a computer, as usual, I heard something that made me froze (even more than I was already). Winter in Nepal and first cold night Now Nepal is covered in the cold wind with cold air and snow on the peaks. We were so lucky not to, meet snow, my sisters wouldn’t appreciate my thought. But we still are in a…

I think, that you, dear reader, naturally raised the question of what the photo has in common with the title. I am going to explain. This photo was taken in the center of Kathmandu in the Tamel region at one of the many temples. I sat down at the temple sadhu (holy man) and we took a picture together. He is so…

The time started to rush and in no time it was time to leave as our Indian visa was about to end. 20th we started packing and deciding what to take. In the evening we made a feast to which came Amsa, an Indian woman, our friend and the owner of our flat. I also called our old friend Swetlana, and…

Fast is an excellent cure. It can cure most of the body illnesses. Therefore afterward you will feel light and healthy. On another hand, it is the best way to lose a lot of weight. I have seen so many ads about a miracle, thanks to which you will lose 20kg in a week. Or any diet and exercise plans…

Our target station in Kerala – Ernakulam After three days of sitting we were packed and ready for our destination point. We asked Hindu travelers if it is Ernakulam, wanting to finally see our promised land. Ernakulam Town station mysteriously came up so we decided to get out… The new land welcomed us with a clean platform on the clean station…

1 July I woke up in the morning, not sure which hour. And parents told me that we are going to Sarankot. My mom was telling me that we are going immidetiely. So I had not much time. I took shower and got ready. We went taking with us small bag for raining coats and some food. We started walking,…

May 2017 One day in May when the day was like any other my father said that we all are going for a walk down the hill to the Lakeside. We got dressed and by 1pm we were ready. We closed the house and put shoes on. And went in a new direction. One side of the hill takes to the…

Finally we decided to leave Bhedetar and head to Pokhara. The bus we bought sits in was going through all of Nepal from Dharan to Pokhara. And it meant 14 hours of journey with very small breaks. One sit costs 1170 Rs (11.7$). So we took 4 sits for 4400 Rs (44$) with a small discount. I have to bring…

23 of February, Thursday Today we had an audience with Karmapa. Yesterday my mother had booked a private meeting with 17th Karmapa. One of our friends told us about this possibility. So my mom didn’t miss it. We got ready and went to the monastery 1 pm where we were suppose to get private audience with Karmapa. There we went…

25 of February, Saturday Today there was Katia’s Birthday. She finished 7 years! I remember when she was small and fat and I remember when I wanted her to grow big so we can play together, but now she has her small sisters to accompany her. And I have to rule. Today in the morning I went to buy some food….

We took a train to Kolkata Our friends, owners of the house we were renting, invited us to their house in Kolkata for just a few days. I was the most excited one so I took the planning on myself. We decided, with the owners, that we will come on Friday and leave on Sunday. To know what to see…

One day we wanted to see what is behind our house. There was a park with very unique trees.  Called Shorea robusta. It grows only in area from Myanmar in the east to Nepal, India and Bangladesh. For me, a park made of these trees looked strange and weird. When you come into a forest like that you can start to feel like an ant. So…

Today we have got quiet an interesting idea… To master our selves. To do this we chose 3 kinds of habits and had made 1 day in a week for each of them: Day of being satisfied – ‘With our thoughts and posture we build our world’. That’s why we should keep our minds happy no matter how bad we…

1st of May 2015, Friday Sadhana Forest is a part of Auroville which is an ecological experiment. Everyone wakes up early in the morning. Who doesn’t feel cold at 6am, takes a shower in an ecological system, saving water. Morning gymnastics for sleepy youth and then we are getting divided into groups. One group takes care of the forest, plants…

30th April 2015, Thursday The time has come to choose the region of India, where we want to spend the rest of our remaining six-month visa… and maybe more…. The choice fell on Auroville, an international city founded by Mother – The Mother – along with Sri Aurobindo. We wondered for some time and we thought it might be something for us….

One day I went with my mom to see Deer Park. What a surprise was when it turned out to be not a Deer Park but a Park with some birds only. Our journey started early in the morning. We agreed to go out at 6-7am. But because it is almost impossible for me to wake up so early I…

22nd of April 2015, Wednesday When we got bored with the big city we took the bus and went to the town called Margao. Between 4.00pm and 7.00pm, we were still passing Mumbai streets. The Sleeper Class in our bus offered us some comfort all night and at 8.00 in the morning we reached Goa state. Twenty minutes by rickshaw…

28th of February 2015, Saturday So, we reached Mumbai on the 26 of February early in the morning. The big surprise was that we could take off the warm clothes we were wearing… sitting in the airport we were still wearing our coats because we couldn’t believe in our happiness… We sat on the plane 25th of February – Katia’s…

20th of February 2015, Friday The decision was made just before Christmas. We have no business here… this is a time for something that has long been waiting for: the realization of our plans from 15 years ago! In principle, the decision of flight – according to plan – was almost equal to 2 months. So the minimum that is…

Just Before Yesterday, we had arrived at a small town called Santiniketan. It took us 2 days to get there. 4th January 11am we left our Guest House in Bodh Gaya and we went to Gaya train station. Our train to Bardhaman was supposed to arrive at 9pm. Before it, we decided to eat something and take a little rest….

Hi!!! My name is Maya. Welcome to our site. This Blog is about our travel. Mostly India. I am traveling with my family, parents and 3 small sisters. We travel a lot to visit new places and learn about different cultures and religions. I want to share my experience and my knowledge about places, food, transport and many more. Thanks…