Travels

What's In a (Place) Name?

2012-01-26T12:59:00.000+05:30

Itall started with a business request. After an overwhelming delivery of aproject within a short term, the customer in Russia was happy to hand me over along list of requirements. The problem: The city names were all written in Russian, andthe time to work on the business proposal was very slow. He was quick to directme towards Google to address this issue and get going as quick as I can. Quitea good idea. It was surprisingly quick. The one special kind of translationGoogle has that Yahoo hasn't: the ability to translate a file. Select andupload. The good thing is that Google tries not to mess up the formatting ofthe file (mine was an Excel table with place names. Good job, Google!). But theproblem wasn't over.

Google Translator's job is to translate. Literally every word of it. Well, if theentry is a sentence, the Translator does the additional job of making sense out of it and presents a clear message. Since I'm using translators almost everyday since the past five years or so, I have learned the art of communicatingwith simple messages so that the person using a translator at the other end understandsmy idea well. But translating names is a different ball game altogether. Itjust needs the expression of the original term in a different language, not theexact meaning. So I had to write back to the customer citing that English placenames is necessary, because I am not able to locate many cities in the map. Trytranslating the city name “Yellowknife” to Chinese and ask a Chinese man tolocate it in the map of Canada!

Withlimited time to demarcate the city areas, it was a literal firefight to locatecity names like “Electric steel” and “Queen + Anniversary” on the map. I shook up myhitherto inactive Russian basics and got the job done. Two days after I finished the job,the apologetic customer (himself a Chinese) got back to me with a detailed listof city names in English.

The follwoing weekend, while traveling on the Metro during my weekend pilgrimage tothe library, I stumbled upon the announcements in English and Hindi:

Whatif the English messages were just translations of original messages in Hindi?What if they tried Google to make instant translations? Will they face the sametrouble that I did? I was curious. I was thinking and laughing to myself duringthe following part of journey. Imagine this:

NOIDA Sector Pandrah

NOIDASector Fifteen

Agla station New Ashok Nagar hai

“Thenext station is New No-Unhappy City”

Mayur Vihar

“PeacockPark”

Akshar Dhaam station

“Letter-Housestation”

Pragati Maidaan

“DevelopmentGround”

Rajiv Chowk

“FormerPrime Minister breathless!” (Oops! That looks like designing cryptic clues to acrossword puzzle.) Sorry, I made that up.

Check-outthe Metro Map and you will know what I was thinking.

Doesyour city/country/locality also have such names that sounds funny whentranslated? Feel free to share.

Image Courtesy: SayWhyDoI.com

For the Survival of the Unfit

2011-12-07T00:31:00.001+05:30

CULTURE CURRY 2

I am fond of cats. Be it any species, even the wildones. And I honestly believe, there is no animal that you can’t domesticate (Iam a little opposed to the term and the concept of “taming”) since I grew up betweensnakes, had lizards, hamsters, crows and even a tortoise for pets (most of themwere not in captivity) as I grew up. Quite recently I had a friend from Russia visitingme, who pointed out that she hasn’t seen a single cat during her fortnight-longstay in Delhi. Here is the fact:

Delhidoesn’t like cats

“Idon’t see any cats here. Surprising! If you were in Russia, you could see them everywhere– all sizes and shapes.” She was peacefully sipping tea in the front room.

Well, that’s true. Andit is also true that I love cats. I have loved them all my life.

Thereason behind the suspicious absence of cats in all neighborhoods in Delhi I’velived, can be attributed to two basic reasons:

(a)The abundance of man’s so called “best” friends – canines

Tooth-flashing,tail-wagging, barking and biting canines. It is not that I dislike dogs, butthere used to be “a peaceful coexistence” (to borrow thewords of Nikita Khrushchev) of canines and felines when I used to live with myparents till the early 90’s.

Herein Delhi, I don’t see that. Both species are at war (as usual) and in Delhi,the dogs outnumber their feline opponents. I found a reason why.

Delhiis a large city and is not immune to such untoward incidents like carjacking,theft, etc. In an effort to control bad incidents, individual neighborhoods andresident societies have employed security guards of all kinds and calibers. Inneighborhoods like mine, the security guards prefer to “outsource” part oftheir work to the stray dogs, so that they themselves can report late for dutyor have their way while at work. Dogs will raise alarm if they see unusualpeople or situations. Unfortunately, we do not have a comprehensive animalmanagement policy for the urban areas, and at the same time it is against thelaw to kill a stray animal on the streets, no matter what nuisance they create.Hence the security-men feed the stray dogs, who over a period of time, infestthe neighborhoods. Since cats are yet to be put to such crime-control efforts,they are not a preferred option for anyone. As a result the canines are largein number and the felines (if they are there) have to constantly be on thewatch lest they fall prey to stray dogs. Being a cat-lover, whenever I see adog chasing a cat in Delhi, I always shoo away the dog.

(b)Delhi doesn’t eat fish like Kerala or Bengal does

ThoughI couldn’t corroborate the statement with solid facts and research reports, Ibelieve there is an aeonian relation between cats and fish. Naturally you willfind felines in abundance in places where fish is a significant component of dailyfood.

Thuspeople of states like Kerala and Bengal where fish is an almost mandatory partof the daily food are used to keeping cats for pets. On the contrary in Delhiwhere “non-veg” usually means chicken, more chicken and much more chicken, itis natural that there is no significant feline population.

Tailpiece

Alittle more than a decade ago in another city, a member of the church where Iused to visit, mocked me for being a “grass-eater.” You guessed it right: “Grass-eater”is the impolite expression common in the North to indicate a vegetarian person.Since people in the North are more obsessed with chicken and I was yet (yes, Istarted falling prey to chicken after moving to Delhi) to taste it, naturallyhe couldn’t know my choices. I met the same person on a different occasionwhere I was visiting a Malayali friend in the same city and we all had lunchtogether. Since there was the typical Central-Travancore “meen curry” (fish cookedin spicy gravy) which my poor Northern friend couldn’t eat despite his hardefforts, it was my turn to throw the same question back. It takes a lot ofpatience and good practice to remove the bones from fish before you eat, and nomatter how deep a carnivore you are, never challenge a Malayali with fish!

Image Courtesy: baxterboo.com

Glimpses of the ‘Us v. Them’ Debate

2011-10-16T17:07:00.000+05:30

CULTURE CURRY

While reading Gayatri Jayaraman’s entry on gastronomical North-South debate in the Livemint Blog(1) this afternoon, I was remembering a conversation with a distant relative ofa close friend about the ‘strange behavior of people in Delhi’ which preventshim from having many friends here, despite having several relatives. I am too,not distant from this feeling that took me almost a decade to overcome mysurprise about the strange way people respond to your queries. I would like toshare my thoughts on some such observations I picked up from different parts ofthe country. North v. South or India v. Others. Having been able to overcome (Ibelieve so) the barriers of culture and region, I do like to be an independentobserver without hurting sentiments of people around me. I also feel that friendsacross the globe would also find it an interesting reading.

My initial observations are from my city.

People in Delhi shutthe doors on your face

It has annoyed me more than once when I visit a neighboror friend to hand over something (even a domestic delicacy or a gift), theyjust take accept it from you, make some comments, and finally shuts the door onyou. In rural Kerala, we take this as an offense (my family doesn’t even shutdoors at the face of beggars!) when someone shuts the door on your face. Even astranger who visits my house just by mistake gets a proper treatment and a setof questions (‘who are you looking for?’, ‘what is the house/family/person name?’etc.) and is shown the door peacefully and the door is shut only after personexits the compound.

The fair logic I feel for this anomaly is based on twoother observations:

(a) Delhihas one of the world’s highest population of mosquitoes

Uncomfortable, buttrue. This explains why we all have metallic external doors with a wire-meshsmall enough to keep mosquitoes away but sufficient to let in the flow of air. Oneof my friends who came calling from Russia just thought that this metallicgrill is the only door of the house. I can’t blame her for thinking so. As shefound out later, there is a separate opaque wooden door too. Given such a highpopulation of mosquitoes in the city, no one would risk keeping the door openfor more than a few seconds. So you better come inside and talk or I may haveto shut the door!

(b) We don’t welcome strangers so easily

The level of crime in the city is alarmingly high and noone would risk being friendly enough to open the door and come out to welcomeyou if you visit their house with a query. Yet there are instances where peoplereally come out to help and be friendly. But yes, Delhi is cautious and hencethe quick door-close.

Thishas become so much of a practice here having evolved due to changingcircumstances and environment of the city. Therefore a typical Delhi-ite wouldnever see anything wrong in the practice even if s/he is at the other side ofthe door.

Image Courtesy: AHomeAwayFromHome.org

2011-08-31T21:08:00.000+05:30

TRAVEL

Here are some photos of my recent trip to Gwalior. Filled with glimpses of history and the glory of yester-years. It was nostalgia of a different kind!

The Day We Went to See the Hidden

2011-08-14T03:10:00.001+05:30

MY CITY

My city is built upon the historic ruins of seven different cities, each with its own distinct styles of life. I have been to some places from where I am collecting history like pebbles.

Have a look!

Walking Through Deserts

2011-07-23T22:09:00.000+05:30

JUST READ

Shadow of the Silk Road by Colin Thubron

Wonderful read. Thubron masters the art of intricate storytelling. It is not just a travelogue. He actually traverses the silk road, explaining history, meeting people, sharing stories, reminiscing the past of several cities and countries he travel through. Great read!

View all my reviews

Little Walk and the Myth of the SUV

2011-06-25T13:23:00.000+05:30

THE GREEN LIFE

One of my resolutions for the year 2011 was that I will calculate my carbon footprint, and start seriously working on minimizing it by at least 10% by the next year. And every time I walk nearby a gas guzzling SUV, I remind myself (strongly, sometimes) that she's not for me. I am not against SUVs or for that matter any automobile, as long as it transports you from point A to point B, in a reasonable time causing minimum nuisance to pedestrians and fellow drivers on the roads. My experience in the National Capital Region has been otherwise since quite some time now and hence this decision.

I'm happy being a pedestrian and am seriously planning to be so, if things will go by as desired. Also since the public transport system in the Capital has changed for good compared to how it was a decade ago, I see no apparent reason why I shouldn't use public transport. Add to it the volume and randomness of vehicular traffic one finds on the city roads, I feel rather relieved that I am able to put my energy and attention to more productive things and let professionals drive the giants on wheels.

Recently someone asked this funny-sounding question in a TV forum as to how many of us planning to buy SUVs (or sports utility vehicles, for the uninitiated) are actually sporty? How many of us take these monsters to dust and dirt where they actually belong? How much have we tested the true abilities of these hunks created to traverse rocky terrains and muddy riversides? Not many, in the Indian context. Here in the city, I come across several such people who won't flip an eye before buying that expensive, gas guzzling SUV and take enormous pride in showing her off on the streets and honk and swear when they don't have enough space to park. What is stopping them from taking their muscle cars to dirt where it belongs? I call it the "SUV Dilemma."

Something similar happened to me recently while I was preparing for a trip to the great outdoors. Starting this year, I am dedicating the rest of my life to travelling of all sorts - cultural, adventure, historic, you name it. And while planning my first serious trek to the Lower Himalayas, I was about to pick up a pair of trekking/hiking shoes. As the trip planners explained it to me (and I picked up from several spaces on the Web) treks can be dusty, wet, dirty, slippery and trying. So you need footwear that can withstand it all.

The pair of shoes I picked up was great. I simply couldn't resist the feel when I slipped my feet in. Looks beautiful, yet durable, muscular with the right kind of grip and feels wonderful to put on... what else do you need? Another new member of the family... and as tradition goes I christened them Little Walk, with Little Bea's approval. I was (and still am) happy and proud to take them out to places on weekends (even as part of Friday dressing in the Office). And then came the D-day. I asked this question myself several times while I was packing my bags: Do I need to take Little Walk to the woods? Of course they are designed for that, and it would rightly serve their purpose. Something was pulling me back, and I finally faced the reality: I can't take them to the dust and dirt. They are objects of my affection and I've spent quite a sum on them (on footwear standards). I finally understood the internal conflict that an SUV owner might feel while wanting to take his hunk to the dirt.

I still believe in the green way of life, and shall continue efforts to reduce my carbon footprint on the planet. For trekking I use the older and more rugged shoes now. And Little Walk continues to be my weekend walkers.

Have you come across the "SUV Dilemma" in your life in anything other than automobiles? Do kindly share your thoughts in the "Comments" column below.

SUV Image Courtesy: Hummerguy.net

LittleTalk - Talking All the Way

2011-03-07T23:11:00.000+05:30

A quarter ago, I promised that I'll write about the newest member of my gadget family. She's 3 months old now, and works perfectly well. I think this is the right time to write a review, now that her newness is no more a limitation. After spending too long searching for the heart-stealer and feeling dejected when all dealers in the neighbourhood swearing high that my favourite Berry is out of market, I was desperate to get something really good into my hands. And that decisive weekend, I went searching for the holy grail of a touch-screen mobile branded after an aggregate fruit that grows in the temperate regions. After a full long day of searching I did neither found the product nor an encouraging dealer who sells/promised to provide it. I already have a case history of stocking products that becomes history soon after I've bought them (they just disappear from the market ever since), and after sales service becomes a pain. I learned it the hard way with my first smartphone. This time I wanted to be different.

And that decisive weekend, I came up a well-reasoned shortlist of beauties that I would like to lay my hands on. And another exhaustive search for the top runners, and getting negative replies (this time, the comment was “yes there is such a phone, but not yet launched in India” instead of the previous “sorry, this product is off the market now.”) I wasn’t ready to give up so soon, now that I have a list of beauties to choose from. And it was an accidental question about a certain model which resembled the #1 beauty from the Nokia stable in my list. For the first time, the girl at the Nokia store smiled at me with relief “Yes sir, this is available. Good choice.”

Welcome Back, Nokia

And that one little beauty stole my heart. Contrary to the name and in line with my peculiar choice of smartphones, the C7 (yes that’s her generic name) is anything but little. One significant contradiction is the weight: while all my beloved smartphones (the Nokia, HTC, and Palm etc.) were heavyweights, the C6 is incredibly light and handy. She’s the first of my beauties to fit in the pocket perfectly. When I first took her in my palm, I knew this is the one meant for me. I never had a second thought, and am happy with my choice since then. After getting it approved by Little Bea, I officially named her ‘LittleTalk.” Like a human being, she talks and even “breathes.”

Things I Like

Right from the overall look and feel, LittleTalk is a delight to have. I’m particularly new to the concepts of proximity-sensor (it automatically locks the screen when I take it to my ear to attend a call – ideal “must have” for a touch-screen beauty) and accelerometer(it auto-silences any incoming call when you place it face down). The sales girl at the Nokia store was keen to configure my g-mail, and personalize the phone for me – thanks; the email account set-up is easy too. The C7 is a 3G phone (though 3G was officially launched months later) and if you have a 3G connection, it would add more value to the usage. The screen size is good, and I love the flat surface. All my previous smartphones have a hard frame, sol I love the clean flat surface of the C7 more. The camera is sharper by a delightful 8 mega pixels, the highest in any smartphone I have had so far. She also made me proud when a friend complained that his iPhone 3 doesn’t capture images as sharp as my LittleTalk, after visiting my photos in Facebook. The Nokia Ovi suite comes with a host of in-built applications like GPS that I actually put to use. I also found quite some usable applications in the Nokia Ovi Store.

The Not-So-Good

LittleTalk doesn’t have a scroll button. The only button on the front surface is the Menu button, which also acts as the breather (the lights go on and off in such a way resembling a person’s breath – it’s amazing!) and visual alarm (blinks). Since I’ve always used touch-screen mobiles that ad at-least three buttons on the face, this was a turn-down since I faced difficulty in adding contacts straight from the missed call list. This has disappointed me for quite some time and I finally found that you only need to keep pressing the particular space/contact/application and it works equivalent to the right-click of a mouse.

Overall

I am happy and contended with the new member of my gadget family, and simply hope that Nokia doesn’t call it off!

Image Courtesy: Cellular News

Previous Entry: Hopping In and Out of Delhi

Hopping In and Out of Delhi

2010-12-29T00:13:00.002+05:30

It started as a mistake. All I wanted was to go to the National Gallery of Modern Art to attend an exhibition that I was planning to attend since the past 2 weeks. Being part of the location-based services industry and having armed myself with a companion as supportive as Little Talk (oops...I wanted to write a review of this newest addition to my gadget family. Shall do it soon.), it was quite natural to explore more of my city that I haven't had the time to explore in detail. So there I was at the bus stop on Parliament Street waiting for just another bus that can drop me off outside the India Gate circle. I intentionally avoided boarding the Metro despite having a smart card for wanting to be dropped off on a closer location saving the long walking time from Central Secretariat.

Enter the Purple Giant

Suddenly it emerged from a blanket of the Sunday morning fog, the purple bus. I know that this is a new concept and works better than the older version of DTC's Dilli Darshan, and the bus looks hospitable and cozy. After chasing it all the way to the other end of Jantar Mantar (After a 2-3 year gap, it is a little uneasy for me to chase buses now, though it has helped me to be fit all these years) the driver finally stopped and opened the door. The young lady at the conductor seat walked up to the door and ushered me in with a smile. I am told that this bus is a sightseeing bus, it covers 18 key destinations in Delhi, and that the boarding pass for a day would cost me Rupees 300 (approximately US $7).

The staff was friendly

For a moment I thought if it is actually worth the cost. Well, I decided to take a chance now that I was already in. As per my experience with the DTC, the first action of managing to hop on a giant is to rush to the conductor and secure a ticket. I made no difference here as well since I had more than one bad experience of paying up fines due to the conducotr's follies. Here the conductor (I would learn later that she is a Guest Relations Executive, and not a conductor as in the usual green giants) actually made me sit somewhere, walked in to my seat with a bag, sat with me and explained the route of journey, gave me a brochure with a route map and a the bus time table and explained how the HoHo (hop on hop off) system works before asking about the ticket. That was indeed friendly, especially given that you are on a bus (that too a sarkaari bus) and not on SpiceJet or Kingfisher. Though I have spoken at length on various events about customer delight, this was one of the rare experiences where I felt delighted as a customer. I'll write about that in the other blog.

The journey was informative

The Guest Relations Executive on board has a pretty good idea about what s/he is explaining her guests on board. I don't expect them to be passionate about history or architecture (I am very particular on a few such matters though I do my own research before actually making my travel) but for a commoner the trip is quite informative. Even a non-active local like me, would raise eyebrows when she said "The erstwhile Connaught Place comprises 2 concentric circles renamed officially as Rajiv Chowk (we already know) and Indira Chowk after the two late Prime Ministers of India." Maybe I didn't pay much attention to the old signboards, but the new ones are flashier, largeer and scream out their place names visually louder.

Changes I like to see

Paying up Rs. 300 for a week's trip is great indeed. Locals like me trying to save working days can use two consecutive weekends to explore their city. Though it was a nice experience, there are some features I would like to see improvements on:

On-board snacks: Since several areas including Raj Ghat, the Museums, India Gate, etc. do not have any eatery around. I couldn't have lunch or snacks since it was an effort trying to save time on visits or wasting time on bus-stops. The time gap for buses is 30 mins, so you can't walk out too far to try a quick lunch. And the bus picks you up only at the bus stop only (adventurers beware!). Given the matter that most buses ply with near-vacant occupancy in these areas, it would be delightful to provide some snacks at an affordable rate.

Cheaper water: It would be worthwhile for DTC to follow the best-practice of providing free water bottles (200/250 ml) to guests on board. This can be provided along with the boarding pass, and the bus can charge people for each subsequent bottle and make the effort profitable.

Better language: I want to appear too nosy here like a teacher of English grammar, but it would be meaningful not to make comments like "This tomb belongs to Hazrat Nizamuddin Ouliya" (I'm sure HNO was no Tutun Khamun to acquire the land and get the tomb created before his own eyes). After paying up 300 bucks for the service, this is not what I want to hear from a host. Not sure what international guests would say.

The bottom-line

Overall it was an effort worthwhile and despite being a local, I enjoyed the sightseeing experience I never did before in any city of my residence. I would like to rate it 4 on a scale of 5. Good effort, madam Chief Minister!

Have you lived in Delhi or plan to visit here? I am curious to know about your sightseeing experience in your city of residence as well as others. Do please make your comments in the box below.

Previous Entry: Stories From the Canadian Arctic

Up Next: LittleTalk - Talking All the Way

Image Courtesy: YogeshSarkar.com

The Story of Sam and Lola

2010-12-01T09:58:00.003+05:30

Sam is a determined owl. Unlike the wild owls in the tropics he was Blanco white, matching the arctic snow. Above average build, he stood tall above all his brothers and is a little too proud of that fact. But there was something that swept him off his feet: The little beauty called Lola. She never took him for more than just another hunk that follows her everywhere. She too is pretty, and beautiful. Ptarmigans have their own charms. They are beauties themselves. One day Sam disclosed his love (or was it devotion?) to her. She didn't expect him to be serious, but it suddenly appeared to be so. One day Sam sees Lola with another Ptarmigan. She introduced him as her husband. Sam was shattered. He never knew she was taken. Now that he's disclosed his love and devotion, there's no going back. Ego rules. It's a matter of his pride. So he did the unthinkable.

He lured the ptarmigan out to the jungle, presenting himself as a friend, and they flew too deep inside. No one knew what happened there. Even till today. Sam returned alone. Rumors started spreading that Sam killed Spark. No one listened to Sam. He's branded "Killer Sam." It was sort of thrust on him. Not only did Lola refuse to talk to him, she ridiculed him in public whenever she got a chance. It was heart-breaking for Sam, because no one listens to him now. That's when Sam tells Lola, what I've said and done was true from my heart, and in good spirit. If you are not able to see it, then I leave you for good. And he files away.

A moment of this interaction is captured through the wonderful imagination of a painter and is available for display in the National Museum here in New Delhi. The lives of the Inuit people - the natives of the Canadian Arctic - are full of folklores. It is truly said that man is always hungry for stories. I'm no different. I was able to liken many of them to the little stories that I grew up with, the essence of these simple somethings that still is within me as a sound investment.

I want to thank to the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa and the National Museum, New Delhi for this event. Special thanks to Little Talk, I am able to find out more such happenings around me now. I’ll write about this newest member of my family soon…well, around Christmas when she’s a month old.

Gadgets, gadgets!

2010-11-20T02:40:00.003+05:30

Sometimes, it is a trying experience to handle gadgets. They behave in a funny way when we least expect them to. As per my friend's advice, I was browsing through some product reviews before I make some purchases. When I started visiting sites where users themselves share details about products, I feel more confused. What I infer from the comments is that there isn't any brand (as far as I can remember the brand in existence in the local Delhi/Noida market) of refrigerators that offer a tolerable after-sales service. It causes panic for a semi-active customer and a sales person such as me. I can bear with a bad working product, but never with a bad after-sales service.

All these thoughts prompted me to take a look at the products I've already used. Meanwhile I'd like to reiterate that I am that kind of customer every marketer dreams to have. The one that goes more by the heart, buys things I like (not necessarily what others also like), and not regret. Maybe it's all in the family. My father who was (yes, he's less so now a days) quite brand conscious even during the days when we weren't swept away by a consumerist culture, has the habit of taking good care of all domestic appliances, irrespective of where it is used. Therefore it is quite normal that the domestic iron we use to press clothes and a wonderful table-fan we have is a little older than I myself am!

In my case, I've inherited this very same habit from him. It was a little surprising to see that the products which the media promotes as "un-responsive" and "bulky" are the ones that fascinated me, and the ones I bought served me well. My first touch-screen mobile, Nokia 7710 is still my favourite though the battery went bad, and it doesn't work anymore because the manufacturer called off the product due to lukewarm product response. It is a little slow to respond, and is quite bulky (I named it "The Brick") but it served its life, since I took good care of it.

So when I hear comments like "it catches dust very soon" or "it doesn't work if you spill water over it" seems a little odd to me. Touch-screen phones need to be covered from dust, especially if you live in a dry, dusty city like Delhi. It is also natural that if your body sweat gets into the phone's interiors (I don't want to get into the chemical reaction parts here :P) or any liquid material for that matter, it suffers some damage. Having said that, I should also say that my gadgets give me irate moments and lots of suffocation when I can't express my instant disappointment in public. Little Lappy (my baby notebook) starts believing that she doesn't have a keyboard of her own, and that she needs an external keyboard to function. Thank God, I was in the airport lounge trying to read an e-book to get rid of the boring extension caused by a delayed flight; and not in a meeting room with a value-added customer. But when I went into the details in peace later, I found the reasons.

Well, I'm keeping fingers crossed about some recent purchases I want to make. Shall update more on this, possibly followed by reviews at time intervals.

To The Little Girl Who was Part of My Childhood...

2010-08-24T03:23:00.005+05:30

I know this is not the best of times to write you, and neither of us is having a great time in our independent lives. But is was my deep desire to write something to you, and perhaps the first time I am doing something of such intensity, in an open room such as this blog.

Our journey started a few decades ago, with a minute time gap of 2 years between us. Not a significant gap between us, and that cause d many things positive and negative to happen between us. All the childhood days we lived in the Hill Palace, we have been only with ourselves, and we have a very large world to explore. The good days were so good, and the bad days were so bad. During some such bad days we made all in the family believe that the prime purpose of our individual existence is to eradicate the other, and they strongly believed that if we were left alone in at home for some time, only one of us would remain, by the end of the day. Still, we managed to stick together and survive.

And survival was key

I don’t know if it was Amma’s loss that brought us more closer together and made us more able to come to rational terms with each other. Whatever it was, this mutual acceptance of rational existence made us more stable, and emotionally closer even together. And it would be so for many many years to come. Even after I moved out to new cities and newer phases of life, our sense of togetherness never changed. It was always nostalgia.

I owe you an apology

I missed your wedding. Had it been done in a little more organized manner, I would have had the chance to attend it. I had to “stay focused and committed to the organization,” which after 6 years of sweat and toil asks me back as to what I have done so far. The reply to that, and related matters shall be part of another blog entry; this one is purely for you.

I have some surprising clarifications to make

Let me see if you remember any one of these.

I never picked up Bejoy Wilson’s biscuit box. We went into the school bus together. When he offered to share a piece, I gratefully accepted. This is the true, un-abridged version. You blackmailed me with this accusation you blackmailed me for almost a decade. Well, it didn’t work out beneficial for you as well.
I never mentioned the Bishop Tirumeni with an abusive word. It was the fantasy of someone (I forget the name) to get me wrongfully caught. He was retaliating for something.

And there is Sanaa, my little angel

Though we were not her biological parents, both Manju and I loved and cared for her as if she is our own. Now that life has offered us different cups, life will never be the same. As for me, Sanaa is always my little girl. I see you in her. It will always be so for me.

Happy Rakhi!

Locking Horns with the 800-Pound Gorilla

2010-07-24T20:20:00.002+05:30

This entry was intended for my other blog, since it was a formal topic I would like to write about. On second thoughts, I felt that the line that divides the formal and informal parts of a person's life in this aspect so narrow. Therefore I would like to add it as part of this blog.

A friend of mine asked me a simple question: Do I have the right to plan my weekends the way I want to? Yes, in fact. Why not? It is you who has to plan your weekend, and in case you expect someone else to plan your personal time for you, it could be disaster. But yes, conditions apply. If you are also planning to work...then you have to plan accordingly as well.What prompted the question? It was a simple situation. All on a sudden her boss organizes a picnic for the team, on a Saturday, without any information or provocation. A select few people actually knew such an event is being planned.

On the Thursday evening before, the boss is calling up people in a frantic manner:
“So...are you coming tomorrow?”

My friend made an outright denial. “I am sorry; I have something else planned for this weekend.” Then came the demands, the proverbial “contribution to the team spirit,” etc.

Of course, she had planned it weeks in advance. Moreover, she believes that weekends need to be the days she should reserve for herself and her son. It is important for a single parent to spend time with her only family. So family is important too.

And now that she has made it public, here comes the question to me:
“Am I wrong in making it straight?”

Well, I think she’s not. I thought about it for a while. I have this habit similar to scenario planning – I like to imagine what I would have done if I were in her position. How would I have responded to such a demand? Or may be how different would my demand be, if I were the boss?

I support her decision. Our weekends belong to us. Us first, and then only to the office. It is our requirement, we need it. Just like Harvard blogger Ron Ashkenas says, we never take our vacations in a proper way . We need to live even our personal lives “productively,” carrying our laptops and blackberries to places where there are feeble or perhaps no networks, and then we blame the service providers for not having a strong connection ... myself included.

I do not have anything against contributions to team spirit as such. But yes, nothing goes beyond my personal freedom. I realised this quite late after getting too “productive” during my annual trips home. As a result I realize the depth of losses I had in my personal life. So I advised my friend: even if you need to stand-up against the 800-pound gorilla, do it...it’s worth the hard work.

Why am I the way I am?

2010-06-08T22:29:00.002+05:30

I was recently reading a blog where the author mentions her feeling of being an ambassador for the US, and that in many places the locals "are quite willing to make sweeping judgments about an entire country just based on a single encounter."

I have several such experiences since I make friends outside India via social networks or electronic media. It is true that many of them are fascinated with the exotic image of India (well, India has been such an attraction even from the days of Columbus), and they keep asking me about food, climate, yoga, practically anything. There is one particular friend with whom I was associated since a long time. She has some understanding of India, but is not willing to accept us as a developing nation. She instead choose to instill her internal belief that India still, is a land of snake-charmers.

Recently I was reading ad guru Santosh Desai's book "Mother Pious Lady." Many points that Santosh highlights brought about a sense of nostalgia, e.g. the scooters we used to have (I wish I still had my old Lambretta on which I learned driving; she was a gem!) or the television programs that influenced our thoughts and lifestyles as a people. But it is equally true that we are evolving as a nation, true to the international levels. There are drawbacks in our economy equally as it happens to any developing nation with a spawning population. Therefore in some sense it is not possible to say that we are "advanced," however given the effort and the rate of changes happening around us on a daily basis, I feel "yes, we have arrived."

Going back to friend and her fascinations, I remember some of her frequent questions/comments:

(a) Why do you have a Christian name?
Preliminarily because my forefathers are Christians, and has been so since several generations.

(b) Why don't you believe in a caste system of society, while it is practiced socially in India?
I am brought up in a neutral way of upbringing, and I never (even today) felt the differentiation between castes. Differentiation of people by castes was an ancient practice of governing the society, developed by a then social reformer. Such a practice does not add value to a democracy which believes in social equality. Finally, I'm not a politician to believe and practice this system and develop a vote-bank of my own.

(c) Most Indians follow the practice of arranged marriage. Indians never have love marriages.
Yes, it is true that arranged marriages are part of the societal norms here. We as a nation has close family ties. Even though the old lifestyle of joint families is less existent in our cities, we are close to our relatives at heart. Marriages, therefore are events of families getting together, and arranging an event for one of their relatives. But it is foolish to totally deny that love marriages does not exist in India. A lot of people do have love marriages (my parents included). And this practice is a growing norm here and is slowly being accepted to the society, though there are some negative incidents also.

(d) Indian women are not career oriented
It is to this comment that I disagree the most. It is true that our womenfolk are attached to their families. That doesn't mean that they are not career oriented. And truly speaking, work-life balance is a big quality that all big bosses around the world profess about. In that light, our womenfolk are the specialists of work-life balance.

My friend is visiting India a few months from now, to speak at a conference of scientists in Hyderabad. Chances are high that she will stay in Delhi for a couple of days. Let me see if I can open her eyes.

I have the above-mentioned questions thrown open to my readers. Have you been to India, or have friends here? With your knowledge and experience of India and its people, what are your opinions about the questions/statements mentioned above? Please mark your comments below. I would love to hear from you.

20 Questions for Every Spiritual Seeker

2010-05-09T01:57:00.001+05:30

Here are some questions I recently encountered from one of my favorite websites. I am re-quoting it here with my answers.

1. Why is there poverty and suffering in the world?

Both these are essential by-products of human greed. Unfortunately, it is not always the greedy that ends up poor or suffering.

2. What is the relationship between science and religion?

Two sides of the same coin. Though they co-exist in this world, they can't face each other.

3. Why are so many people depressed?

Lack of understanding the difference between what they want and what they need

4. What are we all so afraid of?

The unknown. The moment we know, fear disappears. Or at least, it starts diminishing.

5. When is war justifiable?

No war is justifiable. Those who seek justification of wars are either seeking options to cover up their follies, or are making a successful business out of it.

6. How would God want us to respond to aggression and terrorism?

Tolerance, peace, understanding, and a little personal space

7. How does one obtain true peace?

One only needs to know the difference between what one wants, what is needed; and the uneasy gap between the two.

8. What does it mean to live in the present moment?

Realizing the meaning of what one is actually doing. It is not a stream of thoughts or plans; it is a spontaneous feeling of being full.

9. What is our greatest distraction?

The stream of thoughts that keeps running in our heads as we walk, talk and does simple everyday things

10. Is current religion serving its purpose?

All religions serve their purposes if people stop modifying them according to their thoughts and fancies.

11. What happens to you after you die?

The true question is about what happens before the death.

12. Describe heaven and how to get there.

Heaven is in you. You only need to seek for it and find it your way. It is your path, your destiny.

13. What is the meaning of life?

Don't waste time inventing meanings for life. Life is too short for that. The key is not in finding a meaning, but in living it well.

14. Describe God.

The most indescribable feeling is Godliness. Anyone who reaches there is said to have reached up to God.

15. What is the greatest quality humans possess?

Compassion. There is nothing beyond this great quality that is more humane.

16. What is it that prevents people from living to their full potential?

Their fear of reaching/receiving/becoming something else, or the hard lessons they might get to learn. It is always the unknown that controls us.

17. No verbally, by motion or gesture only, act out what you believe to be the current condition of the world.

Done

18. What is your one wish for the world?

Accommodate everyone, and their thoughts. Not try to manipulate or control them. Everlasting peace will result, I'm sure.

19. What is wisdom and how do we gain it?

Wisdom is the collective experience of the human race put into practice. We gain it by two ways: learning from our own experiences, and learning from other people's experiences.

20. Are we all one?

In true essence, yes; we are all one. Fully and finally at the end of the day, we are a big family.

What are your answers? Let me know your thoughts/feelings/ideas. Please comment.

The Sun Sets Again

2010-04-09T23:28:00.004+05:30

Another birthday

2009-11-13T18:24:00.003+05:30

Birthdays need not be the best time of the year. I also had one recently.

Garth Cartwright: Princes Amongst Men

2009-09-12T23:47:00.005+05:30

During my childhood, my mother used to tell me stories and folklores from different countries. I remember the word "Gypsy" mentioned many times in such stories. Over these decades, I grew up with the notion of Gypsies as wanderer tribes, sorcerers and street magicians: poor people with good souls, eternal wanderers.

Only incidentally did I pick up the book, fascinated by its subtitle. Hardly did I think that my notions about Gypsies is about to change.: especially Gypsy musicians. "Princes Amongst Men" by Garth Cartwright is a journey into the heart and soul of Gypsy musicians of Eastern Europe. This book acquainted me with the fascinating world of Gypsies and the brass bands.

Tsingani. Egyptian. Cingano. Gypsy. Cikan. Sipsiwn. Cigani, Ziegeuner. Gitano. Cingene. Yiftos. The Roma (Gypsies) are known by so many different sounding names. The gypsies know themselves as Roma. Rom/Roma is Sanskrit for 'man' or 'husband'.

Lango Drom (The long journey)

Northern India, the arse end of what Europe's calling the first millennium, reels as warrior tribes from north-west Asia invade, fuelled by the new religion of Islam. Convert or die? Or flee. And so the migration began and a people (the Roma) were forcibly born out of war, flight, adversity.

The approximate time frame the Roma began their migration is ascertained to be some time between the sixth and eleventh centuries ACE (After Christian Era) when large numbers of people from north-west India marched across West Asia into North Africa and Europe. They carried tools, utensils, food, wood and yes, musical instruments. As these migrations occurred over several decades, possibly centuries, communities put down roots in different places -- Egypt and the Caucasus are both home to the long-resident Romani speaking communities.

For centuries it was believed these migrants had arrived in Europe from Egypt - thus the (E)Gypsies. An easy mistake: India was more than a fable -- think of Columbus' misguided attempts to reach India in 1492 -- while Egypt was associated with the occult and divination; when the Roma are first noted in Constantinople in 1068 it was written that they were 'notorious for soothsaying and sorcery'.

Gypsy Lands

And the Roma are all too familiar with evil forces: from Vlad Dracul to Corneliu Vadim Tudor, Balkan slave traders to Hitler's SS. they have constantly encountered Europeans intent on oppressing, exploiting, even exterminating them. Suffering. The music of the Roma, its eerie intensity and savage resonance, arises from this hurt, music offering from a form of soul-making, and possibly redemption. For centuries music has been the way Roma have carried forth their culture, myths and language.

Gypsy legend has it that Kaloome, the Gypsy having overslept, arriving too late when God was giving out everything on earth. God couldn't change the destiny of these people he's condemned to eternal wandering, so he gave them music and dance. Since time immemorial music has been Roma's gift to the world. Today it remains their CNN, a cultural statement second to none.

Cartwright also introduces us to several Gypsy singers in various countries he travels: Saban Bajramovic and Boban Markovic of Serbia, Esma Redzepova in Macedonia, are a remarkable few. I would also inscribe my gratitude to Cartwright who gave me the permission to quote some remarkable passages from this incredible book. I would also like to thank my dear friend Dorina from Romania, who sent me some incredible pieces of music to provide me a real feel of the eerie intensity of Roma music.

CIAO ASMARA: Justin Hill

2009-08-09T01:05:00.005+05:30

My earlier entry was about a book that relived the experience of the Hippie Trail. The current one stands stark contrast to the kind of life that is portrayed. Here the author is trying to relive the experience of the freedom struggle of a nation, that honestly speaking, I did not know, existed.

Ciao Asmara is the story of Justin Hill's two years in the tiny African state of Eritrea, the people he met, and the astonishing country he discovered. He describes a nation rich in history: the ancient reign of the Queen of Sheba, the rule of both the Turks and the Italians; the golden age of the 1950's, when the capital Asmara was the most industrialised part of Africa. He depicts a modern Eritrea that is a country of the extremes: from the burnt ochre landscape littered with war, to Asmara's art deco delights; a population that has spent thirty years fighting Ethiopia in a struggle that the West has largely forgotten.

Glimpses of prehistory

The language spoken in Asmara is Tigrinya. Tigrinya is a Semitic language, The tribes of the Ethiopian highlands claim descent from the Ethiopic, grandson of Noah. Their greatest ruler was the legendary Queen Makeda. Queen Makeda lived in the 11th and 12th centuries, owned a fleet of 73 ships, and sponsored caravans of over 500 camels that traded as far afield as Palestine and India. But it is through the name of her capital that Queen Makeda is known to us: the Queen of Sabea or as she is now called, the Queen of Sheba.

The young Queen Makeda decided to visit King Solomon to learn kingship from him. She is known to have lived as a guest of King Solomon for six months. And the sweet verses of Solomon's Songs in the Bible talk of their love. The son of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon founded the dynasty of Solomaic kings that ruled Axum until the 10th century AD. The Axumite peoples, once unified, separated into the ethnic group that now make up the Muslim and Christian peoples of Ethiopia and Eritrea: the Amhara, Tigrinya and Tigre. That's the pre-historic background of the Eritrean kings.

While searching for more information on Eritrea, I came across Hillary's blog. Though there isn't any information about the author as such, there is some indication that she works with the United Nation’s efforts to promote education/other services in various African nations. Her blog has quite some insights on the life in Eritrea. There is significant information regarding the beverages of Eritrea, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, especially the Melotti beer that Justin has also mentioned in the book.

Modern History
Eritrea was colonised by the Egyptians first, then the Italians, followed by the British (after World War II) and finally by Ethiopia which took away almost everything that Eritrea has gained during the European colonial rule -- including the only railway lines that Eritrea had connecting two of its key cities. I feel pity on the Eritrean freedom fighters who fought the communist Ethiopian regime which has been looked upon as pro-people, while it actually was otherwise. And since Ethiopia was a communist nation, no communist country including the Russians and the North Koreans accepted Eritrea's pleas for help. Instead, the Eritrean freedom fighters were further suppressed with Russian and Korean support. Therefore the outer world didn't even know of the Eritrean freedom struggle.

The Book
After a long session of intermittent reading of the book, I actually fell in love with an African nation I didn't know existed. Therefore this book to me was more an eye opener than a text book of history.I tried to contact the author Justin by sending an e-mail from his website, but somehow it bounced back and I had to write this entry without having the permission from the author himself to excerpt his glimpses of the silent African nation from the book. A good read.

Rory MacLean and "Magic Bus"

2008-07-16T19:02:00.001+05:30

History shows the torch when we lurk in the heat and dust of the dark yesterdays, helping us see the scathes on the faces, bullet-holes on the window panes and blood stains on the walls. Heritage is what we develop surviving the stains of history. Its like a looking at a lotus flower bloomed on the water surface. The glory and beauty is visible from a distance, but none actually sees the roots deep immersed in the mud beneath.

Rory MacLean creates magic with words in this wonderful travellogue, guiding the reader through a different world that existed 30 years ago. Some samples are provided below, and I'm thankful to have the permission from Rory MacLean himself to reproduce part of the text.

In the sixties and seventies, hundreds of thousands of young Westerners took off for India, blazing the "hippie trail" from Istanbul to Kathmandu. This intrepid pioneers left behind their parents' world of postponed pleasure, guilt of Empire and the spectre of war. Aboard the weirdest procession of unroadworthy vehicles ever to rattle across the face of the earth, they reached for a new kind of life, and because the first movement of people who travelled to be colonised than to colonise.

"The trail across Asia is narrow and there's only one road, one way to go," wrote Douglas Brown in the conclusion to his 1971 guidebook. "When it broadens out in India, and you see the hundreds of cities marked in a very small area of the map, you will have at last the chance to go wherever you want, and find a place to rest and get into a way of life that will satisfy you. The one path has become many."

Those paths spin out from this room like the threads of a vast spider's web. In a thousand departure lounges, a fresh generation of Intrepids stands on the brink of the world. Like them, I am a foreigner, an open hearted sole traveller, spiralling out from where I was born, curious for the world and taking nothing for granted: not belonging, not possessing, at home in my skin and reinventing myself at every border. Moving on.

That's our legacy from the sixties. Not simply 'this now life...this here life.' Not just the new expense of being. But living both in the moment and in the mind, stirring to understand -- and to express-- how it feels to be alive. The momentum of the sea marks off the days. Autumn makes way for winter. A bird nests under the eaves. The party people move on to Yangshuo, Saigon and Cairns. I stay behind in this packaged paradise watching jet streams criss-cross the azure sky.

This book is not just a travel book sharing MacLean's experiences. This is an experience in itself, a fruition of maclean's effort to relive the "hippie" life seeking nirvana, interacting with some of the original Intrepids himself. The brief glimpses of history and political background of the countries on the way (and also their religious and social spectra) are all in themselves MacLean's vivid attempts of reliving this experience. Yet, the reader never feels the heat and thrill of an investigative journey. "Magic Bus" thrives on MacLean's efforts to bring forth the life in each city he passes through as clear as possible, while trying not to be too verbose in his narration.

Wrap around & Return

2007-12-15T11:58:00.000+05:30

We had a memorable luncheon with a good friend, before our return journey.

Candle-Lit Dinner: A Memorable Evening

2007-12-15T11:51:00.001+05:30

Bhils: The bow men of Rajasthan

2007-12-15T11:47:00.000+05:30

The Bhils form an important group, which inhabits mainly the southern districts of Rajasthan and the surrounding regions of Udaipur and Chittaurgarh. The generic term, which describes their tribe apparently, derives its name from bil, meaning bow, which describes their original talent and strength.

History

History corroborates the legends, which tells about their superiority in archery. From the Mahabharata emerges Eklavya, a Bhil who surpassed the skill of Arjuna only to be repressed by the command of his guru. The Ramayana tells of Vail, the Bhil bandit who reformed with the blessings of the Saraswati, the goddess of learning, to become Valmiki, the renowned poet sage.

Even today, the accepted head of all the Rajput clan of Rajasthan, the Maharana of Udaipur is crowned by anointing his forehead with blood drawn from the palm of a Bhil chieftain, affirming the alliance and loyalty of his tribe.

The Bhils gained in strength by intermingling with rebellious, outcast Rajputs who sought shelter with them. Rajput rulers came to value the guerilla tactics of the Bhils, particularly since they were at ease in the hilly terrain. Various fierce invasions could not be repelled without their active support. Leading a camouflaged existence, the Bhils were unable to update their material techniques and this became the main cause of their relegation to the past where they stood as brave symbol rather than a real threat to an enemy.

For us these tribal people were a perceived threat as well as laughing stock. Though everyone was more than a little afraid in his/her mind while crossing the Bhil locality, jokes, overt discussions and mutual leg-pullings over Bhils entertained us and allowed us to exercise our creativity. It's only due to these excessive discussions and laughter, that we unknowingly traversed the badly terrained Udaipur-Mount Abu highway.

Mount Abu: Surroundings

2007-12-15T11:33:00.001+05:30

Mount Abu: A Hilly Resort of Rajasthan

2007-12-15T11:24:00.000+05:30

The Aravalli hills stretching from Delhi to Gujarat reach their highest point here in a mountain, atop which is a picturesque plateau. This is Abu in Sirohi district, a lush green summer resort and the only hill station in Rajasthan. Mount Abu has a somewhat steep incline, with ravines cut into its sides, filled with trees, bushes and beautiful birds. It is a detached hill, and on the plateau on the summit are granite rocks of fantastic shapes, the space between them covered with greenery. The Hill of Wisdom, The Saint's Pinnacle, The Rajput Olympus, the Mon Capitalia of Pliny. Yes all these are titles for just one place – Mount Abu.

Quick bytes
Altitude : 1,220 meters (4,003 feet)
Distance from Udaipur : 185km (115 miles)
Population : 17,000
Area : 25 sq. Km
Best time to visit : March-June and September-November.

Nehru Park, Fateh Sagar Lake

2007-12-15T11:12:00.001+05:30

Nehru Park, Fateh Sagar Lake

2007-12-15T11:09:00.000+05:30

As the name suggests this Park has indeed been named after the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru. The Park was inaugurated on the birth anniversary of Nehru on 14th November 1967. It is an oval shaped island and lies humbly on the Fateh Sagar Lake. The garden overlooks the ancient Moti Mahal of Rana Pratap. This island garden is a real delight to the eyes, sitting softly on the calm waters of the Lake and amidst the enchanting hills surrounding it. The Park covers a huge area of about 41 acres with its flower gardens and a lily pond.

Haldighati Museum & Surroundings

2007-12-15T11:02:00.001+05:30

Ekling mandir: Forbidden photos!

2007-12-15T10:49:00.001+05:30

Chetak Memorial: Haldighati

2007-12-15T10:46:00.001+05:30

Chetak Memorial: Haldighati

2007-12-15T10:39:00.000+05:30

Haldighati, is a small village in the Aravalli Hills about 44 km north of Udaipur and about 1,839 m. above sea level. Beyond this is Haldighati Pass, a narrow defile almost a kilometre in length, running South to the Northeast and finally ending in a broad plain. An interesting geographical feature of the pass is its soft yellow soil, which when crumbled resembles the turmeric (haldi), which gives the place its name. It was here that the famous Battle of Haldighati was fought on June 18, 1576 between Maharana PRATAP SINGH of Mewar and the Imperial army of Emperor Akbar of Delhi.

Battle of Haldighati (June 18, 1576), a four-hour confrontation between the Imperial forces of Mughal Emperor AKBAR and Maharana PRATAP SINGH I (1572-1597) of Mewar.

Chetak, the faithful stallion of the Maharana Pratap Singh saved his master's life, despite being brutally injured in the battle. In three legs, it carried it's beloved master to a safer location before it laid down it succumbed to injuries.

1Temple=108 temples

2007-12-15T10:36:00.000+05:30

Ek Ling Mandir

2007-12-11T12:58:00.000+05:30

Lord Shiva is known to have a hundred names. One hunderd and eight in all. 108 is also the number of Upanishads written. Eklingji has been the deity of the royal Mewar family since the time of Bappa Rawal, founder of the Mewar dynasty. Ek means 'one' while ling means 'lingum or the life giving phallic symbol of Lord Shiva'. The patron deity of the Mewar clan is considered the actual ruler of the region while the kings are merely the Dewan (or the Prime Minister) of this God of Mewar, the same way Swami Padmanabha (Lord Maha Vishnu) is for the Travancore royalty in Kerala.

The temple was first built in the year 728AD, however, subsequent changes and renovation work was done later as well. The temple that stands today is not the original structure but the one built on the site of ancient temple. Infact, as later as in the 15th and 16th century, Maharana Raimal too rebuilt and renovated this temple.

The temple complex is located at the banks of Indersagar Lake. Within the walls of the Eklingji Temple, there are 108 shrines built of marble and sandstone. The main shrine has a double storeyed covered platform, a hall with a number of pillars and a flat pyramidal roof with circular knobs. In this main shrine is a four faced black marble statue of Lord Eklingji with Brahma facing west, Vishnu facing north, Shiva facing south and Surya facing east.

Outside the temple are the statues of Nandi, Shiva's bull and Bappa Rawal. Bappa Rawal is shown facing Nandi with his hands clasped. There is another statue of Nandi in silver in the hall of the temple.

Though the temple is mainly dedicated to Lord Shiva, yet other deities are worshipped here as well. Few of the prominent among these are Parvati, Ganesha, Ganga, Kartikeya, Yamuna and Saraswati. Smaller temples dedicated to Amba Mata and Kalka Mata can also be found in the temple complex.

Apni Dhani

2007-11-30T18:25:00.000+05:30

A thematic village restaurant in Udaipur, Apni Dhani has it's own charm. Apart from the culinary delights of a restaurant, Apni Dhani tends to highlight the colourful life of the people in rural
Rajasthan. There are various shows arranged to delight the public, but it serves as a window to look at the culture of Rajasthan.

Lake Pichchola

2007-11-30T18:24:00.000+05:30

Lake Pichola with exceptional scenic beauty is surrounded by hills, embankments, bathing ghats, shrines and palaces. The lake was enlarged by Maharana Udai Singh II after he founded the
city. He built a masonry dam, known as the 'Badi Pal', and the vast lake is nearly 5km in length and three km wide. The magnificence of the lake is enhanced by beautiful Lake Palaces, Jag Niwas and the Jag Mandir.

Saheliyon ki Baadi

2007-11-30T18:12:00.000+05:30

I couldn't find much information about this beautiful garden, which displays its thirst for renovation and prompt restoration. In the outskirts of city, a few kilometers through the banks of the Fateh Sagar, our auto driver took us to this garden. If his stories were to be taken into face value, this garden was designed for the unique purpose of providing a rain-like shower for the princess (he told me the name, but it's now hard to recollect), a a gift from her father Rana Sangram Singh II, who did not want his daughter to be deprived of the pleasure of having a rain shower, in an arid city. Though the driver told us that the shower works purely on gravitational principles and manual operations, I couldn't find a suitable reason to believe it--neither by the way it was designed nor by the altitude it maintains vis-a-vis the level of the mighty Fateh Sagar.

City Palace: More images

2007-11-21T18:04:00.000+05:30

City Palace

2007-11-21T18:02:00.000+05:30

The City Palace

2007-11-21T17:53:00.000+05:30

Largest palace complex in Rajasthan, the City Palace of Udaipur stands tall in glory and honour bearing testimony to the tumultous history it as witnessed. The construction of this great palace consummated a whopping 300+ years. Initially, Maharana Udai Singh built this superb wonder, but the present form of the Palace is the result of subsequent additions by his successors. City Palace boasts of the wonderful blend of Medieval, European and Chinese Architecture.

City Palace comprises 11 wonderful palaces, which were built by different rulers still they resemble each other. With the sheer glimpse of unique paintings, antique furniture and exquisite glass mirror & ornamental tiles work of these palaces, you will get amazed. Manak Mahal (Ruby Palace) has figures of crystal and porcelain. However, Bhim Vilas flaunts a fabulous collection of miniature paintings depicting the real life stories of Radha-Krishna.

The 'Krishna Vilas' is known for the noteworthy album of miniature paintings portraying royal processions, festivals and games of the Maharanas. Moti Mahal (Pearl Palace) is celebrated for its lavish decor while Sheesh Mahal (Palace of mirrors) is known for its breathtaking mirror work. 'Chini Chitrashala' is renowned for its Chinese and Dutch ornamental tiles. 'Dilkusha Mahal' (Palace of Joy) is known for the murals and wall paintings.

Bada Mahal is the exotic garden palace that stands erect on a 90 feet high natural rock formation. Rang Bhawan is the palace that used to contain royal treasure. There are temples of Lord Krishna, Meera Bai and Shiva, located right to the 'Rang Bhawan'. 'Mor Chowk' has exceptional glass mosaics of peacocks, set in the walls presenting the three seasons of summer, winter and monsoon. 'Laxmi Vilas Chowk' is an art gallery with a distinctive collection of Mewar paintings. City Palace has amazing interiors with delicate mirror-work, marble work, murals, wall paintings, silver work, inlay work and surplus of colored glass. The exquisite work of City Palace cannot be bounded in words, so one must visit this palace to capture the real picture of it.

Moti Magri: The Memorial of Great Hero

2007-10-30T20:31:00.000+05:30

Pearl Hill: An Ideal Place for an Ideal Memorial

2007-10-30T20:29:00.000+05:30

Our initial day in Udaipur began with the local sightseeing. On top of Moti Magri (Pearl Hill), stood the tribute to one of the greatest kings in Indian history, Maharana Pratap of Mewar. The memorial comprises a life-sized bronze statue of Maharana Pratap balanced on his loyal and favourite horse, Chetak. If I decode the style of design of the sculpture, I should consider that the Maharana survived all wars, and his passing away was due to natural causes. Chetak was craftfully sculpted as having his feet on the ground. History teaches us that Chetak gave up his life in the service of his master, while attending to a battle of strategic importance. Situated at the top of Moti Margi or Pearl Hill, the memorial overlooks the Fateh Sagar Lake. If you are a photographer, then you will truly love this place. From the comfortable height of the hill, you can click some of the best pictures of Udaipur city.

Day 1: The capital of Mewar

2007-10-28T21:25:00.000+05:30

The initial day was dedicated to sight-seeing and spending time in the city and it's suburbs. The hotel we stayed was adjacent to Lake Pichhola. Our taxi driver mentioned that the lake got it's name just because it is situated in the rear side of the city. (In Hindi, "Peecha" turns out to "back.") . It's only when I had a deeper study of the locality that I learned that the name originally is related to the adjacent village, Pichholi. The hotel we stayed was not in a very happening location, as we learned later, but it definitely had something about it. Our auto driver doubled up as a local guide. The pride of being a subject of Mewar was apparent in his words, but his contempt towards adjacent kingdoms like Marwar and Jaipur (purely due to historic reasons) didnot visibly complement the hospitality he showered on us.