A Video of the Bundi City from the Palace

A Video of the Bundi City from the Royal Palace

Bundi and Nawal Sagar Lake at the Sunset, Rajasthan

Bundi, Rajasthan at the Sunset

A Video from Orchha- from the Bridge over the Betwa River

View of Orchha from the Bridge over the Betwa River

Sounds of a Tempo!

Pictures from Orchha to the sound of song that played in the shared Tempo (three wheeler) while we were going from Jhansi to Orchha. The nosie noise the you hear along with the song is the sound of a tempo moving on the road.

Vertigo Inducing Video- A Fox Running in Front of the Jeep in Kanha

Fox Running Ahead

It was my last day at Kahna and this was an early morning ride into the jungle. We were heading to the main Kanha Zone and Alger (the driver and the guide) wanted to there reach early. Suddenly this fox started running in front of our jeep. The video is quite blurred because the fox was running and the jeep was moving and it was too much movement for me. Yet it was a rare moment so I thought I would share this vertigo inducing video nonetheless.

A Video from the Taj Safari's Banjaar Tola Lodge

My Room and the Surroundings at the Taj Safari's Banjaar Tola Lodge

Announcements at IGI, New Delhi Airport

Last Call to Board a Flight

Has it ever happened to you that your name was called on the PA system because you were supposed to board your flight?

Never happended to me, though I always get curious as to why people are not at their boarding gates!

Toy Train at the Barog Tunnel, Himachal Pradesh

Toy Train at the Barog Tunnel, Himachal Pradesh

I spent a lot of time at the Barog Station and watched the toy trains come and go to my hearts content. Barog is also home to the longest tunnel on the Kalka Shimla route (part of which you see in the video) which is a little more than a kilometer long.

Around 10.00 am (on 11/09/2009) we were chatting with a railway official. He said there were no trains coming to the station till 11.00 am that day. Brat 1 and I (Brat 2 was still asleep) decided to walk inside the tunnel and cross it. It was dark after a while inside the tunnel. I switched on the light of my mobile phone and placed it close to the tracks. I could see their faint outline of the tracks and walk along. Thus we walked for what seemed like the mid way of the tunnel.

Suddenly Brat 1 called out, "Bua (aunt) there is a train coming this way, I can hear it." I moved the light from my mobile around and saw a shelter (an arch within the tunnel inside which you can stand and the train can safely pass) right next to where we were standing. We happily went into it and the Railcar passed by us. Brat 1 refused to go any further and insisted that we head back and that is what we did.

We headed for the tea stall and asked for the tea from the proprietor. Three tourists staying at the Barog Station came along and asked me, "Ma'am what happened inside the tunnel when the train came?" I told them that the shelter was right at our hand, we went in and the Railcar passed. They replied, "The station master was quite worried about an accident and was scolding everyone around that why did they let us go inside!"

Then they asked the tea shop proprietor what would happen if we had not found a shelter? The proprietor thought that chances of an accident were very high. Another person who was at the tea shop was of the view that there is sufficient space for the train to pass if we just stood flat against the wall. We of course wish to believe the second version but we are in no hurry to check out which one is correct. The group of three gentlemen told us, "You should party tonight, it was a narow escape."

We actually did not party nor did it feel like a narrow escape. I did not tell this on phone to my dad who is an ex railwayman. But when I did today he was not pleased at all.

I can only say I do not wish to repeat this experience. But then the smallest of the kids around Barog have crossed that tunnel ...

London Train Announcements

London Train Announcements

I unfortunately misplaced my 'mind the gap' file while I was moving it on my cell phone (Nokia 6275) so that I could copy it to the computer. Here is something that remains in another audio file but as I said, unfortunately, no mind the gap. Maybe if I go to London ever again I will make sure to get a good recording and save it safely.

As usual for visuals I am rotating some pictures.

Sound of the Lambs!

Lambs at the Triund Campsite, Himachal Pradesh

You can see the Triund campsite (at least part of it) in this video. The Dhaula Dhar Range in the Himalayas is also visible and what a noise the lambs are making. Those were the days!

Changing the Guards at the Buckingham Palace, London

The Video of the Guards Coming Out of the Buckingham Palace, Changing the Guards

After my official work in Oxford was over I was visiting and staying back with two school friends whom I was meeting after 20 years. It is really amazing that we found each-other via the internet. again And friends with whom you went to school from KG to 12th, it is amazing that you can exactly pick up from where you left! I went to my friend's place in London and then we left for Manchester the next day. Stayed there for one day before returning to London in the evening. So it was my last day in UK that was for roaming around in London with my friend. We had no set plans, and when I suggested my friend to look up for changing the guards at the Buckingham Palace she found that we could go and see it.

The Friendly Policeman on Duty

The website says the changing takes place at 11.30 am in May. They also advice you to take your place by 11.15 am. Both of us could not figure out why. We took the underground, got down at the Green Park Station and walked to the palace. And then we realized why they wanted us to come in a little early!

The Change of Guards at the Buckingham Palace, London

If you do not reach early enough, you will see the changing of the guards only in someones display screen! When we reached there all the places near the railings of the plaace had a thick crowd. So we decided to stand near the Victoria Memorial. You can change places easily around the circle and see the bands walking in. Once the bands enter the palace, the Victoria Memorial however is not the place where the action is. So both of us walked towards the palace and could see what was happening inside only in someone's LCD.

We then came near the ropes, there was less crowd. And the friendly policeman was chatting with the crowd. He told us that his horse was due to retire in a year. When someone asked where, he said, "Hopefully with me." Then she asked, "So will you retire too?" He said, "No, 7 more years to go, it has been 30 already!" He told us, "The first band to come out will walk to the right but don't move, the next will come this way." A lady in the crowd asked if she could take a picture with him after the bands were gone, he said, "Unfortunately I would have to go with the bands." But a while later he said, "Go ahead, you can take one now." He also remarked sometime, "This is not such a good job during the winters and the change happens even when there are no tourists." True enough the schedule mentions all kinds of weather exceptions.

We were second from the rope (on the other side from the railings of the palace), waiting for the guards to come out. The two girls in front of us got a call and decided to leave. My friend and I quickly took their places. Ad that is how I managed to make the video and saw the guards coming out. Oh and it was a typical London day, Grey, cold (to me) with a light drizzle. And I enjoyed it a lot.

Susan Boyle- What a Stunning Voice, Even for Someone as Tone Deaf as Me!

When it comes to appreciating the finer aspects of music I am really not up to it. I am tone deaf literally. But then, when I watched the Susan Boyle Youtube Video, even I was blown apart! I came to know about it from Alka.

By now it is all over the internet that how we should not judge a book by its cover. But I thought that Dennis Palumbo at Huffington Post has a deeper argument on this issue-

What would the judges and the audience have thought, and said, had her voice been a creaky rasp, or an out-of-tune shriek? Would she still possess that "inner beauty?" Would we still acknowledge that the derisive treatment she received before performing was callous, insensitive and cruel?

The unspoken message of this whole episode is that, since Susan Boyle has a wonderful talent, we were wrong to judge her based on her looks and demeanor. Meaning what? That if she couldn't sing so well, we were correct to judge her on that basis?

Gorkha Regiment Band Playing at IIM Lucknow

Gorkha Regiment Band Playing at IIM Lucknow

I had captured this video at night hence the poor quality. But the music is worth listening too.

Lucknow through my Lens

Lucknow in Pictures

I was at IIM Lucknow, attending a tourism conference. What I liked a lot was the idea of the conference organizers to give us a day to see around Lucknow. So, I of course have clicked a lot of pictures. The time of the day was from late morning to noon, so too much light to click good pictures, still I have tried.

PS. If you are a conference delegate and if you would like to download a few pictures (or if you would like to see still pictures in an album), please click here. If you need any assistance in this regard, do not hesitate to let me know.

Leeds, London and Oxford in Pictures

Leeds, London and Oxford in Pictures

Incredible India- The Little that I have Seen

Incredible India, The Places that I have Visited

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.

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.

Wedding Tunes!- Aaj Mere Yaar ki Shaadi Hai

Aaj Mere Yaar Ki Shadi Hai- Quintessential Song Played Tunelessly at Most North Indian Weddings

I shot this video from quite some distance at night, so had to swap the video images with a still image. The image in the video is of a small temple near Auli, Uttrakhand.

How Not to make a Video

Flowers at Jamia Millia Islamia University Campus- How Not to Make a Video!

I have done quite a few posts on the flowers that I saw at the Jamia Millia Islamia University Campus. On a whim I also made a video, uploaded it on Youtube, changed the voiceover of the video and forgot about it. I managed to see it again today and I know a little about how not to make a video.

I mean I know I used to do a lot of competitive middle distance running in a bygone era but there was no reason to run from flower to flower as if there was a prize for it! Then I was so monotonous, zooming in on every rose in the very same way as if there was another prize for consistency!

And whatever little you could have seen, Youtube managed to mess it up. On my realplayer, the quality is not that bad. I wonder why Youtube made it so grainy!

Lazy Sunday Video from Youtube- Hotel Kerelafonia

There is only one way to describe Hotel Kerelafonia, hilaroious! I just stumbled upon it while I was on Youtube. Maybe one needs to know a little bit about Kerela but even without that you are going to like it. Give it a try.

One More Train Video

Bhusawal Station, Indian Railway Platform

I was in the Karnataka Express train at the Bhusawal Platform right across the scene, traveling back from Bangalore to New Delhi. I had the camera in my hand and I was standing at the door of the AC III coach but this was not the platform side. From the movement that I could see on the next platform I knew soon there would be a train coming. We after all have this peculiar habit of peering out and then everyone would start when someone has spotted the train. And for sure soon the train came in!

Different Ways They Torture You 0n the Rajdhani Express Train

Announcement and Music on the Bangalore Rajdhani Express Train

We traveled by the Rajdhani Express recently from New Delhi to Bangalore (and came back by the Karnataka Express Train, both AC III coaches. So the journey must be comparable, Right? Well, hear me out and then decide for yourself.

There is a big advantage of traveling by the Rajdhani Express to Bangalore, it is a faster train than Karnataka Express. It takes 36 hours to reach Bangalore by Rajdhani and 42 by Karnataka Express.

The tickets of the Rajdhani Express are a bit more expensive but assume that the difference really does not matter to you.

Now listen to the sound track in the video above (after two minutes you can listen to a small sample of the tunes they keep playing on the public address system of the train).

• How do you find the welcome after boarding the Rajdhani Express train? That cacophony continues for a good ten minutes when you board the train and it can send small children into a crying frenzy!
• They wake you up between 6.00 and 7.00 am in the morning to drink tea! Don't get me wrong, I live on tea but at 6.00 am I like only one thing and that is sleep!
• The sample song that you listened to (what you did not listen to the soundtrack of the video? Do that first before you read any further). They play it at all the hours of day and night. One of the things I am looking forward on a 36 hour journey is to catch up on sleep! It is impossible with the music blaring at all hours at a volume over which I have no control.
• It might have made sense to play music (for a limited period) in an era when music players were not in every device you could think of! Now if I wish to listen to a song I can with my mobile phone and so can almost everyone that is the target market of the Rajdhani Express!
• They have been playing the same songs since last 20 years or so it feels.
• We realized this time that there is a person in the pantry whose job is to play the songs. You can request him to play it down but whether he will comply and for how long is any body's guess.
• The sound system is pathetic. It just drives you nuts with the repetitive music in screeching tones at all hours. I wonder if there is someone who likes to listen to it, but then I am sure the Indian Railway is not going to conduct a customer satisfaction survey anytime soon.

Now would you blame me if I wish to avoid the Rajdhani Express train the next time around even though if it means sitting for longer in the Karnataka Express but mercifully without a public address system?

Fishermen Launching a Boat at the Sea- A Video from Surathkal

Fishermen Launching a Boat at the Sea, Surathkal Beach

I was walking along the Sutarhkal Beach when I saw the fishermen launching a boat at the sea. It took some 20 men and a lot of waves to get the boat finally moving at the sea. Saw this for the first time and was really thrilled!

There are a lot of the houses along the Surathkal Beach and you can see people coming out of their houses to casually take an evening stroll. The problem is that they also treat it as their dumping yard (if you walk to your left, when facing the sea), still it is relatively clean.

I did not meet a single tourist on my walk for one hour in one direction and then back. But I did see a lot of fishermen, children, women and school kids playing in their backyard, that is the beach! I really enjoyed my day.

Hope you like the video.

Jal Mahal, Jaipur, A Small Video Captured on Nokia N96

Jal Mahal, Jaipur

I have to say that Jal Mahal is actually much more scenic rather than my video but I think I get better videos on Nokia N96, rather than my Nikon Coolpix 3200. The only thing is, the Nikon will remain with me whereas the Nokia N96 will go back after a while :D

Green and Serene- Langza, Spiti

Langza is a really small village in Spiti (Himachal Pradesh). You can see how green it is and how serene too. The beautiful range of Cho-CHo Khang Nilda forms the backdrop to the Langza village.

York Police Band Playing at Royal Armories, Leeds, UK

York Police Band Playing at Royal Armories, Leeds, UK

I watched this performance last year (November 2007) in UK when I went to Leeds to attend a conference on tourism. I went to an academic conference after a gap of four years. I remember there was Champagne before the dinner at the Royal Armories (a fabulous place) and even though I was alone I decided to celebrate that conference with Champagne.

I also very clearly remember saying to someone that I wonder what is round the next bend, it can't always be Champagne. I really wonder what is round the next bend! I wonder how 2009 turn out to be. Remember I said I would swap the December mood with October!

Thames Walk, Oxford, UK

Thames Walk (Oxford, UK) Video, It was So Serene

This is a less than a minute duration video but I really like it. It was such a peaceful day and unlike India most of the time I could feel I was alone on this walk and yet always felt safe. The only botheration was because of my own fears. Long stretch of road, river on one side and wild open fields, what more could I ask for? Well, if I be honest I would ask for the Himalayas in the background.

Another Dance from Club Mahindra Coorg Stay

A Dance Performance at Club Mahindra, Coorg

As I said, for a while it is going to be videos. This one was a dance performance that I enjoyed.

A Small Video of the Covered Market in Oxford, UK

A Small Video of the Covered Market (Established 1754) Oxford UK

The videos that I made with my point and shoot Nikon camera have a .mov extension. Windows media player would not open it and for last 3 years I never downloaded any other player that would play it! So the few videos that I uploaded on this blog, I would guess which one it would be, then upload on Youtube and then I would watch them and if I had guessed correctly then I would embedd them on my blog! No wonder there are so few videos on this blog!

Not anymore, I downloaded quicktime and it plays the .mov extension without any sweat and now for some days you are going to see a lot of videos uploaded here.

The video quality is not really good, it is a combination of my skills and th capabilities of my point and shoot camera but then ...

So here is what I was doing one day in June 2008 in Oxford. There were so many flowers that caught my attention!

Another Dance from Coorg

This was another dance performance that we saw at the Club Mahindra Coorgtrip. Folks back then described this performance to be inspired by Bollywood rather than having a local flavor. Shrinidhi actually had posted a translation of the song (if you are reading this post Srinidhi, could you please give me a link to that post? I tried searching for it on your blog but without success). Also this video was captured at night hence the extra bad quality.

PS. Took the last class today for this semester. Who says teachers don't look forward to summer vacations?

How Does a Typical Home Stay at Spiti (Himachal Pradesh, India) Look Like?

This video has the partial answer. How I wish I had moved the camera gently and not with the jerky movements that will probably give you a headache. The video was taken at Langza, our first day at the Spiti trek. The first room where there are a lot of people is typical of a living room/dining area and the second room is where we would sleep. Usually, all the rooms would have a view. I would often be glued to one of the windows with a book in hand.

PS. Not writing about day 2 as could not find time. I wonder what I do with my days!