Well here goes it.. Feels like a day at the pre school, where you are skeptical about what might come your way, you feel scared with a gazillion doubts in your heads... but you take the plunge.
Learnt the Shahdah:
La illaha illa allah, Muhammad Rasoolu allah
And there am all Set!
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Do You Always Know?
I am not someone who would talk about what goes in my head as I don’t think I can make myself understood because am not really the best at communicating what I feel. But yes I would be lying if I say that there is nothing that I want in life and that I have everything(infact to be honest there is nothing much that I have- no people around who I can depend on or would want to depend on, no aspirations, no plan and the constant tussle between wanting to be too many things at the same time)… There are times when I feel that if I want I can get rid of this mechanical life, tiresome job, irritating people around me and just give it all up, as I am under no compulsion to deal with it. But then I would not want to be one of those who always had it easy in life… though I have been quite lucky so far as I never had to really fight for things. (I have no idea if I am making any sense but believe me you, this is how my brain functions. It keeps oscillating between things trying to rationalize the randomness that exists and trying to fuzz out the little bit of clarity that I ever had about anything and everything)
Just like the fight club.. “After fighting, everything else in your life got the volume turned down”
and that’s why I just fight things every day…am always in this phase of learning where I feel that I can inculcate whichever thinking, rationalizing, randomizing processes that exist.
There are days when I want to be this person who works real hard, excels professionally and commands respect… then there are days when I don’t want to do a thing in life and just sit back and read a novel or watch a movie.. then there are days when I would be all hyper about doing something totally different from things that I have ever done…. Days where I dream of being involved in heroic deeds.. acts that set me apart from the rest.. days when I am this simple person who has a world of her own – a tiny one of just a few people who I live for… days when I am this nicey nicey being who is loved by all… days when I am the conniving bitch who does not give a damn about what is happening around and does not care for any one else as after all it is my life… days when I want to keep people around me happy and live for them and not for myself… days when I totally curse myself for having taken the decisions that I have and where I feel that life would have been a lot easier if only I had decided wisely earlier…. Days when nothing could have been better than what it is at the present… days when I am in perfect harmony with the kind of life I lead and am grateful for all that comes my way… days filled with envy where I want to be this particular person who has always enjoyed life more than I have.. days when I want to be this queen of sacrifices where people around me take pity on me….days when am this tragic heroine who has done a lot for others and does not get enough appreciation for what I do… days when I am this woman who has total control over her life and can do anything that she wants… days where am this mean person who has always hurt people around and am in this apologetic spree.. days when I feel that am better than most of the others as I am genuine and I donot pretend…oxymoronic yes but there are such days too… days when family is all that I would ever live for… days when I would easily give up on the personal life and just go wandering…. Days when I want to be a recluse in the Himalayas where life is peaceful… days when I want to be a monk as you submit yourself to this extremely exhaustive rule sheet that you never have to make any decisions further in life as there are no choices offered…
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Punjab - Of ghee laden food, colonial architecture, paddy fields - a devouts paradise and shopper's delight
Last weekend went on this trip to Punjab – the wheat capital of the country. Known for its fertile alluvial soil, hospitality, the golden Temple, rich food(read dripping with makkhan and overflowing with dry fruits), the 5 rivers- this is what sets this apart from its neighboring states.
Ludhuiana: The first stop
Around 400kms from the capital (New Delhi), Ludhiana is well connected by rail(trains at all convenient times, generally from the old delhi station, takes from 4-6 hours), road(buses from ISBT every hour, AC coaches, Volvos, seaters, sleepers..all kinds, 5-8hours), flights too. This is a huge industrial town and is the garment manufacturing hub. From machinery, to automotive components, to chemicals to fabrics to readymade clothes… the city breads business houses.
There are special fabrics like organic cotton which has attracted the attention of many a people. UV&W is a brand by the Venus group of industries that has been certified for its green technologies.
The culture is loud with kids in their teens driving cars bigger than twice their height. Large bungalows, independent houses with larger gardens sprinkled with lush green grass is a common sight. Evenings are about walks in the gardens with pets (especially dogs of the larger breed). People here live life king size and do not settle for smaller things.
When in town you must try the famous Kalia ka samosas , the butter kulcha at the famous lucky dhaba on the outskirts of the city (some 50kms on the GT Road), Lassi and the fresh makkhan.
The station is a small junction, not the neatest and full with people lying on the ground waiting for their trains or maybe just using the shelter.
The local transport constitutes the shared auto rickshaw and the cut little cycle rickshaws.
All in all a small city on the banks of the River Sutlej, where food is life!
Amritsar: Pit stop 2
The Golden Temple, the Jalianwalah Bagh, the wagah Border, the Tandoori Kulchcha stuffed with the aromatic Indian spices, jalebis and lassi.. yeah that’s the city in short!
The golden Temple is the most revered place by the Sikhs. It witnesses a minimum of 50,000 tourists everyday. The langar(community meals) served to some 30000 people, long queues to get a glimpse of the guru granth sahib(the holy book) and pay homage to it. The Prasad overflowing with ghee is a delightful sight.
The community kitchen is something that left me amazed. The mechanized way of making rotis with tones of flour, the huge (this would be an understatement) cooking vessels and the hundreds of devotees involved in dicing vegetables, cleaning dishes, serving, cooking has a lot to teach about harmony and peace.
The interiors of the main sanctum are covered in exquisite carvings on the roof, the domb and the pillars. The intricate design is beautiful and unique. The hand written guru Granth Sahib – is kept on the first floor under an intricately embroidered cloth.
The jalianwalah bagh where the horrifying massacre took place is a historic site. It still has bullet marks on the walls enclosing the bagh when General Dyer ordered a brutal attack on the innocent congregators and the well which people jumped into to save themselves from the pouring bullets.
All the modernization in the park has robbed it of its historical significance in a way but nevertheless it does not fail to attract the tourist as they flock in huge numbers.
Right next to the Golden temple..a 5mins walk away is the famous Kulcha shop which is a dingy place but if you can overlook the hygiene for a mere 10 mins … it serves the bestest that you would have had, better than anything that you would ever dream of. Right ahead is the jalebi shop at the road junction which again is not really the cleanest of the kitchens but is definitely the tastiest of the jalebis
Across the Regeant cinema theatre is the lassi shop which caters to a minimum of 2000 customers on a daily basis.
The other katras which attract crowd include the Papad-Warian Bazaar - Katra Kathian, Mishri Bazaar, and Katra Mohan Singh. The aroma of the Papad-Warian Bazaar is appetising. Stacks of the home-made papad and wadian lie in the streets ready for customers to grab them.
The city is in the throes of modernization with Coffee shops like CCD’s , Barista, high end hotels and diners cropping up like mushrooms to provide a good experience to the tourists who flock to offer an ardaas at the holy shrine.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Friday, January 08, 2010
The Andaman Isles - Trip to the Pristine Waters
The Pristine Blue waters, the Mangrove forests and the stunning white sand beaches –is The Great Andaman!!
The break of dawn, the sunrise, the twilight and the sunset are a sight to behold. You may be on any of the scantly inhabited island of the archipelago but the scenes never less picturesque.
What are you in Andaman for? :
Confused as to what to see and where to go, trying to recollect what you read in the Wikipedia, the tourism guides and the likes? Well here is your very own Lonely Planet Guide to the Andamans- A first-hand experience with pics that would speak for themselves
The Rajiv Gandhi Sports Complex: The most important place in Blair- You can book tickets to visit the other islands Ross, Viper, North Bay, Havelock, Baratang, Jolly Buoy... all of it in this one place!
It has a jetty and a beautiful park which is a treat to the eyes under the moonlit, star studded sky with the water gushing in and out of the bay.
Cellular Jail: Does it strike a bell?? Does the name “kalapani” from the history text books come flashing back??
Well an amazing place to visit with an even better light and sound show that reiterates the historic facts but has a few discripancies regarding the glorification of Veer Savarkar. But who cares! A word of caution: the ticket sales for visiting ends at 4:00PM and for the light and sound ends at 6:00 so u better not be late!
The Jolly Buoy: Well it is a Herculean task to decide which one of the islands in the archipelago is more beautiful... but yeah Jolly Buoy is definitely one of the strongest contenders!
The azure water is symbolic of purity and a representative of the abundant beauty that the Nature has in store. There are no plastic items allowed and people do respect the initiatives taken by the government to preserve the place.
The island is like something straight out of a fairy tale- with tiny huts, lush green vegetation, white sands and a chameleon like sea that has all the possible shades of blue, lilac and cyan.
Snorkelling is something to indulge in and trust me you would have never seen anything as good! The fish, the corals, the sea creatures, the anemones... they would make you go Aww!!
The Trio Isles: The North Bay ,The Viper and the Ross Islands.
Viper is known as the site where women prisoners were hung- not really an interesting place- a let down!
North Bay- the beach is quite rough, covered with shells that prick you but the reefs here are amazing. Buying snorkelling equipment would be an intelligent investment as the guides take you for a ride and leave a hole in your pockets.
Ross- The Naval Base and a tsunami ruined site. The Ferrar beach on this Island is amazing and so are the shambles of the Church, the administrative office, the Governor’s Resident.
But the one thing that would make you fall in love with the place would be the hundreds of deer who roam around and don’t mind you feeding them, not even a bit!
Mt.Harriet: The highest peak in the Andaman. It is a protected forest. They have this relly amazing guest house on the top. The trek trails to Kalapaththar, the view points, the ride up the hill and the flora and the fauna of the place are a few things to be on a look out for!
The ride to Havelock on the government boat is an enthralling experience. The private Makruzz would lock you in an air-conditioned cabin whereas the government Bambooka allows you to sit on the deck, enjoy the wind gushing in your face, the ripples caused by the heavy vehicle on the sea surface and enjoy the beauty of the Andamans in entirety.
Havelock has a zillion places where you can stay. Shacks of all sizes are rented out and you shouldn’t stay anywhere else but the beach. The shacks on the Vijayanagar beach are relatively cheap as against the Radhanagar beach. The Lagoon, El Dorado, Dolphin are a good option.
The Radhanagar beach is asia’s finest and gives tough competition to a few across the globe.
The elephant trail to the elephant beach is a wonderful trek. The swamp and the thick forest makes you feel like you are on an undercover mission- probably to collect shells J !!
And Yeah don’t forget to carry some Hide and Seek biscuits, the molluscs there love it !! :P
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