Kunzum Travel Mag - August 2011

Issue 02 | August 2011

T R A V E L

M A G

Himachal Pradesh Shoja: Go, Lose Yourself

Delhi

The Northern Ridge: History in One Sweep

Rajasthan

Kuldhara: When the Paliwal Brahmins vanished into the night Bera: Leopard Country

The Games Elephants Play Manas National Park, Assam

Hello Ladies…of Arunachal Pradesh

The Matheran Toy Train

On Kunzum Route K14 in Uttarakhand

For those who came in late… …you are reading the second issue of the Kunzum Travel Mag. With whatever modesty we can muster up, we have to say the inaugural edition in July opened to a resounding reception!

The mag has been a logical culmination after four years of being on the road, sharing travel stories and images from India and neighbouring countries on kunzum.com. For long we have felt the need for a different kind of a travel periodical, in terms of content, packaging and delivery format - we finally brought it out last month.

And we sure are having fun putting these issues together. Every story we write takes us back to the places we visited, adding to the joy all over again. It is also bringing us closer to the traveller community, who are in turn writing to us for further information and suggestions - and sharing their ideas and stories too.

In this issue, we are attempting to cover diverse regions and genres of travel. For wildlife lovers, we have a herd of elephants playing like children in Manas National Park in Assam - this has been one of the crowning moments of my travels. My favourite story is about my interactions with the ladies of Arunachal Pradesh - guys reading this will want to rush to this North-Eastern state. We will take you for a joyride on the Matheran toy train in India - more will follow. Come with us to Rajasthan, to the lesser known villages of Bera and Kuldhara - the former in wild leopard country, the latter an abandoned settlement near Jaisalmer.

Our explorations of Delhi continue as we celebrate Ramadan in Old Delhi. Followed by a history walk to the ridge in North Delhi where the Great Mutiny of 1857 played out. As usual we have reviewed hotels you would love to check into, besides book reviews. A photography column starts this month, as does a page of travel sketches by Viswaprasad Raju. Flip through for more.

There is a beautiful world out there waiting to be discovered. That is why we travel. What do you do?

CONTENTS Assam Manas National Park: The Games Elephants Play Arunachal Pradesh Hello Ladies…of Arunachal Pradesh

Himachal Pradesh Shoja: Go, Lose Yourself

05 10 15

Maharashtra The Matheran Light Railway: Go for a Joyride

17

Uttarakhand Kunzum Route K14

20

Delhi If it’s Ramadan, you must be in Matia Mahal Walk on the Northern Ridge: History in One Sweep

25 27

Rajasthan Kuldhara, Jaisalmer: When the Paliwals Vanished into the Night Bera: Welcome to Leopard Country - It is Wild and Free Hotel Reviews Banjara Retreat, Shoja The Almond Villa, Srinagar Rann Riders, Dasada, Rann of Kutch Devra Homestay, Udaipur Stuff Sketch Feature - Singapore Photography: Don’t let the Camera go Dead on you Book Review: Journey to the Center of the Earth

31 33 36 38 40 42 44 46 47

TEAM KUNZUM CTO (Chief Travelling Officer): Ajay Jain - He also hogs the driver’s seat

CEO (Chief Editorial Officer): Anubhuti Rana - Prefers being on the passenger seat on the highways

CSO (Chief Social Officer): Shruti Sharma

- Found on Facebook, Twitter, Kunzum Travel Café or trekking in the wild

CDO (Chief Design Officer): Faizan Patel

- Also Chief Desk Officer, that’s where he is stuck when others travel

*Unless mentioned, all articles and photographs in this issue are by Ajay Jain

http://kunzum.com/mag

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Assam

The Games Elephants Play

A

travel writer’s life is generally an eventful one; these are enviable perks of the job. But one still aspires for those trophy moments - and these are those that stay with you for a lifetime.

Like that magical morning in the Manas National Park in Assam. Setting out early to spot wildlife and birds, I came across a herd of elephants on a dirt track about 50

metres away from me. Initially it looked like just a couple of them till I realized they were a full herd – hidden amidst the trees and foliage around the track. And what do I see?

They kept coming in and out of the greenery, from babies to giant male members. And all seemed in a jovial mood. They were playing together, pushing each other into the bushes,

climbing on top of the other and engaging in friendly duels. I could have watched them for hours – you rarely see such sights.

A bit of feel good? I showed these images to one of the best known conservationists in the world – and he admitted he has never seen such sights himself in 30 years. Let the images speak for themselves.

About Manas National Park The Manas National Park in Assam is one of the most beautiful and diverse forest reserves in the country. It is bounded by the river Manas to the west, which eventually flows into the Brahmaputra. The name comes from serpent Goddess Manasa. It extends into Bhutan to the north where it is called the Royal Manas National Park.

The park is home to a rich collection of flora and fauna. Mammals include the Golden Langur, Capped Langur, Hoolock Gibbon, Clouded Leopard, Tiger, Leopard, Golden Cat, Fishing Cat, Leopard Cat, Marbled Cat, Binturong, Sloth Bear, Wild Dog, Ganges Dolphin, Indian Elephant, Indian Rhinoceros, Pygmy Hog, Swamp Deer, Sambar, Hog Deer, Water Buffalo, Gaur, Giant Squirrel, Hispid Hare and the Indian Pangolin. Over 450 species of bird have been recorded, including the threatened Bengal Florican, Great Pied Hornbill, Wreathed Hornbill and other Hornbills. Reptiles include a variety of snakes, gharial and Monitor Lizards. Assam roofed turtle has recently been recorded.

Manas National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the best wildlife reserves in India. Best visited from September to March. The nearest airport is state capital Guwahati.

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06

Kunzum PhotoTalkies: The Wild Elephants of India and Nepal Would you like to see more elephants in the wild? Download a PDF show for FREE from http://kunzum.com/2011/07/19/kunzum-phototalkies-the-wild-elephants-of-india-and-nepal-download-for-free.

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We travel.

And come back with stories and images.

And we put all these great holiday ideas as the

travel list

1-25 1-25 1-25

ttrra v t raavveeelll llliiissstt t aja ajyayja ajayja jain in in

The Kunzum Travel List is a compilation of great holiday ideas for you to choose from. From all across India, Nepal and the rest of the subcontinent.

Holidays you will cherish, and remember for a lifetime. Something you will share with others and evoke envy - prompting friends to ask you more so they too can head out on the same path. All put together in the form of books for you.

Want to have a great time travelling? Visit http://kunzum.com/travellist The Kunzum Travel List is currently available as an e-book in PDF format and for the iPad and Kindle.

Missed the inaugural issue (July 2011) of the Kunzum Travel Mag? No problem. Download the same at http://kunzum. com/mag-july2011.

Given here are the contents of the same.

Kunzum Travel Mag We travel. And share our stories with you.

Read these anywhere on your

RAJASTHAN / RANTHAMBHORE: > Looking the tiger in the eye

NAGALAND: Misty Mountain Top The re-discovery of NEPAL LADAKH: At the top of the world HIMACHAL PRADESH / LAHAUL SPITI > Kaza: Paradise is Here > Tabo, the Village of Cavemen and Lamas DELHI > Mehrauli Archaeological Park: Bet no one tells you this one > Hazrat Nizamuddin’s Dargah: Qawwalis, Fairs, Prayers, Shopping – It all happens here GUJARAT > Rani ki Vav in Patan: A Stepwell or a Work of Art?

> The Sun Temple at Modhera JORDAN > Dead Sea: Try sinking in it, you cannot!

Also available for online reading at http://issuu.com/kunzum SUBSCRIBE for FREE at http://kunzum.com/mag

HOTEL REVIEWS > Swaswara in Gokarna, Karnataka - Perfect to uplift your body, mind and soul > Banasura Island Retreat, Wayanad Kerala What a perfect setting for a resort > Banjara Camps and Retreat, Sangla, Himachal Pradesh - Cannot Admire it Enough > Gir Birding Lodge, Sasan Gir, Gujarat - They know the jungle!

BOOKS: > 5 books to read about the 1996 Everest disaster

Girls performing at the Nyokum Yullo festival in Boasimla

Hello Ladies… of Arunachal Pradesh!

“I want to marry you,” calls out Anne.

“Er, I’m already married,” I reply.

“So?,” she asks with a shrug of her slim shoulders. “What’s the problem?”

“There is no problem,” I reply with a flattered grin, “I just need my wife’s permission to marry you.”

I

am standing in Boasimla, a village deep inside Arunachal Pradesh, home to the Nyishi tribe. Today is ‘Nyokum Yullo,’ their annual festival, marking the advent of their New Year. It is a time to

pray for a good harvest and communal harmony. Hundreds have volunteered to sing their traditional songs and perform dances like ‘Rikham Pada,’ ‘Buya’ and ‘Ropi.’ Everyone is dressed in their traditional best. Including Annie. She is wearing a red and white dress, silver armlets, a belt with mini cymbals and thick, multi-stringed necklaces of red and blue beads. Everyone is happy, and it is an ideal time for Annie to pop the question.

Cannot fault her social sensibilities – the Nyishis have practiced polygamy for ages.

She would happily be ‘Wife No. 2.’ Even if polygamy is now limited mostly to village headmen, politicians and the rich.

Arunachal is changing too

I had come to Arunachal expecting to find tribes caught in a time warp. It did not take long for any pre-conceived stereotypes to disappear. Annie’s mother can only converse in a dialect spoken for centuries, but her daughter’s generation speaks fluent English, carry mobiles and have email addresses.

Wherever you go in the state, you will see a society in transit as development and technology align them closer with the rest of the world. Places like the Ziro valley have emerged as hubs for high standard schools, attracting teachers from across the country, enabling a pursuit of nonagrarian professions for locals.

10

A local guide directed me to the Apatani tribe in Ziro for ‘interesting’ photos. He was right: the older women sport big, round black nose plugs while the men tie their hair in a knot. And they have tattooed faces. But this will change soon. The younger women go to beauty parlours to get face jobs done, and wear denims and other modern clothing.

Meet the kids The kids are even more ‘evolved.’

Toddlers have crèches to themselves in villages. A group of six year olds asked me for sweets, but I didn’t have any. To get even, they started teasing me, beating their bottoms 3 Idiots style. Some of their friends provided a background score singing Main baarish kardoon paison ki… from De Dhana Dan, the recent Akshay Kumar – Katrina Kaif flick. There are no cinemas here, but pirated DVDs and satellite television have culturally invaded the remotest of regions.

But it seems midwives still play an important role in getting these kids into the world; on the road to Kibithu, I saw advertisements offering cash incentives of Rs. 2,000 to mothers who delivered in hospitals. And Rs. 600 to women who got the pregnant women to the hospital.

Still living in traditional houses But an Arunachali’s traditional bamboo hut continues to be his castle. Most stay in their ancestral homes, even when they can afford modern homes, parking cars like the Hyundai Verna outside. An old woman, nearly blind, in Hong village in Ziro allowed me a look around her house. It had a central fire for cooking and warmth, and the family sleeps around this. There was one additional bedroom, with the toilets on the outside. The hut was raised on bamboo stilts, and I could see pigs living below.

These pigs are important food, and they also help clean the toilets by eating what people leave behind. Ugh! The walls of an outer room were full of heads and horns of Mithun cows sacrificed by the family over generations; their number is a matter of pride for them. I could not communicate with the lady directly, but she did ask my guide why I was taking so many pictures.

Notably, I always saw more women around than men. Looks like some things don’t change. Women continue to tend to the fields, fishing in ponds and taking care of all household chores. Traditionally, men would stay in the forests hunting, collecting wood and building houses.

But greater environmental concerns and changing lifestyles mean they have to seek other occupations – including Government jobs. Many tend to the family bamboo holdings. They are also

experts at cane and bamboo crafts.

A matter of faith

Their faith in a higher God and the rituals practiced continues unabated. All house fronts have symbols - made of leaves and wood or in the form of painted crosses using white rice powder - to keep the spirits away. The Apatani tribe in Hong Village of Ziro in Arunachal Pradesh perform an annual ceremony at a designated spot just outside their village.

The ceremony is called Myokum, and is done for the welfare of the family. It is a tradition that has apparently been taking place forever; only those families who have been doing so earlier are allowed to continue with the tradition.

How sociable are these women? Very, as Anne demonstrated. They are fun too.

Most would cooperate as I took their pictures, grinning and laughing. I came across a group dancing and singing in Tajang village in Ziro valley, celebrating the fifth anniversary of their temple. They invited me to join in the merry making over rice beer – I have never danced with thirty women all to myself. Some of them tried to flirt and cozy up to me. Flattering, even if all of them were over 60.

Arunachal Pradesh is beautiful, and its women pretty and high spirited. Too bad for married men who go there.

Travel Tips • The areas of Arunachal Pradesh covered above are best visited from October to February.

• You can only access these areas by road.

• For more posts on Arunachal Pradesh, visit http://kunzum.com/category/destinations-india/arunachal-pradesh-destinations-india • Accommodation at all locations mentioned is limited at best. If no hotels are available, you may try staying at Government Circuit Houses or Inspection • Bungalows - but only when there is no prior booking by officials.

Sign on the road to Kibithu urging women to come to hospitals for delivery 11

A young girl at the Nyokum Yullo festival in Boasimla

Annie’s friend giving me a flying kiss

Another girl at the Nyokum Yullo festival in Boasimla

Happy Apatani women in Ziro

Children teasing me in Hong village

This old woman was dancing and ‘flirting’ with me 12

A sign in Hong village

A nearly blind woman cooking in her house in Ziro

Girls are taught to work hard from a very young age 13

Sign for a crèche in Hong village

Symbols outside a house in Hong village to keep the spirits away

Women working in a field – men are rarely seen working in the fields

06

Shoja

Himachal Pradesh

Go, lose yourself

The road to Shoja

C

an you have the best of all the worlds? Possibly, if you go to Shoja, a lesser known gem of the Himalayas in Himachal Pradesh.

If you go mid-summer onwards, a red carpet welcome awaits you – the 38 km (24 miles) drive from Aut near Kullu to Shoja will be lined with trees laden with apples till they are harvested in August and September.

The meandering drive is no less beautiful at other times, lined with rhododendrons and other flora depending on the time of the year.

If your idea of a holiday is to sit back and soak in your surroundings, you are at the right place. The deep valleys with their rich, green forests and the high peaks around can be admired for hours and even days. A part of the Great Himalayan National Park, it is just the setting to take walks in the woods and be very close to all the diversity nature has to offer. It often rains in the afternoons – and that is the time to order 15

some tea and hot pakoras.

Heading Out

There is enough for even those seeking an adrenalin rush. You can start with an hour long warm-up hike to a nearby waterfall, located on a trail leading away from the road to Jalori Pass. Watch out for palm sized mushrooms on the path, abundant during the monsoon season. Get drenched in the freezing water, lie back on the rocks to dry yourself out and feast over a packed picnic.

Raise the challenge one notch higher and walk all the way to Jalori Pass, a five kilometer hike on a steep road. Recharge yourself with some tea and Glucose biscuits at the dhabas there before you head back. Or you can continue further on some famous trails.

The first takes you to Raghupur Fort. A gentle terrain through forests of oaks and rhododendrons, it offers near-360 degree views of the Himalayas, Dhauladhar and

Kinnaur ranges along the way. The history of the fort is not known for sure, but locals believe an erstwhile king of Mandi got it constructed as either a safe house in case of enemy attacks or as a getaway for his pleasures. Whatever the reasons, and despite scarcity of water, the king could not have chosen a better location. Ask the sheep and goats - a photo opportunity themselves - who love to graze at the meadows of the fort.

Another trail – six kilometers long – from the Jalori pass takes you to the Serolsar Lake. It may be small, but its water is crystal clear. Locals believe you will never find a leaf in this lake despite being surrounded by trees. It seems to be true. You will also find a temple close by – never a surprise in Himachal Pradesh known as Dev Bhoomi, or Land of the Gods. Enterprising locals run tea shops here to feed the visitors who have built up an appetite after the walk.

A view of the valleys in Shoja

A temple near Serolsar Lake in Shoja

The Serolsar Lake in Shoja A tea stall near the Serolsar Lake in Shoja

Travel Tips • Weather: Pleasant days from April to October, but nights can get cold. Can be wet in July and August. Very cold with snow from November to March.

• Always carry warm clothes.

• Best time to go: April to October.

• How to reach: Catch a flight to Shimla or Kullu and by road from there. Or all the way by road.

• Accommodation: Your best option by far is Banjara Camps (http://www.banjaracamps.com). There are a few other hotels and guest houses for all • budgets.

• Approximate Distances: Shimla: 230 kms (143 miles); Delhi: 600 kms (375 miles).

• Refer to Kunzum Route K13 (http://kunzum.com/2010/11/03/driving-guide-delhi-to-lahaul-spiti-kaza-and-tabo-nako-sangla-thanedar-and-back) for • driving directions.

• Recommended Stay: At least two days.

16

maharashtra

The Matheran Light Railway Go for a joyride

O

nce you get hooked to the idea of journeys on India’s mountain railways, you want to do them all. Passengers are packed tight in the coaches, giving you a feeling of being in oversized toy trains. But they sure do pack a punch, considering the steep terrains they haul themselves up on.

The Matheran Light Railway was built

by Abdul Hussain, with a funding of Rs. 1.6 million coming from his father Sir Adamjee Peerbhoy. It was first flagged off on March 22, 1907, covering a distance of 20 km (12.4 miles) between Neral in the foothills and Matheran, a popular hill station in the Western Ghats in Maharashtra at an altitude of 803.45 m (2,636 feet). It is expected to be designated soon as a UNESCO World Heritage

Site as an extension to the Mountain Railways of India entry.

The ride takes you through wooded forests, stopping at many stations along the way. The journey takes about two hours, with the maximum permissible speed being 12 miles per hour (20 kmph). It used to close during monsoons but this is no longer the case - but be prepared for cancellations on a bad day.

The MLR has over 121 bridges (mostly minor), only one tunnel (the one-kiss tunnel), a steep winding gradient and 221 curves including some very sharp ones; the longer trains take the shape of a semicircle at points. Look out for a sign on one of the curves reading, “Ah, what a sharp curve.”

You may hop off at stations to stretch your cramped legs, to buy a refreshment, take a pitstop (there are no restrooms on the train) or to admire the views. It is best to eat either in Neral or Matheran. The latter is a popular getaway for those from Pune, Mumbai and surrounding regions but would be rated average at best as a destination. Lined with modest eateries, budget hotels and shops selling cheap gifts and toys, it is nonetheless almost always full of tourists - many taking pony rides, admiring sunsets, and generally having a good time. Though Verandah in the Forest, a Neemrana Hotels property, is a wonderful place to stay.

The train is definitely worth all the effort.

Travel Tips Book your tickets in advance on www.irctc.co.in. You can never be sure of getting a ticket on the spot; in any case, booking windows open 45 minutes before departure with queues forming well in advance. You can choose to stay overnight at Matheran or Neral and catch the early morning or late evening trains - and enjoy the dawn and dusk lights. Or make a day trip from any nearby city. Neral is roughly halfway between Pune and Mumbai.

17

An enterprising vendor selling juices and drinks

A woman porter

The schedule for the Matheran Light Railway

Ticket pricing for the Matheran Light Railway 18

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15

T-49, Hauz Khas Village, New Delhi - 110016 011-26513949, 9650702777 Tuesday - Sunday, 11:00am 7:30pm Monday Closed

uttarakhand

Kunzum Route K14

Delhi - Champawat - Abbott Mount - Patal Buvaneshwar - Vijaypur - Bageshwar - Munsiyari

Dawn in Munsiyari

T

his is one of the lesser touched circuits in India - the eastern end of Uttarakhand, hugging the Nepal border. The route covers natural beauty in the form of snow-capped peaks, valleys, waterfalls and rivers as well as religious and historical sites. This circuit is best done from March to November. Post-monsoons, the skies and the landscape would be gorgeous. Go explore.

while others include those of Bhairav, Champa Devi and Kali. There is an ancient fort too in Champawat which serves as an office for the Tehsil headquarters. The

to have survived.

Travel Tip: It is not recommended one stays here but comes for a visit while staying at Abbott Mount, 22 kms (14 miles) away.

houses in this town are supposedly famous for their wood carvings, but only few seem

This place was discovered by Britisher John Abbott (whose descendants now live in Jhansi) in the pre-independence era and he decided to name the hill after himself. He built 13 cottages here and some of these still survive. Panorama takes a new meaning as you treat yourself to views of peaks like Trishul, Nanda Kot, Nanda Ghunti and the Nanda Devi.

This is also the place where you just walk around amidst the woods with no traffic or sounds, sip at your tea while looking at the clouds below and watch beautiful sunsets. A church built in 1942 stands locked now, but opens once

Abbott Mount

Champawat

The headquarters of the district by the same name, Champawat’s hidden wonders are the 10th century Baleshwar group of temples. Known to have been constructed by the Chandra dynasty, the carvings on the walls and roofs have stood the test of time except for disfiguring of idols by Muslim invaders.

The main temple is devoted to Lord Shiva

20

or twice a year for prayers. You can even play a game of cricket on what is claimed to be the second highest pitch in the world after Chail in Himachal Pradesh at just under 7,000 feet.

Travel Tip: Stay and eat at the Abbott Mount Cottage run by Asian Adventures (http://asianadventure.net); no other options.

Setting sun in Abbott Mount

Setting sun behind a saunf tree in Abbott Mount

Church built by John Abbott in Abbott Mount

Advaita Ashram Mayavati

A half day trip to Advaita Ashram Mayavati brings you as close to serenity and beauty as you can imagine. Built by the followers of Swami Vivekananda in 1899, who visited this place in 1901, the Ashram has tried

to maintain the sanctity of the spirit with which it was created. Its secluded location was selected to keep curious onlookers out; there is now a perfect road leading to it though. You can also see a dysfunctional 110 year old printing press, used earlier to print Prabuddha Bharata, supposedly the

oldest continuously published magazine in the country till date. The surrounding thick woods and views of the peaks on a clear day make it very difficult to leave the spot. A charitable hospitable provides care to villagers who sometimes walk 7-8 hours to get here.

Ashram in Mayavati 21

Patal Bhuvaneshwar

Patal Bhuvaneshwar is ample evidence of the power of faith in this country. A maze of caves that one reaches after negotiating a steep, claustrophobia inducing tunnel, the natural formations inside are interpreted as various Hindu Gods and worshipped accordingly.

These caves are believed to be as old as the Earth itself, and find a mention in Chapter 103 of the Mahaskhand of the Skanda Purana.

The Chand dynasty of Champawat created the infrastructure to manage the caves in 1191, and got the Bhandaris from Kashi to be the priests. Their descendants still perform these duties.

Travel Tip: You can stay at hotels like Parwati Resorts but they suffer from poor housekeeping and worse food. It is recommended one starts from Abbott Mount early, spends a few hours here and heads to Vijaypur.

Vijaypur

Initally called Ora, and set up as a tea estate by the British, it was renamed Vijaypur after a Gujarati merchant Vijay Lal Shah bought this area in 1947. The tea business may be modest by all standards, but the views of the peaks are impressive by all counts. You can stand still for hours admiring the Panchachuli range as well as

Outside the caves temples in Patal Bhuvaneshwar some of highest peaks in the Himalayas including Nanda Devi (7816m), Nanda Devi East (7434m), Trishul (7120m) and Mrigthuni (6855m). There is a 200 year old beautiful bungalow and could have been a tourist spot but for it being inhabited by a professor’s family. Apparently Jamuna Dutt Pant bought this cottage and tea estate from Mr. Shah in 1953 - or so

claims the former’s granddaughter.

Travel Tip: Stay and eat at the Chestnut Grove Himalayan Lodge (http://www. grandhimalayanadventures.com/ chestnut-grove-himalayan-lodge.html) with cottages on the edge of the forest in the company of birds like the red billed magpie and beautiful flowers. Very well managed.

The 200-year old bungalow in Vijaypur 22

Bageshwar

An hour’s drive from Vijaypur, Bageshwar is located at the confluence of the Gomti and Saryu rivers. Built in 1602 by King Lakshmi Chand, it houses Hindu idols from the seventh to the 16th centuries. The temples are full of bells hung by devotees on strings, who also throng here in big numbers during Shivaratri. The town is flanked on the east and west by the Bhileshwar and Nileshwar mountains, with a Shiva Temple and a Chandika Temple atop each respectively.

Munsiyari

Munsiyari was the gateway to trade between India and Tibet before the 1962 war when China put an end to it. Its geo-economic significance may have diminished since then, but nothing can take away from its natural beauty

Bells in a temple in Bageshwar and view of the Panchachuli and other over-19000 feet high peaks. Munsiyari also serves as a starting point for some popular treks. While here, a picnic to the banks of the Goriganga river and walks in the neighbouring villages of Dar Kot and others are a must. As is a visit

to Masterji’s museum where Professor Pangti has carefully curated a collection of traditional items used by traders to remind one of the history of the place.

Travel Tip: Stay options are average, Wayfarer Resort being somewhat decent.

Make do with it till new places come up.

Sunset storm in Munsiyari

Distances Guide

Delhi – Champawat: 432 km, 10 Hours Champawat – Abbott Mount: 22 km, 1 Hour Abbott Mount – Advaita Ashram Mayavati: 20 km, 1 Hour Abbott Mount – Patal Bhuvaneshwar: 90 km, 3.5 Hours Patal Bhuvaneshwar – Vijaypur: 53 km, 2 Hours

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Vijaypur – Bageshwar: 31 km, 1 Hour One Way Vijaypur – Munsiyari: 120 km, 4.5 Hours

Alternate Route

One can reach Munsiyari via Bhimtal and Almora in 18 hours over a shorter distance of about 600 kilometers. But you will miss out on all the places mentioned here. This route could therefore be taken on the return leg.

06

delhi

If it’s Ramadan, you must be in Matia Mahal. At night.

D

uring the holy month of Ramadan (Ramzan) observed by Muslims, how about inverting your bioclock? Sleep well in the day so you can spend the night in Matia Mahal.

Located opposite the main entrance to the Jama Masjid in Old Delhi, this street makes for a delightful night out. Brightly lit, it is teeming with people all night long, everyone treating themselves to food and shopping after fasting through the day. Here is a to-do for you:

• Pay for a meal for the poor – restaurants and dhabas enable donors to pay for a meal for the hungry waiting for such charity. Typical pricing is Rs. 10 for two freshly made breads and salan (meat with gravy) – the same would cost Rs. 18 if you order for yourself.

• Treat yourself to any of the offerings - kebabs, sweets, hot breads with meats and vegetables, khajla, pheni, samosas and pakoras all drowned with a large 25

glass of hot flavoured milk. Buy from boys like Muhammed Zuber who set up a roadside stall to sell goat legs cooked by his sister so they can make some pocket money.

August is the month of Ramadan in 2011. Don’t miss a visit to old Delhi during this time. Take the Metro to Chawri Bazaar station. While you may go anytime after sunset, it is better after 8:00 p.m. - access will be easier with peak traffic down.

• Take home some breads, cakes and biscuits from Champion Bakery. Their specialties include Butter Sheermal, Coconut Parantha and Dry Fruit Bread.

• Shop for clothes, material, gifts, decorations, footwear, cosmetics, perfumes, utensils, dry fruits – all available at rock bottom prices. Don’t expect known brands here.

• Get a shave or a haircut – barbers work late into the night in places like Bombay Saloon.

• Spend the night in one of the many guest houses including Al-Hyatt and Din Dunia – and request a room overlooking the street. Mind the bed bugs.

• Pick up a visa form for Pakistan or buy some currency of the neighbouring country from some of the shops providing these services – all as souvenirs. Warning: The currency transaction would technically be illegal. But what is above board is buying something advertised as ‘Pakistani Gents Suit Cotton.’

• Go to the Jama Masjid and listen to the Holy Quran being read out by a Hafiz after the evening prayers.

A Hafiz is someone who knows the Quran by heart – and he recites a few chapters a day.

Eid Mubarak!

Samir Khan converts his tea stall into one selling seviyan, or vermicelli, to be had in sweetened milk, during Ramadan.

Fiki (sugarless) Jalebi

The poor waiting for a donor so they can have a meal

Muhammed Zuber trying to make some pocket money

26

delhi

H

Walk on the Northern Ridge: History in one sweep

ead out to the ridge, a hill area, near Delhi University – for a 360 degree view of the city below. Actually, make that in the past tense. There was a time when the city had (much) fewer buildings, was less polluted and the green cover was not that expansive – and you could see as far as the river Yamuna and beyond. No longer. But walk along the ridge for a sweeping view of history going back to King Ashoka’s time in the 3rd century B.C.

the message of righteousness and morals based on Buddhist tenets. The pillar had to be cushioned on semal (cotton) and moved on wheels gently up to and from the river. It was installed in his hunting palace known as Kushk-i-Shikar (Shikar means hunt) or Kushk Jahan Numa (means that which shows you the world; because of the views from this hill, it was akin to seeing the world from here).

The Ashoka Pillar

The pillar stood tall till it fell from grace around 1713: a powder magazine exploded near it and it broke into five pieces. It lay largely ignored till 1838 when it was handed over to the Asiatic Society of Calcutta. The part bearing the inscription in Brahmi script was sawed off and sent to Calcutta. The pillar’s fortunes looked up again when it was reassembled in 1867 on its present day platform.

Imagine moving a 32 feet long (or tall depending how you are looking at it) rock pillar weighing a grazzilion tons – can be quite a task no matter how far it is to be moved. For reasons best known to him, Firoz Shah Tughlaq decided to move one such from Meerut to Delhi in 1356 A.D. We are talking of the Ashoka Pillar, one of the many erected by Ashoka around 250 B.C. engraved with edicts spreading 27

P.S. Carrying of explosives near the pillar may be injurious to its health.

Pir Ghaib

The last remains of Kushk-i-Shikar are now known as Pir Ghaib; the place got associated with a mystic saint (Pir) who suddenly disappeared (Ghaib) one day. There is a cenotaph erected in his memory by his followers; interestingly, its orientation is East-West whereas Muslim graves are usually laid out North-South.

The structure may have been used as an observatory too – it is high and there is a hollow cylindrical feature to enable one to see through. Tughlaq was known for his interest in astronomy. But it may also have served as a look-out tower for hunting animals.

And a baoli (step-well) nearby is in ruins too – and does not seem to have been cleaned in a long time. The ridge is very rocky, and one had to dig real deep to reach the water table. Careful you don’t trip over.

The Mutiny Memorial Talk about an identity crisis.

The British Raj got its first major jolt when Indian soldiers rose in Mutiny against their officers in Meerut in 1857 – and they all marched to Delhi to fight the British. And were joined by thousands more. After weeks of battle, the British finally prevailed.

And built a memorial in 1863 near the Ashoka Pillar in the memory of, as a plaque says, “Officers and soldiers British and Native of the Delhi Field Force who were killed in action or died of wounds or disease

between 30th May and 20th September 1857. This monument has been erected by the comrades who lament their loss and by the Government they served so well.”

Other plaques list the battles and combats by date, and statistics of those killed, wounded or went missing (segregated by Europeans and ‘Natives’). The structure itself is an “octagonal red sandstone tapering tower on the site of Tailor’s Battery (an artillery unit) during the siege of Delhi” or so reads a Government sign.

All was well till someone in the Indian establishment woke up in 1972 when India was celebrating its 25th year of Independence – and figured the memorial should instead honour those who fought the ‘rulers.’ The name of the structure was changed to Ajitgarh and another plaque put up to read: “The ‘enemy’ of the inscriptions on this monument were those who rose against colonial rule and fought bravely for national liberation in 1857.”

Whose side are you on?

The Legend of the Headless Ghost During the uprising of 1857, the British assembled a force of 30,000 between Kashmiri Gate and the ridge – the area is thus called Tis Hazari (Tis Hazaar means Thirty Thousand) and has district courts by the same name.

One of these soldiers was beheaded in combat. It is believed that his ghost still hovers in the area with his head in his hand. He is known as the Sar Kata Bhoot (or the ghost whose head has been cut). For a long time, people stayed away from this area out of fear, and many still do after dark.

Hindu Rao’s House Talk about facts mixing with hearsay.

Hindu Rao was a Maratha noble whose sister Baiza Bai was married to Daulat Rao Scindia, the ruler of Gwalior state. Baiza Bai became all powerful when she was widowed in 1827 – but the British decided to support her young adopted son – forcing her to leave the state in 1835 with her brother. Hindu Rao bought the house originally built by Edward Colebrooke – who in turn had to leave controversially after selling the house to William Fraser; Fraser himself was murdered in 1835. The house is currently in use as a part of the of the Bara Hindu Rao Hospital.

And so we have a house named after someone who was not its original creator.

And Hindu Rao is popularly believed to

have helped the ‘mutineers’ – but he himself passed away 2-3 years before the mutiny of 1857.

Walk in the greens And once you are done exploring the above, cross the road into the green belt along the ridge. Just walking through its parks – on its well laid out walking tracks – takes you to another world. Where you barely hear the traffic and the air suddenly seems cleaner (unfortunately, the older part of Delhi is much more polluted than central and south).

While you are in there, watch out for two more structures: • The Flagstaff Tower: A circular building, situated on the highest point of the ridge, was likely to have been built around 1828 when the British moved their

cantonment here. It was used to hoist their flag to symbolize their dominance. English survivors sought refuge here on May 10, 1857 hoping for reinforcements from Meerut would arrive to save them – but these never came and the ‘mutineers’ took control of the complete ridge area.

• Chauburji Masjid, meaning the Four Domes Mosque, is left with only one dome.

It was originally a tomb built during the Tughlaq period, with additional brick work done (still visible) on it in the 18th century during the Mughal period. In 1857, it functioned as a battery to mount guns on, damaging it further. It is often referred to as the mosque near Bara Hindu Rao, but there is no evidence it was ever used as one.

While you are walking around in the parks, mind your step. You don’t want to step on any snails.

Travel Tips Best visited in the early morning hours when traffic is low. If going by Metro, get off at Tis Hazari or Civil Lines; you may need to hop onto a cycle rickshaw from there. Ask to be taken to the Bara Hindu Rao hospital.

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The Mutiny Memorial

Chauburji Masjid

The Flagstaff Tower 29

The Ashoka Pillar

Hindu Rao’s House

The Step-Well (Baoli) near Pir Ghaib

A picture may be worth a thousand words But the Kunzum PhotoTalkies are a journey in themselves

What are PhotoTalkies?

Simply put, these are photo essays - only packing a bigger punch. With more images and supporting text than an essay you would see in a newspaper or a magazine.

Current versions have been designed as a PDF - to be viewed on any device supporting this format. But it is best seen on an iPad.

And these are all FREE! Looks like it is the season of freebies from Kunzum. http://kunzum.com/phototalkies 06

Rajasthan

Kuldhara, Jaisalmer When the Paliwal Brahmins vanished into the night

Steps leading into a renovated temple

T

his is one of the most bizarre stories of human migration one has heard.

Drive 18 km (11 miles) west of Jaisalmer in Rajasthan and you will come upon the village of Kuldhara. Once a prosperous settlement of the Paliwal Brahmins, all the residents of Kuldhara and 83 nearby villages vanished overnight in 1825, having lived there since 1291. In all likelihood they set up base somewhere beyond Jodhpur but no one has ever been sure.

The Paliwals made their fortune by the sheer brilliance of their business and agricultural acumen. They knew the art of growing a water intensive crop like wheat in the Thar desert; they could identify areas with gypsum rock layers running under the ground surface to ensure water was retained for the crops.

The rulers depended on the Paliwals for much of their tax revenues.

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Why did they decide to Hats off to town planners A well planned settlement, the straight disappear?

What made them want to abandon everything overnight? The Prime Minister, or the dewan, is believed to have developed a lecherous eye for the chief’s daughter; it is said the Paliwal women were in general stunningly beautiful. He may even have imposed unreasonable taxes on them. With pride and honour overruling all worldly interests, the entire population of the 84 villages decided to disappear overnight with whatever they could carry with them.

If you visit what is left of the Kuldhara village, more a town actually, you will be able to visualise and imagine the time it may have been inhabited. Buddha Singh, a local contractor engaged by the Government to renovate a temple and a house to showcase the past, was happy to be my guide.

and wide streets ran in grids with houses opening into them. All design elements kept both aesthetics and utility in mind. A kind of a garage opened into the streets to park carts. Temples, stepwells and other structures were all signs of sound development over the centuries.

The houses themselves ensured all social norms could be followed, according to my guide. The inner courtyard was the designated area for women. It had a small bathtub and a little structure to grow a tulsi plant, revered by Hindus. The outer area was used by men and cows. An underground cellar functioned as a store for valuables, but these lie sealed now. In fact, a few westerners are said to have discovered a lot of gold and other valuables with the help of metal detectors a few years back; they were apprehended before they could make off with the booty though.

The yellow hue of the buildings came from the colour of the local mud and stones. The floors of the houses were plastered with cow dung and clay.

Bollywood has even shot movies like Kachche Dhaage and Reshma Shera using the backdrop of Kuldhara.

some accounts, they had left Pali near Jodhpur from where they originally came; it was to escape additional war taxes being imposed by the king. Looks like the royalty of

Rajasthan had made an art of killing the geese that laid golden eggs for them.

History is full of its sigh moments.

The village may be abandoned now, but it still seems alive. As if, without warning, you will suddenly see thousands of decked up wealthy people appear out of nowhere and generate a hustle and bustle just like the days gone by.

So where are the Paliwals now?

Scattered all over the world. And generally doing well going by their genetic lineage. It is said they even left a curse on the villages, bringing death and suffering to anyone who tried to live there. For the Paliwals, this was not the first migration.

Before Kuldhara, according to

A cart parked in a garage next to the main entrance to a house

A view of the village

The inner courtyard of a house

A freshly renovated house 32

bera

Rajasthan

Welcome to Leopard country – it is Wild and Free

A view of the lake by the Jawai Dam in Bera, Rajasthan

B

elieve it or not: There is a village in Rajasthan called Bera, surrounded by forests where leopards roam free.

Along it flows the river Jawai, with the Jawai Dam built on it. And the resulting beautiful lake is home to some of the biggest crocodiles you will ever see. These are not a part of any National Park or sanctuary; most people don’t know about it, not even Rajasthanis. You will not see any madding tourist crowds here – go wildlife spotting freely, but remember you are on your own here. With leopards for company.

There is no count of leopards, but they are more than a few. I was fortunate to spot a mother leopard with her two cubs.

Although they were not very close, I could clearly see them walking along a ridge – stopping in between, playing on trees, and showing their love for one another in a way only mothers and children can. As

the sun set and they walked away into the dark of the forest, my guide highlighted two diamonds glowing in the spotlights trained on them – these were the shining eyes of a male leopard on a peak. Awesome!

More than just Leopards

And the wild party continued on during the morning safari. Having feasted on berries all night, I saw two bears climbing up a mountain in the early morning hours. It seemed more like they were rolling uphill – again, bears are a rare sight. (I always wonder how filling can berries be for these guys?). Antelopes (also known as Nilgai or Indian Blue Bull) were all over the place – some alone, others in groups. Males are distinguished with their dark grey coats, while females are brown. Agile leopards feast on them; the lazy just help themselves to goats and cows belonging to villagers living near the

forests.

The forests are also home to hyenas, hares, foxes and birds like Pelican, Greylag Goose, Robin Accentor, Demoiselle Crane, Barheaded Goose and Indian Partridge besides others. Hope you are lucky enough to see them all!

The crocodiles too make for an unforgettable sight. Big, chunky fellows at over 15 feet in length, they were busy doing what they do best – nothing. But don’t be fooled with their sleepy demeanor – they are man-eaters. Ask the poor shepherds who take their herd to the edge of the water – in recent weeks apparently two shepherds had lost their lives. I saw them sun-bathing safely far out on the islands in the lake. Incidentally, the lake is full of fish, and locals disturb the crocs when they go fishing in their small row boats.

Travel Tips Your best option to stay here is Castle Bera (http://castlebera.com) - run by Thakur Baljeet Singh (a descendant of Maharana Pratap, one of the state’s most valiant kings). He makes for an excellent guide and a delightful host - making your visit truly memorable.

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A mother leopard stretching herself in the forests of Bera in Rajasthan

A male antelope in the forests of Bera in Rajasthan

A mother leopard in the forests of Bera in Rajasthan

A mother leopard watching her playful cub in the forests of Bera in Rajasthan

Two leopard cubs in the forests of Bera in Rajasthan

A shepherd in Bera

A mother leopard with her two cubs in the forests of Bera in Rajasthan

Two antelopes at a watering hole in the forests of Bera in Rajasthan 34

PEEP PEEP DON’T SLEEP A book on funny road signs and advertisements with captions and commentary by Ajay Jain If you thought road signs are only meant to guide and inform, think again.

The ones on Indian highways are in a zone of their own. They shower you with words of wisdom, keep your mind sharp as you unravel their cryptic messages, tickle your imagination, amuse you and entertain you. In public interest, they lend a hand to Alcoholics Anonymous. Since journeys are meant to be a pleasure, they remind you to ‘Smile Please.’

The entertainment for the traveler does not stop at this. There are the limitless public notices, outdoor advertisements and storefront signs with their own idiosyncrasies and eccentricities. Who needs comic strips in this country?

Ajay Jain drove thousands of miles to put together this collection of signs. With a bit of witty commentary thrown in, this book will be a journey unlike any other you may have undertaken. Resulting in you letting out a ‘Peep Peep’ of delight.

For more on the book, sample chapters and to order visit www.peeppeepdontsleep.com Available as a Paperback, as a PDF and for the iPad and Kindle 15

Banjara Retreat

HOTEL REVIEW

Shoja, Himachal Pradesh

n many ways, being at Shoja means being at the Banjara Retreat. A perfect location, the property is trademark

I

Banjara Camps: well designed, far from the madding crowds, with great service and meals, and in as picturesque a setting

as you can imagine. With palms sized sunflowers and red juicy apples in season, you will not wish for much more in life.

• Lo c at i o n: Perfect, Banjara style. The most challenging part are the 133 steps leading down to the property from the road where you leave your car. If you go up and down these thrice a day, you can eat all you can and not worry about gaining weight. The property overlooks thickly forested peaks and valleys with some fields tended by local farmers. There is no better sight than to sit in the balconies and watch the rain turn the landscape rich green.

• A c c ommodat i o n: You have double rooms and suites in the old wing called the Retreat and five deluxe rooms in the new wing called the Cottage.

• Cot tag e R ooms: Rooms with the perfect view of the valley.

Each has covered verandahs to sit around in, read books, drink tea and enjoy the views including the setting sun. The rooms are quite big, with king beds and sofas. The room and the bath flooring are all wooden. The baths are well made with constant running water and geysers to give you hot water whenever requiredu need. When making a booking, ask for rooms

on the top floor. Their verandahs are totally private and you don’t hear the sound of people walking around above you.

• Th e R e t r e at: Slightly less plush than the new wing but charming anyway. You have rooms on two levels with a covered verandah running all along. The dining area is in this wing, as is a small library where you can borrow books.

• F ood : The room rates always includes all three meals, unlimited tea and coffee and cooked snacks with evening tea. And each meal is better and more elaborate than the previous one. It is not heavy, cooked home style, and yet the fare is multi-cuisine. If you are out on a day hike, they will pack a meal to feed an Army. And all the food is hygienic, wholesome, well presented and tasty.

• E l e c t r i c i t y: Generators kick in when power snaps so you need not worry on this count.

• Wat e r: Never does a disappearing act. But we all need to go easy on its use, especially in the mountains.

• Housekeeping: The best investment Banjara makes is in their

washing machines. The bedsheets, duvets, pillows and towels always give that crisp, clean and fresh feel when the weather is cold and wet. Rooms are maintained well, and always feel clean. The staff never flinches if you ask for any additional service. They are thoughtful enough to leave a hot water bottle under the duvet every night to keep you extra warm.

• A c t i v i t i e s: This is where the Banjara touch comes in. Having been set up by travel and adventure enthusiasts themselves, guests are never short of planned activities.

These include guides taking you for hikes through forests, mountains and local villages, or mountain climbing or driving to different attractions. You can join groups already going or have them plan something exclusive for you. Their guides are full of information and anecdotes to make the experiences even more engaging. You can expect a bonfire in the evening at the camp, which is an opportunity to make friends over bar-be-cue snacks and drinks. They always have books, magazines and indoor games handy for guests.

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Contact Banjara Camps & Retreats Pvt. Ltd. 1A, Hauz Khas Village, New Delhi-110 016, India Tel: +91.11.2685 5152 /53, 2686 1397 Email: info@banjaracamps.com Web: http://www.banjaracamps.com

When you call, ask for a SPECIAL offer for Kunzum fans 37

The Almond Villa

HOTEL REVIEW

A jewel in the crown

O

Srinagar, Kashmir

n paper, it is a bed and breakfast or a homestay. But nothing you are told prepares you for what you actually see. It is located on the Boulevard Road overlooking the Dal Lake, right in the

middle of an orchard. As far as the eye can see, it’s lush green mountains with only a few structures scattered in between. After all, it belongs to the erstwhile royal family of Kashmir, who still own and run it. And the

few buildings you see (none very close) are all heritage ones too, including some hotels at the extreme end of luxury.

Warning: Once at Almond Villa, you will not feel like stepping out!

• Service: You are made to feel special. Actually, just being within these environs lends to that feeling.

• Rooms: As expected, done with the finest of furnishings. Very clean, and giving you a retro feel with modern day comforts. The bathrooms are quite spacious, fully functional with hot and cold showers and running water.

• Location: Does not get better, away from the hustle and bustle of town. And yet only a few miles from all major tourist attractions and

markets. The Dal Lake is just outside its gates, and you can go for a ride there and then.

• Amenities: Very nice sitting areas both indoor and outdoor. You can lounge and read books and magazines and you will never know how the time passed. Cable TV in common room (if you care for it).

• Liked Best: The heritage feel with all comforts, the lawns and orchards and the views.

• Liked Least: There is nothing to not like about the property.

• Food Quality: Booking is usually done on a bed and breakfast basis, with your hosts recommending great places to eat or order from in Srinagar.

• B e s t t i m e to go : Spring can be fresh and crisp, with fruit trees blossoming before the fruits come out. Summers are always a good time to be in the Himalayas. And late summers / early autumn gives you fall colours and you could even go fruit plucking in the orchards.

Winters for those who love snow – it can be ethereal!

Contact: Email: vivchauhan@gmail.com Tel: +91.9971924583 When you call, ask for a SPECIAL offer for Kunzum fans 38

Postcards from Ladakh A Pictorial Travelogue by Ajay Jain

Postcards from Ladakh is a collection of frames - picture postcards, if you will - frozen circa 2009, when the author drove for over 10,000 kms (6,000 miles) across the remote and fascinating region of Ladakh in the Indian Himalayas.

Neither guidebook nor encyclopedia, it is intended to give you a flavour of this high altitude cold desert.

You will also meet a few Ladakhis in these pages. And see the land they live in, the faith they live by, the hope they live on‌Each of them will spontaneously greet you with a cheerful Julley and invite you to be part of their culture and society.

No Ladakhi is a stranger. We just haven’t had the time to meet them all...

For more on the book, sample chapters and to order visit www.kunzum.com/postcardsfromladakh Available as a Paperback, as a PDF and for the iPad and Kindle 15

Rann Riders

HOTEL REVIEW

The right folks to ride the desert safari

Dasada, Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat

M

any an entrepreneur knows how to set up a great resort or hotel, but few know how to address the needs of their guests. Rann Riders gives you no reason to complain. Owned and managed by the descendants of the former rulers of Dasada, you know it has been set up by someone with taste.

Patan on the way - it sure saved me a drive back from Dasada later to cover these.

Even before I checked into the resort in Dasada village in the Little Rann of Kutch Wildlife Sanctuary region in Gujarat, they had me impressed. Asking for directions while driving from Udaipur, they suggested I visit attractions like the Modhera Sun Temple and

You go to the Little Rann to explore the salt desert and sight wildlife - and if you are not in able hands, you could just have an average experience. Rann Riders had a highly knowledgeable and experienced guide waiting for me, who knew just where to go and at what time to spot the animals, birds and the landscape. You don’t want to travel all the way just to stay in a good resort - there is a purpose to it, and Rann Riders know it.

• Service: Awesome. From housekeeping to meals to your safaris and sightseeing, the staff is always at hand extending full courtesies in an efficient manner. Tough to fault them.

• Rooms: Traditionally designed but furnished with modern comforts. Rooms are very spacious, with double beds and chairs.

Furnishings are hand embroidered linen and cushion covers from nearby villages. Rooms are air-conditioned, bathrooms are fitted with hot and cold showers and western-style toilet

fittings, and there is a dry dressing area too. You can lounge in the rooms, or in the verandahs or swinging sofas outside.

• Location: Easily accessible, and just the place to go off for your safaris.

• Amenities: There is a large dining area where you can lounge all day on their comfortable sofas with bolsters and cushions. You can walk around on the footpaths along the lawns, or take a dip in the pool. A small shop allows shopaholics

The resort itself adds to the delight of being there. An ethnically designed ecoresort, it has the appearance of a local village with amenities for your comfort thrown in. Cottages are designed to resemble the ‘Kooba’ houses of the Bajania community of Dasada and the ‘Bhunga’ houses of the Rabaris of Kutch, decorated with mirrors, mudplaster work and embroideries.

If you want to explore the Little Rann of Kutch, stay with the Rann Riders - all your effort and money spent will be rewarded many times over. to pick up some local handicrafts.

• Liked Best: The location, design of the resort and their knowledge and experience of taking you on safaris.

• Food Quality: Each meal is a vast spread, with their cooks sure knowing what it takes to keep both Indian and foreign guests happy. The dishes on offer are tasty and wholesome but do not make you feel heavy important when you have to be out bumping around in the wild.

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A water body within the resort

The dining cum lounge

The lawns

The cottages

One of the bedrooms

The dining 41

A bathroom

The swimming pool

A cottage CONTACT Rann Riders Dasada 382750, District - Surendranagar, Gujarat, India Mobile: +91.9925236014 Telefax: +91.2757.280257/280457 Web: http://rannriders.com Email: reservations@rannriders.com

HOTEL REVIEW

Why would you stay anywhere else?

Udaipur, Rajasthan

D

EVRA advertises itself as a hotel on its website but it is really a true homestay, where your hosts, erstwhile royalty Major Durga Das and Jyoti Jasol, treat you royally. And for once, you can take what they say on their website to be true.

If you are in the romantic city of

Udaipur, this is the place to stay.

Far from the crowds, located atop a hill, you get a panoramic view of the city below. Mornings and evenings here are to be cherished - go to the highest of the multiple terraced building and enjoy the changing colours and moods with the rising and setting sun.

Devra is named after a 800 year old temple dedicated to the snake God located on this site; Devra literally means ‘where God resides’ or a ‘tribal temple’ by locals. It took years to cut away a rocky hill and build the homestay. A visit and a silent homage is recommended - do check out the centuries old statuettes here.

• Service: As mentioned earlier, you feel like royalty. The host family and their staff make that extra effort - from their heart - to make you comfortable and happy.

• Rooms: Very clean and well fitted.

Sheets and towels are spotless, and furniture and mattresses designed for comfort. Bathrooms have hot and cold showers, with the usual toiletries.

• Location: On a hill, does not get better. Within the city, yet away from any noise. The air here is clean and fresh at all times, and you are never too far from any place.

• Amenities: You can walk around

the place, refer to a library of interesting books, go bird watching (even feed them in the morning in the lawns), go horse riding, book a yoga class or go for a village walk. Or just sit back and enjoy life.

• Food Quality: You must have the meals here. Traditional fare cooked to your taste. Feel free to discuss preferences in the kitchen.

Finger licking taste, made with mostly organic ingredients, served formally.

• Extras: Major Das is a keen environmentalist, and knows the estate and surrounding hills and forests very well. He is always ready

to play guide and take you around - and regale you with stories of leopards who cross the property sometimes (worry not, they usually consume only poultry - and the Major ’s fine Labrador two years back), birds and other flora and fauna. Get your hands dirty in the fields - the owners grow their own wheat, vegetables and lentils and keep cows for milk. All organic!

• Liked Best: The location, the interiors, the food and the hospitality.

• Liked Least: Was not there for a longer trip - but will be back.

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Old statuettes at the temple

A bedroom

Another bedroom

The dining room

The temple within the Devra compound

Common sitting area

A bathroom

A view from Devra 43

Contact Devra Udaipur Sisarma - Bujra Road, Kalarohi, Udaipur - 313001, Rajasthan, India.

Tel: +91.294.2431049, +91.99822 42236, +91.98281 63311 Mail: devraudaipur@gmail.com Web: http://devraudaipur.com

Viswaprasad Raju is a Hyderabad-based advertising professional, and is also a random sketchcrawler, a weekly cartoonist and an occasional travel writer. He collects cheap souvenirs like coasters and dreams of expensive holiday breaks to a National Park (any state) or anywhere in Europe (any country). Presently he is working on a screenplay for a feature film.

Connect with him at viswaprasadraju@gmail.com or find him at http://facebook.com/viswaprasadraju and http://hyderabadadvtg.blogspot.com.

From all across the Indian subcontinent.

And some others countries too.

Join us in our journeys on‌

kunzum We publish content as a blog, a monthly e-mag, and as paper and electronic books and guides

PHOTOGRAPHY

Don’t let the camera go dead on you C ameras seem to follow their own version of Murphy’s law: they will go on the blink just when you have that perfect moment to be captured on holiday. And no cries to the Almighty will get you that power point or an additional memory stick in the middle of Jaisalmer’s sand dunes or Ranthambhore’s forests.

But you can keep your exasperation at bay with a few simple steps:

• The obvious – carry extra memory and battery: Always a good idea. And no matter what the capacity of your memory card – take a spare. Yes, they go bad. Poof, they can just stop working.

• Take Back-Ups: Try carrying a laptop to download images whenever you can. And don’t procrastinate: download at every opportunity, you might run short of memory anytime.

And make an extra copy too in case of a computer crash. Strongly recommended are Seagate FreeAgent portable external drives designed to

withstand bumpy travels and vagaries of weather. Don’t bank on those Nehru Place solutions of putting regular hard discs in cheap casing; they are not designed to be carried around.

• Back-up on CDs at a cyber café: Most cyber cafes, especially in tourist locations, have facilities to download images and burn them on a CD for a nominal sum. They usually have all kinds of card readers, but it is always a good idea to carry the USB cable you got with your camera to read directly from your camera. Make sure you open and check the images recorded on the CD to ensure they are fine before deleting the same on the memory stick. Make two copies if you can; these discs are unreliable.

But many remote or poorly connected places may not have such facilities.

• CD Back-up as insurance if you lose the camera: Even if you have enough memory, taking a CD back-up when

you can may help in case you lose your camera or memory cards.

• Upload to Flickr: The best insurance for your snaps are uploading them on to a photo sharing site like Flickr, or any other server space you have. You may need high speed internet access for it though, available only in limited areas.

• Charge batteries even when you don’t need to: If you used the camera since the last recharge, put it on charge again even when you don’t need to yet. Electric supply at many of the places you stay can be erratic, and you may not be able to charge when you really need to.

• Carry your charger with you: If it is not too bulky, carry you charger with you when you are out for day excursions. You may need to get some juice flowing while taking a break for tea or a meal somewhere.

Happy clicking!!

46

Journey to the

Center of the Earth

H

Fantastic Premise, Fantastic Journey, Fantastic Book

By Nimish Dubey

ow do you reach the center of the earth? And while on the subject, why on earth (pun intended) would you like to travel down the bowels of the planet? Well, both questions were answered in spectacular style by Jules Verne when he wrote A Journey to the Center of the Earth in 1864. It revolves around the adventures of a German professor, his nephew and their guide when they decide to make a journey to reach the center of the earth by descending into – yes, read this carefully – a volcano. To most of us who have been brought up in the belief that the center of the earth is a burning hot core, such a journey would be suicidal and seems downright unbelievable, but then this is Jules Verne writing. And the man who gave us the utterly memorable Around The World in Eighty Days, serves up another compelling read.

The story is based in 1863 in Hamburg where Professor Liedenbrok and his nephew Axel stay, the former teaching and the latter studying. On May 24, the professor arrives in his house in a state of high excitement, clutching a rare manuscript of a twelfth century Icelandic author, and hoping to find out more about that period. However, a piece of paper falls out of the book when he opens it, which actually turns out to be a coded message from Icelandic alchemist Arne Saknussemm, telling the reader the path that leads to the center of the earth.

Axel regards this as pure nonsense and the ravings of a deranged mind, but his uncle thinks very differently indeed and after a pretty thorough scientific debate (rendered without a touch of jargon by Verne), the two set out for Iceland to enter the volcano Snæfell, (and by the way, this is a real volcano that actually exists and not a figment of Verne’s extremely vivid imagination) through the path specified in Saknussemm’s message.

On the way, they pick up Hans, a guide who refuses to be ruffled by the apparent lunacy of their mission.

47

BOOK REVIEW

This threesome descends into the crater and what follows is a story that will defy everything you have ever imagined about what lies beneath the turf you are standing on. There are adventures galore and Axel almost dies of thirst at one stage and gets lost underground at another. Yes, most of it sounds unbelievable, given what we know about the earth almost a hundred and fifty years after the book was written, but Verne’s powers of narration literally sway

you. The interior of the volcano and the passages leading to the (alleged) core of the earth are so well described that you can actually imagine yourself walking with the threesome as they proceed on their mad mission, and the sheer terror that Axel feels when he discovers that he has lost touch with his companions and is on his own with little chance of finding anyone hundreds of feet below the earth is one of the most compelling passages of the book.

As the trio go deeper into the earth, one suspects that Verne does tend to get carried away with his descriptions of what lies beneath and at one stage, seems to be stuffing everything that he can think of into

the earth’s interior, but that thought comes only on cold analysis after one has finished reading the book. While you are turning the pages of The Journey to the Center of the Earth, you will rarely find time for such cold analysis. The book proceeds at a frenetic pace with event following event, rarely giving you time to sit down and think. In this, it resembles another Verne classic, Around The World in Eighty Days, rather than the comparatively slow Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. What the last mentioned has in common with this title has the sense of tension that Verne builds up in the early part of the book- in Twenty Thousand Leagues, one wondered what the mysterious creature sinking ships was, while in Journey to the Center, you keep wondering what Axel and his uncle will see when they go inside Snæfell. That he manages to keep you riveted in both books even when that initial tension has passed off is a tribute to his skills as a storyteller. You may not believe what you are reading in A Journey to the Center of the Earth, but it is doubtful that you will ever stop reading until the last page – there is tension, humour, cynicism, and a whole range of emotions on display (though not too much of romance, so stay away M&B fans), on top of that fantastic journey.

Yes, the premise on which the book is built seems unbelievable. So does the journey which Axel, Professor Liedenbrok and Hans undertake. Fortunately, so is the narration.

Do not read A Journey to the Center of the Earth to know more about what lies within the earth or about geology. Read it to be entertained. For, this is the mother of all journeys, narrated by the father of all travel fiction authors.

Immensely readable. Buy it, or if you are in penny pinching mode, download it for free from http://www.gutenberg.org/ ebooks/19513.

Since 2007, Kunzum has served as an important guide for travellers planning journeys in India and the subcontinent - and some international destinations too.

INTRODUCTIONS FIRS T… Kunzum is a high altitude pass in the Lahaul Spiti region of Himachal Pradesh in I ndia. And the inspiration behind the brand that is all about memorable travel experiences. O ur journey started in 2007 as a travel blog by writer and photographer, Ajay Jain. And we have crossed many milestones - literally and figuratively - since then.

KUNZU M.COM An independent, objective and one of the most trusted online travel information websites in India. A unique style of writing, peppered with anecdotes and illustrated with high quality photographs and videos, have won the site a fan following of tens of thousands of travellers. More at http://kunzum. com.

NEW: THE KUNZUM TRAVE L MAG A u n i q u e p r o d u c t , i t i s a m o n t h l y e - m a g a v a i l a b l e a s a P D F, f o r t h e i P a d a n d K i n d l e , a n d f o r o n l i n e r e a d i n g w i t h f l i p p i n g p a g e s o n I s s u u . c o m . S u b s c r i p t i o n i s F REE a t h t t p : / / k u n z u m . com/mag.

PUBLISHING We publish engaging and quality travel books and guides in both traditional formats as well as e-books (for the iPad, Amazon’s Kindle, other mobile readers and all computers). More at http://kunzum.com/books.

CURATOR OF COLLECTIB LE PHOTOGRAPHIC ART Available for your walls at home, office or resort and also as stock imagery for publishing and p r o m o t i o n a l m a t e r i a l s . A l l p r i n t e d o n a r c h i v a l p a p e r t o l a s t g e n e r a t i o n s . The prints are also on display at the Kunzum Travel Café. Check the collection at http://kunzumgallery.com.

KUNZU M TRAVEL CAFÉ Another unique offering from Kunzum - a bricks and mortar place for the travel-minded to come together as a community, a sort of Face-to-Facebook network. Located in Hauz Khas Village in New Delhi, guests can hang around, read travel books, use free Wi-Fi, participate in events, exchange stories, enjoy music, buy photographic art, post travelogues and make travel plans. They can even order tea, coffee and cookies - and pay what they like. More at http://kunzum.com/travelcafe.

---------------------------------------------------------C O N TACT U S Aj a y Ja i n | a j a y @ a j a y j a i n . c o m | + 9 1 . 9 9 1 0 0 4 4 4 7 6 S h r u t i Sh a r m a | s h r u t i @ k u n z u m . c o m | + 9 1 . 9 8 11 9 8 4 5 4 5 LIN KS Online ht t p : / / k u n z u m . c o m

Facebook http://facebook.com/kunzum

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Tw i t t e r h t t p : / / t w i t t e r. c o m / k u n z u m

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A B O U T AJAY JAIN

Ajay Jain is a full time writer, journalist and photographer based in New Delhi in India. He is not limited in his medium of expression, equally comfortable writing for newspapers and magazines, as well as his own books and blogs.

Starting his writing career in 2001, he has been covering business, technology and youth affairs before deciding to focus wholly on travel writing. He pursues his passion by being on the road as much as he can.

He has written three books, the latest being Postcards from Ladakh (http://www.kunzum.com/ postcardsfromladakh), a pictorial travelogue on Ladakh. His first, Let ’s Connect: Using LinkedIn to Get Ahead at Work, is a management book on professional networking using the world’s most popular professional networking site LinkedIn.com. It was published in early 2008. His other book, and his first travel book, Peep Peep Don’t Sleep (http://www.peeppeepdontsleep.com), is a collection of funny road signs and advertisements.

H e h a s w o r ke d fo r a n d w r i t t e n c o l u m n s fo r n a t i o n a l p u b l i c a t i o n s i n I n d i a i n c l u d i n g T h e Hindustan Times, Mint, Financial Express, Indian Management (Business Standard), Outlook B u s i n e s s , D e c c a n H e ra l d , M u m b a i M i r r o r ( T i m e s o f I n d i a ) , D i s c o v e r I n d i a , S w a g a t , A s i a n A g e a n d R e d i f f. c o m . H e h a s a l s o e d i t e d a y o u t h n e w s p a p e r, T h e C a m p u s Pa p e r.

P r i o r t o t a k i n g u p w r i t i n g , h e h a s w o r ke d i n t h e I n fo r m a t i o n Te c h n o l o g y a n d S p o r t s M a n a g e m e n t sectors. He holds degrees Mechanical Engineering (Delhi College of Engineering, 1992), M a n a g e m e n t ( F o r e S c h o o l o f M a n a g e m e n t , 1 9 9 4 ) a n d J o u r n a l i s m ( C a r d i f f U n i v e r s i t y, U K , 2 0 0 2 ) . H i s s c h o o l i n g w a s a t S t . C o l u m b a ’s S c h o o l i n N e w D e l h i .

C ontact Email: ajay@ajayjain.com Mobile: +91.99100 44476 LINKS Fa c e b o o k : h t t p : / / f a c e b o o k . c o m / a j a y j a i n 9 Tw i t t e r : h t t p : / / t w i t t e r. c o m / a j a y j a i n L i n ke d I n : h t t p : / / w w w. l i n ke d i n . c o m / i n / a j a y j a i n 9