Day 100: Masters in Branding, The School of Visual Arts, New York, New York, USA

The branding studio at the School of Visual Arts doesn’t have a particular story to tell, except it saw the birth of this 100-day project and hundreds of others. In these rooms the students of branding learnt how to present to an audience and how to tell stories. They learnt about themselves. They learnt how to win. They learnt that they could fail and that’s okay. But most of all they learnt to say what they want, the way they want to say it. To all of this there has been one constant witness: Sophie, Emily’s beloved Shih Tzu and the cuddler-in-residence.

I therefore dedicate the last and hundredth post in my series to a place that exists on a map, but also one that managed to take up lots of room in my heart. Cheers to the graduating batch of 2017! I’m proud to have known and learnt from all of you!  

Day 85: Levittown, Nassau County, New York, USA

The name “Levittown” may as well be an American postwar picture album, with eagle-eye views of endless rows of identical houses. It was the first and the largest suburb built for the millions of families that needed homes after the war and on the eve of the baby boom. Those little boxes became the Exhibit A of suburbia.

photo courtesy: Instagram / Adriana Natalie / @adri.natalie

Day 99: Vishwashanti Gurukul School, Loni Kalbhor, Pune, India

Vishwashanti Gurukul is a residential school that’s trying to build the largest brick and mortar dome in Asia on its campus! Designed with a dedicated multi-faith prayer room, the dome is being built by engineers, architects, artisans and even students associated with the institute based on the Vedic principle that the world is one family.

Day 98: King’s Landing, Dubrovnik, Croatia

Surrounded by thick stone walls and dramatic cliffs on a peninsula, it’s no wonder that Dubrovnik was chosen to be King’s Landing: capital of the Seven Kingdoms in the famous TV series Game of Thrones. This ancient town poses as the city of the Iron Throne where the streets were once graced by the Targaryens, Starks and Lannisters!

photo courtesy: Instagram / Jake Hulkes / @jakesakhul

Day 97: Nagpur, Maharashtra, India

Just as Kashmir is synonymous with apples, Nagpur is for oranges. As orange orchards multiplied in the region during the 1970s, the fruit became a part of Nagpur’s identity and the city came to be called Orange City. Today Nagpur is the largest producer of oranges in India and contributes to over 3% of the world’s production!

photo courtesy: Instagram / @tedandathena

Day 96: Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India

A new kind of freedom fighter emerged in the Indian Rebellion of 1857: Rani Laxmibai, who eventually became known as Jhansi ki Rani. She was a rebel warrior queen who commandeered an army against the British to defend her kingdom of Jhansi. She fought valiantly for her land and people, becoming a symbol of resistance and inspiring generations of women to walk the path of fearlessness.

photo courtesy: Ayush Awasthi

Day 95: Shivaji Park, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Over the past few decades this public park has earned itself the reputation of the Mecca of Mumbai’s cricketing world and the nursery of Indian cricket. Its open spaces spanning over 28 acres have produced 21 international players. Some of the legends who have trained here include Sunil Gavaskar, Vinod Kambli and Sachin Tendulkar!

photo courtesy: Instagram / Satyen, Pallavi & Arnav / @twoandahalf.travellers

Day 94: Krishna’s Butter Ball, Mahabalipuram, India

A massive round boulder lies forever perched on a steep rock slope in an ancient Indian town, refusing to give in to gravity or the shoves of tourists and no one is quite sure why. But local legend says otherwise. In Hindu mythology, the great god Krishna was fond of stealing butter when he was just a baby. This balanced boulder therefore is thought to be a ball of stolen butter dropped by Krishna!

photo courtesy: Instagram / @javito.del

Day 93: Kishkinda, Anjaneya Hill, Hampi, India

Anjaneya Hill near Hampi can be mapped to Ramayana’s Kishkinda, the realm of the monkey gods. Kishkinda is considered the birthplace of monkey god Hanuman, known for his relentless dedication to Ram and Sita. To honor Hanuman, Hampi’s temples are generously carved with mythical themes and images of monkeys!

photo courtesy: Instagram / Sangeeth Changaramkumarath / @sage.n.balls

Day 92: Fatehpur Sikri, Agra, India

Fatehpur Sikri was a fortress city in the Mughal empire’s capital from 1571 to 1585. The great Mughal Emperor Akbar oversaw the construction of this imperial fortress that drew on both Persian and Indian influences. Akbar was known for his tolerance of multi-religious culture, and the city’s inhabitants followed Islam, Hinduism and Christianity without conflict and in complete coexistence.  

photo courtesy: Instagram / Varun Deshpande / @varoonfive

Day 91: Totem Pole Park, Chelsea, Oklahoma, USA

The world’s largest concrete totem pole lies a few miles off of Route 66 in a historic folk art garden created by local artisan Ed Galloway, who began constructing it in 1938. He was especially fond of the “Fiddle House”, which he modeled after a Navajo hogan house. He passed away in 1962, working until his dying day on this park.

photo courtesy: Instagram / Jack / @jackduquesne

Day 90: Farm Tomita, Hokkaido, Japan

From June to September, a rainbow array of flowers covers Farm Tomita, with lavender fields serving as the main attraction. All kinds of lavender-related products are sold in its cafes and shops, from tea to pot-pourri! The farm’s so popular that it actually opens up a temporary train station to accommodate the influx of tourists.  

photo courtesy: Instagram / SJ / @teafor2

Day 89: The Little Mermaid, Langelinie promenade, Copenhagen, Denmark

The Little Mermaid from Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale is Copenhagen’s unofficial mascot. Over the past century, she became both a major tourist attraction and a popular target for vandalism and political activism. The statue is restored every time it is defaced, but it seems like only a matter of time before the mermaid is damaged once again.

photo courtesy: Instagram / @luba_lorieux

Day 88: The Catacombs of Paris, Paris, France

An ancient underground mine network in Paris holds the remains of over 6 million Parisians. It was first utilized to address the problem of overflowing cemeteries in the cities. The anonymity of the dead here is almost poetic: the bones of everyone, from diseased children to beautiful women to struggling merchants ended up stacked next to millions of others.

photo courtesy: Instagram / Josh Hooton / @josh_hooton

Day 87: Toyama Bay, Sea of Japan

The waves of Toyama Bay push thousands of firefly squids to the surface, where they are fished by tons from March to June. As the fishermen haul in their nets, the light emitted by the squid causes the water to glow a cobalt blue, evoking squeals of delight from the tourists. They can flash in unison or alternate in endless patterns!

photo courtesy: Instagram / SOS Trip / @sos_trip

Day 86: Zadar, Croatia

Where the seaside town of Zadar meets the Adriatic sea, the waves and the wind collide against large white steps and make magical sounds using a man-made “Sea Organ”. Its architect Nikola Bašić also created a nature-inspired installation behind it called the Sun Salutation, which captures the sunlight to power its own light show!

photo courtesy: Instagram / Victoria / @victoriahelz

Day 85: Levittown, Nassau County, New York, USA

The name “Levittown” may as well be an American postwar picture album, with eagle-eye views of endless rows of identical houses. It was the first and the largest suburb built for the millions of families that needed homes after the war and on the eve of the baby boom. Those little boxes became the Exhibit A of suburbia.

photo courtesy: Instagram / Eric E. Anderson / @esquareda