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Showing posts from September, 2014

Singapore and its colonial past

My story on Singapore in today's Sunday Herald The other Orient Colonial Singapore With Singapore celebrating its National Day recently, Savitha Karthik tries tounderstand the city-state’s colonial heritage, goes on a World War II trail and comes back feeling enriched... The Universal Studios, Sentosa’s water wonders, the Marina Bay Sands, the Merlion, the Jurong Bird Park, Gardens by the Bay, add or subtract a few more and a trip to Singapore is quite over. Oh, and yes, I forgot the Changi Airport! But, if you are the type who wants to get a better sense of a city, understand its people, culture and heritage, you will walk. Stop. And stare. Like we gazed at the wonderful colonial structures and read aloud street names. The names unravel a story... Fullerton Road, Havelock Road, Albert Street, Church Street, Victoria Road, Stamford Road... the story of Singapore’s British past. Much like India, you can’t miss the stamp of the British Raj.  In fact, the story of modern-day S

Kodagu calling

It's cold, gloomy and drizzling in Bangalore. Reminds me of a holiday in Kodagu I took last year. The piece I wrote for Deccan Herald is here. The memory of that bella kaapi is fresh in my mind:) In the lap of nature Savitha Karthik, Jan 27, 2013 Coorg’s bounty Any description of Kodagu is in danger of turning into a cliché; but the endless rows of coffee plantations, the crisp mountain air, the clear blue skies...can all mean just one thing, that the place is indeed a slice of heaven. There can’t be a truer cliché than that. After a five-hour drive, I find myself at the entrance of Madikeri’s Vivanta by Taj, and nothing prepares me for what I am about to experience. Set at an altitude of 4,000 feet, the hotel lobby takes my breath away. I can see the rainforest in the distance, the grasslands dancing in the breeze, as I sip bella kaapi, coffee with a generous helping of jaggery. All about birds Rejuvenated, I am all set to explore the property, which is set across 180