For Holi, this year, me and my friends decided to leave Delhi and go to the
Himalayas. After a series of chain mails, we decided a village near
Manali--Batahar--was going to be our Holi-destination.
Just a few days before I was to leave for the holiday, Nokia came up with an
offer I could not refuse. I was given a Nokia Lumia 1020 to cover the festival of Holi. I had
heard from many friends that the 41 megapixel camera was to die for. I could
not wait to get my hands on it.
The phone arrived on the day of departure--14 March 2014. Ankita and I took a selfie just as soon as we boarded the bus.
And Sangeeta and Abir also smiled for the camera!
Since the journey was mostly through the night, I did not get much opportunity to play with the camera. But the morning was a different story. We found ourselves in a world of picture-postcard scenery that changed its form every few kilometres but our appreciation remained constant.
We stayed in the Apple Tree Cottages in Bathar village. The views from our rooms, the living room and basically everywhere the eye turned was breath-taking. I am not exaggerating!
On 15 March we went to the Hidimba Temple and then to the Vashishth Temple.
The villagers of Haripur, a village adjacent to Batahar, celebrate Holi a day prior to when the rest of the country celebrates. I requested the owner of the cottage to take me to the village to celebrate the festival.Our jeep was stopped by a bunch of children who were happy to apply colours on our cheeks and wish us, 'Happy Holi!'
A little further, a group of teenage boys decided to block the road using big boulders. They cleared the way only after Chamman ji gave them some money. This road block was laughed off when they wished us and shouted, 'Bura na maano Holi hai!' (Don't feel bad, it's Holi!)
As we neared the village temple, we saw many more coloured faces.
I'll tell you the rest of the story in the next post!
Hope you had a good Holi!
The phone arrived on the day of departure--14 March 2014. Ankita and I took a selfie just as soon as we boarded the bus.
Since the journey was mostly through the night, I did not get much opportunity to play with the camera. But the morning was a different story. We found ourselves in a world of picture-postcard scenery that changed its form every few kilometres but our appreciation remained constant.
We stayed in the Apple Tree Cottages in Bathar village. The views from our rooms, the living room and basically everywhere the eye turned was breath-taking. I am not exaggerating!
On 15 March we went to the Hidimba Temple and then to the Vashishth Temple.
On our way back to the cottage we decided to stop at the river bank. The
water was cold so there was no question of us dipping our feet into it. So we
sat on boulders listening to the gurgling sound of the Beas.
The villagers of Haripur, a village adjacent to Batahar, celebrate Holi a day prior to when the rest of the country celebrates. I requested the owner of the cottage to take me to the village to celebrate the festival.Our jeep was stopped by a bunch of children who were happy to apply colours on our cheeks and wish us, 'Happy Holi!'
A little further, a group of teenage boys decided to block the road using big boulders. They cleared the way only after Chamman ji gave them some money. This road block was laughed off when they wished us and shouted, 'Bura na maano Holi hai!' (Don't feel bad, it's Holi!)
As we neared the village temple, we saw many more coloured faces.
Hope you had a good Holi!
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