Tuesday, June 28, 2016
Monday, June 27, 2016
Sunday, June 26, 2016
Thursday, June 23, 2016
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Thursday, June 16, 2016
Amarnath Yatra - A religious adventure
Reaching Amarnath cave or Amarnath yatra is a religious adventure. It gives you a flavour of hiking, camping, trekking, breathlessness and God. Amarnath Cave is a speechless, powerful demonstration of beauty of nature. Beautiful caricatures formed from ice is a worth a beauty after the treacherous trek to the cave.
The track places you in midst of death and life many a times. This
is such a life changing experience. The unknown will be serving and helping you
in best possible ways like your own family members at the time of distress.
There are lot of bhandaras and langars set up throughout the way up to the
cave. They will provide you with what best they can provide in terms of food,
shelter, medicines.
These bhandaras have a positive cutthroat competition. Each
bhandara wants to serve yatris or travellers of what other bhandaras have
missed and or are not able to serve. They are the best example positive
competition, a pure demonstration of win-win strategy. You will find anything
you can think of to eat up there in the hills. Popcorn, Cold drink, Cotton
Candy, Manchurian, Chowmein, burger, fried rice and the list is endless.
However, all food served is strictly vegetarian. In short you, do not have to
worry about food in the Amarnath yatra once you have reached pahalgam or baltal.
You can reach amaranth cave from baltal as well as pahalgam. The
pahalgam route is difficult and it takes days to reach the cave. Belief is that
pahalgam is the actual route, which Lord Shankar took to reach the cave. The baltal
route is short. Back and forth is easily managed in a day, when all is by your
side. When I say all by your side, the major factors are weather, your health,
time you start your journey from the base camp. One should start the journey
latest by four in the morning, and if you have a decent stamina, will be able
to manage back to the base camp by four in the evening. You can choose to
travel by Helicopter, Palki, Pony or your strong legs.
There are lot of historical stories about this cave that you will
learn on your way to cave, not sharing any of those here. However, the most
popular one about the pigeons seems like a truth. I was able to spot a pair of
pigeons at the cave though no birds spotted throughout the trek.
On the way up to the cave you will have most amazing things to
look at. Last three kilometers you will be walking on the glacier. Locals have
dig out holes in Glacier to draw water from the river beneath. There are tents
on the way and can be hired to stay overnight. If the weather turns bad, you
will not be able to reach back, and then might need to put up in one of these
tents. The beds in these tents are made by cutting ice or they can be called
ice beds. When you wake up in the morning, you will be buried inside these beds
because of your body warmth. Make sure to sleep with raincoats on, as these are
not at all warm and cozy, and instead wet and hard.
I have travelled twice and only through baltal, so the experiences
shared are as per that. Helicopter drops at Panchtarni and then one has to
walk, pony or palki to the cave, which is close to 5 kilometers. The last 3 kilometers
is walk on Ice and is the most challenging part. You will stand, fall, stand,
fall in the ice and the series continues until you reach the cave. If you hire
a palki, it is the most comfortable part and they will take you up to the cave
and back to your base camp. You can hire a pony if you are not scared of
sitting on the horse.
Possible ways to reach cave are
1. Helicopter (panchtarni)+ Pony
2. Helicopter (panchtarni)+ Palki
3. Helicopter (panchtarni)+ Walk
4. Pony back and forth from base camp
5. Palki back and forth from base camp
6. Walk
Word of caution is that one has to negotiate like anything with the Pony and the Palki vendors. However, the Amarnath Shrine Board regulates the rates, but the vendors inflate it like anything. Do not be scared of them, as they will try to do that all the time. Be bold and strong. Army is deployed every nook and corner on the route up to the cave. Do not think for a second if you need any help. They are the most humble, generous and true God’s Avatar on this trek. Once you reach out to them, they will do what best a god can come and do for you. I have seen Army men helping travellers with warm water to drink, motivating them in depression and encouraging reaching to top, helping them with oxygen in breathlessness, resolving fights with local kashmiri goons. The valley earns from the yatra, only because of Army. The police seem to be hapless in front of local Kashmiri goons.
Notes of Personal advice
1. Always carry raincoat during the trek, as
it takes only few minutes to change from bright and sunny to rainy.
2. Carry some chocolates, dry fruits, glucose
and ORS in your pocket, as there may be times when you need instant source of
energy and vital salts.
3. Eat light but enough to have decent energy
as due to lack of oxygen at the top, your digestion will slow down and may
suffer from nausea.
4. Do not get too excited and burn your
energy quickly, as you will not be able to regain it back soon due to slow body
processes subject to low oxygen levels. Always save some buffer energy in your
body, as if you keep power bank for your phone.
5. As soon as you get a network or a
telephone booth, inform your family about your well-being, as there may be
times when there is no network for days. Also, tell them not to panic in case
you are not reachable.
6. Wear good quality shoes, as you have to
walk in ice for close to 6 kilometer. Sneakers are a big NO as they may become
wet and chances of catching cold and falling prey are high.
7. First aid kit, torch, warm jacket, water
bottle, tissue paper is necessary. You might end up paying for basic stuff
worth 10 bucks in hundreds.
8. Amarnath is always high on terror attack
do not do anything which may be harmful to India.
9. Most important, never pay money to the
pony or the palki vendor before your journey completes. They are the biggest
miscreant on this yatra, and do not trust them at any cost. While starting the
journey with them, ask them for their Identity Cards, and do not hand them back
until you are safely back to your base camp. They may misbehave with you at
times, like ask you to walk when there is uphill to climb, so they do not have
to do much labour. Reach out to the nearest standing army men if misbehavior is
reaching beyond limit and do not create unnecessary noise; it will be
problematic for you only. There is thin line to decide when you need to raise
voice and to ignore. Manage with these people diplomatically and avoid getting
in to discussions.
1. If you are not that typically religious
and superstitious, avoid journey on Monday. There is rush like anything, and
may have to wait for hours in queue outside the Cave and that too in ice.
Happy Travelling!!!
Little Foodhall @ Cyber Hub, DLF Cyber City, Gurgaon
pic courtsey: lbb
No
better name. The place comprises of only food and is displayed in Hall. This is
a venture by future group and a real good one. Very few of its kind, one can
sit and have a coffee, try and buy food, galore at spices India is world famous
for. Unlike a gallery, where you cannot touch paintings, foodhall allows not
only to have a look, but also taste most of the viands before one shell out
hard earned money. Food hall is an exhibition, spend your own time analysing
and tasting the food.
pic courtsey: zomato
Let's
start trolling through the exhibition. Enter the hall, and on the right very
cool sitting to enjoy your coffee. On making a further move, at your left, you can
sip a choice of tea or exotic flavoured juices.
Move
forward and now you can pick choice of flavoured dry fruits from paneer tikka,
chilly, honey and lot more for memory to recall, but there were many.
Turnaround and there are cakes, dried kiwi, mango and many more tasters placed.
Taste and buy as you like.
pic courtsey: lbb
Picked
up? Move forward and if you are a Delhite the only word that will come to your
mind is 'khari baoli'. Most exotic range of spices is at display for purchase.
Take
a right turn while gazing through them and then another right, now you are
landed at the right place. There is cash counter on your right and some mouth-watering
tortillas, chips and sticks to be savoured with flavoured cheeses, sauces and
dips. Between all this lot of beautiful and lovely packaged food.
Move
forward and the exhibition continues, with some ready to eat pastas, pizzas, cupcakes
and lot more. Exotic sweetmeats such as baklava are also available along with
lot of other variants.
The
walk around the store whether one buys anything or not is a beautiful short 10
minutes food trip. The best part is the prices are very apt. The place is a
must go for a foodie who is craving for range of flavours and in search of
something exotic. Hygiene, beautiful and some quick bite, want to eat exotic,
don't want to eat just want to walk through food? Foodhall at cyber hub,
gurgaon is the place. Some may feel high end of prices for items, however the
store can be discounted for variety. One may be disappointed for not able to
find some of the basics, but being positive I assume the range will expand with
rise in demand.
All
the best Foodhall!!! … J
Sunday, June 5, 2016
Abki baar, Indian railways raises bar
No complaint books, no one from railway officials to listen to you. You are all by your own in this wild enclosed jungle. Practice for months to hold your pee at least for 16 hours, as you might never be able to reach toilets.
You may be having a confirmed seat in first, second or third AC, but if you get a chance to sit on your designated seat then that is pure grace of God and not our railway's administrative system. Prepare your hearts strong enough to listen to life threatening warnings from the goons, who announce themselves as babas, yogis, sadhus or God men. Sadhavis (female sadhus) demonstrate a show of strong women power by their words and hands not even required. One can register with them to learn and announce the relationships with mother, sister and father.
Actually these are the special privileged class who don't need a ticket to travel in any compartment of the Indian railway. Why they don't need a ticket on their name? They get a free travel on "bhagwan k naam per " or "Allah k naam per". Now there is "Prabhu" in the railways so at least itna toh banta hai.
If out of courtesy or your heart melts at their pity condition and you may allow one to sit at one corner, they will shower you with all the love and announce you as your son and daughter. And such strong are the beliefs they will actually consider you as one. Getting down at some stop they will carry your luggage along with them so that you don't have to bear the load of carrying it yourself to your place.
I am sure you are not thinking of Railway police or TC? They were hiding in toilets and telling no we can't do anything, if you force them to do something of the nuance they will tell you " OK let me do something, I will call my senior" and then they will hide somewhere and challenge the adage "dhoodney se toh bhagwan bhi mil jaata hai". Some of the police men were themselves travelling without ticket blocking the way, and if you ask them to give way and be on side, they will flaunt their ID card and will say are on special duty. I am still trying to make sense of the special duty performed.
My travel experience with Indian Railways while travelling from Ujjain to New Delhi, train number 12415, date 22 may 2016. Happy travel in Indian railways.
So, now I have a question for you @sureshpprabhu also @RailMinIndia: All this nuisance going on namesake of god. Can a tax paying, law abiding Indian citizen vision of a secure and safe Indian railways? Will we get a chance to travel on our reserved seats? Your tenure is minuscule, I wish even if I get to see one in my life.
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
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