facebook
CRAFT YOUR JOURNEY
NARRATIVES

OF VIRGINIA WOOLF, CEREAL AND KAMALAN


North India

Always interested in exploring the fluid relationship between art, literature and travel, we were instantly drawn to the aesthetics and writings of Cereal. After exchanging a few emails about the story, we found ourselves talking to Rosa Park, the editor of the magazine, about organising Cereal’s first ever journey to India. It turned out that both Rosa and Rich Stapleton (the creative director of the magazine) had always harboured a deep curiosity to explore the country but just never got around to it till now. Over the next few months, numerous Skype conversations ensued with Rosa and Rich regarding their travel preferences and the style of content to be produced from the collaboration. Keeping in mind their personalities, the visual style of Cereal and their interest in architecture and art, we zeroed in on the regions to visit, the activities to undertake, and the schedule of travel.

The entire journey was made up of many memorable vignettes and experiences. For instance, at Gokarna, the Cereal team attended an art therapy workshop led by our creative director Rosenda Arcioni Meer while at Mihirgarh, they spent a day with a magnificent stable of Marwari horses. In Jodhpur, the sunset and sunrise often became our allies to get the perfect architectural shots of the blue city. The spectacular Mehrangarh Fort played host to us multiple times as we captured its minute architectural details and took in the views under different hues of light. In Jaipur, like the “pink” city that stood in opposition to the “blue” city of Jodhpur, we spent early mornings exploring the sandstone covered walls and monuments of the old city. Jantar Mantar, with its intricate geometry of shadows, was an alluring subject in itself while the Nahargarh Fort gave way to various expansive views of the city from a vantage point.

 

While our focal point in Agra was the inimitable Taj Mahal, Delhi gave us the perfect backdrop to explore the diverse traditional and contemporary sides of India. Our itinerary for the capital city included a few handpicked heritage sites like Qutub Minar and many contemporary cultural spaces. At the behest of an indie filmmaker at Lodhi Gardens – one of our last stops– Rich posed like a yogi for a few minutes, while the rest of us enjoyed a good laugh.

In retrospect, everything about the journey turned out to be what we had envisioned together. It was a journey where different streams of writing, photography, art, architecture and travel converged like a dream. For now, this particular journey has culminated in the most recent issue of Cereal magazine which has a section dedicated to Rajasthan, India. 

As Virginia Woolf said in To the Lighthouse, “It is only by putting it into words that I make it whole…”

Explore More

An encounter with a driver in Udaipur
The Guardian of Keys

The first encounter with the driver may be intimidating. When I get off the plane, come out of the airport, at first...

Narrative North India
Peace of Mind
Peace of Mind

I seek out the Kalari Kovilakom, a palace in which the austerity of an ashram is transformed into the comfortable...

Narrative Kerala
Journey of A Faith
Journey of A Faith

A journey tracing the history and tenets of Sikhism, a religion born in the state of Punjab...

Bespoke Journey North India
Blueprint of a Dream
Blueprint of a Dream

To rediscover the legacy of master architects and feel the passion of such creations, we travelled to Chandigarh, Amritsar, and Delhi with Openhouse Magazine...

Behind-The-Scenes North India
Brijrama Palace
Brijrama Palace

The erstwhile royal palace in the holiest city of Varanasi, the Brijrama is an unlikely blend of luxury...

Hotel Guide North India
Kumartuli potters FE
The Touch of Life

The narrow lanes are teeming. Small yet frequent workshops dotted with moulds of straw, sculptures that seem to rise out of...

Narrative East India