Comfortably Numb - Sheila Kumar's Storehouse

Travel: Udaipur, Rajasthan

Water, water everywhere… Sheila Kumar visits the City Of Lakes It’s a clear and crisp winter day, the third day of my Udaipur stint and I’m back in a boat. In Udaipur, I find, you sit in a boat for quite a long time. No great hardship though, since Pichola, the lake I am…

Travel: Jaisalmer, Rajasthan

Sands of time Time unspools at its own pace in the desert city of Jaisalmer. The sinking sun is a brilliant orb of orangey-red, a tad too brilliant for the last day of 2007. It is also playing out its last moments, squeezing every last drop of drama out of the…

Travel: Guruvayoor, Kerala

Visiting Guruvayoor Riding on the highway to Guruvayoor, 30 km west of Thrissur, signboard after signboard reminds me just how far away I am from the Lord — strictly in terms of physical distance. As I belong to a large clan that has its roots in this temple town, it is with some amount of ownership that I write…

Feature: Listen to the Poet

As new forms of stress keep mutating, it really is time to press the pause button. So. Listen to the poet. Which poet, you ask? Why, the one who asked us to stop and smell the roses. To which, we shrug and say, “All very well, but who has the time?” Or we smile in…

Travel: Kokrebellur, Karnataka

The village of Kokrebellur, near Bangalore, offers an amazing sight in season: clusters of painted storks nestling on treetops. It is nothing short of a miracle, calculated to enchant even the most jaded of city-bred souls. Some 80 kilometres south of Bangalore on the Mysore road, you need to take a turn down what rapidly…

Travel: Fish Reflexology Spa, Singapore

A piscine pedicure The Fish Reflexology Spa at Sentosa is a whole new experience There’s a little Chinese girl in pigtails standing by my shoulder, staring fascinated at my feet. Every few minutes, she lets out a squeal in which apprehension is mixed with delight. When I look down at my feet,…

Travel: Bath, England

The cursing stones The ancient curse tablets of Bath continue to cast a potent spell on the modern tourist. It’s a day of weak sunshine in September and I’m at the Roman Baths in Bath. I am hypnotised. The water is a celadon green, the steam that rises from the hot springs, a wispy, ethereal white….

Travel: Nilgiris Nostalgia

Return of the native SHEILA KUMAR sings a paean to the enduring beauty of the Nilgiris, which was once her home This article should in all fairness, carry a disclaimer. I’m no wide-eyed tourist or first-time visitor to the Blue Mountains. I used to live there, some years ago, and in a life marked…

Feature: It`s Party Time!

It’s party time, from now till New Year! A woman can drown in all the information on grooming, beauty aids, on looking good. Here’s to looking great in the festive season and what’s more, looking good for a long, long time after that, too. A good skin care routine. Invest in expensive creams, moisturisers. Check out…

Travel: Singapore Spas

JETWINGS INTERNATIONAL Pure Hedonism Kick off those shopping shoes and slip into something more comfortable as we take you spa-hopping through the island city of Singapore, home to some of the best spas in the world. For a country that is forever re-defining its tourist attractions, Singapore does one great job. It’s been…