Overrated Udaipur

It is early morning. I wake up and occupy the seat near window. My bus is few kilometers away from Udaipur. This is my first visit to Rajasthan. For me Rajasthan has always been about deserts, camels, folk songs and dances. However I am unable to spot any desert or sand. What I see is lush greenery everywhere.

Its seven in the morning. The bus drops me at the bus stand. It is chilling cold. I have a cup of tea on the road side shanty. I enquire at one of the numerous travel booking offices about day trips and sight-seeing packages. “The bus will leave at 8.30 am” He tells me. I abandon the plan to board the bus. I want to freshen up.

I am staying at an artist's place near Amba Mata Temple. No wonders the room though spartan has been done aesthetically. There is painting of haveli adorning the wall. Another one has a framed picture of Srinathji. Colours and palette are neatly placed in the rack. I have hot water bath. As I come out of the bathroom I am still shivering. I had made travel plans for Rajasthan thinking that it would be pleasant in the month of December. But it is chilling cold. I wear layered clothing and hop into the auto which is going to take me around Udaipur.

Me at Rana Pratap Smarak

My auto skirts on the border of the massive Fateh Sagar Lake. Udaipur though in Rajasthan has no dearth of water. The auto comes to a screeching halt. The driver asks me if I want to visit Rana Pratap Smarak. He tells me there is nothing much to see except a small garden. I don't want to miss on anything and I decide to visit it. I am required to purchase a ticket. In Udaipur you have to purchase tickets everywhere. The tickets are priced at the higher end. I am disappointed for the garden has nothing to offer apart from a statue of Rana Pratap and murals depicting his life and times. When I ask a local caretaker as to what connection the garden has with the warrior king, I am being told that he had stayed there for twenty years.

Rana Pratap Smarak

Our next destination is Saheliyon ki baari. It is nothing more than a fountain housed within four walls and surrounded by a beautiful garden.

Saheliyon ki Baari

We go to Shilpagram next. The driver tells me that it is a village recreated. He gives me one hour to visit it. It turns out to be just another handloom and handicraft sale displaying wares of different States. Yes there were some folk performances as well. But perhaps I was there at the wrong time.

Monsoon palace was a hunting lodge. It is perched atop Banswara hill. It was built by Sajjan Singh. Hence it is also known as Sajjan Garh. The auto dropped me at the base. I purchased tickets for the palace as well for the conveyance which was to take me to the top of the hill. The trained car driver adroitly manoeuvred through the serpentine path leading to the top. The small journey offered breathtaking views. I came across a group of cyclers who were cycling to the top. I throughly enjoyed this ride. I understood the true meaning of the term enjoy the journey and not the destination.

Monsoon Palace

View from a jharoka at the monsoon palace

City palace is a museum which again charges exorbitant entry fees and does not even offer a complimentary guide. It is the largest palace in Rajasthan. It was founded by Udai Singh in the 16th century, after whom the city is named Udaipur. The palace is actually conglomeration of palaces built over a period spread over more than 400 years. Still it looks surprisingly sync, one piece creation. It houses two hotels – Shiv Niwas and Fateh Prakash. The palace was too crowded with visitors. Its wall paintings have been restored. Narrow passages and steep staircases take you to the terraces and the apartments. But the crowd and the absence of any one to guide you is a huge disappointment. A visit to city palace turns you on and leaves unsatisfied.

Jagdish Temple is at a stone's throw from the city palace museum. It was built in 1651. One has to climb steep stairs to reach the temple. The temple is worth a visit. Black idol of Jagannath it the chief diety of the temple. This temple is built in the typical Mewad style architecture.

View of the lake from Bagore ki Haveli

Bagore ki Haveli, told the driver, was the place which housed the attendants of the palace, particularly those who looked after the huge fleet of elephants, horses and camels. The haveli has been restored. A room has been kept deliberately unrestored to give the visitor an idea of before and after state of the haveli first hand. Unlike the crowded city palace this haveli gives you solitude and lets the royal architecture seep inside you. It offers beautiful views of the lake pichola from its roof top. It depicts Rajasthani art and culture through the small museum it hosts.

Bagore ki Haveli

Udaipur – an exotic location seen umpteen times in movies and romantic novels is on everyone's wish list. But to me it was a huge disappointment. May be perhaps I came with too many expectations. Had I been a firang whose country  never  have had any monarchy and the resultant palaces, I would have been swooned by the palaces and havelis which are now converted into hotels and roof top restaurants.

Befikar Umar Bhar

 http://bit.ly/BefikarUmarBhar

Living life without any worries is indeed a dream. I am happy that I am lucky to at least have got an opportunity to ponder over as to how I would lead my life if there were no worries at all. So let me enumerate the five things that I would do if there was nothing holding me back.

Travel

I love travelling. I want to visit all those wonderful places on the earth. I want to climb those snow covered mountains and I want to float on the dead sea. I want to visit every man-made and natural place of special significance. Whether the place is well known for its scenic beauty or for its place in the history, I simply love to travel. But as of now I have to meticulously plan my journey considering the number of leaves I will be entitled to. If there was no job holding me back, I would definitely go for globe trotting. It is my dream to live the life of a nomad, of a gypsy.

Read

If sleep did not deprive me I would go on to read all the books I wanted to read. I am very fond of reading. I love biographies and spiritual books the most. I love travelogues as well. But again I have to take out the time for reading, which I indeed do. The eyes will ache, the clock will show the time to leave for the office and I will have to close the book. I have started making list of those books which I would read when there would no other thing to do.

Meditation

Meditation gives me immense pleasure. Meditation is the thing which I would like to do without any other thoughts troubling me. Yes, it is the work of the mind to think and thoughtless mind is nothing but the state of nirvana. Yes man gives up the material desires and hankers for spiritual objects and I am no exception to it.

Trek in the Himalayas

I want to trek in the Himalayas. Many a times I make plans to trod the gifted soil of the Himalayas. But trek is not always comfortable. It is about living out in the open and walking for hours together. Plus my family members are not that comfortable with the idea of going for a trek. So I feel that I am being too selfish when planning for a trek and settle for a family vacation. So with nothing to worry I am heading for the Himalayas.

Act

If there were no worries of the future I will run and start acting in English theatre. Having been orator for all these years I know I can charm the audience with my lines. English theatre has got its own class and elan and I would be too happy to be a part of it. I love the feeling of hearing my own sound amplified. I love to see my audience awestruck with my powerhouse performances. Most importantly I love to perform. 

5 reasons why the Asus Zenfone is my ideal Valentine

Hey I have found a perfect Valentine. It is sleek, efficient, reliable, intelligent and smart. It is none other than Asus Zenfone a smart phone. There are many many reasons for me falling in love with it. Let me enumerate a few.

Reason no. 1 It has a really long battery life. Smart phone have smart features but they usually do not have much of battery life. The result whether in trains or in class rooms you will have to hunt for those sockets where you could plug your chargers. But you will not face this difficulty with Asus Zenfone. That is because Asus Zenfone has not compromised on battery life. I wanted my partner to have a long life and Asus Zenfone indeed has a long battery life. Isn't this reason enough to make it my ideal valentine. It ensures that I can make calls, browse the net, message my friends without worrying about the battery getting drained.

Reason no. 2 is price. Asus Zenfone is quite cheap compared to the features it is offering. There are many mobiles with similar features. But when it comes to price Asus Zenfone is best in the category. It provides you all the high end features at the lowest price. These days when relationships are becoming expensive to maintain I had to spend a very little fortune for my valentine. It fits in my pocket money without burning a big hole into it.

Reason no. 3 was of course camera. Asus Zenfone has a wonderful camera. Even the pictures taken in night had great clarity. These days smart phones have pathetic picture quality when clicked in the night. But Asus Zenfone came as a pleasant surprise. It has High Quality 5-element Optical formula lens with which you can take amazing full HD pictures. No wonders I have sleek profile pictures on facebook. A new profile picture for every day with the help of my beloved.

Reason no. 4. Asus Zenfone has a good processor. It is a true multitasker. You can run multiple applications and my valentine will never give you an opportunity to complain. Its Intel Atom 2520 provides best performance. One more reason to fall in love that too knee deep. I am really grateful that my Asus Zenfone does so many things for me at a time without a grain of complaint.

Reason no. 5. Good looks. I never went for looks for me the person mattered the most. I have already enumerated the various features of my valentine. But I could not restrain myself from sharing the good looks of my valentine. It is sleek and beautiful. Once you touch it, it will be difficult for you to take your hands away from it. Thank you my valentine for all the love you brought in my life. Indeed brains and performance come together with good looks in today's age too. 

Glasses of Happiness on the eyes

My teenage son was sitting quiet in the corner which was indeed quiet unnatural for him.

“What is the matter son?” I asked him.

“I have got specs.” He said in a low voice.

“Oh! That's great.” I said with enthusiasm.
“Lenses add to the beauty of the eyes, don't they?” I continued.

“I will look nerdy in those glasses.” He said. The disappointment in his voice was palpable.

“Lenskart India offers best of the brands. I would not be wrong if I say that Lenskart is the fashion store for the eyes. It will transform you into a smart, good looking guy. So give up your fears of looking nerdy chashmish after wearing those glasses. Lenskart has the best of the brands. So you have Ray-Ban, Tag Heuer, Maui Jim, Oakley, John Jacobs, Polaroid, Carrera.”

“Really?” For the first time in that conversation I could feel excitement in the voice of my son.

“Yes my dear son. Gone are the days when buying those glasses was an headache. The frame you liked most of the times was expensive. If the frame did not fit into your budget then you spent countless valuable time on haggling with the optician. Many a times your optician did not have that particular brand which you wanted to own. He would tell you that he will order it and you will get in a few days. You kept on visiting his shop to enquire if your frame is available. The optician would tell you with that permanent smile fixed on his face that it would come in a day or two. When the frame finally arrived you were disappointed as it was not of the colour or shade you wished. Thanks to Lenskart that all that is a part of history. For you the smarter generation there is the smarter online store known as Lenskart.”

“So nice to hear that. Do they offer any discounts.”

“Yes. That too massive discounts.

I could see the spark in his eyes. I took a deep breath, made a straight face and continued. “Having understood what is in store at Lenskart let us move to the most important part of the negotiation. How much discount I am getting? Here I have got some good news for you. priceburp.com is the site that will offer you numerous deals. It has more than 40 offers when it comes to Lenskart. Simply use the coupons and get the best deal.” 

“Is it easy?”

“Are you the one asking this question. You happen to be quite computer savvy. It is simple. Don't feel that it is some rocket science. Using coupons at priceburp.com is very simple and easy. You can redeem Lenskart Discount Coupon from the priceburp site and choose the frame you like or your want. This is simple, isn't it. So what are you waiting for?” Find out exciting offers by clicking here.

“I am all ears Papa. Please tell me more.” Said my son.

“Well you can filter your results regarding the Lenskart store offers. You can choose whether you want coupons or deals. If you want best of both the worlds you can select all from the drag box.”

Subscribe newsletters and alerts

“ Further don't miss any offers on Lenskart. You can sign up for the Lenskart newsletters by simply entering your email id here. All the offers, coupon codes and deals will be daily delivered into your inbox. Isn't that great?”

“Thank you papa.” Said the apple of my eye as he fondled with his smart phone.

“What are doing my dear son?”

“Papa I was really unhappy when I heard that I will have to adorn those specs on my face. But now that you have told me about Lenskart I was busy checking the frames on the Lenskart online store. Plus I had the discount coupons. So I decided to buy shades for you as well.”

“Thanks son for being so considerate. I am lucky to have a son like you.” I said.

“Papa thanks to those exciting offers from Lenskart online store, Lenskart coupons which offered massive discounts, I was able to squeeze two purchases in the price of won. I love you and I love discount deals regarding Lenskart as well.”

Both of us had a good laugh. We happily sported our purchases from Lenskart. Lenskart had covered our eyes with glasses of happiness.

Do not get fooled by SpiceJet sales

SpiceJet is facing severe financial crunch. It has been banned from flying from some airports for not paying the money. SpiceJet has found the easiest way out to raise money – conduct discount sales. Now there is nothing wrong with this. However the intentions of SpiceJet appear to be malafide. Why? Let me tell you.

Thousands stranded as SpiceJet scraps many flights

I was lured by one of such sales by SpiceJet  I made a booking 03/09/2014 for Mumbai to Bagdogra and return. The travel dates were 11/05/2015 and 18/05/2015.  

At that time there was no news in the media that there was no money in SpiceJet's coffers. When the news broke in the media that SpiceJet has been banned from flying I wrote to SpiceJet on  24/12/2014 asking whether my flight was cancelled.

SpiceJet Flights Grounded as Oil Companies Stop Fuel Supply

I did not receive any reply as to whether my flight was cancelled. I had to make hotel bookings. Obviously that could be made only if my flight was confirmed. This time I again wrote to SpiceJet and asked whether my flight has been cancelled. I also earmarked the letter to pehredar@moneycontrol.com.

Wonder of wonders I received a reply from SpiceJet saying that my revised itinerary was attached.

 I asked them as to whether my flight was cancelled. 

I received a reply stating that my outbound flight was rescheduled and my return flight was cancelled. I was also given 24 hours customer care number to call. 

When I tried calling them I was told that both of those numbers do not exist.

SpiceJet claims to give full refund if the flight is cancelled or rescheduled by more than 90 minutes. 

I tried to claim refund by visiting their website. While I was able to tick the box of the cancelled flight, I was not able to do so for the return flight which was rescheduled by more than 90 minutes.

For the aforesaid reasons I believe that SpiceJet is adopting unethical means to raise money and is not transparent in its dealings. It is indeed unprofessional and unethical on the part of SpiceJet to adverstise and lure the consumers into buying tickets and then not bothering to reply them. Moreover you will never be able to find the tickets at the rate of Rs499 or Rs 599 as advertised. So it is better not to make any booking of SpiceJet. Instead go for IndiGo another Indian carrier which has good balancesheet and is much better governed. 

Just google the words SpiceJet ban and you will come to know the truth of SpiceJet. Don't get fooled by the sales. Other airlines offer similar fares may be just a few hundred more.

The person in the man

I am a farmer, a peasant. You the city bred also identify me as a member of the proletariat class. Valentine day is approaching and I have my plans for the day too. You may think what a farmer has to do with Valentine day. But tell me is my heart different from your? Are my emotions different from yours? I am the son of the soil, the same soil which gave birth to you. The marketing experts are devising more ways to pander you. They seem to have forgotten my existence. But still I have my plans.

I will go to the fields with my bullock cart. However I will not spend my entire day working hard like other days. I will do only those tasks which are absolutely essential like watering the field and feeding the cattle. Having done that I will yoke my bullock to the cart and go for the joy ride.

I am sure my beloved must be waiting for me near the Hanuman temple at the outskirts of the village. She will be looking as resplendent as ever. She will not be able to climb into the cart. I will hold her hand tightly and lift her into the cart. I will be able to feel her smooth skin and hear the clinking of her bangles. She will blush as I will hold her hand deliberately for time more than that required to fetch her into the cart.

Only both of us in the ranking cart. The only communication between us would be the silence. This solitude is difficult to get. I don't remember when was the last time that we were alone. The bullock know their way very well. They will take us to the plateau which offers picturesque view of the valleys. Seeing the setting sun we will weave the dreams of our future. The sky will be full of various tints. We will borrow some of them and colour our dreams.

Soon it will be dark and she will feel cold. I will embrace her tightly with my worked out arms and she will feel comforted. She would have rested her head on my chest and I would be able to feel her heavy breathing.

After some time I will light the hearth and roast sweet potatoes for her. She has never tasted food cooked by a man. I want to please her with my little culinary skills. I am sure she will love whatever I will be able to cook. She will be happy to see that behind this masculine facade of the man there exists a simple person who loves her and who cares for her.

I will fetch water from the nearby brook and quench her thirst. Satiated by the quiet meeting of hearts we would return to our homes before it is too late. 

 “I am participating in the #SoundOfLove activity atBlogAdda in association with Bluestone”.

Red Handed 20 Criminal Cases That Shook India - Book Review

As the name suggests Red Handed 20 Criminal Cases that Shook India is about 20 most talked about cases in the media. Barring five cases which indeed shook India the rest of the cases covered in the book are the cases which were most talked about in the media. Those cases which provided the fodder for sensational news for TV channels.

Most of the times a common man does not know much about the facts of the case although he has heard something about it in the media. This book provides with all the details of the crimes committed in those sensational cases which we have been hearing about on the news channels.

The books covers the murder trials of Hetal Parekh, Priyadarshini Matto, Nitish Katara, Jessica Lal, Naina Sahni. It tells us about the outcome of economic offences like scams committed by Harshad Mehta, Ketan Parekh, Telgi, Jain Hawala case and graft case against former prime minister P V Narsimha Rao. The terrorist attack on Mumbai and the resulting Kasab Trial also forms part of the book. Rajiv Gandhi's assasination, Nithari killings, Best Bakery case, Parliament attack case, Sanjay Dutt's case and Auto Shankar's case are also analysed in the book. Landmark judgments on offences against women like Vishakha's case and Chandrima Das's case also find a mention in the book. The most interesting case in the book undoubtedly is that of Charles Shobraj. His modus operandi, his charming ways are entertaining.

The book is written for laymen and not legal experts. However at the same time the writer duo has mentioned that they have made efforts to make the references and descriptions of legal procedures simple for the lay readers. It is to be remembered that simplicity does not mean that you should provide incorrect information to the general public. The book is full of mistakes when it comes about the legal procedures. The writers have committed blunders by saying that in appeals trials are reopened, prosecution prepares complaints, warrants are issued by police, accused are referred to as defendants, investigating officer is said to be a part of judicial process, depositions are written by the police and payment of stamp duty means that the document is registered with the government. The common man is already ignorant about the law of the land which everybody is expected to know. The above blunders will only add to his confusion. Half knowledge is always dangerous. Wrong knowledge is disasterous.

Yes the authors have documented the facts of the cases very well. But the incorrect references to legal procedures leave a bad taste in mouth. Had they been taken care of the book would have gone a long way in educating the masses about the legal system of the country. But this book is an opportunity wasted.