Monday, October 19, 2009

Bollywood: Dadi Amma Dadi amma maan jao

This awesome kid song where two kids are trying their best to convince their dadi for having food is hilarious. Watch closely the eye movements of those kids, too good and there conviction to impress dadi is too much. Their nodding, touching her gradma in her chin, charming dance just too good, Grandma trying hard to control her laughter and inside she also feels to join the kids... Sure to make everyone remember their dadi maa...

"Choti choti bataon mein na... bigada karo
gussa ho to... thanda paani piliya karo
khali pili apna kaleja na jalao"

"dadi tumhein hum to manake rahenge
khana apna haathon se khilake rahenege...
chahe humine maaro, chahe humein dhamkao"

"Kaho to tumhari hum... champi kar de
peene ko tumhare liye... hukka bhar de
Hasi na chupao zara aanke to milao" [check out their eyes here]

"acchi si kahani koi... humko sunao, chodi jee ye gussa zara humko haske dikhao"



Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Old memories: Bitsian Trips - Mussorie, Dehradun, Haridwar, Rishikesh

Timeframe - 3rd year 1st Sem, 21st October-24th October 2004
MUSSORIE, DEHRADUN, HARIDWAR, RISHIKESH

Route: Pilani-Delhi-Roorkee-Haridwar

No. of People 11: Kapil Kamble, Sameer Kale, Jay Shah, Chandan Maloo, Aditya Kali, Sarvesh Bang, Omkar Kurode, Kartik Ayyar, Tushar Agrawal, Dheeraj Agrawal, Vikrant Bhaskarwar,Vaibhav Karkare…

Photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/chandan.maloo/MussorieTrip


Rishikesh (15kms from Haridwar)
In Haridwar we stayed in Upper Road, 2 chownks after the valmiki chownk...

After reaching Rishikesh we went 12 kms ahead to a place called shivpuri to do River rafting. We boarded a state transport bus for the same. The 12 kms journey up to shivpuri was fully enjoyed with nature all around us. Greenery was at its peak, with mountain & ghats all around & in between u see the GANGES River flowing down at a very rapid rate…Turbulent GANGA u can say…

Water Rafting is organized by a group called as Explore the Himalayas,
After a lot of bargaining & trying all our hatkandas & fundas we successfully brought him down to Rs 250 from Rs 500 :P

River Rafting:
This experience of us will never be forgotten. This will remain my all time favorite… Actually before the start of rafting I was hesitant to do it. Since there was a risk of life in it but seeing the enthu of my friends especially kartik & addy i finally decided to do it.
Our GUIDE Mr. Gajpal singhji had a very peculiar accent…
Leeeft baak..right forwaarrd… this were the words which will be in the minds always… So after much hesitation for it I finally got the guts… we were provided with the suit required for rafting & all fundas were explained by Mr Gajpal. All his commands will never be forgotten. I & KK were the ones who were the most futto of all, so we decide to sit in the middle so that no harm will happen to us in any circumstances how mean but listen guys what happened then…

Rafting Journey: Water of River Ganga was very cold. So never even try to put in your hands in it. Don’t even dare to do it. The journey was divided into 9 Ramps. Some of the very important ramps were Roller Coaster, Thanks GOD (last ramp), Golf Green. Roller coaster is the best one of them. This experience of us really was the most adventurous thing that I felt we guys did. Yo Guys. Rafting is great fun and i personally recommend everyone to experience the thrill.

At the end of the rafting there was nice scenery out there along the beach of Ganga. We walked around 5-6 Kms to get to the other side of Ganga river so as to have a closer look. We cross the famous Lakshman Jhula. I, Sarvesh & Vikrant were the ones who enjoyed the BIKINI SHOW oops…sorry Beach Scene others were busy worshiping in the Temple. After that we had our Dinner at CHOTIWALA- a famous restaurant at Rishikesh named after a person called CHOTIWALA near RAMJHULA, Its must to have lunch/dinner at this famous place, You may find many similar chotiwala restaurent trying to lure visitors and claiming themselves to be the original. Then we returned to Haridwar.

Haridwar:
In the morning some of us (Sameer, Ady, Dheeraj, kapil, Tushar and me) decided that we should at least visit one Temple of Haridwar for which it is famous. So we went to Dakshprajapati Mandir in Karnal in Haridwar. We had Ganga Puja there. There are total 12 temples in Haridwar.
Pawan Dham: This temple is totally made with the help of glass & mirrors. Two Rope-ways leading to two different temples are also there. Haridwar is fully surrounded by Ganga. Wherever u go in Haridwar u will find Goddess Ganga everywhere. By Train we headed back to Deharadun.

In Deharadun the problems began. We wasted around 3 hours to get TAXI for Mussorie. At last we somehow managed to book 2 Taxi for Rs. 750 for Mussorie.

Mussorie:
Located above 6000 ft is one of the best Hill Stations that I had seen. It is totally located over the mountains. As we kept on moving, cold breezes began to wave around our Ears. Our Ears felt a little heavy. Mussorie has a very pleasant weather during this time. We arranged a Hotel for Rs. 900, 3 Rooms in Hotel Mansarovar near Mall Road. Hotel was very luxurious seeing the cost we paid for it.

After Bird watching in Mussorie we went to Gunhill Point in Mussorie I Mall Road. We used the Rope way Service for that (Rs. 50). On the Gun Hill Point u can have a bird eye view of the whole Mussorie. Other than this there is nothing here :D We had our Dinner at Agrawal Restaurant here. Maals were seen in abundance in Mall road. I also had a Horse riding experience here.

Night: Some Six friends of mine decided to booze that night & successfully managed to did it. In the Morning we woke up early in the morning & then at 10 am we set for our next point, the Kamptee LAKE.

Kamptee Falls: We hired 2 taxis for it for Rs. 820 from the taxi stand around 2.5 Kms from our Hotel. Near the Taxi stand we had a vied of the snow clad peaks. This was our first experience of snow peaks. The water was so cold out there. It was freezing still we had a bath of it. I & Vikrant immensely enjoyed the Kamptee falls. We all took snaps is various forms and thoroughly enjoyed Kamptee falls. Then by a taxi Rs. 40 per Head we returned to Deharadun & set out to go to Shastradhara for which buses are available in shastradhara bus stand.

Shastradhara: This is in Dehradun, famous for its many small waterfalls, Note: the water here contains sulphur. Not an important place to have a visit, i felt. We 11 of us had the elevendhara program here :P , Let the Amrut of us flow everywhere. We also did half an hour masti in the small pond created by the dhara :D, Then at 7pm we reached the Tibetan market in Deharadun where we had some shopping. Paltan bazaar is also there. But we didn’t visit it. Finally we went to ISBT Deharadun & got a bus for Rs. 216 & reached Delhi. The Bus journey was ultimate aaram. This was the best Bus journey of mine. We reached Delhi in the early morning at 4:30 am & then reached Pilani at 10:30.

Conclusion: All in all a very enjoyable trip. Mussorie is really a Sexy place. Climatic conditions here are superb with flora & fauna all around. Do visit it. Also a good place for post marriage events :D

Old memories: Bitsian Trips - Agra

Timeframe: summers of 3rd year, 1 day visit
Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/chandan.maloo/TajMahal

What can be said about it. After seeing it only one can understand, why it is one of the wonders of the world. Ultimate sexy experience…

HUZOOR WAH TAJ KAHIYE. I would like everyone to visit TAJ at least once in his lifetime…
Sadar, Petha, the old Museum type shop, purse lost… Sadar Maal hi Maal will always be remembered…

Thanks Sameer for insisting on this group snap, its a prized possession now and was only possible because of you. Thanks a lot.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Bang Card game

Great card game, Initially it takes 30-45 mins to learn all different kind of cards, but once you are on it, its no match than other traditional card/strategy games. Playing bang can take at a max 30-45 mins, Some games for us have even finished in 5 mins. Sherrif, Renegade, Outlaws and Vices are the main identities of this game. All players play with one of these identities. Sheriffs role is to kill all renegade/outlaws with help of its vice. Outlaws job is to kill Sheriff at any cost. If Sheriff dies and one outlaw is still alive then outlaws win. Renegade wins when he is the last player in the game who is alive. So he has to kill all vice/renegade and then finally sheriff to win. At the start of the game only Sheriffs identity is known. Other players guess each others identity based on their moves.

We have been playing this game now an year plus now and still not bored. It has all the ingredients of a good game and always bring in different perspective, team dynamics is the best part i like about this game. This game is best suited for 4+ people. We have been playing it in our office and everyone is eager to play it anytime, none of us never seem to feel bored of it.

This strategy based game in which things can change at any point of time, a dynamite can ruin your winning stand or a volcanic can suddenly change you from being a loser to being a winning team. Some times you end up killing your own team members and still can't show signs of distress, pain you have been through, when they reveal their identity and you realize its one of your brothers. Its full of fun, the fun quadruples when Sheriff ends up killing his own vice, for which he has to pay a big penalty by discarding all his cards, his prized possessions. Players like killing the outlaws for the benefit of getting 3 cards from the deck.

"Bang Bang Missed Missed" seems to be the mantra for all players with some strikes of Duel. Everyone is eager to sip his own beer without sharing it with anyone [Selfish ppl :P] Some try to be very generous by sharing their bears with everyone using Saloon. Some players go on to strike all by their deadly Indian and Gatling cards. Sometimes "Check my Barrel" is the call, Some times "You can't reach me but i can BANG you, he he". "Please don't put me in Prison", Its Heart i got my bail :D, "You seem to be talking too much" let me snatch a card from your hand" Awesome fun moments....

All in all a awesome team game and a great time pass. More details can be read on Wikipedia : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bang!

How to buy
Game can be brought from Amazon by clicking here



Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Kodaikanal - calm and serene hill station

Kodaikanal is a must place to see and is way way better than Ooty. One need to spend minimum 2-3 days in Kodaikanal to enjoy its natural beauty. Even though its getting commercialized there is still serenity around it.

Photos can be seen here - http://picasaweb.google.com/chandan.maloo/KodaikanalTrip#

HowToGofrom Bangalore
Tuticoriun Express: Bangalore to Kodaikanal Road, leaves at 9:30 PM from Cantonment Rly, reaches around 6 AM. Once you reach Kodaikanal Road, one can hire a taxi which will cost around Rs. 1000. If one is fine to wait for another 2 hours there is a Govt bus at 8:10 AM which will only take Rs. 40 :). I decided to chill around Kodaikanal road and meanwhile had 2 awesome teas, very cheap given the quantity they offer + a nice breakfast at a local restaurant in front of the Railway station.
Thand ke mausam mein chai ki chuskiyon ka ek apna hi alag andaz hai. I was really amazed at the way tea is prepared in Tamilnadu in general. Bustand for Kodaikanal road is 200-300 meters from Railway station.

Return Journey to Bangalore
Mysore Express: from Dindugul to Bangalore, Starts at 9:15PM and reached Bangalore at 6 AM. Kodaikanal to Bangalore buses are normally full, so its better to take train journey. There is only one bus from Kodaikanal which takes you to Kodaikanal road or Dindugul in the evening. It leaves at 5 PM from Kodaikanal to Dindugul, Make sure you reach kodaikanal bust stand by 4:30 PM otherwise the bus will be full. Bus charges a mere Rs 32 and will drop you near the Dindugul railway station upon request. [Reaches around 8 PM in Dindugul, so you can have dinner or awesome chai. ... Bus drops you at a junction square from where the railway station is around 0.7 km]

BusTrip from Kodaikanal Road to Kodaikanal
Cool breezes with mountains around,
mand mand baarish ki fuhaarein, ghats, sometimes up the road and sometimes downhill... My ears responding appropriately to the changing atmospheric pressure. It was very nice experience in the local bus which was completely jam packed after vattalagundu. Waterfalls, valleys, chirping of the birds, fog moving around...
FYI: One can board a bus in every half an hour from Vattalagundu (also pronounced Batlagundu) to Kodaikanal hill stations if somehow he misses bus from Kodaikanal road. Its 20kms from Kodaikanal road
.

BusTrip from Kodaikanal to Dindugul
It was very much the same like the onward journey, the only difference being it was evening time. Our bus also stopped for a brief period at the Silver Cascade falls which looked to be the biggest water falls in the area to me. Water was still shining in the evening cloud covered Sun...

Stay:
Inside Mount Zion Lutheran Church
Very near to HillTop Inn restaurant. [ Comes on the way when coming from BusStand towards AnnaSalai Road]
Distance from BusStand: 0.5 - 0.6 KM
Rate: Rs. 200 per room [ Bargaining still possible ]
Contact: Mr Devdas Paster
Number: 9486729645, 0452 - 241745
Its a pretty decent place much better that the forest resort place in Bandipur where we paid Rs. 600 per person. The place also has Beramda with relaxing chairs + a nice garden in front + offers views to rich flora (different kind of flowers and trees). With Rs. 200 i don't think one can ask for so much, what do you feel??

Food:
Tawa, Rasoi + many other veg options are available on Anna Salai road. I chose Purohit restaurant besides Tawa since it had a Jain thali to offer for 70 Rs with 5 chapatis + sabji + dal + curd +kadi+ little amount of rice with papad. I also had breakfast at the same place. The owner is from Rajasthan, it was pretty obvious for me to choose this place to quench my hunger :D

CityTour
1. Kodaikanal Lake - 300 meters from the BusStand, Its a gigantic lake, at the very onset it appears to be very very small but as you start moving around it you witness its true size, Its very much like our chickpet lanes in Bangalore, the only difference being yeh moti moti galiyan hai.... Only when one visit those lanes you realize they having so much traffic. I am pretty sure if visitors get to know the actual size of the lake and the distance to be covered they may think twice to get into Cycling mode or not, neverthless its worth it

2. Cycling around the lake ( around 4 km road, 10Rs per hour ) - This was the best part, cycling in such places is real fun, with tenderly showers hitting on your face, all sides surrounded with lush green mountains and a beautiful lake to roam around. Cycle journey is bound to make you tired since you have not been used to such long distances, even i felt the same. But mausam hi itna suhana tha ki, thakaan mahsoos ho hi nahi rahi thi, Hawa ke bahaav mein cycle ke pahiye apne -aap chale ja rahe the... Hawa ke saath saath ghata ke sang sang, Oh saathi chal...
3. Horse Riding ( Rs 80 per 1 KM )
4. Boating (govt rates)
5. Coakers Walk - Half a km walk, around 0.7 km from bus stand. Offers very scenic view of the valley.
Make sure the sun is shining before you plan to take a walk. (Rs. 3 entry fee). Most of the package tours in Kodaikanal will talk about various views, green valley and so on but trust me by taking Coaker's walk you would have almost covered everything which the valley has to offer. 1st time i had been to Coakers walk at 2:30 PM in afternoon and it was quite foggy, nothing was visible. I considered it my bad luck to not get a glimpse of the awesome lush green valley... But God had a nice plan for tomorrow where early in the morning at 7:30AM Sun God was at his peak and the whole valley was crystal clear. Mast khilkhilati dhoop thi... Even sky's blueness was at his best, Thanks you god for making it happen.
6. Peter's Church - Its besides Coakers walk, nice church.
7. Byrantt park - Botanical Garden again 0.7 km from Bus Stand, Two entrances, one is 100-200
meters from Coakers walk and the other one is 20-30 meters.
8. Shopping around the lake/byrant park - You will find many tibbeti people selling woolen clothes, Local people selling nilgiri/almond products + home made chocolates ( I had bargained up to Rs. 200 per Kg for 300 gms), Nilgiri tel can be bargained up to Rs. 60 per 125 ml. One can also enjoy having small samples for tasting around many shops which i used to my full potential :D
Maize, (butta in Hindi) + boiled groundnuts are available everywhere for some small food breaks.

OutSide tour
1. La Saleth Church - Simple Blue church with nice blue Sky above it :D
2. Jain Temple + Kurinji Andavar Temple - [ I had covered this by walk the very 1st day, 4 kms from bus-stand, used lift approach to reach, recalled my earlier days in Nagpur when i used to take lift from Mahindra employees from Amabazari to Hingna :P ]
3. Waterfalls: Bear-Shola falls + Vatakkal falls + Pambar falls - All these falls are formed by river Pambar and are 100 mts apart. Nice and Small waterfalls (20-30 mts max). Bear-Shola falls got this name due to many bears seen in the area. All these waterfalls also provide a stunning view of the valley. Its bit slippery way and one needs to be very careful. Some famous Tamil cinema shootings have happened near these waterfalls.
4. Lion Cave - This is 100 mt from Bear Shola falls, just a simple cave where sometime back lion used to stay... [made up story], better name would have been StoneAge mans cave... hmmm
5. Mountain Beauty, Dolphin Nose, Eco Point - 0.5 KMs from Vatakkal falls location, this is a 2 Km trek which
covers these 3 places. This was the 3rd best part after cycling and Coakers walk, again offering some stunning views of the valley. Dolphin Nose was the best among them and was a bit risky too, tourists did not mind risking their life for a nice orkut snap and so was me :P
6. 500 year Old Tree - This comes on the way returning back to City from the Vatakkal falls. You can only catch a glimpse of the tree since it has been fenced around.

On the way to Dindugul, you will see the biggest falls popularly known as Silver Cascade falls in Kodaikanal at least it was the largest among 4 i have seen.

Things i missed - Pillar Rocks, Guna Caves, Museum, Observatory. Golf course was not a major thing for me as i have seen them at many places. Other names mentioned in the tour guides are just different names of the above mentioned with the angle of location changing.

I personally recommend you to take the Trekking tour which offers all the above mentioned. ( will take 3-5 hours to complete depending on once chilling mood :) Tour rate is Rs. 175 but i got it bargained down to Rs. 125. They also charge Rs. 30 for forest entry.

All in all - a well worth trip and something i will cherish for a long time to come, I am pretty sure, i will come back to Kodaikanal sometime again in future...

Monday, October 5, 2009

Dilbert on Twitter

Wally is too good when making comments and right use of resources around,
Check this strip where Wally fools his evil manager http://dilbert.com/dyn/str_strip/000000000/00000000/0000000/000000/60000/9000/200/69231/69231.strip.sunday.gif