Source:https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13868972/mediaviewer/rm966779137?ref_=ttmi_mi_all_pos_14 Homi Bhabha. The father of the Indian Nuclear Program. I grew up watching his photo in our school. Having studied at an Atomic Energy Central School and being a part of the Department of Atomic Energy family, Bhabha’s presence was everywhere. His photo was displayed at a prominent point in the school where we used to attend the morning pledge. Its one of the core memories of our school days. So when my friend Suyog recommended I watch the TV Show ‘Rocket Boys’ which is about the two giants of Indian sc ..read more

Slowly, almost imperceptibly at first, it started snowing. At one point I stopped in the middle of a cluster of trees and looked up. The snow was falling, it seemed, as if in slow motion. Some of the snowflakes fell on my face, immediately melting and mildly numbing the skin. Except my group of friends there was nobody around and it was all quiet and still. It felt so peaceful. As Faiz, my friend, remarked later, its for this sense of detachment from the mundane everyday life, that makes hiking so refreshing! We, a group of fours friends, were on the Four Lakes Trail in Squamish, BC some 75 k ..read more

On a bright sunny February afternoon three of us did the Abby grind hike near Abbotsford. As you can guess from the name, this is the Abbotsford’s grouse grind. It took us an hour and a half to reach the top and around an hour to return to the parking lot. Its a pretty straightforward hike and once you reach the top you are greeted by great views of the surrounding farmlands. One thing to note here is that there is a shooting range near the parking lot so don’t be alarmed if hear gunshots during your hike. Someone recently mentioned that this is a great spot to hike to when the a tulip flower ..read more

Hike Details: Elevation Gain: 300 metres. Distance covered: 8kms. Total time taken: 5 hours including breaks. Start time: 9 am End time: Around 2 pm. Who: Ram, Akshaya, Arun, Jaya and myself. My first hike of the year turned out to be a pretty good one. Back in February me and a group of friends hiked the Lindeman Lake trail near Chilliwack, BC. The hike itself is moderate but what is important is to take the weather conditions in account. This was February so were expecting snow which we found on the trail beyond the Lindeman lake onwards to Greendrop Lake. The hike to Lindeman Lake itself t ..read more

Name: How Big things get done: The surprising factors that determine the fate of every project, from home renovations to space exploration and everything un between. Author: Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner Genre: Self Help/Business Book Post No. : 44 What is it about?: This book talks about the factors which can make or break a project, be it a small project like a Kitchen Renovation or a mega project like building a new terminal of an airport. The author, who is an expert on troubleshooting projects which are delayed, over budget or are just in any kind of trouble, talks about why big projec ..read more

Name: The Nuclear Barons: The chilling story of how a small band of scientists, generals, politicians, and businessmen created the life-and-death issue confronting us today…our nuclear world. Author: Peter Pringle & James Spigelman Genre: History/Energy Book Post No. : 43 What is it about? : Published in the 80s, this book traces the history of how nuclear power emerged during World War 2 period, first as an application for a bomb and then later for fuel for power generation. How I came to read it? : I was trying to get back to reading books about energy and as I have a special liking to ..read more

I recently completed 15 years of my blogging journey! My very first post was back in 2008, made while I was in my 12th grade. It simply had a list of names of our group of friends. I started off my blogging journey by sharing stories of the activities our group of friends did together like trips, parties etc. Later I started writing about my individual travel trips. Full story here. Since then I have come a long way. My blog (the travel one) was featured on multiple websites and platforms, I was interviewed by a top travel podcast channel, a newspaper printed my photos and best of all I recei ..read more

As I walked the final few steps towards the edge, the ancient mountain town of Machu Pichu appeared in view. I have watched tons of videos of the place and read countless descriptions but it did not prepare me for seeing it with my own eyes. The view was spectacular. It is not for nothing that its considered one of the wonders of the world. The site of this ancient town is situated atop a mountain with a taller peak just in the background. Far away the Andes mountain ranges forms the perfect backdrop. When the clouds roll in, obscuring the views of the faraway mountains it makes for stunning s ..read more

This read I could only read 8 books which is embarrassingly low compared to some of the more serious readers I know. Nevertheless, it is what I could manage in what was a very busy year for me. Jungle of Stone: This was one of the best books I read this year. It is about the discovery of the lost cities of the Mayans by two explorers in the 19th century. I picked up this book to improve my knowledge of the Mesoamerican civilizations and also to prepare for my trip to Peru. Conquistadores: This was the third book I read to prepare for my trip to Peru. It is about the Spanish conquest of ..read more

Name: Forgotten Muslim Empires of South India: Bahmani Empire, Madurai, Bijapur, Ahmadnagar, Golconda & Mysore Sultanates Author: Syed Ubaidur Rahman Genre: History/India Book Post No. 42 What is it about? : As the title mentions this book is about some of the most famous and significant Muslim empires which flourished in South India from the 1300s to the 1700s. At many times during the pre Mughal phase, cities in South India like Bidar and Bijapur were the largest and most sophisticated in the whole country. But unfortunately not many people know how important cities like Bijapur, Bidar ..read more