tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89699130484621884382024-03-06T06:58:50.684+05:30My days - these days.....Koelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11762451489932745571noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969913048462188438.post-21771953011801674022021-11-14T20:39:00.002+05:302021-11-14T20:39:30.583+05:30Conformance and Shaming in Indian society - thinking triggered by the movie Nagarkirtan....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: left;">
I had heard about this movie named NagarKirtan some time back as it had received National Award and also was awarded in quite a few internal film festivals. So I was super excited to watch it when it was finally released in NCR - in the only movie hall nearby home which plays Bengali movies sometimes.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
There are very few movies that I have watched are actually able to meet the expectation that we build reading the reviews and feedback and this is one of those rare ones. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I will quote below the plot of the movie from Wikipedia:</div>
<br />
<span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><i>Unable to cope with the trauma of being โbetrayedโ by her teacher Subhash-da (Indrasish Roy), Porimal, a trans woman, runs away from home and joins a ghetto of eunuchs as Puti and sings at traffic signals to earn money. There she falls in love with Madhu (Ritwick Chakraborty), a delivery boy with a Chinese restaurant who moonlights as a flautist in kirtans. Their love blossoms while they dream of raising money required for the sex reassigned surgery after meeting the first transgender person in India who has completed Doctor of Philosophy, Manabi Bandyopadhyay. But transphobic society does not support their dreams. Puti is arrested and commits suicide by hanging herself with her towel inside the lock up at a police station. Eventually, Madhu joins the same ghetto of eunuchs.</i></span><br />
<span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span face="sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;">The aspect of movie that touched me deeply is how as a society we treat minorities - people who do not confirm the social view of "normal" and are less in number than the "normal" people. This movie covers one minority group which is of transgenders and people who have the mind of one gender trapped in the body of other. The hatred, mockery and brutality that these people are subjected to was something I was aware of, from what I read and see but this movie brought this out in a very poignant manner. </span></span><br />
<span face="sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span face="sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;">This is however just one tiny bit of the issue and it is not even the tip of the iceberg. As a society, in India, we just love to hate different set of people for different reason, none of which concern us in any way. We love to hate people who look different - are physically or mentally unwell, who are too tall or too short, who are too fat or too thin, who are dark. We hate people who are different socially - belong to a different religion, belong to different part of country than we belong to, belong to a different caste, are poorer or richer than us. We hate species that are not human - and love to exhibit our cruelty in different ways. We hate people who have more or less - of intelligence, intellect, kindness, morality or any other human quality. </span></span><br />
<span face="sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span face="sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;">I identify with this very well, as I am non-conforming in most ways and have been a recipient of direct or indirect unkind behaviour. Starting with physical appearance - I was obese as a child and hence subjected to numerous barbs from relatives and strangers alike, which thankfully stopped once I lost weight at puberty and became more conforming to the socially accepted size for women. I do not have fair complexion which is equivalent of "beautiful" in India, have short hair - all of these have put me in "minority" status for a long time. Social media has both positive and negative impacts on this - for most ordinary (non-celebrity) people like me, there is more acceptance of different way people look and more support, acceptance and appreciation from friends primarily. However I cannot say the same for celebrities where there is rampant body-shaming when there is minor deviation from the high standards of perfect looks that they set for themselves.</span></span><br />
<span face="sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span><span face="sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;">Now, let me dwell on the other side of the "minority" issue from my personal experience. I have been strong, intelligent, mature from early age, and that also made me a minority from childhood. After having joined a male-dominated career, I became a minority among minority ! And then being a single woman In India is another rarity. </span></span><br />
<br />
If there anyone who "fits-in" completely to societal norms? Let me try and construct that perfect woman for you. First and foremost qualification of a woman is to be beautiful - perfect height, not too tall or short, what would that be 5.5 / 5.6 ? Fair, long straight and silky hair, long nose - or not too long ? Skinny, or Slim or pleasantly plump ? Well educated - professionally qualified or thats too much in some communities ? Intelligent, Smart, Good in studies or that is not required for females ? </div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">As you all understand, that there isn't any person who will fits-in completely as there will be someone who will find some non-fitting-in aspect about everyone and hence subject to shaming. I am sure there isn't anyone among you, who has not faced shaming in some or the other form and has felt less confident and insecure because of it.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span face="sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span><span face="sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;">I started writing this piece long before the pandemic started and I thought I would complete it today. The pandemic has changed us in so many ways, and I hope it has made us more open, accepting and tolerant of everyone and everything. I wish and hope that we are all better people now, we respect differences and don't believe in shaming any more. We know now that living a life freely is a privilege and rather than spending time in criticizing others, we should celebrate life, in all its forms !<br /></span></span>
<span face="sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span face="sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<span face="sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span face="sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
Koelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11762451489932745571noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969913048462188438.post-13765301295845122882019-07-14T22:04:00.000+05:302019-07-15T09:40:34.716+05:30Copenhagen Mini Vacation - Summer of 2019 (June)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<h2 style="margin-left: 0in; text-align: left;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Section 1: Planning</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white;">I was very happy to be nominated to attend a
global leadership session in Ericsson Headquarters in Stockholm, it was summer
and Swedish summers are beautiful ! And yes, in case we all have forgotten,
Indian summers especially the ones in Delhi/NCR are ugly. Anyone would lap
up the opportunity to trade 45 degrees Celsius to 25 degrees, and I am a mere
mortal</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "segoe ui emoji" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;">๐</span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;"> with no exceptions to this rule! Though in
many other aspects I consider myself a superhuman, and you will find me extolling
my numerous virtues from time to time </span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;">๐</span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Since I had the opportunity to travel all the
way to Europe, I started thinking about selecting a nearby weekend destination.
After some research, I decided to concentrate on Scandinavia, and finalised Copenhagen.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"></span></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"></span></span></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">City sorted, the next step was finalising the
hotel. This one was really challenging with multiple decision criteria. The
variables I was juggling with were: nearness to city center, safety for solo
female travelers, cleanliness, right priced, value for money etc. After having
spent a bomb on hotel stay in a similar weekend trip to Amsterdam last year, I was keen to
optimise on this front. In between, I also toyed with the idea of Airbnb, but
since I was travelling alone and was supposed to reach in the night, even the
bravery and courage of the great โMEโ
could not convince "me", hence the idea was dropped </span></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;">๐</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;">. </span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">
</span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;">I
continued hotel searching by reading reviews and doing price check over next
few days, but every hotel that I was tempted to shortlist had some negative
reviews that put me off! Eventually after a week or so of searching and giving
up, I decided to ignore the negative reviews and just book the one I felt could
be fine. Negatives are there everywhere but we cannot be bogged down by them,
we have to handle them as they come.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: purple; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Section 2: The Journey Begins</span></div>
<span style="background: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">On the designated Sunday I set off on my official
tour and landed in Stockholm. Well the journey was not as smooth as it sounds
here, there were many โfirstsโ experienced, but that is a story I will tell you
another day, the focus of this one is Copenhagen ! After a successful work trip,
I packed my stuff and was off to Arlanda Airport to catch my Friday evening flight
to Copenhagen. As in most cases, I was one of the earliest passengers of the
flight to reach the airport and was through with all formalities quickly. </span><br />
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">I was
feeling hungry having skipped lunch, and since I was not sure If I could get
any dinner once I reached, I was on the lookout for something Vegetarian and light. My
search ended with a mushroom and cheese pizza slice, which the saleswoman
advised me to eat cold. Pizza and Cold ? I insisted she warm it, so she did. It
was not too nice, as it seemed too greasy, may be this is why she advised me on
having it cold ? Anyway, I do love the individual components โ mushroom and
cheese, so I managed to finish most of it, washed down by a coke. The flight
took off and landed exactly on time and I was excited to set foot on yet another
new country !</span></div>
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">I could not wait to get out of the airport and enjoy
the view of another lovely European city, but God had other plans ! I waited and waited
at the luggage belt, the flight number being clearly visible on the board,
meaning I was at right place. After about 30-40 minutes of waiting, it was announced
that due to bad weather caused by thundershower, luggage could not be fetched
from the airplanes. Well this was something new to me, having lived in a
country famous for torrential rains, I had not come across this reason for
delay of luggage (though there may be numerous other reasons as luggage generally
comes late in most Indian airports </span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">๐</span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">), or may be I have not traveled so much
during rainy season.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">I walked up and down the arrival area, as by this time,
airport was filling up with people waiting for their luggage from multiple
landed fights, tried to peep outside to check if thunders were still on, drank
some water, used the washroom and then finally was too tired for any activity. I managed
to find a seat far away from my luggage belt and just waited. In between I
called my Hotel to inform that I was going to be late and to make sure that they would not give away my room to anyone else. They assured that my room is safe
for me and they will have someone at reception in the night โ big relief !
Finally luggage arrived after 2 hour wait, and from there on it was pretty
smooth. I reached Hotel Alexandra around 11:30 pm, and was pleasantly surprised to
find that there are still many tourists on the roads enjoying and cafes were
still open. After checkin, I went to my room, but no, did not crash
immediately. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The room was nice and first time ever, I got a
room which really had a single bed ! It was time for a customary selfie
announcing to the world (through facebook of course) that I had arrived ! After
freshening up, I made use of the kettle to rustle up some coffee and enjoyed it with my
haldiram bhujia, watched my then binge-series on Netflix for a while and then retired for
the day.</span></div>
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">
<o:p></o:p></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivwd7S1fNb4tRNVdk699m4tWkTy5eRctMKmpShFHbczOdzRSy0dunjtKDX8S7rCXfIvFQS7QZaDShByRmNCpdOD5sD8XpssZhnRwXnTal52XsqcWJggk1CBM9BvUYMYb69nVy9eTz-VmA/s1600/IMG_7229.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivwd7S1fNb4tRNVdk699m4tWkTy5eRctMKmpShFHbczOdzRSy0dunjtKDX8S7rCXfIvFQS7QZaDShByRmNCpdOD5sD8XpssZhnRwXnTal52XsqcWJggk1CBM9BvUYMYb69nVy9eTz-VmA/s320/IMG_7229.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">There is a little sweet side-story which I
could not resist the temptation of adding in this section. While I was roaming around in the airport waiting for luggage, I picked up background conversations inadvertently,
as not many conversations were in English. This was between two young people from
opposite genders, both very attractive and none of whose mother tongue was English.
They introduced themselves to each other while waiting at the belt for luggage and continued to chat during the waiting time. My alert ears picked up parts, that the girl is
from Copenhagen and the boy is travelling to Denmark, and many other pieces of getting-to-know-each-other
conversation. The happy ending was when I saw them leaving the airport in the
same cab!</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: purple; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: purple; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Section 3: First</span><span style="background-color: white; color: purple; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> day of Vacation</span></div>
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The plan for the day was to cover as many as
the must-visit tourist destinations as possible. The mode of travel was to be my two foot soldiers, as I had done in Amsterdam in the last similar weekend trip. The
weather forecast foretold cloudy skies but no possibility of rains, but to be extra
cautious, I planned to carry the umbrella. Did I mention that I carried the
umbrella from India, as there was forecast of rains in Stockholm, and it was put to good use there as well !</span></div>
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;">This fine morning in Copenhagen, I woke up, had
some tea and biscuits and leisurely got ready. Thankfully the decision of what
I am going to wear was already made, so I avoided the most long activity of
every morning </span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;">๐</span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;"> After few heavy meals in Stockholm, I felt too
full and was skipping at least 1 or more meal per day to be feel light and energetic. These
days the only fuel that I crave for is simple home food, which is not possible
in short trips like this. I fortified myself with couple of more biscuits and
packed some nuts and water for the day. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Since I was on my own, the
opportunities of being photographed were to be rare and difficult and hence it
was very critical that I have a full length picture taken, still looking fresh
as dew! </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">I had a little chat with the young girl at the reception about what places
should I see etc and she marked few on the map. She turned out to be India
enthusiast, had traveled to India and was also learning Hindi ! Such a pleasant
surprise, she actually tried to converse with me in Hindi which I happily
obliged. Having found a friend of India in Distant Denmark, I felt more confident
to request her to take a picture. She captured the beautiful reception area
with me in it in a nice way and I promptly posted in on facebook!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><br /></span></span>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheIKOl2I2ER72baIWKpxtcsc0lTXr5QBITWTuzX9Ao-spJJLDUk4Bj3cHASAfTpcypR-OW9PSbgAafPX6w7Yy-3B7XIlHAuXhdcYLMYQ-7dgs1aB1zzbHw1vqbJdGyjBjqIsgic62noQM/s1600/IMG_7238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheIKOl2I2ER72baIWKpxtcsc0lTXr5QBITWTuzX9Ao-spJJLDUk4Bj3cHASAfTpcypR-OW9PSbgAafPX6w7Yy-3B7XIlHAuXhdcYLMYQ-7dgs1aB1zzbHw1vqbJdGyjBjqIsgic62noQM/s320/IMG_7238.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">I set out to find slight chill in the air, but
I was prepared, with my denim jacket firmly tucked in my backpack. The hotel
Alexandra was really at the city center, with the City Hall just in front and
Tivoli Gardens next door. I walked up to the City Hall and spent some time enjoying
the view, clicking pictures and finding someone to request to click a picture </span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">๐</span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"> I took a
walk all around the City Hall, taking in the views, and just enjoying the fresh
air and lovely views so typical of summer time Europe. I clicked some beautiful
flowers and some unique sculptures. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><br /></span></span>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-FvO64WRGpFu-LmT9V4RGrG5rHO7B6V-_-MqACMeTFqsmBh1KsgPvQ5cRo1eS_OVwrnMfPH3XnSpfe-KnT6kDvhO_oSMAtmpxudG2l5u2oLZtzrphl7hLOSQ6hDbP4lgWWs2wCfnWAf4/s1600/DSCN1146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-FvO64WRGpFu-LmT9V4RGrG5rHO7B6V-_-MqACMeTFqsmBh1KsgPvQ5cRo1eS_OVwrnMfPH3XnSpfe-KnT6kDvhO_oSMAtmpxudG2l5u2oLZtzrphl7hLOSQ6hDbP4lgWWs2wCfnWAf4/s320/DSCN1146.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYP3QKVEd4pwos6Ff-fO4zxEKhlCAjdrBtysZFhJQw-h4fv7LpPOpIadGTZQNDwRCUl6MM2bR-HYblG2bB9UItF872zj1b_MaZLp7WIC-t3Csb5CFlSDwCOQOPN03epihtMptTUtD5E1k/s1600/DSCN1156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYP3QKVEd4pwos6Ff-fO4zxEKhlCAjdrBtysZFhJQw-h4fv7LpPOpIadGTZQNDwRCUl6MM2bR-HYblG2bB9UItF872zj1b_MaZLp7WIC-t3Csb5CFlSDwCOQOPN03epihtMptTUtD5E1k/s320/DSCN1156.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;">One of the sculptures with whom I took a
selfie was of Hans Christian Andersen, the famous author of fairy tales all of
us (in the 60s, 70s, 80s) grew up on. I came to know that this is his
statue, during the Hop-on-Hop-Off tour that I took a little later. Funnily
enough the announcer mentioned that โThumbelinaโ, โLittle Mermaidโ etc. are
written by Hans Christian Andersen and not Walt Disney! I was surprised at her
observation then but later realized that
the only way that children learn fairy tales these days are through cartoons and
movies which are all made by Disney, so the author mostly remains unknown.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><br /></span></span>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc_xcV0G6rqrSnoW3ELxZKQShGD6ZEnOyaSnxR904OybjhIalZOpRFzSbZ1mT0s5aOOtwydmUk5hyphenhyphenLQacAJ7pehahQp7mrzSlCD3ViJYMxjihxraA_oGh3L9lKgRiOMcc7IEw1WUsSK1Q/s1600/IMG_7260.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc_xcV0G6rqrSnoW3ELxZKQShGD6ZEnOyaSnxR904OybjhIalZOpRFzSbZ1mT0s5aOOtwydmUk5hyphenhyphenLQacAJ7pehahQp7mrzSlCD3ViJYMxjihxraA_oGh3L9lKgRiOMcc7IEw1WUsSK1Q/s320/IMG_7260.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">After City Hall, it was time for some other
attractions in the city. My plans for walking around took a hit as I figured
that the distances are higher than I estimated and I suddenly felt
very tired as realization of 2 long weeks sans any rest hit me. I remembered that I had read about
hop-on-hop-off buses in Copenhagen and looking around, I could see a shop just across
the road selling tickets. It lifted my spirits immediately as I crossed the
road and bought the bus+boat tour. Just when I was approaching the bus stop I saw
a sea of humanity moving in unison and was hit by the fact that this was
tourist season in Europe. Generally I am used to seeing crowds this big and bigger in India,
but somehow I do not expect the same in Europe </span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">๐</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;">After a long wait, in what was not necessarily
a very disciplined queue, with people trying to barge in at different points, there
was a sudden rush when the bus came finally. People broke the queue and rushed,
though me and some fellow travelers protested mildly. Somehow I managed to get
on the bus and the journey started. By this time it was really chilly and my sleeveless
top was not keeping up to the assault of the winds. To avoid getting sick on first hour of first day of the trip itself, I had to sacrifice style for comfort
and wear my denim jacket </span><span style="background: white; color: #222222;">โน</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The bus started moving through parts of the city
and I was busy clicking the customary blurred pictures, (which could not be
posted anywhere) through the closed windows of places whose name I will not remember!
But what the heck, where would be the camera be used, if not here ! </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The first
stop was the starting point of the boat tour. This stop had quite a few lovely old buildings around. The
most notable was is the Copenhagen Old Stock Exchange. The unique part of the building are the four intertwined
dragon tails of the dragon spire which are topped by three crowns, symbolizing
the Scandinavian empire (Denmark, Norway, and Sweden). The commentary in the bus
mentioned that it was possible if the creatures on the spire were modeled on
crocodiles, at a time, when no one in Denmark had actually seen crocodiles.</span></div>
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">
<o:p></o:p></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB8FxQmihck3qdEfeJOCdrlwulN7ea2QMu4fYj7rxsBbbIhlnWjDff878MKaQXZQiE1p9ki7y5ibNKXyQccGqrz7j6I5kY0Dy27ex-tBlDMzHL-N5hfwdbRBrkrqkxtBKtfyAnctlAxIQ/s1600/DSCN1169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB8FxQmihck3qdEfeJOCdrlwulN7ea2QMu4fYj7rxsBbbIhlnWjDff878MKaQXZQiE1p9ki7y5ibNKXyQccGqrz7j6I5kY0Dy27ex-tBlDMzHL-N5hfwdbRBrkrqkxtBKtfyAnctlAxIQ/s320/DSCN1169.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_bzs6kIG8HC0JJD3CEFhlp77-XdJ5ceP9xJZIyA27ab5d3JXaF3Tr1xEPck35927WGoL5yYpt4Qas3yjeNUPSE6FiuWqU2eGiZ5_qhbbL6jXQVNbOkDVLnpYgQN8fFj88ESvRjQGMH6k/s1600/DSCN1171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_bzs6kIG8HC0JJD3CEFhlp77-XdJ5ceP9xJZIyA27ab5d3JXaF3Tr1xEPck35927WGoL5yYpt4Qas3yjeNUPSE6FiuWqU2eGiZ5_qhbbL6jXQVNbOkDVLnpYgQN8fFj88ESvRjQGMH6k/s320/DSCN1171.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJvFyTO27mmcScxn_-cIQQ-nb6d-j9P6EFK8VXD3eDp5sVpIcwJzn-x-bwCbt29C0NgtxKGI541Pmb-DASqNw3v6sycbiij9g6z2aYN1pJccXuQyrAWojXVhCJHt-THkeNUIW79mwOkc8/s1600/DSCN1174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJvFyTO27mmcScxn_-cIQQ-nb6d-j9P6EFK8VXD3eDp5sVpIcwJzn-x-bwCbt29C0NgtxKGI541Pmb-DASqNw3v6sycbiij9g6z2aYN1pJccXuQyrAWojXVhCJHt-THkeNUIW79mwOkc8/s320/DSCN1174.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaKeGpB5-fAYo-TTyc7K4V5B4CJVhrq_e6p5koMzvsSr8btwxf8o3a4bc5_S3pbMsUldE6ksIFaNji9IOB1-WXB7W-CHrEdsVYrCy3cpqnu-DlRoh4fMCD7dXjm6FEuVr-AWaiFTP5wXs/s1600/DSCN1176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaKeGpB5-fAYo-TTyc7K4V5B4CJVhrq_e6p5koMzvsSr8btwxf8o3a4bc5_S3pbMsUldE6ksIFaNji9IOB1-WXB7W-CHrEdsVYrCy3cpqnu-DlRoh4fMCD7dXjm6FEuVr-AWaiFTP5wXs/s320/DSCN1176.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Once again the reality of tourist season set in
โ leading to a long wait for the boat to arrive. In the meantime, I clicked lot
of pictures and selfies. I got a full length one clicked by a fellow tourist which
I later figured had my eyes closed </span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">โน</span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"> Majority of my pictures come this way, and it
is especially a problem when travelling alone, as it embarrassing to request strangers
to re click a picture as my eyes were closed in the original ! While waiting for
the boat when I was trying hard for capturing most out of a selfie, a kind
fellow tourist offered to click a picture โ God bless her. </span><br />
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The boat tour was lovely, as it went around the city, stopping at key points for pictures. The city of Copenhagen opened itself up as a beautiful mix of ancient and modernity. All the major landmarks in city like Little Mermaid, Amalienborg palace, The Marble Church, Church of Our Saviour etc. could be seen.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPfxpM-o6eeJRs6Zn8xw50r2ieynldiWjcH5FD2V6ODqwaDdSdfc9ZLZO-Yt40EZh0EN0F7v8AN89hLJLxAH-e1GBKcTZXGSrFZneoW-6Oa7k5msc8hXN3lSq5H23YkTUDn4i4Rkod7RU/s1600/DSCN1206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPfxpM-o6eeJRs6Zn8xw50r2ieynldiWjcH5FD2V6ODqwaDdSdfc9ZLZO-Yt40EZh0EN0F7v8AN89hLJLxAH-e1GBKcTZXGSrFZneoW-6Oa7k5msc8hXN3lSq5H23YkTUDn4i4Rkod7RU/s320/DSCN1206.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFf_hcPwdSixT3sPX5DdulnK9mRGjm2m_rDToO49mg3rEc3SLX-kGNcqhuJVm63Ef2EUI-P8khbG2OJqGnTLjemHoWR12qHpoL0oUvgkmf0gw8gyTX7Qk_tIHH7oR6_ejQWLZTAQ1x8R0/s1600/DSCN1220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFf_hcPwdSixT3sPX5DdulnK9mRGjm2m_rDToO49mg3rEc3SLX-kGNcqhuJVm63Ef2EUI-P8khbG2OJqGnTLjemHoWR12qHpoL0oUvgkmf0gw8gyTX7Qk_tIHH7oR6_ejQWLZTAQ1x8R0/s320/DSCN1220.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLFoHxnGbJtSZh6NV2AzgRzLqXghETNanG2XVeGIclBV_zBVhyphenhyphen2t47yzTP8j9hXFWG4FXwKXey-kJ7OASkDqT1qq6oBvtX7JLOwgYzqnyNeMCJGeL0_uicpR4D1WZsFawyJ2xYGCvBqWY/s1600/DSCN1235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLFoHxnGbJtSZh6NV2AzgRzLqXghETNanG2XVeGIclBV_zBVhyphenhyphen2t47yzTP8j9hXFWG4FXwKXey-kJ7OASkDqT1qq6oBvtX7JLOwgYzqnyNeMCJGeL0_uicpR4D1WZsFawyJ2xYGCvBqWY/s320/DSCN1235.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;">The most interesting aspect of the boat trip for me was moving through Freetown Christiania. This is a locality within the city, which does not necessarily follow the laws of the country. People lead a free life, they build their own houses in their different quirky styles, and many people live on boats, some of which we could see along the tour. This area is also known for drug use and not very safe for tourists. There have been multiple clashes between the inhabitants of this area and Danish government over years but currently there is peace. You can read more about this area on Internet. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;">I also particularly loved the apartments on the waterfront ! </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcqjPpWXmM1bO3anvE3lY8iSoplfqqZM3glTU_4YQ6hJ8XbPw1EaFsMJBp0jtuLZMDx0kZd2Lndy5WN44oecwHSUvJXvdDBs9hk-yk4bUYRrRMk1wnct6MRDFhNj2y6iwYBaGOQSySrcY/s1600/DSCN1187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcqjPpWXmM1bO3anvE3lY8iSoplfqqZM3glTU_4YQ6hJ8XbPw1EaFsMJBp0jtuLZMDx0kZd2Lndy5WN44oecwHSUvJXvdDBs9hk-yk4bUYRrRMk1wnct6MRDFhNj2y6iwYBaGOQSySrcY/s320/DSCN1187.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">During the tour, it started raining and everyone who had umbrellas, opened them. The ones who did not have could buy a basic raincoat at 1 Kronor on board from the boat operators. It was raining continuously after the boat trip was over and umbrella was not enough to avoid getting drenched. The hop-on-hop-off arrived and I decided to cover the most coveted and famous landmark of Copenhagen โ the little Mermaid. I had already seen it from back during the boat tour. And even before, I was warned by my colleague not to have high expectations from it โ as it is a little statue. Even the hotel lady was not too keen for me to visit it โ she said it is just a hype. Hype or not, I definitely needed to have a picture clicked in front of it. So I decided to directly get down at the little mermaid stop next. </span></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">It was raining
heavily by then and though the park around was lovely, I was in no mood to
linger around. I walked briskly to the little mermaid and to get a closer view
I had to walk down some slippery rocks. As I was navigating it with umbrella in
1 hand, mobile on other, camera on the neck and my backpack on the back, I slipped and before
I knew I was lying flat on my stomach, just an inch from the edge of the rocks </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">๐</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"> It was funny for sure for everyone who was there, but they
were very kind and offered me help to get up, also enquiring if I was fine. I
got up quickly to check if my most treasured belongings โ mobile and camera
were fine and thank God they were. My back hurt a little, but that was
manageable. Some pictures, selfies and a requested picture with me and Mermaid
by a fellow tourist, I headed back. A kind tourist offered his hand, surely
having seen my clumsiness a few moments back and I was very happy to accept it
!</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzyINYtUXy7de2eziva0XklFKlEIQny4eK-AvS_81P6zLHs7iDFeqC0LN1nFRivuDLN-aKouGyFIQhNAhPM8ZuHaNfLNWotpyLfLA9wUAQXsxkCVp-4-CxNRvyon4YkiJKubx5WqvKBYI/s1600/IMG_7339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzyINYtUXy7de2eziva0XklFKlEIQny4eK-AvS_81P6zLHs7iDFeqC0LN1nFRivuDLN-aKouGyFIQhNAhPM8ZuHaNfLNWotpyLfLA9wUAQXsxkCVp-4-CxNRvyon4YkiJKubx5WqvKBYI/s320/IMG_7339.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;">The bus came quickly this time and I got on
to it for my next stop of Rosenborg Castle. After a little walk from the stop with directions
from kind local, I reached the castle. Here, I had to keep all my belongings in
a locker after taking the tickets. Due to the rush, lockers were not available,
so that induced some waiting time. I decided to keep my camera as well, to avoid
carrying anything heavy, and use only iphone for pictures. I thought it would be a short
wait to enter, so kept my umbrella inside which apparently was a wrong decision
as I was completely drenched in ensuing 10-15 minutes wait. I was cold and shivering,
looking for some warmth. The situation thankfully got better as I entered the Castle. The
castle was beautiful with luxurious belongings of the royal family and there were
lot of pictures to be taken. I lingered on inside the castle for much longer
than required as I waited for the rain to subside, which it did not.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRufinh9BsRwi8XOGNaQpto5G7XFAaIfRWtoJIxsX20VQJypH47-y5Nb2DMQNmaX8p79oR0kbEw7LQ81wGs9w2tNDEYUAMdFs6KUQ4V2V9H9kNHLpNUYS7wjN6x65ggdaBr1fuFcRpgXM/s1600/IMG_7348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRufinh9BsRwi8XOGNaQpto5G7XFAaIfRWtoJIxsX20VQJypH47-y5Nb2DMQNmaX8p79oR0kbEw7LQ81wGs9w2tNDEYUAMdFs6KUQ4V2V9H9kNHLpNUYS7wjN6x65ggdaBr1fuFcRpgXM/s320/IMG_7348.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih1KTCNl2vAEb0xN6jfFAZZFeQ-DccgU_JeFMAeutUUpdLi-aBbXPR6RWeGxD-RoB70Dwe3FE3Gy9dMLElTyd9MUbpwsKYhRGHFBq8M2Vxo6oinfBgp5MsUBoo4v0S8_K_BIu4Mdt0vfA/s1600/IMG_7358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih1KTCNl2vAEb0xN6jfFAZZFeQ-DccgU_JeFMAeutUUpdLi-aBbXPR6RWeGxD-RoB70Dwe3FE3Gy9dMLElTyd9MUbpwsKYhRGHFBq8M2Vxo6oinfBgp5MsUBoo4v0S8_K_BIu4Mdt0vfA/s320/IMG_7358.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit-Y_vJiXGiYXW6avxewRY54R_1t8jryNMme90f5Aq5pJmvkRmNpHIeU-11ZLpIcdpVuR7gNfXQkbGxtj2uampQfF3J4QOtCbUKKBkKZXbOEb1KZaIiIqj50FZjdg6LhQAEpLnCEb90Ys/s1600/IMG_7372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit-Y_vJiXGiYXW6avxewRY54R_1t8jryNMme90f5Aq5pJmvkRmNpHIeU-11ZLpIcdpVuR7gNfXQkbGxtj2uampQfF3J4QOtCbUKKBkKZXbOEb1KZaIiIqj50FZjdg6LhQAEpLnCEb90Ys/s320/IMG_7372.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo89TiZFHI7WZzF53GnD8G7h-l0FfeiUgmUqwCuEY-UZik119UcojbGwMiyTYsxXOUB52df30DGLS0XKxXEQxd0v2wlFE86A08om2AsLSLLmJD0HeQc-3JsbtjYm4IRol7P9tcMfeeK24/s1600/IMG_7365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo89TiZFHI7WZzF53GnD8G7h-l0FfeiUgmUqwCuEY-UZik119UcojbGwMiyTYsxXOUB52df30DGLS0XKxXEQxd0v2wlFE86A08om2AsLSLLmJD0HeQc-3JsbtjYm4IRol7P9tcMfeeK24/s320/IMG_7365.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;">Finally I went out, and walked into
the Kingโs Garden. It is a lovely, lush green garden with lot of trees and flowers
โ particularly roses of different colours. I finally opened my camera as it was raining very lightly and
clicked some pictures. I would have loved to have few of my pictures taken with the roses, but the
one person who was there was busy arranging some beer bottles near the rose
beds. I was worried that he may start displaying drugs next, hence I did not feel very confident about requesting him for the pictures. I quickly took some selfies and walked away.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnfp6hWVJrYZEJNUIe62urWqjmUb_NZLDjASP4mgTwfZnYheLZ0OTrQs7Upyr45M67BjAX3RA5Cj1TWK_OYhkDVcfIvs9DSm6E0hMM2qgrzzru2gvBgsPcUL5Q2ZVre1DE20MlHtQeY-E/s1600/DSCN1246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnfp6hWVJrYZEJNUIe62urWqjmUb_NZLDjASP4mgTwfZnYheLZ0OTrQs7Upyr45M67BjAX3RA5Cj1TWK_OYhkDVcfIvs9DSm6E0hMM2qgrzzru2gvBgsPcUL5Q2ZVre1DE20MlHtQeY-E/s320/DSCN1246.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6bQuQ_otRRbhS9v7R_V5hNYILDE8YuWSkH6LWxc53Biq0MIV1vJHYSogFzNm00Nvb0skgRS_cNDfB78wh46JdFNSYIdFhyTFm5UgPQFATLr6Rbi7EwRDkOuLN3JWIiFW5stAZJKVDSZU/s1600/DSCN1257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6bQuQ_otRRbhS9v7R_V5hNYILDE8YuWSkH6LWxc53Biq0MIV1vJHYSogFzNm00Nvb0skgRS_cNDfB78wh46JdFNSYIdFhyTFm5UgPQFATLr6Rbi7EwRDkOuLN3JWIiFW5stAZJKVDSZU/s320/DSCN1257.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJ1CJvzm94vzGWSFMu8QqIG6rM3QnBMvWvWZ_ESbHkj2Yo27qDn7NwlA7tHru2wLXU5LvBoobKQBHAysXickFFbTNmxChXAr9CsjjNljUo2e-tQUAhOa8Fso0Wn_oVgM_Rw9E2lcHz4U/s1600/IMG_7419.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJ1CJvzm94vzGWSFMu8QqIG6rM3QnBMvWvWZ_ESbHkj2Yo27qDn7NwlA7tHru2wLXU5LvBoobKQBHAysXickFFbTNmxChXAr9CsjjNljUo2e-tQUAhOa8Fso0Wn_oVgM_Rw9E2lcHz4U/s320/IMG_7419.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZndcIudl-1jDlM7sMYgAW9Hux5485D3w71p8Wbhh1eHeMawvJ-zB0Z_1Q335Y0Vv0f3kbLubliveGuvX0FPzWTX2Ro3BLYSkgFPhaqQdIrG_PhpEcK5FWEvfq-UbrIFWMH86Bx1A3H8c/s1600/IMG_7422.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZndcIudl-1jDlM7sMYgAW9Hux5485D3w71p8Wbhh1eHeMawvJ-zB0Z_1Q335Y0Vv0f3kbLubliveGuvX0FPzWTX2Ro3BLYSkgFPhaqQdIrG_PhpEcK5FWEvfq-UbrIFWMH86Bx1A3H8c/s320/IMG_7422.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;">The rain subsided completely by now
and I was so relieved to pack my umbrella. It was snack time, and as I waited
at the bus stop bench, I munched my nuts. After waiting for 10-15 minutes
I looked by google map and figured out that I could walk down to nearby destinations
rather than wasting time waiting for the bus. Armed by google map, I walked up
to the bell tower and checked that it would remain open till 8 pm, so I had 3
hours or so. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">By now, I was pretty tired and was longing for something warm.
Found a coffee shop nearby and sat down with a tall cup of Cappuccino and a
warm Cinnamon-Caramel-Pecan bun. The bun was yummy with gooey caramel, lovely cinnamon
flavor and crunchy pecan nuts and the coffee was just want I needed to lift up my tired body and spirits. </span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmt1jNXbK3Ffnj277cqlvvbsvFbi5zOLLXlbptfPoKZah9W00AbzR_-Pm4aU_70b2s6480WIJtqiO77zTXms216sWlTwORZdBV3PT6B9rGHy4lnPBtML7uxZ6SFnrxI75IXtR-QZYmpsA/s1600/IMG_7433.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmt1jNXbK3Ffnj277cqlvvbsvFbi5zOLLXlbptfPoKZah9W00AbzR_-Pm4aU_70b2s6480WIJtqiO77zTXms216sWlTwORZdBV3PT6B9rGHy4lnPBtML7uxZ6SFnrxI75IXtR-QZYmpsA/s320/IMG_7433.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;">After a
relaxing time with myself, I bought the tower tickets and walked up. The view
from top was lovely, I could see all the major landmarks and also could find a kind
tourist to click my picture.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixynSsJzD3_21WLCBlXYtMLXZoTJHJHkT3QSPlqkf2ikyYMbKOEsqUsg_WBLDfTK4eg7mHDNHzaffeJB70ST2FJIe_pt6Di9aXnIjp4XLnRxq6N6zvp6g3M7UQtj_b-rzap3A0CWIXt6Y/s1600/DSCN1261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixynSsJzD3_21WLCBlXYtMLXZoTJHJHkT3QSPlqkf2ikyYMbKOEsqUsg_WBLDfTK4eg7mHDNHzaffeJB70ST2FJIe_pt6Di9aXnIjp4XLnRxq6N6zvp6g3M7UQtj_b-rzap3A0CWIXt6Y/s320/DSCN1261.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid9Waly6njjTNyr6GeqFnCRMBqIERZ5z3i9U59vZN4ptCdltvkmn7NAFT0m5Hj-jcyCr3u3fTXrdQciXKm4E4zZU9WGChed1MCgs9tELqMHhhvPNLEU7pT9Q43Y9JxxKVt-jUHZInNjDA/s1600/DSCN1263.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid9Waly6njjTNyr6GeqFnCRMBqIERZ5z3i9U59vZN4ptCdltvkmn7NAFT0m5Hj-jcyCr3u3fTXrdQciXKm4E4zZU9WGChed1MCgs9tELqMHhhvPNLEU7pT9Q43Y9JxxKVt-jUHZInNjDA/s320/DSCN1263.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;">From here I took help of google map
to walk back to the hotel. Since it was still sunny, there was no point wasting
the rest of the time sitting in hotel, and I also had lots to cover still. After
resting briefly in the hotel, I freshened up, changed and with umbrella packed,
set out for the second innings of the day. Again it was time for a full length picture,
this time clicked on the other side of the hotel reception. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;">The destination now
was Tivoli Gardens, a Entertainment park bang in the middle of the city. It was
just a 5 minutes walk and I was mesmerized the minute I walked in โ it was like
a fairy tale with lovely buildings, lights, flowers and festivity. </span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKaWy4f5Q0BZoPkgj3tOLy8IJX9bXivqFm321ed8yMtqu8HqwF02kHI0IHdOBE8rMaHeoFKdvxjjc10nPXc3pcwSzlvh7f_FnPz33pAHFe5NFFdBj5wr0bWSPTbsd8Xp5ACU4zeSsyj9k/s1600/DSCN1277.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKaWy4f5Q0BZoPkgj3tOLy8IJX9bXivqFm321ed8yMtqu8HqwF02kHI0IHdOBE8rMaHeoFKdvxjjc10nPXc3pcwSzlvh7f_FnPz33pAHFe5NFFdBj5wr0bWSPTbsd8Xp5ACU4zeSsyj9k/s320/DSCN1277.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRofXjfhEjW37lMYwmOYoj4Bt6CqpQ2FJsmdOzPGcsfsAv_fVI9UmvZ2VjgPw-M_8Ymr1I2HcbjpPIJghlZGX25hyphenhyphenmCoRukVM3jUNv2iAnbrU9N7yUbgmRJNJxmeVmJ_x3qsODM33tsEk/s1600/DSCN1281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRofXjfhEjW37lMYwmOYoj4Bt6CqpQ2FJsmdOzPGcsfsAv_fVI9UmvZ2VjgPw-M_8Ymr1I2HcbjpPIJghlZGX25hyphenhyphenmCoRukVM3jUNv2iAnbrU9N7yUbgmRJNJxmeVmJ_x3qsODM33tsEk/s320/DSCN1281.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI_YwBf36xYgwhYAkfNB1j2aymuRxoRosMtjgx83nIqkLgqtYtR09fuZgdojRVfB1baE6Anr-oqZ37yIIQ9r7H20Sy2QBYGOtOXofOJqWTFbMYAv5WaSi3wN50si6SvBP-3LXpwsTBGaY/s1600/DSCN1304.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI_YwBf36xYgwhYAkfNB1j2aymuRxoRosMtjgx83nIqkLgqtYtR09fuZgdojRVfB1baE6Anr-oqZ37yIIQ9r7H20Sy2QBYGOtOXofOJqWTFbMYAv5WaSi3wN50si6SvBP-3LXpwsTBGaY/s320/DSCN1304.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Unfortunately the downpour started again and to avoid getting wet once more, I
walked into one of the many authentic Danish restaurants though I was not
particularly hungry. I decided to try the โSmรธrrebrรธdโ, the famous Danish open
sandwich. Due to my bodyโs lost love for meat these days, fishes are my best friend
while travelling, hence I decided to go for the only Fishy option on the menu. It
had a crisply toasted bread, with some mayonnaise and greens, fried fish and shrimps
on top. I enjoyed a lovely meal with some white wine.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirtjdCgP7dQC33Ubisln2qBj5YA6NHIN5Kv3uKLDvZvDhyphenhyphenbnypR0Hqljeu4BzOMgzibLsaLkXWEg4Z5qD3pTOKGP9eTADT1ZyugcZN5LaO1ryfJ6A4N6nK8WNn3mAVYi1R7uoQd7Rr0ww/s1600/IMG_7495.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirtjdCgP7dQC33Ubisln2qBj5YA6NHIN5Kv3uKLDvZvDhyphenhyphenbnypR0Hqljeu4BzOMgzibLsaLkXWEg4Z5qD3pTOKGP9eTADT1ZyugcZN5LaO1ryfJ6A4N6nK8WNn3mAVYi1R7uoQd7Rr0ww/s320/IMG_7495.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;">The rain had stopped by the time I
finished my meal and I spent rest of the evening roaming around, stopping at
each of the rides, clicking pictures and videos. I am anyway not a fan of most
of the rides that make you turn upside down, and with a full stomach, they were
a strict no-no. After walking around for some time, and stopping to listen to
lovely live music on the lawns, with people dancing in gay abandon, I decided
to call it a night.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb3Js3Q0E5ykKsS7V61jdSY_2N5kXCRrCqRBZ3XHq-Lwz_DforJuasdtpiF0LQ_3cYU_d-MrUG3C3HJK_MSFkZy8JXa452mpEU1ry-PP1Sp8tFYJB9gvUPihW8oAFqDXXdFtxRzb3uEog/s1600/DSCN1331.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb3Js3Q0E5ykKsS7V61jdSY_2N5kXCRrCqRBZ3XHq-Lwz_DforJuasdtpiF0LQ_3cYU_d-MrUG3C3HJK_MSFkZy8JXa452mpEU1ry-PP1Sp8tFYJB9gvUPihW8oAFqDXXdFtxRzb3uEog/s320/DSCN1331.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi75RWEymhHwmEsuqm1K4ezZms-hEpcv0yOZlPJN-2WtQS3pHM7_cwtBbR4SSqo5X7YKlDvUZaGA_nrPv9J0OCaftpruk1zE6nloSKJPGjuGNuR6rea47kPdS8vdRRe1ysCJ7iIiVAWa00/s1600/DSCN1290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi75RWEymhHwmEsuqm1K4ezZms-hEpcv0yOZlPJN-2WtQS3pHM7_cwtBbR4SSqo5X7YKlDvUZaGA_nrPv9J0OCaftpruk1zE6nloSKJPGjuGNuR6rea47kPdS8vdRRe1ysCJ7iIiVAWa00/s320/DSCN1290.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
</h2>
<h2 style="margin-left: 0in; text-align: left;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: purple; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Section 4: Second day of Vacation <span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">I had an evening flight to catch and hence the
cut-off time for tourism was 5 pm. I packed my stuff, checked out and kept the luggage
in the luggage room before setting out for the day. Though I still had my hop-on-hop-off
ticket valid, I decided to walk as by now I figured out that all attractions
are walkable. The first destination for the day was National Museum of Denmark.</span></div>
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Here, I found something new and interesting โ
the lockers. These could be programmed by each visitor by their own code and
then opened by it later, no physical keys required! I tested it once just to
make sure it worked. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The museum was simply amazing and I would have
loved to spend more time if I had it. Complete history of Denmark starting
with stone age to current times was persevered beautifully across the different
galleries. I also came to know something unique: the practice of burying
treasures underground and in lakes in ancient Scandinavia as offering to Gods.
This is how so many of ancient treasures could be found untouched and recovered
as it is which we could see in the museum. These days, once of my favorite
binge-series is Vikings and I learnt about this practice in this also.</span></div>
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">
<o:p></o:p></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdtqgSuHd2Ly7HzjOVSYPdWPD_yNpnIetASMbTK7V4QB3oBb3O5UKV0AovhtLKAT7ecVZC-UDPiHNbIyNljfUPdZlyv9Tnf05RnhkO3d-r4gA0b0ugKTrEQEq4U1LXdatVUl6ZRqtcPSY/s1600/DSCN1359.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdtqgSuHd2Ly7HzjOVSYPdWPD_yNpnIetASMbTK7V4QB3oBb3O5UKV0AovhtLKAT7ecVZC-UDPiHNbIyNljfUPdZlyv9Tnf05RnhkO3d-r4gA0b0ugKTrEQEq4U1LXdatVUl6ZRqtcPSY/s320/DSCN1359.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2KgLb9I_fEgIdVSykuBmEMbF6BzOGc2CmsoU5FUayuHhFY1TVhouTq7aLrSc_aXCT4FUbkN7rNFCDPBMVljoPEGIF82F8weoeS5dnznW2oIT6RKyKdpB7W9PYhm0vNre1vhnHBNTMi8Y/s1600/DSCN1370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2KgLb9I_fEgIdVSykuBmEMbF6BzOGc2CmsoU5FUayuHhFY1TVhouTq7aLrSc_aXCT4FUbkN7rNFCDPBMVljoPEGIF82F8weoeS5dnznW2oIT6RKyKdpB7W9PYhm0vNre1vhnHBNTMi8Y/s320/DSCN1370.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNuQPNRCKky2K7roy6SJGB89WUOdB4w16zfv_MPgVxiLXw7huPvpVjJ6U__pkMOx3_cW7Lh5lFBJwN7zJTy5SXEN4BWwsvBO94V4XshWoZK4vtgIGXug2ZVNnrU9p6FBf_StiW0k3we8/s1600/DSCN1371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNuQPNRCKky2K7roy6SJGB89WUOdB4w16zfv_MPgVxiLXw7huPvpVjJ6U__pkMOx3_cW7Lh5lFBJwN7zJTy5SXEN4BWwsvBO94V4XshWoZK4vtgIGXug2ZVNnrU9p6FBf_StiW0k3we8/s320/DSCN1371.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPD0_txF38ydgWsaU_VnTqaz-x-tkY03XXabvypdLj1wklIndd6VkK8DJi55NeeNSzeFpICN-uxzmB1c8mrh3RctZiuRJ1sdgdQ6AAOqKBycGfO6v6NujvjIuqP2nJvL2l5HJ865mqmLM/s1600/DSCN1375.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPD0_txF38ydgWsaU_VnTqaz-x-tkY03XXabvypdLj1wklIndd6VkK8DJi55NeeNSzeFpICN-uxzmB1c8mrh3RctZiuRJ1sdgdQ6AAOqKBycGfO6v6NujvjIuqP2nJvL2l5HJ865mqmLM/s320/DSCN1375.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The history of Scandinavia through the Viking
Age, arrival of Christianity and beyond is beautifully captured โ the many treasures
from ancient churches were a revelation to me. Another interesting part of the
museum is the part dedicated to Denmarkโs colonies in different parts of the
world. I was surprised to know that in India, Serampore in Hoogly district in
Bengal was also a Danish colony for some time. I was especially startled by
Bengali newspapers, pictures and videos showing shops with names written in
Bengali โ showing contemporary Serampore.</span></div>
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">
<o:p></o:p></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhejlvOgPjeonCieh5Nrp7uDpDktQImdX1xBZnM0h-XdTcHn3bRHFSzGrBILZP22eTlaxzV8QfoW3iV-_Bp5dIWu3kWSih1J6HMrDX9M0J0xcxIY6zC1ZGSWphD7jVwrf3CXHKdt_x27d0/s1600/DSCN1391.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhejlvOgPjeonCieh5Nrp7uDpDktQImdX1xBZnM0h-XdTcHn3bRHFSzGrBILZP22eTlaxzV8QfoW3iV-_Bp5dIWu3kWSih1J6HMrDX9M0J0xcxIY6zC1ZGSWphD7jVwrf3CXHKdt_x27d0/s320/DSCN1391.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6CrhCiJB_QQuv_uJS5F8Vt1VBcRiA5jRm2AGAT1PCsr9RhSLwK_2yvvKi0UyTqgxIQTEAZyZNKLw3P-rNOYXU923K2Q6yf1b_Ar1MAkYEZXqWG5VhnfcOBlOV6xZAH6Fm2a1Bwn-hr-I/s1600/DSCN1392.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6CrhCiJB_QQuv_uJS5F8Vt1VBcRiA5jRm2AGAT1PCsr9RhSLwK_2yvvKi0UyTqgxIQTEAZyZNKLw3P-rNOYXU923K2Q6yf1b_Ar1MAkYEZXqWG5VhnfcOBlOV6xZAH6Fm2a1Bwn-hr-I/s320/DSCN1392.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The next stop planned was Christiansborg Castle.
This was a old Castle representing Denmark, but had been rebuilt various times
due to invasions, new owners taking over or due to massive fires. The names have
also changed over generations of the castle โ the current name having constant
from last 3 times it was built. The Castle Tour was divided into 4 parts โ the Castle
insides, the excavation showing the different generations, the Kitchen and the Royal
Stable. The Royal Family do not live here anymore but most part of the castle
that is available for view for tourists is used by Royal Family for hosting
events for State Guests. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The Danish Prime Ministerโs office is also in this
Castle and that part, naturally is highly secured and out of bounds.</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The first part of the tour was the Castle and I
was amazed by the richness, luxury and the absolute beauty of everything that
was there. The Throne room, the library, the sitting room, the living rooms,
the Dining room and many other rooms decorated with beautiful paintings, lovely
furniture, all of this is lovely experience worth soaking it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrKfbLZLCd7sDPyMmUqGnV7UQsLtovKKHnh7bAHkowFi4ny15val5R5T8pE4RaBPl1DvbUjKmIwcauK4FElPh2V_AnSAhz2xC3PO651DUInBhlJ3F7E2MV2m694d78WVRKI2tF_K3MXOg/s1600/DSCN1394.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrKfbLZLCd7sDPyMmUqGnV7UQsLtovKKHnh7bAHkowFi4ny15val5R5T8pE4RaBPl1DvbUjKmIwcauK4FElPh2V_AnSAhz2xC3PO651DUInBhlJ3F7E2MV2m694d78WVRKI2tF_K3MXOg/s320/DSCN1394.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZaQdvGlANwO1NAyntva8UMBzKGzvutJpP6AGOBgppuiPCZFpxBPtVn536yNrrbXvYgZQSBfXcD19Y-t48pwS0ocrfJCk2udIPV23bDBRc0TY3Poy4pMQO_JU4Lke1VA0iHHl28Pj_RzQ/s1600/DSCN1399.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZaQdvGlANwO1NAyntva8UMBzKGzvutJpP6AGOBgppuiPCZFpxBPtVn536yNrrbXvYgZQSBfXcD19Y-t48pwS0ocrfJCk2udIPV23bDBRc0TY3Poy4pMQO_JU4Lke1VA0iHHl28Pj_RzQ/s320/DSCN1399.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;">Exploring the excavated parts below the
building was also interesting but it was little creepy as well. As there were
not many people exploring this part, in most segments I was the only person and
I almost rushed through !</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The royal kitchen was interesting with
huge pots and pan, perfectly polished with some videos showing how the work was
being done here. It is not functional now and even when queen hosts any event
here, cooking is not done in this kitchen anymore.</span></div>
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">
<o:p></o:p></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirJ4E4kAPd-Vzhy-PN2AtZsKOFPUu76TNwNSsXgemi762q0xqWTAOFuxXb6k87V5v9RJIDvevFRF2PAh_3cOMqaKs8Jour09bBuse88OTQv4ddJMyDZjJIHSmI1LqE3hQCnWaE3MD6I10/s1600/DSCN1418.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirJ4E4kAPd-Vzhy-PN2AtZsKOFPUu76TNwNSsXgemi762q0xqWTAOFuxXb6k87V5v9RJIDvevFRF2PAh_3cOMqaKs8Jour09bBuse88OTQv4ddJMyDZjJIHSmI1LqE3hQCnWaE3MD6I10/s320/DSCN1418.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;">The royal stable had a display, with pictures
and exhibits and stories about horses belonging to various members of royal family
over generations. The horses were not there, as they were out grazing during
summer. The display of royal carriages was also very interesting โ all of them
looking lovely and grand, shining like new, with years of history behind them
and stories that were created while they carried royals around !</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxmFVwmWK4eI6wV3KPuBgMIqVbtdaDeI88F3E688Pdk1IcSL_OmRqE3bnvuNUNwd2UB4hAY5xRVYQXMAMJqkToIVFe23s3LhPQ0lj9b2RIAddTMYhgBjGzN92qlW08V0kFlxvqfNj4r-A/s1600/DSCN1427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxmFVwmWK4eI6wV3KPuBgMIqVbtdaDeI88F3E688Pdk1IcSL_OmRqE3bnvuNUNwd2UB4hAY5xRVYQXMAMJqkToIVFe23s3LhPQ0lj9b2RIAddTMYhgBjGzN92qlW08V0kFlxvqfNj4r-A/s320/DSCN1427.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">After walking around the museum and castle, I
needed some re-fuelling. Sticking to my routine of less and light, my target
was soups and bread. I found a lunch place with a menu item of potato-leek soup with bacon.
After contemplating for a while whether to request them to serve the soup minus
the bacon, I decided not to inconvenience them during a busy Sunday lunch time,
and walked on. I figured that soup is not a popular lunch item as I could not
find it on any menu during my next 15 minutes of walk through the shopping and
food area. Finally I found a restaurant which served tomato soup with bread and
rested my legs for a while ! I forgot to tell you that the whether had been
lovely on this day โ nice and sunny with light breeze and it was lovely to sit
and enjoy it with some yummy soup.</span></div>
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">
<o:p></o:p></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtfgIFWARrJoObcK_2k_RL3zA2jU0P5O_IlGH3Kt_vQGzk7RABeSFUgwACxEcbLd4PNoY8DJpczZhnRSzt5T25dGWP3DXbelKoqEGwGdbvcWPUnVqccTAnfjPRIneLlvBM3wTXRySG-ME/s1600/IMG_7586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtfgIFWARrJoObcK_2k_RL3zA2jU0P5O_IlGH3Kt_vQGzk7RABeSFUgwACxEcbLd4PNoY8DJpczZhnRSzt5T25dGWP3DXbelKoqEGwGdbvcWPUnVqccTAnfjPRIneLlvBM3wTXRySG-ME/s320/IMG_7586.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE9KceVTG3bRUyhOZECMIjvkAETXsKCE-IuAXDdfAQ-ZxMUfXgwVGUcY3fpfKBiLxMjj5VigS2-T8UkYVzISDWvNiS3YhzIQU3v5Cw-krf7wMYZF8XDqsNutgkUw_7RftUqWlUwt1SB2Q/s1600/IMG_7588.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE9KceVTG3bRUyhOZECMIjvkAETXsKCE-IuAXDdfAQ-ZxMUfXgwVGUcY3fpfKBiLxMjj5VigS2-T8UkYVzISDWvNiS3YhzIQU3v5Cw-krf7wMYZF8XDqsNutgkUw_7RftUqWlUwt1SB2Q/s320/IMG_7588.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">After finishing my lunch, I had a decision to
make. There was not too much time to 5 pm, which was my cut off to come back to
hotel and catch a taxi. There were two major destinations which I could not cover yet
: Amalienborg Palace and Nyhavn. I
decided to sacrifice the second any try for the first </span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">. Armed with my
google map, I set off and after a long walk, when map showed that I was just
few minutes away from the palace, I saw a place that matched the description of
Nyhavn ! And here it was โ the beautiful waterfront with rows of colourful
buildings on both sides, lined with cafes and restaurants ! I could not believe
my eyes, I was actually sad that I would miss this. I got click happy and after
capturing it from all angles, set out for the palace.This place had been an area for sailors' entertainment for many years in the past with an active red light area.</span></span></div>
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">
<o:p></o:p></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0mmuIILDKYFANWVQxucIir1Z9Pr5tzJ8vai6CSQKF8329jCaPtu51f0hoUC_8W0wlCn-s5Tkfoi7E7ainceTsN291jXEIkTfKjq3pPlNZnGJoVSvYW3B002a7v4slvo9vpVeifqS28MU/s1600/IMG_E7594.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0mmuIILDKYFANWVQxucIir1Z9Pr5tzJ8vai6CSQKF8329jCaPtu51f0hoUC_8W0wlCn-s5Tkfoi7E7ainceTsN291jXEIkTfKjq3pPlNZnGJoVSvYW3B002a7v4slvo9vpVeifqS28MU/s320/IMG_E7594.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;">I saw the Marble Church first, which as I learnt
the day before, the place of worship for the Royal Family. After pictures and
selfies I walked in the huge yard of the Amalienborg Palace โ the abode of
Danish Royal Family. There was no time to even check if some part was open to
public to see and after two castles in 2 days, my appetite for castles was temporarily over
</span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;">๐</span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;"> After
clicking pictures to my heartโs desire, it was time to head back.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><br /></span></span>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcOWl4adSrkhOPeaY201I7byQaffpeqX4vPl5TkRoPmrgZ0yRwp1RekgCaMZxwU0dXXyF_-BIKXwPZLJjYcnhTpIewnmkGpCedGL9q02s7X1IQ8C1o8p2gBxMSiGtHp0wgpa1Y828gAKc/s1600/DSCN1430.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcOWl4adSrkhOPeaY201I7byQaffpeqX4vPl5TkRoPmrgZ0yRwp1RekgCaMZxwU0dXXyF_-BIKXwPZLJjYcnhTpIewnmkGpCedGL9q02s7X1IQ8C1o8p2gBxMSiGtHp0wgpa1Y828gAKc/s320/DSCN1430.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjok30uKny1J1B-ur5fyNOGphXOax0IzvrzXpvXBVhmKnN2MwHsOMGjWJyrPpZbWFKHgyloJGEoC1TKeKS5BscYeSl9TTQTwOxx9tWlvH29lTSc_4oWFvhgkb-8z4XCKwdZefb7guutvaM/s1600/DSCN1433.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjok30uKny1J1B-ur5fyNOGphXOax0IzvrzXpvXBVhmKnN2MwHsOMGjWJyrPpZbWFKHgyloJGEoC1TKeKS5BscYeSl9TTQTwOxx9tWlvH29lTSc_4oWFvhgkb-8z4XCKwdZefb7guutvaM/s320/DSCN1433.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">I was feeling hot and tired by now and could
not possibly have walked back in time to go to airport. I decided to take a cab
to the hotel, which was super expensive but it dropped me in 7-8 minutes.</span></div>
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">
<o:p></o:p></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">After collecting my luggage from the luggage
room, I requested for a taxi, which came almost immediately. I was off to airport
and the drive was through lovely modern neighborhoods. The checkin was smooth
and I settled down with a blueberry muffin and a cappuccino as the last meal of
this fabulous mini vacation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The rest of the journey was pretty tumultuous though,
but that is another story to be told another day !</span></div>
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</h2>
<h2 style="margin-left: 0in; text-align: left;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</h2>
<div>
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Koelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11762451489932745571noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969913048462188438.post-55195988698779366642019-04-07T21:16:00.003+05:302019-04-08T08:44:20.041+05:30Management Lessons - (Experience Sharing of management training - written in 2010) <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Management Lessons<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-IN">In
organisations, there are the engineers and there are the managers. And there
are the engineers as in having a BE (bachelor of engineering) degree and
managers as in having a MBA degree. There are managers as in having the
designation โmanagerโ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And there are
true managers as in a leader who actually does all the โmanagingโ required
irrespective of the degree he may be having. Are all engineers only engineers
or they are managers as well? Are all managers actually managers?? Who is a true
manager and who isnโt? Well pretty confusing isnโt it?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-IN"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-IN">This is a sneak
peek into one of the plethora of challenges that are faced daily by
organisations in todayโs highly competitive scenario. One of the perspectives
of this problem is to undertake hiring of correct skillsets for the open
profiles available. The more daunting aspect is the โgrowthโ. Out of hundreds
of joinees in entry level, WHO grows into a manager. And how does the
organisation ensure that the right people are selected and trained to grow to a
leader?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-IN"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-IN">There exists a perpetual
challenging proposition in organisations in terms of โupgradingโ the skills of
the employees from multiple aspects. Beyond a point, as the employees get
matured in facing the daily battles, the technical skills become more and more
irrelevant. What matters is how well they are able to โmanageโ people and
situations and effectively become good โmanagersโ. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-IN"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-IN">Every company, needs
some good managers on its rolls to steer it towards a positive business
direction, which is in turn related to its survival in the long run. So, there
is a continuous search for right trainings to elevate rank mediocres to the
level of โgreatโ managers !!! There are different schools of thought on
โmanagementโ education. The high and mighty in the field of management
education industry believe that it is an education that can be imparted to
anyone. Personally I believe that Good Managers, are actually a subset of good
leaders and are born โ anyone and everyone cannot be โtrainedโ to become a good
manager. However this school of thought is not much popular โ mainly due to the
reason that assessments methods for identifying the true managers are very few,
and that too not universally accepted. It is much easier to categorise all
under the same category and administer some ready doses of the potent
โmanagement trainingโ !!! And this belief is cemented by the thriving
management education industry in the country. Management colleges have
mushroomed in the country over the last decade, and their only selling point is
creating โmanagersโ out of thin air !! These institutes run whole lot of
management development programs for gullible targets like my organisation,
which are aplenty. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-IN"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-IN">So far, I had
been trying to create a context for the story and I think I have tried enough.
Before the readers start losing their patience and become eager to switch the
channel, errโฆI mean visit some other URL, let me come directly to the point
now. Our Human Resource Organisation, with the blessing of the top management,
has created some tailored week long management courses for the middle and
senior levels. These comprise of in-campus rigorous residential sessions in the
two of the most revered institutions of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region></st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-IN"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-IN">I was fortunate
enough to be nominated into one of these programmes. The institute I was to
travel to, is<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>among the top few in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region></st1:place>
in this field, and I had the privilege of attending another of their programs
as part of the induction program in the Navratna PSU I joined as fresher. I had
fond memories of that, as for the first time, I had experienced the concept of
learning through case studies and not through text books and notes as in my
engineering college. But over the years, having gone through multiple short
management courses covering various aspects, the novelty had worn off. But
still I was expecting some super staff, engaging conversations, intelligent
discussion and a great learning. Another aspect (which is most appealing to
veterans of 10-15 years in the industry), was to be able to stay away from the
daily struggles of work for an entire week, and getting paid for it on top of
that !!!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-IN"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-IN">Armed with these
dual aspirations, with blessing of management, I set off to my destination, one
fine Sunday afternoon. It was a pretty big group of around 40 colleagues.. We
reached the campus in late evening, welcomed with a fat file of printouts and
an even fatter scary looking finance book. An early dinner (dining closes by 9
pm, reminding of hostel days) later, retired to our rooms for a read through of
day-1 cases. One good thing is that โ the rooms are single occupancy ones โ
with no requirement of sharing, which I otherwise find one of the most
undesirable aspects of office trips in bigger groups.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-IN">The course was
to start next day, at around 7.30 am, and hence we were all up bright & early,
had breakfast and organised ourselves to kick-off an exciting week away from
work !!! The inauguration was by our Head of HR and the programme director, who
is a senior faculty member. The surprises started right away. The expectation
from the inauguration, in line with any other even mildly respectable programme
is that it begins with an introduction from both sides. Unfortunately the rest
of the faculty members were too โbusyโ to come down to introduce themselves,
and we were supposed to read the introduction in the handouts circulated. The
more embarrassing aspect was not inviting of any introductions from the
participants. Here we had a room full of experienced professionals, each of
them with 10+ years in the industry, but no need was felt for any introduction,
or learning any of their experiences/challenges/expectations !!!! In all these
years I have never ever attended any program where the introduction is done
away with, even as beginners in industry or as freshers. And in a group of
experienced people, the idea is always to draw from their experiences and try
and co-relate to their expectations, during the course of the program. Did the
faculty feel it was too below their dignity to interact openly and value the opinion
of the group. Or it is an integral part of the hypocritical approach of our
organisations spending money for โmanagementโ training on one hand, and on the
other hand<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>ensuring that the self esteem
of middle management is kept sufficiently low so as they continue to be in the โmiddleโ
for quite some time to come. This, needless to say,is a very convenient
management style!!. Here I took mental note to reflect this in the feedback
forms (if and when they are provided).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-IN"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-IN">There was
nothing great about the address by the program director and the head of HR โ as
these are normally exercises in mutual admiration โ the faculty expressing
their gratitude on being able to add another MNC to their illustrious CV and
earning some money for the institute as well in<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>the process, and our HR expressing their gratitude for allowing mere
mortals (I mean the employees) to get a chance to visit and experience the
greatness personified by the hallowed premises of the institute. And yes, it
contained a course overview as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-IN"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-IN">The real action
started soon after โ starting with marketing. It started with introduction to
some basic concepts โ and normal play of words that is associated with such
management trainings. (I have not done any regular full or part time management
course โ so cannot comment on those). The familiar pattern of throwing a
question to the class and expecting sound bites in return, which will be listed
on the board sequentially. One remarkable thing I find worth mentioning here is
the use of blackboard, with different coloured chalks, and the board wiped
clean with wet cloth in between, especially in this era of whiteboard and
markers. It was kind of nostalgic for me. You never know what all can evoke
nostalgia in emotional beings like us !!! So the marketing lecture continued
with discussions galore and co-relation to the case. I must admit here, the
prof was simple amazing โ bundle of energy and passion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-IN"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-IN">The marketing
sessions were spread across next 2-3 days and interspersed with sessions on
behavioural analysis. These sessions were about understanding different
personality types and able to co-relate these into the different personalities
and situations in our day-day working. These were also quite OK, but I have
attended better & more detailed courses on behavioural aspects, so nothing
spectacular at all. The case study taken up here was also quite well-worn and
is used quite commonly. People who have already studied this before were made
observers and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I happened to be one of
them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-IN">Marketing
lectures and case-studies continued in between with full gusto. And then we
started off with the biggest highlight of the course for me โ the financial
part. I have absolutely no background in finance and never had the opportunity
to attend any similar courses as well. So it was quite informative for me โ being
empowered with the ability to translate the <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>balance sheets, P&L statements, cash flow
statements into English (well not everyday English still but at least in the
range of Victorian English!!!) rather than Latin and Greek as I found them
before. The professor here again was very eminent, but somehow the class could
not connect well to him. I think it had something to do with the classโs level
of understanding in a deeply theory based analytical topic such as finance
vis-a-vis the more fluffy stuff in marketing and behavioural studies. Though
there were interesting insights into variety of topics such as company finances
and corresponding statements and also various aspects of projects, these 2 days
seemed exceedingly long, vague, tiring and taxing. I am sure the feelings on
the other side would have been similar or worse. I could connect the feelings
to my 1<sup>st</sup> Sem Mechanics classes which I found similarly difficult to
comprehend and could never crack the numerals till end of semester!! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-IN"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-IN">Talking of
numerals, here also we did have some to solve, but fared only slightly better
than my mechanics numerals. A brave effort of the group to rack their
collective brains to come up with some substance failed, after which few more
hours of self study yielded some minimal result. The solving of the numerals in
class and trying to decipher what is being written on blackboard was an equally
strenuous ordeal for the class. Somehow the finance class was done with, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>with my assumption of equally strong levels of
dissatisfaction of both sides (may be higher on the profโs side โ as there was
no mechanism of any 360 degree feedback). This was clearly a case of mismatch
of expectations on both sides โ which could have been avoided by better planning.
In that case parties would have been in a win-win situation rather than a
lose-all situation as we landed ourselves in โ we comprehending the prof to be
unable to communicate to the class and he feeling sorry to be having to teach a
bunch of morons!!! Irrespective of all this, there was a very significant
takeaway for me from this class. The prof mentioned an exercise he was part of
in early nineties, on business feasibility of mobile communication in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region>. The
reference at that point of time was <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">USA</st1:place></st1:country-region>, where the earliest mobile
communication devices where car phones. The business plans of mobility were
related to the penetration of cars. With the absence of any other reference,
the same analogy was applied to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region>,
and the dismal car penetration made sure that there was absolutely no case for
mobile business. However, we all know the facts now, and that some
entrepreneurs had the good sense to dismiss the opinion of analysts and still
go ahead with setting up mobile telephony in India. The message that he
conveyed was that financial analysis is hygiene for any business, but that is
NOT the only governing factor. The entrepreneurial and managerial instincts are
above and all analysis. I am tempted here to draw an analogy here to the debate
on whether managers are born or made !!! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-IN"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-IN">The end of
finance module was followed by some more marketing โ now concentrating on
customer centricity & customer focus. The case study was very average and
there was nothing in the case or the discussions that I did not already know
about. Is there anything that we do not already know about our industry โ and
our company in particular? I for sure know and understand very well, where we
are doing well on this front, where we are just about OK and where we are
pathetic with a huge scope of improvement. We know our shortcomings well and
where we need to improve โ and there is lot of work happening. And reiterating
the fact, though it may sound rude, there is nothing that I learnt new in this
session.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-IN"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-IN">This was
followed by another good part of the session โ the business simulation
exercise. I had never done anything like this before, though I hear these are
also pretty common these days in management workshops. This was about getting a
real feel of running a company. We were divided into groups, given some
baselines about the industry, some initial investments and some guidelines.
Each group was told to create management positions like CEO, CFO, CMO,
Manufacturing Head etc. amongst themselves. The simulation software was provided
and the teams were expected to take some decisions on a quarter to quarter
basis. Results were given at the end of each quarter where the teams could see
the results of their decision and at the end of the year, the financial results
of all the groups were declared. In between we had interesting activities like
Venture Capitalists evaluating the competitors for investment opportunities,
companies working out infrastructure sharing options, cross industry
optimisation opportunities etc. We played the game for 8 quarters and then it
was concluded. The findings were very interesting and the analysis in terms of
what could have been done better, and where we went wrong. But in spite of all
the learnings I claim to have inculcated, I am sure, the next time I play this
game again, I am again going go goof up equally badly!!! But my takeaway from
this exercise is something completely different. I have now learnt to respect
CEOs and Board of Directors, whose every move is normally confronted with
barrage of criticism every time. Now I have a teeny weenie bit of understanding
to at least appreciate the level of complexity that is encountered at those
levels, where one simple decision can impact the fortunes of millions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-IN"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-IN">That was more
from an overall course perspective. To conclude this article, I would like to
highlight some more observations (May be it could be added to the behavioural
study module in the next course!!!). Both are very typical character traits of
Indians โ we love to talk and we love to flatter. In a group, when do we talk ?
From an objective plane of reasoning, I would like to believe that we talk when
we did not understand the fine points of something being discussed. Or in other
case, where we can enrich the discussion by contributing some point which has
not been discussed at all, and another case might be if we do not agree to
something being discussed. But interestingly, there is another practical
dimension to it. The โme-tooโ type of talk. All of us have encountered this
sub-species among humans somewhere or the other. They mostly have no clue of
what is being discussed around and neither any interest. They will raise a
point just to make a point to be heard in the group, whether it makes any sense
or not. Their behaviour annoys & embarrasses the sensible among the group
no end, but they are oblivious to it. There were quite a few of these in the
groups, busy in their antics.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-IN"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-IN">The other
behaviour exhibited in abundance was flattery โ which I felt was absolutely
unnecessary in the professional setup we were in. It was a training program,
which was paid for by company. Management education was imparted as any other
business transaction. We are all well heeled professionals in our own right,
and this program was an attempt force us to look at scenarios from other
aspects than the technology aspect which comes so naturally to us. But there
were people in the group who did not feel so. They felt that we are most
low-end among the human species and the profs were at the highest end. And so
we need to flatter and praise them no end. I was witness to one such shameless
session on the dinner table at a rural theme park where we were treated to one
evening. We had the privilege of the company of the program director and were
generally discussing stuff, and soaking in some of the rich experience of his
career. The discussion till that time was a very โequalโ one, like we may have
among colleagues or friends, nothing even remotely resembling an โunequalโ
gathering consisting of a movie star sitting on a high chair and his star-struck
fans. But few of the people around felt otherwise, and embarked on a journey of
over-enthused personal flattery. There followed a barrage of adjectives to
glorify his position. Let us look at a snapshot of the conversation:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-IN">Fan to Star: โHow
could you take a such a great decision to come back to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region></st1:place> after working in US?โ<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-IN">Star to Fan:
โWell, being a second grade citizen in an alien country was never an option for
meโ<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-IN">Fan to Star:
โBeing a professor is such a great privilege, it is the profession to be in. It
is so interesting, there is so much freedom, no politics, and so much money.
And look at us, we do the worst possible work, it is boring, there is so much
work pressure, and so satisfactionโ<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-IN">Star to Fan:
โYes, thatโs true. This job gives me creative satisfaction. After my committed
number of courses, I am free to do what I want, and there is no pressure.
Corporate job is only about glamour, whereas here it is only about intellectual
gratificationโ<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-IN">Star to Fan:
โOh, you profs are so full on enthusiasm and passion, and we can find this
quality only in you people. Your students are so lucky and they are so greatโ<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-IN">Star generally
agreeing but starting to feel a little uncomfortable at this stage!!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-IN"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-IN">Well, most of what
was stated in the above conversation is not actually untrue, and I do agree to
it. But it is not the content but the mode in which it was delivered made it
sound almost vulgar. The praises were heaped with high level if excitement and
modulation of voice and these were accompanied by the corresponding description
of the seemingly miserable life that we in corporate world are leading !!! Soon
it reached a crescendo, where I was forced to speak up for our tribe, to
prevent it being annihilated from the list of โhonourableโ professions of
world!!! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span>
<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For me, I take pride in what I do, and I have
chosen to do it. I do it because I love to do it, and not because I had nothing
better to do. And even if it is not the same for everyone, it is always in your
best interest to come across as confident and satisfied to the world, and not
miserable and sorry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br /></div>
Koelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11762451489932745571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969913048462188438.post-7056648187699554982019-04-07T21:14:00.003+05:302019-04-07T21:14:50.092+05:30living in the times of recession (Old article from 2009)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Recession, once a word used by economists only has got a
life of its own and ruling our lives in a sense. Employers donโt pay and
husbands come home drunk โ marriage settled so nicely six months ago are not
formally ratified as some Bank in long US has gone before Chapter 11 Judge. We
knew Loan only, now we know that loans have variants โ prime, sub-prime,
sub-sub-prime, NINJA (No Income, No Job) and so onโฆ What we understand now that
GDP like salaries was not a right, banks were not as smooth while forwarding
loan barely a year back and there are many indexes โ sensex included that can
tangibly affect my EMI payment falling next month. The Network of Commerce,
Content and Finance is truly and painfully โ a human network.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A Report from a resident of Gurgaon who has seen monopoly
state-ownership in Telecom (India), privatization, competition in the same
space. Reporting from one of those ubiquitous office spaces in Gurgaon. In true
Pentasect tradition โ no pedagogy but personal observations of the times and afterthoughts.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
RECESSION โ Notes<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>from Gurgaon Corporate<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Foreground<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Euphoria and the
Alarm<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We had been hearing tales about US โsub-primeโ crisis for
quite some time now and the US market having some kind of problem. I never
bothered to read through in details about it. It seemed to have almost nothing
to do with me โ some people in far-off US, not being able to pay up their loans
incurred on acquiring property. We were in the middle of a literal โIndia
shiningโ event, with seemingly endless โgrowthโ all around. The only thing I
always failed to understand is how a index which is not based on any โRealโ
measure of the performance of industry and which sways up and down oh-so-often
more by trivial news stories, rumors, can actually be an indicator of the
health of an economy. But then the extent of influence on this index on global
economy proves that it cannot be random, and just by coincidence. There has to
be a bigger truth behind how this goes up and down and some well-defined agenda
of some (but who??). Well, detailed research on that aspect is beyond the scope
of this discussion as of now, may be some other day!!!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We were all going ga-ga over how strong our economy is and
how we would be soon the lead the world and be only second to china, only based
on the stock market index !!! Everyone around seemed to have too much money to
spend, with property prices skyrocketing and there still seemed to be enough
people with enough cash piles to actually invest in real estate. There seemed
to be mad rush everywhere โ retail chains, exclusive shops selling luxury
merchandise, holiday at exotic foreign locales, fine dining. There was an
impression of positivity all across, things seemed just too good to be true.
There was a general sense of well being all across, and we seemed to wallow in
the deceptive glow of bliss. All of us, part of private sector in the sunrise
sectors of telecom, IT, Infrastructure were bullish about the situation and
upbeat about the sunny days ahead. There was not an ounce of gloom anywhere,
and we seemed to have effectively established the myth that Indian economy is
immune to disturbance in US economy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then one fine day, everything seemed to have gone wrong
abruptly in the too-good-to-be true world of sugary sweetness. The downfall started
with the facts on US โsub-primeโ crisis, which were so far only in rumours and
hush-hush discussions, finally tumbling out of closets. The US stock markets
crashing and bringing down the markets across the world like a pile of cards in
a matter of couple of days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was
when I came was curious to find out what went wrong and luckily came across a
piece on the โsub-primeโ crisis. It helped me understand how over enthusiasm to
be in a win-win situation by the best brains in worldโs financial nerve-center,
has led to such a tailspin. It was an amazing account of how the world economy
is strung together today and how long term vision is often sacrificed for
short-term gains. It does help some people to become rich suddenly but the
impacts reverberate across the world, and ruin the life of so many people
around the world. Interested ones can read the article at:
http://specials.rediff.com/money/2008/sep/25slid1.htm .<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A strange phenomenon has<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>unfolded<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>in these troubled days , which still remains highly unexplained and
controversial โ how credit can flow into the market loosely at times, leading
to a artificial sense of โprosperityโ and then sucked out abruptly leading to
complete despair all around.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
India โ the back-office of the world โ the scenario from
Telecom Vantage Point<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And then started the downturn in India also, and is on since
then. India suddenly seems to have receded to a pale sick yellow from being in
the pink of health. Though I am not sure I fully comprehend the root cause and
symptoms of the recession that we are going through, I have started seeing the
impact of the same around me. There are news of job cuts everywhere โ the
jewellery/gem stone industry, apparel exports, steel and cement exports. The
steadily growing domestic air-fare in spite of free fall in aviation fuel
prices is also a readily quoted impact of recession.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The telecom industry is widely believed to be among the ones
which are relatively shielded from the reeling effects of recession, especially
in still-developing economies like India. Thank God for low teledensity, low PC
penetration, low broadband penetration, inefficient regulatory bodies for
dilly-dallying on 3G policy for years now. So there is still scope for telecom
operators and vendors in India. It gives me immense sense of gratification for
having chosen telecom as being my preferred career path and being able to stick
to it for so long. But still there would be a difference in the way companies
have been conducting business. There is talk of cautiousness all around.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The company that I work for, is a leading MNC telecom
vendor, and has had a relatively good business last year as compared to its
competitors โ but there is no sense of jubilation around. Job cuts have been
announced in Europe, and whole lot of restructuring and cost saving measures
are being put in place. India, again has been spared due to the still existing
vacuum in the telecom infrastructure, but all is not hunky-dory. There has been
a hiring freeze in place for last few months and not even critical vacancies
are being filled up. There are hushed discussions in corridors and general
sense of uncertainty all around. It is not sure whether we will get any
increment at all, and even if we get, how less.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The commonly prevailing concern among professionals in
private sector has taken a 360 degree turn these days. It is now more in terms
of whether we will retain our jobs rather than how big the increment would be
and how and when will be the new job with a lucrative jump. We have suddenly
become very accommodating and more accepting to the flaws and shortcomings in
our present jobs. We have actually started accepting the fact that salary cuts
are preferable to job cuts and it is in the overall good of the companies and
society as a whole, that everyone takes a small cut as against some people
losing their jobs.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Precipitation and Afterthought<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And the best part seen is the renewed interest is anything
that is remotely related to public sector and government. The varied
manifestations of this are seen in growing deposits in public sector banks โ
people moving funds out of private sector bank โ and I have also been an
contributor in this activity. The sudden spurt of interest of youngsters in
public sector and government jobs, which till some time ago were labeled
generically as haven of inefficient , non-performing lazy bunch of people.
Though I always resented this perception to the core, due to 2 reasons โ my
father having retired after a long innings in his career as a senior government
officer (a very dedicated, sincere and hard working professional all through
his career) and my first job in a very progressive public sector enterprise
(which eventually transformed itself to a private sector enterprise). In both
these cases, the popular perceptions were entirely untrue, and the only aspect
that left much to be desired for ambitious individuals was the prevailing
โsocialistโ policies โ wherein in spite of performance or non-performance the
salaries and incentives were distributed equally. I am glad for this renewal of
interest in public sector and government jobs, and provided the above is taken
care of and more authority is delegated to forward-thinking individuals, they
may turn out to be very satisfying work places. Having worked in both public and
private sector, I believe that what is required in any organization is balance.
All organizations should be driven by reasonable business targets, which leads
to drive and enthusiasm to achieve them, and healthy workplaces. But on the
other hand, unregulated and unbridled targets, driven by wild personal
ambitions of individuals can lead to precarious situations like that we have
seen in Satyam.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But I do believe that if the downturn continues for long,
even public sector cannot hold itself together for too long โ all enterprises
are finally governed by laws of demand and supply and to be able to pay its
employees, there has to be sustainable source of income and continued business.
Even our government does not have endless money reserve, and it has never been
known to be a savior of its people anyway.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At this point, uncertainty looms large, even in so called
โless-impactedโ sectors like telecom and we are keeping our fingers crossed. We
are banking of expected recovery of the markets in 2010, and in the intervening
1 year hoping that end users continue to use telecom services, resulting in
operators requiring network infrastructure, which generates enough sales for us
to help us remain afloat.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At a very optimistic level I am looking at this โRecessionโ
as if a brief โRecess-is-onโ from the maddening growth and looking forward to a
โRe-sessionโ of normalcy very soon.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br /></div>
Koelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11762451489932745571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969913048462188438.post-64759824355658580852019-04-07T21:08:00.000+05:302019-04-07T21:08:03.414+05:30Highs and woes of a wannane megapolis (My Old Article from 2009)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Gurgaon โ City of dreamsโฆ The millennium cityโฆthe emerging
Singapore of Indiaโฆ..City of malls..These are the various definitions of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>how we all know and hear of Gurgaon, but that
was 1 ยฝ years back โ before this place became my โkarma bhoomiโ!!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So let me start from the very beginning. I was working for a
Telecom operator โ which had gone through a rare transformation from a state
owned company to the crown jewel of the one of the biggest industrial houses of
the country. Having started in 1998, when it was monopoly, moving on to a
deregulated telecom market, and then into privatization, I had already spent 9
long years in VSNL (now Tata Communications). I had moved from Operations in
Kolkata where I started to planning in Mumbai. It was time to look out, to
explore the rest of the telecom world, and to try out something new.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This was in 2006, and I was desperately looking out for
opportunities. One of which came along that time was with Ericsson India. I was
called for an interview in December 2006 โ date โฆโฆwell canโt recall now, it was
somewhere in the last week. As I remember asking the HR person if the
interviewers would be available at all, it being the last week โ extended
holiday in most offices. But she assured be otherwise. So, armed with a return
ticket for Delhi, I set forth for the interview in Gurgaon.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The first barrier to a Delhi/NCR visit, in winter, as you
all know is the fog. Without bothering to call and check with the airlines, I
landed confidently in Mumbai airport early morning. To my utterly relieved
surprise, the lady at the check-in counter replied negatively to my query on if
there is fog in Delhi. I boarded the flight, landed in time, and then hired a
pre-paid cab to reach Ericsson office in โ well u guessed it right:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the great Gurgaon. This was my first visit to
the millennium city in its present form, though technically I had visited it
once in the dark old ages of yore when โITโ in capital letters did not have
meaning whatsoever. So Gurgaon was very normal small Haryana town and nothing
to take back any special memories of !!!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The first sights of the city disappointed me to a great
extent. Though I had not been to Singapore till them, but my common sense told
me that this can be nowhere near to Singapore by any stretch of imagination.
DLF Cybercity, where my target destination (Ericsson office) is located, does
boast of quite a few nice buildings, (well only if you donโt mind calling the
massive blocks of concrete adorned with glass as โbuildingsโ). But the narrow
road leading to the stretch and the mounds of mud all around is what that
disturbs one no end. Well, there is a nice little โexcuseโ to this untidiness โ
lot of construction is on around the stretch. At that point of time, there was
still some credibility to it, but now after a year and half here, I realized
there is no truth in to. Even after construction is completed, no attempt is
made by the developers to clear up the area, so as to soothe your vision, like
the norm is the โdevelopedโ world places like Singapore, which the city claims
to emulate.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So the first visit to the city shattered all the brilliant
expectations I had harbored for long after reading lofty claims in the media
about the โdevelopmentโ of the city. But Mumbai itself not exactly a
โworld-classโ city from architecture / urban development perspective, this was
not to be the criteria for relocation. So, I accepted the job offer, and
decided to move. But I was spared of the decision of whether to live in Gurgaon
or Delhi, as I was sure of setting up home in the โDwarkaโ area of Delhi, as
many of my relatives are around. Many people do go through this dilemma and
take decision to take up rented accommodation in Gurgaon which they later come
to regret.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Having shifted, now it was time to explore the famed Gurgaon
โmallsโ, which I had heard from far and wide. So one fine weekend, we ventured
out, looking forward to the experience. Again, a surprise was awaiting me here.
90% of the malls are on a single stretch of roadโฆ..all small buildings with
very little space inside. Well this is in comparison to the bigger malls in
Mumbai like Inorbit, High Street Phoenix etc and also City Center in Kolkata.
These Gurgaon malls are more like Forum of Kolkata โ if any of you have seen. I
felt extremely claustrophobic and was again surprised that โtheseโ are the
malls which are so talked about!!!! Well that was last year, but subsequently a
very very big mall has come up in Gurgaon โ the Ambi mall, which claims to be
biggest in Asia or something like that (well, I have heard this tag with new
malls coming up in Noida, Kolkata also !!!). But thankfully, it can be really
called a โmallโ with lot of shopping space and also lot of breathing space
inside. And another one by DLF โ may be bigger is coming up adjacent to it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But does a spacious mall itself now justify the โmillennium
cityโ tag? Well not really. There are other sob stories as well.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For starters, the roads,โฆ.why roadโsโ, I will take the
example of the one just in front of my office. This is the DLF Cyber city area
โ with tens of DLF buildings, chock-a-block with offices. Thousands of people
come to work each day in this area, but shockingly, the road connecting this to
the main expressway is unbelievably narrow, and even better โ there is no space
left to widen it at all. So on an average day, every vehicle spends at least
30-45 minutes on this narrow road on a โU-turnโ to get across to the main road
only!! And the misery is multiplied manifold if the weather does not behave
itself on some fine day. I have had few experiences on this, let me elaborate a
little.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There was some long pending shopping, which was getting
postponed over one lazy weekend to other. Finally decision was taken to utilize
one evening after office to get the needful done. Parents came from home, picked
me up, but by then the weather was not feeling well!! It started raining
heavily. It was one of those malfunctioning May days of this year, when it
rained and rained and rained instead of being hot and dry !! And just like any
other city in India, rain created mayhem in traffic situation, and we spent
around 2 hours in the narrow ยฝ km stretch!!! Had to abandon all plans for
shopping and was happy to reach home at last!!!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And then there was this โbig downpourโ day of this monsoon
season. Last year also there was one, but unfortunately that was the only day
it rained at all !! And I was spared the agonies of Gurgaon on that day last
year as I could not even venture out of waterlogged and traffic-clogged streets
of Delhi that morning!! But this time it was different โ it was nice and dry in
the morning but the skies opened up sometime in later afternoon and somewhere
at the back of my mind, the memories of 26/7 in Mumbai started coming back. But
here it was not that bad so far. At 5.30 pm โ when its time to go home, there
was an utter chaos. Well, for people who are not aware of the โcab cultureโ in
Gurgaon, most of the offices here provide transport to employees, a practice
which started mainly from the lack of any public transport facility around
here. Coming back to the โwoesโ part of the story, at 5.30 it was raining
heavily and the narrow road which I just described in great detail above, was
choked with traffic โ people trying to avoid the rain-induced traffic by
setting out early from office !! Most of the cabs were not even able to reach
as they were stuck at different locations in Delhi and Gurgoan at varying
distances from office. To top it all, our cab driver was on leave that day and
had offered a replacement whose mobile number none of us had. So it was
catch-22 situation for 6 of us on that route. After an hour long-dharna at the
transport office, by godโs grace, we were offered an alternate cab on Dwarka
route, which had some spare seats for the day. Armed with feeling of great
relief I tried calling up the cab driver, but found that he has parked his
vehicle on the main road, which meant I had to walk across dirty water streams
which were converting the mud mounds into squishy and sticky muck all long the
way. But this was the only escape route visible for next few hours at least to
reach home. Armed with my umbrella and memories of wading through similar muck
in Kolkata and Mumbai, I set forth bravely on my journey towards the cab. After
15 minutes of maneuvering along with sea of almost immobile 4 and 2 wheelers
and very slow moving 2 and 4-footers, at-last my immediate destination!!!!!!!!!
And after offering consultancy to<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>some
more colleagues on the direction and maneuvering strategy, over a faltering
mobile network due to the sudden heavy load, it was eureka for them also. And
then we set forth on our journey towards the final destination of Dwarka. The
roads were clogged but only till the toll plaza, after which there was a free
run.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But hey, there are good things about the place as well. The great
office buildings, the posh housing societies, the great highway, flyovers etc.
And also the fabulous restaurants and food courts in all the IT parks around my
office.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And to sum it up all, inspite of everything, it is actually
not that bad a place. If you just keep aside the โSingaporeโ comparison, and
compare it to Indian standards, it is in fact a pretty developed city. In the
meantime, I had been to Singapore and actually decided not to embarrass and
insult the Singaporeans on such a pitiful comparison to their beautifully
managed neat and lovely countryJ<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As far as<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>infrastructure / water /electricity /traffic woes โ name a city India
where it is not there!! There is lot of scope and requirement for improvement
and with enlightened citizens here, I am sure these will be taken care of in
near future.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br /></div>
Koelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11762451489932745571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969913048462188438.post-4119314947379448782019-03-31T21:37:00.003+05:302019-03-31T23:00:34.985+05:30Visit to 5G Lab in IIT Delhi - March 2019<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
As with all industries, telecom changes generation but the
pace of change has been increasing rapidly over the last 2 decades. After navigating
through 1<sup>st</sup> to 4<sup>th</sup> generation of mobile telecom, we are
now in the fast lane. 5G is new holy Grail of mobile telecom technology. As I
look back to just around a decade ago, I am amazed at how much telecom has changed
lives. Being part of the leading vendor of telecom infrastructure, and knowing
how it can change lives in future, 5G excites me more than most people today. I
am sure we will win over larger stretches of population with the charm of this
new technology marvel once more and more use cases move from laboratories to reality.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As part of the responsibility of informing the world about <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>5G and how it can be used to benefit society,
our company works partnership of academic community. Under this initiative, the
5G Lab has been setup in IIT Delhi, and following is the public information on
this.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.iitd.ac.in/content/ericsson-and-iit-delhi-launch-%E2%80%985g-india%E2%80%99-program">http://www.iitd.ac.in/content/ericsson-and-iit-delhi-launch-%E2%80%985g-india%E2%80%99-program</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://www.ericsson.com/en/press-releases/2018/7/ericsson-establishes-center-of-excellence-and-innovation-lab-for-5g-in-india-at-the-iit-delhi">https://www.ericsson.com/en/press-releases/2018/7/ericsson-establishes-center-of-excellence-and-innovation-lab-for-5g-in-india-at-the-iit-delhi</a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of our colleagues took the initiative recently to organize
a visit to the Lab and to understand the research that is undergoing on the various
use cases there. The plan was to use an afternoon for the same. A team of
around 20-25 people were gathered and we reached the venue at the scheduled
time of 2 pm. It was a welcome break from the daily grind of endless meetings, calls
and discussions in office and instead we got an opportunity to learn something,
which is very relevant to work, but in a different way. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
IITs are dream institutes for all Indian engineers, atleast
of our generation. This applies to me too, so it would be a completely new and
exciting experience to visit the campus. I did have some exposure to the standard
of teaching in IIT earlier. When I joined VSNL as a Graduate Engineer Trainee,
we had a 3-month induction programme, out of which 1 month was covered by IIT
Mumbai Faculty. This experience needless to say was amazing and it clearly made
me realize what I had missed by not getting an opportunity to study at IIT. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The gates of IIT Delhi had become a familiar sight as we
drove past it many times during my last 12 years in Delhi, but it always remained
an intrigue and regarded as sacred space. Hence, there was palpable excitement
on the designated day. There was a slight hiccup though, as google map behaved
in a unusually erratic way by mistaking me for an IIT employee and guided me towards
a gate through which visitors were not allowed ! After some anxious discussion
with the security guards and a frantic call to my colleague, we did figure out
the right coordinates and google map was back to being helpful as usual.
Finally, I entered through the gates and it opened up to a lovely world of
greenery and open spaces, so unlike the urban clutter outside the gates!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I did get a late by few minutes due to the confusion about
the gates, but not late enough to miss anything. We all settled down in the
meeting area near the lab and then listened to the professors about the lab
setup and got an opportunity to have a look at the 5G equipment. Though we work
for the same company, but being in pre-sales our day to day work does not
require us to work with equipment, hence it was a rare treat for the entire
visiting team. The most interesting part of the presentation for me, however,
was knowing about the IOT use cases that are being explored and experimented by
the faculty and professors with collaboration with some startups. There is
global research ongoing on most of these cases but the uniqueness of the Indian
context, makes this local research very valuable when the time comes for
productization. Most often the products that we see in Indian market are built
in west or far east and force fitted to India. Though we have now started
seeing some customization for India due to the sheer size of the market here,
but mostly it is us who adjusts to the products rather than the other way around.
Local research in premier academic institutes with government support and
funding in collaboration with startups can lead to more industry attention than
it exists today and we can expect original made in India products โ which are conceptualized,
designed and manufactured in India, with Indian customers in mind !<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next part of the agenda was knowledge sharing from our
side, sharing global trends in 5G, mostly covering the compelling reasons that
are motivating operators in different parts of the world to consider evaluating
5G. This session was very engaging as well and it was very interesting to
discuss these with the faculty. It was the merger of thoughts of the academia
with the industry, the two different sides of the coin โ one which is purely
driven by love of technology and the other driven by technology that can be converted
to usable form ultimately able to drive business.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The final activity for us that day was visiting two other labs
in the same premises โ one sponsored by a prominent consumer Electronics player
and the other purely inhouse. In both the labs, we saw young PHD scholars were
engaged in their research work. They talked about their projects with lot of energy
and enthusiasm. This was also a welcome change from our daily corporate
environment and the energy of the kids was infectious. Most of us were
nostalgic as we went back in time to our college days, the days of hope,
innocence and strong belief in principles & faith in all possibilities, all
of which get worn off and rusted in the vagaries of corporate life.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Though we were served with Coffee and cookies twice during
the various discussions but a working day seems to be incomplete without the afternoon
dose of ginger or masala chai! While some of us were ready to call it a day, especially
those who had a long commute for home, some of us were determined not to call
it quits without tea. After walking around in different directions searching
for the perfect fresh hand brewed tea (not machine made), we finally landed to โChayosโ
one of the many tea shops that are seen in different parts of the city now.
After a tall cup of chai and some snacks, enjoyed in a lovely and extremely
rare spring day in Delhi, we were ready to head back home satisfied about a day
well spent.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I would like to term the visit successful from multiple
dimensions โ opportunity to visit IIT campus, enriching discussions with the
faculty, meeting and hearing from the bright young minds and most importantly,
knowing about 5G and IOT related research projects.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A big thanks to my colleague for taking the initiative of organizing
this and we will plan for more such visits going forward.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br /></div>
Koelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11762451489932745571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969913048462188438.post-89197195296159716702019-03-10T02:28:00.002+05:302019-03-10T09:46:04.723+05:30Trip to Bhuj and Runn of Kutch - Feb-March 2019 <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Chapter 1 : Preamble</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am one of the many people in my generation bitten and permanently infected by the travel bug. I travel with my friends, my parents, cousins or by myself(during and as extension of business trips). My friend Nitu is even bigger travel enthusiast and always has few trips planned ahead. Sometimes in Jan, I was bored of everything in life and itching to go somewhere (the feeling is, incidentally is quite a constant with me <span style="font-family: "segoe ui emoji" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol-ext; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: "Segoe UI Emoji";">๐</span> ), so before starting to plan anything I thought of checking with Nitu once. It was perfect timing, since she and her friend Latha were actually planning a trip to Rann of Kutch in end-Feb and I found the perfect opportunity to tag along ! Rann of Kutch sounded great โ I had heard so much about it and it would be surely exciting to spend some time there. Nitu and Latha were planning the itinerary, hotels and cabs, and I only needed to book the flights and apply for 3 days leave, which I promptly did. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p>When your friends are planning everything, you know that everything is taken care of, and you can relax and be lazy enough not to do any research ! The only thing I did was to read up a little couple of days before the travel to discover the need to carrying sports shoes to walk on the Runn, as the salt could damage leather shoes of your feet in case you are wearing open sandals.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Another thing I did was to plan my wardrobe, decided to carry colorful ethnic clothes with matching jewelry, as I thought those may look good in the backdrop of white Runn of Kutch. Since there are so few things we can control in life, how we dress up being one of them, I like to be in control of this aspect. Also photographs being the best part of trips, which can be cherished all our lives, it always feels good to be well turned out for them !<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Chapter 2 : Day 0 and Day 1: Mumbai and Dholavira</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Since the Mumbai-Bhuj flight is in early morning, I had to travel a day before to Mumbai. It was good to feel some warm breeze after three relentless months of winter in Delhi, and Mumbai is a place I always love to come to. After long chat and a nice dinner, we finally retired to get a quick nap of few hours. We reached quite comfortably in time for the early morning flight to Bhuj. After a short flight, we were finally there and the holiday had officially begun !<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We met our Rath* (Maruti Ertiga) and our Sarathi* (Anwar) for the next few days and started our journey. (*Thanks Latha for the christening, I am stealing these names with pride <span style="font-family: "segoe ui emoji" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol-ext; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: "Segoe UI Emoji";">๐</span> ). I learnt that our first destination is Dholavira โ one of the cities of the mighty Harappan civilization, which I always wanted to visit. This was my first pleasant surprise from the trip, and many more would unveil as we moved ahead.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was morning and time for some tea and breakfast, and being in Gujrat, which is home to some of the yummiest snacks in India, what better way to start the day than to gorge on some of them. Out of various options proposed by our Sarathi, we chose Fafda and Jalebi. The town of Bhuj was just getting out of its slumber gently, at a time when the cities would be up and running with roads full of traffic. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It felt nice and relaxed, with no rush to reach anywhere, for once. The small snack shops were just opening up, and we lined up beside a fafda-jalebi stall, waiting for the first batch of fafdas to be fried. I have discovered fafda only in last few years when packed versions, accompanied by green chilli pickle started being available in sweet shops around the place I live in Delhi. But it was always exciting to try the โrealโ one. We stood expectantly as the seller very efficiently rolled out the thin strips from the dough using his hand and dunked in the hot oil. After while, he removed them from the oil, allowed the oil to drip and fried another batch. And then he refried the earlier batch and finally it was ready to be served. It was served with some garlic based chutney(I could not get the other ingredients) and some thin strips of raw papaya pickled in some spices (I could never figure out what these were by taste โ it was courtesy Latha โ she tasted this authentic stuff near her place in Mumbai). These fafdas were lighter in colour, thinner and less crisp than the ones that we get in Delhi, but surely yummy. The jalebis, thin, sweet, crispy and juicy, but I like the ones I get in Delhi better. Next on the menu was some hot tea, which thankfully was at right level of sugar for me. However, a fly decided it wanted to share its morning cuppa with me, resulting me in having to discard the tea and ask for another cup!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJzGUZyGRK4pdrGt1aTsz8rLVHFw98WWkhj4DKOxzZjCf3aI6DUclivoQEZLsLza-hKIq5us3FFDJeHiyeus_WX15iYXYOtFRVIe9eL5BucJFXTg5_DkDGD0SJKRRiMoY7u2gNQManCuM/s1600/IMG_5495.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJzGUZyGRK4pdrGt1aTsz8rLVHFw98WWkhj4DKOxzZjCf3aI6DUclivoQEZLsLza-hKIq5us3FFDJeHiyeus_WX15iYXYOtFRVIe9eL5BucJFXTg5_DkDGD0SJKRRiMoY7u2gNQManCuM/s320/IMG_5495.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After the sumptuous breakfast, customary photo session and posting on Facebook announcing our arrival in Gujrat to the world, we were off to our destination.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We reached Rann Resort in Dholavira around afternoon and were ready for our next meal ! The resort is small but lovely with cute cottages and a view of the Rann. The food was really yummy โ the best dish being the mirchi ki sabji(Green Chilli dry curry) with besan (chickpea floor). This was our first meal in Gujrat and I was pleasantly surprised to find a unlimited serving of Buttermilk, which is my favorite summer drink.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After lunch, we were off to see the Ruins, the Fossil park and Sunset in the Runn. The trip started with a visit to the museum where we could see artifacts from the Harappan Civilization โ which included pottery, bangles, stamps, stone grinders, knives, gemstones etc. I have always been fascinated about the civilization and wanted to visit one of the sites, hence being here was a real treat. After checking out the museum, we walked to the ruins of the city, led by our guide. The guide was very well informed about the civilization and the site, and he explained each and every structure with great details. It was amazing to know how advanced the civilization was, so many years back. The most distinguishing features of the city that I observed was well planned structures and water management. The multi-level reservoirs, with water being purified at each level and supplied to every home, the elaborate drainage system, the kitchens with storage space for grains โ everything is fascinating. The rustic location gave us some great backdrops for photography as well, which we made full use of !<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgB5CNuzzKT-JJX379sXBoAX2ff_bKc0otVbCxIhxcw6RE5i0wuAQaGC8iIBxFCvT3AGTL8JfWxjpASHNsJOhdiMM5mPjlC61Ah6KXwqL7ZJYDCSeJVXxK-5xsXOnRrNjc6nc9hXoX6Bs/s1600/DSCN0818.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgB5CNuzzKT-JJX379sXBoAX2ff_bKc0otVbCxIhxcw6RE5i0wuAQaGC8iIBxFCvT3AGTL8JfWxjpASHNsJOhdiMM5mPjlC61Ah6KXwqL7ZJYDCSeJVXxK-5xsXOnRrNjc6nc9hXoX6Bs/s320/DSCN0818.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVvAROZssiOHPuirF6aKwyZvl4ThsSOXpTFDc-mzdRH5bSz6N9_fkTmXzNkOlJSZesHjk3Ndrm0-9tAlSCiJAtKO0OE-KQGPuXTniAgStGHDxNkzBPfaRFor0oBlCuuZmbLRuxJ0d3bMs/s1600/DSCN0831.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVvAROZssiOHPuirF6aKwyZvl4ThsSOXpTFDc-mzdRH5bSz6N9_fkTmXzNkOlJSZesHjk3Ndrm0-9tAlSCiJAtKO0OE-KQGPuXTniAgStGHDxNkzBPfaRFor0oBlCuuZmbLRuxJ0d3bMs/s320/DSCN0831.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGJNShDGaeMi-WgWiIyYs83o4UH7TZUbV4tauV3mNMoX1SrV-WCGqgQCtP7opGWkRhRz1m1-cDxgANh5Si5o0l0u7BBGX_TedWiE4CoFtI-t9Sv_9e0Uib05fpNxamyx4U14bPPUNHcqI/s1600/DSCN0873.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGJNShDGaeMi-WgWiIyYs83o4UH7TZUbV4tauV3mNMoX1SrV-WCGqgQCtP7opGWkRhRz1m1-cDxgANh5Si5o0l0u7BBGX_TedWiE4CoFtI-t9Sv_9e0Uib05fpNxamyx4U14bPPUNHcqI/s320/DSCN0873.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-sSy39ZbXX-l-zCtCqu6r_dU9IHqVkjqrQr6DtqNow6nfZuUTJmGYLWH9tW4iXRzxXJCkBxQ_Y-UMKTjW7Kh3ZmvuasbAuPi-gGuE4D3SHKIcJe8FDhMZvxhn3WD6OfXoBGH53CMbdjs/s1600/DSCN0902.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-sSy39ZbXX-l-zCtCqu6r_dU9IHqVkjqrQr6DtqNow6nfZuUTJmGYLWH9tW4iXRzxXJCkBxQ_Y-UMKTjW7Kh3ZmvuasbAuPi-gGuE4D3SHKIcJe8FDhMZvxhn3WD6OfXoBGH53CMbdjs/s320/DSCN0902.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After soaking in thousands of years of history and feeling pride in how advanced we were so long ago, we headed towards the fossil park. Here we saw quite a few fossilized trees, which dated back to the age of dinosaurs. This was also something new for me and unexpected, hence very satisfying. Then it was time to visit sunset point in the Runn and this was the most overwhelming experience. Walking on a vast expanse of white, crumbling sound of salt under your feet as you walk along, with sun getting ready for its daily journey down the horizon, is something surreal, which cannot be experienced anywhere else ! This was truly magical, and the trip seemed so much worth it on the first day itself. I loved the fact that we had the whole expanse to ourselves, and there was no one else to be seen anywhere. We spent lot of time here, enjoying the solitude, the setting sun among the sea of salt and clicked lot of pictures. Our Sarathi did some cool photography here, capturing all of us together.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgonIMM5IbHjhe3xcIX_RQQQxUQStVX-e6DlmvEICFXTucQCoZTz6sWO32N5qIsKk9KfThAamn_bWOPpjDkBtfEuNYS-zkz6kjRonwDKD3AUH-M9ljV33KT8YwuRr5mU-E_K9Tpsdljuwc/s1600/DSCN0966.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgonIMM5IbHjhe3xcIX_RQQQxUQStVX-e6DlmvEICFXTucQCoZTz6sWO32N5qIsKk9KfThAamn_bWOPpjDkBtfEuNYS-zkz6kjRonwDKD3AUH-M9ljV33KT8YwuRr5mU-E_K9Tpsdljuwc/s320/DSCN0966.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfNATFMzOUQXv8iGEWdNnk3LUIhSayFUay75QwkEDepQTrrMnuo8LHciGTzWhZtBUSBWBW69AXlvh8qnOm1zhq3PgnPFXuT_qg0F5V7vmt23_ekDpUoTeKxcYWOW7-ipDgogHxkO2uj-A/s1600/DSCN0938.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfNATFMzOUQXv8iGEWdNnk3LUIhSayFUay75QwkEDepQTrrMnuo8LHciGTzWhZtBUSBWBW69AXlvh8qnOm1zhq3PgnPFXuT_qg0F5V7vmt23_ekDpUoTeKxcYWOW7-ipDgogHxkO2uj-A/s320/DSCN0938.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF5lfQp1IGxygP8qLW2n3hBtwZBYqdctGu0xopUyd9YcMhyphenhyphenxmO9ENL_g_Y6qAFZfJIE5ld3W6IB95LWlZyFkxqDIZxO-2uIgRulAYQpDWNqRHd5Oaw42lrxJBCahGGc1ijVIJX3heFhO4/s1600/DSCN0942.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF5lfQp1IGxygP8qLW2n3hBtwZBYqdctGu0xopUyd9YcMhyphenhyphenxmO9ENL_g_Y6qAFZfJIE5ld3W6IB95LWlZyFkxqDIZxO-2uIgRulAYQpDWNqRHd5Oaw42lrxJBCahGGc1ijVIJX3heFhO4/s320/DSCN0942.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Finally we headed back, enjoyed some tea and then again it was the happy hour (I mean dinner time <span style="font-family: "segoe ui emoji" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol-ext; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: "Segoe UI Emoji";">๐</span> ) for us hungry travelers. The expectations were high with the standards set during lunch and they actually kept up to it. In addition to the yummy curries and rotis, the new addition was Khichdi and Kadhi, both of which were simply out of the world. The Khichdi was topped with 1 ladleful of ghee, and if I had not objected, there would be more poured on my plate, building up on my guilt quotient and making me start calculating on how many days I have to skip ghee and butter to balance it out <span style="font-family: "segoe ui emoji" , sans-serif;">๐</span> Thankfully, I stopped the ghee flow in time and got busy enjoying my meal. After dinner we contemplated a walk to the Runn, with the resort manager in attendance with a flashlight, but did not feel quite confident about it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The story of Runn Resort will be incomplete if I do not mention the friendly dogs here โ the Mumma dog looked thin and tired but she was very friendly with smiling eyes and wagging tail and she stayed put around our cottage. The Baby dog came later in the evening when I was trying to enjoy some solitude under the starry night with soothing songs before retiring for the night. While I was tired, the little one was full of energy and wanted to jump on the verandah and may be play with me ! I had to turn him away as I was in no mood for it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifQVp71CRZdmXY0ZOW86-7sOW_FzElGzTD8X2UKiQc6PsGCM9D8HyKQi4j-Plc850a0BbHBACd3nohVZptIdiuTtIFjFRg4FY9k7xtTYfmkHd0i-eKcOo-aHn0VJwEJDQDMnEoOmpB8N4/s1600/IMG_5526.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifQVp71CRZdmXY0ZOW86-7sOW_FzElGzTD8X2UKiQc6PsGCM9D8HyKQi4j-Plc850a0BbHBACd3nohVZptIdiuTtIFjFRg4FY9k7xtTYfmkHd0i-eKcOo-aHn0VJwEJDQDMnEoOmpB8N4/s320/IMG_5526.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Chapter 3 : Day 2: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Journey from Dholavira to Bhuj and Devpur</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Next morning we took it easy, had a leisurely breakfast of yummy poha, did some shopping (they had got some stuff in the resort itself) and finally started our journey towards Bhuj. It was long journey and little tiring as well, though the roads were straight and smooth. Isnโt it <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>so strange that sometimes we feel the most tired when we are not doing anything. The journey was made enjoyable by non stop but very endearing story telling by our Sarathi, telling us various aspects of life in Bhuj, the culture and how life has been improving for local people over the years. He is one very positive young man, who takes immense pride in the culture of his land, the values of the people and is happy to talk about it. He is a perfect brand ambassador for Kutch, and I am really thankful to him for not only increasing my knowledge about the area and also bringing positivity all around him. As all people, he has his dissatisfactions and failures in life. I wish him all happiness and fulfillment of all his dreams โ nice people deserve to be happiest.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We stopped for lunch at a place which serves Kathiawadi Thali and the food was again yummy. Every dish was tasty and by reducing the amount of calories to bare minimum (3/4<sup>th</sup> of a Bajra Roti), I managed the impossible, which I am never normally able to do โ I finished all the curries on the thali ! All this was washed down with generous helpings of Buttermilk, which by now I started taking for granted as integral part of Gujrati meal.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjHamr4qh6twXlLIjqfdDiyWpH_Dkc1Tj1mvHVRZxe_YcoAu-iT-C2QhX9LTcXHbSF7gh5mDgNPFmTGbp-F7BTgvsUsN3To35RoN0aCH4RJ-CnEsx_StL6o1DsMmTXdytDDP3PW8m8rHE/s1600/IMG_5595.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjHamr4qh6twXlLIjqfdDiyWpH_Dkc1Tj1mvHVRZxe_YcoAu-iT-C2QhX9LTcXHbSF7gh5mDgNPFmTGbp-F7BTgvsUsN3To35RoN0aCH4RJ-CnEsx_StL6o1DsMmTXdytDDP3PW8m8rHE/s320/IMG_5595.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After a long journey of a few hours, we finally reached Bhuj. The first stops in the city were the palaces โ Prag Mahal and Aina Mahal. These two have a European Architecture from outside and inside there is a combination of Indian and European style. Prag Mahal has a clock tower โ it is always nice to climb up to the top and have a view of the city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aina Mahal was more impressive, with its elaborate mirror- engraved walls and blue tiled floors. The kingโs bed with gold stands was impressive as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We came to know that the this palace was heavily damaged in 2001 Bhuj earthquakes and was painstakingly restored over many years โ which is really remarkable. In India we have so much history everywhere and it is so critical that we are able to restore it and preserve it for our future generations. One piece of information about these palaces is that many scenes of the blockbuster movie Lagaan were shot here.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNjdJbOu0H2UqE0ou4RD4RgrgJXe3SVOiJsU2-wWgeLMmgknfGrEv0MqS6uVKoGwaER-iQ_zLfXPn2tJ_a475TF71j-OlHcyXH0uN3STylAUyv0c13UBkJWwfikS1eoBzOllQxDTxHaHI/s1600/IMG_5599.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNjdJbOu0H2UqE0ou4RD4RgrgJXe3SVOiJsU2-wWgeLMmgknfGrEv0MqS6uVKoGwaER-iQ_zLfXPn2tJ_a475TF71j-OlHcyXH0uN3STylAUyv0c13UBkJWwfikS1eoBzOllQxDTxHaHI/s320/IMG_5599.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijGf6DvBnRyLZRWKXxPjPRlhLtIcdz7-IzDbjJ8WwhKT5fMjssPR1kO-25VP4GPY4QJJn2NSo_9GS-6DnANvFv1UmQwVDNIdWJLPXBT-W8l31SLOdKwK8zPL6wNzs9PskWfalYdiscdUc/s1600/IMG_5641.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijGf6DvBnRyLZRWKXxPjPRlhLtIcdz7-IzDbjJ8WwhKT5fMjssPR1kO-25VP4GPY4QJJn2NSo_9GS-6DnANvFv1UmQwVDNIdWJLPXBT-W8l31SLOdKwK8zPL6wNzs9PskWfalYdiscdUc/s320/IMG_5641.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7TVeWz4OBaCgjd7PoSj_JBH3Rmo5nm-wSs2Ow0mqiFt0POq0zvUOv6naqco9qkqv04VBdxRZNtr7MzMiYDhPisuzyQWmiA5z-TOyVkOnEu109h70y7J4j3vBdhYFuveJnqkTauy7K2_M/s1600/IMG_5646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7TVeWz4OBaCgjd7PoSj_JBH3Rmo5nm-wSs2Ow0mqiFt0POq0zvUOv6naqco9qkqv04VBdxRZNtr7MzMiYDhPisuzyQWmiA5z-TOyVkOnEu109h70y7J4j3vBdhYFuveJnqkTauy7K2_M/s320/IMG_5646.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNU2QUkLu6ssnXM24XKIu5VMMeDNATMjwYWwAaRfoq9MT68yQvrhrhHtDuf7GFzS8JqCyQTokO3poy1d2njYo20c0o-wlTqXV7tCQ77XoWNwc5f30R3aClQpGOzRAcTjidpwD0Ce3pjS4/s1600/IMG_5649.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNU2QUkLu6ssnXM24XKIu5VMMeDNATMjwYWwAaRfoq9MT68yQvrhrhHtDuf7GFzS8JqCyQTokO3poy1d2njYo20c0o-wlTqXV7tCQ77XoWNwc5f30R3aClQpGOzRAcTjidpwD0Ce3pjS4/s320/IMG_5649.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next destination was a deep well with stairs in bhuj, where we were persuaded by our Sarathi to visit, though we were not too keen. It was actually a good decision as the stairs made for great photo opportunity. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEeKX27MOY0STgkPlsPwoeBw2QNyDkabMjH0Qn0ydZCjODdJijGHXT59vQiRir5OwSAapKgaaRZuJBwupR-oohfjThTMOGC83LLSSg5f1bbDMXPJK6eXc0nayZjoc_LRhcqYUILKgrLlU/s1600/IMG_5661.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEeKX27MOY0STgkPlsPwoeBw2QNyDkabMjH0Qn0ydZCjODdJijGHXT59vQiRir5OwSAapKgaaRZuJBwupR-oohfjThTMOGC83LLSSg5f1bbDMXPJK6eXc0nayZjoc_LRhcqYUILKgrLlU/s320/IMG_5661.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Next we visited Chhatedi โ which is a historical place having tombs of rulers of Bhuj. It has quite a few beautiful structures, though lot of damage happened during the 2001 earthquake. Here, another pearl of information was unveiled by our Sarathi โ one โferaโ scene in another blockbuster โ โHum Dil De chuke Sanamโ was shot here. This seems to be a happening location for photography as we saw a pre-wedding photo-shoot happening. Actually this young couple was already married but since they couldnโt find time (or may be family approval) before marriage, they were doing this after marriage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> We contributed by offering a safety pin and helping the young bride with her pallu to make her look lovelier in the pictures. </span>There were other shoots being done by young people around. We also enjoyed quite a bit of photography, with the perfect light conditions around.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd-6Kps8JbhQjdL7xW5GIXS51Y4ImUt6WCbbdOONwvBUgJYRvot5yll3ZltiVxbUCUyj5DiYGwnFYpiRdRjV-tsztNzIKlaTUx_dD9HxjqBnC6t-Bhf2qtBDHKqDTEabO2tODExMb42p4/s1600/IMG_5671.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd-6Kps8JbhQjdL7xW5GIXS51Y4ImUt6WCbbdOONwvBUgJYRvot5yll3ZltiVxbUCUyj5DiYGwnFYpiRdRjV-tsztNzIKlaTUx_dD9HxjqBnC6t-Bhf2qtBDHKqDTEabO2tODExMb42p4/s320/IMG_5671.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcCcKNcZVe5Jipj88wGslFrr2Q6PlyZJH3mcWhCkt9q11AHMmljUVTyzu1H7jdda2bZc1IijCiqf6MTcqpHVsESB2GQ-bStfjx9-heTR1HG780yshjpkBhPoCBmI5GkR99tYrvjocPl28/s1600/IMG_5672.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcCcKNcZVe5Jipj88wGslFrr2Q6PlyZJH3mcWhCkt9q11AHMmljUVTyzu1H7jdda2bZc1IijCiqf6MTcqpHVsESB2GQ-bStfjx9-heTR1HG780yshjpkBhPoCBmI5GkR99tYrvjocPl28/s320/IMG_5672.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiZrnapxxtHNExvVrZ7z07uTUPyaeTb8jv-0CYGB7h3vTv_URo2O_CU5AMGTH-FqOth2XYmDvPukHVSYkWogmKxNdR7m4EMwuA9ifYw5CE3EZm7jsJRcmOCEmIuZ5EsUy68D52e5kOaJc/s1600/IMG_5691.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiZrnapxxtHNExvVrZ7z07uTUPyaeTb8jv-0CYGB7h3vTv_URo2O_CU5AMGTH-FqOth2XYmDvPukHVSYkWogmKxNdR7m4EMwuA9ifYw5CE3EZm7jsJRcmOCEmIuZ5EsUy68D52e5kOaJc/s320/IMG_5691.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Finally, we were off to our home for next 3 days โ the Devpur Homestay, which was a further 40 kms away. When we reached our destination it was already dark. As I mentioned earliler, I was completely clueless this time about where we are going or staying. Latha told that this is a homestay in a 100 year old Haveli and we have a lovely Mahal to ourselves. As we waited, I could hear lovely sounds of Aarti from the home, and was tempted to peek in. The puja room was just round the corner. The family warmly welcomed me and I was happy to join in. There were few deities in the Puja room, and I could see Kali Mata โ who is a central figure in religious traditions of us Bengalis. The prayers were for kamakhya <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maa, who is a representation of Kali Ma. After the aarti, we were formally welcomed by the mother of Krutharsinh Jadeja, the owner and the host. She is the epitome of an Indian mother โ loving, warm and caring, who will make you comfortable immediately. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then we went up to โGulabi Mediโ or the pink suite on first floor and were immediately floored ! It is a lovely room, tastefully decorated completely preserving the old world charm. I was looking forward to staying next few days in this amazing room.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyebtUvJNCNwHodawjk4iga9U8UkPqhFAZpHOiDCJIA_M-sQqg2zxGOQiK5cXVcQW-kVIz0v9LMIM9yfv5B6EEOixnuqrIWeg4CQ0KL8IlDveCp31B_lspQHz_-6aAOUpC2x5KmncjdO0/s1600/IMG_5857.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyebtUvJNCNwHodawjk4iga9U8UkPqhFAZpHOiDCJIA_M-sQqg2zxGOQiK5cXVcQW-kVIz0v9LMIM9yfv5B6EEOixnuqrIWeg4CQ0KL8IlDveCp31B_lspQHz_-6aAOUpC2x5KmncjdO0/s320/IMG_5857.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We were again at the most cherished part of the day โ meal time ! Dinner was tasty โ now we had got used to the fact that all meals here would be tasty, so it was no more a surprise. The best dishes were the Khichdi and Kadhi, which by now I learnt are a favorite dinner combo for locals, and rightfully so, as they are light on the tummy. The host was very generous to have dinner with us, though it was later than his usual dinner time and talk about the place and its culture. In the bargain, he also heard a lot about life in city and corporates, though I am not sure these useless pieces of information enriched his repertoire in any way :-) It was a very enjoyable conversation though.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Chapter 4 : Day 3 : Nirona, kalo dungar , Great Runn</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next day was also relaxed, getting up at leisure, enjoying tea and lazy breakfast with lovely conversations with our host. The school managed by the hosts on premises is very impressive and it is always refreshing to see active schoolkids early in the morning. The school dress is very innovative and practical as well โ denims and checked shirt of kurtas and red sweaters.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next day we started by visiting the Nirona village which is home to the unique Rogan work. This is a very unique form of painting, only practiced by one family in the village. The patriarch of the family is a fabulous artist, is a national award winner, very well known and respected and is also a Padmasree awardee from 2018. His son is the young artist who has decided to take this as a profession to carry forward this unique art form. He was very kind to do a live demonstration of his art, which made us even more amazed. After going through lot of wall hangings and stoles, I decided to buy a stole whereas Nitu and Latha decided to go for all hangings. After a very satisfying hour, we left for the next art destination with our loot.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj017imeNHHXmAXR4JnudzbiKVYw-XuLaYSTa91o_mQU3zzHkUiVfpb2eBuRTzI3GZjZ9mJz0o_460riuaQt5yMQsCbrj0xcvMp2Li0jLySq0oQQ19s7v98RXi9gXnAJudjonu-6M8lvdo/s1600/DSCN0982.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj017imeNHHXmAXR4JnudzbiKVYw-XuLaYSTa91o_mQU3zzHkUiVfpb2eBuRTzI3GZjZ9mJz0o_460riuaQt5yMQsCbrj0xcvMp2Li0jLySq0oQQ19s7v98RXi9gXnAJudjonu-6M8lvdo/s320/DSCN0982.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Next stop was the workshop cum shop of the bell maker. We normally associate lovely cow-bells with Switzerland. I never knew of the cow bells of Kutch and this again was a revelation like many others I had experienced so far. These bells look very simple but there are two ways why they are unique. They are completely handmade using sheets of iron, without any welding. After making, they are coated with a mix of various metals, copper being the main ingredient. Secondly, they are dented differently by hand after they are made, in order to create different sounds. The craftsman whose shop we visited showed us live demonstration of bell making, which was really fascinating. He also told us that in older days, different cattle owners used to order for bells with differently pitched sounds so that their herds could be differentiated from others ! This centuries old craft has been revived now to cater for different applications other than cattle bells. These are made into wind chimes, musical instruments and calling bells which are admired and patronized by people around the world. I bought the smallest sized bell to be used as a wall hanging from here.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw3lX5KT7o7qpfPI-mKhdGJ_LTiaoKXKKQFWkwxLesZoywxoUM8ktONjJ_ZWucPELlBbpiHZXtBqle8pN5xjTr4i13jAZWAsqQYci5RHi55lB-aG4PmHJYFPVEFcvH-ZpBWhK5goHDK3I/s1600/IMG_5737.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw3lX5KT7o7qpfPI-mKhdGJ_LTiaoKXKKQFWkwxLesZoywxoUM8ktONjJ_ZWucPELlBbpiHZXtBqle8pN5xjTr4i13jAZWAsqQYci5RHi55lB-aG4PmHJYFPVEFcvH-ZpBWhK5goHDK3I/s320/IMG_5737.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After a quick simple lunch which included the mandatory buttermilk, we were off to Kalo Dungar โ the hill that overlooks the Great Runn, with some amazing views. On the way, we crossed the tropic of Cancer and did not forget to click the mandatory pic, courtesy our Sarathi. Another interesting aspect of this journey was the magnetic field in the hill. At this point, for demonstration, the car was switched off and it was moving on its own uphill โ this was first time experience for me and very memorable.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After Driving up the hill for some more time, we reached the parking, from where we had to walk up for around 10 minutes. It was a hazy and super windy day, which made both clear views and pictures difficult. Just to make sure that we do not have any doubt about the beauty of the place, our Sarathi, with all his love for his home state, compared the top of Kalo Dungar to Kashmir ! This is a very unique comparison, which I will remember for many years to come.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPKEzZp0A6H7brcWkD5M-S8MXWEx448nSTIIPJqeQcK1MGZ5gNU-yAoersSF9WAte0yf8L4Y3olAdGaZZ7f8ejC8s_kI-u6wKLJ2ggn_UybtKW3bhU9tK0JsQRnkZYkg7Pdyvxh2lOTs/s1600/DSCN0992.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPKEzZp0A6H7brcWkD5M-S8MXWEx448nSTIIPJqeQcK1MGZ5gNU-yAoersSF9WAte0yf8L4Y3olAdGaZZ7f8ejC8s_kI-u6wKLJ2ggn_UybtKW3bhU9tK0JsQRnkZYkg7Pdyvxh2lOTs/s320/DSCN0992.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After some quiet time sitting and enjoying the views of the Runn, which looked like a still sea from the top and <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>pretty difficult-to-manage photography, primarily due to hair flowing in all possible directions, it was time to move to the next destination. The final destination of the day the was great Runn of Kutchh โ part of which we had already seen in Dholavira. The Runn festival was over just a few days back and still lot of dismantling and cleaning work was going on. The huge expanse of the Runn was amazing โ it was white in all directions as far as one could see ! However, wind played spoilsport for photographs and a great opportunity was almost lost <span style="font-family: "segoe ui emoji" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol-ext; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: "Segoe UI Emoji";">๐</span> Finally the clouds also joined in the party and the sunset opportunity was also gone. It was little disappointing overall. I would have loved to spend some time sitting and enjoying the sunset provided all of these did not happen.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazEdB9Xb1KcVcKJRv7ZRDdKVZ7Ds3-KY8KNUGM4jh_yBNXDPEMt5THhidZG7KBiMwcav-yl4SHsOAUdBMq-bmnVUypY53m9kAhWn9_4xzCViA1Q-3yDHIgyYxYI-vzCYpx4huGQRaxjg/s1600/DSCN1018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazEdB9Xb1KcVcKJRv7ZRDdKVZ7Ds3-KY8KNUGM4jh_yBNXDPEMt5THhidZG7KBiMwcav-yl4SHsOAUdBMq-bmnVUypY53m9kAhWn9_4xzCViA1Q-3yDHIgyYxYI-vzCYpx4huGQRaxjg/s320/DSCN1018.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGi2VmgwmikebKHPcNsbQaL6U9HqbuCvlir1vh38DUNBxeKiM_TcbqhFO39QnwToHJ2R7CVrjBv5pYBNQ6M7NB2fPr47Tfa9Q-LhUSydp0uqS8MoCsdmwjBoEIujc9AaKOal0HdFmn9SQ/s1600/DSCN1019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGi2VmgwmikebKHPcNsbQaL6U9HqbuCvlir1vh38DUNBxeKiM_TcbqhFO39QnwToHJ2R7CVrjBv5pYBNQ6M7NB2fPr47Tfa9Q-LhUSydp0uqS8MoCsdmwjBoEIujc9AaKOal0HdFmn9SQ/s320/DSCN1019.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After a quick tea break, it was time to embark on the long journey back to our current home in Devpur. The road seemed straight, long and never-ending and also a little spooky in the dark with hardly any other vehicles around. Our favorite music from 90s with Kumar Sanu, Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnic, Anuradha Podwal, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Sonu Nigam for company kept us energised and finally we were home!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Chapter 5 : Day 4: LLDC, Srijan, Bhujaudi</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Next day was all about crafts โ admiring and shopping. The first stop was LLDC Museum which I learnt was built very recently in 2016. I was highly impressed with the way Kutch has been showcased, the complete history, the cultural evolution and all the arts and crafts of each part of the district. The artwork in forms of wall hangings and dresses are simply amazing. Complete exploration of the museum requires quite a lot of time, which we could not devote as we had lot of other stops planned for the day. After a lovely lunch of masala rice, Kadhi, Potato subzi and buttermilk at the museum canteen we started for the next destinations for the day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9eUsAiKFDswt4AviPNNuiF7mNKEm9L-6sZOx4Y2B2LSRCmiL0FMuNmHi0lfJCijD7NQ7hNRztZ7wuZQkqe7dcWu5yw-N-NNLZ2Ja38gMM8qf3XYBcR2dNkNfkdeVwzMnOBzdoGlieZc8/s1600/DSCN1069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9eUsAiKFDswt4AviPNNuiF7mNKEm9L-6sZOx4Y2B2LSRCmiL0FMuNmHi0lfJCijD7NQ7hNRztZ7wuZQkqe7dcWu5yw-N-NNLZ2Ja38gMM8qf3XYBcR2dNkNfkdeVwzMnOBzdoGlieZc8/s320/DSCN1069.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9dUJCPeu2HD6Y9OZBKozJwuv1rcJ2TvfaNy1bKj8pzsJ0DBFzHgvUJJv3TryXl1fcY0dAGClmTCSvDJ1DG93uIb13FHpJgdgREt3fccEWdgn-Zs_frUmZl0W7599UKQBkOF7ZobCzTQw/s1600/DSCN1075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9dUJCPeu2HD6Y9OZBKozJwuv1rcJ2TvfaNy1bKj8pzsJ0DBFzHgvUJJv3TryXl1fcY0dAGClmTCSvDJ1DG93uIb13FHpJgdgREt3fccEWdgn-Zs_frUmZl0W7599UKQBkOF7ZobCzTQw/s320/DSCN1075.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We went to Khamir, which had lovely shirts and dresses made of <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>โkala cottonโ which is the organic cotton grown locally, and other artifacts of leather, embroidery, bells etc. I bought a shirt and some small knick-knacks from here. We visited Ajrakhpur village which is the home of the ajrakh fabric and shopped for different stuff like dress material, bedsheets, stoles etc.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then we stopped at Shrujan for some lovely embroidered articles like cushion covers, purse etc. The final stop for the day was Bhujodi. Here there are many shops selling specialized local items. We spent lot of time shopping here for Kurtas, skirts, stoles etc.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With the amount of shopping I did, I had to stop in Bhuj town to buy a travel bag as well ! Next we tried local snack Dabeli which our Sarathi was very keen for us to try and admire โ which we surely did. Next was Pani Puri, which is always yummy wherever you eat it. The final stop for the day was Khavda sweet shop to buy some local sweets and savory items. The owner was very warm, welcoming and generous, like everyone else in Bhuj and he made us try lot of sweets. I finally selected the Gulab Pak which is a mix of Khoya, rose petals and nuts โ which was very unique and different. In addition I bought some savory items โ pakwan, Farsi poories and the good old Khakra: this time from its home state.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Chapter 6: Day 5: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mandvi</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Finally we were on the last day of the vacation and our Sarathi had also left us for a day as he had a wedding in family. He was replaced by his cousin, who spoke significantly less than our Sarathi and hence we missed him quite a bit.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The first stop was Vijay Vilas Palace. This was a home away from home for the royal family, who normally lived in the city of Bhuj but came here whenever they needed to get away from the maddening crowds. The palace is beautiful and well maintained. The lower floor and terrace is open for public viewing whereas the family stays on 1<sup>st</sup> floor when they are around (This is as per information from the staff at the palace). There were plenty of lovely Photo-ops outside & inside the palace and also on the beautiful terrace. Another surprise here โ the shooting of โHum Dil De Chuke Sanamโ happened in this palace. Now I am determined to watch both Lagaan and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanamโ again just to check out these amazing locations which I just visited.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMCFPURDzYE0Zpt1pTkGDmutn7-GnWi5sja4OAFoyD5DQi4JkZ7Jjdh3UDsaEIuANqkDFfXbJUJaQZXl1rg1FiTFF6r1-5QAJNPjAVRdl4qGvDo9Pg5ls9qsFKLZ5cdaOdT74mKd9vzcc/s1600/DSCN1101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMCFPURDzYE0Zpt1pTkGDmutn7-GnWi5sja4OAFoyD5DQi4JkZ7Jjdh3UDsaEIuANqkDFfXbJUJaQZXl1rg1FiTFF6r1-5QAJNPjAVRdl4qGvDo9Pg5ls9qsFKLZ5cdaOdT74mKd9vzcc/s320/DSCN1101.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoIzIrrflgiPKfuUeEqc0unbWsgKFVexB1SNUvPzuux0aqOi-fkA9s9SlYPpkNOY4uWi7FhgIp4cuJntwK2j1dW5zL1z7VuxM0iRZ2bioLxqfNZxfEGfDFBL6Durw-pUAdGwFg5P7A8KY/s1600/DSCN1113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoIzIrrflgiPKfuUeEqc0unbWsgKFVexB1SNUvPzuux0aqOi-fkA9s9SlYPpkNOY4uWi7FhgIp4cuJntwK2j1dW5zL1z7VuxM0iRZ2bioLxqfNZxfEGfDFBL6Durw-pUAdGwFg5P7A8KY/s320/DSCN1113.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Again it was lunch time and the chance to taste another amazing local Thali.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After lunch, we went to Jatnagar village to look at some of the embroidered items of the Jat community. We saw some amazing pieces prepared by the women of the family and a young girl was happy to model for our pictures as well. After a cup of tea and some discussions, we ordered for some embroidered stuff which they would courier one they are ready in 2-3 weeks.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEtaZbgOTsAQYxTNuf8Vgra1K9t49ay0GE6MwiyfDC3ipgnQfIiZ2A7TLguWUYK2bh27PkzB03SEMUuBBsyMojOFp9uCLEnmye6Ma5wX5TXQWKen_rGJ6bibgnEZKCMdEOT8K8q97ADLY/s1600/IMG_5821.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEtaZbgOTsAQYxTNuf8Vgra1K9t49ay0GE6MwiyfDC3ipgnQfIiZ2A7TLguWUYK2bh27PkzB03SEMUuBBsyMojOFp9uCLEnmye6Ma5wX5TXQWKen_rGJ6bibgnEZKCMdEOT8K8q97ADLY/s320/IMG_5821.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEVXyx9EHTX65KtXo4c7RmTAxlYQSqWycp95K9ixkH_KhIHxlHwsPR7CWOfXuyRiWu53P0sdtgDEQ-CrLFihAx9XT0l4-i-8cz1BrjP_umKqDnyEP5Mdj3HMRal0hNQrVDMUzBvDzHimw/s1600/IMG_5827.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEVXyx9EHTX65KtXo4c7RmTAxlYQSqWycp95K9ixkH_KhIHxlHwsPR7CWOfXuyRiWu53P0sdtgDEQ-CrLFihAx9XT0l4-i-8cz1BrjP_umKqDnyEP5Mdj3HMRal0hNQrVDMUzBvDzHimw/s320/IMG_5827.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Next we went to see the ship building yard which was also a first for me. The surprise here was to find some migratory birds which made me click-happy ! After a short stint at the beach, which my Mumbai friends avoided (who wants to see a beach again after being around the sea throughout the year <span style="font-family: "segoe ui emoji" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol-ext; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: "Segoe UI Emoji";">๐</span> ), we were ready to head back to Devpur.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis2uoWp__T3Hgpg2fYqpAcIrlQ5hCAnc5gsllA1ADH1jLOTs6dYNnsErddXklojaUfIaEJpqIYw-d3ZsPbWEWYmM6pl8-iqmNIfHsAOYyK37nA8IqVr1lHbva5N1IInKfV2rk8YLgXGno/s1600/DSCN1125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis2uoWp__T3Hgpg2fYqpAcIrlQ5hCAnc5gsllA1ADH1jLOTs6dYNnsErddXklojaUfIaEJpqIYw-d3ZsPbWEWYmM6pl8-iqmNIfHsAOYyK37nA8IqVr1lHbva5N1IInKfV2rk8YLgXGno/s320/DSCN1125.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgHV245mMz7MVktpQ908mM-_V9wwEnGTHh-BBe4MJkIBgoIQjcPeSlt9FxB68BxHvVOhkQjeBMCU17A0CW3A7a6N-NyveN33Ic0X7lrVi9NnMa0nP8tyyK_3WqtA5sRN1kie0t0FvjQRU/s1600/IMG_5831.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgHV245mMz7MVktpQ908mM-_V9wwEnGTHh-BBe4MJkIBgoIQjcPeSlt9FxB68BxHvVOhkQjeBMCU17A0CW3A7a6N-NyveN33Ic0X7lrVi9NnMa0nP8tyyK_3WqtA5sRN1kie0t0FvjQRU/s320/IMG_5831.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8jOvfCfU9s75IAtVHgHmco2xLtF8S2R7LrnCWO13Su92zQb65TMXv2kIqgZMWoGWE5PgTvRadWMHNH2jrMzWn0vJVNTP2pCsQXhjAi7qKaPlSD2vM_M6MpbMlYtjQuRGKbYp-1NBV418/s1600/DSCN1129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8jOvfCfU9s75IAtVHgHmco2xLtF8S2R7LrnCWO13Su92zQb65TMXv2kIqgZMWoGWE5PgTvRadWMHNH2jrMzWn0vJVNTP2pCsQXhjAi7qKaPlSD2vM_M6MpbMlYtjQuRGKbYp-1NBV418/s320/DSCN1129.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was nice to reach back our homestay before sunset. We requested our host if it was possible to take a walk around his mango orchard and he graciously agreed. It was again a first for me to experience walking through a mango orchard. The rooms and the tents for guests there are really awesome and it would be great to visit it sometime again. We took a short walk through the village and then were back to enjoy a lazy evening.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqmwVmiWibkvfFNYS4ZNqMDL2pqyG4QN0oh5HXTRR0lS38KTGta3FYeTEdjhCEy97vItWivel8_Bdtgpmwsdb2uakBfRUJQrN6fMKOhj1lApXDbD5ySm9XEbJwlf53ZiA_uhyphenhyphencPreo-vU/s1600/IMG_5846.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqmwVmiWibkvfFNYS4ZNqMDL2pqyG4QN0oh5HXTRR0lS38KTGta3FYeTEdjhCEy97vItWivel8_Bdtgpmwsdb2uakBfRUJQrN6fMKOhj1lApXDbD5ySm9XEbJwlf53ZiA_uhyphenhyphencPreo-vU/s320/IMG_5846.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7KXWPq2eTu9esmkDw0q3k6afL_WTpxiSOYBQ-km9RaAL35TkPaDPj_Sn26ECxf51jBQqrSVTzZLbisQ5Yrji55J4_j-8zpWGAVur16687Z1dlxacA6YPU_veUJmpf_O6C8xY95ijOMj8/s1600/IMG_5842.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7KXWPq2eTu9esmkDw0q3k6afL_WTpxiSOYBQ-km9RaAL35TkPaDPj_Sn26ECxf51jBQqrSVTzZLbisQ5Yrji55J4_j-8zpWGAVur16687Z1dlxacA6YPU_veUJmpf_O6C8xY95ijOMj8/s320/IMG_5842.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Chapter : 7: Wrap-up<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This was a trip of many firsts and many revelations. Apart from the beauty of nature and the arts and crafts there was something more that touched me. The warmth & the humility of the people, the positivity all across, the pride of people in their culture and the general sense of abundance around, all of which is so scarce in the cities these days !</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Special thanks to Devpur Homestay host Krutarthsinh Jadeja Ji and his family for the lovely stay โ my first in a homestay anywhere. Sir โ you have raised the bar so high for the standards of a homestay, finding the next one matching up to your standard will be very difficult. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Also special thanks to our Sarathi โ Anwar, for his constant chatter keeping us entertained over the long journeys โ guiding and prodding to sample all the aspect of the culture, and being a great photographer.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
Koelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11762451489932745571noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969913048462188438.post-14308009495460255782012-10-15T20:14:00.002+05:302012-10-15T20:14:31.146+05:30Summer Break at Kausani ....continued....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The plan for next day was local sightseeing around kausani. We did not want it to be too hectic but instead relaxed few hours. The first stop for the day was <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Anashakti Ashram</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> where Gandhiji had stayed for 3 weeks. It is a small quaint ashram which is very peaceful and quiet. it has a beautiful mountain view surrounding almost 180 degrees. You can spend hours just sitting here and soaking in the peace and beauty of the surroundings. There is a guest house also in the same campus and it can be pre-booked. This ashram was just next door to the hotel and subsequently we went and sat there and took a walk around in the next 2 evenings as well.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">The next stop was the home of poet Sumitranandan Pant ji - who belonged to Kausani. It has been converted into a museum.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">The next stop for the day was a place called Bageshwar which is a confluence of 3 rivers. There is a temple there where there is a big fair during makar sankranti. It is almost equivalent to kumbh mela of the hills. The cab driver gave us an option to see it from near or from a height where the confluence of the 3 rivers is visible clearly. We decided to enjoy the view from hilltop instead from the ground level. The view was simply too beautiful. We enjoyed spending time there. There was a small temple at the hilltop as well where we prayed briefly. it was a quite place with not too many people around - there was only a lady praying there who spoke briefly to my mother. It was the mysticity of the surroundings that got my mother thoughtful....in the devbhoomi uttarakhand.....the lone lady may have been one of the divine beings....who knows ......</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">The next stop from here was Baijnath temple which is 9th-10th century temple complex. Like all the places around, it is also tucked in the middle of nowhere but almost intact. The priests actually offer puja as well there and we also offered our prayers. The best part of the place was a fish tank full of fishes of different sizes starting from huge to small. It is considered auspicious to feed the fishes there. Here there were quite a few tourists who were enjoying feeding the fish.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">The next logical step for the day was definitely lunch and we were off to a small local eatery for the same. We had some freshly made dal, rice, roti & potato curry. It was a simple but really tasty meal.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">It was back to the hotel after that and some afternoon nap. Post that it was time for some tea and snacks and sitting in the balcony enjoying the view. Even dinner was enjoyed on the balcony and post that it was time to retire for the day.</span></div>
Koelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11762451489932745571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969913048462188438.post-69064106003050096062012-09-24T21:44:00.003+05:302012-10-04T19:33:27.435+05:30Summer Break at Kausani<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This time I planned for a slightly longer and relaxed summer getaway ....Well don't start jumping into conclusions - it was not a month long break. It was just that instead of the customary 3 nights I planned for 4 nights instead.<br />
<br />
I was looking for a peaceful place away from hustle & bustle and maddening crowds which are so common in summer travels to hill stations. After quite a bit of research on internet and considering multiple options, I zeroed upon this place called kausani. The important inputs on this place were that it is hometown of the famous Hindi poet Sumitranandan Pant Ji. Also, Gandhiji had visited this place - and overstayed his planned tour by 2 weeks. The tour plan included choosing a hotel and getting train tickets booked. After some more research online, I selected Hotel Krishna Mountainview which seemed like a decent choice, mostly going by reviews on tripadvisor. I booked both ways Shatabdi tickets to Kathgodam as well.<br />
<br />
Then on the designated day we reached Anand Vihar station (yes, the Kathgodam shatabdi starts from here and not from New Delhi) early and boarded the train. The rake was pretty old and not too inviting - but we did not have a choice. The journey was good as usual - like any Shatabdi journey - with regular supply of food & beverages !!!<br />
<br />
Once we reached Kathgodam, we need to take cab to reach Kausani. Cabs are easily available - there were lots around as Kathgodam is the central point from where people travel to lot of different hill stations. The rates are standard - and it was the same as I has researched on internet and also checked from the hotel. The cab that we decided on was a brand new white Alto. The driver told it would be almost a 5 hour journey - though I expected it will be shorter. It was pretty hot at Kathgodam but we expected it to get cooler as we went higher in the hills. We started the journey and started moving towards our destination. Though we were getting into the hilly terrain, but somehow the heat refused to subside. Both my mother and me were feeling extremely uncomfortable due to the heat induced nauseating feeling. We are not in a position for taking any lunch and decided to have some soft drinks only. My father had some lunch as he was feeling hungry.<br />
<br />
Post the lunch stop, it got more uncomfortable going through the winding roads in the heat. Somehow the weather refused to cool down. So to make us feel better, we requested the cab driver to switch on the AC - which immediately made us more comfortable. It was strange that the AC had to be put on in the hills as well - that tells a lot on the vast climatic changes that are happening across our planet. The cab driver, being a local was mentioning that it is due to dwindling greenery and cutting of more & more trees, it was getting warmer every year.<br />
<br />
And then driving through the winding hilly roads, we finally reached our destination. On the way we passed through Almora and saw the road towards the Ramkrishna Mission. We decided that on the way back, we will stop by here - as it was also the Guru Purnima day.<br />
<br />
We were feeling very tired and unwell by the time we reached the hotel. The cab driver offered a 4 day package wherein he would stay back and take us everywhere that we planned to visit during our stay in Kausani. That we we will be saved of the hassle of looking for a new cab everyday and definitely it made business sense for him.<br />
<br />
We decided that we will do local sightseeing, go to Ranikhet and visit Almora while returning. I had earlier planned to squeeze in Nainital if possible, but going by the long tedious journey from Kathgodam to Kausani, we decided to just take short trips & relax rather than long travels by road.<br />
<br />
We checked in to the hotel and just crashed in after freshening up. After few hours of sleep, we got up to have some dinner and then retired for the day. The view from the hotel balcony was just beautiful with greeney all around but due to being tired, we could not enjoy it on day one.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Koelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11762451489932745571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969913048462188438.post-30754367591628535152012-01-14T23:35:00.005+05:302012-01-15T16:42:14.173+05:30Winter Favourites....It is winter time and markets are full of fresh green lovely vegetables. Some of the all time winter favourites are cauliflower, peas, carrots, beans etc. And what better way than a vegetable pulao to enjoy the freshness & goodness of these vegetables !!!<br /><br />Today evening while shopping for veggies, I planned to cook vegetable pulao. But then, the traditional vegetable pulao with khara garam masala & zeere ka tadka seemed too boring and much-used. I was looking for ideas for something different - something with a little south Indian flavour. I googled for the same without much success. Then I decided to try & create something new. <br /><br />The result was pretty good and hence thought of recording it & sharing it here. For all Indian women (& men), the measurements are not fixed & rigid my any means - they are just indications. Please use your understanding & sense of cooking to decide on measurements.....Thats what I generally do, except in cases where I am trying to cook something authentic or traditional...<br /><br />Try this out & create your own variations....with other vegetables, chicken, shrimps.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Veg Pulao with Southern Twist</span><br /><br />Ingredients:<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Vegetables</span><br /> Cauliflower : 1/2 mid size<br /> Beans: 25-30<br /> Carrots: 2 Medium sized<br /> Shelled Peas : 3 handfulls<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Wet Masala</span>:<br /> ginger : 4 inch<br /> Green Chillies : 4 mid sized<br /> Coriander seeds : 1 teaspoon<br /> Grated Coconut : 1/2 cup<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Dry Spices:</span><br /> Mustard seeds : 1 1/2 teaspoon<br /> Curry Leaves : 10-12<br /> Mace : a little<br /> Urad Dal: 1 teaspoon<br /> Chana Dal : 1 teaspoon<br /> Dried Red Chillies: 4<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Others</span><br /> Basmati Rice: 1 1/4 cup<br /> Lemon : 1/2<br /> Grated Coconut : 1/2 cup<br /> Refined Oil: 2 tablespoon<br /> Sugar : 1 teaspoon (optional)<br /> Salt: To Taste<br /><br />Procedure:<br />1. Wash & soak basmati rice for 10 minutes & then drain<br />2. Cut all vegetables into small pieces.<br />3. Grind together all ingredients of the wet masala with a little water to a fine paste.<br />4. Heat refined oil & add all the dry spices one by one.<br />5. Once spices release their aroma, add the vegetables & fry for 3-4 minutes<br />6. Add the Wet Masala & fry till the moisture has almost evaporated.<br />7. Add rice & continue frying till all the moisture has evaporated<br />8. Add water to about 3/4 inch above the level of rice.(Or use your own measurement method that you use for pulao)<br />9. Bring to a boil & add salt. Add sugar depending on your preference<br />10. Cover & cook till rice & vegetables are cooked & all the water has been absorbed.<br />11. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon on the pulao.<br />12. Mix lightly with a fork.<br />13. Spread Grated Coconut on the pulao.<br />14. Serve with a simple raita.Koelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11762451489932745571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969913048462188438.post-3036599248702534472011-10-11T23:30:00.002+05:302011-10-11T23:50:04.271+05:30Busy days in 2011....It has been a extremely busy year so far....Lot of activities on both professional and personal front. God has been very kind and I am so grateful for that. I have discovered "Secret" this year, all thanks to persuation by my friend N. I have read it many times and have been following it precisely hence. <br /><br />Major learnings: to be ever grateful for what God has bestowed on us. Though I always felt grateful, but the joy of expressing and feeling gratitude is immense. I have learnt to really appreciate all the joys of life, big and small, and genuinely feel the gratitude.<br /><br />The other major learning is believing firmly in your dreams, knowing that they will realized in right time, keep faith, and express gratitude for them. The power of attraction and the knowledge of secret can do wonders in our lives.Koelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11762451489932745571noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969913048462188438.post-52992411011403301272010-07-11T15:34:00.009+05:302010-07-12T00:01:11.581+05:30Holiday continued......part-3We were up and ready pretty early (by weekend standards), all dressed up and ready for all the excitement ahead. We took a ferry to hongkong and walked quite a bit to reach the ferry station for Macau. I was aware of Macau as the gambling capital of Asia, if not of the world - but had not really given a thought as to more details. Found that Macau is actually an independent country with immigration process carried out at the entry and exit points. It is an island with a portuguese origin similar to goa, with predominantly chinese population. <br /><br />The ride was sophisticated and very fast, cutting through the choppy waves of sea. I as usual, was not too comfortable - a little nauseated, and preferred to close my eyes and sleep through the around-an-hour long journey rather than enjoy the views !!! The formalities over, we walked out to be greeted by a bevy of travel agents advertising their services. We spoke to one, and negotiated what looked to us to be a decent deal. Of course, N had done all the research work previously and had a fair idea of what should be good. We had a car to us, which would take us to a few tourist spots in Macau and finally drop us at the grand venetian for a taste of the "real thing"!! The first stop was at Indian restaurant, which was nice and crowd free. It was good to have a light Indian meal. <br /><br />The first stop in our city tour was the Cathedral - one of the few remnants of the Portuguese past of the island. Lot of photos, with some generous support from fellow tourists for group photos, later, we were off to a walk through the macau square. There was just too much of crowd around - had to almost jostle for a walk around. This place has a very european look & a mecca for shopping. We could see equally enthusiastic tourists and locals enjoying an afternoon out.<br /><br />The next stop was A-ma temple, which is said to be the earliest surviving temple in Macau, dating back to pre-portuguese days. This is dedicated to the mother goddess, revered by the local fishermen. I could relate it well to the Indian heritage - the tradition of worship of mother goddess which has continued to this day in the same form. There were two interesting things that definitely merit a mention. One was the wishing tree - where you can tie your wishes and hang them. You may ask - whats so special about this - don't we tie strings in many of our temples and dargahs with our wishes? Only thing different was you don't keep your wish in your mind while tying the strings, but you actually write it down in a paper attached to the string. And others can actually go and read others wishes !!! Isn't a little more privacy required between god and us :-)<br /><br />The second one was a bowl of water, which when rubbed strategically on both sides with wet hands generated some kind of vibration in the water. It was interesting to watch though the significance was not clear as it was not written and neither anyone was around who could explain this in English.<br /><br />The next stop was Macau tower - we went up some 60+ stories to reach the top. The view from all sides was amazing....I had the opportunity to visit few of such towers before - the Eiffel tower, the Sydney tower etc, and all of them were amazing experiences...This was also another of those, and the amazing skyline of macau made this extra special. But there was something else that I never realised I would be affected by - a fear of heights....The viewing deck has a part made of glass, through which, when we look down, we can see the ground. There were enthusiastic groups of tourists, capturing the great view. But for me, things were pretty different. Once I looked down, I started feeling extremely uncomfortable, and the dizziness continued all the way till the end of the evening. Lesson learnt - never ever try to look down from these kind of heights again, however tempting the view may be.<br /><br />There were other exciting activities on on the tower including sky walk and bungee jumping. Going by my experience with heights a little while ago, I am sure the farthest I can actually go is to cheer the people who have courage and adventurous spirit to attempt these activities. We had some great photo sessions near the base of the tower, with the setting sun in the backdrop.<br /><br />The final destination of the day was Venetian, the biggest casino hotel in Macau. By the time we set off towards this place, the lights were on in the city. The great hotels and casinos were decked up in all their finery. It was as magical as a view from a fairy tale....<br /><br />Venetian is a huge and highly imposing structure from outside. We walked in soon, and after some coffee in starbucks later, we walked into the casino. I have seen casinos before in Johannesburg, but this one was particularly huge and dazzling. So many games, and so many people, blowing away so much money in each instant!!! You need to see it to believe it. We spent some time around the tables trying to understand each of the games, and once we did, it was fun watching. We also thought of having some and invested HKD 50 each, and we lasted for a total of around 2 minutes !!!<br /><br />After casino, we decided to have a walk around the hotel, and discovered the beautiful shopping arcade, with all the world's designer brands. Venice has been re-created here, along with the trademark canals, where one can even enjoy a gondola ride!!!<br /><br />Another exciting session of photography later, we were all ready to call it a day. Venetian buses run every minute to the ferry, and we got into one of them. And then it was back to Hongkong on the ferry...<br /><br />End of a exciting but memorable day!!!Koelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11762451489932745571noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969913048462188438.post-82233750546559491732010-07-11T12:39:00.007+05:302010-07-11T14:25:19.067+05:30Holiday continued......Finally we were at the busy commercial area of Nathan Street where N's service apartment is located. She was there to receive us. A short walk to the apartment later, we were finally comfortable after a not-so-long-journey as such but tiring, as it was preceded by a long day at office !!! <br /><br />N is a perfect host - in spite of her really busy schedule at that time, she had prepared food for us !!! She had to rush to office soon. We made ourselves comfortable, freshed up, had a lovely lunch, rested and all recharged to be back to our "tourist" avatar!!! All dressed up, we were out in Nathan street soon, checking out the plethora of outlets with highly attractive wares on display !!! Initiated photo sessions (one of the main objectives of a holiday is to share the views and go back in time later), and enjoyed coffee at Starbucks.<br /><br />The evening plan was to visit the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront for the world renowned "A Symphony of Lights" light and sounds show. The view at the waterfront with the hong kong skyline, with numerous tall lighted-up buildings was breathtaking...there are very few similar spectacles I have experienced before. And the show, was simple amazing. It is a memory that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. The rest of the evening, we took a harbour cruise, which took us around for a enthralling experience for around an hour. We were on the open deck, taking in the views and the lovely breeze....Such a welcome change coming from the hot arid plains of North India!!!<br /><br />The plan for next day was to take the cable car to lantau island and visit the giant buddha. It was me and U as N again had to cancel her leave due to an unforeseen emergency situation at work. Armed with printed instructions prepared by N from her research, we were off to explore. The first hop was train to reach Tung Chung, and then cable car. The Cable Car journey was the best I had been to so far - the earlier ones being the one at Haridwar, in Science City in Kolkata, to Sentosa Island in Singapore. The cars were pretty big, with seating for 8 people, which helps to get into a "community" feeling !! Otherwise hanging in a box, from a wire, some hundreds of feet above ground, does give some initial jitters to "normal-hearted" people like me !!! There was a looooooong queue and a consequential looooooooooooooong wait before we could be on-board. The moderately hot (in 30s Celsius) and considerably humid weather made it pretty difficult though...<br /><br />Finally the wait was over, and we were on board, and all then it was pure magic. The views around were breathtaking...the changing landscape - from cityscape to mountains to water bodies....the airport, the harbour - we could see it all. And then we could see the Giant Buddha...and as we came nearer, it emerged in its full glory...Lot of pics later, we reached our destination and took a walk around the Ngong Ping Village. We took the 268 steps to reach on top, and spent time absorbing the lovely views around !!!! The humidity did make the climb little difficult - but the excitement of discovering new places makes these little discomforts utterly insignificant.<br /><br />We rested a while in the cool shadows around, visited Po-Lin monastery, enjoyed a leisurely lunch and then were on our way back. One very interesting find here was the giant sized incense sticks that were being offered !!!<br /><br />Then it was time for the evening shift of fun!!! N was back from office and we were off to the Temple Street night market. Fun place for lot of knick-knacks and a heady dose of bargaining. The bargaining mode was mostly calculator, where the buyer and seller would sequentially put up their offer and finally the deal happens at the most mutually agreeable price point. Reminded me of Bangkok - where we had use exactly the same mode of communication. Its amazing how supposedly inconsequential fruits of technology has enabled the phenomenon of global village.....enabling global trade and tourism!!! Some shopping and a lovely dinner at one of the street kiosks later, we were done for the day...<br /><br />Next in agenda was Macau - and we were all excited in anticipation!!!Koelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11762451489932745571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969913048462188438.post-80087209579054756592010-06-06T00:27:00.002+05:302010-06-06T00:47:14.115+05:30Holiday !!!Just back from a quick Holiday in Hongkong. Why Hongkong of all places for a holiday, before the more popular destinations like Malaysia? Well, my friend N is there on a short term assignment, and from the time she came to know of it (that was quite a few months back), I had an open invitation to visit !!!<br /><br />I had the same in mind, but no confirmed time frames. Around a month back, more serious thinking around the dates started, and also scouting for fellow singles (females only of course !!!) began. I was the only one who was confirmed and of course N, as we were visiting her. By the way, N is my classmate from college (of the long lost days of yore when I was actually that young). We hoped to see 2 more classmates, but none of them could make it due to different circumstancial issues, though they were eager to join. Finally I had company in another friend, U, who is an ex-colleague, and was my travel-mate in my first (the only one before this) foreign holiday in Singapore !!!<br /><br />Only thing that required to be done in advance was ticketing as no Visa is required for 14 days - and our plan was for 5 days only. Oops I forgot the most important one - asking for leave from office and actually getting approval - that is the always the toughest part of any holiday project. These 2 taken care, I was able to concentrate on the finer details like some shopping for the travel.<br /><br />Finally the day was here and we rushed from office to home and to airport, and finally boarded the flight. It was little scary for some time after take off as we felt that the aircraft was not gaining height at all. Air travel has become a little jittery last few weeks after the Mangalore mishap - with near-missed reported almost everyday. However our apprehensions were put to rest very soon and all was normal. Well - normal only from the safety front - otherwise it was pretty chaotic. We had a BIG group of people travelling together as a part of a some travel agency organised trip - and it was one of the most unruly, irritating & annoying group of people I have ever seen. And unfortunately, we were among the very few who were sandwiched in between the group. They managed to delay the flight & trouble the cabin crew so much that they stopped responding to any calls from this area of the airplane !!!<br /><br />The journey from Airport to Kowloon island in the bus was amazingly beautiful - passing through mountains, bay, bridges & lot of greenery.Koelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11762451489932745571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969913048462188438.post-12577489000323349382010-05-22T00:27:00.004+05:302010-05-22T01:13:26.764+05:30Many seasons later...Have been some of the most hectic few months, no time for blogging. Last 2 weeks have been particularly taxing as well, but today being relatively relaxed day, thought of scribbling down something on this page. <br /><br />In terms of travel, these few months were mostly about local travel - I traveled to Chandigarh, Mumbai, Ahmadabad and Agra, each with a different agenda. This winter, also went around Delhi quite a bit, revisiting old favourites like Lal Kila & Qutab Minar and never visited placed like Jama Masjid & Chandni Chowk. Had a taste of multitude of parathas available in Old Delhi's very famous Parathe Wali Gali !!! Was it worth all the hype? Well, not completely.... the extremely narrow seating area left us pretty disappointed, which was compensated by the parathas. If you have never been to this place, and are as eager to explore it as I was, let me warn you of the assault of calories this adventure is going to turn out to be !! <br /><br />The parathas are well not roasted in tawa or tandoor as per normal practice but deep fried in oil(don't even ask which variety;-)) But the variety is awesome ranging from the regular alu and gobhi to daal, pudina, mirchi etc. The accompanying dahi is also great. Conclusion - If you plan to visit this place, keep your expectations a little low, be ready to squeeze in a really small and not-too-clean place, and only think about enjoying the food. There is no other way you can enjoy this experience. Getting the parathas packed is not at all a good idea, as, by the time you reach anywhere from here, it would be completely cooled down, and then if you plan to heat them in a microwave, the crispness of a freshly fried paratha is lost, and what you get at the most is a soggy hot paratha !!!<br /><br />Chandni Chowk ki galiyaan (rest of them apart from the Parathe wali) was also a unique experience. Rows and Rows of shops on endless narrow gallis on all directions....and people actually living on the higher floors of buildings of which shops are on the ground floor. There is almost everything available that you can ever think of - and as I understand from people, at a reasonably lower price that you would pay at a market. You need lot of time and lot of patience to go shopping here and pick up things what you are looking for. But if you manage to garner sufficient quantity of both of these, this is the place to be in for shopping you hearts out. Beware of the heat though - you definitely need to wait for winter !!!<br /><br />Lala Kila including its light and sound show was good to watch - nothing has changed in last 23 years it seems (yes, it has been that long since I visited it last!!! ) Only the novelty seems to have worn off - it seems so pretty ordinary and normal now. <br /><br />There was also intent to "re"-visit Lotus Temple, this one after slightly less number of years - around 18-19. But it was not destined, as we found the temple to be closed on the Saturday morning instead of normal schedule of Monday :-( So we went to Qutab Minar instead. It was a lovely winter morning with sun peaking out of clouds, and it would have been extremely disheartening to just let it go without enjoying :-) <br /><br />Qutab Minar was a very very pleasant surprise again after interval of 15+ years. The entire compound is very well maintained, all buildings repaired and very clean all across. This is one of the rare occasions, I found a proof that our government really works and we have actually progressed on some fronts over the years ....it is not all a downhill journey !!!Koelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11762451489932745571noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969913048462188438.post-48240721611088168382009-12-13T21:25:00.003+05:302009-12-13T23:47:23.651+05:30Short trips to 2 great destinations....Just back from a week-long conference trip to Dubai. This happened to be my first chance to visit any place in middle-east, and that too the most happening city, so was naturally pretty excited. The conference was great and also the post-session city tours - shopping and mall-hopping.<br /><br />The city, though a very apt example for the term "concrete jungle", is really really beautiful example of modern architecture - of all things man-made. Its an example what lots of money and lots of will can create on the face of earth...Tall buildings, great roads, out of the world malls with top brands, hordes of SUVs, Indians (and Pakistanis and Bangladeshis also)....almost everyone speaks hindi/urdu ...u almost feel you are in India - or rather an enhanced version of India.<br /><br />One of the high points of the trip was a Desert Safari - a roller coaster ride through sand dunes in a caravan of Land Cruisers, followed by leisurely snacks and dinner accompanied by Arab music for most of the time, and a brief but very lively & fun belly dance performance.<br /><br />The weekend before this was spent for a office team Building activity at Kanatal - in uttarakhand hills beyond mussourie. The resort is perfect for a relaxed holiday - the balcony opening to the hills - what can be better than a idle day, curled up in the balcony with a book - all covered up in warm woolies with a hot smoking cuppa tea !!! Well this was only a dream which I hope can be fulfilled when I get to go there on vacation. 2 days for us were all action-packed and hectic - starting with a morning walk through the hills just post sunrise, followed by sessions in the day and food and music in the evenings....<br /><br />The only thing that I hated about this trip was the journey to and fro Dehradun through the hilly roads which just go round and round and round :-( Though I have travelled quite a lot through hilly terrains over the years, and considered myself immune to all uneasiness associated, but it was proven otherwise this time. The queasy feeling was common across, and even the bus had to be stopped quite a few times for people to stabilise themselves....So the next trip to hills - the anti-nausea pill will be part of the must-pack list!!!Koelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11762451489932745571noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969913048462188438.post-80552738060788108282009-10-17T00:07:00.010+05:302009-10-17T00:49:30.170+05:30A Tribute to Durga Puja - an amazing socio-cultural-relgious festivalAs usual, I will start with my usual quota of excuses for being absent for more than 2 months !!!I am again getting erratic in my posts, however hard I wish to be regular. The problem is that I only "wish" and not "try" hard enough to be regular :-)<br /><br />Had a great Durga Puja in Delhi this time. Thankfully the weather gods were also not as harsh as we had anticipated - though days were HOT and SWEATY, evenings were tolerable. This time, the Puja committees also took a cue from the agony of last year and put up more fans inside the pandals.<br /><br />In some small ways, the recession was visible in the way Pujas were organised. My cousin brother and brother-in-law being senior members of organising committees of 2 different Pujas in Dwarka area of Delhi (where I live) - had similar stories to tell. It was difficult to raise funds from sponsors this time. Even the cultural programs were not too star-studded this time around. Only "Star" performer in whole of Dwarka this year was Nachiketa, whereas every other year, there are quite a handful. In another Puja, announcements were made frequently that nobody should waste "bhog" (the community lunch which is to typical of Durga Puja celebrations), as everything is expensive. Some committees also cut down on the bhog menu - and did away on "luchi" altogether and replaced it with "khichudi".<br /><br />But a little tightening of budget cannot dampen the spirited Bengalis from venturing out and enjoying thoroughly all through these 4 days of festivity. The activities are Pushpanjali in morning and aarti in the evening to satiate the religious appetite, & cultural programmes for the culture conscious Bengali in the evening. But no discussion on bengalis would be complete without a mention of the most important part of a bengali's life - FOOD !!! The community Durga Pujas take utmost care to ensure that no true-blue bengali is deprived of this - to be able to satiate their true appetite!! Community meals are served all 3 days consisting of Khichudi-vegetable-bhaja-chutney-misti and other variations like khichudi replaced by pulao and luchi on other 2 days, depending on budget and taste of organisers. The dinner on these days is mostly enjoyed at one of the food stalls that are setup mandatorily around the Puja Pandal. <br /><br />The best part of Durga Puja is wearing new clothes on all 4 days!! And the associated shopping for oneself, family and gifts for near and dear ones. Though over the years, I have become cynical of life in many aspects, but I am amazed to find that Durga Puja still manages to excite me - almost equally as it did years back when I was little. I am still happy to shop for new dresses, matching jewellery, shoes and then dress up in all finery in those 4 evenings. I am happy to forget all my lows and negatives and transform myself to a magical dream world fully for 4 days....I suppose all of us become Cindrellas and enjoy an escape from reality for these 4 days...<br /><br />I am not sure many communities in the world have such a festival with 100% participation from the community over a 4 day period. Though things are changing fast, with things no more like the good old days, but still we have managed to retain the festivity and true spirit of the Puja. Thank God for that!!!!Koelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11762451489932745571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969913048462188438.post-61536150728725808642009-08-09T21:24:00.003+05:302009-08-09T22:05:27.572+05:30Busy Busy Busy................So happy to be back....These have been really really hectic 5 weeks where I just could not squeeze in even a weeny-bit of time to jot down the happenings around. And before I start, the combined onslaught of heat and power-cuts as I detailed in my last entry continues unabated in Delhi:-( in between there has been a day, or rather a few hours of rain one lucky day. It had a very limited impact on the cool quotient - bringing in respite hardly for a day or two, but had a much longer impact on the infrastructure here....The so called "best" public infrastructure in the "capital city" of the "emerging superpower" India !!!! <br /><br />Many myths on the impeccable infrastructure of Delhi/NCR have been busted this time, but I would share the one which I experienced from close quarters. There is an underpass (under the railway tracks) which is a crucial link in connectivity between my workplace at Gurgaon and home in Dwarka sub-city. On the day of the rains, I took the regular office cab back and was hardly delayed by an hour or so due to traffic snarls caused by rains - the underpass was doing absolutely fine. The fact that everything was not OK with the route, was discovered the next day morning, when our cab driver had to take a long route and we reached an hour late to office. It seems the next hour or so of rains, during and after we crossed the underpass caused a huge accumulation of water and there were around 10-12 vehicles stuck up there - and the water reached up to around 20 feet!!!! Not only cars, even buses were completely submerged !!! <br /><br />And the best part was, it took around 3-4 days for the administration to actually pump out the water, in spite of there being absolutely no rains afterwords!!! And in between, as usual, there were customary exchanges of accusations between different parties to pin down the culprit - the airport authorities were blamed this time for draining all the water accumulated in the runways to the underpass. I have never heard anything more hilarious that this!!! As always, so typical of us Indians, our immediate reaction in any situation is to fix the responsibility on some head and try to extricate ourselves from any blame whatsoever - rather than going all out to resolve the situation at hand. <br /><br />This is when I realised the public administration in Mumbai and Kolkata are not so bad at all, as I used to think, when I lived in these cities. They are actually coping with deluge of rains, every year, all these years, may not be the ideal way, but not doing so badly either. I'm sure if Delhi gets the amount of rainfall in a year equivalent to what Mumbai or Kolkata gets, it will take years to recover and be back in business again......<br /><br />We appreciate many things in life in retrospective, when we experience worse things later on....Its important to appreciate what we have today in life rather than complaining which we are so prone to do all the time.........Koelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11762451489932745571noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969913048462188438.post-74631842159637498202009-08-09T20:52:00.005+05:302009-08-09T21:08:30.393+05:30Highly delayed response to a tag<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMhTn51yQpp5pw67EzgVjN7jSvUkaTe97hhLtVIRvLnDHb4CE_I9DrN0ODS_lv1CuGMBH385ab92TQqUAaNpUZhyphenhyphenMKh6kDKECXflejixEO7hOQzM5XwU7odmy774AtUO36d1usdEYM-Lo/s1600-h/international_blogger.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367985977077340178" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 147px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 159px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMhTn51yQpp5pw67EzgVjN7jSvUkaTe97hhLtVIRvLnDHb4CE_I9DrN0ODS_lv1CuGMBH385ab92TQqUAaNpUZhyphenhyphenMKh6kDKECXflejixEO7hOQzM5XwU7odmy774AtUO36d1usdEYM-Lo/s320/international_blogger.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><p>AWARD-cum-TAG 1 : <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG5UBV34aIbG-oD4oLbWybdMnT0IMCpqv8FkyV0omJgpoeCcx739GT86ngzPtsv4JL5_HMLmStZI-mkY0j2pSz6RpHF57CP8DVJuH-9_T5SQiSwNRoftZwahUjsCmyOwZGOvcly09zIrhj/s1600-h/international_blogger.jpg"></a>Thanks <a href="http://whimsnwishes.blogspot.com/">SGD</a> for this Award and the TAG. This is my second (the first one I could not honour due to one of my long absence from blogosphere, but this one I did want to miss inspite of another long absense!!!)<br />The Rules for this tag are:<br />1. Link the person who tagged you<br />2. Copy the image above, the rules and the questionnaire in this post.<br />3. Post this in one or all of your blogs.<br />4. Answer the four questions following these Rules.<br />5. Recruit at least seven (7) friends on your Blog Roll by sharing this with them.<br />6. Come back to <a href="http://bloggistame.blogspot.com/">BLoGGiSTa iNFo CoRNeR</a><a href="http://bloggistame.blogspot.com/"> </a>(PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE THIS LINK) at http://bloggistame.blogspot.com and leave the URL of your Post in order for you/your Blog to be added to the Master List.<br />7. Have Fun!<br />The 4 Questions to be answered along with MY ANSWERS:</p><br /><p>1. The person who tagged you: SGD</p><br /><p>2. His/her site's title and url: WHIMS AND WISHES (<a href="http://whimsnwishes.blogspot.com/">http://whimsnwishes.blogspot.com/</a>)</p><br /><p>3. Date when you were tagged: 8th July 2009</p><br /><p>4. Persons you awarded and tagged: <a href="http://chhandik.blogspot.com/">sanjoy chakraborty</a>, <a href="http://anartcalledlife.blogspot.com/">JD</a> <a href="http://pradipwritenow.blogspot.com/">Pradip Biswas</a></p><p>Sorry I don't have 7 people to tag as I am not that popular in cyberspace yet :-(</p>Koelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11762451489932745571noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969913048462188438.post-41694036174416869892009-06-28T21:04:00.002+05:302009-06-28T22:38:28.639+05:30Hot, Hot , Hot!!!!No, I am not excited about the latest flick of John Abraham, Katrina <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Kaif</span> and Neil <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Nitin</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Mukesh</span>....Neither I am talking about <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Ranbir</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Kapoor</span> or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Bipasha</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Basu</span>, or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Kareena</span> or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Deepika</span>, or even <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Akshay</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Kumar</span>....no not the new show of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Rakhi</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Sawant</span> on the telly either....All the credits of today's post goes to the "Summer of 2009: Delhi"!!!! I am sure you can appreciate my desperation!!!!<br /><br />This has been one of one the worst weekends ever from weather perspective......the heat has been truly really unbearable. Maximum temperatures <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">hovering around</span> 43-44 degree <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Celsius</span>, with 60% humidity, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">compounded</span> by the fact that live at the top floor!!! The main weapons against the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">onslaught</span> on summer in extreme climes as these are mainly 3 - fan, cooler and AC, in increasing order of effectiveness and power consumption. And most important is the fact that all 3 are rendered as mere stationary <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">furniture</span> once their lifeblood - electricity is missing !!! We are among the highly privileged residents here, to be living in a "housing society" with 100% power backup, which means the lifeblood is, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">theoretically</span> never missing. So, what is the big deal then, summer at home on weekends should be a cakewalk, isn't it. Well no, hope it was all that simple.<br /><br />Since I have fairly enlightened all with the background, now it is time to for the intricacies of the situation. Coolers survive on a diet of liters of water, and are fairly effective for cooling when humidity levels are very low- around 25-30% which is typical of summer in these parts of the country. Fans are almost of no use in mitigating any discomfort - though these are the lowest cost option. And <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">ACs</span> are the only ones which can provide complete comfort, but they are high maintenance. However, at the times of power supply cuts, the supply switches to the generators, and every household is <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">entitled</span> to a limited wattage of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">usage</span> which unfortunately cannot cover AC :-(<br />For last 2-3 days, the temperatures and humidity both have been very high coupled with power cuts lasting 8-10 hours per day .....<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">ooooooooooffffffffffffff</span>!!!!<br /><br />Today, somehow power God has been kind so far (fingers strictly crossed!!!), or may be the power companies have taken the warnings of Chief Minister seriously and have done some clean-up today!!!!<br /><br />While I was trying my best to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">manoeuvre</span> around the difficult climatic <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">situation</span>, multiple questions were <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">criss</span> crossing my mind, at its analytical best, again ;-). Both are completely diverse issues, and you may find linking them little weird but somehow both are linked to today's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">tagline</span> "Hot, Hot, Hot"!!!<br /><br />The first one, is a direct derivative from the word itself. It is the first time it struck me, why glamour is associated with this word. Why the people with well sculpted bodies, well groomed face/hair/<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">hand</span>/legs/everything else, with great fashion sense and especially belonging to the make-believe "dream" world of movies and fashion are termed as "hot". I fail to find a nearest co-relation. Is it because <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">everyone</span> else feels extremely uncomfortable when they are around these people??....naaah....dosen't sound convincing enough. Rather, I think, this term was coined somewhere in cool chimes of Europe or US, where "hot" is synonymous with summer, which is the most pleasant and looked forward part of the year. I would <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">earnestly</span> invite the people in media who use this term so routinely, to come and spend a day here without the comfort of AC, and decide whether they would really like to use this term anymore for describing the objects of adulation and desire :-) Or rather, I would urge the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">celebrities</span> themselves who pride <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">themselves</span> on <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">being</span> conferred with the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">tittle</span> of "Hot", to spend a "Hot" day here and then decide for themselves if they want to embrace or denounce their "title" !!! I feel "cool" is a much better option :-)<br /><br />That was on the lighter side. On the more serious note, an innocent statement from a colleague triggered off this train of thought. His statement was interesting though - He observed that we generally tend to blame government for all ills around us - but for the heat we cannot. And the least govt can do to support the citizens is to reduce prices of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">ACs</span>. Is it really enough.....How many of us are fortunate enough to own an AC. This brings to fore the bigger social issues - what does the government do at all for the basic requirements - power/ water / roads/ basic housing / health /education ? As per reports (today's Times of India), Indiam government is among the lowest spenders <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">worldwide</span> on social support of its citizens, though I am sure we are not the lowest tax payers!!! As I live in our <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">occasionally</span> Air conditioned (based on power supply status) home, work in a always Air conditioned office and travel to-and-from office in Air conditioned office cab (where again we complain if the cooling is not up to the mark), I come across the people from other rungs of society, for whom "hot" means so much more of discomfort....The security staff of our society who have to sit outdoor in all seasons, the maid who works in the house - lives in a dingy one-room apartment with her 7-8 member family-where water/ power/fan is a luxury, the handicapped pan-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">masala</span>/<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">cigarette</span>/ toffee seller who sets up his shop with his little son in tow every morning while I wait for my AC cab, the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39">bhutta</span> sellers who set up shop on the pavements in the scorching heat every evening......<br /><br />Only rains can provide an immediate relief to all........but for a long-term relief, a better life for all, better protection from this "Hot" weather, much more needs to be done, by all of us here....Koelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11762451489932745571noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969913048462188438.post-89576989372294567432009-06-20T21:20:00.000+05:302009-06-21T00:07:19.757+05:30Back!!!<div><div><div>Its good to be back after a long time....The break this time got a little extended....It started with the loss in the family, then some business travel, and then some very serious juggling in the corporate jungle, some persisting depressing personal problems, and to top it all, a mild flu attack which is still persisting !!! Life has been on a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">continuous</span> long roller - coaster....I have wanted to come back to blogging, taken mental note of stuff of things I would like to share with you all, but somehow it could not happen. And on the positive side, have had 2 review opportunities, first an e-book of a friend, and the second technical literature. The first one has hopes to see the light of the day, but the second was just a background job, but was great from experience perspective.<br /><br />Had been to Stockholm on what I call my very short "annual pilgrimage" to the head quarters of the Swedish <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">MNC</span> I work for. This is the place where the earliest innovations in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">telecom</span> had taken place more than 100 years ago, and still some of the most exciting innovations in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">telecom</span> world are still driven out of this place. The <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfObT8lu8pudPkfb8X1cqmYdPQXQzk0RKzMihyphenhyphenc4o42AQcpO5l3nwMENxUWMSGzQ_IGIcGTh4n4bPjHZuMwfvIeZEMZZgMoNu-fFlSzFlYwJLfqUTLFl_sR7wTSW9_sV9cl2aw6EqAirg/s1600-h/IMG_0041.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349473540229870226" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfObT8lu8pudPkfb8X1cqmYdPQXQzk0RKzMihyphenhyphenc4o42AQcpO5l3nwMENxUWMSGzQ_IGIcGTh4n4bPjHZuMwfvIeZEMZZgMoNu-fFlSzFlYwJLfqUTLFl_sR7wTSW9_sV9cl2aw6EqAirg/s320/IMG_0041.JPG" border="0" /></a>agenda was introduction of new products to all the units in the company, which we are supposed to sell for the rest of the year. The amazing part of working in an <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">MNC</span> like this is that you can get into a conference hall with individuals from more than 180 countries, and feel part of a common goal. Diverse cultures coming together on the world stage feeling "one", makes one forget that political <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">realities</span> of the world - the gaping divisions that exist. Knowledge and Business are the greatest adhesives, which can bring the world from falling apart due to the political differences, and I believe that is the only way forward.<br /><br />Since I was also there last year, and been through the city tour, cruise, the round of few museums etc., photography across the beautiful landscape etc. So this year there was nothing much on the agenda (non-work <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">related</span> I mea<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijsYtDg9cl_1OeQ-_EKoM1uiBmYlRIJrKq_Bk9WoC52gBKQQpEW0eezaVfob4T4zKYAOWx4-C0NpH1H5OHztcOQwAPc162qIF5nSqjE-CqcTgtomYbMU9EWw_4L9NeO-wtd8xFwmmm7_A/s1600-h/IMG_0080.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349478730552130850" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijsYtDg9cl_1OeQ-_EKoM1uiBmYlRIJrKq_Bk9WoC52gBKQQpEW0eezaVfob4T4zKYAOWx4-C0NpH1H5OHztcOQwAPc162qIF5nSqjE-CqcTgtomYbMU9EWw_4L9NeO-wtd8xFwmmm7_A/s320/IMG_0080.JPG" border="0" /></a>n !!!). We reached a day before the event and had almost one whole day. But unfortunately the hotel was fully-booked being the most looked-forward part of the year for this part of the world, and the request for early check-in could not be honoured. Before you start imagining 40 degree <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Celsius</span>+ <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">temperatures</span>, dry hot winds or extremely uncomfortable humidity - the various flavours of the Indian summer, let me tell u Scandinavian summer is nothing like it. The temperatures are at around 8-15 degrees, very pleasant when sun is around and actually shivering for us with the winds blowing at times!!!!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpPiLbt1U7zqR582HBwSYrHCe_KMPbU2gmrAI5Um3BoDuqWLYbn7Vhn0RbAqmsiIG6eVIvRSYZEt1KPio_f6tp9PQTMPWywRsAAUFG_UgrsmnWQHgqGBgBMLjJREPa0D6KG4j0pODV-_U/s1600-h/IMG_0045.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349478735350553474" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 295px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 171px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpPiLbt1U7zqR582HBwSYrHCe_KMPbU2gmrAI5Um3BoDuqWLYbn7Vhn0RbAqmsiIG6eVIvRSYZEt1KPio_f6tp9PQTMPWywRsAAUFG_UgrsmnWQHgqGBgBMLjJREPa0D6KG4j0pODV-_U/s320/IMG_0045.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />So, the after some freshening up, we deposited our luggage and went off to explore the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Skansen</span> museum - a very unique open air <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">museum</span> cum nature park cum zoo which showcases slices of life in Sweden across last few centuries. Also posting some pics for you to enjoy.<br /></div><div>Another must-visit at Stockholm is the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Ikea</span> - the global giant in the home-store category. It was amazing with 5 floors of never ending floor space with all you can fit into a home - just amazing.<br /></div><div><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Well</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">thats</span> all about my trip...There is lot of unfinished work to be taken up - the tale of the corporate jungle is the first and then sharing of recipes which I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">started</span> sometime back. So many "breaking news" happening every day, on which we have passionate discussions in home and workplace, on which I would love to share my opinion.....In next few weeks I plan to to be BACK in full swing taking up these and more.<br /><br />I also plan to move my other (<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">autobiographical</span>) blog to this platform, since yahoo 360 is closing down, and though I moved the blog to the new yahoo platform, I am not too sure it will survive. I am not willing to give up on the fond <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">remembrance</span> of first few years of my life which have penned <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">painstakingly</span> over last 2 years.<br /><br />So folks, lot coming up. Please keep reading and watch this space for more.</div></div></div>Koelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11762451489932745571noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969913048462188438.post-24177447510030943752009-04-30T18:43:00.001+05:302009-05-01T08:47:18.799+05:30random mid week thoughts....I am really disturbed by untimely loss of a dear one in extended family........going through a deluge of emotions.....mostly about how the people who are left behind will cope.....though I have lots to say, I believe these are very personal thoughts......and have still not opened up enough to share on cyberspace....May be some other day...<br /><br />Another thing that has kept me disturbed this week and last one has been another very unique circus in the corporate jungle.......I am amazed and perturbed at the same time, and lost to find reasons for the behaviour....My analysis is on, though, and thoughts on future course of action.....Only silver lining is that it gives me enough food for to fill atleast 1 episode on the ongoing Corporate jungle series....Koelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11762451489932745571noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969913048462188438.post-52653676928357075462009-04-24T23:00:00.000+05:302009-04-25T01:00:15.165+05:30Life in the Corporate Jungle...- episode - 2The saga of corporate jungle has survived the first leg of its supposedly long journey and moved into episode-2. Pat..pat!!! Amused? You need to congratulate me on this.....and with every episode I am able to move it forward. Without your active support and interest, I cannot move ahead, and please don't let me lose steam .....<br /><br />In the last episode I started with the characterization , and was into the 1st prototype. This time I plan to take you through some more prototyping. Once again, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">pre</span>-apologising for using animal prototypes - don't mean any offence. Another interesting point here - There are some who retain their original animal traits all through their corporate life and there are others who imbibe other <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">animal</span> traits partially, intentionally or unintentionally along their journey along the wilderness. So there is a metamorphosis of "pure" types either to a "mixed" type or another "pure" type, depending on the circumstances. My <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">original</span> agenda of this mini-series was just to cover the prototypes and their behaviour under varied <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">junglee</span> scenarios, but now I think the prototype transformations would be interesting to cover as well. Lets see how I can develop this ....<br /><br />Now let me get back to prototypes and finish of with the long list. The next type that you would see is what I call the "wolf" type. These are the cunning , wily types who are ready to try all possible tricks in the book or outside the books to achieve success. They don't like to spend time in working, or gaining knowledge in the area of work. They would better <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">utilise</span> their time in plotting and planning or building the right relationships, and how to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">utilise</span> the "donkeys" to do the all the dirty work - well someone has to do it right. These ones do rise, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">upto</span> a certain level, but beyond that results and performance also starts mattering. But let me warn you, who are smiling at themselves expecting downfall of some of your "wolf" <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">colleagues</span> sooner or later, it is always not the case. Some of them, are actually able to rise high, by adopting some "lap dog" and some "donkey traits" later in their career, at a point when being only "wolf" actually becomes an invisible "glass ceiling".<br /><br />Lap Dogs I have already talked about in my last post, but what about "Donkeys"? These are the second most common <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">variety</span> of animals in this jungle. Most of us are "donkeys" when we start off. These ones just keep walking with whatever load is there on their backs, without looking anywhere. They are very <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">focused</span>, always walking along tagging the load, and the other types - including the wolf described earlier, love to dump more and more load on their backs. Growth prospects of these types are very limited, unless managed by "young lion" types. Otherwise there is complete stagnation after the first few years, and donkeys continue to burden themselves, as they know no other way to live in the jungle. Over years they get grumpy and frustrated, as they continue to remain on the same point on the corporate ladder while a whole lot of other march ahead. But some of them do transform themselves into mixed types, and then things get different.........Koelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11762451489932745571noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969913048462188438.post-76406269008980942332009-04-20T21:35:00.001+05:302009-04-20T23:33:28.113+05:30Life in the Corporate Jungle...- episode - 1Well, a rare mid-week or rather a non-weekend post. This is actually one of my favourite topics and have spent endless days discussing this with colleagues and friends. But this is the first time I really thought of putting it down on paper - or rather the nearest equivalent to it, on cyberspace....<br /><br />My 12 years in this jungle <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">has</span> given me sufficient material to fill in reams and reams of paper, and I believe I could actually write a novel out of it. But the till the time I am able to sharpen my <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">writing</span> skills, to be able to actually dish out pages of literature that anyone can enjoy, I will restrict myself to this medium only. The aim is to share a first hand insider view of the circus that goes on, rather than develop a sermon on what to do, what not to do, how to do and how not o do kind of stuff that is available aplenty in the marketplace.<br /><br />Why do I call it a jungle.....u can actually call it a circus also, the common part is that both have animals of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">various</span> kinds. Sometimes you have to tread your path precariously as in the wilds, and some times u can enjoy a ringside view of the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">hilarious</span> stuff that goes on. This analogy reminds me of article I read, not too long ago, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">criticising</span> the way we use animals to depict human character in a derogatory way. Quite interestingly, the author was an animal lover, and took pains to analyse characters of each the animals' names that we use in a negative way oh-so-often without thinking twice. The list included dog, pig, ass and a whole lot of others. Each of the animals' inherent character was analysed to show how wrong we are to associate these gentle creatures to represent human beings with dubious characters, and actually demean the animals in the process.<br /><br />Believe me, I do not have any such intention. My idea of using animals as analogy is purely to be identify different shades of characters which inhabit this jungle very clearly!!. Let me start with the categories - the first one and very visible - the tail wagging, domesticated, loyal variety - do I need to name them - u guessed it right, dogs - but the lap dog <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">variety</span>. Will be always on the lap of the master, always attached. It does no real work, its only work is to give warm up the master's lap and make him/her happy. The owner, in return of the favour and gift of love , is eternally indebted to the pet, and will go all out to support it. He will get the best food from fancy dog food shops, take it out for beauty treatments in the newly sprung pet parlors, and dress it up in cute doggy dresses. The owner will never let go of its pet and always tug it along everywhere he goes, every ladder he climbs, every new horizon he touches.....He will have a seat <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">next</span> to his, for his pet. On its part, the pet needs to remain cuddly, warm and he ready to give a nice hug to the owner whenever it pleases.<br /><br />Can you find recognize these types around u ? I'm sure you do!!! Do recall your colleagues (including you) , and I'm sure you will do....I can see the smile on your faces.... <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Keep up</span> the smile while I come up with more prototypes and then follow up with interesting <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">anecdotes</span>...<br /><br />Do visit this space for more.........Koelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11762451489932745571noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969913048462188438.post-46931303922938834282009-04-17T20:32:00.000+05:302009-04-17T23:48:26.923+05:30Shubho Nabo Barsho!!!!This was the new year week ....the most important one for me....or the second important one.....not sure, may be both are equally important (The other one is the "original one - 1st Jan" )!!!! The great<strong><span style="color:#ffff66;"> </span><span style="color:#660000;">Nabo</span></strong><span style="color:#660000;"> </span>(new) <strong><span style="color:#660000;">Barsho</span></strong>(year) of the great race of us bengalis!! We actually add a <strong><span style="color:#660000;">Shubho </span></strong>(Auspicious ) as a prefix to the term Nabo Barsho as a an eternal wish that all all new years actually turn out to be auspicious for everyone. I too wish a <strong><span style="color:#660000;">Shubho Nabo Barsho</span></strong> to all of you, to all your families, extended families, friends, near and dear ones....Wishing you all loads of happiness, success, peace and fulfilment of all your dreams....<br /><br />Nabo Barsho celebration varies, as we move from being resident Bangalis to probashi bangalis. I have had occassions to move back and forth between these 2 roles. While in Bengal, it is a complete festive situation, u can feel the vibrancy in the air.....people in traditional dresses (that includes females in sarees and males in dhutis?....no, not exactly, only the more adventurus opt for dhutis, others are comfy in kurta - pyjamas only)...Offices are mostly closed, working on Nabo barsho is considered almost a sacrilege. There are cultural activities all over - in most <strong><span style="color:#660000;">paras</span></strong> (neighbourhoods), with enthusiastic participation from residents of all shapes, colour, sizes and age groups, with any proficiency in singing/dancing/abritti(recitation)/natok (dramatics). The ones who cannot be accomodated on stage due to dearth of space and time, are content to be the audience and cheer the local heroes.<br /><br />People visit friends' and relatives' homes for spreading the cheer of this special day - younger ones by doing <strong><span style="color:#660000;">pronam</span></strong>(touching feet of elders), elders by accepting the pronam and showering their <strong><span style="color:#660000;">ashirbad</span></strong> (blessings). There used to be an interesting tradition associated with this ritual. All blessings were accompanied with some token money which was called <strong><span style="color:#660000;">bajar-khoroch</span></strong> (cost of shopping). When we were kids, this was one of key attractions of Nabo Barsho. The aim was to touch the feet of maximum number of elders possible and collect maximum amount of bajar-khoroch. This was later spent in some treat like ice-cream or <strong><span style="color:#660000;">phuchka</span></strong> (pani-puris) or alu-<strong><span style="color:#ffcc00;"><span style="color:#660000;">kabli</span> </span></strong>(kind of chaat with boiled potatoes, chickpeas, crushed papdi and lot of spices). The fact we kids most amusing was that even our parents, aunts and uncles got some bajar-khoroch from granparents and granduncles, and they accepted it with glee. I am not sure if these traditions still exist today...but I suspect that they have been put away in some dusty rack of an obsoleted almirah placed in a musty corner among whole lot of other things that we have left behind in our quest for growth, success, progress and what not......... we have left much of our "<strong><span style="color:#660000;">bangaliyana</span></strong>"(I don't have the right English word for it - the nearest it stands for is essence of being a bengali) long behind....<br /><br />Not that I am too much of a authentic bangali, having spent most of my years outside bengal, but I do miss lot these things. I am saddened by the invasion of hindi and punjabi film music and bollywood dance in Bangla TV channels. Not that I don't enjoy hindi music, but I have 100 other hindi channels to watch them. I can hardly find any <span style="color:#660000;"><strong>robindro-songeet</strong>, <strong>nazrul-geeti</strong>, <strong>adhunik gaan</strong>, <strong>polli-geeti</strong></span> on air....every reality show participant in Bangla channels is eager to showcase their "bollywood" talents, even to the extent that bengali judges start speaking in hindi !!!! What are we trying to prove here? That we are part of "<strong><span style="color:#660000;">main-stream</span></strong>"? Why don't south Indian channels need to prove that? Bollywood may be a good thing for India, but it is really sad that it is actually eating up everything that ever was of Bangla Sonskriti. I remember long back a famous quote from a minister in West Bengal - he termed Usha Uthup's performace as "<strong><span style="color:#660000;">Opo-sonskriti</span></strong>"(anti-culture). I wonder what terms he would have used for today's <span style="color:#660000;"><strong>Bollowood-Bangla sonskriti</strong>,</span> I suspect that we would be mostly left speechless !!!!<br /><br />And before I go into a deep depression on my nostalgia trip, some good things about Nabo Barsho that have not changed and will not. Yes, all you "<strong><span style="color:#660000;">bhojon-roshik</span></strong>"(food-enthusiast) bengallis - guessed it right - it is <strong><span style="color:#660000;">FOOD</span></strong>!!! It is popularly said that we bengalis live to eat and not eat to live!!! Food has always been an integral part of any Bengali festival, and nabo barsho is no exception. The favourite breakfast is luchi-alur dom and some misti. Lunch and Dinner are elaborate affairs on this special day. The menu can contain anything among <strong><span style="color:#660000;">pulao, fish (Macher Kalia, Chingri Macher Malai curry, Ilish maach bhapa</span></strong> based on availability of type of fish), <strong><span style="color:#660000;">Kosha Mangsho(mutton curry), Fulkopir dalna (cauliflower curry), dhokar dalna(curry made of steamed pulse dumpling), tomato or mango chutney</span></strong>. This is just a sample and not the exhaustive list :-) And the sweet ending is by an assortment of Bengal's most precious gift to mankind - mistis and misti doi.....Thats what we call "<strong><span style="color:#660000;">Madhureno Shamapayet</span></strong>" (sweet ending)...<br /><br />Don't even imagine that I spent my nabo barsho on those lines. Living in Delhi, it was a normal day like any other - only that I wore a new dress, and wished Shubho Nabo Barsho to the sprinkling of bengali colleagues I have. And the SMS, phone calls and scrap exchanges with relatives and Bengali friends - far and near - to keep attached to the bengali roots......and yes pronam to elders....<br /><br />Dinner was definitely not as elaborate as my decription above, but was definitely yummy - courtsey my great ma.....Thank god for small pleasures like nabo barsho....Koelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11762451489932745571noreply@blogger.com3