Some Flowers, Some Shops, Gandhi Bazaar (Market)- Bangalore

Purple Flowers, Gandhi *Bazaar (Market)- Bangalore

As soon as I got down from the auto, I saw these flowers hanging from a shop. An old lady was sitting there and she just let me click the picture in peace. As I can load pictures from my mobile, that is what I used today.

Beetle Nut at a Shop in Gandhi Bazaar (Market), Bangalore

Had to make this picture soft focus because it has not come out really well. So I hope the soft focus is hiding some of the flaws!

Coconut Tree, Bangalore

I for the first time realized that if you look high up towards a coconut tree, you would find the tree having a round symmetrical center! Have you noticed that before?

A Small Corner Shop at Gandhi Bazaar (Market)

There was so much stuff inside the shop, much of it related to worship. Made for a colorful picture for sure.

And while you see these pictures, I am actually in Mangalore, I did this as an auto post.

Have a wonderful 2009, and travel more.

*Added Bazaar for Market after the anonymous comment pointed out that it is known as Gandhi Bazaar only.

Meeting Lakshmi and Nilesh

I met Lakshmi and Nilesh (see the first comment, he does not blog, yet!) yesterday in Bangalore. And it had a positive side effect on the mobile phone camera and the PC relationship, my mobile phone started talking to the PC yesterday after I came back. But more about this a little later.

Lakshmi and I met for lunch in Jaynagar 4th block and she went with my choice of having Chinese (Indian Chinese food rules). We went to a place called Chung Wah in the Jayanagar 3rd block. The place was recommended to Lakshmi by her friends. The food was really good but I promise I will do a separate post.

I was telling Lakshmi that I am not really as talkative in the real life as I may seem on the blog. But I have seen this time and again that when you meet someone after reading their blogs for a long time, it is easy to talk to them. I got to hear a lot about her job and travels and time just went too quickly.

A Local Mosque in Bangalore

Then it was time to meet Nilesh in the Jayanagar 4th block (Kanti Sweets) and not only Lakshmi dropped me there, she waited till Nilesh arrived. I knew I would recognize Lakshmi because I have seen her pictures but it is not so in case of Nilesh (remember, he does not blog, yet). However, he had assured me that he would recognize me and so he did. I would have dismissed him for a college student and not an IT professional with at least 6 years of experience. With him I had coffee at Adigag, dragged him along while I shopped for my nephew (Brat 2, Sesha did some shopping for Brat1) and dad. Nariyal pani (coconut water) was the next stop and then it was time to head to the bus stop!

Pots on Sale at the Roadside, Bangalore

Nilesh dropped me to the bus stop. And right ahead was the bus that I needed to board. But when I asked the driver, he said the bus would go nearby but not the full way. I then asked him if I would get another bus, he said yes. Then I told Nilesh I would wait. He explained that the driver meant that I would get the another bus from the spot this one would leave me. I said bye to him and jumped into the bus. It took me to the place it had promised.

Then I had a little bit of fun. A lot of people were waiting where the first bus dropped me. They all boarded the next bus, so I too boarded it. When I asked the conductor for a ticket he said the bus would not go there and I should get down at the next stop. The next stop looked quite familiar, so I decided to walk to the place where I am staying. Just to confirm, I asked an elderly person about the housing complex and he affirmed that I could walk straight ahead.

And the two pictures that you see in this post have been taken while I was walking back. I am quite glad that I managed the bus journey without any hiccups as I can't speak a word of Kanadda Kannada.

The PC is now talking to the mobile phone because I using the back USB ports, earlier I tried the front USB ports and I did not know they don't work!

Before I wrap this post, let me mention that there are a lot of lady bus conductors which I have just not seen in the North India. And many of them speak English and give useful directions to helpless souls like me..

It was quite a wonderful day.

Two Yellow Cards

I was talking to my younger nephew yesterday (Brat 2) and I could hear the excitment in his voice so clearly even across many thousand miles on the phone. Along with many friends, they had organized a local football tournament for under 16 and under 12 age group and they had over 100 people participating (that would be around 10 teams of 11 players).

He apparently officiated three matches and showed two yellow cards! You should have heard the glee in his voice over giving the yellow cards!

On a different note, Sesha and I have been playing Badminton (a game where I have found it difficult to take a game off him, but in TT it is the other way round) and I managed to win two out of three games from him! Both of us are surprised. Have to bug him to do more exercises daily.

Lazy Sunday Photo- Looking Out of Amber Fort, Jaipur, Rajasthan

Amber Fort, Japipur, Rajasthan

Loved the color of the sari the woman looking out is wearing and hence included her and the girl in this picture taken at Amber Fort, Jaipur (Rajasthan). I am quite reluctant to photograph people for the fear of offending them.

But yesterday an interesting incident happened in the market. I had gone to Gandhi Bazaar with family in the afternoon and I was clicking pictures of flowers sold on the roadside with my smaller point and shoot camera. The shop owner posed on his own for me showing a 1000 rupee note! I gladly took his picture but the only problem is that my camera is not talking with this computer hence that picture has to wait.

Flowers Again- All Clicked at Nainital

Small Purple Flowers (Butterfly Bush Flwoers) on the Climb to China Peak

All the flowers in this post have been clicked at Nainital. I can still remember the trip so clearly. Sunil and I had gone to Nainital to stay at Shervani Hilltop Resort (as their guests). On the second day we had decided to walk up to China Peak after taking the ropeway. The ropeway we enjoyed only so much but the walk to China Peak was quite an adventure. The flower above was growing in the wild.

Dahlia growing in the Wild- Nainital

Later on the road we came near a ruin and near it, this flower. My nephew was quite patient with me while I clicked every flower I saw! He sometimes would even point a bunch to me if I had missed it (though this happens very rarely). I also remember the forest department hut at the China Peak where we took shelter when it started raining cats and dogs and the people there shared some Kichdi with us that they had cooked for themselves.

Fuschia at the Shervani Hilltop Resort, Nainital

I clicked a lot of flowers in the Gandhi Bazar (Bangalore) today but the problem is that my camera is not talking to this computer. So all the Bangalore pictures have to wait till I reach back to Gurgaon.

Running, Gadgets and the Like

Such a Lovely Walk, Many used it for Running (Thames Walk- Oxford, UK)

The biggest problem at blogging from another place is that your gadgets would not talk to a new computer. So, even though I have three cameras I cannot make them talk to this computer. As a result this week, the pictures are going to be from my Picasa web albums only, all old ones.

Yesterday after a very long time I went for a small jog. I have lost some weight and I do not want to gain it back with eating a lot and sleeping through the day. I have not felt like running since a very long time. It has been ages since I left athletics. I was a pretty decent athlete and used to work really hard. Running something like 10km (when I was 14-15, seems like a lifetime ago) was easy at one time. Then my coach got transferred, there was no replacement. The good person that my coach was, he would send me my training schedule in letters and I would follow it up. I was in 11th standard then. It was a tough schedule. I was a middle distance runner and would run in the morning, go straight to school and in the evening run some more. I was quite regular at studies so managed to score good marks even with all the practice and tournaments.

Then just for fun, I was playing in a basket ball match for my school. I twisted my ankle quite badly and went out of training. A year before, when I was in 10th standard I represented my state in National School Games, I stood first in High Jump, second in 800m (the girl who stood first later went on to win a bronze in Asian Games 10 years later) and third in 400m in the state meet. The next year I wanted to do even better. But with the injury my training went haywire, and during the state competitions (held in Roorkee) during the month of November, I caught bad cold, and no instructor accompanying us was willing to buy me a medicine promptly. I stood third in all the events. After training so hard without a coach third felt like such a blow at that time. I left running after the competition (I started playing TT, and I do so till date) and never really went back to it. Even at IIT I refused to train for running, even though I would play every other sport every day and win almost everything at the Inter-IIT meet. I wonder if in some sense I stopped dreaming after I stopped running.

That is why I felt so happy when I decided to run yesterday. I actually went out for a walk, telling everyone that I do not want to gain weight. When I started walking, I thought let me run. Then I thought let it be, so many people around, hardly used to a woman running alone. Then I told myself that half the time it is just me who is stopping myself from doing things that I like. And then I went for running for a while!

Hi from Bangalore- Merry Christmas

Wish you a Merry Christmas

On the Way to Bangalore!

Flowers on the Roadside, Bangalore

When you will see this picture I would be looking out of the window of a train heading south!

More Images of Jal Mahal- Jaipur

Jal Mahal, Jaipur

A Larger View of the Jal Mahal Area, Jaipur

Jaigarh Fort- Jaipur, Rajasthan

Jaigarh Fort- Jaipur, Rajasthan

There are many scenic spots within the Jaigarh Fort and above is one of them. However, a person who chatted with us in the hope that we will hire him as a guide told us a very interesting story. He said that there is (or was) huge treasure buried within the fort. But whenever the government of India has tried to recover it, they have been unable to find it. I do not know if there is an iota of truth in this story but it for sure makes for a colorful story.

Lazy Sunday Photo- On a Rainy Day Somewhere in UK

Rains on the Street- Through a Bus Window, Somewhere in UK

I borrowed this picture from Anil (I am posting it with his permission) as he had borrowed my camera for his recent trip to UK. Now I think that is a fair bargain!

Monkeys at Work!

Monkeys Near Jaigarh Fort, Jaipur, Rajasthan

I was reminded of this post by Lakshmi looking at the monkey picture that I took recently near Jaigarh Fort.

Has it ever happened to you that you have encountered monkeys at the close quarters? During my Ph.D. days there were a lot of monkeys at the college campus. I remember that I was coming down the stairs, quite late at night along with another student. I had a hand on the railings of the stairs. Then I suddenly froze, as next to my hand was a monkey merrily sitting on the same railing and dozing off! The other student told me not to panic and just to keep walking. Thankfully the monkey went back to sleep again and let us walk off peacefully.

Then after quite some time I was walking around the campus market with a friend . She was munching on a chocolate and I a cream roll. Remember how buying such things used to be a feast in the college? Well, we met monkeys soon again on the road. They gave us quite stern glances and terrified I threw away the cream roll frommy hand and the monkeys went after it. In the meanwhile my friend put the cholocate in her pocket and once again we walked off. In comparison to the monkeys at my campus, the Jaigarh monkeys were extremely well behaved and left me and Sunil pretty well alone mos of the times.

So what is your monkey experience?

Lac Jewellery from Jaipur

Lac Earrings from Jaipur, Rajasthan

I use ornaments sparingly. But I have to admit I am quite fond of earrings and can wear quite big ones that resemble chandeliers! And there is no place like Jaipur to shop for jewellery. I bought all the stuff in the picture from Jaipur (but not in this trip alone). Lac and stones both are popular, though the stone ones more expensive. The earring at the top left hand corner is a stone one and rest everything is made of lac.

Colorful Berries- Red and Yellow

Cloth Fit for Royals!

Textile Gallery, City Palace, Jaipur, Rajasthan

In the textile gallery (City Palace, Jaipur) you can watch many dresses which were worn by the kings and queens of Rajasthan in the past. Above is one such specimen. I wonder why I did not take any pictures of a kimono that belonged to a king and another dress that belonged to King Madho Singh I. I mean it was huge, really huge. Or even the black dress that was worn by a queen on Diwali.

In India color black is not considered auspices and there is a story behind the black or deep blue dresses worn by the Jaipur royals for Diwali. Apparently one person from the royal family (don't ask me who, you can guess by now, I am no history buff) became the ruler after killing his uncle on the Diwali day. So to express sorrow even to this day the royals wear a black or blue dress on Diwali. Strange are the royal ways of the world ...

In many parts of the museum photography is prohibited (could be because of that I didn't click the dresses I mention above). And one young guy who clicked photographs anyway because there were no guards in site, was in for a surprise. He did not realize that there were CCTV cameras everywhere.

Space for Everyone- From Bullock Carts to Cars

Bullock Cart and Cars on Noida Roads

I was with my sister in Noida when we were walking by this place. It was on her insistence I took this picture and now I am glad that I did. With a lot of construction taking place due to the Metro project the roads are in a mess. I hope Gurgaon and Noida get linked with Metro soon, so that I do not need to take my car to go to my sister's place. I just do not like driving on congested roads with a thousand diversions.

How are Pedestrians Crossings or Zebra Crossings Used at Your Place?

A Traffic Signal at Oxford, UK

Have you ever tried using a pedestrian crossing in India? Chances are you will have a very tough time. The vehicles would be encroaching on the zebra crossing and you have to be really careful while trying to cross. In India, the biggest vehicle has the right of the way and pedestrians come last. In fact, a friend of mine was hit by a motorcycle while she was using a zebra crossing when it was her turn to cross. Luckily she was not seriously injured.

So, long back in Groningen (The Netherlands, 2002) I was standing at a zebra crossing and waiting to cross. A car stopped some way back. I waited for it to pass (using my India logic, the car should go first or so I thought!) and the driver kept peering at me. I peered at the driver some more. He peered back at me, with no one moving. Then the driver decied to proceed with caution and went past me, giving me curious glances. I could not figure out what was happening. Then I went to meet a professor at the University of Groningen and he dropped me back to the city center. We were crossing a road together and when a bus made merest of a motion he said to me, "He seems to be in such a hurry!" It was then I realized that buses are supposed to wait for pedestrians. And then I understood the puzzlement of the car driver at my standing still like a statue.

Next year, I was in Italy (University of Moedna, 2003) and I was discussing the same incident with a person at the conference I had gone to attend. He cautioned me, "Don't expect that here, be very careful when you cross." And it was sound advice! Even though Italians are nowhere near us Indians they do tend to gun their motors and try to scare you when the light turns green.

Then many years later (2007, 2008) I was in UK and pedestrian crossings in Oxford were quite peaceful. London I felt was a little different. People will be very patient till the light is red but let it become yellow and you should start getting out of the way. They tend to get impatient if they find pedestrians in their way after yellow light.

And in India you just have to trust your eyes and not any light or anything else when you are at a pedestrian crossing.

What is the experience like in the place where you live?

Lazy Sunday Photo- Eggs and Egg Crates on a Bicycle

Eggs and Egg Crates on a Bicycle

I was doing some grocery shopping for my sister in Noida. So I bought aalo, tamater, seb, etc. (potatoes, tomatoes, apples) and was walking towards home. The shop is nearby and I deliberately did not take the car. The various vegetables and other stuff weighed around 7-8 kg and the walk is between 700 mts to 1km. The guard at the shop gate was quite sympathetic after looking at my load.

Why do I do this? As I say again and again I love to walk and if I can generate the feeling of a backpack too, then nothing like it! So, I had a bag slung over my left shoulder and another bag in my right hand. My cell phone was in the left pocket of my jeans. When I saw these people loading the eggs and egg crates on this bicycle, I took the cell phone out , switched the camera on and quickly took a picture all with one hand. Now that is why I like to have a camera in the cell phone.

Those Long Walks!

Stranded Ship Boat on Thames Walk, Oxford

I am quite fond of walking and it has landed me in all kind of interesting situations.

Another View on Thames Walk, Oxford

Took my niece to a park which was sufficiently big, and I felt like running after a long time! Did not do it, as I had just stuffed two Paranthans and my niece was of course on the swing trying all kind of stunts. Otherwise, since I left athletics never felt like running again. However, ask me to walk and I am always game for it.

The City Palace, Jaipur, Rajasthan

The City Palace, Jaipur, Rajasthan

I am quite amazed that in spite of countless trips to Jaipur (remember I have studied near Jaipur for 5 years) I never managed to see the City Palace before. Of all the monuments I saw this time, I liked the City Palace most. Here too restoration work was going on like Amber Fort but even then I was quite amazed with the stunning beauty of the place.

The Peacock Door, City Palace, Jaipur, Rajasthan

I found the peacock door at the city palace quite amazing due to its striking colors, so much so that I requested a gentleman to move out of the frame of my camera. The gentleman that he was, he obliged without giving me any dirty glances.

I have always felt this on my treks and I felt it at Jaipur monuments too that in our day to day living we hardly see any open spaces! And till I see it, I really do not realize what I am missing.

Blues!

David Hockney Gallery at Saltaire, UK

The Jaipur Story!

Amber Fort, Jaipur- Sunil Feeding the Pigeons

I wrote this post to say that my Jaipur story is now up at the Gonomad site. It is difficult to compress Jaipur in 1500 to 1700 words but that is what I did. So there are many stories that would get narrated here only.

PS. The tall guy in the picture above is my younger nephew. He liked roaming among the pigeons quite a lot.

Have You Ever Traveled on the Top of a Train or Even a Bus?

No, don't blame me for discussing such strange ideas. Blame Steven_Ber, the resident train expert at Indiamike. He has posted a photo of a young man in Assam who climbed on the top of the train to ask Steve "which country" you are from! That means Steve was traveling on the top of a train too! Now that makes me envious, really go green with envy. I wish I could post Steve's photo here but for now you have to hop over and see the image of people traveling on the top of the train on Indiamike.

Now all I can talk about is traveling on the top of a bus way back in the college days. However, that was not the age of digital cameras or camera phones (in fact there were no mobile phones even) so I do not have a picture of my journey. Instead I can share a picture of people sitting on the top of a bus at Leh Bus Stand.

People on the Top of the Bus- Leh Bus Stand, Ladakh

I used to travel for a different reason during school and college days. I used to represent my school and college (sometimes the state too) in various sports meets. We had gone to Tonk to participate in a sports meet back then when I was in college (and no, I have not explored the town as a tourist). When we were coming back, the bus was really crowded. So, 4-5 of us out of the 20 odd girls that made our squad decided that we were better off at the top of the bus rather than inside the bus. I do not remember much of the journey other than we had to duck hard when the bus went close to a tree with low hanging branches. I wonder if I would do such a thing again if I get a chance?

The British Museum London

British Museum London

I took this picture at the British Museum in November 2007. The exhibition 'First Emperor' was at the museum but the entry fee to that particular section was low double digit pounds (was it near 17 or 12, can't remember) and I gave it a miss. Also, I had so little time at London that I have hardly glanced through some of the sections of the museum. And to be honest, after a while I start craving to get outdoors!

Puppets are Popular at Jaipur

Puppets are Celebrities at Jaipur

There was so much crowd at the puppet show at the City Palace Jaipur that I was content to click the crowd from a distance. Among all the monuments that I saw at Jaipur, I found the City Palace the most stunning. The ladies in yellow caps (look left) belonged to a travel group from Goa and they were quite visible all over Jaipur.

Not at Office!

Work, Work and Work

This is how my work table looks like these days. So, I dragged myself out of the bed in the morning (I hate Monday mornings and I wake up like a dead wish) got ready and turned the key in the car. It sputtered and coughed but refused to start. The place I live in Gurgaon has almost no public transport! Had to call office to say I would not come today! I hardly ever do it. It feels so strange to sit at home on a Monday morning when I have so much work piled up. The car has gone for repair, apparently the battery is dead.

More Flowers- Lazy Sunday Photo

Red Roses in a Bunch, What Lovely Flowers!

I know some people who like flowers more on the plants rather than in a bunch but when I find them already in a bunch I love clicking them. About myself, I do not mind occasionally holding them in my hands too, but yes they look much better on the plants.

Flowers at Covered Market, Oxford

And once again I do not know the name of the flower above. I had clicked both the pictures at Oxford in June. In fact two of my colleagues are heading to UK today and I wonder what pictures they would capture of the winter there. In fact, I took so much time clicking pictures of the flowers kept outside the flower shop that I was afraid that someone would come out and ask me to go away! It has never happened though till now though.

Card and Souvenir Shop, Oxford, UK

Card and Souvenir Shop, Oxford, UK

I was playing with Picasa 3 and trying to add water mark to a picture. While doing that I realized this picture in Oxford is something I would like to post on my blog too, the colors are so nice.

What do you say? Is the watermark taking out too much from the picture? I feel I will like to add such a mark to all my pictures.

Jaigarh Fort, Jaipur- A View from the Fort

View from the Jaigarh Fort, Jaipur, Rajasthan

Our first stop at Jaipur was Jaigarh Fort. There were a lot of monkeys around and at one point both Sunil (also referred to as Brat 2 many a times on this blog, I wonder if he too has a blog somewhere :D) and I were not sure who should cross first the monekys or us. Have a look at the video.

Maybe I will sit down on Sunday and write the Jaipur account in detail. Tomorrow is a working day for me and I have a date with lot of grading!

Colors of Rajasthan- Restoration Work at Amber Fort, Jaipur

Restoration Work at Amber Fort, Jaipur- Colors of Rajasthan

The fort at Amber is in itself quite majestic but what caught my eye was the colors of the dresses people were wearing at work. In Rajasthan people wear quite striking colors and what might feel flashy to me in Delhi, feels quite normal when I see it in Rajasthan. And on this trip, I actually saw a lot of construction work along with the monuments and yet I liked this trip a lot among all my trips to Jaipur.

More Colors Amber Fort, Jaipur, Rajasthan

And the trend seems to be contagious! Saw this lady displaying her lovely and colorful attire at Amber Fort.

Hawa Mahal- Jaipur, Rajasthan

Hawa Mahal, Jaipur (Rajasthan)

I remember exclaiming loudly to Gopi (our auto driver for this trip) "yeah kya hai?" (what place is this)? He replied, "Hawa Mahal" (Palace of Winds would be the rough translation). I wonder how I had never crossed it before in all my previous trips to Jaipur! But Sunil and I were so tired by the evening that we refused to get out of the auto, the place would anyway be closed. Both of us clicked pictures of Hawa Mahal from inside the auto.

Very soon we were near Chand Pol gate and Gopi pointed out, "kuch samay pahle yahan per hi Hanuman temple ke paas bomb chale the" (a while ago it was only near this place, where the Hanuman Temple is, the bombs went off). I did not think much about it then, though for that moment I definitely shivered for a second. I mean the place as chock-o-full with traffic of all kind (pedstrains, cycles, cows, cars, motorcycles and what not, I wonder if it was like that when the bombs went off in Jaipur in May 2008). Even a fire cracker could cause a panic around this place! I keep thinking of this incident much more now, after the Mumbai terror attacks.

Would never stop me from going where ever I want and yet I just can't get over Mumbai. But of course there were so many travelers in Jaipur this November in spite of the bomb blasts of May 2008.

Can't get Mumbai Out of my Mind

Alka (yes, she is my sis too) collects a lot of articles about Mumbai attacks and its aftermath.

See if you want to be the champion of a cause don’t try to look good. Your cause will suffer. Applying make up is a crime if you are carrying out a march. You don’t represent India. That what BJP’s Vice President Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi thinks.