Anuradha Goyal Travels

Goa Chitra - Presenting Goa's Ethnographic history to you....

2015-03-12T08:00:00.000+05:30

Earthen Pots that inspired many a poets

Located somewhere between Benaulim beach and Madgaon, in a quaint street is Goa Chitra – an ethnographic museum that intends to show you the life in Goa as it used to be. This is the second ethnographic museum that I have seen after Big Foot Museum. While Big Foot focuses on the macro level showing you the houses and the professions of the Goans, this one has collected and documented the stuff used in day to day life of the agrarian society of Goa before tourism, mining and bit of other industries took over.

Extracting Oil from Dried Coconuts

I have already written about the Goa Chakra part of the museum. Let me give you a glimpse of the ethnographic part of the museum that has a huge collection of many unsual things. At the entrance there is a collection of Christian prayer items followed by the Hindu prayer items – that shows the peaceful co-existence of two communities in the state.

Extraction of Sugarcane juice to make jaggery

For making the Kaju Fanny

Weights and Measures

Farming Equipment

Women doing their Daily Chores on a Chair

An Old Telephone

Stone Crushers that added their own taste to the chutneys

The beautifully designed museum has a central courtyard that is occupied by displays and a water pond that has fishes living in it. Various rooms are filled with aesthetically arranged items. Some of them you might have seen in your grandmother’s house. In fact I felt a tinge of sadness when I saw the Banta Bottle or the bottle with a marble stuck in its neck as a museum piece which was just a couple of decades ago was pretty much a part of growing up.

Soda Bottles

Visiting these kinds of museums across the country tells me that all the communities in different corners of the country were bound by a common thread in the way they lived, the way they lived what would today be called ‘100% Organic living’ and the commonalities in their tools, equipments and daily wares.

A Well Adorned Cradle for the Kids

The museum collection is huge, this is a small sample of what I saw.

Travel News:

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Tara Book Store – Chennai

2015-03-07T08:00:00.000+05:30

I have been looking at the simply brilliant books by Tara books in bookstores and in art galleries. I thought they were very innovative in using the native Indian art forms for storytelling, especially for children. In the mean time, I wrote a business case study on them for CII’s India Innovates series and that is when I came to know of their bookstore in Chennai and it got added to my to-be-visited list for the next Chennai visit. So this Oct, when I was in Chennai for a business meeting and had just couple of hours to myself, I walked into the Tara Books’ bookstore at Thiruvaniyur in Chennai.

Thankfully they have marked themselves very clearly on Google maps and have put a couple of boards in the lanes leading to them; otherwise it would be a nightmare to locate them. As I entered the house converted into office cum bookstore cum public space for readings and meetings, the first thing that locked the eyes was the colorful walls and pillars with stories painted on them. Color-laden books were piled up against the white stands in a way that colors stood out even more brightly.

Once I introduced myself, the staff took me around the space. Ground floor is a bookstore, first floor more of a meeting space with the art works from the books displayed on the walls. The top floor is the editorial office where the designers and the editors work from. The narrow spiral staircase that connects the three floors is not devoid of art either. Below the spiral is a neatly painted snake and on the footsteps I could see letter E, M etc marked with an arrow sign and I was told these lead you to various parts of the building like Editing, Meeting etc. Very Interesting!

Standing at Tara Book Store was like being in a culture lab. Walls, books, and designs - everything shows you the glimpses of diversity that Indian artisans can create with the same few basic colors. Madhubani, Pithora, Patua, Pattachitra & Bhil arts stand talking to each other – letting you draw parallels and differences in them and make you absorb them in a very unique way. It is a place that celebrates visual storytelling by not just making stories come alive on their pages but also by providing better livelihood options to Indian folk artists. They are sending stories from India across the world as their books get translated in many global languages across the world.

Flipped through the books, picked up a couple of books with an urge to buy many more…

If you love books and if you have young children, Tara Books is a highly recommended place on your next visit to Chennai. Visiting the store would be a learning experience in itself.

Following the tunnel at Ibrahim Rauza in Bijapur

2015-03-02T08:00:00.000+05:30

Ibrahim Rauza, Bijapur aka Vijayapura

On the second morning of our Bijapur stay we started the day with Ibrahim Rauza, which is only about 6-7 kms from Gol Gumbaz but is on the other edge of the city. Now Ibrahim Rauza is another tomb along with a mosque but it is very different from Gol Gumbaz. The two buildings i.e. the tomb and mosque face each other and are of same size. In fact at first look from a distance they even look identical but as you go closer you know they are not. A square water tank with a fountain separates both buildings.

Chajja Detail of Ibrahim Rauza, Bijapur aka Vijayapura

Walking towards the building from the get, you cannot but notice the symmetry of the two buildings, again hidden a bit by the entry gate like structure. Two domes on either side have many small-carved minarets dancing around them. We walked through the gateway that had colorful palkis or palanquins with the number 786 written on them. I wondered what it could be when the lady at shoe counter told me that it is used during Moharram to carry Alams.

Corridor of the Tomb at Ibrahim Rauza, Bijapur aka Vijayapura

We went inside and the serene calm environment with only two old buildings standing on the stone platform surrounded by the jail like staff quarters. It was like a playground for many birds. Bright green parakeets had their favorite hiding place in the ornate chajja of the mosque while pigeons it seemed were rehearsing their collective flights from lawns to rooftop while circling around the domes. I sat in front of the mosque with intent to study the elements of architecture when the person sweeping the monument came and showed me some stone chains hanging on both sides of the chajja. Now this person actually said these imitate the earrings of the queen of Ibrahim Adil Shah who is also buried here with him. I would say that is a stretch of imagination but the stone chains with a carved piece at the end do look like the mosque is wearing earrings. He then pointed me to the faded paintings on the walls of both the monuments – which you are sure to miss in a cursory look.

Latticed Calligraphy at Ibrahim Rauza, Bijapur aka Vijayapura

Tomb has lovely windows and what is worth noticing is the latticed windows with calligraphy in Persian – something that I saw for the first time. All around the corridors there are arches that have circles carved on them and I wonder if they are just ornamental and served a purpose. The doors and windows when looked through each other create an impressive play of light. What was intriguing about the tomb is its low roof and high dome – indicating a space between the two – again with no answers to purpose of the same? The same person told me that from the tomb goes a tunnel to Sangeeta Mahal – which is four kms away from this place. He even said that the labyrinth carved on the entrance of the tomb indicates the passage as it goes – which of course seems too far-fetched to be true. But a sole labyrinth carved here on entrance does sound intriguing with nothing to match it anywhere else in the monument.

Sangeeta Mahal, Bijapur aka Vijayapura

After soaking in early morning warm winter sun at Inrahim Rauza, we proceeded to Sangeeta Mahal. I was not expecting much here and that is what it turned out to be. Absolute ruins of a palace with few extremely dilapidated structures lying inside a wall with low arched gateways – that are now barricaded. There was no documentation and all we could see was some tall narrow arches in the walls. At some places the carvings and arches try hard to maintain the old glory. It is a huge complex but half of it was locked and the other half is also quite dangerous as the masonry is falling apart. I must admit that ruins looked handsome though the only signs of life around them were birds all around.

Ibrahim Rauza, Bijapur aka Vijayapura

Best way to go to these places is take a city bus – which are very comfortable and announce every stop. There are shared autos as well, but I prefer to use the public transport wherever available – safe and economical.

Walk through backwaters of Moira village, Goa

2015-02-27T08:00:00.000+05:30

Moira Backwaters, Goa

I am always on the look out for interesting walking trails in any city I live in or visit. I started doing it a bit late in Goa, but then Goa kept me busy in various courses and concerts and talks and I am not complaining at all. I have been hearing about the village of Moira that is kind of becoming a hub for lot of creative professionals like photographers, authors, architects and artisans. So when I read about this walk recommended by Siddharth Shanghvi in CN Traveller, I decided to go there one afternoon. Thanks to clear instructions we reached the Vado of Satporia and parked the car outside its lovely church and started walking towards what Shanghvi called carpenter’s village.

Fishing Net at Moira Backwaters, Goa

The path went up and down for sometime and then came a steep slope that took us closer to the river. We could feel the artistically inclined population of the village through the tastefully done exteriors of many homes we passed by. There were Tibetan prayer flags lined up on one of the house while on the other was a large medallion with Mario Miranda style painting. We were looking for a temple and since we could see one on the left we walked to it, but kind of reached a dead end. We asked around and we were directed to another temple on the other side. We walked for few hundred meters to reach the other temple dedicated to a local saint, passing through many carpenter workshops, happy at our discovery of a prized skill in Goa.

Fishing Net in Action at Moira Backwaters, Goa

At the temple, there was Masher or a fish catching area. A small embankment had wooden gates that are used to control the flow of water – you could call it a small dam. When the water is rising it flows in one direction and when it is going down it flows in other direction. So the fishermen allow the water to collect when it is rising but put the net when it is going down and trap all the fish. They also do manual fishing using fishing rods. At the end of our walk we sat down with the fishermen and saw them putting baits for the fishes and catching them skillfully. We were told that they catch as much as 25-30 kgs of fish every day. Watching the river fishing closely was one of the best takeaways of this walk. Fisherman and his family will also take you for a boat ride on the backwaters and show you some birds. If you are lucky, you can spot crocodiles too.

Birds at Moira Backwaters, Goa

From this embankment a mud path goes through the river. For about a kilometer or so it goes through the river, by the river treating you with lovely bird sightings. Here you see a bunch of pure white egrets occupying the branches of a tree and then flying together to move to another almost as a sport. Small baya weavers camouflage themselves on the low-lying shrubs. They chirp away in pairs and small groups as if attending a party hosted by the shrub. Lonesome bright blue kingfishers sit alone on electric wires looking into the water for its next food. A Darter or snakebird plays hide and seek with us. Lapwigs sat on the banks as outside observers. Purple herons, pond herons, doves, drongos and cormorants made some guest appearances. For bird watcher this is paradise.

Temple at Moira Backwaters, Goa

We came out from this path in the village of Uccasaim and to a beautiful white church with blue borders. Had a chai at a small shop, walked around the church and we were ready to walk back – meeting the birds once again and being thankful for the blessing that Goa is.

Boats at Moira Backwaters, Goa

River by the village of Moira is caller Moira River by Google maps, but a bit of reading and asking around tells me that it is a branch of Mandovi river, at times also called the Mapusa river. To me it looked more like the backwaters of Mandovi that go up and down with season on relatively marshy lands. Water and vegetation play with each other – playing a role in each other’s lifecycle. They become the favorite spots for birds for there is no dearth of water and food for them and not many humans come around to disturb them.

Birds at Moira Backwaters, Goa

I also got to know about Moira Bananas as a favorite variety of Goans when I was doing Utopia DystopiaGoa project. I did not see many banana plantations though there were banana plants in individual homes.

Houses of Moira, Goa

It’s a walk that introduces you to the village life of Goa – that is so linked to water, fish, church, temple, bananas and co-exists with all them in a kind of harmony that most of us desire.

Kirti Mandir, Vadodara

2015-02-22T08:00:00.000+05:30

I had lots of temples and palaces in my list to see in Vadodara that I could not see because there was some disturbance in the town. Our driver told us that Kirti Mandir can be seen but he was so unenthusiastic about it that I assumed it must be just another temple. Thank God, we insisted that we want to see it – for we were in for a big surprise. Though Kirti Mandir looks like a temple with strectched arms but it was no ordinary temple, infact it is not a temple in the usual sense of the word.

Kirti Mandir is the resting place of Gaikwads of Baroda. Behind the E shaped temple like structure is the Shamshan Ghat or the burning ground called Kardeshwar ground where members of the royal family are cremated. The main building is a hall with a bust Sayyaji Rao III who had built this place in 1936 in memory of his ancestors. Infact it was designed by Sir Edward Lutyens along with the Baroda state architect V R Talwarkar. While laying the foundations of this building Gupta Era bricks were discovered dating back to 400 CE, giving this place an added ancestral aura. This hall has few paintings by renowned artists like Nand Lal Bose depicting Mahabharata, Ganga and Nati puja of Bengal. This hall is used for prayer meeting, ceremonies and for holding musical concerts.

I was curious about the rooms all around the main building on multiple floors – all of which were locked. My initial guess was that they are staff quarters but then they were too many for staff quarters. Valu Bhai, who has been a caretaker of this place for last 65 years, told us that this is where the royal family continues to live after they leave their bodies and I wondered how. He opened a couple of rooms and showed us the busts of the family members – usually couples in the same room. The busts were very similar to the ones we saw at Laxmivilas palace in the city. Female busts had jewelry that could be seen beneath several layers of their garments like folds of Sari. I wish I could see more of them, but Valu Bhai said these are not open for visitors but he showed us a few, as we were too keen.

Valu Bhai also pointed us to the finial that is made of bronze and consists of sun, moon & earth – with a map of India carved on it. This is to indicate that the glory of the Gaikwads will remain till these three heavenly bodies remain in the universe. Rest of the building is made in Kota Stone. When I was there I could not see the tall building completely, but now that I look at them in pictures – it looks like a palace with temple tops or Shikharas.

There are two small temples in front of the main structure. The buildings looked dilipadated a bit, I am sure they can do with little more maintainence, but then it is not really designed as a tourist spot where they expect visitors. I guess this place must be getting active only when a member of family moves in here as a bust.

I found Kirti Mandir quite intriguing and it was a chance discovery as we had some time on hand that day.

Faces of Viva Carnival 2015

2015-02-17T08:43:00.000+05:30

Panaji Carnival is a parade of floats that customarily begins with this float with King Momo declaring that in his reign people should just eat, drink and be merry. Going through the tree lined streets of Panaji this float looks beautiful but kind of raises the hopes for what would follow this float. Did they meet the expectation lets see.

Clowns followed the King Momo's float, entertained the crowd and posed with them.

After King Momo's float, all we saw were floats with social messages - one to save girl child, another to save frogs and crocodiles, to save environment etc etc. After a while I started missing the entertainment factor and it became too much of preaching. Not sure, if that was the idea of the carnival. Last year I could see the crowds getting inside the barricades and dancing with the carnival dancers but this time the carnival dances were few and far and had least enthusiasm to inspire others to join them. I would not blame them though - it is not easy to dance on a mile long route for better part of the afternoon.

Found these use of vibrant colors by two very different women, both part of the same crowd.

Some of the participants of the Carnival wearing colorful masks and make-up. They provided color to the whole environment.

Some men dressed themselves as King Momo and some painted themselves all silver or golden. They happily posed for every camera, even suggested poses to camera carrying spectators. The one in silver was a true artist, I saw him making at least 20 different poses for each person who wanted to get clicked with him.

Finally, it was children in the crowd who brought cheer, specially between the long delays between the floats. These three girls were too happy to pose while for the young children I had to wait and watch and catch them at the right moment.

My take on Carnival - quality of floats can be way better. They can do away with the excessive use of plastic and thermocol. People should be allowed to participate otherwise it becomes very boring to see some preachy floats just passing by. Entertainment - the dosage need to be increased a lot. I do not believe 3 lakh plus tourist came to Goa for the carnival. I did not say any. Most of the people in the crowd were young parents with their children and lots of camera carrying photo enthusiasts. If you happen to be in Goa at the time of carnival attend it, you may be disappointed if you travel solely to attend the carnival.

Dome Hopping in Bijapur

2015-02-13T08:00:00.000+05:30

Upri Burz, Bijapur

From the top of Gol Gumbaz, we could see lots of domes jetting out all over the city. The security guide pointed out the main ones and kind of created a mental map of the city for us and we knew the general direction in which we need to go around.

Jama Masjid, Bijapur

Bara Kaman, Bijapur

We kept the Ibrahim Rauza for the next day, as we wanted to shoot it in morning light and decided to explore the rest of the city in the afternoon. We started with Jama Masjid, that had the biggest dome after Gol Gumbaz and. We reached there to discover just outside it two more domes belonging to dargahs of two sufi saints. Similarly at Jod Gumbaz or the twin domes – we found a third one standing right next to them. Most of these domes stand on top of tombs of some important people. Most interesting of these tombs and domes is BaraKaman – an incomplete structure of the tomb of one of the Adil Shah sultans, who wanted to build a structure similar to Gol Gumbaz but 12 storeys high Gol Gumbaz is only 7 storeys high. It could not be completed as it collapsed at some point in time during the construction leaving the bare arches and the graves with sky as roof on top of them. Unfinished tall and narrow arches with birds chirping in them create an interesting interplay against the sky.

Largest Canon at Malik-e-maidan, Bijapur

Malik-e-Maidan has a war piece on display - the largest medieval canon in the world. Covered in a green Patina, this metal wonder is lying proudly on top of a bastion of the fort wall. You can go around it and see the elephants carved on its sides and go on top to see the top view that reveals the lion carved on top of its mouth. At another bastion lies the place that used to hold this canon with a provision to rotate it. This was a war trophy and sits on a platform specially built to showcase it. Imagine once this was auctioned for mere Rs 150/-. Opposite this Malik-e-maidan lies another interesting structure – an open bastion with staircase going around it called Upri Burz. This one also showcases two very long canons and gives a panoramic view of the city all around it.

Upri Burz, Bijapur

Jharokha at Mehtar Mahal, Bijapur

An unusual piece of architecture we saw at a place called Mehtar Mahal – which is an ornate entrance to what is a rather plain looking mosque. Our auto guy called it Bhangi Mahal – I am sure there is genesis to this name but no one could explain that to me. The young men lounging inside said it is called Behtar or Behatareen Mehal. What is exclusive about this place is the ornate ceiling at the entrance, which looked like it belonged to a temple as it is flat and intricately carved. There are some beautifully carved brackets with lions and horses on them. There is a jharokha like window on top with three openings as if for women to look out. Another similar but freestanding structure we discovered near bus stand that it seemed it was built to stand in the middle of a pond.

Panch Pandu, Bijapur

A fort gate stands not too far from the city bus stand. It has bastions flanked by pillars carved in very Chalukyan style. Not far from it is Panch Pandu as it is known in the city– though the board outside said Karimmudin mosque. It is definitely a temple that was converted into a mosque at some point in time. There was scaffolding all over the place, but we could still admire some of the stonework and a few rotating pillars that have survived the savages of time.

Bijapur Fort Entrance

At various places we stopped by to admire an arch or a gateway. The two water tanks – Taj Baodi and Chand Baodi were utter disappointments – filled of filth. Asar Mahal, Gagan Mahal and many other big and small monuments are sprinkled across the city. If you take the bus stand as the centre and just walk around randomly you will end up covering most of them.

Pillars outside Bijapur Fort

The fort, city walls and remains of many old structures peacefully co-exist with the modern day Bijapur. Some of them act as public places for the citizens, some attractions for the visitors, some play grounds for children but most importantly they are living while you can see them moving towards their last days at a steady pace.

Most monuments in Bijapur require you to climb up and down on uneven steep steps and it needs quite a bit of energy – Just be aware of that.

Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary

2015-02-10T08:00:00.001+05:30

Saras Crane, Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary

Keoladeo National Park popularly called Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary in Rajasthan is among the top rated bird sanctuaries of India and the world, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. About 29 sq. km of dry and wet grass-land is home to a large variety of resident as well as flocks of migratory birds especially during winters. It is located just a bit off the most popular tourist triangle of Agra - Jaipur - Delhi and hence visited by a large number of visitors. Saras Crane is the tallest flying bird in world and measures about 6 ft. in height and a wing-span of about 2.5 meters. According to our cycle-rickshaw driver cum guide, spotting them at Bharatpur is considered lucky for you. They are always seen in pairs, monogamous and are known to fast to death if the companion loses life. As of now, they are vulnerable and considered endangered species. This bird could well be a pride of India.

Black Winged Kite, Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary

A look up the dry branches of the trees one may be able to spot the Black Winged Kite watching over you and the peafowls during sunrise/sunset as they fly up and park their for safety.

Pathways, Bhartpur Bird Sanctuary

A typical tree lined raised walking path besides the low lying wet lands is a delight. It helps cover the entire sanctuary on foot or on cycle rickshaw for bird watchers and photography enthusiasts who can easily spend a day here.

White-throated Kingfisher, Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary

Birds and Buterflies can be seen closely while they are at relative comfort and feel safe with people and their cameras.

Mating Butterflies, Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary

Indian Fox, Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary

Scavengers like the Fox can be seen often crossing the path and assessing the men intruding into their territories, like this one did.

Purple Heron in-flight, Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary

Pied Kingfishers in-flight, Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary

Variety of Herons, Kingfishers, Cormorants, Eagles, Kites, Parakeets, Pigeons, Cranes, Stilts, Lapwings, Storks, Woodpeckers, Owls, Wagtails, Waterhens, Moorhens, Swamphens, Bulbuls, Babblers, Doves, Duck's, Egrets, Ibis, Pelicans can be seen here. It helps to carry a field guide on Indian birds to identify them, specially different species of the same bird.

Male Nilgai, Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary

Nilgai's are the common antelopes and cab be seen at Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary relishing the lush green grass of the low lying wetlands. Females are brownish colored, without horns and seen in small group with juveniles. Males are dark greyish in color with sharp small horns mostly seen alone.

Crested Serpent Eagle, Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary

The dozen odd parakeets were not happy with the presence of this resting Crested Serpent Eagle on their nesting tree and were making loud shrill noise to disturb and nudge it away. The eagle first flared the crest to look larger, an opportunity to photograph, before it got disturbed by the noise and flew away.

Lesser Whistling Ducks, Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary

Some man made small islands can be seen inhabited by hundreds of ducks, cormorants and egrets enjoying a sun bath after the cold winter nights. There are several such islands in the sanctuary where ducks are seen in frenzied flapping and squawking away to glory.

Indian Pond Heron, Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary

Overall it is a must visit place, for bird enthusiasts it is a like a pilgrimage that they must visit every year.

Sunday Shot: White-bellied Sea Eagle

2015-02-08T08:00:00.000+05:30

White-bellied Sea Eagle

White-bellied Sea Eagle is a predatory bird. Seen in small numbers along the sea coast, back waters and estuaries along the coast, circling over the waters to spot the prey. Fish and water snakes are its primary food. Larger size, smaller numbers, higher flight paths, white belly, neck, head and upper wings distinguish it from other kites. It is predatory while others Brahminy and Black Kites are scavengers. Hence other birds keep safe distance from the Sea Eagle.

It does not dive into the water, but catches the prey in talons while they appear on the surface of water. Flies to the nearby tall tree top to feed and rest. It nests in winter. Known to display amazing aerodynamics in-flight, it is a master of the coastal skies.

This image was captured near Santa Monica jetty at Panjim, Goa.

Gol Gumbaz – A Reverberating Dome

2015-02-03T08:00:00.001+05:30

Bijapur is a city of domes. Wherever I went in the city, there was always a dome in sight. The most illustrious dome is of course Gol Gumbaz that stands proudly at one end of the city. Being the second largest dome in the world it invokes quite a bit of curiosity. We reached Bijapur or Vijaipura as it is now called early morning and as luck would have it – our hotel was right next to Gol Gumbaz. While checking in, I was trying to get hold of a city map and the manager pointed out the futility of it as said Gol Gumbaz is 2 mins walks – just across. So after a quick breakfast, we walked to the big dome. Bijapur, thankfully is still a horizontal city than a vertical one, so the domes stand out in the middle of big and small settlements.

We could see the dome as soon as we started walking but the tall walls prevented the view later as we walked right next to it. City was still waking up and the sun has just started rising on the horizon. At the entry gate, my eyes got the full view of the dome for the first time. Two rows of trees were still trying hard to hide the structure behind them, but the dome is too high to let them do it meaningfully. We buy the tickets, go through the demanding guides who tell us what is the use of seeing a monument without a guide and finally reach a little closer to the Gol Gumbaz. Now it is the Naqqarkhana turned museum that is blocking the view and coming between the Gol Gumbaz and me. Little did the architect of 17^thCE know that one-day travelers with cameras would come and the Naqqarkhana would not let them have wide-angle pictures? With a sigh, skirted the yet to open museum and proceeded on the other side to get a full view of the main monument. It was a very simple yet immensely elegant building with minimal ornamentation and four minars or towers stuck on four corners. At first look, they looked like the deepstambh or the lamp towers that you find in the temples of Maharashtra and Goa. The arched openings at each floor look amazing from ground and give exclusive views of the city when you are climbing them up.

Entered the monument to hear the chirping of birds and to feel the empty space with a few tombs at the very bottom. You have to look up as much as your neck permits to see the dome from inside. Interiors are rather plain, unlike some of the domes in Delhi that are painted. Engineering wise it is a feat that most engineers would be proud to have on their resume, a free standing dome – standing tall for more than three and half centuries. The best place to read the vital statistics of Gol Gumbazis on the ASI website. Soon we started hearing whistles and shouts from the whispering gallery on top – that looks like a small railing from the bottom. After appreciating the carved wooden frame on top of the Adil Shah’s grave. We moved towards the right front minar to go on top.

You need lot of physical endurance to climb the narrow, steep and winding stairs of the Gol Gumbaz. Thankfully after every storey, there is a platform where you can regain your normal breathing and also appreciate the top view of the city from the arches on the hexagon of the minar. What is interesting is that each arch offers a unique view and the view of adjacent arches have no overlap. As you keep going up the city keeps expanding before your eyes and by the time you reach the top you can see most of it. A guide on top showed me all the monuments I had in my list to see in Bijapur, most of them identified by – what else – their domes. You can also see the Bijapur fort walls around the Gol Gumbaz – probably the only place where you can see them with a perspective. Parakeets are flying all around adding a bit of color to otherwise drab walls.

We entered the whispering gallery through an opening in one of the lotus petals carved around the dome. There is a small circular gallery that you can go around and see the monument top down. The acoustics of this gallery are well know – the slightest sound said to the walls can be heard across the dome and the shouts and shrills reverberate many times – some say up to 35+ times. However once the crowd builds up, it is impossible to count them. You can hear the sound as clearly outside the dome as inside. I was wondering – it is a tomb, where a dead family rests. Why would they build these acoustics – what was the purpose or it happens by default inside domes?

We came down and walked towards the museum that was now open. There are a couple of notable pieces in this museum that is spread on two storeys – one is a intricately carved door of a temple and another is a Vijay Stambh or victory pillar from Mahakoota temple in Aihole. Other displays are nice too but it is a small museum and you do not need to spend too much time here. There is also a mosque on the western side of the monument that is quite dwarfed by the height of Gol Gumbaz.

After a quick tea at a canteen inside the Gol Gumbaz campus we walked around the lawns to meet many excavated pillars and carved stone idols lying around. We walked around the horse stables to come back to the gate to be pounded by Tonga wallahs who competed with each other to plan the rest of the itinerary for us. My camera and cap increased the rates quoted by multi-fold.

We came back in the evening to see if the monument is lit up as we had seen many flood lights all around it. But it was not. Incidentally an ASI officer was standing there he blatantly refused that monument can be lit or was ever lit. When I asked him about the flood lights – he just walked away.

You need good 3-4 hours to see Gol Gumbaz, unless you choose not climb to the top in which case you can do it in less than an hour.

Sunday Shot: Purple Heron in-flight

2015-02-01T08:00:00.000+05:30

Purple Heron bird in-flight

Purple Herons are larger in size compared to the most common Pond Herons. They have been sighted solitary, not so easily seen as they prefer to hunt for their prey in secluded areas. To find them you need to see intently near the water bodies like lakes, backwaters and wet fields. The feathers are purple in color when seen from top with grey stripes on the neck and a lovely yellow underneath powerful long beak. Eyes are yellow while it has characteristically striped long slender neck which it recoils during flight. Long legs and grey-purple feathers help identify the bird. If it is disturbed or if it senses threat this large bird immediately croaks and takes off to safer distance.

The adults are comparable in size to the Grey Herons and larger Egrets. They fly close to the ground or water short distances looking for the food and spends considerable time walking amidst tall grass spotting frogs and other food.

They fly to the top branches of the trees to keep safe from predators.

This image was captured using the Nikon D7000 camera, 300 mm lense, at the Mandovi river backwaters near Panjim, Goa

Satyagraha Ashram – Where the Mahatma was born

2015-01-30T09:46:00.000+05:30

Bookshop at Gujarat Vidyapeeth

We know Mohan Das Karam Chand Gandhi was born in Porbandar, but it is in Ahmedbad that Mahatma Gandhi was born when he came back from Africa in 1915 and setup an Ashram in the city. A lovely Bungalow was gifted to him by Barrister Jivanlal Desai in Kochrab locality of the city that is now known as Satyagraha Ashram. Gandhi and his wife Kasturba lived in this double storey ashram for 2 years till 1917 when the better-known Sabarmati Ashram came up on the banks of Sabarmati. A bit of Internet research tells me that Gandhi chose Ahmedabad to be his base as here he could speak Gujarati – his mother tongue, it was centre for handlooms so his charkha movement would get a good start and third it was home to a lot of wealthy people whom he expected to contribute to freedom struggle. In 1917, a plague epidemic played a role in ashram being moved out of Kochrab.

Sabarmati Ashram is what we know as Gandhi Ashram, but it was a discovery to know that the first Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad was located in Kochrab. My young friend Tushar took me to this Ashram, and even though he knows the city quite well, it took us a few turns here and there to reach the Ashram. From a distance it looks like an old British era bungalow in pale yellow. In the corner, there is a shop, selling handloom and gramodyoga products. Unlike Sabarmati Ashram, there were no tourists here.

Satyagraha Ashram Kochrab Ahmedabad

We enter the ashram and see no one around. On the right is a large ground with a platform and a board tells us that it used to be the prayer ground. On the left is the bungalow and behind the bungalow are few rooms in a straight line. We reluctantly open the doors of the Bungalow and see well maintained rooms that were used by Mr & Mrs Gandhi. Walls have writings of Gandhi from his book Hind Swaraj, large portraits of people who influenced him like Tagore, pictures of all ashrams across the state and a brief story on them. Glass panels of the cupboards have pictures of the couple besides large portraits of theirs on walls. There are small caricatured panels depicting various activities of Gandhi. Gandhi’s room has his trademark writing desk on the floor with white mattress and a simple wooden charkha by the side. In many respects the rooms were very similar to Sabaramati Ashram.

Mahatma Gandhi's room at Satyagraha Ashram Kochrab Ahmedabad

We came out and met a caretaker who showed us the rooms behind the main building that were supposed to be the kitchen, store room and toilet for the house. Our modern mind finds it difficult to understand that a fairly large bungalow will not have a toilet inside but then we realize mindsets were different a century ago. In the front corridor an old gentleman is reading the newspaper and he tells us about the library on the first floor. Now, I am excited and want to go upstairs as soon as possible. But Alas, an old Gandhian who has the keys refuses to let me. I request him, cajole him but he says it is only open to the members of the society. I tell him I only want to see the library and he says – go to the university and see the books there. How do I explain him what a library means to me? Both Tushar and me tried all possible ways to convince him, but he remained adamant that only members of the society have access to the library and I was thinking – what would have Gandhi thought of this stance – that no one can look at his library but a bunch of self-proclaimed Gandhians.

This Ashram is managed by Gujarat Vidyapeeth University – an institution that was set up by Gandhi in 1920 that is located almost next door to the Ashram. I went their to pick up a few books of Gandhi including a special edition of Hind Swaraj that has handwritten text by Gandhi in Gujarati along with Hindi & English translation on hand made paper. It was a lovely bookstore with books primarily from the independence movement era.

Some newspaper reports tell me that Gujarat tourism had plans to convert this ashram into a homestay where tourists can come and live like they would have during the days of Gandhi, following all the rules of the ashram. I am not sure if they should use this piece of heritage as a tourism product but this idea of Gandhian homestay is something that should be worked on – may be on a property that resembles the ashram. I think the ashram should be kept intact, as it is an important part of our history, but of course with an access to library upstairs.

Jeep Safari at Satpura National Park

2015-01-27T11:00:00.000+05:30

Moonlit Denwa Backwaters

Sipping steaming hot tea with views of Moon lit Denwa river backwaters is likely to make a great beginning for a day set aside for exploring nature at its best. Imagine soon you are going to cross over a kilometer of brimming backwaters on a boat before sunrise, under the watchful moon, to explore Satpura national park on morning jeep safari starting sharp at 6 AM. Some of the best sunrise moments nature lovers cherish.

Sun rises and shines on the paths of Satpura National Park

By the time you board the jeep safaris operated by the forest officials, and experience the cool breeze in the dense forests, the Sun rises lighting up the path and activating the life out there.

Wildlife we met at Satpura National Park

Jeep ride begins with twists and turns, going up and downs on the mud path following the resounding calls of monkeys, deers, birds etc. One can start spotting the herds of alert but still at ease Spotted Deers grazing their morning breakfast. Sambar’s alert ears stand and turn around sensing the scene. Wild boars and Gaurs (Indian Bison) the munching in herds on the way. While rest of animals keep a safe distance, at a comfortable 1000 kg adult Gaurs are comfortable being close to the jeeps, though at least one of them keeps an alert eye on you. Hundreds of giant spiders connecting the tree branches with their net throughout the forest. Chirping birds of various kinds can be heard throughout the circular paths of the jeep ride. Langur’s dare to block the path demonstrating their prowess a la Bheema in Mahabharata.

Water, rocks and trees form a landscape at Satpura National park

Another cup of tea amidst the dense jungles, diligently arranged by Denwa Backwater Escape staff, by the rocky side of the backwaters with mesmerizing reflections provide an opportunity to spot water birds. This is something restricted in a moving jeep for photographers to compose. Warmth of the sun-rays and the hot cup of tea make it a cozy place to sit back and admire nature and birds.

We make few more rounds of jungle, trying to spot the elusive Leopards and Sloth Bears. No luck, and it is all you need to meet these predators.

Pink Water Lily's at Satpura National Park

The safari ends at about 9 AM, besides a tiny lake full of by now blooming pink Water Lilies.

We are back in the afternoon for another jeep safari at Satpura National Park. This time me meet lots of birds including common kingfisher, India Roller, Drongo, Malabar Giant Squirrel and the antelopes

Wildlife and Birds at Satpura National Park

Scenic Sunset at Denwa River

At the end of the day the moonlit landscapes , sunrise and sunset over backwaters of Denwa is what we would remember the most from the visit. Play of light and colors is an experience to cherish as is the call of birds.

Sunday Shot: Slender Billed Gull

2015-01-25T08:00:00.001+05:30

Slender Billed Gull, Goa

Flocks of these gulls look like a sprinkling of shiny silver particles in the sky from a distance, reflecting the sunshine. They can be then seen splitting into smaller groups scanning the surface of lakes and estuaries for the food. They usually can be seen skimming the food from the surface of water, they do not dive into the water. The typical characteristics are a divinely white colored body, greyish feathers of unique design and a black beak.

This Slender billed Gull was captured from the Patto bridge over Mandovi River at Panjim, Goa. It was scanning the water at the river edge thus providing eye level view.

For more bird pictures, see our Birds of India series.

Walk around Fontainhas – Panjim

2015-01-20T08:00:00.003+05:30

Painted wall at Fontainhas

What makes Goa distinct from rest of India is that Portuguese culture has seeped in deep and become an integral part of this small Riviera state. You can see the Portuguese influence in houses in remote villages, in food and in language. To enjoy this culture in a matter of hours there is no better place than to walk around Fontainhas area of Panjim, also know as Latin Quarters at times. This is a very small and absolutely walk friendly area where you go through the residential area, a few of which now work as guesthouses, hotels, restaurants, cafes, boutiques & art galleries. All of these offer a chance to sit back, relax and soak in the richness of the culture that is a microcosm of the culture of Goa. I have walked this area many times – as a tourist, as a resident of Panjim, at night, early morning and of course during the day. In December I walked again with the sole purpose of writing this post.

Pedestrian Bridge at connecting Patto to Fontainhas

I started by landing early morning at Panjim bus stand and walked through the early morning flower market to reach the Patto Bridge that connects the Fontainhas area with the Patto area over the Ourem Creek. An old road sign at the end of the bridge will tell you this is the centre of Goa and you can go to North or South from here to explore the state. Stand on the bridge and see the still waters on which another two other bridges pass on either side. One is a busy with traffic while the other one is pedestrian only. The blue pedestrian bridge with its reflection in water makes a lovely picture as the greens mangroves on the side provide a perfect frame.

Shell Windows at Fontainhas

From here we walked into the lanes of Fontainhas – the area that lies between this creek and Altinho hill and was once fed with springs or fountains and hence the name. This place used to be a coconut grove before it was inhabited in late 18^th CE. Colorful houses in bright red, blue, yellow and green make it look very Mediterranean. In fact I noticed the color of the house usually does not repeat in a street and wonder if the color worked as the last mile address once upon a time. You cannot but notice the windows panes with shell stuck together in narrow strips – a very Goan feature that is supposed to keep the interiors cool and dry. The red stone sit outs, popularly known as Balcoas are another distinct feature to notice, as are the overhanging balconies at places.

St Sabestian Chapel, Fontainhas

Most streets would lead you to the lone white building in the area – the St Sabestian Chapel. You see, White color was reserved for churches and chapels in Goa and that is why you do not see it often on houses. If you want to go inside and see couple of historically relevant things like an old crucifix and an image of Christ with open eyes, you need to walk on a Sunday when the chapel is open. It is quite a serene chapel with well-maintained interiors and few commemorative tablets for the curious. A laterite stone near the well to chapel is a reminder of old water management systems. Not too far from the chapel in a narrow lane lies the 31^stJanuary Bakery that you must explore for the lovely wine biscuits that they make, though you will locate quite a few bakeries during your walk.

Fonte Phoenix at Fontainhas

Walking down the road through open public spaces and painted walls and through art galleries like Gitanjali Art gallery and Fundacão Orienté, reading the name plates in traditional Azulejos tiles in white and blue, looking at a 100+ year old library, we enter the Mala area that is predominantly a Hindu area and a way to recognize this is by the Tulsi plant prominently being a part of the house. At the end of the road you meet the stepwell like white structure of mid 19^th CE called Fonte Phoenix – a natural spring. On our night walk, some of our co-walkers went inside tunnel that opens up from the walls of this reservoir and reported that the water seeped in from porous laterite stone, as it would down on a small spring. This was the main source of waters for the residents of Fontainhas, probably a reason for the settlement itself.

Maruti Temple at Mala, Fontainhas

From here when you look up you would see a saffron colored temple on top of a hill. There are steep steps that lead to the base of the temple. You need a bit of strength to climb to this temple standing at a vantage point. This less than 100-year-old temple looks quite new but was built during the Portuguese rein. Being on a steep hill, it is built in an unusual way that allows you to view the idol from the basement before you go around and see it in the main hall. It is a pleasure to sit in the open courtyard of the temple and admire the view from here. The red slanting roofs standing between the lush green trees, a bit of Mandovi and a top view of my favorite publiclibrary. Temple is lit in the evenings and shines like a star on the hill from a distance.

100+ year old library at Fontainhas

There are many small and big eateries on the whole route – choose the one that appeals to you. I recommend Baba’s Wood Café for authentic Italian meals. To shop, pick up Ajulezos tiles with Mario Miranda cartoons if you like.

You can complete this walk comfortably in about 60-120 mins depending on pace and interest. I prefer to walk in the mornings but for this walk I would recommend anytime after 10 AM so that eateries, galleries and boutiques are open for you to explore.

Sunday Shot: Black Kite in-flight

2015-01-18T08:00:00.000+05:30

Black Kite in-flight

We know it as a bird of prey, it is also called Black Kite, and it is a fairly common bird. It can be often seen in dozens, circling over the cities, garbage dumps, water bodies. In fact garbage dumps are the best places to locate them if you can stand the stench. You can find it competing with the Brahminy Kites and crows for the food. It adroitly drifts in the air with amazing display of deep knowledge it has of aerodynamics before it rests on top of a tree. It is best known for its sharp eye sight that lets it spot the food from great heights.

This image was captured near the Mandovi river at Panjim, Goa. Performing a perfect balancing act with its feathers it was drifting down for a closer look at something it just spotted.

Modes of Narration in Buddhist Art

2015-01-16T08:00:00.000+05:30

Stone sculptures began in India about 2200 years ago with the depiction of Buddhist stories that we know as Jataka Tales. Before this the art must have existed but on perishable material like wood that has not survived the times. Earliest stone sculptures are attributed to the sites of Barhut near Jabalpur in MP and Sannati-Kanganahalli near Gulbarga in Karnataka, quickly followed by many sites spread all across Indian subcontinent.

In this post I will talk about 7 different modes adopted by the artists of that era to depict stories in stone. These stories primarily came from the Jatakas – that are stories of Buddha from his previous birth – about 550 such stories exist but most artists chose to depict a few stories repeatedly. Stories or scenes from the life of Buddha are the second most common depictions we find in stone followed by some stories of post–Buddha times that primarily include visits to Buddha sites by prominent kings who also contributed to erection of these sites. All art is typically around a Stupa – which is a hemispherical mound that holds Buddha’s relics casket at the base of it. It has a circumambulatory path or pradakshina path around it marked by a stone railing that usually has a cross bar pattern – sometimes with carved stones and sometimes plain. Without getting into the architecture of Stupa, let me get into the story telling styles in early Buddhist Art.

Read about the Jatakas and some of the Jatakas mentioned in this post: Vessantara Jataka, Dipankara Jataka, Mahakapi Jataka, Nanda Jataka & Simhala Jataka

Monoscenic Narrative - Theme in Action: This is the simplest mode of telling the story. Artist picked up the highlight of the story or one episode and carved it in stone. Usually they did not take the beginning or the end of the story but the high action point of the story. Art historians conclude that artists assumed the viewers’ familiarity with the story and hence only the high point was highlighted to remind them of the story. For example at Barhut the Artist depicts the Vessantara Jataka through the depiction of only one scene where Vessantara donates his prosperity giving white elephant to a Brahman to highlight the virtue of charity.

Monoscenic Narrative – Being in State: In this mode instead of depicting action, the outcome of the story is depicted. I interpret this as depicting the moral of the story again assuming that the viewer knows the story well. This mode has been used to depict the states of Buddha after say he achieved enlightenment or just before his Mahaparinirvana and he is the supreme figure in the narrative. Take this example from a Barhut pillar where the descent of Buddha from the heaven at Sankissa is depicted through the footprints on a ladder.

Sequential or Liner Narrative: Sequential episodes of the story are depicted in a linear or sequential fashion, with protagonist repeating in every scene. Scenes are clearly demarcated from each other. An example of this is story of Nanda Jataka depicted at Nagarjunkonda with scenes clearly demarcated with pairs of pillars with amorous couples. Historians are still figuring out the relevance of these punctuation marks in the narrative. This is the mode that is easiest to understand and almost intuitive to our modern sensibilities.

Continuous Narrative: Multiple scenes of a story with protagonist repeated are shown within a single frame. A scene of Great departure of Buddha on a cross bar of arches in Sanchi uses this mode, where the horse with a parasol depicts the departure of Siddharth from his palace and then the empty horse returning back shows the staying back of Buddha. Here the scenes are carved in continuity and have no clear demarcation. It’s the repetitive depiction of horse that shows the movement of the narrative.

Synoptic Narrative: Multiple scenes of a story are shown within a single frame but without indicating any chronological order of the story. The protagonist tends to repeat in all the scenes. Lots of stories depicted within a limited space of a roundel or a rectangular tablet either as part of pillar or larger panels have these stories. Take the case of Mahakapi Jataka from a pillar panel at Sanchi Stupa. The sequences in the story can be very confusing unless you know the story very well and then relate to the scenes. Art historians have tried to put numbers on the sketches of some of these narratives to explain, but that does not tell us why did the artists chose this mode. It is a given they assumed the familiarity with story but why a disregard to chronology or flow of the story.

Conflated Narrative: This is Similar to synoptic narrative but with a single conflated depiction of the protagonist while the story gets revealed around this large figure. In other words, in this mode the protagonist does not repeat, but the story is depicted around him. An example of the Dipankar Jataka from a Gandhara panel is a good example of this with a towering figure of Buddha around which the story of Sumedha moves.

Narrative Networks:Story is depicted as a network of scenes with scenes scattered across the available space that follow no chronological order, leaving a lot to the interpretation of the viewer. However as Prof Dehejia explained in her lecture – the artist was following a spatial narrative than a chronological narrative that means that scenes that were happening in a given space were depicted at one place, the scenes that were happening at another were clustered together, so you have to follow the story and move across spaces. Most paintings in Ajanta follow this complex narrative network mode. For example Simhala Jataka is depicted in cave 17 at Ajanta in 29 scenes on a 45 feet walls of 13 feet height from floor to ceiling. Imagine the complexity and add to this the fact that it is pitch dark inside those caves to paint.

Remember visual narratives in stone followed the oral tradition and pre-date the written text making them an important milestone in the journey of storytelling.

This post is based on the short course ‘Visual Narratives in early Buddhist Art’ conducted by Prof Vidya Dehejia. I took her permission to write this post based on her work. 6 of the 7 pictures have been taken from the material provided by the Goa University. I am using them only to illustrate the various modes for the reader to understand them clearly. If there is any copyright misuse because of this – please let me know, I will remove the images as soon as possible. Do check out the images at various sites like IGNCA, Art and Archeology, MetropolitanMuseum, British Museum for thousands of visual narrative of which the above are just an indicative sample.

Where the Walls tell stories – Tambekar Wada, Vadodara

2015-01-13T08:00:00.000+05:30

Once upon a time our walls were our art workshops, our prized possessions and all that we cherished was painted on them. We lived in the middle of those designs that either pleased us or kept reminding us of certain people or events. Alas! Not many of these places have survived the test of time. So when we heard about Tambekar wada – the haveli of Vithal Khanderao Tambekar or Bhau Tambekar - erstwhile Divan of State of Baroda that still had these paintings left, we rushed to the old city to have a look at them – almost with urgency as if they are going to vanish if we are not fast enough. After meandering many streets we finally stand in front of a rather plain looking tall building that has an ASI board outside. We step into the office and a very graceful Jamna Ben smiles and says she will show us the paintings and then looks at us to see if we can climb the steep staircases or not before guiding us there. The staircase is very steep with relatively high steps.

As she opened the door of the third floor room it was like being thrown into a riot of colors. It takes me couple of minutes to adust to this new reality before it fills me in with excitement to capture them on camera or to study the paintings to see what was painted. The ceiling had the traditional green and yellow colors while every inch of the walls was painted. Even the door panels carry painted treatises on various aspects of like like music, love, wrestling and they showcase them in Ganjifa Card like presentation. Floral patterned strips in bright colors demarcate the paintings and sometimes provide the border to the frame.

There are traditional scenes from Mahabharata including the anecdotes from the life of Krishna. There are ample contemporary scenes from the Anglo-Maratha wars of 19^th CE. Parts of walls above the doors have large paintings usually depicting war scenes.

Narrow strips of walls between doors and paintings depicting music and dance and doors as I said had panels consisting on miniatures on a theme. Some of the larger paintings are like scrolls telling a story in small scenes.

The paintings were made in 1870s and the technique used is Secco. These may not be the highest quality paintings, but they do tell me how those who could afford, painted their walls tastefully. I saw similar paintings in Jhasi in Rani of Jhansi’s palace with a predominant Red color.

There is a small Jali partition is beautifully carved and merges with the paintings. There are wooden frames that add three-dimensional impact with a woody texture to the paintings on the walls.

Apart from these two rooms that are surviving and are being restored by ASI, the rest of the Haveli is in shambles. We looked through the doors that open towards the Haveli and all we could see was crumbling walls.

Entry is free. Photography is not allowed unless you take permission from the ASI office. A must see for art enthusiasts.

Sunday Shot: Brahminy Kite in-flight

2015-01-11T08:00:00.000+05:30

Brahminy Kite in-flight, Goa

Brahminy Kite, a bird of prey, distinct from other kites with its white head and breast. It is usually seen flying over the water bodies, be it lakes, rivers, estuaries. It is a common bird when you look up, circling over to spot its prey and being chased by crows when in their domain.

They are known for amazing eye sight, in-flight maneuverings to catch or even snatch the prey. While resting on the tree branches they can be seen sharing the space with black kites and crows.

This image was captured while this one was scanning the Mandovi River estuary, from the heights of Reis Magos Fort, Goa thus getting a near eye level shot.

Pranburi Forest Park, Thailand

2015-01-09T08:00:00.001+05:30

Walkway at Pranburi Forest Park

Pranburi Forest Park lies a bit to the south of beach town of Hua Hin in Thailand. Full of mangroves and marine life, this is perfect place to take a peaceful walk in the mangrove forests, may be plant a few trees and to see some live crabs.

Best part of Pranburi Forest Park is its walking trails inside the dense forest. There are raised wooden walkways that make it a easy walk while you admire the roots and branches of mangroves criss crossing and hugging each other. I did not observe any animals or birds inside, but then I was there around noontime and in a big group – not the best time and way to visit the animals. I took a leisurely walk on this walkway that I thought is a brilliant way to let visitors experience the forest without disturbing the forest or without getting disturbed by it.

Mangrove Roots at Pranburi Forest Park

Thin tall trees with green top and entangled muddy roots make a contrast against the blue sky that makes an appearance at places. Passing through the canopies formed by the trees on head, making way through the branches crossing over the walkway and listening to air making strange noises as it passes through the trees is quite an experience.

Tied Crab at Pranburi Forest Park

We were engaged in another activity that I found very cheeky. As part of a CSR activity we were asked to release the crabs back in the mangroves. The tied crabs were brought in a bucket – with their legs and mouth tied with thin plastic ropes so that they cannot move. Visitors were shown how to hold them and cut the rope and then leave them in the mangrove.

Demo of 'How to Untie a Crab' at Pranburi Forest Park

I wondered why were they tied in the first place. If it was done to give a kick to the visitors or to make them feel good – I found it ridiculous. I am not an animal person at all and would keep away from them, but I felt very bad for the crabs, as they had to go through the act of being tied first and then providing some moral uplifting to those who freed them from those slimy ropes. I asked questions about where are these crabs picked up from and when and where are they tied – but did not get any answers, at least not the ones I understood. All I gained from this activity was a damn close look at a living crab – but then I am sure there are better ways to do that.

Planting saplings at Pranburi Forest Park

We then went to an empty marshland and planted some mangrove saplings that would add to the forest over few years. Marshland was too muddy and the feet sank in few inches as soon as we kept the foot down. Thankfully we were given long socks to wear to avoid carrying any infection from the earth, though it also meant that we missed the touch of the earth under our feet – the best way to feel in-touch with a place.

On the drive we found it an upcoming area where lots of expats are choosing to live. So you see lots of advertisements for property and lots of construction activity and you silently pray that they do not go overboard

8 Reasons to visit Anjuna Flea Market in Goa

2015-01-06T08:00:00.001+05:30

Anjuna Flea Market, Goa

Flea market at Anjuna beach is a symbolic remnant of the days of the Hippies in North Goa. When they would sell everything they had to buy a ticket back home. Grown manifold now, it is no longer a flea market – but still a colorful Indian Bazaar that comes up every Wednesday during the season i.e. Oct to April. It is a huge market and you can spend your whole day looking at things and buying some. My list of why you should go to Anjuna Flea market:

Anjuna Flea Market, Goa

Jazz up your wardrobe – If you have seen your friends wearing those funky T-shirts with some artwork designs on them or some Gods painted over them, ones that come in some unusual shapes and wondered where to pick them up. Well, this is one such place to but funky T-shirts. Same is true for accessories – be it jewelry, jackets, scarves, goggles or bags. You can spend hours here looking for the right color, trying out various things and chatting with the vendors in whichever tongue you choose. For the hand made, small designer stuff go closer to the beach that was the original flea market. The traders from Gujarat and Bijapur in Karnataka now dominate rest of the market.

Anjuna Flea Market, Goa

Get some Body Art – You probably know that you can get a tattoo done in most markets in Goa. I discovered the hair art with a cheerful Sonia who was skillfully braiding the tiny braids for a customer as she chatted with me. It takes about 15-20 mins for her to braid your hair and you can keep it that way as long as you want without the need to constantly comb your hair. She said in a day she could handle as many as 100 customers of course with from support of an assistant. At the very least you can get your hands temporarily painted with henna.

Anjuna Flea Market, Goa

Hone your bargaining Skills– Most beautiful part of Anjuna Flea Market is the Tibetan market where the shops are on the floor with neatly decorated silverware, metal wares with red and blue ornamentation and jewelry of all kinds. It is a sheer delight to walk through them. If you plan to buy some thing - expect to be shocked by the prices quoted. This is a perfect place to hone your bargaining skills – quote a price that you are willing to pay, haggle and may be settle down for a mid-way price point and then decide what did you enjoy more – the item you bought or the bargain you managed to clinch.

Anjuna Flea Market, Goa

Spot a Celebrity – Believe it or not this market attracts many celebrities holidaying in Goa. The day I went, we spotted Sushmita Sen walking along with her daughters checking the stalls for accessories. My friend spotted her and I was not too sure but then I heard whispers all around – Will she allow us to get clicked with her? Someone said – Oh, she is so arrogant! And then a trader said ‘ Don’t let her gather crowd here, it would lead to chaos and potential loss’ – a true baniya style wisdom.

Anjuna Flea Market, Goa

Food - Anjuna Flea market is not really a foodie’s place but at the end of the market towards the beach are shacks where you get typical Goan shack food. There are few smaller stalls here and there and a bar again towards the beach called Francis Bar. My recommendation is Maria Lobos for its colorful funky décor and a menu of juices, shakes and Lassi to choose from. I had a lovely (and healthy) Avocado Lassi here.

Anjuna Flea Market, Goa

For the Kitchen - Chocolate, Mango, Green Mango, Strawberry, Chocolate, Banana, Vanilla, Jasmine, Mint, pineapple, orange and even a Goan tea are some of the tea variants that you can buy at Anjuna Flea Market. Obviously tea is not grown anywhere here and probably comes here from North East but every time I pass one of these shops I find reading the names very amusing. Spices on display in piles with a spoon jetting out of them, for me make a lovely frame for my camera but I see lot of people buying them.

Anjuna Flea Market, Goa

The tribal touch - You can pick up some tribal jewelry like the ones that are made of old coins but it is the tribal women that you must sit and watch. In their elaborate dresses with mirrors, tattoos on skin and beads in their hair, they are here to sell their products but look at them speaking 5-6 different languages fluently. I spoke to one of them and asked where did she pick up all these languages and she said – right here. My face must have carried a look of ‘How?’ and she said by observing people and then she pointed to her stomach implying the hunger can be the best teacher. Profound, touching and inspiring…

Anjuna Flea Market, Goa

Pick up some Music – Wherever you are in the market you can hear the techno / trans music playing and many shops selling CDs of the same genre of music. I am not sure if they are originals or pirated but the guys would give you a small lesson in the music and musicians they sell. Towards the evening you can listen to some live music being played in some bars here – and as I always say – no recorded music can give you the energy of a live performance.

Visiting Anjuna Flea Market is an experience worth exploring at least once - thought this post is based on my two visits this year.

Sunday Shot: White-throated Kingfisher

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White-throated Kingfisher in-flight, Goa

Diving in the still waters of Malim jetty, this in-flight white-throated Kingfisher managed to catch a fish and flew back to the nearby mangroves to relish. Malim jetty located on the northern side of Mandovi river, by the side of the bridges connecting Panjim and Porvorim, is a marketing jetty exclusively for fishermen.

It is interesting to notice that Kingfisher intensely watches the waters for considerable time before taking a quick, short, sharp plunge to catch the prey. They don't dive deep, nor can they spot the prey in flowing waters.

Kingfisher is colourful, common bird of Goa and India.

Looking Back at 2014

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2014 for me was a year of receiving or of getting back. It was a year of milestones and a year that I would cherish for a long time to come.

My debut book The MouseCharmers – Digital Pioneers of India came out in April 2014. I had spent all of 2013 working on this book and happy that the book has been well received.

My Book reviews blog AnuReviews got featured in Limca Book of Records for being the largest book reviews blog in India and in return I gave it a new look & feel this year.

I completed 10 years of blogging and it was a good point in time to look back at this wonderful journey. I chose a new identity for my travel blog – www.Inditales.com. Now you can also find me on YouTube and Instagram.

I moved to Goa just by a serendipitous stroke of destiny and I would not mind living here for the rest of my life – that usually refuses to be anchored in one place.

Travel wise this year was relatively low. Still, I traveled to

Dandeli in March

Malvan in April

Kerala in May

Thailand in July

Satara in August

Gujarat in October

Madhya Pradesh and Delhi in November

But then, living in a Goa is no less than being on an eternal travel. We have been enjoying the simple living of this smallest state in India never too far from nature. It’s a blessing to see the sun going down on the beach, to drive through the fields and water bodies, to see the happy tourists all over the place. A bit of Bohemia, a bit of culture and lots of festivity & easy living is what Goa means to me.

Wish you all a very Happy New year.

Review: WelcomHotel, Vadodara

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Tired after exploring various things in Vadodara, we reached WelcomHotel where we were staying. As we stepped into the lobby, soothing music relaxed our nerves and instead of rushing to our room, we sat in the lobby and started enjoying the live music being played by two gentlemen sitting on the floor. One of them had 30 odd big and small bowls filled with water and by playing with bamboo sticks he was producing music – technically this setup is called Jal Tarang. A tabla player gave company to Sh Suryakant who was playing with water. I was like a child when I saw him adjusting water in his bowls after every song for the next Raga that he would play. Here is a rendition of Gandhi Ji’s favorite bhajan Vaishnav Jan to tene kahiye re…

What I have always admired about ITC group hotels is that they make a conscious effort to promote the local art forms and artisans. At WelcomHotel Vadodara every evening traditional artisans come and perform.

There are paintings on the walls and curios in the lobby that remind you what you must not miss when you are in Gujarat.

Located next door to the railway station, bang in the middle of the city i.e. heart of business district and not too far from any of the tourist attractions – this was a good choice to stay. It is a typical business hotel that serves Indian and International cuisine and Gujarati food on demand. Rooms are luxurious though I thought bathrooms could do with a little improvement. Staff is friendly and helpful.

I was told WecomHotel has the honour of being the first five star property of Gujarat and it lives up to that honour.

Sunday Shot - Little Egret in-flight

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Little Egret in-flight, Goa

Little Egret (Egretta Garzetta Garzetta) is a small white heron, also called yellow-footed egret. You may notice that the foot is yellow in color. They are commonly seen near water bodies and fields. This one was flying, as usual with retracted neck, across the paddy fields of Taleigao, Goa.

Often seen standing still in shallow waters to spot the fish, they are usually seen in groups. Can be seen in large numbers occupying positions along the Mandovi river bed as the water recedes, in the company of Great Egrets, Pond Herons, Grey Herons all competing side by side for the prized catch - the fish.

It is a sight to watch large number of them flying in tandem at sunset to reach the safety of tree top resting place.