REFLECTIONS OF A FESTIVE MIND

While everybody is busy immersing themselves in the slokas of Birendra Krishna Bhadra, I happen to be planning about editing my assignments and submitting them on time. For the last 15 years Pujo has been an essential part of my life. Every year, whether it be in school or in college Pujo for me used to start a month earlier than it was actually scheduled to take place. Right from going to Pujo shopping with my mother and excitedly discussing what my friends and I bought and from where to which place had great outfits in reasonable price or which brand was giving heavy discounts, none of these talks ever evaded us in Kolkata. 

All three years of my college life, there was a specific date reserved for lunch with my school friends. Ashtami was always earmarked for the yearly get together of a crazy trio (including me). 
In fact as the days of the Pujo came nearer, news always reached me which pandal was being made of what and we started planning with our friends to visit those pandals. One day was of course reserved for pandal hopping with my family.

Instant plans were also made when we were out of plans.I still remember a friend (as adventurous as me) calling me up in the morning saying that there is still one day of the pujo left and we had no plans. So it was decided we cant let this happen and met in an hour to enjoy the one day left before bhashaan.

Residing in an area which is the hotspot of Durga Puja in South Calcutta it is impossible to not miss it. In Bengali people say 'Ashche Bochor Abar Hobe' to reiterate that there would be double the fun next year. But I would say 'Ashche Bochor Hotei Hobe' to console myself by saying that next year I will have to make it for the Pujas. 

Here in Manchester there are a few places that host Pujas. But I would call it a silent festival as there are no Dhaakis to announce the onset of the Festival; there are no children playing the drums constantly near your ears; babies in the laps of their parents do not take to the blowing whistles , the noise of which starts blowing your mind after a certain while; there are no colourful balloons in the air and neither are there bubbles reflecting the colourful environment.Hardly do even a hundred people gather around for the celebrations.

But nevertheless, probably it would turn out that staying away from home and the festival for a year will make me enjoy it in a grand scale next year. So, I leave you guys with best wishes for this Pujo and a very advance Subho Bijoya . Hope you guys enjoy this year and some of you are kind enough to send some photographs (Wink). The photographs used in this post are from my archives of previous year's Pujo. 

OFF TO A NEW CITY : MANCHESTER DIARIES

Life takes a different turn when you decide to relocate to another country. Apart from the feeling of missing your house, bedroom, study table, friends and other objects of interests, you have to face the herculean task of facing what's waiting for you in the new country.  The people, the landscapes, the language, everything changes . Most importantly you have to start establishing connections and make friends all over again. But, this is part of your journey . In fact, I believe that relocation does not only correspond to physically moving to another place but mentally moving yourself and adapting to the newness of the place.

Most know why I am talking about relocation but for those who are unaware it is because I am having to go through the task of adjusting and settling down in Manchester after having taken the decision of relocating here for a year to complete my higher studies.

Manchester is one of the most beautiful places I have seen, not because geographically it is picturesque but also because the people play an immense role in making it look beautiful. The city flourishes because of the people who live in- Courtesy seems to be everyone's middle name. The smiling and cheerful faces even on the rainiest and darkest days in this city can brighten up anybody's day . 

To be really honest I have not been around the town in my sightseeing mode so as to start describing the city ; but there are some photogenic places which I have been able to capture at this stage through my lens. So, the photos in this post can best be considered as a prelude to what is to come. 

With new experiences and friends in this cosmopolitan city, hardly will there be a day when I would not have anything to share with you. But as of now I would leave you with some photographs so that you get an idea of what is to come in the following days.

TOWN HALL MANCHESTER NEAR THE CITY COUNCIL

EMPTY BENCHES NEAR THE TOWN HALL

BEAUTIFUL AND COLOURFUL  TREES OUTSIDE (SOMEBODY'S) WINDOW

RANDOM STREET PHOTO

STREET SHOT OUTSIDE MY WINDOW

STREET SHOT OUTSIDE MY WINDOW

CLOUDS OUTSIDE MY WINDOW

Travel, Memories and Me

Travel has no real meaning without memories collected from experiences. This post as the name suggests, is on a very personal terms, where I try to recall and relive the memories gathered from various travels. Of course, while some were made with friends most were embarked upon with family. I do not wish to hinder the privacy of any person and thus the names are strictly withheld. But the memories which are shared by many would surely make them remember their part in it. This post is a rather different listicle than I have ever made till date; and I do so because most of us are on a verge of starting a new life- joining work, pursuing masters, maybe even getting married (who knows!). This may well be the last time before we hear of many until we meet in person years later.

So, let us begin!

1. I remember having gone to Shantiniketan with school friends for a project. Though the project itself took us only three hours of field work (and God knows how many months of analysis and factory manufacturing of graphs later); the rest of the time was free to explore the place. The excitement of travelling with friends (maybe for the first  and last time) started our day with some of us actually forgetting to bid goodbyes to our parents (me included).Upon reaching the place, all of us were most interested in taking in the air of a new place and enjoying a part of the authentic culture of West Bengal. We visited a park- played bowling, took some groupfies (the term wasn’t very popular then), and caught our teacher lying flat on the grass trying to capture some insect which had camouflaged itself in the grass. The next morning a dear friend was greeted by a monkey and I, well saw someone rather good looking outside my window. Well, I cannot miss out on the great food that we had especially snacks (at least I had never had such tasty veg pakodas in my life before and sadly never after too). The evenings were spent working on our project, sharing ghost stories and one distinct night we indulged in a sleepover. Most of us are in different parts of India today, but I am sure that these memories of our trip together (and also a promise to have a reunion ten years later in 2021) would always bind us with an invisible chord.

2. Mandarmani has been covered at large in the blog previously, but here are some more tit-bits which actually made the trip so interesting. This trip was made immediately after my higher secondary examinations and involved my family members. We had a quite uneventful journey except some constant blabbering from the driver regarding the choice of  songs that I played on the mobile phone. Our first day spent in the beach passed quickly. We admired the beauty of the place. My grandmother started talking to the people of the hotel. We found out the timings when there would be no electricity and planned to leave for sightseeing during those times. I also spotted a couple (maybe honeymooning, who knows) wearing  matching clothes at all times. Evening came, and our super smart driver instead of taking us to the local shops drove us straight to the fish market and got the tyres stuck in a quicksand! The rest of the evening was spent in telephoning the reception to fix our AC till both we and they got equally irritated of it and replaced it altogether. Oh and I missed the shell collecting part! The next day saw my uncle hastily entering our room while my aunt and I were playing (cards probably) to say that he had been calling my aunt many a times but she had not picked up. She replied calmly that the phone was on silent mode and thereafter he left. I spoke aloud just then that he actually did not say the purpose with which he was calling though he came and asked why she did not pick up the phone! That apart there were no memorable incidents and after a two night stay we reached home safely and I was indeed happy with the trip and to get rid of the fidgety driver.

3.  The first time I went to Delhi was in 2009 and I fell in love with the place. The ambience is such that every nook and corner of the city reminds you of an era of royalty. Our first destination was the Rajghat where I almost burnt my feet. The second was the Red Fort where I almost fell down in the moat below. It is said that in the Mughal era, the moat was filled with crocodiles .I thanked my lucky stars that I did not fall on a moat full of crocs! Let me also hint, that this isn’t the first and last time I was about to fall on a moat. Looks like I have a magnetic pull towards moats of all forts. The usual sightseeing followed with Lotus Temple, Street Shopping, Birla Temple, Humayun’s Tomb and Qutub Minar. I distinctly remember the name of the hotel we had lunch in -Art Chillies. Delhi Haat was reserved for some shopping. In fact we had such a friendly driver this time, that he actually influenced us to change our train schedule to Mussoorie, the next day to another road trip to the place. (But it was not altogether a bad idea!)

4. My visit to Mussoorie deserves special mention. I was practically dragged out of bed- a groggy eyed me – at 3:30 am by my mother. All of us were up and ready by 6 am. It was to be a long trip and we were to start as early as possible. But we got delayed. Apparently, the driver was not informed that we were to reach Mussoorie and so he backed out. But, the hotel staffs were cordial enough to get hold of another chap who took us. We stopped for breakfast at nine at a place in the highway (the name of the inn quite evades me) but I never knew highway food could be so tasty. We resumed our journey through sugarcane fields, a very rocky stretch of road near Ghaziabad and lastly hit the mountains. We stopped for lunch at the foothills and then continued. On our way back a day later we proceeded towards Haridwar before going back to Delhi.

5. My next trip to Delhi (2014) was just a stopover to check on a relative and then proceed towards Agra the very same day. But, the day happened to be the oath taking ceremony of PM Narendra Modi. Delhi was jam packed and so we were diverted to Jaipur for a halt till the Delhi airport got cleared. We were already delayed by a long time. Nevertheless, we resumed our journey checked on our relative and proceeded towards Agra. The next morning finally ended my patience of 19 years to look upon the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort (where I  was about to fall in the moat again !). The evening was reserved for shopping. But  Agra is an expensive place. The handicrafts are best to look at for people like me. For those who know me, they might recall the fact that a baby donkey, which I was trying to photograph, did not appear very polite and its push nearly wrecked my camera.

6. The same journey continued the day after to Jaipur stopping en- route to Fatehpur Sikhri and Salim Chisti. I had great fun riding  a local shared auto which is quite different from the ones found in Kolkata. It is more colourful and spacious. Of course thereafter inside the monuments I burnt my feet . A little kid started stalking us inside Salim Chisti repeatedly saying that he would recite poetry for ten rupees. Finally after seeing the monument we heard his poetry, gave him some money and bid him goodbye.

7. Jaipur was my favourite amongst the lot. The feel of Rajasthan is something different and invokes in me an excitement that no other place has managed to invoke. Chouki Dhani a village resort is a must visit for those who haven’t seen it. That apart I visited the usual places. The best part of the place was our hotel. It was built on the upper storeys of a shopping mall. The food was nothing less than that of 5 star hotels. The only thorn in the entire trip was the return journey when our Kolkata bound plane got delayed by almost six hours .

8. Asansol was my last family trip taken in December 2014. This trip also had our neighbours join in. Actually, it was on the insistence of my friend and me that our parents took this short journey. The first blow was when my father’s flight got delayed and we had to shift the entire schedule by a day. We were to start early in the morning but got delayed because I slept on. I was woken up by my friend at 5 am but then I got back to sleep and was late by almost an hour. We visited Maithon and Kalyaneshwari Temple. The next day just as we were about to start our journey – the car broke down. It took around an hour to get it fixed. We saw Panchet and so excited were we to reach our next destination that we forgot all about lunch. At nearly 2 pm we remembered , abandoned our destination , started food hunting and got something to eat nearly an hour later. The rest of the journey was quite smooth and on our way home we stopped at Saktigarh to buy Langchas –which are my favourite sweets. The days ahead were filled with my examination and were quite boring.

This post is probably the longest I have ever written but what is the fun of reiterating memories if not explained in details? Keep following for more such experiences, memories and travel accounts. 

A Strange Encounter

“The world is my garden” she said before I resumed my path. . . . . . . . . .

Stepping out of my home I usually head straight to my destination without sparing a thought for my surroundings. But now with no examinations and classes at hand, I have lots of free time .  Thus unlike my usual routine I decided to take a leisurely stroll around my neighborhood.

After travelling quite a distance, I chanced upon an old lady who I saw was watering plants. Fair enough! Nothing new! But this lady was watering the roadside plants. She carried on with her work for quite some time and I stopped to look at what she was doing.

She watered the plants, picked up wrappers of chips and chocolates and disposed them off at a nearby dustbin, cut off the dead leaves, pruned the grasses and her work went on and on. I was so amazed to see her working selflessly for these plants that I lost track of time.

She saw that I was looking at her and motioned me to come nearer. She was clear in making me understand that she was not educated enough to converse in English and was very glad when she saw I understood Bangla. Thus began quite a monologue which changed my perception towards life quite a bit.

According to her we are mostly alive and surviving the scorching heat due to these plants which grow on the roadside. However, they are abandoned in nature. Even though they give us so many useful resources, no one takes care of them. She thought it to be her duty to take care of these plants and thus every morning she watered the neighborhood plants. She explained that since this activity of hers takes a long time she never bothered to maintain a house garden of her own. Every time a plant dies she goes out to the market, buys saplings and replaces them.

She went on saying that there are many afforestation programs in the world, but how many people seriously take part in it; and what after planting the sapling? They abandon it and get on with their regular day to day activities never sparing a thought for the needs of those saplings they plant and took selfies with (Yes she used the term selphy). She brought in an example and pointed out  that if pets are cared for then why not plants- both are living, both have feelings and above all both need love to grow and survive. The lady told me she remembers the names of each and every plant there (scientific names) and sometimes lovingly gives the new saplings a nickname of her own.

Her biggest concern was the polluted roads during the rainy season which would harm the plants.

I realized that I had been away from home longer than I intended to. I bid her goodbye and carried on my own way. “The world is my garden” she said before I resumed my path. Her selfless devotion to the roadside plants indeed left a deep impression on me. It has compelled me to question whether we have become insensitive to our natural surroundings. Are we truly missing a point here?

I have gone past the same road quite few times after I met this lady and on one or two occasions have spotted her busy managing her “garden”. Do let me know of what you feel about her work and if possible ponder for a while on my question that are we really becoming insensitive towards nature.

P.S I have no photographs here because the lady wanted to remain anonymous and I did not want to attach photos from the net in this post. 

5 Exciting Outdoor Adventures

I am sure there are many of you who love to spend your time carrying out various outdoor adventures. In fact most of the common ones have been covered by you in the mountains or on the beaches. If you still haven’t covered some of the exciting outdoor activities then do plan out your holidays to undertake some of them in this year.  I bring to you five of my favorite outdoor activities.

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 White Water Rafting- Goes really high on your adrenaline. River rafting in India is a famous activity on the Alakananda river, Uttarakhand, Kali, Zanskar , Kameng and the Brahmaputra river. River rafting can be done individually or in a group. However, experts always advise to go for team work.  There are six grades of river rafting identified by the International Rafting Federation. Various techniques need to be employed while rafting and thus a professional guide is a must. For all the environment conservationist the environment, water current, and safety measures are looked into first before undertaking a trip.  Moreover, you should be physically and mentally prepared to take on the thrill and stress of this activity lest it leaves a post traumatic stress on your mind and health.

http://goo.gl/cXP3bB

Specially made bikes are made available for all those who like to explore the mountains on bikes and at their own free will. The two frequently undertaken sports are cross country trail and trail riding. The following is mandatory while going on this journey-

·         Knowledge of handling a bike

·         Knowledge of mountain routes

·         Mental and physical strength

·         Bike gears

·         Rucksack

·         Water

·         First aid

It goes without saying that such trails should always be undertaken in a group. In fact nowadays special groups of only women are made where they take on this thrilling activity.

Some of the best mountain trails in India are:

·         Kufri-Nankhari- sungri- Tiuni- Lakhawati in the Himalayan Ranges

·         Manali- solang Valley in Himachal Pradesh is almost a  26 km ride

·         Cochin- Kumarakom- Munnar in the South should be travelled from October to March.

http://goo.gl/VGAVW4

Waterfall Rappelling is a method of quick descent through the waterfall. The water sprinkling all over your face and body during such a descent makes it an all the more enjoyable experience. This is very common on the Vihi Waterfall in Kasara apart from being carried out in the major waterfalls of the country. This activity is always performed under the visions of trained professionals and is also a great method to bid goodbye to your fear of heights.

http://goo.gl/RRvD0x

Night Trek is not available in very many places of India. There are few organizations which offer night trek on selected routes. One such route is the Anthargange Caving and Night Trek. This takes a minimum of three hours for a distance of four kilometers. One can experience caving, bonfire, amazing food, sunrise and nocturnal creatures during the session. Kunti Betta, Skandagiri and Rajmachi  are three other routes which offers night treks.

http://goo.gl/aXCv4q

Flying Fox or aerial runway truly makes you feel like a bird and view the world through the eyes of a bird. It enables a person to travel from top to bottom of a hill through a fastened rope and pulley system. This is common in most of the rainforests like Costa Rica, Florida, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua etc. Flying Fox is India’s first and only Zip Line Company.  So if you want to experience this thrill then you can know more about this organization and the trips that it organizes in http://www.flyingfox.asia/.

Although I have covered only five there are hundreds of other activities that you can carry out on such adventurous holidays. If you have experienced something different or tried out any different activities do share them with me.

McCluskiegunj- A Settlement Lost Under The Sands Of Time

That which flourished years ago is on a verge of disappearing from the hearts of men and that which flourishes now would soon overshadow the remnants of a glorious past.  This post refers to a very special place which is hardly remembered by many but was a flourishing Anglo-Indian hub years ago – McCluskiegunj. This settlement lies 40 miles northwest of the capital of Jharkhand. This settlement was founded and established by the Colonization Society of 1933- especially by Earnest Timothy McCluskie. It was home to more than 400 Anglo-Indian families, though now only a handful remain in this settlement.

 

http://goo.gl/Qu15AI 

What is unique about this place is that no matter what happens in the world, McCluskiegunj has never succumbed to its modernity. Even though it is less inhabited now, it still remains full of greenery and one breathes fresh air on entering this place. For many, it goes unnoticed but a handful of them still continue to make it their favorite weekend getaway . 

                                      http://goo.gl/U5z9L7

There are hardly any modern hotels in the area. Thus tourists mostly spend their time in lodges and guest houses run by the families living here. As the buildings used for accommodation facilities are old and antique, one could feel being transported back to the heydays of McCluskiegunj.

                                         http://goo.gl/KuUH4u

One very peculiar feature of this area is the projection of its secular culture with the presence of a Mosque and a Temple in the same complex. The chance to experiment two different religions within the boundary of a single complex often becomes a reason to draw tourists from all over the world. However, one should note that Churches are also present in this settlement. The St. Johns church is very famous in these parts and often sees the descendants of the old families coming in for a mass or a prayer. The presence of so many different religious structures makes us wonder sometimes about the people who originally resided here. Were there more communities other than the dominant Anglo-Indian Community? Were the Mosque and the Temple  built before the Anglo-Indians came and settled here? The origins of these structures are still being traced though no particular date has been zeroed on till date.

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The plaque and the fountain head which are now being protected and preserved in memory of the commemoration of this place in 1934 by Earnest Timothy McCluskie is a sight which one should not miss in these parts. Another interesting feature of the area is that the nearby forests used to act as hunting grounds long ago. Thus, hutments which are now nearly in shackles can still be seen.

http://goo.gl/QnuRwG

                                      http://goo.gl/S7oLrD

It is interesting to note that the Don Bosco  Academy opened a residential school in McCluskiegunj. This has given employment to the few Anglo-Indian families that are left in these parts. Moreover the old bungalows and houses which were deserted are being used as hostels and residential campuses for the students, teachers and staff of this school. This has boosted economy and employment opportunities in these parts after a long time.

http://goo.gl/bYZt79

However, not all bungalows are being used for either guest houses or school purposes. Many lie still in brambles and shackles with stories of their own to tell. Many are just properties in which foreigners and other Nationals have invested but are never used for staying purposes. Few had been captured by the Adivasis and when the descendants of the original owners came to claim it, they were driven out from the land. Some more have stories of apparitions and ghosts being attached to them due to an infamous suicide or a murder. But alas, one would never really come to know about all these stories as they have been lost in the sands of time or buried under the walls of the deserted bungalows. Many other stories must have just come to an end with the death of their owners.But the fact that this long gone community is trying its best to be recognized and draw in more people just to let them know about its presence is commendable in itself.

http://goo.gl/XKnoOu

With this I hope I have been able to provide you with some of the reasons why this place is a must visit and tops my personal list of places to see before I die.

Asansol -E-Hoi-Choi Part 2

The day two of my Asansol trip was filled with greater adventure than the previous day.  The day started very normally with all of us getting into the car and asking the driver to take us to Panchet. No sooner did the car start that the tyre was left punctured and we were to wait till the car was fixed. While the boys of our group huddled near the car with my father explaining the problem and the steps required to fix it; the girls found a quieter place to sit in and talk with the local shopkeeper. Soon, the shopkeeper turned himself into a guide for us and gave us tips as to which places we should visit and how to reach them. While talking to him, we found out about the ruins of an old fort –Gaurponchokot. In fact we did plan to visit the place as well after laying our eyes on Panchet. However, ultimately the plan was cancelled. It took about an hour of waiting (for others) and jumping about impatiently (for me) before the car was repaired and we finally resumed our journey.

Panchet was a well thirty-forty kilometres from our hotel and it took us about an hour to reach the place crossing through farmlands, small villages and barren lands. Panchet is a dam and has been maintained very well.  In fact the view itself is amazing. On one side there are steps to go down and enjoy the beautiful landscape gardens and on the other side one can view the clear blue waters flowing under the bridge to the other side. It is essential that the pictures do the talking here instead of me. As this was a short trip, my narration ends here itself .But there are lots of other exciting trips that I have been a part of after Panchet and I cannot wait to share those stories  as well.

VIEW OF THE LANDSCAPED GARDENS FROM THE STAIRS DESCENDING FROM THE DAM GATES

VIEW FROM THE GARDENS TO THE DAM GATES 

LITTLE BUDDY I FOUND HIDING IN THE BUSHES 

VIEW OF THE RIVER FROM THE GARDENS

VIEW OF THE WATER BANKS 

CLOSE-UP OF THE WATERFALL

DAM GATES 

BOATING

BIDDING ADIEU