Delhi's Yamuna ...

I am sure, someone is going to ask me what's the big deal about Delhi's Yamuna? Every one knows Yamuna more as a filthy drain and less as a river cutting across the length of the national capital.

But what many Delhiites are not aware of is the wonderful Yamuna stretch upstream of Wazirabad bridge. Take a look ...

 

 

Yes, this is Yamuna in Delhi

This wonderful river is very much the Yamuna in Delhi.

And this place is very much accessible.











But the unfortunate part is, neither many people know about this nor they make any effort to know. 

  

I recently went to these and many other places along the Yamuna bank. There were very bad stretches too. But here I want to showcase only the beautiful ones. And the group I was travelling with had wonderful encounters. More about all such adventures in the next blog post.

 

My Goan Temple

Many people equate Goa with beaches and the foaming sea. But there's more to Goa that this. I can actually boast about it and say, yes, there is definitely more to Goa than the beaches and rave parties. Temples ... some dating back to more than 400 years old.

One such temple is the famous Shri Mahalasa Narayani temple in Mhardol village on the Panaji-Fonda road. Shri Mahalasa Narayani is our family deity, Kul Devataa or Kul Devi as we call it. (Kul - Clan/dynasty and Devi - Goddess).  

We, the Khandekars, are basically from the Konkan region of Maharashtra and hence our family deity is in that region, Goa to be precise. Well, today Goa is another state but earlier there were no political boundaries, least of all for family deities.

Mahalasa Narayani idol at the time of Sunday Palkhi

The temple (see left) is at Mhardol, just 1 km from Shri Mangeshi temple towards Fonda. Mahalasa, the principal deity worshipped is a form of Vishnu (Mohini during the fight between the Gods and the demons.

This photo (right) may look a bit odd view because of the two poles jutting out bang in the middle of the frame. But I chose this just to show the backdrop of the verdant hills.In fact, most temples in Fonda tehsil boast of a similar view as they are situated in a bowl like geographical feature due to surrounding hills.

The temple has a simple yet profoundly beautiful architecture. What stand out tall (literally and figuratively) are the two deep maalas (garlands of lamps, literal translation). There is this old brick and mortar deep maala which has small niches to keep small oil-lit diyas (lamps). The deep maala is cleaned and painted every year. It is decorated diyas in all niches on special occasions. This is believed to be as old as the temple, that is almost 400 years old. 

A close up of the old deep mala

There are various specialties of the temple. One, it is believed to be a 'living deity' as in, you wish for something at the Mahalasa Narayani's feet and she ensures your wish comes true. Another, this is apparently the only temple where a female deity - Goddess - wears a janeu (called the jaanave), the sacred thread worn by Brahmins. 

One of the devotees - or was it an entire family - donated this brass deep maala. This too is cleaned regularly and on special occasions - like the ongoing navaratri festival (nine nights worship of Goddess) each plate is filled with oil to host scores of jyotis (flame sticks). The close up can give an idea about the grandeur of the same deep maala as seen in the temple's second photo above.    

Sunday is Mahalasa Narayani's day. There is a special palakhi (palanquin) procession for the Goddess. The actual murti (idol) is not taken out of the sanctum sanctorum.Instead, a very beautiful, eye catching silver idol is decorated with all the jewellery and flowers and taken around the temple in a procession. Families like mine are called kulaavi (whose kul devi is Mahalasa Narayani). Most of the Kulaavis will try and attend the palakhi procession on Sunday.

 

 

Golden dome atop the sanctum sanctorum of Sriman Mahalasa Narayan

Families bring in their newly weds to seek blessings of their beloved Kul Devi. And in most of the cases, the Sunday pujas would be done by the newly weds. 

I personally believe that the temple visit offers two benefits. One, of course, you seek blessings of the deity - and get it. And the other, which is to be felt than spoken, is that the serene temple with its pristine surroundings have a soothing effect on one's mind. The visitor, he/she may be or many not be a devotee, leaves the temple rich with spiritual well being and mental calm.

Window to the World

Just as I have named my blog as 'Mere Dil Ki Nazar Se' (literally, the view from the point of view of my heart), the other day I bumped into an interesting blog The World from my window. You can read it here   

The blog author Maddie Grigg writes about her world, as she sees it, the same way, as I write about various things in the world, necessarily from my point of view. I was reminded of the idea recently when I visited a village in Madhya Pradesh. 

There, I met a woman, let me call her B seating in a small dark room. I wondered how she spent her time when she was through with her household chores? After a little while, sensing that I was a feeling a bit suffocated, she opened a wooden panel in the dark wall. 

And lo! Immediately opened a window to a beautiful blue sky.

View from the window of B staying in a village in Madhya Pradesh

A dry tree trunk dominated the frame for the outside world that was visible through the window. "I keep looking at the various shapes of clouds. It offers a whole new world," she explained.

Not much educated, not the one to move about freely in her surroundings, this window offered B her own little world to explore, all by herself and without anybodies objections. It was necessarily, her window to the world, albeit her own world ... of fantasies, of hopes and of dreams souring high in the blue sky. It was B's personal space that no one could violate.

Jugaad ... the great Indian improvisation

Much has been said and written about Jugaad, the great Indian way of getting things done with local resources and improvisations. Every now and then, one keeps meeting people who have improvised on small little things.

Last month, I had gone to Gadarwara, a small town in Madhya Pradesh to visit two of my friends, who run an NGO there. During a visit to the gaon ki chaupal ... the village's centre (literally, the village's common platform), I came across a simple yet effective example of jugaad!

Guess what is that? It is a discarded CD that has been attached to the mud guard of the bicycle's rear wheel to be used as a reflector. Hats off to the imagination of the rustic man who thought of this bright idea. 

Most rural roads do not have any lights and the area where this man possibly travels has a state highway among other roads too. This re-used CD yet again establishes two things, at least for me. One, that given a chance, the rustic wisdom can come up with wonderful innovations. And, second, which is more important socially, is penetration of electronic waste (e-waste) right till such interior areas. One a cause of joy, the other of worry.

Heritage versus Development

Downtowns in any metropolis have a nostalgia value for a city, akin to childhood memories. Chandni Chowk in Delhi or Coloba or for that matter Girgaum in Mumbai are the best examples, I feel. And I recently discovered, this is not restricted to just Indian cities but a global phenomenon I guess.

During my trip to Singapore, I visited the Chinatown area, the city’s favourite shopping area for budget tourists. The small area on the Pagoda street lie ensconced between high rises with modern designs, mostly glass façade.      

The development versus heritage debate has plagued nearly every metropolitan city and for that matter, all upwardly mobile urbane centres.

 

Instantly I recalled Colaba and Girgaum … and yes, Delhi’s own ethnic heart, the Chandni Chowk. Slowly but steadily, the old charm goes missing as one by one, the dilapidated old designed buildings give way to high rises, almost all looking the same. The similarity was so striking; I couldn’t resist taking a picture showcasing the contrast.

And the worst part was the huge iron beams jutting out of the ground bang in the middle of the Pagoda street (right) ... right next to a heritage structure.

The colourful old buildings using mostly local resources and more important showcasing traditional architecture offered a contrast to the all-look-the-same buildings that are so-to-say ultramodern but not at all visually appealing. I always wonder, why can’t the architects stick to traditional methods that have a sensible use of local weather friendly designs? These rely on locally available materials that reduce carbon footprint.

Governments world over first encourage the builder lobbies to go for power-guzzling modern designs and the then go on to make efforts to save the built heritage. Delhi is no exception. While we have solid examples by way of, to name just one, Humayun’s Tomb – made famous by US president Barack Obama’s visit in November – and the grand havelis of the walled city, there are these ugly looking buildings in jutting out on the edge of the colonial era Connaught Place.  

Singapore, on its part has tried to conserve its past with a ‘Chinatown Heritage Centre’ housed within three beautifully restored shops on the Pagoda Street. I am not aware how popular it is amongst Singaporeans, but the government has at least made an effort.

Back home at Delhi, there is this ‘Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation (SRDC) which has been trying to “restore” the lost glory of the walled city that the Mughal king Shahjahanabad built on the Yamuna bank. But even when old havelis of Chandni Chowk are giving way to newer construction, the government response is as slow as it can be.  

 What is the solution to the development versus the heritage debate? I think the answer lies in an adage one of my friends put for environment. Replacing the ‘environment’ with ‘heritage’, I can say: Put heritage first and development will LAST; put development first, heritage would be LOST.

Delhi's Flower Show

Many people feel - and that is what the Tourism Department advocates too - that winter months are the best season to "see" Delhi. But I believe that the national capital can be "seen" in any season round the year. Why tourists, even Delhi denizens themselves do not see other months as 'livable' and crib about the oppressive heat and humidity.  

But did you know that Delhi is as beautiful as ever in peak summer too? April end and May are the months that clearly are the best for Delhi roads what with over a dozen flowering trees showcasing variety of hues.

It was in May 1996 that I had come to Delhi for the first time when I saw rows and rows of Amaltas (Indian Laburnum) trees with dollops of lemon yellows. Circa 2011, I had this wonderful opportunity to 'document' the flowering trees of Delhi.

Digital grab of the full page report that was published in Hindustan Times on May 16, 2011

The photos by my colleague Ajay Agrawal were wonderful and so was the design of the page. In fact, the entire HT team was flooded with compliments that day for the beautiful page. For those who cannot read the page above, no worries! Please find the report below as it was published. But then, here instead of Ajayji's photos, the write up is interspersed with photos that I clicked.

So here I go:

The scent of summer and a flower show

Have you ever noticed the liberal sprinkling of bright lemon yellow dotting the city’s streets and parks this time of the year? No points for guessing that it’s Amaltas. And for that matter, have bunches of Gulmohar colouring the summer sky in hues of crimson, red and even light orange caught your eye?    

Mind you, Amaltas and Gulmohar are just two of the swathes of colour that can be witnessed around this time of the year. Contrary to general perception about summer being a dry and hot season, this is the season when nearly every area of the Capital witnesses a range of flowering trees in full bloom.

Subhash Chandra, former director (horticulture) of New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), says, “Summer flowering of trees in Delhi is very special with Amaltas, Gulmohar, Jarul (Pride of India), Barna, Plumerias, Kanakchampa, Sita Ashok and Ashok competing with each other in adding colour and joy to an otherwise dull, hot summer.”

But have you noticed?

Pride of India

 Even if you are not someone who cares about the carbon footprint, cycling on the city’s road, especially early in the morning can be a good opportunity to observe these trees. Says Nalin Sinha, founder of the Delhi Cycling Club, “While cycling, you discover lots of things which otherwise you might miss.”

  

Indian Mast Tree (Ashok

If you don’t want to cycle, you can enjoy these blooming beauties while waiting for the traffic signal to turn green. If you are lucky to have a driver — or are in a bus — just look around to spot this abundance of colour in nature.  

Nandita Das, who travels seven km daily to work, says, “I capture flowering trees often in my mobile phone and share it with my friends on Facebook. I feel, we Delhiites are lucky as compared to other big cities.”  

The wide roads and parks in the NDMC area throw up colourful surprises every few metres. The roads and parks maintained by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), too, have ample colour at this time of the year.

Pradip Krishen, the author of Trees of Delhi, a wonderful field guide about the Capital’s green wealth, says, “Like canaries in a mineshaft, one had expected the city’s trees to become early casualties in this dreadful unfolding of cause and effect. That this did not happen is a tribute to Delhi’s civic authorities. This is no small achievement in the face of an intense hunger for land.”

Amaltas (Indian Laburnum)

I had also given a long list of places where to 'spot' these flowering trees. For those who missed it this summer, better luck next time. 

A morning in a forest home

The exception to the rule days when  I get up really early is when I am traveling. It was August of 2009. I was visiting a friend who runs an NGO in Madhya Pradesh's Kaththewada block near Jhabua. Unlike the late riser that I have become now-a-days, there I woke up a little after sunrise.

Looking out of the window instantly brought me out of the slumber. I sought my camera and started capturing images of the bounty of nature around me. My friend's home is right in the middle of a fairly dense vegetation in a small village surrounded by hills.

 It was a bright sunny morning after two days of continuous rains. The lush green carpet on the ground made for a soothing atmosphere. Birds chirping and squirrels running around just added that extra dash of being in harmony with nature.

And yet, it was so calm and sere. It was a visual treat. And I am sure, each one of you must have experienced such a thing sometime or the other. 
 
I started exploring the nearby areas. If not for a morning walk, for capturing more images of the morning in a jungle and in general for being with nature.

First and the foremost thing that caught my attention was a variety of ficus. Was it a banyan tree? I am not sure. But the leaves did resemble that of the banyan tree, the bargad ka ped as we say in Hindi.

I simply loved the entangled roots/branches that formed a mesh around the main invisible trunk of the tree. The branches/roots of a banyan tree generally grow around it, very near and spread outwards. But in this case, these were actually strangling the trunk. But I was quickly told this too is common, specially in this variety of ficus. This particular tree was not a huge one with a large canopy. But ficus category trees are wonderful.

Time spent in the company of trees, a wonderful morning in the forest that I treasure till date. 

Dharaji Again

Dharaji, the serene place that is now submerged under Narmada dam waters was the topic of my first post when I started this blog. You can read it here. I am still hooked to its beauty and I am sure, anybody and everybody who has seen the place will share my feelings.

The vast expanse of the Holy Narmada before submergence

 This was how it looked before. I had taken this photograph in March 2007. Incidentally, large quantity of water was released daily from an upstream hydel project that would submerge the place as much as it is now, only a little less. It would start in the evening at the dam site upstream and would reach  Dharaji by 9 pm or so. But that phenomenon lasted only for few hours and once the water discharge upstream was stopped, the level would return to normal. It would generally happen around dawn.

 

Possibly the same angle from where one of the current photos has been taken (see link)

There was this small inspection hut belonging to the forest department from where I captured this image. I believe it is still there. The reason for remembering the wonderful geographical - and equally mystical - pilgrim centre is a series of photos of what it looks now. I accidentally bumped into it while searching on the net for something else.

 Someone has taken great pains to photograph the 'look' now and post it on the wikimapia site. You can see it here

Prayers and more prayers ... nothing more comes to my mind when I see this and remember how it was.

Mayawati's Advaita Ashrama

After a long gap, I am writing again about Mayawati and the Advaita Ashrama there. January 12 happens to be birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902). An inspiration for me since my childhood, I am still fascinated by his life and his works.

"After so much austerity I have understood this as the real truth - God

is present in every jiva (living being); there is no other God besides that.

'Who serves jiva serves God indeed"

This Ashrama was founded in 1899 by Swamiji's British disciple couple Capt J H Sevier and his wife C E Sevier. Swami Swarupananda, Swami Vivekananda's another disciple, was with them since the beginning and later went on to become the first president of the Advaita Ashrama. 

The place is situated at an altitude of 6,400 feet in the deep sylvan Himalayas. The nearest town is Lohaghat, 9 kms away. Although Mayawati is connected to Lohaghat with an all weather road, it can be a lovely trek, both on the winding tar road or through the hills, a short cut used by locals. Lohaghat is 15 kms away from Champawat district headquarters by the same name in Uttarakhand.

Swamiji spent almost two weeks in January 1901. The name Advaita Ashrama is a direct reflection of the Advaita Vedanta philosophy as propounded by Swamiji. It teaches each one to look within as there is only one Atman pervading all living beings and the Universe.

If you are not able to understand what I say, find out the complete works of Swami Vivekananda asap and start reading pronto.

More about the time we spent there when we visited the hypnotic place in August last year. And also about a wonderful charitable hospital that is run by the Rama Krishna Mission in this remote place.