Lansdowne - Small town with big dreams

Set in the garhwal region, Lansdowne is a small town with a population of about 10,000. It's so beautiful that it would be a criminal offense to try and explain in words. So, I leave you with a few pictures to plan your next holiday destination. 

As you enter the town, the army makes its presence felt. It's the home to the headquarters of the Garhwal Rifles. 

As I walked past the only market in the city, I met this man making paper bags. Plastic bags are banned in Lansdowne and the army makes sure that it's enforced. He has been living in Lansdowne all his life and proudly informed me that it was founded by the Viceroy, Lord Lansdowne in the late 19th century which is quite evident from  lovely British style bungalows and churches. Most of the bungalows serve as residence of the Army personnel, judges and other high ranking officers. When I asked if he likes staying in this obscure place, he said, there isn't much to do but if you are from ETV, please write that they should make some factories around so that the young people don't have to go to the cities to earn a living. Even if they pay less, we will be happy.

It is nothing like the other himalayan hill stations. This is the first hill station I visited which has no Mall Road hence, no irritating souvenir shops. People are so sweet that you might melt in their sweetness. These jeeps are the lifeline of the town. They line up early in the morning to take people to the nearby cities to get supplies. There's a huge water shortage in the region which makes farming almost impractical. So, food and other supplies needs to be replenished regularly. 

If you don't have a BSNL connection, you are in for a treat.  You need to trek/ drive to Tip-n-Top to make calls or use the phone booths. It was wonderful to leave my phone for a couple of days. The serenity is overwhelming.

Tip-n-top is 2-3 km from the main town. We visited the place twice but we took four different trekking routes to and fro. It's worth the pain. The views are absolutely stunning. Nanda Devi, Chaukhamba, Trishul and other high flying peaks are clearly visible. If you are trekking late after nightfall and lucky, you might even encounter a Cheetah. Don't worry, it won't eat you. 

Sunset

Lansdowne is a small town with a huge potential of becoming a busy hill station. Thanks to the Army, nature can be still be witness in its pure and undamaged form. Hopefully, unsustainable development won't happen anytime soon and we will keep enjoying the beauty! 

Sai - My friend from Indo-Pak border

Sai

It was one of those perfect days. I was strolling in Nehru Park, thinking most of the time and talking to my friend, occasionally. It's early winter and the Sun is a blessing. Thankfully, it was shining bright and we were bathing in it with our bag serving as a pillow.

An old Kashmiri man came a lied down beside us. I looked at him and he gave me a big smile. The smile's what caught my attention. He had just one tooth left in his upper jaw!

I tried diverting my mind away from him but just couldn't. So, I went and sat beside him and started talking. This blog is dedicated to him, Sai.

Sai, his five brothers and their mother lived in a small village in Kashmir called Rajouri. No, you won't find it in Google Maps because it just doesn't exit in the diplomatic world! In August 1947, their life changed for ever. They were driven out of their village because it lied on the other side of the border (in India) and were taken to Pakistan as they were Muslims. In Pakistan, Jinnah promised that they will be sent back as soon as possible but like many of his promises, it was never fulfilled. After 5 years of waiting, they fled and crossed the border, illegally. All 6 of them survived! 


But in 1965, terror struck them again. During the 1965 Indo-Pak war, all his four brothers fled to Pakistan. Sai went to live with his wife's family, who was hindu, and survived the war. 

Today, he came seeking Pakistani visa so that he can go visit two of his brothers. The other two have already passed away. He has seen them only four times since 1965 during his previous visits to Pakistan in 1985, '86, '95 and 2005.

When I asked him if he wishes to go live in Pakistan, he got offended and said - 'Hindustaan hi hamaara mulk hai (India is my own country). This country is very liberal. Everyone has the right to follow his own religion. In Pakistan, the Hindus were forced to convert their religion, so were the Sikhs.'

We talked about America, Afghanistan, Allah (God), Delhi, Islamabad. My friend had also visited Islamabad twice. Their descriptions were so vivid that I felt as if I were already in Pakistan.

I had so many questions- what did he do for a living, how was life during Kargil war but it was time for lunch and our stomachs roared for mercy.

And did I mention that it was my friend's birthday. It's a wonderful way to celebrate. Don't you think so?

Sai smiling at me as I turned towards his side. It was such a welcoming smile that I couldn't help but talk to him. 

Sai with his friend, Farooq. He says, "No matter what a person does in this life, he has to die one day and has to pay the price in front of Allah"

Love is all we want to spread! Nehru Park boasts of several such sights.
Just see one as India and the other, Pakistan.

The Gay Parade - Live and let live

The day after my friend got married, hijras flocked his house. They demanded Rs. 50,000/- and threatened to dance naked if he didn't oblige. Well, he got away with Rs. 15,000/-

"Hijras have become a menace!"

How many of you have stopped for a minute to think - why are they like the way they are? Why have they resorted to mobbing? It's because of us! Lack of social acceptance has driven them to such extreme measures. In the royal courts, hijras occupied a very important position. The kings used to leave them in charge of their empire when they went out for battles. Now, the tables have turned. Reason? Leave that aside. We need these people back in our community. We are losing out on manpower and hurting the country's economy. We are poor enough!

Delhi Queer Pride Parade is a great effort to bring the queer community together and celebrate. 

Shortly after the Parade began, many let off their masks didn't quite mind to display their affection publicly. Though, it's rather unnecessary to do PDAs but its good in a way - it speeds up the process of bringing the queer community out of the closet. 

Masked supporters 

The parade was not only about gay rights. It was about protesting against every kind of torture and inequality.

There were people from all age, religious and ethnic groups. Everyone stood united and shouted slogans of "We are one. Hum sab ek hai".

Lollipop and masks were a hot favorite. (No idea why lollipops were so popular). I got one too. Everyone danced and enjoyed. There was no sign of remorse or anger on anybody's face in spite of the lack of social acceptance.

The organizer. In the first year of the parade, there were 7 people. In the second, around 600. This year, the figure crossed 2000! It was a remarkable achievement. 

Sunil Gupta. He is a famous photographer who has been shooting the queer community extensively.

Chikna (As Lily called him). There were more photographers in the Parade than there were participants.

"Oh mommy. I don't care. I love you"

It was great to see parents getting their kids to the Parade. Hope for a queer friendly future.

Freedom. Dismissal of Article 377 was celebrated with full vigor!  

There were banners all around! The traffic was stopped at many crossings. There were colorful flags and beautiful people wearing colorful dresses. It is the most colorful event I have ever participated in. 

All stood united and lit candles to pray for all those who have been subjected to violence

Pushkar Camel Festival, 2010

An experience is what I call the journey to the land of camels with people I had only heard about. The trip to Pushkar was a amalgamation of all kinds of feelings and experiences. From the loss of an expensive camera, iPod and phones to the acquisition of rare bank notes, we saw it all.

Pushkar lake, home to the only Brahma temple in the world

As we started, all doped with sleep, the 3.5 lakh camels and their poop is what kept us awake. I can't recall how many poos I stepped on and how many I ate (as baati of dal, baati, choorma is actually baked in camel poop). As we headed for the desert, we met a 12 year old local boy with a violin-like instrument who spoke to us eloquently in English and claimed to know many European languages (the claim was tested). He readily invited us for tea to his shack in the desert and shared his story. He was the eldest amongst the five siblings and the sole bread-winner for the family and thrived on tourism.

Natthu playing his late-father's instrument at his shack where he entertained us  not only with fine music and tea but a lot more

After the tea and local amusements, he took us around the city and finally to a place where we could hire bikes. We three hired a couple of bikes. I took the comfort of the pillion and trusted my faith on the biker.  The ride boosted our spirits and we headed for Ajmer, 20 km away. I tried my hands on the scooty too, only to pull the accelerator and never to leave it while looking for the brakes. Thankfully the woman I was about to hit was at a safe distance. We parked our bikes in an alley outside the dargah of Ajmeri Sharif and walked to the shrine.

Lily riding the scooty. She rides the scooty like I drive my car. May be that's why I could trust her and leave my hands off the support and get my hands on the camera

Slowly the weather began to change face. As we loaded ourselves with supplies, it started raining heavily. Riding the scooty became increasingly difficult in the mountainous stretch. We almost hit a big bus at a blind turn. So, we sought refuge in a dhaba and had our dinner. As the rain stopped for a while, we managed to slip away to the hotel where we figured that the glove box had been cleared off the bag which had the camera, iPod and a phone! Rest of the night saw us in the Police station.

A camel owner's family. Some of them are here to sell, some to participate, some are just accompanying their relatives. 

For the rest of the days, we were finding ways to recover the lost items. Ideas flowed, so did fun. We lolled on the sand in the warmth of the sun and talked to Camel owners from different parts of Rajasthan. Some came to sell the camels, some to participate in the camel events of the festival. Four amongst us left that night and four of us were left. Vigorous thumb fights and ghost story sessions followed. Finger shadow puppetry was the main attraction of the dark bedroom that night.

Jamura, a child prodigy in catching snakes. The most noticeable point in the picture is the clothes of the snake charmer. It's nothing like we urbans or foreigners picture them as. He is in denim jeans and shirt with no turban. But he still manages to drive the crowd crazy with his moves with the snake and the 'jamura'. He doesn't even own a 'been'. 

There isn't much to ask for when you make such great friends in such a short span of time. And about the Pushkar Camel Festival, it's not a fair worth missing!

Natthu sitting with us in the dunes overlooking the 3.5 lakh camels

Did God create us or Did we create God? - Happy Diwali

I came across this question few days back which was posted by my granddad on his facebook wall. And the answer seemed too obvious in the beginning, 'we created God because of our fear of the unexplained' but being a Physics students makes it more complicated.

There are well developed theories about how this universe began and might end. Well the popular one being, of course, the Big Bang Theory which says we all came from the full stop ending this sentence. We might end in a similar fashion as well to contract to the full stop only to start the process all over again. It's like a yo-yo. Well, this means that God is playing yo-yo with us.

Does this really prove that there is/are a/many God(s)? Can this mean that different religions have different Gods pulling the yo-yo of their world? What about Hindus? We have like millions of them. Don't they have a fight amongst themselves for whose turn is it next to pull the yo-yo?

Agreed that this is how the Universe is working but wait, "Who is pulling our Gods' yo-yo?" Now, give it a thought. It is like an infinite dimension where every dimension has its own right to form its own space. And we see only one dimension - our own! But does that mean we are on the lowest possible position in this chain? Don't we get to pull some strings? We definitely do. Human beings are living on this planet or at least in this part of the universe as if its their own. We kill and we rule! We demolish and we create- that makes us Brahma, Vishnu, Maheshwar rolled into one. For ants, birds, beasts, we are their GOD!

With the status of GOD, comes great responsibilities! Use is wisely.

P.S. Eating chicken is fair enough as even our Gods eat a hell lot of us everyday!

Happy Diwali Folks!

Unlike in most parts of the country, Diwali for Bengalis mean Kali Puja (Goddess of Death). There are sacrifices
and celebrations late at night. But even Bengalis put fourteen lamps in front of their house to celebrate the
return of Lord Ram to Ayodya from his fourteen year exile.

People worldwide are fond of crackers especially the ones which give a good show. This one's my favorite
I can jump on the fire

Goddess Kali on Shiva. I asked my mother why does the poor man have
a pot belly. She said, 'What else do you expect from a man who just
survives on Ganja (opium) and Chullu (Country liquor)?"

Our search for God will end with finding someone controlling our race. It might not end at all for we might end before our search does. It's not worth fighting for the cause of religion. 

Friends - I (couple of birthdays and loads of fun)

Manali, Medha (hidden), Vidhi and me on our way to American Diner,
India Habitat Centre for Manali's treat in an autorickshaw

Medha in Cafe Einstein, our post party fun without the Birthday Girl, Manali

More fun without her. This time Phuchka (bengali golgappas) 

Medha's birthday celebrations outside Andhra Bhawan. Cake from
Slice of Italy, knife borrowed from a random house, candles from
Manal's cake and matchsticks from bidi-wala. The table is someone's car!

After celebrations, Medha and Vidhi 

On the way to United Coffee House
Medha, Manali, me, Vidhi

Durga badnaam hui, Darling! tere lie

Durga with her children

As I approach the puja pandal, I hear "Munni badnaam hui" as if Durga is singing herself. But why not?

Kalighat

She must be ashamed of her enough! From money making to body selling, people take advantage of her in whatever way they can. Be it a small idol on a small railway station or a painted face on a door or a wall, people seem to turn extremely generous when it comes to GOD. 

An idol in a small Railway Station. The donation box is as big as the idol

Attempted painting of Kali on a door with the hope to generate some money

Painting of Kali on the wall

Choose your God and pay him

Faith....

Blind faith is injected into us since childhood

And then we give in to the effective marketing of Religion

Even with 5 pairs of hands, it seems a bit difficult to pay heed to a billion
demands in India itself. May be that's why they need so many idols of Durga

Isn't it better to throw some coins to this man instead, who is spending his
time alone while everyone else is having fun?

City of Joy

Anybody who has read Dominique Lapierre's 'City of Joy' knows how ironic the title is. So, I leave with a few pictures and a few words...

Outside Kalighat Temple. What does Kali prefer?

Cycle-rickshaw is lifeline to the dingy lanes of the city

More people, more deaths, outside Kalighat Temple

To board or not to board? (Local train which carries millions of people in a day)

Itchy ear in Rajdhani Express

Howrah Station, one of the most notorious places in the city

This blog would be incomplete without the mention of the 'queer theory'. I suggest you google

Parents have their way of putting the kids to SLEEP!

You don't need to go inside the temple to get a glimpse of Kali, it's everywhere in the city