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

Corona The Global Threat

So far we knew 'corona' to mean the outer glow around the Sun which could be seen only during a total solar eclipse. Corona also meant a part of the body resembling or likened to a crown.

But today 'Corona' is something which causes panic. Panic not only among people, but companies, industries, societies and even nations at large. Corona virus has impacted the entire planet. States and Countries have declared a state of emergency. Schools and colleges have been shut down. Industrial production has declined. Stock markets are on a downturn. Travel and trade has been adversely affected. Military exercises have been put on hold. 

It originated in China. We will never know whether it is man-made virus or not. But its spread has been faster than initially feared. With reports coming in of infection being passed on to pets like dogs, it becomes a greater threat. There are websites and apps giving a live status on corona virus. There are do's and don'ts. Precautions and precautions. Governments are urging people not to panic yet advising people not to visit public places which are crowded. Dichotomy of sorts.

Corona virus has become a global threat. Threat to entire mankind. Hope the virus subsides as is predicted to. Otherwise, this piece may become its own obituary. We hope it does not.

Corona virus has once again proven that Nature is supreme. And we should not tinker with it. Nature has given a wake up call to the entire mankind. If we don't mend our ways it may be too late. Just too late.

We end with my favourite lines which I have said many times on World Environment Day, "Environment is an asset we have borrowed from our children. We have no right to degrade it.Preserve it".

Thanks for browsing.

   - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ 5th Feb 2020/ Secunderabad

#coronavirus #cv-18 #globalthreat #threattomankind #worldhealth #Nature #ecologicalbalance #livewithnature #nocure #hope #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh

Get Your Hands Dirty

'Get your hands dirty' advised Sumit Ahuja to budding entrepreneurs of Vishwa Vishwani Institute of Systems and Management (VVISM) Hyderabad. Sumit was speaking at the Annual Business Plan Contest 2018 of VVISM held on 2^nd November 2018. 

The Contest had eight finalists who presented their business idea and pitch to an external Jury. These eight Startup ideas which ranged from energy, environment, livelihoods to food sectors are listed below:

1. Stitching Dreams- Empowering rural wome
2. YUMS- Double-decker food truck
3. FITI- Counselling for 10th standard students
4. Casa de Café- Multi-themed cafe
5. Khana Khazana- Chef on call
6. Comida Food- Customised food for medical conditions
7. JSV Bijli- Generating electricity the AI way
8. Bags E-Way- Paper bags supply

These eight finalists had been selected after two rounds of pitches and Business Plan presentations. Total of 29 startup teams vied for the top slots. The whole process was spread over nine weeks of semester load. 

The finalists highlighted five points in their pitch to the Jury:

1. What do they do?
2. How do they do it?
3. Market potential and competition
4. How will the startup be monetized?
5. What is the investment needed?

The Jury comprised of three experienced entrepreneurs- Mr Sumit Ahuja has set up businesses not only in India but also in Japan and Australia. Ms Ishita Raksha and Ms Nidhi Upadhyay have co-founded a Gourmet dessert boutique in Hyderabad. 

The Jury did extensive questioning to each team which added value to the Contest. Pictures for you.

'Bags e-Way’ startup lead by Piyush Agarwal which aims to 

capitalize on Govt’s ban on plastic bags, was adjudged the winner. Team ‘FITI’ which proposed an on-line counselling service for 10^th standard in rural areas, got the runners up prize. 

The Jury were felicitated by Director VVISM.

Each of the Jury members shared their experiences as entrepreneurs. Few of their bites are given below:

The Director reinforced the need for entrepreneurship in our country which was followed up by group photographs.

By now the guests were saturated with pictures. They seemed to say 'bas karo ji' बस करो जी when the following picture was clicked:

The whole event was coordinated by PGDM students as part of the core course Entrepreneurship and Startup Management. Thank you the Class of 2019 for all the excitement! Special 'shabash' शाबाश to the organising team!

Just to recall, the readers may browse the story of the Contest-2017 by clicking the link below:

Can Startup Management be Taught?

We are also giving the links to earlier stories on Startups by Ghumakkad. Please click on any link below to read the full story.

Learning from Failures

How to Identify a Startup Opportunity?

Startup Ecosystem in India

Skateboarding for Startups

Proof of the Pudding- Inspiring Stories of Ghumakkad's Former 

Students-turned-entrepreneurs

We end with Ghumakkad's favourite quotation on entrepreneurs:

Thanks for browsing.

       -  Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/3rd Nov 2018

#startups #entrepreneurship #startupindia #businessplan #Bplancontest #vvism #vishwavishwani #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh

You helped Ghumakkad cross 150,000

You made it happen! Each one of you- the readers of Ghumakkad's blog- did it. 

Ghumakkad crosses 150,000 page views. No big deal. Numbers don't matter. But the smiles on your faces, added happiness in your lives and sharing your insights with us-- all of this matters. It gives us joy in the journey of life. Milestones will come and go. But the journey continues. Journey of discovery and learning together.

From a mere picture travelogue started six years ago, your blog now has a broader canvas with 310 posts. Has Ghumakkad kept pace with change- the only constant in life? The answer is yes. We have added 'guest stories' during the past year. Links to some of the guest stories as well as other posts in 12 sections are given below:

• Guest Stories (Hiking in a stream by a 10-year old, Winning the hearts by an Army Officer, Encounter with a Tiger by Koushik Gopinath)
• Travel (Bhutan, Hampi-Saga in Stone, Belgaum, What's new in Goa, Kumbhalgarh-Pride of Mewar, Ranakpur-Marvel in Marble, Taj@Dawn, USA-Casinos, USA-Camping)
• Wildlife (Africa, Sloth Bear, Tigress of Tadoba, Birds of Ranganathittu)
• Environment (Port Blair Flora and fauna, Friendly Munias,Rescuing an injured Bat, Learning from Caterpillars)
• Joy of Giving (College alumni felicitate their gurus, Hand-me-ups from a grandson)
• Learning and teaching (Plants and Leadership, Bringing realism in the classroom, Startup Management, Learning from students, Life beyond an ECG)
• Picturesque Quotes (PQs) (Love All, Play to Learn, Be like a Duck, Love is...)
• Obituaries (Dr Abdul Kalam, Dr PM Bhargava, Elfo our dog)
• Reunions (Navy, College-BITS, Campus BITS Goa)
• Fitness (Guava's Power, Grandpa's Gym, Why Golf, Hiking, Scuba Diving at 65)
• Poems (Ansh enters the Teens, So what if I can not see, Our Little Princess is three)
• Books by Ghumakkad (BITS of Success) 

In today's world of analytics, Ghumakkad can't be left behind. Thanks to Google analytics, here are some stats on our growth, all time favourite stories, audience, access devices and technology.

Once again, our gratitude to each of you for taking us where we are today. So many of you are regular readers of our blog. We would have loved to mention names but the list would go into pages. Kindly accept this as personal acknowledgement of your continued support. If we have brought some cheer in your life, we have succeeded. We would welcome more contributions from readers worldwide. Guest stories are given due credit. Ghumakkad only provides the platform.

From 150,000 to 300,000 and beyond- we will keep climbing with your support. Stay connected.

Thanks for browsing,

    -  Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ 16th October 2018

#150000pageviews #ghumakkadharsh @ghumakkadhb #travelblog #blogofindia #nature #wildlife #travel #photowalks