Topics

Jul

Cultural Traditions: Kushti Wrestling in India

by Meredith Mullins on July 15, 2019

The ancient art of Kushti wrestling
© Meredith Mullins

An Art “Of the Earth”

If you have run five miles, completed hundreds of pushups and squats, finished a long distance swim, and lifted a few sand bags and giant stones—all before your 6 am training session begins—you might have some of what it takes to become a Kushti wrestler.

You would also have to embrace the idea of showing your strength, endurance, and agility in a mud/clay pit that is the traditional sacred arena of this sport. This is gritty work . . . “of the earth.” Read more...

Meredith Mullins 1 Comment

Cultural Heritage & Traditions/India

Feb

Amazing Places in the World: The Kumbh Mela

by Meredith Mullins on February 25, 2019

Pilgrims on the main street of the 2019 Ardh Kumbh Mela in Praygraj, India, one of the amazing places in the world. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

The 2019 Ardh Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj (Allahabad), India
© Meredith Mullins

Where Faith and Family Merge in Festival

Some travel opportunities are so rare and so provocative that their seductive siren’s song goes straight to the soul.

A total eclipse of the sun in Patagonia. A full moon at the Taj Mahal. Summiting Mount Everest (well, maybe, Base Camp). Running with the bulls in Pamplona. Finding the spiritual rhythm of the Camino de Santiago. The unending magnetism of amazing places in the world.

The only way to silence this call of adventure is to “just do it.”

Such was the song of the Ardh Kumbh Mela for me in India this month—the largest peaceful religious gathering of humans on Earth. Read more...

Meredith Mullins 6 Comments

Adventure Travel/India

Apr

Kathputli: Traditions of Fire, Puppets, and Magic

by Meredith Mullins on April 17, 2017

Cultural Encounters in the Slums of India

The labyrinthine streets lead from one palette of wild color to another—from carnival reds and yellows to candy pinks and lavenders to soothing blue and green pastels.

The stripes and flowers and polka dots of the freshly washed clothes that hang in every possible open space make the colors of the buildings even more festive.

Colorful buildings and hanging wash in the Kathputli Colony of Delhi, showing cultural encounters in the slums of India. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Smells of curry and turmeric drift in the dusty air. And sounds of daily life and laughter create an uninterrupted soundtrack. Read more...

Meredith Mullins 4 Comments

Cultural Encounters/India

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