Flicks & Rhythms

Its a beautiful day. Don't let it get away..

2012-01-23T00:30:00.004+05:30

Its a beautiful day. Don't let it get away.
Said someone I know, I took it seriously to not let it go!
Picked up my brushes and paint,
Started with few lines so faint.
Then time picked up pace,
That within hours I made this painting with grace.
Oh! what a morning & photo to inspire,
Indeed, it was a beautiful morning at Port Hamble.

Thanks to Vaibhav Shukla for his inspirational photography -
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150167864102322.303631.691987321&type=

Fisherman's cove

2011-01-18T18:24:00.018+05:30

Fisherman's cove under the Veena nagar bridge in Mulund was a fascinating scene for me. Mom woke me @9:00, on a Sunday, a day to cook some spicy Konkan style Fish delicacies & took me along to this place. I didnt expect it to be under the bridge where 2-3 kolis (thats what they call fisherman/woman) were cutting, cleaning & selling different kind of fishes.

Fisherman Jagdish tells me his story. How difficult it is to get good fish these days. He has to wake up very early in the morning to reach the Colaba dock (Bhau cha dakka) on time or else he misses out whole earnings of his day.

It takes a lot to bargain these days as fish has got really expensive. I remember buying prawns in Rs.20 a portion which is now Rs.200 a portion(15 pieces/serves 2). After a lot of bargaining he agreed to Rs.100. So now the total was Rs.250 (Prawns=100 + Surmai(8pieces)=150).

Technology also helps these kolis. The fisherwoman now takes order on her mobile phone giving convenient home delivery to the nearby residents.

Their innocense is still visible. I was happy to see how cheerful & excited they all got when I started clicking their photos. Overwhelmed by my action the fisherwoman gave another Rs.50 discount & added little more prawns to our portion. She pleaded me to take photo of her daughter as well & get it all printed for her next time I visit them.

Yes I would definitely do that for her. I couldnt stop thinking of them after I reached back home. They caught my thoughts to become the latest topic of my blog.

A Photo to Remember!

2010-07-07T21:22:00.000+05:30

Lights, Camera &&& Smile..

A wedding photo shoot was in action when I happen to cross this lane during an evening in Central Hong Kong.

I like this capture, a photo to remember!

There was a smile on my face, a new fact to believe that in Hong Kong, wedding photos are shoot on the streets.

That day was an auspicious day to be wedded & one after another I came across many couples getting their photo shoot done in similar manner. This one was the best of all!

Lovely it was!

Reactions

2010-05-04T23:58:00.000+05:30

This can't be! I thought arriving home hours late-again.

I try to recollect, think hard not wanting to after a hectic yet happening day at work. I force myself only to a thought which seemed simple & straight. Take the car keys & drive away, yes do that go & sleep at a friend’s place. But No This can't be! I did have them with me when I left today morning. Just a little more effort & there they are lost in the tangle of wires; ipod, USB, handsfree. Poor you keys! At last a sigh of relief.

All I see is my bed & a thought of crashing into it. Soon as I open the door, a thought strikes me "oh its dark!" Be slow, quite & reach the lights. so I do. Then I turn only to find, there he is! waiting just behind me, not very far. He's staring at me with his 2 long tentacles. I stood still. I froze like never before. My brain signalled me not to react. So i acted, quite wisely. I moved towards the door again, in a slow swift not to make him alert that I am doing so. I picked up the heavy bundle of fresh newspapers kept on the shoe rack this morning. Heavy enough to help me achieve what I intend. I not think anymore & drop it on him & quickly run to my bedroom not to escape; to complete my job. Yes I still had to kill, finish it off, to save myself. I picked the red Hit & rushed towards my target again which i knew wouldn’t have given up so easily. I removed the papers, daring, ready to take his attack. He came out strong, he ran, ran in every possible direction. I did the same too, not give up but kill, emptied the bottle to poison him. He died a death as painful & pitiful one can ever get, struggling, shaking, he gave up.

I rushed to a natures call to attend. When in my bedroom she appeared, huge & scary. I saw her hanging on the wall opposite. Lizard it seemed to me. but this time my brain went dead & I reacted to my best. I screamed & jumped!! My actions caused a scarier reaction. She ran away from me in opposite direction out of my bedroom giving me freedom.

Then I sit for a while, a thought strikes me different situations has different reaction. Both approaches work well. It’s sometimes good to hold back sometimes not!

NAT GEO photography Awards 2010 - Please Vote!

2010-04-19T01:22:00.000+05:30

Oops you did it again! - Cocubes.com in Economic Times newspaper

2009-11-20T12:31:00.000+05:30

Considering my paise bacho andolan for our Big day in Feb, few days back, I said to Harpreet, I am gonna stop this unnecessary newspaper flow into my house. Most of the times I dont even touch Economic times & a heap of unread papers is accumulated by evening. I feel bad for wasting paper, save paper, global warming etc etc. Harpreet made me understand that it is useful & today I am totally convinced..
As routine, I was in a rush to leave for my work at 9AM when he messaged me "Check economic times take it with you". I knew it has to be something about Cocubes. I kept searching, right from my lift lobby till I reached the office cab. It was there on Page 11 under "India's New Charmers". Not a photo or a whole page writeup or anything but the below few lines has made my day :-)

Where Vivek Wadhwa says,"I wasn’t alone in my surprise and excitement. My colleague, writer Sarah Lacy, who is known as ‘Valley Girl’ and is considered one of the leading experts on Silicon Valley startups was totally blown away when she met Harpreet Grover, the founder of a Delhi-based education software firm, CoCubes.com. His firm is developing software to automate the process of recruiting university students. The solution is so well thought out, elegantly designed and innovative, that Sarah told Harpreet that this was easily the best demo she had seen in two years. Sarah has met thousands of startups over the years including the founders of products like Facebook, Twitter and Google."

I think, Cocubes is not just a technology platform. Its a bridge between colleages & Companies. A firm bridge which is going to be very strong in coming years & connect every little colleage & big Companies all over India. I truly believe in the architects of this bridge.
Cocubes team, Keep it up. You are doing a great job which is gonna help the new generation get their dream jobs & the Companies to get the right talent they are struggling to reach. Keep it up guys..you are gonna rock!!

My Painting 10 - Modern Abstract

2009-09-02T09:47:00.000+05:30

I believe this oil painting is one of my best effort so far. Getting more technical this time, material used for making this one -
1. 3 Canvas - 24in. H x 20in. W (Each)

2. Camel oil colors

Step 1: Draw a rough outline of the major parts - separating tree branch and background.
Step 2: Give a base of paint to the major areas using lower shades.
Step 3: Once the base is dry, start using semi- thick coats of paints to give the effects for background shades. The key here is to merge these colors. I do it using my fingers.

Step 4: Use thick coats of oil color to paint the tree branch & leaves.
Use soft brush to merge the colors as you need to give texture stokes.
Step5: Finally, once the 2nd base is dry give final effects to the painting by emphasising on highlights.

Step6: In the end, Coat the paintings with texture varnish using a clean brush.

It takes min. 2 days to dry each coat of colors. Keeping in mind that the colors used for background shading do not mix up.

All work & no play makes jack a dull boy!

2009-08-30T19:38:00.000+05:30

When: 29 Aug 2009 Where: Gurgaon Who: RBS team With: Canon Powershot SD800 IS

A mail with the subject "all work & no play makes jack a dull boy" came in early this week & everyone on the floor got excited. There was total buzz about a Cricket match being planned as a first outdoor team event of our core equities team.
The event was planned for Saturday morning 29th Aug 09 at 7:00am. Bcoz of an overwhelming response four teams were formed each of 5 men & 1 female player* (*mandatory). The main motive of the game was team bonding & fun.
The weekend arrived & to our surprise not many backed out & we were 24 of us on the ground early morning enthusiastic to play.

Teams -

Bullets - Ashok, Nipun, Rakesh, Vidya Sagar, Ashutosh, Bhakti

Falcons - Sudhanshu, Ambuj, Sachin, Sanjay, Sumeet Madan, Shweta

Billu Traders - Harsh, kamal, DPS Kang, Mayank, Ashvini

Impeccables - Aman, Ashish, Animesh, Thareja, Pankaj, Devangna

The first match was between Bullets & Impeccables. Our captain & head of equities Mr. Ashok Sharma won the toss & decided to ball first. The match was of 6 overs each side & each one of us got to ball. My over being a female player over was indeed funny. The two players in opponent team were strikers indeed & the team made 74 runs. The target for us to win the quarter-finals & to enter next match was 75 runs to win. This first match was truly entertaining & everyone was cheering. Later our opening batsman Ashok & Nipun went on the strike. Devangna played 1 over for the Impeccables & boom! on her first ball itself she took Ashok's wicket. It was a shocker! In spite of good batsman like Nipun, Rakesh & Vidya Sagar, Bullets lost the match by 2 runs.
The second match was between Billu Traders & Falcons. Sudhanshu captain of Falcons team won the toss & decided to Ball first. DPS Kang & Kamal Gupta were the opening batsman from the Billu Traders team. They set a target of 64 runs for their opponents.
With Sudhanshu's stunning batting skills the Falcons won the match chasing the target of 65 runs.
It was 10:00 am by then & the scorching sun heat was really trying. So it was decided to drop the Semi-finals & club the teams together. The losing teams (Bullets + Billu Traders) against the winning teams (Impeccables + Falcons) & play the finals directly of 10 overs with 11 players each side.

Again the losing team captain Ashok Sharma won the toss & decided to bat first. For the finals, Ashok & I were the opening batsman. It was truly exciting for me. I played 2 overs, frustrating the over confident bowler who gave away 8 wides in his first over. Next everyone played well in the losing team & we made a score of 106 runs setting a target of 107 to win for the winning team.
My first over of the finals & the opponents lost their first wicket. It’s kind of funny when both the bowler & batsman can not guess where the ball is going. Ashok’s strategy – first 4 overs to be bowled by Ashvini & I. So that we frustrate the batsman with our slow & unpredictable bowling. The batsman will giveup & hit the ball high & get caught out. That’s what happened & they lost most of the wickets. Nipun’s fast bowling was breathtaking too! Vidya Sagar took 3 spectacular catches. Kamal showed amazing wicket keeping skills. He took 2 most difficult catches. One in my over where Ambuj tried hitting a slow ball & Kamal dived in to catch it taking a shoulder injury. In spite of winning the quarter finals the winning teams lost the finals against the losing teams. The losers became the winners (Bullets + Billu Traders). The event ended at 11:30am.

In the end no one was a winner or loser. There was a smile & feeling of content on everyone’s face. Nipun, Sudhanshu & DPS Kang were awarded Man of the Match medals. Girls too got special goodies.

The fun did not end here. To celebrate we all went to Pind Baluchi for early lunch.

We all truly enjoyed the match & it was a good team bonding event. Thanks to Sachin & Nipun for taking the initiative & arranging the whole thing. Looking forward to more such events!!

Watch it!

2009-08-04T22:06:00.001+05:30

1st Aug 09 - The Great Driving Challenge Top 100 prize knocked at my door. Got two Timex watches a day before my birthday. I was truly happy to recieve it. Its trendy, fashionable & ooooooo cool. Tho there is one goofup. We have received both female watches, one in red & other in blue. Nevermind Harpreet we will get one for you too :-)
Thanks TGDC..Great choice!

Simple thoughts!

2009-07-22T10:20:00.000+05:30

Gumboots in the rain, Gumboots in the rain,

I kept singing Gumboots in the rain.

Childhood memories bring smile on the face. Those were simple, those were funny. On 20 July09, it was raining since morning. I woke up at 9:30am & boom!! the electricity transformer busted with a short circuit as it always does in Mumbai during heavy rains. Papa & I had a small walk below our building down the hill. Papa said, look at the kids they have to go to school in such rains. I said, I hated going to school in rainy season in wet dress & gumboots filled with water. He said, when you all were little, everyone had gumboots only no fancy shoes. Look at today's kids with all the glittering & variety of colorful shoes. I remember the gumboots were bit sticky & after walking small distance every 10mins I use to halt to empty the water in my boots. That took me more time to reach school & most of the times Mummy had to drag me & I enjoyed getting late :D

Splash, splash, splash, returning back home i could not control being a kid again. Splash the water, splash by jumping into it. Trust me it's so much fun!

p.s. For those who don't know "gumboots" are ankle high boots made of rubber.

We made it..

2009-07-20T19:03:00.000+05:30

We start "The Great Driving Challenge" click on the T & find out for yourself :-)

Results are Out - Take a look - http://www.greatdrivingchallenge.com/top100

I liked the homepage designed like a scrable board. Good concept & it took me 3 clicks to find out our name.

Friends, Thanks for your votes & support.

Jury, Hats of to your hard work. It must have been tough to shortlist 100 out of the thousands those participated in this challenge.

As of now I have mixed feelings; very happy for being in the Top 100 & bit anxious to recieve the confirmation call from the TGDC team. 10% of the contestants have already got one!

Yippee...Harpreet, thanks for being such a wonderful partner..

10 things I like about Mumbai..

2009-07-20T17:18:00.000+05:30

I have been in Gurgaon for the past 7 months now. I relocated from Mumbai for work purpose & especially for Harpreet. Still a part of me craves to be in Mumbai. I am a true Mumbaikar & simply love being in my home town. I am currently in Mumbai on Holidays & while travelling back home late last night at 11:30pm I realized the "10 things I like (& infact miss) about Mumbai -

1. Safety -

There is nothing to worry about in Mumbai. My parents, friends & I anyone can hang around late without being bothered.

2. Accessibility -

This is the most important factor I miss in Gurgaon. I can shop anything that comes to my mind so easily in Mumbai.

3. Variety of Food -

I am a total Food Lover. I guess my taste buds are so sensible that I know what I want to eat & when. I simply like the food in Mumbai. There are min. 30 varieties of Sabji's in an restaurant menu card & that too all cooked in different styles & spicies.

4. Transport -

Mumbai has excellent mode of travelling. May it be Auto Rickshaw, BEST bus, local trains or Taxi you find them everytime, everywhere..

5. Language -

Diversity in different languages spoken. I like speaking in Marathi & especially Bambaiya Hindi which I miss the most in North.

6. Hardworking -

Main difference observed between people in Gurgaon & Mumbai is that people here are passionate about their work. In restaurants/cafes here be it a waiter or table cleaning boy, show zero laziness towards their work. They are quick, they are smart.

7. Seasons -

Monsoon in Mumbai cannot be compared to rain drizzling in the north. The greenery around is breathtaking. The weather during summer & winter is not extremes. Summers are slight humid & Winters are pleasant with little cold.

8. Enthusiasm -

Mumbaikars are happening, enthusiastic & above all proud to be a mumbaikar. All the festivals, Holi, Ganapati, Diwali are celebrated with high energy.

9. Understanding & Trust -

One can see an unsaid trust & understanding between people even tho meeting for the first time. People keep their word. Be it an autowala who drops you at the right place without you having to bother or you need a new telephone or TV connection or an electrician. When you buy anything in market without getting bluffed, its all about the trust people have towards each other. There is no feeling of doubt.

10. Sea Face & Beaches -

True beach lovers like me feel like being near the waters most of the time & miss Mumbai beacuase of this. Juhu, Worli sea face or Queens necklace at Marine Lines, some amazing areas one needs to be at.

My Painting 9 - Reflection

2009-07-14T23:14:00.000+05:30

There are times when you feel low,

Feel like nothing's working your way,

Is that way, the right way?

There are times when you like to be left alone,

Feel like being at place where you grew up,

Is that place, you are meant to be now?

At such times, take a walk by the waters,

Where the sun sets & cool breeze blow,

Walk towards the mountains as they show,

Standing tall, quite, yet challenging.

Soon you realize there's lot more to face,

The way is what you have chosen,

And the place can be your paradise if you want it to be..

The Great Driving Challenge!

2009-07-07T21:14:00.000+05:30

July 3 2009 - I got a mail from Harpreet with a subject "http://www.greatdrivingchallenge.com - 100% see, win a 12 day trip" & the next thing I did was read through the details of the contest & register.

I have created our application as a couple to take up the driving challenge & I hope, you my friends will be with us on this adventurous drive from now onwards till 17th August 2009.

So come join us on this drive by voting us as the most deserving couple, because you know we are..

Vote on - just click on the badge below:

Gay Parade - Bye Bye Rule 377..

2009-07-03T11:00:00.000+05:30

Today’s TOI headline says, Gay ruling: ‘Now we are in the 21st century’

Yes we are in the 21st century & every person in India has to absorb this. Our orthodox society has to understand the difference between values & modernization.

Gay rule 377 has now been passed & I am glad that it did. I do not deny the statements made by our elders that we are going against the law of nature etc. But damn the law if it’s for the sake of Love. More, no one is offending the cultural values of India but a fight over their rights, rights to live in this society with equal dignity & freedom like the heterosexuals do. Even the gays are humans & no one should tag them as aliens. Happiness is everything. So let them be, let them live.

The Gay Parade in Delhi on Sunday, 28^th of June09 was one such act to convey to the Indian society that the gays are here to live & should be treated well. The crowd was colorful & the supporters were significant. There was huge media coverage & many press reporters capturing stories & emotions of the gays around.

Harpreet & I had been to this parade & it was good to be there & being a part of something I support & truly believe in.

I Love Rains..

2009-06-30T01:26:00.000+05:30

Yere yere pausa, (Rain Rain come here,)

Tula deto paisa, (I'll give you coin if you come,)

Paisa zala khota, (The coin is fake,)

Paus ala motha.. (Rain came down with a rage)

4 lines, 3 words, compose our 1 childhood rain song. How wonderful those days were!

My brother, sister & I use to eagerly wait for the month of June; for the rains to start pouring.

Yega Yega Sarii, (Shower Shower come here,)

Majhe Makte bhari, (Fill my pots for me,)

Sarr aali dhaun, (Showers came running,)

Makte gele vahun..(Pots got washed away..)

True, kids are innocent! We believed in singing this song for the rains to come early in the month & so that it would rain heavily.

I am happy that the feeling still persists within me. I am currently in Gurgaon & it had started getting hotter, almost 48 degrees on Saturday 27th June09. I was eagerly waiting for the rains & knowing that it had already started raining in Mumbai sank my heart more. I wanted to be at my Mulund home, enjoying rains with my mom & building friends. I wanted to get wet & play in the muddy ground like we did last year bumping mud soaked football at each other. I was waiting..

And then it rained on 28th June09, not for long, just 30mins & I was so excited. I went outside in my balcony (I live on 15th floor) & danced in the rain. It was beautiful around. The street infront of me looked like a river flowing between the concrete jungle.

If you love rains, don't think you will get wet, dirty your clothes, fall sick & catch cold etc etc. Just open your heart, feel the rain drops & enjoy what nature has to offer. Trust me it's a funfilled feeling & you will every year wait eagerly like me for the Monsoon season.

As of me, I'm looking forward to enjoy my monsoon in Gurgaon..lalala

My Painting 8 - Woman of Substance!

2009-06-27T20:09:00.001+05:30

My second oil painting painted in the month of Dec08 picturize,

A woman lost in her charm.

She looks shy but she is bold, she is beautiful,

She is here to take on the world

In short, she is just like Me :-)

Like the Loreal advert slogan, "Because I'm worth it"...

CoCubes Christmas Outing - Damdama Lake

2009-06-21T15:10:00.000+05:30

When: 25 Dec 2008 From: Gurgaon To: Damdama Lake
Who: Team CoCubes With: Nikon D80 & Canon Powershot SD800 IS Route: Gurgaon - IFFCO Chowk - Rajeev Chowk - Left Turn from Exit 10 of express highway - Sohna Road - 14 Kms approx Bhondasi, Left Turn - Damdama Lake – 40kms

It was a cold December morning but it was a thursday. Hurray! No one had to go to work tho as it was Christmas day 25th Dec 2008. Team CoCubes planned a day off outing to Damdama Lake.

We, 12 of us started off around 10am from Sukh Shanti apt towards Sohna Hill Park. It was a short 45mins drive to the top. To my disappointment, Sohna park was nothing but a small garden, what we call it in Mumbai, a Nana Nani park :D

Nevertheless, we comfortably placed ourselves on the green grass under the warm sun & munched on some morning snacks. With the young enthusiastic team CoCubes, the place did not really matter. They climbed up a tree, jumped off & played cricket. Meanwhile, we girls played badminton. Than for a long time we all played “Help Help”, the chain game. That was a real check on our fitness level. Lol..Later we relaxed for some time, talking. We left the place around 3:00pm in the afternoon and headed towards Damdama Lake. From where the real fun began..

The route to Damdama Lake was typical country side, with good road surrounded with tall green trees. The weather was wonderful & we leaned out of our cars, signing and waving. There were huge fields of yellow Mustard leaves (Sarson). I bet, no one can resist getting off & running inside these Sarson fields. They are simply romantic & feel good nature beauty.

The fun filled part of the whole outing was when we came across a local farmer, who invited us for tea on his farm house. Harpreet & I got on at the back of his vehicle; a cart attached to a tractor and went all the way standing over it through the fields. It was a wonderful experience as I always wanted to do it.

The farmer had an amazing farm house, with huge fields of Sarson, Sugarcane, Wheat, & Carrots. He was very kind to take us to his Carrot fields where all the boys ran one after other to pluck the carrots from its roots. They all looked like kids, happily pulling off the carrot roots from the ground. The fresh carrots were sweet, juicy & too good quality. We spent there an hour taking pictures with the farmer’s dog, his tractor, farming equipments. It was fun to be there at the countryside & getting a feel of such little villages of India. After sipping our afternoon tea we continued our trip towards Damdama lake.

Is this the famous Damdama Lake? OMG! Again, damdama lake is nothing great to be at. It’s a small pond filled with muddy water. There were families enjoying boating & kidding playing around. Finally we were left with nothing to do but walk around & click photos. By the time it was sunset & we went inside the Damdama lake resort to have our early evening dinner & some good chat.

My review of this famous picnic spot, if it wasn’t for the route, the farm & the amazing team we went along, it’s not worth spending a day out going to Damdama!

Thanks to the enthusiastic Team CoCubes & it’s fun to be with you guys. Looking forward to another such outing soon. Till then, Rock On CoCubes..

My Painting 7 - Roses, a gift for someone you love!

2009-06-20T15:43:00.000+05:30

After my last 6 Acrylic paintings, I wanted to learn Oil Painting. I took a crash course for a week at Mrs. Pinkee Katyal's Art academy. She is a wonderful & kind teacher with huge talent & perfection. In future I plan to learn other forms of art as well from her.

Here is my first Oil painting done at her class in the month of October 2008. This bunch of pink roses was painted specially for my Mom. I remember when I was little, my mom use to teach me draw flowers, long delicate creepers with beautiful green leaves. I know I have inherited all this talent from her.

Mom, this painting is a gesture of thanks for all your efforts over the years. I Love you..

Udaipur - The Lake City

2008-12-17T02:25:00.000+05:30

When: 7-8 Dec 2008 From: Delhi To: Udaipur
Who: Harpreet & I With: Nikon D80 Route: By Bus - Gurgaon IFFCO Chowk to Udaipur Sukhadia Circle - 633 kms
Cost: INR 2000 per person approx.

A desired break and a perfect place fulfills the longing of a wonderful weekend. Our trip to Udaipur for friend Viral Mehta's wedding was one such desired break.

We had 8 hours to see around the city. Thanks to Adi's dad we managed to list down some important and worth visiting places. The list goes as:
1. Sajjangarh Fort
2. Neemach Mata mountain - 500 stairs to climb and reach the mata temple
3. City Palace
4. Jag Mandir
5. Moti Magri
Alas! due to time crunch we could not make it to Neemach mata mountain and Jag Mandir.

Monday - 8th Dec 2008

Harpreet's plan - Monday morning 7:00am climb Neemach mata mountain.
What really happened - After the wonderful wedding on Sunday night we were bit tired and woke up late at 8:00am. Then packed and as promised reached Adi's place at 9:30am for breakfast. Adi's parents and sister are lovely. I felt nice and happy to be there and also to have ghar ka khana (homemade food) after long time. Uncle arranged a bike for us; exactly what we wanted. Bike makes the wandering around simpler and much more romantic!

Sajjangarh - Monsoon Palace

At 10:30am, we started our tour towards Sajjangarh. Harpreet and I rate it as the best place in Udaipur. A bike ride on the well cemented uphill road towards the fort makes it awesome.

The Sajjangrah Monsoon Palace use to be a monsoon resort place of Maharajas overlooking the two main lakes of Udaipur - Fateh Sagar Lake and Lake Pichola.
Note: Do not built high hopes to see a breathtaking architecture of palace or meusem. It is now a old broken fort under maintenance with nothing inside to see.
Neverthless, what's outside is amazing! Sajjangarh is the highest mountain point in Udaipur that gives you the best view of the whole city and Fateh Sagar & Pichola lakes together.
We spent around 2 hours at the place. Sajjangarh is situated at a prime location in Udaipur. All four directions displaying panoramic view of lakes & surrounding mountains.
The front side gives beautiful view of the Nehru garden in the Fateh Sagar lake and the City Palace, Lake Palace and Jag Mandir in the lake Pichola.

While Harpreet was busy taking pictures I heard a person describing different places of interest in Udaipur. He was a guide with an elderly couple from Bangalore. I was tempted to know and he pointed me towards Udai Vila and Oberoi hotel on the banks of Pichola lake. He was excited to show the temple where Raveena Tandon got married. It’s the Jag Mandir. I don’t know what’s the fuzz. But now the temple has got its special importance and famous as a temple were a bollywood actress got married.
With a good photographer like Harpreet, how could I miss a chance of getting my photos clicked at such a beautiful place.

The view from top floor is worth taking a look. As the guide said “upar jake dekho Kashmir lagta hai”. I have never been to Kashmir but if he compared the silence, the blowing cold breeze & the view to Kashmir. It’s worth giving a thought and I love to be at such a place for hours.

It was 1:00pm already and the sun was over our head still the cool wind made us feel pleasant. Like the modern growth of all places, we now have a small café at the Monsoon Palace where we had Lime water and cold coffee. It is a small world and you meet friends and friends of friends unknowingly.Harpreet’s IIT friends where there too to visit Sajjangarh and in Udaipur on occasion of a wedding One of Harpreet’s friend happened to be my colleague at Lehman Brothers. We did not know till date. His son little Arush is a cute little baby whom I could not let go J After tata’s and bye bye’s we left the place at 1:30pm

City Palace

Udaipur is a small city of 100 sq kms. At 1:30pm we were at City Palace. It took us just 15mins distance from Sajjangarh.
City Palace residing on the east bank of Lake Pichola is a huge palace which is now turned into a meusem with belongings of maharanas of Mewar. They say it takes around 3-4 hours to see inside the palace. As I am not a meusem lover and Harpreet had been here once before; for us the quick walk through took just an hour or so. One thing which I liked is the way that enters straight inside does not lead back on the same route. The tourist flow goes in one way and ends on the same starting point from other door.
As you enter the Palace, on the left the ground level view of the houses in the city looks wonderful.

The balconies of the palace provide panoramic views of "Lake Palace Hotel", "Jag Mandir" on one side and on the other Udai Vila & the city of Udaipur. It feels good to see Indian heritage and culture in the many antique articles, paintings, decorative furniture and utensils from the ancient age.

I Like this picture clicked by Harpreet.- A wandering Man & tourist. This was taken on our way out. There are some ancient fine art sculptures at the starting point of the palace. A foreigner was taking photos of the same and we caught a glimpse of this interesting human gesture.
At 3:00 we made our way out of the palace and onto the city shopping area. As a girl act I shopped for some antique Udaipuri stuff for house decoration. Meanwhile Harpreet made a wise move and wandered around the area clicking below flicks & staying out of choosing colors and what looks better questions!

Further we headed towards Ambrai. Now I remember the Hotel name very well. At that time Harpreet and I both struggled a bit. Ambrai Hotel was recommended by Suku, an IITian whom we met at Sajjangad as a best place to have Non-veg food. Since told so Harpreet was very eager to have lunch at this hotel. J
Sorry darling! City palace and covering as much places till 5:00pm was much more important. We finally reached Ambrai at 3:15pm and found the best table by the waterfront. It is my most cherished moments of the day. The calmness of the surrounding, the sound of the water as the boat passes by is simply soothing. That was exactly what I wanted. I had a hot coffee and we ordered a sandwich. (they stop serving lunch by 3:00pm)
Note: Janta visiting Udaipur and fond of non-veg food should go to this place before 3:00pm.
To reach this hotel, motor bike is most useful & best means to drive through the narrow roads.
Awesome view and feels very romantic.

I think we could have hardly got this view of reflection of City palace from anywhere else.
We left the place and 4:15pm and headed towards Fateh Sagar lake and in direction of our Hotel to pick our luggage and reach Adi’s house to return the bike.
I saw some camels around Fateh Sagar and though I have ridden one before on Juhu Chowpatty but many years ago infact when I don’t even remember. Harpreet insisted on fulfilling my wish of riding one. Thankfully I did or else I would have later felt bad of not doing so.

Moti Magri

We had totally forgotten about Moti Magri and it was almost 4:45pm after the Camel ride and we were to windup before 5:30pm. I wanted to add more to my list of visited places that we did make to the top of Moti Magri. To be true there is nothing much up there. Moti Magri is a place built as a Maharana Pratap Singh Memorial. There is a bronze statue of the Maharana astride his favourite horse "Chetak".
On the east side the view of the Neemach mata hill looks magnificent at sunset.

Had a wonderful day and at 5:40pm we were at the hotel to check out. At 6:00pm we met Adi’s family at their place and headed towards the bus stop to board a gurgaon bus at 6:30pm.
Udaipur, the Lake city and even more is a wonderful place to visit. The pollution free beauty, the calm & easy life makes Udaipur as my weekend holiday recommendation.
Do visit..

For more pictures visit - http://picasaweb.google.com/bhaktit/UdaipurTrip?authkey=UNbW27hZeF0#

My Journey with Lehman Brothers

2008-10-20T19:49:00.000+05:30

As quoted "All's Well That Ends Well" I was so enthusiastic to blend in the new environment that waking up at 3:00am and going to work did not question my decision of joining Lehman Brothers. Yes, I am proud to say, I was a part of Lehman Brothers Mumbai for 2 months. It was the determination of proving myself and the heat of working hard that kept me focussed. Also because I was wandering around for the past 4 months. I was all geared up to share my knowledge & learn more from my team mates. Within just 3 days I was liking every bit of it. The work culture & around was just like London. Exactly what I expected from my new job. I was happy to have found London in Mumbai. I could see my progress bar rising & it made me more confident. With this the hopes of visiting a different country like Japan for work grew high. But as all good things come to an end, so did Lehman. I didnt think of it in the wildest of my dreams and didnt expect it to end so soon. It had been just 2 weeks and then came the sad, shocking monday. We got the news of Lehman filing for bankruptcy. The Lehman ship had sunk carrying along with it the US, UK and Asia regions. With this my dreams faded as well and I can guess so did of other 26000 connected with Lehman. Employees packed out of US & UK. Asia was still waiting for the final verdict. India being a LB franchise was still safe. Our management assured us complete freedom of office facilities and also our salary. The first few days we use to eagerly wait for our manager to spread the good news. Our hope was still high and most of us kept going to office for few hours. After few weeks we just went to office for lunch and gym. Our Manager was uncertain about whats coming next and so he encouraged a job search and asked all to move on as an opportunity comes our way. Many of us grabed this opportunity and moved on with a new job. Few were lucky to get a raise of 20-30% and few being desparate to leave accepted a 10% less pay. Neverthless as expected, Lehman US is acquired by Barclays Capital, UK & Asia by Nomura. My career path took me to RBS. For me it is a meant to be situation. Though a week back it was the most crucial decision for me. I was confused. I wanted to stay back but RBS seemed to be a tempting deal. But with the thought of having no work for another 1-2 months made me sick and as I am living alone in mumbai even more. I want to work, work like crazy and so decided to move on and relocate to Gurgaon. My journey with Lehman ends on 21st Oct and a new start awaits at RBS. A new environment & many more challenges. I am happy that Nomura took over by which many jobs are secured. I believe even though acquired by Nomura the 158 year old name will stay and people will remember Lehman Brothers as a sunken ship risen back for good. For me Lehman will be among the most cherished and memorable part of my life.

My Painting 6 - Gateway of India

2008-09-17T23:49:00.000+05:30

It's time to leave, it's beginning of a new start.

I will succeed and achieve my dreams,

Only special one i will miss, is You.

I was smart yet I was childish, Your support helped me grow.

Now is the time for me to tell,

How special you are & always have been to me.

So here I am with a small Gateway,

One you may carry with you, I wish you do.

In London as you see, you will remember a place there is,

And remember a confident girl like me, failing your test twice, nervous but composed.

Since that moment and always, you have encouraged me.

A person I respect, a Friend I can talk to, my guide for the past 3 years.

I will truly miss you..

Vaibhav, Thanks for believing in me..

p.s. Dedicated to Vaibhav Shukla - E2E Infotech, CEO London (my Abel Kader khan, kader bhai) :-)

My Painting 5 - One Life to Live

2008-08-11T14:06:00.000+05:30

Life is like an Ocean, vast and boundless.
Sometimes calm and sometimes rough.
I believe in living the both.
Rough time is like a storm, and I this man on the boat,
Ready to try, ready to fight,
I know it is true, I know it is right.
I never give up, I know I can win,

All kind of odds, One has to face.
I want to do it all, I want to succeed.
As I believe there is only,
One Life to Live!

p.s. Dedicated to Harpreet Singh Grover.

Rafting in Kundalika River

2008-06-30T12:32:00.000+05:30

When: 27-28 June 2008 From: Andheri To: Kundalika River (Sahje village)
Difficulty level: Moderate Grade: 4 Total Rapids: 4 Rafting distance: 12 kms Body Surfing: 2 kms
Who: E2E Team - Pritesh, ketan, Laxmi, Shailendra, Dharmendra, Divya & I With: Canon Powershot SD800 IS
Route: Andheri - S'Cruz - Bandra - Sion Dharavi - Chembur - Mankhurd - Vashi - Panvel - khopoli - Mumbai Goa road - kolad - 150 kms
Cost: INR 2150 per person

"Swimming is a complete body exercise" is true. It truly takes a toll on your body more than trekking does on your legs. Its Monday, 2 days after the rafting & I still have a body ache :D
River Rafting on kundalika organized by “Camp fire India” group was a first time awesome rafting experience for all of us. Kundalika, a small river flowing from the Hills of Sahyadri to the Arabian Sea is located in the virgin forests below the Mulshi and Bhira Dams. This river originates at a small town called Bhira in the Indian State of Maharashtra, 150 km south east of Mumbai. One of the important towns located on the banks of Kundalika is Kolad.
From Mumbai (150 Kms) take the NH 17 (Goa highway) till Kolad. 1 Km after the Kolad market turn left on to the SH 60 to Pune. From here it is 8 Kms to Sutarwadi and another 8 Kms to turn left for Sahje village.

Friday - 27 June

The bus was supposed to leave Borivali National Park at around 9:30 pm on 27th June and we were asked to catch the bus at 9:45 pm at the end of Andheri Western Express highway. Because of few late comers at the starting point we were punished to wait till 10:30. After a 30mins drive further the bus again halted at Sion for few more people. It got very hot inside the bus so we got down and waited but it was a test to our patience as it took around 45 mins to leave that spot. After all the picking spots, we realised that we were the only punctual people and that too everyone cursed me for forcing them to be on time :D Before we left I and Divya had a dinner at her place but pity the guys were starving. God gracious! the bus halted for a short break at 1:00 am near Panvel at a restaurant called "Poonam Garden View". After feeding on delicious chicken curry, rotis, chicken biryani and veg fried rice all of us where stomach filled and sleepy. As the bus started at 1:45 am none of us spoke and were fast asleep until the bus came to a halt at the camp at 3:15 am. Below are the pics from the starting point, inside the bus and at the restaurant.

As we got down from the bus it started raining and we had to rush in the dark towards the tent. Outside we could guess that there were tall coconut trees surrounding the tents and we could hear the flowing river. Each tent was to accommodate 6 people and we were 7 of us not wanting to sleep. So we all got into one and decided to share scary ghost talks in the dark and stay awake till sunrise to see the camp site. Below are some pics taken inside the tent.

Saturday - 28 June

Tired, we all fell asleep at 5:00 am. When my eyes opened there was light outside and the clock ticked 7:00 am. I was feeling very sleepy and my back was aching. I thought i needed to sleep to enjoy my day later with the rafting thrill. But the excitement to see what’s outside did not let me sleep. I went outside the tent and Wow! the camp site was surrounded by tall coconut trees and mountains at a distance and just behind our tent was flowing the kundalika river. I hurried inside the tent and woke up Divya and Dharmendra and laxmi as well woke up and we all went to the bank of the river to click some funny photos.

As the camp organisers started setting up other sport events like Burma bridge, parallel rope climb, Ladder climbing & tree swing, we had our tea and breakfast and got ready to enjoy the sports. Divya was our star girl to be the first female to try the rope climb and tree swing. She did it amazingly. There was Volley ball match and none of the girls except Divya and I participated. It was fun.

The sports were interrupted at 10:00 am as we had to start the rafting. River Kundalika is fed by the excess water from Tata Power's Mulshi Dam Project on to the Bhira dam, where the water is released in the morning typically at 6 am. The gush of the water reaches Sutarwadi at 7:30 am and water rises at Kolad at 10:00 am. So the time between 10:00 am to 1:00 pm is the best time for the rafting rapids. Rafting instructors from various parts of India are hired by the Camp organizers. We were the “Yellow Team”. Our instructor Girish, from Om Shanti Om Holidays, Rishikesh must be between 25-30 age, seemed an experienced and interesting person and we got along very well as I shared my wish of rafting at Rishikesh. We needed to carry our raft from the camp to the river bank side. Gosh the raft is really very heavy thing. I always use to think that it must be light as filled with gas and would easily get turned upside down by the gushing rapids. But as I lifted it up I was sure it won’t and that we would be safe. I and Divya just pretended to carry it :D He explained us the rules of rafting and gave us the directions. When he finally decided our positions on the raft we were on the kundalika at 10:15 am. We started with some common slogans like “Jo bole Sonihal Sat sriakal” and “Ganapati Bappa Moriya”. Later Girish taught us his rafting slogan “Chinmin Chinmin dhoom dhadaka Hoo Haa Hoo Haa”. It was indeed energy boosting and funny at the same time.

First time experience of any sports is thrilling because one does not know what's he/she is going to face. We all were bit worried about our raft turning over on the rapids and would we be able to float in the river etc. But when we all fixed in our position taking proper care of not messing up we enjoyed all the rapids. On one of the rapids i fell inside the raft rather than falling outside. It was funny but in my mind i was relieved that i did not fell out..lol After 2 rapids we had a tea break at one bank and as I looked around, it was all green. The weather was simply fantastic to suite the sport. There was black cloud cover, the mountains surrounding the river look huge, green and fog covered. It started raining as we got back on our raft. Our raft was the rescue raft and third in line. So after every rapid we had to wait for other rafting teams to cross over safely. I was proud of being one :) Towards the end there is a free swim of 2kms. I did not intend to swim but out of the blue the instructor pushed me in the waters. OMG! i survived. It was great out there but BANG! he also pushed the person sitting infront of me and he fell with his paddle that hit me on my forehead. I could see stars during the day :) Trust me it hurted a lot. We reached the end point at 12:50 pm and again carried the raft out till the truck that carried it back to the camp site. None of us had any energy to walk or even speak. We were half dead. At 1:00 pm near kamath area close to Sutarwadi we gobbled hot tomato veg soup and Marie biscuits. Even the dry/dull marie biscuits tasted yummy after the rafting exercise. It took around 45mins by bus to reach the camp site where hot lunch was waiting for us. Though the dal and sabji was too watery we ate a lot until we fell asleep in the afternoon at 3:00. I was awaken by the organisers calling out for Mumbai bus travellers and we had to rush half asleep to catch it.

We reached Andheri at 9:30 pm and with all the body ache i reached home at 11:00 and crashed on my bed.
I regret only one thing after this trip that I did not carry my camera during the rafting with the fear of spoiling it in the water and we have no photos taken of the main adventure. But as Harpreet had said to me once, some special memories just remain with you & you need not capture them into photos. As I would remember my first rafting experience throughout my life because it proved to me that with a good float on; it is not required to know how to swim; the misconception that kept me away from trying out a good water sport like rafting for so long. So what are you waiting for? Go have one such thrilling experience soon..

For more photos please see:
http://picasaweb.google.com/bhaktit/RaftingCamp?authkey=o4GZ-oH0W54

Peb - Matheran Trek

2008-06-23T12:45:00.000+05:30

When: 22 June 2008 From: Mulund To: Matheran
Difficulty level: Moderate
Who: Harpreet & I With: Nikon D80 & Canon Powershot SD800 IS
Route: By Auto: Mulund - Thane - 20 mins By Train: Thane – Neral - 1 hr 15 mins Trek: Neral - Peb - Matheran - Neral 5 hrs 45 mins
Cost: approx. INR 350 for 2 (Transport & Food)

Monsoon is the best season for a trek in the mountains around Mumbai. With the light showers, cool breeze, and greenery to sooth your eyes, it feels simply amazing. Peb-Matheran trek has been my most adventurous and wonderful trekking experience so far. It is so because of 2 reasons:
1. I was not afraid of heights
2. Our first trek together :) and we enjoyed every bit of it.

Directions for trekkers:

As you come out of the Neral station take your right and start walking till you get a small climb and come to a green open land. From there you will see the electricity tower on the top of the extreme right. That is the Peb mountain on the right. On the left is Matheran. Between the two there is a prominent "V" shaped merging connection. On the green open land follow the road along the towers and reach the Peb top point and progress towards the left to reach Matheran.

There are 2 ways to complete this trek:
1. The one quite known to everyone - From the Peb mountain, climb the first ladder to enter the Peb fort. From the fort keep walking straight along the path in the direction of the second ladder and climb down to reach the V shaped merging. Reach the Matheran mountain and keep walking straight along the path towards the rail track (point 154)

2. The second trek route goes around the Peb mountain. Instead of climbing the ladder to reach the Peb fort keep walking along the rocky path and a small path which is covered by grass during monsoon. This road around the Peb is too narrow with rocky surface on your left and deep valley on the right. During rains take special care as it gets bit slippery on this route.

Where it all started:

Harpreet had some work related meetings in Mumbai. Sunday was a day he wanted to utilise to the fullest by going on an adventurous trek. I convinced him that we should drive to Matheran base and then hike to the different points at Matheran. But I knew that was not what was on his mind. He was very determined to go on the Peb-Matheran trek which he had done around 5 years back with his IIT friends. Like always he had planned the trek in advance. He had even spend few hours on saturday night reading about the route and memorising it by looking at the pictures on other blogs. while I was fast asleep not sure if I would wake up early at 4:30 AM on a sunday morning.I had packed our trekking bag in advance with things like Water bottles, Mango Juice, Cream Wafers & biscuits, Paper etc

Yiippy its the trekking day!

We got an Auto rickshaw at 6:00 AM hoping to catch the 6:13 AM Karjat slow local train from Thane to Neral. As assumed we could not make it on time to catch this train so we had the 6:35 one coming next. You will never find ticket counters at Thane station empty or for that matter less busy at any point of time. It has been my experience for the past 15 years of travel. Foolish! it clicked me when in the train that we could have easily got a ticket at Mulund station and caught the same train from there.
Neverthless we reached Neral at 7:50 AM and decided to fill our stomach before we started the trek. Wada Pav and Bhajiya Pav are the two favourites and easily available snacks in Mumbai. We gulped down 3 each along with a cup of hot tea and packed 3 more for the day. Gosh! I missed wada pav so much in aboard and it is one of the reasons I love being here :)
About food difference as compared to the last Himalayan trek:
1. Tea in Mumbai is not as sweet as in North (Mumbaikars are Cheeni kum ;)
2. Every eating stall in Mumbai has Wada Pav as every dhaba in North has Parathas
After all the eating we started towards our destination from the Neral village at 8:30 AM. Harpreet was so keen on taking the right path and not missing it even once that he put me to an ultimate use of speaking in marathi every 5 mins with any person we saw on our way. The last person we checked with confirmed that the Peb mountain is the one with the electricity tower on the top on the right. We needed to follow the road along the towers and climb upwards. It was a calm green land with kids playing the traditional cycle tyre rolling game and cattle grazing along.

"The people of the starting trail were not too many and not too few as we had hoped"..
We reached the first tower along a dry river and met one trekking group of 4 boys. We passed them and continued climbing through a throny bush and met up with another trekking group of around 10 boys and girls. We passed them too and reached the second tower with a big cement base. I dont know why but it gives me immense energy to overtake someone and compete :) Leaving the 2 groups behind we further progressed to a climb of huge high rocks. Now this was a real climb as such hike takes a toll on your thighs and ankles completely. It is a stretch of about 30mins. I found this path the most boring one in our trek. I still remember saying to Harpreet every 10mins, that its getting boring. The fun part was we again overtook a third group of trekkers.

We reached the base near the top tower and I thought what a simple climb. The clock showed 10:30 AM. Is this all? we have reached the Peb mountain already. Nopes! we still needed to trek further up towards the Peb fort and where my most awaited ladder lay. From there the view was great. Strong cold wind was blowing and there is a deep valley on the other side.

In the photos above you can make out that we climbed from the left hand side and we still had to progress to the top.
While I was chilling out in the cool breeze, Harpreet could not control his enthusiasm and he climbed on the top of the adjoining hill on the opposite side which had a narrow climb. The first photo below shows the height and steepness of the hill, second Harpreet literally running upwards to the top. Finally when it started raining I sat where I was watching him enjoying the rain and view on the top.

We had to walk further left to reach the top most point of Peb. There is a huge rock there and its difficult for a single person with a height less than 6 ft to cross that point in a single attempt without anyones hand and help. Good the third group was still with us and one of the professional trekker pulled me up with Harpreet pushing me upwards from behind. I had to stretch my legs completely straight up 90 degrees and it hurted a bit. We left the group near a small temple just below the Peb fort starts and continued towards Matheran. Till then we werent knowing that the ladder route is a different one from inside the fort and we decided not to take it. So my most awaited ladder climb ended there itself. But Harpreet assured me that there is a third and last ladder on the Matheran mountain and I shall still get to cross that one. I was pleased to hear that. The route after this was the amazing part of the trek. We took the difficult route around the Peb mountain towards Matheran. I call it the "Love route" :D as noone followed it and we were just two of us jumping, singing along our way and enjoying every bit of it. I am still surprised that I was not afraid of the deep valley on the right side. I did not feel the drop.

We could see Matheran's most famous and highest Panorama point on our right. (you can see it on the extreme right top corner in photo where Harpreet is leaning backward) As we covered the complete semi circle around the Peb mountain the V shaped merger seemed clearer infront of us. I checked if the path was a thin joint or if there was enough space to cross it and reach Matheran. I was happy to see that it was well made. The only hurdle was the 100 mts path that we needed to walk to reach the "V". I sat for a while looking at the deep valley straight down below. Meanwhile Harpreet was wondering around trying to find the ladder that comes down from the fort and from a little hill above he captured me lost in the moment of thinking if I would be able to walk that little way through. At first I got bit low and wanted him to come along but the bid was that he would stay back and click my pictures standing on the "V", the path finder, the only sign made by mother nature to show trekkers the right route. This thought excited me and I started slowly, taking support of the left hand wall. The wind was blowing very strongly and I felt as if I would be dragged along. The only thing i could do at that moment was to run, yeah run straight on the flat land that made the "V". So I did.

It was great out there. The feeling of conquering the "V" without much difficulty and tireness was nice. We got all enthu again and continued our trek towards Matheran. During the climb on the other side of the V to Matheran, something hurted in my right knee and it got all painful for me. I could still bear the pain and not talk about it. Smiling and being more energetic we walked for another 15 mins and the most awaited ladder was atlast seen. I jumped out of excitement and ran towards it and asked Harpreet to click my photos. From below it seemed as if it would be made of wood and the blowing strong wind may shake it and it may even break. Wrong! it is not. It is cut out of the strong rail tracks and bended outwards to create foot steps on it and fixed at both the ends firmly. So no danger of falling at all :)

Hereafter the climb was easy along the brick steps to reach the Matheran rail track point 154. As Harpreet told me that when they had been to this place 5 years back there was no such ladder there and they had to climb up on the slippery slope wall and even ahead they had to make their own way out on the rocks. With good mountain development 5 years down the line our adventure ended at the entry of Matheran point 154 at around 1:30 PM. Cheers Mate! We did it.

Looking at the far end view of mountains, the route that we covered few hours ago, taking photos and munching on our left over snacks we spend an hour at this point. We then started walking on the track that lead us to Matheran main road point 134 where we could get a shared taxi to Neral station which costs Rs. 50 per person.

Walking on the tracks was fun and with the photo section going on even more enjoyable. Me pointing at the Matheran's Panorama point. After a while our feet started hurting. It felt uncomfortable to walk on the stony track. I cursed the little blue train that runs between Neral - Matheran for not being available on that sunday.

After about 30 mins we reached the newly made cemented road point 134. While we were waiting for the taxi I heard the train whistle blowing loudly. I ran towards the track and to my surprise the blue train was coming down. Shuks! we were just 5 mins ahead of it. We got a shared taxi, a black colored Omni that stuffed us at the back. Tired and with my right knee hurting badly we reached Neral station at 3:15 PM. The adventure was not over yet. The next train to leave for Thane was at 4:00 and we could not wait that long with the platform getting over crowded and we desperately wanted to a seat and sleep. Neral to Karjat takes 10 mins. So we bought tickets to karjat which is the starting point and we caught a train at 3:25 going to karjat. Lucky us! the same train was suppose to leave after 10mins from karjat which means that one was our 4:00 PM train :). We finally reached home sweet home at 6:00 PM. With my severe knee pain & he feeling sleepy we crashed into bed at 7:00 PM.

Peb - Matheran would be one of the best memories of a wonderful trekking experience and a great adverture! Overall the last weekend was great and expecting the same for the coming rafting camp as well.
Again, catch you soon and thanks for reading..

My Painting 4 - Sunrise at a Beach

2008-05-30T18:20:00.000+05:30

Sunrise on the beach as I await, it takes me to a place of peace.
Yet another day full of hope where the lonely beach say to me, Come and stay by me for a while,
How I love to hear the waters say, please stay, dont go away.
So I stay watching the reflection of the sun as it make its way,
From the orange horizon into the blue sky.
So calm & quite, I wonder why?
I see the water meeting the rocks and a boat lying lone.
Soon the day would pass by and again,
Sunrise on the beach as I await..

Chopta – Tungnath Trek to Chandrashila Peak

2008-05-16T13:32:00.000+05:30

When: 9 -11 May 2008 From: Delhi To: Uttarakhand
Difficulty level: Easy
Who: Panda, Mansi & I With: Maruti Swift VXi & Nikon D80
What: India / Himalayas / Hiking / Trekking
Onward: Delhi - Haridwar – Rishikesh – Rudraprayag - Chopta – Tungnath – 486 kms
Return: Chopta - Ranikhet – Ramnagar – Delhi – 654 kms
Stay: Lodging at Tilwara & Tungnath Eat: Fresh Vegetarian food at northen dhabas
Cost: approx. INR 8000 for 3

After months of planning to go on a trip, we finally confirmed on going to the Chandrashila trek in Uttaranchal. I was very excited and happy that we were at last going to make it. This was my first trek in the north and especially in the Himalayas. For those who don’t know the place, Chandrashila is the most accessible mini peak situated in the Rudraprayag District of Uttaranchal (now Uttarakhand). This peak is perched at an altitude of 3886 m in Uttarakhand Himalayas. The trek was easy and the key highlights were the destination 'Chandrashila peak' itself, which is the highest peak in the nearby areas and the Tungnath temple, the highest Shiva temple in the world. Tungnath holds one of the body parts; the Arms (Bahu) of Lord Shiva.
For your info, together the 5 portions of Lord Shiva are worshipped at –
- hump at kedarnath - Arms (Bahu) at Tungnath
- Mouth (mukh) at Rudranath
- Navel (nabhi) at Madmaheshwar and
- Hair (jata) at Kalpeshwar.
I think I wouldn’t have known this if it wasn’t for the trip.

Day 1: Drive from Delhi – Haridwar – Rishikesh – Tilwara – 13 hrs

We had planned to leave Gurgaon by 4:00 am on 9th May 2008 Friday morning which also happened to be Harpreet’s birthday. After all the birthday bumps fun going on till late night we over slept a bit and finally left at 7:00 am. Mansi had arranged for mineral water bottles and light snacks; important one was Maggi cup noodles. You will soon read how and where we used it. Our first halt was around 9:00 am at Meerut for breakfast. Panda’s idea of having one was at CCD, a clean hygienic place rather because they have good washrooms. Alas! Poor panda had to give up as I and Mansi insisted on eating only at a dhaba to give a desi touch to our trip. Later Mansi took on the wheel around Meerut. Delhi to Haridwar is around 200 kms and we had to reach Haridwar by noon. Panda suggested playing a bet to make the drive a little more interesting. At 10:45 am Panda and Mansi took the challenge of reaching Haridwar by 12:45 – 1:00 pm. Due to sheer negligence of analysis on my part I claimed 1:30 pm. The one who loses would have to take a dubki (dive) in the freezing water of one the lakes on our way. One can very well guess the results by looking at the pics below:

Yes I lost, with Panda’s NFS driving skills they just made it in time at 12:50 pm. Our second halt was at Rishikesh for lunch. Thereafter the Hills started. Wow what a thrill drive we had. I was sitting in the back seat unaware of the drive and whoop in a second I was thrown from one window to another. Panda drove awesomely in the hills and had to take a break in the evening. We took our third halt at a Tea stall near Rudraprayag and saw the sunset and this dog looking goat.

We again happily started the drive in dark assuming we had ample time to reach Srinagar which was our destination for the day. At 8:20 pm the unexpected happened. We were stopped at a police checkpost near Tilwara. None of us had the slightest idea of this checkpost towards kedarnath which is kept closed from 8:00 pm to 5:00 am to avoid accidents in the dark. What a shame! We missed it just by 20mins. At first we thought if known about this checkpost we could have compensated those 20mins somewhere else. Nevertheless, everything happens for good. We left the car on other side and started in search of a decent lodge for the night. The first one we saw was a bit shady. Finally convincing the police to trust us and not driving ahead to kedarnath we made our fourth and final halt of the day at Vasundhara Resort Tilwara behind which ran the Mandakini river. I could not wait to watch the sunrise as I heard the water flow in the dark. If it wasn’t for that checkpost I would have missed this and the 2 hours beautiful drive we had the next morning which is worth during that time of day and not in the night.

Day 2: Drive from Tilwara – Okhimath - Chopta – 2 hrs & Trek from Chopta to Chandrashila Peak – 6 hrs

10th May 2008 – Beautiful Saturday Morning

The eagerness to wake up early and watch the sunrise over the Mandakini river persisted till morning. I woke up at 4:30 am and to my disappointment it was still dark. I went to bed again and woke up at 5:45 am. I was so happy with the surroundings that I could not let Mansi and Panda sleep either. It took me an hour to drag them out of the bed. We took a walk by the river and saw some village women breaking the rocks. They were happy to get their pictures clicked.

We left the resort at 7:30 am and planned to cover a distance of approx. 100 kms in 2 hours. The road to Chopta is beautiful with dense green forest and pine trees. During the drive we got amazing views of majestic Kedarnath and nearby Himalayan ranges. On the way we had breakfast at Okhimath.

As planned we reached Chopta base camp by 9:30 am and rented a room for the night. With all the stuff settled we started off for the trek at 10:00 am.

At the start the trek seemed to be easy. Infact we were hiking. During the hike Panchchuli, Nilkanth Chaukhamba & Trishul peaks could be seen clearly. As I was trekking after a long time and the climb had taken a toll on my fitness level we had to take our first halt at a Tea stall where we ate Munch for energy boost.

On our way Mansi discovered a bed of beautiful pink flowers. I and Mansi jumped out of excitement to take pictures and Panda acted as a photographer for us.

As we climbed further the climb became steeper & it started getting colder. We reached another stall from where the Tungnath temple was quite visible. Here the chai wala told us how they trek to the “kala pahad” (Black Mountain) and get the holy flower of the Shiva, the “Brahma kamal”. The kala pahad kept on catching our sight with its magnificent black structure in comparison to the white snow covered nearby hills. From this point the temple and our final destination Chandrashila peak seemed quite close. I thought it would take another hour to trek further.

Hurray! We reached the Tungnath temple at 1:00 pm. Totally exhausted we rested at the temple for about 30mins and it felt great under the sun with the blowing cold breeze.

The trek was not of another hour but more. The thrill was yet to complete and Panda pushed us to trek further to achieve the peak. We left the stony path and took the green grassy climb instead. This took a toll on our calves. I could feel the muscles cracking and my heart beating harder. I said to myself another 30mins. It would be awesome up there. You have to get good view of the Himalayan range. With this we touched the Chandrashila peak at 2:30 pm. Wonderful as I expected it to be.

Here comes the Maggi story. All tired but happy we finally reached Chandrashila peak. The next thing on our mind apart from clicking good scenic pictures was food. We were dying of hunger. Atleast I was, a lot. We had borrowed a container (a catori) and a match sticks box at our first halt at the tea stall. We had water bottles, Maggi and Lemon Tea. We decided to boil the water in the catori like primeval old days and pour it in the cup noodles. The only fight was to get dry grass and some hidden place to stop the cool breeze from blowing the fire. We did succeed and with little efforts burned some grass and some insects along with it. The feeling of achievement was good. Mansi was happy with her Lemon Tea which she made in the same maggi cup. As per her, it tasted good and we could see the effects later. On our way back Mansi was all energetic to walk down the peak.

We took pictures, cooked & relaxed on the top. After a while the sun disappeared and it started getting dull. Our view of the surrounding hills was blocked by the rain clouds. And then it happened. Drops started pouring but we still did not move and decided to sit there for another 30mins or so.

Alas! Nature did not want us to wait there any longer. Huge hailstones kicked our asses out and at 3:30 pm we decided to trek down.

If our climb to Chandrashila was exciting, our descend was even more so. To make it adventurous we walked down the cliff side ways and ignoring the trekking path which seemed quite easy. As we reached down in the meadows it started raining heavily. I could not control my enthusiasm of running out in the meadows as I always wanted to do so.

We landed back at the Chopta base camp around 5:30 pm. Overall it took us 4 hours to trek up and 2 hours to come down. All we wanted to do thereafter was crash in our bed and wake up at 5:00 am the next morning to watch the sunrise and leave for Delhi as early as possible to cover the long drive. We ate our Lunch cum dinner around 6:00 pm at a nearby dhaba. I and Mansi had a severe headache and we could not feel our legs. We took a crocin and went straight to bed. The room was freezing and I wanted a hot water bath before I could sleep. By the time the helper could get the water I was half dead. Later what happened was like things moving in my dream. The water bucket came. I took a bath. Fell asleep at 7:00 pm. At 10:00 pm my eyes opened. To my surprise, Panda and Mansi were all awake & talking. I could hear weird ideas of trekking back to the peak and playing cards if we had them. Are you kidding me! I was drowning in sleep. I still cannot guess what had happened to them. What made them wake up that soon. Finally everyone fell asleep again at 11:00 pm and as expected none of us woke up at 5:00 am to watch the sunrise.

Day 3: Drive back from Chopta – Gopeshwar - Ranikhet – Ramnagar – Delhi – 18 hrs

As the plan to watch the sunrise did not succeed, we rather slept till 8:00 am. Again it took me 4 calls to drag Panda and Mansi out of the bed. We left Chopta at 9:30 am after having breakfast. I didn’t know that people in the Hills truly respect the existence of Lord Shiva. No non-veg food and not even eggs are served there. Food is served in abundance and is so cheap. A whole meal of 8 Rotis, 2 Sabji, rice and dal costs around Rs. 200 As the same route seemed quite boring on return we decided to drive back to Delhi on a different one. It was longer distance wise and thanks to Pandas miscalculation we ended up driving an extra 150 kms.
On our way at 12:00 noon we got to wet ourselves in the cold clear water of Pindhor river which also happened to be the place of my dubki.

The drive through the hills of Ranikhet was beautiful and the rain added up to the beauty of the pine rainforest. The road and time passed by with the good interesting talks. We took the last halt of our trip at a dhaba on the highway near Corbet National Park.

Running behind schedule we reached Gurgaon at 4:00 am on 12th May Monday morning.
For me, Chandrashila was one good trip to remember. Not just the adventure of trekking but it also connected me to Mansi and Panda in a better way. The combined experience of all the seasons; sunny summer while hiking, spring green forest, winter like chilling cold and the rains with the hailstones was all that I could have ever asked for. After such a wonderful trip, I am all geared up for the more Himalayan trek. So What’s Next? Panda to decide …
Till then, so long and thanks for reading.

Long Weekend - Inspiration is a Must!!

2008-04-21T14:40:00.000+05:30

Long weekend! sounds so pleasing when it was approaching. I had made proper plans to utilise it and do all my pending personal work. As friday approached, I was happy that things were in place and getting done as expected. Then by evening I got a phone call and there it goes..change in plans. No Saturday morning meeting with the client hence no need to prepare. Hurray!feeling relaxed, I changed my plans to going out on a lavish dinner with my family. Had a good time and returned tired n fell asleep. Saturday passed by shopping in the shitty sunny afternoon and very exhausting. Still managed to have fun with friends with the great cusion fight in the night. Sunday was end of story, last day of chutti. Was dying of discomfort of the Mumbai heat and had lost hope of doing anything productive. In afternoon watched a part of Jab we met and read an inspiring book. By evening, i was all geared up to get as much interesting, planned things done as possible. Went to bed, satisfied by 1:00 that I managed to do all the not so important stuff instead of doing something productive.

The Secret - Law of Attraction

2008-04-17T12:37:00.000+05:30

When you do good things to others you attract good things in return. Do I really believe in this? Tho it is more of a philosophical thinking, why not feel good by thinking of something you like. What happened yesterday was a surprise to me and may be I wouldn't even think of it if it wasnt for the book I am reading - "The Secret". Being good to some unknown person and understanding how difficult it is to get a auto rickshaw in the morning and that he might miss his train/bus; I offered him a lift in my Auto. Why should I even bother or cared so much to think all this? But I did and it didn't cost me anything. Instead the good returned in the evening. When I & Nancy were trying to find a auto in Hiranandani and I was all tired to walk any further. There came an auto and the person inside ask us to get in and gave us a lift to a auto stand near galleria. He was a handicap guy, friendly and nice to talk to. Thats all I could guess in those 10mins of our talks and from his kind gesture. May be even he might have thought in a similar way as I did in the morning. Whatever it was. It made me smile and feel good.

My Painting 3 - Layer Painting of Sunset

2008-04-14T12:42:00.000+05:30

Just an imagnation and mixture of color shades..

My Painting 2 - England Countryside

2008-04-11T20:11:00.000+05:30

Pleasant Sunny Weather, green fields, horses grazing of which I got a glance while travelling from London to Preston. What a pleasing feeling and a desire to paint it right away..

My Painting 1 - Thames & the Limehouse Lights

2008-04-11T19:33:00.000+05:30

An attempt to create a replica of the Original picture taken of Thames & adjoining houses near Limehouse during sunset