Political will and the emancipation of women....

I have always believed that the greatest and the biggest movement happens when there is a political will and looking at whats happening in and around Delhi there is no doubt that there is a lack of it and that's why we are all so unsafe...This is nothing new, this has been waiting to happen for a long time. The anger in the minds are pouring on the streets but not sure how long it will be there and not sure if eventually something will seriously move...but between all these there is a whole world where things are moving...

Just came back from Hampi and I found something very encouraging and interesting and I thought I should blog about it. In Hampi , most of the buildings come under the  UNESCO  world heritage sites and its mandatory to preserve them and therefore local/ private vehicles are not allowed to the temple complex that houses the famed Chariot, something that has come to symbolize Hampi. So there are these huge golf-cart type vehicles that ply between the parking and the temple.

But whats more amazing is that all of them are driven by women drivers with out exception; So after a 10 min wait and seeing only women driving the carts, my curiosity got the best of me and I asked the ticket issuer , who by the way was also flanked with 2 woman assistants , whats the whole story and to my utter pleasure he said "boys ko diye to ruff and tuff drive kartey aur gaadi kharab kar dete" :D :D :D :D . I just wanted to broadcast it to all those men who think we don't make great drivers....but the crux of it was its also a government initiative.....so where there is a will there is a way!!!!!

Dudhsagar Monsoon Trek.....

When I was discussing about the trek with one of my friends, who is an ardent trekker, I was told that there are three essential things that make a trek really memorable. Destination, body and mind in the right frame and company...and after a two day exhilarating trek I can't agree more. 

Misty Tracks

The trek is unmatched in its scenic splendor; the misty railway tracks, the lush green surroundings and the pouring rain takes the experience to a different level. I guess that's why people keep coming back and don't mind walking with luggage and camp all night in a bare minimum facility. 

The trek is approximately 13 kms and takes roughly 6-7 hrs to cover; it’s very difficult to walk on the tracks as your strides are limited by the gap between the sleepers, so apart from ensuring u don't put your feet on a gravel and twist your ankle you have to be conscious about all the shit you will find in between the tracks.

I found out that there are a total of 4 routes and only 2 of them are open in the monsoons for trekking. We took the one that starts from Castle Rock station and ends at the waterfalls. This route takes u to the upper part of the waterfall and you cross 11 tunnels of various lengths. 

Castle Rock Station

For the history junkies like me it is exciting to know that for many years Castle Rock marked the frontier between Portuguese-held Goa and British-held India. For travelers between Goa and British India, and later between Goa and India, all the formalities of international travel were carried out at Castle Rock till Goa finally came under the sovereign of India. 

You start experiencing a place out of the mundane right from here...the platform has a beautiful over shed and its old world charm just transports you into a different world and the heavy downpour makes a crazy sound like a war cry urging you to go out and challenge the world..

1 of the many small tucked in water falls

The first 6 kms came by quite quickly; We had a group of 13 trekkers, all adventure junkies, a few photo enthusiasts (not photographers but posers) and a few like me who were all of it in some quantity. There are a few small waterfalls tucked between the lush foliage for taking a quick plunge coz after the first few yards you cannot remember what being dry means…so while the stops are more the pace is good as you still have all the glucose intact. 

Caranzol Station

Midway comes the station Caranzol where you can board the goods train and complete your journey to the falls or like us, dump your luggage and a fellow trekker on the train and walk light for the rest of the distance.

Camping site next to the falls

By the time we reached the fall it was already dark so while we could feel the presence of the over bearing falls we could see nothing; after an initial struggle in the rain the tents were up, we changed and went in for a good night sleep; Initially the sound of the falls, the rain on the tents and the train passing by at 10 feet sounds intimidating but as sleep over powers your tired senses they become the part of the existence and you just stop noticing them.

We were woken up early morning by a bunch of loud trekkers coming from Kulem and though there was no trace of the sun, light slowly opens the magnificent falls like you are in a theatre and the movie begins. You are awestruck at the water gushing down and it takes some time to get used to the sheer brilliance of what nature can produce.

The return journey is very uneventful except for getting on to the train without a platform and soon you realize that the distance you covered in 6hrs the previous day comes in 10 mins..but your mind is so numbed by the experience that you just don’t care.

So if you are planning for this trek ensure you 'love rains' are ‘not afraid’ of leeches , ‘cove’r your legs well incase u want to avoid the leeches, travel ‘light’ and keep a lot of plastic to cover your bag and carry wet cloths, carry ‘food’ and ‘water’ and a torch. There is no proper toilet and any trace of drinking water or medical help except the nondescript station 500 mtrs away.

Last but not the least ensure you have a good company it makes the journey so much more fun and memorable. I hadn't planned for it but I was lucky to find it among the group an old fellow photographer and an experienced trekker… Thanks Rohit for all the energy bars and snickers J !! And thanks guys for all the 'luv-stories' you cooked up that kept the entire compartment entertained and special mention for our group leader C-H-A-N-D-U and last but not least the hot food @ londa junction, courtesy Kiran....!!

BUT i shall always have one BIG regret ;though I learnt a very important lesson; one should always get smart merchandise else your photographs are going to come out really bad and spoil the fun coz you definitely don't want to see your ugly and funny pics, my pink raincoat was a real faux pas :D :D :D 

TRIVIA ABOUT TRAVEL:-

Best Time for the trek - Monsoons; Though only 2 of the 4 routes are operational; Nov-Dec is also very good, but the waterfall's grandeur comes to life only in the monsoons. 
How to reach:- South Western/Konkan Railways; 
Where to stay:- the Govt has made a platform for camping with bare thread facilities; so camping equipment is must; Have to carry food and water as this place is in the wilderness
Nearby places:- Goa is 3 hrs from here and if you have time there is no reason why you should NOT hop on to the next passing train!!!!

Travelling to Warangal on a Photo-Tour

I have always imagined that Warangal was a place seeped in History, a sleepy small town where I will be able to see and click history at every turn. So I set up this Photo-Tour for my club members..and wanted to gather information; and to my surprise, there is hardly any document that was able to give me any information of the places we can visit and what to expect.  Which is true about most of the Indian destinations I visit, there is hardly any suggestions for good clicks or must click spots. Therefore I decided to blog.

Eventually,selected 3 places , the Ramapa Lake & Temple, 1000 pillar temple (almost synonymous to Warangal) and the Warangal fort; As this was a mixed ethnicity group and also the motive was to get great pictures we cut out the overtly religious places that form the general itinerary for most of the travellers.

Ramapa Lake & Temple, was the best part of the trip; The ancient temple is dedicated to lord Siva and except for the Shivaling inside the temple you could click everything around the place; In all there are 3 big and  2 small structures; 1 is completely dilapidated and entry is prohibited.The temple is in a very dilapidated state but the main sanctum is well preserved. The Nandi at the entrance is a must click, the carvings on the Nandi (the chains & the bell) are amazingly carved and should be clicked in good depth of field frame.  Its ~9ft high, carved in black and stands on a platform, so a good wide-angle would help, though I used my 55-250 to capture the carvings. There is no overhead shed and lighting is good.

The Sanctum has pillars and roofs which have abundant carvings. The pillars have designs of bangles etc and the walls and roof have some depictions of Gods; So there is a lot to click; There are also these pillars which have apsaras carved in black; One of the most exciting clicks was the line of elephants where each elephant’s trunk was in a different pose; a good opportunity to capture in depth of field.

The Lake is 1km ahead and looks very inviting for a boat ride; you can click the Pump house and an abandoned structure; You can also click the local fisherman on the lake; There is a temple kind of a structure near the lake, though its closed you can still click it from outside and be aware of all the monkeys there.

Our next Stop the Warangal fort, it was a disappointment, you climb up a rock (Ekshila) for a 360 degree view. There is a ruin of a temple whose sanctum is empty and there are 2 more structures, you can go up one of them for an even higher view. There is a portion of the fort which is like a park and has the piles of the ruins from the fort; There are the Kirtitorans the famous gateways and some good carved stones similar in carvings as the Ramappa temple.  A Few meters ahead is the Shatab Khan mahal; 1 single box like structure and very different in architecture.

Our final stop was the 1000 pillar temple; All my hopes came crashing down as there were hardly any signs of the 1000 pillars and the temple itself was very small; The nandi was also of the similar design as the one in Ramapa temple but the ASI has put a green asbestos sheet as covering which not only spoils the asthetics of the palce but also shades the nandi, and therefore not too much light is available.

After this was the long and arduous journey back...so if  you are planning for a single day trip, start early and there is much more on the way than just the monuments...so don't miss the green fields and bullock carts on your way. You can also take a small deviation after the Bhongir fort to check out the ancient Jain Temple.

If you find this article informative, pl leave me a note; You can also leave your experiences about the same...