About Me
Freelance Travel Writer & Photographer
Photo: Amitabha Gupta
Travelling is my passion and I live to travel. My travel has taken me to the ends of the earth, from the base of the highest mountain on earth and to the highest motorable pass of the world. Closer home the ruins of Shashanka’s palace and citadel of Ballal Sen have fascinated me in my own back-yard. My travelling is accompanied with writing & photography.
Although I live to travel but sadly I don’t travel to live. I am a mathematics teacher by profession and teach students right from high school to post graduate (Computer application & Management) level. I work as a freelancer with several Management & IT institutes in Salt Lake, Calcutta.
I don’t belong to a travelling family and my travelling started only after my high school. It was just a two – day trip to the beach resort of Digha, near Calcutta, with friends. It was no serious travel but it was enough to ignite my passion for travelling.
My travelling continued through my days of graduation in St. Xavier’s College taking me to forests (Bandhavgarh) and hill stations (Panchmarhi) of Madhya Pradesh and to the highest point in West Bengal (Sandakphu) to observe the third highest peak of the world (Mt. Kanchanjunga) in it’s full grandeur.
My wife (Debjaini) and daughter (Rupsha)
It continued during my days of post – graduation (Master of Business Management, Calcutta University) when I trekked extensively in Nepal & Sikkim. I also tried my hand in adventure sports like rock – climbing, white – water rafting and skiing funding them by teaching school students.
After completing my Business Management masters I decided to skip my campus interview and continued into the world of travel funding it with my freelance teaching. This was also the point of time I got my first proper (SLR) camera a Vivitar V3800s and started thinking of travel writing & photography. My first article was published soon after, on the day after the two planes crushed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York.
My travels along with writing & photography continued with my treks to Base Camp of Everest and Annapurna and my travels to the arid mountains of Ladakh. I also started exploring off – beat places near home like the hills & lakes of Purulia and the archeological sites and terracotta temples near Calcutta. My article on the column “Next Weekend you can be at …..” of The Telegraph became a regular feature. Today I have replaced my SLR with a DSLR (Nikon D60) and continue with my travel, writing & photography.
Presently I live with my wife, daughter and extended joint family in Salt Lake, Calcutta.
I love your Blog, it’s nice when you can tell somebody actuallly puts effort into a blog, and gives the blogs value.
Do one on Bishnupur !!! Udayaditya Gupta
Thanks Mr Gupta for your suggestion, its already on my agenda. I am planning separate articles on some of the important temples of Bishnupur. They will be coming soon.
I stumbled upon your blog a while ago and found it very interesting. Besides, your articles in the Telegraph on travel is something I ardently read. Felt inclined to ask you, if you would like to take time out and read a work by a Kolkata based author.. the first of its kind from this city. A Chartered Accountant writing a creative non-fiction in English for the first time in this country. The book is known as – MISSING VARRUN, and it had been launched from this city in June, 2011. The book has since got 14 public reviews and has won acclaim both in India and Spain.. a country to which a large part of it’s story relates to. For the story connects two cities – Kolkata in India and Ceuta in Spain. Presently the book is in it’s third reprint, having sold more than 3,000 copies.
You may find out some details by using the name on any popular search engine to corroborate the facts I have mentioned above. Should this interest you, will be glad to forward a copy to you to read and give a review should it merit selection on your blog.
Warm regards,
Amar Agarwala