Delhi - Jim Corbett - Nainital - Delhi

Warning : Its a long post with a lot of detail! Have some 15-20 minutes spare to read it please...

They say matches are made in heaven, I say Travel Plans are also made in heaven and executed on earth by the lesser mortals!

There is no other explanation of how I have landed up in Nainital 3 times without the name being a part of my plan when I start from home? That statement kind of gave away a bit of the information that ideally would have made sense when I finish the first 10% of this travelogue! but whatever!

Let's Travel!

The first cup of tea being made for us at BailParao

Back into time first!

Early 2010, I had taken this club membership which entitled me to be a guest for some 15 odd parties in and around delhi throughout the year, not a single of which I attended! AND, it gave me a couple of nights free stay by Country Club Resorts! Honestly what I was interested in the free stay, which was not really so free, as I realised later!

Back to the future now...

So we had to send a Rs. 500 draft along with three preferences with different dates to Country Club Resorts before they could pick one (read the cheapest) and book us there! What we got was the Tiger Den Resort! For some reason I thought it was on the NH121 (banks of River Kosi), however we realised that it was about 13 kms away towards Kaladhungi only when we reached Ramnagar and called the resort for directions.

The drive from NOIDA was very comfortable except the "work in progress" flyovers on NH24! I can't believe that the status seems to be exactly what it was a couple of years ago at 3 places... And the road near Garh Mukteshwar is still a buffet of potholes with pieces of road on top! Don't understand it!

The 99 kms stretch between Moradabad bypass and Kashipur (via Thakhurdwara) is still bad! The last I had driven on it was when I was coming back to Ranikhet via Ramnagar, and it did not feel as bad because I was driving a Safari... It did not feel too bad in the Palio either, but it was bad! A lot of strain the arms and eyes! The road quality miraculously changes as soon as you reach Kashipur.. While I could barely touch 60 kmph at times in the last 90 minutes or so, I was driving at around 100kmph as soon as I crossed Kashipur...

The question is WHY? And the answer is that I was now driving in Uttarakhand! Drive to Ramnagar was a breeze and it was just 15 more minutes to drive the 14 odds kms after Ramnagar to BailPadao (Resting place for Bulls - if translated in English)

The wooden stove for making Tea... TASTY TEA

Radha made for a good backdrop for this cycle in the rain!

We reached the resort only around mid-night it was funny to see the guard room boys struggle with opening the gate!! the lock had jammed, and it took them about 5 minutes before I could drive in! We checked into a room towards the back-side of the resort and figured out a few things we could do the next day.. Safari was not on the plan for Saturday, however we wanted to go to Corbett Falls and plan for a Safari on Sunday... The additional information we got from the resort guy did not really lift our spirits as it included mood-dampners like the grasslands were still under water, most paths inside the jungle were still broken, and there were extremely low sightings so far! Except that he could arrange for a jeep for us to drive around the reserve area (outside the main forest) where there were chances of tiger-sighting! Now personally, I am not a fan of animal sighting! I love the jungle, and I hated the fact that I am not going to be able to enjoy the ride like I would have liked it!

We also had to change the room almost immediately after we checked it, as the bed was a spring-bed, and a broken one at that! The shift was prompt, and we called it a day (or night or midnight) after a quick cup of tea!

On our way to Nainital via Kaladhungi

Saturday Morning!

We woke up to an thick overcast sky, and did not realise that it was raining too till we opened our room door! It did not make much of a difference at that time as Pooja and myself both were not too keen on staying in that resort or waste our day driving around for nothing! We did not really know what we wanted to do, but we knew that we were checking out of the resort! We did, and decided our next milestone with a cup of tea outside the resort!

"There is something about tea made on burning wood.. something different... something that energises me differently"

Its very pleasing to click Radha and see that she stills good great... MUAH!

Did not know something like Choti Haldwani existed... nice find!

We decided to drive towards Nainital, which was just about 50 kms (75 minutes) away and started our drive in light rain, with slow speeds enjoying the weather! The rain had stopped, and we drove via Kaladhungi, Choti Haldwani, to reach the foothills, and by the time were reach Tallital, it was raining heavily again! This time it was not rain, but a hailstorm... and both of us were wondering as to why the Rain Gods seem to be too pleased or angry with us.. It had rained like crazy in almost all of our trips together!

1. Indonesia... We did not see the Kintamani Volcano and had a rainy walk to Monkey Forest

2. Ranikhet... It was a trip with falling rocks, landslides, and overflowing rivers

3. Goa... Wasted about half a day waiting for the rain to stop... made us move to hiring a car from a bike too (but that turned out to be good)

4. Singapore... Well, there are just two types of days there as Aseem puts it... with rain, and with heavy rain!

5. Jim Corbett.. Rains again!

But we were commited to having a good time, with rain or without :) So we found a nice cozy room with a lovely view at the Lake Side Inn and spent an hour waiting for the rain to stop! It converted into a light drizzle giving us enough time to walk around without an umbrella! And the waiting time did give us an opportunity to enjoy Maggi while looking out of huge glass windows! Bliss!

What is interesting in this photograph is that OM is opposite in all of them due to air-flow

We just walked around the Mall eating snacks and had a few glasses of tea again while it rained and almost snowed, and we had a lovely view of the hailstorm from under a canopy next to the Naini Lake! The number of people was low in Nainital that evening, and the roads were empty, and it stopped raining too after a bit, giving us a few more hours to walk around on the mall road and the local markets!

Chaat, Shopping, Chai, Talking, Walking, Shooting were what we did that evening!

Finally called it a day after having some delicious Vegetable Biryani

Langurs enjoying the rainy evening

Wire cycle-rickshaws at a roadside shop.. They are made from a single piece of wire(just the frame)

Sunday Morning

Looked like the Rain Gods had finally made peace with the fact that Pooja and me would travel, come whatever may, and we were welcomed with a lovely bright sunny morning! It was a long drive back home, and we dediced to start driving back by 1100 hrs to reach NOIDA by 2000 hrs. With the kind of roads and distance, it would take about 8 hours for sure, specially the Sunday traffic back to Delhi!

Shikaras in the Naini Lake

Empty Tea Glasses at a road-side Tea-Shop

The drive back via Kathgodam - Haldwani - Udham Singh Nagar (Rudrapur) - Rampur - Moradabad Bypass - Hapur was mostly uneventful except a deroute forced because of Behenji as she likes to be called, or for others, Ms. Mayawati, Chief Minister of UP. Rampur was sealed because of her visit, and we were forced to look around for options which involved driving through the town, trusting our direction instincts, and drive through a village with mud roads, and lanes just wide enough for the Palio to move through!

Rest is mostly history! with Future looking very bright with a few good trips on the cards! Enjoy some more photographs below....

Steamy Tea...

People at the T-Shop

Like I said... it was a hail-storm

One of the two Tea-Shops we had Tea at... this guy was selling everything from Tea t0 Bread-Omlette, Bun-Omlette, Boiled Eggs, Pakodas, Cream Rolls...

Corn-cobs (Bhutte)... They taste different on a rainy evening...

Nothing warms cold fingers better than a wood fire...

Eggs were plenty around the Mall Road...

Another view from the same Chai ki Dukaan...

This guy was really happy to have his photograph clicked...I think this is one of the biggest satisfactions of being a photographer... an opportunity to make people smile!

Loved the steam coming out of the pressure cooker... the 10 min wait was worth it...

Nainital Post Office

Ripe Red tomatoes for the Omlettes

Now for some objective information

1a. Distance from NOIDA to RamNagar : Approximately 250 kms

1b. Driving time : about 6 hours in the night with low traffic... Add another hour if driving in the day because of local traffic

2a. Distance from Ramnagar to Nainital : Approx. 65 kms

2b. Driving time : About 2 hours (Do take a break to enjoy the view somewhere)

3a. Distance from Nainital to NOIDA : Approx. 310 kms

3b. Driving time in the day : Approx. 8 hours with local traffic and bad roads and work in progress flyovers

Recommended eating joints on the way :

1. McDonalds just after Gajraula on the road towards Moradabad

2. Meriton just before Gajraula towards Delhi... Its almost opposite McDonalds and serves decent food

3. There are many dhabas near the Garhmukteshwar and Gajraula, however I am not sure if I would stop there to have food... snacks and tea would be my choice there

I drove a total of about 660 kilometers over that weekend, and loved every second of it! Pooja is an amazing addition to my co-traveler list, and there is not much other than that a man can ask for! isn't it?

Oogle List

1. TATA Xenon

2. Apple Ipad 2

3. A 60 Inch TV

4. Yamaha or Onkyo Amp, Speakers and Woofer (Sounds like home theatre in a box, but is totally different)

5. A couple of Canon L Series Prime Lenses

चायबाज़ संगीता (Chaibaaz Sangeeta)

This is second in the ChaiTalk Serieson Chai ki Dukaan!

________________________

Sangeeta Monga runs an Institute for Personality Development and Grooming in Delhi and caters to a large group of audience. Their testimonials on the institute website clearly substantiate the amount of value that Sangeeta's effort brings to their lives. Please read through the rest of the post to enjoy some tea-time talks with Chaibaaz Sangeeta!

Why Tea?

Tea is the best energy booster, tonic, antioxidant and time pass for me..you name it, it has it

- What if you had to make a flavor of tea, what would you have in it, other than Tea leaves?

I am particularly fond of, other than its green tea flavor and if I have a choice, in that order, saunf/ choti ilaichi/ moti ilaichi/ tulsi/ cinnamon

- What would you do if you were given two days in a tea estate?

I would learn the tea picking to tea leaf sorting to tea making..everything it has to offer..infact I would live in tea garden Lol!

- Tea in a cup? or Tea in a steel glass? or Tea in a kulhad (earthen cups) or tea in a paper cup? or tea in a glass? and why?

In order of preference…

Tea in a kulhar: especially for its earthen flavour

Tea in fine bone china cup : the exquisiteness of flavor and tea sipping is highly enhanced

Tea in stainless glass: I don’t mind this contrast as well because it retains tea flavor and the heat

Tea in paper cup/ disposable plastic is an insult ..an absolute no no!!!!

- What is your earliest memory of Tea?

I desperately wanted to have some and the request was conceded by adding some more milk to tea..I hated this concoction and felt it was injustice for a milk-hater.

Do you remember when you had tea for the first time? Is it related to why you like tea so much?

I cannot recall that, but tea was forbidden to us as children and I guess that is why I have taken to it with vengeance :)

- What would you tell someone who does not drink tea, about what they are missing?

I invariably come out with “ how boring! What do you do the whole day? No time pass???? “ :P

- Your favorite T-shop? and why?

It was long back in my univ days a place called “ Dhaba”…it was actually a dhaba and gave us special ilaichi chai in those workshop glasses..total nostalgia!!!

- Your favorite brand of tea and why?

It is Yellow label and twinings classic (instant tea dip) these days..but I have a collection of green tea at any given period of time. I have a penchant for green tea leaves…so any brand that gives me a strong tea flavor is well taken to!!!

and I was not talking green herbal..that is the latest fad :)

- If Tea was a person, what would that mean to you? What would that person be like?

That person would be my companion.. no tags but a die hard loyalist :) inseparable, cherished and cared for….

- Your favorite T-picture please...

- Your favorite T-quote

Tea is a cup of life.

Please do visit her website by clicking here.

Thank you Sangeeta for your time and responses to the questions about your Chaibaazi!

चायबाज़ आरोही (Chaibaaz Aarohi)

This is the first of Chaibaaz ChaiTalk Series that I plan to do on Chai ki Dukaan! The idea is to find a T-lover and ask some questions about Tea and more!

Aarohi Singh, a self taught artist, is based out of Bangalore, India and paints in Oil, Acrylics, Watercolor, Pastels and works on Paper, Canvas, Metal, Cardboard, Wood, Fabric. A visit to her website is going to make you stick to it for a few hours atleast!

__________________________________________

- Why Tea?

I think it's as much as for the taste as well as for the memories associated with it.

- What if you had to make a flavor of tea, what would you have in it, other than Tea leaves?

I love masala chai. So I use a flavored tea and add freshly crushed peper corns. I also love chai with fresh Pudina or Tulsi leaves or ginger. And very little sugar and milk.

- What would you do if you were given two days in a tea estate?

Find out everything about tea...actually I did. As a child I saw tea leaves being rolled etc. But, I don't remember much. Need to go back as an adult :-)

- Tea in a cup? or Tea in a steel glass? or Tea in a kulhad (earthen cups) or tea in a paper cup? or tea in a glass? and why?

It's in a big fat ceramic mug. Chota mugs are just that- too small.

- What is your earliest memory of Tea?

Seeing my parents and grand parents have bed tea in my grandparents bedroom. Full on service of separate chai in a silver tea set!!

- Do you remember when you had tea for the first time? Is it related to why you like tea so much?

I am asthmatic. Tea contains theophylin. And my mum who is a doctor, gave me a hot soothing cup of chai to help my breathing.I always associate it with comfort.

- What would you tell someone who does not drink tea, about what they are missing?

Ek cup chai say dil khush ho jaata ha...

- Your favorite T-shop? and why?

I am a little biased to the tea I make myself at home.

- Your favorite brand of tea and why?

Red Label- Natural Care. It has the basics and then I add on flavours to it.

- Your favorite website related to Tea and why?

I like your blog and Archana Srinivas's blog- A cup of chai. I feel comforted looking at the images of chai.

- If Tea was a person, what would that mean to you? What would that person be like?

Comforting, multi faceted but with an underlying flavour of richness. But never too strong in their influence.

- Your favorite T-picture please...

This reminds me of Tea, and painting both together! Was taken after a successful day of painting...

- Your favorite T-quote-

Come lets catch up over a cup of chai.

Please do visit Aarohi Singh's website : Art By Aarohi. I was bowled over by the amazing kettles that she has painted!

Appraisal Gyan!

For everyone who did not get a good (read : as expected) rating in their annual appraisals :

निंदक निरये राखिये, आँगन कुटी छाबाये |

बिन पानी साबुन बिना, निर्मल करे सुभाए ||

The annual appraisal system somehow tends to bring in the worst of a lot of appraisers, however it also is a good time for everyone who is being appraised to hear out what could have been done better... I say a lot of the 90 minute gyan is something that we know (and I can say this with confidence having being an appraisee and an appraiser myself), however a good critical evaluation of an year's performance can make a world of difference.

damn! i am back!

• 1 weekend
• 3 days
• 1 car
• 2 people
• 650 kms
• 2 states
• All weathers... hot, cold, rain, sun, hail storm, almost snowfall
• All terrain... road, no road! hills, plains, village, town, city, national highway, state highway, no highway!

• 1 feeling!

When am I doing it again! :)

I am afraid!

of death!

Not mine! no!

but of people who I think I will be death without!

I get tears in my eyes every time I think of it!

Mark Sloan and his intern

In Grey's Anatomy, almost every intern who is assigned to Mark Sloan, the awesomest plastic surgeon, has to fetch coffee for him in addition to doing a lot of tasks which are not related to surgery!

I do not want to be that intern, and I do not want to be working with a Mark Sloan ever, even though he is the best that one can get!

good ideas

Jim Corbett plan postponed! no issues! good idea infact!

Looking forward to a training and another certification! good idea again!

Spending the weekend at home, not doing much except watching a movie! good idea!

Getting the tires aligned and balanced! very important idea!

Preparing an additional spare tire for long drives! good idea!

Google Apps for AndPictures

For the ones who did not know, if you have your own domain, you can use Google Apps (Gmail, Calender, Docs, Chat, and some more) for free, in case your users are less than 50.

It takes a bit of effort to configure everything, and I have been trying to get Google Apps up and running for my photography portfolio website : www.andpictures.net

All settings have been done, configurations completed, and all I need to do is to wait for the back-end sync to complete and I should be good to go! Being google, it should also work nicely on my Android, which makes it nice!

Seona

Some photographs from a recent shoot in Singapore!!! Was staying with Aseem and got an opportunity to take some photographs of Seona, Aseem and Mala's daughter who turned 1 on the 19th of January this year!!!

ज्ञानचंद दोहेवाले

साधू संत सब कह गए, दिल को रखिये साफ़ |

जो करेगा सो भरेगा, आप कीजिये सबको माफ़ ||

Prashant Bhardwaj, Feb'2011

Don't say TATA to TATA!

Why So Serious!!! This is the tagline of Honda that I did not like, because they have picked it up straight from Knight Rider! Now apparantly after someone buys a Honda, they would not be serious anymore! And rightly so, Honda cars are a pleasure to drive! smooth, silent, efficient, and so on!

On my way back home, last friday, I saw just the opposite... a gentlemen in his mid 30s, extremely serious while his driver was at the steering wheel of the brand new red Jazz! his discomfort and total lack of confidence was oozing out of all the windows of that otherwise comfortable car! I really wanted to ask him "Why so Serious?" , record it and send it to Honda!

All of that was beside the point though! The point here was that I was driving a 12000 kms old Indica Quadrajet! and was I pleasently surprised or was I?

The Quadrajet is a FIAT engine, and is expected to run extremely well, however that engine in the TATA body is making that car feel like a different animal on the road for sure! As soon as you rev up the engine beyond 2000 rpm, the car really transforms into a different avatar! The build quality is quite alright of the Indica, much better that the previous versions, though it still looks and feels very plastic as compared to cars in the similar category! AC is alright! Space is NICE, and the legroom at rear is very comfortable for 3 adults!

I was driving the fully loaded version which comes with a CD player and integrated bluetooth telephony system! it basically sucks though! I can do without it!

The ABS would come handy as the car seems to have a more than adequate amount of Body roll!

There is very little engine noise, thanks to the refined FIAT engine, and the throttle response is more than pleasing!

Let's come to a few thoughts keeping in perspective, the closest competition for this car! A fully loaded Swift VDI!

None of the two have a set of Alloys with the fully loaded version... Swift VDI has better build quality for sure, however that comes with a premium of about Rs. 70000 as compared to the Indica Quadrajet. Is it worth it? Not really sure till I drive a Swift VDI, but for now, the Indica Quadrajet seems to be a good value for money!

I also feel that things like

- Tachometer

- Digital Clock

- High mounted rear lamp

- Follow me home headlamps

- Delayed cabin lights

- Headlight on warning

and a few more! Don't see why these have to be included as "features" anymore in car brochures!

9 2 11 (नौ दो ग्यारह )

Have been trying to find the origin of 9-2-11 since morning... have asked a few colleagues at work as well!

but no go!

Anyone knows when and how did the phrase 9-2-11(नौ दो ग्यारह ) originate?

Why this post today? Well! today is 9-2-11! that's why!

ज्ञानचंद दोहेवाले

छुट्टी ऐसे काटिए, के अपने खुश हो जाएँ|

ना कोई अनजाना घर आये, और घर के न बहार जायें||

ना रोटी की चिंता, न नाश्ते की फिकर |

साथ हो बातें हो, बातों से पेट भर जाये ||

Prashant Bhardwaj, Jan-2011

Upside to free falling

"No matter how hard you fight it, you fall! And its scary as hell! Except there is an upside to free falling. Its the chance you give your friends, to catch you..."

Grey's Anatomy, SE2E03

77899

Some of my most cherished moments have been behind the wheels of my Palio!!! 77899 kms strong, and still with years to go!

ज्ञानचंद दोहेवाले

जब भी दिल करे बोलने का, करो अपनों से बात |

अपने अपने ही रहे, न दिन देखें न रात ||

दिन देखें न रात, सदा ही सुन-ने को तैयार|

बात तुम्हारी एक हो, चाहे बात तुम्हारी चार||

Prashant Bhardwaj, Jan'11

ज्ञानचंद दोहेवाले

कॉरपोरेट जगत मूया, लगा राजनीती खेल |

पीठ के पीछे गाली देवत, सामने पड़े तो मेल ||

Prashant Bhardwaj, Jan'11

ज्ञानचंद दोहेवाले

ज्ञान वहां पर बांटिये, जहाँ मुनासिब होए |

ऐसन को ज्ञान न बांटिये, जो अब पाए तब खोये||

Prashant Bhardwaj, Jan'11

Grey's Anatomy S1E2

"Boundaries don't keep others out... they cave you in!"

Grey's Anatomy, Season 1, Episode 2

This is my second series related to doctors after Scrubs, which I absolutely adore! So far I am liking this one too... let's see how the rest of it goes!

Two other series that I totally love are

• Lie to Me (Have seen the season 1 and 2 already... 3 is on air these days and should be available on DVD soon)
• Hustle (Not seen a series as good as this one about long cons)

Happy New Year 2011

Minneapolis and the kabootar and the baby hunter

One of my fondest memories of all times would be driving around in sub-urbs of Minneapolis with Pritam, Deepak, Lakhan, and Sapna with Delhi-6 songs playing!!!

I remember this weekend where we must have heard Sasural Genda Phool and Masakali atleast 50 times or maybe more!!! I think this was the weekend when I met Pritam's baby hunter for the first time!

As per Pritam this was a hunter who was still a baby... not to forget that we are talking about a Nissan Xterra here! To accept that it was still a baby at that size was very tough for almost all of us... And somehow the title baby hunter, tilted towards the car being someone who hunted babies more!!

Nevertheless, the whole Minneapolis downtown gang and the cars, and the drives are some thing worth remembering for a very very long time to come!!

1.1.11

This year has been an year of deaths!!!

and no DEATH is not always bad... at times it is, however for a relatively short duration of time as compared to time itself!

I knew some who died this year, I did not know a lot who did! but irrespective of this, I grew closer to death, my own, of people who are close to me and mean a lot to me, and the concept of death as a whole!

DEATH always leaves a VOID... it was surprising how I felt when some friends lost their near and dear ones this year! I did not know this people except that I knew they were there!

People leave, and they do that for good! leaving behind an emptyness.. something that you feel when you are shifting your house after years of staying there... You do not see the walls, you see what was there on those walls... you don't see a corner, you probably see your favorite program which was on the TV last night...you don't see a door, you think of the last time you opened that door and walked into the warmth of your home... you don't see a kitchen, you see the dishes that were there which your mom cooked last week!!!

The year is also coming to an end! Its dying! we cannot save it either, and that's a fact... time does not stop, and there is no point trying either! My options being, either to welcome the new life in whatever form that its coming, or to cry about what has been lost!

While I am still not able to come to terms with the concept of death and its brutal existance.. ok... not brutal, but existance!! I am looking forward to 1.1.11

Point and Beep

I find it funny that a lot of people stretch their arms to point towards their cars while using remote locking!

To each their own

A still from one of my favorite places in India... Old Delhi

Every saturday Hindus offer Mustard oil, and earthen lamps with mustard oil to Shani Dev in India. Shani is one of the "Navgrah", 9 planets and is the elder brother of Yamraj, God of death! Shani is probably one of the most feared ones however if placed favorably in a horoscope does wonders!

Anytime Tea Time - Chaibaaz Paavani (चायबाज़ पावनी )

Paavani is a flickr and blog-friend for quite sometime now, and I was really glad to see a T-photograph on her flickr stream! My immediate reaction was to request her permission for posting the photographs on Chai ki Dukaan and am thankful to get a nod from her!

An exceptionally talented photographer, a good writer and a design researcher, she is one of the photographers that I follow and learn from! Please do enjoy her photography work by clicking here.

Welcome to the ChaiBaaz Club, Paavani!

What a loss!

Lost the best of my street shots from Panaji, and some really beautiful pictures of Pooja!

Memory - 1GB
Cost - a few thousand rupees
Actual worth - Priceless!


I am so angry right now, that I don't even feel it! The photographs were just alright the last time I was viewing them on the camera, and now the bloody card just does not want to work!!! the photographs are all messed up of whatever i can see in the thumbnails... the camera freezes when I try to preview the images on it! what a loss!

On the brighter side, it gives a big reason to go back to Panaji sometime!

Where do they go?

We were driving out of South Goa this weekend for a day trip to Panaji and other places of interest in North Goa, when Pooja asked me this question...

"Prashant! Where do people who get married in Goa, go for a Honeymoon? "

Similar

Ram Charitmanas and Christmas are made of the same alphabets!

Very Very Tasty Tasty

Tasted the chilly fog in the morning!

Fell in love with Delhi Winters all over again!!!!

Ah! time for some tea in the warm morning winter sun!

Who do you call?

You are in a meeting!!! The phone is silent!!!

When you finish the meeting, there are three missed calls on your phone..

1. Your Boss

2. Your Wife

3. Your Best Friend

Who do you call first?

And why? :)

The Golden Mean

Very interesting video!!!

Room gets a whiteboard!

Any idea what can I write on it? :)

Saturday has been both lazy and rewarding so far! Nice!

What is! what would be?

I remember listening to this song, and songs like these on the radio when I was a kid! Felt good about the simplicity of messages being given via these!!!

Cut to today, when what I see all around is a strong negative vibe about almost everything which happens in one's life! Jobs/ Family/ Infrastructure/ Government/ Policies/ Taxes/Curruption and what not!

These songs had extreme positivity and commitment in them! And I think what we are today is not because of what we do today, but what people and leaders about 30 years ago did! We are only seeing the fruits of whatever effort in whatever direction they put in! and if someone starts a change today, its going to be visible in only about a decade or maybe more!

I feel extremely sad at the kind of country that we are going to pass on to the new generation! Am I talking like a concerned father? :) I think marriage does that to people! I am thinking of what can I do to give my kids a better world to live in!!!

Oh, and if it interests you, you can see the kid Aruna Irani @ 1.57 minutes into the first song and again at 2:49

Movie Weekend!

You would know that you have just seen Golmal 3 if

1. You have experience an overdose of primary colors for about 140 minutes

2. You managed to keep your sanity through a similar duration of nonsensical slapstick (made to look like situational) comedy

3. You went inside the cinema hall expecting nothing but senseless comedy, but see a lot of senseless action and melodrama instead

4. You did not expect anything or get anything from the dialogues or the script anyway

5. You feel that Golmal 1 was a different league altogether

6. You feel that Tushar Kapoor spoke a little too much for being a dumb. (Can't forget how hilarious it was to see him do his act in Golmal 1, Rohit Shetty things that overdose of that would make for a funnier movie; He is just simple a simpleplain dumb or what???)

7. You have not managed to laugh for more than 30 minutes during the entire movie! Half of which could have been because you were laughing at yourself!

Anyway!!! I also managed to watch Twilight, sunday evening, and liked it! not amazing, but it got me thinking about how selfless people could get when it comes to love! or can they?

Grand Entry

Entry to the Basilica of Sr. Mary in Downtown Minneapolis.

Two steps

There are only two steps that are needed to reduce issues in one's life!

1. Find Problems

2. Resolve them

and when i say Find problems, I really do not mean that one needs to go around looking for one :) or to create one if they cannot easily find one!

There is a third step too, which can be mixed with the two above!

Have tea while you do the two above!

The Fall has gone...

But the feeling remains!

All in One Weekend

This weekend was such a tiring but satisfying weekend!

Went to

- Chandni Chawk in Old Delhi for lights, and wall-clocks

- Khari Baoli in Old Delhi for Candles and Dry-fruits

- Sadar Bazaar near Old Delhi for Crackers and Fireworks

- Cottage Emporium in Central Delhi for solid wood furniture

- Uttar Pradesh Shilpotsav in NOIDA for handicrafts and snacks

- Jwala Heri in West Delhi for random Diwali shopping

Every single time I visit the markets in Old Delhi, I love that place more than the last time!

Felt like a friday

Been a very strange week this one!

Since Monday, every day felt like Friday! not because it was festive, but something inside me really wished that the next day is a Saturday (read a holiday), and now that its Friday finally, it does not feel like one at all!

I, however, am still waiting for the saturday :)

I think I need to go dancing!!!

Champ of the month!

Getting an award when you cannot substantiate why you "should" get it is more of an embarrassment than a matter of pride!

Maybe I am being overcritical of myself, but I am not really sure why I should have been awarded at work as yet! Am far from what I need to achieve!

T-Time

There are certain times when resisting the need of having a hot cup of tea is almost impossible!!!

Some of them are

1. When it rains

2. When you have been driving for a while, and want to take a quick break

3. When you want to talk at length with a friend

4. When someone has a packet of Parle-G Glucose biscuits

5. When its really cold outside and you are sitting in a balcony enjoying the chill

6. When you just want to sit on the top of a hill watching the valley in front

7. When you don't want do much and relax in the morning

8. When you want to stop thinking for a while

9. When you want to think about something important

10. When there is a lot of work to do

11. When there is nothing to do

12. When you want to crib about things at work

13. When its a long weekend (thanks CP for the idea)

14.

15.

16....

am leaving some points for the readers to fill in! When do you like to have tea?

All photographs from a recent trip to the hills (Ranikhet, Dist. Almora, Uttarakhand)

Thanks to the visitors of CKD, here is another long list :)

* When I miss home a lot - V

* When you have a headache - Saguna

* When I enjoy looking at the hedges across the road, from my balcony - Mepretentious

* Anytime and everytime... its theraupatic... i can never say no to tea unless too sweet - Raina

* When you are writing a blog (post) - Raina

* Samose ke saath - Raina

* When you're sitting on a swing... the three-seater kind that is in the backyard or frontyard or indoors. :) - Kanan

* Chai anytime anywhere & everywhere!! - Purnima

* When you have to wake up.. - Komal-Niksha

* When you can't think or do anymore..a cup of chai almost always seems to re-enrgise you.. - Komal-Niksha

* When you want to pen some beautiful lines.. - Komal-Niksha

* When you want to go back in time.. - Komal-Niksha

Getting better!

I used to like the amazing photograph, lovely pictures, what a shot sorts of comments on my flickr page a lot! And to be honest, I really like them today as well! But I struggle to improve in absense of the comments which tell me what can I do better!

There is a huge number of extremely talented photographers who showcase their work online on websites such a flickr, and a favorite, or a small comment from them does help continue with the effort!!!

And there are people who keep you going by coming back to you work, and encourage you! Its amazing how such people keep you going, if not help you improve!

However that is not enough all the time!

Here is what I did in the recent past to work on my photography...

1. Distinguish between what I am clicking just to document that "I was there", and the photographs which show a different side to the usual

2. Reduce the number of photographs that I click! Though this is in disagreement with a lot of experts, I feel that I want to see more than I click! hence a little more time spent behind the camera, or looking at pictures, or reading about them! and reduced time clicking! Not really sure if that has helped, as I am yet to reach a significant difference in my work

3. I follow the people who my contacts follow as their favorites! So let's say I really like how Tushar clicks, I would go to his favorites page, and see what does he follow! There are chances, that what he follows is a couple of steps ahead of him... and if I like his photography, the chances that I would like what he "really likes" a lot more! so I follow both! Over a period of time, I look at images that inspire me the most!

4. Stop following groups which are just a dumping ground for digital junk! I have spent a lot of time trying to find good pictures, from large groups! And did not end up learning! Instead I spent more time doing what I mentioned in step 3 and have gained a lot of "where could I get better" knowledge! How I get better is another chapter totally!

5. Stop getting emotional about my own work! Just because its me who has clicked a picture, does not mean its a nice picture! Reviewing every picture as an independent viewer has helped me break a lot of bonds with my images, and delete them from my collection (After a backup ofcourse; you never know when you need to go back to your originals)

And that's not it! I am nowhere close to what I can be!

But I am getting there!

T-tips from Chai ki Dukaan!

When you make tea, make sure that you are smiling!!!



It helps the TEA Taste Better!!!

Photograph from a T-Shop at Jageshwar(Distt. Almora), Uttarakhand, India!

...

Take two things away from Delhi Roads and this city would never be the same again!!!

The Horn!

and

The Horny!!

Pieces of Peace

You find your peace in pieces all over!!! Make sure to collect all of them!

Photograph from Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis Downtown, Minnesota!

Games people play!

CWG 2010 are about to come to an end, tomorrow being the last day! I have been looking forward and hoping that the games go well, and there are no major issues while the games are on in Delhi!

So far so Good!

The traffic has been alright! Infact, I have made it on time every single day I was travelling to work in the morning! Evenings have been a bit tight, however that is a usual scenario! An addition of about 20 minutes to a 150 minutes long drive does not really bother me anymore! Plus I am not driving myself, so that leaves some sanity intact by the time I reach home every evening, and I do not mind getting behind the wheels over weekends!

What I really like about games such as CWG and Olympics and other sports activities, is that they have a start date, and an end date! However there are games which just don't seem to end!

How I wish, from an endless list, the two below, have an end date

~ Political games at Office!

~ Office games in Politics!

I promise to participate in the closing ceremony!!!

Title courtesy : Games people play by Inner Circle

Lie to Me

"A real surprise lasts for less than a second. If they act surprised for more than a few seconds, they are faking it!"

Lie to Me (Season 1)

Started watching one of my favorite TV shows today!

...

Been a not so good week so far!!! muscle pulls, sprains, pain and just feeling dull!

commonwealth games के नारे!

कुछ चोर कुछ भिखारी

भ्रष्टाचार का नया नाम - सुरेश कलमाड़ी ||

Happy to see Indian team winning many Golds on day 2 of CWG2010 @ New Delhi! Keep an eye on the medals tally here.

कलमाड़ी की (कु)आरती

जय बाबा कलमाड़ी

बोलो जय बाबा कलमाड़ी

अद्भुत अनोखे ढंग से

तुमने commonwealth की मारी ||

बोलो जय बाबा कलमाड़ी!!!

सारे सम्बन्धी करोडपति

चाहे देश हो जाये भिखारी |

सबका ख्याल तुम्हे है

दोस्ती हो या रिश्तेदारी ||

बोलो जय बाबा कलमाड़ी!!!

इतना पैसा खाया

और आधी भी डकार न मारी|

तुमको जेल में डाले

अब किसकी ये ज़िम्मेदारी?

बोलो जय बाबा कलमाड़ी!!!

ऐसा हाल किया के

शर्म से डूब मरे नर नारी|

यमुना में भी बाड़ आ गई

धोने को तुम्हारी बीमारी|

बोलो जय बाबा कलमाड़ी!!!

CWG तो होंगे

भारत की है तय्यारी|

तुम जाने कहाँ जाओगे

कहाँ डूबेगी नैय्या तुम्हारी?????

बोलो जय बाबा कलमाड़ी!!!

Happy Birth(month)

Chai ki Dukaan entered its 7th year this september!!!

One of the quietest years for CKD has been its 6th, and rightly so! It has been an year of realizations, milestones, achievements, new journeys, and revisits! A few windows closed, and a lot of them opened!!!

And from how I see it, the 7th year is going to be extremely exciting, and happening, and set a strong base for years to come!

Here is some tea for everyone who has been a part of the journey in some form or the other!!!











Happy Birthday Chai ki Dukaan!

and with this, I finish the 100th post for 2010! Interesting!

(चायबाज़) Chaibaaz - Salva Magaz

Salva is one of my favorite photographers on Flickr... The moment I saw a Tea photograph on his stream, I knew I had to request him to let me post it on ChaiBaaz!

Enjoy!

Please do visit some more of his tea related photographs here.

p.s. All of these images including the above are copyright images and cannot be used in any form without Salva's written permission!

...

मुझे ये भी पता है.. वो भी पता है...

पर कुछ चीज़ें थी ज़रूरी...जो दिल भूल सा गया है

Moments from Ranikhet!

From a solid base to a fast country

I think advertisements are a good way to interpret how the country is moving and what its moving towards!

While there is a huge number of people who still have to ride a cycle to work or take the city bus/train (DTC/BEST/Mumbai Local) there is a substantial direction that our two wheelers provide to the country! Actually let me correct myself right here! there is a indication of where the country is going, represented in advertisements!

Let's look at Bajaj!!!!

Bajaj was "बुलंद भारत की बुलंद तस्वीर".. a representation of strong India! the ads also show families, people, emotions, bonds between people etc etc!

Cut to today!

Bajaj Ads now represent Speed, power, individuality, etc etc!

Note the change in lyrics and the genre of this soundtrack below ! Its "नए भारत की नयी रफ़्तार " now.. representing the speed of this new India!

Needless to say, the advertisements are much more classier than before too!

Do I like what is represented in these ads now? We can debate that! but the fact which needs to be accepted is that times have changed, would continue to do so! though we will end up where were started from!

Back from the hills!

Stay for two nights at Ranikhet - Rs. 5700

Food Bills for the trip - Rs. 2400

Fuel for about 800 kms - Rs. 4500

• Dodging falling rocks and rushing through the rock-rain within a matter of seconds
• Gathering courage to cross a fresh active landslide, and driving over rocks and trees
• Driving over huge rocks with just about an inch of possible error margin
• Watching river Kosi in its full flow, and driving through rushing waters for about 100 meters

Priceless!!!!!

Came back from a wonderfully rejuvenating break from Ranikhet and around! and brought back a whole lot to talk and think about for a long time!

"Sun"Day started with Rain

Had a perfect start of the day today!!!

Woke up at 6:45 while it was raining heavily...

Went out to get drenched in the rain, and enjoyed walking around in the water logged streets...

AND

planted 14 Jamun saplings which I had in a small pot on my balcony... All of them from the seeds I had planted a few months back!

I hope all of them grow and grow well :)

Had some amazing breakfast and lovely lunch as well!

Off to sleep early tonight, to wake up early morning tomorrow.. gotta catch a train to one of my favorite cities for a one day work trip!

Indraprastha Apollo in NOIDA?

I thought Apollo Hospitals did not have a presence in NOIDA, or maybe just a clinic. However Pooja said that she had seen the hospital!

To check, I went to Indraprastha Apollo's website to check for the hospital's address... The only thing about NOIDA that I could find out was the address of a pharmacy in sector-26.

Some screenshots from the website:

More locations...

Some more...

If you google the hospital, you would find that the hospital does exist in Sector-26, NOIDA and even has 20+ reviews.

I then called the Sarita Vihar hospital to check for the address, and asked the person on the phone about why NOIDA is not mentioned on the website.. and all he could say was..."Sir, wo update nahin hua hoga"!

I am surprised that this big an institution does not bother to keep its website updated. And like Tushar said, it does not really matter to them! Even if a few odd people who visit the website and do not find the right information chose to go somewhere else! I think this is very disappointing!

And from an IT consultant perspective, I consider this a blunder... The IT department of this organization is not upto date with what the business is doing! The number one symptom that most IT departments suffer from.

Anyway... for people who do not know, Indraprastha Apollo is in NOIDA as well! I am not sure about the quality of services, but let's leave that for a first hand experience though I hope doctors run out of business in future!

On a lighter note... How about trying to "Forget" a password instead of trying to remember one?

At work, I can click on forget password and what happens next is anybody's guess!

InnGaAnAe; Jugaad and the Idiot

While I was driving back yesterday evening, this sign caught my attention... The engines on the airplane sticker look kind of funny to me!!!

And I couldn't help but notice the hindi version of the acronym for Indira Gandhi International Airport!!! From now on please refer to the Delhi Airport Terminal Aas Inn-Ga-An-Ae

I feel nice about some of the changes that have happened in Delhi over the last decade... However the hustle bustle and amount of vehicles on the road, and all of this rat race makes us see right through that, and only end up cribbing and complaining!

While yesterday night, I was wondering at the improvements in the city, and feeling good about it... I got into a thought conflict while driving to work in the morning today... What you see in the photograph below, is a pedal rickshaw used to transport light heavy items for short distances... A lot of owners put a 100cc old scooter engine to cover longer distances, and save physical labor in such rickshaws... Good! innovation! and the great Indian JUGAAD! But today I saw a family of 4 using this and along with them was a small baby as well... This guy was driving at a good 40kmph completely oblivious of the fact that a small bump might throw all of them to the ground, and it could just be fatal, specially because of the speed of traffic at this hour.

Oh, and just for the records! These are not supposed to ply on the Ring Road!

And now lets get personal! The driver of this car! no no! the arsehole driving this car hits my car from behind... and in bumper to bumper traffic! no no.. it was not a gentle push, or a little peck! It was a bang! And then makes gestures like his father owns the bloody road!!!

And when I ask him to stop, he just rushes through like the illegitimate brother of Nayaran Kartikeyan...

The rear bumper had a slight impact but I was able to fix it after I reached work! I hope no plastic parts have broken!

Have a good Wednesday!

Relativity

For a lot of us, Royal Enfield is a big bike!



But this Punjab Police Gentleman, made this big bike, look like a moped!

Post-it CnH

From Scott Adam's Blog

A must read blogpost from Scott Adams. An interesting insight into what Scott felt was the reason of low ratings on a recent Dilbert Comic!

I had read the strip a couple of days ago, and did not really understand it.. Scott talks about what the artist likes is not necessarily something that his audience would also appreciate equally.

Click here to read Scott's post and see the strip he is talking about.

Chai ki Dukaan by Fredcan

In Fred's words, "A portrait of a chai wallah (tea maker), in his shop, in Haridwar. I took this during my stay in Haridwar for Maha Kumbh mela 2010, last April. This little chai shop had become a shelter for me, when the crowds and the sadhu camp became a bit overwhelming. In a way, it was like spending time, not just in a chai shop, but at the man's home itself, as the tiny shop seemed to tell of the man's life story with photographs and objects displayed in every corner.
He said he had seen many Kumbhs in his life before, and was no longer impressed by the whole thing. Yet, he admitted that for his little business, Kumbh time was the best !"

I have been followed Fred's work for a few years now, and have not seen a lot of people capture India with such simplicity. I really admire his street work, and am thankful he allowed me to post this photograph on Chai Ki Dukaan.

Please do visit his flickr page here, and his website here.

Power and Lines

There is not much that I miss about the US except a few things such as the skies and the clouds!!!

And the Fall colors!

2 years ago!

I am still working on the photographs that I had taken 2 years ago! thats a lot of backlog!

A bit of Color a bit of not!

Two to Tango!

More proof needed?

Wild-fires in Russia

Cyclones in USA

Cloudbursts in Ladakh

Floods in Pakistan

I might not have statistics, however it definitely feels that natural calamities have increased many fold in the last decade!

Most of these have scientific reasons behind them, however they are a RCA (Root Cause Analysis), and I personally feel that some, if not all, could have been prevented if some steps were taken to avoid them!

While there are many things which are a part of the natural cycle of evolution, there is a larger contribution of us as humans which is accelerating the pace of deterioration! I feel responsible for a part of it, however also feel helpless at the fact that there is little that I can do about it!

There is a need to apply some brakes somewhere! soon!

Happy Monday!

Driving to work with Radha! She never ceases to amaze me on our drives!

Finding Calvin and Hobbes on Google Books!

Bill Watterson! You are God!

Common "man's" Wealth "politicians playing" Games

I do not understand why this hue and cry over

1. Chairs being rented for Rs.8000 per month

2. Turf's being laid at 5 times the regular cost

3. Treadmills being leased for exorbitant prices

4. and probably 100s of other small and big scams that are in progress while Delhi and the country is preparing for Commonwealth Games!

Almost everyone in this country tries to get benefit from the situation when they can! and I say almost everyone, because I know some who do not! And when these guys in their positions try to make the most out of where they are, we cry foul!

While I feel sad about such bastards looting the country's money, I am really worried about what happens when the CWG start!

I sincerely hope that the entire setup does not collapse like a pack of cards! while somewhere in my heart, I am very scared it will!

Round!

It all comes down to where it started from, at some point of time or the other!

Running faster brings you closer to the beginning a lot quicker!

Once Upon a Time in NOIDA

Last minute plans for a late evening Sunday movie helped us watch "Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai" My choice of a cinema hall in NOIDA is going to very obvious now. Its going to be Big Cinemas in TGIP... reason? I bought an year of parking for Rs. 1000... This gives me unlimited parking at the Mall for an year, and some discounts on a lot of stores! most exciting being Rajdhani and Subway! a few more, but Pooja is more interested in them than me!

Let's get back to the title of the post now! Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai! The movie starts with a failed suicide attempt, and runs mostly in the flashback! Sultan Mirza's story and how he is dethroned by both the thought process of a new generation and a man which belongs to it, all of this when he invested his trusted in him! I like the parts of the movie when Ajay Devgan is on the screen, and I almost hated the parts when Imran Hashmi was doing his so called acting! Absolute nonsense! I find it tough to identify Kangna Ranaut on the screen! ALWAYS! she looks different all the time! makes her likeable in my opinion though!

Overall, I think the movie was ok, but slower than what I would like such a movie to be! The dialogues are good, the attention to detail in the backdrops are good too, and the entire look of the movie is carefully thought after! The soundtrack is nice, however there is not much to be heard during the movie except a couple of songs! If you ask me, I would say go watch it if you like watching Ajay Devgan's onscreen presence, and do not mind getting bored for about 30% of the entire duration!