Graffiti

Art is creativity. Art is beautiful in all forms. It is a great way to express emotions and feelings. A great way to put your perspective and speak out loud in front of the world! Graffiti is another form of Art which is unique in its own way. Graffiti is writing or drawing on a wall or a surface in a public place. 

Ladakh calling

 

It is as if nature took it's time to create a pristine painting, so magical that one look and it is etched in your memory for a lifetime. Snow-capped mountain ranges look into the mirror of crystal clear rivers and the skies join in to add some more hues. Ladakh... it sure is a wonderland!

Ladakh-God made it with precision

Getting clicked at the Pangong Lake is in my wish list. Bollywood does impact wishes and desires. After Ladakh is shown in many movies like “3 idiots” and “Jab tak hai jaan” I started loving it more. The pristine blue water is a rare vision in India. The lake is heavenly and huge. It extends from India to Tibet.  Ladakh means “land of high passes.” It is in the state of Jammu and Kashmir inhabited by Indo-Aryans and Tibetans.

 Leh is the largest town of Ladakh.  Reaching Ladakh via road is challenging. People who go on a trek to Ladakh carry heavy luggage which comprises of huge canvas tents and collapsible string beds as well. Trekking to Ladakh is the most adventurous trip in India. People residing in Delhi and nearby areas travel to Ladakh even on bikes. The journey is naturally challenging due to dangerous and slippery narrow roads flanked by ice chunks on the sides, reckless driving by many due to steep lanes and foggy vision but if you go by bike you may get a chance to find unexplored hamlets and people. For instance my friend went on a bike along with a group and they could stop where ever they wanted to and explored many new places. 

People frequently suffer from illness due to acute mountain sickness. I have experienced it during my trip to Rohtang Pass. The same highway connects to Leh. It starts from Manali. Other than the Manali-Leh highway two other roads which connect Ladakh are Zoji-La Pass and Kargil route from Srinagar in the Kashmir Valley. The below pic is taken by my friend who went from Srinagar to Ladakh along with fellow bikers. It was clicked on the way.

They had faced many challenges during the journey due to bad roads, flat tyres and mountain sickness but they made it to Ladakh. The sense of accomplishment which one experiences on reaching Ladakh can’t be explained in words. It’s more special when you travel all by yourself on road. If you take the road from Srinagar you get a chance to visit dal-lake, Kargil and many more beautiful places which you would have seen in TV all the time.  In peek winters the roads get closed due to heavy snow fall.  Khardong-La Pass to Nubra valley has an alternate day schedule. It is closed on Mondays and it usually gets closed by snow for several days in winter and spring. Nubra valley is to the north east of Ladakh valley. We were told by our driver that even in Rohtang pass snow falls up to a height of five feet from the ground level in winter. Biking surely rushes the adrenaline and the trip becomes more exciting. Bikers can explore many areas leisurely. For instance my friend visited a village called Gondla and had to stay in a hospital as there were no hotels or rooms to stay! They interacted a lot with villagers and made friends.

The above image is of a gorgeous girl from Gondla village!

I am listing down few things which one has to do during their trip to Ladakh:

          Don’t miss visiting the monasteries of Shey, Hemis, Alchi, Thikse and Lamayuru and many more. A visit to monastery is always peaceful.

        White water rafting and trekking are the major adventurous activities.

       Watching the sunset at Nubra valley feels divine.

        Drass war memorial in Kargil is a must visit. After all saluting our jawans should be in our to-do list. It will surely be a heart-warming experience and a moment of great pride!

       There are many lakes other than Pangong Lake. Tso Moriri is one such heavenly lake!

       There are many valleys and highest passes to trek in Ladakh.

Each spot in Ladakh looks like God made it with high concentration and precision. Divinely places are tough to reach but once you reach them you forget your hardships!

The trip will surely make you experience another dimension of Mother Nature.  At the same time you will also realise that it is intertwined with many challenges.  Altitude sickness, frost bites and getting migraines is common. You will learn patience and co-operation during such strenuous trips. While climbing to Khardungla top my friend’s palms were frozen. A local Nepali boy helped him recover and offered him tea and biscuits free of cost. Hospitability is something you can experience only when you visit such places. Even at Drass when their bikes broke down an army unit offered juice, biscuits, jalebi and even invited them to stay there  . Great travels always give you great experiences!

Lastly a click of the majestic Pangong Lake.

Images courtesy: My friend Piyush’s album at – “ Piyush's Ladakh Trip “

New year is not for everyone

New Year is already here and all are joyous because of the New Year and the new date.

 To me the new found happiness is DSLR camera; to my girlfriend it’s the but obvious good result of her first semester and alike so many people so many reasons of happiness.

Modi Fever

Third among the six children of Damodardas Mulchand Modi and his wife Heeraben is a lad with extraordinary vision and strategic mind, NARENDRA MODI. Born on 17^th September 1950 to a grocer family, currently is the 14^th chief minister of Gujarat. A strong and deserving candidate for the prime ministerial poll for 2014 Lok Sabha.

History of Ladakh

India is blessed with places of tremendous cultural importance and aesthetic value.  Ladakh has received unprecedented fame and attention of the tourists over the last decade or so. Ladakh is a region in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is really good to see that Ladakh is getting the attention that it actually deserves. We often hear youngsters visiting Ladakh on bikes in groups. 

Tourist Guides

 

Google may tell you everything about just every place. But when you plan to explore a new place, especially one with a historic significance, the magic that a travel guide can create is unmatched. Of course, you need to be careful that the guide you opt for is a genuine one. 

Changing Food Culture in India

It was a dull evening. With every second passing by, I could feel the laziness taking its ride on me. I am a person who needs to be busy even if it’s a matter of a single second I need to do something. I guess this kind of approach towards my life was injected in me when I was studying in Little Rock Indian School.

I asked my mother if she could make some lip smacking snacks and I even intended to help her in the preparations. However, she was in no mood to make anything extra for she had already prepared upma. I personally do not have any inclination towards this particular Indian cuisine and occasionally I manage to gulp it down indifferently. I decided not to have this dish when my mother was just about to serve this cement-like dish on my plate. During this course of action between my mother and me, my maternal grandmother entered the kitchen and her facial expression was so obvious that she had heard the entire conversation. 

Cricket is our religion and Sachin is our God

Almost every Indian who has access to media and cricket would know the declaration by many die-hard fans that, “Cricket is their religion and Sachin is their God.” One can’t deny this. The three things which always flourish in India are religion, cricket and movies. Of course weddings can also be added to the list. Be it legendary players like Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil dev, Mahendra singh Dhoni , Rahul Dravid or the master blaster  Sachin Tendulkar, people worship all of them. 

Online vs Real Relationships

The inventions and developments in the technological spheres have not just taken control over our professional lives but have also filtered into our personal lives, our relationships. Almost everyone who is acquainted with the internet has a social media profile and or has interacted with strangers via anonymous chat boxes.  Most of us  now not only have friends in our real life whom we meet on a regular basis but also a set of friends in the virtual world, people whose presence can be felt only through the virtual medium called the internet.

Travel Guides in India

                                               

Travelling is fun but when you travel  in an alien land, you need a guide. No matter how much you read or hear about a place, you can’t become connoisseur without knowing the ground realities of a place. This is precisely where the role of a travel guide becomes of cardinal importance. In a country like India with a wide spectrum of cultures, the importance of travel guides is huge. Even in this era of digital technology, social networking and technological navigation; we cannot eschew the importance of travel guides. 

Specially, if you want to explore and feel the essence of a place, the guides play a crucial role. As they say, travelling is not about merely covering distances. To travel is to live!

Cricket is here to stay

Cricket—a seven letter word which inculcates the consciousness of every single man living in India, no matter his religion, his age or his family background.

Cricket has long ceased to be just a game.

When Reasoning takes a Backseat

When civilization started, the concept of marriages took place and men were required to take care of women because they were physically less strong, (mark my words- not weaker). Slowly men started thinking they were superior and chaos started happening in society.

Digital Revolution

Bill gates said “We are changing the world with technology.”  Douglas Carl Engelbart an American inventor, and an early computer and internet pioneer quoted that , “In 20 or 30 years, you'll be able to hold in your hand as much computing knowledge as exists now in the whole city, or even the whole world".

Situational Comedy

The so called latest tread grooving around in media world is the SITUATION COMEDY a.ka. Sitcom is the comedy genre kind program. This type of programs originated in radios but nowadays it’s found as narrative forms on television mostly. It’s kind of live stage performances having similar background like home, office, etc. where characters related to each other do comedic sequences .It differs from standup comedy and sketch comedy.

Single Traveler

Sitcoms

Ted Mosby: When 2 broke girls said it was hot in Cleveland, the big bang theory was invented and that’s how I met your mother! 

The sitcom fever is really catching up in India thanks to Zee Cafe, Comedy Central and Star World. Gone are the days when everyone was hooked on to (and eventually bored with) thesaas bahu dramas. This is the era of laughing with sitcoms (or stand-up comedy for that matter, but we will talk about it later) instead of plotting and mind-poisoning dramas that do us no good.

College Fests

Through out the year, you prioritize things. To you things like snooker and drinks at the Cue Lounge inside your campus seems a waste of time you utilize this leisure period by going through journals in Library or by hovering over net in digital library.

Pseudo Concerns

Facebook makes sure a lot of people get heard. From whining rants to witty observations, the FB status updates cover a broad spectrum. But one of the most striking developments here is how FB is slowly morphing into a voice of social conscience.

The Silent Treatment

Oh a million thanks to the kind woman who recommended the subject of this piece. The "FAMOUS SILENT TREATMENT" that women have forever ushered on the male species. The weapon that can penetrate hearts that even generous bottles of free alcohol couldn't.

Creativity

It was time for Web design class in my college. Though it is a class which has to teach us web designing, we instead dealt with concepts such as design and creativity and related key words. 

200 Crores

Rs.100  crore isn't enough anymore. With augmented budgets, grander hype and wider release patterns, Bollywood biggies are now gunning for Rs.200-crore collections.

Chennai Express

“Get on the train baby!” CHENNAI EXPRESS! CROSSING 200 CRORES... is making buzz all around the world.

 The first look of Chennai Express was revealed on 1 January 2013. A thirty-one seconds title track teaser sung by S. P. Balasubrahmanyam was released on 23 May 2013. The official trailer of the film was released at an event in Mumbai on 13 June 2013 and has crossed the 4 million views mark on YouTube just two days after its launch. Why? Just because of stardom cast? Let’s find out... if there is anything in this film actually!

Tatkal Reservation

                                                      

There is an analogy between Trains and Life- Life like a Train goes on and on! Well, they say it is the British people that introduced the concept of Railways in India. Since then, Indian Railways has never looked back.

Make a difference

Today, I was stuck in traffic and the guy sitting next to me in the rickshaw started cribbing about India, the dirty politics, the rupee issues, the rape cases, the filthy roads, the pot-holes etc… etc…his list seemed endless. He even asked my view on the current issues. However, I was in no mood to get into a debate. The issues which he raised were very valid; however as citizens of Democratic India, aren’t we responsible for the freedom we have got?