KAAS- Present and Future

If you search Kaas on GOOGLE or Wikipidia you will know that The Kaas Plateau also known as the "Kaas Pathar"  is situated in the Western Ghat Sahyadri range, 22 kilometers fromSatara city in Maharashtra , India. The name Kaas originates from Kaasa tree (Elaeocarpus glandulosus). Leaves of this tree turn green to red as they mature. It gets white flowers only for 15 days in the month of March. The area of plateau is approximately 1,000 hector

The plateau is full of wild flowers during the months of August and September. These flowers bloom on their own and stay for about 2–3 weeks (depending on the monsoon and other weather factors). Recently it has been declared as Biodiversity World heritage site by The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco). It has an small lake nearby, It is a natural tranquil Kaas lake surrounded by dense forests. To the left of the lake lies Sajjangad fort and Kanher Dam is to the right.  The place has more than 850 different species of flowers and other plants including Orchids,टोपली  Karvy and carnivorous plants such as Drosera Indica. 

A lot has been written and said by all of us about KAAS Plateau highlighting how ignorant, irresponsible the general public is , how they are usually less interested in Flowers, their uniqueness, their importance etc.etc and more interested in plucking them or taking photos in unusual positions , spoiling the flowers etc.There are also lot of complaints about the massive traffic jams encountered by enthusiasts during weekends, and about general lack of infrastructure.....A lot of very good suggestions are also floating around..

While it is extremely vital  that a general awareness is being created through such posts and dialogue, we must also  understand and accept some harsh realities……

We simply love to blame others for everything wrong around us seldom accepting that we are part of the crowd as wel. We need to change the mindset , be pro-active and sensitive to environment . 

There is absolutely no harm in enjoying  but if done with a bit of caution we will be able to savor the beauty of this marvel for many many more years.There is enough for everyone here...

 We consider  breaking rules as our birth right and exercise that right wherever possible, so making more rules and regulations to keep the Crowd in control is futile…We just need to implement some of the basic rules which are already existing at KAAS… I jokingly said to the  Forest person patrolling the area that if they seriously implement the fine of Rs.200 for plucking the flowers ,the government can earn enough money to fence the remaining area, hire more people and pay everyone a handsome incentive as wel….There are many among us who must have parked their car in "No Parking Zone" till someone asked us to move…We have jumped the fences till stopped by forest officials and so on ....I have found and collected a lot of plastic Debris on the plateau as wel…Its painful to see how we are ignorant to these issues. Funny part is instead of looking inwards and accepting the need to improve we want/wish and crib that all these things must be controlled by Authorities.

Let me warn you , KAAS is not alone ,nor it is the first in this.We all will agree that similar things happen on our forts also. I am an avid trekker and it’s a fact that the forts which are famous and relatively easily accessible are littered with plastic debris, beer bottles and everything that  should not be thrown. A lot of untoward things happen on top which challenge the sanctity of the place…

This reminds me  of an old debate which was at forefront when Jog Engineering proposed and implemented the Raigad Ropeway….Lot many trekkers opposed the move saying it will have adverse impact,the true sense of the might of forts,its history  can be better enjoyed/understood when climbed all the way rather than zipping up and reaching the top in two minutes…they felt that we are demeaning Shivaji Maharaj, his Mawalas and their herculean effort in making SWARAJYA what it is ….Its a major trade off between popularizing our History, making it accessible to all( including Senior citizens who can’t climb ) and trekking. The popular forts like Raigad, Shivneri,Sinhgad are testimony to this.

Similar thing is happening at KAAS….the botanists ,biologists, the environmentalists want the number of people visiting the Plateau, to be controlled… They want to get rid of tourists/picnickers who knoingly or unknowingly spoil the nature or at the least to be restricted or fined but its simply unrealistic to expect everyone to have that mindset… even I go there more for photography than studying botany …ideally  we must continue our efforts in educating, sensitizing people visiting the place .My observation is the young Students from nearby schools who visit the plateau as picnic are much much more wel behaved than the Adults...

KAAS Plateau is unique for many reasons and one of the major one is that the life span of the flowers blooming on the plateau is max three weeks. It effectively means three weekends only. With the advent of social media and every  Rahul,Vinod and Raju ( Indian Tom, Dick n Harry) uploading their pics, all newspapers  reporting about it,its but natural that those who can visit will flock to the place to be part of the action.

We in India realize that Infrastructure lags behind Growth big time and KAAS is no exception. What goes against KAAS and somewhat justifies( if I may use the word)Governments relative apathy  apart from lack of sensitivity and negligence ,is a fact that we want Infrastructure to be created and maintained for the whole year  to be effectively utilized for six to ten  days only ….I am in no way suggesting that we should maintain or accept status quo….

It must be noted that the fencing and patrolling happened only after the area was declared protected Biodiversity zone by UNESCO, till then even I have roamed around the Plateau freely… Things will change for better albeit slowly but surely…

Here are few suggestions from my side:

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To solve the transport problem and massive traffic jams ,this can be done easily and immedi---- Few kilometers before KAAS Plateau, there is a similar big plateau where already few stall have come up…Government and Forest Authorities can create a big parking place here easily.. From here onwards there must be Government Shuttle Buses (maybe open Rooftop Double deckers) plying continuously till KAAS, dropping and picking up visitors at regular intervals  free of cost.  

   

 Mobile toilets and washrooms can be placed at these places along with makeshift sitting arrangements, refreshments etc…Strictly no permanent structures as these things are required for three four weeks only.

  Sufficient parking fee, entry fee and camera fee( for mobiles as wel) to be charged here to cover all the operational costs…If the project is self-sufficient then the chances of success are more…

 Sufficient pamphlets ,information centers for all visitors giving enough info about what to see and where to see…( I have seen environmental groups volunteering for this now as wel)

 Sufficient number of guides for those who wish to avail of the services  ( a bit difficult to achieve )

    Encourage Guided Group outings for School kids around the area … same kids when visiting with their family will possibly make the elders aware of environmental needs…

जब बदलेगि सोच तब बदलेगा देश             

 Link to my photos:

https://picasaweb.google.com/109499071087821063906/KompleteKaas

वाडा चिरेबंदी -मग्न तळ्याकाठी -युगांत

अखेर युगांत हि महेश एलकुंचवार यांची  नाट्यत्रयी वाचली ....खरतर पंधरा  वर्ष उशीरच झाला पण बेटर लेट देन नेवर ....१९९४ साली आठ-नऊ तासांच नाटक कारायचं धाडस चंकू, महेश एलकुंचवार आणि अरुण काकडे ह्यांनी दाखवलं त्याला मराठी रसिक प्रेक्षकांनी बऱ्यापैकी प्रतिसाद पण दिला ...दुर्दैवाने मी ते बघू शकलो नाही पण पुस्तक वाचताना अक्षरशः प्रसंग डोळ्यासमोर उभे राहतात .एवढे तगडे आणि व्यस्त  कलाकार ..सगळ्यांना त्यांच्या वैशिष्ट आणि लकबी सहित इमाजीन करू शकलो .कदाचित त्यामुळे  पुस्तक जास्त आवडलं.वऱ्हाडी भाषेचा झणझणीत तडका , खेड आणि शहर , कटू वास्तव आणि खोटा बडेजाव ,मोडकळीस आलेली भारतीय कुटुंब व्यवस्था , सगळीच पात्र ना पूर्ण चांगली ना पूर्ण वाईट...विदारक परिस्थिती मुळे त्यांच्यात होणारी स्थित्यंतरं... सरकारी अनास्था ई.ई...सगळच खूप छान व्यक्त होतं.
वाडा चिरेबंदी -मग्न तळ्याकाठी  आणि युगांत  तिन्हीचे काळ विषय प्रसंग म्हटले तर वेगळे आणि म्हंटल तर एकमेकात गुंतलेले ....
मायबाप गुगल वर शोध घेताना ह्या नाटकाचा यू ट्यूब वर व्हिडीओ मिळाला पण दुर्दैवाने ते नाटक नवीन संचातील आहे.
सुलभा देशपांडे आई म्हणून , वंदना गुप्ते वाहिनी म्हणून , सौमित्र रांगडा  पराग म्हणून अतिशा नाईक रंजू म्हणून , सचिन खेडेकर  अभय म्हणून किती चपखल बसतात ...मजा आली असती नाटक बघताना

ह्या नाट्यत्रयी मधला शेवटचा अध्याय म्हणजे युगांत symbolic  आहेच पण थोडा निराशावादी आणि फिलोसोफिकॅल  पण आहे कदाचित म्हणूनच तो बऱ्याच लोकांना आवडला नसेल...मला मग्न तळ्याकाठी सगळ्यात जास्त आवडलं...
सुबक च्या सुनील बर्वे ला नम्र विनंती कि ह्या कलाकृती च पुनरुज्जीवन करावं...
मराठी प्रेक्षक नक्की प्रतिसाद देईल ....हे कठीण आहे पण अशक्य नाही....

22 March 2015

काल नवीन संचातल "वाडा चिरेबंदी" गडकरी ला बघितलं ..... अजूनही hangover आहे ...विसेक वर्षापूर्वी चंकू ने महेश एलकुंचवार यांच्या कथेवर आधारित ८ तासांची trinatyadhara केली होती त्यातल्या पहिल्या नाटकाचं हे नवीन संचातल पुनर्सादरीकरण आहे ...वऱ्हाडी भाषेचा झणझणीत तडका , खेड आणि शहर , कटू वास्तव आणि खोटा बडेजाव ,मोडकळीस आलेली भारतीय कुटुंब व्यवस्था , सगळीच पात्र ना पूर्ण चांगली ना पूर्ण वाईट...विदारक परिस्थिती मुळे त्यांच्यात होणारी स्थित्यंतरं... सगळंच भेदक आहे ...निवेदिता जोशी ची वाहिनी अप्रतिम .वैदर्भीय भाषेचा लहेजा जपण्यातल सातत्य वाखाणण्याजोग आहे ...वंदना गुप्ते ची सर नसली तरीही नक्की लक्षात राहण्याजोगी ...प्रसाद ओक चा सुधीर मस्त ...वैभव मांगले ,नेहा जोशी ,प्रतिमा जोशी यथायोग्य ...
चंकू ने आशय तसाच ठेऊन आजच्या वेळेच्या मर्यादेत उत्तम नाटक बसवलंय ...आनंद मोडक याचं संगीत समर्पक आणि गहिर...

नाटकाला मिळणारा प्रतिसाद बघून वाटलं कि कदाचित आजही ८ तास लोकं बसले असते

नक्की hi अभिजात कलाकृती बघा ...गंभीर बाज असला तरी कुठेही कंटाळवाण होत नाही इतके दमदार प्रसंग आहेत ....पण गंभीर नाटक आहे हे लक्षात ठेऊन गेलं तर जास्त छान वाटेल हे नक्की

Chennai Express- DURANTO comic entertainer

He is back and How!! We have seen him and thoroughly liked him carrying a backpack on his right shoulder, stealing heroines , running for is life in almost every movie for last twenty odd years but after his recent  duds from YRF stable like JTHJ and RNBDJ and his own Ra.One , I was worried that this “BADSHAH” of entertainment was losing touch, his onscreen charm was on the wan

e,his dimple no longer the same , he could no more hide his age, etc etc.Ofscreen he was/ is still quintessential old brash full ,charming and arrogant self inspite of recent controversies about Surrogacy, sex determination tests ,the strange name of his third child n he claiming that to be his Best Production so far…

Few years ago in Om Shanti Om, she was a novice, totally in awe of the reigning superstar, Raw to the core ,too tall for  Indian Heroes and awkward in acting…Many movies like Love Aaj Kal,Aarakshan,Cocktail, YJYD,etc later she is on her own truly accomplishing a space for herself in the Industry.

So here they were together again with one of the most successful Directors of recent times ,Rohit Shetty, who has maximum films in 100cr.club, the master of action packed comedy Movies. But this time the balance was truelly and rightfully shifted in favor of Deepika . and as publicized by SRK, the symbolism of having the heroines name ahead of hero in all his films, does not just remain a Symbolic act ,atleast in this movie.Deepika has carried the film on her tender shoulders ably along with SRK.

Right  from the Title of the film to the treatment it is an unapologetic, brainless, fast (mostly), comic DURANTO express peppered with much much better one liners than his previous films or maybe the conviction and ease with Shahrukh-Deepika  deliver them adds to the impact. Its gaudy in colours, overly melodramatic many a times, half in Tamil , characterized by Rohit Shetty brand of SLOW-MO action scenes but still hugely entertaining to say the least. The Tamil dialogues are overdone sometimes and though Ms. Subtitle or a tamil speaking Sardar translate them for us,I must mention that there was much less Marathi in Singham than what we have here.

There are many many truly comic scenes which have you in splits especially the Hindi Songs Medley…The songs are already popular but I Liked ‘Kashmir main tu Kanyakumari ‘ over others.

The photography is superb. The Dudhsagar Falls, Rameshwaram, Lavasa are beautyfully shot. The liberal use of helicopter for filming greatly enhances the screen value of a scene . The winding train passing through Konkan , or just coming out of a Tunnel or The long shots of Dudhsagar are breathtaking.

Deepika as a Tamilian resembles Sridevi many times when she speaks and that’s a huge compliment.

With constant Bindi on her face  and Sarees ,she looks truly beautiful and Indian.She has captured the essence of the character very very wel.

It was a huge relief to see SRK back in his elements.In Chennai express He does everything we have been seeing him do over the years and does it with a panache.  The swagger was evident in JTHJ as wel but here he does not even look 40, is as charming as before , dances wel and his timing in comic scenes is just about perfect.He hams as usual but it passes off as his style rather than annoying you.

Go watch this DURANTO comedy entertainer…I am reasonably sure that this movie will break ETT opening weekend collections. It remains to be seen if it reaches 100Cr. Faster than YJHD.

The Ship Of Theseus-- Indian Cinema at its Peak

That Aamir khan is a master in promoting his films is a well-known fact.So when he carefully chose social media to promote his wife's new production we knew its not a film for the masses but for a niche audience.
I wanted to see the movie but its limited release meant that I had to wait for a week to actually see it.What made it compelling and urgent was the fact that all and sundry in the film industry was praising it . Even the critics were competing with each other with flowery language in profusely praising this masterpiece.But we all know how these critics are 'managed'.For me the most important review or comment is from the like minded friend who has spent his hard earned money to watch the film and not the critics who are 'paid' to watch the film.So when my Doctor Friend wrote a beautiful blog(http://rajeshpusalkar.blogspot.in/2013/07/my-take-on-ship-of-theseus.html) on the movie, I knew I must watch this movie ASAP.
The only worrying factor was my recent experience of watching "Bombay Talkies" celebrating 100 years of Cinema... another much appreciated and critically acclaimed film( No critic gave it less than four stars....My experience was so pathetic that I thought its one star each for four stories).
So here I was with my fingers crossed with expectations and apprehensions .....

I must confess , I did not know about the meaning of the Title....Not till the End atleast

With the opening lines of the film itself my curiosity was heightened

What unfolds for next 143 minutes is so compelling, honest, intelligent, authentic to watch that one is extremely attentive and all eyes n ears(literally) throughout.

All the three stories are engaging in its content, treatment, camera movements , extremely natural acting,visuals n background score and independent as wel as  interwoven perfectly
The movie truely banishes the language barriers as the lead  protagonists in the first story is an Arabic /English speaking female,there is liberal dose of HINGLISH spoken in second and third story ( actually the certificate also says the language as Hinglish) as the stories unfold in Mumbai, then there is Swedish...Though there are sub-titles, the emotions and body language are far too superior to have any problem understanding it...

The idea of a Blind woman choosing Photography as her hobby turned passion and then holding an exhibition of her work in BLACK N WHITE only  for visually challenged people is fascinating.What makes it a believable  story is the liberal use of technological aid, her live-in friend helping her through and amazing amazing camera work.The camera literally speaks with the audience...the angles, the shaky movements are awesome. The continuous commentary of the friend, their arguments over which of the photos to keep or discard, the initial confidence and stubbornness of the Girl which is totally shaken n the dilemma she faces later on is extremely believable and logical....

This logical brainstorming argument is perfectly displayed in second story where a English speaking  monk Maitreya is fighting a PIL, seeking better treatment to animals used in pharma industry, is confronted by  his aptly named lawyer Charwak

,seeking answers and challenging the very  ideology practiced by the monk by asking  some straightforward ,brash ,sometimes unpleasant  questions .His struggle  to find meaning of past, present and after life...the kermic cycle..The contradictions faced by the monk , his resolve , his dilemma and finally his submission  are to be seen to be believed. The young Lawyer adds spice to the whole story with his  extremely logical line of thinking and questioning...This story is Intellectually Stimulating and the basic premise of a PIL against Pharma companies for not ethically treating animals used for trying the Drugs is used intelligently. The opening scene of a centipede is superb.

Again the DOP needs a special mention here as wel. Pankaj Kumar the cinematographer shows a totally different Mumbai. Each frame is a picture postcard. The way camera follows the Monk gives the story the pace, the impetus it needs....hats off!!!

The last story adds a bit of comedy by the way it is shot. Again, its treatment stands out.An enterprising stock broker who knows the language of only Money....seeks to get back a stolen kidney for a complete stranger after an emotional outburst by his Grandmother.....

.Walking that extra mile to help find the stolen kidney but realising that the person is more than happy to receive the compensation than actually wanting the kidney back...and his Grandmother telling him " beta , itana hi hota hai!!

Its not a commercial movie and hence it is slow at times . There are long pieces in each story where there are no dialogues and only soft piano(??) at the background for minutes and still you are engrossed and captivated....You do take some time to understand at the start of each story but secretly admire it after few minutes.
Aida Al-Khashef as a female protagonist of the first story is extremely fresh n natural....
Neeraj Kabi as Monk has literally lived his part and very wel supported by his young Lawyer (vinayak shukla)
Sohum Shah ( also aCo-producer) is sincere as Navin the stockbroker.

It was extremely pleasant and satisfying film viewing experience which was greatly enhanced by housefull ,knowledgeable audience who spontaneously clapped at the End.There was pin drop silence throughout with all in rapt attention. The Indian Cinema is truly at its peak with commercial as wel as out of the box cinema co-existing and flourishing side by side.

No amount of praise is enough for the Dirctor Anand Gandhi for conceiving this unusual storyline and depicting it with utmost conviction.And hats off to Kiran Rao for supporting such efforts without comromising on quality.Good production value makes it an even better experience...Its a must watch film for every person who loves Indian Cinema...

Lastly ......

Whether an object which has had all its components replaced, remains fundamentally the same object OR

Whether a ship which is restored by replacing all and every of its wooden parts,remains the same ship and the ship build by using these old parts is a New ship or an Old Ship

यह दिल्ली है मेरी जान .....सिर्फ आधे दिन के लिए हि सही !!!! Prelude and Preparation for Roopkund

 Ever since we completed Kedarkantha successfully with Indiahikes two years back, I was after Aashish to do the Himalayan trek again...I wanted to explore Great Lakes of Kashmir but some how I could not convince Aashish last year....This year I persuaded, pleaded  with him and to my luck our very own Polythene Baba प्रसन्न हो गये …. we zeroed on Roopkund trek mainly because of the noble cause taken up by Indiahikes to clean up the Mountains and trails dirtied by huge influx of trekkers due to the popularity of the place....We managed to convince two of our fellow trekkers in Sahyadris , namely Chinmay and Sanket...Two enthusiastic youngsters who would provide the energy to our group.....

Aashish took the initiative and pains to book the railway tickets for all of us after the trek was booked ... all this happened almost four months before the actual trek....Now we needed to be fit for a 7 day strenuous trek and I knew that unless I have a deadline to meet ,I won't be motivated enough....That's how our brains  are

hardwired now a days....So I started thinking about how I can fit in some regime in my supposedly over packed schedule... The first step was to download an android app which will remind me every day to work out, track my progress, show me how many calories I have burnt ( The joy of seeing the number is to be experienced....you may end up celebrating and ruining the whole regime though),how much I have walked n run etc.etc...For a lazy bum like me all these things were immensely helpful though I was not as regular as I needed to be.Honestly speaking I could not complete the schedule recommended by Indiahikes till the day of trek and this was a big thing at the back of my mind through out the trek... To add to my anxiety were the regular updates by Aashish who was almost preparing for Marathon.... Sanket and Chinmay being young n regular trekkers need not be as anxious as me and they were pretty cool and assured....

We all decided to meet once before the trek to update the progress n clear the doubts of the two first timers  and so it was at Amantran in Thane savoring the famous मामलेदाराची मिसळ that we discussed our apprehensions, doubts...decided how we can reduce the weight, how many woolens will be needed etc. etc...All of us were very enthusiastic n rearing to go

On the day of our train journey by Garib Rath to Hajarat Nizammuddin, all of us met at Bandra Terminus…There were lots of calls, messages exchanged on Whats App to communicate as to who is reaching Bandra how….Finally all came separately but reached in time for train which started on time but got delayed on Bandra itself due to chain pulling-not a good omen for a 19 hr journey, we thought.

We made ourselves comfortable and once TC had checked our tickets, got down to chit chatting… our co-passengers overheard the conversation and joined us. As it usually happens on a long train journeys like ours, In India,  people ask you questions  otherwise considered personal and conversations go much deeper than merely exchanging pleasantries… cricket n politics being the all time national favorite whipping boys so to say…Many a times if you find a co-passenger having similar interest like yours then your time flies quickly. Fortunately for us, we were already in group and anyone joining us was following our theme… We started with UNO and tried hard to get Aashish involved, who was very reluctant to join, but  ended up having joined by a young Sardar working in Pune  and going in UP. He was a typical Sardar, jovial and frank n open….There was also a person who did not have reservation and some urgency had forced him to travel without one, who befriended us in the hope that he will get a place to sleep…Anyways he was good in Gupshup so we did not mind. After the initial hiccups,our RATH was on course and  speeding its way to SURAT where we were to be joined by the last of our co-passengers in the compartment…..By the time we reached Surat we were already listening to songs  on Mobiles plus the खजाना (Khajana) of songs shared by the affable Sardar on his laptop….Our fellow passenger from Surat was a pan chewing burly man with many rings in both hands ..Sanket mis-understood him to be in inebriated condition but in reality he was a natural talent with extensive knowledge  liking and flair for old songs  और उसके बाद हमारी जो रंगारंग मेहफिल जम गई उसके क्या केहने ….पुरा का पुरा डिब्बा हमारे गाने  ( laptop or our very own besura singing except the Surat man) सून रहा था  ..( वैसे और कोई चारा भी नाही था ,लेकिन किसी ने  complaint भी नही कि ..which was proof enough that it was not too bad) The मेहफिल ended with the finale song “ मेरा कुछ सामान तुम्हारे पास पडा  है ” from इजाजत Ijaazat and when the background of the song was explained to youngsters , they were instantly in love with the song and Gulzar…..

So on this melodious note we went to bed and in due course of time reached Hajarat Nijamuddin the next day morning….

Aashish had very graciously suggested that we go to his brother’s place in Lajpat nagar so that we can keep our bags in safe place and explore Dilli as much as possible till the night train to Kathgodam. We get down at the station catch a bus which drops us close to Lajpat Nagar and within half an hour sitting comfortably at his brother’s place. Sanket, the FOODIE, wanted to taste famous Chole-Kulche  for breakfast, so alongwith tea n biscuits n Thums up we savored our spicy serving.

We were ready to move out on Mission Dilli. With the help from Aashish’s nephew n Delhi Metro App, I found out  all the famous attractions closer to Metro stations so that we move fast and cover as much as possible.

At the outset let me clarify that I’m a Mumbai Boy all the way. I love Mumbai even if she is going down the drains (literally) from bad to worse to worst very very fast in terms of amenities, public transport , population etc. etc. Still  Lately I have grown fond of Dilli mainly because of this wonder created by Mr. Sreedharan and his dedicated team of engineers ,called Delhi Metro . It has changed the way whole Delhi moves.It has changed the mindset of more than crore people about cleanliness, the way they look up to DMRC and cherish it. Simply amazing.

Anyway, as per plan we arrived at nearest Metro station and took a day pass which would allow us unlimited travel on Metro network at just Rs.100

We started out with Lotus Temple, a symbol of International Unity in faith n religion  an idea propagated by Bahai faith….inner six petals of the lotus symbolizing Six continents and outer petals depicting numerous Faiths n religion in harmony peace and togetherness….Its extremely peaceful inside in spite of  hundreds of visitors sitting together

Sanket the FOODIE was feeling thirsty on seeing the freshly cut watermelon, cucumber n papayas so we had a small break with Aashish opting for local गोटी सोडा  lemon…..

Next we got down at Central Secretariat and had a close up view of Parliament from Parliament street . Said Hi to our Honorable “ Chiiddu” in North Block,  “ Bye” to PM on Raisina Hills ,South Block ,both identical buildings flanking  Rashtrapati bhavan on Rajpath  where we  said नोमोष्कार  to Pranabda.

The imposing sights of all four iconic structures, the Majestic high flying tricolour fills you with a sense of pride no matter how much you may dislike the current set of people  governing INDIA  from these buildings. Also the sight of INDIA GATE from Rajpath is impressive to say the least.

The Sun God had favoured and spared us in the middle of summer day, so we were able to roam around rather comfortably… We had big photo session on the deserted road and buildings and then proceeded towards INDIA GATE…It is  quite a walk in afternoon blazing sun but it served as a  rehearsal for our trek…

The sight of INDIA GATE n RajPath   summons so many memories, of 15^th August and 26^th January, of the movie “Rang De Basanti” and song "Lose control",the sad thing is this memorial paying tribute to our Soldiers and the AMAR JAWAN JYOTI is off limits for our own people for security reasons….thats the impact these terrorists have on us as a country… Sad but true…No point blaming the Security…

It was tiring walk back to Central Secretariat  Metro from India Gate  and we were suitably exhausted. Aashish left us here to spend time with his brother and we proceeded to Chandani Chowk to explore the area , Lal Quila and Jama Masjid our final destination for the day.

We explored the narrow busy crowded by-lanes   of famous Chandani Chowk , checked the area with pincode Delhi 6, had some lovey tasty street food (tikki  n chai etc).This Dilli is totally different from the New Dilli we visited earlier.Its crowded,  dirty but bustling more like Mohammad Ali road of Mumbai….

I had visited Lal Quila before and apart from its historical importance that our Shivaji Maharaj came here to meet the Emperor Aurangzeb  and went out without saluting him in his own Darbar, I do not have much to say about it…. For a small time Warrior fighting for SWARAJYA in far away Maharashtra , it was a huge gutsy thing of not paying his respects to the Emperor of the Largest Empire ruling India at that time…

We moved on towards the largest Mosque in India-Jama Masjid- Another of the Iconic structures of Dilli.

The road leading to it went past  Meena Bazaar (made famous by the Song “Kajara Mohabbat Wala”). The path to the Mosque is extremely filthy but the Interiors of the mosque are remarkably clean. The vastness of the prayer ground where lakhs come on Fridays and on Id days is unmistakable….

It was evening Namaz time and also some unknown number was frantically trying to reach me so we came out to check. As it happened, it was highly worried Aashish wondering where the hell we were  and whether we plan to come back…. His phone was not working so he was using local number…It was almost 1930 hrs  and we were quite far from Lajpat Nagar plus he had some DIFFERENT idea about our next train … And we were quite cool , having full faith in Metro…. But hearing a panicked Aashish we hurried up and reached Lajpat Nagar by 2030 enjoying some beautiful faces in the crowded Sunday evening Market…. One look at Aashish and I knew we had goofed up majorly….

Actually the Family was waiting for us to serve Dinner thinking that our train was at 2030 Hrs from Rohilla Sarai…Anyways, we had a quick bite into the delicious Kadhi Pakode, Rice n Mattur Paneer made by Aunty ji and saying quick Thank You’s n Goodbyes left for Chandani Chowk  again to board the Ranikhet Express from Old Dilli railway station to Kathgodam.

We reached peacefully and wel in time for the train and comfortably boarded our compartment… We were dead tired and exhausted  by the afternoon sojourn with DILLI  plus our berths were a bit scattered so without wasting much time we  went to bed …The train was supposed to reach Kathgodam Early morning where the last leg of our looong journey to reach our basecamp Lohajung would begin….but that will be in next blog….

It was fascinating half day tour of Dilli made possible by Delhi Metro. In 75 bucks we were able to see so many things effortlessly….I am sure the Delhietes will have many many grieviences about the city but  my short rendezvous with this bustling city is making me root for it and say यह  दिल्ली है मेरी जान .....सिर्फ आधे दिन के लिए हि सही !!!!

Here is the link of complete album

https://picasaweb.google.com/109499071087821063906/DilliHalfDaySightSeeing?noredirect=1