A Moth Attack, A Leaping Frog, Snails and Insects on the Dinner table – My Kolad Adventure

What do you get when you have six girls excited about going out on a weekend trip? Well, for starters you get a little of noise, you hear high pitched voices, a mass of giggles and of course as they pass you, you feel you are in the middle of a mini tornado! This was the situation as we made our way out of office to our ride to take us to Kolad.

The drive to Kolad was a medley of traffic and the rains till we reached the perimeters of the city. Once we crossed Panvel and made our way to Penn the skies were dotted with dark rains which showered us with cool droplets of rain. The lush green surroundings banked on each side of the road instantly took us to another level of peace!

We reached our destination at Kolad – Sai Farms around 7 p.m. We trudged to out room where we found 6 beds neatly made and our bags came tumbling onto them. As we stepped out onto the balcony we were greeted by a breathtaking sight of a long lazy river across our room.

After chilling on the balcony our growling stomachs reminded us that it was time for dinner. We made our way to the dining area and sat down while our eyes looked longingly at the kitchen mesh doors. And at that very moment out of the corner of my eye I saw my team member leap off her chair!! And she yelled “Frog!!” I was intrigued by the frog and went towards it. As it leaped to get out of the way, my team member leaped along with it – but in the opposite direction!!

As we settled down after the frog leapt to safety under a cupboard, we all became aware of all the insect lives around us. There were creepy crawly insects, big and small around us and a few on the table too giving us company for dinner! ;)

Soon after we served ourselves dinner, the Moth Attack started… Two – three moths (beautiful ones I must say!) started flying around. And their dance around us was guided by the shrill shrieks of my friends who felt that they were under a Moth Attack!! Due to this “attack” they shifted to a table that was unlit and completed their meal without further visitors to their table!

After a scrumptious meal we made our way back to our room and turned in for the night as the next day would see us doing an adventure sport….

Independent in the whole sense?

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action--
Into that heaven of freedom, my father, let my country awake.
- Rabindranath Tagore

As we in India embark on our 63rd year of independence I wonder if we are truly independent….

Independent from corruption, independent from terrorism, independent from tyranny from small time thugs, independent from our fellow human beings who don’t seem to want to have anything to do with you…

We may be independent such that we have no other country ruling us – but are we independent of the so called leaders that we have running the country today?

I am proud to be an Indian, free from the rule of another, free to make my own decisions, free to live the way I want…. But there are aspects of this independent India that hit me and make me wonder what went wrong with us and why?

Why do the same free Indians want to make an extra buck during the Commonwealth games? We have gathered media attention for sure but for all the wrong reasons.

Why do we have to keep one of our most beautiful states under curfew day after day due to violence in the valley? Why can’t we diffuse the internal terrorism in the north and the east? Has human life lost its value? Aren’t we still under someone else’s rule?

Coming nearer to home we are kept hostage by our fellow humans be it the force that believes that Maharashtra can only have people who are only Maharashtrians; or be it the regular men in khaki who refuse to drive you to your chosen destination – so much so that we had to go on a “strike” against them?

So as we embark on our 63rd year of Independence I would like independence from corruption, from terrorism… May I ask for my fellow Indians to work towards a truly Independent India?

This is indeed India! The land of dreams and romance, of fabulous wealth and fabulous poverty, of splendour and rags, of palaces and hovels, of famine and pestilence, of genii and giants and Aladdin lamps, of tigers and elephants, the cobra and the jungle, the country of hundred nations and a hundred tongues, of a thousand religions and two million gods, cradle of the human race, birthplace of human speech, mother of history, grandmother of legend, great-grandmother of traditions, whose yesterday's bear date with the moldering antiquities for the rest of nations-the one sole country under the sun that is endowed with an imperishable interest for alien prince and alien peasant, for lettered and ignorant, wise and fool, rich and poor, bond and free, the one land that all men desire to see, and having seen once, by even a glimpse, would not give that glimpse for the shows of all the rest of the world combined.
- Mark Twain

Zoroastrianism and few of its Rituals

Zoroastrianism is a ritual intensive religion. Rituals are an integral part of the religious life. On the basis of their purposes and functions of the rituals, they can be divided into various groups like Thanksgiving Rituals known as Jashans; Consecration Rituals known as Visperad, Videvdad etc; Rites of Passage known as Navjote, Navar and Maratab (initiations), Marriage and Death among other various rituals.

The word “Navjote” is derived from two words Nav (new) and Zot (offerer of prayers). The Navjote ceremony is performed of all Parsi children both boys and girls, generally between the ages of 7 to 9. The ritual involves 3 stages – purification, presentation and benedictions. The main purpose of this ritual is to ceremoniously invest the child with the Sadra “the sacred shirt” and the Kasti “the sacred girdle”. The Kasti is made of 72 strands of sheep’s wool intricately woven with ritual observances. Wool symbolizes innocence. It is known to be able to absorb evil vibes and thus act as a protective shield. As shown below there are 9 parts of the Sadra.

Zoroastrian marriages are generally solemnized after sunset, as it was one of the promises given to the Hindu King Jadav Rana by the ancestors of Zoroastrians who came from Iran to India about 1200 years ago. Marriages can also be solemnized in fire temples in the morning. The marriage ritual is referred to as “the Ashirwad” since the priests give “ashirvad” (blessings) to the couple. The senior priest starts the initial part of the Ashirvad, during which rice grains or a mixture of rice, coconut shreds, pomegranate seeds and rose petals are showered on the couple. These items are significant as they all carry a meaning: coconut – symbol of utility and helpfulness to each other and society; rice – indicative of prosperity and plenty; pomegranate – symbolizes fertility and abundance of children and rose petals – indicate fragrance of happiness in married life.

The Zoroastrian mode of disposal of the dead is designed to ensure theological correctness, ecological safeguards and spiritual fortification. The Dokhma (Tower of Silence) is a consecrated circular structure built of stone. Dokhmenashini is the only valid Zoroastrian system of disposal of the mortal remains. The system upholds two of the basic tenets of the religion:

Disposing the corpse, as quickly as possible with the least possible harm to the living people as also any creations like earth, water, air and especially fire.

Least harm or discomfort to the soul which is now getting ready to go to its first stage of its journey into the other realms.

A Snapshot of the Parsi Culture

Over the last weekend I visited a small exhibition showcasing the Parsi culture and its various rituals. Yes, I was accompanied by my mother and my masi joined us too. I already knew bits and pieces about the culture that had been handed over to me my mother’s side of the family but after visiting the exhibition at Albless Baug (Charni Road) I became a little more enlightened. Let me share some parts of the Parsi heritage and culture with you.

Prophet Zarathushtra was the first prophet to reveal religion in the world. He was a divinely appointed prophet. Zarathushtra is an Avestan word. Greeks called him Zoroaster which means “Possessing a wise camel” and “A golden star”. During the Kayanian dynasty, the power of evil was increasing. It became so unbearable, that Geush Urvan, the soul of Mother Earth cried out in pain to Ahura Mazda. After discussions with Bahman and Ardibahesht Ameshaspands, Ahura Mazda proclaimed that there was just one soul who could help her – Zarathushtra Spitama. He was sent as a Prophet to the world.

Throughout his childhood there were a number of murder attempts made on him, but he survived them all. He passed away at the age of 77 years and 11 days. Prophet Zarathushtra accepted the teachings of the already existing Mazdayasni belief system, added many of his teachings and gave a very strong religion to the people of Iran.

Fire temples are special consecrated structures housing a consecrated fire. The sacred fire is housed in a small room, which is the sanctum sanctorum. It is kept burning ever since its enthronement. Priests offer prayers and fuel to the fire at least five times during the day at the turn of the five gahs (watches of the day). The consecrated fires in fire temples are specially made. There are three grades of fire: Atash Behram; Atash Adaran and Atash Dadgah. These 3 grades of fires are made by collecting, purifying and consecrating fires from different sources and then amalgamating them into one fire. For the Atash Behram, fires from 16 different sources are used; for the Atash Adaran, fires from 4 different sources are used; for the Atash Dadgah, it is not necessary to collect fire from different sources, nor is it necessary to perform any particular rituals over the fire.

IPL 3 Semi Finals – MI v/s RCB @ DY Patil – a mind-blowing experience!!

As the hour hand inched closer to 6 p.m. yesterday the excitement within me started to mount and take over my senses. I had bought my tickets online and had to get them exchanged for “original” tickets – weird but that’s what my printout said! As we approached the relevant gate we were informed that the counter had closed and we could get it at another counter. After approaching Gate No 7 for the tickets, I realised I was one of the many hundreds who were also inching their way towards the counter. Suddenly there was a roar of voices and the news floated back to us that they had stopped issuing the tickets and we could enter the stadium with the printouts. So, off we trudged to the stadium gates.

As we stood in the line in front of the gates, a Kingfisher helicopter hovered over us and landed in the ground outside the stadium. As everyone craned their necks to catch a glimpse of who was in the cabin, the pilot gets out, opens the cabin door, is handed a camera and he obliges by clicking a couple of snaps of the passengers inside. After the smiles had been captured by the lens, Deepika P got out of the cabin and while all the men on the field drooled, she strode across into a waiting car and made her way to the stadium. Soon after, another Kingfisher helicopter hovered and landed on the field and out stepped the owner of the brand – Mr. Mallya himself, dressed in a red tracksuit.

Being a cautious person, I hadn’t carried my mobile into the stadium as per the various updates issued in the papers but was amazed and surprised to see the number of individuals roaming around with their cell phones plastered to their ears!! As I made my way towards the gates the civilized lines turned into an unruly mob who had the weird thought that if they all pushed together to get to the gate, they could all go through instead of one by one that the turnstile allowed! And I would like to ask the organizers where was all the extra security that they had harped about in each of their interviews with the newspapers?? Where were the 3 tiered security checks? I was just asked if I was carrying a cell phone and when I replied in the negative I was allowed to walk right into the stadium without even a pat down by the female cops!! Wow I loved this kind of security!!! Were we all really safe???

As I stood at the end of the corridor my eyes and ears strained to take in the wonderful sights and sounds in front of me. The cricket ground was brightly lit and the green grass shone as if each blade had been washed and shined for the semis. The atmosphere was electrifying and I felt as the sole electric conductor in the stadium. The music blared out English and Hindi hit songs while occasionally the IPL trumpet blared followed by the cheers / roar of the crowds already present. Watching both the teams warming up in the field added to the already mounting excitement. After settling into our seats I merrily joined in with the chants of “Sachinnnnnnnnnn… Sachin!!” and “Mumbaiiiiiiiiii….. Indians!!!!”


As the match started the chants went on and on, encouraging the Men In Blue while they battled out the game against the Royal Challengers in the middle. My MI flag (which now stands on my office table) flew high in tune to the music and the chants. The air suddenly grew heavy and you could hear the stillness in the air as Sachin was declared out! The silence hung heavily all round me as we all craned our necks to catch the replay on the screens not wanting to believe what had just happened. As he walked back to the pavilion the crowd finally accepted his dismissal and with a somber silence sat back to watch the overs unfold. The air got charged once again as S. Tiwari and Pollard started to unfold their magic onto the Bangalore bowlers.

The excitement in the atmosphere went on till Bangalore started losing wickets to Bhajji and Malinga. The MI team was on fire!! When the final over came up there was a loud roar as the crowds smelt victory round the corner and the last 6 balls were met with equal cheers. As the last ball was played the crowd went berserk and started dancing in the aisles, in their seats, on their seats, jumping up and down all the while chanting “Sachinnnnnnnnnnnnn……. Sachin!!!” followed by “Mumbaiiiiiiiiiiiii….. Indians!!!”


I left the field feeling exhilarated as the intoxication of watching the semis flowed through my entire body!! It was one of the most amazing and awesome experiences that I have had. Am I glad I went!!! :) :)

Goa = The Sun, The Sand & The Sea (4)

The warm sun and a cool breeze greeted us as we set out for our day of sightseeing of a few gems of Goa.

Big Foot
We started our day with a visit to “Big Foot”. The project is spread over a nine acre hillock in South Goa, and represents an effort to recreate the “Old Goa”. As you walk through the “village” you are escorted by various guides who give you an insight to the models that are built and the life that the ancestors of Goa lived.

As we entered a cave like structure we were met by one more guide who proceeded to tell us about the “Legend of the Big Foot”. Legend has it that there was a wealthy landowner by the name of Mahadar always helped the poor. His greedy neighbours kept on asking him for help till one day they fleeced him of all his possessions. Soon after he lost his wife, and he had to make do with what he got. The Gods seeing this good faith asked him for a boon wherein he asked for a small place to stand and pray. He was given a hot rock where he stood on one foot and prayed. Seeing his devotion the Gods took Him to heaven leaving his foot print behind.

Another attraction was the 14m x 5m laterite sculpture of Saint Mirabai which is also in the Limca Book of Records as the longest laterite sculpture in India. This sculpture was carved by Maendra Alvares of Goa in just 30 days!!



Did you know?
That most houses in Goa especially the older ones have a “Rooster” on their roof? And in addition to this they may also have another smaller statue of a man in a uniform near their gate or at the porch of the house? Do you know the significance of these objects?

The Rooster is the National Bird of Portugal and as most of the ancestors of Goa were Portuguese; their houses all had the statue of the Rooster on the roof of their houses. The smaller statue of the man in uniform signified that one of the members of the family were in the Armed Forces.

Goa = The Sun, The Sand & The Sea (3)

Sunday morning we decided to have our breakfast at the much spoken about eatery – The Infantaria. The quaint little eatery drew us instantly and we made our way to a table and sat down to start our day with good food. We had a scrumptious breakfast of a mushroom - cheese – 3 egg omlette with toast with French toast and Strawberry milkshakes – though the milkshakes were not too good :(

After a day spent on the beach and lazing around, in the evening we made our way to the Mandovi River for our very first Ferry cruise/ride. As we made our way to the Ferry boat we heard music being played and our excitement grew with every step that we took to the top of the ferry. Upon being seated, we looked around and our eyes glinted with the lights all around us.

Soon our host started the show and we sat enthralled as dancers swayed to different kinds and types of music. As the show took a break, a huge boat went past us – the Casino Royale! It was beautiful! My interest rose to new high and I got tempted to go onto the Casino Royale but the same got squashed immediately when I heard that the cost of getting onto the boat was Rs. 4,000/- per head! Though I was disappointed, I made up my mind that one day I will go onto the boat and try my luck at the casino! :) Anyone listening? ;)

The ferry ride lasted an hour which sped by so fast that we were left checking our watches to see if the hour had really passed! The growling in our stomachs reminded us that it was time for dinner and we made our way to eat at an open air restaurant – The Fisherman’s Cove. Before we got to the restaurant we passed a shop called as “Original Fakes” – the name was interesting and their wares were more that a little interesting! They were amazing! This small shop sold bags – nothing interesting about that you may say, but if you walked out with a “Jimmy Choo” bag @ just Rs. 1,200/- wouldn’t that get your attention?? And it definitely got ours! Our stomachs were put on hold for the moment and we went a little berserk inside, ending up with 6 bags between the 3 of us! :)

With our shopping pangs satisfied it was now time to attend to our hunger pangs and attend we did – with a seafood platter and sautéed squids! A perfect end to a perfect day!

Goa = The Sun, The Sand & The Sea (2)

Most of you may have seen the stalls at Fashion Street, Mumbai – now imagine about at least 200-250 (or more!) of these stalls spread out over a huge piece of land, add to it music, lights, drinks and food, mix them all together and you get one of the most electrifying and amazing Night Markets at Goa – the Saturday Night Market at Arpora which goes on from 7.00 p.m. to 2.00 a.m.

We reached the venue around 8.30 p.m. on Saturday night and as we trudged down from the small hill on which we parked our car our eyes and ears started taking in the sights and sounds around us. Music swarmed all around us and we were engulfed in the beats being belted out. On arriving to the source of the music I discovered that there were performers singing and playing instruments on a stage, enthralling the audience who sat on plastic chairs with beers in their hands.

The market was swarming with people of all ages, colours, shapes and sizes. There were foreigners walking around us either fully clothed or just clothed ;)! The atmosphere had a buzz in it and made us dizzy with delight at experiencing something different!

Most of the stalls were manned and owned by Indians but there were a quite a few that were manned and owned by foreigners too. I thought that being an Indian I could get a better chance at bargaining but NO! I was wrong… I got no bargains at all! :( Then as I passed one of the stalls the lady there mistook me for a foreigner and started to sell her wares to me when I realised I could get away with some bargaining… and I definitely did!! :) So, I started bargaining and getting amazing discounts on some payals and bags and a table runner just by passing off as a “phirangi”!! Now that was an experience I will never forget!
We left the market around 11.00 p.m. as the place become more and more crowded with arms full of shopping and satisfied grins on our faces! ;)

Goa = The Sun, The Sand & The Sea

Q. Who in their right minds would book a 5.20 flight to Goa on a Saturday morning??? Ans: Me of course! ;-)

Yes, I took off from amchi Mumbai at 5.20 a.m. last Saturday to start my long weekend in Goa with my two other girlfriends. Over the next few posts I will take you with me on my holiday.

We landed after about an hour and were met by our resort taxi driver. The weather that greeted us was cool with a slight nip in the air. As we made our way to our resort, the fresh cool breeze caressed our faces as the sunlight played on the leaves of the trees that sped past our car window.

After a quick nap, bath and breakfast we headed out to the beach. As we reached the warm sand we suddenly attracted all the possible masseurs that were around – they each cam up to us asking “You want massage madam? Good massage? You want sun bathing madam? Sit here madam” pointing to beach chairs. Getting tempted we ventured to get our bodies massaged by the lady masseurs. And the feeling was divine!!! :) :) While we enjoyed our massages we were witness to a few strange sights too… like old foreigner men walking around only in the smallest swimming trunks that they possessed with all their belly tyres jiggling as they walked up and down the beach! In addition to them there were ladies of all ages and sizes in their bikinis sunbathing – some without their bikini tops!

For lunch we headed out to Baga to eat at Britto’s where “The Catch of the Day” was displayed and we indulged ourselves with the king prawns and squids!





As I enjoyed my food and my beer my eyes came to rest on the Ink Tattoo salon and I got drawn to it. My interest got further aroused when I discovered that I could get a temporary tattoo done and thus was born “Dolphi – The Dolphin” ;)

We are 2!!!

Yes!! My blog and I have completed 2 marvelous years on the internet and I have enjoyed each and every letter, word and phase that I have written.

The last year saw me become more active on the social networking front and getting more exposure for my blog. Though at times I was confronted by “blogger’s block” I managed to come back and write at least one post each month.

My first year of blogging was full of new surprises and comparatively my second year of blogging has been more of discovering myself through my writing and the feedback received by all my friends and readers.

As I started my second year I had had apprehensions if I would make it to the start of a third year and what do you know – here I am on the threshold of my third year of blogging!!!

I would like to thank all my friends and readers who edged me on to write and share my experiences through my blog posts (sounds like an Oscar speech! ;) hehe). So, without sounding too dramatic, let me end by saying….

Keep coming back and reading my blog!!! :)

Sunday evening @ the 2010 Kala Ghoda Festival

Not the ideal time and day to visit the festival because I was surrounded by people and people and more people!!! I started off exploring the parking lot where I had children running around me in search of their parents and I encountered some huge and magnificent creatures – the huge elephant, the tall giraffe and the majestic horse were some of the animals that greeted all who had come to grace the festival with their presence.

What caught my eye was this structure that had frames around it and caps of the armed forces in the middle and on the outside there was this plague which read: “Mera Desh Mahan?”

As I entered the Festival arena I was greeted by a 3D chalk drawing of a horse breaking out from the road! A truly amazing piece of art done by an Indian artist.


As I weaved my way through the endless waves of children and mummies and papas, I stumbled upon a stall run by “tappu ki dukkan” where I saw various items made from Elephant Dung. My eyes were suddenly drawn to a range of t-shirts and one of them caught my eye. My eyes lit up as I found the design I wanted and immediately bought. Check it out!!!


There were various more stalls run by various shops / artists / NGOs but because of the crowds I gave them a miss. Not to worry though, I am going back to check them out on the weekdays!!

Wah Ustad Wah!!

As the clock struck 7 last Sunday evening and the cool breeze settled Zakir Hussein came onstage and in his trademark white kurta pajama greeted the crowd in front of him including yours truly! This was my second live performance of the great tabla player that I was attending – the first being at Gateway of India when he performed with the group Shakti.

As I sat on the steps of the Asiatic Library I felt the current in the crowd around me as Zakir Hussein settled behind his tablas. And the magic started!!! It was not just music but magic that enthralled all of us as we sat glued to our seats as the performance unfolded. His hands and fingers caressed the smooth tablas and with each caress a magical sound was heard. His hands literally flew over the tablas and one was left looking at a blur instead of his hands. He was accompanied by a Sarangi player who matched him note for note. One brilliant piece that he played represented the rain falling as raindrops which moved onto a downpour with flashes of lightening – a truly awesome acoustic experience!!!

The performance wound up in one and a half hours and it felt like he had just started playing! Not once during the performance did his waver and he kept all of us mystified. As I left the steps I knew this was one of his best performances ever and I was glad that I was there to experience it!