South Asia · Pratyay Dutta
A country that
rewrites itself
Every state its own world. Every road a different language.
I grew up here and I am still only beginning to understand it.
India is not a single destination. It is a subcontinent that contains multitudes — the cold-desert silence of Ladakh and the humid chaos of Kolkata, the pink sandstone of Jaipur and the green valleys of Himachal. I have been lucky enough to see some of it. What follows are notes from the places that stayed with me.
Destinations
Places I have been
Rajasthan
The Land of Kings
Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur — palaces, forts, and desert light.
Jammu & Kashmir
Kashmir
Heaven is not a metaphor when the mountains are this close.
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal
Where the sky begins and the mountain roads never end.
West Bengal
North Bengal
Tea gardens and toy trains in the Himalayan foothills.
Goa
Goa
Salt, slowness, and Portuguese tiles in the afternoon light.
Delhi
Delhi
A thousand histories layered under one chaotic, magnificent city.