On the heels of my final Family Medicine exams in Raxaul, I extended the trip with my wife, Tania, choosing a night bus over an EV traveller to Kathmandu. Between blaring movie speakers, a humble vegetarian thali at Darechok, and dawn in Thamel, the story shows how real travel begins when plans shift.
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Khichuri is more than a dishâit embodies the spirit of Durga Puja. The aroma of Gobindobhog rice, the comforting warmth of roasted moong dal, and the earthy goodness of labra prepared with the seasonâs freshest vegetables come together in a harmony that evokes home, devotion and celebration. At every puja pandal, this simple feast represents community, the abundance of autumn and the enduring Bengali custom of expressing love through food. A bowl of bhog is not merely a meal; it carries heritage, memories and the very flavour of Pujo.
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Mahalaya is more than the dawn of Durga Puja; it is the awakening of Bengalâs soul. Through Birendra Krishna Bhadraâs timeless voice, the fragrance of shiuli, the artistry of Maa Durgaâs idols, and the sacred remembrance of our ancestors, we rediscover our roots. Wherever life takes us, Mahalaya reminds us that home is not merely a place, but an eternal feeling of belonging.
Sometimes history does not arrive with a trumpet. Sometimes it arrives quietly in a barrel. Bengal rum crossed an ocean as cargo and arrived in Australia as something far more powerfulâmoney, influence, leverage, and eventually rebellion. What began as molasses and commerce became entangled with the making of a nation, reminding us that history often hides inside the most ordinary things.
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What begins as a routine postâsurgery checkâup for my mother quietly transforms into an unscripted exploration of Delhiâits temples, bazaars, forts, and cafÊs unfolding one by one. With a caring local guide, family, and old friends shaping the days, the journey reveals a simple truth: sometimes itâs the broken sandals, blistered feet, shared meals, and unexpected pauses that matter far more than the monuments printed on any itinerary.
I went to Baghdad in 2007 as a banker, expecting banks, technology and work. Instead, I encountered a city layered with historyâbeneath blast walls, armoured vehicles and uncertainty. I came to know its people, its evenings, its Tigris, and slowly, another Baghdad emerged: the Baghdad of scholars, manuscripts and memory. I left Baghdad, but somehow, Baghdad never quite left me.
A devastating flash flood in Nepal has once again exposed the fragility of the Himalayan ecosystem. An ice-and-rock avalanche unleashed a torrent through the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers, destroying homes, bridges and livelihoods. Beyond Nepal, the disaster carries a warning for South Asia: a warming Himalayas demands stronger cooperation, real-time monitoring, early-warning systems, and urgent action to protect vulnerable communities downstream
