Christmas in Sultanpur & the Black Shouldered Kite

When we reached Sultanpur on Christmas day morning it was covered with thick fog, in almost complete whiteout conditions, for the first one hour ( & it was really chill) we began by walking along the wooded area and birding more with ears than the eyes.

Though this pair of Grey Horn Bills kept us entertained.

As the light improved it was the Black-shouldered Kite which made an appearance. We were infact very close to it, but it was hardly bothered about our presence, it was busy preening itself once in a while gave us the looks but mostly ignored our presence.

Then we saw a flock of Small Minivets & a flock of Scarlet Minivets

Then came this Roller Bird which was flashing its brilliant feathers against the sun

Then the visibility slowly improved, there were many small birds which i could not identify. Then we reached the lake for viewing the waterbirds. There were atleast 2-3 thousand water birds with Common Teals, Pintails, Gadwalls, Shovelers, Greylag Geese, Water Hens & many which i could not identify.

The Painted Storks colony was like a market area. We did see three Aquila Eagles, but were too far away to identify. One may have been a Booted Eagle.

Though i was disappointed not been able to identify many birds, i was happy on one count............. i handled a camera, a Canon SX 10 Digital on my own !!

We also had to quickly come back home 'cos i had invited some of my friends over to my place to celebrate Christmas. We had got a small Christmas tree (actually a pine tree), made a few decorations, got some lights et al, my maasi baked an awesome cake with strawberries on it, my mother also baked a cake, generally we had a blast.

Tomorrow night i go for my school trip, we travel to Himachal Pradesh to Shoja for our expedition in the snow................

Aikido Kyu test

I passed my first tests in Aikido

I managed to do all the techniques Sensei asked me to execute as well as to do against my partner & friend Jyotirmoy. The only technique which i (we) messed up was Morete dori Kokyu ho. After the tests Sensei told me, there is much more scope for improvement especially on my Kamae (stance) & my Mai Ukemi (front rolls).

My father told me he was very impressed that i was very relaxed during the test.

Yippee !!!

I am thrilled with myself.

New Delhi Aikido Dojo

Let it be.............

I will be playing the chords & singing along this song by The Beatles when we sing Christmas carols in school


Let It Be (Beatles)



When I find myself in times of trouble,
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom,
let it be

And in my hour of darkness,
She is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom,
Let it be

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be

Whisper words of wisdom,
Let it be
And when the broken hearted people,
Living in the world agree
There will be an answer,
let it be
But though they may be parted,
There is still a chance that they may see
There will be an answer,
let it be

CHORUS: Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be
There will be an answer,
let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be

Whisper words of wisdom,
let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom,
let it be

And when the night is cloudy,
There is still a light that shines on me
Shine on till tomorrow,
let it be
I wake up to the sound of music,
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom,
let it be

CHORUS

Pradip Krishen visits Mirambika...........

Our project on trees got a major fillip when the author of Trees of Delhi, Mr Pradip Krishen visited our school.

He was really nice & patient. We went for a walk with him on our campus, he was able to identify all the trees. Infact with one of the trees he had his doubts & all of us appreciated his honesty, when he said he will get back to us with all the details.

Now we are trying to work on making the database we have created of all the trees/ flora in the campus into a compilation. That will be done after the holidays.

As of now i would like to thank Pradip Krishen to have come to our school & spend time with us. It was really wonderful & useful. Also i got him to autograph on my copy of the book Trees of Delhi !!

Thank you...... sir !!

A very interesting three part interview with Pradip Krishen can be read here, here & here

The quest for Clues

I went to see this play with my friends called The quest for Clues.

The story was something like this ..................

Kim & Maya hates the idea of going to India for holidays it s the same boring routine. But when they reaches their grandparents sleepy farm, strange things happen. Kim discovers that somebody is out to kill her grandfather. In an attempt to rescue her grandfather they get caught in a trap that transports them back into time. Maya, her pesky sister refuses to be left behind. Will they come back? Will they find clues to help them solve the mystery? Or will they helplessly watch their grandfather die? Go back into time with Kim and Maya and find out.

The Splashing Osprey

This is my portrayal of one of my favourite birds............. The Osprey. On this painting i really had to work very hard, especially on the feathers

New Delhi Aikido

This article appeared in a national newspaper about my Aikido class

In an Aikido class Nandini Nair finds that martial arts can be about harmony
Photos: Shanker Chakravarty.

“Because of Aikido I was able to defend myself from an attack,” says Yulia Pal. Aikido helped in saving her when violently attacked while taking a walk in the city’s Jahapanah park. Paritos Kar, fourth Dan of Aikido Aikikai Foundation of India, who has learnt this art from Japan, has been teaching this non-combative art form for four years in Delhi.

Aikido is different from other marital arts because it is not competitive. With Aikido meaning “harmony” it is little surprise that this form is more about a philosophy than competition. But make no mistake, it’s not a soft spot at all as it provides a complete workout and can disarm attackers. Kar says, “Aikido helps in self defence, fitness, confidence and discipline.”

There are only four members in today’s dojo with the festive season keeping most of the others away. But there’s an unusual dignity and serenity about this class located near Lady Shri Ram College. Everyone speaks in hushed tones and addresses each other with a gentle bow. The members are dressed in the traditional white pants and angrakha-like shirts called keikogi. The seniors and Kar himself wear a hakama, a black drape that is tied waist down.

The class begins with a brief meditation. We sit on our knees, with legs folded back and feet touching each other. This is to clear the mind and help in concentration. While Aikido originated more than 100 years ago in Japan, it has no religious leanings. And the meditation is more about clearing one’s mind than about praying to any force.

Next come the gentle warm up exercises. They include punching the air with one’s fist and drawing back. Then there are body rotations. This is followed by stretches. The stretches are performed standing upright and some other lying on the floor. While standing, the knees are bent gently and rotated. In the floor exercises, one holds the back of ones knees and rolls back and forth like a baby. Then the feet are gently pounded with the hands, followed by a quick and efficient rubbing of the ears and neck. These series of exercises lasts for only about 10 minutes and helps to get the joints lubricated and make the body supple.

With Aikido being mainly about throws, students first pay attention to rolling and falling. Because of the throws, it is practised indoors and with partners. Rolling requires technique and is not about just barrelling down the floor.

I stare open mouthed as students adroitly roll down the 30 feet of padded mat. First they do so silently, and then with a sonorous thud. This is for the experts, and I decide it’s time to roll out of the class.

(For more information: http://www.aikikaiindia.org/, call: 9899822

Mirambika campus is more diverse than Yamuna Biodiversity Park

....................But the only thing missing in our campus is a waterbody, but there are more variety of trees in our campus, than YBP.

We started doing a project on trees & i am kind of smitten by it. We are using Trees of Delhi, A field Guide by Pradip Kishen to do our work. Today morning my father was telling me your school bag is getting heavy. Apart from the Trees of Delhi book, it had Asterisk & a couple of novels, apart from the usual note books. We do not have any textbooks in Mirambika.

Using this field guide we are making a list of trees in the Mirambika campus, which by the look of things is much more diverse than the Yamuna biodiversity park which we visited recently as part of our project work.

At the Yamuna biodiversity Park i learned to identify some butterflies like Brown Awl, Grass Yellow, Forget me Not, Striped Tiger, Plain Tiger, Blue Pansy, Yellow Pansy & Peacock Pansy.

Maan Singh, Bharatpur, Birding guide par excellence

The first time i went to Bharatpur was 3 years back. I was new to birds & birding. Infact we were doing a project in school on birds. Priyanka didi & Manish bhaiyya got me really interested in birds, they got me hooked, it was one of the best projects i had done in school. Then my parents got for me the "Birds of the Indian Subcontinent by Richard Grimmett" which is like a bible for birds & id's etc. I used to read it for hours, sleep with it, wake up with, walk with it etc.

My school (mirambika) also has a lovely campus, i started to identify birds. Then there is a park in front of my house, there also i started to identify birds. Once we went for a walk with Priyankadidi & Manishbhaiyya, then he thought us how to identify the birds by their call. While we were doing the project i got a chance to visit Bharatpur (Keoladeo Ghana National Park)

We were quite tentative about how to go about birding in the park since it was our first time. We asked for a guide et al, then we needed to hire a cycle rickshaw to go inside the park since it is a long walk. Then this person with a cycle rickshaw walked up to us & told us he will take us in. That was my first meeting with Maan Singh.

Within 5 minutes we realised that he was much better guide than the actual birding guide that we had hired. That day evening while walking back from the park Maan Singh actually spotted an Osprey, it was unbelievable for me to be able to see an Osprey & we realised the guide had not even spotted it.

So the next day morning when we were going back to the park we decided we do not need a guide, Maan Singh himself is a super birding guide. So that is how i came to know Maan Singh. Since then whenever we go to Bharatpur we go into the park with only Maan Singh. He obviously is a much respected person, his skills in identifying birds are just fantastic, his eyes are so sharp, he knows their calls, he knows the behaviour of the birds very well, he has a feel for them, plus he is also very relaxed as a person & great company to be cycling with, when he regales us with stories about birding, about the state of the park, how it is been run etc.

Maan Singh, age 47, Rickshaw No. 5, has been in Bharatpur since 1981. In 1981, Keoladeo Ghana bird sanctuary was given the status of National Park. He was trained by Dr Salim Ali when he used to come to Bharatpur, he also has attended many seminars & workshops with Dr Salim Ali

Maan Singh earns about Rs 5,000/- a month on an average. He is also very environmentally conscious & gets appalled with visitors who come into the park & litter, he also has a lot to say about the kind of vegetation which was there in the park, which is more mono culture than bio diverse, he is happy with the changes which are taking place to replace the awful "ganda babul" trees.

Water in the park is critical, he throws his hands up in despair when he explains the politics behind the water distribution. His life is also dependent on it, if there is no water in the park, then there will be no birds, if there are no birds, then there will be be no visitors, if there are no visitors to the park, then he will have no work & no earnings.

Maan Singh

14, Madhav Galli,

Near Ganga Mandir

Bharatpur. 321 001

Bharatpur Rocks ! Oct 2008......... & The Dusky Eagle Owl

Expectations were running high in me when I heard from my parents that we are going to Bharatpur during the Diwali break. We reached Bharatpur in around 4 hours, checked in to the hotel, had lunch…………. It all seemed to take too long & I was getting restless. I just wanted to head into the Keoladeo Ghana National Park !!

But there was one problem; we could not find Maan Singh. We had called his contact telephone number & requested them to pass on the message to Maan Singh. But obviously he had not got the message. Maan Singh has always been an integral part of my trips to Bharatpur. Birding is so enjoyable with him, he has so much insight into birds, plus he knows the park inside out, plus he knows my favourite birds, plus he knows the likely places where they might be !!

We looked out for him trying in vain to locate his whereabouts. With disappointment writ large on our faces we boarded another cycle rickshaw, but I was hoping to bump into Maan Singh somewhere in the park. But luck was with us & lo behold, we saw him very soon & I was happy to hop into his rickshaw though I did feel sorry for the other rickshaw driver. However, my father compensated him for his time so at least he did not lose any earnings.

The high for the first day was to see the Dusky Eagle Owl, the call of it was just awesome. Imagine listening to the call on a dark moon less night alone!!! That surely will give me the goose bums !!

We did a quick round of the park. Scopps Owl was simply a treat to watch.........

So was also the peace in which the Night Jar was sleeping on a branch.



The next day we spent about 4hrs in the park in the morning, The high point was the Saurus Cranes, one of them was sitting on a nest, the Pheasant Tailed Jacanas & the Bronze Winged Jacanas, we looked hard to see the floating nests, but couldn’t see any.

We went again to the park after a quick lunch. Had great views of a couple of Eurasian Hobby’s. A first time view of a Lagger Falcon. Then we had a close look at the Heronary. It was amazing to see the Painted Storks, the Cormorants, the Spoon Bills & the Darters share the same nesting spaces. Maan Singh showed us how the adults of Painted Storks would protect the chicks of the other species. Also how the adults protect the chicks from the sun by spreading out the wings etc. We also saw chicks which were just a week old.

The concentration which is writ large on the face of the Purple Heron, or the Night Heron, or the little Green Heron, or the Grey heron, just sitting quietly in wait for prolonged periods of time, without moving even a bit, alert & agile, & when they spot a prey, in one amazing striking elongation of the neck they catch the fish. And if it is a big fish then it flips it in the air & takes it in head first. I was privileged to see a Purple Heron do just that.

It was almost sunset when we were coming out of the park. We heard a jackal call, suddenly Maan singh jumped out from the rickshaw & said It is a Hyena !! Our eyes closed in on the Hyena. It was huge. Bigger than a German Sheperd dog, it crossed the path right behind us. I could not believe my eyes, I could not believe what I saw………. a Hyena. It was a truly awesome moment. By the time my mother got out of the rickshaw & adjusted the camera the Hyena was gone. But the picture will always remain in my mind………. A Hyena been barked at & chased by Jackals, & it crossing the path just 15 ft away from me. Truly a rocker moment !!

The next day we were in the park by sunrise. This time Maan singh took us through a different path. I was dying/ hoping to see an Osprey, I did see something which I thought was an Osprey, but it was too far away to even identify. Then we were cycling along quietly, then we saw a Greater Spotted Eagle. Actually it was only a dress rehearsal of things to come.

Just a few metres ahead, my eyes popped out in wonder when I saw a Steppe Eagle…………… (Correction, by Ramit: It is a Bonneli's Eagle)

It was so close, it was unbelievable, to see this beautiful bird sitting just a few metres away. I enjoyed the couple of minutes in its company, before it flew away. We cycled ahead, not believing my luck , I was still in daze thinking of the Steppe Eagle. (Sorry, actually Bonneli's Eagle)

Suddenly Maan Singh again stopped & pointed to my right, there again on my right hand side was one of my all time favourite birds : The Crested Serpent Eagle.

It was sitting in the sun, obviously 'had a dive in the water, so was sitting with the feathers spread out. I have never seen an Eagle so, so relaxed & did look at us many times, but was not bothered about our presence, he continued to sit where he was . We eyed him for about 20 minutes, till we decided to say good bye.

So that was it !!

After two & a half days of intensive birding, it was finally time to leave. Bharatpur rocks, it just rocks. I used to wonder the last two years when I used to hear that there is no water in the park, i used to worry & feel helpless. But i felt so humble to see nature rejuvenate itself to offer a nesting & a breeding place for all these species who come in sometimes all the way from Europe & Mongolia.

I hope to go back in December or January (hopefully with some of my friends) when all the birds arrive & when Bharatpur is at its best.

As of now here is the list of birds i saw :

1. Magpie Robin
2. Bank Mynah
3. Common Myna
4. Brahminy Myna
5. Pied Myna
6. Drongo
7. Laughing Dove
8. Green Pigeon
9. Jungle Babbler
10. Peacocks/hens
11. Hoopoe
12. Chestnut Shouldered Petronia
13. Rose Ringed Parakeets
14. Yellow Vented Bulbul
15. Coucal
16. Large Green Barbet
17. Coppersmith
18. Green Bee-eater
19. Indian Roller Bird
20. Golden Oriole
21. Pygmy Woodpecker
22. Flame Back
23. Red Wattled Lapwing
24. White Breasted King Fisher
25. Small Blue King Fisher
26. Rufous Tree pie
27. Pied Bush Chat
28. Clamorous Reed Warbler
29. Brain fever Bird/ Common Hawk Cuckoo
30. Koel
31. Pied Crested Cuckoo
32. Grey Partridge/ Francolin
33. Red Throated Fly Catcher
34. Grey Headed Canary Fly Catcher
35. Grey Night Jar
36. Painted Storks
37. Great Egret
38. Little Egret
39. Pond Heron/ Paddy Bird
40. Little Heron
41. Night Heron
42. Purple Heron
43. Darter/ Snake Bird
44. Great Cormorant
45. Little Cormorant
46. Indian Shag
47. White Ibis
48. Glossy Ibis
49. Spoon Bill
50. Saurus Crane
51. Common Moorhen
52. Purple Moorhen
53. Bronzed Winged Jacana
54. Pheasant Tailed Jacana
55. Black Red Start
56. Lesser White Throat
57. Long Tailed Shrike
58. Scopps Owl
59. Spotted Owlets
60. Dusky Eagle Owl
61. Spot billed Duck
62. Lesser Whistling Ducks
63. Coots
64. Comb Duck
65. Common Teal/ Pygmy Goose
66. Crested Serpent Eagle
67. Marsh Harrier
68. Black Shouldered Kite
69. Shikra
70. Lagger Falcon
71. Eurasian Hobby
72. Greater Spotted Eagle
73. Oriental Honey Buzzard
74. Bonneli's Eagle

Finally as i leave; i hope to , i just hope to...........see the Siberian Cranes coming back sometime !!

Aikido techniques for 5th Kyu

The Aikido Techniques that i am learning for my 5th Kyu are the following :

1. Shomen uchi dai Ikkyo (Omute/ Ura, Tachi/ Suwari)
2. Shomen uchi dai Nikkyo (Omute/ Ura, Tachi/ Suwari)
3. Shomen uchi Iriminage (Tachi/ Suwari)

4. Katate dori Shihonage (Omute/ Ura)
5. Katate dori dai Ikkyo (Omute/ Ura, Tachi)
6. Katate dori dai Nikkyo (Omute/ Ura, Tachi)
7. Katate dori Kaitennage
8. Katate dori Iriminage (Tachi)

9. Kata dori dai Ikkyo (Omute/ Ura, Tachi/ Suwari)
10. Kata dori dai Nikkyo (Omute/ Ura, Tachi/ Suwari)

11. Kosa dori Iriminage (Tachi)
12. Kosa dori Shihonage (Tachi)
13. Kosa dori dai Ikkyo (Omute/ Ura, Tachi)
14. Kosa dori dai Nikkyo (Omute/ Ura, Tachi)

15. Yokomen uchi Shihonage (Omute/ Ura, Tachi)

16. Tai no Henko

17. Zagi Kokyu Ho

Birding at Sonapani..... The Asian Barred Owl & The Eurasian Hobby

During Dushera break we went to Sonapani.

This is the closest i came to the Himalayan peaks, the views were breathtaking, it was awesome, especially on a clear morning.

We went for long walks in the forests nearby, we saw many Tree creepers, Velvet Fronted Nut Hatches, Spangled Drongos, Whistling Thrush's, Streaked Whistling Thrush's, Canary Fly Catcher's, Scarlet Minivets, Black Throated Tits, Great Barbets, Flame Backs, Red billed Blue Magpies, Black Headed Jay's & a Crested Serpent Eagle.

One day early in the morning we walked up dew dropped hill. Far, far way on a single Pine Tree we spotted a raptor, my mother forgot all her breathlessness, i was imagining some bear is going to come out & attack us, i forgot that also, in a jiffy, panting, panting we scrambled up on top of the hill & really close to the tree were this bird was sitting.

Then it flew to another tree, first i thought it was a Falcon, it was a really beautiful bird, but when i checked the ID, i found it it was an Eurasian Hobby.

So here is is my first time view of an Eurasian Hobby

Then one day late in the evening we were having coffee, suddenly on a nearby tree, we saw something. I ran up to see what it was, first i thought it was a raptor, but it was not, it was an Owl. We saw it swoop down on to bush & catch something. I was not sure what Owl it was.

Next day again at the same time in the evening we went in search of it. we could not find it, then we were returning disappointed. While walking back my mother told me to stand near my father so that she could take a snap of both of us, at that particular moment..............yippee , the same Owl was again in front of us. It was particularly agile & gave us really awesome looks. After studying the ID i realised it is the Asian Barred Owl
So it was another first timer for me.

.

The nights were chill. I love sitting around the fire, just looking into the burning wood apart from warming ourselves & sometimes strumming my guitar. Ashish uncle & Deepa aunty looked after us very well. The food was yum.

As usual I was very upset when it was time to leave !!

Winter visitors are coming................Sultanpur, Oct 2008. The Pied King Fisher & the Avadavat !!

I am so happy when winter is approaching, that is the time when a lot of birds fly in from thousands of miles away. I went to Sultanpur to check out the scene. A Pied King fisher really gave us a treat, diving into the water many times in front of us

The water hole was rather full of waterfowl; including Shovellers, Garganey, Gadwall, Common Teals, Comb Ducks, Spot-billed Ducks and a few Common Moorhens. The islands held large numbers of Black Headed Ibis and Painted Storks and a lone Asian Open bill. Also present were Purple and Grey Herons,Median and Great Egrets, Black Crowned Night Herons, the abundant Pond Herons, and all 3 species of Cormorants. On one of the trees on the island,there was quite a large raptor right at the top, but the distance was far too great for any of us to identify it. A Pied Cuckoo was also present on one of the Keekar trees next to the lake. We also saw Black Rumped Flamebacks, both species of Barbets, and a Common Stonechat.

But the colours of this Avadavat really caught my imagination.

As the day became warmer we got out of the park, but surely will be going again after a month or so to pay my respects to all the winter visitors.

We ended the morning with a round of some lovely sandwiches & a cake which was baked by my maasi.

Rock On & Farhan Akhtar

I went to see Rock On
The story was awesome
The songs were just too good.
The best part is i am learning the chords now................... yippie
I loved this & this & this

Now this is the gang singing one of the songs from Rock On: na,na,na........ in school. We got everyone singing with us......... But what unfolded afterwards was a horror story. Certain things are better left unsaid...... isn't it !!

Adios........ Edson Diaz, Brazilian Footbal Coach

I was lucky to meet him,
I was lucky to be coached by him.
He is Edson Diaz from Escola Brasileira de Futebol & Associocao Brasileira de Treinadores de Futebol

But unfortunately he had to leave, all good things had to come to an end, hopefully i will be able to train with him sometime in future.

In his assessment he said " ...........As the coach of The International Brazilian Football Program i have the pleasure in congratulating you to have done the football program with us for 3 months. You have been able to improve a lot as a player and in understanding that football is an art, in communication, in discipline & respect & relationship with others. You have learned about the principal point of our program. Also i advice you to practice continuously to become a professional football player..........."

Then he assessed me for dribbling skills, passing, jumping, speed, kicking, control, field position & personal knowledge. My jumping been the weakest, because i hate to do headers.

The he goes on to say........... "you should understand more about your position while you are playing, i think if you start playing in the right side attacker position you will become better.......... "

Training with Edson was a dream, when he said he will have to leave the country i thought; maan........ now what ? But he managed to find/ convince another coach Jamiu Logun from Nigeria to come & coach us.

Gracias Edson............. adios !!

Mischief, the Labrador.........!!

I did this painting for my sister mana

She wanted me to paint her 10 year old Labrador named mischief. In this painting he has got a red cap on to make him look more mischievous !!

I gifted her this painting for raakhi.

The leopard with its kill

I started like this....................


then the canvas became like this after two weeks..................



Finally after a month...................

this how it looked in the end with the Leopard looking into the sunset, his kill; a deer is kept safely up on tree (You have to look clearly to see it) to savour for dinner !!

My aikido gang with Sensei

New Delhi Aikido Dojo

My Birthday

For my birthday I called three of my friends. We played a lot, we watched the Kung fu Panda then for lunch we went to Subway and ate some awesome sandwiches.

We bought a cake at Rainbows and then had a cool party at home.

The dreaming King fisher...........

This is a canvas which i completed recently, i called it the "dreaming King fisher"

Viva les espana...........

When the Euro 2008 started, i was supporting Spain. My friends & cousins thought i was mad, they were all saying Portugal, Italy or Germany will win, but in the end my favourite team won haha !!

Roaming Roms

My visit to Delhi…….. Before I left for Delhi my friends had warned me that Delhi is going to be too hot & advised me not to go. Though I knew they were speaking the truth I told them that the heat cannot bother or affect me, coz I am too cool. The day we reached delhi the heat was killing but we left for the hills two days later.

The journey to Kathgodam by Ranikhet Express was the most memorable one. We had reservations, but it seemed that travelling in the train did not need any reservations. The train was more of a circus than an train. There were people who offered to exchange seats with them, but we soon realised that but those people had no reservations. We met 4 cool characters who had their own problems.

The first dude was from Kota in Rajasthan & his problem was that his nephew did not smile. The second guy was a stud from From Delhi & he had conflicting emotions whether to sleep or to watch the drama which was unfolding in the train. The third guy was from nowhere & he had one of the weirdest problems. According to him a policeman in uniform was was with a woman who was not his wife & so he took up the fight with the policeman. Both of them were calling their own contacts & arguing with each other, when the fourth dude entered. He was also a policeman & a stranger to the party. His name was M.K.Yadav & he was very cool in handling the situation. By now the story can be imagined by anyone, the four deadly characters, with Moradabad as the junction of all this turmoil only made the trip more exciting.

The next morning we reached our destination & we were really happy with the weather. We had a trek up the mountain which seemed to be never ending, but when we reached the top we found the trek was worth the effort. The place was called Jilling & the vacation was one of the most enjoyable ones we had. We had a cottage around which there were dense forests which had leopards, mysterious langoors who seemed to change their shapes, sizes 7 colours. We really enjoyed ourselves in the day, ‘though the nights were a bit scary. We walked high up to the ridge about 7,200 ft & saw many rare birds like the Lammergier, Black Eagle & the Himalayan Griffon. The rest of the time went in playing cricket, while playing we discovered a new talent whose name was Daya. We named him Jogi, because he bowled like Joginder Sharma of T20 fame, & also he liked his new name. He accompanied us on all our trips. He enjoyed our company & we enjoyed his.


When our holiday in Jilling was over we went to Saatal, spent our day bir watching. The owner of the place seemed to have like us so much that he did not charge us any thing for the lunch for all of us & the time we spent in his hotel.

We left in the evening for the station in Kathgodam & reached Delhi early in the morning. When we reached we realised the weather was not at all hot & the temperature had fallen by 9 degrees, there had been a hail storm that morning. We had loved the weather in the hills But we hardly knew that it too loved us & was following us to Delhi.

The day we arrived in delhi was also my Birthday
& so we celebrated it by having pizzas & Black Forest cake. Life in Delhi was very chilled out as I went to sleep only early in the morning & just managed to wake up at the time of lunch. Everything was cool until the day of my result was announced. I was afraid & my hands were trembling when I was pressing the keys of the key board to find out my result. But when I saw my marks I was really delighted & was in a mood to celebrate. We went to a restaurant named Angels in the Kitchen for dinner.

The next few days we spent roaming around Delhi. We went to Gurgaon, then Dilli Haat, in the night, I really liked the atmosphere there. One day we went to Old Delhi. We travelled by the Delhi Metro, which I found as good as the trains abroad. We visited Jama masjid & also enjoyed the cycle rickshaw ride from Chawri bazaar to Chandini Chowk. We ate in Parathewale galli & enjoyed the deep fried parathas while cursing them, the paratha were horribly good. In the night we watched the Sound & Light show at the Red Fort which reminded us of the times of the mughals & brought us to the life of what ever was written in our text books. One day, i went to Akshardham, I enjoyed the exhibition & the carvings there, but the best part was the food over there.

We were all getting ready to leave for Bombay when we heard from the news that the protesting Gujjars had dug up tracks in Rajasthan & our trains were cancelled. Then we had to try & book our flight tickets, while booking our tickets we went through Yatra.com, but apparently the flight which we booked was full & Yatra.com tried to console us with their excellent slogan which said Its annoying but it happens. The slogan annoyed us further, but we kept our cool & soon booked tickets for the earliest possible date. So that was the end of a very memorable holiday. I thanked my uncle & aunt & also congratulated them for bearing with me………..

This one is for you Roms.......... enjoy !!

Axe effect

Mon voyage à Delhi…………. Finally the 19th morning had arrived & I would be leaving Bombay after long & tiring year of hard studies. The morning started peacefully, but one event led to another & as usual we were in a hurry to catch the train.
As I entered the Rajdhani a sense of calmness & excitement suppressed the sadness of leaving Bombay, home & the mess --- life behind. I realised a trip without parents indeed has its advantages & bullying my cousins 8 years younger did feature pretty high on the list.

The attendant on the train treated us really well & who wouldn’t ?? After my father & my uncle who are almost identical twins giving them instructions at two different stations 20 kms apart must have really confused him.

As the train left the chaotic city of Bombay, we (three of us) settled down onto a single berth, the journey continued with us checking out the famous station Ratlam. A few hours of sleep later the train was rolling to a halt at Hazrat Nizamuddin station. My uncle & cousin were there at the station, thus started an exciting vacation.

Once at home; cricket in the living room, Pokemon etc took over. We went for a swim in the evening. But to my surprise, there was not even one hot girl in the 50mtr pool. It is easier even in Virar !!

A day later we left for Jilling, one of the hills in Uttarakhand. We were taking the train of trains, with stories more fascinating than the Ekta Kappor serials………. The Ranikhet Express from Old Delhi Stn to Kathgodam.

But a smart delhiite had beat me to the balcony seat of a drama which had a script fit for a C grade Bollywood movie !! As the train left & the passengers settled down a police man, a woman & another man entered the scene. What seemed to be molestation turned out to be the in train entertainment for the blessed few of us. The story with its twists & turns reached a stage where the ‘other man’ started manhandling the police man. The police man was accused of been with another woman while on duty. After hundreds of phone calls to their children & superiors the police couple convinced the star & policeman on board Mr M.K.Yadav was the real husband. Threats & blows followed, but peace & silence finally was regained at Muradabad Station where 15 policemen arrested the other man.

Thus we reached Katgodam station, took the waiting taxi, the trek up Jilling had all of us panting & puffing, especially my aunt, who felt her heart skip 3 beats to be precise while we were climbing up.

At first Jilling felt nothing out of the ordinary, but as soon as we relaxed a bit & walked around, it seemed to be just the place to go to beat the Delhi heat. The days to follow were normally welcomed by nice breakfast, hours of cricket, numerous treks to catch a glimpse of beautiful birds that had made Jilling their home.

Daya a.k.a Jogi liked playing cricket & bowled some fabulous spells & hence the name Jogi (Joginder Sharma of T20 fame), which he also found a liking.

While coming back as we easily came down the tracks which had taken us hours to climb, I realised that I had really enjoyed the hours of birding. I distinctly remember the moment where me & my cousin spotted a Leopard………. But unfortunately till date is denied by the rest of the gang.

The journey back to Delhi was nothing out of the ordinary & we reached Delhi to surprisingly cool weather. Hail storms had cooled down the temperature almost 20 degrees below the normal heat. Looked like the weather gods also liked us out here. I also felt much better knowing that those idiots (friends) who kept warning me about the Delhi heat had a much harsher climate in Bombay.
One of the highlights of the trip other than than the ultra cheap shopping at Sarojini Nagar was the hail storm I experienced. Small round balls of ice, falling beautifully on the plants nearby reminded of the ‘dots’ ice cream in Bombay. One day I also went to Akshardham, to fulfil my promise to dad & daadi.

Another of our unchilled but exciting days was when we decided to go on an Old Delhi darshan. We took the tube from Central Secretariat to Chowri Bazaar. We had some amazingly prepared Kulfis, one of which was stuffed into a ripe mango by removing the seed. We then had our dinner which was mouth watering but rather cheap at Parathewale gali. A night visit to the Red Fort followed, which included ‘un spectacle sow et luiere’ about its history.

Our wandering in delhi included turns to Dilli Haat & Nirula’s & not to forget the Nataraj Dahi Bhalle walla who happened to be quite a let down considering the hype surrounding it. That was probably the only day in Delhi were the centre of gravity of my body had changed to my stomach.
Then we went to suni maasi’s place, who to my surprise let the Red Bull flow. The Lasagna she had made, reminded me of my favourite at Little Italy. Chilling out in her place was a lot of fun, which was more than I ever thought would ever be.

As we readied for our departure on Tuesday, we saw the news flash, that all trains going through Rajasthan has been cancelled. Ours was not an exception, I am sure it was mainly due to the prayers by the 6th passenger who was going to be travelling stuck between us 5 cousins !!

Chaos followed as flight tickets had to be booked. We tried one of the new dot coms. Yatra. Well after of trying to book & Rs 20,800/- being debited from my aunts account all we got was one of the craziest apologies……….. it is annoying, but it happens. Never use Yatra.com again. Finally everything got sorted out thanx to makemytrip.com.

As I reflect I realise this was more enjoyable than any vacation I' ve ever had & I would love to do it again.

Must Do’s

Momos at every corner
Chuski........ Bombay Gola
Golgappe…… The poorer Paani Puri
Walking through IIT……… amazing peacocks
Stand in the rain & try catching the hail with your open mouth

This one for you Aks..... & thanx for writing !!

Mana's musings...........

My stay in Delhi was supposed to be quite short but due to unavoidable circumstances, it has been lengthened by a few days. Can’t say I was disappointed, for a change I am not counting the days to get back home. The weather was shockingly beautiful……….. we didn’t have to suffer through delhi’s summer. Feels good to have every one suffering in Bombay for a change.

As far as food goes the trek (which I did with my college in association YHAI) compelled me to eat food, which I wouldn’t have other wise touched. So coming here was like heaven after eating the watery potatoes for 12 days. The Pizzas were a nice change from all that. This time around I did get to see parts of old Delhi, sadly I had to miss out on Jama Masjid……….. but that means that I get to come here again LOL.

One thing I really love about Delhi is the shopping, especially at Sarojini Nagar. This time, ‘though short, I did manage to go there thrice & that really filled up suitcase to the limit, along with the rocks I had collected from the trek.

The sound & light show at the Red Fort, which itself is a beauty was quite nice (except for the mosquito's). I would have enjoyed it a whole lot more, if there was more emphasis on Mughal History of the fort, it somehow fascinates me more.

A visit to a mall in Delhi, was really disappointing, it was nothing great. Possibly it was one of the few times that I missed my Bombay.

The protest by the Gujjars led to the cancellation of our trains, we tried to book plane tickets, I suppose I will not forget this day & more than anything else will always remember It is annoying, but it happens………. Courtesy Yatra.com

I loved the Aloo parathas which Prema makes & also the mad dog which stays downstairs called Kido, who is really adorable !!

A song for M........ enjoy !!