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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

 

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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 . 

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

Asansol- E- Hoi Choi- Part 1

Short weekend trips are a blessed luxury in the busy schedule of our lives. That is why, to avail the luxurious opportunity I agreed to a three day trip to Asansol and the nearby areas. Thus we left Kolkata on a very chilly and smoggy day at seven thirty (which in my opinion corresponds to dawn) so that we could reach Asansol, our destination as soon as possible and without wasting time get on with our sight -seeing. 

A VERY FOGGY ROADSIDE

TRUCKS AND CARS ON THE HIGHWAY

The almost five hour long road trip from Kolkata to my destination is a story in itself. Having had to wake up at five to be able to get ready and leave by seven thirty I had to compromise on my sleep. However, I made it up by sleeping in the car for an hour (and yes blissfully without being disturbed.) .Then started the regular war –of-the- music -sessions which included demands of old songs from our parents and the new hip hop ones from the younger lot (which included only two poor souls). We came to an understanding of having both types for an hour each!

Soon time flew by and we came to Shaktigarh. For me, I would call it the Land of Langchas- a traditional Bengali sweet. What was funny was that the whole stretch of land had small roadside sweet shops and hotels all named after Langchas- Langcha More, Langcha Sweets, Langcha Sagar, Langcha Junctions and many more Langchas with a variety of prefixes and suffixes.

SHOP IN SHAKTIGARH

HOT FRESHLY MADE LANGCHA

After a tiring nearly five hour journey witnessing two very morose and disastrous truck accidents and a huge traffic jam caused due to repairing work on a certain road and yes not to forget my first time usage of the GPS system that my mobile has, so as to locate our hotel, we reached our destination.

After a sumptuous meal and a photo session, we left for Maithon. Apart from being the dam that it is for an endless list of uses, it has become a very prominent tourist destination. With its clear blue waters where one can occasionally spot fishes and its boat rides to two nearby islands ; it has started attracting people from all over Bengal, Durgapur, Jharkhand, Asansol and the likes. It has become a weekend hub for many families living nearby.

BOAT RIDES FROM THE RIVER BANK

CAPTURED WHILE BOATING IN THE RIVER

VIEW OF THE DAM GATES FROM THE BOAT

To be very honest, the dam itself did not spark any glow to my face. In fact all I could notice was a lot a gates, water flowing from various parts of the dam, levers, machines, turbine room, engine room and the likes. This would probably have interested engineers a lot and in fact it did to the two engineers we had with us in this trip. What interested me more was the scenic beauty of the place.

The boat ride along the river was a mesmerizing experience. Not only did it give me an opportunity to experience nature's beauty but also gave me varied  angles to capture photographs from (which was my main aim of getting onto the boat anyway). As we were short of time, we decided not to visit the islands and explore them.

RIVER BANK

MOTOR BOAT

ISLANDS ON THE RIVER

KIDS POSING ON THE RIVER BANK

SUNSET FROM THE BOAT

SUNSET FROM NEAR THE DAM 

While going back I could see many visitors who were awestruck by the beauty of the sunset on the river waters. On our way to the hotel, we did visit the sacred Kalyaneshwari Temple.  However, as  camera's are not allowed inside I was unable to capture any photographs. But what intrigued me the most was I saw a jackal for the first time in my life happily trotting along cars on the roadside.

It is suggested by everyone in the area that it is not very safe to wander out of hotels and houses after four thirty –five in the evening. Thus we went back to our hotel to an evening of well -deserved relaxation and to prepare for the adventure that lay in front of us the next day.

And truly so, the next day was filled with adventures and amusing tales!

 But more about that in the next  post!

The Ganges Retreat

The most random trip I  ever made was to the  Diamond Harbor Resort Punyalakshmi. It felt like the other day, I was chatting with my friend and casually proposed an outing and voila, our mother’s made it come true. Thus, five of us set off on an exciting journey last Sunday to Diamond Harbor with great expectations from the place and hopes of getting our heads into some wild adventures (which sadly did not happen!).

We set out at 7:30 am on a beautiful (and not so sunny Sunday morning) to greet our destination. We had gone on a package tour, and I must add here that the staff knew how to take care of their guests. After a very warm welcome and breakfast, we went ahead with exploring the place.

PATHWAYS INSIDE THE RESORT 

PATHWAYS LINED BY VILLA 

A STATUE 

BRIDGE LEADING TO A VILLA

Punyalakshmi is a very beautiful and most importantly open resort. It overlooks the Ganges at such proximity which I have never seen or felt in the other water-side resorts I have been to in my life. The resort itself has a variety of rooms and cottages to make everyone’s stay happy and comfortable. In fact an extension work was in progress when I visited.

The playground was occupied by children and teenagers both. The swings, see-saws and the slip were temptations enough to engage everyone for a long time. Once in a while kids even brought in water to make sand castles which ultimately did not formulate and they left feeling irritated but finding something else to engage them soon after.

The well maintained lawns saw many a footballs trampling it. If not footballs then many pairs of feet  who were either peacefully crossing it, or posing in front of the camera for a group photograph or else playing badminton. Some were more interested in clicking pictures of the flowers and bushes that lines the lawn. I tried chasing a yellow-orange butterfly for at least thirty minutes before I finally gave up pretty disheartened.

SWIMMING POOL

The swimming pools were a special feature of the resort. Being available from 7 am in the morning right till 8 pm, both the adult and the children’s pool were engaged by the guests throughout the day.

VIEW FROM THE RESORT

MEN AT WORK

ROWS OF BOATS

MEN AT WORK

The best part of the resort, however, was the benches placed overlooking the Ganges. The cool and fresh air, the never ending waters, lush greenery and rows of streamers, cargo ships, boats and occasionally men doing something really important (though I could not figure out what ) near the river banks; were sights that were common and could engage one for hours in the end. In fact the Kolkata Port Trust had set up regular streamer facilities for daily commuters. In fact many of the small fishermen boats were also at rent to be taken across the sea. Though my friend and I had the wild ideas of trying both of them or either one at least, our puppy faces were returned with those of a roaring tiger by our seniors and our adventurous plans went for a toss in the Ganga waters.

We were told that near the resort was an old English fort which was now in ruins. I was extremely excited and curious to see the fort. But sadly, all I saw was a chunk of old brick peeking its head out from the waters. That was all that was left of the huge fort. Instead what intrigued me was a goat kid that was wondering near the shore.

No one knew when time flew by and we found ourselves sitting in the restaurant for lunch. Lunch in this resort was an elaborate affair. Ranging right from salads, roti’s, flavored rice to mutton, chicken, Chinese, fish and chutneys, sweets and ice creams for desserts. And yes all cooked to perfection!

After lunch, it was time to laze around the Ganges water banks. I found a nice and comfy seat and settled with my camera and started talking to my friend. We saw numerous streamers and boats pass by and also an occasional bird which we were sometimes lucky enough to capture through our lenses.

Soon, it was time to leave. By six the place became dark and lanterns were lit up in the lawn and the garden areas. The resort looked prettier. In fact, the reflections of these lights falling on the Ganges made the river look like a prettily dressed up bride. It felt really sad leaving the place. But I left it with great memories and a promise of being back again in the future- maybe with family or maybe with friends (to try our luck in those unaccomplished adventurous plans of ours) . . . . . . . .