And the 'Year 2013' comes to an end...

Last few months are going literary crazy at work (happy happy wala crazy) and I hardly realized the whole year passed by... And the last shoot of the year is from Jaipur, Rajasthan. Never thought that covering 'Maitri Mela' for 'Bal Bhavan Jaipur' will be so hectic and tiring, but no doubt it was super fun to run behind 100+ kids for 3 continuous days and capturing their innocent expressions...

It definitely was a brilliant end to the year 2013... :)

Winter in Bhubaneswar

I came from Delhi to Bhubaneswar last week only, and it was such a relief to get rid of those layered fabrics and back to the street with those shorts and summer tees. With the lowest temperature of 18-22 degree range what else one could expect!!!

But to my surprise, last night (around midnight), while on my way back home, I found this guy and could not resist to stop and get a click of him. He was fully protected and was enjoying the bon-fire at 21 degrees :O

TCS Bhubaneswar

TCS's new building at it's Bhubaneswar campus is ready. And it definitely is a nice piece of architecture with use of multiple materials and some interesting shading devices.

Nottingham Tram Ride

Just now, while looking for a file, I came to see this year old photograph clicked back in Nottingham during my student days. This particular photograph was clicked at the last Tram station 'Hucknull', as I used to take the tram till the last station to get myself relaxed and of-course to see the city and its 'pretty faces' ;)

Travel: ChandraGiri, Odisha

Chandragiri, in Gajapati district of Odisha State is widely famous for its Tibetan refugee settlement. About 80 kilometers from Berhampur town and 260 odd kilometers from the capital town Bhubaneswar, Chandragiri at 3200 feet above MSL (Mean Sea Level) is a real scenic beauty. A place surrounded with a variety of landscapes, rivers, hill tops etc.

After Chinese invasion in 1959, 85000 Tibetans were forced to flee and seek shelters in India and other places. Odisha was chosen as one of the six major settlements, and the then Government choose Chandragiri as the place and made arrangements for their accommodation as climatically, it is cooler than other regions of the state. The first batch of refugees were arrived on 1st May 1963. These settlements were divided into 5 different camps.

The first Glance of the Monastery...

Religious bounties everywhere... And if you have traveled in North, you will realize that you are in a different world.

From far before reaching the place, one can see the glimpses of prosperity in the region, when compared to the other rural parts of Odisha. The bad narrow road suddenly becomes wider and fine. There is greenery everywhere with maze fields till your eye can reach. And neat settlement areas. Tibetans are known for their hard work and religious nature, they strictly follow their religious traditions and rituals. They actually have converted the barren land in to lush green and are actually self-sustaining. The area is known for Maze and carpet weaving. The Tibetans have now adopted the place and are well acclimatized.

Is not it amazing!

How to Travel?
- The nearest airport is in Bhubaneswar, 260 kms away.
- Nearest railway station is in Berhampur, 80 kms away.
- Own private vehicle or a rented car with good ground clearance is a good choice.
- NH 5 from Bhubaneswar till Berhampur is excellent, but the state highway is single lane and currently in a bad shape. The road widening work is in full swing and may take another quarter or so to be completed.
- Local transport in form of Bus is also available from Berhampur.
- A day trip from Bhubaneswar is very much possible but to explore the place, my suggestion is to spend a night there. There also is a private run guest house near the Monastery as well as OTDC rest-house at Tapta-Paani. Taptapaani is 30 kms from Chandragiri.

What not to miss!
- 'Tapta Paani' hot water spring. It is just 50 kms from Berhampur and is just beside the road.
- 'Tapta Paani' also has a government guest house and is a good place to stay.
- Digapahandi is the biggest market area en-route. This is the junction road connecting Bhanjanagar and Ichchapuram.
- If you are a foodie, do try desi (local) chicken in the only dhaba at Luhagudi. It is a very small junction with a road diversion to Mohana and is about 30 kms after Digapahandi. 3 and 1/2 stars for the food there.
- The drive thru the dense forest and hills is bliss, especially the 10-15 kms stretch after Taptapaani.

Mercedes-Benz G55 AMG

Diwali morning was spent with few close friends and these muscles. Awesome it was. And let me reveal the truth, this absolute beauty is a very detailed scale model.
This particular one is Mercedes-Benz G55 AMG. Many of us may not be aware of meaning of G of this G series Mercedes-Benz. G stands for 'Gelandewagen' or 'Cross-country vehicle'.

Happy Diwali 2013

Wish you all a very very happy and prosperous Deepawali...

Travel: Jaisalmer, Rajasthan

Jaisalmer city as seen from Jaisalmer Fort. The city was also known as Golden city because of the color of the local stone used for construction. It actually glows to glory along with Sun set...

Love for Architecture

'Architecture should speak of its time and place,but yearn for timelessness'
-Frank Gehry-

Last week, I just wrapped the regular architectural shoot at 'World Trade Center, Manesar' (SpireEdge). Numerous times and numerous shots from the main atrium since last one year and I am yet to get enough of this space, every time I do look around I feel a joy in my heart and something new. It definitely shows me a combination of art and engineering and a brilliant blend of nature. A properly designed space to me where I can just sit and stair at corners for hours...

Travel: Odisha State

Few glimpses of Beautiful Odisha... that I got to see during my visit last month.

Road to Heaven...

BLISS

Philin Fear

With all your good wishes and blessings of the almighty... things are much better in Odisha as the major fear/phase of Cyclone Philine is passed. The damage is huge but thankfully there is minimum loss of lives. Still there is rain and wind in some parts of the state and there is a new threat of FLOOD. Lets hope for the best and wish that people of Odisha will overcome this natural calamity again.

P.S. The photograph above was clicked during my visit to Odisha last month, somewhere in the interiors of Gajapati district.

Bloggers Meet: Wokamama, Gurgaon

This Friday, we a bunch of food bloggers/bloggers from Delhi were hosted by 'Wokamama', a pan Asian restaurant in Gurgaon, Delhi NCR.

I will like to share some visuals from that afternoon who treated my taste buds really well and I hope to share the specialties of each platter posted below in a separate blog-post sometime later.

 To start with 'Sate Lilit Ayam'

'Salmon Nigri and Tuna Nigri'

'Prawn Tempura'

'Vegetable Tempura'

The deadly Green Chili Mix... though it looks like a sweet dish, tastes just opposite. Put a pinch in the mouth and it punches back in 5 seconds.

Squids anyone!! 'Butter Pepper Garlic Squid'

This has a fantastic aroma... 'Chicken Tom Kha Soup'

My first time ever... Raw Papaya as major ingredient in 'Sum Tham Salad'

'Chicken Pesto Salad' for Non-vegetarians...

Every other stuff which were keep coming uninturuptedly was just brilliant. And the next one was just something that I never expected beyond Odia and bengali food... Shallow fried Fish roasted in a banana leaf wrap, and of course with a Thai touch. It was totally different in taste and not to mention, it was really good.

Another delicious stuff... 'Pla Pad Karcha'

 'Chinese Sticky Rice'

'Guilin Egg Plant'

Also some 'Indonesian Fish'

After being stuffed with all these delicacies, all one can expect is just something very little for the sweet buds. But to our surprise, the trail was not over. The Chef came walking with a greeny greeny noodles, and it hardly impressed me with the looks, and I almost decided to skip it. So damn wrong i was... with the request from Mr. Singh, I had a tea spoon of this 'Green Curry Noodles with Basil'. It was enough to reactivate my taste buds, and I almost ate half of what you are seeing in the image below :D

 So here is the Show-Stopper... 'Green Curry Noodles with Basil'

With much hesitation, every-one just agreed to taste two of the signature desserts from the Wokamama kitchen. And to our utter surprise, everything happily managed to get stuffed in our stomach ;)

Mr. Singh explaining us the secrets of 'Coconut Pan Cake'...

I am not at all a fan of coconut, but this was delicious enough to break the jinx. The tender coconut stuffing is little sweeter and was just perfect to me.

And the last bite... 'Mocca Rage' with coffee ice-cream.

And the Group, who contributed to a really good time. Cheers everyone.

Wokamama: Truly Pan Asian
Category: Chinese, Thai. Japanese, Burmese, Indonesian
Price: INR 600-750 avg. per person.
Address: Main Nathupur Road, DLF Phase III, Gurgaon
Web: www.wokamama.in
Phone: 0124-4969191
Timing: 1200 to 1530 hours
            1900 to 2330 hours