Whats on my mind?

Success

2023-06-20T09:43:00.002+05:30

Being the heart throb of everyone is only fame, not success.

There is only one measurement of success -

Freedom and Independence to do what your heart wants, when your heart wants. That's all.

If anything stops you from following your heart ANYTHING then your life's mission is to fight that reason.

Soya Chap Recipies

2013-02-28T07:31:00.000+05:30

Soy Chap Seekh Kebab Recipe

Ingredients:

Soya chaap seekh kebab being cooked in microwave

8 pc Soy chap cubes (boiled & fried)

2 pc Tomato (cut in cubes)

2 pc Onion (cut in cubes)

1 pc Capsicum (cut in cubes)

150 ml hung Curd

30 ml Cream/Malai

20 g Kashmiri red chillies (grounded)

15 g Garam masala

15 g Chap masala/ chat masala/ tikka masala

15 g ginger paste

15 g Garlic paste

5 g fenugreek (methi) powder

Salt to taste. To make it spicier add red chilli powder/ green chilli accordingly.

Preparation:

Step 1: For marinating, mix the above and wrap cubes of soy chap, tomato, capsicum, onion in it. Keep it in refrigerator for 2 hours.

Step 2: Place the marinated cubes in skewer and cook in microwave (or Bar-B-Q) until it gets deep golden brown.

Step 3: Serve it hot with sliced onions, lemon and green tikka chutney

Green Tikka Chutney Recipe

Ingredients:

Soya chap kebab served with green chutney

1cup Curd (thick)

½ cup Chopped Dhania patti

1 tbs Pudina powder

2 pcs Onion chopped

2-4 Green Chilli

1/2tbs Jeera

1/2tsp Chaat masala

Salt to taste

Preparation:

In a mixer, grind the above ingredients (add water to achieve desired consistency) creating the Green chutney.

Soy Masala Chap

Ingredients:

5-8pcs Soy Chap (boiled & fried) 10g Garam masala

50ml Ghee 10g Garam masala

100g Onion minced 10g Chap/Chaat/Tikka masala

120g Tomato pyuri 20g Jeera powder

½ cup beaten Curd 20g Kashmiri red chilli (finely chopped)

½ cup Cream/Malai 3 Green Elaichi (grounded)

15g Ginger paste 2g Daal chini

15g Garlic paste 1pcs Tej patta

10g Green chilli ½ cup Dhania patti

Salt to taste

Soy Chap with Gravy

Preparation:

Step 1: Heat the ghee in a frying pan and add tej patta, daal chini, jeera, green chilli, onion and fry till the mixer turns golden brown.

Step 2: Now on medium flame add tomato pyuri, ginger garlic paste, dhania powder, green elaichi, kashmiri red mirch, chap masala and garam masala.

Step 3: To the mixture add curd and cream along with salt to taste. Lastly put chunks/stick of soy in the pan, put a lid and let it cook for 5-10 mins.

Step 4: Serve it hot after dressing with dhania patti

"Party in the USA" trip (East and West Coast) itinerary

2012-11-29T14:49:00.001+05:30

Me and my parents took a group packaged tour of the United States with ThomasCook India June 2012. Being the 1st trip to the States, this gave us memories of a lifetime and a much clearer idea of how we could plan our next visit to this magnificent country.

USA is like a big dream coming to life! There is so much to see and everything is King size, everyone is guaranteed to find things exactly to their liking. We surely found to our delight :) a mix of scenic natural beauty, taste of cosmopolitan culture and lifestyle, rich history and elegant architecture!!

This was a rather tight and rushed up 15 Night tour covering both East and West Coasts of USA, excluding the more than a day each way from and to India via Doha (we flew with the Emirates).

A few things to keep in mind for the trip :-

1. Luggage upper limit for domestic flights in USA is 50lbs and TSA locks are sort of a must.

2. Tipping at hotels and restaurants and public transport are a must. We paid $2 per day at hotels atleast.

3. Carry your passport, insurance etc with you at all time.

4. Do carry a Universal Adapter for using your electronic items.

5. There is a lot to observe and learn during this rather enriching trip, so talk to people on the streets and keep an open mind in this country.

All set with updates of Weather conditions, Places to visit and Must Do...We set on our journey.

Day 1: Arrival at New York

After a tiring long air travel of almost 22 hours we reached New York in the evening and checked into the cozy deco style (of 1930s) Hotel Beekman Towers. If you are looking for the upscale spic n span fully equipped modern hotel, then this is not your adobe. The restaurant on the terrace of this tall building is just breath taking. We went out for dinner and then a stroll on New York's iconic landmark - Times Square by night to experience the pulse of this mega city of dreams which never sleeps!

Day 2: City tour

After breakfast we visited the 'Winter Gardens'- a great view of Ground Zero. Saw the District Theatre, China Town, Wall Street (the famous Bull), Rockefeller Center, Central Park and then a scenic boat cruise to the Liberty Island to get up close to 'The Statue of Liberty', click photos of Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges.

Post lunch we proceed to the top of the Empire State Building the view from up there is unbelievable and one must buy the portable audio guide available if you are interested to know the history of this amazing city and spot the icons 100s of feet below you! Post dinner we spent sometime at Times Square again and walked down to our hotel a few blocks downtown near the UN Headquarters.

We should have: We missed out on many attractions like museums, art gallery, theater shows and a leisurely walk in Central Park, visit the Grand Central Station, sip a coffee at Starbucks or ride the NYC Subway! Staying an additional day at New York would always be worth it if you are an exploring kind of person.

Day 3: Depart to Washington DC

We started early morning for the capital city Washington DC. This was a 4 hour drive mostly on the highway but through some nice cities of Newark, Philadelphia and Baltimore.

Took lunch at Cece's Pizza in washington and then went ahead with the tour of this city of Power and Elegance. Visited the enriching and world famous Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, if its a place of interest for you even 4 hours turned out to be very very short. We then visit the Capitol Gardens, White House, Vietnam Korean Lincoln memorials, FBI building, WWII memorial.

Dinner and Night stay was outside of Washington at the lovely Hotel Marriott Greenbelt.

We should have: One can get a prior appointment for guided tour within the White House (instructions avlb on govt website) and couldn't visit many other historical monuments and museum s of interest.

Day 4: Head to Niagara

On the way to Niagara Falls we visited the popular American Chocolate factory at Hershey's Chocolate World. The aroma of the cocoa beans brings back to life the child within. Its exciting to know the details of how cocoa beans turn into milk chocolate at this lavish and spread out factory.

We took lunch at Indian restaurant beside the beautiful Harrisburg Bridge at Harrisburg.

After a relatively boring and tiring 9 hours bus ride we reached Niagara Falls late in the evening and post dinner at Hotel Sheraton at the Falls, spent time near the breath taking Niagara Falls under the luminous lights - a sight not to be missed. View from Rainbow Bridge and Niagara Falls Reserve Observatory is phenomenal.

We should have: One should take an internal flight from Washington to Niagara Falls and save precious time. If you are a nature lover then Niagara offers you more than you can take in!!

Day 5: Fun by Niagara Falls and head to Orlando

Today we enjoyed unparalleled views of the spectacular Niagara Falls from various view points that can be reached on foot. Embarked on an unforgettable boat ride aboard the Maid of the Mist which takes one to the curve of the Horseshoe Falls (the largest of the three falls there) to see the voluminous flow of water right in front. One can go under the falls and get soaked on the Cave of the Winds tour. One cant just have enough of this magnificent display of nature's strength.

Post lunch we took a 2 hours flight to Orlando: The land of theme parks and checked into the centrally and ideally located Hotel Marriott Springhill Suites (lovely theme cafes and night clubs just around the block). It was time to gear up for the upcoming roller coaster leg breaking 3 days in the Land of theme parks!

Day 6: Nasa - Kennedy Space Center
We had a choice to either go to the 'Magic Kingdom Park' at World Disney World Resort which is great for the kids but we opted for the much awaited tour of 'NASA - Kennedy Space Center'. We felt the thrill of space exploration on the giant 3D, touched the real piece of Mars, saw gigantic rockets in the gigantic backyard. A bus tour to the Launch Complex, Shuttle Launch Pads. Interaction with retired astronauts and space geeks offers a mix of learning with joy and makes history books come alive, a very satisfying experience, a must visit for people of any age.
Lunch was at the Moon Rock Cafe at NASA itself and dinner was back at hotel.

Day 7: Walt Disney's Epcot - Step into the future world
Today's tour was dedicated to the ultimate mix of futuristic technology and entertainment defying the laws of time, space and gravity! Numerous thrilling rides at Innovention, Imagination, Mission Space and Test Track. The World Showcase gives an opportunity to walk around and enjoy the culture, shops and world class entertainment of 11 different countries! One is spoilt for options here with world class authentic cuisines on offer for lunch. Last but not least was the extra-ordinary illumination show with lasers lights fireworks and music in the evening on the magnificent lagoon.
Dinner was back at hotel. At the end of the day one can only look forward to laying dead on the bed.

Day 8: Sea World - The ultimate aquatic park experience
Sea World, a beautifully landscaped marine park where one can participate in some of the fast paced action rides and witness some of the spectacular aquatic shows. The One Ocean show has the talented killer whale Shamu in all his grandeur and there's a cute polar bear found roaming around at Wild Arctic. Those looking for thrilling roller coaster rides must try the Kraken, Journey to Atlantis and Manta.
Lunch at theme park is awesome while a relaxed dinner at hotel did us in but the thunder and lightening on the eve of our departure brought the group together at the hotel's porch for chit chats and hot coffee.

Day 9: Off to Miami
We bid goodbye to a whipping and funfilled Orlando and ride 5 hours down south to the beach city of Miami. We checked into Holiday Inn at Coral Gables (bad experience) had lunch and headed to South Beach which is like paradise for beach lovers, sunbathers and cafe hoppers. We spent a couple of hours bathing in the white sand turquoise blue sea water. The beach is lush with tourists around the world and dont be surprised if you bump into a celebrity! After changing at one of the many beach side changing rooms we strolled along the Ocean Drive road. This had elegant themed cafes, restaurants and hotels lined up one after the other with vintage and modern cars going up and down the streets. An evening very well spent though I would have so loved to enjoy the night life on this street and stay in one of the hotels here itself. But we had to travel back to a city hotel and decided to avail of the public transport, which by the way is one of the most diversed in the world the bus, metro rail, metro bus, metro mover.

We should have: We stayed for just a night which was too little for Miami, two nights atleast is a must.The Haulover Beach is the nude beach a must try if you are mature enough. Downtown Miami is rich for shopping extravagance and art hunting while Little Havana is rich in Cuban art and culture a must visit. One must stay at a hotel on Ocean Drive over viewing the Miami Beach, some good deals are available but booking needs to be done well in advance, Worth every penny as you get to spend so much more time on the world famous Miami Beach.

Day 10: Flight to Las Vegas: The Casino capital of the world
We flew to Las Vegas which took 6 hours considering the time zone effect and it was evening by the time we reached the Land of ginormous Casinos Hotels. We stayed in one of the biggies The Caesars Palace, checking out the hotel and casino itself can take up half a day but we were running on a tight schedule. A quick wash, an hours rest to cope out of Theme park tiredness and we set out for early dinner.
Post dinner we rushed to catch the Bellagio Musical Fountain show which runs every 15mins and then rushed to catch night show of David Copperfield's (illusionist). Then we drove to Freemont Street which has the cheerful light and sound show. This was just too much to handle in a day and had to retire to our lavish hotel room while many in the group did have the energy to try some luck at the casino slot machines!

Day 11: Grand Canyon tour off Vegas
We started early morning at 4 am and reached Boulder City Municipal Airport in an hour. We visited the Hualapai Nation (Grand Canyon West) which is the most commercialized tourist destination today and is run together by The Scenic Airlines, Papillon Helicopters and Grand Canyon Airlines. We flew over the historic Hoover Dam and did a cool and breezy boat ride on the Colorado river. The Skywalk and Eagle Point were an okay sort of experience but you need to avail them to enjoy the magnificence of one of the great natural wonders of the world The Grand Canyon. One must carry a cap, bottle of water and sun screen lotion on this tour. By evening we headed back to Las Vegas and post early dinner enjoyed the Helicopter rider over the City of Neon Lights, a must do at Heli USA.
Before we knew, it was time to leave Vegas the next day!! I couldn't have just slept by this night and hence decided to walk up The Vegas Strip. Exploring life on the street, interacting with people and checking out the world famous theme hotels like MGM Grand, Flamingo, Mirage, Venetian, Aria, Bellagio was a lifetime experience to say the least. This night redefined the meaning of terms like Huge, Magnificent and Architecture for me forever.
BTW, 2 days in Vegas and I had not tried my luck over the slot machine for even a penny, had not sipped even a single drink, dint flirt with the beautiful ladies all around and I was still feeling so very overwhelmed with the experience gathered. Had thoroughly under estimated Las Vegas :)

We should have: 2 nights in Vegas is cynically not enough, one needs atleast 3 D/N if you are NOT keen on gambling!! Yes, There are so many different types of world class shows on offer almost every night at one or the other colossal hotels on Vegas Strip. If not that,
Also, I hadnt had time for trying my luck at the Slot Machines yet! There’s just so much more we missed out on like the thrill filled activities offered at Stratosphere (Skyjump from the tallest building in Vegas), Machine Gun Vegas (firing real firearms), Vegas Indoor Sky Diving, Dig This (Driving real army tanks and bulldozers), Racing exotic cars, CSi: The experience. Vegas needed more time.

Day 12: Los Angeles - The City of Angeles
We went by road from Vegas to LA that took nearly 5 hours through mostly barren landscape running close to the rail lines and had lunch at Cici's Pizza on the way. We checked into the Radisson Hotel (pathetic service & rooms) in Midtown LA by noon and while the group was still getting freshen up I quickly visited the California Science Center which now harbors the famous Endeavor Space Shuttle. It was time to visit the Hollywood Walk of Fame at Hollywood Boulevard. Here we quickly went through the not so impressive Madam Tussauds wax museum. The famous Dolby Theatre where the Academy Awards - Oscars are held every year and the Grauman's Chinese Theatre is also on the same street. One can see the most recognised HOLLYWOOD sign from here up on the hills clearly. Then on the city tour we drove past the houses of celebrities at Sunset Strip and Beverly Hills, super expensive shopping street Rodeo Drive, see the Beverly Wilshire Hotel where the hollywood blockbuster Pretty Woman was filmed. The drive discloses the epitome of wealth, glamour and architecture that this city possesses.
Post dinner I wanted to see the night life of LA and my companion for the night suggested on taking the MetroRail a cheap, safe and fast mode of public transport spread all across the city. Hollywood Boulevard was all lit up and street musicians and performers decorated the night hollywood style. We had a great time. At 1 am we started back for our hotel, missed the last train of the night by the time we reached the change over station. Adventure hunger hadn't given in yet and we decided to walk the remainder distance. 3 miles of deserted downtown to midtown LA street (7th Street Metro station till Jefferson/USC) where we stopped only once, to satisfy my friend's mid night ice cream craving and myself needing a leak in the chilly and breezy LA night, McDonalds the saviour! That night we passed by some shady pubs, motels, a certain punk gang and still reached our hotel at 2.30 am without facing any untoward act whatsoever! Loved the experience especially when LA is famous for muggings.

Day 13: Universal Studios LA
Our ride for the day, the Hummer Limousine were lined up outside the hotel and we started early towards Griffith Observatory on the south facing slope of Mount Hollywood's Griffith Park. We spotted a lot of joggers and people who trek up the hill slope. The observatory has space and science related displays but is more popular among tourists for the view it commands of LA basin and the HOLLYWOOD sign board. After a quick photo shoot we headed for the famous Universal Studios Hollywood. Rides like Transformers, Jurassic Park, Revenge of the Mummy, Terminator were awesome and a bit enduring. While rest of the attractions can be enjoyed by elders too. The Studio Tour makes cinema come to life. There are many 3D shows as well like Shrek, Special Effects Stage which are a must visit. House of Horror lived upto its name. Time flies by hopping from one ride to next, munching, dancing and interacting with strangers in the park! We could only think of a hearty dinner at Indian restaurant and sleep.

Day 14: Last stop San Francisco - Beautiful Bay City
We boarded our bus and headed to the last destination of our trip, the beautiful San Francisco, California. The 6 hour drive via US Freeway West 5 which was rather boring but once you enter the SF region it takes your breath away. This is the most iconic, cosmopolitan and scenic city in the world according to me. We drove down to Fisherman's Wharf (the cafes overlooking the SF bay is a place to spend a leisurely sunset). We boarded one of the boat ride that takes us around Alcatraz Island (formerly state prison) and underneath the most recognised bridge in the world the Golden Gate bridge. The California Gold Rush of 19th century propelled the growth and development of SF into the Wall Street of the West, while during the Great Depression the magnanimous civil engineering project of the construction of Golden Gate bridge was symbolical to America's resurrection and never say die attitude. After strolling around the Pier 39 we took dinner at one of the many Indian Restaurants and checked into the beautiful Hilton Garden Inn/ Oakland Bay Bridge.

Day 15: SF city tour
SF is characterised by its numerous culturally rich streetscapes (along with pubs, cafes, theatres) featuring mixed neighborhoods anchored around central commercial corridors to which residents and visitors alike can walk. It is famously called the most walkable city amoung travellers as the city has the most cosmopolitan demography. Fillmore street boutiques, rainbow flags (symbol of LGBT pride) on Castro Street, Lombard Street (crookedest street in the world with 8 curves in one block), North Beach (chinatown). The Seven Sisters (cottages) among many old english architecture found in SF. Financial District of SF at Market Street, Union Square (shopping), Civic Center, Nob Hills. SF is geographically built on 50 hills which give it a romantic look which can be observed from the Twin Peaks (highest vista point overlooking SF). Golden Gate Park, Park Presidio, Marine Headlands (across the bridge on the north at Golden Gate National Recreational Area). Post dinner the day came to an end at a bay side cafe cum pub near our hotel at Chevys Fresh Mex where i relaxed a soaked in the memories created over the past 15 days which I would be close to my heart. I fell in Love with San Francisco its hills, fog, rain, beach, bay people and monuments.

We should have:
For the drive from LA to SF, I recommend taking the famous Pacific Coast Highway which takes around 8 hours but is the most scenic drive in the world (San Diego- Santa Monica - Santa Barbra - Santa Cruz - San Francisco - Santa Rosa). There are many attractions on this route and people even stop for 2-3 nights on way!
Fisherman's Warf is the place from where a lot of city tours, bicycle trips, water activities. One must visit the Muirwood forests at San Francisco which are home to a 1000 year old Redwood Trees and the beautiful town of Sausalito. One needs to spend atleast 2N/3D in SF to soak in the love on offer here.

All in all the packaged group trip turned out to be wonderful as it would have been personally impossible to plan out a trip covering so much in so little time. An ideal USA Trip would be worth atleast 20-22 daysand apart from the above it must include a couple of days at Yellowstone National Park and a day at San Diego.
I am better prepared for my next trip to the States and am already so looking forward to it.

Ideal South Africa (Western Cape) itinerary

2011-06-17T23:09:00.000+05:30

Day1: Cape town

Full day at Table Mountain. This visit depends completely on weather conditions, so if the 1^st morning at Cape Town is sunny ditch everything for Table Mountain tour.

Most probably you would love to spend whole day up there but if you get bored go for the explore Cape city or Visit a vineyard.

Spend evening at Water Front enjoy music and dinner.

Night stay at Camps Bay/Cape Town

Day2: Cape Town

Visit Cape Point, Cape of Good Hope, Seal Island (seals), Boulders Beach (penguins).

Before sunset return to Camps Bay/Cliffton beach and stay at beach front resort/hotel.

Day3: Robben Island

Visit the famous Robben Island (Mandela was jailed here).

Cape Town City tour (walk around strand street) Parliament etc and Cape Museum.

Enjoy shark caging and other water activities.

Day4: Cape Town- Ceres mountain region

Leave Cape Town post breakfast taking N1, you pass through Huguenat Tunnel, view of Matroosbrg Peak and reach Ceres mountain region in the Hex River valley. This place has many Private Game reserves like Aqilla Game Reserve on R46 which has excellent night stay provisions. Drive 176kms within 2 hours.

Do the tour (visiting the wildlife up close and personal) by afternoon you would be free.

Head further inward into Ceres which has many snow peak view resorts excellent for winter times.

Day5: Ceres-Oudtshoorn

Drive north on N1 till Laingsburg and take R323 leading to Towerkop Nature Reserve thereafter you hit the famous R62. This is a beautiful drive amidst the mountains.

Reach Oudtshoorn within 3hours (261kms). Check in to a resort like Foster Manor.

After quick lunch by 1pm you can cover Congo Cave and Congo Wildlife Ranch both would take 2 hours each at max.

Day6: Oudtshoorn-Knysna

After heavy breakfast check out and visit Highgate Ostrich farm, tour takes 1.5hrs place opens up morning 7.30am.

Drive on R62 till you pass over beautiful Quteniqa Pass and reach Wilderness on N2.

Reach Knysna within 1.5hrs. There are a lot of water activities including the cruise which takes you to knysna lagoon.

Night halt at Knysna Elephant Park just outside of Knysna after the elephant tour. (Sleep with the African elephants)

One can drive south of Wilderness to Mossel Bay and visit Diaz Museum. (1.5hrs from Knysna)

Day7: Knysna-Tsitsikamma

Take morning elephant tour if you couldn’t the last evening else do the Diaz Museum at Mossel Bay.

Drive on N2 north and reach Bloukrans Bungee worlds highest.

Move to Tsitsikamma National park for night halt. Enjoy breathtaking sea view from your private wooden hut and spend post sunset at cafe.

Day8: Tsitsikamma

Visit up north on N2, Canopy Tour at Storm’s River Mouth. Trekking is another activity.

Visit Monkeyland and Birds of Eden back south on N2 or do it the next day.

Spend evening at Tsitsikamma relax. This place deserves 2 nights.

Day9: Tsitsikamma- Port Elizabeth

182 kms in 2hrs reach Port Elizabeth in a relaxed manner and enjoy the Port city.

'Its time for South Africa, 2010’ Trip of Dad-Son from India

2011-06-17T12:45:00.641+05:30

This was the trip of our lives, just me and my dad on a road trip in a foreign land, Simply Unbelievable. We went around Cape Town, the mother city as a part of the group ‘Castrol Tata Motors dealers’, thereafter it was just me and dad exploring South Africa on our rented four wheels travelling through the beautiful Garden Route. Astonishing blend of Scenic beauty, Adventure and Friendship brewing both new & old ones!

The places which are a Must Visit are marked as MV.

Day1: 3 Jun, Mumbai-Dubai-Cape Town

We left Mumbai early 3am on 2 June and reached Dubai in 2hrs. Dubai International Airport left me awestruck. It was huge & glamorous to say the least, a miniature of the world itself. ‘Dubai Duty Free’ has gardens, restaurants, departmental stores, wine shops. It has 1000s of flights doing the rounds and so are the lakhs of people from around the world. It was breakfast time and the flight to Cape was 4hrs from then, so we freshened up, had some light food and dosed off in-front of our boarding gate. Thank god for the phone alarm and a super dash made by both me & dad as the gates had changed. We were the last ones to board the flight. We boys looked at each other and the eyes said it all, the big ADVENTURE had begun!

Salman Khan

After a long 9hrs flight, food, movie, chats and drinks with the stewardess of Emirates, we reached Cape Town. The airport was all light up and decorated with vuvuzellas cause hey this country was about to host the FIFA World Cup 2010. We boarded our bus & headed towards our hotel while it was evening & drizzling over the sparkling city, colourful signboards, smooth roads and branded cars. The Table Mountain had hidden behind clouds today. Poverty in Africa seemed to be a myth, btw this was the richest city of the African continent.

After checking into the ‘CapeSun International’ on Strand Street we took a quick shower and left for the ‘Water Front’ (MV) for our dinner and formal introduction with the entire group that we were gona be a part of for the next few days. Dad knew quite a few of them from before and by the end of the trip I had left a much more lasting impression ;). The Water Front had an Indian restaurant among the many offering cuisines from all over the world, it was breezy and the lavish yachts at the dock made it a lovely view. We all needed a good cozy sleep and so we did.

Day2: 4 June, Cape Peninsula Tour

View from the 16th floor hotel room of Cape Town sea coast and distant ships was elegant. Good breakfast and we set off for a tour of the Cape Peninsula, just as we left the hotel we got the 1^st view of the magnificent Table Mountain right behind our hotel.
First stop was ‘Cape Point’ (MV) the southern most tip of Africa with its scenic beauty, next the famous ‘Cape of Good Hope’. We then drove down via beautiful houses of ‘Simon’s Town’ and reached ‘Boulders Beach’ for a close look at the pink chested penguins! Lunch was at an Indian restaurant ‘Kushi’, We didnot drive through the ‘Chapman’s Peak’ and reached ‘Seal Island’ where we got into a steamer boat and sailed to the actual ‘Seal Island’ to see 100s of gigantic and lazy seals loathing over each other.

On getting back to the bay we saw a huge seal of a local fisherman entertaining the crowd, we even got to touch him, oh this cute creature is just like a faithful puppy, with deep black eyes, leather like skin and superbly long moustache it was so much fun playing with him.
It was almost evening by now and we headed back towards Cape Town but this time we took the coastal route. The mesmerising scenic beauty of the sun setting into the sea seen from the perfect ‘Clifton Beach’ located at the town of ‘Camps Bay’ (MV) was amazing. There are many hotels here at ‘Camps Bay’ and I so wish if we had spent atleast one evening in this town. Dinner was at the Water Front where we saw a b’day party taking place on a rented Pirate ship everyone dressed as pirates, they sailed into the sea in the cool breeze, a cool way to turn 21 ;)

Day3: 5 June, Orientation tour of Cape Town

Today we woke up with fingers crossed, opened the curtains and yes!! we got what we wanted, a Bright Sunny morning, perfect for the visit to the world famous ‘Table Mountain’, its essential that the weather be good else the cable car that takes us to the top of the table mountain doesn’t operate. So one must keep their itinerary really flexible, if its bright and sunny on your first day itself in Cape Town then forget everything else and gear up for this must visit tour.
Visiting hours stretch from 8.30am till 6pm, there are cafes on top and one can easily spend the entire day on the table mountain thanks to the breathtaking view all around, cool breeze, exotic plants & animals to discover and a HUGE area to cover. Couples stroll around hand in hand or take up a private corner at one of the zillion view points picnicking.
Hours flew by unnoticed, before we knew it was 2.30pm, we were left craving for more.We took lunch at an Indian restaurant in ‘Hout Bay’ another beautiful town just outside of Cape Town.

Next we went for a tour of the vineyard at ‘Groot Constantia wine farm’, this private property offers paid tours where one can get to know how world class wine is prepared. We weren’t so much into the wine thing and the vineyards were all harvested robbing the beauty of it, I would have loved to spend few more hours at the Table top instead.
On the way back we were been driven to a famous city jeweller’s, me and dad decided to skip it. We hopped off the bus and walked around Cape Town’s lanes, talking to people on the street was much more fun. We went down to Budget car rentals office which is very close to our hotel, checked upon our booking, got some good advices about roads and driving on the Garden Route, these people were really helpful and very friendly. We were handed over a big courier kept for us by Selftour (Our travel planner) which contained comprehensive details of our trip including marked maps and brochures, answering every Qs imaginable hence cutting down our anxiety considerably. We walked pass the House of Parliament, City Hall, Castle and Company gardens and reached the ‘Cape Town Museum’, these were all magnificent structures.

Dinner was at the ‘City Century Mall’, the largest in Cape Town located further away from the airport, if looking at people is one of your favourite pass times then this is the place to be. I and a newly married couple from our group dint want to gorge on another Indian meal so we headed for the food court and ordered for some Debonairs Pizzas. Our food frenzy resulted in we missing our bus! Panic did strike in cause it was late night and getting a taxi was being rather difficult, the gang of white youngsters smoking and boozing in one corner of the parking lot dint help us calm ourselves. Anyways we trusted on one of the other white guy who offered us help, took us straight to a taxi and sent us off! Here I recollected scenes from famous movies where you get robbed by a black man or get shot at by some drug peddlers etc. The black African driver did break a few speed limits on the way for sure and was very talkative, well this was cause I had decided not to die quietly. Lolz. We did get back to the hotel unharmed and with smiles. Btw Debonairs Pizza though it turned out to be rather expensive and adventurous was the best footlong pizza I had ever had. Dad was pretty cool upon hearing the incident and so was I, though in hindi I would say ‘phat gayi thi boss’.

Day4: 6 June, Tour of Game resort

We had to start off early at 6am, it was still pretty dark but the drive through the barren land with hills lining both side of the road and the sun rising slowly form behind them, passing through Huguenot Tunnel gave a sort of trance like sensation. Guess I was actually sleepy & dreaming about last nights heroism ;). We reached ‘Aqilla Safari’ around breakfast time had a good heavy meal as usual and then set off in forest ranger jeeps for our ride in the private reserve.
In South Africa if you own a minimum amount of land, you are allowed by the govt. to buy wildlife and run a private reserve called ‘Private Game’. There are plenty such as we got to know in the Ceres mountain region. Within a few hours one is able to spot all the Big 5 of Africa (Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Rhino, Buffalo) in their near natural environment, that’s a big plus over the huge National Parks were sightings are not guaranteed. The resort has swimming pool, bonfire and romantic cottages as well if one wishes to spend a night with the beasts! We then had another heavy meal and soaked in the sun fooling around.
This however didnot deserve an entire day dedicated to it, we could have better utilised half a day doing something else perhaps in the city or observe the sun set at the Water Front or explore Ceres more. This however was our last day with the group, we partied at night, dance music singing, we made some new friends on this trip and impressed most of them as we were the rare two whose adventure was just about to begin and everyone wished us good luck!!

Day5: 7 June, Drive Cape Town-Oudtshoorn 482kms

Early breakfast and all set to roll. Our car from Budget had arrived, Toyota Corolla Altis sparkling steel grey. The delivery guy went through all the inspections and got our sign on the papers. We finally decided on travelling the old fashioned way depending completely on maps and the position of the sun and saved ourselves 75Rand per day for the GPS.
The excitement had reached its peak, it was me at the driving seat and we finally rolled out of our hotel parking at 9.40am. As decided we made a slow and steady start got onto the N2 only to realize very soon that a speed of 60k is annoyingly slow. Confidence of both of us grew as the sign boards on the highway were very prominent and drivers on the road very cautious, everything was designed to perfection. We left Cape Town and passed over the hills heading north. Within 2 hours we had done 180kms, this was rather slow cause only now I was doing 120-150ks with ease. Butter like roads and the straight stretches could be seen for miles in V shaped ups and downs right ahead of us. This was a never before experience the speed, long straight stretches, no horns and cleanliness in the country side that had the mountain range on one side while never ending farmlands on the other side of this highway.

We halted at ‘Riversdale’ for coffee, missipuri and gas refill. A small quiet town, it was lovely talking to a few people there who were really impressed hearing that we dad-son from India were on a road trip all by ourselves! We decided here to have some more fun and changed our route. I insisted on our taking the famous and beautiful R62 which I had researched about back home. Dad was bit skeptical about this idea but gave in to my determination and the roads that looked really safe and well marked.
And so we ditched the N2 and took R323 this took us to ‘Ladismyth’ from where we got onto R62 and saved apprx 60kms of drive. On these roads contrary to the highway, I was able to easily drive @150-180ks, owing to very light traffic and superb road grip of this luxury car. The scenic beauty while going over the ‘Langeberg-Wes Mtn’ range was amazing, the drive was so easy up on the hills as well. Passing by the little towns from within was much more fascinating than travelling on the highway.

We reached ‘Oudtshoorn’ by late afternoon, this was a bigger township than what we had passed by till now. Checked into the old house turned into rest house ‘Foster Manor’, cheap and good. We had some time in hand and decided to visit the ‘Congo Caves’ (MV) its open 9am-4pm, millions of year old limestone cave. There are approx 21 caves in this region but only one open for tourists. A day long cave tour for the very fit persons takes them through small openings from one cave to the other but we were fit only for the regular tour that took 2 hrs. Magnificent stalactite and stalagmite structures of various shades and heights along with their rich history are natures wonder work, at one point I felt a strange chill which was a bit scary too. We got back to our den post sunset, it had been a long day and a very satisfying.

Day6: 8 June, Oudtshoorn-kynsna-bloukrans-tsitsikamma 216kms

It had rained last night bring down the temperature considerably and this wasn’t winter time. After a good english breakfast at this lovely house in the company of the all so polite and chirpy receptionist who reminded us of Pallavi (my lil sister).

This was an activity full day, we reached ‘Congo Wildlife Ranch’ 10am-5pm, this place keeps Crocs, Bengal tigers, Lions, Leopards, Panthers and their cubs and for a nominal charge we got to touch and play with a full grown Cheetah!! This was some experience scary in the beginning but one that lets you feel the heart beat of the beasts. We loved it all cause don’t you dare think that these are pets, they have had a history of being aggressive when annoyed. This tour took 2.5hrs and do i need to say it was worth it!!

Next stop was the ‘HighGate Ostrich Farm’ (MV) 7am-5pm, here we got to know all about ostriches and also to ride one of them! Bought a souvenirs and stood up on ostrich eggs, I even got pecked by one of them, lolz. The entire tour was of about 1.5hrs and worth it. We now changed seats as dad was egging to drive for a long time now, we witnessed double rainbow and went over the beautiful ‘Outeniqua Pass’. This is the place which is equipped with speed cameras and we spotted them only after passing by ;). The view of the sea from up above the mountain was wonderful.

We soon passed by the beautiful town ‘Knysna’ and reached ‘Bloukrans Bungy Bridge’ (MV) which hosts the world’s highest bungy jumping at 700+ feet. I was determined to go through with it while dad kept thinking I was kidding until we had finally bought the tickets (700R). Dad was goning to do the bridge walk only while the extra bit of leaping over was left for me to do. 3-2-1 BUNGEEE, and there I went flying off the edge, yelling every breathe out, heart pounding like never before wanting to tear out of my chest, on the verge of peeing in my pants, eyes popping out, the fear lasted for a second but next to it was calm soothing free fall. The toughest part is looking beyond the edge just before the jump but once off it, its heavenly. The view of the sea on one side and the sun setting beyond the mountain range on the other side while you are hanging off the bridge is exquisite. The free fall of 7 freaking seconds is compounded by the rebounds lasting 2 mins in total. FACE FEAR the quote on my t-shirt I bought from there says it all.
I danced and sang was I was pulled up on the bridge the loud music there really led me to a trance, slowly it sunk in that I had actually done it.
The video recording shows how dad was so excited and tensed and smiling all the way as well. Before jumping the edge, I did think of a lot of things but just one last thing that was stuck was the words of my instructor while strapping me up, he said, ‘Make sure your balls are free and not trapped in else your future might really be in trouble, and don’t worry the jump is like having the wildest sex’. I don’t know how to put in words the ultimate mixture of feelings & emotions I went through this action sport. Elated and adrenaline still pumping high we walked off the bridge and I was handed over a certificate of the great achievement, a big souvenir in itself. It had gotten dark and I was the last person to jump off that day, we hurriedly I got back into the car cause we had made a pact back home with mom about not driving at night, which however was already breached the day before. Lolz.

We reached ‘Tsitsikamma National Park’ (MV) in about half hour, the security guard at the park’s entrance handed over our cottage keys and zipped through the curvaceous road through the forest to reach the cafe. Being a vegetarian isn’t that a big problem in todays era, on requesting the chef to prepare something with lot of vegetables and pasta and rice and sauces, he was delighted to get an opportunity to prepare something off menu. The wait was worth it, a delicious platter steaming with appetizing colourful dressing, the best continental food I had ever had, that too at throw away price compared to what were on the menu. All this while we could hear the waves crashing on the beach and new that the next morning would surely offer some spectacular views, with that thought in mind we settled into our private wooden cottage on the hill side.

Day7: 9 June, Canopy tour, Monkey land, Birds of Eden.

A morning that reminded us of the Bengal Monsoon with chilly breeze and heavy down pour. I had gotten up early as in the absence of mom, kitchen was my department per se. Both the bedroom and dining had full glass windows overlooking the breathtaking raging ocean and rain cloud. It was a treat to the eyes and a dream start to the day where we enjoyed the ocean view, with seagulls in our balcony and we feeding on hot tomatoes and toast with Indian spices, snacks and masala tea.
Rain in this part of south Africa is common due to the geography and in such conditions the ‘Canopy Tour’ at ‘Storms River Mouth’ (MV) does not operate. We still decided to try our luck and left for this place which was a 20mins drive. Fate favoured us and the tour was open because the rain had stopped which again is very usual here. We were all geared up with safety harness and instructions read out loud by our guide. To our luxury me and dad were the only people for the morning tour that made the guide enjoy with us freely. The speedy sliding on ropes tied from one platform to the other made high up on the tree trunk especially when you are 30meters above ground in the dense forest gives some shivers in the beginning. Soon we got hold of the technique of using the palms and legs to perfection, this was fun even for dad who was doing very well. We spotted some very rare African birds, monkeys on the tour, the chirping of other forest creatures rhyming with the raindrops crashing into the gigantic leaves...this really was the voice of mother nature. The view from one of the highest platforms 40m high was unique as we could see the forest below bathing in the sun and vapour rising from the many 1000 years old Outeniqua yellow wood trees. The tour took some 2 hours. Just as we travelled back to base on the huge forest truck it started pouring like hell, this called for a high fie we were damn lucky. After collecting our video recording & certificates and some hot tea and sandwiches it was time to head for the next destination.
To reach the ‘Monkey Land’ and ‘Birds of Eden’ we travelled back south crossed Bloukrans bridge which filled me with content and a satisfied smile within, really wanted to do it again. It was raining all the way and Africa looked completely different from what we had seen till now. As the name indicates the above two places are somewhat like an open zoo. These are huge Jurassic type single cage like structures which house exotic variety of monkeys and birds in forest like environment, whom you can get really close to and even touch them if they let you to. We spent a few hours clicking photos of some of the most weirdest and cutest looking monkeys and chimps.

By afternoon, we were tiered and could just think of sitting at the beach and fill in with the ocean view, on the way back we stopped at a grocery store and picked up some food that I was excited to cook for dinner at our well equipped cottage. Tsitsikamma is the biggest national park of the south and is beautifully architecture for tourists to stay for days and enjoy the environment. Accommodation ranges from shared cottages, private bungalows, parking space for caravans and even tent houses.
The raring Indian ocean with its waves breaking on the natural boulders on the shore, seagulls and pelicans playfully fighting with the gust of continuous strong wind.. ah it makes you miss your loved ones far away, jump and run about and fills you with happiness for realising the fact that you are alive. We went on a short trek up the hill to a point where the river meets the sea and soon it was sunset and we returned to our den. Dad packed our bags while I made some delicious packaged Indian food brought from India ;) dal makhani, paneer, alo dum with puri, parantha. Fresh salad and soup from our grocery shopping also formed part of our lavish dinner ;). From tomorrow our returning leg of the journey starts.

Day8: 10 June, Tsitsikamma-Knysna- Mossel bay- Knysna 300kms

This was a breezy morning but no rain. We checked out of Tsitsikamma after the home made snacks that we had carried all the way from India, filling, tasty and saves cost. On the way to Knysna we stopped at ‘Knysna Elephant Park’ (MV) just after Plettenberg and enjoyed a lovely tour feeding, walking, playing underneath the gigantic African elephants and racing their little ones gave me a lifetimes happy memory. The best part of these organised private farms is that they give us the otherwise impossible opportunity of getting so close to the wild. The animals are not tamed like pets they are provided there natural environment and the natural aggression is tried to be kept alive.

We felt close to nature while walking with the entire heard as they drank water from the lake and observed how animals value family. The responsible heads of the herd, the playful curious young, the aggressive matures fighting for identity. The park offers excellent accommodation for night stay overlooking the resting place of the elephants, we missed out on this because we were on a fixed schedule.

Our next halt was at ‘The Old Cape Road Guest House’ in Knysna. This was a cottage on the highway turned into guest house and gives a clear view of the Knysna lagoon heads. It was afternoon and this was our last day before we head home, so it was time for extra adventure. We drove 100kms south to ‘Mossel Bay’ famous for its ‘Diaz Museum’ which houses rich history of South Africa and some great artifacts which seem to have jumped right out of my childhood school history book, remember the famous Vasco da Gama joke!!

We had a good time roaming around, had good meal at a take away and enjoyed the sun beating down the coastal bay. We drove back to explore Knysna which has a lot of water activities to offer but we missed the last cruise tour that takes you to the Knysna lagoon head from where the sun set is said to look the most romantic. The ‘Knysna Water Front’ is a good place to hang around and has some popular local pubs but it all shuts down by 8pm. We went back to spend the last night in South Africa recollecting the grand memories of this unique trip and also to finish off the remaining last packaged food!

Day9: 11 June, Knysna-Cape Town 500kms

The last leg of our road trip began with kind of a heavy heart. Bright sunny day and we had 500km to cover on the N2 this was along the coast till Mossel Bay and then on the road moved closer to the mountain range amidst the farmlands. Passing through small beautiful towns we stopped at one of them for petrol and snacks. We needed to get the car washed up before handing it over at the airport (Trying to improve the image that Indians leave behind a lot of dirt and mess), the guys at the gas station were happy to help.

People all along our trip were very friendly and crazy about their country hosting the prestigious FIFA world cup 2010 which ironically was to begin today in Cape Town. Yeah, we should have extended the trip for one more day and witnessed this frenzy by being at the heart of it. Dad took over the driving now and I couldn’t have deprived him of this opportunity. By the end of the trip we would have driven 1500kms over 5 days of which he drove barely 300kms and I was still not contented lolz. The approach to Cape Town saw a sea of cars jammed up wanting to enter the city, mostly due to FIFA fever.

A lot of activities had been going on for a long time related to promotion of this world event adding to the colour to the natural beauty of South Africa. We could see the Table Mountain far away bidding us goodbye. There are plenty of gas stations near the airport where we filled up the tank to full before handing over the car. The thorough inspection was just a look around the car by the personnel and a simple Qs, “You had any problems, sir?” Sweet hospitality. The buzz and deafening noise of the vuvuzellas helped us get over the pain of leaving this beautiful country cause the joy is in the heart and it goes with us to stay forever.

Just one note of caution, do make sure you understand the VAT refund process at the airport when you land in South Africa, we lost quite a bit cause of the disillusion that guys wouldn’t be shopping much at all!
Many thanks to ‘SelfTours’ (South Africa based tourism company) for helping us in planning our trip and hotel booking with special thanks to Cheryl at Selftours who kept up with us in restructuring our itinerary, her valuable inputs, prompt replies and for encouraging us to go ahead with the dream road trip.

2nd April 2011

2011-05-23T21:55:00.000+05:30

Life has its own directions, set by almighty. We are travellers on this road pre-decided by him. Our well being, happiness, success and peace is all accounted for even before we questioned it. Some make it large than life, others die as just another soul.

If today I accept the fact that my life is not how I want it to be ie, the destination aka success is not for me to chose. Instead I focus and enjoy the journey am on, I smile, I help, I care and I give. If so then no one can stop me from being happy whatever the end be.

So try and live life full, don’t let the thought of reaching create stress and spoil the joy of travelling, cause for me the journey has almost always been most appealing and the destinations have not been that bad either!

Don’t let guilt set in your heart since everything happens for a reason which we don’t understand today, it all unfolds the way it is meant to and I am no one to make an impact in that big play he has created, I am just a little creation of the one above.

I don’t know where its going. I know I am travelling with the flow. Every flow has a destination and direction carved in its own true mystery. It seems too bad a journey but its still one created by the holy. I am who to question him and have answers about my destiny.

Keep your dreams alive cause one day the doors would open and you don’t want to be dead asleep when its time.

So God, bestow peace unto me, let me fulfil what I am sent to complete and bless me to realise how important it is to be happy each day that you give me.

PEACE, LOVE, SMILE, CARE, EMPATHY

Hunger in belly Fire in heart: Sizzler

2011-03-08T00:27:00.002+05:30

More than ingredients or technique what works for me in any preparation is Hunger and Mood. Today I wanted to cook something I wanted to for quite sometime. The sizzler. For this I need to get a special ingredient 'vodka'. And yes the experiment came out pretty well, proof of which was my sister who just loved the dish and was rooting for more, once more. haha.

Okay, one can actually put whatever vegetable there is in the fridge actually. I had cabbage, beans, carrot, capsicum, brocli, babycorn, onion today. These vegetable need to be finely chopped and put in a pan and left in boiling water for say 2mins. Donot over do it else you would destroy the crispy-ness completely and would be left with a over cooked mix-veg rather than a sizzler.

finely chopper vegs

Olive oil, tomato sauce, pizza sauce,
butter and maida

By the time the vegs are getting boiled, take something like 1table spoon butter mix a tea-spoon of maida (for the above quantity of vegs as in the image) and mix it up rigorously. It should get a whitish sort of color. You may even avoid this step if u rushing for time.

Frying in high flame

hot water bath of the veg, hygiene purpose

Okay, drain the water out ; put the vegs in a frying pan ; put 1 table spoon of olive oil and the butter mix ; at this point we are actually frying the vegs.

At the same time put chilly flakes/powder, salt, tomato sauce, pizza sauce. Now quantity depends on preference, if you want the dish to be spicy put more of pizza sauce and less of tomato sauce and vice versa. tomato sauce creates d light gravy when put in hot butter and olive oil. Fry the stuff well in hot flame.

Vodka

Fire in the pan

Fire transferred

For the above quantity I had to put atleast 2 table-spoon of vodka (that's the secret ingredient). The trick is that when the veg are fried hot you put the vodka in, take 3rd table-spoon near the flame and it catches fire, quickly put it into the pan and bhooof the pan catches fire for a couple of seconds!! To let it burn a bit longer tilt the pan. Serve it hot while it still is making the sizzling noise ;)

Your sizzler is ready with a cooking time of less than 5mins. Preparation time depends on how fast you can chop the vegs!

Now the chef's helping hand for time when things go wrong. The dish might not taste as good if it is over boilt or over cooked. Frying longer doesnot affect much. Too much of butter or olive or VODKA can ruin the taste. I am still trying to find a substitute of vodka.

On my second attempt things went wrong so I had to use a quick fix cause you cannot serve not-perfect dish without trying to mend it espcly when your sister had ordered for it!!

So, you can use 'Maggi' or 'Pasta Treat' as a cover-up. Prepare it just the usual way but towards the end when there is last bit of moisture/water left in the pan, put your so-called goof-up-ed sizzler in it. Cook for sometime and add whatever you found missing in your sizzler's taste... like salt(if less) or tomato sauce(if it was too spicy) or butter! And vola, a superb dish is still to be had!!!

Sunfeast Pasta Treat

Spicy Veggie Pasta Trea

Trip to Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh

2010-10-19T21:11:00.007+05:30

9th Oct10 Saturday. Day 1: (Guwahati – Tezpur 180kms)

Kamakhya Temple

Assamese Thali

Early morning flight from Kolkata to Guwahati. Reached Guwahati at 7.30am. Getting into a Good Tata Sumo and driving off to Kamakhya Devi Temple. Worship takes some time depending on the rush which is inevitable. By 12pm we were done at the temple and left for main city enter to meet Goswami da (papa’s friend, tata motor dealer). They took us for lovely Assamese cuisine lunch at restaurant near their showroom. Post lunch we were ready to drive out of Guwahati towards Tezpur with our driver JOHN.

John our new found friend

Leaving the meadows behind

It took us a good 4 hours (cause of terrible traffic in guwahati) to reach KRC Palace Hotel, Tezpu. It was 3 star hotel with good dinner. We tucked into our rooms for a good sleep as the real journey would begin from tomorrow onwards.

When a woman says,'Lets have a discussion honey'.

2009-11-21T02:40:00.006+05:30

Actions and Promises can never change others opinion about you. When they dont trust you, no matter what you do, it would only make them feel more cheated and betrayed. Once love becomes a battle field, the virginity of emotions once lost can never be won back.

When a woman asks for her man's opinion about something and then decides to have a discussion about it..Beware. For a man, it doesn't take much time for 'good times' to turn into 'horror'.

It seems women seek immense pleasure in playing games with us, the men. The only problem is that we, men, are too stupid to even play this game forget about competing or winning. Only Women are equipped with flawless communication skills, sharp memory and recall and most importantly emotions. And in the game of 'Lets have a discussion', they prove to be unbeatable cause they possess the skills of throwing words which, it turns out later, we ALWAYS misunderstand. When they start a discussion they seem to be making some sense but very soon we realise we are just going round and round a circle..a circle with no center. We then lose our capacity to focus or compute even a single sentence. We fall in the traps of our own words and patience is the first one to surrender from our end. The strategy of using sentences filled with words like emotions and feelings and heart..to name a few knock us down in the first couple of rounds itself. We are blamed for all the pain life has given to women. There are ample reasons put across to us in support of each and every accusation and mistakes we made, but hey, we are too confused by now to understand any..infact we never ever even thought about our actions till this moment. Yes, all we did was make mistakes, though we were only honestly doing everything we possibly could, with the only intentions of keeping our women happy. It turns out that they were making sacrifices instead, as they were bearing with us all this while.

At the end of it, we are left helpless, irritated and frustrated. We might be feeling wrecked cause never before had we realised that the person whom we loved from the core of our heart was being hurt by each and every action of ours. The one person for whose sake we were ready to fight the entire world without even a moments hesitation has now charged us of betrayal. Its no one else but we who disrespected, exploited, tortured our own women. Even though our mission statement and actions grew from the seeds of love for our women, even though they desires and dreams of our women had been the moto, goal or focus of our actions all through our relationship... We are today blamed of not even being able to understand them as in what they actually meant or expected from us, in the first place.

They no longer expect anything from us, they actually never did they say. They now want us to take our own decisions and just do what we feel like or desire for,just the way we had always had. They now want us to forget about them, and leave them in the sorrow that by the way is caused by us cause of our selfish being. We have proved to be unacceptable, unreasonable, selfish, self-centered, uncaring MEN. Apologees only act as sprinkling salt to the wound cause a sorry now is not spoken as an outcome of introspection or regret but only a word put in by us to make them feel better.

By the end of the discussion, it no longer is a discussion. Its now a battle, a long lost battle and the enemy was ourselves! We are left alone. We no longer have the company of the only single person for whome we had cared the most in our lives. We are left without a moto or goal or focus since till now we had only seeked for achieving what our women had desired for but now its all gone.

Whats left is a lost man, cursing himself for hurting his women and with a reason beyond his capabilities of analysis or understanding.

What went wrong? Where was the mistake made? When did all this, so big happen and went on unnoticed?

There are no answers. No one can help us out cause a woman we can never trust again. From her would never our dreams or goal of life be derived. We did have a heart but we were accused of not having one. Now that heart is broken and no one to even bother about it.

Vikramaditya Jain

2009-09-08T21:18:00.005+05:30

Riding my bike at dawn with rain drops desperate to pierce the face..just riding for the sake of it, no where to go, no where to reach... No wrist watch to look at and no cellphone vibrations to make me halt ... Aah would do that again would do that alright, its a call of nature to live and to stay ALIVE.

Its not with an intention to go against set norms, its a feeling so true it can make no harm. I do it with passion though alert every moment, cause I have other dreams too waiting to be answered. There are loved ones here I never wish to part from but its human to wish for loneliness when there is plenty to Cherish around.

It only when hes gone we miss him so much that body is no more but the soul lives on. A delicate touch or kiss on the chick the shower of blessings or scolding at best..these no more ever seem to hurt, what hurts is the loss I can never make up.

Its adrenaline which kills when not controlled but tell me oh father is controlling my role? Let me live the way my heart feels for as it is am a pupet with a destination set long ago.

Seven pounds of courage and intensity

2009-07-09T03:02:00.005+05:30

I watched this movie SEVEN POUNDS sometime back and felt sharing my thoughts. By the name of the movie I thought it must be something related to the British currency or some downtrodden man or a beggar ….towards the end of the movie it was wonderfully revealed what the title meant, it was about the human heart which weighs just 7 lbs. The movie tells a lot about how brave and emotionally logical a little part of the body controls everything and that without complaints.

It takes us just seconds and not much effort to hurt a human heart, which by the way on its own way makes the entire human body function for years and thorough tough harsh times. I as a human, am alive because of my heart. There is something special about the rhythm of my heart, it asks me to do illogical unreasonable acts with such ease, it asks me to feel for people around me whom may be I have never met at all and have known only distantly, it makes me cry for the sadness which other creations of god go through, it helps me be amazed by nature beauty and strength, it makes me imagine and fly when I am actually tied down to inabilities and routines of life.

My life hasn’t been remarkable or extraordinary by any sense, not something anyone would be very proud of. I have very limited wants from life. But the fact is that I don’t just wish to just ‘survive’. I wish to ‘live’. I don’t wish to disappoint my heart by not hearing to it most of the time. I might end up being just a no one, might not achieve worldly highs but the only thing I wish for is to somehow be able to help the needy, the ones whose heart is weeping, to not be dishonest to myself, be able to see and feel nature and have the courage to stand up to this wish. While following my wish I might annoy and hurt my most loved ones themselves. The irony is that the people around me, my loved ones who have helped me grow up are the best humans I have ever known. They feel for people, they wish for everyone’s well being, they are courageous enough to not step over others to fulfil worldly temptations. They have faith in me. I love them and they are my strength. Looking at them live each day, I feel blessed. I feel that the world isn't a mean place after all.. that its our responsibility to keep the world a beautiful place for all to witness joy of the soul. Each one is beautiful else the world and life wouldn't have been this beautiful. If nature is beautiful its cause the dead and alive together make it that way.

If we can see the sea, mountain, forest, clouds, river, sun, moon, stars.... the dead... to be beautiful, imagine.... .... how beautiful are you.. the living part of nature.. the living part of my life. I love you. I wish I always do cause until we love ourselves for what we are, how would we love our own efforts.

The very few ways known for attaining satisfaction and peace in life is as I discover slowly is – doing what you feel right and have a craving for. Its about the intention behind the action. If intentions are good life might get back to us with rosy future or the ultimate date of death. There are times when we have to hide the truth but one needs to make sure whether he can carry the weight of that lie. Its not being brave but more of being aware about how others are dependant on you with various dreams, fulfilling those dreams would also bring happiness and peace but is it worth being tied to routines of life.

Lets take out the money factor and imagine life.

How to minimise the opportunity cost destined for us

2009-06-24T10:29:00.008+05:30

I was thinking about how people today have lost the art of trusting in each other. We might all find ourselves fit for the job of a suspicion-ist ! Here's a nice quote I came across today, by Swami Sukhabodhananda, ‘A man was passing through the octroi post with a cycle and a pot full of mud. The octroi inspector inspected the pot, consulted his manual, discovered that mud was not in the schedule for revenue and let the cyclist proceed. The next day the same man came with his cycle and pot of mud and the octori inspector, convinced that something was amiss, inspected the pot and allowed the man to proceed. This happened daily. After the inspector retired, he asked the man what it was that he was smuggling in. The old man said “Cycles”. ’

We like the inspector, indulge in pettiness and miss out on the joys of life, the spirit of challenges and the fun in the simple things. We need to reorganise our lives so that each day we are able to add value in the areas of intimacy, family, work and spiritual life. We are wasting our energies in little unimportant issues which seem to be big and demanding urgent action. Being relaxed is not a crime, infact it helps one keep his mind and body calm. We think better and most importantly we tend to enjoy the little things in life. The only way our mind can help us follow our heart is when we listen to it in the first place and for that we need to believe in it. The education system helps our race to create perfectly suspicious mind and not an inquisitive one. We are taught thoroughly to be suspicious of every situation we face in life, that when things donot follow a set pattern we needed to be worried, we need to make sure that life runs smoothly without any deviation. But isn’t this all a crap theory!

We all know what happens would happen according to the creations of the higher supreme (ie,if you believe in the idea of someone living above you) so why not just ACCEPT things the way they are. Why do we kill our likings and joys to make the wasteful effort of keeping situations on line and plan for the worst! Arnt we loosing the time we could have spent enjoying and loving those changes in life, this newness life gave us and the opportunity to look at. Arnt we loosing the patience to look at the bigger picture instead of mastering the art of focusing on one and trying to preserve or resolve it as per the need be!!

My wish to grow and not just live, would surely bestow loads of trouble but the ‘journey’ would atleast make me happy about the fact that I ‘tried’. That I gave myself a fare chance to be relaxed and happy in my life. (As if following the heart is a criminal offence now-a-days) Lets make the effort to be bindas, and see how happy we and our loved ones around us, start feeling when we value their benefits 1^stand our contentment next. Lets just stop worrying too much and start accepting what comes. Be relaxed to enjoy life.

How big is money?

2009-06-17T02:10:00.002+05:30

Money: A coloured strip of paper with a picture of Bapu and a sign of RBI governor. It buys us our food, shelter, clothing, education. The Luxury or Misery of our lives are quite broadly defined by the volume of money we possess.

We spend our life to earn a life dependent on money simply to earn a better life. Does money actually guarantee one the Happiness which he is running after ultimately. Does doing your work bring joy and peace to you? Hope it does since thats what you are trying to reach out to! Earn a living to live a lovly life. Most generally, we are loosing the fun of living while trying to earn happiness in exchange of money!

Money does make life easy to live probably but does the convinience bought make us a satisfied being?

Or does money just brings with it the stress to earn more of it or just simply the tension to hold on to whatever amount of it we have with us right now?

In this race to earn the most, we sacrifice our tiny lil wishes which we have very beautifully learnt to overlook. The wish to stop the car while going to the office to enjoy the cool gust of wind or a drop of rain. The wish to sleep a lil bit longer with our beloved whenever we feel like on a working day, or to just keep travelling to unkown places without the pressure of completing an assignment in time. The wish to construct a school for the deprieved. Or just to sit on your terrace, day after day and see the sun go down each day in a different fashion.

I wish to work for the people i come in contact with, wherever I go. I wish to be on a move all the time without getting disturbed by the thought of what would I eat or where would I live once my money is over, how would i take care of my parents or wife and how much would I save for my children and my old age!! The power of money has overpowered the desire to be living simply, without a 'Reason'. What I do today would most likely determine how much I earn tomorrow and hence define my life as seen by the society.

Does more money make me a successful man? What about the tiny little wishes fullfiling which would have given me peace. Would I remain human enough while running in this race to become the so-called 'successful person'. My heart yearns for knowledge, for being close to nature and to death itself. Where would i run from the ultimate finish line of life itself.

But before i sleep forever, i wish to live forever. I wish to be alive enough to feel the wind and rain on my skin, The rush of blood in my veins while living off-the-edge. I wish to see my country's lenght and breath and the way people live in different places. I wish to just sit and do nothing. I wish to see what I do when I am not expected to do anything from anyone. I wish to be with me and do what my heart wishes for.

I know not how long I would survive if I start Walking on that road of 'madness' as seen by all. I wish to become shameless as that is what is required to live a life as human in today's world.

wouldn't it make earn, beg, borrow, steal meaningless.

I love serving people they in turn call me 'good'. I wish to help people, but today to do that i would have to make a career out of it..and charge people for the help i give them else i would be judged to be a mad man.

Can i just sit and look at the sun going down each day with the people i love being with.