कभी बंद कमरों से निकल कर तो देखो,

ज़िन्दगी के असली रंग में रम कर तक देखो,

क्या पता ज़िन्दगी बदल जाए,

कभी इसको समय देकर तो देखो।

आसमान पर नज़रे हैं,
ज़मीन पर कदम,
खुर्शीद के इंतजार में आंखे बिछाए,
यूंही सोगए हम।

एक डोर हैं जो चूटती नहीं,
गाठ पड़ने पर भी साथ चोड़ती नहीं।

कहानी एक शहर की

आओ सुनाऊं एक कहानी, जिसमें ना राजा हैं ना रानी,

बात होगी एक शहर की, जिसके चरों तरफ हैं पानी।

सड़को के निशान नहीं, क्यूंकि नाव करती ह यहां सवारी।

उची इमारतें हैं लाल रंगों में लिपटी,

अनेक कहानियां हैं इनमें सिमटी।

सदियों पुराना ये शहर है,

तब भी पानी पर स्थिर है।

यहां तो घर भी म्यूज़ियम लगते हैं,

ना जाने लोग इसमें कैसे रहते हैं।

अद्भुत, अतुलनीय, शब्द कम पड़ जाएंगे,

इसकी खूबसूरती के आगे सब ढल जाएंगे।

क्यूंकि इंसान की फितरत है बिगाड़ना,

पर इस शहर को उसी ने सूधारा।

वक़्त के साथ इंसान बदला और सोच भी,

और वक़्त के साथ ये शहर भी हुआ परिवर्तित।

आज पानी घरों के अंदर हैं,

कहते हैं climate change is असर है।

मानो ना मानो कुछ तो चेंज हुआ

शहर के नक्शे कुछ तो बदला हैं।

वक़्त रहते संभाल गया तो बच जाएगा,

वरना मोहेंजदारो की तरह किताबो में आयेगा।

Pby Ricardo Gomez Angel

Should death sentence be retained or abolished?

Death penalty is an act that gives the right to take the life of a person. It is done to prevent criminals. But isn’t killing the person who killed some other person, is doing the same act but with the consent of the authorities? We hate people who kill other people and to show how much we hate them, we are sentencing them to death. Are we not against the act of killing? To quote American novelist Wendell Berry, “Violence breeds violence. Acts of violence committed in ‘justice’ or in affirmation of ‘rights’ or in defense of ‘peace’ do not end violence. They prepare and justify its continuation.”

Article 21 of part three of the Indian Constitution states, “No person can be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to the procedure established by law.” Article 72, Chapter one part five of the Constitution gives power to the President of India to grant pardon, remit sentence or to suspend the sentence of the accused. Under Part five, Chapter four, Article 134(1) the Constitution provides that cases in which the High Court has reversed the order of acquittal of the accused person on appeal and sentenced him to death or took back any case from the lower court for trial and sentence the accused to death, are to be appealed in the Supreme Court. The Governor can give authority to Regional or District Council in case of capital cases, under sixth Schedule, Part five (1). Though Death sentence is constitutional in India, many people in the constituent assembly were opposed to it. Babasaheb Ambedkar, the father of Indian Constitution said, “They certainly, adhere to the principle of non-violence as a moral mandate which they ought to observe as far as they possibly can ... the proper thing for this country to do is to abolish the death sentence altogether.” In India death sentence is given in “rarest of the rare” cases.

The judges are human too and humans are supposed to make errors. There are a variety of judges and they have their own stand on capital punishment. Death penalty could result in killing innocent people and this is the real risk to it. An example of this inadequacy can be seen in the Indian Supreme Court judgements. 14 retired judges wrote to the President of India in 2012 that they had mistakenly given death penalty to 15 people since 1996. Two of the accused in the mistaken list were already hanged. Such high error rate is unacceptable. Killing an innocent person is a horrendous act even if it is by judiciary’s mistake.

There is also a difference in judgement for similar incidents.  A study conducted by the Asian Centre for Human Rights, states that “conscience” varies from judge to judge, depending upon his “attitudes and approaches, predilections and prejudices” In Vashram (2002) and Sudam (2011) case both killed their wife and children. Vashram’s sentence was commuted whereas Sudam was sentenced to death.  According to a study conducted by Amnesty International and the People’s Union for Civil Liberties have shown that the decision regarding the death sentence is biased and arbitrary. In the United States of America the death penalty given to the blacks for killing the whites was more as compared to the penalty given to the whites for killing the blacks. This shows the discrimination of judiciary on the basis of race.

The judgement of the judiciary is guided by the investigations done by the police. If proper investigation is not done, the result would be partial. Many confessions are taken by torturing the accused. In the Arushi Talwar murder case the investigation done by the police was baseless which led to the sentencing of the parents to life imprisonment which was later rebuked.

Many countries like Iran and Sudan take advantage of capital punishment for taking revenge from their political rivals. There have been many incidents in the past where death penalty was used to curb the political rivals. Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev were hanged to death by the Britishers.  At the time of execution Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev were 23 and Rajguru was 22. Punishment is meant to help a person reform but capital punishment gives no importance to reformation, it focuses more on vengeance.

Death penalty is supported by politicians because they want to be seen as people who are tough on crime. They want to politicise everything for their vote bank. Death penalty may end the life of a person in fractions of seconds but the cost involved is more in a death sentence than keeping the person in prison.

Most people serving death sentence are poor or from backward classes. People who are wealthy approach the Supreme Court and common people who are poor are not able to go to the upper court. The lawyers also lose interest in their cases because the accused cannot even pay them.

The prisoners on death row have to go through psychological torture till the judges decide their fate. A study conducted by National Law University shows that there is an average of five years between arrest and sentencing. During this gap, the prisoners have to face many atrocities. The National Law University carried out a study in 2016 and came to the conclusion that a high percentage, (approximately 94 per cent) of the death row convicts are the poor, Dalits or Muslims. The death row convicts are not able to sleep because of the uncertainty of their fate. Their mental health is deteriorated in the prison due to the lengthy judicial process. Some prisoners commit suicide during this process. This is a complete violation of human rights. They have to live every day in fear because they have no idea what is about to happen to their life.

Apart from the accused the executioners also face trauma because of their employment. Nata Mullick who was a hangman till 1991 describes how he was not able to sleep peacefully because of his job. They have to go through psychological trauma because of their job. Most of the hangman takes the job because of poverty. It is then carried by their bloodline. Most of the hangmen in India are either from lower class or are poor.

In 2015  Kerala government was not able to employ an executioner. No person came forward to take the job. Earlier the hangman’s salary in Kerala was Rs. 500 per execution but with very little people willing to join, the Kerala government decided to hike the salary up to Rs. 2 lakh.

A study by Professor Michael Radelet and Traci Lacock of the University of Colorado found that death penalty as an effective deterrent is supported by only 12% of criminologist. The rest 88% do not support this view. There have been no study which proves that capital punishment is an effective way to deter crime.

According to the United Nations human rights experts, public execution does not serve any purpose to the public rather it only intensify the inhuman and disgraceful nature of the punishment. European Union has made “abolition of death penalty” as a prerequisite requirement for its membership. “All executions violate the right to life. Those carried out publicly are a gross affront to human dignity which cannot be tolerated,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

Solitary confinement till death, with no hope of parole is such a devastating punishment that a terrorist or any convicted criminal would welcome death. It is, therefore, better to keep the terrorist in confinement which may also give out a whole lot of information about the real people behind such dastardly acts.

According to Amnesty International 142 countries have banned capital punishment by 2017. As a progressive democratic nation, it is must be our agenda to have rule of law in place and not rule by law. Nazis used to have rule by law which is nothing but oppression of the people. Rule by law could lead to dictatorship which curbs the right of people. Laws pertaining to harm human rights should not be passed by the Executive. Respect for the rights of a fellow human being is a major concern and it should be adhered by the law and society.

If the public is in support of death penalty it does not mean that the government should abide by what the people say. There are many cases where many people have supported human rights violation. For example the lynchings are supported by a group of people but it does not mean that the government should also accept it. It is the job of the government to understand and take a decision to harmonise the condition in our society so that people are able to live with dignity and pride.

A look into India’s history texts such as Mahabharata will help to understand how crimes and punishment were treated at that time. The central theme of Mahabharata is crime and punishment. Ashwatthama was a well bred young man brought up in luxury surrounded by princes and kings. He was quite young, poised and modest. He was the son of the greatest archery teacher Drona. When the war started between the Kauravas and the Pandavas, Ashwatthama found himself to be on the wrong side. He gratefully accepted his defeat but his valour was appreciated by everyone. What pinched him the most in the war was that his father was killed by the Pandavas deceitfully. He felt his father was being cheated in the war by the Pandavas. He wanted to take revenge from the Pandavas for their deceitfulness. Burning with the feeling of revenge, Ashwatthama set fire to the sleeping victorious army of the Pandavas. The fire led to the death of Draupadi’s children. Draupadi was devastated and wanted to take revenge from him for the death of her children. Obeying Draupadi’s order the Pandavas captured Ashwatthama and brought him before Lord Krishna. They discussed various punishments for him and they all agreed that death will be an easy getaway for the crime he had done. Lord Krishna being a true companion of the Pandavas decided a severe punishment for Ashwatthama. Lord Krishna cursed that Ashwattama would wander on the earth for 3000 years, alone and unseen, stinking of blood and pus. This incident shows that even in history death sentence was never an option to punish a person for heinious crimes. The death penalty was considered as a lenient punishment for Ashwatthama and death would never made him suffer as the latter punishment did. However, this is again is a matter of debate, in modern times when we have different legal systems and different thought processes altogether.

Death penalty is usually given in accordance to the level of crime and role of the offender in the crime. Factors such as background of the offender and reformation of the offender in the future is not taken into consideration. “What does the law say? Don’t kill. How does the law say it? By killing,” said Victor Hugo, French poet and novelist.

Afzal Guru the convict of the Parliament attack in 2001 was hanged and buried inside Tihar jail, Delhi. His family was not even informed about his death. No matter what is the nature of the crime but violating the basic rights of the family and the accused is not acceptable.

We dislike people who kill other people and to show to the society how much we dislike people who kill people, we kill them. It appears as if death sentence pretty much goes against everything it claims to be for.

India being a progressive nation should move ahead and abolish capital punishment. Irrespective of the nature of the crime, the rights of the accused should not be violated. The judiciary is not meant to act on the idea of revenge.  As said by William Newsom, the governor of California “I know people think eye for eye, but if you rape, we don’t rape … And I think if someone kills, we don’t kill. We’re better than that.”

“We Indians are very tolerant of real-life injustice but are quite intolerant of unpalatable views”

Nobel Laureate and economist Amartya Sen said in a lecture, “The problem is not that Indians have turned intolerant. In-fact to the contrary we have been much too tolerant of intolerance. When people in minority are attacked by organized detractors, they need our support. This is I am afraid not happening adequately right now and this did not happen adequately earlier." This is the sad reality of today. We come across so many real-life injustices in our daily life, but we never try to take any step to correct it. I don’t know how many times a person has raised his voice against these injustices. On the contrary when it comes to put up our views against someone who might have a different belief then we speak with full vigor.

India lost MF Hussain who was one of the finest painters due to this attitude of intolerance.  ‘Vichar Mimansa’ a Hindi monthly magazine published some of his paintings which depicted nude Hindu Goddesses. Many Hindu organizations lodged criminal complaints against him for the paintings. His paintings in the exhibitions were vandalized and his house was attacked. The judgement of the cases came in his favor. The judge said that Indian art has never been bereft of eroticism. The communion of man and woman is a common feature of these paintings. There are couple of examples like the erotic couples painting in Bhubaneshwar, Puri and Konark in Odisha, Khujrao in Madhya Pradesh and many more. Hussain left India and got the citizenship of Qatar and never returned. We don’t feel annoyed when a woman is mistreated but the depiction of nude Goddesses upset us.

Salman Rushdie a well-known writer was given a fatwa for his book Sanatic Verses. The book was banned in India. In our country an objectionable information shared on social media can put you behind the bars. A person was put behind bars for questioning about the exponentially increasing wealth of Karti Chidambram the son of India’s ex Finance Minister Chidambaram Palaniappan.

We brazenly put our views on anything happening around us but never address the real issues. The Ayodhya issue is a never-ending case in the courts. It has been getting the undue attention for a long time. The real issues such as unemployment, inflation, women safety is being ignored because we are driven by emotionally charged issues. The real issues don’t affect us until the burden falls upon us.

The topic of homosexuality has been a heated topic in India. In 1996 the film ‘Fire’ gained a lot of controversy as the story portrayed the lesbian relationship between two protagonist Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das. The theaters screening the movie were attacked. The Supreme Court judgement regarding the amendment of section 377 of the penal code to decriminalizes homosexuality in India resulted in many fiery debates. The All India Muslim Board tweeted, “Legalizing homosexuality is against Indian values and culture. No religion allows immorality. The government must pass a bill to protect the rights of women as they are the major victims of legalized homosexuality.” The people who condemned the court decision didn’t care about the rights of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) community. The LGBTQ community has been deprived of the freedom which the Constitution guarantees them. We cannot understand the violation of rights the community has faced in all the years before the judgement came. They were forced to live a life of secrecy. The people are hostile towards them in the name of Indian culture and ethics which is purely wrong. People are not empathetic towards them and questions them according to their beliefs.

Jawaharlal Nehru said in his address to the constituent assemble, “At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom”. India is yet to awake to make this country a better place to live in. The people should refrain from this casual attitude towards the real-life injustices. A single voice if raised can do wonders. We had seen that in the Satyagraha by Mahatma Gandhi. We must be more tolerant for other views since it is their right given by the Indian Constitution to express themselves freely. Change must come from within. If we wish to change the society, we must imbibe that change in ourselves before trying to implement it on others.

Gujarat Diaries: Chapter 2- Things to do in Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad Heritage walk is a must if you are travelling to the city. There are two packages for Indians/Foreign, a standard package Rs. 200/300 and a luxury package of Rs. 350/450 which includes breakfast.The tour can be booked online, or you can also visit Swaminarayan temple in Kalupur. They have an office inside the temple complex on the first floor. I was not able to book the tickets online, so I went to the office at 7:30 am and brought the tickets. The walk is informative and interesting.

Swaminarayan Temple

Inside of Swaminarayan Temple

In this blog, I will be writing a photoblog on Ahmedabad.

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Otlo: Gujarat is a dry state so there are spaces outside every house called otlo. This is a live memorial. If you go in the afternoon or evening time, ladies will be there doing the household work, children will be playing which gives the statue a feeling of being alive. The statue resembles dada means grandfather. If the grandfather is sitting like this, children can come to dada and say, "I am with my dada." It is a good place for photography.

Chabutro in one of the pols

Chabutro at Swaminarayan Temple

Chabutro/Bird Feeder: They are the icons of the old city of Ahmedabad. Stairs are made with gaps so that only humans can go there, not cats and dogs.Children go and collect grains and water and put it in the chabutro. This can be seen in every pols or society in Ahmedabad. It is the logo of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. Trees are very less in the old city than the new city of Ahmedabad but birds are more because of chabutro.

Kala Ramji Ramdir with the priest

Kala Ram ji Mandir: Kala Ramji Mandir has three striking features:'

1. The idols of Lord Ram and Lakshman are black in color. There are only two places where the black idol of Lord Ram is placed. One is in Amdavad and the second one is in Nashik.

2. In most of the temples, Lord Ram is in a standing position but in this temple, he is in a padmasana (sitting) position. It is the time of his exile.

3. Every idol of Lord Ram is accompanied by Hanuman but in this temple, Hanuman is missing. It is because Hanuman met Lord Ram in the southern part of India and this Temple is in the Western part.

The temple is a 'swayambhu' which means it came out during excavation. The idol is made up of 'Kasoti' stone which is used to check the quality of gold. The temple is inside the house. The house is 150 years old and no one knows how old the idols are.

Manek Chowk at night

Manek Chowk : If you haven't been to Manek chowk twice(morning and night), your trip to Amdavad is not complete." I read this online and heard it from many locals so I visited Manek Chowk in the morning as well as night. Manek chowk transition into a very different place at night.
The pictures represent the makeover of Manek Chowk.

1. In the morning it is a jewelry market. The picture is taken during the Heritage Walk in Amdavad. The shops were closed at that time.

2. The second and third picture is the night food market at Manek chowk. It is filled with stalls serving scrumptious good. The street is covered with red and white chairs.

Dada Harir ni Vav

Interior of the stepwell

Interior of the stepwell

Harir ni Vav: As I walked from Ahmedabad Railway station to Dada Harir ki Vav I saw the transition of the city. From congested traffic to fafda jalebi shop on every lane to a peaceful village, the city was majestic even in the scorching heat. After a 45 min walk, I reached Aswara village and it was quiet. Peaceful unlike the city. The stepwell is at a walking distance from the village. Surrounded by the Aswara mills and coal yards of the city, this stepwell is a masterpiece.

Jami masjid behind the stepwell

Behind the stepwell there is a 600 years old mosque. The mosque and the stepwell have intricate designs. It is a paradise for archaeology people.Visit this place on foot (if you can) to see the how the city changes.

Sewage Ventilation Pipe

Sewage Ventilation pipe: Old Ahmedabad has an underground sewage system that is more than 100 years old. This is a ventilation pipe to remove foul gas. The two holes can be seen in the picture, from that foul gas comes out and the arrow shows the flow. In olden times there were no multistorey buildings. When it is raining the new part of the city gets flooded but not the old city. Though the new houses have windows, they cannot open it.

Gujurati Food: Vishalla

Decorations at Vishalla

Empty Tables

Vishalla: The service is good and the ambience is beautiful. The food is tasty but overpriced. I will not recommend it to backpackers, there are other outlets that offer Gujarat cuisine at a much lower price.

Tailor Shop in the old Amdavad city

Ambar Charkha

Navratri celebration

Jami Masjid

Niche dukan Upar Makaan

Place to stay: I stayed in In & Out Dormitory for one day. The cost for one night is Rs. 350. They didn’t allow me to stay for the second day. I have called them earlier regarding the booking and they told me that rooms are available, and I can book the room at the reception only.

But I don’t know what changed. They told me that they had bookings for the next day but when I checked online, room availability was showing. The person at reception was not helpful. I questioned them about the online availability, but they didn’t respond to my query. Ultimately, I had to shift to some other place. I booked Hotel Relax AC Dormitory through booking.com.

The staff was amazing and helpful. I have put my review on the site, you can check it. Although the dorm was good, I will not recommend it for a female solo traveller. Instead, you can book a room in the same hotel which will be safe.

How to reach?

Ahmedabad city is well connected by trains, roads and air. I travelled from Vadodra to Ahmedabad by Karnavati Express train. The fare was Rs. 98 and the train was on time.

A trip to Statue of Unity, Champaner and Vadodra

Luxmi Vilas Palace

Ever heard of a place that changes itself within 12 hours? No. Then you have not visited the famous Manek Chowk of Ahmedabad. People say that a tourist has to visit Manek Chowk to get the real feel of Amdavad.


Amdavad was always on my travel list. Even when I was applying for Teach for India(which I didn't join. That's another story)  I chose Amdavad as my first preference city.  Finally, I visited the city and I am still in awe.


For a change, I did not plan my travel this time. I made a tatkal booking for Baroda. Vadodra or Baroda was not on my travel list but it was just added a day before because I wanted to visit Statue of Unity.

How to reach Baroda?

There are many trains from Mumbai to Baroda. It takes around six hours. I took the BDT-BGKT Express train. Many private buses are running between the cities. I prefer the train because they are cheaper and takes less time.

What to do in Baroda?

1.Statue of Unity

I planned to stay for two days in Baroda. My train reached at 5:43 am (it was on time). The Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) is 350m from the railway station. From here you can get the intercity buses. 

It is advisable to not follow the bus station signboard in the Railway Station. 

It is the city bus station, ask anyone and they will guide you about the bus depot.

I had booked my bus from GSRTC for Statue of Unity the previous day. 

Buses for Statue of Unity leaves from Platform no. 20. 

It is advisable to book the tickets before. You can also get the ticket once you board the bus. Navgam is the closest bus stop to Statue of Unity. 

If you don't get the tickets of Navgam, get on the bus which goes to Kevadiya which is another bus depot near to Statue of Unity.  The bus takes 2.5 hours. It left the station at 7:00 am. 

The route is beautiful. The road is extremely smooth. The lush green Satpura ranges and the Narmada river will make the journey more scenic. The bus doesn't stop anywhere in the middle so it is advisable to have breakfast before boarding the bus.

Breakfast: Poha and tea

The route to Statue of Unity

I reached Navgam at 9:30 am. The bus dropped me near the entry of the Statue of Unity. A local informed me that it is advisable to book the Statue of Unity tickets online. The tickets can be booked from the site.

There are three types of tickets of Rs. 120, Rs. 350 and  Rs.1000. 

I purchased Rs. 350 tickets which included entry to the Statue Of Unity, gallery, Sardar Sarovar Dam, and the valley of flowers. There are specific timings also. Everything will be mentioned on the tickets.

Statue of Unity is well managed by the authorities. From the ticket counter, a bus runs till the Statue of Unity which is 5km far.

Statue of Unity

Inside the Statue of Unity

After visiting the Statue of Unity, the bus takes you to Sardar Sarovar Dam. The statue of Sardar Vallabhai Patel is facing this dam which is built over the Narmada river.

Sardar Sarovar Dam

 The bus also covers the valley of flowers which is a garden with a variety of flowers. People who don't wish to go to the dam can see the dam from the valley of flowers.

Valley of Flowers

On return, the bus dropped the tourists at Ticket counter from where it had picked us up. 

From the ticket counter, I walked till Kevadia bus depot. Autos are also available but quite rare. Buses are leaving frequently for Baroda from the bus depot. I waited for half an hour and got the bus.

2. Garba Night

I planned to go to Gujarat during Navratri because I wanted to experience the festivities of the city. 

Garba of Baroda is very famous. I met Vishal during Kedarkantha trek, I went for dinner at his place. His wife Sonu gave me Chaniya Choli to wear for the Garba event which was happening near their place. 

Women with dresses have free entry to this event at some places.  It is fascinating to see how women dress up for the event. If you want to see the colors of Gujarat you need to visit the Garba event. It was a large ground. 

There was a mixture of different colors. Red, yellow, orange, blue, back. People were so energetic and enthusiastic. It was my first experience of Garba and it was majestic. 

It was a rhythm in motion. I struggled at first but soon I matched the steps with everyone. It was worth an experience I enjoyed it.

Garba Ready

3. Champaner

Champaner is a UNESCO world heritage site. The closest bus depot is Pavgadh. 

Buses are available from the GSRTC bus stand. It takes almost a day to visit this place. Due to less time I had to cut my trip short. 

I walked through the ruins of palaces, mosque, temples, step-wells. The Jami Masjid is an example of Hindu and Muslim architecture. There is a pond inside the mosque. 

The mosque is beautiful and has many intricate designs. Another mosque that I visited was Shahr ki masjid. As you pass through Shahr ki Masjid and go towards Jami Masjid, you will find the eastern fortress gate crowded by Langoors. 

 There is a famous Kalika Mata temple. I was not able to cover it. Buses are available till Machi village from Pavgadh,  from where you can take a ropeway or trek to reach the temple.  The temple is at a height of 800 meters in the Pavgadh hills.

Jami Masjid

Jami Masjid

Pond inside Jami Masjid

4. Luxmi Vilas Palace

A magnificent palace owned by the Gaekwads. The word 'Gae' means cow and 'wads' means protector. 

They are the protector of cows. The palace is beautiful. There are many peacocks in the garden. 

A golf course is also there but tourist entry is restricted. The ticket cost is Rs. 225 (excluding the museum). The audio guide explains every detail about the place. It is a beautiful piece of architecture. It is a must-visit place in Baroda.

Luxmi Vilas Palace

5. Sayajibaug Park

It is park cum zoo cum planetarium. There is a toy train which also runs within the park. It is good for recreation but not recommended.

Moreover if you want to take a heritage walk in Baroda, check this website .

It is an audio guide available for free.

Where to eat?
I always eat from the street vendors whenever I travel because I find the taste authentic. I had sev usal pav which looks like this

Sev Usal

I had the famous fafda jalebi

I also went to a cafe called Canara House. It is the first cafe in Baroda. They serve scrumptious Poona Misal. Even the upma is really good.

Upma and Poona Misal

There are many omelet vendors in Baroda. They serve a variety of egg dishes. You can try any one of them.

Place to stay?

Many hotels are available near the bus station. 

I booked In and Out dormitory which was quite economical. It is inside the bus depot only. They charge Rs. 350 for one night. 

You can also get a dorm on an hourly basis. The dorms are clean and well maintained. There are separate dorms for males and females. 

Female solo travellers who are travelling within the budget can opt for this place. Inquire them about the availability before you go.

Stay tuned for my next blog regarding Amdavad. 

Social Media Detox

One of our faculty challenged us for not using our mobile phones for 10 hours and write down about it. This article is about my routine during this detox.

I woke up at 8 am in the morning and soaked my clothes in detergent for washing them. I slept again for half an hour and then washed my clothes. I had planned to visit Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SNGP) for cycling. I got ready and went to Nalla Sopara railway station at around 10 am. I brought the newspaper from outside the station.  I boarded the fast train to Borivali. From Borivali I took the slow train to Goregaon. I had already checked the route on google maps and had written it down. According to the maps I had to get down at Goregaon and take bus number 341 to reach the park. Since it was raining heavily, I sat down at the Goregaon station for almost half an hour and read the newspaper.

Once it stopped raining, I boarded the bus from Goregaon East. The bus dropped me near Film City. I asked people around me for direction, but they had no clue about SNGP. The lady outside the film city told me to go to Borivali and take an auto from there. I went to the bus stop to catch the bus but there was no sign of the bus, so I took an auto directly to SNGP. Outside the station I had vada pav and samosa pav. After eating I went to the park, but it was closed due to heavy rains.

I walked back to Borivali station and boarded the slow local to Goregaon. From Goregaon West I took the bus to Anand Nagar to have biryani at Lucky restaurant. The restaurant is a very famous food joint. I had chicken biryani and boarded the bus to Borivali station. The bus took almost 45 minutes to reach Borivali. From the station I took the local to Nalla Sopara. I came back home around 6 pm. I slept for two hours and started working on my college assignment after that.

PS: I visited SNGP later and these are some pictures of it. It is a UNESCO world heritage site.

Kanheri caves in Sanjay Gandhi National Park

Cycling through this lush green area

Abrogation of Article 370: Is it worth it?

Complete lock down at Lal Chowk- Press trust of India 

The Centre has deceived the people of Jammu and Kashmir by abrogating article 370 and 35A. 

It was India’s policy after freedom that whenever there was a dispute in accession the outcome will be decided by the choice of the people rather than the ruler of the Princely state. 

When India accepted the Instrument of Accession(IoA) by Maharaja Hari Singh, the then ruler of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, Lord Mountbatten stated that “it is my Government’s wish that as soon as law and order have been restored in Kashmir and her soil is cleared of the invader, the question of the State’s accession be settled by a reference to the people”. 

Gopalswami Ayyangar who was a part of the Constituent Assembly of India had also quoted the same. The choice of the people was the prime focus of the then government which has been totally ignored by the present regime. Article 3 of the Jammu and Kashmir constitution defines it to be an integral part of India. Those who want to abrogate the articles are more concerned with the autonomy which it had rather than the integration of India.

The government has taken the decision in a haste without giving any time for its discussion in the Parliament. The people of Kashmir valley who were the stakeholder are not even given a choice. They are being lockdown in their own place. 

This decision by the government is almost like demonetization which was also taken in a haste and it affected the small traders the most. 

In the current scenario, the state has been the most affected since it has been downgraded from a state to a Union territory, thereby setting aside the federal spirit inscribed in the Constitution. There will be two Union territories Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. The decision is welcomed by Ladakh since they were demanding the UT status from 1990s. However, Kargil which is a part of Ladakh is opposing this decision as it fears the domination of Buddhism in the new proposed set-up.

There is a complete human right violation with the people of Kashmir. The prime political leaders Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah are under house arrest. The Centre's move to cancel the Amarnath pilgrimage was quite predictable about the huge crisis that was about to happen in Kashmir but here was no one to guide the people that they must be united to face the unwelcomed situation. Kashmir has always faced this lack of leadership.


Whatever is shown on the television is a scripted version of the government. No one can hear what the people of Kashmir want to say. The Kashmiris living in other cities cannot communicate with their parents. The decision has affected the Eid celebrations in Kashmir. The markets are desolate. Mobiles have been disconnected. Internet is off. People are not able to withdraw money from the ATM. The business of selling sacrificial goat in Eid has dropped down due to the curfew. It is quite ironical that the party which once stood against the oppression of the press during emergency is going astray from its own belief.

“THE PROCESS WAS ABOUT GROOMING A SINGER TO BECOME A DANCER AND AN ACTOR”: SULAIMAN

Umrao Jaan doesn’t need any introduction. It has been produced in Bollywood twice. The courtesan character is remembered by the aesthetic performances of Bollywood actresses Rekha and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in movie Umrao Jaan in 1981 and 2006 respectively.

It is the first time that Umrao Jan Ada is presented to the audience as a musical. Premiered in Mumbai on May 21, 2019 the musical is currently being performed at Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium, Delhi. Renowned music composer duos Salim Merhant and Sulaiman Merchant who are the producers and composer of the musical, talks about it and the diverse nature of music, in an interview held at Xavier Institute of Communications:

      You both are known to have worked on hundreds of movie scores, soundtracks and even musicals and now Umaro Jan Ada. How different have the process and experience between the try genres?

Sulaiman: There are so many verticals and all come down to one thing which is music. Whether we create a background score for a film, an advertisement for a television commercial or a musical, at the end of the day everything is music. You cannot say that he is a Gujarati or a Marathi at the end we are all Indians. What is interesting is challenging ourselves to create new ways for people to consume music.

Salim: As composers when we go abroad, we listen to musicals and always wonder maybe if we can do a musical, we can do magic to it. We are creating avenues so that we keep contributing to music.

How did the journey of finding the perfect actor went for Umrao Jan Ada since the actor need to know how to sing, dance and act?

Salim: When we decided to make Umrao Jaan Ada I had my eyes on Pratibha. She is a fantastic singer and she understands ghazals which is a big genre in which we were dwelling into. We did still have the audition process and went through it. I knew Pratibha must pull up her socks when it comes to acting and dancing. We want to put an influence of Kathak in our play, but I know it is a musical and singing was a great part of it.

Sulaiman: The process wasn’t about auditioning but the process was about grooming a singer to become a dancer and an actor to be able to deliver dialogues and that was the challenge not finding the girl.

We all know about the demise of the legendary Khayyam Saab and we know you were very close to him. You have worked with him for Umrao Jaan Ada, the musical. Can you please tell me how was your experience working with him and his impact on your entire understanding of music?

Salim: Khayyam Saab means a lot to us because when we were growing up, we started with western music like rock. But our first exposure to film music was Umrao Jaan, Khyyam Saab music. I got attracted to this album. It has the simplicity that makes you start liking it. I met him three months ago and we talked about Umrao Jaan, Kabhi-Kabhi, his relationship with Asha ji and Lata ji and three hours went by quickly. There was so much to talk about, and the most surprising thing was that he remembered everything even at the age of 93.

Which other cities you are planning for the musical?

Salim:  We are planning for Mumbai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Pune.

Over the years your music has shown us how diverse and dynamic it is. How do you make the choice of instruments that would suit the overall feel of the song?

Sulaiman: As soon as you are reading a script you start imagining the color and that’s how 

we start picking instrument and composition. In the modern era there are many different 

instruments you can pick that creates the magic that is required to create a timeless melody. 

For a classical instruments hearing or imagining a song with the instruments is important. 

Thinking that there will be a sitar or a sarangi to add texture and quality to the music is 

important to select a classical instrument.