TOYLAND In the Hills!

End of the year, official leaves on the verge of getting lapsed, family wants outing, you want a holiday not more than 2nights/3 days, Shimla is the ideal destination in December  winters. Only if you are in mood to further shift into colder temperatures & have some fun in snow. Kalka is the nearest railhead from Shimla, KALKA SHATABDI express takes you from New Delhi to Kalka in almost 4.5 Hours. There are 2 shatabdis – one deaparting in the morning @007:40 hours, the other  @ 17:15 hours, both from New Delhi Railway station. There are good number of Volvo buses also plying between Delhi & Shimla. One can go ahead & get a bus booking done from Redbus.in or makemytrip.com. There are couple of other trains also running from Sarai Rohilla railway station to kalka but shatabdi  is the best train to travel in terms of time & conveniency. Once you reach Kalka, there are connecting Toy trains which can ferry you to Shimla in almost 5 hours. There are a host of toy trains , which gives sheer pleasure to children running past 103 tunnels, though the journey can be little boring for adults. If you happen to reach kalka at night by the evening shatabdi, you have toy trains like “Shivalik Deluxe ”, “Rail Motor”, “Himalayan Queen to take you to Shimla. If you reach kalka by the morning shatabdi, “himalyan queen” is the connecting toy train for the same. In winters, Northern Railways have big delays in train arrival & departure, so do not be shocked if Shatabdi departs 3-4 hours late & you miss the toy train. In that case, you get taxis from kalka to Shimla, small cars like Indica will charge you Rs.1600, bigger cars go upto Rs.3000. Generally, if you are in a big group, it is suggestible to hire a bigger car like a Qualis or innova. Shimla is a small city. It is the only city/Hill station in India which does not allow cars to come to the “Mall Road” – The most important market place & business centre of the city. Cars generally drop you near the bus stand. Even the railway station is nearest to the bus stand.  There are “lifts” available to carry you to the other parts of the city e.g the ridge. The city is divided into various elevations & for going into each part you can avail the lift facility. Normally, they charge Rs.100 to Indians for choosing the lift service. The other surprising part of Shimla one gets to see “Human Porters” who carry your luggage to the hotel. They also charge somewhere between Rs.100 –Rs.300 depending on the number of luggage & the distance that needs to be climbed up. Shimla has almost 300 hotels across various segments, Budget, Economy, Luxury. One can choose a hotel in Mall Road if he wants to live near the market place. In seasons, a deluxe room may cost you somewhere between Rs.2000- Rs.4000 in any of the hotels in Mall Road. If you do not want to shell out too much, you can choose hotels in the Ridge Area, Jakhoo temple road. A deluxe room for a night costs you Rs.800- Rs.1500 during the peak season. Hotel Wood land is a good choice. Doing an advance booking (a month ago) via makemytrip is suggestible .  Both YMCA & YWCA also offers cheap rooms at Rs.400 per night , but it is exclusively on first come first serve basis. One can divide Shimla trip into 2 parts. One complete day for local sight seeing, the other day to visit nearby areas like Kufri, Naldehra, Narkanda. Local Sightseeing attractions are Jakhoo temple (hanumanji temple), Shimla Church, Viceregal Lodge, Gaity Theatre, Institute of Advanced Studies, Mall Road. One can ask the hotel for local sight seeing tours. Or one can go to the “HIMACHAL PRADESH TOURISM’’ office located in Mall Road for booking local sight seeing tours. They charge you somewhere between Rs.50- Rs.100 per person in bus or tempo traveller. Kufri is located almost 21 kms from Shimla. Local tour operators/Hotels charge almost Rs.700 – Rs.1000 for half day Kufri, Faagu, Naldehra trip. Kufri is the nearest snow point to Shimla. On way to Kufri, you can see “Sanjauli” home to  Bollywood actress “Preity Zinta”. Enroute to Kufri, one can see “ Green valley”, home to various animals e.g snow leopard, bear, birds etc.  Snow patches starts on way to Kufri. Once you reach Kufri, one can hire “ponies” to go up to the Fagu valley. Please be careful negotiating on Pony Rates . As per the union, an average uphill & downhill journey taking you to Masu peak,  naag devta temple, Fun world & skiing point costs you Rs.380 per person. But due to increase in crowds, the horse riding exp. Is not good at all. The path uphill is a rocky terrain with one guy managing almost 4 horses. Once you reach Faagu valley, you can see China Border, The snow capped Himalayas . which is like a treat to the eyes. Do try out adventure sports like paragliding, rock climbing, skiing there. Also do not forget to taste “Maggi”, “Chane”  “Tea” & “ garam pakore” at Masu Peak. Children can get pictures clicked sitting on “Yaks” brought from Ladakh. One can also pose himself/herself wearing the local  costume “potu” available on Rent of Rs.100. Kufri, Faagu takes you half day & then you can be back at the hotel. In the evening, you can walk up to the “Tibetan Market”, try out cakes at bakeries in mall road & have dinner at chinese market. “Thupka” & momos can be your winter Shimla dinner. The next day you can be back to delhi via kalka shatabdi express or you can pack your baggage to depart to other himachal places like manali.

Amritsar- Golden temple visit

A 3 day weekend, temp. Nearly 30 degrees and not a spendthrift pocket…..448 kms. From Delhi sounds to be a decent three day trip to the “Harimandar Sahib “(officially the Golden Temple of Amritsar). All modes of transport (road/railway/airway) are available on this route. Both Deluxe and superfast trains depart from New Delhi Railway station to Amritsar Junction. One can avail the Amritsar Shatabdi, Amritsar mail, Golden temple Express, WB Samparkranti, Paschim express. Ideal time of travel ranges between 6.5 -10 hours. Reservations done 15 days prior can make you lucky to get tickets in any of the above trains. In our case, it was a spontaneous decision just 2 days prior to the journey, so we had the option of Volvo buses left open for us. A fleet of Luxury AC Volvo buses ply between Delhi & Amritsar daily. Average fare is Rs. 800. You can either book tickets online through makemytrip.com or Redbus.in, or directly purchase tickets from the travel agents. Boarding point is Red Fort, Old Delhi. Since we believed in utilizing time utmost, hence chose the travel time for night. Boarded Travel point luxury AC Volvo at 10:30 P.M. Promised arrival time in Amritsar was next day at 7:30 P.M. Although the booking ticket claimed it to be an AC 2+2 seater Video coach, nothing of such was present. The journey was not very luxurious, but time of 9 hours just flew by and we landed at Amritsar bus stand at 8:00 A.M. Being a small city, distance from the local bus stand to our 3 day abode (Hotel R. S Residency in Hall bazaar) was just a few kilometers away. The rickshaw Walla charged us R. 30 to safely drop us in front of our hotel.  Being a popular tourist destination, one can book rooms in any of the numerous hotels available in the Golden temple complex. One can choose to stay in 2 star, 3 star, guest houses, depending on their budget. A deluxe room in a 3 star costs you somewhere between Rs. 1200- 1500 per night.

Hotel R.S Residency, Hall Bazaar, Amritsar, 5 mins walking distance from the Golden Temple

 Bus journey not being so comfortable for us on the 1^st day, we preferred to rest the entire day planning to visit “The Golden temple “in the evening. 5 mins walks down from the hotel, we finally reached Harimandar Sahib at 7:30 P.M. People from all walks of life thronged the temple area in hundreds and thousands. After keeping our shoes outside, we finally went inside the complex. All services to mankind are delivered by the voluntary “sevaks” of the temple, common man/devotees who render their services to ward themselves off from sin & doing “punya” in their life. Before entering the temple, one has to dip his/her feet in the “hari ki pauri”, a small tank of water to get your feet clean. As you enter the circumbulation, the peaceful harmonious “gurbaani’ comes flowing onto your ears. Amidst the golden dusk, we witnessed the “Swarnmandir (Golden Temple), standing tall, calm, royal in the middle of the “tank of nectar”- (Reservoir of water) considered holy by Sikhism. The golden walls of the temple sparkled in the evening darkness, the hymns coming out of the main Durbar sahib mixed with the waters  create an ambience of serenity, divinity, love and piousness.

Golden Temple (Swarnmandir) in the evening sun at dusk

One can sit for hours and get absorbed in the flow of the sweet melodious environment created there. You seem to forget all your worries, pains, sorrow & just get imbibed in the “Gurbaani”. On the left side is the “Bunge “where the sangat & langars (community kitchen) are housed. 

Bunge - Place for sangat & langar- community kitchen (langar)

On the right side is the “Akal Takhth Sahib” the throne of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, considered as the highest place from where the Guru used to cite “hukumnamas”.

Akal Takht Sahib & Miri Piri

Just opposite to the Akal Takht Sahib at full high mast are 2 saffron coloured flags, symbolizing “Miri & Piri” the 2 great swords of valiance & bravery held by the Guru during his seat on the Akal Takht throne. The main darbar sahib is connected to the circumbulation by means of the Holy Bridge. In order to offer “Karaah Prashad” & to catch a glimpse of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, one has to pass through the “Darshni Deodhi”, which is 2 storied building situated in front of the Akal Takht Sahib. The darshni Deodhi is connected to the Main drabr sahib by the hly bridge. The holy bridge is 240 feet long & 21 feet wide.

Holy Bridge- long queue for offering karaah prashad to main durbar sahib

Every morning at 4:00 A.M, the holy Guru Granth Sahib is carried in a “Palki” (palanquin) from the Akal takht sahib to the main darbar sahib . It is an event to witness in your lifetime. After offering Karaah Parshad , one can have “langar” in the temple community kitchen. It is considered highly auspicious to take dip in the Holy tank of nectar. People from all walks of life, rich, and poor, child, adult, male or female sprinkle themselves in the holy waters.

Fishes in the Tank of nectar- an absolute delight to watch them

A child taking dip in the holy tank

Chabeels- places which offer cold clean drinking water to devotees, located on all 4 sides.

On the 4 corners of the circumbulation, are “chabeels”….places for drinking cold water. It is indeed bliss to see loads of women & men washing the utensils and offering cold drinking water in steel containers. The best part about the Golden temple is its cleanliness, the awareness, responsibility and diligence in every worshipper who visits the temple premise with sheer devotion in his mind. The Marble infrastructure appears perfect white with no dirt or grime as compared to any Hindu religious place which would have been soiled like anything. The temple stands aloft, a true epitome of glory, integrity, bravery built by the Sikh gurus & implicated in the Sikh community. The temple is open 24X7; one can visit it any pert of day or night.

Other popular religious places are the Durgaina temple

Durgaina temple

Durgaina temple

Mata lal Devi temple (replica of vaishno Devi temple). Apart from these, one can visit Ranjit singh memorial palace, Jallianwala bagh, and Khalsa College, Attari & wagah border.

Jallianwala bagh- the biggest massacre ever occured in British India 1919 A.D

Day 2: Jallianwal Bagh……to be contd.

"Udhna hai mujhe"

“Pachas rupaiya aur chauvan paise…..aaj din bhar yehi mila babuji…..ye kuch samaan hai jo nahi beeke….machine mein daal ke hawa nikaal lio….kal subah phir dekhte hai”…..this was my daily routine after a hard day at work……taking a shower in our nearby “pokhariya”….came back home to help out mom making the dinner….lavish dinner for us happened to be four pieces of chapatti with onions…..some day if mom used to get some extra food from her “malkins”…..it used to be a treat for us…..me and my brother “baabu”…..but I loved them….i loved their colours…..green, red, blue, magenta…..speciallly when you tied them together in a bunch….it was as if a bouqet of fresh flowers..readily plucked in the morning..to be offered for Puja……I loved the smile on a child’s lips when it became his property….. “aur bhi lio naa babua…..ye he naa…kutta, khargos, cycle, fool…tumko kaun sa bhaata hai”…..i loved standing at the traffic signal & watching the lights change colours….red..yellow..green…..the numbers on the signal plate had actually taught me  bit of mathematics….i could calculate now…..i loved moving from window to window….. i loved touching those shiny smiling glasses….which used to roll down and take my colourful friends inside…..i loved the red colour most…coz it made those racing cars come to a screeching halt……my work used to start from 9:00 A.M in the morning…..azad nagar traffic signal was my office cabin….had managed to get a stand from the local “alu kulcha wala’….my brother “Baabu”  used to accompany me to work……managing  my colourful companions …..blowing them, tying them in neat bunches, making various shapes out of them…….the cacophony of the increasing traffic used to allure me…..no matter it was the scorching heat of the summer or the chilly breeze  of winters….my employment at “Azad Nagar Traffic signal” was permanent……Diwali was near….and I had prayed to God for a new salwar kameez this time….the once that I wore had become tattered…yet mom had done some patchwork and it was “kaam chalau” for sometime….needed to buy a pair of new slippers for baabu too….his old ones had worn out and there was no money to buy him a new pair…..our sole  breadwinners were my mom…..she used to work as a domestic help in 4 houses in azad nagar DDA society…..earning a meager of Rs.400 per house  “har kaam 200 rupaiya…..jaaru pocha…bartan”…..and I was “Chunmun Baloonwala”…..It was babuji’s “naamkaran”…….mom used to recite stories about his bravery at the battlefield…and her marriage to a “brave soldier”….in those days it was  brilliant luck to get married to a valiant man…..little did she know that once considered “luck” would make her marriage life so painful…..that she would have to wash soiled utensils at someone’s place…..manage her lunch and dinner on left overs….never send her children to school…and the worst of all…..feed and take care of an ailing husband…who had lost his limbs at the war……all our relatives had deserted us….we came from “ Fatehganj”…a small village in the interiors of north west UP…….where the birth of a girl child was still a sin…..and getting married at the tender age of 10 for a sum of money considered lucky. “Arre ai ladki…..vo hara wala dena…..kitne ki hai?” “Panch rupaiya madame……kiske lie chawat ho?...gudiya ke lie….to yeh laal wala le jawat ho..aur acha lagega”….the five rupee coin glittered in babu’s eyes…as he rolled into the small tin can…supposedly our account box “aaj ki pehli baouni ho gayi didi”…..i was 11….the blue uniform and the red ribbons with that grey shoulder bag used to often disturb me in my dreams…..someday I felt I could go to “Padmini Devi Senior Secondary School” the big board waved at me from a distance to the Azad nagar traffic signal…..but mom’s wailings every night and babuji’s sufferings everyday used to bring me back to my reality…..we were destined to be here…..morning 9 to evening 9…..what could we have asked for more……my balloons used to be my only amigos…..a new one ..a new colour ..a new shape…..it had everything wrapped in it…..new wishes..new desires….new beginning….new hopes….some day I wished..i will accumulate all my piggy bank savings to cure babuji….to buy mom a new saari…..to gift baabu a new school uniform…….i wanted to be like my colourful freinds…..so fresh..so colourful..so enigmatic….bringing a smile on everyone’s face….from a child to a grown up..from a boy to a girl…..i could be lifted in the air….played with …..used for birthday parties in big hotels and restaurants….mark independence day and republic day……the best part of all….fly with my wings spread out….like an aeroplane….fly past meadows….rivers…fly past schools..colleges…..fly past….Hotel Chandan….(the biggest five star hotel in Azadpur)…..fly past Governor’s House,..fly past GT road…..fly past dilli..bumbai..kulkutta….fly past everything “udhna hai mujhe….yehi to chahti thi mai”………yes I had dreams….i had hopes….every morning sun ray through my window mesemerised me….coming so far way from us..it used to light up entire earth…I wanted to fly….fly with my dreams..run with my hopes…..play with my desires…..someday I wanted to grow up….set up my shop…..study….live in a big house….have a green garden…..some day..somewhere…where mom wouldn’t hve to work….babuji was cured….babu could go to school “Was I making too BIG a wish ……..today??  “Chunmum uth jaa….kaam pe jaana hai”…..came mom’s husky voice in anger…..suraj mama was still smiling on me…..slowly I gathered myself up…there was lot of sunlight in our “do by do” kholi……

"La kumaoni affaire"

26^th May,2012………7:00 A.M…………

A cool breakway passage in sveltering 45 degress….…..sitting back in my office on  a Friday evening flipping sightseeing areas on “google baba’……nainital hit me….alternate Saturdays being a weekly off, devising the plan was not difficult at all…”Redbus" came to the rescue….and my brief escape for 2 days to 25 degrees was hitched……additional assistance on hotel booking  was made by Cleartrip.com….thanks to the online industry client partner association I enjoyed….so here started the caravan….travelling 300 kms overnight on road by Kingsway Roadway Travels from Ramakrishna Ashram Marg ,(Delhi) to Mall Road (nainital)…..the Ac was quite effective in the bus…despite occasional brawls between fellow passengers  popping up enroute……the morning sun rays woke me up at Haldwani….and the farsighted silhouette of the hills beckoned me more as the bus started taking the meandering terrain……groups of deodar and pine winked through the glass pane window…..it took us 45 mins to finally get down at nainital mall road from haldwani….Deepakji was ready with his santro with his “mehmaan nawazi”…….and soon we were making way to Bhowali (Bhimtal) to our home for 2 days – “Hotel Maya Regency”……we happened to be “memsahibs from the capitol” considering the welcome received from “Nandanji’ the “hotel caretaker”…mom easily by that time had developed a son like rapport with him….very soon we came to know his originality from ‘Almora” and he  got a warm invitation to the Roy family home in delhi…….a sumptuous breakfast followed…”poha’, maggi and paranthas with milk coffee….was enough to keep our stomachs filled till evening……a quick shower and getting into travel attire, off we were again in Deepakji’s grey santro…..amongst the chuckling deodars…..nitanjali’s Nikon Coolpix was a better version than my Kodak C480…so the video clips were mine and the still ones her’s………our first halt was the hanuman mandir at nainital…..since it is always consideed auspicious to start your day with blessings from the “sankat mochan”;…….while coming down from the temple we were summoned by his living lookalikes……were freed only after the ‘prashad’ was distributed…..our next destination was “Dorothy’s seat”…”khurpatal lake”….”suicide point”….specifically to mention “on horses”….deepakji  used to cite stories of Britishraaj way back in 1800’s……their architectural intellect, and their creations…noteworthy was the White coloured “Governor house” and the “court building” we got to see as proof on our way …..it was 11 in the morning….”suraj mama” was smiling with his soft rays but the breeze apast our ears carried a lot of freshness with it..it was like sipping a mint mojito….in air conditioned restaurant in delhi….finally we reached the horse station……………..the tout charged us Rs.650 each , since we were 3 ladies…special “khidmat’ was for us….for the next 3 hours...we were no less than “jhansi ki raanis’…..aboard on new means of travel…the total distance was 21 kms uphill..and den returning back …..mom got “sultan’….nitanjali’s hero was “jugnu” and mine was “raju”…….soon we were trotting past pine, deodar oak &spruce jungles….there was no pukka road….the jerks were casual…..the jungle insects kept the adventure intimidating…..it was approx.. 20 mins….dat we passed "suicide point" and reached "Tiifin top" & Khurpatal lake…..the view was stunning…blue waters in the shape of a cow’s feet…amidst the hilly stepped meadows from great height…..Hamid , Rashid and Altaf were ready for the photo clicking session and they were truly experts in the trade…….Rashid was the main horse instructor..and soon we became adept at horse riding…..specially mom..who was taught to pull the Chords of the horse in a similar manner as a “car steering”…….my knee bruised itself as it got kissed by a dead tree trunk…..and I was bitten by a jungle fly too…..”Dorothy seat” was the next halt…..Dorothy madame used to paint her canvas siting here…and once one of her pictures had flown away in the mind..in the pursuit of getting it she had fallen off and died….at a height of2300 metres above sea level… the scenic view was phenomenal….we spotted “St.Johns’ Church" at a distance and "Nainital zoo' was also waving at us…….the ride again began downhill…..we were carefully taken to our place of start……next halt was “Cave gardens”…..6 caves……swarmed with children inside……my main area of interest was the ropeway and boating in “Naini Lake”…..but lack of time made us miss the ropeway and China peak(2600 metres above sea level)…since there were forest fires..and the smoke shrouded the mightly Himalayas……it was already 4.30 P.M …..and deepakji insisted that boat ride was relaxing in Sattal”…..enroute..there were small halts with photo sessions….of Ramtaal…Laxmantaal and Sitaltaal…Purna Taal, Nal Damyanti taal (named after King Nala who drowned in this lake), Garud taal and Sukha Taal( dried up lake). An evening amidst oak trees and rich greenery was a complete stressbuster ……we found ourselves kayaking in “suresh’s Boat’……fondly referred as “pal tola nouka”(in Bengali) by me……the placid waters  refreshed us with its coldness,vitality and exuberance…….my heart wanted me to stay there for ages…such was the silence of the woods….no fear..no pain..no strain……nitanjali insisted on “cuppa chai and challi”…..but maggi was the requirement of the day tooo……amidst the giigling waters of the lake…it was truly a feast for the occasion…….it was already 8:00 P.M …..and we needed sleep….so room no 210 was the only choice….           

Continued…next day – Mukteshwar………….28 th May,2012