Hey people,
Wish you all a very happy n prosperous new year!
Long time again… D festive season is over n it’s bac to work n studies. I had a crash on new year’s. had a wonderful party wid d gang n thn my bike skid. Gota bump on my head n lost consciousness for a minute. Cudnt rem anything whn I came bac to my senses. Got an MRI done n all normal, but m bruisd all over n my left side aches like hell. But d worst blow is definitely my poooooooooor lipppp... dat has causd mo mental agony dan anythin else... but its fine now, as gud as new! Cheers to dat :-) my crowinin glory ;-)
Anyways, m bac to work startin today, so thot I’d buzz in n say hi to you’ll too… I’d promisd u my trip in detail, so betr late dan never… here goes!
Day 1 : Pune - Jodhpur – Bikaner : Wonderful train journey. I dint feel d need to open a book as I usually do d minute I get a seat. Was thinking of myself, frens, family, life… n time flew! Had a brawl wid a really rude group, amazing how youngsters who r expectd to be helpful and joly can b so rude and hostile. Had hired a Tavera which tuk us to Bikaner d same night; tiring journey, but glad coz cud sleep in a stable bed!
Day 2 : Thr r these funny flat autos in Rajasthan. Wonder how ppl get into thm, they’re squashd flat!! On d agenda today, Punrasar, Shamji Khatu, Salasar Balaji – All Hanumans on a Saturday, so God had no choice but to make our trip good. The roads of Rajasthan are rockin! You can travel hours on end n not feel it. I think apart from Pune and a few other places, roads all over the country are great – Delhi, Hyd, Aurangabad, the North, South… We traveled miles which was evident from d hours v took. Reachd late in d nite, so slept like a log… Hey, u know u cant carry home d utensils or even Prasad from the temples… dnt ask me y or how but if any1 tries to do dat, purposely or unintentionally, ur car’ll stall or u’ll get stuck sumhow widin d borders… n only whn u empty out whatever ur takin home, thn u’l b able to move out… amazing eh?!!!
Day 3 : Woke up late, visitd Karni Mata temple at Deshnokhe – the one I wrote abt in d previous post. N thn went on to Jaisalmer
Day 4 : nite at Jaisalmer, Khuri guest house, cultural program – singin n dancing n lotsa fun. D locals were really a funny lot (here’s wishin “Sonya”, Chhotu Khan, Tugge Singh urf Dasharath, “Sunil Dutt”, “Khartaal Mast”, “High Pitch” n d rest a heartload of thanx for d wonderful evening!) we laughd n made merry, all in all one of our best evenings in Rajastha
Day 5 : Sand dunes are funny, jus like humans… they’r here today, gone tomr! U’l c thm in one place jus now, n thn thr’s b flat land d next day! Its amazing… d vastness of d desert makes u feel so puny n powerless… I actually felt like d foreigners they show on television, who jus gape at the Indian splendour n feel awe and joy… We saw d sunrise in d desert, took a camel ride, toured Jaisalmer : all d buildings r built of yellow sandstone, including d Patwa Haweli which is a palatial structure, a museum, replete wid separate sections for different types of locks n keys, “sarota”, utensils, etc. We also went to some temple dat had a Khadisar lake near it, it resembled Varanasi sumhow, and we came across a team shootin there. V saw “Zafrani Pulao” from Cheeni Kum (I forget his name), and Amrita Rao n Harman Baweja. D public r so cute n simple thr, they jus sat quietly in their places n waited for d hero (who was hidin behind a tree n lunchin) n d heroine (who was bz yakkin on her phone) to step out n give them a look… which neither did… while Zafrani Pulao jus kept lukin at us as we passd by, imploring us to recogniz n acknowledge him! My masti-khor mum, as usual full of pranks, stepd up to d gate n said hurriedly “Side Side, Heroine aayi” n wonder of wonders! Ppl actually moved to make way for d “heroine” which was my Bhabhi shieldin her face from d sun. We generated mo attention n hullaballoo than d Bollywood team, and when I stepd outa d premises, ppl actually kept starin at me as if I was d actress (I was wearin jeans n a T n had tied my hair wid a bandana)… gosh, dat was funny!
Tirupati Balaji has a charm of its own, but Ramdeora is anodr place whr u can c devotees goin crazy… Baba Ramdeo (nt d yoga one) has a tremendous fan followin, n d place abounds wid tales galore. One of thm says dat at d fair which is held here, ppl leav behind their footwear… which is y u c thousands of shoes n slippers whn u enter d vicinity of Ramdeora. Anothr tale says dat Ramdeo promisd a demon dat each time 1 lac ppl arrivd at d fair, 1 of them wud die… as an offerin to d demon… n dis time whn 50 lac ppl came, 50 died… truth or fiction, take ur pick!
Also visitd Icchapurna Balaji, dats a Hanuman temple, beautifully built, and apparently said to fulfil ur wishes. I dint ask for anything much, hav d best of everythin by god’s grace…N of curz d main reason for our goin to Rajasthan – Sanchiya mata at Osiya. Luvly temple, luvly food, luvly experience… for mebe d first time in a temple, I cried jus on seein d deity – felt an unexplainable connection wid d goddess…
Day 6 : visitd Ajmer, d Dargah thr is mind-bogglin! Any door u touch, d fragrance of d perfumes lingers on each finger for ages later… halted at Pushkar, d world’s only Bramha temple, did a Ghat parikrama wid mum. We were lucky enuf to c sum swans n feed d squirrels, birds n cows… We reachd Jodhpur in d evening, so cudnt see d city, but visitd Mandore garden whr Ravan’s wife Mandodari lived.
Day 7 : train at 5am from Jodhpur, d worst bit of d trip. Our train delayd 12 hours coz of Rajdhani derailin on d same route. our train had to take a detour (thank god it wasn’t canceld or v’d get stuck!) n v reachd d next day, haggard n irritable, in d evening… bac to routine!
Now for titbits dat dint go in anywhr widin d blog…
Hey, here’s some funny plural forms dat I’v heard ppl use lately…
Car-e, Pizz-e, CV-ya ;-)
Know y u alwes do a Tilak wid 2 fingers? D 4th finger is coz it’s a sign of good luck n all things pure n divine… n it has to be followd up wid d thumb (spread d tikka in a str8 line towards d head) to signify long life… dint kno dat… cool na? we never know y sumthins r done some way, but delve deeper… thr r amazing stories to unravel!
Congrats to all! My bhabhi’s in d family way and so’s my Sarikadi… they’re both due sumtime around July-Aug 2008, so m prayin they dnt overlap wid my bday… cant miss a party for any sake! Anodr thing I heard – if u see a snake durin pregnancy, ur not-born-yet-baby is bound to lick his lips jus like a snake whn he grows up… I’v seen a few such folks… wonder if its really true… don’t try this tho!!!
Saw a 40+ Woman bicycling today… not for exercise, but as a way of transport…felt nice, way to go! May mo join d gang! (dnt luk at me, m hurt n cant run, forget pedal…)
Gota sign off for now, taken too much time already… leme kno how u liked d post! Wil b bac soon (hopefully)…
Luv ya,
Anuja
Wish you all a very happy n prosperous new year!
Long time again… D festive season is over n it’s bac to work n studies. I had a crash on new year’s. had a wonderful party wid d gang n thn my bike skid. Gota bump on my head n lost consciousness for a minute. Cudnt rem anything whn I came bac to my senses. Got an MRI done n all normal, but m bruisd all over n my left side aches like hell. But d worst blow is definitely my poooooooooor lipppp... dat has causd mo mental agony dan anythin else... but its fine now, as gud as new! Cheers to dat :-) my crowinin glory ;-)
Anyways, m bac to work startin today, so thot I’d buzz in n say hi to you’ll too… I’d promisd u my trip in detail, so betr late dan never… here goes!
Day 1 : Pune - Jodhpur – Bikaner : Wonderful train journey. I dint feel d need to open a book as I usually do d minute I get a seat. Was thinking of myself, frens, family, life… n time flew! Had a brawl wid a really rude group, amazing how youngsters who r expectd to be helpful and joly can b so rude and hostile. Had hired a Tavera which tuk us to Bikaner d same night; tiring journey, but glad coz cud sleep in a stable bed!
Day 2 : Thr r these funny flat autos in Rajasthan. Wonder how ppl get into thm, they’re squashd flat!! On d agenda today, Punrasar, Shamji Khatu, Salasar Balaji – All Hanumans on a Saturday, so God had no choice but to make our trip good. The roads of Rajasthan are rockin! You can travel hours on end n not feel it. I think apart from Pune and a few other places, roads all over the country are great – Delhi, Hyd, Aurangabad, the North, South… We traveled miles which was evident from d hours v took. Reachd late in d nite, so slept like a log… Hey, u know u cant carry home d utensils or even Prasad from the temples… dnt ask me y or how but if any1 tries to do dat, purposely or unintentionally, ur car’ll stall or u’ll get stuck sumhow widin d borders… n only whn u empty out whatever ur takin home, thn u’l b able to move out… amazing eh?!!!
Day 3 : Woke up late, visitd Karni Mata temple at Deshnokhe – the one I wrote abt in d previous post. N thn went on to Jaisalmer
Day 4 : nite at Jaisalmer, Khuri guest house, cultural program – singin n dancing n lotsa fun. D locals were really a funny lot (here’s wishin “Sonya”, Chhotu Khan, Tugge Singh urf Dasharath, “Sunil Dutt”, “Khartaal Mast”, “High Pitch” n d rest a heartload of thanx for d wonderful evening!) we laughd n made merry, all in all one of our best evenings in Rajastha
Day 5 : Sand dunes are funny, jus like humans… they’r here today, gone tomr! U’l c thm in one place jus now, n thn thr’s b flat land d next day! Its amazing… d vastness of d desert makes u feel so puny n powerless… I actually felt like d foreigners they show on television, who jus gape at the Indian splendour n feel awe and joy… We saw d sunrise in d desert, took a camel ride, toured Jaisalmer : all d buildings r built of yellow sandstone, including d Patwa Haweli which is a palatial structure, a museum, replete wid separate sections for different types of locks n keys, “sarota”, utensils, etc. We also went to some temple dat had a Khadisar lake near it, it resembled Varanasi sumhow, and we came across a team shootin there. V saw “Zafrani Pulao” from Cheeni Kum (I forget his name), and Amrita Rao n Harman Baweja. D public r so cute n simple thr, they jus sat quietly in their places n waited for d hero (who was hidin behind a tree n lunchin) n d heroine (who was bz yakkin on her phone) to step out n give them a look… which neither did… while Zafrani Pulao jus kept lukin at us as we passd by, imploring us to recogniz n acknowledge him! My masti-khor mum, as usual full of pranks, stepd up to d gate n said hurriedly “Side Side, Heroine aayi” n wonder of wonders! Ppl actually moved to make way for d “heroine” which was my Bhabhi shieldin her face from d sun. We generated mo attention n hullaballoo than d Bollywood team, and when I stepd outa d premises, ppl actually kept starin at me as if I was d actress (I was wearin jeans n a T n had tied my hair wid a bandana)… gosh, dat was funny!
Tirupati Balaji has a charm of its own, but Ramdeora is anodr place whr u can c devotees goin crazy… Baba Ramdeo (nt d yoga one) has a tremendous fan followin, n d place abounds wid tales galore. One of thm says dat at d fair which is held here, ppl leav behind their footwear… which is y u c thousands of shoes n slippers whn u enter d vicinity of Ramdeora. Anothr tale says dat Ramdeo promisd a demon dat each time 1 lac ppl arrivd at d fair, 1 of them wud die… as an offerin to d demon… n dis time whn 50 lac ppl came, 50 died… truth or fiction, take ur pick!
Also visitd Icchapurna Balaji, dats a Hanuman temple, beautifully built, and apparently said to fulfil ur wishes. I dint ask for anything much, hav d best of everythin by god’s grace…N of curz d main reason for our goin to Rajasthan – Sanchiya mata at Osiya. Luvly temple, luvly food, luvly experience… for mebe d first time in a temple, I cried jus on seein d deity – felt an unexplainable connection wid d goddess…
Day 6 : visitd Ajmer, d Dargah thr is mind-bogglin! Any door u touch, d fragrance of d perfumes lingers on each finger for ages later… halted at Pushkar, d world’s only Bramha temple, did a Ghat parikrama wid mum. We were lucky enuf to c sum swans n feed d squirrels, birds n cows… We reachd Jodhpur in d evening, so cudnt see d city, but visitd Mandore garden whr Ravan’s wife Mandodari lived.
Day 7 : train at 5am from Jodhpur, d worst bit of d trip. Our train delayd 12 hours coz of Rajdhani derailin on d same route. our train had to take a detour (thank god it wasn’t canceld or v’d get stuck!) n v reachd d next day, haggard n irritable, in d evening… bac to routine!
Now for titbits dat dint go in anywhr widin d blog…
Hey, here’s some funny plural forms dat I’v heard ppl use lately…
Car-e, Pizz-e, CV-ya ;-)
Know y u alwes do a Tilak wid 2 fingers? D 4th finger is coz it’s a sign of good luck n all things pure n divine… n it has to be followd up wid d thumb (spread d tikka in a str8 line towards d head) to signify long life… dint kno dat… cool na? we never know y sumthins r done some way, but delve deeper… thr r amazing stories to unravel!
Congrats to all! My bhabhi’s in d family way and so’s my Sarikadi… they’re both due sumtime around July-Aug 2008, so m prayin they dnt overlap wid my bday… cant miss a party for any sake! Anodr thing I heard – if u see a snake durin pregnancy, ur not-born-yet-baby is bound to lick his lips jus like a snake whn he grows up… I’v seen a few such folks… wonder if its really true… don’t try this tho!!!
Saw a 40+ Woman bicycling today… not for exercise, but as a way of transport…felt nice, way to go! May mo join d gang! (dnt luk at me, m hurt n cant run, forget pedal…)
Gota sign off for now, taken too much time already… leme kno how u liked d post! Wil b bac soon (hopefully)…
Luv ya,
Anuja
1 comment:
hiii anu..nice to kno tat u alrght aftr d accidnt.hey whil i was reading bout your trip i felt like i am also touring rajsthn with you..hope u had a grt tim in rajsthn..you got amazng writing capability boss...will have to visit your blog regularly i gues,its so tempting..you jus cnt cntrl replying..will wait untill u write the nxt one..boyyyy...take care...
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