Cycle Rickshaw

One of the mode of transport used in Jaipur is the Cycle Rickshaw. It is used mostly to transport goods. 

At times they do take passengers too but many are uncomfortable sitting in it at the thought of being pulled by another human being. Before starting the rickshaw driver pulls it by hand for a short distance to gain momentum.  

Another form of transport is the "tuk tuk"  

Here our tuk tuk driver was so confident of his driving skills that he was looking back and pitching his sales talk of the places that he could take us for a small fee. 

In case you are wondering about the horse on the road, he is probably waiting for the next customer in front of the shop where you get Horses and Elephants on hire.

Talking of elephants, from the top of Amer fort I saw the elephants plodding down the slope to get the next batch of tourists. It was tough for the elephants especially when going down hill. (see video) After reading about the elephants being tortured to "train them" I wonder why jeeps (with four wheel drive) are not used to transport the tourists. 

There is a large cooking vessel on top of Amer fort. Wonder what is the point of discussion here between the tourists and the guides. A good picture for a caption contest. What is your caption? 

Imagination of a child

 I remember the days when I used to play with these wooden toys. I especially remember the tram (which looked something like this) and imagined me as a tram driver, driving all over Bombay. (yes Bombay had trams till 1964)

After all what is a toy? I think it is just an object which, in the hands of a child turns into the actual thing.  The way a child’s imagination soars with a toy is unimaginable. So when a child sits on this rocking horse, he gets himself transported to faraway places, fighting gallant wars, saving damsels in distress. . . . . .  the possibilities are endless, which only a child can imagine.

Saw the display of these toys last week while driving down from Bangalore to the Nilgiris.  On the way is a small town by the name of Channapatna which is famous for its wooden toys dating back to many generations.

Now they have come up with many more fancy stuff, like these wooden flower vase which is bound to have some international interest.

A plethora of musical instruments

and artists who play them

I have no idea how an abacus works so I wonder if this is a real one as I see only nine beads in some rows.

These squirrels (and the penguin) with an articulate body is a work of art.

Somebody has come up with this saving bank made of wood in a unique shape.

Are these Flamenco dancers?

Car seat cover with wooden beads

With a choice of so many toys, I observed a child picking up a colourful plastic toy (made in China)

The toys of Channapatna are made of wood and coloured with vegetable dyes. They are cost effective and safe for children to play with, provided parents encourage them.

It is not surprising that Michele Obama was impressed with the toys at Channapatna and bought some to be taken back to White House as mementoes.

The next time I pass by this town, I will make it a point to go into the interiors and visit some factories where these toys are made.

Sunset at the Nilgiris.

A three minute video showing more toys:

On the way - part 1

Traveling is boring for some and it is all the more so when it’s a daily routine - namely going to work.

Whether you travel by a car or a bus, observing your surroundings and the daily activities can be really interesting.

To start with, its interesting to watch the morning walkers getting along with their brisk morning walk.

If you are lucky you get to see the fag end of the combined exercise activity  by the senior citizens. Everyday the leader keeps changing but the exercise goes on. And then there is the laughter club which some find very amusing.

    The church opposite the Race course is probably one of the oldest one in Pune.

And when you look at it from the other side of the race course, it’s the only landmark in the horizon.

The race course is one of those exciting places. You get to see the horses taken for the early morning training. The horses are wary of the traffic and the cacophony, so the trainer has a tough time holding on to them till they reach the tracks.

Once on the track they just sail through the morning routine of warming up and alternating between a trot and a gallop.

Its good to see people on tracks having their morning walk while the horses move in the opposite direction.

After a good work out they are back in their stables for a much required  rest.

There is a cross road named Victoria road right next to the race course The name of this road reminds me of my school days as our school in Bombay was situated on  Victoria Road (not far from Victoria Garden)  Of course Bombay is now Mumbai,  Victoria Road is Mustafa bazaar and Victoria Garden is Rani baug.

Right behind the Victoria Road sign is the Southern Command Riding school where young guys get their training.

Come summer vacation and you can see a lot of activity here where young boys and girls get a real feel of the horse and horse riding. 

Talking of the Race course you get to see a lot of activity there. Apart from the horses being trained, you come across joggers (who have a different track)

And there are some who do the Surya namaskar the right way -facing the rising sun.

Some believe in walking backwards as they say that it is a better form of exercise.

And after all this the juice vendor is always there to give you your choice of juice.

 I am always fascinated with this tangle of roots and trunks. Wonder how old it is, standing there right on the perimeter of the Empress Garden.

This Garden is one of the oldest in Pune and has some huge trees. Just a sideways glance is enough for one to appreciate the foliage and dense growth there.

From time to time Empress Garden holds some good exhibition cum sale of flowers and saplings. On such days you can expect a minor traffic jam in the evening.

These sugar cane vendors are getting ready with their stock for the day, anticipating the rise in the temperature. The complete contraption is made of wood and is very cost effective. The family pitches in as it requires minimum two people to run the show.

(this is getting to be a long one. . . . . .  so will be continued in part 2)

Marina Beach Chennai

During a short trip  to Chennai recently, I decided to go to the Marina beach early in the morning to get some interesting shots. Though the weather was overcast, I did manage to click some pictures.

The first thing that caught my attention at the beach was the statue of the Italian Tamil scholar Constantine Joseph Beschi. 

I made a mental note about looking up this guy who was here in India three centuries ago. When I read about him later on the net I was dumbfounded.   

He was an Italian who landed in Madurai in 1711 to learn Tamil. This would be putting it mildly when one reads about him in detail. I leave it to you to read more about him in Wikipedia.

As I proceeded towards the sea, I saw these guys playing beach volley ball, only the team looked stronger with five on one side.

This boy with his horse was on the look out for some prospective customers for a horse ride.

There was this unusual sight where people were doing some sort of puja as per the directions of the pundit. They seemed to be at a loss about the sequence of the ritual and  simply followed directions, while I just went on clicking. 

Finally they picked up the banana leaves (on which they were doing the puja), went as close to the water as possible and threw it into the sea. 

Meanwhile another set of people sat down and started the whole procedure again.  

Curious, I asked one elderly man (who just finished the puja) the meaning of the ritual that was taking place. 

The man apparently knew a lot and was happy to explain it to me in detail “Today is Aadi Amavasi - new moon day. It is a day for Pithir Tharpanam, a day for praying for your forefathers.  A ghee lamp is lit, manthras are chanted,  bells toll, these were done for the souls to rest in peace. 

Sesame seeds are considered to be holy and is used in this puja along with grass”  

He went on “Aadi Amavasi is special as it is the first Amavasi in Dakshinayam - Sun’s southward journey"

Well that enlightened me a little, something like the ‘All Souls Day’ observed by the Catholics.

Looking at the bundle of leaves, I was sure that they were all prepared to take in any number of people who wanted to do the puja.

From the corner of my eye, I saw that that the enrollment was in progress for the next batch.  Maybe the picture is out of focus because it is a view from the corner of my eye :-)

I moved on.   The ‘Beach Volleyball’ continued . . . . . . .

 and this boy (horse rider) was still looking for customers.

Two fishing boats were pulled up on the beach. The over cast sky made it a perfect setting for Aadi Amavasi. 

I think there are more photographs than text in this post, but then, why not let the the photographs speak for themselves for a change.