Trip to Rajasthan- Jodhpur

Day 1-Jodhpur

This is in continuation to my previous blog about Delhi. My Rajasthan trip  started from 3rd Apr,2014 to 6th Apr,2014.In fact the best thing about my trip to Delhi and Rajasthan is that it has been my first independent travelling till date and I had a blast. Till now I had been travelling in groups both small and big . And now after this recent trip I have the confidence in travelling alone too.

I had been thinking of seeing Rajasthan since last 2 years and I has also planned it along with Suma and Mrudula and one of my Jodhpur friend had made the itinerary and sent it too but my other friends were not free we had to cancel it. But then from that time onwards it was always there in the back of my mind. And also Yash who had made the itinerary was also calling me to visit in between but I could not find time. Now that I was in Delhi  and Jaipur is just 5 hours journey from there I just could not resist from going there. So I contacted my other IITTM friend Kunal and asked him to make me an itinerary so that I could enjoy the maximum. I had given him a list of places that I wanted to see and the number of days were less so finally I agreed on the itinerary to see Jodhpur, Jaipur , Pushkar and Ranthambore  as the distance between the 4 places were less and they were all on the way.

So it was decided that we, i.e me and Kunal will leave on 2nd evening to Jodhpur. Jodhpur first because that’s where Kunal stayed with his family and he had booked the train tickets for both of us for  5:30 pm evening. It was an overnight journey and we were supposed to reach Jodhpur at 5 am in the morning. We took the train from Nizammudin station in Old Delhi. He was already in  Delhi 2-3 days in advance for his official work .I was very ,very excited. Kunal and me chatted for so long remembering old days and it was almost 10:30 pm. Kunal slept off easily but I was unable to sleep in the train as It has been some 8 long years since I travelled in train.I would wake up every half and hour . When the train entered the Jodhpur station .  I woke up Kunal who was still fast asleep and we got down quickly. From there we went to his house which is some 15-20 minutes in auto. His wife ,Nishi and son, Shashank were fully awake to greet us. Shashank who is in 7th class was very excited to meet me as Kunal had told me the previous day ,greeted me by touching my feet. I was totally taken aback as I am not used to such greetings .I had actually come at a time when Navratri celebrations were going on and 3rd Apr was the 4th day of Navratri. So Nishi was up early and made us tea. It was an excellent tea she had made. And usually I limit myself to only one cup in the morning but when she offered me another cup I did not refuse at all. Pee ke mazaa aa gaya.So while we were sipping tea Kunal told me the day’s itinerary. We were to see Umaid Bhawan Palace,then Mehrangarh Fort,visit Durga temple which is in the fort ,then move on to Jaswant Thada which is near Mehrangarh.Shashank also took leave that day from school and accompanied us. Nishi was suppose to join us in Mehrangarh.

So by 9am we were all ready and after having breakfast left to see Umaid Bhawan. Kunal had booked a cab for us. Before that Kunal took me to see his house which is being constructed. After showing us around we reached Umaid Bhawan Palace is one of the most beautiful palaces that I have seen . The present owner of the Palace is Maharaja of Jodhpur Gaj Singh. The Palace is divided into three functional parts - a luxury Taj Palace Hotel (in existence since 1972), the residence of the erstwhile royal family, and a Museum focusing on the 20th century history of the Jodhpur Royal Family. The opening hours of this museum are 9 am to 5 pm. There is also a gallery showcasing the most exotic automobiles owned by the royals.Before entering the museum inside Kunal took me to see the royal family’s  Vintage collection some,15 in numbers which has been still beautifully maintained as few of them are still used by hotels for their guests at a price which is very high. Umaid Bhawan Palace was called Chittar Palace during its construction due to use of stones commonly known as Chittar in the building. Ground for the foundations of the building was broken on 18 November 1929 by Maharaja Umaid Singh and the construction work was completed in 1943..The Palace was built to provide employment to thousands of people during the time of famine.It was a good thing that Kunal accompanied as he is a tourist guide so he was able to give me a thorough information about the history of the Palace, the royal family, museum artefacts which included his palquin,clock collection,crystalware,paintings,weaponry  etc . Kunal said had I come one day before I could have witnessed the Gangaur festival in which the Gangaur devi is paraded around the whole city and then bought back to the palace. Gangaur is a celebration for married ladies and similar to Karvachauth.It was 12 noon by the time we finished Umaid Palce and then we left to pick up Nishi from her office and then proceeded towards Mehrangarh.

Mehrangarh Fort was beautiful in its own way. In fact the beauty about Rajasthan it that it has many palaces and all palaces are different and unique in their own way. But before we saw the fort we went first to see Chamundi Devi temple which is inside the fort.The temple would be open throughout the day for nine days during the festival. Once we had finished Mataji ke darshan , Nishi had to go back to the office . So Kunal dropped her back to the office and came back. Meantime me and Shashank roamed around seeing the Fort .So when Kunal came back he took us around the Fort and explained me the history of the place.

Mehrangarh Fort, located in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, is one of the largest forts in India.The fort is situated 400 feet (122 m) above the city and is enclosed by imposing thick walls. Inside its boundaries there are several palaces known for their intricate carvings and expansive courtyards. A winding road leads to and from the city below. The imprints of cannonball hits by attacking armies of Jaipur can still be seen on the second gate. To the left of the fort is the chhatri of Kirat Singh Soda, a soldier who fell on the spot defending the Mehrangarh fort.There are seven gates, which include Jayapol (meaning 'victory'), built by Maharaja Man Singh to commemorate his victories over Jaipur and Bikaner armies. Fattehpol (also meaning 'victory') gate was built by Maharaja Ajit Singh to mark the defeat of the Mughals. The palm imprints upon these still attract much attention even today.
The museum in the Mehrangarh fort is one of the most well-stocked museums in Rajasthan. In one section of the fort museum there is a selection of old royal palanquins, including the elaborate domed gilt Mahadol palanquin which was won in a battle from the Governor of Gujarat in 1730. The museum exhibits the heritage of the Rathores in arms, costumes, paintings and decorated period rooms.We saw the various rooms inside which included the Sheesh Mahal-a meditation room,Phool Mahal-for holding private durbars and Taqht Mahal-which was the sleeping rooms and the Museum. We had lunch inside the fort which was typical rajasthani cuisine and I loved it.There’s a special dish prepared by using 5 different ingredients.By the time we came out of the fort it was 4 pm.
After that Kunal took me to Jaswant Thada- which  is an architectural landmark located in Jodhpur. It is a white marble memorial built by Maharaja Sardar Singh of Jodhpur State in 1899 in memory of his father, Maharaja Jaswant Singh II. The monument, in its entirety, is built out of intricately carved sheets of marble. The Jaswant Thada is a traditional cremation ground of Jodhpur rulers.The excursion to this place took us some 40 minutes .I wanted to shop for some clothes so Kunal took me to a shop where I purchased some sarees and dress materials and we departed for home. I was really tired but I wanted to cover as many places as I had only one day and the next day I was leaving for Jaipur. Nishi was waiting for us and made us her special chai and my thakaan vanished. Kunal went out and bought Mirchi wale pakode which was a speciality there. But I could eat only half as stomach was already full as we had a late lunch and also the pakoda was too very spicy. Then after relaxing for some time Nishi took me out to buy bangles-laq bangles which is a special bangles in Rajasthan. She selected the bangles for me and then we came back home. I skipped dinner  that night .Meanwhile Kunal explained me the itinerary for the next 3 days and the accommodation  and the transport details .I slept off by  pm and I was supposed to leave Jodhpur by 8 am the next day. Nishi had got up early and prepared very nice breakfast and tea and then packed some lunch for me on the way.By 8 am the cab came to pick me up. I bid goodbye to Kunal,Nishi and Shashank.They had been a very good hosts. And I was beginning to miss Shashank as  he had given me a very good company throughout and kept me entertained  all the time and I became  his friend .He told me to send a friend request in FB. So he has become  my youngest friend.

Trip To Delhi

Here I come again with another account of my latest  journey to Delhi and Rajasthan which was a combined journey  from 1^st till 10^th Apr,2014  but I will be sharing in two different blogs as there is so much to write about. Well the plan to go to Delhi has been there since last year from the time I got connected with my school friends and IITTM friends and since the school reunion happened on Dec 21^st,2013.And maybe because I had wanted to connect with my old friends and visit Delhi and Rajasthan  so badly that  I got a chance to revisit my old friends after 25 long years and visit the place I wanted to. They say that if you really want to have/do something very badly and think positively towards it, God will definitely show you a path. It has happened with me before and it happened again. For this I had booked the tickets in the month of January itself and when the days started getting nearer got very excited about it. Though I usually travel with my friends this was my first independent travelling. So I was scared as well. I had made a list of what to do and what not do so that I do not forget anything.

Finally the day arrived. My flight was at 8:50 am in the 1^st st morning but I was up awake at 4 am , unable to sleep .I had booked the cab to drop me at the airport at 6 am and was ready much before time. I reached airport one and a half hours early and after checking in was waiting for my flight to come. It was a  two and a half hours journey to Delhi. I had earlier planned to stay with one of my tourism friends but had to change it as her in laws had come home. But at the same time my classmate from school Rajeev , in fact both husband and wife are my classmates invited me to his house. In fact he also had been calling me for the school reunion which I could not attend last Dec. I was a little hesitant to go at first thinking of the inconvenience that could be for him and his family  as both of them work but now I am glad that I stayed in his place. I got such a warm reception from him, Anjali his wife and his parents and kids that I forgot that I am meeting him for the first time after 25 long years. Aunty  and Uncle specially made me feel so much at ease at home. I Reached his place Gurgaon in the afternoon around 12:30 pm and while going towards his place I was trying to recollect the Delhi where I used to stay. But I must say Delhi has changed so much in all these years, the roads have become so confusing  with all these Metros that have come up that I cannot believe I used to stay here once upon a time. I could remember the name of the place but if I had to go alone in all these places I would have felt lost.

Well I reached his place and Rajeev met in the afternoon during lunch time as his office is in the basement of his house. We hugged and exchanged pleasantries .Rajeev updated me about everyone and told me to call up and speak to all and let them know that I have reached Delhi .In fact they knew anyways thanks to Whatapp and Facebook. I  had gone during the navratris that started on 31^st March, so Aunty had prepared lunch without using onions ,garlic etc. But I must say she had prepared such nice dishes  with 3-4 varieties of  subzis and rotis, dal and rice and sweet dish. I relished it. Evening I had to meet another set of my friends ie my tourism friends  so Rajeev left me to relax and meantime I checked with Abira and Charu where to meet and what time to meet. We were supposed to meet at 6-6:30 pm in CP,Cannaught  Place at Delhi Coffee House .So I relaxed a little bit  with Aunty and me talking about many things and then after tea I went out at 5 pm. I travelled in metro  and Rajeev dropped me at Guru Dronacharya metro station and went to Rajiv Gandhi chowk metro station where Kunal was waiting for me.  Charu, Abira, Abhijeet , Kunal, Yogesh, Umesh, Pawan and Shantanu had come.We all hugged each other and it juch a joy seeing all of them together.

Once that was done we had coffee there and then decided to go to Mcdonalds there as the coffee shop was closing at 8 pm. Shantanu and Umesh had come with their better halves. Well as usual we chatted and relived the old days at IITTM and laughed and talked.After having dinner I left with Abira and Abhijeet who dropped me back to Gurgaon at around 10:30 pm.The second day I was to leave for Jodhpur with Kunal  by train which was scheduled at 5 pm. So Rajeev as he was free ,took me to the Ambience Mall in Gurgaon, which is one of the largest in Asia and showed me around .On the way I made some calls to few of my schoolmates Richa, Kavita, Anu, Itu,  Ravi etc to plan a gettogether with them and we had agreed to meet on 8^th Apr .Being Rama Navami most of them working could take out time to meet me .By the time I reached home it was lunchtime and Aunty as usual had made some delicious dishes .I  do not eat much but Aunty made me eat .She is such a wonderful host and such apnapan I had received in their place which I will always cherish.I had to leave early as I had plans to visit IITTM Institute as I wanted to see our Raghav Sir who heads the Institute and also Binay who was not able to come.So by 3 pm I reached near a common point and Binay picked me up from there and Kunal too was there.I met Raghav Sir who still remembered me .I was asking him about the others with whom I was not in touch and he connected me with them and gave numbers and that’s how I got  Aashish and Rajan’s number and Binay gave  Pinkyla’s number.We  spent an  hour and a half there and finally me and Kunal left for Nizammuddin station where we had to catch our train to Jodhpur which was at 5:15 pm.I would be reaching Jodhpur the next day i.e 3^rd Apr.So 3^rd Apr  till 7^th  Apr  morning  the itinerary was made for Rajasthan about which I will speak in my next blog.

7^TH Apr, afternoon I reached back to Nizamuddin station and took a cab back to Gurgaon. Aunty had prepared lunch and Rajeev also came back by that time and we had lunch together and I spoke about my experience in Rajasthan and the places I visited etc. Rajeev loves to show his guests in and around Delhi.Had I stayed in Delhi more I would have seen the entire Delhi  all thanks to him. So the time I stayed in Delhi he is the one who made the plans for me  and there was not even one day where I would have sat at home.From the time I came back from the trip i.e n 7^th till 10^th Apr he was an excellent host.In fact if i was able to see Delhi it was only because of him. 7^TH Apr coincidentally was Ashtami and Rajeev and his family was waiting for me to come back from Rajasthan  so that they could take me to Chattarpur,which is a famous Santoshi Maa Temple. We had gone years ago and that time there was one small temple.But that day when I went the temple was constructed big and and both sided of the roads there were temples of various Gods and Goddesses  from one end to another. It was like  you have visited a pilgrim place and also due to Navratri celebrations it was all lighted up in festivity. And thanks to him I got a very good darshan of Santoshi Mata and we did not have to stand in queque otherewise  it would have taken us hours to get a darshan. After Darshan  on the way back Rajeev took us to Cyberhub ,one of the most popular eating joints in Gurgoan which is open till midnight as you have lot of offices inside the premises of Cybercity  and Cyberhub is in Cybercity. In Cyberhub , once you enter you  have a choice to go to any restaurants of your choice and cuisine and on the bot h sides you will see reataurants .Rajeev told that this place reminds him of Singapore and the same concept has been used here.Well we had Kulfi and Coffee and two different places and by the time we got back home it was 1 pm.

Next day Anjali had planned for a School gettogether and this time it was all girls .Anjali who is a dentist had an off as it was Ram Navami. We had decided to meet at 11:30 am .Bhuvan had sent her car to pick us up So after Breakfast  Anjali took to Bangla Sahib Gurudwara which see goes regularly as it reminds her of her grandmother who also used to go regularly. After praying  we went to Cannaught place and then decided to go to United Coffee House. Most of them had turned up.Richa, Anu, Itu,Bhuvan, Geetanjali , Anjali and me.It was such a good reunion after 25 years.We hugged tightly and I was so happy that all of them had remembered me and made it a point to meet me and catch up.I was the only one in school who had very long and tall 2 long chotis and who used to bring idlis and dosa which they used to gulp it down. We chatted and chatted and laughed and talked and talked and spoke about our old school days. Time just flew and it was time for us to go back. Bhuvan dropped us back to Anjali’s place and by the time we could even sit and talk about it most of them had posted the snaps clicked in Whats app. So all those who could attend it was commenting that they wished they had come. Bindu was one such who could not turn up. But she called and told that she might drop in to see me if she could not come in the afternoon and I had informed Rajeev about it. So when she confirmed Rajeev invited both she and her husband for dinner. So the evening was also packed with Bindu and her husband arriving for dinner.It turned out to be a very lively affair with Uncle playing the mouth organ and Rajeev’s eldest son Abhinav playing all kinds of musical instruments from Guitar to table and doing a jugalbandi. That was an excellent synchronization we experienced .We really enjoyed the dinner. Rajeev was telling that Abhinav has not taken any music lessons but just picked it up. My god! That really is a talent. So the day ended at 12:30 and we retired to bed.

The next day i.e 9^th was another dinner planned with my tourism friends which was at 7:30 -8 pm. Rajeev took me to Bhuwan’s house and she made some very nice Ajwain ka Paratha and milk.So I had the half day with me and I did not want it to go waste. I had really wanted to go to Akshardham, one of its kind in India in terms of architecture. I am glad I went because  one really feels proud to be an indian after you see the place and attend two shows and a boat ride. There were many things in which India is a first be it in terms of medicine, science  etc. The entire tour takes some 3 hours to complete and by the time I finished it was time for me to meet my friends for dinner. We met in Cannaught Place again  at Flavours of China. We talked and finally said farewell at 10:30 pm. Abira and Abhijeet again dropped me at home by 11 pm. Tomorrow was the last day of my stay in Delhi  and even that did not go waste.Rajeev  and Anjali ,good hosts that they are took me to see Itu’s place .We were there for some 40 minutes and then he took me to see Mrs Balachandran, my school principal who recognized me as well. We all chatted. Itu was also there. Finally it was 1:30 pm and Maam reminded me the time. We rushed back home after dropping Itu . Aunty had made my favourite dishes and packed some some and Chole for my flight back home which was at 4:30 pm. So I took leave at 2:30 pm .I was so emotional while leaving their place .Rajeev and Aunty dropped me at the airport .I had aprehensions when I  had come to Delhi whether my friends will remember me  or not ,whether I will be able to meet them or not but I was very glad and happy that I made a trip to Delhi. Now I wished that I should never  have left Delhi in the First place.The love and affections that I had received from all my friends will always be cherished all my life. God bless you all .And God bless Rajeev and family for their wonderful hospitality.

Now I am looking forward to keep meeting them frequently.

Ceramic Mural Work- Kalpana P ( Pls check my page - www.facebook.com/sweetkalps786 )

Mysore Paintings ( Pls check my page - www.facebook.com/sweetkalps786 )

Bangalore Reunion With Schoolfriends

Bangalore Reunion With Schoolfriends

I had felt bad that I could not meet my school friends   at the 25^th reunion held on 20^th Dec,2013 in Delhi. Everyone had been calling me and I was very eager to see them. After all I would have been meeting them after 25 long years. And when they had posted pictures in FB and Whats App, I missed them even more .Everyone had a good time, I could definitely make out from the snaps. So when Srinivas invited me for a small reunion with the Bangalore friends I just could not miss it.

In fact I had totally forgotton all my school friends. Everyone gets so busy with one’s life once you pass out of school. Busy with getting admissions in colleges, deciding what you want to do in life ,making new friends wherever you go ,you sometimes leave old friends behind. And also I had shifted from Delhi to Bangalore  so I had more contacts with my IITTM friends in Delhi. And once in Bangalore I made new friends ,colleauges who became friends so lost touch with my Delhi friends .It was last year sometimes in September /October that suddenly one by one I started connecting with my school friends and my IITTM friends. And it was all thanks to Linkedin and Facebook. These networking sites definitely played  a big hand in connecting me to my long, lost friends who still remembered me. Linkedin helped me connect with my school friend Rajeev. It was actually I was searching for Rajesh Balachandran, my schoolmate who also was our Prinicipal’s son and it was in his profile that I connected to Rajeev,another schoolmate who later through mails and FB connected me with so many other schoolmates. I was so very thrilled to speak to them, chat with them, connect with them after so many years. 25 years is definitely a very, very long time. And I was surprised and happy that they had made an effort to keep in touch after so many years. I was told it was all thanks to Rajeev’s and Srini’s effort. Also happy to know that everyone is doing so well in life and four of them actually stayed in Bangalore.

 So when Srini’s decided that all of us meet on 17^th Jan for a small get together, I immediately said yes. With Srini it was the second time as I had met him last year at his son’s thread ceremony, the other 3 that is Srinivas , Sapna and Chandrashekhar from Bangalore and the surprise visitor was Anil who posted in Cochin had stopped over in Bangalore for a day. Srini had booked a restaurant Mekong, a Thai restaurant in Sarjapur for dinner. He had also booked a cab for me to take me back as I was the only one staying in Yelhanka and the other  3 in Sarjapur and Anil was staying in Richmond. So it was decided that we will have a early dinner by 8 pm and by 9-9.30 I will leave as I had a long way to go and Sarjapur was unfamiliar to me. But then time just goes off when old friends meet after 25 years  and start talking about old school times. I was really amazed at Srini’s memory. I always used to brag about my memory power saying that elephants can forget but me - never!. But when Srini was talking and reminding us of all the incidents happening at school I just could not remember any details except a few .In fact most of my school friends I had forgotten except a selected few. In afct I could not recollect Chandrashekar at all in my class though he said he was in the same section as mine and that embarrassed me a lot. I remembered Anil and Sapna.Sapna is still the same ,trim person.She has maintained herself very well in spite being a mother of twins. In fact she has modelled for the Jewels Of India.She does yoga and goes to gym every day. Srini , when I first spoke to him on the phone I could not place him but when I saw the school group snap I could later  place him very well. The picture that first came to me in my mind about him was in the school uniform with the blue scarf which represented the House he belonged to,i.e Venus. Anil has put on weight. In fact he was one of the best atheletes in school.  In fact Srini also remembered that I had joined Ramjas in 5^th Standard and my section was A. Hats off to you Srini. Never can I brag myself again.

Well the dinner was ordered once we finished the drinks. We let Srini and Sapna decide the menu for us as the and frequented the place before. I liked therooftop restaurant overlooking the Kaikondrahalli lake as a backdrop, nice atmosphere ,good service and the food was good too. Both Srini and Chandrashekhar ordered Veg and me , Anil and Sapna had non veg. In fact the best dish which still lingers in my mind is Payapa salad, a very nice ,tasty ,juicy salad. Then we had other Thai specialisties like Prawns ,fish  ,I do not recollect the names of the dishes.I should ask Sapna, again as I want to try out the Thai food again.i really loved it.We finally finished the dinner at 10 pm and the Chandru invited us to his place .We met his wife,son and MIL. After half an hour we left his place ,took leave from our friends and left. Anil said he will drop me and so we cancelled the cab. Before that I told Srini that from now on we should meet quite often.  As Anil’s place was much before me I told him to get down first and his driver could drop me .So before I left had coffee at Anil’s hotel ,talked about few more things and finally said bye and left by 11.30 pm. I reached home by 12 am. It was after a long, long time that I stayed out so late but then such occasions do not come everyday right!

Meeting these  four friends, the eagerness to meet my remaining friends has become more strong. I shall definitely plan a trip to delhi and meet my remaining friends.And the day will come soon.

Lunch With Mushtaq and his Wife

Lunch With Mushtaq and his Wife

I have been asking my dear friend Mushtaq to invite me in his house for a very long time but i do not know why he has been avoiding it.The last time i visited his place must be sometime in 2004 for a new year party with our office friends some 10-12 people.So in our 11 years friendship that was the only time i visited his house.And everytime i raised the topic ,he used to avoid,God only knows why.And once he got married,he had still not introduced me to his wife as i shared all his secrets so i thought that became another reason for him not to invite me .I had almost lost hope.As he always used to give me reasons that his relatives were there, or his wife was at her inlaws place or he's not in town etc etc.

So i made a decision of not inviting him to my place till he invited me When all of a sudden a plan was made for a lunch at his place.I could not believe my ears that the once fearful Mushtaq had become fearless ha ha.Well finally i made it to his pace on 22nd Dec,2013 for lunch.It was high tme i met his wife,Tamanna.Tamanna came across to me as a very friendly and a sweet person and of course a very good hostess.The two hour journey from my place to his place had increased my apetite.And the lunch was a lavish spread of Chicken biryani,two different varieties of kababs,two desserts one was a sort of halwa,i forgot the name and other was my favourite falooda.Shamelessly i has helped myself 2 big glasses of falooda followed by soda which was very very yummy without bothering about the calories i would put.I must say Tamanna is an excellent cook.

We spent our time talking about the trips that we had gone to Kalasa,our Getit trips ,some gossips.Our afternoon was spent watching  repeated telecast of movie" Athithi Tum Kab Jayoge".And even though i have watched it a couple of times i enjoyed watching it again.I just hope that the movie was not played intentionally for me and meant me indirectly he he :)

Well my main intention was to meet Tamanna,which i finally accomplished .I share a great rapport with Mush so i  was concerned whether i can share the same equation with his wife too and i was rest assured.Overall spent some quality time with Mushtaq and Tamanna and have plans to socialise with her more to get to know her better.I had forgotton to take Tamanna's number so that i could start talking to her and thought i would ask fron Mush.But again for some reason he avoids giving it to me saying what if i become her close friend than his  :). So Tamanna if you are reading this please take my number from Mush and keep in touch.