kumbh 2015 - The chaos and arrange

One of the most impressive out of the usual tantriks I got to witness in kumbh 2015, Nasik. I got a glimpse of him in kumbh 2012 as well, but was not able to photograph him. In this kumbh I was on search for him and got a chance to click him as well. He is Tantrik Dr. Bindu. Yes, he has a doctor prefix.

 The personality and the style with which he carries himself are amazing. You cannot ignore his presence when he walks past you. His silver axe with a huge blade is another allure. He is known as shani maharaj and maha tantrik as well. The post is not an attempt to promote him, or tantra vidya or any related. It is about not so usual experience. An amazing snap shot of activity. Here is an attempt to narrate one of the moments that can only be lived and can be neither photographed nor written.

On the day of shahi snan, after the shahi snan all the mahatmas marched to Trimbakeshwar temple for worship. Place overcrowded, tussle between police and public, pushes and hits all around. Devotees wanted to offer their prayers in the trimbakeshwer temple along with their human god or mahatma. With each mahatma there were 100 devotees and the crowd comprised of hundreds of such mahatmas. Each devotee was struggling for entrance in the temple compound with their own brothers and sisters or more aptly their own godman’s fellows so that they can get a once in a lifetime chance to worship with their godman.  The scene is very similar to as if twenty people are trying to enter the escalator having capacity of five.

This was an instant of chaos at trimbakeshwar. The police was getting inhuman while managing berserk crowd. Cops were literally pushing away the public with hard hands and people were getting hurt.

Now, here comes the savior. Yes, no other than Tantrik Bindu emerges from somewhere. His axe held high in right hand and gaining momentum by moving backward from the bodyline. His left hand was ahead of his body forming a protective shield. Shouted on top of his voice rushing towards police while axe making some fiery rounds in air, "tore you apart in pieces, if people won't worship, what will they do, don't touch them". He roared like a lion, and sent across a wave of shiver.

 A moment was paused and everybody was still for an instant. Seeing the anger in his body, voice and eyes, everything came to standstill. Suddenly, all chaos ended. Police and the public started sorting out. The police stepped aside and the crowd formed peaceful queue by themselves. It was like when a child caught red-handed auto corrects by looking at your expressions. I know all this seems like to be scene of a typical south Indian movie. However, I witnessed it. This was one of the kumbh moments, which can only be lived. The moment in total was very spontaneous.

I do not know if this person has some magical powers or is master of some black magic, but his impulsive reaction was definitely magical and I witnessed the magic.

Kuttey ki sawari

This was actually shot of the day. The dog was not tied with anything and the speed of the scooter was around 50 kms/hr. As same was the speed of my car. I wish I was not alone in the car or had someone with me to get a better shot. The balance with which the dog was standing or sitting as a pillion was amazing. I had a chance to overtake them, and the expressions on the face of rider as well as the pillion were as that of BAU, "humare liye toh roz ki baat hai". I have seen lot of people carrying their pets on two wheelers, but always at the front where they rest their feet while driving. This was first time I saw the pet as a pillion and without being tied to anything, and at that too at such a city speed. It seemed like a jugglar show to me. I don't know whether it is right or wrong to drive your pets in such a way on the road. But, it was definitely a distraction in driving. Also, I don't think it is safe for your pet. I am sure, this guy is a attention seeker. But my personal opinion is that road is definitely not the right platform to seek such attention. At first, I shouted 'wow' and immediately took out my phone to click it. The second instant I realized I violated a rule. I shouldn't have done this. I could have hit into someone while doing this. I am not blaming this rider for my action, but this was definitely a distraction and I was consistently trying to focus on driving. I am sure this is a case for others as well. I liked it at first, but no this is not right as: - not safe for your pet, - distraction on road for other drivers and riders . . #sodelhi #hindustan_times #road #_soi #india #delhi_igers #delhi #indiaclicks #yin_india #indiabestpic #distraction #safe #safety #roadsafety #rule #violation #dog #delhinaturesociety #nature #wildlife #pets #friendicoes #picoftheday #photograph #photooftheday #love #animal

A photo posted by Nipun Bajaj (@bajajnipun) on Sep 6, 2015 at 5:44am PDT

All for a Shot

Everyone loves shot, Tequila or camera or no matter what.
The baba was more enthusiastic for getting clicked, I pulled out my camera he lighted up his stick.
I was not sure if I want to click as it was no more candid, But the child's want for a candy, made me do what I did. . . #travel #nasik #trimbakeshwar #lonelyplanetindia #lonelyplanet #_soi #indiaclicks #culture #traditional #storiesofindia #kumbhmela2015 #kumbhmela #smoking #chillum #delhi_igers

A photo posted by Nipun Bajaj (@bajajnipun) on Sep 23, 2015 at 6:53am PDT

Alma Mater

http://thechocolateartists.tumblr.com/post/129625538906/printed-chocolates-what-better-to-print-other

Pakoda - Love of Life

Pakoda has a special place in our life. Inviting someone over a tea, pakode is always the first choice. Also known as 'bhajiya'' or 'bhajji''. Pakoda shop is not hard to find in any nook and corner of the city. One starter in the menu has to be a pakoda. At some unexpected loss, "Kismat mein ho hathode, toh kahan se milenge pakode" is a commonly heard slang. Also used as a beauty quotient, you may have heard "uski naak pakode jaisi hai". Pakoda has been married to tea or chai since when, no idea, but yes, they are Ram and Sita of snack world. Coffee is a sister in law of tea and at times accompanies his brother in law.

What is a pakoda? Distorted shaped lump of besan flour mixed with adequate quantity of water, and deep-fried in cooking oil is our guest of honor. Expected, loved and savored by all at all occasions. It can be easily located even in the ritual ceremonies after death, such as uthala, chautha or tehravi. Mundan ceremony in your locality, must have had served the cottage cheese (Paneer) pakodas. From birth to death an integral part of our celebrations.

It also has place reserved in each section of the menu, from starters to desserts. I am sure; you are thinking I have just misspelled desserts. No, I am not kidding have also heard of ice-cream pakodas. If you are born human, and have witnessed monsoon and have not eaten pakoda yet, you are missing something in life. Getting to eat pakoda accompanied with his wife chai or tea, when it is drizzling outside is like getting moksha even being alive. No better social service than serving someone drenched with chai pakoda.

Pakoda, it is a generic term. When mentioned, first question that pops up in mind is kiska? Pyaaz (onion) ka, aloo (potato) ka, kaddoo (pumpkin) ka...think of a vegetable and we have a pakoda made out of it in Indian cooking. We so much adore this delectable beauty, that we have invented the special variants for the fasting time. Yes, I am talking about pakodas made from kuttu and singhara ka atta. I am sure 90% of people fasting during navratra, would have died of starvation without it. This has been brought to life by years of worship that our mummy, dadi or nani have done in kitchen and the result of their prayers.

Till date have savored pakodas made from onion, potato, tomato, brinjal, spinach, jackfruit, pumpkin, cottage cheese, processed cheese, bread, bread and cottage cheese, bread and potato, fenugreek, coriander, moong dal, gourd, bitter gourd. Think of a vegetable and the pakoda is there.

The pakoda is an inseparable part of our cuisine. You will not make it for starter, ok it has a place reserved in main course in form of kadi pakoda. Remove it from there and will seek shelter in side dish as boondi raita. Boondi raita is miniature whole pakodas swimming in pond of curd. Varieties such as kofta, falafel, Manchurian etc, all seem like cousins and second cousins of our very own pakoda.

When I look at KFC, it always appeals to me like NRI cousin.To make a comparison let us consider you as a paneer pakoda and NRI cousin as KFC chicken. Your oily combed hair and his vogue spiky hairstyle represent the contrary texture of pakoda and KFC. Your preferences of veg to his of non veg are played by paneer and chicken. You like it with strong desi masala and announcing …AA HAA!!!  at each bite responding to hit on throat from the chilly. He responds to mildly blended flavours of natural herbs by hymning mmmm…hmmm…

The pakoda being such a hit is their simplicity. No one complains about the figure of pakoda. The roti has to be in perfect circle. Anyone can cook it. Chop vegetables; make a dip of chickpea flour and water, and spices to taste. Dip the chopped vegetables and throw them in pool of hot oil and the golden brown snack is at your service.

There are lot of eateries, or tuck shops at every mile selling them, most common ones being onion, potato and spinach. However, some of them are doing a wonderful service by selling more than 15 variants of pakodas under one roof. I feel blessed to get a chance to eat at few such places. Next in the series, will be more about pakoda, traces from the history and the eateries where we can submit to such sumptuous snack. I wish all to enjoy this beautiful distorted snack with your loved ones and family.

Standard Sweets | Chawri Bazaar | Home delivery at your nearest metro Station

They are the old timers, the legacy. They claim of serving since 1956, and one of my known verifies the past 30 years of service.

When you enter the shop on your left, you will see a sweet counter and on your right lassi, coffee and milk counter. Post that set up for sitting, for around 20 people. After sitting, there is a counter for pakode, samosa and chole bhature. You can see big frying pans or kadai in which the pakodas and bhature are being fried. On one side are the washbasin and the water cooler, tissues and all.

Very aptly priced, have a look at the prices, as I have a pasted the snap of the menu. One thing I love about these small eateries is that you pay for what is on the menu and not 30-40% more than the prices which includes service and tax. The service is good and real fast, not to be compare with any, as it is very homely.

Looking at the size of the eatery and the ambience it seemed to me, as it is first pay and service kind. Just grab a seat and order. Food is served quickly and you can even see it being prepared. So you can pass your requirements directly such as “Bhaiya, bhatura zara zyada laal kar dena” (brother, fry my bhatura to a more red in colour than the usual) or “chatni thodi zyada dena” (A bit of more sauce than the usual). Sometimes, I feel that this idea of customization of food is originally by Indians and now globally followed by food chains such as Subway, which propagate ‘make your own sandwich culture’. Don’t you get a different feeling of taste or have ever boasted about it to your friend, saying, “Mine is spicier and tangy as I have asked him to add that extra lime juice and spice”? Moreover, what a satisfaction, you will not deny that. This customization only gives the paisa vasool or value for money feeling.

The place gives a dual feeling of sitting in your kitchen and enjoying the delicacies as well of that of eating out in an eatery. The aroma of other delicacies can be enjoyed along with your own food, which tempts you to order items, which you never thought of. Like, we ordered lassi and daal ka pakoda or laddu, just because of the aromatic punch we got on our nose from them.

The preparation is in all desi ghee. Test many of the desi ghee eateries fail, this place has passed. Many people do not like desi ghee preparation as they get a distinct flavor of ghee and after eat mouth feel. This place scores on this, no distinct ghee flavor and after taste mouth feel.

Usually such small eateries go bad at water they serve. I am sure must have noticed oil floating in the stainless steel glasses in which you were served at eateries and then you ask for mineral water bottle. The water served was cool, no oil spots and scores well on hygiene. I am alive, writing this is a proof.

We ordered Chole Bhature, Paneer pakoda, Imarati, Lassi, Dal k laddu.

Chole bhature: Two big bhatura, with Chole, salad and pickle were served. Bit different from others. The bhature were quite big in size and more or less like a poori. The bhaturas usually are more thick, small and inside have a more mesh kind of structure. Moreover, I liked them. Chole were tasty and the colour on a lighter tone of dark brown. The service staff keeps an eye and will fill your plate with extra chole as soon as your finish your first serve. No extra charges for this… J

Paneer Pakoda: Sumptuous is the word. A very big piece of cottage cheese, mildly spiced and coated with besan. The best of this pakoda is that the 90 - 95% of this is cottage cheese and rest is outer coating of beasn. While some of the eateries, do very thick outer coating and less paneer to increase the profit margins they make a genuine one. The single paneer pakoda is very filling for a stomach but not that much for a greed, which generates because of this tasty snack. It is served with mint and imli chutney (sauce).

Imarati: No, it failed. It had a kind of stale flavor. Cooked nicely, beautiful orange colour had a balanced sweetness but a distinct stale flavor… L

Lassi: Lassi comes with a thick layer of cream. You need to sideline it with a plastic spoon served with it else will mark some of it on your nose while drinking it. The temperature just perfect, not over chilled and neither warm submitting to outside heat. Sweetness well balanced and the winning act was no added flavours. It is like heaven when you rest yourself from the scotching heat and get a chance to take this nectar down your throat.

Dal k Laddu: Nice taste, but could have been better. The batter not kneaded properly. The sign of a good laddu is that when you cut it open in half, will get to notice a good mesh structure as in slice of bread. This was missing. Actually, this mesh structure enhances the taste and the mouth feel. Nevertheless, yes, was well cooked and tasted good, but could have been better.

I loved last line of their menu card, “Home delivery at your nearest metro Station”

Overall, a good place to sit and eat. Whenever, you a get a chance to visit the overcrowded chawri bazaar, or hauz quazi or Ajmeri Gate do try it. Explore more food nearby… happy eating… J

Badhtey Jao..

Pattey ki chaya mein deekhta hai sab kala, 
bahar aao iss chao se tumhein gale lagayega ujala. 
Andhkar se darr kar, haar kar mat baitho bekar, 
bas lagan se badtey raho, yehi hai samay ki pukar. 
Har andhere k baad roshni hai, aur roshni k baad andhera, 
bas yehi hai kismat ka ghera. 
Iss ghere mein chakkar lagao aur har andherey ko ujale mein badaltey jao. 
Bas badtey jao, badtey jao, badtey jao.

Singhasth Kumbh Mela 2015 | Dos and Donts

Hoaaaa...yeh...yes! yes!! yes!!! ...Back from Nasik! After having the dip in first Shahi Snaan - The Royal Bath and that too Royal Way of  Kumbh Mela 2015 on 29^th  August!. Shahi snan is the auspicious day to take a dip in the holy kund.

The singhasth kumbh mela -- I got a chance to stay with the sanyasis or mahants of gaddi suthre shah in their tents built up across the pond of triyambakeshwar temple. The pond was full of fish and one of the activities I enjoyed the most was feeding them. You must be wondering I have heard of these words -- the kumbh ka mela (the image of siblings getting lost in a bollywood movie of yester years comes up in the mind) but dont know what they mean. What is the meaning of singhasth? What is kumbh mela all about? What is gaddi suthre shah? My upcoming posts will reveal it all and some of the very interesting stories - demystifying various myths about sadhus, tantriks, our religion and culture. I would say this is an experience that can only be lived but will ensure that those who are missing this wonderful culturally enriching journey live it through my posts and photographs.

This one is a quick post mainly about dos & donts and may prove helpful if you are planning a trip to nasik kumbh mela.

Dos and Donts

-       Always carry an umbrella and raincoat with you. The weather is fickle there - it can rain any time and then be again as sunny as it was the other second.

-       Carry a good pair of walking shoes. You may be required to walk a lot - may be up to 4 kilometers. The places are not far, but police has closed and diverted the routes. On last day I got down in front of railway station and have to walk first 2 kms straight, then u-turn and again 2 kms to reach the platform. I tried to enter from three different entrances, but all were closed. Only the fourth one allowed the cars to come straight to the gate. My bad luck I was not able to hit the fourth one. On your visit, you never know which one is open.

-       Try to reach any of the akharas or place of stay 2 days before the shahi snan. Entry for outside vehicles is restricted and you may need to walk long distances with the entire luggage.

-       All the maal godowns and storage space on the railway station has been converted into waiting rooms, so ample of space to rest. If you want to capture rural India, culture or sadhus, this is the place for you.

-       If you are accompanying elderly people, who are unable to walk long distances, kindly research about your alternate routes to your destination beforehand. Confirm with couple of locals, police or ashram people before making a move. As no one has a concrete and confirm information. However, good part is everyone is very cooperative.

-       You do not have to worry about food. There are ample free food kiosks set up by akharas or ashrams. In addition, the local food and delicacies are not very costly. If you are on a lookout for a 5 star, sorry nowhere to eat. The local eateries are very good, neat, clean and hygienic. That is a promise. You might need to pay a small up price for a bottle of coke or mineral water but that can be accomodated for I believe. Given that Nasik is a small village and we can keep that MRP rule only for metros. Also if you are on lookout for branded mineral water like bisleri, himalaya or aqua fina the word is sorry. But you will find good mineral water and not big brands. I drank it and I am now writing this, so it has been tried and tested... :)

-       Leave for railway station from your place of boarding with at least 3-4 hours of buffer time in hand. You may struggle to find the mode of transport or weather may play spoilsport.

-       Generic stuff such as small knife, rope, first aid kit, etc. to be carried without a say. Also, keep few plastic bags, where you can dump your wet clothes, if you do not find a place or adequate time to dry them.

-       Please, Please, Please do not make fun of the sanyasis, sadhus or yogis you come across. Even if you strongly believe that they are dhongis or fake, please don’t unnecessarily indulge with them and try to show them down. They are a very proud lot and will not take offense of any kind. You may find some of them very strange, especially the nagas, but they are like that only. The kumbh mela brings all of them to common platform and people like us get a chance to witness various shades of our culture. Please appreciate the painting with these natural shades and don’t try to paint your own colours. You will love it is my promise.

Disclaimer: I stayed with one of the cult associated with Shri Panchayati Akhara Bada Udasin Nirvan at their shivir at trimbakeshwar. Above is based on personal experiences and beliefs.