A Wandering Mind

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Showing posts with the label Maharashtra

Inside the Victoria Terminus... ( Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus )

It is a building which has fascinated me, ever since I can remember. Waiting on the platform, I used to look around, trying to take in as much of the architecture as I possibly could, or try to decipher the faces on the pillars. It imbued me with such a pride for our heritage, that, when a cleanliness drive took place, I actually picked fights with people I saw littering. When it was declared a World Heritage Site, I couldn’t be happier, especially when I noticed how the restoration work showed off the building and its beauty even better. Yes, I am talking of the Victoria Terminus, or, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) as it is now called.

Progress and more at Victoria Terminus (now Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus)

For a long time, I thought she was Queen Victoria, and I often wondered why she had a torch in her hand. The only other lady I knew who held a torch was the Lady of Liberty, and her standing here didn’t make sense either. After all, this was Victoria Terminus. It should be Queen Victoria standing up there, right?

Lighthouses of Mumbai Harbour

The Gateway of India is one place which is always teeming with crowds – tourists gawking at the Gateway or casting yearning glances at the luxury yachts, regulars sitting on the parapet wall, relishing a break from their routine lives, couples posing for cameras, kids chasing pigeons or feeding gulls, people waiting for ferries – either for a joy ride or to get to the Elephanta Island, or even to Alibag. If the shore is a teeming mass of people, the sea here is a melee too, with ferries, launches, yachts and fishing boats, all jostling for space. Amidst all this chaos, stands a small structure, forgotten and unnoticed.

The BEST Museum

A security guard at the gate signs us in, and points us to a building. “Third floor” he says, laconically. We walk the short distance, and are told we have to climb, for there is no elevator here. Three flights of stairs later, breathing heavily from the exertion, we finally arrive at our destination – the BEST Museum.

Faces in the Crowd - Some unusual sellers of wares for Diwali

Happy Diwali everyone!!!! The roads are filled with people selling earthen lamps, kandeels, and firecrackers. But here are some traders selling some unusual wares for Diwali.... Brooms are considered to be a part of Lakshmi, since she only enters clean homes. There are some who pray to brooms at this time of the year, a sort of prelude to cleaning their homes! Gives a different thought to the festival, doesnt it?

Happy Deepavali! Remembering the celebration at Shegaon

As I sit at home , typing this, the night resounds with the bursting of firecrackers. All around me are brightly lit windows, gaily decorated with string lights. In the midst of this Diwali Celebration, my thoughts go back to last year, when, on this very festival, I was surrounded not by bright lights and sound, but by the soft glow of oil lamps galore....

Storming Sewri Part 4 - Uncovering hidden secrets

It has been a hectic week, and I am so glad it is over! My computer had crashed, and then the internet did, and by the time they both got back, I have had loads of work piling on. Catching up with my posts has been a priority, so, in an attempt to at least complete one set of posts, here is the final in the Storming Sewri series....

Skywatch Friday : Nature v/s Development

For Skywatch Friday this week, here are our winged visitors, the flamingoes, seen against the backdrop of the Industrial skyline...

Storming Sewri Part 2 - The Sewri Fort

I first read about Sewri Fort in an article on the various forts in Mumbai. Every time I visited the Sewri Jetty to see the flamingos and other birds, I wondered where the fort was. A friend later told me that it was just off the road we took to reach the jetty. Unfortunately, ardent birdwatchers aren’t always heritage enthusiasts, and I never found company to go to the fort. Much as I love to explore, going into a deserted and ruined fort alone didn't seem the safest thing to do, and the fort remained on my wish list for all these years. When Travel-Logs announced their Sewri Walk, the one place I was keen to visit was the fort. Thankfully, the dates and timings were convenient for once, and I eagerly jumped on to the bandwagon!

Nageshwar Temple, Aundha Nagnath

The Rudram chanting (hymns dedicated to Rudra, or Lord Shiva) seemed to fill the entire space. The sound reverberated within the small, cavernous shrine, the stone walls echoing the words over and over again till the air itself seemed to pulsate with the same rhythm as the chanting. In such a charged atmosphere, the simple act of placing a bilva leaf on the Shiva lingam and pouring water on it, seemed much more than a mere ritual. It was this divine experience that made our visit to Aundha Nagnath so memorable.

Snapshots from Mumbai - Maharashtra Police Headquarters

The Maharashtra Police Headquarters is a landmark at Colaba, for the road leading towards the Gateway of India. However, it wasn’t always known by this name.

Skywatch Friday - Akshi Beach, Alibag

Every week, as Friday approaches and I go hunting for an image to post as part of Skywatch Friday , I lose myself among all the images I have clicked.... re-live the memories of all those trips... and wish I was there again!

Bhimashankar - a blend of spirituality and nature

Among the 12 sacred shrines of Lord Shiva known as the Jyotirlingams, the one nearest to me was the one which eluded me the longest! The 11 others are located all over India. The one I visited first was the farthest –Kedarnath, which is over 2000 Km away! Bhimashankar is barely 200 Km from Mumbai, and yet I had to wait for years.

Meeting the Mummy at the Museum in Mumbai

Samhith sitting in one place is not something you can see very often. Samhith listening to something intently is even rarer! But, there was a time last week, when my little boy actually sat quietly (well, almost quietly) for over an hour, intently listening, asking questions in between, peering close to see the details he was hearing about. What was it that interested him? Nothing less than the Egyptian Mummy which has travelled all the way from London to our very own Mumbai! Photo Courtesy: Mummy - The Inside Story, Facebook Page ( https://www.facebook.com/MummyTheInsideStory )

Daulatabad Part 2: The Fort that was once invincible

We are walking down a dark passage , holding on tight to each other’s hand, trying hard not to stumble over the uneven surface. It would be scary, straight out of a nightmare, if we had been alone. However, we are not.

Daulatabad Part 1 : The fort and a phrase - a quirk of history

Returning from the Ellora caves , as the car navigated the twists and turns over the mountains, the ramparts of the fort came into view every now and then. A stretch of plain land surrounded by mountains, a perfectly conical hill in the centre, surmounted by a fort, a white structure gleaming in the sun, a tall tower at the foothills rendering the scene perfect, its bright red colour a stark contrast to the brown that enveloped the fort. The Daulatabad fort was an inviting sight, even from a distance. However, it wasn’t the fort itself, but its story, that drew me to the place, which made me insist on a quick visit, in spite of the short time we had on hand.

Faces in the Crowd - Business in the rain

The monsoon at Mahabaleshwar is a sight to see. The pouring rain, the dense fog, lush green valleys and mountains everywhere your eyes can see.... and vendors selling hot tea and corn at every turning.

Bibi Ka Maqbara

Shahjahan built a monument for the love of his life – his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The monument has come to symbolize love over the centuries. His son, Aurangzeb considered his father’s love of luxury and opulence with contempt, and chose an all too simple lifestyle dedicated to his religious beliefs. It was probably inevitable, considering that years of decadence had seriously depleted the royal coffers. None of the rulers after Aurangzeb managed to make their mark on Indian history – neither with their conquests, nor with construction. One of the prime examples of this is the Bibi Ka Maqbara.

Aurangzeb's Tomb

He was among the last of the powerful Mughal Emperors. He might not have been among the most popular, but for 49 years, he ruled over the bulk of the Indian Subcontinent. We remember him more today for the temples he razed and the mosques he built over them. And yet, we cannot but help lift an eyebrow in surprise and admiration when we learn that he refused to use the royal treasury at his disposal, choosing instead to knit caps and copy the Quran anonymously and use the proceeds from the sales for his personal expenses. Aurangzeb stands out from among the Mughal emperors in many ways – his fanatical zeal for Islam, his intolerance for all other religions, and above all, the simplicity of his lifestyle, which is reflected in his last resting place. The board informing us of the Emperor's tomb is mounted on a wall with peeling paint and old posters

Faces in the Crowd - Children

We were at Shegaon, offering our prayers at the samadhi of Shri Gajanan Maharaj, visiting the places related to his life....It is said that the saint first appeared near a Banyan tree, as a young man. It was under the very same banyan tree that I came across these children.