Tag: Indian Vagabond

Gooty European Cemetery

by Subhadip Mukherjee, posted in Andhra Pradesh, Travelogues

Gooty European Cemetery (51)

It’s one of my passions as a blogger to visit old cemeteries and dig out history from each of the tomb and epitaphs. For me, each of these tells a story which needs to be told, forgotten with time I hope to bring back some of the interesting characters that once had a legacy which needs to be reminded. I had traveled to Gooty as a part of a tourist circle covering Belum Caves – Gandikota Gorge – Gandikota Fort – Gooty Fort. It was at Gooty that we have this famous hilltop fort which I have already blogged about and at the foot of the hill is this European Cemetery.

After the defeat of Tipu Sultan, the forces of East India Company looked to consolidate all the southern principalities and Gooty was one of them. The strategic position of Gooty fort at a hilltop resulted in a fierce battle and commanding that was Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Bowser (1749-1833). Gooty Fort was captured by Lt. Col. Bowser’s detachment in August 1799, this battle resulted in some casualties and it was these dead soldiers and officers that were first buried at this European Cemetery.

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Turkish Airlines Review – Mumbai to Istanbul

by Subhadip Mukherjee, posted in Travelogues, Turkey

Turkish Airlines Review – Mumbai to Istanbul

The stage had been set our first family trip together to Europe had suddenly been finalised. While I and my wife had our passport our seven-year-old daughter did not have a passport, with some luck and quick thinking within five days we managed to get a Tatkal passport for her. Once the passport was sorted our next most important decision was to select the best budget airless while keeping in mind some comfort and good service.

Since there were no direct flights from Kolkata to Rome we had to decide upon Mumbai or New Delhi as our departure point. The best option from Mumbai was Turkish Airlines while from New Delhi it was Aeroflot. Somehow for me, Turkey had always been a land of mystery and even though at that point of time we did not plan to visit the city during our transit still I wanted to at least try to look out for Blue Mosque from the airplane window. While Istanbul airport is very near to the main Istanbul city centre the same cannot be said for Moscow airport. So chances of venturing out were very much possible in Istanbul while for Moscow it was near impossible.

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Nu Cascade – Chinese Food Redefined

by Subhadip Mukherjee, posted in Food

Nu Cascade – Chinese Food Redefined (18)

Uncle Beeren or some prefer to call him Beeren Sadhu (Hermit) was actually not related to our family but had been a co-worker of my father thus had been a frequent visitor to our house. His appearance was somewhat like a cartoon character with a height of around five feet and a very thin and frail body structure. Strings of loose beard floated below his chin and paired with a smile made his face look real funny. Being from a rural village in south Bengal he had very less knowledge about the outside world and his every trip to the city was a big eye opener for him.

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A Boy Named Shiba

by Subhadip Mukherjee, posted in Africa, Kenya, Travelogues

A Boy Named Shiba (1)

It was a trip of a lifetime travelling across Kenya meeting people from different parts of the world who had come to Nairobi to attend the World Social Forum things were going just perfect and to top it all I managed to take a short trip to Masai Mara to visit perhaps the best natural way to see wildlife in Africa.

Back in 2007 when this incident took place Internet had very little penetration in Kenya and smartphones were not that common thus all the research were primarily done prior to my visit. To make things cheap I had booked the cheapest option available and packed with some dry foods so as to cut cost to the max while traveling. The trip was nearing its end and on the last day as I was packing things up I realized that it was quite a few days since I had a good full meal and was eager to reach home for that plate of rice and fish.

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Road Trip around Mahabalipuram

by Subhadip Mukherjee, posted in Tamil Nadu, Travelogues

Road Trip around Mahabalipuram

Over the years of travelling across India and abroad I have often felt the urge to set off on my own instead of a booked private car or public transport. I have seen many unknown and unheard of places just by travelling alone. This desire always lets me think out of the box whenever travelling with my family also and surprisingly they have also started liking the idea of going for a long drive on a motorbike where I drive and my wife becomes the navigator with GPS in hand. I’m chronicling my road trip adventure for CEAT Tyres in association with BlogAdda.

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