The Hues of Hyderabad

Last year, I got a chance to visit the City of Nizams, Hyderabad. My sojourn to this city gave me great experiences, loads of pictures and of course, memories unlimited.

I started my trip with something rather un-touristy. I went to watch a movie. Not just any movie but Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. After lunch at Ohri’s, I began my city tour of Hyderabad. Char Minar was a disappointing sight as it is not at all well maintained. However, the bazaars around, where I shopped for the famous Hyderabadi pearls, surely made up for it. Street side chaats and chai were on offer everywhere as I walked through the bazaars. My traverse through the markets brought me upfront with the old world charm that this city has.

My next stop was at Lumbini Park. The huge floral clock at the entrance left me awestruck. I’d never seen such a work of art before and was completely enchanted by the perfection and beauty of it. The grand entrance led to the lush greenery and further, to the Hussain Sagar Lake. The view of the palm trees overlooking the water was simply breathtaking. 

A ferry ride took me to the center of the lake to the Buddha Statue. The lofty moonlit statue was a sight to watch and it also gave us some great opportunities to click pictures and create beautiful memories.

After breakfast at Chutneys the next day, I headed to Snow World. There were ice tables and chairs and huge slides that took you to the depths of the snow. Getting in to igloos, indulging in snowball fights, making snowmen and devouring on hot coffee and chilled kulfi – this was just some of what I did.

My trip to Hyderabad came to an official end at the famous restaurant chain, Paradise where I devoured some Hyderabadi biryani. My last shopping binge was at the airport where I picked up boxes of Karachi Bakery biscuits that Hyderabad is famous for.

Posted on: http://travel-ideas.makemytrip.com/the-hues-of-hyderabad/

All Things Bright and Beautiful

A portion of my first salary was saved for the animals at Sanjay Gandhi Animal Care Centre. I can’t believe that it is today, after having been employed for eight months, that I have found the time to go to the centre. But I did, and for good!

The cows seemed to be very happy to see me…my friends of many years. Drooling, they came towards me with eyes full of love and expectation.

And...this is how they loved the food

I felt content.

Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.’

I totally agree with this quote by Anatole France and have actually experienced this awakening. Animals are innocent, expecting nothing but love, and offering an abundance of it in return. Trust me, to love an animal and to be loved by him is the best feeling in the world. 

All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small;

All things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all! 

Every time I visit the hospital, I feel the world is a beautiful place and there is no ill. Would end this piece at this note and would encourage you to try this exercise once and experience the high yourself :) 

The Magnificence of a ‘Market’

While Colaba, Fort, Marine Drive and the surrounding areas make up what is known as ‘town,’ these areas are undoubtedly the poshest in Mumbai. The southern tip of Mumbai, Colaba, is considered to be the most stylishly luxurious and the prettiest place in the city. A visit to this part is a must on the itinerary of any tourist. Being the southern tip, Colaba is surrounded by the Arabian Sea on all three sides. Besides, the place has an old world charm to it owing to the presence of the Gateway of India, the Victoria Terminus and other heritage buildings.

I have been inspired to write this blog by my visit to the Colaba Causeway market, one of the most wonderful places to shop and be in Mumbai. This market is one of the main attractions of Colaba (and in fact, Mumbai) and draws tourists from all over the world. You can find almost anything and everything here. The stuff ranges from trinkets and junk jewellery to clothes, footwear, books, kitchenware and even handicrafts. Colaba Causeway is also famous for its many shops selling antiques. I was amazed to see such an abundance of extremely stylish and antique hourglasses, compasses, gramophones (miniatures as well as functional), different varieties of locks, lamps, models of vintage cars, et al. Such was their grandeur and exquisiteness that I couldn’t help getting one of them home.

This place is also home to the two most popular cafes of all times – Cafe Mondegar and Cafe Leopold. I must say that the market is full of life and colours at all times of the day. The passage which has both showrooms and stalls on each side is full of people from all parts of India, as well as abroad. Colaba Causeway is not just a market in itself, but also a meeting point of people and cultures from all over the world. It, truly is, the heart of Mumbai. 

Christmas is joy...and Christmas is fun!

Christmas is surely a time for fun, frolic and gifts! Along with wishing that Santa would fill our stocking, we must not forget that we too have to do the same for someone! You guessed it right - our dear and most adorable pets! This year, I plan to get fur coats, quilts, chicken flavoured biscuits, some milk cartons, loaves of bread, and huge bundles full of love and joy for them! Also, it would be great to have all of you out there get at least one of these things for these silent and innocent souls. My indication is towards the stray animals and the act of loving and accepting them as pets by us.

In words of Yogiraj Mumtaz Ali, “When you serve a less fortunate person in any way — material or spiritual — you are not doing him or her a favour. In fact, the one who receives your help does you a favour by accepting what you give, and thereby helps you to evolve and move closer to the divine, blissful being, who in reality is within all.”

You can make the festive season special for yourself and for many others by simply adopting these little measures and loving those animals as your very own family members! What can be a better gift than this for those beings who don’t even have a place which they can call home? 

Let's be their Santa...let's spread love! Happy Christmas!

The Silent Warriors

My visit to the India International Trade Fair this year gave me some fascinating insights into the world of the fur kids I have been talking of all along! The right hand of the Armed Forces, these fur children displayed such valour, smartness and intelligence through their various acts that I was amazed to an extent which cannot be described in words. Here are some snapshots from the Dog Show which, I hope, will make you as well appreciate their strength of character and the role they play at the most crucial times...

It's magic..!It's magic!

..It is amazing how certain experiences in one's life can change one's perspective and attitude toward a lot of other things. I really don't mean to give some philosophical fundamental as I begin my blog with this statement. Rather, I'm hoping it will make some of you smile and give all those animal lovers out there a pleasant read!

So, we have a mouse in our house, who's causing heaps of trouble to all of us here for quite some time now. S/he is living up to everybody's expectations in being so troublesome by eating every single thing we try to hide from him/her. Despite my understanding of, interest in and love for animals, I am not very clear of this little creature's gender for which I would like to apologize from him/her. Nevertheless, at present my focus is not going to be on his (as one of god's creation in general) gender but his wishful thinking and his clever and efficient techniques which help him achieve all his 'goals.'

Thanks to him, I have HOLES in some of my very favourite clothes. However, the most unbelievable part of his adventures was the fact that he actually had the guts to climb and reach the dining table one day and eat the mangoes kept there. This is no ordinary mouse. We've been trying to hunt him down but haven't been successful. The other day, we finally got him when he tried to eat the chappati in the mouse trap. However, it was not long before we could celebrate; he ate the chappati and very skilfully escaped! :o

The time when he was inside the trap, Dad said, "When you leave him out, make sure you keep a mango on the side so that he can have it!"

I couldn't imagine anyone in my house, except me, could talk like this. I was so happy to hear this because it wasn't just a joke for me; it meant a lot more. It was symbolic of the compassion and care that Dad now has for animals. It clearly reflected the soft corner he has for these silent and innocent souls. And I'm also sure of the fact that Dad wouldn't have said anything like this had this incident happened 7 years ago. I have no option now but to believe that all of it has been Chip's doing. He has taken such a place in everybody's heart that whatever we thought was impossible earlier, is now, the reality of life. Again, I have very strong reasons to believe that Chip was magical and such transformation of my Dad's, or for that matter, each of my family member's heart is Chip's magic.

Reverting back to where I started, I want to say that Chip happened to all of us and he brought with him such beautiful moments and such positive energy that our experiences with him have made us learn a lot about life which couldn't have been possible otherwise. Moreover, these experiences have shaped our outlook toward this world and all of God's creations. We were touched by him and were blessed to have him.

The Other..SaReGa..ReGaMa..GaMaPa.....

MUSIC.

Another very integral part of my life.I love singing and I have been learning keyboard for over the last four years and want to continue learning for the rest of my life! A very interesting incident with my music teacher has inspired me to write this blog. It was a dialogue I had with him while I was waiting to go home after our practice session got over.

Whatever I have learnt of music is with the English/Western notation and that day I happened to practice with the teacher who taught Hindi notation at my music school. So, obviously, I knew it was going to be tough for me! After the practice got over, he began, "Ragini, I think you are doing it fine but you need more practice. We can practice now."

I couldn't understand him as I had packed my synthesizer and I couldn't imagine he could ask me to sing with him there..It was so funny because I really can't sing..at least till then I thought I couldn't.

So he started, "Come on..after me... 'Sa..Ni Dha Pa Ga Pa Sa Ni;;; Dha Pa Dha, Pa Ma Pa, Ma Ga Re Sa Ga'..Chalo,bolo!" I looked at him and told him again and again that I couldn't sing and would practice and get back to him on the keyboard the next day..but he insisted.. "Chalo,'Sa...Ni Dha Pa..'..yes, very good..."

"Sing! Sing! Come on..'Saa...'..Join me."

I tried my best to convince him but could not. So, I started humming. He still wasn't satisfied. With such a bad voice, I felt almost handicapped. He urged me to sing, and when I did, he said, "You are going wrong. Listen to me and start again." I was in a fix. On one hand, I was trying to tell him I was not a good singer, desperate to get out of the situation, and on the other, I couldn't stop laughing. How could I explain the fact to him that even if I got the composition right, I could not produce it correctly until I had my instrument with me. I tried and tried...couldn't stop laughing, but still tried until he was content.

I can never forget that time because it was a really new experience for me. Not to mention the huge amount of knowledge and confidence Sir helped me gain. Will ever be thankful to you for it, Sir.