Author Archives: subincontinentia

About subincontinentia

writer and eternal optimist

The end of the inner selfie

Posted on December 15, 2015 by subincontinentia

We have come to regard the universe as little more than our personal Paparazzi, with lenses zooming in and out in relation to our activities on the World Stage. Every ‘click’ is another reassurance that we are somehow solid, permanent and important. It is our misery that deserves the most attention. It is our happiness that is the most desirable. But how is this possible on a planet of almost seven billion people? Continue reading →

Posted in epoche | Tagged advaita, auto rickshaw, Buddhism, celebrity, constellations, desert, Desert Fathers, extras, India, Jaisalmer, Jesus, Jodhpur, journal, Milky Way, non-duality, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Paparazzi, philosophy, Qawwali, Raj, Rajasthan, self-inquiry, selfie, solo female traveler, spirituality, Swami Atmananda, Thar desert, travel, travel writing | 1 Comment

First world problems#1

Posted on December 4, 2015 by subincontinentia

I dropped my pain au chocolat on the floor of a Paris train station. Proof of the Buddha’s first noble truth. Life is suffering.

Posted in epoche | Leave a comment

Why there is no French flag on my Facebook profile

Posted on November 21, 2015 by subincontinentia

The rise of Daesh calls for people like me to do exactly what Daesh are incapable of doing—that is to think beyond the familiar. Flags are important as the proud symbols of a nation. But this is a global problem. Continue reading →

Posted in epoche | Tagged Al Shabab, Al-Qaeda, Anonymous, Beirut, Boko Haram, Daesh, Facebook, flags, football, France, Isil, Isis, Kenya, La Marseillaise, Mali, nationalism, Nigeria, November, Paris, social media, terrorism, terrorist attacks, Twitter, Wembley | Leave a comment

Fleeting

Posted on October 28, 2015 by subincontinentia

Posted in epoche | Leave a comment

Journey of a neopilgrim – Kedarnath (part 3 of 4)

Posted on October 4, 2015 by subincontinentia

‘Anything you are attached to, give that. Go to the places that scare you.’ Machik Lapdrön In the high plateau under the gaze of snow-capped mountains Puttiah ambles away in the direction of the temple. I wonder where he plans … Continue reading →

Posted in epoche, Rose Apple Island | Tagged female traveler, floods, Himalayas, Hindu, Hinduism, India, journal, June 2013, Kedarnath, natural disaster, pilgrim, pilgrimage, Shiva, solo traveler, spirituality, Tandava, temple, travel, trek, trekking, Uttarakhand, yatra, yatri | Leave a comment

Journey of a neopilgrim— Kedarnath (Part 2 of 3)

Posted on September 22, 2015 by subincontinentia

September 10th, 2015 ‘Pilgrims recognize one another by a capacity for wonder, and a gut-level discomfort with bigotry.‘ From Pilgrim’s India The sun has not yet risen but my mood is already quickening. I dress fast, having prepared my pack … Continue reading →

Posted in epoche, Moving on...., Rose Apple Island | Tagged Chota Char Dham, floods, Himalayas, India, June 2013, Kedarnath, landslides, mountains, natural disaster, pilgrim, pilgrimage, solo female traveler, spirituality, temple, travel, travel writing, trekking, Uttarakhand, yatra | Leave a comment

Journey of a neopilgrim – Kedarnath (part 1 of 3)

Posted on September 14, 2015 by subincontinentia

‘There is no happiness for him who does not travel, Rohita! Thus we have heard, Living in the society of men, the best man becomes a sinner….Therefore, wander!’ Indra (Protector of Travelers) to a young man named Rohita September 9, … Continue reading →

Posted in epoche, Moving on...., Rose Apple Island | Tagged altitude, Badrinath, Bhotiya, Chota Char Dham, femal traveler, floods, Ganesh, Ganesh Chaturthi, Ganges, Gangotri, Garhwal, Garhwali, Gaurikund, Himalayas, Hinduism, India, June 2013, Kedarnath, landslides, natural disaster, Parvarti, pilgrim, pilgrimage, Rishikesh, Rudraprayag, Sanskrit, Shiva, Shravan, solo traveler, Sonprayag, spiritual, spirituality, temple, travel, travel writing, trek, trekking, Uttarakhand, Yamunotri, yatra, yatri | Leave a comment

Radical friendship and the end of the guru

Posted on August 29, 2015 by subincontinentia

Again I catch a glimpse of a recalibration of the politics of the knower, the known and the as yet unknower/unknown. I see Liberation Camaraderies replacing Mystical Theocracies. Continue reading →

Posted in epoche, Rose Apple Island | Tagged adventure, Bodhgaya, Buddhism, disciple, enlightenment, friendship, Ganges, guru, India, Kumare, Laxman Jhula, liberation, Mahabodhi, Rishikesh, saddhu, solo female traveler, solo traveler, spirituality, Tibetan Buddhism, travel, travel writing, Upaddha Sutta, Vikram Gandhi | 6 Comments

Hitchhiker’s guide to duality

Posted on August 19, 2015 by subincontinentia

Surely, the man wasn’t going to tear Prem’s arm out of his socket while he was driving! Even cannibals must have some code of honour, even if they are short on table manners. Continue reading →

Posted in epoche, Moving on...., Rose Apple Island | Tagged adventure, aghori, Buddha, bull elephants, cannibalism, crush car, dangerous, Dehradun, elephant, forest, India, monsoon, Rajaji National Park, Rishikesh, Rishikesh-Dehradun highway, River Ganges, saddhu, Sal tree, solo female traveler, spirituality, taxi, travel, travel writing, tuskers, Uttarakhand | Leave a comment

The backstrap

Posted on August 11, 2015 by subincontinentia

One professor of literature told me that after her mother had died of stomach cancer, she had not been able to cook for three months because the system wouldn’t let her refill her kitchen gas cylinder. She had visited the concerned office six times to appeal, but the clerks kept telling her that her mother needed to come to make the payment. Continue reading →

Posted in epoche, Rose Apple Island | Tagged bureaucracy, contract, diplomacy, Gymkhana Club, India, Portugal, travel, Treaty of Windsor | Leave a comment