Travel: Chail, A quickie to Hills for Snow :)

Last weekend, we a bunch of friends drove up to the hills till 'Chail' to have some snow...


Who cares to party on a Friday night till morning if you can drive into the Himalayas to see the Sun coming out in a glory from behind the Hills ;)




And if you think that you need to go to Europe to see such things... This is for you. And this is not at all a high altitude :)


To beat the sub-zero temperature...


And our drive this time, DCS's trusty Zen...

Architecture: Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (Victoria Terminus)

The building as we see from outside...


The grand entry to the building with solid doors and solid granite columns...


The multidimensional arch over the local ticket hall...



The grand dining hall...

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus), designed by F.W. Stevens, is an architectural marvel because of the unique blend of influences from Victorian Italianate Gothic Revival architecture and Indian traditional buildings. This building, originally planned as the office of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway is presently the Headquarters of Central Railway.
The construction started in 1878 and took a decade to complete. Stevens designed this monumental Terminus as the largest building then erected in Asia which, even to this day, is a standing testimony of his of his innovative talent. It symbolized Bombay as the 'Gothic City' and a major international mercantile port of India having a distinct impression on many important buildings of that time in the city, thus truly becoming a pioneer in its style and grandeur. Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus building has been inscribed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in July 2004.
(Text: Central Railway)

This building is open for public for first time ever since it was built. With an entry fee of INR200 (100 for students with valid ID card) and is open from 3PM to 5PM, Monday to Friday. The fee includes a guided tour of the building and refreshments. Photography is allowed (the best part).

Kala Ghoda Art Festival 2013

Kala Ghoda Art Festival in Mumbai is on from 2nd Feb to 10th of Feb this year.

Few glimpses from the festival on inauguration day.

Street Food in Mumbai

I am here in Mumbai for work since last few days... and this time seems that I am just exploring the wide variety of awesomely delicious 'Street Food' that this city offers.
Yesterday only, I was walking randomly towards Andheri Station with some spare time in hand and got to see a small shop packed with stuff like Sev (An Indian crunchy noodle like snack made from chickpeas) and Muri (Puffed Rice). These things are mostly used to make popular snacks like SevPoori and BhelPoori. Out of curiosity I stopped over. The time was around 3.30 and the shop was almost empty, I ordered one plate of 'Sev Poori' and the preparation style of the guy made me to take the camera out and to start the conversation with the guy 'Ram Janam Prajapati' to hear the story of their famous SevPuri and BhelPuri.
'Sri Sainath Bhelpuri' is the name of the shop on the approaching road to Andheri railway station from Highway and the shop can be distinguished by itself with the amount of stocked food material. It is very close to the station actually. Ram and his family members sell more than 1000 plates of BhelPuri, SevPuri, Ragda Patis, DahiPuri and PaaniPuri everyday. The crowd infront of the shop just goes dense as the Sun goes down. I cound not resist and tasted BhelPuri and Ragda Patis along with the SevPuri I ordered though I was totally full. And the way the guy was preparing the stuff was just amazing, it was like a dance to me... A must try if you are near by or passing through... And enjoy few of the random photographs for your taste buds ;)






In the making...


Some art...




Sev Puri


Paani Puri


Ragda Patis (This is made of Yellow peas and potato)

And now... Keep waiting for the post on Vada Pav... Yumm ;)

Travel: Lodurva Jain Temple, Jaisalmer

Lodrawa (Lodurva or Lodarva) is a village in Jaisalmer district, Rajasthan, India. Situated 15 km to the north-west of Jaisalmer, it was ancient capital of the Bhatti dynasty till 1156 AD, when Rawal Jaisal shifted it to present Jaisalmer, when he founded the of Jaisalmer state.

In the 9th century, Deoraj, a famous prince of the Bhati Rajput clan, captured Lodhruva from another Rajput clan and made it his capital. The city stood on an ancient trade route through the Thar Desert, which also vulnerable to frequent attacks. Mahmud of Ghazni laid siege on the city in 1025 AD, in the coming decades the city, now more vulnerable was repeatedly attacked by foreign invaders. Later it was again attack and sacked by Muhammad Ghori in 1152 AD, which eventually led to its abandonment and established in new capital Jaisalmer by subsequent ruler, Rawal Jaisal, 16-km away on a more secure Trikuta Hill in 1156 AD, where the present fortress stand today.

The place was also the setting for the doomed-loved story of Princess Mumal and Mahendra, the prince of Amarkot, recounted in local folklore and songs.

(Source: Wikipedia)

CupCakes :)

From a recent shoot... Never thought these CupCakes will be so much of Fun :)
More details on 'The Sweet Tooth Factory' will follow soon.

From 2012 to 2013...

What a crazy year it was, the 2012 and when it was about to end, it was almost maddening from the work front... Still a complete year with its own shades of ups and falls... And with many new hopes for the coming time :)



As the last Sun of the year 2012 goes down behind the sand dunes somewhere remote in Rajasthan where I manages to spend some quite and me time... I wish you all a very happy time ahead in year 2013.
I believe, the new rays in 2013 will give us new hope and a peaceful time ahead with a better society to live in. Cheers.