Riding On The Rajdhani

I decided to break the pattern. I decided to travel by train on a rather long journey. So instead of flying from Delhi to Bangalore, I decided to take the Rajdhani Express, a series of fast trains that connect the capital of the country, Delhi, to various other major cities in the country. Some acquaintances were rather surprised that I decided to make this journey. It was, after all, going to be a 36 hour journey. Besides, why would one undertake such a long journey on an Indian train when a flight would cost you about the same and the entire journey would take you one third of the time taken by a train! Well I undertook that journey anyway and all I can say to the non-believers is that I am very glad that I did.

I must confess that it was with great trepidation that I got on to the train at the Hazrat Nizamuddin station that night. I had done a little research over the internet and all I seemed to read were dire warnings about how dirty and smelly the train was. And how nobody seemed to be very happy with their journey.  After reading all that I must say that my journey was a rather pleasant surprise.

A major advantage of doing this journey by train are the series of beautiful landscapes you get to see and absorb as you move from one state to another and then another.

A View Through The Train Window While On The Move

We went through four tunnels while moving through the hills of Madhya Pradesh. They reminded me so much of travelling to Mumbai with our mother when we were little kids, and she made a game out of switching off all lights and letting the compartment become completely dark! For some reason it always thrilled us so much to go through those tunnels as kids! To my complete surprise, it still thrilled me to bits!

 We went to sleep in Maharashtra to the sight of black soil covered in lush green and moved on to Karnataka which presented a stunning view of bright red soil once again surrounded by and covered with lush greenery. Please note that all the pictures have been taken through a slightly cloudy window of a very fast moving train. I apologize for the rather poor quality of these pictures.

Karnataka's Red Soil

It was a pleasure simply to sit and watch the landscape rush by and change and transform right in front of your eyes. After all, no one can deny that India is a beautiful country. No single trip to the country is enough to see all it has to offer whether it is history that you are looking for or if you just have the desire to lose yourself in the lap of nature.

Another View Rushing By My window

Greenery And Black Soil In Maharashtra

Usually, on long distance trains, the staff on a train is completely changed at some point during the journey. Not on the Rajdhani though. This simple system allows you to recognize the staff that is serving you. In return, the staff recognizes you and some ways into the journey starts recognizing your preferences in terms of food, beverages and timings. Which is a big help as you don't have to keep repeating what you want and aids in a more seamless service. 

I would be greatly remiss if I did not give a special mention to the ticket collector. I travel a lot on trains in India. And every journey reads basically the same way. You get onto the train. After a few minutes the TT (ticket collector) comes by to check your ticket. He will probably be in the process of being harassed by various individuals who want to know if there are any extra berths available on the train or if they can change their berth with a better one. So they hurriedly tick you off in their list, maybe ask you for an ID and then without a second glance or thought move on to the next passenger. But not the TT on the Rajdhani. He had a look at my ticket and surprised the breath out of me when before leaving he said "Thank you very much Miss"!!!!!! I have NEVER EVER met a more polite TT even in my travels abroad! 

Anyway, moving on, considering I was travelling on a train which is notorious for sub-standard and poor tasting food, I was rather impressed with the meals I was served through out my journey. Ofcourse, you have to keep in mind you are eating food on the train and can hardly expect fivce star quality food on it! We were served 3 different types of soup during the journey (tomato, mixed vegetable and Rassam since we were travelling to the South). Since I had opted for non-vegetarian meals, I was served one chicken dish, one serving of dal (lentils), 1 serving of rice and a few chapatis. We were served food all day as they don't allow vendors to board at various stations as is the custom on the regular trains. They serve morning tea, followed by breakfast, followed by lunch, followed by tea, followed by refreshments and finally dinner. 

Overall, the staff on the train was very good. They came to clean our compartments at regular intervals. They asked us if we had any garbage to throw away after every meal. They came to spray the entire coach with a room freshener after every 12 hours or so.

I am now looking forward to the return journey... Yes you guessed it - by train! I know for a fact, that if I have the time the only way I am travelling long distance is by train. 

The Genius Of Kelly And Astaire

When I am down and low, when I feel like nothing in the world can make me feel better, there are three things I turn to - Amelie (the French movie), Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. 

Amelie, is this AWESOME  movie about an ordinary girl's desire to want to do good to others in small simple ways, like helping her landlady make peace with her past and her husband who left her for another woman. It is a simple story of a girl who spends her time alone dreaming about all the things we would dream about and trying to find love in her own life. Needless to say of course that it all works out well in the end and leaves us with a warn glow in our hearts. I have to say hats off and a heartfelt THANK YOU to director Jean-Pierre Jeunet for making such a lovely feel good movie. 

But I digress. This blog is not about Amelie. As the title suggests, this is about the sheer genius of Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. Though both these stars are accomplished in many fields, the one I am referring to of course, is dancing! Watching these two move across the dance floor gives me goosebumps and a grin everytime. Each of these stars have the ability to transport me to a different world all together. A world where every thing is beautiful and just right. And then they came together in Ziegfeld Follies' dance number The Babbit And The Bromide and created magic! I have to share it with you in case you haven't already seen it and even if you have, for the sheer pleasure of watching this again.... 

Fred Astaire And Gene Kelly - Zeigfeld Follies (1946)

Even when these two are not dancing together,which was rare to begin with as they performed together only twice in their lives,watching each individually is one of the most uplifting feelings that I have ever felt. Be it Gene Kelly Singing In The Rain with Debbie Reynolds or Fred Astaire Dancing Cheek To Cheek with Ginger Rogers in Top Hat, there is never a time when I am watching one of their movies or dance routines and I don't have a silly smile on my face! 

                                                         Gene Kelly - Singing In The Rain (1952)

 Fred Astaire - Top Hat (1935)

I will never forget the first time I saw a Gene Kelly movie or a Fred Astaire movie on television. In India, my generation has largely not been exposed to these movies unless the parents are enthusiasts. Luckily for me though, TCM showed only old Hollywood movies. Unfortunately, that channel is no longer available on Tatasky. I used to record a few movies everyday. I started admiring Spencer Tracy and Ingrid Bergman. I developed great respect for Katherine Hepburn and Myrna Loy and cannot possibly not mention Red Skelton and Jack Lemon! Of course, I obsessively recorded any Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire movie that was aired. That is when I realised that nothing and no one made me feel as good as seeing these two dance. 

So here's to the two most well known men in the dancing world! Thank you for making all the difference to my world!

Midst The Snow Covered Mountains....

I recently had a chance to spend a long weekend in the small artisan's village in Himachal Pradesh called Andretta. Let me start off by saying it was wonderful! A perfect weekend getaway which offers a variety of activities ranging from Paragliding to simply lazing around at the home-stay with absolutely nothing to do other than imbibe the beauty around you and hope to carry some of it back with you at the end of the weekend.

We started our journey by arriving in Pathankot via train and then started out on a four hour drive to Andretta village. I love the  mountains. They make me feel calm and content with life and help me forget any troubles that I may have in my everyday life. I felt the familiar calm settled over me as soon as we started our drive to Andretta. The drive was stunning to say the least! Himachal Pradesh was seeing unseasonable rain for that time of the year and so, as far as I was concerned, the overcast skies simply added to the beauty of the journey.

View en-route to Andretta

As lovely as the journey was, my joy was doubled once I saw the home-stay that we were going to live in for the weekend. The Mirage is a beautiful place set in a lane off of the main road in Andretta and is surrounded by beautiful trees and flowers. The home-stay is made up of several lovely cottages; all done up beautifully and in good taste. The owners, Dennis and Dolly, make you feel right at home with good home cooked meals and great company. You can go for breakfast to the dining are and spend the morning looking out for beautiful birds and a great view of the snow covered mountains around you.

View From The Dining Area

Himachal Pradesh saw unseasonable rain in March. So we arrived in Andretta in the midst of a lot of rain that carried on for a better part the three days that we were there. I am not sure, but that may have been a reason for the amount of snow that we saw on the mountains around us. Honestly, while I was there, a whole lot of conversation was not on my mind. It was just too beautiful to ask for a lot of information on the place. I was content to sit back and enjoy the beauty around me. However, with the weather being what it was, we were a little worried about whether we would be able to go through with the paragliding program or not.

Andretta is a lovely place to go on walks and treks. I chose the former and got to see some lovely little spots hidden down unassuming paths. During our stay there we walked through some fields and got an even more stunning view of the snow covered peaks. on the whole a very pleasant couple of evenings spent walking around the village.

A Little Ways Down The Road

By The Stream

A View From The Fields

Very close to The Mirage is Andretta Pottery, which is what Andretta is famous for. They make some of the most amazing blue pottery and have won several accolades for it. Our trip organiser, Wonderful World, arranged for one day of pottery classes with them. Sitting for those pottery classes was a revelation in itself. Surprisingly, pottery is a very calming process. Our teacher, Shubham, told me that unless you are feeling calm and focused, it was very difficult to get any step right in the process. And it was really believable. Centering that lump of clay felt like I really needed to be centered. The whole process makes you think of nothing other than the task at hand and it was oddly liberating. I did manage to create my first bit of pottery (though I admit it was with a lot of help from Shubham). It was amazing how we would all struggle with all our might with every step and de-shape the clay and he would just come along and set it right with one hand - ONE hand!!!!! All thanks to Shubham though for making the experience so amazing!

My First Piece Of Pottery!!

After a lot of crossed fingers and toes and various limbs and several prayers offered to the weather Gods, we finally got a beautiful bright and sunny day to go paragliding! We left early on the morning to get to the Paragliding sight in Bir-Billing. Bir and Billing are two villages in the Dauladhar mountain range in Himachal Pradesh that are known as the second best site in the world and the best site in Asia for Paragliding. You take off from Billing at a height of 2400 meters and land in Bir, which is about 1000 meters lower. It is only an hour and half's journey at best from Andretta and was our final destination before leaving for our home towns. The Gods had finally smiled upon us and we were going to get a chance to go paragliding.

An what an experience it was! We were of course going to go tandem with more experienced pilots. And they really seemed to know what they were doing. We were harnessed up and ready to literally run off a cliff! I take a pause here to tell you about the amazing Rhododendrons that we saw all the way to Billing. Apparently, due to the crazy weather there weren't as many flowers as there usually are during that time, and having seen what I have, I cannot imagine what the mountains would look like when in full bloom. It was spectacular. They say that entire mountain sides turn red during the season.

The Rhododendrons

And then we took off! It felt like I was flying! The wind was rushing all around me and there were no sounds to be heard 2400 meters up in the air. The view was amazing all around us and all we had to do was sit back and enjoy the ride quite literally. I didn't want the ride to end! And to make it all a little more interesting our pilots did a small trick and took us whirling down almost to the base at Bir. Then, touch down. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I can only compare it to going scuba diving in the Andamans which was just as amazing!

And just like that our trip was coming to an end. We packed up and got into our cars for the four hour drive back to Pathankot railway station to get back to Delhi and then onto our hometowns. Thank you Andretta for giving us such a wonderful time. And yes, Thank you Wonderful World for organizing such a fabulous tour for us and making it all so easy for us. I hope to do another trip with you soon. As for Andretta, I am definitely going back again, even if it is just for another weekend! 

A Walk Through Lodhi Gardens

My mother loves all things Historical and Archaeological and though we live in Delhi, we have seen hardly any of the historical sites of the city. So this time for my Mum's 60th birthday, as a treat we decided to take her to the Lodhi Gardens where we would get a chance to see some beautiful architectural structures, enjoy a lovely walk in the beautiful garden (a rarity in itself in a city like Delhi believe you me!!!) followed by a lunch in Lodi - The Garden Restaurant of increasing popularity and gorgeous food! And it turned out to be a day to remember for all of us!

I will admit that though the monuments in the garden complex were pretty fascinating, I paid more attention to the garden, the birds and the walk around the place, and I loved every minute of it!

Lodhi garden is a walker's delight in a big concrete city. It gives one the feeling of being out there in the "fresh" air (well as fresh as it can be given its location!) and a feeling of being one with nature. It takes you away from the daily hustle and bustle of life and for a few precious hours makes you forget the city that will inevitably surround you once you step out of the garden.

A Small Section Leading Up To Muhammad Shah's Tomb

We chose a Sunday to visit the place, but if you like solitude and can take the time out from work, visit the Lodhi Gardens on a non-holiday weekday. That way you will be able to take in the natural beauty and not worry about the throngs of people, all looking to escape the city! Of course, the one thing you cannot avoid are the couples locked in passionate embraces in all the nook and crannies the garden provides, trying to get those few precious moments away from people they hope to avoid and keeping out of sight as well as they can! But then again, that is just a part of living in a big Indian city.

The Lodhi garden claim to house a large number of birds. I managed to see only 3 or 4 varieties of birds including the parrot, eagles, geese and a couple of other birds commonly seen in the area. I suppose you will have to make the effort to visit the garden early in the mornings to have a better chance of seeing more varieties of birds. I plan to visit the Garden again as soon as I can manage to wake up early enough. I will definitely do a follow up post on whether I managed to catch sight of any of the birds advertised in the garden.

The Parrot (If You Can Spot it!!!!)

The Sun Peeping Out From The Canopy Of Trees

It was a real pleasure to visit the enclosure that housed the ducks and the geese. Artificial though it seemed, it felt good to get an opportunity in a city to observe the behavior of these birds up close. Caution to parents planning to visit with their little children - please don't leave your toddlers to run amok in the geese cage! Both have a tendency to scare each other silly, thereby creating chaos and confusion and frankly destroying the blissful peace otherwise enveloping the casual observer of nature!

Definitely worth a visit is Sikander Lodhi's Tomb, if for nothing else than the delightful garden they have maintained inside the tomb complex. They do have some of the most beautiful and exuberant flowers in the complex. I would have liked to show you more pictures of the flowers but they also feature people who might not appreciate a mention on my blog!!!! 

I do not want to sound as if I am not giving the monuments their due credit. They are rather interesting and definitely worth a visit. Here are pictures of a few of them. Again, please note that I had a very cursory look at the monuments as it it was one of those days when I was more in the mood for a walk than for History. 

Carvings Inside A Mosque

Some carving Outside The Mosque Near The Bada Gumbad

The Bada Gumbad

Muhammad Shah's Tomb

What was interesting about visiting Lodhi garden in a Sunday was the view of Humanity one got while walking down one of the several walking paths made in the garden. It was nice to see families coming out to spend time together in the outdoors rather than sitting at home watching television or stuck to their mobile phone. It was heartening to hear people laugh out loud and have fun. It was a joy to watch children running around and watching adults act like children while playing cricket with them. We were also treated to a group who decided to sing the afternoon away which surprisingly coincided with a couple of people who brought their guitars along. All of it created a wonderful atmosphere of which I was lucky to be a part on in these busy times. 

Strumming The Guitar On A Lazy Sunday Afternoon

Lodhi gardens also boast of a small bonsai section that is rather interesting for those who like these kind of things! 

The ,lunch at the  Lodi - The garden Restaurant was scrumptious to say the least! The offer European, Mediterranean and Lebanese cuisines - all very well prepared be it beef or sea-food or vegetarian. The staff is very friendly and helpful. I would love to go there  again, the food was just too good! To add to all the AWESOME food is the ambiance. They have outdoor seating. But if you want to stay indoors, they even have an area that has glass walls so that you can enjoy the sights of natural beauty in the Garden while sitting inside. A truly beautiful place! 

All in all, the day was a great success and we all went home feeling rather pleased with life. I leave you with a few more random pictures of the Lodhi gardens....

Jamali Kamali - A Lesser Known Jewel

I welcome you a to a little known Jewel set in New Delhi by the name of the Mehrauli Archaeological Site. All those who wish to tour the city, will benefit if they manage to take out some time to visit this little known historical site on the outskirts of Delhi, situated just behind the ever popular Qutub Minar. It has several small historical sites in the complex and you should set aside a good couple of hours to enjoy the area. Here are some bits that I found very interesting during my walk through area.

Though the Archeological Site consists of several monuments of various importance, this area receives its fame from 2 monuments - the Jamali Kamali Tomb and Masjid (mosque). Wikipedia tells us the following about some of the History of Jamali Kamali - "The name "Jamali" is Urdu, though originates from "Jamal" which means "beauty". "Jamali" was the alias given to Shaikh Fazlu'llah, also known as Shaikh Jamali Kamboh or Jalal Khan, a renowned Sufi saint who lived during the pre-Mughal dynasty rule of the Lodi's, a period from the rule of Sikander Lodi to the Mughal Dynastyrule of Babur and Humayun. Jamali was greatly regarded. Kamali was an unknown person but associated with Jamali and his antecedents have not been established. Their names are tagged together as "Jamali Kamali" for the mosque as well as the tomb since they are buried adjacent to each other. The mosque and the tomb were constructed in 1528-1529, and Jamali was buried in the tomb after his death in 1535". 

Jamali-Kamali Mosque

The Intricate Work Seen Inside The Jamali-Kamali Tomb

Painting Done On The Ceiling Of The Jamali-Kamali Tomb

One of the stories that go around is that Jamali and Kamali were lovers and hence are buried next to each other. There is also a story that says that Kamali was the poet and Jamali took credit for his work. Ofcourse, there really is no way to substantiate these stories. To add intrigue to this story is the fact that if you Google Jamali-Kamali you will read in several places that the Jamali Kamali mosque and tomb are haunted. This is something you are going to have to try out for yourself and see whether it is true or not. As for me, though it increases the intrigue and the mystery of the place, I am not a believer....

The Jamali-Kamali Tomb from Outside

View From A Window at the Jamali-Kamali Mosque

Right next to the Jamali Kamali mosque is Balban's Tomb. Unfortunately, not much of the architecture around the actual tomb survives. It is worth it, however, to visit the tomb and take in the terrain created by the ruins. Most of the actual tomb has survived time so far, though for how much longer is hard to say. It is a lovely and exciting albeit short walk right up to the tomb.

The Ruins Leading Upto Balban's Tomb

Ruins Around Balban's Tomb

Remains Of Balban's Tomb

Another exciting structure a little way down the path is the Rajaon Ki Baoli, or the Step-well for the king, built by Daulat Khan during the reign of Sikander Lodi. Is is a real sight to behold specially when you see how deep the step well goes with every step you take towards it. This too has a small mosque attached to it with lovely carvings on it. It is a complete pleasure to go to the top of the structure and look around you to see the magnificence of the step-well along with the surrounding areas.

The Walk Up To Rajaon Ki Baoli

Looking Down Into Rajaon Ki Baoli

Looking At A Corridor Around The Baoli Through  A Hole In The Wall

The Mosque Attached To The Baoli

An Small Sample Of The Carving At The Mosque

The Main Wall of The Mosque At Rajaon Ki Baoli

I also visited Metcalf's guest house, or Dilkusha which was made around  Quli Khan's Tomb. This structure has breath-taking work inside it and a magnificent view of the Qutub Minar. For those who are interested Quli Khan was the brother of Adam Khan and son of Emperor Akbar's wet nurse Maham Anga. Sir Thomas Theophilus Metcalfe refurbished the tomb of Quli Khan to create his country house or "Retreat" which he rented out to honey-mooning couple because of its location and the view it offered of the Qutub Minar.

Quli Khan's Tomb

A Sample Of The Breath-Taking Work Inside the Structure

View Of The Qutub Minar from The Site

The Idyllic Metcalfe's Bridge leading Up To Metcalfe's Boathouse and Retreat

If these monuments are not as appealing to you as they are to me, the Mehrauli Archeological Site is a pleasure to simply walk around on a holiday. It is a lovely place to go to for a picnic or just a day out with family or loved ones. The entire area is lush green and dotted with ruins that do wonders for the fertile imagination or a restless soul.

I highly recommend that you spend an excellent day here and leave all your stress and worries behind as you allow the site to weave its magic around you.