Thursday, October 14, 2010

Surdas - Indian Poet



करत करत अभ्यास के, जड़मति होत सुजान रसरी आवत जात ते, 
सिल पर परत निसान.हरी दर्शन की प्यासीअखियाँ हरी दर्शन की प्यासी (३)
देखियो चाहत कमल नैन को..निसदिन रहेत उदासीअखियाँ निसदिन रहेत उदासी..
अखियाँ हरी दर्शन की प्यासीआये उधो फिरी गए आँगन..
दारी गए गर फँसी..अखियाँ हरी दर्शन की प्यासी..
अखियाँ हरी दर्शन की प्यासी..

केसर तिलक मोतियाँ की माला..
ब्रिन्दावन को वासी..अखियाँ हरी दर्शन की प्यासी..
अखियाँ हरी दर्शन की प्यासी..
कहोके मंकी कोवु न जाने..
लोगन के मन हासी..
अखियाँ हरी दर्शन की प्यासी..
अखियाँ हरी दर्शन की प्यासी..
सूरदास प्रभु तुम्हारे दरस बिन..
लेहो करवट कासी..
अखियाँ हरी दर्शनदरसन की प्यासी..
अखियाँ हरी दर्शन की प्यासी.. 


The group of 16th-century Hindi poets, four of whom were disciples of Vallabha, and four of his son and successor, Vitthala.

The greatest of the group was Surdas, a blind singer whose descriptions of the exploits of the child-god Krishna are the highlights of his collection of poetry, the Sursagar, is admired throughout the Hindi-speaking areas of northern India. 

It is particularly rich in its details of daily life and in its sensitive perception of human emotion, the parent's for the child and the maiden's for her lover.  Other members of the Astchap group were Paramananddas, Nanddas, Karsandas, Govindswami, Kumbh-andas, Chitaswami, and Chaturbhujdas. What is commonly spoken of as Hindu is actually a range of languages, from Maithili in the east to Rajasthani in the west. 

The first major work in Hindi is the 12th-century epic poem Prthviraj Rasau, by Chand Bardai of Lahore, which recounts the feats of Prithviraj, the last Hindu king of Delhi before the Islamic invasions. 
The work evolved from the tradition maintained at the courts of the Rajputs. 

Noteworthy also is the poetry of the Persian poet Amir Khosrow, who wrote in the Awadhi dialect. 
Most of the literature in Hindi is religious in inspiration; in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, the reform-minded Kabir, for example, wrote sturdy short poems in which he sought to reconcile Islam and Hinduism. 

The most celebrated author in Hindi is Tulsidas, who renounced the world early in life and spent his days in Benares as a religious devotee. He wrote much, mostly in Awadhi, and focussed Hinduism on the worship of Rama. 

His most important work is the Ramcharit-manas, which is based on the Sanskrit Ramayana. More than any other work it has become a Hindu sacred text for the Hindi-speaking area and annually has been staged in the popular Ram Lila festival. 

Outstanding among the followers of Vallabha, philosopher and bhakti advocate of the Middle Ages, is the blind poet Surdas (died 1563), who composed countless bhajans (chants) in praise of Krishna and Radha, which are collected in the Sursagar. 

While many of the bhakti poets were of modest origin, an exception was Mira Bai, a princess of Jodhpur, who wrote her famous lyrics both in Hindi and Gujarati; the quality of her poetry, still very popular, is not as high, however, as that of Surdas. Significant also is the religious epic Padmavati by Jayasi, a Muslim from former Oudh state. Written in Awadhi (c. 1540), the epic is composed according to the conventions of Sanskrit poets. 

The 18th century saw the beginning of a gradual transformation from the older forms of religious lyric and epic to new literary forms influenced by Western models that began to be known. The new trends reached their pinnacle in the work of Prem Chand (died 1936), whose novels especially Godan and short stories depict common rural life; and in the work of Harishchandra of Benares (died 1885), honoured as Bharatendu, who wrote in the Braj Bhasa dialect.

Some of the modern Indo-Aryan languages have literary traditions reaching back centuries, with enough textual continuity to distinguish Old, Middle, and Modern Bengali, Gujarati, and so on. Bengali can trace its literature back to Old Bengali charya-padas, late Buddhist verses thought to date from the 10th century; Gujarati literature dates from the 12th century Shalibhadra's Bharateshvara-bahubali-rasa and to a period when the area of western Rajasthan and Gujarat are believed to have had a literary language in common, called Old Western Rajasthani. 

Jñaneshvara's commentary on the Bhagavadgita in Old Marathi dates from the 13th century and early Maithili from the 14th century, Jyotishvara's Varna-ratnakara, while Assamese literary work dates from the 14th and 15th centuries Madhava Kandali's translation of the Ramayana, Shankaradeva's Vaisnavite works. Also of the 14th century are the Kashmiri poems of Lalla Lallavakyani, and Nepali works have also been assigned to this epoch. 

The work of Jagannath Das in Old Oriya dates from the 15th century.Amir Khosrow used the term hindvi in the 13th century, and he composed couplets that contained Hindi. In early times, however, other dialects were predominant in the Madhya-desha as literary media, especially Braj Bhasa, Surdas' Sursagar, 16th century, and Awadhi, Ramcaritmanas of Tulsidas, 16th century. In the south, in Golconda, Urdu poetry was seriously cultivated in the 17th century, and Urdu poets later came north to Delhi and Lucknow. Punjabi was used in Sikh works as early as the 16th century, and Sindhi was used in Sufi (Islamic) poetry of the 17th-19th centuries. 

In addition, there is evidence in late Middle Indo-Aryan works for the use of early New Indo-Aryan; e.g., provincial words and verses are cited. The creation of linguistic states has reinforced the use of certain standard dialects for communication within a state in official transactions, teaching, and on the radio. 

In addition, attempts are being made to evolve standardized technical vocabularies in these languages. Dialectal diversity has not ceased, however, resulting in much bilingualism; for example, a native speaker of Braj Bhasa uses Hindi for communicating in large cities such as Delhi. 

Moreover, the attempt to establish a single national language other than English continues. This search has its origin in national and Hindu movements of the 19th century down to the time of Mahatma Gandhi, who promoted the use of a simplified Hindi-Urdu, called Hindustani. 

The constitution of India in 1947 stressed the use of Hindi, providing for it to be the official national language after a period of 15 years during which English would continue in use. When the time came, however, Hindi could not be declared the sole national language; English remains a co-official language. Though Hindi can claim to be the lingua franca of a large population in North India, other languages such as Bengali have long and great literary traditions--including the work of Nobel Prize winner Rabindranath Tagore, and equal status as intellectual languages, so that resistance to the imposition of Hindi exists. 

Mumbai's Economic Role in India



Mumbai accounts for 16% of income tax collections and 35% of corporate tax collection in the country.

• Mumbai accounts for 25% of the State's income at current prices.

• 66% of the sales tax revenue in Maharashtra originated in Mumbai.

• Mumbai is home to both the National Stock Exchange and the Bombay Stock Exchange and dominated the turnover and total market capitalization of the Indian stock markets. The share of these two exchanges is about 92% with respect to the total turnover. They represent virtually the total market capitalization of India's corporate sector.

• Contributes 30% of customs duty.

• Mumbai handles 26% of the domestic air traffic cargo and an average of40%of the international air cargo traffic in country and about 25% of the domestic and 38% of the International air passenger traffic in the country.

• The number of telephone connection in Mumbai is estimated to be approximately 2.31 million. Of the approximately 7 million cellular subscribers in India, 10% of the subscribers are believed to be in Mumbai.


• 2.5 million tax assesses.

• Mumbai accounts for a significant share in deposits mobilization (14% of total deposits) and deployment of credit (21% of total credit) of scheduled commercial banks.

• Mumbai accounts for almost 30% of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the State.

• Handles over 35% of cheque clearances in number and 60% in value, more than 10 times that of any other metro.

• By 2020 Mumbai will have 27 Million people and will be the 2nd largest city in the world after Tokyo

Mumbai makes us proud and here are reason for people who need them





Mumbai singlehandedly handles about 25% of the domestic and 38% of the international air passenger traffic in the country.
  • Mumbai's suburban rail systems carry a total of 2.2 billion passengers every year. Incidentally, the world's population is 6 billion.
  • Mumbai's literacy rate is 85.6% (female: 82.7%, male: 90%) compared with India's overall literacy of 65.4%.
  • Mumbai's per capita income is Rs 48,954. This is almost three times the national average!
  • At the end of financial year 2002-03, Mumbai paid Rs 28,000 crore in taxes, 35% of India's collection of Rs 82,000 crore!
  • The original Walkeshwar Temple was destroyed by the Portuguese, but was rebuilt by Rama Kamath in 1715.
  • Bombay University was founded in 1857 at the Town Hall, and was shifted to the new complex near Oval Maidan in 1874.
  • The Elphinstone College was originally built for the Government Central Press at a cost of Rs 7.5 lakh.
  • The city's first church - the St Thomas Cathedral - was built at Horniman Circle in 1718.
  • The first post office in Bombay was opened in 1832 at the residence of the junior magistrate of police at Byculla.
  • The Stearns & Kittredge company was given permission in 1874 to start Bombay's first tram service with a fleet of 900 horses.
  • The East India Company appointed Sir George Oxenden the first governor of Bombay in 1668.
  • Until 1864, the city's highest ranking police officer was called Police Chief. Post 1864, the title was changed to Police Commissioner.
  • The Hanging Gardens at Malabar Hill was built over three reservoirs which can store up to 300 lakh gallons of water.
  • The first inter-city railway was built between Bombay and Surat, and was completed in 1864.
  • The Great Indian Peninsular Railway laid the first rail tracks in India between Thane and Bombay.
  • It took 60 years to merge the seven islands of Bombay into one landmass between 1784 and 1845.
  • Bombay's highest population growth rate was between 1661 and 1675 when it rose six times from 10,000 to 60,000.
  • The 2nd governor of Bombay, Gerald Aungier, was behind its development into a major centre of commerce.
  • The name Bombay was derived from Bom Bahia (The Good Bay), a name given by Portuguese sailor Francis Almeida, in 1508.
  • When a person travel towards Mumbai,one can see milestone stating Mumbai 35 Kms, but where is Mumbai Zero Kms, it is at Flora Fountain
  • The railway tracks of the Churchgate Station originally extended beyond Azad Maidan in the direction of Afghan Church, which was later changed to a tar road.
  • Former English cricket captain Douglas Jardine of Bodyline fame was born in Malabar Hill, Mumbai, in 1900.
  • India’s first cricket club, Orient, was founded in Bombay in 1848.
  • Mumbai orginally was a cluster of seven separate islands, and the southernmost island was called Old Woman’s Island.
  • Nobel Laureate Rudyard Kipling who wrote Kim and The Jungle Book was born in Mumbai.
  • There are 14 platforms inside the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, earlier called Victoria Terminus.
  • Mumbai’s first ever meteorological observatory was built in Colaba in 1826.
  • The wooden pole in the centre of the Banganga Tank in Mumbai signifies the centre of the earth. Legend has it that Lord Ram created the tank by piercing the earth with his arrow.
  • The Lumiere brothers introduced Motion Pictures to India with six soundless short films at Bombay’s Watson’s Hotel in 1896.
  • There is an original portrait of former US President Abraham Lincoln at the Prince of Wales Museum.
  • Lord Elphinstone performed the opening ceremony after railway tracks were laid between Bombay and Thane in 1853.
  • The railway line from Mumbai to Pune through Bhor Ghat was built by a woman named Alice Tredwell in 1863.
  • The Quit India Movement was launched by Gandhiji in Mumbai in 1942 from Gowalia Tank. It is now called August Kranti Maidan.
  • Mumbai industrialist Jamshetji Tata was the first Indian to own a car.



Toilet in India - How to use

If anyone has been to India, undoubtedly this is a question that we have all found ourselves asking, "How to use this toilet"


I hope that this happy little illustration can clarify the matter. Enjoy. (Also keep in mind that this is comparatively speaking a very nice bathroom compared to most that you encounter while backpacking around India...)
(Step-1)
(Step-2)
(Step-3)


(Step-4)
(Step-5)
(Step-6)
(Step-7)


I really appreciate the string of comments that I get on this site. If you visit this link, please do leave comments as we all enjoy them and it gives us all perspective on a variety of views regarding this popular matter.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Indian Street Games - Bachpan ke khel



Sports today is an integral part of the all round development of the human personality. India offers different adventures sports like khusti a traditional sports most popular in north India. Hockey The national game, in which India has an impressive record with eight Olympic gold medals. Cricket is the beating heart of sports in India, but there are some other games which was played by every person in his childhood. These local games are very popular in India.Enjoy some of the best adventure sports in India.





Gilli – Danda: It is a sport played by using two stick, Small one known as Gilli and other long one is called Danda. This is very popular game among boys in villages ofIndia. It is similar to cricket just replace the gilli by ball. The danda is used to hit the gilli and make it fly through the air.


Kite Flying: kite flying is the most popular game of India as well in Asia. Kites are also known as patang is India. The line used is called Manjha, a glass coated line, and each flier attempts to cut every other kite out of the sky. The kite flying festival is celebrated on the eve of Makar Shankranti in Gujrat state of India.
Satoliya: This game is very popular among boys and girls, It is a simple and inexpensive game, It need 7 small flat stones, every stone size should be less than the other stone. Put these stones over another in decreasing order its looks like a small tower then hit it by cloths made hand ball form a fixed distance. Any number of people can play it. This game is also known as Pithoo in some region of India.

Kancha: It is very famous as gully sports or street game, played by number of small boys in villages as well as in town. It is played using marbles called Kancha. The winner take all Kancha’s of other boys.

Lattu: The street game of India, This is a very popular and simple game which can be played by children in villages of India. The game involves spinning a lattu – a solid turnip shaped wooden toy with a grooved lower half with two nails dug at the top and the bottom. A cotton string is wrapped around the lower half of the lattu to make it spin.




Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

The “baddest” fruit - Durian (The king of fruits!)




Durian season is here again. Durian in Malaysia usually has 2 fruiting seasons, usually around June/July and December/January periods. Some only once a year.

Durians are highly prized fruit in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia. They are also known as king of fruits. And for a good reason! Besides being nasty looking with their sharp thorny spikes they are also well known for their pungent smell that could suffocate you in an instant if you are within sniffing distance. That’s why they are banned from hotels, flights, subways and most tourist locations. They are the “baddest” fruit! Period.

The most innovative description of durian that I have seen so far: Shaped like a hedgehog and smells like compost!

If you are an addict to durian but are too afraid of the amount of carbohydrate and fat in the fruits, do check out this nutritional website and plan how much to consume in order not to burst your seams after a one night fling with this charming but notorious fella. It’s good to know that durian has zero cholesterol content but loaded with vitamin C and some amount of dietary fiber, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium. At the very least, you could justify your craving with good nutritional value and great taste, albeit some weight gain.

How to characterize the taste, texture and smell? The color of the flesh varies greatly, from white, off white, yellow, pinkish, orangy to red. There are probably a few hundred varieties available in the market ranging from the very best to the least likable. There are around 200 varieties that are registered as clones and given a number or names and a few hundreds more that are nameless but are highly sought after for their taste or texture. Some famous example are : D2, D24, Red Prawn, Raja Kunyit, etc… Most of the private durian orchard has their own specialty and if you are lucky, you could experience some truly unique flavor and taste. The texture of the best durian should be smooth, custardy and firm, very tiny or deformed seeds, no noticeable fiber upon eating and the best taste should be slightly bitter with sweet aftertaste.

The most common variety of durian will have to be the D24. The D24 is usually the benchmark of which the other durian are graded. The best varieties of durian are mostly planted via grafting from the best durian trees. Therefore they are usually clones of the mother trees and usually the fruits they produced are exactly the same as the mother trees. Therefore the taste of D24 is similar when planted anywhere in Malaysia and the king of kings, the Raja Kunyit is also similar in taste and texture wherever you purchase them. The slight difference will have to be the water content, where sometimes you notice that some durian of the same varieties are drier or wetter in term of presentation. However the taste should still be the same unless the freshness could not be determined. The best durians are usually the freshest ones when they just dropped from the trees. Although some connoisseur prefer to age their durians for a few hours (or 1 day) to bring out the flavors (especially true for D24 variety) in them. Most durians can be kept for 3 to 4 days but their quality deteriorate after 1 or 2 days and they should be consumed immediately upon purchase. The best way to eat durian is to spend the day at the orchard but usually that is quite impossible. Therefore the best way for die-hard fans are to check with their nearest roadside durian sellers on the timing of their durians consignment arrival, usually 3 or 4 times daily for the most popular stalls.


Prices of durians differ greatly depending on the geographic locations, varieties and seasons. As a rule of thumb for direct from farm pricing, you could probably purchase the “Durian Kampung” or “Village Durian” at around 1 to 2 Ringgit per kg; clones like D24, D101, Red Prawn, etc at around 3 to 5 Ringgit per kg and Raja Kunyit (aka Mao San Wong) at around 10 to 22 Ringgit per kg. Of course, the consumer pricing will depend on the timing, seasons and the varieties. Happy durian season everyone!

Credit goes to original author of this post : daviegan Thanks

Between the Lines - Is this India ?




After reading the article in one of the local news paper in Singapore "MyPaper". I am hurt.
Link to article : http://myepaper.mypaper.sg/ecreator/sphopf/mya051010cnd_opf_files/pg20.html

Article is below.




http://myepaper.mypaper.sg/ebook/web_php/fvbrowserjs.php?urljs=http://myepaper.mypaper.sg/ecreator/sphopf/mya051010cnd_opf_files/mya051010cnd.js&ver=Gen


Comparing India with North Korea !!! .. very hurt and sad.



Please comment.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Old Indian sport - Mallakhamb




A man performs Mallakhamb (gymnast's pole) during a practice session at a playground in Mumbai. Mallakhamb is a combination of traditional Indian gymnastics and martial arts and it can be traced back to the 12th century. For centuries, the sport has been dormant but is now regaining popularity in the country.





This old sport helps one to be more agile, improves mind and body coordination as well as overall fitness.

Friday, October 1, 2010

The new work culture




As offices open up to flexible work hours and remote access to the workplace, our work culture is going through a revolution of sorts. The days when you could switch off the PC at the stroke of 5 and focus on a relaxing evening with family and friends are long gone. And working overtime has taken on a whole new meaning.

It is the age of data cards and plug-and-play internet connections. Smart-phones that let you check e-mail, Video Conference (VC) ,schedule appointments, even create presentations. Time and location have become virtually irrelevant as everything is now at our fingertips.

All these changes might be convenient, yes. But are they really working in our favour? Do we forget to switch off from work even when we are home, or on vacation thanks to technology and a work culture that demands we respond to business needs ASAP? 

Has the change in work culture affected your professional and personal life? Have the leaps in technology helped you strike a balance between work and home? Or is the boundary between your work-life and personal-life blurred?


Tell us how you are coping with the new work culture. Why you love it and why you don't. How you manage to draw the line between work and home.



Write comments!!..

Jaigarh Fort - Jaipur (Rajasthan ,India)






Whenever Man Singh I (late 16th century) or his successors warred and won gold, silver, jewels and other booty, they hoarded it in the Jaigarh Fort. and they had the loyal Minas to fiercely guard their haul. (In fact, legends tell us that the Minas were such strict guards that they let each new Kachhawaha king to enter only once and pick one single piece for himself from the dazzling pile!) Anyway, all this treasure paid first for building Amber, then Jaipur and for centuries of lavish living. Indian Government officials tried to retrieve whatever was left; they dug the place in 1976 but found nothing. In fact they even drained the three arched water tanks (in a courtyard on the way to the northern end of the fort) in the hope of finding the fortune there. Some say that everything was used up in building Jaipur while others claim that it is still there somewhere. 
The dictum of the ancient Hindu scriptures, the Puranas, 'a fort is the strength of a king', must have loomed large in the minds of the Rajputs while building the Jaigarh Fort. The ambitious Jai Singh II then expanded, remodelled and renamed it in 1726. and since this fort never fell in the hands of enemies, it stands almost intact to this day.


The Location of The Fort 
Jaigarh or the 'Fort of Victory' is perched on Chilh ka Tola (Hill of Eagles), 400 feet above the Amber Fort. The walls of the fort are spread over three kilometers. Once you enter through the massive south facing Doongar Darwaza, you'll instantly get a tangible feel of Rajput romanticism. and if you're lucky, Thakur Pratap Singh, a handsome Rajput with a fine moustache will be around to tell you stories of Jaigarh's illustrious past. The other entrance to the fort is through the Awani Darwaza in the east. 

Main Attractions of The Fort 



The Huge Cannon
Jaigarh Fort is a remarkable feat of military architecture. After you enter, head straight for the gigantic cannon Jaivan perched on top of a tower. Weighing 50 tons with an 8m barrel and a trajectory of about 20km, it is said to be the world's largest cannon on wheels. Such was its might that it took four elephants to swivel it around on its axis. But surprisingly (and thankfully!) it was never used. Despite its awesome firepower, it has a delicate scrollwork of birds, foliage and a roaring elephant at its mouth. Jaivan was test-fired once by Jai Singh in 1720 when the cannon ball landed at Chaksu about 38km away! and the impact of it was so enormous that a lake formed at the spot and many houses collapsed in Jaipur. The cannoneer died immediately after the firing, before he could even jump into water. (It is mandatory for the cannoneer to jump into water to avoid the massive impact, and so there's always a water tank beside the cannon.) No wonder enemies didn't ever set their eyes on Jaigarh. There's even a notice here which proudly says, "because of the strong defence system, management and the foresightedness of the rulers, the enemy never dared to enter the fort." 

Vijay Garh 
Walk through a great arch into the courtyard, Jaleb Chowk. But the most important part of the fort is perhaps Vijay Garh, the fort's armoury. Apart from the huge collection of swords and small arms including time bombs, there's an interesting treasury lock with five keys and big wine and oil jars. The 1681 map of Amber kept here is worth a look. If the show of so much armoury awakens the fighter in you, try your hands at the mini cannon which makes a pretty big bang. 

The Jaigarh Cannon Foundry 
The Jaigarh cannon foundry, built by Bhagwan Das in the 16th century, is one of the few surviving medieval foundries in the world. It has a furnace, lathe, tools and a collection of cannons. It was Bhagwan's adopted son, Man Singh I, who brought the secret of gunpowder from Kabul in 1584 where the latter was the commander-in-chief of Akbar's army. Soon cannons began to be made in Jaigarh, much to the displeasure of the Mughals who kept the secret to themselves ever since they used it to fight the Lodis and Rajputs in 1526 (check History of Delhi for more). There's a point called Damdama (meaning 'continuous firing'), where there used to be a battery of ten cannons positioned to check any approaching army. This faces the Delhi Road. This led some to believe that Man Singh was secretly preparing for a showdown with his Mughal allies. 

Seven Storeyed- Diya Burj 
The highest point in Jaigarh is the seven-storeyed Diya Burj, the turret of lamps from where you get a panoramic view of the city of Jaipur. Also interesting is the water supply and storage system of the fort, a real marvel of planning. Sagar Talav, with octagonal bastions and huge dams, is one of the fort's grand reservoirs. The scarcity of water has always exercised the ingenuity of the Rajasthanis, also accounting for the existence of the several baoris or baolis (stepwells) in the state. There are some temples within the fort. The 10th century Shri Ram Hari Har Temple houses images of three gods – Rama, Vishnu and Shiva. It has an interesting doorway. Nearby is the 12th century Kal Bhairava Temple


Museums
The museum of artefacts tells the story of the Jaigarh Fort and its vast well-protected treasury. There is an interesting collection of paintings, photographs and coins, and other things like a balance for measuring explosives and several containers including a 16th century coin container. Don't miss the royal kitchen and dining hall; after all food and hospitality were also very much a part of Rajput agenda. 

The Palace Complex 
The palace complex, built by various kings over a period of two centuries, has the usual structure beginning with the Diwan-i-Aam (Hall of Public Audience). But it goes a step ahead of the Amber Fort in terms of defense; it has a Khilbat Niwas (Commanders' Meeting Hall) in place of the Diwan-i-Khas (Hall of Private Audience). There's also the open pillared hall, Subhat Niwas. But these are insignificant structures as compare to the ones in Amber Fort. This part of the fort is full of secret back passages for royal escape in times of emergency. The luxury suites are very much there – the breezy Aram Mandir (Rest House) and the 16th century Vilas Mandir (Pleasure House). The former has a lovely garden attached to it. It was in the charming courtyard of the latter that the royal ladies had their little parties, janani majlis. The pavilions surrounding the courtyard, with a maze of passages, offer excellent views of Amber. 

The Lakshmi Vilas Palace 
The Lakshmi Vilas Palace is a beautiful experience, with some lovely frescoes in blue and the remains of an old Mughal garden. It also has a little 'theater' hall where the rajas had their share of entertainment – dance, music recitals and puppet shows. Do stop by at this Puppet Theatre which has been revived by some locals who hold charming shows. This old tradition of puppetry continues to be a popular folk entertainment in Rajasthan today, and tourists take a huge delight in watching such shows. 

Visiting Hours : 0930-1645 
Entry Fee : Rs 15, for students Rs 10

Rajasthan Shopping Attractions Complex
There's a lot to see and do in this handicraft centre on Jagat Shiromani Temple Road. You can see demonstrations of the famous Rajasthan block printing, textiles which so many people, especially foreign tourists, are crazy about. Craftspersons churn up some exotic designs with wooden blocks and natural colours. The other centres of block printing in Rajasthan are Barmer, Sanganer, Bagru and others. See Arts & Crafts of Rajasthan for more on block printing. Shops at the complex also sell gems, jewellery, textiles, antiques and other handicrafts. By antiques one means artefacts upto 90 years old. So take home a piece of Rajasthan, though the prices may be slightly high. 




Excursion To Amber Fort
For an excursion to Amber, take a bus from the Hawa Mahal in Jaipur. There's one leaving every half an hour (Rs 3). Auto-rickshaws charge Rs 50. There are buses from the Jaipur Railway Station too.


Festival of Colors - Holi





Color and variety are synonymous with Indian culture, beliefs, and way of life. A country steeped in traditions, India charms and bedazzles all her visitors with a kaliedoscopic rendezvous.

Every street, every city and every corner has a story to tell -- all you have to do is listen. But it is tradition, culture, and celebrations that truly bring this country together. One of the most symbolic festivals in the country is called "Holi."

Holi is the festival of color -- a festival that celebrates the victory of good over evil and a celebration of the arrival of spring and harvests to come. It’s the festival of colors, emotions, and happiness. And what better way to express yourself than with the vibrant colors of the rainbow?

The central ritual of Holi is the throwing and applying of colored water and powders on friends and family, which gives the holiday its common name "Festival of Colors.” Come Holi, and the country is painted in mesmerizing hues of blues, yellows, magentas, greens, violets, and more. Clouds of colors dancing in the wind carry the message of love and happiness across walls, neighbors, and hearts.

Brightly colored powders are the mainstay of Holi, during which men, women, and children carry powders and liquid colors to throw and smear on the clothes and faces of neighbors and relatives. While dry powder colors are called "gulal," colors mixed with water are called "rang." Tables with bags of colors are lined up as neighbors and family await the others to enter the grounds. It's a day to celebrate and let go -- loud music, local brews, and fun-filled chatter are all essential elements of the celebrations.



But most importantly, Holi is the day when you will see the streets and homes of India doused in almost every color imaginable. Each color has significance, religious or otherwise. And there is a color for almost every occasion, moment, or celebration. Each color symbolizes a force in life, and thus color and life are inseparable.

While the most popular colors are the brightest -- blue, yellow, red, purple, pink, and green -- there are colors that are conspicuously absent, traditionally. These include black and white.

Though white symbolizes a sense of purity, it is also a color of mourning. Widows in India, unlike in their western counterparts, retire to a white-only dress code. And while black is considered ugly, evil, and undesirable, it is relied upon heavily to ward off evil, as is evident in the ceremony of putting a black dot on a new-born baby’s face to ward off the evil eye.

During the early days, the "gulal" colors of Holi were made at home using flowers of the tree, otherwise called the "Flame of the Forest." The flowers, once plucked, were dried in the sun and then ground to a fine dust. The powdered dust, once mixed in water, gave way to the most brilliant hue of saffron-red. The saffron-red pigment and colored powdered talc called "aabir" were the mainstay at Holi celebrations, long before the chemical colors of today.

Squirting colored water, throwing colored water balloons, and throwing fistfuls of powdered colors at friends, family, and even strangers is not considered out of place or offensive, and is in fact a part of the festival. Children and teenagers line up at strategic vantage points, armed with buckets of colored water and little water balloons, waiting to attack unassuming passers-by.

Every color means something special in the Indian psyche. Red, for instance, is a mark of matrimony; brides in India wear red most often at their wedding since it symbolizes fertility, love, beauty, and, most importantly, is a sign of a married woman. It is considered custom in the ways of Hinduism to wear red powder-Kumkum on the peak of their forehead. Most often considered the prerogative of a married woman, a red dot is worn between the eyebrows to symbolize blissful matrimony.

Yellow is yet another important color in the Indian psyche. Yellow is almost synonymous with turmeric, an ingredient of great importance at auspicious functions across religions. It is perhaps revered more so because of its medicinal use right from the ancient times. Turmeric is used even today for the treatment of inflammatory and digestive disorders.

Other colors that tease the skies on Holi include blue, the color of the revered god in Hinduism, Lord Krishna. Green symbolizes new beginnings, harvest, and fertility, and is also the sacred color of the Muslim community in India. Saffron is often associated with Hinduism, piety, and strength.

Today, keeping pace with technological advance, the primary colors used initially have been supplemented by metallic colors and various unimaginable shades and mixtures. But the spirit of the festival remains the same. It cuts across all classes, castes, and religions and brings people together. Together, they celebrate the onset of spring by filling their day and life with the colors of joy, prosperity, happiness, and peace.




The colors of India, though diverse, speak the language of its people, from the red and ochre walls of village huts to the pristine white of the Taj Mahal. Color, art, and culture in the subcontinent have surpassed all odds and continue to hold the country together in a spell binding tryst of hues. Holi is a festival celebrated in great revelry and belief, where citizens of the country paint the skies and their surroundings in the magnificent colors of joy

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, September 15, 2010

What Do You Really Want




An American investment banker was at the pier of a small Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. 

The Mexican replied, "Only a little while." 

The American then asked, "Why didn't you stay out longer and catch more fish?" 

The Mexican said, "With this I have more than enough to support my family's needs." 

The American then asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?" 


The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life." 

The American scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing; and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat: With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats. Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor; eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles and eventually New York where you will run your ever-expanding enterprise." 

The Mexican fisherman asked, "But, how long will this all take?" 

To which the American replied, "15 to 20 years." 

"But what then?" asked the Mexican. 

The American laughed and said that's the best part. "When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions." 

"Millions?...Then what?" 

The American said, "Then you would retire, move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos." 

Mahen-theguru, reminding you to really look deep to see what you want in life. You may actually discover that you already have it.


Thursday, September 9, 2010

Choosing The Best Travel Accommodation





There are many things to consider when choosing your travel accommodations. The decision could make your trip fun or a disappointment. Choosing the right hotel is a must. Most travelers spend more time in airline ticket reservations and bargains but less time in choosing the right accommodations. Thus they may end up on the wrong side of the bed during their stay. 

To get the most out of your hotel accommodations, remember to book as early as possible and make your dates more flexible. Hotels that specialize for business people will consider weekends as off season. Family vacationers could tap into these special packages during weekends. Primarily, you should choose your hotel based on name, amenities, features, price, packages and location. 


1. Accommodations should be family-friendly. Always ask if your hotel offers children activity areas with educational and fun activities supervised by duly-trained care-givers. 

2. Your hotel should provide a swimming pool for children, daycare service, crib rental and child-proof electrical outlets. 

3. Stay in a hotel that has electronic room-key cards and has a security viewer installed on their doors. 

4. Make it a priority to choose a room on the upper floor. 

5. If you're the one who likes to spend more time in your hotel room and the balcony, you should ask for the available amenities and the conditions of the surrounding environment. 

6. Depending on whether you're on a private or business trip, ask your hotel about the availability of laundry service, hair dryers, coffee makers, newspapers, free meals, fax machine, bar, cable television, parking, shuttle service, internet connection, etc. 

7. The hotel property layout and its location may speak more of its surrounding environment. Noisy locations such as construction on adjacent property, car traffic and noisy waterfalls are not specified on hotel flyers. So be sure to ask about it. 

8. Beautifully landscaped surroundings with trees, flowers and inner courts also enhance your travel pleasure. Moreover, gift shops and restaurants all add up to a wonderful travel experience. 

9. The location of your hotel with respect to main attraction is equally important. It could save you money on taxi and bus fare. 

10. Make sure that the room service is provided 24 hours a day. 


11. Check out the room itself. Is it brightly colored or classical? It sets the mood of your travel. 

In order to get the most out of your travel, whether for business or family vacations, be sure to know everything about the hotel you are planning to check in to. Ask friends and relatives who have been there. Don't just depend on the hotel's webpage which is undoubtedly biased. Having to stay in a hotel which you don't like could ruin your trip.