Karina Pandya

  Rishikesh ( also  spelt as Hrishikesh ) was one of my top cities to visit to and I got the chance to visit the city on a short yoga trip in November  2024. I was lured to this place mainly because of the number of water sports that it had, such as Whitewater river rafting and visiting the main sites such as Trivenu Ghat, Laxman Jhula and Ram Jhula.    Of course, the sports such as bungee jumping, cliff jumping trekking were left out. Besides this, the entire area was surrounded by temples and ashrams, and I did get a chance to visit the Beatles’ ashram whilst on my stay. The city, which is also known as the Yoga capital of the world and adventure capital of India, is also a significant pilgrimage site. Each morning here starts with the sound of temple bells and chant, which echo through the misty air.       While on my stay at the Taj Rishikesh Resort & Spa , I went for the white water rapids of the Ganges, where I could not only feel t...

At thirty, I treated curiosity like a daily practice.    In 2016 -when I turned 30, New York became my wide-open classroom: my first open mic, SGI-USA and even a curious peek at Scientology, long walks from Fulton Center to DUMBO and Long Island City’s water views, Smorgasburg Saturdays, bowling nights, a cronut, Beetle House and Brooklyn Bowl, a Coldplay concert, the US Open and a Mets game.    I cycled the city with strangers, wandered the Museum of Jewish Heritage and the 9/11 Memorial, and let Devoción coffee and Williamsburg’s cats keep me company. There were reunions and stages too—back home for a school reunion, and onstage for a talk at the Icon Business Forum. That year felt like a permission slip: explore, connect, try.   When I was 31 years old, momentum met discipline. I ran the Mumbai Marathon with Sumeet and, on my own steam, conceived and conducted Limits Make Things Too Small as a full-fledged event.    When I was 32 years old, widened ...