Category: Travelogue

Women Farmers and Entrepreneurs in Rural and Small Town India

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The Friends of Women World Banking, Ahmedabad provides micro-finance to organisations and women entrepreneurs and is engaged in capacity building of these women. As part of FWWB team we went on a field trip to Viramgam, Ahmedabad District and Kadi, Mehsana District of Gujarat to witness and discuss the activities of the organisations funded by this micro finance group. We met women farmers and women entrepreneurs in the growing beauty industry.

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The Friends of Women World Banking, Ahmedabad provides micro-finance to organisations and women entrepreneurs and is engaged in capacity building of these women. As part of FWWB team we went on a field trip to Viramgam, Ahmedabad District and Kadi, Mehsana District of Gujarat to witness and discuss the activities of the organisations funded by this micro finance group.

We visited the Saath Mahila Cooperative Credit Society at Viramgam and met the field officers and staff of the society. The micro finance society FWWB is mainly lending for agricultural activities and hence we learnt about agriculture and impact of climate change on it. The field officers were all women and they told us about the nature of agriculture, the loans given and repayment.

How to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers to have ecofriendly agriculture? We asked the field officer if they saw the impact of climate change on…

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On the road, Part 3: Dwarka and Bhet Dwarka

~ Jeemol ~ 2 Comments

We started early for Bhet Dwarka, a little island where Lord Krishna was said to welcome Sudama, a poor man, who came carrying a little rice as a gift. Read part 1 of our journey so far here https://jeemolunni.com/2022/12/19/on-the-road-ahmedabad-to-somnath/ And part 2 here https://unnilogstravel.wordpress.com/2022/12/20/on-the-road-part-2-somnath-to-dwarka-via-porbandar/ The road from Dwarka to the ferry jetty was in poor … Continue reading On the road, Part 3: Dwarka and Bhet Dwarka

On the road, part 1: Ahmedabad to Somnath

~ Jeemol ~ 4 Comments

After a long time, we went on a long drive through the Saurashtra region of Gujarat. I was upset that the driver missed the road to Rajkot which is Midway from Ahmedabad to Somnath . But it turned out to be an interesting road which took us through many villages and tiny towns of Gujarat, Here are a few snapshots of economic activities in the rural areas we traversed.

Ladakh: A Confluence of Rivers and Lakes

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We visited Pangong Tso/Lake in Ladakh in 2017, exactly three years ago. Today it has become a site of conflict. Remembering the beautiful serene view and time spent at the Pangong Lake https://jeemolunni.com/2017/06/02/ladakh-a-confluence-of-rivers-and-lakes/

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We reached the spot and it was incredibly beautiful. It was also freezing in May, as a cold wind was blowing from the West. We ran back to the car to get our winter gear, sweater, jacket, muffler, gloves!! 

It was only 4.00 p.m. and the wind had dropped. We were very close to the lake near the village and decided to walk down to it. The scenery with the lake, mountains, waves, rocks on the shore was magnificent. The view was panoramic. We found a comfortable rock and sat down on it to enjoy the calm, serene, atmosphere of the Pangong Lake!

The water was clear and you could see the large rocks and pebbles at the bottom. The waves lapped against the shore. The water was deep blue at the extreme end near the mountains, lighter shades of blue in the middle and nearly sea-green close to the shore. I was mesmerized as usual by the expanse of water and lulled by the sound of the little waves breaking on the shore. I needed to capture it for posterity and so here is a short video. I was adventurous enough to touch the cold water and run when the waves touched my toe. A little, probably Scandinavian, kid was wading in the water in shorts with his mother encouraging him to do so! My partner tried his favourite trick. He picked up some flat stones and tried to throw it flat across the lake. First attempt one bounce, second attempt two bounces, and third attempt two bounces again. Not Bad! Bravo! 

The changing colour of the Lake and of the Changchenmo Range of mountains to the North as the sun fell on different parts was equally mesmerizing! I remembered our Scientist friend who urged that children should be taken to the ocean and mountains to get the ‘sense of infinity’. The snow covered mountains on the Eastern side of the Lake are in China, the larger part of the Lake being with them. This apparently is the reason why no boating or any sports activity is allowed on the Lake.

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Ladakh is a ‘Cold Desert’, but the snow-capped high mountains ensure that there is a stream of water trickling down during part of the year. These form little rivulets, streams, rivers and lakes. We witnessed a confluence of streams, rivers and lakes in our week in Ladakh. As expressed in my blog post on “Soothing water front experience”, I love large bodies of water and ‘blue space’, water or sky! Not all water bodies in Ladakh were blue due to the continuous erosion of the soil and rock from the surrounding mountains. But still their effect was captivating.

Our first view of the meandering River Indus was from the top of the Spituk Gompa, a Ge-lug-pa Monastry built by King Gras-Pa-Bumlde in the 14th Century. On one side of the hill was the view of the Leh airport and on the other was the meandering River Indus with a…

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Scotland: Mysteries of Lochs, Castles and Highland Clans!

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We were blessed with warm bright sunshine and mild wind on our day trip of the Western Highlands of Scotland! We had an excellent tour guide, David, who had an amazing knowledge of the land, its history and long tales to tell of its gallant clans and their battles for the thrown of Britain. We … Continue reading Scotland: Mysteries of Lochs, Castles and Highland Clans!

Boat crossing at St. Pancras Lock, Two levels at Regent Canal, London

~ Jeemol ~ 3 Comments

One Friday afternoon while we were casually strolling around King Cross area we came across this amazing boat crossing across the Regent Canal which was at two levels. There were boats parked on both sides of a Canal gate which was at two different levels. While we were wondering how this was supposed to work … Continue reading Boat crossing at St. Pancras Lock, Two levels at Regent Canal, London

Nazareth, Sea of Galilee. Jordan River, Dead Sea: The Magic Continues

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The ride to north of Israel to Nazareth, Sea of Galilee and Jordan River was full of sites referred to in the Old and New Testament of the Bible. Our tour guide from the Tourist Israel company was Dan Porguse who regaled us with stories of the area. Both sides of the road was dotted … Continue reading Nazareth, Sea of Galilee. Jordan River, Dead Sea: The Magic Continues

The Magical Holy Land: A Fusion of Cultures

~ Jeemol ~ 3 Comments

The Holy Land is a fusion of cultures. It is the land where three religions of the world were born, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It has always amazed me that these three religions have a common history as recorded in the Old Testament, originate from the same land, the western end of Asia. I could … Continue reading The Magical Holy Land: A Fusion of Cultures

In the Lap of Nature, God’s Own Country: Windermere, Munnar

~ Jeemol ~ 6 Comments

In all these years of being an NRK (Non-resident Keralite) and visiting many times a year, we had never been to Munnar. Munnar is a little hill town, 5000 ft above sea level in the district of Idukki, on the Eastern border of Kerala. The family of an old college friend owns and runs a … Continue reading In the Lap of Nature, God’s Own Country: Windermere, Munnar

Manchester: More than textile

~ Jeemol ~ 1 Comment

  l Manchester was known as the Textile Capital of the World. During the industrial revolution in early 19th Century much of the cotton processing was done in and around Manchester. Soon many other industries located in the city and Manchester became the major center of the industrial revolution in Britain. As conditions of the workers … Continue reading Manchester: More than textile