Kalpana Sunder

Thirty golden figures mounted on blue mosaic pedestals in the middle of a traffic island form the majestic Colchis fountain, the showstopper of the city of Kutaisi in Western Georgia. Modelled on ancient artefacts—from lions and deer to horses—found in an archeological excavation in nearby Vani, the eye-catching fountain is a nod to the city’s rich history.
Situated in the Imeriti valley region on the Rioni River, Kutaisi—to the west of Tbilisi—was once the medieval capital of the Kingdom of ...

History whispers from every corner of the densely populated Kigali in Rwanda, Africa. It was under the German rule, Belgians and the Rwandan kings, before becoming the capital of independent Rwanda in 1962. A visit to the Genocide Memorial offers a glimpse into the nation’s dark past when in 1994, the Hutus killed millions of Tutsis and moderate Hutus, in an ethnic cleansing over 100 days. Video recordings, testimonies of survivors and photographs document this ghastly massacre.
Particularly ...

The annual Gorilla Naming Ceremony, outside the Volcanoes National Park, celebrates the new members of a species once on the brink of extinction
Idris and Sabrina Elba were joined by Nigerian-French singer-songwriter Asa, US comedian Kevin Hart and other stars, dressed in traditional warrior robes
It’s a misty Rwandan morning and the atmosphere is festive.
In a field with the silhouettes of the Volcanoes National Park in the Virunga Mountains as a backdrop, a crowd of young students in olive ...

The country is most famous for its mountain gorillas at the Volcanoes National Park.
Kalpana Sunder is an independent travel writer. She is on Twitter @KalpanaSunder
Tags: #Africa #gorillas #MC Travel Special #National Parks #Rwanda #Travel
first published: Oct 3, 2023 10:36 am
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Georgian food is a symphony of tastes and textures — this tiny country on the crossroads of the Silk Route between Europe and Asia, draws inspiration from the various cultures and nations that have invaded it as well as been its guests — with influences from China, Persia, Central Asia and Russia.

It feels like we are entering a time machine. At the gates, we are greeted by two warriors dressed in traditional costumes and headgear, with spears in their hands, sitting on their horses. “Horses were integral to a nomadic lifestyle. Most children would learn to ride a horse when they were as young as three years old,” says Viktoriya, our guide from Almaty, Kazakhstan. Two young women kitted out in colourful velvet costumes shower us with candies to welcome us. We bend down and pick them up...

A research project has charted the stories of 700 monuments across the city
Strolling around the Indian city of Bengaluru, visitors may be surprised by the volume of statues scattered across its public spaces – particularly the sheer number devoted to the beloved Kannadiga actor and politician Rajkumar.
Ravi Kumar Kashi, an artist who has spent years documenting these works, says the statues largely emerged in the 1990s. As Bengaluru developed from the Garden City into a tech capital, dubbed ...

The recently opened edifice records the life and times of the people forced to flee India and Pakistan in 1947
Aug 15, 2023
All the money Ram Pyari Anand, a widow living in Sialkot in pre-Independent India, possessed was saved in the Bank of Sialkot. When the 1947 partition created a separate Pakistan, which Sialkot became part of, the Hindu mother of four daughters fled the country with only a small bundle of possessions, including her bank passbook.
Today, 76 years after India and Pakistan ...

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History whispers from every corner of this Silk Route city
I am in a tranquil oasis in the centre of a bustling city — with more than 600 species of plants and towering trees, from linden and spruce to magnolia, pine and birch, with a green lake with ducks and geese, boating, biking paths and walking trails. It’s a favourite among locals, especially newly wedded couples for photoshoots. Mothers with babies, students with their laptops and couples, sit on benches under trees or picnic on carpe...

It is a scenic drive to Turkestan from Shymkent in Southern Kazakhstan, about 680 km from Almaty, the country’s largest city. The sepia landscape is stark and generally unpeopled, with camel caravans lumbering along. Turkestan, the spiritual centre of Kazakhstan used to be home to the 11th-century Sufi mystic, Khoja Ahmed Yasawi. Once the hub of art, science and culture which straddled the crossroads of the ancient Silk Route, it later became the political pivot of the Kazakh steppes. It is b...

A leaf that doubles as a dog’s ear, stems that make for insect legs and a twig that becomes a baby. Garden artists are using nature’s bounty to unleash their creativity.
Foraging for materials including petals, seeds and acorns, nature lovers – many of whom are gardening enthusiasts – from all over the globe create both portraits and abstract art. These are then photographed for posterity, while the original work is recycled or left for the wind to carry away. The overarching aim of so-called...

According to a 2022 United Nations report, an estimated 931 million tonnes of food is wasted each year globally – and 68.7 million tonnes of it comes from India’s households. Such wastage has terrible consequences, from the loss of biodiversity to pollution and carbon emissions.
As a result, chefs around the world are coming up with creative ways to turn their waste into nutritious dishes.
Sustainable cooking practices have long been a part of traditional Indian culture – examples include tur...

Community-led housing, plant-based dining and eco-transport options ensure Germany’s capital rides high when it comes to sustainable travel
Skateboarders whizz past and locals on bikes with their kids in tow enjoy a whirl in the afternoon sun.
I am at one of Berlin’s many green spaces, Tempelhofer Feld, a 385-hectare abandoned airport that was once the site of Nazi rallies and has since been converted into a public space, with community gardens, picnic areas and cycling paths.
It's one of 2,0...