Thursday, October 22, 2015

A Visit to Daman

My travelogue of Daman, one of the districts that make up the Union Territory, Daman & Diu.  It was published in the web edition of Hans India.  The link is here:


http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/2015-12-28/A-Visit-to-Daman-196013

We all know about Daman and Diu mainly because of our school books.  We knew it as one of the union territories (UT) of India and remembered that piece of information to cough up in exams and quiz competitions.  Very few of us know much else about the Union Territory (UT). 

Daman is one of the two districts that make up the union territory, Daman and Diu.  Though they together make up the UT, Diu lies 635 km apart, up the Gujarat coast line.

Vapi, which is just 7 km from Daman, is well-connected by rail and makes travel to Daman easy.  Vapi is 150 km away from Mumbai and 122 km from Surat, thus serving as a getaway for people of both the cities.

Since the union territories are under the purview of the central government, alcohol costs significantly less.  In addition, Daman is surrounded by Gujarat where alcohol is prohibited.  To top it all, there are no restrictions on consuming alcohol here.  One can sit on the beach and drink liquor anytime, without the fear of police.  All this makes Daman a haven for the parched throats of the nearby areas.

To cater to the demand of the floating population, liquor shops mushroomed across the nook and corner of Daman.  Apart from liquor, Daman is famous for its beaches, forts, Portuguese colonial architecture and churches.
Daman lies at the mouth of the Daman Ganga river.  It comprises of the twin towns of Nani-Daman and Moti-Daman, which lie opposite each other across the Daman Ganga river.  Ironically, Nani-Daman is the bigger of the two towns.

There are mainly two beaches here, Devka and Jampore.  Devka, in Nani-Daman, is a rocky beach during low tide.  Alcohol and snacks are sold in the beach-side shacks.  Sea withdraws 2-3 km inside after noon and people sit on the rocks across the stretch and consume liquor and spend time with friends and family.  Jampore beach is in Moti-Daman and has black sand.  In addition to the shanties selling liquor and offering shade, it has options like parasailing, horse, camel, and quad bike rides.

One can see a number of vehicles parked and most of them are from Surat. Surat too boasts of a beach but it is dirty and muddy.  One can see that the disappointing Surat beach, liquor prohibition and the allure of cheap liquor drive people from Surat to Daman.

Both Nani-Daman and Moti-Daman have forts, built by the Portuguese, to protect against any sea-side attack.   St. Jerome fort, built by the Portugese in Nani Daman, is known as Nani Damn Fort among the locals.  What remains of the fort is its imposing gate and the walls.


This fort has a gateway facing the Daman Ganga river with a statue of St. Jerome. Within the premises of the fort are the church of Our Lady Of The Sea and a small graveyard.  From the ramparts, one can see the Daman Ganga river, the jetty, and the light house.

Moti Daman has the old Daman fort area.  The fort, the churches, and the buildings here showcase the Portuguese architecture.  Many of the administrative buildings are situated in the fort area. Cathedral of Bom Jesus is the chief tourist attraction here.  To my disappointment, it was closed when I visited, on account of renovation work.

Somnath temple is another important tourist destination.  This Shiv temple located in Nani Daman is supposed to be identical to the temple at Somnath. It has beautiful and colorful glass interiors. 

The other tourist attractions here are Dominican monastery, Mirasol lake garden and Panikota fort.  Udvada, renowned for its Zoroastrian Atash Behram, is just 15 km away from Daman.  The Udvada Atash Behram is the most sacred of the Zoroastrian fire temples in India and the oldest continuously burning fire-temple fire in the world.  On account of the fire temple, Udvada as a pilgrimage center for Zoroastrians the world over. 

Many Parsis own a house here, but most of them stay in Mumbai.  Except during festival time when it town comes to life, Udvada is said to look like a ghost town.  

To sum it up, though the beaches of Daman disappoint, the interesting history, the Portuguese-built forts, churches, and buildings and the views of the jetty, the river and the sea make a visit well worth it. 

A Visit to Aurangabad

My travelogue on Aurangabad, published in the web edition of Hans India. Here is the link:


http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/2015-10-26/A-Visit-to-Aurangabad-182530


I like maxims that don't encourage behavior modification.
-      Calvin
I like tourist destinations that don't test one's fitness levels.
-        Me

Most of the tourist attractions near Aurangabad seriously test the fitness levels of the visitors. The Ajanta caves were carved in a horseshoe-shaped mountain. One has to climb hundreds of steps and walk hundreds of metres to view all the caves. Ellora caves are spread over a wider stretch!

The nearby Daulatabad fort was not thought impregnable for nothing. It is hard enough to climb it while taking rest and refreshments in between. Imagine trying to go up and inside with a fort full of hostile army, pounding you with cannons and waiting to drown you in hot oil if you reach anywhere near!

However, all that effort invested to visit the places is very well worth it. Most of the paintings have faded and most of the sculpture is broken, but the places are too important historically and provide too good a view to think twice about the physical effort involved or the current state of the art on display.

Some of the caves in Ajanta pre-date Christ! Ellora caves track the changing fortunes of Buddhism, Jainism, and Hinduism over the medieval period. It was because of his shifting of capital city from Delhi to Daulatabad that Tughlak became such a laughing stock!

Aurangzeb, one of the most powerful men on earth during his time, lies buried in a humble grave, in a nearby village called Khuldabad. On the other hand, Bibi ka Maqabra, the monument that houses the tomb of Aurangzeb’s wife and built by their son Azam Shah, was intended to be another Taj Mahal.  However, it could only be a poor replica because of budgetary constraints! It provides proof of some practical thinking on the part of the emperor who ordered it to be built, and maybe also the emptying coffers and declining architectural skills.

The city has many gates and aptly called the city of gates. However, out of the 52 gates, only four main and nine subordinate gates have survived.  Bhadkal gate and Delhi gate are amongst the more important gates. The city has something not only for history buffs, but also for Hindu pilgrims.  Grishneshwar, the last jyotirlinga on earth, lies on the outskirts of the city.

The local culture is supposed to be close to that of Hyderabad. Many areas of Aurangabad reminded me of the old city. Dakhni, the Hyderabadi Urdu dialect, is dominant here too.  Akin to the river Musi of Hyderabad, river Kham flows through the city.  What’s more, it looked equally thin and dirty! On the whole, the city looked like a poor cousin of Hyderabad. It appears to lag behind Hyderabad by at least a decade-and-a-half.  There is very less of the hitec part. Public transportation is rickety. The city starts shutting down by 10 pm. Street lighting is poor in many areas.  The lakes are not well maintained.

The local cafes remind you of Hyderabadi Irani cafes. In restaurants, Mughlai and Puneri cuisines co-exist peacefully here.  Naan Qalia is a dish that is associated with Aurangabad. It is a concoction of mutton and a variety of spices. Naan is the bread made in tandoor (hot furnace) while Qalia is a mixture of mutton and various spices.  Tahri is similar to pulao–biryani and is very popular here. Tahri is prepared by adding the meat to the rice, as opposed to traditional Biryani where the rice is added to the meat.  This reminded me of the dispute between the kingdoms of Lilliput and Blefescu, in Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels.  The dispute was over which side of the egg should be broken, the smaller end or the bigger.  Thankfully, there is no such quarrel between Hyderabadis and Aurangabadis!

I tried the most famous thali restaurant in the city, Bhoj. It seems to be locally very popular. Their Rajasthani food is good and the ambiance is great. I saw people waiting for their turn, like for our Bawarchi. But my favorite thali restaurant still remains Gopi's of Ahmedabad, for their hospitality is as good as their food.  Bhoj reminded me more of Pratikashram of Gandhinagar.

Prozone mall, in Aurangabad, is one of India's biggest malls. Its miniature model, situated in one of the corners of the actual mall, is a treat to the eyes.  Kareem's, famous for Kathi rolls, have an outlet in the mall. I had their chicken Kathi roll. Now I know why they are famous!  To my disappointment, even the mall started shutting down around 10pm!

I went to the famous Tara Paan Center, with the help of Google maps. On asking, the guy told me about the three varieties on offer. I went for their special. It was yummy. But then how can I leave out the usual, so I had that one too. And then I took a few steps, content having tasted what I wanted to. To my shock, on the other side of the road I saw another Tara Paan Center. Now, I was not sure which one between them was the real deal. I looked back at the old shop and it had a small post fix "old" on its board. Still not convinced, I set out to try a paan at the second outlet. There was far more variety there. I chose an attractively-named variety, munched it and went on my way, happy.

Friday, September 04, 2015

Movie Recommendation: The Family Man

Discovered recently a beautiful movie, titled The Family Man. Loved it!!
Nicholas Cage and Tea Leoni play the lead roles. To my disappointment, I found that the movie is underrated and under appreciated. The movie is about what we lose out on in life in our relentless pursuit of success and a better material life.
My thinking is running totally in opposite direction right now, at this stage of life. But I liked the movie nevertheless. The plot, screenplay and performances were terrific.
Always liked Cage.... and been thankful to him for encouraging Johnny Depp to pursue an acting career. If not for Cage we would have lost out on Depp, who was trying his hand at various things until that time...... like selling pens over phone..... to stay afloat while dreaming of a musical career.
Cage rocked in this movie. And Tea Leoni was superb as usual. I just loved her in another underrated movie "Fun with Dick and Jane" in which she co-starred with Jim Carrey. Tea effortlessly plays again a wife other men would give their left nut for!!
And this movie helped me discover two awesome actors - Don Cheadle and Jeremy Piven. Don hogs your attention like a magnet! Want to discover more of his movies apart from the Ironman series. Jeremy is now playing the famous Ari Gold.

Thursday, July 09, 2015

Book Recommendation: Of Human Bondage

Finished reading Maugham's "Of Human Bondage" yesterday. I had long wanted to read it. Finally found time over the last weekend to start reading.
I identify with many of the emotions, experiences, insights, disillusionments, and realizations of the protagonist. It is an autobiographical novel that draws much from the author's life.
I doubt if reading such a book would prevent anyone from taking a course of action or following a path that would eventually turn out to be a waste. I guess things can only be analyzed logically in hindsight. Therefore, even if teens read it, they may not benefit from it. They would nevertheless go on and make their own mistakes.
You only explain the decisions, mistakes, and thought processes of your first youth only after you have passed it by. I guess this is a book meant for people who passed their first youth.
As the protagonist shows, introspection helps you discern patterns in life and learn from your experiences. I feel there are no failures in life; there are only experiences. And how you use them to become a better person and make the most of the situations in life is all that matters.