Fear is a friend. She’s been by my side for as long as I can remember. While most friends tend to drift away or come back into my life sooner or later, she’s never wavered. No matter how safe a country, city, street or home is, she’s taught me to regard all men with suspicion, […]
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Tag: safety
Srinagar: Tips For Independent Travellers
The ethereal kashmir has been a bone of contention between two very unhappy neighbours. But its lush green meadows, snow filled valleys, warm kangris, hospitable people and delicious cuisine keep drawing travellers despite the tension. I did this trip independently with a friend without a tour package, guide or private taxi. Here are some useful […]
Why I Shun ‘Women Only’ Travel Services
I am a tad upset. I have just read about a hotel chain which is soon launching women-only hotels. I know I should be kicked about it, as I often travel solo, but I am not. Traditionally, our streets, roadside restaurants, public parks, pan- cigarette tapris have been a male bastion. While women remained housebound, men traversed […]
The Art Of Being ‘Careful’
Monica : Careful. Careful. CAREFUL! Chandler : I’ll tell you what, for the rest of our lives, I’ll be careful until told otherwise. Having just moved into a hostel, I’ve been trying to reconcile what is supposed to be a new found freedom with a set of rules and moral codes that I have never had to think […]
Winds Of Change
The winds of change blow hard Rattling my windows Shaking every tree in my yard I flinch under the covers Frightened and sick. ** I try to shut out the howling storm But it will not be ignored One by one the windows shatter And my blanket of safety gets whipped up in the […]
Indian Shame In Turkey
Fireworks were exploding over Sultanahmet square in Istanbul, as we strolled back after dinner. It was our last night in Turkey, a country that had thrown quite a few surprises our way, all of them pleasant. The term Turkish delight could be applied to more […]
The Wound And The Light
My best friend messaged me one fine morning , “Why haven’t you written anything in so long?” I replied that I haven’t had an experience worth sharing in a while. However I did inform her that I was on an active look out for a story and perhaps my upcoming travel plans would be of […]
Today The Gods Were Watching..
The memories of being beaten up in a Bangalore bus in 1995 have faded away. Bangalore to me is a safe city where I have moved around freely without being conscious of my clothes and have worked late hours as well. But yes, the sense of personal safety any city gives a woman can shatter […]
Love is?
I Googled “Love is” sometime ago, and got some pretty interesting answers! But none of them were mine, my answer… Ever since I heard that wise quote that, if you cant explain something in one line, you probably haven’t understood it well enough, I’ve been wondering how I could define ‘Love’ in one sentence… Love, […]
Missed Flight-3
Writer Rani Rao Innes pens an insightful three-part story about the need for freedom and the desire for roots, exclusively for the readers of Unboxed Writers. This is the final part. They went early to the station and the train hadn’t arrived. Sipping a hot paper cup of masala chai, Sapna watched the ‘railway children’ running […]