Kuchesar Mud Fort – A Picnic

Malvi

It was a day when we re-lived our childhood days of going on a picnic with outdoor games, food, a long drive and happy banter with friend and family. With an outdoor excursion in mind I searched the net for a place at driving distance from Delhi for  same day return. I came across this quaint Mud Fort in Bulandshahar, UP around 80-90 kms from Delhi, which had been converted into a resort with facilities available for a stay as well as a day tour. We decided to drive there on a Saturday with friends and family.

One has to pre-book even for a day tour online and an advance can be paid through credit card to book your visit. It took us around two hours to reach the fort even though we started a bit late from the time we had decided. The fort is tucked away from the highway with a narrow approach road which opens up into a broad road lined by sugarcane fields. The Fort is seven km off highway NH 24 between Hapur and Garhmukteshwar, 

Kuchesar Mud Fort

At the entry the booking details have to be confirmed and then you can go inside the gates into the sweeping driveway where there is adequate parking facility. The Gardens in front of the main entry of the fort are well kempt and also have a small swimming pool in tow. All needs for recreation have been looked into with a badminton court, Table tennis room, caroom and other board games are available.

For people wanting to stay there for a day or two there are well refurbished rooms with historic names with the walls showcasing the history of the Fort. The main entry after the welcome desk opens into a courtyard with the Dining hall at one end the rooms on two floors at the other.

As we had started early, we first thronged the Dining Hall and had some breakfast then embarked on our exploration of the fort.

A short tour of the place brings you a vivid picture of the history of the Fort which was brought into the Ajit Singh family’s possession in the eighteenth century when the Mughal king Najib-ud-Daula bestowed the Jat family with the title of Rao Bhahadur and the Jagir of Kuchesar comprised 365 villages. The Fort was however, lost in 1760s but was recaptured by the Jat rulers in 1780s and remained in the family since then and was granted lease by the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam in 1790 and then by the British in 1807. This fort was built with seven turrets as an anti cannon attack from Britishers. Thereafter, structures were added to the fort which reveals different architectural influences built in different phases.

My mom, my friends Sunandita & Hamari and I had few interesting games of carom and also played TT a bit. With the weather turning into a pleasant one we thought some outdoor games would be good so we played football (which we had brought along with us) and also cricket which my hubby enjoyed a lot and relived his childhood street cricket days. Even my mum was game and played cricket n football with us in the well kept front gardens of the Fort.

It was a fun day which all of us enjoyed and it immensely reduced our job stress as well. The games provided us a good workout after which we relaxed and cooled our feet in the swimming pool.

However, the service and food preparation are a bit slow and you should be prepared to wait a while if you are hungry. After a hearty lunch we relaxed under a large banyan tree which also had a rope swing. 

As a bout of laziness hit us, Sunandita suggested we play ‘Atlas’ -it is an ‘antakshri’ of country names. An amusing group game which also gave are brains a little exercise. We all were reluctant to get up from our cane chairs and leave the fort at the end of the day but as a long drive was ahead us, we decided to call it a day and settled our bills. 

As we drove off saying goodbye to the Fort, I remembered an old song….’mein Zindagi ka Saath  Nibhata Chala gaya, Har fikre ko Dhuai mein Udata chala gaya’ !!

Goa diaries: three girls on a quest for adventure sports

Starting with a reunion of sorts, our Goa trip was as refreshing as a dip in the cool Arabian Sea on a windy day. After suffering three months of bitter cold in Delhi, Sunandita and I were relieved to feel the balmy air of the sea on our pale faces, which hit us as soon as we got out of the plane at Goa's Dabolim Airport.

Sukanya joined us from Mumbai on the airport.We three friends rejoiced with loud banter, hugging and giggling as we were together after almost an year. A pre-paid taxi from the airport whisked us away towards are vacation sanctuary, provided to us by Mr and Mrs Mayenkar at their home-cum-guest house.

We reached well after the sunset, Mrs. Mayenkar came with a torch to light our way and to take us from the main road to her home surrounded by green coastal trees, which was without any streetlights.

Once into the home we were shown our small apartment complete with a kitchen, a sitting area with a TV and bedroom -- our abode for the week long holiday.

Excited to hit the beach, we freshened up hurriedly and went walking from our apartment towards the sea side. Once we reached Calangute beach (closest to our guest house) the smooth balmy air cooled us down as we sat down in cane chairs facing the sea with only candles encased in glass jars lighting the darkened shore.

Catching up on each others' lives in the past year and reminisced our years together while working for a news agency in Delhi, which included some really exciting trips.

That night, although we had a sumptuous meal of fresh pomfret, fried rice and fish curry with breezers of different flavors, it burned a hole in our pockets as the pomfret alone cost us Rs 600.

We pulled up our socks and resolved to be careful in order to avoid any problems regarding finances. To keep it simple we decided to create pool fund assigning Sunandita as the official accountant for the trip.

We talked well into the night, including our agenda for next the day. The agenda was the water sports, which all tourists enjoy on their trip to Goa.So the next morning, we hit the beach after breakfast and found a relatively secluded patch on the beach to have some fun in the sea. We were suddenly invaded by host of hawkers selling fresh pineapple slices, ice creams etc.

After our bath we decided to rest on the sun beds with umbrellas laid out by the numerous shacks lining the beach side. One of the shack boy (wearing a cowboy hat) arranged a round of water sports for us.

First was the plastic banana raft ride which is pulled by a motor boat. Looking easy, 

we three decided to try it out. In a banana ride, the riders have to climb the highly unstable giant plastic banana bobbing up and down with the waves and then maintain are balances as the motor boat pulls the banana at a speed which sends the banana flying over the waves (and don't ask where the riders would be flying by then).

We clambered on the banana with a great effort and help from the boys managing the sport, but as soon as the motor boat started we three were clutching on the handles with all our might though it was not enough to keep the banana from bending sideways and dunking the three of us into the sea.

With my short height I was the worst sufferer and drank a barrel of yucky salty water. I was yanked up from the water with one of the boys pulling my lifejacket, while Sunandita and Sukanya suffered a similar fate.

We once again climbed the banana with the crew promising us that this time we won't topple, but yet again I was sent flying into the water as huge waves rocked our dear banana.

I was so irritated with my horrific ride and I wondered who likes such kinda sports???

In my anger which arose within me due to the dunking which my ego got, I cut my ride short and came to the beach, while Sukanya and Sunandita went for another try, this one was successful and they managed to go way ahead into the sea sitting on the huge plastic banana. Thinking about it now, it really was a funny experience!!!

Then we went for para-sailing for which we were taken to a boat deep in the sea, where we went up into the air by a parachute and after a stipulated time are rolled back into the boat. It is an amazing experience of hanging in the air above the vast sea –it made me feel like I was flying above the sea like a wide winged bird.

Para-sailing

You can take a dip in the sea, when the chute is rolled back into the boat, but at an extra cost of course. We decided against it as getting dunked again did not appeal.

We came back hungry and dying of thirst as it was nearly late afternoon. After a much needed sea-food lunch and refreshing drinks we were too tired to move from our sun beds.  The sea and balmy air made us all drowsy and stress-relieved us all.

As we already had paid the money in advance, so we went for the scooter ride. It was a refreshing ride with the water sprays and the thrilling experience of riding over water.

We stayed on the beach till the sunset which was amazing with the sky turning pink in colour. Weary and bone tired  from all the walking, bathing and water sports we decided to head back for a cool shower at our guest house  and return to the beach for candle-lit dinner in one of the shacks that offered varieties of Continental, Chinese and Goan cuisine with light music.

-  Malvi 

Kash Kashmir!!!!

By Malvi & Bipasha

Unplanned and spontaneous trips have always been my cuppa of tea! So, one such spontaneous trip to ‘Paradise on Earth’ - Srinagar came as a breath of fresh air to my hubby and me who lead hectic 9-5 sorta lifestyles in Delhi. As opposed to serpentine traffic jams in the capital, we had a blissful flight over the snow clad mountains ranges to land in the beautiful valley of Kashmir. We got out to a very sunny morning with the temperature in its 20s.But believe me, it was much more magical (and romantic :)) than braving the smoggy cold in Delhi. So, for all u anti-winter kinds, Kashmir has a very endearing chill in the wind!

With the vast number of hotels available at Srinagar one can book at any of them depending upon your budget. We were booked at a hotel which was at the banks of river Jhelum and on the Bund Road. The Bund Road is known for the leisurely walks around the jhelum river and small tea stalls offering hot tea with double roti (bread pieces) .And though I am not big on street food, the magic in the air made me say ‘go to hell’ to all my weight management issues and hygiene concerns. We sipped chai and ate double roti with much fanfare!!!!! Of course, there are some pish-posh restaurants also in the city where they serve the traditional Kashmiri cuisines. One of the popular and old restaurants is ‘Ahdoos’ which offers exotic and mouth watering Kashmiri dishes like Gushtava, Kebabs, Kashmiri Yakhni, etc. The list is never ending with the more than 30 types of only-mutton dishes.

We were invited to a friend’s place for dinner where the food was so much that I couldn't eat all of it but whatever I tasted seemed heavenly.

After putting our stuff in the hotel, we went to the famous Dal Lake to enjoy a Shikara ride. Though the lake is not that clean as lakes in "Paradise" should be, the whole scenery of green mountains in the backdrop and the vast expanse of the water body surrounded by tall Chinar trees makes it really worthwhile.

A full hour's ride in the Dal Lake is a must to absorb the calm and quite into oneself and relax fully and prepare for this journey into the paradise. Believe me I was reminded of the famous ‘Kashmir ki kali’ song during the ride - and the experience made me feel like one too! An interesting sight is the group of four chinar trees growing serenely in the middle of the Dal lake, They are standing tall in the water itself..!! 

As the Shikara moves on prodded by the Shikara driver (don't know what else to call him) with his oars (heart shaped at the end), a small city of people living on house boasts greet us. These are actually hotels/houses on water in the shape of boats but they are stationary in the water. Some are really beautiful with wooden carvings on their exterior walls and chandeliers inside. The origin of houseboats seems to have begun in the 1800s when the king of Kashmir forbade outsiders from owning land in Kashmir.

The ride took us close to the lotuses blossoming in the lake and also the side where locals grow vegetables etc on the land protruding between the lake waters.

After experiencing the effervescent romance of the evergreen Shammi Kapoor movies in the 60s when all romantic songs were shot in the valley (and more so on the Dal Lake), I thought it was time for some 21st century adventure. After the Shikara, we went for the hot air balloon ride. This is actually a helium balloon which is tethered to the ground and is lifted up 350 feet to give a panoramic view of the Dal Lake and the entire Srinagar. Though a little scary due to the basket being dangled in the air, the view was amazing but it lasted only 5-8 mins as the balloon is pulled down in that time.

For nature lovers, there are remarkable mughal gardens in Srinagar namely -- Shalimar Garden, Nishat Bagh and Chashme Shahi. The array of colourful flowers in the gardens is amazing. The gardens are from the Mughal times and bear the mark of Mughal architecture including the waterfalls and fountains lining the length of the gardens. For enjoying these gardens you should have some time in hand to relax in the grass and take in the pure scents of the varied flowers.

Another must to see in Srinagar is the Sankaracharya temple for which one has to climb some 250 steps. The temple has a huge "Shivling" The view from the top is awesome with the entire Srinagar being laid out in front of you. You can only click a picture of the view in your minds as cameras and mobile are not allowed at the top. Another important destination in Srinagar is the Hazaratbal Shrine,it contains a relic, the Moi-e-Muqqadas, or a hair of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

So, all in all, Srinagar gave me an eclectic mix of undisturbed romance, unparalled scenic beauty, spiritual awareness and amazing hospitality. Pocketing all of this, we landed back to our home in Delhi but with a difference - the fast city life suddenly held some meaning!

‘Waterrelief’ - Andaman Islands - (continued)

- by Bipasha

Day 3: We boarded the super luxury cruise Makruzz from Port Blair to proceed to Havelock islands - if the tragedies of the cellular jail haunt you, believe me the pristine waters and the modernistic tourist attractions of Havelock Islands will wash it all away. It was as if Kala Paani never existed! Scuba Diving, Speed Boat Rides, Snorkelling, Water Walking or just frolicking on the Havelock beach (known as Radha Nagar)under huge trees (yeah, the beach has rich plantations adding more romance to the waters) adds to the charm of the place. Also, for people who just want to enjoy the beach experience, my suggestion is you lodge at Havelock instead of Port Blair and spend the days there - you can find hotels, or just shacks brimming with tourists mostly foreigners. By the time we take the steamer (there is the service of a government steamer also available; we decided to try this one too!) back to Port Blair, the moon is already up and casting its light on the waters.

I’ll never forget the sharp sea winds brushing my hair, the salt in my face and the thrill of holding the railings of the steamer - things that I missed out on the luxury cruise! And all the time, the images of lovely corals (some as big as a house), and multi colored fish did not leave me. The day ended on a even higher note with a romantic dinner at Welcome Group’s Mandalay restaurant.

Day 4: The day was spent in a guided tour (again a steamer from Port Blair - there are limited number of guided tours on steamers so you don’t want to miss them!) to three islands Ross Island (the British era capital), North Bay Islands and Viper Island. Ross Island is out of a Dauphne Du Maurier book - the island is so small that you can take a walk and complete a tour on it! The island was the British capital so it still holds the ruins of the officers’ quarters, the mess, the club etc. You can see the cellular jail from the island and it seemed pretty near! North Bay Islands is a beach getaway (you can do a glass boat ride wherein you can see amazing corals and colorful fish from the glass at the bottom of the boat or you can snorkel. North Bay island’s beach and the corals were largely washed away in the Tsunami and the beach had to be recreated using the corals in the sea bed. Hence, the locals say, that a lot of beautiful corals were lost during that time. We proceed further on the steamer to Viper Islands - on the way, we see India’s only FDN1 or Navy’s floating dry dock which is used for repairing entire ships in the middle of the sea! Our last stop of the day, the Viper Island, had a macabre history - it was the house of the ‘hanging rod’ where several freedom fighters met their deadly fate - again you can see glimpses of British-time military establishments there.

Day 5: We took a steamer ride to Jolly Boy islands - this time, we could see mangroves all around. Both the islands were prettily placed in the mangroves. The waters were so clear that you can see shoals of fish swimming while you stand on the beach! Our guide told us that there is an island from where you can see the sky lights of Singapore!

Day 6: We took a taxi ride to Chatham Islands from Port Blair - it is the only island that you can reach via road. It boasts of the oldest saw mill from the British times - and what an amazing experience that was! You can get a tour of the museum there and the mill of course.

It was a short action packed trip - for lazy holidaymakers, you can laze around in Havelock Islands because it offers the entire package of snorkeling, scuba (Havelock is the only island offering scuba diving) and beach walking. But I wanted to explore everything in Andamans (of course I was not party to the human safari of the Jarawa tribes).

Rightly so, I absorbed the macabre history full of imprisonments, killings,and captures , the beautiful present (full of modern beach sports, pristine aqua green waters and lovely steamer rides) and a promising future! More than half of the islands of the Andaman archipelago are out of bounds. Locals say that some islands are 2-3 day rides on the waters and many are uninhabited. On the other hand, some islands are under the control of the Indian defense forces for security purposes.

‘Waterrelief’ - Andaman Islands

-by Bipasha

Andaman Islands (it’s an archipelago of around 325 islands) was a surprise holiday destination for me and a good one too! It was a holiday long pending and my spouse and I wanted to visit a destination which is not overtly ‘touristy’! You know what I mean - did not want to go to overcrowded hill stations (we Delhiites rush to Shimla or Kulu at the drop of the hat) or beaches where we knew it had to be again a mad rush for ‘holiday resources’!

Anyway, we reached Port Blair on day 1 (flights ply from Delhi to Port Blair via Kolkata or Chennai) and checked into a picturesque guest room (of the Indian Air Force). 

Surprisingly, Andaman has a tri-force command and my suggestion is if you have strings to pull, put up in a guest room of Army, navy or Air Force because they enjoy the best locations! We started our tour of the capital city of Port Blair in the evening - it was a beautiful drive along meandering roads (going suddenly up and then sloping down just to catch the glimpse of the sea!) dotted with British-era houses, few restaurants and small shops.

The Port Blair beach is secluded and lonesome - we took a casual walk and stumbled upon a little romantic eat-and-stay place right on the beach. 

Day 2 : We visited the Cellular Jail (it is called so because of the concept of solitary confinement) or the Kaala Pani - one of the most dreaded seclusions that a person in those times could ask for.

However, the architecture really amazed me - it was L-shaped so that each cell could be visible to the warden from his position. Great freedom fighters like Veer Savarkar (the Port Blair airport is named after him) and Bukteshwar Dutt were inmates there. There is a list of more than 200 freedom fighters on the board there! You can also visit the museum adjacent to the jail where it gives you an idea of the kind of lives the freedom fighters led.

There are several other places to visit in Port Blair such as the Fisheries Museum or you can simply laze around on the beach......

(to be continued next week )

A jumble of memories - Jabalpur

- by Sukanya

When monotony haunts and the need to break free becomes necessary, we three friends escape to some quick gateways to relax and have pure unadulterated fun.

This time in a similar dilemma, we decided on Jabalpur located in the heart of the country, Madhya Pradesh.

After a detailed research we got all set to explore this new destination and to spend some time together as the three of us work in separate organisations and live in different cities.

Bedhaghat

Jabalpur, has direct railway route to all major cities of the country and an airport, we found this ideal for our short and pocket friendly weekend trip. The city offers all range of hotels and resorts that fits every kind of budget.

Anyways, coming back to my experience of the city, I decided to go by train from Mumbai, which took me about 18 hours (you can get tickets on the train quite easily if you book a month or two in advance).

Excited to take a look around the city, we booked a taxi for the day from the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Office located at the Jabalpur Railway station itself.

With much anticipation we started for the most popular tourist site Bhedaghat. I had heard a lot about the place and was excited to experience it myself. Bhedaghat, one hour (approximately 20 km) from the city, enthralled us with its serenity and the famous marble rocks on river Narmada.

The real beauty of the marble rocks (they are more like mountains) is when you take a boat ride in the Narmada which follows a serpentine route in between the marble rocks, standing like walls on the sides of the river. We booked a boat ride for only three of us by negotiating with one of several boat pullers on the shore. However, there is also an option to go in groups with other fellow tourists on these boats.

As we sat in the boat and moved away from the shore, the serenity and beauty of the place took my breath away! I was enjoying the serene silence accompanied by the sounds of oars splashing the waters of river Narmada. To make the ride interesting and appealing to the tourists, the boat pullers (there were three in are boat as it’s quite a long ride) also turn into guides.  The guides’ commentary is lively and very entertaining and it helps you enjoy the rock formations. The Guide to make things more engrossing even quiz you to figure out things from the rock formations. The rocks hold some formations which the guide explains depict some scenes from Mahabharata. There is also a ‘shivling’ in middle of the river.

Spending over an one hour and enjoying the serenity and sheer grandiose of the place, my mind went to wander into an unknown place near semi consciousness.

A hot cup of chai and snacks on the banks of Narmada brought me back on earth and we left for Chausat Yogini temple, built in the 10^th century atop a hill.

 The beauty of the temple that houses sculptures of 64 (chaushat) lady devotees of Lord Shiva, cannot be described in mere words. The exquisitely carved store figures belonging to the Kaluchari period was worth the climb of about 150 steps. However several of them have been mutilated after the Mughals came to India.

Dhuandhar Falls

The temple has an open sky circular courtyard with the temple of Shiva and his consort Goddess Parvati in the middle.The panditji there told us that the Shiva Parvati idol in the temple is a  rare one that depicts the lord and his wife riding Nandi the Bull after their wedding. This rare idol was stolen and was later found buried in sands nearby and reinstalled recently.

After this we went to Dhuandhar waterfalls, in the outskirts of the city. The waterfalls, gushing down from a height of 10 meters, have originated from the river Narmada.

 The water falling on the rocks with a heavy gush, makes a roaring sound and also creating a mist or ‘Dhuan’, thus the name Dhuandhar. This picturesque beauty beholds you, engraving this nature’s wonder in your memory forever and compelling you to visit … again and again.

On the way back to our hotel, we halted at the eroded volcanic rock formation called the Balancing Rock that even survived in earthquake of 6.5 magnitude. But there is nothing else to linger at the sight.

 Tired from the train journey and the day-long sightseeing we headed back to our hotel, for dinner and a good night sleep. 

Next day after a heavy breakfast we visited the Rani Durgavati Museum in the city. The museum houses beautiful ancient sculptures, coins and trinkets worn by Gond tribes. The museum has a section that beautifully depicts the daily life of the Gond tribes and the story of Gond queen Rani Durgamati.

This was the last place to see on the itinerary of our Jabalpur sojourn. This journey was not just a tourist trip but also a get together of friends and left us with enough memories to enchant us for many days to come after that.