Windows and Wanderings - Ghumakkad Turns Fourteen

 When your blog turns fourteen, how do you celebrate?

You celebrate by thanking the readers and contributors.  Because it is the readers who have taken the blog where it is. Thank you all.

Ghumakkad continues to wander.

Why do you like Ghumakkad's Blog?

Ghumakkad asked the readers a simple question 'Why do you like Ghumakkad's blog?' Within minutes we started  receiving responses. We have tried to summarise and include as many in the table below.

Reader(s)	Why I/we like Ghumakkad's Blog
KS Venugopal, Amandeep Kaur	A window to the world
Gyan Agarwal	It has a soul.
Lakshmi and NR Ravi, Vijay Uppal, Sharad Kumar, Daleep George,  TSR Swamy, Pramod Goel,  SVS Chary, Anju Tiwari, Surendra B,  Zafar Naseem, Ramya Champion, Vinay Prasad, Premila Basu,  PR Sangam, Vinod Dhanuka,  Pramod Lakhotia, Rachita Mahajan, Nishi and Ashok Jaitly, Mohan Swaminathan, Mani Thomas	Armchair travelogue of unseen and unheard off places. Feels like a 'live' tour with a ringside seat!
Ruma Purkayastha, Rashmi B, Indira Susheel Kumar,	Stories that leave you with the desire to experience and explore
Raman Kumar, BC Jayaprakash, Ruchi B, Vardhaman Tantia,  Poonam B, Joya Ganguly, Vijay Bal, RB Dhavare, Satish Kwatra	Wide variety, depth of research and simple language
Joyshree Banerjee, Dr Pappu, Praveen Garg, Chandreyee Ganguly, Helga Lakhotia	Makes us feel part of Ghuamkkad's trips!
N Sridhar, Pimmo Lodha	It gives me joy
Dr GB Sethi, Rakesh Bajaj, Tejaswini, Chanda Golani	It's uniqueness and educational value
Vinod Agarwal, Pramila B, Seema Jain, Suresh Sharma, Arun Dhupar	Meaningful and vivid descriptions that leave the reader asking for more
Suchitra Chauduri, M Vasudevan, Nitin Dhavare, Sharat Choudary, Mukul B, Shereen Sultana, Rajat B, Chaitanya Shiroor	Insightful, refreshing, authentic and deeply inspiring
Trixie Asirvatham, Shyamola Khanna, Dr Surekha Bhanot	Stunning illustrations and narratives
Pradeep Sethi	Love the small things that you notice!
Dilip Mohapatra, Krishna Prasad, Yella Prakash Rao, Raj K Mehta	Spreads goodwill, empathy and positive thinking.
Manik Srivastava	Your art of storytelling!
Vinay B, Rajinder Singh, GR Nair	Passion with which every story is created.
Padma Ramesh	It inspires wanderlust!
Deepak Jena	It keeps me in touch with my Professor!
Jaishankar	Stories that lie at the junction of adventure, curiosity and wisdom.
Dr Rohini Tiwari	My most exciting virtual travel companion and storyteller!

Am humbled seeing your responses. Ghumakkad seems to have made a wide impact as visible from the variety of responses. Each one of you (and many others not included in the above list) deserve the special badge of appreciation. Thanks once again.

Ghumakkad exists because of you

It took 13 years to reach 6 lakh page views. But, we have added 5 lakh page views in just one year! See the graph below.

Sharing below an excerpt from Amandeep Kaur, my former MBA student now settled in Canada.

"Ghumakkad has been far more than a travel blog to me, it has been a window to the world. 

What makes Ghumakkad special is not just the journeys, but the soul behind them. Your writing carries warmth, curiosity, wisdom, and that quiet humor which makes readers feel like fellow travellers rather than just an audience.

As your student, I admired you in the classroom. As a reader, I have admired the way you turn travel into stories that stay with people long after they finish reading. Fourteen years later, Ghumakkad still inspires people to dream, explore, and look at the world with kinder eyes. That is a rare gift."

------------- 

Thank you Amandeep aka Ammu.

Another regular reader Admiral C Raghuram has sent a short poem on Ghumakkad's 14th Anniversary.

"Your footsteps frame each place with light and rhyme,  
You lift small wonders into song, one gentle chime.

  
Through winding lanes and hush of hills you roam,  
Each travelogue a tender bridge that leads us home

.  
You open doors where hidden mornings gleam and play,  
You turn plain paths to honeyed tracks where memories stay. 

 
Fourteen years your roaming words have charmed the way,  
Forever may your stories lead our hearts, and gently stay."

----------------- 

Thank you Admiral.

Special thanks are also due to all the Guest Story writers listed below along with links to their stories:

Ansh and Nikhil (then 14 and 11): Why Kodaikanal?

Abha and Akanksha: Ladakh: Shades of Heaven on Earth

Ankush: Maya The Tigress of Tadoba

Koushik Gopinath: Male Showstopper - Tigers of Ranthambhore

Abhishek Singh: Winning The Hearts Of People

Akanksha: Women Hiking In Water

Dr Rohini Tiwari: A Squirrel Comes Home

Trixie Asirvatham: Fallen But Not Forgotten

Ankush: Ironman In The Family

Nikhil (then 10 years old): Coyote Gulch- Hiking In A Stream

Sachi (then 15), Syon (13) and Maana (11): Who Says Children Don't Read Books

Naman (then 8 years old): Sketching at Eight

Ankush: 2nd Time ironman ki Kahani Ankush ki Zubani

Mohili and Kabir: Hiking With Two Middle Schoolers

Padma Ramesh: Who Says Adventure Has an Age Limit?

Tushar Bhakay: Birding on a Bicycle

Debashish Mukherjee: Call of the Road - Curiosity, Discovery and Joy

Padma Ramesh: There is Magic in the Air When They Meet -- An account of a Navy Veterans' Reunion

Would you like to see your name in above list? Then share your guest story. We would love to publish it.

Those who wish to browse across the spectrum of our picture stories, may click the link below:

Ghumakkad Enters the Teens - Gives a snapshot of our stories of last 13 years.

Be it the travelogues, environment, wildlife, birds, life lessons from Nature, obituaries or simple observations around our lives-- you have loved it all.

All we would say-- Gratitude with folded hands.

Last but not the least we have to thank our advisors over the years:

Trixie Asirvatham (Blog content)
Dr Chitra Shanker (Environment)
Yella Prakash Rao (Birding)

Thanks for browsing and stay connected. Do share a comment and/or your guest story as and when you can.

    -  Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ Secunderabad/ 22nd May 2026

#14thAnniversary #travlandlifeblog #GhumakkadIsFourteen #WindowsAndWanderings #gratitude #thankyoureaders #OneMillionPageViews #ghumakkadharsh #ghumakkadhb #GuestStory #explore #discovery #adventure #joyofsharing #powerofobservation #appreciationbadge #blogreadership

Lord Shiva at the feet of Kalika Devi

Ever seen any statue of  Lord Shiva where he is being crushed by Kali?

We also hadn't seen any such idol or depiction till we travelled to a remote island in the middle of Kali River near Karwar in Karnataka.

How to Visit?

This picture story takes you to Kalika Devi Temple on an island. Only way to reach the island is by a boat. Boat rides are available from Nandangadda Boat Point 12 kms north-east of Karwar town. See the picture of Navy Veterans wading through knee deep water. We also share a map below.

The other option is to take a longer boat ride from Deobagh Beach side. For the guests staying at Jungle Lodges and Resorts at Deobagh Beach, a boat ride is included in the package. We, few Navy Veterans took the ride in a swanky motor boat. See the map and the video below.

Sharing below a short 12-sec video clip of our boat ride.

Significance

Kali island has a temple and a statue of an angry Kalika Devi crushing Lord Shiva under her feet! Unbelievable, isn't it?

Legend has it that Lord Shiva lies at the feet of Goddess Kali to pacify her uncontrollable rage after the battle with the demon Raktabija. Seeing her destructive rampage threatening the universe, Shiva laid himself in her path. When she stepped on his chest, Kali instantly realized she was standing on her husband, bringing her fury to a halt. See a series of pictures below.

Boat Ride

The boat ride is subject to the weather conditions. We were lucky to get an exclusive ride. It was heartening to see the life jackets for all passengers in good working condition. We had to navigate under Kali Bridge on NH-66 with a long span. The visit to the island has to be timed with the tide timings. The water level on the stony pathway to the island changes with the tide. See the pictures below.

Kali Matha Island

It is a small island. We had to anchor on a shallow patch and then wade through knee deep water. The island also has a 240-metres boardwalk to observe the mangroves. However due to damages, it was closed. Pictures below.

Kalika Devi Temple

It is a small temple with two wells for drinking water. Our guide from the Resort accompanied us to the island. A pujari and his dog stay on the island. The temple has large following.

Deobagh Beach

It is a beautiful beach. As stated earlier, we had stayed at the Jungle Lodges property on the beach. We will bring you an exclusive story on the beach, the resort and the views all around.

Stories of Other Island Locations

Ghumakkad has visited many islands in India and overseas. Sharing below the links to few of the stories of 'island attractions'. Click the link to browse the picture story.

Bhavani Island An Ideal Getaway - Another island named after Goddess Durga. The story shows the tree houses and water sports on the island in River Krishna near Vijayawada.

Laknavaram Lake Resort - Picture story with videos shows you the lake resort accessible through a suspension bridge. Guest rooms are on stilts in water!

Ruins of Ross Island - Picture story of an island just two kms east of Port Blair. The ruins speak to you. The island has since been renamed as Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Dweep.

War Memorial on an Island - Picture story of Anjadip War Memorial which commemorates the battle of Anjadip, 1961.

We end with Ralph W Sockman's quote on islands which says, "The larger the island of knowledge, the longer the shoreline of wonder." 

Islands have their own attraction. Whether it is a river island or an island at sea, the thrill starts with the boat ride. Do take an island holiday in India. So many locations some of which we have shared above.

In the ongoing vacation season, happy travelling.

Thanks for browsing. Do leave a comment and stay connected.

   - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ Secunderabad and Karwar/ 18th May 2026

#KaliRiver #KalikaDeviTemple #Karwar #LordShivaAtTheFeetOfKali #Destruction #Rage #Durga #MaaKali #BoatRide #KaliBridge #NavyVeterans #Reunion #DeobaghBeach #JungleLodges #GhumakkadHarsh #ghumakkadhb #Islands #IslandOfKnowledge

Kanha Shanti Vanam World's Largest Meditation Centre

Which is world's largest meditation centre? 

Is it the Swarved Mahamandir in Varanasi, which can accommodate 20,000 people at one time?

No, it is not.

Then which is the largest?

It is called Kanha Shanti Vanam.

And, how many people can meditate there at one time?

It can accommodate one lakh i.e. 100,000 people at any one time.

Oh, that is huge! Where is is located?

It is on the outskirts of Hyderabad.

Hyderabad? Didn't know that. Can Ghumakkad take us on a tour of the Centre?

Sure, stay connected.

Ghumakkad along with few other armed forces veterans and spouses had visited Kanha Shanti Vanam (KSV) recently. It is located 65 kms south-west of Secunderabad Cantt. It is an hour and 45 minutes drive one way. KSV is located off Bangalore Highway (NH-44) near Chegur village. See the map below.

The 1400-acre  land where KSV is now located was barren and dry. By planting 5 lakh saplings and transplanting 1000 trees, KSV is now a green heaven. It houses the meditation centre, library, extensive garden, housing for staff and visitors and ample parking. KSV has utilised locally available building material. The whole campus has been designed and developed to ensure environmental preservation. Let our pictures and videos do the talking.

Here is a short video by Vaishali as we approach the meditation halls.

We all attended one meditation session in the Central Hall. Get a feel of its size in a short video below:

The audience in the hall was well disciplined. No noise or undue disturbance. Before the meditation session commences, instructions for the audience are flashed on large video screens. Sharing below one of the instructions.

People consider it an auspicious privilege to get married in the hall and be blessed by Shri Kamlesh D Patel also know as Daaji. The couples in wedding attire, line up on the stage. They walk up to Daaji, exchange the wedding garlands and rings in front of him. Daaji then blesses each couple. See the picture below.

Where do 100,000 people remove their shoes and how do they remember where to collect it from? Very elaborately designed shoe racks with proper numbering ensure smooth storage and collection of shoes by the visitors. Pictures below:

KSV Garden is another outstanding feature of the campus. It has a nursery as well which sells plants.

A short video shot by Aditee Bhakay shows the well-manicured plants and garden in KSV.

Enjoy the ride with the veterans around the KSV Garden in the video below shot by Vaishali

KSV also sells herbal and other formulations for the well being of the visitors. Sharing one of the signages.

Photo-Op location: KSV has constructed a cemented railway coach amidst the greenery of the campus. It provides a perfect photo-op for the visitors.

Here is the group of veterans and spouses who had visited KSV. Ghumakkad is behind the lens.

Those who have seen the KSV from a flight at night, would connect with the following picture courtesy KSV website.

The visit to KSV was an eye-opener. Most of us did not know that such a massive meditation centre exists in Hyderabad! Do visit KSV during your next travel to Hyderabad. And Hyderabadis- get going! Do share a picture or two of your visit to KSV.

Thanks are due to Gen Naozar Patel for organising the visit and sharing few pictures. Special thanks to Aditee and Vaishali for sharing their pictures and videos.

We end with a quote about meditation by Gautam Buddha who said 'Meditation brings wisdom; lack of meditation leaves ignorance'.

Thanks for browsing. Stay connected and do leave a comment. Few words will do. It keeps us going.

    - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ Secunderabad/ 12th May 2026

#KanhaShantiVanam #HeartfulnessInstitute #ShriRamChandraMission #MeditationCentre #WorldsLargestMeditationCentre #Hyderabad #Daaji #ghumakkadharsh #ghumakkadhb #TelanganaTourism