Thursday, December 24, 2009
Friday, November 06, 2009
Flitting by Lucknow and Nainital
Whenever I travel I try to soak in as much of the local culture, scenery and of course food as possible. I recently undertook what some would say an arduous journey from Calcutta to Nainital. I had to travel 4 days by train to spend 2 nights at Nainital. The reason I agreed to this gruelling travel schedule was the company of good friends which made 4 days in carriages of Indian Railways feel less dreary.
I took an overnight train to Lucknow via the Punjab (Now renamed Amritsar) Mail from Calcutta. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the 1st A.C. Compartments (i
ncluding the toilets) had been done up recently. It's been given a more contemporary look and a comfortable feel. We reached Lucknow in the evening of the following day. I interject here to add a commentary about a personal quirk. I am in the habit of making pilgrimages to certain places or eateries of different cities whenever I flit by. To me the experience isn't complete without a visit to these places. In Lucknow for example, there are the Imambaras, the Residency and of course Tunday Kebabi. I confess I couldn't make it to the Imambaras or the Residency this time due to paucity of time between connecting trains. But I did jump into an Auto-Rickshaw and headed straight for Aminabad. The drive in a Lucknow Auto from the Lucknow Station to Aminabad and from there to the Aishbag Station (where we took the train to Lalkuan), was akin to a high speed chase from in a Robert Langdon starrer Dan Brown Novel with an equal measure of thrills thrown in. It took me 35 minutes to get to Tunday Kebabi, another 30 minutes to get Mutton Tunday Kebabs and Mutton Dum Biryani packed (although I still regret not getting th
e whole Tandoori Chicken packed). A 30 minutes dash back and we were on the train in an ordinary 1st Class Compartment. I confess this was an experience hitherto unknown to me. However, in congenial company aided by the aroma and heavenly flavour of Tunday's delicacies, it didn't seem that bad after all. The 'Tunday’ (or Tunde) Kebab is actually a spiced version of the Galouti Kebab although much slimmer. It is crispy on the outside and melt-in-your mouth soft on the inside. Although we had it with the Mutton Dum Biryani, I feel it always goes a lot better with a Naan or a Roomali Roti. I did not rate the Dum Biryani too high. The unseemly usage of vanaspati or dalda marred the lucknavi flavour of the Biryani. However, the Kebabs more than made up for this lacuna.
We arrived at Lalkuan at 6 AM and it was bitterly cold. A khullar of masala chai offered comfort at the railway station. We took a car to Nainital, the climb was steep yet scenic. We also managed to get twenty if not forty winks on the way. It took us about an hour and a half to get to Nainital and our hotel Armadale. The hotel did not quite live upto my expectations or it’s advertisements on the Website, and we quickly
changed from our so-called ‘Executive Rooms’ to the ‘Majestic’ Suite, which was a tad more comfortable. To our dismay we were informed that the chef had taken a week’s leave, so all the hotel could offer was Parathas and Toast. We took a stroll down Mallital and had lunch at a nondescript restaurant which served rather nice cheese-chicken sandwiches. The dinner was at a hotel called Vintage Inn and was on the whole forgettable. The next day we ventured to the Mall and had lunch at Sackley’s Pastry Shop and Restaurant. This was quite the find. Sackley’s is a tastefully decorated eatery which serves Continental, Italian, Chinese and Thai food with equal élan. We tried a combination of Chinese and Thai which proved most satisfactory. The Tom Yum soup was very well prepared. The Chicken Chowmein and Chicken Fried Rice were also quite well prepared. But they excelled themselves at the Chilli Minced Lamb and Kung Pao Chicken (a Cantonese Version which I’ve never tried before). Dinner that night was at the Hotel Armadale and was predominantly vegetarian. The next day, we set out sightseeing in and around Nainital, visited the Naina Devi Temple and did some shopping on the Mall. The 
‘Machan’ restaurant for lunch. It did live upto it’s reputation in the variety and quality of the fare it had on offer. We ordered Onion Kulchas, Gobi Mutter, Mutton Seekh Kebab, Murgh Kali Mirch and Kali Dal. Except the Seekh Kebab which appeared to be undercooked, the rest of the fare was extremely well prepared. I particularly enjoyed the Murgh Kali Mirch with the Onion Kulcha. After a stroll down the Mall we realised that we needed to have dinner packed for the train…so it was back to Sackley’s . They packed a wonderful basket of Chicken and Cheese Sandwiches, Chicken Rissoles, Mushroom & Chicken Pizza, Chocolate Eclairs and Chocolate Tarts. The Pizza and the tarts were simply exquisite.
We reached Lucknow very early and our connecting train to Calcutta was delayed by 3 hours. I was not in the mood to dash to Aminabad so early in the morning. So after a nap at ‘Indradhanush’ the Lucknow Station’s bijou Air-Conditioned guest rooms (you guessed it – the rooms bear names like Hara, Peela, Neela and so on…), I went out hunting for books on Urdu Shayari and Hindi Sahitya. The only interesting books I found were a compilation of the works of Nida Fazli and another of Bahadur Shah Zafar. Unfortunately nobody had a copy of Diwan-E-Ghalib or the works of Meer Taqi Meer. But most strikingly, the city of
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Tsunami alert issued, the withdrawn in India due to 7.7 Earthquake in the Andamans
Tsunami alert issued in India due to 7.7 Earthquake in the Andamans. http://bit.ly/Yes49TSUNAMI BULLETIN NUMBER 001
PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER/NOAA/NWS
ISSUED AT 2005Z 10 AUG 2009
THIS BULLETIN IS FOR ALL AREAS OF THE INDIAN OCEAN.
... A REGIONAL TSUNAMI WATCH IS IN EFFECT ...
A TSUNAMI WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR
INDIA / MYANMAR / INDONESIA / THAILAND / BANGLADESH
FOR OTHER AREAS OF THE INDIAN OCEAN REGION...THIS MESSAGE IS FOR
INFORMATION ONLY AT THIS TIME.
THIS BULLETIN IS ISSUED AS ADVICE TO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES. ONLY
NATIONAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO MAKE
DECISIONS REGARDING THE OFFICIAL STATE OF ALERT IN THEIR AREA AND
ANY ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN IN RESPONSE.
AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS
ORIGIN TIME - 1956Z 10 AUG 2009
COORDINATES - 14.1 NORTH 93.0 EAST
LOCATION - ANDAMAN ISLANDS INDIA REGION
MAGNITUDE - 7.7
EVALUATION
SEA LEVEL READINGS INDICATE A TSUNAMI WAS GENERATED. IT MAY HAVE
BEEN DESTRUCTIVE ALONG COASTS NEAR THE EARTHQUAKE EPICENTER.
THE THREAT MAY CONTINUE FOR COASTAL AREAS LOCATED WITHIN ABOUT A
THOUSAND KILOMETERS OF THE EARTHQUAKE EPICENTER. FOR THOSE AREAS
WHEN NO MAJOR WAVES HAVE OCCURRED FOR AT LEAST TWO HOURS AFTER
THE ESTIMATED ARRIVAL TIME OR DAMAGING WAVES HAVE NOT OCCURRED
FOR AT LEAST TWO HOURS THEN LOCAL AUTHORITIES CAN ASSUME THE
THREAT IS PASSED. DANGER TO BOATS AND COASTAL STRUCTURES CAN
CONTINUE FOR SEVERAL HOURS DUE TO RAPID CURRENTS. AS LOCAL
CONDITIONS CAN CAUSE A WIDE VARIATION IN TSUNAMI WAVE ACTION THE
ALL CLEAR DETERMINATION MUST BE MADE BY LOCAL AUTHORITIES.
ESTIMATED INITIAL TSUNAMI WAVE ARRIVAL TIMES AT FORECAST POINTS
WITHIN THE WARNING AND WATCH AREAS ARE GIVEN BELOW. ACTUAL
ARRIVAL TIMES MAY DIFFER AND THE INITIAL WAVE MAY NOT BE THE
LARGEST. A TSUNAMI IS A SERIES OF WAVES AND THE TIME BETWEEN
SUCCESSIVE WAVES CAN BE FIVE MINUTES TO ONE HOUR.
LOCATION FORECAST POINT COORDINATES ARRIVAL TIME
-------------------------------- ------------ ------------
INDIA NORTH ANDAMAN 13.3N 92.6E 2021Z 10 AUG
LITTLE ANDAMAN 10.7N 92.3E 2053Z 10 AUG
PORT BLAIR 11.9N 92.7E 2121Z 10 AUG
GREAT NICOBAR 7.1N 93.6E 2136Z 10 AUG
KAKINADA 17.2N 82.7E 2205Z 10 AUG
BALESHWAR 21.6N 87.3E 2231Z 10 AUG
MYANMAR PYINKAYAING 15.9N 94.3E 2047Z 10 AUG
CHEDUBA ISLAND 18.9N 93.4E 2100Z 10 AUG
SITTWE 20.0N 92.9E 2135Z 10 AUG
MERGUI 12.8N 98.4E 2243Z 10 AUG
YANGON 16.5N 96.4E 2321Z 10 AUG
INDONESIA BANDA ACEH 5.5N 95.1E 2204Z 10 AUG
THAILAND PHUKET 8.0N 98.2E 2244Z 10 AUG
KO PHRA THONG 9.1N 98.2E 2257Z 10 AUG
KO TARUTAO 6.6N 99.6E 0012Z 11 AUG
BANGLADESH CHITTAGONG 22.7N 91.2E 2340Z 10 AUG
ADDITIONAL BULLETINS WILL BE ISSUED BY THE PACIFIC TSUNAMI
WARNING CENTER FOR THIS EVENT AS MORE INFORMATION
BECOMES AVAILABLE.
TSUNAMI BULLETIN NUMBER 004
PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER/NOAA/NWS
ISSUED AT 2211Z 10 AUG 2009
THIS BULLETIN IS FOR ALL AREAS OF THE INDIAN OCEAN.
... THE TSUNAMI WATCH IS CANCELLED ...
THIS BULLETIN IS ISSUED AS ADVICE TO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES. ONLY
NATIONAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO MAKE
DECISIONS REGARDING THE OFFICIAL STATE OF ALERT IN THEIR AREA AND
ANY ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN IN RESPONSE.
AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS
ORIGIN TIME - 1956Z 10 AUG 2009
COORDINATES - 14.1 NORTH 93.0 EAST
LOCATION - ANDAMAN ISLANDS INDIA REGION
MAGNITUDE - 7.7
EVALUATION
SEA LEVEL READINGS INDICATE THAT A SIGNIFICANT TSUNAMI WAS NOT
GENERATED. THEREFORE THE TSUNAMI WATCH ISSUED BY THIS CENTER
IS NOW CANCELLED.
THIS WILL BE THE FINAL BULLETIN ISSUED BY THE PACIFIC TSUNAMI
WARNING CENTER FOR THIS EVENT UNLESS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
BECOMES AVAILABLE.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Bandish of a Lucknow Nawab
Bandish of a Lucknow Nawab
Posted On Thursday, November 15, 2007 at 08:32:16 PM
Times of India - Kolkata Mirror
Times of India - Kolkata Mirror
 Md Hazrat Khalid, Abul Mansur Nasir ud-din, Padshah-i-'Adil, Kaiser-i-Zaman, Arangha Sultan-i-'Alam, Muhammad Wajid 'Ali Shah Bahadur (1822-1887) was the tenth and last Nawab of the princely kingdom of Awadh (Oudh) in present day Uttar Pradesh in India. He ascended the throne of Awadh in 1847 and ruled for nine years. His kingdom, long protected by the British under treaty, was eventually annexed on Feb 7, 1856, days before the ninth anniversary of his coronation. "The condition of Oude soon attracted his (Dalhousie's) attention, not because the Government was bad and its people were wretched, but because that the country might either be a bulwark of safety to our own dominions, or a sea of danger which might overflow and destroy us". -Sir John Kaye: History of the Indian Mutiny, volume one (London 1888) The Nawab was exiled to Garden Reach in Metiabruz. Even in his exile in Metiabruz, he survived for many long years, all the while trying to keep the sweet memories of his Lucknow-era alive by recreating the musical ambience of his Kaisarbagh Baradari. The banished king had been given a number of fine houses with vast grounds stretching along the banks of the River Hooghly, three or four miles south of Calcutta. Because of an Earthen Dome (raised platform), people called it "Matiya Burj". The king spent lavishly out of his income of twelve lakhs of rupees per annum and soon a “Second Lucknow” arose in this area. There was the same bustle and activity, same language, art, poetry, style of conversation - the same pomp and splendour, the same opulent style of living. Troupes of artistes congregated in his court, the best singers were enlisted into his service and there was a larger concourse of musicians in Metiabruz than could be found anywhere else in India. He learnt Hindustani vocal with Basit Khan, Pyar Khan and Jaffar Khan and underwent Kathak training under Thakur Prasadji and Bindadin Maharaj. Although his pen name was Qaisar, be used the pseudonym Akhtarpiya for his numerous compositions. Under this pen- name, he wrote over 40 works, poems, prose and Thumris. Diwani-Akhtar and Husn-i-Akhtar contain his Ghazals. There were great musical assemblies in the Darbar Hall of Matiyaburj where the great musicians and music-lovers of Calcutta gathered to hear Wajid Ali Shah sing his favourite Lucknow-Thumris, and to marvel at his dance-performances. The Durbar Hall was lavishly and opulently decorated just as the Lucknow Baradari used to be.  Among the invitees used to be great personalities from Calcutta's music world such as Jadu-Bhatta (Dhrupad), Aghorenath Chakravarty (Dhrupad), Sajjad Mohammad (Sitar), Dhirendranath Bose (Sarod), Shyamlal Goswami (Esraj), Rai Chand Boral, and several others. In the words of Dr D C Bhattacharya, a reputed art historian, "Rich and flexible voices filled the air. Thumri had the pride of place, particularly Wajid Ali Shah's own compositions that once held Lucknow in thrill Jab chchor chali Lucknow nagari; Neer bharan kaise jaun. The songs rose to great heights of expressiveness and created a spell". When it ceased, Wajid Ali Shah sat in mute silence for a long while, and then expressed his feelings: "All this time I was in a dreamland as though transported by unknown hands to my Kaisarbagh Baradari. Ah, what I have left behind! Now, only the sweet memories linger." The loyal citizens as well as their beloved ruler hoped for a long time that the latter would regain the throne of Awadh and "return to bestow a fresh spirit to the lifeless people"; but their dreams were never fulfilled. Wajid Ali Shah died on Sep 1, 1887 and was buried in Imambara Sibtenabad, in Metiabruz. Wajid Ali Shah's most popular Thumri really turned out to be one of the saddest and sweetest of parting songs. Such are the poignant associations of this ever-popular Lucknow Thumri composed by Akhtarpiya- Babul mora naihar chuuto hi jaaye. |
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Srijan: Making a difference
Srijan: Making a difference
Posted On Wednesday, November 07, 2007 at 12:53:39 AM
Times of India - Kolkata Mirror
Times of India - Kolkata Mirror
Srijan, a welfare project of community welfare Committee, Women's College, Kolkata started its journey on July 9, 2003. Among the chief forces behind the organisation are noted academician Dr Minakshi Ray and renowned singer Dr Indrani Sen. Presently Srijan’s beneficial programmes cover 75 slum children and their mothers. This year Srijan inducted some more children and their mothers under its welfare activities. Srijan adopted some beneficial schemes for the students of Women's College, Kolkata in collaboration with a local pathological laboratory. Srijan organised a blood group detection camp along with heath check up programme for the students of Srijan as well as the students of Women's College. One of the major tasks of Srijan is to promote health and education of the slum children and develop health and hygiene-awareness of their mothers through need-based schemes. Some lecturers of Women’s College, Kolkata coach the children on a regular basis.
Remedial classes are held for weak children to prevent school dropout, which is a recurring problem amongst these children. Keeping in mind the said objective, Srijan arranges meeting with the mothers of the target group children. Frequent interactions with them enable us to cater to their needs of primary things.
Every year, Srijan also organised their annual cultural programme where the little children participated in the dramatisation of a popular play among children called ‘Lalkamal and Nilkamal’. The children have since then, been invited by two neighbouring colleges to perform the same in their respective annual day functions. The annual excursion for the children this year, took them to Nicco Park, where the children spent a day full of fun and games. A special programme is also being formulated for some of the talented and gifted children in the group. Experts in various fields are often invited for Grooming and Orientation Programmes for the children.
Srijan recently organised a blood group detection camp in collaboration with a local health clinic. This was followed by the distribution of Health Cards to participating children. Srijan also organised a Thalasaemia awareness workshop for the students of Women's College, Calcutta and subsequently a Thalasaemia detection camp for them. Serum Analysis Centre, a local clinic, has pledged technical support in this matter. Srijan also conducts Hepatitis 'B' vaccination camps for its students. To promote awareness of HIV/AIDS among street children and the college –going youth, we participated in a ‘Sensitisation Programme’ in collaboration with CINI ASHA and CLPOA. The programme proved to be a resounding success with overwhelming participation. In order to inculcate financial independence in the womenfolk of the neighbouring slum areas, Srijan is planning to initiate a “Micro Credit System”, similar to the programme in Bangladesh spearheaded by Nobel Laureate Dr Mohd. Yunus, to promote “Self-sufficiency with minimum capital”.
More details about Srijan and it’s activities can be found at their Official Website: http://srijan.freeservers.com/.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Freemasonry - What is it?
WHAT IS FREEMASONRYIt is a voluntary association of men. It is a system of moral conduct. It is a way of life. It is the oldest fraternal society in the world. It is religious in its character. It teaches the Golden Rule. It seeks to make good men better men. It teaches morality through symbolism. It uses secret rites and ceremonies to instruct its members. It is based on a firm belief in the Fatherhood of God, the Brotherhood of Man and the Immorality of the Soul. Its purpose is to improve humanity as a whole, each Mason being charged to walk uprightly before God and man, and by his rectitude of conduct, encouraging others to conduct themselves in a like manner. Masons are proud to proclaim that their Fraternity consists of men bound by bonds of Brotherly Love and Affection, universally applicable throughout the world.
WHAT FREEMASONRY IS NOT
It is not an insurance or benefit society. It does not solicit members. It is neither a religion nor a creed. It is not organized for profit. It dictates to no man as to his beliefs, or his religion. It seeks no advantages for its members through business or politics. It is not a secret society, as it does not conceal its existence, membership or purposes.
WHAT IS A LODGE
The word "Lodge" means both a group of masons meeting in some place and the room or building in which they meet. Masonic buildings are also called "temples" because much of the symbolism Masonry uses teach its lessons, and comes from the building of King Solomon's temple in the Holy Land.
WHAT GOES ON IN A LODGE
Meetings include the business of the Lodge, degree work and discussions of charitable projects. Teaching of Masonic symbolism and, of course, it's always good to spend time with friends who you can trust completely.
WHAT DOES MASONRY DO
The most common answer is "we take good men and make them better." Some thought must be given on how this is dome. Masonry teaches by symbolism and allegories, taught in degrees. A degree is a stage of level of membership. It is also a ceremony by which a man attains that level of membership. The ceremony is a sacred play, just like in a theatre. The theatre is the oldest known means of teaching, especially the teaching of abstract ideas. It was one of the principal means of instruction in the Middle Ages as well as in ancient Greece and Rome. Freemasonry borrows this technique of theatre to make its lessons more impressive, and to aid the candidate in forming the beginning of what it is hoped will be a long-term pattern of study and thought. Degrees, like the symbols and allegories, are designed to raise questions and help people think. Masonry believes that each man must think for himself, come to his own conclusions, and act according to his own honor and integrity. But Masonry also does charitable work such as Shrine Hospitals and the different charities of the York and Scottish Rites. But you need to also tell what happens in your Blue Lodge, how Masons try to help and care for other Masons and their families. You need to give a personal example of this.
WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A MASON
Being a member of the Brotherhood of masons means: a) Being a part of an unbroken tradition that stretches 500 years. b) Sharing the values of a nation's founding fathers. c) Becoming a better person while helping to improve the quality of life for others. d) Forming deep and lasting friendships. e) But most of all, being a Mason means the kind of deep satisfaction that comes only from selfless giving, from doing for others without asking or expecting anything in return.
WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR MEMBERSHIP
A person who wishes to join Masonry must be a man, sound in body and mind, who believes in a Supreme Being, is at least the minimum age required by the Grand Lodge of his state and has a good reputation.
HOW DOES ONE BECOME A MASON
When a man decides he wants to be a mason, he simply asks a Mason for a petition or application.
SUMMARY You may say that Masonry accepts good men and endeavors to improve them. You may say that Masonry teaches moral lessons derived from the Old Testament literature through the use of symbols and allegory. You may say that masonry is a philosophical society of friends and brothers which strives to teach by degrees, high standards of personal living. You may explain to your friend that we are involved in charitable endeavors, and that each of the many different organizations within the Masonic family are dedicated to some worthy cause such as heart and cancer research, college scholarships, childhood language disorders, eye and diabetes research, and many others. These organizations collectively contribute in excess of two million dollars per day.
BIBLOGRAPHY
PERIODICALS
Burgess, Ray W., P.G.M. "Masons Can Tell," Louisiana Freemason. Davis, Robert G. "Change," The Philalethes, April (1995). Herbold, Ralph A. "Secrecy," Southern California Research Lodge. Irving, Thomas T. "Shout it From the Mountain Tops," Scottish Rite Journal, Dec. (1994). Logan, H.L. "Bud". "In Agreement With Deputy Grand Master." Cal. Freemason, Summer (1995). Runice, John W. "Seeing is Believing," the Baton Rouge Scottish Trestleboard, July (1996). "Things You Should know About Masonry." Masonic Messenger, Georgia. Tresner, Jim. "What's a Mason," Scottish Rite Journal. March (1996). Wordlow, Tony F. "Let's Dispel the Myths of Secrecy," Cal. Freemason. Summer (1996). "What Are Scottish Rite Degrees?" Scottish Rite on the Move. May (1992). Grand Lodge of India Website - www.masonindia.org
UNPUBLISHED MATERIALS Grand Lodge of Massachusett. "What It Means to be a Mason." Pamphlet by the Grand Lodge of Mass. Grand Lodge of Virginia. "Freemasonry – What is it?" Pamphlet by the Grand Lodge of Virginia. Livingston Lodge No. 160, Hammond, LA. "Things you Should Know About Masonry." Pamphlet by Livingston Lodge.
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