Give Mother Earth a chance - Celebrate Earth Hour

Try to keep all lights switched off today (Saturday, 28th March) from 8:30pm-9:30pm.
For more information, check http://www.earthhour.org/home/

The memory of the Nilgiris brought with it lines from a song from an old Hindi movie called "ये रास्ते है प्यारके"

ये पर्बतोंके दायरे ये शामका धुँआ

ऐसेमे कोई छेड़ दे दिलोंकी दास्ता

Never travel as a tourist

I was reading up the “Wanderlust” column in Economic Times’s yesterday's edition of Corporate Dossier. In answer to the last question on Traveller Tips, Neville Tuli had the following to say:

“Treat each place like home, never travel as a tourist, and love each corner, we belong everywhere.”

I sat wondering. Have I ever traveled not as a tourist? Maybe, never! Take for instance my trip to Ooty last year. I fell in love with the Nilgiris and I don’t think the love affair will ever end. But while I was there for four days, I was a tourist through and through.

I wanted to get as much sightseeing as possible done in that period. I wasn’t content looking at the tall tree swaying in the evening mist – just outside my window.

I walked through the market place. But my eyes were searching for things to take home. I never even once thought of savoring the hustle-bustle around me, the slight nip in the air or the misty magical time as the evening descended on the valley.

I hurried in the direction of the hotel before the sunset – afterall, I wasn’t used to the cold. I never paused to watch as the valley below disappeared in the shroud of darkness.

In short, I wanted to do all the “tourist” things and ended up doing just that. In a way, I was right. Who knew if I will ever go that way again? I wanted to make sure I saw everything that was supposed to be seen and did everything that was supposed to be done.

But Neville Tuli has changed it all for me. Next time I go visit the Nilgiris (I hope to God it’s this year!), I am not going to think about the return flight to Mumbai. I am going to try and have the same room as last time and watch the valley wake up in the wee hours of the morning. I am going to stroll through the market place as if there’s no tomorrow. And I am going to walk back slowly to the hotel till the last of the Nilgiris disappears in the darkness.

I am going to be completely at home :-)

Have you heard of a voting booth being set up for just one person? If what I heard in the program on the FM Gold channel is true, one will be set up in Gujarat’s Gir forest for one person who stays in an Ashram there! And no matter when he votes, the election personnel will have to be present in the booth from 8am to 5pm – along with security people!

The RJs who gave this tidbit were all praise for the Great Indian Democracy. But I wondered if it wouldn’t be much simpler, not to mention cheaper, to arrange for that person to vote at a neighbouring polling booth. I know, I know, the law might not allow it. But whosoever said that laws can’t be broken in India? For a change, this time it will do a teeny weeny bit good to the country!

I am surprised there isn’t any news about people protesting on streets or burning up anything that looks like it will burn if torched. Didn’t the newspapers in West Bengal report on what Buchanan did to Dada? :-)

एक फोरवर्डेड एसएमएस

मिलना बिछड़ना सब किस्मतका खेल है

कही नफरत कही दिलोंका मेल है

बिक जाता है हर रिश्ता दुनिया मै

सिर्फ़ "दोस्ती"ही यहाँ "Not For Sale" है

Indian Limo

Wanna have your very own Limo in India? Check this site out http://indianlimo.com/ :-)