Friends are such a lovely thing to have especially when they love travelling. Not only do you get a good company but you can also entice them into writing a whole blog post for you! This is exactly what I did :D What follows is my friend, Prateek Gupta's list of recommendations for things one should be doing in Goa. I am going to do all these things when I next visit Goa, will you?

Traveling to Goa always feels like traveling home. There is this refreshingly calm and serene ambiance during the day and then there are nights when one would think all the party-loving  people have assembled in a 30-km radius space and are willing to mingle and party with anyone and everyone around.

A piece of advice you can hang on to: If you are a peace-loving person and looking to just relax in Goa, try renting an apartment instead of a hotel/resort. I lived in a 2 BHK furnished apartment in the quite ambiance of Vagator which turned out to be an amazing experience. You can search for apartments @ www.airbnb.com.

Having been to Goa 5 times now, I have discovered many places, big and small, where one is recommended to go. Some of them might already be listed elsewhere, some may not. But then, read along if you are just too lazy to go blog-hopping.

Before I even get to the places you must visit, here is one you mustn't: Tito’s ! It’s like a booby trap and it will keep sucking you towards itself while you are in Goa with advertisements on every wall you will encounter and the huge buzz outside on the Baga beach. If you haven’t been there, you’ll probably think it’s the most happening place ever and this is one place you must must go. And as soon as you go inside, you’ll realize it’s the most dingy and down-market club you have ever been to. And if you have been there before, you’ll know what I am talking about.

What follows is a heart-felt review of some of the best places in Goa:

Curlies, Anjuna Beach

This is probably my and most others’ most favorite place in Goa. Reason is very simple: There is just so much to do there. You will probably need at least 5-6 hours (or more) there to enjoy every bit or probably need 2-3 visits instead. There is this normal café which serves probably the most amazing Arabiata Pasta I have ever had. It also serves Hookah if that fancies you. Then there is this arena with small mattresses and minimal lighting made of small bulbs hanging almost at the same level as your head. This is where you can lie down, take a power nap and rejuvenate yourself or just keep talking to your friends for as long you can. For some weird reason, this place is reserved for couples. Then there is this small open field, probably the size of a half Volleyball court. This place is heaven for trance-lovers since you would have only “high” people around, dancing their heart out to some never heard-before trance music. And then there is the best part: The beach ! The sound of the waves. The faint music. The chilly breeze. And the beach-side back-rests. If you don’t chill out there for an hour, you might as well have not come to Curlies. Trust me!

Image courtesy: Google Images

Deltin Royale, Panjim

<Read along only if you are interested in going to a casino or else skip>

They claim to be the best casino in Goa and I don’t find even one thing wrong with that claim. There is a barrage of casinos on that river along Panjim and all of them just serve as Plan Bs or Cs to Deltin. When you’re on the bridge connecting Panjim to North Goa, look out for the most expansive ship on your way: That’s unmistakably Deltin. They take you in a small jetty and then you descend to this amazeballs ship. Inside is everything you imagined about a ship after seeing Titanic. The food and drinks are free inside (of course they have to, since they burn a hole in your pocket before they even let you in on the jetty) and what you see is a sea of people happy, sad, excited, frustrated, abusing their throats out regardless. If you’re a first timer and there to just experience the life inside a casino, don’t even dare to go near the Poker table or the Blackjack table. Just keep playing small bets on the Roulette and you’ll be just fine.

Image courtesy: Google Images

Mango Tree, Vagator

Imagine partying till 4 last night and waking up at 12 Noon, famished so much that you can go eat an entire Turkey yourself. Where do you go? You come to Mango Tree to indulge yourself with wine and one of the most amazing English Breakfasts being served in Goa. The place is just so chilled out, you’ll see folks in their night ensembles with one eye still closed with sleep, all around. So just walk in in those cute pyjamas and boxers and gorge away to glory.

Image courtesy: Google Images

Café Laval, Baga Beach

This is one of the many nondescript beach shacks you’ll see in Baga and you’ll never be able to figure out where to go. So my suggestion here would be instead of going to an expensive place like Britto’s, try Laval. Once you enter Laval, you might wanna come back and whoop my ass that why should you even go to this place. I’ll tell you the reason: the Music. Every shack in Baga will offer you cheap beer, Hookah, massage and tattoo services but not everyone will play Bollywood, Guetta, Axwell and Honey Singh on the same music system like there is no effing difference whatsoever. There is no dance floor as such, but I have never come back from that place without dancing.

Image courtesy: Google Images

Club Cubana

 Imagine a small hill converted into a night club: That ladies and gentlemen, is Club Cubana for you. There is an entry fee but it’s peanuts considering the drinks are free inside. It feels like a big resort when you go inside and the biggest challenge is where to go first. There is this kickass disc (needless to say, playing trance) with a separate area for women to dance. You might see some beautiful latino women gyrating better then Shakira, if you’re lucky that is. There are three bars, a pool-side area and countless cozy places to chat with people you meet there. They say it’s one of the best places to mingle in Goa because somehow the crowd that comes there is so very open to conversations. Imagine having a conversation with a hot and/but cute media person from Mumbai while one of your friends is being hit upon by a Russian hunk and the other one hitting on 3 girls with mixed nationalities, simultaneously.

Image courtesy: Google Images

Down the Road, Panjim

This place is literally, well… down the road. Located opposite a small bridge in Panjim, this is a really small and cozy café. You can spend hours looking and observing the local Goa cadre while sipping your beer while there are couples (both blind dates and actual couples) happily chatting away in the back alley. Unlike a typical café in Goa, they also serve amazing north Indian food which is usually hard to come by in Goa.

Image courtesy: Google Images

So, this is a list of places which I usually visit when I am in Goa. I am sure there are many more which I haven’t visited and are equally amazing or better. Would love to hear about such places from you guys and visit them in my subsequent visits.

Prateek Gupta is a 24-year old soap-addict, compulsive traveler, blog-hopper and Quoraholic by choice and Strategy Analyst by profession during the day. By the night, you can find him either partying at a friend’s place or curled up in front of his laptop listening to electronic music.

The daughter, who had been born to Aiafs in the  desert... was educated with the utmost care and attention. In music, in dancing, in poetry, in painting, she had no equal among her sex. Her disposition was volatile, her wit lively and satirical, her spirit lofty and uncontrolled. - (About Nur Jahan), Alexander Dow, The history of Hindostan 

When I was little and was in school and was introduced to the mighty subject called History, I only read about the Mughal Period. Rest I just mugged along. I wanted to sit on the peacock throne, I wanted to wear diamond and ruby studded cholis and ghagras and I wanted to roam around India on an elephant. I wanted to be a Mughal empress.

I had lived only the elephant riding dream until I read Indu Sundaresan's The Twentieth Wife, The Feast of Roses and The Shadow Princess. These three books take you through the reign of three of the most fascinating emperors of the Mughal period, Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan. But we have read so much about them already you might say. The twist is Indu Sundaresan takes you through the daily lives of the most powerful women in these emperor's courts. Women who have seduced, commanded and ruled from behind their veils.

These novels are like historical facts in a gossip filled celeb magazine. Only here the celebs (males) are more open about actually having 20 wives and even more concubines, where women actually have diamonds and rubies studded into their clothes, where hukkas are a part of the routine and where there is wine on tap. 

The first book takes you through the lives of Mehrunissa (known to the world as Nur Jahan and Jahangir's 20th and last wife) and Jahangir on how they struggle in their individual own lives until Jahangir becomes emperor and after many years takes his first true love of over 20 years, Mehrunissa as his last wife .

The second book shows how Alexander Dow (quoted above) was correct in his assessment of Empress Nur Jahan even while she was a child. This book is an exhilarating account of when Empress Nur Jahan ruled the Mughal Empire from behind the veil. It is a racy mix of politics, riches and love, all in the hands of a woman.

The third book is about another powerful woman of the Mughal period, Emperor Shah Jahan's eldest daughter Jahanara. This book gives you a poignant account of what was it like to be an unmarried daughter of a grieving Emperor father while having a passionate lover.

These books helped me live my fantasy of being an Empress in the Mughal Empire. I got my lessons of history, my dose of gossip and a poignant tale of true love.

My love for travelling comes to me from my father. And he and I both love impromptu trips. Our trip to Kashmir was one. Where impromptu trips have a certain adrenalin rush to them, planning is considered wise for a reason. As a result, we could not get last minute air tickets to Srinagar and hence decided to travel by road.

And travelling by road meant 18 hours of rickety bumpy stretches, zillion toll plazas and even more police officers. Not to mention the scorching sun outside. Were we irritated? Yes!!! Now have a look at the title of this post :)

Shikaras in Dal Lake, Srinagar

Gulmarg Valley

Herd of sheep in Gulmarg

Betaab Valley, Pahalgam

Srinagar is not just any city. IT IS the capital of paradise in India. The myriad colors of Dal Lake in the lap of the mighty Himalayas, the exquisitely carved house boats, the zillion bhel-puri vendors, the shouts of the Shikara paddlers, everything about Srinagar fills you with an instant energy. A ride in the Shikaras and you are in the very lap of nature.

Valleys of Gulmarg and Pahalgam are just as unique and exquisite. Lush green mountains with ice caps all around, yellow and pink flowers budding from here and there, the musical streams of water from just about anywhere and everywhere, shops carrying the beautiful Kashmiri embroidered suits and wraps and the occasional sighting of a herd of sheeps and lambs is enough to leave you in awe for days to come.

After 5 days in Kashmir we again had an 18 hour journey ahead of us on our way back and all I could think of was, Jannat Hai!

It is in the nature of democracies, perhaps, that while visionaries are sometimes necessary to make them, once made they can be managed by mediocrities. In India, the sapling was planted by the nation's founders, who lived long enough (and worked hard enough) to nurture it to adulthood. Those who came afterwards could disturb and degrade the tree of democracy but, try as they might, could not uproot or destroy it. - Ramachandra Guha, India after Gandhi

After being "convocat-ed" at the 39th Convocation at IIM Bangalore on 27 March 2014, I had a good 3 months at home to look forward to. These three months were coming to me after 5 long years and I had sworn to myself (for that's not binding :P) that I will make most of this rare time. This included indulging my lovely parents with paying a long due visit to all my relatives (which is fun, still), learning how to cook (serving an ultimatum) and definitely learning how to drive (after my failed attempt in 10th std. and lack of activity ever since). Aah! And getting up early and exercising (we all know that was never going to happen... And it didn't)

Promising my parents that I will be the good daughter, I had some "me" plans as well . These included shopping, travelling and reading (wait, isn't this what my blog is about?).

Now that my holidays are nearing their not-so-awaited end, all I can say is there is no place like home. But we all know that! So apart from enjoying the obvious pleasures of home, I did visit all my relatives (and got pretty gifts), learnt how to cook (or that's what I would like to believe)  and can drive a car (my dad doesn't hold the hand brake while I am driving now). I also exercise (in the evening and quite sporadically :P). As for my plans, I shopped (never enough), travelled (Rishikesh, Kashmir and Himachal) and I read.

 Why am I writing my holidays story in the reading section? Because reading during these holidays has been the most satisfying (though a visit to Kashmir is close)! Finding a good book to read has always been a challenge but these holidays I seemed to have gotten lucky. The luckiest I got was when I decided to finish reading the 800+ page history of the world's largest democracy - India after Gandhi by Ramchandra Guha.

Image Courtesy: Google Images

Having taken almost 3 months to complete this book, I want to keep this book on a shelf and worship it everyday. I have always loved my country for its food, colors and variety in general. But having spent the past 2 years in a B-school and being required to read business newspapers and magazines, I read only about red-tape, corruption, inflation, deficits, poor sanitation, communal politics, poor leadership or in short all that could go wrong in a country. The only good news in India seemed to be D. Subbarao and his successor Raghuram Rajan.  When all my judgments and opinions about my country seemed to be indelible, I decided to read this much heard about book.

This book got me to appreciate the very essence of our country which we often take for granted – it being a sovereign, secular, democratic republic. Such an elaborate history of such an elaborate country has been written so beautifully. This book is a comprehensive guide to why India is what it is today. Today’s generation needs to read this book to understand the definition of a visionary leader. Today’s generation should read this book to know what sometimes misunderstood men like Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, J P Narayan, C. Rajagopalachari etc. have done for this country. One will truly appreciate the common phrase in Indian schools, “Unity in diversity” after reading this book. It takes you through various historical incidents(communal, political, geographical, lingual etc.) which threatened the Indian democracy time and again and yet how India today is the only democratic country in the world to be united despite have no shared language, a shared religious faith, a shared territory or a common enemy.

India is not a perfect country. It has its set of economic, political and social problems. What this book has done is tell me that India has survived many predicted deaths by scholars all over the world and that I should be a hopeful citizen. For India is worth it.

P. S. My eyes welled up while reading the last chapter titled, “Why India survives”.

I don't remember much of what I did back when I was a child. Watching Mahabharata or Ramayana or Shree Krishna was certainly not it.

And now that I am all grown-up (or so says my driving license)  and I have Flipkart and Amazon in my life and a wonderful concept called word of mouth, I decided to read The Palace of Illusions in the hope that I will learn something about the great epic without being overwhelmed by the sheer size of it.

And The Palace of Illusions truly lived up to its expectations. The facts are obviously right. For who would dare change the Mahabharata? But the initial chapters on the childhood of the spirited Draupadi are a wonderful ad on. I just could not put the book down. Though the book might get boring for people who know the entire story of Mahabharata already, I would definitely suggest this book for the first half because its spirited, its juicy and it has never been written before. As for me, I was really slow towards the last chapters because I didn't want to keep this book down!

Thanks to this book, now I know who the five Pandavas are, what is their story and what led to the battle of Kurukshetra. And I got to know all this from the perspective of the woman who was married to five men at the same time and who was born to bring this world to that war!