Any Excuse to Travel

Stories from travels in

India

GP: Lady Gregory of Punjab, Andretta, India

I met my friend Kajal in Bangalore many moons ago where both of us studied with the late Dick McHugh SJ. I’ve been following her

India: a matter of opinion and I’m convinced

The most famous story I know that has its origins in India is that of the blind men and the elephant. It’s a parable that

Bullied and bloody-minded – a day in Delhi

Way back in the early 1980s, when faced with the choice of moving to Dublin or making the 20-mile commute up and back each day,

Originality? The Baby Taj

What moves those of genius, what inspires their work is not new ideas, but their obsession with the idea that what has already been said

Weird but wonderful Agra

The cows I’d gotten used to. The dogs, too. But turning a corner and coming face to face with a camel while monkeys cavorted like

Craftsmen at work in Agra

With so many of the world’s corporates searching for cheaper and cheaper labour, outsourcing has become a way of life. The uncertainty that comes with

Christmas wish from India

The world is in a mess, a terrible mess. Decisions being made in the hallowed halls of power in one country are affecting the lives

The mists of time

Had I been one of Shah Jahan’s harem, I might have had to do my wifely duties once, say, every 18 months. Had I not

Fortified and flirtatious

I’m not used to young men, either on their own or in groups, blatantly giving me the eye. Initially it was a little disconcerting but

Before and after

Where did it all go wrong? Way back, long before electricity was born, long before we had drills and jack hammers and tall cranes, long