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A Face For You by Preeti Bose 12 Jan 2023 3:14 AM (2 years ago)

Its such a pleasure reading Preeti Bose's work. She is poetic by heart and the way she weaves the story around her words mesmerises you.


Her latest book 'a face for you' is an office romance between Itika, a strong independent woman and Aryan, a senior collegue at work.

"I see the half-remains
Of lingering softness that was once us
And now, this unfinished business,
This bitter sweet us."

I loved the way she begins each chapter with poetic refrains that have such deep meaning that it makes you pause and mull over it.

The personality of Itika in her story comes live when Preeti Bose writes...

"She felt violated if someone tried to 'figure her out' by checking, cross checking or wanting to know more about her, be it her family or her past. This peeling of the layers of her personality made her feel as if somebody were physically stripping her heart, layer by layer."

'A face for you' is a modern-day relationship of romance and betrayal and giving love a second chance. 

Its about discovering one self.



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Mama Gaia By Sahara Mirpuri 16 Jan 2022 8:53 PM (3 years ago)

 


Its a moment of love and light, to experience it, to drown in it, to understand it. Sahara Mirpuri's book 'Mama Gaia' takes us deeper into the realms of life to understand all emotions, a wink at the darkness, a connection to self through laughter, to let the sadness be, till it disappears.

Lessons of life, slowly unfolds, to crystal clear images of truth. Reading this book was like reading laws of nature, where we are responsible for happiness of self and our own responsibility of understanding our emotions and in dealing with it.
The beautiful graphics by Elénore Pelluou adds colours to the story, bringing alive the narration that could enthral children and adults alike.
A must have book for every age.





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Rolling With It..Lessons Learnt While Sitting Down by Vikash Shivdasani 23 Aug 2021 9:52 AM (4 years ago)

 


There are many things we take for granted realising not blessing we really have..if only we learnt to accept things as they are and moved on..

Life certainly in not a bed of roses but it is not about thorns too. We only have to find the right path to move on...

Reading “Rolling With It-Lessons learnt while Sitting Down” by Vikas Shivdasani will make you cry at the helplessness of wheel chair bound person but also make you smile at the incidents that happen when you leave everything to the supreme being and learn to enjoy life as it is

Vikash Shivdasani, alias Vikki’s journey has not been an easy one..being born to rich parents, life was for enjoying with family and friends, attending parties, drinking, smoking, travels and entertainment, until the day, he fell off from 3rd floor and injured himself from waist below, became paraplegic and was confined to wheelchair.

Then began the continuous effort of healing that took him from McAllen to Houston to Los Angelos to Bangkok to Philippines, to India and other cities in finding cure, going through numerous surgeries that included Stem cell therapy,  pressure soars surgeries, in an effort to return to normalcy.

The best healing has been the healing of the mind that arrives when he learnt to come in terms with reality in the company of enlightened souls like Anita Moorjani, Wayne Dyer, Elizabeth Gilbert, Devikadidi and many other healers and healees who taught him to find the strength within.

In one of the episodes, he talks about the fall he had from the wheelchair, in the middle of the night, when he went to fetch his mobile from his car. It was raining heavily and he couldn't slide back on the chair, there was no one around, he let go of his frustrations and he asked God for help when almost instantly he saw guy walking in the distance, who came to his rescue, helped him by using his thigh as leverage point, then push off to help him get back in the chair. I nearly cried at his helplessness.

He tried different sit down careers as consultant lease locator, sit up comedian, estate agencies, biology teacher but found true calling  in writing, and to become spiritual healer and in meditation..

Vikki never gave up the thought of being able to walk one day. Anita Moorjani's experience, Dr Joe's work and Abraham all talked about the possibilities of being able to heal our physical bodies through tapping into highest energy or vibration of love.

His workshop at Dr Joe meditation resort at Cancum is eye opener as to what our mind is capable of achieving with concentration on different chakra and how we can manifest our energies in our life to attain what our heart desires.

There is a deep desire to be able to walk again, and Vikki nourishes this idea all times of his days and night, although he continues to live life on wheelchair, accepting it as way of life. 

He maintains his humour even when things were tough. he quotes 
Since I was a kid I have always enjoyed being funny and telling jokes because I noticed that I made people feel better. Laughter is the best medicine they say and I have always been a guy that enjoyed laughing a lot. I especially loved getting others to laugh with me if they were dealing with tough situations. As I moved forward as a wheelchair user, I realized that I had many more opportunities to be funny and I milked it as much as I could.

Fifteen years in wheelchair, he has met many teachers, had mystical experiences and has been connected to Divine energies. Some insecurities, some rejections has only made him stronger, he believes that world can become a better place when more people are conscious of their inner world of thoughts and feelings, and know how to regulate and change them.

Lessons that he has learnt while sitting down... are really tough one..kudos to him for writing so openly... very brave indeed..a must read for those who take life for granted...


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Post Card From Madhya Pradesh 20 Nov 2020 11:12 AM (4 years ago)

 It seems like a distant dream, as I sit enclosed in my house during Pandemic, afraid to take public transport. I have been confined to my house since last 8 months, with short trips by car to my sister’s house during week-ends. I love travelling and have been to lot of places, I had plans to explore many more cities during this year, but I digress.



I am happy that I captured some memories on my blog. My MP trip, that I made in November 2019 has been memorable one and I have blogged in 16 parts. 

The tour was of 15 days,  we travelled a total of 2300kms by road plus 2 days of railway travel. Our tour started from Gwalior and ended at Indore, we covered Jhansi, Orchha, Khajuraho, Bhandavghar, Jabalpur, Pachmarhi, Bhojpur, Bhimbetkar, Sanchi, Bhopal, Ujjain , Omkeshwar, Maheshwar, Mundu, Indore.

Part 1.. The trip  

After a long night journey in the train-Punjab Mail, we reach Gwalior at 4pm. The tour operators come to receive us from the station and we are to stay at  Hotel Landmark. There is lot of excitement, we go to each others room to compare the comfort and we discover that some have good rooms and some are average. Our (I shared room with my friend) room is average. 

Part 2 Gwalior

The day was spent moving from Gwalior to Khajuraho. On our route, we stopped at Jhansi and Orchha. The bus was comfortable but the roads were bad. Most of the roads are being redeveloped, There is construction everywhere to built better roads, some of the cities of MP have plans to become smart cities. 

Part 3 Orchha 

We reached late evening at Khajuraho and checked into the hotel- Khajuraho Temple View. There was a beautiful view of lake outside the hotel and on the other side of the lake were the Khajuraho temples.

Part 4 Khajuraho 

After driving all day, we reached Bhandarvagarh late evening. I couldn’t see anything, but a narrow road and thick bushes on either side of the road. It seemed like a ghostly town with not a person in sight. The bus moved slowly  over uneven mud road till we reached the beautiful resort called Mogli Resort. We were to stay in the middle of the jungle. 

Part 5 Bhandarvagarh

We spend lot of time on road trip all over MP, but bus journey was not boring. I am reminded of the movie ‘Bombay to Goa’ wherein you meet all kinds of people. Some are dozing, some fast asleep, some noisy, some want to sing, some want to eat. 

Part 6 Jabalpur

Like every state in India have their own hill station, Madhya Pradesh has its hill station at Panchmarhi at 1067 meters, commonly known as Satpura ki Rani. It has also been recognised as UNESCO biosphere reserve.

Part7 Pachmarhi

On our way to Bhopal, we stopped by at a very interesting site called Bhimbetka.  Here you find large rock shelters that have paintings that date back to thousands of years depicting the life of the people through different eras.  This has been now declared as UNESCO world heritage site.

Part 8 Bhimbetka

On our route towards Bhopal, we stopped at Bhojpur during evening hours.  We were here to see the Shiva temple called Bhojeshwar temple. The bus had stopped at quite a distance, and we walked through narrow, broken roads, passing through thatched house where villagers still use dried cow dung as fuel for cooking. 

Part 9 Bhojpur

We reached Bhopal late evening and checked into a nice comfortable Raj Bhoj Hotel. Bhopal is the capital city of Madhya Pradesh, known as the city of natural and artificial lakes and is also one of the greenest cities in India.

Part 10..Bhopal

We drove 46kms away from Bhopal to reach Sanchi stupas that are one of the oldest stone structures in India and important monument of Indian architecture 

Part 11 Sanchi 

Any direction you look, all you see are temples. We visited many temples at Ujjain and all were unique in its own way. We were asked to stick to vegetarian diet, so that we could visit all the temples guilt free.

Part 12 Ujjain

I consider myself blessed that I have been able to visit the sacred island of Omkeshwar that is shaped like as symbol Ohm- the holiest symbol of Hinduism , it has one of the 12 Jyotirlinga shrines of India.

Part 13 Omkeshwar

For my women friends, Maheshwar was the most interesting place, you know why? Because women love shopping and they love temples. 

Part14 Maheshwar

MP is full of rich history and ancient architecture. Most of it has been reduced to ruins or is neglected.  There are beautiful palaces and nature is abundant, but hardly any tourist.  The roads are bad and infrastructure is also poor.

Part 15 Mandu

Indore - one of the cleanest city of India, is the last stop of my MP tour. The charm of the city lies in rich cultural heritage preserved over the years. 

Part 16 Indore

I used to blog during my trip, at the end of the day on FB but writing on this blog has taken some time, because of many distractions during this year. But I am glad to have completed the series successfully.


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MP Diaries – Part 16 – Indore 20 Nov 2020 8:11 AM (4 years ago)

Indore - one of the cleanest city of India, is the last stop of my MP tour. The charm of the city lies in rich cultural heritage preserved over the years. 

We visited Kanch ka Mandir, a beautiful Jain temple where I almost lost my balance on the shiny floor. There are intricate glass mosaic everywhere..on the ceiling, on the walls, on doors and even on the ground. I was fortunate to visit the temple during prayers time. My friend (who was with me) is Jain, so she knew all the rituals that are performed during the prayers. The temple is renowned for the several glass paintings and sculptures placed inside the temple. Dating back to the Holkar dynasty, this was built in 1903 by one of India’s industrial pioneers, Seth Hukumchand Jain. The Kanch Mandir is popular for its stunning architecture and grand celebrations held during Jain festivals.

Next we went to see the Lal Bagh Palace, which dates back to Indore’s 19th-century Holkar dynasty. The palace was very tastefully done with Greek paintings on the ceiling and beautiful oil paintings in large spacious rooms. It even had jacuzzi in one of the bathrooms. I envied the women who had lived in these palaces, they must have had a great taste, because there was comfort and style in the interiors of all rooms. The Indian art historian KK Chakravarty wrote that the palace is: 'A blend of Italian villa, French Chateau, traditional motifs and modern conveniences, the Lal Bagh Palace is indeed a statement of riotous Victorian eclecticism not surprising, perhaps, for a ruler who supported the British.'


Our next stop was at Central Museum, The Parmar culture has originated here in Madhya Pradesh and this museum displays lots of statues that are carved out in the style. Most of the statues depicted the Hindu God Lord Shiva and Harihara, Goddess Parvati in many different poses. These belonged to the 11th and the 12th centuries. Then there were art-facts, tools and utensils on display that were used in that era. There was a nice courtyard in the centre of the museum that gave good vibrations with fresh air and sunlight. 

Since we were travelling with Kesari tours, the food was totally arranged by them, throughout our journey. They had their own home chefs who would cook food for us. But at Indore, the home chefs were sent off and we were enjoying the big spread of meals at the hotel where we were staying. But I love to try the street food of every place that I visit and I was deprived throughout our trip.(the organisers were afraid that we would fall sick and therefore they discouraged us from eating street food) 

So, on last day, we sneak out, on our own, to walk down the city streets and enjoy the local cuisine. The Dal Kachoris and Dahi Wadas were amazing and we even picked up for our train journey.


That brings me to the end of my MP tour. Returned back by train from Indore to Mumbai with bags full of memories to last me for lifetime.


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MP Diaries Part 15 Mandu 8 Aug 2020 9:00 AM (5 years ago)

We have been on road trip for quite some time now, and am beginning to appreciate this part of India. MP is full of rich history and ancient architecture. Most of it has been reduced to ruins or is neglected.  There are beautiful palaces and nature is abundant, but hardly any tourist.  The roads are bad and infrastructure is also poor.

 After a long drive, we enter Mando through four narrow stone wall gates with walled enclosures and bastions. The architectural beauty starts right away, although it is surrounded by yellowed grass and dried pits. I am told that this place comes alive during rainy season when river gets filled up with water and there is greenery everywhere.

 

We reached our first stop at Jahaz Mahal. Outside the gates, there are much needed nimbu pani, roasted corn and other vendors.  I am fascinated with a strange looking fruit. Its Baobab, (I am told) the famous Khusrani Imli (tamarind) of Mandu. There are many Baobab trees found in the whole of village. I buy one and open the hard skin to reveal while colour flesh, sour and tangy core. It tastes good.

 


We enter the Jahaz Mahal to the splendour of the architecture. It is noted for its romantic beauty. It looks like a large ship between waters of the Munja and Kapur tanks. It is said that 500 young and beautiful Turkish females in men’s clothes and equal number of armed and uniformed Abyssinian females, used to stand as guards to its right and left sides respectively.

 


At the entrance there is a beautifully carved wooden door.

 


 

We enter the stone gates to series of halls separated by corridors, having narrow rooms at the extreme ends. The view is breath-taking, terrace had projecting pavilions on each sides and hollow islet that must have served as pools.Mughal emperor Jahangir wrote in his memoirs about the wonderful assembly organised on the terrace where they hosted lavish parties, hosted by his wife Noor Jahan, at which guests over indulged in drunken revelry.




The garden and the lake surrounding the palace is well maintained (Thank God) on the right side there is Taveli Mahal. Once upon a time, Taveli Mahal was used as a stable and a guard room. Today it houses a small museum of the Archaeological Survey of India exhibiting artefacts dating from 11th century found inside the fort and painting as well.

 

I, as usual, always tired of walking, so I sat inside the palace and dreamt of those times when this palace must have come alive with lights of hundred lamps, reflecting on the water perhaps, while my friends go about exploring the whole place.



The guide had lots of stories to tell, mainly about Rani Roopmati, who was pretty poetess and an artist. The story of Roopmati’s eternal love for Baz Bahadur and their musical soirees linger over the Rewa Kund group of Monuments. There was a huge flight of steps leading up to the Roopmati’s pavilion, which I did not take so I missed the architectural beauty of this baradari structure that had twelve doors designed to allow free flow of air.  Also missed the view from the top.

 


We next went to visit Baz Bahudur palace that had beautiful manicured garden and a spacious courtyard encircled by halls. They are known for their outstanding acoustic features and for hosting performance by dancers and other artistes.

 

Jamma masjid was our last stop at Mandu. The interior of the entrance porch has beautiful Jali (stone lattice) screen on the sides above which are fine bands of blue enamel tiles. There is a huge prayer hall with many arches and pillars that support the ceiling of three large domes and fifty eight smaller domes.



Opposite Jamma Masjid was an interesting art shop selling local products.

 

 After lunch we headed back to Indore.


To be continued……

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MPdiaries Part 14. Maheshwar 12 Mar 2020 8:42 PM (5 years ago)

For my women friends, Maheshwar was the most interesting place, you know why? Because women love shopping and they love temples. 

Maheshwar is the commercial and spiritual capital of Ahilyabai Holkar’s city, and has rows and rows of colorful shops and everybody went crazy shopping for sarees, dupattas, dress materials and stoles. We walked down the narrow lanes, that had fragrance of fried samosas (so very tasty) and we shopped.



But before shopping, we drove up the hill to enter 250-years old Ahilya fort that is perched high above the ghats of Maheshwar. We entered through the north gate, called Ahila Dwar, previously known as Gadi Darwaza because this is the largest gate where the vehicle can enter.



Part of the fort has been converted into a heritage hotel, that is for one who enjoys luxury with scenic beauty and can stay there. We turned right to see the part reserved for tourists.




The big statue of queen Alilya Bai Holkar greets you in all its simplicity of just white sari and shiva linga on her hand. Queen Ahilyabai was a great patron of literature, music, art and industrial enterprises. She is considered as one of the strongest and most powerful women rulers of India.



We started our descent through the stone step passing through different gates. We passed through a gate that had beautiful, small statue of Lord Ganesha perched on top of the temple’s main door flanked by two Maratha dwarpala (doorkeepers)



We passed through a temple that had beautiful architecture and sculptures in black stone.



The climbing down the steps was quite scary, there were no handrails and no support, the steps are quite huge and I needed help to climb down. The view was fantastic from above.



We reached the ghats where boats were parked on banks of Narmada river.



Colorful boats lie moored at the ghats to take the tourists for the cruise down the Narmada river passing along the shores that has palaces and different temples.



We just walked along the shore passing through the different temples on the way till we reached the shopping lanes…





That was quite a distance for me….

To be continued…..

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MPdiaries Part 13. Omkeshwar 24 Feb 2020 3:44 AM (5 years ago)

I consider myself blessed that I have been able to visit the sacred island of Omkeshwar that is shaped like as symbol Ohm- the holiest symbol of Hinduism , it has one of the 12 Jyotirlinga shrines of India.



The other jyotirlinga shrines in India are

The Somnath Temple in Gujarat is situated near Veraval in (Prabhas Kshetra) Kathiawad district.
The Mallikarjuna Temple is situated on the Shri Shaila Mountain, on the banks of the Krishna River in the southern part of Andhra Pradesh
Mahakaleshwar Temple is located on the banks of the Kshipra River, in the dense Mahakal forest in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh
Vaidyanath Temple is also known as Vaijnath or Baidyanath. It is located at Deogarh in the Santal Parganas region of Jharkhand.
The Bhimashankar Temple is located in the Sahyadri region of Pune, Maharashtra.
Rameshwar Temple, the southernmost of the 12 Jyotirlingas, is located on the island of Rameshwaram, off the Sethu coast of Tamil Nadu
The Nageshwar Temple also known as Nagnath Temple is located on the route between Gomati Dwarka and the Bait Dwarka Island on the coast of Saurashtra in Gujarat.
The Kashi Vishwanath Temple is located in the most revered site in the world- Kashi!
The Trimbakeshwar Temple is located about 30kms from Nasik in Maharashtra near the mountain named Brahmagiri from the river Godavari flows
One of the holiest pilgrimage sites in India, the Kedarnath Temple is located on the Rudra Himalaya Range at the height of 12000 feet on a mountain named Kedar
The Ghrishneshwar Jyotirlinga is located in a village called Verul, which lies 20 km from Daulatabad, near Aurangabad in Maharashtra.

Omkareshwar Temple is one of the highly revered Jyotirlinga and is located on an island called Shivapuri in the Narmada River in Madhya Pradesh

 I was quite eager to see it.




We crossed the cantilever type bridge(about 1/2km) above the Narmada river to reach the shrine. Loud hymns played on the bridge in the background. There were many hawkers selling all kinds of things, like offerings of flowers and prasadas, some hand crafted toys and artificial jewellery and some fruits. On our return from temple, my friend and I bought sliced cucumber with salt and red pepper…it was very tasty.



We reached the temple after crossing the bridge and there was long queue to go in for sighting of the lingas. I was offered a (short cut to avoid long queue) back gate for closer darshan. It was just for 2 minutes sighting and then we all gathered at another temple outside, behind the main temple.


A proper prayer was conducted by the priest with offering of flowers and sweets.



On route I saw many people dressed in white, with a stick in one hand and bottle of water in other. I learnt that these people take the water from the river and do the Parikarma all around Narmada to fulfil their wishes.



The view from the bridge was really scenic....

To be continued.............

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MPdiaries Part 12. Ujjain 6 Feb 2020 8:28 AM (5 years ago)

Any direction you look, all you see are temples. We visited many temples at Ujjain and all were unique in its own way. We were asked to stick to vegetarian diet, so that we could visit all the temples guilt free.



We visited temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, Mahakaleshwar Jyotilinga, that has shrines said to be most sacred abode of Lord Shiva.



In another temple, there were beautiful painting on the walls , ceiling, doors, pillars, exhibiting the 14 disciplines of knowledge.

Our next stop was at Kal Bhairav temple. Kal Bhairav is the guardian deity of Ujjain. He is considered as Senapati of the town. I was surprised to see the tray of prasad that people were buying at the stalls. There was liquor, incense sticks and marigold flowers for offering amongst other things.



Hundreds of devotees offer liquor to the deity. I stood in front of the deity to watch the pundit offer prayers and take the saucer containing liquor near the deity’s lips, that had slit. He tilts the saucer and the liquid disappeared. The rest of the bottle was given back as prasaad.. The priest claims that there is no cavity in the slit and that deity swallows the liquor offered to Him.



There are five tantric ritual offered to temple deity known as Panchmakara: alcohol (madya), meat(maansa), fish (meena) parched grains(mudra) sexual intercourse(maithuna). Only alcohol is offered, other four offering are in form of symbolic rituals.



Outside the temples, the roads were very busy with street vendors selling all kinds of things, and I was drooling over big sized papads sold on the streets.  (which of course, I didn’t eat)



The Ujjain Simhastha is a mass Hindu prigrimage. This is famous for the Khumb mela that is held every 12 years, on the banks of Kshipra river. During the Simhastha, thousands of Hindus gather to bathe in a sacred river.



I didn’t visit all the temples, but clicked the pictures from a distance, saying prayers silently, mainly to seek blessing for living my life peacefully.

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MPdiaries Part 11. Sanchi 30 Jan 2020 5:16 AM (5 years ago)


 We drove 46kms away from Bhopal to reach Sanchi stupas that are one of the oldest stone structures in India and important monument of Indian architecture 



Originally commissioned by Emperor Ashoka, the great of the Maurya Empire in the 3rd century, its nucleus were built over the relics of Buddha on a raised terrace encompassing its base, a railing and a stone umbrella on the summit..



Although made of stone, the gateways are carved and constructed in the manner of wood and the gateways are covered with narrative sculptures, considered as the birthplace of Jataka illustrations



The reliefs show scenes from the life of the Buddha integrated with everyday events that would be familiar to the onlookers and so makes it easier for them to understand the Buddhist creed as relevant to their lives. Women were given the equal status and women are seen also riding the elephants.



The complex is huge and there are many different shape and sizes of stupas.



It was a scenic spot and we could see the bird's eye view of the city. There is a small restaurant-cum-handicraft shop that burnt our pockets and we gave the shopkeeper a lot of business.



There were geese (symbolical perhaps of the flock of the Buddha's disciples), happily moving around in the compound and were a target for our photography.



On the northern slope, just before the stupa is the Chethiyagiri Buddish Temple and a museum.



To be continued….


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MPdiaries Part 10. Bhopal 29 Jan 2020 6:28 AM (5 years ago)


We reached Bhopal late evening and checked into a nice comfortable Raj Bhoj Hotel.

Bhopal is the capital city of Madhya Pradesh, known as the city of natural and artificial lakes and is also one of the greenest cities in India.



I couldn't see all the lakes but did see one big lake (on route) a Bada Talaab aka Bhojtal that had a 32 feet statue of Raja Bhoj, the king of Malwa in the water closer to the promenade.
According to legend, Bhopal was founded by Parmara Raja Bhoj, King of Malwa, in the 11th Century AD. He was intellectual, believer of justice, art lover, musician and a good administrator.

We had stopped earlier at Tropic of Cancer spot to click few shots



 Tropic of Cancer, otherwise known as northernly circle of latitude, was used by ancient travellers, who used the heavenly guides, as the crucial demarcation lines. Many of my fellow travellers got off the bus to click pictures with that sign in the background.



Bhopal attracted international attention in December 1984, when there was leakage of deadly poisonous gases composed mainly of methyl isocynate. We passed by the affected area, that was shanty. This part of the city bears the scars of that disaster. The impact of the disaster continues to this day in terms of physiological and neurological disabilities, blindness,, breathing and birth disorders.

The city is developing into the smart city and there was lot of constructions going on. Very close to our hotel was a most innovative Peoples’ mall,  (still under construction) but worthy of our visit.



Spread over 80acres, PeoplesMall is the perfect option for spending a leisure time with family and friends. It is no ordinary mall with shops, food court and multiplex but it also has a huge theme park in its complex that has ship, airport and railway station. We hired an electronic cart to explore the area that had miniature monuments from around the world that included the replicas of Taj Mahal, Red fort, Taj hotel of Mumbai, Statue of liberty, Japanese and Chinese monuments and many more important monuments.



There were street performers, live.music and many more such entertainment. For children there is water park and car rides. There is go-carting for youngsters. I was told that this complex is also used for wedding and other important events at its large open spaces. It is a must see place when visiting Bhopal 


To be continued….



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MPdiaries Part 9. Bhojpur 24 Jan 2020 8:33 AM (5 years ago)


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On our route towards Bhopal, we stopped at Bhojpur during evening hours.  We were here to see the Shiva temple called Bhojeshwar temple. The bus had stopped at quite a distance, and we walked through narrow, broken roads, passing through thatched house where villagers still use dried cow dung as fuel for cooking. A musician sat at the end of the road playing drums.



We saw the big red structure stood at the distance. Friends were tired of walking up the steep hill, so we decided to sit for a while.

We walked closer and saw stairs leading up the platform. I was tired and wondered that could I buckle up so much energy to climb those steep steps that had no railing for support. My friends had already climbed up and they asked me to come from the side of the wall, luckily there was a muddy ramp on either of the temple, so there was no need to climb those steps,



The Bhojeshwar temple is contributed by the fact that it was never finished and it is believed to date back to 11th century. It is quite an odd temple with no curvilinear domed towers, three of the walls are completely plain on the exterior, with just a few carvings on the entrance that seemed like it was made later. 




There were steel steps to climb up to reach the interior of the temple. Inside the temple there was a huge Shiv linga -18 feet long and 7 feet diameter made from one single stone, There were another set of big stone stairs that led  downwards to reach the bottom of the lingam where punditji sat there offering flowers and prasad to the devotees.




I did not climb down, instead, turned around and watched the sunset behind the temples spread over huge platform. It was lovely sight indeed and I love gazing at sunsets.



On our way back I could see some unfinished architectural fragments scattered far and wide in the various stages of extraction…



and a big park behind the temple where people seemed happy to relax



But we had to reach the next leg of our journey, so  headed back, we were in that big bus to continue with our journey

To be continued……….

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MPdiaries Part 8. Bhimbetka 23 Jan 2020 4:00 AM (5 years ago)

On our way to Bhopal, we stopped by at a very interesting site called Bhimbetka.  Here you find large rock shelters that have paintings that date back to thousands of years depicting the life of the people through different eras.  This has been now declared as UNESCO world heritage site.



At some shelters, it was easy to walk because of the wooden flooring installed there. Here is where I could comfortably walk, without loosing my balance and could scrutinise the paintings done on the inner  flat walls that served as canvas. There were no engraving in this region. The paintings are made from three different techniques. Transparent technique, opaque technique and crayons technique.

There were sign boards at regular distances that gave some information that helped us understand what we were to see.

One board read



You will see 15 rock shelters occupied by the early man and the life depicted in paintings. The habitation deposit emerge the cultural sequence from lower palacolithic to Meslithitic, you will find in the trenches of the shelter 1 and 2 have some cupules made on huge rock on the western end, considered by some scholars as the man’s earliest manifestation of creativity, prohably associated with one lakh years before. An elaborately painted shelter 4 known as zoo rock comprised 252 animals of 16 different species, from here walking towards north one can enjoy the watershed of Betwa river and natural ambience. Noticing many painted rock shelters, you will see the rock shelter no 15. Here an amazing scene of giant mythical animal chasing a human, painted with ochre color, can be seen on the upper surface of the rock shelter. You may here experience natural geological formation, various shaped rocks and other painted rock shelters. And their natural envirnoment including flora and fauna. Watching all these you will walk 1400 meters

Of course, I did not walk all the 15 rock shelters, because the path at some places was quite tricky. But it was interesting to see the drawing done on the walls



What was remarkable about this site was the paintings are done with mineral colors. mainly ochre and white on huge natural rocks of sandstone by people from different era. There are hunting scenes, battle scenes, different animals, birds, hunting tools flora and fauna of that era painted over different generation and still very clearly visible.

Besides, the caves also has a number of cupules depressions on stone, which are the man’s earliest manifestation of creativity, probably associated with lower paleolithic period.



One big rock had caved in and stone sculptures are carved out of imagination about how people must have spent their time..man painting on the rock and woman mixing paint while child waits for attention..




There are over 700 rock shelters in this region...as for me..I visited the site that had 15 rock shelters and I just saw few because of shortage of time. But i enjoyed sitting on smooth black rock admiring the panoramic view of the landscape surrounding the rocks.




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MPdiaries Part 7. Panchmarhi 22 Jan 2020 9:38 AM (5 years ago)


Like every state in India have their own hill station, Madhya Pradesh has its hill station at Panchmarhi at 1067 meters, commonly known as Satpura ki Rani. It has also been recognised as UNESCO biosphere reserve.

We checked into InderPrasad Hotel late in the evening after a long drive from Jabalpur.. We had a good room with twin beds and a beautiful view outside the window. There was a small market nearby, where we went to buy few local products. The lobby had a small comfortable cubicle, outside the dining hall, where we spend our leisure hours playing cards. Surprisingly, the wifi was free in this town and we had free internet access even when we were on the road.

Early next morning, we hired jeeps to go around the city. It is a city of natural beauty with caves, waterfall and temples.



Although there are lot of tourists visiting this place for natural beauty and caves, the infrastructure is very poor. The gardens are well developed but the roads are poorly developed. I needed assistance during my walks and I did not dare to walk up the steep hills. I wanted to see the Pandav caves, but there were narrow steep steps to climb up and I would not dare. I sat for some time under the tree, then decided to walk around the garden. The garden was well maintained and had manicured plants and trees. It had lots of cactus and rich flora and fauna.



The city has many naughty monkeys who surprise you with their sudden appearance and may even steal your belongings if you are not careful. The jeep driver advised us to pick up the sticks to scare the monkeys away. We walked down the dirt road with sticks in our hand and headed towards Mahadeva temple. We just climbed 52 steps to reach a cave. The cave was dark and wet. There was a small waterfall inside the cave, water was cool to touch, I washed my feet and walked towards the Shiva idol. The energy inside the cave was very positive and it really felt good.



 There were more caves in this area,  there was too many steps to climb, but then all caves will be same, you see one, you have seen them all, unless you want to be adventurous and do some more exercise, then it will be a good pastime to explore. Everywhere there was trident (Shiva’s Trishul). That is recognised as Lord’s ubiquitous symbol and there were hundreds of them everywhere….



After lunch, everybody went to see Jatashankar caves. I did not go because I was told that it would be too steep for me to walk. I rested at the hotel till they came back to fetch me for an evening drive to Priyadarshini view point to see the deep valley from the mountain top and later went to panorama point called Rajendragiri point where we were able to see beautiful sunset...

Later in the evening we went shopping again..In the hotel was this map of Madhya Pradesh and it was fun marking the route we had travelled during our trip



To be continued………

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MPdiaries Part 6. Jabalpur 21 Dec 2019 6:06 AM (5 years ago)


We spend lot of time on road trip all over MP, but bus journey was not boring. I am reminded of the movie ‘Bombay to Goa’ wherein you meet all kinds of people. Some are dozing, some fast asleep, some noisy, some want to sing, some want to eat. My friends spent most of their journey playing cards…just three of them across the aisle, they would play different games..it was a good time pass for them. I was occupying the front seat and could see the road from the glass window in front of me. I had made myself comfortable by tucking cushions behind my back and a shawl over my legs. I enjoyed the journey watching cities pass by.



After a long journey from the jungles of Bandaravagarh, we reached Jabalpur. We checked into Rishi Regency. It was quite a comfortable hotel with separate twin beds.



I was glad that the weather in #Jabalpur was pleasant, so i didn't mind climbing down 72 step to go for a boat ride at #BhedaGhat And what a ride it was! Surrounded by dark green water on all sides and the sun setting behind the marble stones.(that looked like Meccana's gold). We rowed on calm waters of Narmada river.



Our ferryman was an interesting person..he had humour and talent to speak in rhymes mixing Hindi and English ....."Water is deep,.marble stones on all sides, left or right only suicide is allowed



There were some kids standing at the top of cliff willing to dive and reach our boat for a fee of Rs50. The ride was very enjoyable. However, climbing up the 72 steps was quite a challenge......



At #Jabalpur, we walked through the narrow alley towards #Duandharwaterfalls. The lane is laced on both sides with shops selling handicraft items and articles made of pure marble. We walked across small alleys with shops selling artifacts, marble statues, incense stick holders, marble turtles, vases and everything that can be made with marble. You can even get your names inscribed on marble designs. Turtles seem to be the favorites they were designed in various forms and materials. There were some beautiful marble toys that I have never seen anywhere else in India. The lane seemed endless, stretched over more than a kilometre. I walked halfway but decided to take a cable car instead. This was the best option and the view from top was splendid. It seemed like a miniature of Niagara falls. The waters of Narmada river fall over glittering marble rocks with such force that it leaves you amazed at the beauty of the nature...

While all our group members had walked down for one and half kilometre to experience the waterfall, we were glad that we took a ride in the cable car and watched from the top. Of course, had we walked down closer to the waters, we could have wet our feet and enjoyed the spray on our faces, but then you cannot get everything…

To be continued…..

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MPdiaries Part 5. Bhandarvagarh 20 Dec 2019 8:13 AM (5 years ago)


After driving all day, we reached Bhandarvagarh late evening. I couldn’t see anything, but a narrow road and thick bushes on either side of the road. It seemed like a ghostly town with not a person in sight. The bus moved slowly  over uneven mud road till we reached the beautiful resort called Mogli Resort. We were to stay in the middle of the jungle. I was quite impressed with the rooms, it was large and spacious with all the comfort one could ask for. There was a big open ground surrounding all the villas and a dining hall across our room.



Early morning 6am, we set out for a long drive into the deep forest for jungle safari at Bandhavgarh National Park in an open jeep.



The forest is spread over1536 kms. I was hoping to see Bengal Tigers (for which this park is famous for) ..but was not lucky to spot any. The professional photographers wait for hours by the pond waiting for thirsty animal to come into their focus but we waited only for 20 minutes..then drove around for nearly five hours.



However I did spot deer at several spots..they ran swiftly behind the trees. The ride was pleasant through this tropical forest with lovely fragrance of leaves and the beautiful chirping of birds.




Evening at Bandhavagarh was spent playing group games. Since our group was divided into two groups, one group for 15days tours and second group for 7days tour. This was the last day for group doing 7days tour. We had evening of games..childish but fun…just being alert in pronouncing certain words….the person who was most alert was the winner, the distracted ones faltered. I had no interest in playing any such games but enjoyed distracting the players with my comments. till all my friends dropped out.



We were seated at open ground. It was getting chilly. Bonfire was lit, we sat around it in smaller groups and we began to relax as the warmth touch our faces and feet.



Later part of the evening was spent enjoying the traditional folk dance of MP called karma Nach. These dances are the reflection of rich heritage culture of the state. The dancers were dressed in vibrant colorful costumes. The women had their head covered and danced gracefully in rhythm with slow hand movements. Men had sticks in their hand striking the sticks of the persons on their sides and they all moved in circles adding the dramatic rhythm. They also performed acrobatic dance. Such dances are normally performed during festivals to celebrate the rich harvest by the natives of Madhya Pradesh.. 
Cross posted on my FB

It was the most relaxing evening spent during this trip.

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MPdiaries Part 4....Khajuraho 17 Dec 2019 9:09 AM (5 years ago)


We reached late evening at Khajuraho and checked into the hotel- Khajuraho Temple View. There was a beautiful view of lake outside the hotel and on the other side of the lake were the Khajuraho temples.



Early morning we set out to visit the temples. Day was spent visiting the monuments of Hindu and Jain temples.



First we headed towards Jain temple. The sadhvi dressed in white, with a peacock feather whisk, a metal water pot and scripture roamed barefoot around the campus.



There were hymn playing in the temples and you could hear them loud even if you did not enter the temples. All temples had high steps with no railing support to climb up. I needed help each time I wished to climb those steps



These temples are considered as the UNESCO World Heritage site.  There are about 22 temples in the campus. These are built of sandstones and are famous for their nagara architectural symbolism and their erotic sculptures. There were about 84 postures of  erotic sculptures. We were asked to listen to the guide to understand the legends and the stories hidden behind these sculptures. There were beautiful carvings around the walls of the temples and I stood there admiring the art and workmanship of the artist. .. some sculptures depict the tantric activity in sex, some the lifestyles and the cultural history of the people that lived in that era. They told the story of how people spend their time,, men hunting and travelling, women grooming and entertaining.  There were apsaras elegantly dressed in finery and jewels, with mirror in their hand, applying kohl in their eyes or henna in their hair.

It tells the story of how people tried to keep the balance between their worldly pleasure and their spiritual life. Then there are sculptures of musicians, painters, army, animals, instruments used for different purpose, arm weapons, vehicles, transport and also flowers mainly lotus. Every God had their own vehicle. Just like Ganesha has mouse as its vehicle,  Kaam God (the God of passion) has parrot as vehicle Goddess Laxmi..wife of Vishnu has owl as her vehicle, Goddess Saraswati has a swan.

You can see the Artists' imagination in carving out the figures with profound expressions, such that, they actually speak to you. . I would have loved to go through all 22 temples but I needed help to climb those large stone steps. I wish they would install strong railings for support or maybe an escalator?

We stopped to have coffee at the café in the park and then went for shopping. Had a relaxing afternoon playing cards in the common room. 


In the evening we went to see the light and sound show narrated by Amitabh Bacchan.

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MPdiaries Part 3..Orchha 16 Dec 2019 8:38 AM (5 years ago)


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The day was spent moving from Gwalior to Khajuraho. On our route, we stopped at Jhansi and Orchha. The bus was comfortable but the roads were bad. Most of the roads are being redeveloped, There is construction everywhere to built better roads, some of the cities of MP have plans to become smart cities.  On our way, we stopped at Jhansi ro see the Jhansi fort. There was some rally and the road was blocked.



Many of them walked up to the palace to have a dekho, but I was in no mood to climb the steep hill, therefore I just waited in the bus. However the guide came to the bus to tell me the story of Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi. He said that she married at the age of 11years, was widowed by 22years and died at 27yrs. It is amazing that she accomplished so much in such a short life. Later, my friends told me about the palace and the artifacts they saw at the museum and that I had missed it.



Our next stop was at Orchha. We stopped to visit Jahangir Palace and Raj Praveen Mahal. We crossed a long bridge to enter the huge wooden gate leading to the stone and mud steep path.



I needed help to navigate, specially to walk up the stairs that had no railings. We entered a large courtyard, that was surrounded by smaller rooms. Only two rooms had beautiful paintings on the walls and on the ceilings (belonging to the  king and the queen). Raj Mahal was occupied back then (in another century) by king and his six wives. However only the senior most queen enjoyed all the privileges, she had large room with beautiful painting, while others had just bare bedrooms.



There were stone stairways leading up to top floors and then to the terrace. The guide told us that queens spend  most of their time in their room, or on the  terrace or in the courtyards. Their parameters of movement was restricted to only inside the palace. (how lonely their life must have been, sometimes I wonder about that)



We climbed more steps to reach Jahangir Palace. The architecture is beautiful, with hanging balconies and turquoise blue tiles, built in 17th century as a warm reception to Jahangir, but climbing more steps to see the interior of the palace was not on my list.



The left side of the building was under redevelopment. It was being converted into a hotel. Nice way to monetise on these artistic building, which,  otherwise would stand neglected. 




Luckily I saw some cars parked in the driveway, so I discovered that there was no need to climb down those steps to reach the bus that was parked at quite a distance. I called up the auto service and took a ride back.



We stopped at the roadside for freshly brewed tea, that was very refreshing and then drove towards Khajuraho

To be continued………..

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MPdiaries Part 2..Gwalior 14 Dec 2019 9:09 AM (5 years ago)


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After a long night journey in the train-Punjab Mail, we reach Gwalior at 4pm. The tour operators come to receive us from the station and we are to stay at  Hotel Landmark. There is lot of excitement, we go to each others room to compare the comfort and we discover that some have good rooms and some are average. Our (I shared room with my friend) room is average. After freshening up, we go to the dining hall that is behind the building. We meet other members of the group over the short introduction. There are about 48 people who will travel with us..28 members have taken 7days tour and 22 members will be taking 15days tour with us. We have two buses.

The next day we do sightseeing.



If I were to just see the picture of Gwalior fort, I would never dare to explore it..I am afraid of steep steps and long treks..but somehow the curiosity got better of me and I followed my friends, walking slowly and went ahead to admire the architecture of this beautiful fort that is two miles long and 35 feet high. We had a guide with us who told us interesting stories as he took us around the fort, showing us the music rooms, library, entertainment lawn and many other rooms..The carvings and the designs on the walls had significance of art and culture....unfortunately, the mirrors that gave the fort its beauty are not there anymore but it indeed fits its description as "The pearl amongst the fortresses of Hind" 

Cross posted from my Facebook timeline

One room I was specially impressed was the music room that had lattice walls. The queens sat behind the walls and watched the performance of the musicians and dancers, but the musicians were not allowed to look up to have any eye contact with  the women. 



We spend two hours exploring the fort, each room very artistically done with engraving of animals, flowers and geometrical designs…Next we drove through busy street to go to Tansen tomb.



Gwalior is blessed with musicians. It is believed that even when a child cries..there is music in his voice .Remember Tansen? The great musician of Mughal era? His body rests here surrounded by architectrual structure with hexagonal pillars in four corners. The building is square, topped by a square dome with blue ceramic tiles. The tomb walls have intricate carvings with latticework. There was a tamarind tree closer to Tansen's tombs. We plucked the sour leaves to clear our throat and then tried to sing classical like Tansen...we still couldn't match his talent...but at least we tried....

Cross posted from my Facebook profile.



We came to the hotel for lunch (cooked for the group) and then left again the evening to Jal Vilas Palace






The huge Jai Vilas palace had 423 rooms..how they kept it sparkling clean is anybody's guess but for fitness freak, just walking inside the palace can cover 10,000 steps. I saw only 25 rooms that had branded furniture and women wore gold embroidered clothes that we now see successful ppl wearing during weddings. There was a big indoor swimming pool with diving board, a big banquet hall with silver train that carried hard drinks for the guest and 2 huge crystal chandlers that are supposed be the biggest in the world.. it is the 19th century residence cum museum, it has splendid architecture and beautiful curios that belonged to Mughal Emperors and legendary Laxmibai of Jhansi. Unfortunately there was no lift in such a huge palace and climbing up and down to visit different rooms was quite challenging for me. 

Cross posted from Facebook timeline

We were back by 7pm, but I was quite tired. I came back to the room to read a book, while my friends went to explore the city, to do some shopping and some went to see Jain temple of the city.

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MPdiaries Part 1..The Trip 11 Dec 2019 7:02 AM (5 years ago)


Of all the places in India, Madhya Pradesh is not so popular as a holiday destination..I.mean, the number of trips that I have done in India in the North South East West, visiting places for scenic beauty or for food or for pleasure, or even to visit a relative, never have I planned MP until now...out of curiosity, I decided to join my seven friends to tour around MP with Kesari tours, I have travelled three times before with these tour operators and have been quite satisfied with their services. They take care of us, put us up in a reasonably good hotels, serve a comfortable trip and more over, they have travelling-in-house-cooks, who promptly prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner at what ever venue we are reaching, so we get good freshly cooked food and snacks.



And I have not been disappointed. I was totally surprised that there is so much to explore in MP, fortunately, they are in the process of building some smart cities, so there was lot of constructions going on..we were warned about bad roads and long delays on road trips, but there has been improvement and the trips were satisfactory.



The tour was of 15 days,  we travelled a total of 2300kms by road plus 2 days of railway travel. Our tour started from Gwalior and ended at Indore, we covered Jhansi, Orchha, Khajuraho, Bhandavghar, Jabalpur, Pachmarhi, Bhojpur, Bhimbetkar, Sanchi, Bhopal, Ujjain , Omkeshwar, Maheshwar, Mundu, Indore.

I enjoyed my road journey cause I had a front seat where I could watch the road and enjoy the view and the sun sets that filtered through the glass panes. My seat was very comfortable with extra cushions tucked aways behind my back and a shawl covering my legs. My friends at the back seat occupied themselves with game of cards or chit chat, but I mostly dozed or spend my time reading or writing while I enjoyed the view from my front seat.



While I was travelling, I used to post a small description of the places that I visited plus posted about 10 pictures everyday, but on social media, they get buried, so I have decided to post  them all on my blog, although its repetition, but at least I have them all at one spot. Starting a series of MPdiaries of all the places that I visited.

Stay connected…….. if interested….

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Relationship 27 Dec 2017 10:58 PM (7 years ago)



Few weeks ago I received my personal copy of “A Hundred little flames” autographed by Preeti Shenoy. It’s a fast paced book and quite enjoyable too (specially the second half of the book where you learn about the life of grandpa through his diary entries). A book on relationship, sacrifices, courage, pure love and comfort. Story of young Ayan who comes to live with his Grandfather, Gopal, to take care of him in a small village in Kerala. Preeti Shenoy has touched the chords of all kinds of relationship and as the story unfolds, true loves shines on.

Some relations we take for granted, specially those who live close to us. Our family. 

Parents, siblings, relatives, they are around us all the time, whether we need them or not. Sometimes we have family disputes, we part ways and cousins grow up as strangers. We have discussions, sometime heated arguments, but many times we are back together at the end of the day. Whenever there is celebrations, festivals or an occasion to meet, we get opportunity to rebuild the friendship. Sometimes the bond is created and some times not. But family remains there until lifetime.

With free Watsapp video and phone calls, the bond has become even stronger. The distances don’t separate us any more. Whom ever we remember, they are just a phone call away. I feel blessed to be connected to my family- aunts, uncles, niece, nephews, cousins. We have family groups, cousins groups, close friends groups, it keeps the conversations going, and the news is updated regularly in-between 'Goodmorning' , 'greetings' and forward messages. Since my family is scattered all around the world, its fun travelling and visiting them. We have our favourites, we plan vacations together and meet regularly in some or other part of the world.

Friends on other hand, last only as long as the bond is strong. 

A mild misunderstanding, or temporary separation and the relationship fades away.  I have been fortunate to develop close relationship with many friends. Some have lasted lifetime, many have parted ways. When I meet them after many years, I cannot remember their name. Its very embarrassing. I am short of conversation. Where do I begin the dialogue? How freely can I ask about their private life. I don’t wish to be nosy but still I want to know the details of the missing years. Where does that love disappear? How have their priorities changed?  Where do we draw a line? I have short memory, what is past is best forgotten. I only enjoy the present moment. 

The same kind of relationship cannot be built with same person after a gap of many years. Or can they??

You can never control whom you fall in love with. Be it man or woman, love just happens. We don’t fall in love with people because they are fun, pretty, influential,  it just happens.

Relationship that is based on give-and-take is always short lived. Expectations are large and disappointments even larger. We can give love but cannot expect the people to love us back. love can only be earned, it cannot be forced. I have realised that I don't have to change to make people like me. Love is built on respect, adjustment and selflessness, where the comfort level is high. I just have to be myself and people must love the real me. Silence and anger is never a solution, ego built up , ruins relationship. Communication is important. If we have spirit of understanding everything in positive way, there will never be any level of pressure.

Greatest pain is when death do us apart -be it a close friend or a family member. You feel the void, the emptiness. We try to evaluate whether we could have been a little bit more kind, more adjusting, more caring, but then its too late.

As we age, we will see more separations from our loved ones. The older we get, the more lonely we will get. We can built relationship with younger people half our age, but it will never be the same.

Life will go on. Time does not stop for anybody. Tomorrow will be another day….

#AHundredLittleFlames story!

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Erotic Stories For Punjabi Widows- Book Review 21 Sep 2017 5:36 AM (8 years ago)


Bali Kaur Jaswal has done an excellent job of engaging the reader’s attention with a story that involves Punjabi widows.

Nikki, a young law-student drop-out, takes up the job of English tutor at the Indian Community Centre at Southhall gurudwara, where widows enroll. The women don’t know to read or write but they have bold fantasies and stories beneath their white garment. The English workshop turns into erotic story-telling club.

Nikki encourages women to share their dark secrets of longings and womanhood, The widow have great fun. Only one woman writes the stories while others relate.  The thrill begins when the stories leak out of the classroom, and are passed through emails and photocopies to the whole of Indian community in London.

At first, I was stunned to read about the erotic detail of the older women of Indian community. Such topics are taboo in our culture and we hardly hear such intimate stories. (not even amongst our close friends). I even hid the book, when I had visitors at home, fearing judgement for a single person like me seeking pleasures on a sly. 

But as the story progressed, I found Ms Jaswal cleverly weave the story of sex, murder and mystery into most interesting plot that captivated me till the last page.

A hilarious book, enjoyed reading it.


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Yugpurush- A must-see-play-you-are-sure-to-enjoy 8 May 2017 9:55 AM (8 years ago)

This week, I was invited to watch the play Yugpurush (in Hindi) at Nehru Centre. Until now (forgive my ignorance) I was not aware that our great leader Mahatama Gandhi also had mentor who played a pivotical role in shaping up his strong character of peace through non-violence.



This is the best play I have watched in a long time. I was very impressed by the dialogue delivery, the expressions (that were so realistic) and the way the play was handled. It transported me to another century where Mahatma tells the story of his mentor, Shripad Rajchandra, a  poet, philosopher, spiritual guru and one of the Mahatama’s closest friend, and how he was responsible for shaping up his personality and his belief in non-violence and his peaceful solution to grave problems.



The props kept changing with great efficiency, relating the story during different times and I sat mesmerised as I watched the scene and the situation move from one location to another.  At one point, you are in his humble home, where he is sitting by his loom weaving cloth, at another moment he is in Bombay, as a young Lawyer looking for a job, where he meets his mentor,  At another instant he is at the ship yard with tourist on route to his trip to Africa and at another instant, he is in Jail with his freedom fighters behind the bars. The play scores the most in creating realistic and visually stunning scenarios throughout its duration.The story moves from present to past to present again and the inert positions of the actors  transports you to that era.



At one scene, Mahatma is caught up between two religions, Muslim and Christianity and he is in dilema as to which religion should he follow, Muslim or Christian or should he continue to uphold his own values as a Hindu. He is advised to look within him to find answers.

After Gandhi moved to South Africa, the duo corresponded through thousand of letters. It is through this correspondence that Mahatma understands the value of non-violence, the fearlessness and his tranforming character and consciousness.



Directed by Rajesh Joshi and written by Uttam Gada, the play features Parthsarthi Vaidya, Pulkit Solanki and Babul Bhavsar in important roles. The credit goes to the director for handling difficult scenes and to the lighting and the props used as well.

It is worth a watch. There is no moment of boredom. I would love to watch it again and again.


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Visit to Tea Gardens At Kerala 31 Jan 2017 2:38 AM (8 years ago)

Dear Rohit

I have not seen you on the Facebook since a long time.  Each day I go to check your timeline I do not see any fresh status on your block under  "Whats on your mind".  I had posted some pictures lately of my trip to Kerala but there were no  likes nor any comments from you. Did you do that on purpose? Did you ignore my post or have you been away from  Facebook lately? Hope all is well with you.



 Last week I spent few days at the tea estate at Peermade, four hours drive away from Cochin. I was with my women companions...friends who are beautiful inside out..ones who I love most dearly..ones who add sunshine to my life, the combination of their presence with the beautiful stretch of greenery spread over miles and miles of open space transported me to another world..of happiness and bliss...a pure personal delight.  My virtual friends  on social media, who saw the pictures of my trip thought that I was at the most boring place to be, since they could not see any other people besides us. They wondered as to what fun could we have in such a lonely place.



But believe me Rohit, it was a wonderful experience. I wish you had also come along with us, I am sure you would have liked it. I know, I know, its my fault. But then, I couldn't have invited you since we were a group of only five women. 

Early mornings were the best. The crisp air had lovely fragrance, perfect time to practise Ramdev's pranayams. We would spend the time on cane furniture, out at the porch, soaking in the sun, sipping warm jeera flavored water, chit chatting in our night clothes, our hands clutching the shawl wrapped tightly over our shoulder. So many stories to share..of family, of friends,  of good times, of bad times, knitting the canvas of past memories together, bridging the moments with laughter and fun. Each day was so precious, that I would wish it could last forever.    Not that there was no moment of silence, there were. Sometimes I sought an empty corner of the house to be alone..to check my thoughts..but it lasted just a while. The murmurs of group chat always distracted me...I didn't want to miss on those conversations.



Days were spent exploring the area, driving through the uneven dirt tracks in between long stretches of small neatly arranged shrubs of tea plantation., some of roads were too narrow and bumpy, so dangerous that we slipped off our seats. Since seat belt is not an Indian culture...we held on tightly to seats or to the friends arm for support....eyes popping off sockets with instant fear. Diverting our attention to a game of Antakshree was the best option.



Rohit, I am sure you would have enjoyed the South Indian cuisine.  When in Kerala, eat what locals eat...so south Indian food was our regular diet. We had three cooks in the kitchen who pampered us with their delicious cuisine. Fish  made regular appearance at our dining table so much so that our vegetarian friends wondered how we could enjoy the fish everyday. But we did. It may seem like same fish everyday to my vegetarian friends, what do they know the difference in taste between Rawas, Tuna or Sardines? For them fish means fish, with tail, head, fins. One afternoon I even spend some time in the kitchen watching the cooks churn out a  tasty fish curry. I have made a note of the recipe and clicked pictures too and I plan to cook for you sometime. Coconut rice was another dish that I enjoyed a lot..you would have loved the delicious coconut bits with dash of mustard seeds and curry leaves...You missed it, I am telling you, you really missed it. For my vegetarian friends there were dosas and appam with stew or sambar...and spicy coconut chutney. 

We were not totally cut off from reality. Although it was difficult to get telephone range, we were lucky. We had wifi. It was easy to stay connected on line. I was able to post pictures on Instagram and also tweeted some interesting moments. We heard music on U-tube. Lazy hours were dotted with music and game of cards. We played with only plastic chips, winning a game brought so much pleasure. I also cheated in game of cards, (like I always do) but then it was not with real money, so its okay to cheat and be caught in that act.  I captured many candid shots on my camera to share on Facebook and Watsapp hoping that you would see. But you didn't. People who saw the pictures were not very impressed. They felt impossible to believe that I could enjoy in such wilderness...there is not a soul...just greenery...But we did.... 



On our third day, we went into the city at Tekkady..We walked down a busy street, shopping for silver jewellery, ate freshly fried hot banana chips. In the south, they fry banana chip on the road like they fry batatawadas in Mumbai. The air smelt strongly of burnt oil. 

I even sneaked into a beauty parlour for instant kerala spa. I wanted to try the Shirodhara massage, an Ayurvedic treatment that consists on dripping oil on the forehead, exactly in the place where the traditional Indian culture says the third eye is located, I was told that we could find the gate to our inner realms, in a randomised, controlled protocol involving regular movements. But then, I would have to wait for two more hours at the place and then go out with oily body. (Friend tells me that after such massage you are in daze, you walk like zomby with irregular gait). Time was short, so I went for just head massage.



We went to see Kathakali dance. Have you see this beautiful cultural performance? This dance focussed on facial expressions. The performers are dressed in huge stiff colorful dress, their face painted with thick different color mask. The colors reflect certain categories of emotions and gunas (attributes). For example Green goes with godliness, white with spirituality, red with ambition and violence, yellow with passivity and black with evil. Rohit, did you know that?

Their eyes rolled to the rhythm of mridangam from left to right, up and down like marble chips on a billiard board, their face expressions narrating a mythological story without words. You have to see this performance Rohit, this is so amazing. 



Later, we walked down the spice garden, plucking out the bark of cinnamon off the tree, or nibbling on fresh, soft cardamom seeds. There were bay leaves, and cloves, and edible leaves and herbs,  spice fragrance was so strong that I had an urge to cook a Briyani. We did some spice shopping at the end of spice trail. Unnecessary expenses, you would say, if you would see the number of bags I bought back home.

The days passed too soon. There is so much more I could tell you about this trip but I am saving the interesting part to share with you when I meet you personally. I have to go back to Kerala again and this time it will be with you.

Loves
Pushee


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PS: I have posted a video of my trip on Utube, do watch when you have time. Here is thelink 

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Decoupage Workshop With 50 Young 17 Nov 2016 8:13 AM (8 years ago)

I have always been interested in decoupage art. It is very simple to make, all it requires is patience and innovation. The best part is that we can use almost any thing, tissue paper, greeting cards, fabric, magazine clippings, newspaper, photographs, etc. All you need to do is to cut, paste and then cover with several coats of varnish or lacquer. Some of the decoupage work that I have done in the past……



Lately I attended a decoupage workshop to get into the groove and re-hone my creative skills. 50-young group had organised the decoupage workshop and Sangeeta Pardeshi was our mentor.

All the things that were required for this session on decoupage were neatly assembled on the table. Colorful tissue paper, glue, sponge, sandpaper, Mod fudge, latex white paint and wooden pencil holder.

We started by painting the wooden pencil holder with latex white paint and kept it for drying.



The printed tissue paper was a special kind and it had three layers. We separated the three layers, discarded the plane ones and worked on printed layer only. The border had to be torn off. Tearing the paper is better than cutting, the rough edges of the tissue blends easily with the back ground.

For 3d work that I had work on some time back, a very sharp scissors was used to cut the prints separately, the white edges were painted black before I could use it. Three layers of same print were placed one over the other to give depth by folding the second and third layer. (well that is for advance work)

Coming back, the three layers of tissue paper were separated, and the colorful printed top layer was used for the project.



Working slowly, we applied glue to the white pencil holder (that we had painted earlier)…stuck the tissue paper with the brush and applied glue neatly (inside and outside of tissue) in one direction only over the print. Care must be taken to avoid crease and to iron out the bubble (if any). Left it to dry



To give the gloss, it was covered with few layers of ModPodge, drying each layer before applying the next coat.



Sandpaper is used to smoothen the rough edges and give a good finish.



The decoupage session was of two hours, but time just tick by. There was a lucky draw and I won one more article.


I was excited to share this art with my friends. We met over lunch at friend’s home and then sat down to work on making more things.

It was an enjoyable evening creating designs on drinking glasses.



There are many videos on decoupage available on line. If you seriously want to practise this art, you could watch tutorials on U-tube. One link that clearly explains this art, gives step by step tutorials. Do visit it at http://www.wikihow.com/Decoupage

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