Shadows Galore

A Kabab’s Evening at Punjab Grill, Pune

2013-05-23T08:24:37Z

It came as a surprise when we were invited to the First anniversary celebrations at Punjab Grill. The Gourmet restaurant is located in the Phoenix Market City in the Viman Nagar area of the city and is a stylish one from its looks. We had seen this place on earlier occasions while shopping in the mall but for some reasons or another, did not try it out. So it definitely seemed like an interesting proposition; the surprise part being us, who are just simple traveling folks, getting an invite.

So on the evening of 17th May, I finished my work fast, picked Ekta from home and we reached the mall after navigating through a difficult traffic of Friday evening. Though the event was to start at 7:30 PM, we were more than half an hour late, out of a habit which I am diligently working on, without much success.

On giving our credentials, we were ushered inside by a very courteous staff. The ambiance of the place is really good, very ascetically designed interiors which give a cozy feel. The party was at the terrace at the back of the indoor seating area and we settled down comfortably with drinks in hand; a refreshing change after a day of oppressive heat of Pune summer and a heavy workload at office. Soon we were joined by Sahil Khan of The Tossed Salad and the evening flowed by nicely with some good conversations, live music and drinks.

Sesame crusted paneer tikka with mango glaze, my favorite

The Amazing Salmon Tikka

Then come the invasion of the Kababs! Chef Gurpreet Singh had created a signature barbecue menu especially for the occasion and we were overwhelmed by the tastes and smells that followed. Delicious charcoal grilled items like Rosemary rubbed Tandoori lamb chops, Nalli ka Burrah, Basil malai tikka and Burnt garlic murgh tikka kept us wanting for more. Of the vegetarian stuff, I especially liked the Sesame crusted paneer tikka with mango glaze with the amazing crusty tikka and almost shockingly tangy glaze of raw mangoes. The sea food lovers must have been delighted by chingri kabab and salmon tikka.

Our hosts for the evening, Chef Gurpreet Singh, Chef Bharat and the owner Rohit Aggarwal

Overall, it was a fulfilling evening with some delicious food and enchanting hosts. From what I know, this “Hopps To Barbeque” menu is going to stay till the 9th of June; a great opportunity for the Kabab lovers of Pune.

Information

Address: 2nd Floor, Phoenix Market City Mall, Nagar Road, Viman Nagar, Pune

Timings: 12 Noon to 5 PM, 7 PM to 11:30 PM

Cuisine: North Indian (Veg/ Non Veg)

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One Day Sightseeing Trip of London

2013-05-20T20:05:31Z

So you are in London, this is your first trip to the United Kingdom and you have just one day in the city and so much to see! Not a very ideal situation, but it is always to better to make the most of what is in hand. In this post, we will discuss how to get the maximum of London in just one day.

London, the capital of the United Kingdom, is one of the most fabled cities in the world. A one time center of the biggest power in the world, this city has a glorious history dating back to the pre-Roman era. London is located on the river Thames and is a major industrial and economic powerhouse in Europe. The Hethrow Airport connects the to the major destinations in the world. Accommodation is varied, but to find cheap London Hotels, one needs to look a little. Backpackers’ Hostels are other great option. Public Transport is excellent, with the oldest underground railway system in the world. One can also make use of the numerous characteristic red metropolitan buses that ply on the roads. So, the first thing that should be done is to buy a map of the city with the train and bus routes. It is also good to get the timings of the hop-on-hop-off buses plying to the important tourist places. Do not forget to start early.

Morning

In the early morning, you can start with the St. Paul’s Cathedral. Dedicated to Paul the Apostle, this magnificent cathedral is located on the highest natural elevation in London. It happens to be resting place of famous sons of Britannia like Admiral Nelson and Winston Churchill. One can get a panoramic view of London from the Golden Gallery. The Cathedral opens at 8:30 am and a walk around should take 45 minutes.

Westminster | Photo by DAVID ILIFF. License: CC-BY-SA 3.0

After the visit to the St. Paul’s Cathedral, go towards the famous Big Ben. This spectacular clock-tower is a sight to behold and truly deserves its place among the most prominent symbols of London. From the Big Ben, you can go to the House of Parliament and enjoy looking at the majestic halls of the seat of England’s Power, the Queen’s Robing Room, the Royal Gallery, and the Lords Chamber. If you are lucky, you can even witness live debates at the House of Commons. A whole trip to the House of Parliament may cost you a couple of hours and it will most probably be noon by the time you come out. You can consider taking a brief look at the Metro from the London Eye, cross the Hungerford Bridge and arrive at the Trafalgar Square, the hub of London. Consider catching the heritage Routemaster buses, if available.

Lunch

Trafalgar Square | Photo by DAVID ILIFF. License: CC-BY-SA 3.0

There are many places to have a quick lunch near the Trafalgar Square. You can also walk down to the Martin’s Street and eat at Cafe in the Crypt, a below ground level restaurant with some of the Old London inside it and some good food. After fortifying yourself with food, it is time for the Buckingham Palace, the Office and residence of Her Majesty the Queen. The palace opens for tourists in the summer and you can tour 19 of its numerous rooms and get lost in the grandeur of the British empire. If you are in London on times other than July to September, it will still be a good idea to have a look at the sprawling building.

In Winters, as the Buckingham Palace is closed to public, you will still have some time at this point; you can retrace your steps back to the Trafalgar Square and go to the National Gallery. The galleries of this Art Museum have in them, a rich repository of some of the finest art that has ever been created. A round around the galleries will take around an hour.

London Bridge | Photo by DAVID ILIFF. License: CC-BY-SA 3.0

From here, you are mostly on your own till the night falls. You can either go to the Hyde Park, one of the Royal parks at London and hear speeches at the Speaker’s Corner. Or you can choose to go a little farther and visit the (in)famous Tower of London. Built 1000 years ago, this tower can boast of an illustrious if grim past. Built as a Normal Castle, this tower has served as a royal palace, a prison, execution house, armory a treasury, a menagerie, the home of the Royal Mint, a public records office, and the home of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. The whole history of the British Empire can be seen inside the walls of this tower, not to forget the numerous ghosts who are said to be haunt this place.

Evening

It will be evening by the time you are out of the Tower of London. You can go to the iconic Tower Bridge and get a beautiful view of the city by the Thames. From here you can choose to end your tour enjoying the shows at the London Theater (you may need to buy the tickets in advance) or go to happening restaurants or the happening night clubs of the city. Among the nightclubs, Ministry of Sound is highly recommended. If you are the shopaholic types, you can consider checking out the shopping area at Oxford Street.

So this is pretty much all we can hope to see of London in a day. The choices are many and one needs to choose wisely as time is the limiting factor here. However, to see the city properly, you need more than just a day or two. As Samuel Johnson once quipped, “ When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.”

All photographs courtesy: DAVID ILIFF. License: CC-BY-SA 3.0, Source Wiki

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The Ranakpur Jain Temple

2013-05-14T19:11:42Z

After Kumbhalgarh, we started for our next destination which was the famous Ranakpur Jain Temple. This small village is in the Pali District of Rajasthan, around 20 KM from Kumbhalgarh, however the journey is on serpentine roads on the ghats of Aravali, which although scenic, is a little time-consuming. I think it took us around a couple of hours to reach there but we did not complain as the view of the Aravalis and countryside in Rajasthan was truly good.

Dedicated to Lord Adinath, the Ranakpur temple is one of the most famous Jain temples in India. Built of white marble, it is also one of the most spectacular and stands in the league of the famous Dilwara temples of Abu. The temple was constructed in 1437 by Dharna Shah under the patronage of Rana Kumbha.

The Temple as seen from outside

There are a few rules which need to be followed while visiting the temple. One must be dressed appropriately, the women are required to cover their body properly, even the legs. While entry is free, photography is allowed only by paying a donation of Rs 100 per camera. Mobile phone is considered a camera and even though I bought a donation ticket for my camera, was asked to get one for the mobile itself. I asked the security guard if I looked foolish enough to take photos with a mobile phone when I had a big camera in hand. Finally I gave the mobile to the security himself saying will collect it when am back. Other than camera, one must not carry anything made of leather inside and wallets, belts etc need to deposited at the security.

Magnificent domes and carved pillars

Amazing carving on the pillars and the ceiling

The temple is a wonder in itself. Built like a huge mountain with several peaks, it is a grand monument towering in the sky. There are said to be more than 1400 pillars in the building and not two of them are same. The carvings on the magnificent domes is of a quality rarely seen.

Details on a carved pillar

Since Ekta was wearing shorts, she stayed in the car and because of that, I cut short my visit to 20 minutes. It was only later that we came to know that they provide garments to wear in the temple. Anyway, hope the photographs will give a good enough tour to her and you all.

PS: If you have made a trip of Kumbhalgarh- Ranakpur, it is highly possible that you will be quite hungry by the time you leave the temple. There is a dharamshala in the campus where they serve meals till 1:30 PM. If you miss that and have to find a hotel, please avoid Chandra Hill Resorts in Ranakpur. It is highly overpriced and the food is bad with very small portions; but it is the haughty behavior of the staff that acts as a major turn off.

For better resolution photographs, check Ranakpur Jain Temple, a set on Flickr.

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The Tombstone at Sadras

2013-05-15T05:59:50Z

I had taken this photograph at our impromptu visit to the Sadras fort during our college days. This was a tombstone on one of the graves, complete with a Coat of Arms, perhaps of the family the unfortunate soul belonged too. Since the engraving was in Dutch could not understand any of it except that it was from 1702, from the times when the Dutch East India Company was still active in this part of India. Uploaded this photograph on Flickr and forgot all about it, till a few days back.

This was what Alex van ‘t Hoff from Hollad commented on the photograph:

“Hier onder legt en rust Johannes de Gast. Eerst gebooren zoontie van Monsr. Johannes de Gast, boeckhoude in dienst der E.Comp (VOC ?) Cassier en factorhouderde ses comptoirs. Gebooren den 8(?) Juny Ao. (anno) 1702 Obyt (died soon after birth) den …
……..
Old fashion Dutch but very readable and very wel preserved !

Translation by word:
Here under lays and rests Johannes de Gast young son of Mr. Johannes de Gast, bookkeeper in the service of the E. Comp (VOC?) collector and factory holder of her stores. Born the ? June anno 1702 Abyt ( died soon after birth)”

So it was the grave for a small baby who could not live to see this beautiful world. My heart suddenly goes out to the child and his parents, who are long gone. A precious part of their family still rests in India…

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The Wild Side of Goa

2013-05-12T06:58:20Z

Bhagvan Mahaveer Sanctuary | By Parth Joshi

Before you start getting ideas from the heading of this post, let me clarify we will be discussing totally different form of wild. Goa is more than just pristine beaches, feni, floating casinos and a happening night life. Being a place of immense natural beauty, the state is endowed with breathtaking wilderness and there are more places to visit in Goa which are a perfect retreat for someone who wants to get out of a mundane week, and get into something peaceful. So in this post, we will talk about some greener retreats for those who love the wild, other than those covered in Goa holidays packages.

Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary

Beautiful Cruiser Butterfly in Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary | By Raju Kasambe

With an area of more than 240 sq km, this park happens to be the largest Wildlife sanctuary in Goa. It was earlier called Mollem Game

Sanctuary and was renamed to the current one in 1969. However the core area is still called Mollem National Park. Nestled in the Western Ghats, the sanctuary is home to pristine evergreen, semi evergreen and deciduous forests at different altitudes. The fauna includes the rare black panther, varieties of deer, bison, several members of the primate family, porcupines and a number of species of resident and migratory birds. It is also home to a great variety of butterflies.

The sanctuary contains several natural and historical attractions that make this largest protected area. Some of them are Dudhsagar falls, Tambdi falls, Devil’s canyon and ancient Kadamba temples.

Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary is 63 km from Panaji and can be reached by road or train from the capital or Margao. To go around, vehicles are provided by the Forest department at the economical rates. One can get more idea from Goa tourism.

Dudhsagar Falls

A train passes below the Dudhsagar falls

One of the important destinations within the Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary is the Dudhsagar falls. Of the numerous waterfalls in the Western Ghats, this is one of the most impressive and is the second highest in India after the Jog falls. The trip involves a short hike on the road and requires a minimum of fitness. The best season to see the falls is in the monsoons soon after the rains.

Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary

Located 60 km south of Panji, Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary is the second largest in Goa. This sanctuary is notable for its dense forest cover with trees as high as 30 m and is a haven for tree lovers. The Talpona river flows through the area and the major watering holes are located on its back. There are fewer big animals in this sanctuary than Mollem, however one can still expect to see bears, wild boars, deer and monkeys. Birds are plentiful in general and some species of eagles which are not easily spotted elsewhere can be seen here. Several tribal communities live inside these forests and one can get an insight into their fast fading lifestyle.

Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary

Indian Cormorant at Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary | By Blue Chaos

Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, named after the famous ornithologist, is located on the island of Chorao at the river Mandovi. Spread in an area of 440 acres, the sanctuary is covered with a thick mangrove forest which are usually a natural nesting ground of birds. Different varieties of swallows, bulbuls, kingfishers, swans, woodpeckers, horn bills etc are found in plenty at this place.

The sanctuary has a 1 km long pathway on which one can walk as close as possible to see the natural habitat of birds, without disturbing them. One can also choose to hire a boat and go around the place. The boat costs Rs 75 per person of Rs 900 per boat. The entry ticket is INR 50.00

Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary

Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the Eastern part of Goa. Spread in around 208 sq km, this sanctuary supports a wide variety of wildlife and is famous as a bird watcher’s paradise.

Image Courtesy: Parth Joshi (Flickr), Dr. Raju Kasambe (Wiki), Bluechaos (flickr)

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