Jaipur Literature Festival

This worlds largest free literature festival brings acclaimed writers, scholars, delegates from all walks of life on one platform. The Festival will have debates, lectures based on literature, democracy, International relations, Human values, Policy making, Psychology which will enhance our knowledge in respective fields.

The JLF 2014 was held for five days. Though the festival is all based on debates we will not find a single dull moment. There were five different venues for the debates, you can join in any of the venues according to your topic of interest. The program list will be displayed in internet and in paper form at the venue.
You can also take autographs from your favourite authors after the lectures.

NOTE: For Economy people
The books will be sold at the premises, but for MRP. So what you can do is see the list of authors in the website, purchase their books online for 30, 40% discount and get them autographed at the venue.
The lectures will start from 10:00 till probably 19:00.

There will be stalls all around the venue, night life is an added attraction for that place, Rock Band performances will take place untill 22:00.

Attend the Festival, get motivated, enhance your knowledge, get a better view of the world in which we are living.

Online registration is mandatory.
All the details of schedule, registration will be given in
http://jaipurliteraturefestival.org/

SHIVPURI

Chhatti of Sir Late Madho Rao Scindia

Got irritated with Indian population at gwalior fort? Got fed-up with the urbanization and western stalls of DD mall? Feeling Pity for the caged deer's in the zoo? Want a short escape from this urban jungle into stillness of nature? Then Shivpuri is not at all a bad choice.

Shivpuri was once the summer capital of scindia clan and you cannot argue with their decision after experiencing the atmosphere.

How To Reach: 

Shivpuri is 119 KM by road from Gwalior and 125 KM by rail. 

*Take the Gwalior-Bhopal Intercity From gwalior which leaves gwalior 4th platform at 06:15 and reaches shivpuri by 08:20 hopefully. (Rs 65/- for General). 

* Buses ply hourly and takes 3 hrs. (110/-) 

Tourist Attractions:

Chhattri for Jijabhai 

Shivpuri is well known for the Marble Chhattri's of Scindia's. The chhattri of madho rao scindia can be said as one of the finest arts on marble, The designs made on the marbles will push you to surprise. We can see how the scindia family is getting royalty even after their ages. 

Interior: Chhattri of Madho rao scindia 

** Do Not Miss:

If you have a torch in your mobile, focus the light on the flowers embedded in the marbles and feel the brilliance of architects.

Embedded Flowers in the marble 

Walk over the culverts in the lovely garden, it might be in its epitome in rainy season with all the water streams flowing, flowers budding and one cannot stop himself from loving the lush green garden.

Garden

Place of worship near Chhattri

2) Bhadaiya kund: 
Come out of the Chattris, take left and walk for 1 KM you'll reach the Bhadaiya kund. Theres a small artificial lake inside the park.The main view of the sakhya lake can be seen from the building which is at the end of the park. Observe the birds dipping inside the water for their prey.

3) Tourist Village (Boat Rides):
(07492) 223760, 221297) 
Just beside the sakhya lake there is this tourist village developed by madhya pradesh tourism. They offer boat rides in the lake for 1/2 an hour. Speed boats are also available. (10 am to 5 p.m).
There is a good non veg restaurant inside the tourist village to satisfy your appetite.

Restaurant in Tourist Village

4) Madhav National Park: 
(Only Four wheelers are allowed inside the park). Min 1500/- Per car (incl hire and entry). 
The car can be provided by the tourist village or contact the park department or you should hire the car from the shivpuri city.
 There are least chances to spot a leopard, all you can see are abundant number of deer's, nelgai's, pecock's, crocadiles resting beside the lake. Go to experience the silence of the forest and to be delighted by the way scindias have developed their hunting grounds.
The speciality of this park is that it is opened round the year, Spring and Rainy seasons are best seasons to visit.

Top View from George Castel of national park

George Castle

5) George Castle: Do not miss to climb the iron stairs and have a panoramic view. 

Deep inside the Madhav National Park, at its highest point stands the George Castle built by Jiwaji Rao Scindia. The ideal time to visit the castle is at sunset, when Sakhya Sagar Lake seems to take the radiance and changing hues of the sky. The castle located at the central region of the Park provides a wonderful panoramic view of Sakhya Sagar and the spread of the forest around. It is intrusting to note that the grand George Castle was built by the Gwalior royalty for an overnight halt for tiger shooting by British King Geroge V, while he was to pass that way during his visit to India in 1911. It so happened that King could shoot a tiger on the way itself and did not stop at Madhav National Park.  

Return Journey: Prefering Bus to gwalior is an ideal way but prepare for an bumpy ride. It may last for 3 hrs. Rs. 110/-

Usefull Links:
http://www.shivpuri.nic.in/tourists.htm 
http://www.mptourism.com/web/explore/destinations/shivpuri.aspx 

City of Freedom, MUMBAI

Victoria / Chatrapathi Shivaji Terminus 

           When rest of the India walks on the land, mumbaikars walk a feet above the land. I couldn't understood why they walk in the sky, until i started experiencing them and the city. Now if someone asks me where have you been i raise a feet above into the sky and say MUMBAI.

           As the night of Dec 31St is my first of visit to Mumbai, wait wait i want to say you how a general youth access the development of a place. 

• If girls (Age group 18-24) in that locality wear traditional half saree then its an village. 
• If girls wear chudidar then its a town. 
• If girls can wear jeans and tees then its a city.
• If girls can wear Skirts then they are metropolis.
• conditions apply 
• continue reading for my views about mumbai women and girls.  

                              To make it much simple to you, as the size of the dress decreases or as the dress becomes tighter, the stronger the cities economy is, the more developed the city is.

                         Now i continue, I've seen uncountable girls wearing skirts, shorts no not shorts i can say it as 1/4th's. Then i decided mumbai is a metropoli or anything which is more than that.
The marine drive in mumbai is crowded with people waiting to celebrate the new year. As the clock touched 12:00 the sky is lit with crackers.

Marine Drive

              If any other new year i spend in mumbai i will spend it in any of the cafes in Colaba Causeway, Especially in leopold cafe or cafe Mondegar. The Ambience which we get there is inexpressible. The sounds of the noise which we make whenever a bear glass falls and breaks down are still vibrating in my ears. The bear containers like Tower Bear, Drought Beer are very attractive. Even visiting the website of leopold cafe is an experience. Do Visit http://www.leopoldcafe.com/ 

 

Cafe Leopold

An Beer Enthusiast with Draught beer (3 Litre's) 

The First scene I've seen after coming out of the cafe is an poor family sleeping in the corridors of the next building. The beer has taken tool on me so i couldn't think more about them. Beer is a very good thing for the person who have loads of unspoken feelings, memories, experiences. 
Then i went to marine drive at 4:30 am and seen girls in skirts sitting in group and having a good time. This is my first encounter with a safe mumbai especially for girls, women. Lovely couples sitting on marine drive and having conversations, the lights glowing on the far opposite side of the road, i felt like it is the safest place to live in.  
The next morning when i went out I've learnt much more about mumbaikars, For the first time in India I've seen people standing in a Q for taking tickets, boarding bus, boarding a general compartment and even to board an auto. No one trespass the line. But they run like anything to board the local train once they get the tickets. I wonder why they run like anything when the train frequency is less than five minutes, but even those five minutes are precious for the mumbaikars. they value for every minute. 
To say mumbai gives us full freedom, we can be what we are, what we want to do, how we want to be. We can see a forty year old couples holding their hands and walking on the streets, we can see a man keeping his hand on his loved ones shoulder without fearing for anyone. A girl can wear whatever she wishes to and walk in the streets without fearing for anything. 

 Common Women and Common Girls of Mumbai: When i was seeing at the running local trains, I've seen many women standing at the gates, girls lean over the gates and travel in a rush train to reach their destination. I was really impressed with the dare mumbai women have. It's even good to see aged women sitting down near the gate in an less dense trains. 
In Mumbai we can see every class of women who wears chudidars, jeans and shirts, sarees, skirts. It indicates that the metropolis are giving women the freedom to be in the way they wish to be. It also gives the women courage to hold her loved ones hand, where in normal cities and villages we hardly see even the married women do so. People from many sects can be seen.
The Best thing i liked about mumbai is a girl can fearlessly roam in the streets even at 12:00 in the midnight. i salute to the mumbai men, mumbai police for making mumbai such a women friendly place. 


Local Trains: Travelling in the local trains itself is an experience. we can travel at the rate of 1 km/Min to any where in the city. Local trains are unarguably the life line of the city. In working hours stand on a platform at the time train comes the crowd will do their work, they will throw you away from the train or they will take you inside the train. Sometime we should stand on a single leg to find space in the train. 

Victoria / Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus: This has became my most favourite destination in mumbai, any times i see the outer building of cst every time I've seen a new feature in cst. After visiting cst i the respect for the Britisher's has increased. This is because of the equal importance they have given to us in the architecture of cst. We can observe sixteen sculpture heads on the building who represent sixteen different languages of india. They have included different bird and animal species of india on the building. They have used the Hindu, mughal and European style of architecture. When observed the entrance gate of the administrative block we can see a tiger and a lion on the pillars. This is because tiger is national animal of india and lion is an important animal of England. 

Entrance gate of CST Admin block

A Car ride on Bandra-worli sea link is an memorable experience, this eight lane road give beautiful night and days views and the glowing city. 

Bollywood: A Visit to Bandra stand will make us understand how people are mad at the bollywood stars. MANNAT LANDsEND, this simple board is one of the most photographed board in mumbai because it holds the name of the house in which Bollywood Badshah Sharukh Khan Lives. I was surprised to see many school buses which are on excursion to mumbai come many kilometres just to see his house, and all the guys go gaga when they see just the door of his house. i wondered what if they really see sharuk khan? 

 

Wall Painting of Amitab Bachan

Busy, Glowing Mumbai roads

Jews in Mumbai: Sometimes i pity for jews, Wherever in the world they went they were ruthlessly killed. Resently on 26/11 2008 even mumbai was added to that list. Jews were ruthlessly killed by the Terrorists in the attacks. That resulted a severe threat for their religious places 

(Synagogue). Synagogue is an house of prayer for Jews.

Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue

An Military tank outside Keneseth Eliyahoo for security

Romantic UDAIPUR

Night View of Lake Pichola 

I felt that if a person visits udaipur his journey will be incomplete if he doesn't visit lake pichola, that splendid experience it. The Night view gives glowing views of Taj Lake Palace and many other hotels around the lake. The chill breeze over the lake will make you fall in love with udaipur. In the morning the lake appears like a white foam, and the Taj Palace appears like a white pearl floating on the lake.

Night view of Hotel Lake Pichola

Udaipur is often mentioned as the most romantic city of india, vennis of the east and many other titles. I felt that the description is justified. Having a breakfast or dinner at a roof top restaurants which are very side of the lake will be a memorable experience.

Lake Pichola

City Palace: Get into the gates and forget for some in which part of the world you are, the palace premises are damn clean and picturesque. But a note for budget travellers udaipur is very expensive.

The combo ticket for city palace museum, cristal gallery, vintage car gallery, and the boat ride to jagmandir palace is Rs 1050/- 

But If we take the ticket for the city palace museum we can roam all around the city palace by foot.

The Palace visit is an enthralling experience. I felt that all theses rajput rulers have a very good taste for selection of place for their palace construction.

An Restaurant inside the palace

   If you are an budget traveller and like sarcastic jokes go through the food menu hung outside it, don't get surprised if you see Rs 150/- Beside the mineral water. If you have a heavy wallet you wont understand my grief. 

Bagore-Ki-haveli: Do not miss to visit this small haveli which is just beside the entrance lake pichola, a short walk from jagdish temple. This Haveli was one of the best restored havelis. 

This Haveli have a grand collection of Colourful puppets, thermocol models of world wonders, rajasthani Turban, it has probably the worlds biggest turban. 

It has a grand presentation of marriage procession (How marriage takes place) of Rajasthan (Many other parts of India ).

Turban Gallery

Eiffel Tower made of thermocal

Rajasthani marriage possession

Painted Entrances in udaipur

We can observe these pattern of gate ways all over udaipur, some time they will an horse and elephant, sometimes soldiers, sometimes tigers on both sides. We can even observe graffiti on the walls. Infact we can see many art schools in udaipur.   

A Group of colourful Rajasthani women

Rajasthani's are literally colour lovers, you cant find a single dull shop in entire city, all the shops will be glittering with bright colours with the sarees and dresses.

An odyssey, CHITTORGARH FORT

View of chittorgarh fort

            Women of chittorgarh shows to the world that fidelity to their husbands is more important than being alive. In the attack of  bahadur shah during 1535 , when lose is inevitable Thirteen thousand (13,000) rajput women have done suicide as immolation for not being slaves to the enemy kingdom. 

             This legends of sacrifice of rajput women dates back much earlier than this, the legend is...

In the late 13th centuries Rani Padmini wife of mewar king rana ratan singh of chittorgarh is considered as the most beautiful women alive. Knowing this Delhi sultan Alauddin-Khilji decided to witness her beauty and came to chittorgarh. But King Rana Ratan Singh disagreed to show rani padmini to him, after many discussions raja agreed to shoe rani padmini's shadow in an oil bowl. But after seeing her shadow Alauddin-Khilji became mad in her beauty and decided to capture her which led to a great battle between kingdoms. 

               But it only led to misery, when defeat was inevitable rani padmini committed jauhar (Suicide by immolation), for not to offer herself to Alauddin-Khilji. Many noble rajput women followed her in the suicide. 

Ruined Rana Kumbha Palace

                The violence took place in the fort can be understood by looking at the ruined Rana Kumbha Palace. Many temples in the fort complex are constructed where we can observe intricate carvings, which shows the craftsmen skills of rajputs and mewars. The 6th century jain temple also resembles how rajputs respected religious forms. 

 

Tower of Victory

                 The most beautiful construction of chittorgarh palace is The Tower of Victory which was construct when mewars reclaimed their fort with a victory over Mahmud Khilji in 1440s. It is a nine storeyed exquisitely carved (Both interior and exterior) tower which gives excellent panoramic views of all the fort. 

Do not miss to observe the monkeys which are now the hosts of the nonresidential fort. 

An Unpaid Tenant of the fort

            The ruined fort (Now an almost abandoned temple) also gives an excellent views of the fort when climbed over the ruined staircase, do visit it.  

The Windows at the Ruined Fort

A Couple enjoying sunset at Rani Padmini's Palace 

           Padmini's Palace is very romantic in the evenings, i couldn't contend myself from envying the kings and queens for the times they have spent at buildings in between the water pools. Salute for their selection of such romantic landscapes and according construction of palaces.

A private chamber at Padmini's palace

Sculptures on a temple

        

Villages of BISHNOI

Group of Bisnois

Before visiting this Bishnoi Village i wondered just for killing two, three black bucks why bishnois sent the indian super star Salman Khan behind the bars, instead they would have received crores of rupees as a bribe. I understood it only after knowing their touching story of khejarli massacre.

THE KHEJARLI MASSACRE

             The Bisnois narrate the story about the khejarli massacre that in 1730 AD A Bishnoi woman, 'Amrita Devi' came to know that a number of people had descended upon their village 'Khejarli'. They were sent by maharaja abhay singh, the ruler of the kingdom of jodhpur who wanted to get the wood by cutting the khejri trees and use them for the construction of his new palace. 

             Amrita Devi protested against the maharaja's men who were cutting green trees and made an agreement they can chopping off her head instead of the tree. She offered her head. the axes, which were brought to cut the trees, butchered her head along with her young daughter who also sacrificed her life for the cause. The news spread like a wild fire, the bishnoi of khejrali got infuriated and further extended the protest and decided that for every green tree to be cut one bishnoi volunteer would sacrifice his or her life. after intense hullabaloo the tree felling party return back to maharaja. Soon after maharaja learned about it he ordered the cutting of trees to be stopped immediately. by that time, Three Hundred and Sixty Three (363) bishnois, young and old men and women, married and unmarried, rich and poor, had already sacrificed their lives.

          In defence to their bravery, the maharaja apologised for the mistakes committed by his officials and issued an order that henceforth all cutting of green trees and hunting of animals within the premises of bishnoi villages was strictly prohibited. It was also ordered, that if by mistake any individual violated this order, he would be prosecuted by the state and a service penalty would be imposed on him, since then, nobody dares to tamper with the wildlife in the Bishnoi occupied areas.

Bishnoi women's daily activity 

Not only in the past but also to this day they remember the sacrifice of amrita devi and treat the animals and trees as part of them. 

Wall Painting of Bishnoi Woman in a house

   Recently in an incident a bishnoi was killed by the poachers when he tried to save the black buck. But his 75 year old father says that ' i miss my son but i feel proud of his death'.

Pottery

I was thrilled by seeing this man for the expertise he has got in making pottery. He explained us every thing in detail and made us understand. 

Carpet Making

This great skilled carpet maker explained me how they do it, the advantages of an handmade carpet.

Rajasthani Thali

Wall Painting in a House

After visiting to rural areas i felt that india is in villages, not in the metropolis. It is worth visiting the villages, knowing their skills, life style, spend time in the world of calmness and affection towards each other.  

City of Umaid Bhawan palace, JODHPUR

Night View of Umaid Bhawan

'If at all i want to own a house, it can be like this' this are my thoughts when i was sitting in the balcony of the hotel i've stayed. It gave view of giant umaid bhawan palace glowing like a raising sun and the back view was the mehrangarh fort which is glowing like a setting sun. The panoramic view from the terrace is an eye feast. The hotel was almost at the peak of the city. Any number of times i go to jodhpur i look forward to stay in that hotel. A small way beside the toilets outside the fort entrance leads to the hotel within five minutes.  (Hill View Guest House, Below the fort walls, 0291-2441763). 

Night View of Mehrangarh fort 

Clock Tower

The bazars itself are an attraction at the night, with uncountable foreigners roaming in the streets it gives an carnival atmosphere. The clock tower stands out in middle of glowing market. 

Any place we are in the city, we can get some or the other glance at umaid bhawan palace, such giant it stands out. But the nearer i get the more jealous i was filled with on the royal family who are living in the palace and the hosts of hotel taj umaid bhawan, as i was dying to see it but they are residing in it. Without a second thought i can say that umaid bhawan is one of the best modern constructions i've seen in my lifetime. 

Front View Of Umaid Bhawan Palace

The panoramic view the blue city from the missile point is sole of the mehrangarh fort. The view of sunset, the blue houses scattered in between the city, the row missiles which were used centuries back in cruel wars, did not let me go away from that place. The miniature paintings gallery in the fort, Palanquin gallery, elephant thrown gallery are admirable. We can see many palm readers busy searching lines on others palms.

Hanging stairs inside the fort 

Myself very much delighted

Double moustache, multiple coloured turban 

A missile aiming the blue city

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