Enigmatic India

Artisans around us: Kiranbala Harichandan

2020-10-17T21:37:00.004+05:30

A multi-proficient artisan who weaves magic with hands: Kiranbala Harichandan

Kiranbala Harichandan is the master handicrafts person who runs Seven Diamond Multicraft, that is a producer of handmade items . Situated at Lokeswarpur, Pallahat, Khordha District of Odisha, this organization has been functioning since 2005. Previously, it started with home creations however now their creative work has made its path to diverse stalls in the last fifteen years.

Their products include applique paintings, embroidery, straw art and paddy artwork which is made by trained individuals. They even create pillow covers, sofa covers and bedsheets, which they promote from houses or from stalls at Gopalpur, Bhubaneswar or anywhere else when they get a chance.

Kiranbala, besides being an outstanding artisan, she also gives training to young people at distinctive locations for which she is being paid by the government. She has 15+ artisans working with her at Seven Diamond Multicraft. They acquire the raw materials in bulk from places like Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Puri & Pipili and they an inventory for 3-4 months.

Their efforts in this is field has started to pay off because of the high quality of work. She shared that recently , they got an order for applique work for a temple for INR 28,000. However, the temple administration was so impressed that they paid additional INR 2,000.

She is a self-made artisan, who had this hobby since her school days and later converted this to a business. She believes that "handmade products have much greater authenticity and beauty than the machine-made ones". At the same time, she expresses grief, that people nowadays are unaware of the high-quality produced by artisans and prefer the machine-made cheaper products. She is happy that our honorable Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modiji has started the "vocal for local" campaign, and this she believes makes the case for artisans stronger.

The current Covid-19 situation has posed a problem for her as the sales are down, however they are assured that they have got enough stocks of their artwork, which would start selling once things return to normalcy.

That’s called optimism and our salute to many more Kiranbala's in India who are promoting local products and creating livelihoods for artisans.

(Interviewed by Neha Dash, KSOM 2nd year student during her internship with EnigmaticIndia. Photos have been provided by Ms Kiranbala)

Artisans Around Us: Md Khurshid Ansari

2020-10-10T07:54:00.028+05:30

“You got to pack anything, whenever you make a sale and that is an opportunity”: Khurshid Ansari

Md. Khurshid Ansari is a craftsman of Jute & Cotton working as a trainer in a production unit at Rishra close to Hooghly, in West Bengal. His organization is a part of the Bharatiya Mahila Sangathan since thirty years. Nine years into this organization as a craftsman, Mr. Khurshid has gained a great deal of recognition worldwide. Mr. Khurshid is not only a great artisan himself but also contributes to the society as a trainer at the Aditya Birla Institute. He has received many awards for his contribution to the society including Aditya Birla Jan Seva Trust for two years.

His organization deals with jute & cotton bags, canvas & Tisco bags. They make workplace lunch boxes (which is their best-selling product). Apart from this they supply gunny bags to Supermarkets/malls. In the initial days, he struggled a lot to form his team, which comprises mostly women. However after months of training, the team is well settled and delivering well. The supply chain for the products involve procuring the jute and cotton directly from the mills through an agent. The raw materials are bought as per the frequency of orders and it is converted into finished good in an impressive line-up of the twenty-five (25) machines for Jute products and twelve (12) machines for Cotton products.

He definitely wants his products to go global through online channel, however due to very high packaging and shipping cost, he is unable to do so. This is limiting the sale of the products just to exhibitions and small shops/retail outlets. As asked by our team regarding how the Jute and Cotton bags will be reach globally, he quoted “you got to pack anything whenever you make a sale and that is an opportunity that strikes us”. As there's slowly a ban of synthetic resin packaging, the demand of jute and cotton bags has seen an increase. He has seen that the craze for such eco-friendly products is increasing both in Asia and Europe. Traveling within the country with these merchandise to various exhibitions, Melas, International Trade Fairs, noted exhibitions in cities. He has gained heaps of expertise regarding client preferences and also understanding the dynamical demands. Apart from these, he has tied up with a chain of providers in Odisha, which has a good uptake on Jute products (as it’s a Temple State and jute is considered to be a lucky material as per Mr. Khurshid).

Through this story he wants to reach out to individuals who support buying eco-friendly products /merchandises and also make us aware of the impact he and his organization is creating in generating livelihoods in his locality.

(Interviewed by Neha Dash, KSOM 2nd year Student during her internship with EnigmaticIndia. Photos have been provided by Mr Khurshid)

Artisans Around Us: Sunita Mohanty

2020-10-03T15:46:00.017+05:30

"If you dream it,you can do it": Sunita Mohanty

For each person out there who desires to realize their goals, their dreams however have faced tons of Obstacles, Doubters, have created mistakes and so finally given up…Well here’s the story of 1 Odisha woman who made it all on her own by breaking out of all the prevailing stereotypes. Mrs. Sunita Mohanty, associate businessperson and also the owner of Neena Crafts, five years past was a bit like the other Painter trying to find a chance to touch the lives of others through her work however rather than waiting, she set to form for herself a platform wherever she may level up in achieving her dreams and thus Neena Crafts was fashioned.

Neena Crafts is presently concerned with creating and commerce of Paintings together with the illustrious Pattachitra art form that is understood for its involved details and mythological narratives inscribed in it. Not solely Pattachitra however Neena Crafts additionally features a form of Wall paintings, hand paintings and even saree paintings that are splendidly referred to as Kalamkari. However what interests me a lot of is that the Pattachitra art form, for it's galvanized by the Hindu Mythology and to create only 1 Pattachitra it takes months or maybe a year of labour and patience to place in such a big amount of range of natural colours and portray a story out of it. The saree paintings and even the wall paintings created by Neena Crafts might be of our own alternative, it’s like we tend to may wear art in our sarees and walk and even adorn and style our dream house with all the fashionable nonetheless ancient wall paintings.

As we all know that there's a lot of demand of the hand sewn merchandise within the market and particularly paintings like Pattachitra and Wall paintings would need masterful artists of that, Neena crafts has recruited well-trained and economical operating individuals which permits it to finish the received orders from customers over the year and even reach resolute more audience by putting up their work in several Craft Exhibitions. Until currently they have their store in Odisha wherever the demand of Pattachitra paintings is extremely high however they're yet to create their on-line presence within the market.

It's true that Mrs. Sunita Mohanty broke out of the notion set that says that ladies shouldn’t work after wedding for she took a step and created Neena Crafts which is with success running nowadays, for at that point she gave her Painter Self an opportunity to Evolve!

(Interviewed by Neha Dash, KSOM 2nd year Student during her internship)

Birding along Tungabhadra high level canal, Hampi

2018-03-18T19:48:00.003+05:30

We had been to Hampi once and the apart from the UNESCO sight, what made us visit this place once more a year later was the drive along the Tungabhadra high level canal. You must be wondering what's the big deal - driving along a canal. Exactly this was thought when the staff at Hampi Wilderness Camp wanted us to join them for this drive. The only motivation was that we were into bird watching and an early morning and late evening drive provided some chance for birding.

view of the canal

Early morning the Sun looked resplendent and glistened on surface of the water. We saw people in couple of tractor collecting sand in the bed of the canal - being a non-monsoon time there was less water quipped our driver. He went on to add that this was the high level canal and there was the low level canal or Tungabhadra right canal.

As we moved along, we spotted a white-throated kingfisher, quite obvious near a water body.

white throated kingfisher

A lot of other resident birds were seen- paddy field pipit, pied myna, collared and laughing doves, Red wattled lapwing and a Long tailed Shrike.

Long tailed Shrike

Deep Gorge

The first time around, we had gone in a Bolero it was quite noisy, however during the second visit, Jungle lodges had upgraded this to an open jeep designed for wildlife safari. As we drove along the banks, our driver kept looking at the deep gorge walls formed by the water. Over the years the water had probably eaten into the concrete walls and formed the deep gorges. The wall were lined with rocks jutting out and tree & shrubs overhanging the walls. As we were wondering, our driver explained that this is the right terrain for two kinds of Owl - the Indian Eagle Owl and the Brown fishing Owl. While we had seen the Brown Fishing Owl, the earlier one was a first time for us. So, our anxiety grew and suddenly the vehicle stopped and the drive said look.

Indian Eagle Owl

Lo and behold on the other side of the bank there was a huge bird with beautiful orange eyes the Indian Eagle Owl - It was spell binding. During our two visit we saw a lot of them - some with their chicks and juveniles.

Our guide and driver encouraged us to do the evening trip and said something more was in store. Well the morning was a blessing and hence the evening trip was on. The sun was about to set, and our driver went about looking for something.

He stopped near a spot and asked us to pick up the camera. Struggling to find the bird, he asked us to look at the ground and in front of us was a beautiful bird - the Painted Sandgrouse - golden in colour while black, brown and white plumage.

painted sandgrouse

Indian nightjar

The surprise continued and within a few minutes we saw an Indian Nightjar settled amongst a few rocks - fully camouflaged. As we moved on the green paddy fields below was beautiful to watch.

paddy fields

As we continued we saw a few Indian Silverbill, Grey Francolin, Red Adavat, Thrush, Yellow Wattled Lapwing and Indian bush lark.Our driver said there are chances of the Brown Fishing owl and soon he managed to spot one on the walls of the canal. Beautiful piercing yellow eyes.

Brown fishing Owl

The four trips along the banks of the canal was fulfilling and next time when I am there it definitely warrants another experience. If you are in Hampi, just visit this place - its a stone throw distance from Jungle Lodges and Evolve Back.

(Contributed by Sandip Mishra)

Dansborg Fort, Tharangambadi : Piece of Danish Settlement in India

2018-01-28T22:35:00.001+05:30

Vinod my friend called many months back and told me that we should visit Tharangambadi or Tranquebar, when we were in Chennai next. This stuck with me for quite sometime and when we planned a trip to Puducherry, visiting Tranquebar was definitely in the offing.

Fort Dansborg

The drive from Puducherry was only ~120 Kms and with a break at Chidambaram, Thillai Nataraja temple the journey didn't seem difficult at all. As we were approaching this place, my mind was racing - when did the Danish rule India. Had heard and read about other European settlers like the French, Portuguese, Dutch and the English but never about the Danish rulers. Maybe my knowledge of history was in sufficient - so a quick search on Google threw up this map. Crazy enough- there were three Danish settlements in India - Tranquebar, Serampore(Bengal) and Nicobar - governed through the Danish East India company set-up for trading purposes(mostly spices).

European Settlements in India : Source Wikipedia.

As we approached , I was expecting to see a huge fort, structure like the Rajasthan Forts but it turned out to be a small orange-pink garrison(large outpost) kind of thing. Fort Dansborg apparently is the second largest fort built by the Danes after Fort Kronborg. As the history goes it was build by Danish Admiral Ove Gjedde in 1620 after entering into an agreement with the Thanjavur King, Raghunath Nayak.

Bay of Bengal - view from Fort - Rusted Canon is also visible

It faces the Bay of Bengal and there is a beautiful beach with a lot of boats adorning the white sands. The structure is built in Danish style(as stated in the museum - I don't know a bit about architecture and rely on acquired information) with large halls, column structures, projecting drapery. Apparently it had the governors residency, kitchen, soldiers quarters, armoury, store rooms and strong walls in a trapezoidal shape. One can take a walk along the fort walls and enjoy taking photos. I enjoyed watching the sea from the Fort and the cool sea breeze was soothing. Imagined how the governor would have enjoyed his evenings and early mornings back in the 17th Century. If you are the inquisitive kind, there is a museum inside and though not much is there, some piece of history can definitely be seen.

Artefact in the musuem

As you come out of the Fort, you can visit the Zion Church, Jerusalem Church, Town Gateway, Masilamaninathar Temple and other buildings from that period. Couple of bungalows have been converted to hotels by the Neemrana group and one can stay there. Overall the walls around the citadel were not meant to weather military attack, rather protect from cavalry raids. Well if you are hungry there are a few ice-cream & bhelpuri/masala puri vendors just outside the Fort gate. The place is both child and elderly friendly and a tourist hot spot.

View of the Fort facing the sea

This visit to Fort Dansborg was quit enriching and filled an unknown void about my knowledge of European Settlements in India. If you are in Puducherry take time off and visit this place.

(Contributed by Sandip Mishra)

Along the Narmada, Maheshwar, Madhya Pradesh

2017-11-26T21:00:00.003+05:30

Long ago, Narmada river was a name(along with others) we used a lot during the "Map pointing" sessions of the Geography class. After as we graduated to senior school and college, the name again cropped up as "Narmada Bachao Andolan", which was on and off in the news.

boats in Narmada

Well that's all I had about Narmada river till a recent trip to Maheshwar & Omkareshwar in Madhya
Pradesh, which forms the life line of these places. Maheshwar or Mahishmati located in the banks of the river Narmada was the capital of King Kartivarjun. It assumed importance during the Holkar period when queen Ahilyabai of Indore revived this.

As you start exploring Maheshwar, one of the few places to go is the Rajgaddi and the Ghats (mostly the Ahilya Ghat, apart from Peshwar and Fanase Ghats). Early afternoon and the place was teeming with people and we decided to take a boat ride(one hr) on the serene waters of the Narmada river.

Ahilya Ghat with the Rajgaddi in background.

We boarded an exclusive boat, and started our journey with the sun slowly starting to set .

view from our boat.

Like us there were many tourists enjoying the boating.

Tourists in another boat.

Suddenly we say a temple in the middle of nowhere inside the river. Our boatman, informed that this was the Baneshwar Mahadev Temple. It is believed that a heavenly line from the North Star passes through this temple to the Earth's centre.(Not sure about this though). It looked majestic along the backdrop of the water and river bank.

Baneshwar Mahadev Temple

As we moved on, we saw small settlements along the banks of the river. Women with cleaning their brass pots and villagers herding their cattle and some fishing for their livelihoods.

washing utensils

Herding goats

As we moved on the serene waters slowly looked rough and that's when our boatman said, here is the "Sahastradhara".We alighted on the bank of the river and walked along watching the white rapids and the beautiful sound of the gushing water. What a sight - suddenly the Narmada looked mighty and evoked awe.

Having spent sometime, we started our journey back we saw some birds including the Grey heron waiting patiently for its prey, the cormorant and river tern gliding across the water.

Grey heron

The beautiful Pandharinath Mandir(Lord Vishnu) was resplendent against the setting sun.

Pandharinath Temple.

Holy men were seen sitting in meditating or getting ready to offer puja for the evening.

holy men & others offering puja

As we reached the Ahilya Ghat, the Sun was already setting and the view was majestic.We thought we had to bid goodbye to Narmada for the day.

setting Sun.

What we didn't realise that there was more to experience. We made a short visit to a workshop to see how Maheshwar Sarees were woven. The craftsmanship was impeccable and it left us wanting to get more of it. however our driver insisted that we go back to the Narmada bank to witness the evening Arati(Puja).

Evening Arati

When we landed only a few(maybe 50-60) of us were there and already many of them were feeding the fish at the bank of the ghat. Well then we saw the panditji preparing the Arati and then all of them started the puja and it went for 5-7 minutes.

Arati by the Narmada

The arati ended, the prasad was distributed to us and some were fed to the fishes. The evening was quite snappy and even though we wanted to go back to our hotel, we somehow continued to be glued to this river.

What a day it was...the Narmada has a story to tell about the Forts, Temples, People, Sadhus, Birds etc over the years and centuries.

For me from just being a line in a map to a news items, Narmada transformed in my mind to something that is reverend, life giving and beautiful.

(Contributed by Sandip Mishra)

Trip to Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

2017-07-22T11:49:00.001+05:30

We finally set off in the month of May to the oldest city ever-Varanasi. Umm, Banaras? No, Kashi! What’s in a name anyways!

The scorching heat, which was a little over 42C, didn’t actually seem to dampen our spirit, although a lot of people had cautioned us against it.

Well, the moment arrived, and there we were! Heading towards Ganapati Guest House, where we would be spending our next three memorable days. A little about why we chose this guest house and not any other. Its right on the bank of the river, alongside all the Ghats. There’s a balcony with a view of the Ganges which gives the guest house a breathtaking ambience. It is just a couple of minutes away from the main temple Kashi Vishwanath Mandir, although a little away from the main road. This meant that we would get dropped at a spot that was a15-minute walk away from the place of stay. It was worth it all, because the uniqueness of Banaras is its streets. The Ghats, the steep stairs and of course the legend of our Ganga maiyya and Shivji deciding to stay here for good!!

At probably seven in the evening, the moment we checked into the hotel and stepped into the balcony, I looked onto my right, only to see the famous Dhashwamedh Ghat with the Ganga Aarti ongoing, and a large fleet of boats on the river, with loads of yellow lamps-dreams floating. An inexplicable visual, one must watch it to feel it!

We quickly hit the road to pay our respects to Shivji before beginning our journey. It was amazing to see the 4 feet narrow roads that led to the temple. Scooters, Gau Mata, people, everything fit so beautifully well into the small streets!

Behold! My dream came true as I stepped into the Kashi Vishwanath temple, that I had been yearning to visit (and I have no reason why) for a long, long time now.

The next morning, we set off for the boat ride, again an experience of a view into the life on the Ghats. If one Ghat had life in abundance, there were two others- “Harishchandra Ghat” and “Manikarnika Ghat”- that were buzzling with the silence beyond life. While there were some who had just gotten out of the river after a holy dip, there were some others, whose bodies were put on the funeral pyre. There were also

some bodies that were waiting, for their turn, to receive Moksha in the holiest place on this planet. Once, we saw 16 pyres at a time! They say, this is one place where the cremation happens on all 365 days of a year.

Amidst the sunrise, people, the floating shops for memoirs, the swim of the kids, the intense prayers, and the hustle and bustle, there I was, witnessing it all, with no words to explain how I felt.

Foooooooooood! Kachori, kulhad chai and jalebi. That was in our mind, as we set off towards the main road...yumm…we were already thinking about our next food destination! :’)

After a leisurely freshening up, we set off to the main temple again, and many prayers later, we realized the heat was picking up, and were advised against heading anywhere until evening.So, we decided to hit the main road in the hot sun, to find good food. Not that Ganpati Guest house doesn’t provide food, we were just too ambitious. And yes, we did find a restaurant, but there was nothing banarasi about the food they served. On our way back to the guest house, I couldn’t stop ogling at the stores that had the banarasi sarees on display. At 40C, after a heavy-not so banarasi-meal, there went my foot on a hole-y road, and cracked me up with a bad ligament tear. I quickly wrapped my ankle up with a bandage and set off again! This hole-y incident somehow decided the course of our next two days and how!

When walking is the only choice you have as there are no vehicles (that fit into the 4ft narrow lanes and not hit the Gau Mata at the same time), I never even fancied a thought that I could push myself so much. We kept walking.

A good rest later, we moved towards the evening boat ride, followed by the world-famous Ganga Aarti- a ritual par excellence. And then we headed to the Kashi Chaat Bhandar, a small shop at the main road, which offers lightning fast service in spite of the great rush they have to handle, and serves great food! Favorite in the menu? Has to be the tangy tamatar chaat! Don’t even try forgetting to order it.

We set off to Sarnath-where Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon, the next day, in a vehicle booked by the

guest house, and on our way, visited the Sankat Mochan, and the Durga temples. It’s amazing to see the beauty of Sarnath, the teachings of Buddha, and the museum, all of which were calm and peaceful- offering a sharp contrast to what happened in Varanasi.

We went to an outlet nearby to check out some Banaras memoirs, and once we were done, we returned back to the hotel and relaxed.

Khaikepaanbanraswala every day ;) you are not supposed to chew the paan. Atleast that’s what the vendor advised us to do. It just melts in your mouth and gives you a chill feeling!

Day three, we were all set to return, and lo! How could we miss out on the KalBhairav temple!! We rushed to his abode, prayed and then came back for a leisurely lunch at Ganpati Guest house, as we started packing for our trip back home. *sobs*. I know I am going back again. This time in a colder season.

Banaras is in the Ghats. You have to feel it, you have to live it. With friendly people around, who are always willing to help, the ancient city of Varanasi still retains its fervor. Isn’t it surprising to see a city that hasn’t let modernization change its core even a bit? That’s Varanasi for you in a nutshell. A beautiful experience that makes you stretch beyond your limitations.:’)

(Contributed by Gayatri Kuppa, photo/images rights with Gayatri & Nikhil Kuppa)

Trip to Medak Fort(Methuku Durgam), Telangana

2017-05-29T00:03:00.000+05:30

We decided to have a short trip to Pocharam Lake and Medak even though Hyderabad was sizzling with temperatures reaching 40+C. After some bird photography at Pocharam lake we headed to Medak district/town to visit the Medak fort.

However our first stop was at Medak Church, which is close to a century old and also apparently is the largest Diocese in Asia. It was teeming with people and we decided to come back later to this place.

Medak Church

From the parking lot of the Medak Church we noticed a white structure on a hill, and looking at Google Maps realised it was our next destination the Medak Fort. Well thanks to Google Maps we reached the foot of a small hillock and started our short climb and suddenly the road ended...well no Fort in sight.

However there were a nicely crafted flight of stairs(obviously not friendly for Sr Citizens and Physically challenged citizens. After the short climb we saw our white building , with a few table & chairs

Haritha Restaurant

It was the Haritha hotel and restaurant which has four rooms on the top and a sit-out. The view from this place is spectacular- whole of Medak city and the towering Medak Church.

View from Haritha

Hunger pangs was driving us nuts and ordered Onion Pakodas, aerated drinks and water. The sit-out is quite okay with fans and it provided the much needed respite from heat.

Onion Pakoda

The Pakodas were very tasty with a touch of curry leaf and Ajwain. This place has restrooms so, please don't hesitate to take the keys from the Manager...monkeys are around to trouble hence they keep the restrooms locked.

After taking directions from the restaurant staff, we climbed our next flight of stairs and came across the following note about the Fort. Please read it ...

Fort Details

We didn't expect any guide as we were already told at the Haritha hotel, and with the above as the only reference point we explored around. The whole place is in derelict condition, however govt had made some concrete steps for ease of climbing.

Not much to see except a few gates(dwarams, elephants sculptures) and some abandoned areas.

The fort was probably used as a watch post and hence not massive in structure. Such a pity that this place built by our Kakatiya rulers don't find any place of importance in our ecosystem

Paved later by the govt

Many parts of the Fort is also desolate, so if you want to explore please do so in groups, not that we came across and vandalism/trouble mongers. It is a nice place to take some photographs and after spending around 40 minutes here and bearing the heat we decided to call it a day.

desolate section

As we climbed down the steps my thoughts were "why didn't the Govt either the Telangana or Central govt (through ASI) maintain this place?".

Entrance to the Fort

The Mubarak Mahal was restored by the Telangana govt and is being used as the Haritha hotel, probably one way of preserving this place. This is an important part of our history & heritage and deserves some attention from all of us i.e. citizens and the govt.

Well if you have time do visit this place.

(Contributed by Sandip Mishra)

Trip to Madikeri ( Mercara Fort), Coorg, Karnataka

2017-05-27T11:57:00.000+05:30

Madikeri Fort, One of the entrances

The Madikeri Fort (Mercara Fort) was first built in the 17th century by Mudduraja and subsequently developed by Tipu Sultan, Doddavira Rajendra, The British and finally Linga Rajendra from the Wadiyar(Wodeyer or Odeyer) dynasty. The Fort wall runs all along the fort and there are many view point to track enemy and also shoot at them from many vantage point

The entry to place is free and one can visit it between 9:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Palace, currently housing the Deputy Commissioner's office

The fort has a palace which was built using European style of architecture and at the entrance there are two horses sculptures holding the balcony. We couldn't enter this building as it is now the office of the Deputy Commissioner's and am sure access is restricted. The complex also has the Ganapathy temple.

Two large elephant structures

In one corner there are two large elephant masonry structures. Not sure the origins of this or the purpose. These are majestic and eye catching.

St Marks' Church

Finally it also has the St Mark's Church which was built in 1834 and now open as a small museum maintained by ASI. There are quite a few artefacts in this museum mostly weapons, idols and one special section dedicated to Field Marshall K M Cariappa.

Overall a short trip and it gave some insights into the history of Kodagu.

(Contributed by Sandip Mishra)

Trip to Mandu(Mandavgad), Madhya Pradesh...Central group of monuments

2017-05-06T10:24:00.002+05:30

Jahaz Mahal

Our friends in MP Tourism had been urging us to visit Mandu since a long time, however the flight timings and a lack of conviction, delayed this for a long time. With Indigo Airlines starting a direct flight between Hyderabad and Indore(at a convenient timing), we decided to explore this place known for the love story of Prince Baz Bahadur and Rani Roopmati. Mandu probably gets its name from the Prakrit word Mandapa Durga(citation Wikipedia)was ruled by the Parmar of Malwa till about 13th Century and from 1305 onwards the Sultans of Malwa ruled this place.

We flew into Indore and after a short drive of approx 100 Kms checked into Malwa Resort of MP Tourism, which is one of the few resorts available here.

The day started with a trip to the central group of monuments which is encompassed within a 45 kms walled city and it has 12 darwazas(Gates) and the main gate is the Delhi Darwaza. We started our journey with

1. Jahaz Mahal: as the name suggests it is a boat shaped two storied palace(around 120 mts), built by Ghias-ud-din Khilji for his harem. The Mahal overlooks two artificial water tanks i.e. Kapur Talao(Camphor) and the Munj Talao. One can notice the magnificence of Afghan architecture and the palace is lined with beautiful balconies, pavilions and terraces.

view from Jahaz Mahal of the Kapur Talao

2. Hindola Mahal: Our next stop was Hindola Mahal and the architecture gives it the name of "Swinging Palace". The place has beautifully moulded column and magnificent trellis work in sandstone.

Hindola Mahal

Once inside one can see the numerous arches that dot this place and if you wait for the right timing you can capture a nice picture of sunrays through the arches.

Arches within Hindola Mahal

3. Champa Baoli: Close to Hindola Mahal are a series of structures and the notable one is Champa Baoli, which has a network of water channels to supply both hot and cold water.

Champa Baoli

After this we moved out of this complex and went to explore other structures and the first one being:

1. Hoshang Shah's Tomb: It is the mausoleum of Hoshang Shah and it is is supposed to be the first marble edifice in India. Afghan architecture at its best with intricate marble lattice work, towers and courts. It seems to have provided inspiration for the building of the Taj Mahal. Once inside you will see a few tombs and interestingly for birdwatchers one can be lucky to see a family of spotted owlets.

Hoshang Shah Tomb

2. Jami Masjid: Our next stop was the massive Jami Masjid which seems to have been inspired by the great mosque at Damascus. Huge & tall arches, pillars, domes are the keystone of this structure.

Jami Masjid Mandu

Jami Masjid view from Victory Tower

3. Ashrafi Mahal: As the name suggest "Ashrafi is gold" hence "palace of gold coins" and it was built by Mahmud Shah Khilji, successor of Hohsang Shah, It was conceived as an academic institution for young boys. Today not much of it remains however in the north-eastern corner there is a seven storey tower constructed by Mahmud Khilji to commemorate his victory over Rana of Mewar, hence its also known as Victory Tower.

Tower of Victory

With this our first day of visiting the central group of monuments ended and the whole visit was enthralling.
In our next blog we will take you through our experience on the Rewa Kund group of monuments and other locations in Mandu.

(contributed by Sandip Mishra, photo copyrights with EnigmaticIndia team)

"People Around Us" - Bikram Swain

2017-03-13T20:03:00.002+05:30

Bikram Swain

Bikram 2 Bollywood

Car Washer to Tiger Shroff’s personal trainer

“My father doesn’t understand yet what I am doing here in Bollywood. Once or twice I have shown my selfies with Bollywood stars. But he said, "you don’t have a click with Sachin Tendulkar"? Two months back, I got chance to take a click with great cricketer Sachin Tendulkar in Mehboob Studio, Mumbai. I sent that photograph to my father & he was so happy that I can’t even tell you. Now only he accepts…yes my son is doing something in Mumbai”: Bikram Swain.

Bikram & Sachin

Bikram’s life is not less than a Bollywood story. Being from a very poor family one day he shifted from Odisha to Surat to get some work as his maternal aunt was already there. He learnt embroidery work with a hope to earn more money. There he was earning Rs. 1300 per month. He used to keep half of that for himself and send the other half to his family. One day, someone suggested him that he should go to Mumbai. He came to the city with no money and started hunting for a job. This was in 2009. He worked with a shop for spakes frames colouring in South Mumbai and on Sundays & other holidays worked as a cleaner, used to wash cars to earn a living. While working as a car cleaner he became friend with a driver. He used to travel to Juhu every Sunday since it used to be his weekly off. When he went to Juhu beach, he saw some kids there doing gymnastics. He saw them and began practising with them. This became a routine for Bikram on Sundays & on festival days. He got very good at it and was a fast learner.

Bikram & Tiger Shroff

“On one such day, "Tiger Shroff" spotted me. He was preparing for his debut film then. Even I didn’t have idea that he is the son of great bollywood star Jackie Shroff. When he saw me, he came and practised with me. After few such sessions, he offered me a job as his trainer. Back then, I didn’t know the language and I could hardly communicate with him. But Tiger understood me. He asked me to shift from South Mumbai to Andheri. He also bought me a phone and a sim card. Through that, we used to communicate. Since I didn’t know the language, he only used to message me the time at which we had to meet. Slowly, I learnt the language and now I can converse. Then, Tiger taught me how to browse videos on youtube, through which I learnt many new things.” Bikram.

Bikram is the first boy from his village Antarigam (Gunjam- Odisha) to have travelled abroad. His family & friends are so proud of him now. He has purchased some land in his village & built a home also. He helped his younger brother to be an MBA. His village is affected by Naxalites and it is very under developed. In fact, Antarigam got electricity few years back only. Now Bikram is helping his village to be a developed one.

“I also had a flair for dance and because of my flexibility, I got a good hang of it. I worked on that skill too and soon became very good at it. When I met Sooraj Pancholi via Tiger, he suggested that I should train him to dance. This began the next phase of my career. I now train Sooraj, Sayesha Sehgal (Dilip Kumar's niece) and Athiya Shetty. However, for me, Tiger is God. I travel the world with Tiger. I work with Tiger on all his dance numbers. But when Tiger is shooting, I am free. Hence, Tiger suggested that I get my Assistant Choreographer's card done so that I can assist Ahmed sir. I did it and went on to work with him on "Kick", "Phantom", "Hero", "All is Well among other movies.” Bikram

(In conversation with "Saumya Parida")

Trip to Gir National Park, Gujarat : Majestic Asiatic Lions

2017-02-05T08:15:00.001+05:30

Two Lions(the "Brothers" perhaps")

Gujarat has been beckoning us since a long time and the urge to see the Asiatic Lion was very high. However for many years, our love to watch the Royal Bengal Tiger took precedence and we spent multiple visits to the Tiger Sanctuaries. Peak summer (mid may) is when we decided to visit Sasan Gir and while we were apprehensive of the heat wave sweeping Gujarat then, we were resolute to make this happen. Landed in Ahmedabad and after a day trip of sight seeing in Ahmedabad we moved on to Somnath Temple and finally landed up in Club Mahindra Sasan Gir.

Needless to state we have made the safari bookings online through Http://www.girlion.in. With these online bookings being enabled in most wildlife sanctuaries life is much easier to plan. Spoke to couple of local guys and got the vehicle organised through them as the ones being provided through Club Mahindra was too expensive.

As always the first trip is always the one full of anxiety. So early morning we got ready and went to Singh Sadan at the entry of the park gate where the permits are given, jeeps allocated and guides assigned(not much different from other parks). Well what was different was what our guide Prashant(name changed) shared with us. After he boarded the gypsy with us he went about explaining the park, lay of the land, routes(which are named 1,2,3,4 etc), mammals, birds. Our trip began and we were quite excited to be here finally.

Almost 90 minutes went by and the jungle was by and large very quite with the only sighting of a few spotted deer and resident birds. Then we suddenly saw a man in bike riding very fast and he took off the road and into the side tracks. Our gypsy driver started racing along with him. Puzzled, we didn't know what was happening and asked the guide. Then the un-reveal happened - he said there are "Trackers" in the forest(appointed by the govt.) and if you pay them they will lead to the lion or lion pride. Really was our question? The guide went on to add that for more money the tracker and forest officials would even steer the lion towards your vehicle. Well we didn't believe these and true to ourselves we went about exploring the jungle further and returned home without sighting any lion. Some tourists from the resort returned with smiling faces and yes they had spotted a lion in the same route we were. Having spent enough time in jungles in the last ten years we were happy to leave things to the nature to unfold itself.

Crocodiles at Kamleshwar Lake

Our afternoon safari began and now we had a new driver and guide. Both were quite enthusiastic and understood that we would be interested in seeing birds too. Took us to the Kamleshwar lake where we did see crocodiles in the lake bed, lot of Asian paradise flycatcher, Martins and swallows, other resident birds.

As the journey continued, we spotted a village and not surprising as most national parks have some settlements still within them and these belonged to the "Maldharis" who are nomadic herders moving around with their livestock. Some distance from this place we saw a large population of Buffaloes and a man in traditional Maldari dress bathing them. What a sight...the Buffaloes were enjoying the cool water and the man while bathing them was giving them a body scrub too. Our guide gestured me to follow him and said this is a good place for birding as there was water and it attracted a lot of birds - well why not we sighted Flycatchers, Shikra, Tickel's blue flycatcher, Babblers and Oriental White-eye.

Maldhari and livestock ---cool bath

As we continued our journey we did hear the roar of a lion in some distance and our guide and driver started locating the source and we halted at one spot, with one more gypsy there. Lo and behold we saw the majestic lion walking towards us from the undergrowth. Well the excitement was palpable and our cameras went on click click click. However we noticed something was wrong as the lion kept looking towards the undergrowth. What unfold was shocking - a guy in khakhi uniform with a long stick was gesturing and making sounds at the lion. Our guide explained it was one of the trackers and the lions have got used to this. Quite disappointing!!!

We continued and within the next ten minutes we saw a few vehicles parked some distance ahead. Our jeep driver accelerated and said "saheb juroor dono bhai milgaye hain" and why not two majestic males were siting below a tree and the view was majestic. Well you can guess the two were surrounded by six trackers...Our respect for the wildlife park started diminishing quickly and our guide noticed it. He said if the govt didn't resort to this then the tourist flow would decline. After some more birding we returned to Club Mahindra.

Still there was some expectation to see a pride of lions and next day last trip turned out lucky. A few minutes into our safari we encountered the most visible pride of 10 lioness and cubs walking beside our track. A few gypsies(vehicles) were there and we watched them to our hearts content.Well this is the pride that is sighted the most and those who follow environment/cricket news might have seen the controversy around Indian cricketer Ravindra Jadeja and his wife Riva posing with this pride of lions.Well at that moment we enjoyed the experience of watching the pride walk along, rest, oblivious to the human presence. An experience that we had been waiting for since many years and it got fulfilled.

The Lion Pride

Overall a very mixed experience with the positives being the sighting of the Asiatic Lion whereas the practice of trackers used by the government was a disappointment.

Trip to Pink City Jaipur, Rajasthan

2017-01-07T11:29:00.001+05:30

Amber Fort

What kind of images would come up in your mind when the word Rajasthan in mentioned?

Forts
Palaces
Tales of Valor
Miniature Art
Precious stones
Colorful garbs
Puppets
Festivals and Fairs
Camels and Elephants
Old World Charm

Trust me, Jaipur is all this and lots more. I recently revisited the Pink City and it was a treat.

Sheesh Mahal, Amber Fort

Jaipur, the Pink City and the Capital of Rajasthan is approximately 250 kms away from New Delhi. It’s well connected by road, rail and air. Built in 1727 it is one of the well-planned cities of India. The City is divided into 9 blocks with 2 blocks housing state buildings and palaces and 7 blocks for the public. These blocks are surrounded by well-fortified walls and 7 strong gates like the Tripolia gate, Sanganeri gate etc.

A little about the history of Jaipur. Prior to Jaipur, Amber (pronounced as Amer) was the capital of Rajasthan. The Kachchawa clans of Rajputs were among the first to arrive at Amber Fort. And they built amiable relationships with the Moghul dynasty. Which is one the reasons why Jaipur monuments are a mix of Rajasthan and Moghul architecture. Raja Bihar Mal gave his daughter (Jodha) to be emperor Akbar’s wife. Subsequent Kings like Bhagwan Das, Man Singh, and Jai Singh cemented their relationship with the Moghul and continued to operate out of Amber. However Sawai Jai Singh II moved the capital from Amber to Jaipur. Jaipur was built in consultation with some of the best mathematicians, astronomers and a very reputed architect Vidyadhar Bhattacharya. The colour pink was chosen to cut down the glare of the suns rays.

Rambagh Palace

We spent 3 days in Jaipur. Stayed at Hotel Rambagh Palace, which was built in 1835 by the Queen of Jaipur but later converted into a heritage hotel run by the Taj group. The hotel is beautiful – huge room with high ceilings, arches, facades and jharokas. Paintings of all the Kings are hung in different places. The restaurants all remind you of an era long gone- the grandeur and the look and feel of those olden days are still maintained. The Hotel houses a Golf club and Polo grounds and a wonderful garden- a veritable delight for bird watchers. There are over 75 varieties of common and rare birds.

Entrance to Amber Fort

We spent a day at the Amber Fort and Palace. Set against the rather drab and rugged mountain background, the honey colored Fort and Palace are a sight to watch. Earlier the Jaigarh Fort used to protect the Amber Palace but later the Amber Fort was constructed. The Palace is beautiful and overlooks the Maota Lake below. Parts of the movie Jodha Akbar were shot there. What I found the most alluring was the Sheesh Mahal- a single light was reflected into multiple images. The Diwan-e-aam, the Diwan-e-Khaas, the Jai Mandir, the Kali temple ,the latticed walls and the intricate gardens all have stories to tell. Please don’t miss out on the light and sound show of Amber Fort.

Moata Lake

After a visit to the Amber Palace we went to the City Palace. The royal family still resides in a portion of the city palace, the Chandra Mahal. It is a blend of Moghul and Rajasthan Architecture and has numerous gardens and courtyards. Other places, which caught my interest, were

Hawa Mahal

Hawa Mahal- The Palace of Winds, which was built by Sawai Pratap Singh. It overlooks the marketplace, the Sireh deorhi Bazaar. It is a wall (behind which there is a 5 storied building) and in olden time the ladies of the royal family used to watch the happenings in the market place through the multiple windows of the Mahal. It now houses a museum.

Nahargarh Fort

Nahargarh and Jaigarh Forts- The Jaigarh Fort is close to the Amber Palace and Fort and the Nahargarh Fort is a little away from Jaipur. The Nahargarh Fort is a beautiful place and though it doesn't attract many tourist compared to Amber Fort it is a must see place.

Jal Mahal- Palace within a lake, this was created in 1799 by constructing a dam within the lake. In the evenings it is lighted up beautifully

Albert Museum

Albert Museum- a public museum situated in the Ram Niwas Bagh.

Apart from these the Jantar Mantar, Dolls museum, Birla planetarium are common tourist spots. For those who want to visit religious shrines the Govindji temple, Jagat Shiromani temple and the Lakshminarayan temple are places to visit.

Jaipur has extreme temperatures so it would be a good idea to check out the weather before you travel. It’s a shoppers paradise with MI road, Tripolia bazaar, Johari bazaar, Khajane walon ka rasta and multiple other places where one can shop for textiles (the Jaipuri rajais, bedcovers), semi precious stones, lac work, marble works, miniature paintings. . If you visit during the festival seasons the Gangaur Festival, the Kite festival are quite famous.

Before you leave Jaipur don’t forget to gorge on the delicacies of the Laxmi Misthan Bhandar. Amazing Rajasthani food!.I left Jaipur with memories of a beautiful city full of history and culture. And of course lots of clothes and Jaipuri rajais J.

Contributed by Jayashree Mishra and first published in Enigmaticindia.info site in July 2011

Trip to Aurangabad(Built by the Throne), Maharashtra

2017-01-07T11:06:00.001+05:30

Ajanta Caves

Declared as the tourist capital of Maharashtra, Aurangabad(named after Emperor Aurangzeb) is also known as the "City of Gates". I did a weekend trip to Aurangabad and kind of fallen in love with the place...wish I lived in a place like that.

From Mumbai took the Devagiri express at 9 PM on a Friday evening. After a long time travelled in a long distance train-the journey was uneventful-the train left on time and reached around 4:30 AM. People had been scaring and discouraging me not to go there in the peak of summer- but reached there to find that it was surprisingly cool- it had rained the previous day. What struck me most was the cleanliness and absence of crowd (I guess any place after Mumbai would feel the same way).

Ellora Caves

Left for Ajanta after breakfast- took us around 2 hrs by road…the scenery and landscape isn’t much during the summers-people say it looks beautiful after the rains. Ajanta has around 26 caves- but 4-5 of them have paintings- the rest have carvings. The paintings are amazing considering the fact that they are so old- they are 3 dimensional and based on the Jataka tales…the caves are lined in the form of a horse shoe. In earlier times there was a river/spring flowing by and water used to cover the floors of the caves and sunlight would reflect from them and light up the painting and the walls ….To preserve the paintings, photography is not allowed inside. After wandering around the caves for a long time…Spent some time at the local shop that sells semi precious stones…then went back to the hotel.

The second day turned out to be pretty hectic…went early morning to Ellora. Ellora consists of 34 Hindu and Buddhist caves. Was awed by the main cave- cave 16-the Kailashnath temple – a free standing monolith carved top down from a single mountain rock. It depicts scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata. The statues look so full of life! The Buddhist caves are beautiful- I could have spent an entire day there…but didn’t have the time…After a couple of hours went visiting temples….there’s a Jyotirlinga temple- and then went to a Hanuman temple- where the idol of Lord Hanuman is in a sleeping position.

En route stopped at the Daulatabad Fort- another lovely place…loved the defense mechanisms they have- the mazes…the trenches, moats, watch towers- imagine the amount of thinking that must have gone into it. It was an amazing trip into history.

Bibi Ka Maqbara

In the evening went to Bibi ka Maqbara- the grave of Aurungzeb's fourth wife…it is an imitation of Taj Mahal. It is built on the same line but of half marble and the rest of seashell powder. Owing to its similarity its called the Mini Taj of the Deccan. Due to lack of water, maintenance of the gardens isn’t what is should be.

After that went to a place called Panchakki- at first glance it looks like a mere pond- and you wonder what’s so great about it- its actually a reservoir which is fed by water from a source that is about 5-6 kms away….water comes in through earthen pipes…its a great engineering feat considering that it was built in the 17th century ….And a question crossed my mind- if problems like these had a solution then …..whats stops the govt now..to take measures to solve people’s problems…There’s a small place near Aurangabad called Jalgaon (the name seems ironic!!)- where water supply is there only once a week.

The day was almost coming to an end- had to catch the 11:30 Devagiri express back- but stopped by for a short time to see how weaving of saris and shawls is done (Paithani and Himroo are the famous saris of the place). Left the place with lovely memories and a resolve to revisit. 2 days definitely isn’t enough to see Aurangabad.

For those who want to visit, Aurangabad is well connected by road and rail. There are connecting flights to the metros. Good time to visit is October to February.

(Contributed by Jayashree Mishra and first published in Enigmaticindia.info site in July 2011)

Trip to Orchha, Madhya Pradesh

2016-07-30T07:30:00.000+05:30

Jahangir Palace

After spending two days at Chambal Valley Resort, on the third day we left for Orchha, around 10.00 am and reach Orchha around 4.00 pm and went to two forts and one temple. Orchha is a very historical place. There is Orchha fort , in that there are two forts – Jahangir fort and raja fort. The Jahangir fort was only made for Jahangir. It has 230 rooms or so.

The Raja fort is very unique. Next is the Lakshmi temple; most of the temples are in square shape, but this temple was in a diamond shape. From a distance it looked like it had three sides but it did not. Everyone mistook if rot having three sides. The temple has the whole Ramayana and Mahabharata painted in its ceiling. The architecture of the temple is beautiful. We were told that the idol of the goddess was stolen long ago.

Orrchha Fort, Sound and Light Show

In the evening, we watched the sound and light show and we also ate Mungodi with chutney. Mungodi is basically moong dal pakoda with pudina chutney. In the Raja Mahal, in one of the halls, the ceiling is completely painted, it was the design of the Persian carpet which was laid down on the ground right below the ceiling.

Orchha is a small town and Orchha means hidden. In the olden times, the whole city was surrounded by dense forests. Ochha belonged to the Bundela kings. The Bundela Dynasty build many forts in and around Orchha. This main places to visit are: Cenotaphs of the 14 king, the Orchha fort, Raja Ram temple, and Lakshmi temple.

One of the special or you would say tempting thing there was hot milk which has been boiling for a long time. You should try this when you go there. Basically you drink hot milk with cream which is formed on top.

In the Orchha fort, there is a Mahal called Sheesh Mahal which is now a hotel under the Madhya Pradesh Tourism. The Raja Ram temple is a very good temple. It is painted, maintained and used. The story behind this temple is that one of the kings of the Bundela Dynasty had a fight with his wife about which God they can have in the city. The king got very angry and told queen that she can only enter the palace if she comes back with Ram with her. The queen was a true devotee of Ram. The queen agreed to this deal. She went to the banks of the river and started praying for Ram to come to her. She prayed for almost a month but nothing happened. Now, the queen was stressed, she did not know what do to. The queen decided to commit suicide, she jumped into the river. A few people saw her jump, they immediately jumped into the river to help her. She was saved and returned with a baby on her lap, it was a version of Lord Rama. The queen was now happy as she could return to the kingdom. Ram had made three conditions which were: 1. the queen should carry me on her lap till we reach the kingdom; 2. wherever he (Ram) is placed shall be his temple and he shall not move from there; 3. he should be the only one to be prayed.

The queen agreed to these three conditions. She went back and the king was delighted to see her back with the Baby Lord Rama. The king ordered the people in his kingdom to start building a temple for the guest who had come home.

At night the queen decided to place Lord Rama on the bed and take him to the temple the next day. She forgot about the second conditions and that became the seat for the God. Rama didn’t move after that. So, they had to turn the queen’s palace into a temple and the temple which was being made became a waste. This is the story of Raja Ram temple.

There is a small sanctuary near the Betwa river. And close to the Betwa river, there is a M.P Tourism hotel called Betwa Retreat. Our stay at the Retreat was good and the food was also tasty. The location of the place is very nice and fresh. It might be difficult for old people to climb up to go to their rooms as there are many steps. Overall, Orchha was small, historical, rich and fresh.

(Blog contributed by Shreya Mishra and first published in her blog "Fistful of Stars")

Trip to Chambal Valley, Ater, Bhind, Madhya Pradesh

2016-07-10T11:33:00.002+05:30

It was a cold wintry morning when we reached the Delhi airport. We started our drive to Chambal. It was an 4 to 5 hour drive. On the way, we were passing by a town called Firozabad. Firozabad was a very dirty town and also the city of bangles. There was a lot of traffic on the road so were driving very slowly. On every side of the road you could find a chudi seller (bangle seller). The whole city was littered and every inch had garbage. There was no Swachh Bharat in Firozabad. We crossed Firozabad and were heading towards Chambal. We were close to Chambal, we had to reach the resort which was a bit off the road. The Google Maps told us some other, inside a village. We took the road, but there was no road at all, it was like a maze. If we took the other, it would have been a lot better. At one point, it felt as if we were on the wrong road, but thankfully we came out on the good road and reached the resort.

Chambal Safari Lodge

We were pretty late for lunch. We reached the resort at 3.00 pm. The resort’s name was Chambal Safari Lodge. I was happy to see the lunch, which was waiting just for us. We were last ones to eat lunch. We took rest as we were very tired. The room was big and very nice. It was homely and comfortable but super cold. In the evening we went for a normal walk in the resort itself. We saw birds and Neelgais; there were wild and not domestic. The food was very tasty and the cuisine was continental and Indian. The next day we went for 2 safaris. 1. A safari to Ater fort on the camel for one hour. 2. River safari to see Gharials, crocodiles and birds.

Ater Fort Safari

The Ater Fort was built by Bhadauria King Badan Singh, Maha Singh and Bakhat Singh in the era of 1664-1668. The fort is very much inside the Chambal valley. The fort is actually in ruins. We went to the fort in the morning and had tea and coffee with biscoots.

In this safari, you have to the Chambal river by car, cross the river and go to the other side by boat, from there you can go on a camel or go walking to the fort. The experience was very nice. It was one person on one camel. You can come back by 12.30 or 1.00 in the afternoon. You cross the river again and on the other side where you parked your car you have a small camp, there you get your lunch which is packed , then you can go for the river safari after eating the lunch. This safari will take two hours. You might see a bird called the Indian Skimmer. After your safari you can return to the resort and have fun and relax and have some awesome food.
(Blog contributed by Shreya Mishra and first published in her blog "Fistful of Stars")

Trip to Ladakh - Yaks and Marmots

2016-07-08T19:25:00.001+05:30

This summer I wanted to go to a cold place. Luckily my parents planned a vacation to Ladakh. The region is a cold desert. I was hopeful of seeing snow for the first time. Though I did not know what kind of animals lived in Ladakh, our driver cum guide, Imran, was quite knowledgeable and told us about Yaks, Marmots, Pashmina Sheep, Himalayan Pheasant, etc. He also promised to show these animals during our travel. He kept his promise and on one occasion caught a fish with his bare hands.

Of all the animals we saw Yaks and Marmots interested me the most as, in India, Ladakh is one of the few places they are found. Yaks are domestic as well as wild animals. They have a thick long coat of fur. We saw a few Yaks, and, were lucky to come close to one of them, whom I quickly clicked for posterity. This particular Yak is probably a domesticated Yak photographed near the Chang La Pass in Ladakh. On the bank of the Pangong Tso, I also experienced a Yak Ride!!! If you want to know more about Yaks, well there is Wikipedia to explore.

Marmots called "Pheya" in Ladakhi, on the other hand appeared to very shy animals. It seems there are two types i.e. Himalayan and the Long Tailed ones. They are cute and look like a weasel or a large squirrel. To escape from the severe winters they hibernate and live in burrows. Near the Chang Thang wildlife sanctuary, we passed through a Marmot crossing point where I captured them in my camera. On the back drop of the snow clad mountains and the green grass these look animals look cute.

I enjoyed the trip to Ladakh and you should also visit to experience this beautiful place.

(Contributed by Aishani Nanda, grade IV )

Trip to home of Demoiselle Cranes,Khichan, Jodhpur

2016-07-03T19:37:00.000+05:30

Demoiselle Cranes, Khichan

As we were motoring Jodhpur to Jaisalmer, Hukum Singh our driver suggested “would you like to see Khichan?”

Our target were the Jaisalmer Fort, Thar desert, the camel ride and if possible see the Indo-Pak border from a distance. How does Khichan figure in this? When asked to clarify Hukum Singh said “Sir bahut chidiya(birds), lot of them”. Then I recalled to have read/seen somewhere perhaps in the NDTV about this village surrounded by arid lands and at the outskirts of this there was a big pond/lake (with knee deep) water during the winter season.

Thousands of Cranes

Long back (five decades) a villager Ratanlal Maloo returned to his village Khichan(in Phalodi Tehsil, Rajasthan) and was given the task of feeding pigeons and sparrows. One day he noticed a different bird looking for food, though not an ornithologist, he could at least discern that this bird was a special type. The curious villager approached the bird and threw some grain. The bird was more cautious and it won’t go near the grains unless the helpful villager retraced. Reading the mind of the bird, the villager went back a few steps and stood still and the bird managed to nibble the grains. This continued for few days and one day the bird disappeared. He asked others in the village and they told him the bird was called kurja(in Rajasthani) or Demoiselle crane. Ratanlal was crestfallen, “what happened to the visitor? Poaching?” God forbid. But lo and behold next year the crane (and Ratanlal could identify as it was limping) came accompanied by other birds and this time more courageous. That year he had to feed more birds, that flew in a few thousand miles from the feeding grounds in Mongolia and Eurasia.

At the pond

I was wonder struck while listening to the narration from the keeper of the Chugga ghar. As he was narrating the story, a few kids gathered each carrying some grains. While listening to the narration I was looking around. There were cranes and cranes everywhere probably a few thousands, some flying at low height, others eating the grain and occasionally pecking each other. The noise was something that I had never heard…imagine a few thousand birds calling each other. My daughter Jayashree went close and clicked photos copiously.

The pond was filled with birds and photography was an easy job. My four year old granddaughter Annika, snatched away my camera and went click, click, click. She was thrilled though on most occasions she was off the mark. Two foreigners, bare-footed & disregarding the mud went very close. They must have been good photographers and wildlife enthusiasts. Definitely this place is a treat for wildlife photographers.

awesome sight

The keeper was narrating tirelessly, “Do you know sirs, It became very taxing for Ratanlal to feed so many birds. Ratanlal had to seek help from the village panchayat and soon other villagers joined in this conservation effort. Soon after, the Govt of Rajasthan pitched in and funds are released for feeding the birds. The villagers continue to protect the cranes and Rajasthan is a place where many animals are protected by villagers whether it is the peafowl, Chinkara or the Blackbuck.

Today Khichan has been was declared a World Heritage site by the International Crane Foundation and the cranes are enjoying their annual five month stay in this place. This would not have been possible but for the initial leadership shown by Ratanlal also known as “Birdman of Khichan”. He is no more(passed away in 2011), however he has left behind a good example of wildlife conservation.

The heat was oppressive and we had to reach Jaisalmer by lunch time. Though watching the cranes was irresistible, we had to say good bye to Khichan.

(Contributed by Bipin Bihari Mishra and photocredits Jayashree Mishra )

Trip to the ghost town of Kuldhara, Rajasthan

2016-06-18T20:11:00.000+05:30

Entrance to Kuldhara

Eight hundred years ago it was the time of Kings, Queens and Ministers. The Diwan(Prime Minister) was the virtual ruler of the state, who could increase tax, confiscate property and expel a citizen from the state etc.

One day while riding through the village Kuldhara17-18 Kms from Jaisalmer), the Diwan of Jaisalmer “Salum Singh or Salim Singh” noticed a beautiful girl proceeding towards the village pond. He was the Diwan, he could have anything he liked and why not marry this girl who was the daughter of the village chief (Mukhiya). Only the wishes had to be expressed and Salim Singh sent words to the village Mukhiya through his soldiers.

Seems freshly painted

The inhabitants of Kuldhara were primarily Paliwal Brahmins who migrated from the Pali region and it is said … the name Kuldhara is said to be derived from the word “Kuldhar”, which is a sub-caste of Paliwal Brahmins as per some devali(memorial stones) inscriptions at the site .

As the story unfolds, Salim Singh despite his wealth and power was relatively low in the social order because of the caste factor. The Mukhiya was in two minds – whose side he should take i.e. his clan, caste and social respect or the wealth and power of the Diwan. He consulted the elders of the village and all of them were proud of their social ranking and advice was obvious…”We shall not give our daughter in marriage to a man from lower caste” .

Temple

What about the wrath of the Diwan – suppose he imposes ten times more tax, suppose he asks other villages not to have trade/business with us, suppose the road to the village is cut-off. The villagers feared severe reprisal, but they stuck to their self-respect. They quickly gathered their effects and left after sunset. By the time the Diwan got the news they were safely away and the agents of the Diwan couldn’t trace them and till today nobody knows where they went. It is also believed that before they left Kuldhara, the villagers laid a curse on the village that no one will be able inhabit this place for year to come.

While narrating this story our guide was also steering us through the ruins of this village which had of a few hundreds of houses, In many of them the roofs had given away due to the non-maintenance for few centuries and in many the doors and windows were missing.

The site is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India(ASI) and one has to pay entrance tickets and after sunset tourists are not allowed inside this place like all sites maintained by ASI except some forts where there is sound and light shows.

Ruins

The guide quickly adds,” Shahib quite a number of ghosts roam these places after the sunset. It reminded me of a video had seen a few years ago of a paranormal investigation conducted by the GRIP team. To strengthen his claims, the guide shared that some tourists from Bengal had come and stayed overnight and some of them felt being pushed in their backs. Well not sure of these claims, however our guide insisted it was true.

So much about the ghost town of Kuldhara and we had to reach our next destination before evening. With so many questions still in our mind about why this happened, we bid farewell to the ruins.

(Contributed by Jayashree Mishra)

Trip to Amritsar-Wagah Border, Punjab, India

2016-05-22T17:44:00.000+05:30

Finally our school trip to Delhi-Chandigarh-Amritsar was a reality and as we waited eagerly to board the Rajdhani Express at Secunderabad station, we started discussing about the long journey of approx. 24 hrs and the next few days. Our Aunties (a.k.a School teachers) ensured that we got on to our designated seats and soon the train chugged away from the station.

After a long and tiring train journey we reached Nizamabad(in Delhi) train station the next day and went straight to Ginger hotel to freshen up in the wash rooms.(No time to catch a shower L). Our next train journey to Amritsar was at around 4 or 5 in the evening, however it got delayed and we waited for three hours in the very hot railway station. So our Aunties (Teachers) bought us soda/aerated drinks and three people had to share one bottle at least that was very refreshing. Finally we boarded our train the Shatabdi Express and as our luck turned out there was problem on the way (some kind of agitation) and we reach Amritsar at 2 a.m.(further delay of 3 hours). Thankfully, our hotel, Comfort Inn Astonia was only 10 minutes away from the station and reaching there most of us just crashed – dead tired.

The Golden Temple was not very far away from our hotel and we walked through the lanes. This walk was really nice and it seemed like the olden part of Amritsar and felt like one had gone back in time. That walk was worth the effort as suddenly in front stood the majestic Golden Temple (known as “Sri Harmandir Sahib”, or “Sri Darbar Sahib”). Before leaving on our journey, I had done some research on Wikipedia about “Sri Harmandir Sahib, however looking at it live, thoughts started flowing in “Is it really gold?”, “how was it made”, “who gave so much gold”? I was amazed by its beauty and stood in awe.

All of my school mates split up with our teachers and stood in the queue, the queue was really long; and it took us half an hour to enter the Golden Temple. The designs inside the temple were really beautiful & delicate. As we were walking, I saw a “Nihang” walking stoically with stick/bhalla and the whole experience was surreal.

After our prayers, we had very tasty roti, dal and halwa at the Langaar. However, we didn’t have time to do any service at the Langaar and felt quite bad about it.

Memorial

Our next stop was Jallianwala Bagh and it was just ten minutes away from the Golden Temple. I had read about the importance of this place and the scene in the epic movie “Gandhi” was heart rendering. Now I was about to enter this place with lot of respect, fear and anger…Jallianwala Bagh was like a garden and there was a memorial, the gun shots on the wall and the well in which people jumped to save themselves. This trip was a bit overwhelming because you are standing at a place we people were shot just like that and thousands of people died. Post this we headed back to our hotel, had our lunch and freshened up. We were on the way to our next pit stop i.e Wagha border post.

Wagah Border, Indian side

We reached there by late afternoon and the atmosphere was very charged. People were dancing, running with the Indian flag, shouting of “Bharat Mata ki Jai”. Then the gates on both sides opened and the marching event happened. People on both sides kept shouting and then the flags of both the countries were put down, bringing to an end a very charged event which lasted for 2-3 hrs. The school had made arrangements for some refreshments and post that we left for the hotel.

Running with the Indian Flag

All of us were really tired as it had been a very long day experiencing the Golden Temple, Jallianwala Bagh and the Wagha border event. After a quick and short nap, we were back in the station early next day to board the train (Shatabdi Express) back to Delhi. Though our one day trip was very hectic, it was worth it the effort.

(Contributed by Shreya Mishra)

Trip to Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam, India

2016-05-08T10:49:00.005+05:30

One-horned Rhino

A very short drive from Guwahati i.e. ~45 Kms, Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary holds the distinction of having the highest density of One-horned Indian Rhinoceros in the world. Located in the plains of river Brahmaputra, it is situated in the Morigaon District of Assam. Roughly 40 sq Kms in size it is house to almost 90 Rhinos and the ones that we saw were infact quite large. During the monsoon season, the flood waters of the Brahmputra flood this park and the animals move to nearby regions.

Lesser Adjutant

Apart from the one horned Rhinoceros, Pobitora hosts a lot of migratory birds during the winter season and in the last count in 2012 approximately 5000 migratory birds of ~30 different types were seen.

Jeep rides are available though limited (due to the necessity of an armed guard accompanying you - like in most of the Rhinoceros National parks in the NE India), and so also you can have the pleasure of an elephant ride through the sanctuary. Incase you are interested in bird life then you can access the vicinity of the park for some photography...however there is always the threat of one being approached by a Rhino(exercise adequate caution please). For the children there is a Hadook Hanging bridge...which one can experience during a short 2-3 mins walk.

Migratory Birds

One can get there through multiple routes and we used the one through Chandrapur. The visit was a short one and good one.

(Contributed by EnigmaticIndia Team)

Trip to Butterfly Park- Ovalekar Wadi, Thane

2016-04-17T08:48:00.000+05:30

Blue Tigers

Hidden in a quiet lane off Ghodbunder Road in Thane is a butterfly park called Ovalekar Wadi. A friend told me about this park. I had never visited a butterfly park and the images that came to my mind was of enclosed netted spaces.

Striped Tiger

Five of us set out on an early morning in August. The Park is open only on Sundays from 8 AM onwards. We were in for a surprise. Rajendra Ovalekar the owner of this park has taken pains to maintain natural surroundings for the butterflies. There are a wide variety of fruit and flower bearing trees. Care is taken in rearing the larvae of butterflies in containers. This ensures that the larvae survive the difficult phase of their life.

Common Crow

Rajendra Ovalekar told us about how he started the park- 5 years back he attended a program on butterflies by BNHS - Bombay Natural Historic Society . He was so inspired that he decided to convert the agricultural land that he had into a butterfly park. His parents stay in a house within the park and he visits over the weekends. During the set up and for the first couple of years he got a lot of support from Isaac Kehimkar an avid naturalist and butterfly expert.

Mr Ovalekar was there to take us for a tour around the park explaining the life cycle phases of butterflies- we saw pupa, cocoons and caterpillars. The park is home to more than 100 species of butterflies. We spotted quite a few varieties of butterflies. These included:

Striped tiger

Plain tiger

Blue tiger

Common Jezebel

Common sailor

Common crow

Great Eggfly

Common rose

Peacock Pansy

Common baron , to name a few

The light was just perfect. The previous day there were rains and we were quite apprehensive. We spent a few hours photographing. Realized that photographing butterflies needs loads of patience and quiet. A little sound and off they go. It was a very refreshing experience. If you want to photograph then its a good idea to go as early as possible. Butterflies tend to get more active as the day progresses.

A wonderfully refreshing place that feels completely out of the world. We spent some time sitting on the grass and observing. There are also arrangements in the park to have home made breakfast made by Mr. Ovalekars family.

A highly recommended place. It is located at Owla village , Ghodbunder Road, Close to Suraj Water Park. Don't be deterred by the dusty potholed filled road off Ghodbunder road- that lasts for a short while. The park has a car park. You can find more details about the park in their Facebook page

(Contributed by Jayashree Mishra)

Trip to Thattekad - Birder Paradise, Keral

2016-04-17T08:29:00.003+05:30

During our last trip to Kerala, we decided to go to Thattekad famous for the Dr. Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary. It is a short drive of 45 - 60 mins from the Kochi (Airport) or 45 Kms from the closet railway station at Aluva.

This place has one of the richest bird habitats in India compared close to the Himalayas and bird species of ~250-270 can be seen here. One of the most sought after ones being he Ceylon Frogmouth.

We checked-in at the Hornbill Camp a nice resort amongst coconut grooves and other plantations. It is nicely located along the banks of the river Periyar and overlooking the Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary. Nice place to stay with Swiss tent accommodation.

There are a few other places around - Soma Bird Lagoon,Home Stays (Gireesh Chandran being the most sought after as he has good access to the Bird Sanctuary) and if you go around 50 Kms a few more places to stay.

We did couple of Birding trips from the resort to the nearby Urulanthanni Reserved Forest and we sighted the Ceylonese Frogmouth, Black-naped Monarch, Green Imperial Pigeon,

Southern Hill Myna,

Vernal Hanging Parrot and the Malabar giant Squirrel.
The Hornbill Camp has water activities including kayaking in the serene waters of Periyar river. One can also opt to cycle around the plantations & nearby areas.

For the bird lovers this is one of the places in India to visit definitely and you can plan up-to three days here.

Rasagollas at Pahala, Odisha...A tradition of Eastern India

2016-02-21T15:20:00.000+05:30

Plate of Pahala, Rasagollas

Last week Dr. Bibek Debroy (Economist and Member, NITI Ayog) at the "Make in India" summit commented that the he believed "Rasagolla" was invented in Odisha, much to the joy of the Odia delegation and maybe bringing disappointment to the delegation from Kolkotta. Doesn't matter whether both the states(Odisha or West Bengal) are fighting over the GI status(do not read it as Gastro-intestinal, rather Geographical Indication), Rasagollas continue to have a special place in our hearts.

If you have grown up in Eastern India especially Odisha or West Bengal, Rasagollas form a fabric of daily life. Though the identities of both are visually different with one being "beige" and the other "white", it's the Cottage Cheese("Chenna") that forms the heart of a well defined and tasty Rasagolla. Well, Rasagolla term probably is very simple to understand "Ras" stands for Syrup/liquid and "golla/gulla" is something that is round in shape. So Rasagollas are round in shape and dipped in sugar syrup.

Mahaveer Mistana Vandar, Pahala, Odisha

Now, zooming into a place called Pahala, located between Cuttack and Bhubaneshwar on the NH-16(earlier NH-5 running between Chennai and Kolkata), this place has been traditionally(for more than 600 years) known for making various sweets - Rasagollas, Chenna poda, Chenna Gajja, etc. The food craftsmen from this village have been churning out these wonderful sweets over generations.

We stopped by at "Mahaveer Mistana Vandhar" to enjoy some Rasagollas. Babuli, one of the proprietors of this place was very keen to show us around and we latched onto this opportunity to see how "rasagollas are made". Well the cooking place just behind the counter was obviously not very neat, as there were wooden logs to make the fire and large vessels to cook the sweets. However the process of making them were just spell-bounding and we witnessed it for the first time.

The process of making it (handmade and not mechanized) is seemingly quite simple(watch the video):

1. Take fresh "chenna" and knead it, to make it light
2. Add "suji" and "elaichi" if you want to enhance tasty
3. Roll the "chenna" to small round balls
4. Drop them into hot sugar syrup
5. After 10-15 mins pull them out and drop them into hot water
6. Finally add the hot sugar syrup
7. Hot and yummy Rasagollas are ready to savour.
(Well, I am not an expert here and there are many other ways of doing it. So, you should try the method you are comfortable with :-))

After having our stomach fill of Rasagollas, Babuli offered us another very traditional dish i.e. Chenna Poda. This is made by baking the cottage cheese, which are wrapped in leaves and then baked over fire generated from firewood. Very tasty and quite healthy as its baked and not fried...so you should try them if you are in Pahala.

Unlike pickles (which have natural preservative i.e. oil and salt), sweets like rasagollas are quite perishable in nature and it continued to haunt us for many years. One couldn't store them for long for carry them on long journeys. This problem was solved by two entrepreneurs in each state i.e. Krishna Chandra Das from Kolkatta and Bikalananda Kar from Odisha who introduced the concept of tinned cans. With this the sweets have started reaching out to different parts of the world and lot of people are enjoying them.

So, if you are India Or in either West Bengal or Odisha don't miss-out on enjoying this fabulous "Made in India, Made in Odisha and Made in West Bengal" delicacy.

A throwback at the fun-filled trip to Vijayawada - Amaravati - Mangalagiri*

2015-10-17T15:59:00.002+05:30

With the buzz around Amaravati, the new capital of Andhra Pradesh catching up, I couldn’t help reminiscing our trip to this beautiful place - perfect for a peaceful stay, away and far from the maddening crowds. Even though it was a decade ago, the memories are still fresh, those fun-filled moments with friends, visiting places, discovering new things amidst nature, history, food, art and crafts. It was even more enthralling as the trip was combined with a friend’s wedding.

It was more like a to-and-fro between the neighbouring districts of Krishna and Guntur, covering Vijayawada- Kondapalli- Guntur- Amaravati- Mangalagiri- Undavallli. This is one of the most spellbinding routes to explore as the cities and the rivers mingle with each other to tell us tales of harmony between people and their diverse history, culture and geography.

Vijayawada and Undavalli

After reaching Vijayawada we began our journey with a visit to the Kanakadurga temple. Here, it is considered auspicious to seek the blessings of the goddess before embarking on any pursuit. So, it was pretty natural that we drove up the Indrakeeladri hills and visited the temple, situated on the banks of the river Krishna. The peaceful early morning darshan was followed by a drive around the place, admiring the Prakasham barrage and its scenic surroundings.

In the evening we visited Kondapalli, a short drive that takes you to the village where the famous wooden toys are made with tella poniki softwood. We watched the artisans skilfully chiseling out the forms and painting them with natural dyes. Of late we get to hear that these artisans are poorly supported with raw material and very few of them are keen on carrying on this precious craft. We missed visiting the Kondapalli fort as it was turning dark and we spent a lot of time chatting with the Kondapalli artisans and listening to their stories about the unique Kondapalli bommalu (dolls /toys).

Kondapalli toys

Kondapalli artisans

The next day started with another temple visit in the auspicious city of Mangalagiri. This time it was the visit to Panakala Narasimha Swamy temple at Mangalagiri. The tall gopuram (temple tower) is visible from almost everywhere. It was quite intriguing to see how the lord Narasimha is worshipped here: the offering of Panakam (water sweetend with jaggery) is poured into the mouth of the deity by all the pilgrims. This was followed by a visit to the handloom weavers. Mangalagiri cottons are finely woven fabrics with thread or zari borders. The the seemingly soft fabric is very durable and lends itself to elegant garments, apart from yardage and sarees. I remembering purchasing few salwar-kameez materials with simple dupattas. The zari in the border gives the material that typical grand and festive feel.

Mangalagiri weave

Our next destination was the Undavalli caves, multi-storeyed and monolithic, located in the fresh and verdant surrounding of hills, close to the river. The caves belong to the 4th and 5th century A.D. According to Wikipedia, Undavalli caves are an example of how many Buddhist artifacts and stupas in Andhra were converted into Hindu temples and deities. One of the floors has a huge statue of Vishnu in reclining posture, sculpted from the single stone. These caves leave you with an imprint of mixed heritage of Jain-Hindu-Buddhist architecture.

Our evening was spent on the Bhavani Island; capturing the multi-hued sunset as our boat was launched and it began to move towards the island. The golden sunset was a treat to the eyes as we enjoying the panoramic view of the resplendent river and the city of Vijayawada.

The next day was our friend’s wedding. And before attending the wedding we managed to visit Amaravati. Who would have ever had the wildest imagination that this place would transform into a modern capital of the new Andhra Pradesh...ten years later!

Amaravati stupa and museum

The latest update being the tallest Dhyana Buddha statue to be installed at Amaravati; when we visited this place the Buddhist stupa belonging to the Asoka era was in the process of being restored. There’s a museum that displays several statues and relics found in and around. Amaravati is just about 40 kms from Vijayawada and it also has a temple dedicated to Shiva – the famous Amareswara temple. We couldn’t visit the temple as we spent most of the time in the peaceful environs of the stupa and the museum. Photography is not allowed in the museum, so we had to satisfy ourselves with pictures of the building and the surroundings.

Today, thanks to AP tourism, these places are equipped with a variety of accommodation and sightseeing options. All you need to do is just pack your bags and set off for a mindful break, even if you don't have a long weekend, make it long by taking a day off!
*This blog uses old pictures, things may have changed since the time we visited these places and they may look different and better now!

Contributed by Madhuri Dubey