IDEAFEST

Death Anniversary of Shankar Guha Niyogi (14th February, 1943 to 28th Sept.,1991)

2011-09-29T02:54:00.000+05:30

Salute to his social reforms in Chattisgadh. Please click here to read more about his work.

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2011-09-17T04:53:00.002+05:30

Pandit Kumar Gandharv and Saint Kabir = Heaven

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2011-08-26T06:12:00.001+05:30

I was waiting for Manish Tiwari's U turn, and he took it. Hats off to Anna's character. Though there a Retired Police Officer, X-News Producer, Top Advocate and a IIT Engineer but the aura which gave credibility to these four is Anna's Character... I am really really proud.

2 days to go for Independence day

2011-08-13T22:47:00.004+05:30

On this independence day you have got chance to give gift to your mother nation by supporting anti-corruption movement by Anna Hazare. (Talk about it, think about it, breath it and action wil automatically follow)

Crown

2011-07-24T19:16:00.002+05:30

We meet this person in our NY trip. It was a hot day and we were standing in a long queue for a ferry to the Statue of Liberty. Due to the increasing heat people were getting uncomfortable but they this person a true crown was entertaining the crowd with his innocent smile. He was in the same heat from the morning but he was not complaining he was not crapping about the uncomfort of the heat he was just spreading the smile.

He was asking the people about the their origins and he was singing the song for their country. He sung Indian songs for us. You would definitely like it.

Crown is a such mysterious person, despite of his own state of emotions he has to just keep spreading the smile. It remembered me the great movie from Raj Kapoor, "Mera Naam Joker".

Sometimes you have to be a Joker and hide your emotions to make person in front of you happy.

Gillette Castle and Fort Trumbull

2011-07-01T00:46:00.001+05:30

25 June 2011
Hartford is a home to many artists. This weekend we visited Gillette Castle State Park. The castle was originally a private residence commissioned and designed by William Gillette, an American actor who is most famous for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes on stage.

This was the guy who was neighbor to Mark Twain, who spends his 8 years of life on boat because he loved staying on boat, who didn’t remarry after early demise of his lovely wife. Who built the castle but never referred it as a castle, who built the private rail road and whose passengers were Mark Twain, Charlie Chaplin etc?

How can somebody think of owning a private rail road? That is so amazing. Everything in his house is made up of wood, e.g. latches, locks, electric switches.

There are a number of oddities in the castle personally designed by Gillette, such as unusual doorknobs and locks, and a system of hidden mirrors for surveillance of the public rooms from the master bedroom.

It’s a really beautiful place.
The next place we visited is Fort Trumbull. This is the fort which served the country from civil war.

I have uploaded few photos with this post, hope you will like it.

Eureka!!!

2011-06-25T19:15:00.000+05:30

From the day I read article in times of India about Shreesh Jadhav, I am eager to meet him. He is indeed a great personality of our times. I was having little bit information about him that he teaches in the institute of the Belur math. Yesterday while surfing the internet I found this blog “From here and dere”. He is also one of thousands of fans\followers of Shreesh Maharaj (as he known in the Belur Math). He started his blog with the first article dedicated to Shreeshji.

From his blog only I came to know that Shreesh Jadhav is now known as Swami Sarvotamanand. This guy has got a privilege to meet Shreesh Maharaj. (It is a big deal for me.)

One step forward in knowing Shreesh Maharaj. Now the first thing to do as soon as I reach India is to visit Belur Math to meet Shreeshji.

Hartford Public Library – A Treasure Island

2011-05-05T02:31:00.001+05:30

I have been seen this library from few years but never went inside to check what’s inside. Reason for this may be my short trips. Before this trip I always came to Hartford for a short trip of 2 to 3 months.

But this time I have decided that lets open account in the library. And after exploring the library I was amazed to see the wide variety of book on different topics like fiction, Non-fiction, Arts, Science, and Engineering. It has more that 100 types of magazine subscription. Wow!!! And one more amazing thing is the membership to this library is absolutely free. I was thrilled when I came to know that the library service is free. But thanks to Hartford Govt. for providing opportunity to people from society to read books for free.

Another attractive feature of this library is the Music and Movie section.

They have all kinds of music from all over the world. Now days I am listening to Folk Music from Ireland, Indian classical music and the Spanish Music.

If you are in Hartford then you should spend your free time in Hartford Public Library.

Rebuilding Hartford - Revisiting yourself

2011-05-04T03:03:00.002+05:30

Saturday, April 30th

Me, my friends and my colleagues has undertaken and executed successfully many
philanthropy projects in India. But it’s the need of the society over there in developing
countries like India.

But it was a great experience to get a chance to serve the society in USA. Yes, you read
it right; this Saturday April 30 2011, I was part of such social welfare activity in Hartford,
USA with Rebuilding Together Hartford, Inc.

Rebuilding Together Hartford, Inc. is a nonprofit, nonsectarian, volunteer organization
dedicated to helping low-income homeowners, through home renovation and repair.
Our mission is to bring volunteers and communities together to improve the homes and
lives of low-income Hartford homeowners.

We gathered at the decided venue and registered ourselves for the event. All the
volunteers were divided among different houses. And each house was assigned one
home. So we went to the home that was assigned to us and we got a warm welcome
and blessings by the homeowner. Volunteer coordinator briefed us again what needs
to be done and safety instructor gave instruction about do’s and don’t regarding safety
during the work.

In the 8 hours of rigorous day when we looked back on the activities which we
completed were –

1) Replace kitchen plumbing under sink/bathtub fixtures – upstairs
2) Reinstall railing to wall going upstairs and paint
3) Install CO2 detector in basement
4) Windows (replace rope)
5) Fix Railing front step
6) Garage – cleaning
7) Garden – Cleaning, Trimming the grass and Landscaping
8) Basement Cleaning
9) Electrical
10) Replace door knob in kitchen to basement

Wow!!! That was a fruitful day. My body was paining due to the physical work (I have to
push my grey cells to remember when the last time I went to gym was) but I was happy
and satisfied inside.

Thanks to Amit Karkera our house captain who initialized and executed the activity
successfully.

An Irish weekend in New York :)

2011-04-30T02:30:00.003+05:30

Every time when I go to new York I go with two purpose to meet my old college friends and experience new York. I love new York street life. The people flowing on its street. The isolated journey in the metro trains. (You don’t get cell phone network in metro trains, since it is underground)

This time I went for a special purpose. Riyaaz (my college buddy) was going to perform in the New York Irish Community center with the other Irish Musicians. I really salute Riyaaz. He is a real genius. He started learning Irish Music one year back and now he has made himself to the level to perform publicly. He plays fiddle.

‘Fiddle’ or ‘Violin’?

There is another interesting story behind this. One day I asked Riyaaz why some people call this instrument ‘Fiddle’ and some as ‘Violin’. He told me that there is no technical difference. But his theory says that if you learn classical music then you calls it as ‘Violin’ and if you are learning it by yourself then you call it as ‘Fiddle’.

Saturday 16 April 2011

We reached New York by 4:00pm. We meet Riyaaz and Aman. Aman just got shifted to New York. I was about to meet him after almost 2 years. Last time I meet him was in India. This was the first time I will be meeting him outside the native place. It may sound weird but it’s an altogether different experience to meet someone outside your common place. I meet Suhas, Riyaz, Mrunal and Aman outside India. We enjoyed a lot.

We went to an Irish Pub near Union Square named Lillie's Victorian Bar & Restaurant (13 East 17 Street NY, NY 10003). This historic bar had been opened by a Lillie Langtry (1853 – 1929) in 1887.

Riyaz got a invite from a Irish band who was going to perform that evening in that bar. So we were searching for the Lillie’s bar at union station. And when its started running we were rushing to find the address and finally we saw a antique bar across the street and when we entered it was a warm welcome by a Irish tunes played by live Irish Band. Wow!!!

This bar has got an antique furniture, polite staff and very nice food. You can visit there website www.lilliesnyc.com

And that was my first encounter with the live Irish music. The sound of banjo, accordion are so melodies. The mood automatically gets created by Fiddle. And nobody was singing it was a pure music.

It was a great evening. After having a dinner we still were not in the mood of going home. In the cities like New York, Mumbai you never feels its time to go home. With so much things happening around you really forgot what the time is.

So at around 8:00pm we decided to watch movie ‘Atlas Shrugged’. But it didn’t influence me much. For me Cinema should be entertaining or it should be influential.

Sunday 17 April 2011

Riyaaz’ performance was in the evening and so we decided to roam around Time Square.

When we reached at the place “New York Irish Center” (http://www.newyorkirishcenter.org/). As I entered inside I saw people playing traditional Irish instruments. What is related to Irish Music you can perform there whether it’s music, songs and dance? Just bring it on!!!

It was really impressive how people are trying to save the great folk music of Ireland. Now youth is getting attracted to the Irish music, but that number should go up.

We clicked some nice pictures and videos. I am sure you will like it.

-Abhi

Book gems from Google books - 1

2011-04-16T06:34:00.000+05:30

I got a new treasure on the internet, free books by google. com. Whenever I get a change I am going to deep dive into the huge ocean of books available on google.com and whatever I will get I am going to present to you.

Pushing to the front by Orison Swett Marden

Amazing book. Very insipirational book on self development.

Hope you will like it.

Darling, aankhon se aankhein chaar karne do - Lyrics from 7 Khoon Maaf

2011-01-23T14:04:00.000+05:30

Darling, aankhon se aankhein chaar karne do

Darling aankhon se aankhein chaar karne do
Roko na roko na mujhko pyaar karne do
Darling aankhon se aankhein chaar karne do
Roko na roko na mujhko pyaar karne do
Bekaif hai bahara, bechain jaane yaara
Bulbulon ko intezaar karne do
Darling aankhon se aankhein chaar karne do

Darling, sorry tujhe Sunday ke din, zehmat hui
Darling, milna tera fazle khuda, rehmat hui
Darling, sorry tujhe aate hue, sehmat hui
Darling, milna tera fazle khuda, rehmat hui, rehmat hui

Hey darling, public mein sansani ek baar karne do
Darling aankhon se aankhein chaar karne do
Roko na roko na mujhko pyaar karne do

Film/Album: 7 Khoon Maaf
Singer(s): Usha Uthap, Rekha Bhardwaj
Music Director: Vishal Bhardwaj
Lyricist: Gulzar

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2011-01-01T07:34:00.000+05:30

Happy new year to all readers of IDEAFEST.

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2010-12-26T10:28:00.000+05:30

Successful artist is of no use to society or community. Sad but true!!

Saturday Skies!!!!

2010-12-20T10:07:00.000+05:30

BOSE Rocks....

2010-12-16T07:53:00.001+05:30

Today I bought new BOSE Companion 2 speakers. The sound clarity is so clear that you can count each and every note of each instrument playing the track.

I have connected these speakers to iPod, iPod + BOSE Speakers seems to be deadly combo. :)

Bose Rocks!!!

Hartford street in winter night....

2010-12-13T06:05:00.000+05:30

Tiger Balm and skin burning ?

2010-11-29T18:03:00.000+05:30

Till today I never used any balm but 2 days before I used Tiger balm on my forehead and got burn marks on my forehead.

Thanks to my dermitologist who cure those burn marks.

:(

So before applying Tiger balm check whether it suits your skin or not. They have also printed this warning on there product.

I learnt my lesson.

I searched google for complaint against tiger balm and I found these links:

http://www.google.co.in/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=tiger+balm+skin+burning&meta=&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Burns-1441/2008/8/Burnt-Skin-marks.htm

http://www.consumercourt.in/other-medical-services/6866-tiger-balm-red-causes-skin-burning.html

I want to kiss you in the rain...

2010-11-02T16:17:00.000+05:30

I want to kiss you in the rain
it will surely wash away your pain

I want to see rain flowing on you
this is the scene I am dying to view

I want to see your hairs getting wet
I want to feel them how can I forget

I love you and here I stand
my love is as pure as rain is for the land

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2010-08-28T03:17:00.000+05:30

Finally I am going back to India. Today is my last working day. In last 3 months I really enjoyed here, meet new people, good people. Lots of good memories.

Learned new things, got new friends....I will remember these 3 month.

See you USA, bye bye!!!

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2010-08-21T19:45:00.002+05:30

A flimmaker rarely writes about films.

Indian Independence day 15 August 2010 at Hartford, USA

2010-08-17T06:05:00.000+05:30

Hartford is the only city in USA where Indian Flag is hosted on Capitol Building.

Thanks to all Americans!!!

Thanking God..Real life experience of my colleague

2010-08-11T03:53:00.000+05:30

Software Developers and Software Testers are like Tom and Jerry. Always fighting but still both are important for a successful software product.

Riya (Name changed for Privacy), the tech lead of our testing team shared one article about her real life experience. After reading her experience you will feel that how much things we assume in our life.

Here is the article.

I would like to welcome you all to know something happened in my life. I wanted to share this not only to my friends, even to my know persons. J

May be like a story..

They were days we were slowly digesting the fact that my father is no more in this world. Not even 1 yr my father left us, on May 18th, 2009 one of my brothers [3rd bro] was shot by ISI terrorists at Falaknama, Hyderabad. He got shot in head and bullet went into head. Doctors said that cannot say anything till 4 to 5 days observation. That was the reason I am back from Sydney.

At that moment my family was in unexplainable grief as we already lost my father just before 1 yr of this situation happened. Family was doubted whether I and my mom can survive if anything happens to my bro.

When my father passed away, as a youngest kid who got newly married [less than 2 months] I was anguished, couldn’t even sleep nights. I wanted to take any medicine / alcohol and forget the pain to sleep temporarily. But I couldn’t do that by thinking my father will be looking at me and he feels sad. I almost lost the conscious that god is there, I forgot all good things god did in my life. I was throwing all god materials.

And in my brother situation I was like crazy; don’t know what to do & what to talk.

My brother used to deny that god is there. But you know what, now he believes god as he already reached him and back. You know why?

My bro is now absolutely fine with no minor disability also. He didn’t lose anything except the pain. Doctors were surprised to look at him, he is still carrying bullet in his head, but he is totally like normal. Few days before he started going to job.

One more thing is police caught that person who shot my bro just two days before. He is under my bro custody. He killed two cops, 1 at the time when he shot my bro and another person on May 18, 2010.

Might be after reading this if you are not thinking this is greatest, that might be true from your perspective. But every individual experience is different. As of my life experience, I felt amazing by experiencing what god did to my bro.

I just want to keep on thanking god for the gracious sight he is having on my family.

At times, we don’t understand the reason for something’s happens in our life right?

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2010-08-10T07:22:00.002+05:30

Sometimes I feel that I am talking to books and reading a person.

Green Peas Masala

2010-08-01T07:40:00.000+05:30

Today I cooked Green Peas Masala. I took this receipe from this site.

2 persons, 30 min
3 spn coconut powder

3 inch of ginger

5 cloves of garlic

1 pinch of turmeric

3 elachi

1 spn of chilli powder (or) 6 green chillies

1 spn garam masala

oil 2 spns and

salt to taste
Fry in no oil all the above ingredients i.e., ginger, garlic, elachi, coconut power and grind them till a thick paste.
Now heat oil in a pan and fry onions,green chillies and turmeric till it gets brown.
Add to it tomatoes(cut into very small pieces)and fry them till it is totally fried and leaves oil.
Add the above grinded paste and let it fry till it leaves the oil.
Now add salt and garam masala and stir about 2 min.
Finally add the green peas decorated with cilanto on it..

This can be served with rotis,puri, and rice..

The Ray Gonzalez - Latin Jazz and Salsa Festival

2010-07-25T08:11:00.009+05:30

As per my plan in my US stay, I have decided that every weekend I have to do\visit some new interesting activity.

This weekend was good in this regard. On friday we had a picnic and we played softball over there.

Today evening we went to The Ray Gonzalez - Latin Jazz and Salsa Festival. It was a blast.

It was at the riverfront plaza, hartfrord.

Guest Artist were: Richi Flores, Lucho Cueto and Black Sugar Sextet, Ray Gonzalez, Torres Jazzy Rumba.
Guest Singers were Josue Rosado, Juan Garcia, Jennifer Murillo.

Jennifer Murillo was amazing. Her singing style and voice are phonomenon. She is daughter of New Orleans cultured by Pervuvian parents and gifted singing student at Guakia in Hatford. she has participated as one of the main characters in the following musicals: "Cinderella Eats Rice and Beans" and "Alice in Wonderland" presented by The Hartford Childern's Theater. Murillo made her debut at the Festival singing with Big Band Orchestra conducted by Ray Gonzalez.

Another impressive performance was from the Juan Manuel Garcia. A true Puerto Rican sonero with deep and passionate doman in the art of improvisation. Garcia has been the featured sinnger for man musical groups in and out of Puerto Rico. Presently Garcia is the singer for Orquesta Mulenz. He performed first time in Ray Gonzalez Latin Jass and Salsa Festival.

Over all it was a great experience to see these people performing live. People were dancing on there tunes and rytheme. What else you need for a perfect weekend.

Client Picnic

2010-07-24T08:14:00.000+05:30

Softball is something new for me. In India the main game is cricket as football in brazil. But after understanding the game

I felt it is more interesting. the only comedy happen with me I always forgot that after you hit the ball in softball you

have to keep the bat at that point only. After strike I always tool bat with me...which was funny.

OVer all it was a nice experiece!!!

Mushroom Curry

2010-07-23T07:02:00.003+05:30

This is not my receipe, I learned it from this blog

Thought of sharing it again!!!

Preparation Method of Mushroom Masala Curry Recipe
Sliced Mushrooms - 1 pack
Ginger paste - 1 tsp
Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Onion - 1 no
Tomato - 1 no
Coriander powder - 4 tsp
Masala powder - 4 tsp
Chilly powder - 2 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Coriander leaves(optional) - 4 stems

1)Wash mushrooms in warm water.

2)Heat oil in a pan.

3)Add ginger and garlic paste and stir, till brown.

4)Add chopped onions and stir, till onions are cooked.

5)Add coriander powder and
masala powder and stir, till the smell of masala powder comes out.

6)Add one or two chopped tomatoes, chilly powder and stir well, till tomatoes blend well.

7)Add mushrooms, cover the pan with a lid and cook on a low fame,
till mushroom is cooked.

:- Secret to cooking mushroom well is that you should not cook mushroom in water. Mushroom, itself has a lot of fluid which comes out when heated up. Hence it gets cooked in its own fluid.

8)Add water and salt as required and stir Mushroom Masala Curry well, till everything blends.

9)Garnish Mushroom Masala Curry with coriander leaves.

10) Serve Mushroom Masala Curry hot with rice or roti.

Enjoy!!!

Queen of earth, sky and sea - 25-year-old daredevil masters art of mountaineering, scuba diving & aero sports

2010-07-13T07:15:00.001+05:30

The following article is published in Telegraph on June 28, to read the original article please click here

Bhubaneswar, June 28: This girl grew up playing with dolls but her favourite sport was to chase boys.

Today, the 25-year-old Arpita Mohapatra has progressed to where she is climbing peaks, plunging to the depth of oceans and falling through the sky. Arpita recently returned after leading a team of eight visually-challenged persons, who successfully trekked the Himalayas has surfaced to become the first and only woman in the state to have mastered all the areas of extreme adventure — mountaineering, water sports, aero-sports and scuba diving.

This daredevil hailing from Amaria, a little hamlet in Balasore district, was never a bright student. “Often, I would get back home bruised and was tired of dressing my injuries. None of my other six siblings troubled her like I did,” recalls Arpita. “Studies never attracted me. I was a good athlete from my school days, winning competitions in long jump, high jump, discuss and javelin throw.”

When in plus two, the Arpita had a brief stint in football for a period of two years. But before she could play any important games, her parents asked her to take up some computer courses so that she could bag a decent job. It was then that she headed for Bhubaneswar, aiming to take up a course in systems management. “My sporting activities had completely stopped and I was into this course. I was, however, badly missing my sporting activities. My uncle, a sports enthusiast, kept insisting that I must resume my sporting activities,” she says.

In 2007, Arpita hesitantly participated in the National Himalaya Expedition where she climbed the 14,000-ft Sarpas Cross.

“It was a 42-member group and I was the only one from Orissa. It was my first trekking experience and although I was hesitant to go in the beginning I could sense the pleasure soon as I reached the spot. It was the first time I was going out with such a mixed group,” she reminisces.

There was no stop from there. What followed was the Goa mountain and beach trek and sailing in the Arabian Sea. There was 12,000-ft Sandakphu trekking in the Kanchenjungha range and another from Darjeeling to the Nepal border. She also took part in the National Coastal Trekking expedition from Gangasagar to Digha. “Technically, it is difficult to go on these trips. Its exhausting and one needs a lot of energy,” she admits.

Determined to take it up as a career, Arpita took professional courses in mountaineering, water sports, aero sports and scuba diving at various institutes, including the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Regional Water Sports Institute, Himalayan Institute of Aero sports and the Institute of Professional Association for Diving Instructors. “The courses, apart from the much-needed professional certificates, provided me proper training and helped me adapt better methods to handle onsite. I had a rich experience of learning under experts like Reluram Thakur, Roshan Lal Thakur, Venketesh Charloo, Andy and Jeff,” gushed Arpita, who clinched the Anupama Award instituted by Doordarshan on occasion of Womens’ Day.

“She has excelled in all fields of adventure sports and aspires to take it ahead as a career. Her trainers have marked her as a quick learner and have always been encouraging her efforts. “The most important thing for women in adventure sports is proper guidance and loads of encouragement,” says adventure sports enthusiast Sushanta Kumar Das.

Arpita currently works as a swimming trainer at the Kalinga stadium where she trains young swimmers. “I get happy whenever I see the old snaps of the expeditions but I cannot be sure if this can be financially rewarding ever. With so few girls into this area, I am often looked upon as a tomboy.” “Neither I find the state government keen to support women who really wish to scale new heights. There have been occasions, where I was forced to let go some important expeditions as my leaves were not sanctioned,” she rues.

Arpita’s family still does not know what she has been doing all these days. They know that there is something called adventure sports but are not much into it. They understand that I am swimming and that is what I get my salary for,” she laughs. “But on the whole, it is a rewarding experience. I am proud I have been able to do what many girls can only dream of. I wish to excel in all I do,” she signs off.

Riyaz, New York - Visit 1

2010-07-11T11:02:00.002+05:30

I am in New york with my college buddy Riyaz. From morning it was fun day. We visited Arab-American Street Festival.

We watched "The Last Airbender" movie. I didn't liked it much.

We tried to visit some of the Irish Music Clubs but we could not make it. The band was not available.

We had a dinner in a Thai Restaurant. Yesterday we ate at Turkish Restaurant. In New York you will find food from different countries.

I also came to know about 2 interesting websites.

www.couchsurfing.com
www.meetups.com

Now we are back at home and I am listening to his Irish Violin.

She

2010-07-10T02:28:00.002+05:30

She

She is a glass maker,

She is a glass breaker,

She is a game,

She is a flame,

She can handle furnace

She can resolve a mess

She is bliss

Like a baby’s kiss

FIFA finals - Octopus is deciding the results...now that's something interesting.

2010-07-08T09:16:00.000+05:30

To read more on this please click here.

How to prepare for the FTII entrance exam?

2010-07-08T09:10:00.000+05:30

Following are some important links that will help you to start your study for FTII exam in a right direction.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Discuss:How_do_you_prepare_for_FTII_entrance_exam
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_does_one_prepare_for_the_FTII_entrance_exam&src=ansTT
http://media5w1h.wordpress.com/2010/01/11/ftii-question-paper-2009/
http://www.reocities.com/bvijay/movies/ftii.html
http://www.fullinterview.com/phpkb/article/how-to-prepare-for-ftii-1384.html

Best of Luck!!!

100 years completed for the heroic action of Great freedom fighter Savarkar.

2010-07-08T02:25:00.000+05:30

“When the ship S.S. Morea reached the port of Marseilles

on July 8, 1910, Savarkar escaped from his cell through a

porthole and dived into the water, swimming to the shore in

the hope that his friend would be there to receive him in a

car. “

It’s been a 100 years now. Please accept our salutes to you

and your heroic actions and thoughts.

Can I go to Marseille, France, where this happened 100

years back?

Go Netherlands Go!!!

2010-07-03T01:00:00.002+05:30

I repect brazil but I love netherlands.
Today Netherlands won the match against Brazil and created the history.
Excellent!! I am happy

Give me some sunshine...

2010-06-27T13:13:00.001+05:30

GIVE ME SOME SUNSHINE

GIVE ME SOME RAYS

GIVE ME ANOTHER CHANCE

I WANT TO GROW UP ONCE AGAIN

2010-06-27T12:29:00.003+05:30

If everybody get a chance to express everything he wants then there will be no worries.
To get a fair chance to express is the key to happiness. I thank you everybody who allow me to speak and listen to me.

religion Vs ideaology

2010-06-27T01:00:00.002+05:30

Can somebody help me understand the difference between religion and ideaology?

Priority

2010-06-26T04:07:00.000+05:30

Priority - can it be situational? or priorities should be fixed? Or they should be fixed for particular situation?

2010-06-25T17:35:00.002+05:30

Rains are always more or less than our expectation....:)

2010-06-25T07:54:00.002+05:30

Its all about good people. good people = good life

A R Rehman live, Atlantic City, NJ (Jai Ho World Tour 2010)

2010-06-14T02:49:00.004+05:30

12-June-2010

Singers participated with A R

Hariharan
Winner of the 2004 Padma Shri national award, multiple National Film Awards and 2004 Yesudas Award for outstanding contribution to Indian film music.
Hariharan - Medley (Live)
Hariharan - "Tu Hi Re" (Live)
Hariharan, A.R. Rahman and Sadhna Sargam - "Chanda Re"

Javed Ali
Winner of the 2009 IIFA Award for "Jashn-E-Bahara" (Jodha-Akbar) and 2009 Best Male Playback Singer for "Guzarish" (Ghajini).
Javed Ali - "Guzarish"
Javed Ali on Musical-E-Azam

Benny Dayal
Winner of the 2009 Filmfare R.D. Burman Award for New Music Talent and 2009 Stardust Best Upcoming Talent Award for Jane Tu Ya Jane Na.
Benny Dayal and Various Artists - "Pappu Can't Dance"

Blaaze
Up and coming singer and musician and 2008 Pepsi MTV Youth Icon.
Shweta Pandit, Blaaze and Neetii Muhan - "Ringa Ringa" Live
A.R. Rahman and Blaaze - "Hamma Hamma" Live

Shweta Pandit
Winner of 2009 Best Female Playback Singer for "Nenani Neevani" and nominated for 2005 Stardust Best Music Sensation.
Shweta Pandit - "Nenani Neevani"

Neetii Muhan
Up-and-coming musical sensation and talent.
Neetii Muhan - "Mayya" Live

Songs performed in the concert
Oh Saya...(A R)
Ye jo Des hai tera (A R)
Barso re megha
Dil kabhi baccha
Bombay Theme
Dil se re(A R)
Sitar from Slumdog
Rang de basanti
Bharat Hum ko Jaan se pyara hai (Hariharan)
Luka chupi (A R)
Azadi.. ayegi(A R)
Violin from Slumdog
Pappu can't dance sala
Dangerous by MJ (A R)
Urvashi A R)
Hai Rama ye (Hariharan)
Miyan ki todi (Hariharan)
Bhor bhayi (Hariharan)
tumri - yaad piya ki aaye (Hariharan)
Hole hole gau
hum jo iss pal yahan
touba touba ye jalve
genda phool
ishq bina kya jeena yaaro (A R)
mehendi hai rachne wali
om mangalam vishu bhage
ringa ringa
ek omkara
o palanhare
khwaja ji (A R)
humma (A R)
vande mataram ( A R)
Jai Ho (A R)

And Tu hi re by Hariharan..:)

View Larger Map

To read about his first show of this world tour in pune, india please click here.

Reached USA

2010-06-12T02:53:00.002+05:30

"Of all the beautiful towns it has been my fortune to see, Hartford is the chief". - Mark Twain (1868)

Reached USA last weekend...Hartford, connecticut.
After one and half year again I am at the same place. The only and major difference is last time I was there in summer and now its winter. Now I atleast can take walk in a pleasant whether.

Almost 400 years old, Hartford is among the oldest cities in the United States.

Its nice to be here in summer.

I landed here on 6-June-2010, thanks to Pradeep who came all over the way to pick me up. On the same day we went to Indian restaruant and "Prince of Persia" moive followed by it.

I want to upload the pictures but I do not have personal laptop. I have ordered once, then only I will be uploading the photos.

Yesterday we went to city - space its a nice restuarant in the downtown hartford. They have their own brewery. It was like a small get together for all of us.

Coming weekend I will be going to Atlantic city, Newyork to attain A R Rehman's world tour show. He has started his world tour from pune, I have attended that show...It was a life lime experience. Now I will be experiencing the life again...

Thanks to A R.

That's it for today.

Love and peace,
Abhijeet

30 Days Fitness Challenge - Day 29

2010-04-30T22:18:00.001+05:30

I am still in the game. On 2nd of the May am going to publish the statistics of the improvement.

some of my favorite video songs

2010-04-11T23:26:00.002+05:30

Here I am posting some of my favorite video songs. I am sure you will like it.

30 Days Fitness Challenge - Day 6,7,8,9,10

2010-04-11T23:21:00.002+05:30

I am still in the race...working hard towards fitness challenge.

Different ABS Excercises.

2010-04-06T21:46:00.002+05:30

These are my daily ABS exercises.

1) In & Outs
2) Bicycles (forward motion)
3) Bicycles (reverse motion)
4) Crunchy Frog
5) Cross-Leg/Wide Leg Sit-ups. Sit down Indian-style.
6) Fifer Scissors.
7) Hip Rock and Raise.
8) Pulse UPS
9) V-Up/Roll-Up
10) Oblique V-Ups
11) Leg Climbs
12) Mason Twist

To read more about these exercises please click here.

30 Days Fitness Challenge - Day 5

2010-04-06T21:29:00.002+05:30

Since I have started exercises related to Abs, they are paining like anything.
But I have to bear it. No Pain!!!

1) 1 round running (1km)
2) 1 round walking (1km)
3) Stepping exercise (15min * 4)
4) 4 sprints (100 Meters)
5) Stretching
6) Abs exercise

30 Days Fitness Challenge - Day 4

2010-04-05T21:08:00.001+05:30

Take care of your body with steadfast fidelity. The soul must see through these eyes alone, and if they are dim, the whole world is clouded.

Though day 3 was a holiday, my body is still paining and not ready for the day 4 exercise.

But there is no other option. No pain!!!

1) 1 round running (1km)
2) 1 round walking (1km)
3) Stepping exercise (15min * 4)
4) 4 sprints (100 Meters)
5) Stepping
6) Stretching
7) 10 Push ups (*2)
6) Abs exercise

I am not sure now i am able to go to office or not.

30 Days Fitness Challenge - Day 2 and Day 3

2010-04-04T22:24:00.004+05:30

Physical fitness is not only
one of the most important keys to a healthy body;
it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.
-John F. Kennedy

After 1st day as stretching day, 2nd day was bit hard.

Since day3 was a Sunday(holiday), I intentionally took day2 as a tough day.

1) 1 round running (1km)
2) 1 round walking (1km)
3) Stepping exercise (15min * 4)
4) 4 rounds 50 meters sprint
5) Leg Stretching
6) Abs exercise

Now I am going to rest for 1 day tomorrow since it is Sunday!!!

30 Days Fitness Challenge - Day 1

2010-04-02T09:36:00.005+05:30

It is exercise alone that supports the spirits,
and keeps the mind in vigor.
-Cicero

From I have taken very serious steps towards my fitness. I want flat stomach in 30 days. You can follow my progress.
Any feed back will be appreciated.

Thanks again!!!

Following are the progress of the first day.

- Woke up at 6 o'clock.
- 1 round Jogging
- 1 round walking
- Walking on tows
- Walking on heel
- 20 min Stretching (figure of 4, calves etc)
- 15 min step exercise
- 10 min Relaxing

(P.S. I have not changed my diet)

Mandolin Notations - 2 - Happy Birthday Tune

2010-03-17T10:04:00.001+05:30

Hope you will learn quickly and enjoy the tune!!!

Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard

2010-03-16T17:13:00.001+05:30

It is a wonderful film - a very important environmental message and needs to be shared globally in all local languages.

Aisi Ankhen nahi dekhi....

2010-03-13T09:44:00.001+05:30

One of my fav song....got it again while surfing you tube.

Enjoy!!!

Aisi Aankhen Nahin Dekhi
Aisi Aankhen Nahin Dekhi
Aisa Kajal Nahin Dekha
Aisa Jalwa Nahin Dekha
Aisa Chehra Nahin Dekha
Jab Yeh Daaman Ki Hawan De
Aag Jungle Mein Laga De
Jab Yeh Sehrao Mein Jaaye
Ret Mein Phool Khilaye
Aisi Duniya Nahin Dekhi
Aisa Manzar Nahi Dekhi
Aisa Aalam Nahi Dekha
Aisa Dilbar Nahin Dekha
Uske Kangan Ka Khalakna
Jaise Bulbul Ka Chehakna
Uske Pazeb Ki Cham Cham
Jaise Barsaat Ka Mausam

Aisa Sawan Nahi Dekha
Aisi Baarish Nahi Dekhi
Aisi Rimjhim Nahin Dekhi
Aisi Khwahish Nahi Dekhi
Uski Bebaad Se Baatein
Jaise Sardi Ki Ho Raatein
Uff Yeh Tanhai Yeh Masti
Jaise Toofan Mein Kashti

Miti Koyal Si Hai Boli
Jaise Geeton Ki Rangoli
Sukh Gaalon Pe Pasina
Jaise Phagun Ka Mahina
Aisi Ankhen Nahi Dekhi
Aisa Kajal Nahi Dekha
Aisa Jalwa Nahi Dekha
Aisa Chehra Nahi Dekha

Pune to Sinhagad Cycling and Hiking Details

2010-03-07T19:39:00.002+05:30

Added into my things to do list. :)

Pune to Sinhagad Cycling and Hiking

Map your trip with EveryTrail

I Can...

2010-02-28T21:51:00.002+05:30

In our college day, my friend Anup shared this poem with me. Today I found the paper on which this poem was written. Very inspirational poem. I remember his cousin wrote this. Hope you will like it. All credit goes to Anup and his cousin.

I Can See You
Though you are not here,
I can Feel you,
Your soft tone and
the warmth in you eyes.
I can see sparkles within them
and confidence they give me.
I can go miles and seas;
as you are with me.
I can say we will climb mountains together,
and touch the sky
I belive I can
As these are your words,
Now are mine.
I can;
Yes I Can.

Lyrics - Lallati Bhandar from Marathi Movie Jogwa.

2010-02-28T01:54:00.006+05:30

"Lallati Bhandaar" is the song picturised on all the characters of film, as this is the Gondhal a song sung in the praise of the Goddess Yellamma.

It involves wonderful usage of traditional instruments.Singers - Ajay Gogavale, ajay.

Amazing song from Marathi Movie Jogwa. Beautiful dance.

It takes you to the different world. Trance!!!

Please give me your feedback about the music of this song. Thanks.

'''Jogwa - The Awakening (Marathi: जोगवा) is a National Film Award winning 2009 Marathi film directed by Rajiv Patil and produced under iDream Productions & Screenplay by Sanjay Krishnaji Patil. It stars Uupendra Limaye and Mukta Barve in the lead roles while Priya Berde, Vinay Apte and Kishor Kadam essay supporting roles.

The film bagged five awards at the national film awards for 2009 National Film Award for Best Film on Social Issues, National Film Award for Best Actor : Uupendra Limaye National Film Award for Best Music Direction : Ajay Atul , National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer : Shreya Ghoshal for song "Jeev Dangla" , National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer: Hariharan for song "Jeev Dangla"

Lyrics - Lallati Bhandar from Marathi Movie Jogwa.

nadichya palyaad, aaicha dongar
dongar mathyala, deviche mandir
ghalu jagar jagar, dongar mathyala

lallati bhandar, dur lotun de andhar
alo durun rangun dongar yengun ughad devi daar

nadichya panyavar, angin phutat
tujhya nazarechya talavar, kalij dulat
naad aala ga aala, jeevachya ghungarala

lallati bhandar, dur lotun de andhar
alo durun rangun dongar yengun ughad devi daar

navsala paav tu, haakala dhaav tu
haakala dhaav tu, devi majhya antari rahav tu
devi majhya antari rahav tu, kaam krodh arpuni laav tu
kaam krodh marduni laav tu, devi majhi paar kar naav tu

dola bharun, tuzi murat pahin
murat pahin, tujha mahima gain
mahima gain, tula ghugarya vahin
ghugarya vahin, tujha bhandara khain
drust lagali lagali haldichya angala

lallati bhandar, dur lotun de andhar
alo durun rangun dongar yengun ughad devi daar

yallama devi cha jagar hyo, bhakti cha sagar
nividachi chi bhakar hi davati ga, jamlya ga lekar
punavecha chandva, devi cha mayecha pazar
aai chya mayecha pazar, sagar hyo bhakticha sagar

khana naralane tuzi, oti mi bharin
oti mi bharin, tujhi seva karin
seva karin, tujha devhara dharen
devhara dharen, majhi onjal bharen

aai sambhal sambhal, kushit lekarala
aai sambhal sambhal, kushit lekarala

lallati bhandar, dur lotun de andhar
alo durun rangun dongar yengun ughad devi daar

yallama devi cha jagar hyo, bhakti cha sagar
nividachi chi bhakar hi davati ga, jamlya ga lekar
punavecha chandva, devi cha mayecha pazar
aai chya mayecha pazar, sagar hyo bhakticha sagar

Rasiya from Kurbaan

2010-02-21T13:48:00.001+05:30

Rasiya Song from Kurbaan is one of my fav song. Now due to this awesome dance it become more beautiful.

Gopal Krishna's GTALK Tagline

2010-02-13T16:58:00.002+05:30

Gopal Krishna....the founder of Bharat Uday Mission. Its been a while we talked. Today I was online and I found this tag line on his GTALK.

People Will Forgot what you said,
People Will Forgot what you did,
But people will never forgot how
you made them feel.

How True!!!

Gilda - Put the blame on mame, boys....

2010-02-07T15:50:00.002+05:30

Some shots of this song are used in MJ's "This is it" documentory. When I saw this song I loved the voice and the actress too.

If you go to you tube and see the comments given on this video there is one interesting comment I am posting it here:

toyrocketastronaut (13 hours ago):

Good God she was gorgeous!

I'd love to live back then. When men were men and women were women. I'd trade 2010 for 1946 in a second!

Lyrics:

"When they had the earthquake - in San Francisco-back in 19`6
They said that old mother nature - was up to her old tricks.
That's the story that went around, but here's the real lowdown-
Put the blame on mame boys, put the blame on mame
One night she started to - shim and shake-
that brought on the `Frisco quake
So you can, Put the blame on mame boys,
put the blame on mame.
They once had a shootin' -up in the Klondike when they got Dan McGrew
Folks were puttin' the blame on - the lady known as Lew
that's the story that went around, but here's the real lowdown-
Put the blame on mame boys,
put the blame on mame
Mame did a dance called the Hichy-koo,
that's the thing that slew McGrew
So you can, Put the blame on mame boys
PUT-THE-BLAME-ON-MAME"

GILDA (1946)

A Columbia Picture

Producer:Viginia Van Upp
Director: Charles Vidor

Screenplay: Marion Parsonnet, from adaptation by Jo Eisinger of an E. A. Ellington story

The Stars:
Rita Hayworth: Gilda
Glenn Ford: Johnny Farrell
George MacReady: Ballin Mundson
Joseph Calleia: Detective Obregon
Steven Geray: Uncle Pio

Songs: by Doris Fisher & Allan Roberts: "Amado Mio," "Put the Blame On Mame"

Miss Hayworth's song vocals: Anita Ellis
Dances staged by Jack Cole
Gowns by Jean Louis

Black & White, 110 mins. running time.

Courtesy:
http://claudia79.tripod.com/

5th Anniversary of my Blog

2010-01-30T02:47:00.003+05:30

Last week it was 5th anniversary of my Blog "IDEAFEST" on 27th Jan 2010.

Thanks for all your support and love.

Regards,
Abhi

One remarkable SMS which made me think...

2010-01-30T02:40:00.002+05:30

Last week I received one SMS which really made me think about my beloved country...

"We live in a Funny Nation,
Where pizza reaches home faster than ambulence or Police.
Where you will get car loan at 12% and education loan at 12%. Nearly 88% victims of 26/11(as per aajtak news) didn't get even 50000, but every day nearly 10 laks get spent on kasab...
sad but true."

Happy Republic day!!!!

2010-01-26T19:59:00.001+05:30

Today its 60th Republic day of India!!!!

Happy Republic day to you all!!!!

Jay Hind!!!

Call for Entries - Vasundhara Reflections 2010

2010-01-24T22:48:00.002+05:30

'Vasundhara' will be an innovative attempt to explore nature & analyze topical issues relating to environment, wildlife, energy, air & water. It presents an opportunity to evolve common platform to work towards providing effective & meaningful communication material for preserving our great natural heritage for the coming generations. The message of the festival is to protect 'Vasundhara' (i.e. Earth) & leave a better world for the generations to come.

Call for Entries
- Entries are invited from photographers for a Non Competitive photography exhibition on following concepts:
1) Tiger through my Lens
2) Rare Wildlife Clicks
3) Save Vasundhara
4) Small and Sweet - animals, birds, flowers, insects, plants….

Individuals, institutions, organizations, NGOs and clubs are invited to participate. Last Date of Submission: 2nd February 2010
Entries can be submitted online on www.indiaart.com

Exhibition Entries Prerequisites
Entries will be accepted from 22nd Jan to 2nd Feb 2010. Entries can be sent only in electronic format (either by submitting the online form or in jpg / tiff format on a CD / DVD with Downloaded PDF form). Make sure that the image resolution and image size is adequate for enlargement upto a size of 16” x 20”

Exhibition of Select Entries
Exhibition of select entries will be held from 14th to 21st February 2010 at Yashwantrao Chavan Kala Dalan, Kothrud, Pune.
An online exhibition of select Entries will be available on www.indiaart.com from 14th February 2010 onwards.

To enter the Vasundhara Reflections 2010 please click here

Start of my weekend...

2010-01-23T10:52:00.000+05:30

select any word,

search it in the flickr,

enjoy the variety...

that's what my weekend is...

Anand Valley Skies and Sunset

2010-01-23T09:35:00.003+05:30

“Happiness consists more in the small conveniences of pleasures that occur every day, than in great pieces of good fortune that happen but seldom to a man in the course of his life.”

Dil Toh Bacha hai ji Lyrics and Video from Movie "Ishqiya"

2010-01-18T21:51:00.003+05:30

After a long time I liked the lyrics and music of song. Its "Dil toh bacha hai" from upcoming movie Ishqiya.

Aisi ulji nazar unse hatt ti nahi
Daant se reshmi dor katt ti nahi
Umar kab ki baras ke safaid ho gayi
Kaari badari jawani ki chatt ti nahi
Walla ye dhadkan bhadne lagi hai
Chehre ki rangat udne lagi hai
Darr lagta hai tanha sone mein ji

Dil to bachcha hai ji
Dil to bachcha hai ji
Thoda kaccha hai ji
Haan dil to baccha hai ji

Aisi ulji nazar unse hatt ti nahi
Daant se reshmi dor katt ti nahi
Umar kab ki baras ke safaid ho gayi
Kaari badari jawani ki chatt ti nahi
Ra ra ra ..

Kisko ptaa tha pehlu mein rakha
Dil aisa baaji bhi hoga
Hum to hamesha samajhte the koi
Hum jaisa haaji hi hoga
Hai zor karein, kitna shor karein
Bewaja baatein pe ainwe gaur karein
Dilsa koi kameena nahi
Koi to rokey, koi to tokey
Iss umar mein ab khaogey dhokhe
Darr lagta hai ishq karne mein ji

Dil to bachcha hai ji
Dil to bachcha hai ji
Thoda kaccha hai ji
Haan dil to baccha hai ji

Aisi udhaasi baithi hai dil pe
Hassne se ghabra rahe hain
Saari jawani katra ke kaati
Piri mein takra gaye hain
Dil dhadakta hai to aise lagta hai woh
Aa raha hai yahin dekhta hi na woh
Prem ki maarein kataar re
Taubah ye lamhe katt te nahi kyun
Aankhein se meri hatt te nahi kyun
Darr lagta hai mujhse kehne mein ji

Dil toh bachcha hai ji
Dil toh bachcha hai ji
Thoda kaccha hai ji
Haan dil toh baccha hai ji

Song Name: Dil To Bachcha Hai
Film: Ishqiya
Singer(s): Rahat Fateh Ali Khan
Music Director: Vishal Bhardwaj
Lyricist: Gulzar
Picturised on: Naseruddin Shah, Arshad Warsi, Vidya Balan

Mallika Sarabhai performing at Sawai Gandharv Sangeet Mahotsav 2010

2010-01-11T22:41:00.002+05:30

Thanks to Sawai Gandharv Sangeet Festival who gave me the opportunity to click photographs of Hon. Mallika Sarabhai.

Mallika Sarabhai:

Mallika Sarabhai is a Gujarat-based activist, development worker, social entrepreneur and performer working to bring forth ideas, issues and concerns to affect change.

A multifaceted individual, she celebrates positive reaffirmation of images of womanhood. She has used every medium-dance, theatre, television, film, writing and publishing-for her work, winning recognition in India and abroad.

Mallika was educated as an economist and a business manager from the prestigious Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad and obtained a PhD from the Gujarat University for her thesis in the area of Organizational Behaviour.

She is known as one of India's best-known Bharata Natyam and Kuchipudi dancers who has taken her work and that of her company Darpana to over ninety countries of the world.

My indiblogger ranking...

2010-01-07T22:29:00.001+05:30

I wish....

2010-01-06T23:53:00.002+05:30

I want to see tiger...face to face...eye to eye...

I am planning to go to Rajsthan again in Feb. Let's see if I can make to Ranthambore...

Finger crossed.

Google Map for Auditoriums in Pune

2009-12-26T22:46:00.000+05:30

Garware Hall

S M Joshi Hall

Patrakar Bhavan Hall

Manohar Mangal Karyalay Hall

FTII Hall ( Film and Television Institute)

National Film Archives Hall

Law College Ground (Vasantosav venue)

Yashwantrao Chawan Natyagruh

Tilak Smarak Natyagruh

Bharat Natya Mandir

Gandharva Mahavidyalay

Sudarshan Rangmanch

Nutan Marathi Shala Ground ( Venue for Sawai Gandharva Mahotsav)

Swarmayee Gurukul ( Prabha Atre Gurukul)

Namdev Sabhagruh

Punyayi Hall

Bedekar Ganapati Hall

Ishanya Mall Amphitheatre

Bharat Gayan Samaj

Gharkul Lawns

Balgandharva Natyamandir

View Larger Map

Random Thoughts....

2009-12-23T21:35:00.002+05:30

When we take important decisions in life why it always tastes bitter.

Keep the Spark Alive - Chetan Bhagat

2009-12-22T08:48:00.001+05:30

Inaugural Speech for the new batch at the Symbiosis BBA program, Pune 23rd June, 2008, By Chetan Bhagat

Good Morning everyone and thank you for giving me this chance to speak to you. This day is about you. You, who have come to this college, leaving the comfort of your homes (or in some cases discomfort), to become something in your life. I am sure you are excited. There are few days in human life when one is truly elated. The first day in college is one of them. When you were getting ready today, you felt a tingling in your stomach. What would the auditorium be like, what would the teachers be like, who are my new classmates - there is so much to be curious about. I call this excitement, the spark within you that makes you feel truly alive today. Today I am going to talk about keeping the spark shining. Or to put it another way, how to be happy most, if not all the time.

Where do these sparks start? I think we are born with them. My 3-year old twin boys have a million sparks. A little Spiderman toy can make them jump on the bed. They get thrills from creaky swings in the park. A story from daddy gets them excited. They do a daily countdown for birthday party – several months in advance – just for the day they will cut their own birthday cake.
I see students like you, and I still see some sparks. But when I see older people, the spark is difficult to find. That means as we age, the spark fades. People whose spark has faded too much are dull, dejected, aimless and bitter. Remember Kareena in the first half of Jab We Met vs the second half? That is what happens when the spark is lost. So how to save the spark?
Imagine the spark to be a lamp's flame. The first aspect is nurturing - to give your spark the fuel, continuously. The second is to guard against storms.
To nurture, always have goals. It is human nature to strive, improve and achieve full potential. In fact, that is success. It is what is possible for you. It isn't any external measure - a certain cost to company pay package, a particular car or house.

Most of us are from middle class families. To us, having material landmarks is success and rightly so. When you have grown up where money constraints force everyday choices, financial freedom is a big achievement. But it isn't the purpose of life. If that was the case, Mr. Ambani would not show up for work. Shah Rukh Khan would stay at home and not dance anymore. Steve Jobs won't be working hard to make a better iPhone, as he sold Pixar for billions of dollars already. Why do they do it? What makes them come to work everyday? They do it because it makes them happy. They do it because it makes them feel alive. Just getting better from current levels feels good. If you study hard, you can improve your rank. If you make an effort to interact with people, you will do better in interviews. If you practice, your cricket will get better. You may also know that you cannot become Tendulkar, yet. But you can get to the next level. Striving for that next level is important.
Nature designed with a random set of genes and circumstances in which we were born. To be happy, we have to accept it and make the most of nature's design. Are you? Goals will help you do that.

I must add, don't just have career or academic goals. Set goals to give you a balanced, successful life. I use the word balanced before successful. Balanced means ensuring your health, relationships, mental peace are all in good order.
There isno point of getting a promotion on the day of your breakup. There is no fun in driving a car if your back hurts. Shopping is not enjoyable if your mind is full of tensions.

You must have read some quotes - Life is a tough race, it is a marathon or whatever. No, from what I have seen so far, life is one of those races in nursery school, where you have to run with a marble in a spoon kept in your mouth. If the marble falls, there is no point coming first. Same with life, where health and relationships are the marble. Your striving is only worth it if there is harmony in your life. Else, you may achieve the success, but this spark, this feeling of being excited and alive, will start to die.

One last thing about nurturing the spark - don't take life seriously. One of my yoga teachers used to make students laugh during classes. One student asked him if these jokes would take away something from the yoga practice. The teacher said - don't be serious, be sincere. This quote has defined my work ever since. Whether its my writing, my job, my relationships or any of my goals. I get thousands of opinions on my writing everyday. There is heaps of praise, there is intense criticism. If I take it all seriously, how will I write? Or rather, how will I live? Life is not to be taken seriously, as we are really temporary here. We are like a pre-paid card with limited validity. If we are lucky, we may last another 50 years. And 50 years is just 2,500 weekends. Do we really need to get so worked up? It's ok, bunk a few classes, goof up a few interviews, fall in love. We are people, not programmed devices.

I've told you three things - reasonable goals, balance and not taking it too seriously that will nurture the spark. However, there are four storms in life that will threaten to completely put out the flame. These must be guarded against. These are disappointment, frustration, unfairness and loneliness of purpose.
Disappointment will come when your effort does not give you the expected return. If things don't go as planned or if you face failure. Failure is extremely difficult to handle, but those that do come out stronger. What did this failure teach me? is the question you will need to ask. You will feel miserable. You will want to quit, like I wanted to when nine publishers rejected my first book. Some IITians kill themselves over low grades – how silly is that? But that is how much failure can hurt you. But it's life. If challenges could always be overcome, they would cease to be a challenge. And remember - if you are failing at something, that means you are at your limit or potential. And that's where you want to be.

Disappointment's cousin is frustration, the second storm. Have you ever been frustrated? It happens when things are stuck. This is especially relevant in India. From traffic jams to getting that job you deserve, sometimes things take so long that you don't know if you chose the right goal. After books, I set the goal of writing for Bollywood, as I thought they needed writers. I am called extremely lucky, but it took me five years to get close to a release. Frustration saps excitement, and turns your initial energy into something negative, making you a bitter person. How did I deal with it? A realistic assessment of the time involved – movies take a long time to make even though they are watched quickly, seeking a certain enjoyment in the process rather than the end result – at least I was learning how to write scripts, having a side plan – I had my third book to write and even something as simple as pleasurable distractions in your life - friends, food, travel can help you overcome it. Remember, nothing is to be taken seriously. Frustration is a sign somewhere, you took it too seriously.

Unfairness - this is hardest to deal with, but unfortunately that is how our country works. People with connections, rich dads, beautiful faces, pedigree find it easier to make it – not just in Bollywood, but everywhere. And sometimes it is just plain luck. There are so few opportunities in India, so many stars need to be aligned for you to make it happen. Merit and hard work is not always linked to achievement in the short term, but the long term correlation is high, and ultimately things do work out. But realize, there will be some people luckier than you. In fact, to have an opportunity to go to college and understand this speech in English means you are pretty damm lucky by Indian standards. Let's be grateful for what we have and get the strength to accept what we don't. I have so much love from my readers that other writers cannot even imagine it. However, I don't get literary praise. It's ok. I don't look like Aishwarya Rai, but I have two boys who I think are more beautiful than her. It's ok. Don't let unfairness kill your spark.
Finally, the last point that can kill your spark is isolation. As you grow older you will realize you are unique. When you are little, all kids want Ice cream and Spiderman. As you grow older to college, you still are a lot like your friends. But ten years later and you realize you are unique. What you want, what you believe in, what makes you feel, may be different from even the people closest to you. This can create conflict as your goals may not match with others. . And you may drop some of them. Basketball captains in college invariably stop playing basketball by the time they have their second child. They give up something that meant so much to them. They do it for their family. But in doing that, the spark dies. Never, ever make that compromise. Love yourself first, and then others.
There you go. I've told you the four thunderstorms - disappointment, frustration, unfairness and isolation. You cannot avoid them, as like the monsoon they will come into your life at regular intervals. You just need to keep the raincoat handy to not let the spark die.

I welcome you again to the most wonderful years of your life. If someone gave me the choice to go back in time, I will surely choose college. But I also hope that ten years later as well, your eyes will shine the same way as they do today. That you will Keep the Spark alive, not only through college, but through the next 2,500 weekends. And I hope not just you, but my whole country will keep that spark alive, as we really need it now more than any moment in history. And there is something cool about saying - I come from the land of a billion sparks.

Thank You!

My next bike....Royal Enfield Bullet Classic 500 EFI

2009-12-18T22:47:00.003+05:30

Yes, this will be my new bike "Royal Enfield Bullet Classic 500 EFI".

I don't know when I am going to buy it but surely its on my wish list.

Image Source : India on 2 wheels

Royal Enfield Bullet Classic 500 EFI Specifications:

Engine: Single Cylinder, 4 stroke, air cooled OHV
Capacity: 499cc
Bore x Stroke: 84 x 90 mm
Compression ratio: 8.5: 1
Fuel system: Electronic Fuel Injection
Ignition: Digital Electronic ignition
Starting: Electric start
Maximum power: 20.3KW (27.2bhp) @ 5250rpm
Maximum Torque: 41.3Nm @ 4000rpm
Clutch: wet multiplate (7 plates)
Primary drive: 3/8” duplex chain (102 pitch) and sprocket
Gear box: constant mesh 5 speed
Battery: 12v, 14 AH
Headlamp: 12V, 60/55W
Frame: tubular steel
Suspension (front): telescopic, hydraulic dampers
Suspension (rear): swingarm with gas filled shock absorbers
Brakes (front): disc brake single 280mm disc with 2 piston caliper
Brakes (rear): drum brake (152mm)
Tyre (front): 90×90-18”
Tyre (rear): 110×80-18”
Length: 2160mm
Width: 800mm
Height: 1050mm
Wheel base: 1370mm
Fuel tank capacity: 14.5liters
Weight (kerb): 187kgs

How to make Paper Bags from News Paper?

2009-12-12T08:39:00.002+05:30

Very innovative way to create durable paper bags from Old News Paper. Let's fight together against global warming.

I am away till 6th December....

2009-11-27T06:54:00.000+05:30

Dear IDEAFEST readers,

I am away from blogging till 6th December 2009 because of my Delhi trip. I will be back from 7th December.

Love you all!!!

-Abhi

Go Kiss the World - Subroto Bagchi

2009-11-22T20:38:00.003+05:30

Subroto Bagchi delivered this speech to the Class of 2006 at the IIM, Bangalore on defining success. This was the first time Subroto Bagchi shared the guiding principles of his life with young professionals.

To read the original article please click here.

I was the last child of a small-time government servant, in a family of five brothers. My earliest memory of my father is as that of a District Employment Officer in Koraput, Orissa. It was, and remains as back of beyond as you can imagine. There was no electricity; no primary school nearby and water did not flow out of a tap. As a result, I did not go to school until the age of eight; I was home-schooled. My father used to get transferred every year. The family belongings fit into the back of a jeep - so the family moved from place to place and without any trouble, my Mother would set up an establishment and get us going. Raised by a widow who had come as a refugee from the then East Bengal, she was a matriculate when she married my Father.

My parents set the foundation of my life and the value system, which makes me what I am today and largely, defines what success means to me today.

As District Employment Officer, my father was given a jeep by the government. There was no garage in the Office, so the jeep was parked in our house. My father refused to use it to commute to the office. He told us that the jeep is an expensive resource given by the government- he reiterated to us that it was not ”his jeep” but the government’s jeep. Insisting that he would use it only to tour the interiors, he would walk to his office on normal days. He also made sure that we never sat in the government jeep - we could sit in it only when it was stationary.

That was our early childhood lesson in governance - a lesson that corporate managers learn the hard way, some never do.

The driver of the jeep was treated with respect due to any other member of my Father’s office. As small children, we were taught not to call him by his name. We had to use the suffix ‘dada’ whenever we were to refer to him in public or private. When I grew up to own a car and a driver by the name of Raju was appointed - I repeated the lesson to my two small daughters. They have, as a result, grown up to call Raju, ‘Raju Uncle’ - very different from many of their friends who refer to their family driver, as ‘my driver’. When I hear that term from a school- or college-going person, I cringe.

To me, the lesson was significant - you treat small people with more respect than how you treat big people. It is more important to respect your subordinates than your superiors.

Our day used to start with the family huddling around my Mother’s chulha - an earthen fire place she would build at each place of posting where she would cook for the family. There was neither gas, nor electrical stoves.The morning routine started with tea. As the brew was served, Father would ask us to read aloud the editorial page of The Statesman’s ‘muffosil’ edition - delivered one day late. We did not understand much of what we were reading. But the ritual was meant for us to know that the world was larger than Koraput district and the English I speak today, despite having studied in an Oriya medium school, has to do with that routine. After reading the newspaper aloud, we were told to fold it neatly. Father taught us a simple lesson.

He used to say, “You should leave your newspaper and your toilet, the way you expect to find it”. That lesson was about showing consideration to others. Business begins and ends with that simple precept.

Being small children, we were always enamored with advertisements in the newspaper for transistor radios - we did not have one. We saw other people having radios in their homes and each time there was an advertisement of Philips, Murphy or Bush radios, we would ask Father when we could get one. Each time, my Father would reply that we did not need one because he already had five radios - alluding to his five sons.

We also did not have a house of our own and would occasionally ask Father as to when, like others, we would live in our own house. He would give a similar reply,” We do not need a house of our own. I already own five houses”. His replies did not gladden our hearts in that instant.

Nonetheless, we learnt that it is important not to measure personal success and sense of well being through material possessions.

Government houses seldom came with fences. Mother and I collected twigs and built a small fence. After lunch, my Mother would never sleep. She would take her kitchen utensils and with those she and I would dig the rocky, white ant infested surrounding. We planted flowering bushes. The white ants destroyed them. My mother brought ash from her chulha and mixed it in the earth and we planted the seedlings all over again. This time, they bloomed. At that time, my father’s transfer order came. A few neighbors told my mother why she was taking so much pain to beautify a government house, why she was planting seeds that would only benefit the next occupant. My mother replied that it did not matter to her that she would not see the flowers in full bloom. She said, “I have to create a bloom in a desert and whenever I am given a new place, I must leave it more beautiful than what I had inherited”.

That was my first lesson in success. It is not about what you create for yourself, it is what you leave behind that defines success.

My mother began developing a cataract in her eyes when I was very small. At that time, the eldest among my brothers got a teaching job at the University in Bhubaneswar and had to prepare for the civil services examination. So, it was decided that my Mother would move to cook for him and, as her appendage, I had to move too. For the first time in my life I saw electricity in homes and water coming out of a tap. It was around 1965 and the country was going to war with Pakistan. My mother was having problems reading and in any case, being Bengali, she did not know the Oriya script. So, in addition to my daily chores, my job was to read her the local newspaper - end to end. That created in me a sense of connectedness with a larger world. I began taking interest in many different things. While reading out news about the war, I felt that I was fighting the war myself. She and I discussed the daily news and built a bond with the larger universe. In it, we became part of a larger reality. Till date, I measure my success in terms of that sense of larger connectedness. Meanwhile, the war raged and India was fighting on both fronts. Lal Bahadur Shastri, the then Prime Minster, coined the term “Jai Jawan, Jai Kishan” and galvanized the nation in to patriotic fervor. Other than reading out the newspaper to my mother, I had no clue about how I could be part of the action. So, after reading her the newspaper, every day I would land up near the University’s water tank, which served the community. I would spend hours under it, imagining that there could be spies who would come to poison the water and I had to watch for them. I would daydream about catching one and how the next day, I would be featured in the newspaper. Unfortunately for me, the spies at war ignored the sleepy town of Bhubaneswar and I never got a chance to catch one in action. Yet, that act unlocked my imagination.

Imagination is everything. If we can imagine a future, we can create it, if we can create that future, others will live in it. That is the essence of success.

Over the next few years, my mother’s eyesight dimmed but in me she created a larger vision, a vision with which I continue to see the world and, I sense, through my eyes, she was seeing too. As the next few years unfolded, her vision deteriorated and she was operated for cataract. I remember, when she returned after her operation and she saw my face clearly for the first time, she was astonished. She said, “Oh my God, I did not know you were so fair”. I remain mighty pleased with that adulation even till date. Within weeks of getting her sight back, she developed a corneal ulcer and, overnight, became blind in both eyes. That was 1969. She died in 2002. In all those 32 years of living with blindness, she never complained about her fate even once. Curious to know what she saw with blind eyes, I asked her once if she sees darkness. She replied, “No, I do not see darkness. I only see light even with my eyes closed”. Until she was eighty years of age, she did her morning yoga everyday, swept her own room and washed her own clothes.

To me, success is about the sense of independence; it is about not seeing the world but seeing the light.

Over the many intervening years, I grew up, studied, joined the industry and began to carve my life’s own journey. I began my life as a clerk in a government office, went on to become a Management Trainee with the DCM group and eventually found my life’s calling with the IT industry when fourth generation computers came to India in 1981. Life took me places - I worked with outstanding people, challenging assignments and traveled all over the world.

In 1992, while I was posted in the US, I learnt that my father, living a retired life with my eldest brother, had suffered a third degree burn injury and was admitted in the Safderjung Hospital in Delhi. I flew back to attend to him - he remained for a few days in critical stage, bandaged from neck to toe. The Safderjung Hospital is a cockroach infested, dirty, inhuman place. The overworked, under-resourced sisters in the burn ward are both victims and perpetrators of dehumanized life at its worst. One morning, while attending to my Father, I realized that the blood bottle was empty and fearing that air would go into his vein, I asked the attending nurse to change it. She bluntly told me to do it myself. In that horrible theater of death, I was in pain and frustration and anger. Finally when she relented and came, my Father opened his eyes and murmured to her, “Why have you not gone home yet?” Here was a man on his deathbed but more concerned about the overworked nurse than his own state. I was stunned at his stoic self.

There I learnt that there is no limit to how concerned you can be for another human being and what the limit of inclusion is you can create.

My father died the next day. He was a man whose success was defined by his principles, his frugality, his universalism and his sense of inclusion.

Above all, he taught me that success is your ability to rise above your discomfort, whatever may be your current state. You can, if you want, raise your consciousness above your immediate surroundings. Success is not about building material comforts - the transistor that he never could buy or the house that he never owned. His success was about the legacy he left, the memetic continuity of his ideals that grew beyond the smallness of a ill-paid, unrecognized government servant’s world.

My father was a fervent believer in the British Raj. He sincerely doubted the capability of the post-independence Indian political parties to govern the country. To him, the lowering of the Union Jack was a sad event. My Mother was the exact opposite. When Subhash Bose quit the Indian National Congress and came to Dacca, my mother, then a schoolgirl, garlanded him. She learnt to spin khadi and joined an underground movement that trained her in using daggers and swords. Consequently, our household saw diversity in the political outlook of the two. On major issues concerning the world, the Old Man and the Old Lady had differing opinions.

In them, we learnt the power of disagreements, of dialogue and the essence of living with diversity in thinking.

Success is not about the ability to create a definitive dogmatic end state; it is about the unfolding of thought processes, of dialogue and continuum.

Two years back, at the age of eighty-two, Mother had a paralytic stroke and was lying in a government hospital in Bhubaneswar. I flew down from the US where I was serving my second stint, to see her. I spent two weeks with her in the hospital as she remained in a paralytic state. She was neither getting better nor moving on. Eventually I had to return to work. While leaving her behind, I kissed her face. In that paralytic state and a garbled voice, she said,

“Why are you kissing me, go kiss the world.” Her river was nearing its journey, at the confluence of life and death, this woman who came to India as a refugee, raised by a widowed Mother, no more educated than high school, married to an anonymous government servant whose last salary was Rupees Three Hundred, robbed of her eyesight by fate and crowned by adversity was telling me to go and kiss the world!

Success to me is about Vision. It is the ability to rise above the immediacy of pain. It is about imagination. It is about sensitivity to small people. It is about building inclusion. It is about connectedness to a larger world existence. It is about personal tenacity. It is about giving back more to life than you take out of it. It is about creating extra-ordinary success with ordinary lives.

Thank you very much; I wish you good luck and God’s speed. Go! kiss the world.

Planning for my next Trip to Rajshtan-Delhi-Jammu-Kashmir

2009-11-22T14:03:00.003+05:30

Next week, I am planning to visit Rajstan, Delhi and Jammu Kashmir, hopefully my leave will get approved. Finger crossed.

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November mein aisi barish nahi hoti

2009-11-12T00:06:00.001+05:30

Apno se pyar ki guzarish nahi hoti,

Gairon se wafa ki aazmayish nahi hoti,

Koi saccha dil tuta hoga aaj,

warna november mein aisi barish nahi hoti

Ik si Amrita, Ik hai Imroz - A Love Story Revisited

2009-11-08T21:20:00.002+05:30

The following Article is taken from The Tribune. To read the original article please click here.

It was the ideal woman-man relationship of our times. Punjabi writers share fond reflections with Nirupama Dutt of the bond of love that held poet Amrita Pritam and painter Imroz together for a lifetime

People are trying to explore live-in relationships and society is trying to learn to accept such unconventional ties. But more than forty years ago there was this gutsy girl from Gujranwala and a dreamy boy born in Chak No: 36, near Lyallpur, who defied all convention and chose to live together in a brick-and-stone house lined with dreams just because they loved each other. What is more, this bond of love stood firm in the face of storms and it retained its intensity and beauty until the dying day.

No, I am wrong here for even death has not the power to do them part. One is talking, of course, of Punjab’s celebrated poet Amrita Pritam and her lifetime companion painter Imroz.

Pal Kaur, Ambala-based Punjabi poet, says: “It was the ideal relationship of our times. It was a coming together of two souls who complemented each other and it was a spiritual bond if there even could be one.”

For Amrita it was the realisation of the dream of finding true love. The lady of letters had recorded the experience of finding Imroz in the second volume of her autobiography called “Shadows of Words”, which is a sequel to her famed life story title “The Revenue Stamp”. She wrote that there was once a shadow in her dreams of a man standing by a window and painting a canvas. This dream would return night after night for long years. In her own words: “Then something happened. Someone suggested that an artist called Imroz design the cover of a book of mine. The shadow turned into a man. Love may be a cup of poison but I had chosen to sip it again.”

Those, who have seen the two live together in bliss day after day in their Delhi home, K-25 Hauz Khas, know that it was not poison but nectar divine that the two had tasted together. In that house with gray stonewalls on which bougainvillea trailed, they lived out their dreams. Patiala’s Punjabi poet Manjit Tiwana says: “Their relationship surpassed even that of Sartre and Simone. For one Amrita and Imroz shared the same home and unlike Sartre Imroz showed greater devotion till the very end. Every Punjabi woman writer longed to be loved by an Imroz but perhaps you have to be an Amrita to get an Imroz.”

True! The “Haar-Singhar” tree in their patch of green was witness to the blossoming and ripening of their love. Poetry had met painting, woman had met man and two souls had come together to belie the oft-repeated cliché that there is no true love in this world. Amrita and Imroz were born to the land of doomed love a la Heer-Ranjha, Sohni-Mahiwal and Mirza-Sahiban but they defied the shackles of society and realised their love. I recall what Punjabi fiction writer Ajeet Cour said when she visited her older sister of letters perishing on the sick-bed: “There was Imroz pressing her legs to relieve her of pain and attending to every little need of hers. It is so rare! I have yet to see such devotion from a man for a woman. She must have done many good deeds in her past lives.”

No Imroz came to her not as a result of past deeds but the deeds of this very life of this gutsy Gujranwala girl who was Lahore’s celebrated poet when she was just sixteen and later she won fame home and abroad with her gifted pen. The two gave each other complete space and freedom in their home together. Amrita cooked the meals and Imroz made those endless cups of tea for the stream of writers visiting them. Theirs’ was an open house and I had the privilege of staying there ever so often and eating the saag and chapatti cooked with love by one of the greatest poets of our times and drinking tumbler after tumbler of tea that Imroz made with the same involvement as he made his sketches.

How does the male world react to this relationship all against the established macho order? Fiction writer and editor of Sankh literary weekly Sidhu Damdami says: “The relationship was path-breaking. They became a role model and many tried to experiment thus to be together but few reached the heights that these two amazing octogenarians did. It was love that held them together.” Well-known satirist Bhushan, who was close to the two, says sans satire for once: “It was an example of complete surrender by Imroz who was an admirer of her writings. What is remarkable is that he was by her side till the very end. It can only be described as spiritual.”

And how does 80-year-old Imroz, for he was six years younger to Amrita, feel now that Amrita passed away on the Diwali eve? Is he shattered and lonely that she is now gone? However, he surprises their admirers by saying, “I am not sorrowful at all and not lonely either. Only her ailing body is gone, she is till with me. Even death cannot do us part.”

SOUL MATES: Amrita Pritam and Imroz when they fell in love in 1958 snapped with an automatic camera while holidaying at Andretta in Himachal Pradesh and together in their Hauz Khas home at Delhi in 1998 (below)

I will meet you yet again by Amrita Pritam (1919-2005)

will meet you yet again

How and Where?

I know not

Perhaps I will become a

figment of your imagination

and maybe spreading myself

in a mysterious line

on your canvas

I will keep gazing at you

Perhaps I will become a ray

of sunshine to be

embraced by your colours

I will paint myself on your canvas

I know not how and where_

but I will meet you for sure

Maybe I will turn into a spring

and rub the foaming

drops of water on your body

and rest my coolness on

your burning chest

I know nothing else

but that this life

will walk along with me

When the body perishes

all perishes

but the threads of memory

are woven with enduring specs

I will pick these particles

weave the threads

and I will meet you yet again

This poem by the pioneering poet of Punjabi, Amrita Pritam, was written from the sick bed to her painter partner Imroz. Translated from Punjabi by Nirupama Dutt.

Mandolin Notations - 1 - Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa

2009-11-07T21:38:00.005+05:30

Mandolin is one of the melodious instrument. But when I searched on internet about leaning Mandolin based on the Indian notations I was disappointed by the search results.

Now I am going to publish the Mandolin Notations for Bollywood songs on Ideafest Blog. I am doing this in my spare time please be patient for the new notations. Fill free to put your requests for songs notations.

I am waiting for your feedback.

Following is the Mandolin notation for Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa.

New Project Started....

2009-10-27T22:12:00.003+05:30

After submitting the proposal, finally we won the project and today it got started.

Now I am very much busy. At least something is happening in life.

Blog Hunt 1

2009-10-20T12:58:00.000+05:30

With this article I am going to collect interesting blogs from the net. I am going to post these blogs on my blog. You can also put your blog name in the comment section so that I can check your blog and publish it on my blog.

For this month I have hunted these interesting blogs.

http://alienknight.blogspot.com
http://spanishinquisition.wordpress.com/
http://austereseeker.blogspot.com/
http://jikku.blogspot.com/
http://www.firetoashes.blogspot.com/
http://the-apple-pathways.blogspot.com/
http://tdivekar.blogspot.com/
http://prufrock.rediffblogs.com/
http://toinks-uncut.blogspot.com/
http://sukhadag.blogspot.com/
http://blackstuffonwhite.blogspot.com/
http://jstathot.blogspot.com/
http://stormysilence.blogspot.com/
http://www.silentyak.com/
http://thewitch.rediffblogs.com/
http://randomvichar.blogspot.com/
http://nohairbrain.blogspot.com/
http://phantasmagoria.rediffblogs.com/
http://alienknight.rediffblogs.com/
http://alienknight.blogdrive.com/
http://alienknight.blogdrive.com/
http://lalitalarking.blogspot.com/
http://jstathot.blogspot.com/
http://esquire.rediffblogs.com/

Akash Kandil at My Place

2009-10-16T00:37:00.003+05:30

Diwali is a festival of lights. We Indians celebrate it by via symbolic diyas or Akash-Kandils (Akash - Sky and Kandil = colorful paper lanterns)

I clicked the photo of Akash Kandil at my place, I am sure you will like it.

Happy Dewali to All!!!

2009-10-15T00:32:00.001+05:30

Today is Dhan-Teras. Another auspicious day of Diwali.
Wish you very very happy Diwali and Prosperous new year.

Vote Pune Vote!!!!

2009-10-12T23:36:00.004+05:30

In 1645,One Vote gave Oliver Cromwell control of England
In 1648 ,One Vote decided the execution of CharlesI
In 1776 ,One Vote gave MAerica English instead of German as a language
In 1868,One Vote saved Andrew Jackson frm Impeachment
In 1923,One Vote made Hitler the leader of Nazi Party
In 1998,Vajpayee Govt. was defeated by One Vote

Tomorrow there will be elections for Maharashtra State. I am going to vote tomorrow. What about you?

Be a responsible citizen. Be a hero. Be a voter.

Top 5 Reasons YOUth should vote.

I am back on track....

2009-10-11T18:31:00.004+05:30

Photo Courtesy : Flickr

I feel fresh as I wake up....
To this misty mornin......
Away from the madding crowd......
As I listen to the birds chirping......
I lie on my bed.. ....
My eyes set on the view outside......
What a beautiful start......

I was on leave from Thursday due to my sickness. It was a normal flu. Now I am perfectly fine. Had lots of sleep. I am really feeling rejuvenating.

Hats of to Medical Science and off course the mother nature.

Back from Alibaug (Nagaon Beach) but caught with Fever...

2009-10-09T13:56:00.004+05:30

Map for Nagaon Beach from Pune:

View Larger Map

Last weekend we went to Nagaon beach near Alibaug. But due to heavy rains we could only able to visit Nagaon beach.

It was a good trip with old friends. But due to long weekends majority of the resorts were full. Finally we managed to get one room but food was not good.

I caught with flu...wait wait..its not swine's :)))

I am recovered now. I was on leave for 2 days. I just checked my medical record and I got this illness after 2 years. good health huh:)))

I hope you enjoy these pics.

[Way to Alibaug near ISPAT company]

[ISPAT Plant..I hope this is not spoiling the nature]

[Lotus lake in Alibaug]

[Way to Nagoan Beach]

[Way to Nagaon Beach]

MadheGhat Waterfall

2009-10-02T21:42:00.005+05:30

18 September 2009

“A strong man and a waterfall always channel their own path.”

For this weekend we had a plan to go to Zenith Waterfalls and Karla Caves. But due to some unavoidable reasons I changed the plan and went with Nikhil for the Madhe Ghat which is around 70kms from Pune. Sorry Kaustubh!!!

We started at 9:30pm from Nikhil's Places. Since it was first day of the Navratri Festivals, lots of Traffic Jam was there on the road. Somehow we managed to get out of it. After having dinner in the roadside hotel we started heading towards panshet dam and it was 11:30pm.

Just before panshet dam you have to take the left turn to go to Velha. It was very beautiful road trip. Even in the night you can not resists yourself from stopping on the roads for a while and watch the eternal beauty of the night full of stars. We reached Velha at around 1:15am. We were searching for the school so that we had a quick nap for the next day journey. Ajay was supposed to know this but he couldn't get it. Then he called his brother and then we found the exact way to the school. We just went into the school and we were so tired that we just slept like a top.

In morning we woke up at around 6:00am. And we started searching for a hotel for breakfast. We found one reasonable hotel in Velha. Poha and Misal was very tasty out there.

Now we were totally refreshed and ready to feel the nature. When you will start after 1 kilometer you will notice a dam construction. It’s Gunjavani Dam being built on the River Gunjavani. After passing the dam you will come across the "Khind: (Mountain Pass). If you look back the first thing that you will notice is Torna fort. It is really beautiful to see Torna covered in the fog. The road passing by Torna is also beautiful especially the valley. After passing the Khind you can see the other side valley. The road passing from here has got flowers on the banks.

[Back water of Gunjavani Dam]

[Torna Vally 1]

[Torna Fort]

[Board in the Kelad village]

We kept travelling towards Kelad Village. If you are going by four wheeler you can just park your car at this village and you can just walk towards the Madhe Ghat. Madhe Ghat is approx 5 min walk from this village. Village was so neat and clean. I got some cool photographs out there.

[Shhh.....Men at work]

We parked our car over there and started walking towards Madhe Ghat. It is really nice to view the flower on the banks of the road. As you come near to Madhe Ghat you can feel the coolness in the air, fog surrounding you. I can not write the feeling I had in this article you have to experience it.

[Watch Tower to protect fields from birds and other animals]

[Road to MadheGhat]

Once you reach the plateau of the Madhe Ghat you are actually on the top of the waterfall, to reach the waterfall you have to climb down. The way to waterfall is not much difficult but it is bit slippery.

There is an interesting story about how the name Madhe Ghat came in existence. Madhe means dead body and Ghat means road in Marathi. Madhe Ghat is one of the ways to come from konkan to Deccan plateau. So when Tanaji Malusare embraced with the martyrdom in the Sinhgad fort war, his body was being transferred to his native place Mahad which is in konkan. So when they were travelling from Madhe Ghat the troops took one day halt at this place so from there this Madhe Ghat name came in to existence.

[Madheghat WaterFall]

After taking few photographs at the plateau we climbed down to enjoy the waterfall. Within 5 min I was in the waterfall. It was not raining so I was able to stand inside the waterfall when it is raining it is very difficult to stand in the waterfall due to water pressure.

After enjoying the waterfall we came out of it and started climbing up to the plateau. On plateau we rested for a while in a deep fog...it was really heavenly feeling.

We left Madhe Ghat around 2:00pm and headed towards my friends village "Antroli". It is a small beautiful village. His relatives served a fresh Crab Curry with hot bhakary (Indian bread). I was very tasty. After lunch we reached Pune in around 1:30 hours.

So it was a cool weekend for me.

Warning: Please do not throw any plastic or any waste. Please take all the waste back with you. This will retain the beauty of the place.

Map to Madhe Ghat:

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Too Busy with enjoying... :) [Khadakwasla, Samantar Movie and Madhe Ghat Waterfall]

2009-09-20T20:53:00.004+05:30

This weekend was too much happening.

Saturday: Whole day at khadkwasla and in the evening went for New Marathi Movie "SAMANTAR" by Amol Palekar. Samantar means parallel in Marathi. I liked the movie.

After movie we went to MadheGhat Waterfall and came back today :))

I am totally exhausted, I will put detailed description of this road trip very soon along with the photos.

I am posting the map of the Madhe ghat Waterfall.

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Battle Beholders : Photography Exhibition

2009-09-19T09:58:00.003+05:30

Today I visited wildlife photography exhibition at Bal-Gandharv Art Gallery, Pune. I am really surprised by the profiles of the People who has exhibited there photographs captures in different parts from all over the world.

They all were hobby photographers. 6 of them were Police and Excise commissioner and one was business man. It is really amazing to know that people nourishes their passion in the rat race of earning livelihood.

These group of people also know as focal group and they also released their group web site where you can find all of their work.

http://thefocalclub.com/

And the interesting fact is they have majority of their photos from India.

They have captured the photographs from Ranthambore(Rajsthan), Kanziranga(Assam), Gir(Gujraat).

Those were really beautiful photographs. I liked it.

Swine flu has not gone Sirji.....Keep patrolling...

2009-09-18T11:05:00.002+05:30

Swine Flu claims 3 lives in Pune; toll rises to 52 (Source - PTI)

Swine Flu is still not in control. Doctors and giving there sweat and blood day and night trying to cure the swine flu patient but where is the part of duty from our side, the citizen’s side.

At the start everybody was scared and trying to do every possible thing that can prevent swine flu from occurring but now every body is thinking that swine flu is not that much serious and there is very less probability that swine flu will attack them. Earlier people were afraid of seeing the news of 1 or 2 deaths per day but now the death count has risen to 8 per day but now they started ignoring that.

But is only the part of duty from citizen why government is not doing some strict actions. Doctors intimated that Ganesh Festival can be the serious carrier for swine flu decease but government did not put a ban on it. As a result there are more numbers of patients found after Ganesh Festival.

Now Navratri is getting started, now again people will come together and more number of swine flu patients can be observed after Navratri. According some news papers there are new patients found in some of the schools in Pune.

Government and we both should wake up and start preparing for the next attack from this virus!!!

Want to revisit Agakhan Palace and Shinde Chatri...

2009-09-13T21:55:00.003+05:30

From many days I am planning to revisit Aga Khan Palace and Shinde Chatri. Since both the place has the historical background and cool British architecture. Its a perfect place to get some great shots.

Today I planned to visit Shinde chatri but couldn't go there due to some unplanned work.

May be next week end I will visit those beautiful places.

Road to Shinde Chatri:

One of the greatest architectural beauties of the city is the Shindyanchi Chhatri, situated in Wanowrie. It is a memorial dedicated to the great soldier, Mahadji Shinde. The memorial complex also consists of a temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, which was built by Mahadji himself, in the year 1794. He left for the holy abode the same year and in 1965, Madhavrao Sindhia got the entire complex built, along with the samadhi (memorial). The major attraction of the Shinde Chatri is its exquisite architecture, reflecting the style used in Rajasthan, India. Even years after its construction, the memorial retains its architectural designs and beauty and seems to be totally unaffected by time. (Courtesy: Rickshaw Challenge)

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Road to Agakhan Palace

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Rajgad Trek

2009-09-10T08:10:00.000+05:30

Date : 22 August 2009

Finally we have visited the Rajgad fort, the first capital of Maratha kingdom. You must be wondering why I have written like this because we have made a plan to visit it on 15th August 2009 but due to swine flu fear and resistance of the family member I have to shift it to next weekend.

So according to that I have dropped an email to all of my friends asking if they can join me. But surprisingly nobody was interested in joining me. What the gun!!!

This is happening since all of my friends got married. It sucks…

Then I asked some of the seasonal enthusiasts from my office, they also refused so the final list was me and Kaustubh.

Last night I went to bed at around 12:30 and woke up at around 4:30am and I realized I have to get fuel for my bike. And I ran to nearest petrol pump but the attainder was not there. The watchmen tried calling him but he was not there. Then I tried for some other petrol pump but bad luck, they all open at 6:00am.

So I directly reached to Kaustubh’s place at 5:30 am, I thought in another half an hour all the pumps will open. So from Kaustubh place we decided to go to nearest pump and wait till it gets open, but again my bike dried off. I have to walk with my bike till the pump. It is really nightmare to push 150kg bike.

Finally we managed to get my bike’s tank full and we headed towards Rajgad. Before telling you about the further journey, I would like to tell you about another thing I forgot and i.e. my camera batteries. :(

We have followed the following route for Rajgad:

Pune – Sinhgad Road – NH4 – Towards Nasarapur – Chamadi Phata – Baneshwar – Margasani – Sakhar – Gunjavane - Rajgad

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This was my first long trip on my new bike. I was enjoying the power to 150cc. J on National Highway 4. It was very refreshing morning. I don’t know why but being national highway there were not much traffic on the highway. I successfully crossed speed of 110 KM/hour. It was simply incredible experience.

And while enjoying this zeal of the speed we missed the turnJ. Thanks to Kaustubh for realizing that. We have to come back for 10km for the Chamadi turn. And we headed towards Baneshwar. Now it was a real rural India experience.

The way to Rajgad fort was a dream way, both sides were wrapped in lush green color. We reached at the base of the Rajgad fort by 7:30am. Since we started very early in the morning, so now we were as hungry as hunters. We took a tea and some snacks at the base and we started climbing the fort.

(Rajgad from the base of the Fort, you can see the nedha(hole in the rock clearly))

After sometime we heard a call from long, it was a voice of very old lady and she was telling “that is not the way, come from here.” This is the lesson I learnt in hiking and trekking that do not become over smart follow and respect the locals. They know about the local topology.

We followed the voice it was a very old lady. She offered us lime water, it was very early in the morning to drink it but since she has helped us we took it (off course it was not freeJ). She told us that the way you were going was cattle’s way to go to there daily places. And last week two guys lost in the woods. They came back in the evening but they could not make it to the fort. We thanked here and we headed in the direction she showed.

(Lush green roads makes the journey easier..)

We were walking in the mud for an half an hour and we realize that this is a real tough fort. Our friends who went there earlier told us that it will take 3 hours to reach so we already going very fast. After some time we reached a plateau from where we can see the Safire flag on the fort.

(Rajgad view before the final rock patch)

We were really feeling proud to see such a great monument. After some time we reached to the final rock patch where there are railings to climb. I was just imagining that even though there are railings it is dangerous, in the ancient days how those people use to fight and climb these difficult forts. Hats off!!!

(Rajgad Rockpatch View 1)

(Rajgad Rockpatch View 2)

(Chor Darwaja and Kaustubh)

After passing that rock patch we reached Padmavati machi. The way we followed to Rajgad is known as chor darwaja. When you reach the door it really very tiny and only one person can enter at a time. And you can not see that door while climbing the fort. You have to actually go till the door to see it.

And when you reach Padmavati Machi through the chor darwaja.. a water reservoir welcomes you. Its Padmavati lake.

(Padmavati Lake)

And one thing immediately gets noticed...The Padmavati Lake is so clean, even the surroundings are so clean.

Just beside Padmavati lake there is a Padmavati Temple. Shivaji Maharaj constructed this temple. You can also see Saibai tomb in front of the temple.

(Her highness Rani Saibai Tomb)

When you think that at some time Shivaji Maharaj used to use this land, and you really feel honored that you are also on the same soil and you are visiting the capital of Shivaji Maharaj.

You can not see all the places on the Rajgad fort in one day. You at least need 2 days to visit all the places.

You can visit the fort in 4 parts.

Suvela Machi
Padmavati Machi
Sanjivani Machi
Bale killa

When we reach the fort we were already on the Padmavati machi, so we decided to visit Suvela Machi and while returning we planned to visit Bale killa. It was not possible to visit Sanjivani Machi due to time constraints.

To understand the structure of the Rajgad, you can imagine a ceiling fan. Every blade is one machi and a center stator is bale killa. Sounds innovative huh!!! Actually this is originated from my dad.:)

(This photograph is not clicked by me. This is clicked by Uddhav Thackrey. To view more aerial photographs visit his website www.uddhavsphotos.com)

So as per the plan we headed towards Suvela Machi, another reason to choose the Suvela machi was visiting the natural hole in the rock..Also known as a nedha (nedha means hole in the needle in Marathi).

We were really hungry after 2:30 hours of hiking to fort and Suvela machi was still a long way. We would wolf down our food but we decided to go to that hole in the rock and we will have our lunch there.

Kaustubh got his favorite food over there…butter milk…..

We headed towards Suvela machi, the climate was really awesome. It was like a stopping at every step to click a photograph.

(Balle Killa)

(Gunajvane Buruj - Gunajavane Darvaja 1)

(Gunajvane Buruj - Gunajavane Darvaja 2)

From to Padmavati Machi to Suvela Machi you can see the remaining of Sadar (Please where all the influential people used to seat and make a decision, Palace etc.

After 15 minutes we reached Nedha (the hole in the rock), I was really amazed to see the nature’s wonder. We climbed to the Nedha and we sat down in that hole. The wind was going through that hole. what a amazing feeling it was. You can view the whole valley from the both sides of Suvela Machi.

(Nedha - Hole in the Rock)

(Ganpati Bappa Morya - This is just below the Nedha)

We had our lunch there and we discussed the history of the Rajgad fort. We made couple of calls to all our friends to make them jealous and feel guilty that they have not joined us :)

While I was having lunch and discussing the history with Kaustubh, I didn’t notice that a call was placed from my cell to my home; my parents listen to that conversation. When I reached home that day they told me that it was a nice session about Rajgad fort. I said “my goodness!!!” You can imagine what could have happen if I ……

After a heavy lunch of Shira and Policha chivda we reached Suvela machi and every time you look at the walls of fort you will realize what a master piece it was. At Suvela machi there were two layers of walls. So when enemy try to demolish the external wall, the inner wall will protect the fort. It will restrain enemy from entering the fort. Amazing!!! The walls are still the good shapes and condition.

(Suvela Machi 1)

(Suvela Machi 2)

After spending some time at the Suvela machi we started to Padmavati machi again. On the way we saw a road going down will railings to it. It was a Gunjavane darwaja. The most difficult way to Rajgad. We go to see the road and the structure of this door. It was really tough. We clicked some photographs and we came back towards Padmavati machi.

We were running out of the water. When we reached Padmavati Machi we asked local people where we can get the drinkable water. He showed us one small water tank besides the Padmavati temple. The water was really sweet and chilled.

We rested there for some time and we started climbing down the fort. We want to feel more of Rajgad. It is such beautiful fort. But we have to go back and still we have not visited Bale killa and Sanjivani Machi.

We again came to chor darwaja of the Padmavati machi and carefully we started climbing down. I was ahead and Kaustubh was following.

(Going back from Chor Darwaja 1)

(Going back from Chor Darwaja 2)

And I was about to finish the rock patch and I heard a huge noise. Holy shit it was sound of honey bees..One of the most dangerous thing in the world. I ran back shouting Kaustubh to hide. But there was very small place to run and to hide. We just sat down behind the rock patch. I didn’t understand what was the reason of the honey bees getting angry. It may be due to the sun or somebody could have throne a stone towards it. Those few minutes were really scary.

Then we decided to go ahead again and quickly we passed that patch and we were on track again.

Now while returning the climate was getting humid. We meet few people who were started climbing the fort in the evening we said that if you are planning to return today only then do not go. You can go but it is very risky to climb down in the night.

We also meet the same lady again, she greeted us and said that you did good job that you climbed early in the morning.

(Home - Sweet Home. Hey bugs can I stay here)

After reaching the base, we took some rest and we started towards Pune planning about the next journey to Rajgad.

Trust me you have to visit Rajgad at least once in a month….It is so beautiful.

Tips for Rajgad:

When you reach Gunjavane village ask for way to Rajgad.
For first 4 km always ask somebody if you are in confusion. If nobody is there then try the road on the right side.
Carry you food and water.
Do not take and alcohol or tobacco with you.
Normally you need 3 hours to reach Rajgad fort from the base village.

Waiting for your feedback :)

Do Interesting Things By Zenhabits.net

2009-09-09T16:35:00.004+05:30

I visit Zenhabits.net blog regularly, just to make sure I do not miss his post. He has recently published excellent post. I want you all to read it and also give credits to zenhabits.net

Do Interesting Things :

We live in interesting times. We’re blessed that way.
The world is changing rapidly.
The way we work is changing, the way we live has already changed. Entire industries are crumbling, and more are growing on their ruins. People are empowered to express themselves, to create, to become a part of a global conversation and transformation, in a way that has never existed before.
What will you do with that?
What will your place be in this new, interesting world? Will you have a voice? Will you be a creator, or just a consumer?
Do something.
Do something interesting.
Be a part of the conversation, and say something remarkable. Create something unique, new, beautiful. Build upon the works of others and transform it into your own.

How to do this?
Write a book. Or an ebook. Write poetry and publish it on the web. Create interesting, lovely or funny videos, put them on You Tube. Be passionate. Write a web app that will solve a problem in people’s lives. Become a watchdog to replace the faltering newspapers. Explore the world, and blog about it. Try something you’ve always been afraid to try, and put it on video. Be yourself, loudly. Start a new company, doing only one thing, but doing it very well. Start a business that does a service you’ve always wanted, or that you are frustrated with in other companies because the service sucks. Put your heart into something. Say something that no one else dares to say. Do something others are afraid to do. Help someone no one else cares to help. Make the lives of others better. Make music that makes others want to weep, to laugh, to create. Inspire others by being inspiring. Teach young people to do amazing things. Write a play, get others to act in it, record it. Empower others to do things they’ve never been able to do before. Read, and read, and then write. Love, and love, and then help others to love. Do something good and ask others to pass it on. Be profound. Find focus in a world without it. Become minimalist in a world of dizzying complexity. Reach out to those who are frustrated, depressed, angry, confused, sad, hurt. Be the voice for those without one. Learn, do, then teach. Meet new people, become fast friends. Dare to be wrong. Take lots and lots of pictures. Explore new cultures. Be different. Paint a huge mural. Create a web comic. Be a dork, but do it boldly. Interview people. Observe people. Create new clothes. Take old stuff and make new stuff from it. Read weird stuff. Study the greats, and emulate them. Be interested in others. Surprise people. Start a blog, write at least a little each day. Cook great food, and share it. Be open-minded. Help someone else start a small business. Focus on less but do it better. Help others achieve their dreams. Put a smile on someone’s face, every day. Start an open-source project. Make a podcast. Start a movement. Be brave. Be honest. Be hilarious. Get really, really good at something. Practice a lot. A lot. Start now. Try.

This was a good weekend....

2009-09-07T22:15:00.005+05:30

Last weekend was a quite good weekend. Suhas, Anup, Chetan and Mayur came to my place. Chit chat, leg pulling...all was there. You just forgot the clock when you are with your old friends..lots of memories...never ending talks...wow...

Finally it was a relaxing weekend.

Waiting for such frequent weekends...and meets....

Bought new 500D

2009-09-03T10:58:00.003+05:30

Yesterday I bought my new DSLR camera. Canon 500D. It simply rocks...

It has got following features:

Resolution: 15.1 MP CMOS sensor
Full HD (1080p) movies
High ISO up to 12800 for low-light conditions
3.4fps with up to 170 JPEG burst
3.0” Clear View LCD with Live View mode
9-point AF system
DIGIC 4, EOS Integrated Cleaning System
EF/EF-S and EX Speedlite compatibility

To Read the more technical information of Canon 500D visit DPREVIEW.COM

Release of my first online portfolio

2009-08-29T13:12:00.003+05:30

I am really happy to announce the release of my first online photography portfolio.

www.abhijeetrajwade.com

Feel free to send your feedback.

Trek to Purandar Fort

2009-08-20T23:51:00.004+05:30

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1-August-2009

August is the perfect month to go out in the land of Mountains...where maratha warriours fought for there warriors. And as a great freedom fighter bismil said

"Shahidon ki chitaon pe lagenge har baras mele
vatan pe mitane walon ka bas yahi nishan hoga"

This monsoon we went to the place where great warrior "Murarbaji Deshpande embraced with Martydom for his country". Yes it was Purandar Fort.

Purandhar fort stands 4,472 ft. above the sea (1,387 m) and 20 miles from Pune. We reached at the base of Purandar Fort by 10am. And it 2 hours to climb the fort.

It was not just a one day outing or a fun trip. It has got many dimensions as well. That was a group of enthusiastist, experience as well as first time trekkers, people who love nature, people who are passionate about travelling.

When we started climbing we have decided that Koustubh and Rahul will leading the troop and I will be in the middle of the group, Ashish will be at the end of the group and he will make sure that no one is left behind. But when we reached delhi darvaja we realized that all trek leaders are together and more than half group went ahead and it was really amazing to see the new leaders. who were leading the group, they were helping the people.

The Journey was divided into three parts

1) Bini Darwaja
2) Balekilla
3) Kedareshwar Mandir

The road till bini darwaja was easy. Just before the bini darwaja there was a small water fall, though I love to go in rains this time I was little bit reluntant to go in waterfall but I could resist myself when I saw people going under waterfall. It was a different experince to stand under a waterfall. When cold water hit you, a current goes from your body, it is really rejuvinating experience. The bini darwaja is in good condition, You can see a abandoned church. Many people wonder that how church came there. Actually British has used Purandar fort as a Army sanitorium. You can see many baracks on the fort. Even today also Indian Army has a base on Purandar Fort.

Just Ahed of the Bini Darwaja you can see the fort of The great warrior Murrarbaji Deshpande. Some guys from our group started mimicing the Stance or Pose of Great Murrarbaji Statue and started clicking the photographs. Some locals objected it. But I think it is not the mistake of the Young guns. they do not know the importance and background of what happened over there? We need to tell them...

As we were moving further the road was becoming tougher, finally we reached at the gate of Balekilla, you can see the Vajragad from there, whole scene was clear there was no fog. We could see the green vally. The ameture photographers were in full action. Now we started heading towards the Highest point of Purandar fort Kedareshwar Temple. This is Lord Mahadev temple. This temple is the topmost part of the fort. You can see Rajgad, Torna, Sinhgad, Raireshwar, Rohida, Malhargad from here.

Now the fog started coming to the temple....And the music from guitars was bringing more and more ephoria to the environment. After relaxing over there for some time we started climbling down.

There is one old saying that trekking or mountainerring is not completed until you reach safely to the base. The climbing down or the return journey is as much important as climbing up. Everybody was exausted and pushing themselves to return to the base where our bus was waiting for us.

After reaching down we had lunch, (though I didn't like the lunch on the highway retaurant). I recommend people who are willing to go to Purandar can have there lunch at the small shops on the fort. You can get famous Maharashtrian Rural Dish "Pithale Bhakari" on the fort.

But over all it was a another memorable journey of my life.