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My Festlist - 1


I was talking to a friend who recently relocated to Kolkata. She was describing the grand Durga Pujo celebrations with colorful and majestic Pandals in almost every lane, the whole city seem to have been lightened up. I made a mental note to visit Kolkata next year for Durga Pujo.
And why just Kolkata for Durga Pujo, there are so many festivals celebrated in our country in such an interesting and unique way. I want to witness the uniqueness of each festival first hand. Here is my first list and my reasons and i am sure there are many more and a 2nd list will follow soon.

1. Durga Pujo in Kolkata .

Why: Although Durga Puja is celebrated across the country, nothing could match the enthusiasm of Bengal. Every street and lane is decorated and you can feel and smell the festivity in the air.
More information on wiki .


One of the Pandals in Kolkata











2. Ganesh Chaturthi in Mumbai

Why:  Well from what I have heard and learnt through the media, the celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi in Mumbai is magnificent. With thousands  of people chanting "Ganapati bappa moriya" on the streets , it  would be an experience to be amidst the crowd. Its also  an emotional Journey for many as they take the Ganesha idol for immersion after having it at home and treating it as a family member for as long as 11 days.
More information here .

Ganesh Visarjan in Mumbai
 3. Dahi Handi Utsav in Mumbai/Pune

Why :  The Dahi Handis (Earthen pot filled with curd) are hung as high as 10 story building,and the team of men and women form a human pyramid to reach it. Its immensely dangerous but that doesn't bring down the spirits of these brave folks. And that makes it worth the visit.
More information on wiki

4. Kite Festival in Gujrat

Why :  The sky seems to be filled with colorful kites from participants all over the world. One could watch the innovations and creativity put to each of the kites, something one needs to experience.
You could find more information on wiki.


5. Holi in Barsana (Lathmar Holi) and Mathura 

Why:  I have played Holi since I was a kid and its only recently I read about the Holi being celebrated in such a different way. A day before Holi, Women beat up men with sticks (sometimes we men need some straightening up :P). The legend is that Lord Krishna was visiting his beloved Radha on this day and playfully teased her and her friends. Taking offense at this, the women of Barsana chased him away, hence the tradition. Also the whole of Mathura seems to be dipped in colors during this time of the year.
More information here .


Lathmar Holi

6. Vallam Kali (Boat race) in Kerala

Why : Beauty of the 'God's own country' has always attracted millions of tourist every year. It would be a sight to watch the longboats with the participants on each boat rowing with paddles as they sing and shout loudly.
More information on Wiki


7. Baishaki in Punjab Village

Why:  Punjab had always meant lush green fields, a large glass of lassi and extremely cheerful, energetic people. Celebrating Baishaki with farmers in Punjab with vibrant colors and watching them dance to the melodious songs (Bhangra and Gidda) sounds exciting to me.
More info on Wiki.


I am sure there are a lot more I am missing. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to leave them in comments section and i would love to compile them with my next list.
You could also like me on my Facebook page 'Tryst with Miles' or follow me with Google Friend Connect option on the right panel!

Sky Watch Friday - Dawn at Nandi hills Bangalore, India



 Pictures taken at Dawn at Nandi hills Bangalore India. (Click on the picture to see in its original size):








 Pictures posted as part of this wonderful community Sky Watch Friday









A morning at Gateway of India.


Few years after the 26/11 which shook the financial capital of India, I found myself in front of the Gateway of India.  It was supposed to be built to welcome British Majesties King George V and queen Mary in 1911. However They got to see only a cardboard model as the construction started only in 1915. I found myself smiling as I read this on wiki and could relate to some of the experiences in my personal and professional life, I guess we all can. Do you remember a moment when you failed to deliver something on promised time and instead tried to make up for the goof up with completely insignificant goodies (our own cardboard gateway of India).

It was quite early in the morning when I reached there and there were already a lot of locals and tourists there. There were also hundreds of 'pigeons' opposite to Gateway, I guess its one of their favorite eat-outs in the otherwise crowded city and why shouldn't it be with so many hosts, all the camera attention and a great view of the sea. While I was standing there feeding the pigeons I was also looking at the Grand Taj hotel trying to find signs of the attack it bore a couple of years back. I could find no signs and was glad that its glory was restored. Here are few pictures taken back then:




It still reads December 1911 (MCXI) though its construction started in 1915





Boats, ferries and yachts!

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A shot of gateway of India, Grand Taj hotel and the new taj hotel


Ferry

Loved its color against the blue background

Sky Watch Friday - Kihim beach



These pictures were taken at Kihim beach near Alibaug on one of my solo trip. It was clicked right before the sunset , loved the cloud formation.


















How to reach: The closest airports are Mumbai and Pune.
From Mumbai, one could take a ferry to Alibaug, at Alibaug you could either rent a car or take an auto (three wheeler taxi) to Kihim beach.

Where to Stay : There are a few resorts at Kihim beach and a prior reservation would be a good idea as it is a weekend gateway for the people from Mumbai and Pune



This post belongs to Sky Watch Friday Community, and this is my first post to it.

A life at lake

It sounds exciting to be able to live in a houseboat and take a Shikara ride in a lake, that's what it is to most of us "An experience of the lifetime".  But during my stay at the lake I experienced much more than that, there was a complete town established on the lake. There were houses, shops  and what surprised me the most was there were farms , right on the lake . There are few things I clearly remmeber which I would not have known till my visit to the lake.

1. Mobile shops : While we were enjoying the ride in our Shikara , another shikara came right next to hours and to our surprise it was a mobile shop selling all kinds of imitation jewellery and accesory. We go further and there is a similar shop , just this time it was a florist.

2. Non-Mobile shops : There were few shops made up of wood right in the middle of the lake and people would commute on their personal vehicles, "the shikaras" to get the groceries, vegetables , fruits, gas cylinders.

3. Dariya mein curfew (Curfew in the water) : Our shikarawala informed us in the evening that we cannot go further than the point we were as there is "Dariya mein curfew" and no shikaras should be out beyond a certain time. I had never heard of it before but then I see a police boat with speakers asking everyone to return back. By then i had already spent a couple of hours in the lake and it did not surprise me much as the lake wasn't just a lake it was a small town and guess law applies the same there as it does on the land.

Our shikarawala guy was in his 50s and a very lively guy. There were a lot of stories he told us , i remember two of them:

He has a wife in Kashmir and he is also married to a lady in France. They had fell in love and got married while she was visiting India couple of years ago and since then she sends him a return ticket to one foreign destination every year and they spend a week or so together.

The other story I remmeber was of the conflict between two neighbors at the lake. One day our shikarawala heard these two neighbors arguing with each other and on enquiring he found out that one neighbour was accusing the other of "stealing his farms".  Looking at our confused faces, our shikarawala explained to us "These plants the people grow in water have their roots floating in water and due to heavy winds the  previous night a portion of the farm had drifted to neighbors house and the owner  is accusing the neighbor of stealing his farm". We burst out laughing.



Our houseboat

One of the rooms, it was a 3BHK.


Our pickup to the houseboat







 





Dawn at Nageen lake, Kashmir




It was a beautiful and freezing morning as I stepped out of the houseboat at Nageen lake and something caught my eye , A lone Shikarawala rows his way towards a picturesque dawn!

Go Green - 10 out of 11 times!!




I left office just like any other way unaware of the fact that a huge surprise was waiting for me. It had been a long day and I was riding back my regular route. After a couple of kilometers I suddenly realized that I did not have to stop a traffic signal so far and then i counted, 4 out 4!! It was quite unusual and I started to look forward to the next one, turns out it was green as well and the amazing uninterrupted ride went on till I reached the 8th signal which happened to be Red as I approached it, I in fact slowed down hoping for it to turn Green but alas, it did not. Now I was a little skeptical about the next one as I thought that the spell is back again but no!! next 3 signals were green and before i knew, I was crossing the last signal with a smile on my face!


P.S : For people who were wondering whats the big deal, trust me my friend, in Bangalore it is a boon.And to support it with some statistics , its the first time it happened for me in the last 2 years i have been traveling that route. :)
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