CLOSE TO HEAVEN-the heavenly north-east.

Truly , there is no way to put into words what a succour the north-eastern India is to all eyes saturated with sightings of concretization . Wilting under the extreme summer temperature in Kolkata , made worse by the humidity ; a trip to Assam , Meghalaya and  Cherapunjee rejuvenated as nothing else could have .We kicked off our trip with a flight to Guwahati - that was the easy bit ... the difficult part lay in making way to our hotel through the narrow ,choc-a-bloc roads of Guwahati  and this is after you have covered the 20 k.m. stretch which connects the L.G.B.I. Airport to the periphery of the city . One awesome treat as soon as you enter the city is seeing the bountiful Brahmaputra . The city is situated between the southern bank of the Brahmaputra and the foothills of  the Shillong plateau . The big draw in Assam is of course the Kaziranga national park and the the temples , the primary among the later being the Kamakshya and the Navagraha temple . We had to give Kaziranga a miss on account of it being shut down due to the monsoon while at the Kamakshya temple - it was a test of our faith  since our darshan happened after a five hour wait . The temple complex is huge , situated on the Nilachal hills at a distance of about 7 km from Guwahati . This ancient Shakti temple is an important seat  of Tantric and Vajrayana Buddhism . The main temple has a bee-hive like' shikhara ' and surrounding the principal structure are various individual  temples dedicated to the worship of the different forms of the  Mother Goddess .
Srimanta Shankardev Kalashetra was next on our list . it is a multipurpose cultural complex which houses a central museum which showcases the various tribes of Assam along with their housing , clothing and culture . There is also an open air theatre , a library and an artists' village which replicates the village society of Assam .
If you are looking for places from where you can take back a piece of Assam with you , then  Nedfi haat  , Artfed , Pragjyotika and Purbashree in Ambari are places to visit . They showcase the states' produce wonderfully ; be it handicrafts , handloom or traditional food-items . Besides this Assam has it's fair share of bazaars too - Pan bazaar , Paltan bazaar and Fancy bazaaar , to name a few .

A visit to Guwahati is incomplete without a ride in the luxury cruise liners on the mighty Brahmaputra . The calm waters , the sunset  and the twinkling lights of the city at some distance - aah , bliss .
So this is pretty much a wrap up of all our action in Guwahati ; though lots more can be done by way of shopping or darshan , for the so inclined , but hey ! we are aiming for the peaks . So Shillong- here we come ...
Driving down the 100 km stretch on the Shillong Guwahati road , with Assam to your one side and Meghalaya on the other , is a great visual treat .The roads  are good and the traffic , fast moving . True to it's name 'Meghalaya' (abode of the clouds) , the rain Gods showered their benevolence on us as soon as we entered the state and gave us company through out our stay . Dodging in and out of the rain , as you visit one scenic spot after the other , is what i feel the Meghalaya experience should be like .The twisty , curvy hills paint one beautiful picture as terraced hills give way to deeply furred ravines where you are craning your neck to see the deep , deep pit .
Shillong , the capital of Meghalaya , is located at an altitude of 1496 metres above sea level in the hills of  eastern sub-himalayas . It gets it's name from "lei shyllong " the super power of God , who is said to reside in the Shillong peak .This entire belt is rich with waterfalls , the prominent ones being Elephant falls , Sweet falls , Bishop falls , Beadon falls , Crinoline falls , to name a few ; and you are sure to find vehicles pulled on to the side  of the G.S. road as travellers feast not only their eyes , but their stomachs as well , as enterprising locals sell tea , murri or the locally abounding pineapple (trust me when i say that it's sweetness is to be savoured to be believed )   

One of the first things to strike you as you near Shillong is it's absolutely small , compact and  doll-like houses . The in-roads to the main city are narrow and the colonial architecture is impressive ; that's putting it mildly .
For the shopaholics , the place to head to is Shillong's Police bazaar  and Lewduh market . They abound with wares that are intrinsic to the state and the time i spent giving things a look-over was well spent .
The place however to which my mind goes back again and again is the Shillong  Golf course . It enjoys the rare distinction of being one of the few natural golf courses and is also one of the largest in Asia . What adds to it's beauty is the fact that it is set in an undulating valley covered  with Pine and Rhododendron
 trees .
Situated in the heart of the city is the Wards Lake . It is an artificial lake with  sprawling gardens and boating facility - so soothing to the eyes .
Nearby is the Lady Hydari park which is a charming tourist spot . It also houses a mini zoo .
If you are looking for a perfect window to the north-east , then Don Bosco Museum is the place for you .Spread over seven floors , it showcases the various ethnic groups of the north-east completely - their culture , dress , housing , occupation . . . each minute detail has been impeccably displayed and for additional information are the touchscreens installed  nearby . What completed the experience is the skywalk they have  on the terrace .

A beautiful and imposing facade is the Cathedral of Mary Help of Christian . We found it to be  beautiful and soothing inside as well as outside.
At a distance of  10 km from Shillong is the Shillong  peak . It is the highest point in the state  and offers a breathtaking view of the scenic countryside and the Shillong city below . You can partake of some  of the choicest and freshest fruits here , as they are hawked expertly by the farmers or pick up some handicrafts or handloom from the shops set around the peak .

Umiam lake or 'bara pani ' is about 17 km from Shillong and offers water sports like speed boating , sailing and water skiing .The state tourism has done a good job by opening an eatery and some pretty gardens at an elevation near the lake but there is scope for lots more .
The Ri kynjai resort at a distance of 27 km from Shillong , is the perfect setting for catching the beauty  of the lake  before sunrise and during sunset . The hills opposite the resort mesmerise you  no less with the 'now  twinkling and now gone ' traffic lights on it's roads at night .
It was with some what of a heavy heart that we  set  out for Cherapunjee , knowing that our   idyllic holiday was on it's last legs . Previously known as ' Sohra ' , Cherapunjeee  is set upon a plateau on the southern slopes of the state . At a distance of56 km from Shillong , the region is dotted with waterfalls cascading over deep gorges . It is famous for it's limestone caves and orange honey .

The Rama Krishna mission , we visited while on our way to Cherapunjee and is a repository of information on the seven states .
I am glad we visited just two of the seven sister states , three fold of our present joy would have made it too much of a sacharine affair . However the other five beckon , and go we will - Godwilling sooner than later .

India swimming-in a cesspool of it's own making.

The recent Assam unrest  preceding  our  65th  Independence  day , laid bare to world's eye , our threadbare secular setup. Blaming a truant Pakistan for escalating unrest and discord via morphed images and persecutory videos of  muslims , in no way  absolves us of our misdemeanour; which is of never having united in spirit , an absolute prerequisite for a country which is multi-ethnic , multi-religious and multi-lingual . The last occasion when India rose collectively was during it's struggle for freedom from British dominion . All religious , linguistic ,socio ,economic barriers were forgotten for greater national interest. Today however our ' unity in diversity ' slogan has boomeranged on us. 

Post independence India made rapid progress to position itself as a global super-power ; but in doing so it entirely overlooked the need to plug it's fissures  and put it's house in order first .  So it i s not  just our secular , but also our democratic set-up which needs to be set on course , riddled as it is today  by corruption and scams . Today things have come to such a head that surviving it's 5 year term has become  a challenge for the ruling party, and hence any and every gimmick is resorted to in order to secure it's vote bank. The seeds of the' divide and rule' policy of the British ,  continue to sprout with more prolificacy than ever . Ironical, is'nt it that now we not only choose our oppressor out of free will, but also suffer him/her not just for one term but at times a second term too for lack of a better alternative . At times one is almost tempted to 'inky , pinky ,  ponky...' and fervently hope that one gets lucky this time around .

Utterly disgruntled and dissatisfied with the existing political scenario , the common man is enveloped in such a cloud of hopelesness and inertia that he wants to do nothing except put his own house in order . The ' I , Me ,Myself ' philosophy has made him zero tolerant   to people inhabiting his state and are not his language brother . Discrimination has become the norm as people following a certain religion or sharing similar ethnicity , are now demanding separate states for themselves ousting all others .

In such a scenario , what do we do  to strengthen our secular and democratic set-up ? Realising the need to change is a big step in the right direction ; but  how do we go about awakening a country of more than 1.2 billion people. For starters , the power and reach of the internet and other electronic media is well known to us. However what needs introspection is ways to channel these resources for purposes of unification for we have seen that unbridled  freedom  invariably turns out to be counter productive . The need of the hour is also  to have a legitimised jury of knowledgable people voted in by us for the purpose of education , ( on each agenda which needs to be addressed)  guidance and application of unanimous will .

Another issue needing immediate redressal is the need to sensitize each Indian towards his duty to vote . The onus of  runing a nation does not rest only with the chosen ones but also with the populace . This is truly the least we can do which will yield the most .

While on the subject of 'the chosen ones' , the Indian nation is in dire need  of reforms on this front . No political party should be allowed to field a candidate who does not possess good credentials and an impeccable service record . There should also be a ceiling on the expenditure incurred by political parties during the course of an election and this needs to be moniterd  by a body independent off the government . This measure should to some extent put an end to the nexus between politicians and industrialists so that the former is not obliged to return favours if they do come to power .

Reverting to the common man , all of us need to go beyond our narrow , constrictional thoughts . Rather than voting for one who belongs to our caste , creed  region or religion we need to vote in calibre and ability , be it a school , village , municipal or general elections .

However the above mentioned ideas are of scant use if the present and coming generation does not value the freedom it enjoys today . To bring home its import it is essential that each school in India work to this end by showing a synopsis of India's Independence struggle, unfailingly , each day , during it's morning assembly .

One cherishes , preserves and protects only that which one values and nothing is worth valuing more than our 'Freedom .' If the bird in the cage could speak ,it would certainly tell us so . So why don't we turn our 26 January and 15 August from mere public holidays to celebrations larger than Diwali.Who do you think is stopping us ?

I had written this post for an amazing blogger and is regarding my insights on the phase termed as adolescence. To read the same the link is http://jeeteraho.blogspot.in/2012/05/full-circle.html

Depravity - brand name fun ?

I wonder if this is how it all really starts… My thirteen year old’s revealations post his innocent trip to a posh Kolkata club for his favourite Baby Corn , left me fuming and somewhat thankful that my membership with them was in it’s last month . While he was awaiting his order , around one p.m.; when all clubs on weekdays are relatively empty , he witnessed a queer phenomenon where the club attendants ( all male ) were going into the empty reading room alongside and filming each other , sans trousres , on their respective mobiles and later having agood laugh about . They also tried to pull in a passing  fourteen year old boy but gave up when he protested and ran away .

The incident shook me up for two reasons, the first being that this surely is the genesis of those morally deviant characters who commit such vileness with such fippancy and then move onto crimes such as were  comitted in Sutia , the infamous rape village in Bengal. The second had everything to do with me who continues to be shocked by some such incident on a daily basis and still refuses to take a stand . I however , stand completely vindicated in my eyes when I say that” what can I a lone woman do” ?  Such non – idealistic  talk I know is in absolute discord with our erstwhile ideologies which helped liberate us from the colonial rule only to enmesh us 65 years down the line in a vicious circle of greed, self-love and materialism . Is it any wonder that we have all become complete islands in ourselves runing on nothing except God’s grace and our good-luck which should hopefully take us far enough as to never have a run in with our law-enforcing authorities. I am sure if there was ever a census for who the common man fears the most , the Policing department would come right out on top . We hear more of crusaders , do gooders and the common man being shot , stabbed or murdered , than of criminals being caught or booked . The icing on this unsavory cake is the new trend where the perpetrators of the crime now cry ‘wolf’ (to make them appear the wronged party ) and the truly wronged ones have had to bear the additional trauma of bailing themselves out of police custody . So is it any wonder that in the complete absence of a law –enforcing agency we not only stictly mind our business but our morality has become forked . I don’t know about you but my moral lessons to my kids have undergone a drastic makeover . Lessons in street smartness carry more weightage than being a ‘ maryada-purushottam Sri Ram ‘. I tell them first to watch out for themselves ; a philosophy which is at absolute variance with the one followed by Barun Biswas, the messiah of countless women of Sutia .I know I will draw a lot of flak when I say that the reverence which I accord to that departed soul is infinitely more than I have felt for a few of our erstwhile luminaries who have been credited with great philanthrophic  works . The only reason I can give insupport of my agreement is that our murky times must have surpassed even God’s estimation of ‘ Kalyug’, hence it is indeed a wonder when an individual not only speaks up and takes a stand but also dies fighting for a cause which did not effect his life in any way . I can’t imagine doing likewise .

  

For sure, countless imaginations are running riot at the opposite end of the spectrum , devising new ways of getting ahead in this race of ‘ no holds barred obscenity ‘. The latest ‘dirty picture ‘ to go viral with a vengence is the new trend of uploading nude pictures via the various new applications or social networking sites . Literature too has taken a hit with books like ‘Fifty shades of Grey’ being churned out which cater to voyeurism . I guess despondent at being left behind, the visual media , the television hit its nadir with the Guwahati incident while the print media has a report almost every second day  on how humans were forced to partake of their excreta. Given our state of affairs , is it wise to say that ‘ be the change that you want to see ‘ because what holds you and me back is just this ; even if the ‘change’ does happen it will be made sure that the catalysts of the change are not around to ‘see’ it . I draw hope from rare instances like a recent one in Kolkata where a woman singlehandedly foiled a cab-driver’s attempt at raping a 7 year old girl by standing in front of the cab and raising a hue and cry .   While such heros should be honoured on a public platform , you and me the mute spectator definitely definitely need to pray  for a ‘ suraksha kavach ‘ as Karna had , to render us immortal as we deliver just dues to offenders . Meanwhile we continue to languish between the ‘ devil ‘ and the ‘ deep sea ‘.

Sunny Tales Of a Sunny Day

Her laughter ricocheted right off the boulders by the cove and seemed to impregnate each grain of sand with its lilt. There was something about it…he heard people laugh all the time on the beach; was`nt that what beaches were about- fun and frolic… but this laugh was more infectious than the deadliest virus- not that this was the first time that it was ringing in his ears. Infact he had been hearing it for the last three years and unfailingly in the month of December. This then was invariably the time he woke up to the  pristine beauty of the famous Miramar beach of Goa.

He raised his head from work and sure enough there  she was the beautiful and elusive Kyra in her trademark denim shorts , a white cotton top knotted at the waist , a headband structuring her beautiful face ; worn with the intent of keeping those lustrous tresses off her face. A match of beach volleyball was in progress and  Kyra at her 5`10 seemed to tower over the other girls and a fair number of boys as well. The sudden splash of a ball besides him pulled him out of his reverie.” Hey dude ! how about tossing back that ball?” called out the object of his reverie .Shellshocked – he sure was until she walked upto him and shook him out of his stupor. “ Hi! I am Kyra, I see you practically daily, everytime I come down for my holiday around this time of the year, so decided to meet up. What is your name?” “I…I am Gautam” he somehow managed to stutter. “Cool” she said “are`nt you the one who does some amazing sand sculpting?” she queried further. So she had noticed him and his work; he thought, as he nodded in assent while assidiously trying to pry out a shell from the sand with his right foot as though his life depended on it. “Hey, do you have to have either your hands or feet in the sand all the time?” she asked noticing his gesture. Before he could reply, she carried on in the same vein, “say ! we are one short in volleyball, why don’t you join us?” and again before he could think of a suitable reply she was dragging him through the wet then dry sand towards the volleyball net. His arrival was greeted with a lot of `Yo man` and soon he was enjoying himself as he never had. Kyra seemed to be just about all over her side of the net with the swiftness of a panther dodging back and forth when the need arose. “Hey guys! Are`nt you all steamed up? Let`s hit the waters for a bit” sang out Kyra`s voice and soon the volleyball gang was in water.

To say that Kyra lived life `Kingsize` would be to fall short by a long measure. Her cup just never seemed to get full because she just went on increasing its size. One minute she was by my side frolicking like the dolphins in the Irrawady and  the next she was by Zack`s side pointing out to a bunch of water scooterists.” Is`nt that Bosco and his pals ?” “Certainly seems like them” replied Zack.  

“Want to see someone go through the wringer guys?” yelled out Kyra animatedly and was greeted with hoots of laughter. In a flash she was out of the water, onto the beach and yacking away on her cell for about half a minute. The waterplay was soon interrupted by the roar of water scooters as about a score of them materialised before us. “Bosco! You monster! How dare you take off without us?Want nightmares tonight? You`d really thought you wouldn’t get caught? Well! Payback time…tank up this baby and all others; me and my pals don’t wanna see the shoreline before half an hour. Her Herculean speech drew hoots of laughter from her pals and sheepish grins from Bosco`s. Before long all of us had made ourselves comfortable behind one of Bosco`s each and were speeding away on the high waters “All this surf is gonna wash off my sunscreen” lamented Kyra in Bosco`s ears”. “Does`nt seem so” quipped back Bosco” you spend a good part of the day in water and still my sister can`t stop raving about your skin, you must be doing something right...so what`s your secret Cleopatra?” “Take a guess” piped back Kyra “begins with an `L`”. “What you are in love..that`s the secret!”” No silly , the  only `L` in my life is` Lakme` especially  `Lakme sunexpert with SPF 30`- with it around I have no worries . Oooh by the way, what`s next on the funlist?” “God Kyra, don`t you ever let up on having fun? On a joyride and already planning out the next one…” “Why else do you think I am called `the sunshine girl`? The sun does not go down as long as Kyra is around…besides I learnt way back that it was best to keep your face to the sunshine; that way the shadows fell behind you. So now tell Bosco, what next?” “Take three guesses  for the three events i`ve lined up and…” trailed off Bosco when he saw Kyra giving him her murderous look. “O.k ,o.k seeing that the sea air has given you such a huge appetite that you want to gobble me ,i`ve got a barbecue set up to some blasting music with dancing of course and we`ll call it a day with some  dumb charades. “Atta boy ! you do know what I like ; and again I owe you big time , so tomorrow my treat”. “What can you possibly do tomorrow that has not been done today? ” asked Bosco. “Really  Bosco, never knew that your canvas of life was pintsized “ replied Kyra , “ wait and watch me tomorrow.”

All of them alighted on the beach content and happy , scarcely recognizing the place thanks to the dance floor Bosco had got laid out , lights et al. Music pulsated from the D.J`s console and the air was redolent with food smells wafting from the barbecue. Gautam broke away from the group and started making his way out of the beach. “Hey Gautam ! where do you think you are heading to…fun is not over yet ;come with me” and Kyra pulled  Gautam towards the barbecue where the ravenous gang was gorging on the delightful platter which was soon interrupted as the tempo of the music grew louder and louder. Miramar beach rocked like it never had. God ! did they never tire out ,mused Gautam munching on the eats as Kyra`s voice rang out asking them all to congregate for the dumb charades but only after they had cleaned out their party area and picked up all their litter. Gautam did the needful and headed home thereafter but not before Kyra had caught up with him and warned him to show up at 10 in the morning or else … she`d said wagging her index finger at him .

Come 10 a.m. and Gautam found  himself walking down the beachway. Sure enough there was Kyra in her  trademark denim shorts and sleeveless ganji applying  Lakme s.p.f.30 all over.”  You  must be finishing a bottle a day considering you are here till sundown” Gautam said.” Not so artist , it spreads  extremely well and so does`nt take a lot to armourise muself against the sun “ Kyra replied with laughter filled eyes,” and now come on ,I want to show you something “ she said and grabbed his hand and started runing towards an area which was  shaded by coconut trees, well away from the beach .The place was a riot of colours with streamers fluttering in the breeze and helium inflated ballons straining to make their way up. Huge banners proclaimed `Fun in the sun`. What on earth had she thought of now, mused Gautam; and what he saw next stumped him as he never had been. A bus full of children came to a halt on the road beyond the shaded enclove and out trooped fifty to sixty kids who were soon queued up and escorted to the festooned area. By that time Bosco and his gang and her own mates from the vollleyball team had shown up as well. “ Don`t look so perplexed Gautam , this is something right up your sleeve “ said the effervescent Kyra. “What we are trying to do here is teach these children from the N.G.O. how good can flower out of supposed waste. We have collected throwaways common to all beaches – coconut shells , husk , driftwood , all disposables like plates , bottles , spoons , cups and hey! We are talking hygiene here , as all the stuff has been hosed clean by Bosco and friends and is now ready for use. “ While she had been talking to us  the children had been given coconut water and were now being shown around the various piles of stuff they could  pick  from to innovate and invent – some additional adhesives had been provided separately . “Come on children, playtime” rang out Kyra`s voice. “Gautam, you being our inhouse artist ; why don`t you go around and advise if and when required – the principle idea has to be their`s of course . ..and not to forget kids , treats in the offing after you are done.”

The children produced some breathtaking stuff and the Miramar beach had never looked prettier than when Kyra true to her word descended on the beach with the kids , but not before she had coached them on the need to protect themselves from the ill effects of the sun`s ultra violet rays.” You have to catch them young – tell them first how to reduce their carbon emissions , make them look  out for alternate energy sources and last but not the least , also  teach them combative measures against things which harm us which in this case happens to be the sun. “ But no worries kids ;make the sun your friend as I have with Lakme`s help. They have an impressive repertoire with some amazing sunscreens for various needs – so go ahead and have ‘FUN IN THE SUN’.

And what a fun day it turned out to be – there were ice-lollies for all , paint artists going around painting as funky a tatto as one fancied , trampolines which elicited incessant squeals of laughter and the icing on the cake for the kids was when Kyra rode up on a horse with three more in tow ; and soon the kids were trotting down the beach turn by turn while the elders paraglided .

Gautam by now was truly befudled – as much by the spectrum of activities as  he was by Kyra ; from a party girl to a sensitve , caring , conscientious and foresighted person ,she truly defied description and was full of surprises ,much like the `L` in her life and ours too.

So `Lakme` it`s your now…go ahead and surprise me some more ! ! ! !