Showing posts with label India. Show all posts
Showing posts with label India. Show all posts

Sunday, April 22, 2012

What is Freedom?



For a kid, Freedom may mean ‘freedom to eat chocolates and ice creams anytime’.

Freedom, for a student, may mean ‘freedom from tests and exams’.

Freedom, for a working person, may mean ‘freedom from working late’.

For a sick person, Freedom may mean ‘freedom from illness’.

For a girl, Freedom may mean ‘freedom from eveteasing guys’.

For a guy, Freedom may mean ‘freedom to smile at any beautiful girl’.

Freedom for a home-maker may mean ‘freedom from routine household chores’.

Freedom for a labourer may mean ‘freedom from exhaustive work’.

For a beggar, Freedom may mean ‘freedom from begging’.

Freedom for those who party may mean ‘freedom to go pub hopping after 12 in the midnight’.

For a filmstar or cricketer (or a shooter who has won an Olympic gold), Freedom may mean ‘freedom to walk on the street like any of us and eat Chaats from the roadside gaadi‘.

Of course these are all just guesses. The answer can vary from person to person.

Radio, TV, online forums all ask this one question a week before the independence day: What does ‘true freedom’ mean to you?

I honestly don’t know what ‘true freedom’ means. Can you help me, please?

Thursday, September 30, 2010

The India-Pakistan Border Ceremony



Every day, a flag-lowering ceremony takes place at Wagah Border, which connects India and Pakistan via the Grand Trunk Road. The border, the only official land crossing-point between the two countries, separates Amritsar, India and Lahore, Pakistan. Each day, the 45-minute ceremony involves a carefully choreographed “standoff” between Indian and Pakistani soldiers, ending “in the lowering of both flags and the slamming of the border gates.”







The daily Wagah event is a popular tourist attraction, but rather than it being a show of hostility between the two nations, an atmosphere of jovial patriotism coexists on both sides. The ceremony is an exhibition of force mixed with cooperation, reminiscent more of dance battles than military aggression. It even ends with a handshake between the participants.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

JAIPUR A Fun Place Even By Night



Gone are the days when a tourist had to languish in his hotel room after sunset in Jaipur.Now they have many options to enliven their evenings besides just having dinner and going to bed.

How would you like to spend your Evening?

Would you like to shop some more?

Head to Guarav Towers,Malviya Nagar and you will find branded shops full of Shoes,Clothes,Music,Movies on DVD, Books,Coffee Bar,Bargains for Rs.99/-,Bakers, Restaurants including the Mac.If you want some more choice step across to  yet another mall just a  stones throw away.

If you do not believe in the mall culture and like to practice the art of bargaining then Bapu Bazaar,Nehru Bazaar,Hawa Mahal Bazaar and other Bazaars in the walled city are for you.Window shop at a leisurely pace amongst the bustle of the people, hawkers, rickshaws, autos,urchins,cows and the ever present honking traffic. And a mute witness to it all are these Red lime washed walls of monuments of times no more and you .

In the mood for a long drive-head for The Chokhi Dhani-Ethnic Village Restaurant( 0141-2770556) on the Tonk Road.The menu and service is traditional rajasthani.There are potter,folk dancers,snake charmer,madaari and a future reading parrot.Camel and elephant rides.Lac bangles for sale.

If you do not feel up to the long drive but want a good north Indian meal under the belt head for “Shree Thal”  restaurant behind the New Vidhan Sabha,near jyoti nagar police station.If in mood for top of the line multi cuisine vegetarian fare head for the “Four Seasons” on Subhash Marg,C-Scheme(0141-2374601).

How about some Chaat?  Chawala’s in Raja Park is the place for you.

Are you thinking Non-Vegetarian?No visit to Jaipur is complete without a meal at the Niros (0141-2374493)on the M.I.Road. Another choice - Copper Chimney (0141-2372275),opp. G.P.O. Spice Court (0141-2220202)on Jacob Road.

Or just feeling like a Pizza-Pepsi only? There is Pizza Hut(0141-2388627),Ganpati Plaza,M.I.Road and Dominoes(0141-2378526),near Raj Mandir Cinema Hall.

Looking for a Gujarati meal-there is “Anapurna” behind Raj Mandir-near the gujarati samaj complex. And the Rajdhani Restaurant above the Mac on Panch Batti Circle.

A south indian meal is readily available at” Sankalp” and “Dasaprakash” (0141-2371313) on the M.I.Road.
And we must not forget the little lady and the young master with you. MacDonald’s has three out lets in jaipur-Near Raj Mandir, Gaurav Tower & Crystal Palm on bais godam circle.(1600-11-00-99)

But the night is still young.What night ends without pubbing.
Geoffrey’s the pub (0141-2360202)at the Park Plaza and Bar Code at The K.K.Square on Prithviraj Road,Steam (0141-2211919) at The Rambagh Palace and Back to Basics at Country Inn & Suites (0141-5103300) on khasa kothi circle.

Or just looking for a cup of that perfect coffee before you turn in for the night -Barista in Mall 21,opp.Raj mandir. Mr.Beans(0141-2223650) & The Rock (0141-2360622)on the Sardar patel Marg,C-Scheme.
If you think no holiday is complete without a hindi movie-we have just the place for you-The Raj Mandir Cinema Hall(0141-2379372).In this day and age of multiplexes-a single screen theater-built like no other and worth a visit.

For the culturally inclined-Birla Auditorium & Planetarium  (01412385224) on Statue Circle, Jawahar Kala Kendra (0141-2705879),opp.Commerce College or Ravindra Manch (0141-2619061) in the Ram Niwas Garden.These places come alive during the yearly fixtures of  Jaipur Festival & Rajasthan Day celebrations conducted by the RTDC and The Jaipur Virasat Foundation.A not to be missed yearly event is the increasingly high profile  Jaipur Literature Festival with writers galore.

Rajasthan Development Corporation Ltd. has started a Pink-City-By-The-Night Tour.(6.30 to 10.30 Pm.) Offering lit up monuments of Jaipur with Vegetarian Dinner at The Durg Cafe,Nahargarh.(Rs.250/-Per Pax Drinks Optional Extra) Contact: R.T.D.C. Tours & Travels,Government Hostel,Opp.G.P.O, Jaipur (P) 01412375466

 ...

Rajasthan - The Land of Kings


Rajasthan, literally meaning ‘Land of King’ is biggest state of India area wise. About Rajasthan it is said that it is the place where all the country’s similes and metaphors appear to come together to created a visual extravaganza. Bestowed with magnificent palaces and rugged forts, wooded hills and tranquil lakes, bustling towns and quiet villages, amazing variety of flora and fauna, the colorful and vibrant people, the desert land of Rajasthan offers both unmatched and unforgettable experience.


camel drinking water
Camel drinking water

Whenever you travel across Rajasthan, particularly from the popular tourist destinations, you will come across the unexpected, whether it is a local village or a bustling city market or superb mind-blowing architectural wonders. In fact, the mood and the rhythm of landscape of Rajasthan changes from one region to another, and from season to season. On the whole, Rajasthan is a land of magical fantasies that remain in lifetime memory of the visitors. So, come and discover the magical land on your own.

Hawamahal Jaipur
Hawamahal Jaipur
Jaipur : Also known as Pink city, Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan. Founded by Maharaja Jai Singh II in 1727, Jaipur is the place where you experience the Rajput hospitality at its best. Established on the lines of Shilpa Shastra town planning, Jaipur is tempered with influences of Mughal and Jain architures of that era. Jaipur was painted in all pink in honour of Prince Albert who visited the city in 1853 and even today the city houses are painted in pink colour. Highlights of Jaipur include Hawa Mahal, City Palace and Museum, Jantar Mantar and Amber Fort. Jaipur is a paradise for shoppers, the city markets deal in the best tie and dye bandhnis, blankets, shoes and jewellery.

Jaisalmer : Jaisalmer is an oasis in the desert breast of Rajasthan. Situated in the westernmost remote corner of Rajasthan, Jaisalmer with its golden sandstone town walls provides the visitors medieval and an incredible feel. Places to be visited in Jaisalmer are Jaisalmer Fort, the havelis (mansions) most popular one being the Patwon ki Haveli and the Gadisagar Lake.

Lake Vilas Palace Udaipur
Lake Vilas Palace - Udaipur
Udaipur : Often referred to as the ‘Venice of the East’, Udaipur is considered one of the most romantic cities of India. With its fairytale collection of exotic gardens, beautiful lakes and fantasy island palaces, Udaipur provides never before experience to visitors. Must visit places in Udaipur are City Palace, Jagdish Temple, Saheliyon ki bari and Bhartiya Lok Kala museum.

Jodhpur : Jodhpur the second largest city of Rajasthan, lies on the eastern fringe of the Thar Desert. Mehrangarh Fort is the main highlight of Jodhpur which stands on a low range of sandstone hill with a 10 km long stone wall and eight massive entrances. Other places worth a visit in Jodhpur are Jaswanth Thadam a white marble cenotaph to Maharaja Jaswanth Singh II. Sardar Market and Bishnoi village are other places of interest in Jodhpur.

Bikaner : Despite being one of the famous towns of Rajasthan, Bikaner is not much crowded. Junagarh fort is the major attraction of Bikaner. Besides the fort, other attractions of Bikaner include the Camel Breeding Farm and Rat Temple. Bikaner is also famous for the Bikaneri namkeens and bhujias.

Ajmer : Situated about 131 kms from Jaipur, Ajmer is known for the dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti, the founder of the Chisti order. People of all religions visit the Dargah for fulfillment of their wishes. Just 15 kms from Ajmer lies the Pushkar town known for its temples, especially India’s only temple dedicated to Lord Brahma. Pushakar Lake and annual Cattle Fair are other attractions of Pushkar.

Wildlife in Rajasthan : Despite unending expanses of desert, Rajasthan is bestowed with a vast population of flora and fauna. Rajasthan is home to some of the important wildlife sanctuaries of India that include Ranthambhore National Park, Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Sariska National Park and Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary. You can spot a variety of wildanimals and avian species in state of Rajasthan.

People and Culture : People of Rajasthan are friendly in nature and they spend a colourful life. One can get a glimpse of typical Rajasthani culture in food, dresses, music, dance and fairs and festivals of Rajashtan. People of the state celebrate a number of festivals all round the year that include regional and religious festivals. Some of the famous fairs and festivals of Rajasthan include Pushkar Fair, Camel Festival, Elephant Festival, Desert Festival, Teej Festival, Gangaur Festival, Nagaur Festival, Mewar Festival, Kite Festival and Shekhawati Fair. Rajasthan savour some of delicious food served in North India especially the non-vegetarian food.


Tiger on its prey
Tiger on its prey 

Adventrue in Rajasthan : Desert land of Rajasthan offers excellent opportunities for adventure seekers. One can enjoy adventure sports like paragliding, ballooning, boating, trekking, camping, camel safari, jeep safari and horse safari in Rajasthan.


Wednesday, June 2, 2010

The story about tigers

Tourism is flourishing in Ranthambore, with hotels mushrooming around the tiger in its reserve. Till the mid-1990s, there were just over 10 hotels in and around the forests of the reserve and in the town of Sawai Madhopur some 12 kilometres (km) from the gate of the national park. Now there are 33, of which 26 are prominent. Six new hotels are under construction. Average room rents vary between Rs 400 a night to a staggering Rs 30,000 for a night of ultra-deluxe luxury in the midst of the wild tigers. Most hotels are permanent structures to house their guests but some tented accommodation is also available. About five hotels (including the ones owned by the Taj and Oberoi groups) offer five-star facilities. It is not clear in every case who owns which hotel, but it is estimated that while the big-buck places are outsider-owned, smaller (relatively cheaper) hotels are owned by local people.

The size of the tourist trade can be gleaned from forest department estimates.In 2004-05, the department says that about 100,000 people visited and its receipts at the gate were Rs 1.67 crore. But this is a small proportion of the tourist earning.

The tourists pay the forest department gate fees. But they also pay the hotels charges to stay in their rooms. The volume of this business is more difficult to assess. The Tiger Task Force report, submitted in August 2005 to the prime minister, estimates, on the basis of data supplied to it by officials, that the annual turnover from the 21 top hotels is Rs 21.81 crore. If this is correct, then the park (and tigers) are poor gainers from the business of pleasure and education.

Lack of regulation has meant that many hotels have come up on agricultural orcharagah (grazing) land, within a 500-metre radius of the park boundary. "The demand for new hotels has led to the sky-rocketing of land prices,' says a local hotelier. Along the Ranthambore road, land prices have gone up from Rs 1.25 lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh per hectare (ha) 10 years back to anywhere from Rs 30 lakh to Rs 40 lakh per ha today, depending on the proximity to the park entrance. "Due to the high prices villagers prefer to sell the land near the park,' says Hemraj Meena, a guide at the tiger reserve.

Most hotels are located along the Ranthambore road, which runs from Sawai Madhopur to the park entrance. A number of hotels are located very close to the forest boundary. According to 2003 records of the field director of the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve, 15 hotels are located within one km of the forest boundary. Of these, 12 are located within 500 metres, three at a distance of zero metre from the forest boundary and one within the forest area.Since then, more hotels have been added to the category of too-close-for-comfort. In addition, land adjacent to the park is being bought and converted into farms. Many are just buying the land so that they can build hotels in the future. In effect, this high-value real estate is undergoing a transformation — to the detriment of its original owners and users.

Currently, there are no regulations that determine how close hotels and other commercial establishments can be to the reserve, but there is a general consensus that some distance should be maintained. "There is no locational or land-use policy for areas around the national parks and this has led to a number of hotels being located dangerously close to the forest areas,' says Rajesh Gopal, director, Project Tiger. In addition, deviation from traditional land use and conversion of agricultural and grazing land for commercial use is also not regulated.

Flexible regulations

The effort to bring some regulation has always been stymied, allegedly by powerful tourism interests. The Rajasthan state government tried as early as 1971 to direct that activities around the ‘game sanctuary' would be controlled. Its letter number F.7 (515) Rev./7A dated January 15, 1971, from the deputy secretary to the Rajasthan governments' revenue department states: "Government has decided that in the interest of habitants of wildlife and protection of forests no lands in the vicinity of forest will be released for cultivation by the revenue department within two miles of the game sanctuary.' Not only was this directive not implemented, commercial use also became rampant. "We are aware that a number of hotels are located very near the forest area but they have all the requisite clearances,' says Rajesh Yadav, district collector, Sawai Madhopur. As no clearance, other than permission to set up shop and clearance of building plan is needed, the regulations are not particularly mindful of the imperatives of conservation.

But even what little is required is rarely followed. In November 2004, Yadav ordered a survey of hotels to verify whether the conditions stipulated at the time of building clearance were being met. "We found that a number of conditions, which relate to the built-up area sanctioned, to maintaining a green belt and planting trees around the area, had not been adhered to by almost all the hotels surveyed,' says Yadav.

Worse (and perhaps not surprisingly) records for the exclusive and Rs 30,000-a-night Aman-e-Khas hotel were missing. Yadav admits that large-scale change of land use can have adverse effects on the forests around. "A lot of grazing land is being lost due to change of land use,' he says. This, in turn, increases pressure on the resources of poor people, who then have no option but to venture into the protected forests for their fodder.

In 2002, a serious attempt was made by the government to regulate the tourist industry. On December 26, 2002, the then secretary (forests) to the government of Rajasthan issued directions that "all construction activities in this zone (within 500 metres of the park boundary) will be banned. There will be a total freeze in extension of existing structures'. "Existing land use pattern will not be changed,' said the firmly worded directive.

But so powerful were the interests the government was taking on that in May 2003 — less than six months later — the directive had to be relaxed. The same official issued another order saying that the "ban' was relaxed because "immediate application of this order had inadvertently hit adversely some hotel projects'. Now the state government maintained that "all the ongoing hotel projects which have been affected by the order dated 26th December, 2002, may be granted a special relaxation for taking up construction within 500 metres of the Ranthambore National Park'. But so obviously embarrassed was the government that the letter added uncharacteristically that this relaxation had been given as a "very, very special case'.

The fact is that the damage had been done. Local newspapers reported that beneficiaries of the government's about turn were top hotels like Aman-E-Khas — the foreign luxury chain whose domestic links are unclear but open to much local speculation.

This has the following results. One, that people are buying land as close to the park as possible in the anticipation of another ‘relaxation'. This correspondent saw a number of empty plots enclosed by boundary walls hardly a few metres from the park boundary. "People have been buying all the available land near the park in the hope that some day another round of clearances will take place,' says a local hotelier.

Two, people have no regard for the directive, which was ‘bent' under pressure. For instance, the condition, regarding the "total freeze in extension of existing conditions' was still in force. However, Down To Earth (dte) saw number of new constructions taking place within the 500-metre radius. Right next to Nahargarh hotel (360 metres from the forest boundary) a new building was being constructed.

Whether the new constructions were being carried out with permission from the forest department or the district administration could not be ascertained since the owners were not present at the hotel when the dte team visited. In fact, another new building was being constructed a few hundred metres from Nahargarh hotel, .
Three, since some property cases connected to this regulation concerned key conservationists or their relatives, the anger of local people turned against the park and its protection.