Does anyone go to Vrindaban for honeymoon? Aditi and I did, last week. My high-flying friends who honeymooned at Zurich, California’s Napa Valley or Singapore were aghast. The lesser journos who did it in Manali, Goa or Munnar tried their best to dissuade us, while friends from the workplace shrugged, meaning, “Oh, Atanu always wants to be in a place from where he can easily dash back in case of a major news break.” It wasn't true, news rundown was the last thing in my mind when we undertook the 3-hour drive via Faridabad, Palwal and Kosi. The choice of Vrindaban was by default. The chief of Ramakrishna Mission Vrindaban centre requested us to spend a few days in Brajabhumi just after the marriage.
The decision turned out to be just right.
My wife Aditi, though a Vaishnavite by lineage, had never visited Vrindaban, and she thoroughly enjoyed the stint. From roaming around the serpentine lanes of Vrindaban humming Krishna kirtans, eating Rabri and Rasagullas at Brajbasi, to doing more than a few shakes during the high-pitch evening prayer at the Iskcon Temple, Aditi soaked Vrindaban with her body and heart. Meanwhile, to make the ambience more agreeable, migratory cranes, pelicans, ducks and wagtails have started swamping the marshlands around Vrindaban; the journey to Barsana and Nandgaon was memorable. 
A piece of interesting news for Vrindaban lovers. The Uttar Pradesh government has sanctioned Rs 250 crore for the improvement of infrastructure at Vrindaban, and the work has already begun. The link road between Vrindaban and Mathura is now smooth and clean, the Krishna Janmabhumi temple area clear of hawkers and vehicles, relaying work of Parikrama Marg is in full swing, and restoration of old temples is on. Of course, avoid looking at the high-rise residential flats coming up near the Iskcon Temple, and the hawkers selling boiled eggs beside the Vrindaban gate.
