Myself Ashish at Oktatabyebye.com

Ashish is traveling in India but with a twist. He is staying/is being hosted by families at the destinations he is visiting. He also has an impressive list of corporate sponsors. He is updating regularly on his travels. Check out Myself Ashish.

Sasan Gir is a great national park, if only the people who manage it are managed well. I think I misjudged taking the early morning safari to the park all by myself, just one Measly Paw Print!! My luck with wildlife remains the same, only the pockets are much lighter now.

Sasan is not really for single travelers and this I experienced first hand. Although there is a village, everything here is valued in dollar equivalents.

Jaigarh Fort, Jaipur

Jaigarh Fort, Jaipur, Picture Taken in November 2008

I had visited Jaipur in November 2008 along with my younger nephew. Our first stop was Jaigarh Fort and it makes for so many pretty pictures. But the one below is not pretty, taken by OrangeStreet and posted with permission.

Jaigarh Fort, Jaipur after a Night of Party

So imagine my horror when I stumbled upon the picture above at Indiamike (via Picasa). I mean how can we do this to a place like Jaigarh Fort? OrangeStreet writes-

On a recent visit to Jaipur this weekend, I happened to go to jaigarh fort on 28th Feb 2009. The fort was closed however. I was told that fort had been booked for a marriage function and was hence closed for the day.

Well, I went back on March 1st and the fort was indeed open. The plight of it though shivered me timbers.

What a sad thing to do.

Lazy Sunday Photo- People Around Taj Mahal, Agra

Photographers, Photographers, Everywhere- Taj Mahal Agra

As I have said before it is very easy to include people in your shots at the Taj Mahal than to exclude them. For a few hours I tried to find isolate spots but then gave up and started looking for interesting shots of people.

Back to the Taj Mahal- A Couple Looking at Yamuna, at Sunset

I am wondering while I am posting all these pictures, if I too would end up at some corner of the internet as a part of the crowd in someone elses shots! And if I would ever stumble upon it?

Anguri Bagh (Garden), Agra Fort

Anguri Bagh (Garden of Grapes) Agra Fort

Graffiti at the Taj Mahal, So Sad

Tagging their Names along the Taj Mahal, Such a Sad Practice

The Taj Mahal at Sunset

As the Sun sets- The Taj Mahal, Agra

Taj Mahal Entrance, West Gate seen from the Taj Mahal

The Entrance to the Taj Mahal, as Seen from the Taj Mahal, Agra

Inching towards the end of the semester, so more photos and less words.

Minaret of the Taj Mahal and Yamuna River at the Sunset

Minaret of the Taj Mahal and Yamuna River at the Sunset

I feel this one is worth a thousand words, so I will stop right here. I really like this one, the only eyesore is the watermark.

Another Kind of Twitter- The Birds Twittering

Birds Twittering at the Lodhi Garden.

I too twitter but the sound that the birds make is much more pleasing. We went to the Lodhi Gardens one evening quite unplanned (actually we stopped and decided to spend the surplus time waiting for a train there rather than at the Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station) and I was rewarded with this recording. The amount of noise these birds make! It sounds good in the evenings but sometimes when they go off like this early in the morning and wake me up, I feel anything but pleased.

Lazy Sunday Photo- Taj Mahal with the Ramp, The Stephen Hawking Connection

Taj Mahal (Agra) with a Ramp- The Stephen Hawking Connection

When my brother-in-law saw this picture of the Taj Mahal, he told the ramp was erected at Taj Mahal after a visit by Professor Stephen Hawking. Now if Amrit said it, I had to believe it but I searched for the Stephen Hawking connection with the ramp and the Taj Mahal. And sure enough it is true. Frontline carried the story in 2001-

There is heartening news for thousands of physically challenged persons across the country. The Archaeological Survey of India has decided to make its monuments including the Taj and Khajuraho accessible to them by providing ramps.

As a direct consequence of this decision, temporary wooden ramps provided by the ASI during the recent visit of eminent physicist Stephen Hawking would now be a permanent feature at the Red Fort, Humayun's Tomb and Qutab Minar.

I wonder why should it take a Stephen Hawking to get a ramp at something like the Taj Mahal. Is that the kind of vision we have?

Indian Railway Train Announcements

Train Announcements Recorded on a Trip from New Delhi to Agra, We Went to Agra to See the Taj Mahal (again) Of Course!

I had recorded 'mind the gap' on Delhi Metro a few weeks ago and I shared it on India Mike. steven_ber (resident Indian railway expert on Indiamike) suggested me to record the various train announcements on an Indian railway platform! So, here I am, sharing the recordings, wait till the end for 'asuvidha ke liye khed hai' (the inconvenience caused is deeply regretted). Enjoy.

Getting to see an Academic Paper in Print

One of my papers finally got published in a journal. I find this paper special because it is my first journal article based on use of message board data (I used both Indiamike and Thorn Tree). The abstract of the journal is available online. The argument goes something like this-

With consumers sharing both positive and negative aspects of a destination online, destination marketing organizations will increasingly find their “picture postcard” images being contested.

Watching Out from Agra Fort

Watching Out from Agra Fort

You can see the Taj Mahal from the Agra Fort. I wonder if the couple was gazing at the Taj Mahal? There were so many people both at the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort that it was almost impossible to click a shot without people walking through your composition. After a while, I started enjoying including them in my shots! This is something I rarely do oherwise. I still can't point my camera to the faces of the strangers most of the time. But if they are not looking in my direction, then it is another matter.

Tourists at Agra Fort

Tourists at Agra Fort, I leave all the Story Telling for this one to You

PS. (Updated March 18, 2009, many hours after the main post) Oh Boy! I enjoyed the poem by Paradox so much in the comment section that I decided to post it along with the main post.

She found the weather hot,
So she went around in a short,
Now she sizzled
And the local lads were bedazzled.

She wore the color pink,
They stared and did not blink.
With each other they jostled
And how they ogled.

Faithfully they followed her
And were clicked by a photographer.
They thought they were sort of cool-la,
But not more than the blogger Mridula.

Colorful Fabrics for Sale in Agra

Colorful Fabrics for Sale in a Souvenir Shop, Agra

I know, I know this is no Taj Mahal at sunset but I have clicked more than 400 pictures and I hardly like 5 of them as of now! I have to let the pictures grow a little old on me before I can think of posting them here.

Painting at Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb, Agra

Painting on the Walls of Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb, Agra

Came back from Agra yesterday night. At my sister's place today so can't load pictures from my SLR here. I am quite excited about the pictures, after all I managed to be around Taj Mahal at sunset twice.

I had read about Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb at Indiamike. This time we landed up there and it is a beautiful monument. I just can't wait to see the pictures from the bigger camera. We could not manage Fateh Pur Sikri though, next time maybe.

Lazy Sunday Photo- Taj Mahal as Seen from Agra Fort Window

Taj Mahal- As Seen from Agra Fort Window

Spring is Really Here- Bouganvillas Around Town

Spring- Bouganvillas in Bloom, Picture taken Long Back at Best Western Country Resort

A Weekend Trip is on Cards!

Taj Mahal- Agra

A weekend trip is on cards and no points for guessing the destination. Let us see if beauty or the hassles of the place win.

Long Forgotten Signpost!

As Seen Near Batal, Spiti Lahaul Region

The sign board says that the access road from Batal to Chandratal is 14km and it is jeep route too. Just after the trip I would think daily why I did not take this road. And then when I saw this picture again, it seemed to be such a far away incident. One day I have to take this road and see Chandratal.

Happy Holi!

Wish You All a Very Happy Holi

Central Park, Connaught Place (CP), New Delhi

We wanted to visit Daryaganj Book Market last Sunday. Once there, we were told that the book market didn't happen because ex-President of Pakistan visited the place in the morning (this is pure hearsay I have no idea if it is true or not). Whatever may be the reason, the book sellers were not there for sure. So, we headed to Connaught Place instead. On a whim we decided to go inside the Central Park. The entrance is free. I was also carrying my SLR (inside my shoulder bag) and they did make a hue and cry that cameras are not allowed but then let me go anyway. I wonder why they do not wish to allow cameras (this is also not stated anywhere near the park) and unless they ban cell phones too what is the use of such a policy?

The Open Air Amphitheater at the Central Park, Connaught Place, New Delhi

It must have been a litlte past five in the evening and the park was reasonably crowded but not near the amphitheatre. We were quite intreguied with the happenings there. There was a small crowd and the lone gentleman on stage talking about random things (at least to me). Then another person requested to get onstage and talked about politics a bit. Then a bunch of students went up and tried their usual song stuff. By this time we decided to move on.

The LIC Building at Dusk from Central Park, Connaught Place, New Delhi

I liked the idea of the open air theatre and people spontaneously going on stage to do something. And the crowd was quite decent too, apart from one group of students who were, well behaving like students you see in Indian ads. But even they were within limits.

I was scared to take out my SLR because of the goofup at the entrance so many of the pictures are from my mobile. I wish I would get out within Delhi more. We plan to go to Daryaganj sometime later in the month.

Mind the Gap, Not London Underground but on Delhi Metro this Time

Mind the Gap, Delhi Metro

I first became aware of the phrase 'mind the gap' when I used the London Underground in 2007. Soon after, I realized that Delhi Metro also has its own version of mind the gap. But it was finally yesterday that I managed to record the Delhi Metro 'mind the gap.' So here is the mind the gap video for you. The lady says 'mind the gap' towards the end of the video and she has such a good voice. I wish my recording equipment was as good. So please mind the gap!

Lazy Sunday Photo- Agra Fort, UNESCO World Heritage Site

Agra Fort, UNESCO World Heritage Site

Entrance to Royal Armouries, Leeds, UK

Entrance to the Royal Armories Leeds, UK

Pleasantly Surprised with Passport Office New Delhi

Crowd Outside the Bhikaji Cama Place Passport Office New Delhi

I quite liked my experience of applying for the renewal of my passport at New Delhi. Dealing with government officials in India is no pleasure. I was wondering how should I go about getting my passport renewed. Some of my colleagues encouraged me to apply on-line. And that is what I did.

The official website for passport related information is quite comprehensive. It is easy to fill the form online and they give you an appointed time to present your form there. And you can choose a time that is convenient to you after the first one available.

They also have a checklist of proofs that are acceptable for residence, date of birth etc. One has to attach self-attested photocopies. Now last night I panicked. I knew I had to sign, but I was wondering if it has to be at a particular place, or if I have to write self-attested and then sign. So I hopped over to Indiamike late at night and asked the question. I came to know that I only had to worry about not signing over the text and can sign anywhere on the photocopied pages. I signed at the bottom of the pages and they have accepted the form.

There was another minor incident. I am extremely uncomfortable when I am facing the camera (my natural place is behind the camera) and I had to get my photograph clicked for the passport. The picture I had for the last ten years on my passport, I did not like it one bit. So I thought I can at least try to get a better one this time. When I went to the neighborhood market I found that my favorite photo shop was closed. I went up to a random one, got the picture clicked (I am a photographer's nightmare) saw it on his LCD display, told him to print it and I will collect it in a while as I have some other errands to run in the market.

When I came back I realized that they had edited my picture (printed the copies too) by heaping a ton of makeup on my face. I hated it. I told them I never asked for any editing. They smiled and said some editing (their definition of some editing and mine don't match) is normal. I didn't wish to argue so I came home thinking I will have to live with this for next 10 years! Even dad agreed that I look horrible in those photographs. Thankfully I had not left this for the last day.

Now I am not very finicky about the way I look but yesterday I balked at the idea of pasting those pictures at my passport form and look at it for the next 10 years on and often. So I went to the market yesterday too (after a long meeting at office, the picture was that bad, not me kind) and got another picture clicked at a third studio. And I told them in very clear terms that I will not tolerate any editing. Then I called home to say I will be a little late because I wish to take another picture, everyone agreed, the first set of pictures were that bad! The consensus at home (led by me) is that the current set of pictures resemble me well and I am OK with it. I still remain a photographer's nightmare.

So I set out today to the passport office, I had 11 am appointment. I was there at 10.40 and there was a mile long queue. I went up to the gate to see how my appointment would work. I figured out that people with appointments do not need to bother about the queue. But there was rush and lot of jostling around at the gate. At 10.45 the security guard (and what a tough job he has) asked the online appointees to form a separate queue. After a while, I was inside. In Hall 1 I could spot two counters catering to 'Online applications.' At one counter people had mobbed it and at the other there was a queue. I moved to the one that had queue. The time was 10.55. By 11.10 I was out, my application was submitted. Online counters are much less crowded than the token ones.

It was a single window process. The officer (very polite) quizzed me about my residence proof (I had many) and decided to accept my application after some persuasion. While I was at the window, an old man came asking about his pension! The officer told him the pension office was nearby very politely.

Let us see if getting the passport is also going to be smooth. But this definitely was a pleasant experience that I had with the passport office.

Naina Kapur's Blog

I blogged about meeting Naina Kapur, the lead counsel in the Vishaka Judgment against sexual harassment in the supreme court. I discovered her blog. She was kind enough to drop in a line to tell me that contrary to what I wrote in my previous post she has a blog! And I am so glad to discover that.

So over to Naina Kapur's blog.

In 1997 I was lead instructing counsel before the Supreme Court of India in the case of Vishaka v State of Rajasthan & Ors.. It's perhaps better known as the sexual harassment case. ...

To have any real meaning, equality as a human rights principle needed to assert its worth. It needed to be rescued from the far flung reaches of an alien International sky and brought into the dust and dirt of domestic life.

10 minutes with Taxi Drivers at Austin- Guest Post by Kalyan Banerjee

I really enjoyed reading Kalyan's experiences with Taxi Drivers in Austin. It is so wonderful to have him as a guest blogger at Travel Tales from India. Enjoy the post.

Kalyan Banerjee has a day job and travels during weekends. You can follow him on Twitter as well.

Talking to strangers is always (well, at least most of the times) an interesting experience when you're travelling alone. More so, when they belong to a different segment of your culture, or better still, a different culture. Now travelling solo need not mean you need to pack your bags and leave for a far away kingdom. It may simply mean morning jog, bus ride to the airport to pick a friend or taking a taxi/auto to work. I do a lot of the third category.

During my short 10 min taxi (or cab) rides at Austin, and back, I've happened to meet a plethora of people - black and white, male and female, Catholic and Muslim (and even Bahai), Moroccon and Iranian. Here's an account my 5 most interesting 10 minute rides with Taxi Drivers at Austin.

Met two Brazilian folks on the same day. The first one said that he watched an Indian show on television last night and was amazed by a few things Indian. The tradition of women applying ‘red powder’ just above the forehead and within the hairs looked fascinating to him. Well, this was the most ‘different’ description of Sindoor I’ve ever come across in my life. He applauded the ‘culture’ of parents supporting the newly wed daughter and her husband. I was baffled by the statement but he backed the statement with his logic – ‘When I married my expenses shot up like anything. New house, more people to support and more responsibilities made me work like crazy. I saw that in India, when a girl gets married her father gives a car, jewellery and quite some cash to the daughter to start a new life’. Beat this logic for the menace called Dowry. He concluded with, ‘I would like to visit India sometime. I heard it is colorful’. Well, I couldn’t agree more.

Brazil # - remember the other Brazilian cabbie not for his comments on India or Indians but for his single remark. It was Saturday and since there was a deadline the following week, a lot of stuff needed attention. Naturally, I was late. Here’s what he said when he picked me up – ‘For the first time in life I'm picking someone at 2 'o clock on Saturday night and that too from office. Its so late now that you can’t even go to Downtown for a drink – everything closes at 2 am. Why is your schedule so crazy? Once, I picked up 2 Chinese guys at 4, but they had flight to catch early.’ Since the real answer was too complicated, I cooked up some garbage as an answer.

Hong Kong- He was a middle aged person whose face indicated some kind of South East Asian connection. The first things he asked, ‘You from India’. On getting an affirmative answer, he started talking about Slumdog Millionaire. Remember, this incident was before the Oscars night, so Slumdog was yet to reach its popularity peak. He continued, ‘Seems Indians like movies too much. The Indian students at the University of Texas, Austin don’t go to watch a game, but go to movies every time they get a chance. On Super Bowl Sunday, I gave a ride to 3 Indians to the theater.’ Well, with 877 feature films released only in the year 2003 alone, Indian Film Industry is the largest in the world (Source: Wikipedia). And with fans who don’t miss a chance even while studying abroad, the volume game makes sense.

America #1– Two Americans were interesting. One was middle aged Joe who asked about my country. On learning that I was from India, he started almost immediately – ‘I heard that yours is a very stable economy. Much stable than ours. Even a couple of years back, people used to come in bunches here to make a decent living. These days opportunities seem to have die down. Even healthcare have become so costly you just can’t afford it. I just hope Obama fixes things and or we’ll go back to the Depression era’. Seemed a paragraph out of any article of a downturn related blog – points out the hardship Joe faces these days. The only breather – gas prices have come down quite a bit from its peak. His rant also tells me the hopes he has with his new President.

America # 2- The second one was older. He told me was well past 66, but he didn’t look a day older than 55. He lived in Houston for two years and then moved to Austin a year back. Doesn’t live with his family, but with fellow few cabbies. It amazed me how an old fellow like that was driving a cab at 1’o clock in the night. Situation must be bad, I guess. I remember him for another reason – he is only Muslim American I’ve met in my Austin

It amazes me how could we (cabbie and me) strike good conversation in such short rides. Each cabbie was spot on in figuring out my nationality and apparently had a viewpoint on India or Indians. This could be due to several reasons. Indians come a lot to Austin and take cabs. Or, there are quite a few Indians in Austin, who either take cabs or drive cabs (I haven't bumped across an Indian cabbie though). Or, India is the flavor of the season at Austin, which doesn’t seem likely despite the Oscars.

Each cabbie helped me understand how India is perceived in several circles. It felt good that almost all of them knew something. I’m yet to meet a cabbie twice but I look forward to meeting each of these cabbies again. I also wonder, whether back at Bangalore, I can have a conversation about the with an auto-wallah. What do you say?

P.S. If you are one of the taxi drivers in this post and you see some differences from the original experience, feel free to drop me a note at aamikalyan@gmail.com

Jaipur in an Autorickshaw- On CLAY Now

Amber Fort Jaipur

I wrote the Jaipur Story (November 2008 with Brat 2, my younger nephew) for CLAY too (the first one was for Gonomad) and it is now up on their site-

Our plan was to hire an autorickshaw (because of this recommendation by Arun) with Gopi as our guide. I called Arun and asked for Gopi’s number and got in touch with him. Gopi assured us that he would be at the Jaipur station to pick us up. I got a call from Gopi as the Shatabdi was nearing Jaipur and that was quite reassuring. However, it took us quite some effort to figure out who was who once we got down at Jaipur. Once we met each-other, the first task was to find a hotel.

This is Not Cricket!

Gunmen attacked the Sri Lanka Cricket Team bus in Pakistan says BBC.

At least five members of the Sri Lankan cricket team have been injured in a shooting incident in the Pakistani city of Lahore, a Sri Lankan minister says.The incident happened when unidentified gunmen fired on a convoy carrying Sri Lankan and Pakistani cricketers.

Pakistani officials said about 12 gunmen were involved and grenades and rocket launchers were recovered from the scene.

I wonder how long it would be before any team dares to tour Pakistan. I also think they have plans of hosting 'World Cup' Cricket matches in Pakistan? Wonder what will happen to that.

Flowers on a Lemon Tree

Flowers on a Lemon Tree

Lazy Sunday Photo- Pictures from Two Monuments

Royal Armouries Leeds, UK

Peacock Green Colors at the City Palace Jaipur