Unforgettable Uttarakhand

Hello. This is me writing again after ages.
This one is about my happy experience of vacationing in the northern state of India, Uttarakhand.

December is a very special month, full of celebrations. One such occasion is my wedding anniversary which is very quickly followed by wife's birthday. We look forward for this month so vacation planning and preparations start two months in advance.
In October we discussed about our preferred locations to travel within India. For us travel is about having unique experience and is usually a mix of adventure, relaxation and having good food. After exploring our choices between Rajasthan and Coorg we settled on a road trip that covers Nainital, Jim Corbett and Mussorie and back to New Delhi.
And so it begins. We started with an early morning flight on 04 Dec from Mumbai to Delhi where our driver friend Satveer paaji was waiting to receive us. It was 05:30 am when we stepped out of the Delhi airport and felt the first cold winds of the North. As we rode towards Nainital via NH9 we saw many of the prominent government buildings of India (more on that later!) And just as we reached Noida we fell asleep from the overnight shift. After few hours of good sleep we found ourselves on our first stop for breakfast somewhere in Ghaziabad. And what did someone say about the food in the North! Oh Boy! That was an amazing paratha dish we had (one of the many) and kullad chai malai-maarke !! We reached our first destination Nainital after 7 hours on road.

DAY 01
The property we had booked was close to the Naini Lake and we had an easy access to the awesome lake. After check-in to hotel we had some rest and then in the evening we went for a stroll on the Mall Road.
Since it was still early December there was no holiday rush and the road was relatively less crowded. We spent the evening eating out the world best pastries at the Sakley's. There is also The Chocolate Room cafe next to Sakley's which has a very good ambience. We also picked up some fancy earmuffs sold on the street side to keep ourselves warm. Winter is coming was no longer a fictional series phrase. At nights we saw temperatures drop to 1deg and I truly felt thankful to the inventors of the heaters. We survived.

DAY 02
After having scheduled breakfast we started the sight seeing at this beautiful city of lakes. We first visited Naukuchiatal and spent few hours doing boating in the serene waters. From there we reached Bhimtal for some photo ops session. This place was famous for aquarium within the lake which is now closed. We reached Sattal meaning 7 co-joined lakes for more photo sessions and get harassed by road side vendors who keep on insisting to show Bulbul ka bacha and what not. We also had a top view glimpse of Khurpatal, the lake that shows reflection of different colors as the season varies. From here we reached to what I think js the highest peak and the coldest point in Nainital. We were at Hanumangarhi, shivering with cold we climbed every step to see temples dedicated to Master God and his Servant God. We returned back to the Mall road for late lunch at Gianni's. We finished the day by taking blessings of Naina Devi at Her temple by the lake side. Such a beautiful evening and a day well spent! (Spent = Shopping by wife !! 😋🤣)


DAY 03
We still had few more places to see and we began with the Snow View Point, Amitabh Bachchan's Boarding School etc. There is an adventure park near by the Snow View Point called Magic Mountains. Stop here for some chai and Maggi and where we also did 5 laps of Go-Karting. This is the first time we both tried and it was lot of fun !! Who won?? (ofcourse me!)
We came back to the hotel and checked out to our next destination for some wild life experience.
Welcome to Jim Corbett !!!
Our first evening safari was scheduled on the same day. We reached the meeting point from where the open Jeep would take us into the forest at Bijarani gate.
We met our guides Shubham and Laik who promised us to give the most memorable safari. And they lived up to their word. After going around the narrow roads of forest, catching the hints from animal behaviors, following the footprints we stopped at the dry river side which had many rocks and a small puddles of water. On the other end there was a herd of deers grazing away at dried leaves, enjoying by themselves. And then we saw some movement behind the grasses where we were waiting. And it came out of the hiding. She is truly the most beautiful and majestic animal in the jungle. The excitement level had reached it's peak. The happiness of seeing a tiger in its own backyard cannot be expressed easily in words (especially what we saw!). This particular Tigress goes by the name Sharmili. She walked a few paces and sat by at the corner watching it's prey enjoying at the other end. Our guide started his engine and slowly took us as close as possible to get the best view of the Tigress. She wasn't interested in humans at this time. She was focused and planning her dinner. Or may be it's just a play thing for her. By now she had decided and she marched silently towards the other end. And then she again cunningly sat back to decieve the deers. This time though the deers had made the eye contact and were alert for all possibilities. Sharmili sprang upon the closest deer but they all escaped. By now all the jeeps in the forest had reached the action zone. The tigress turned it's attention towards us now and started walking ever so gracefully. She was just a few feet away from our jeep looking at me directly while wifey was palpably making the videos. This was surreal. I thanked the Almighty for giving this day and in what seems to me the tigress humbly accepted our gratitude and respect for her and the animal kingdom. After all we are both His creation. She too then bowed and jumped the high wall and walked off again in the jungle. Best. Day. Ever.



DAY 04
Getting up at 4:30 am in winters is what crazy people do. Today we went for morning safari selfishly expecting to see more of the same. Jhirna gate was more expansive than yesterday's and had more variety of animals and birds. We could hear the calls of barking deer on either side of the mountain cliffs. But the tiger shyed away this time. Nevertheless we did see Otter which is also a rare sighting in the forest.

DAY 05 was meant for rest and enjoying the resort facilities.
Eat. Sleep. Repeat.

DAY 06
We checked out of the hotel early to do another morning safari in the most popular Dhikala zone. We saw wild elephants and again lots and lots of deers before exiting out of the Sir Jim Corbett National Park.
After having lunch we started our journey towards the final destination of Mussorie. This long drive took more than 8 hours. It was already dark by 6pm and we had only reached Dehradun. We took a pit stop for snacks and little bit of stretching. Just before ascending the hills of Mussorie, we visited a family owned Shiv temple and the priest of the temple gifted my wife with 'rudrakshas' as birthday blessings.
We reached Mussorie at 9pm and the weather here was worse than what we felt at Nainital. Mussorie known as Queen of Hills left us feeling exhausted and we must have slept off as soon as the back rested against the soft bed and thickly quilted bedsheet.

DAY 07
We had one of the best breaksfasts on the trip at our hotel and then left for sight seeing. Our first stop was at Kempty Falls. The water was freezing cold as we enjoyed the falls by just dipping the legs in the pool like area created by local authorities for public enjoyment.
We then went up to Gun Hill Road and took a gondola cabin ride and took a view of entire Mussorie from the hilltop.  We then took a tour of Camel Hump road and Library Bazar where the famous author Ruskin Bond has a bookshop. From there we headed for our lunch at the popular Chick Chocolate Cafe. The cafe has a very modern theme and reference posters of hit TV series and films. Try everything at this cafe.. very good cakes, shakes and pizza. We also wanted to taste the Cheese Omlettes at Lovely Omlettes Center but it was closed on Tuesday. We then headed to Kalsang Chinese corner for some Chinese Momo's and Thupka soup. We filled our bellies and headed back to hotel as the cold was getting unbearable with all the warm wear. On the way we spotted John Abraham who was shooting for his upcoming movie and the crew did not allow any photographs to be taken.
There was still lot of stuff to do and see in Mussorie but hopefully for next time.

DAY 08
We started on the last leg of the trip and were returning back to New Delhi. Our driver Satveer paaji suggested we could do a stop over at Har ki Podi (Feet of Lord Vishnu) at Haridwar. We instantly liked the idea and agreed to it. On reaching Haridwar we dipped into holy river of Ganges and performed a small puja as offering to the God's and ancestors for this life. We reached Delhi around 6pm and settled into hotel.
In evening we went to India Gate, war memorial to pay respect to the martyr soldiers of India. After spending a few hours we returned to the hotel.

DAY 09
The day was dedicated to visit the monuments of historical importance spread across the national capital. (Remember I mentioned  about Delhi visit at the beginning of blog.) We had a spiritual experience at Guru Bangla Sahib Gurudwara. The next step was the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the residence of the President of India.
It was an educational tour and we got ourselves an entry inside the Bhavan to see and hear all about 340 rooms, where the national awards  are distributed, where the President has his luncheon with the visiting guests of foreign countries, President's family suite, administrative office etc. The different size busts and statues of ex President's added to the glory of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Outside the Bhavan doors stood the President's security entourage which keeps detailed checks on the visitors. The army staff performs parades and guard the President protocol every day. Red Fort came next in the list, a monument from where we hear Prime Minister of the country give a speech on every Independence Day.
There are markets within the fort area for shopping and eating. Chandni Chowk which is close to the Red Fort is the heart of Delhi. This place is crowded but everything is available here. In terms of shopping it is mainly a haven for ladies. In terms of food the famous Paranthe wali galli is present in this Chowk itself. Some of the popular eating places are Gianni di hatti for chole bature, Baburam paranthe and old famous Jalebi Wala. There is also Khan market for those interested in non veg delicacies. The most common pattern during trip was that after heavy eating we did some heavy duty shopping. There are lots of shops in small lanes of Chandni Chowk catered to women clothing and the designs come in all shapes and sizes.

DAY 10
No visit to Delhi is complete without going to Connaught Place and Sarojini Market. These are 2 upscale markets where branded imported clothes and accessories can be purchased (read bargained) at dirt cheap cost. We finished the Delhi trip by full course lunch at Haldiram's.
The last part is always the hardest one after an exceptionally refreshing vacation. It was time to board the Rajdhani Express and head back to Aamchi Mumbai. The service in the train was excellent and lived up to the reputation.
These 10 days spent in Uttarakhand and Delhi will be cherished forever.


Itinerary | Accommodation Synopsis
Nainital | 3 Days | The Palace Belvedere
Jim Corbett | 3 Days | The Corbett View Resort
Mussorie | 2 Days | Hotel Vishnu Palace
Delhi | 2 Days | Treebo Nataraj Yes Please

Hope this inspired  you to take a vacation. Good bye. Until the next travelog !

Top 4

Thank You Sachin Tendulkar

15 November 1989 - 16 November 2013. What. A. Journey. To quote Sachin's own words from his final retirement speech - his life has been between the 22 yards for the 24 years.  There were atleast 4-5 moments in the game where sadness threatened my heart but I controlled myself each time before the inevitable finally happened - I cried. I cannot describe the feelings that I went through when on Day 1 MS Dhoni presented the special 200th cap to Sachin and Sachin led the team out on the ground, then there was the guard of honor the West Indies team laid out for Sachin as he walked on to bat and then that long walk when he was dismissed for 74 on Day 2 and then he turned back and raised his bat for the last time for everyone. I knew instantly that was his last innings.  However that tinge of sadness grew a bit more when after the test match was won Sachin was given a mobile guard of honor right till the pavilion end and just before he reached the ropes, he wiped off the little tear beneath his cap.  That moment just killed it for me. It pierced my heart and soul and I automatically cried as well. And from there on right till the end of his speech I was numb and void of emotions. In fact I lost him somewhere after he had thanked his elder brother Ajit (it really was a long speech!!!) 

I was reflecting back on his career and some of his notable performances which truly touched my heart and my respect for him grew that much more with these innings. He was always destined to become the greatest and the bestest ever but these innings (mostly ODIs) will remain etched in my memories forever.

• 1992 World Cup game against Pakistan - I was just about 6 yrs old and Sachin remained unbeaten on 54 that day as he ran out of partners.  I remember and I am told that I was complaining and crying that it was a conspiracy to not allow Sachin to score a 100 that day. 
• 1998 Sharjah Cup ('Desert Storm') against Australia - I was at my mama's place in Pune when these 2 innings of Sachin's took place. And completely against run of play Sachin qualified us for the finals and then just ripped apart the Aussies in the finals too on his 25th Birthday. The scores of 143 and 134 were one of the best attacking batting seen then by me. And every stroke played on that day coupled with Tony Greig's commentary still leaves me with goose bumps. This is my best and the most favorite Sachin memory!
• 1999 World Cup game against Kenya - This game I was sitting at my home watching and I am sure I would have taken any amount of contribution by Sachin that day. I am sure it must have been very difficult for him to have gone through's his father's funeral rites and then fly back next day and score a century no matter who the opposition is. This is the first time I saw a live example of someone who taught us the real meaning of serving the country. He gets the highest salute from me for just showing the sheer courage to come out and bat let alone scoring a century.
• 2003 World Cup game against Pakistan - I was in class X and had board exams next day but that did not stop me from watching this game. This game will be remembered for the hammering he gave to famed Pakistan bowling line up and Shoaib Akhtar in particular. His innings of 98 was packed with retribution and it took just the initial 5 overs to turn the momentum of the game in India's favor. 
• 2004 Test Match against Australia - This game had come after injuries and basically lots of ups and downs in his career. India themselves were only ambitious of being #1 and had announced themselves in 1st test at Adelaide. But a lot of water had flown below the bridge in next 2 tests in Melbourne and Perth with those Bucknor goof ups and Monkeygate and all the stuff like that. Sachin had made a point to not play anything on offside. He scored almost all of his 241 runs on the leg side in that game and that takes a lot of discipline and focus to do. And moreover he denied a winning farewell to Steve Waugh hence that innings rates very high among the memories. 
• 2010 ODI game against South Africa - Just 1 year before the World Cup when once again critics had started to raise the ugly question of will he be or wont be in the world cup squad - Sachin rose to occasion and answered that emphatically with almost unforeseen double hundred against Saffers. Things that stand out of that innings are 1st - I mean whenever there was a talk on who could do it - the names that always came were the most aggressive 6 hitting batsmen during that time like Gibbs, Sehwag, Watson or Gayle. Never in wildest dreams did any one think Sachin could do it because he had altered his game so much that a question of him lasting 50 overs was laughable. But he did it and he will always be remembered as the first person to break the 200 run barrier in ODIs. 

Apart from these games the one other such memory of Sachin that will remain in my memory bank will be the one of him lifting the 2011 World Cup and that huge smile from him. That is joy to behold and be cherished. 

Though there will be continuous debates on when he should have retired? why his retirement had to be so much papparazzi as compared to Rahul Dravid's? Each one is entitled to have his opinion and there is no right or wrong answer to these questions and totally out of control of common man's interests. So let's drop off the negativity and celebrate the retirement of a man who has given the whole country such immense enjoyment, a man who is modest and humble, a man who lived by the 22 yards for 24 years.

I wish Sachin Tendulkar many congratulations on having a fullsome career and  a very happy retired life. 

Mesut Ozil to Redefine Arsenal's Success Formula

Hello All.

What a frantic 2 days if you were an Arsenal fan! The first hurdle was to beat a resurgent Spurs team on Sunday and then try and somehow restore the faith of supporters by going big on the Transfer Deadline Day before the market closed at 11PM BST. And I think the manager did meet expectations of most fans if not all of them. As our manager says “You cannot always please everyone in this profession and he has been long enough in the job to know what needs to be done in the best interests of the Club”. I’ll buy that argument for now and the signing of Mesut Ozil certainly justifies his belief and his statement.

But then I am not writing this blog to sing praises of “One Arsene Wenger” nor is this about Mesut Ozil and his exceptional stats as one of the best playmakers in European football right now. Today I have read host of articles and blogs and spoken with friends who support different clubs mainly on the Ozil transfer – like always there have been articles that have been painted with a negative brush. Some people just cannot accept Arsenal doing something good for their own sake. These people don’t want to see the Arsenal perspective or the bright side ever; they just have their personal agenda and biased opinion to boost their own ego and they will always spurt nonsense vile about Arsenal. Hence this blog is to counter them and also accept some of the valid points and to find a way around that. Every problem has a solution!

So what are they saying?

1.       Arsenal did not need an Ozil more than they needed a Fellaini or a Benzema or a David Luiz or a Dani Alves.
2.       Mesut Ozil needs to be complemented with other star players to get better out of him.
3.       Arsene Wenger left it too late with large portion of warchest still unspent. Spurs spent 100m compared to only 50m by Le Prof.
4.       One signing will NOT win a trophy. Arsenal fans celebrating too early.

I think it’s always easy to say ‘Spend some fuckin’ money’, ‘You don’t know what you’re doing’ , ‘X is better than Y but Z is cheap’ or ‘Team T bought PQRS so they have more chance to reach lofty heights this campaign because Team A only bought a Z’.  It is more difficult to do so in the actual market. An investor knows the value of blue chip stocks in a stock market – they are meant to be bought for long term stability and they always give good returns in a bullish market. A trader will always want to go for derivatives option in order to make more money in the bullish market. I think that is the difference between Arsene Wenger and say AVB or Brendan Rodgers. Arsene is an investor as compared to your intra-day trader AVB who seems to have taken punt on average buys who will perform well in short term.

When we started the summer I think Plan A was always to sign 1 marquee striker first and then 2 or 3 good supporting players. We tried and we failed miserably. We all know that. When Arsene mentioned after the victory over Fener in 2^nd leg that transfer window starts now and lot of activity will happen between now and the end of transfer window – I think that was the moment he drafted his Plan B. So Plan B was quiet simple sign the first available marquee player irrespective of the position he plays and the demands of the seller club. Arsene was prepared to pay more than premium for his marquee signing but also kept pursuing the search within talent pool that will fit his valuations. Well we got out marquee signing but not the supporting cast that will complete the squad. Yet I would say it is better than what we envisaged after Aston Villa game.

Imagine a scenario where Wenger landed only support players like Cabaye or Ba or Draxler without a marquee signing on last day, it would have been a total disaster. And I don’t even want to think about public outrage it would have caused by our own set of fans.

Mesut Ozil signing provides the Club with an opportunity, ray of hope for improved performances, improved team spirit (check the tweets from Ramsey, Jack, Cazorla and Poldi) and thus better results. If we can go on a decent run till January with cup competition and Top 3 in sights we can again go big in the market and complete where we left on Sept 2^nd – buy those extra bodies that will help overcome the fatigue and  games that come thick and fast in Jan and Feb. With Ozil we have hope for acquisitions in long term and scope for much better results. Think about the commercial side – shirt sales. How many of you have preserved an Arshavin shirt or RvP (Judas) shirt today?? But we all still have our Bergkamp, Henry, Pires, Cesc shirts framed and hanging on the walls…Right??  Right.  I am not even thinking about a trophy yet but the fact that we have taken a foundation step to reach that level of success is what is the most highlighting and the satisfying part of the Ozil deal. So kudos to the team that worked on bringing him to the Ashburton Grove.

Now those who still think signing of Ozil is a redundant signing they need to find a better pastime than Arsenal. Those who want more signings remember it has never been our style to smash 200m on one night let alone the entire summer. Those who want to measure success only in terms of trophy again find a better pastime than football.

As said above every problem has a solution. The problem at this stage is NOT that AW still has portion of warchest left. The focus should be how to build from here with or without Arsene Wenger. Any manager out there will be dying to coach likes of Cazorla, Wilshere, Ozil, Ramsey etc. Any manager out there will be dying to manage a team with resources like ours – CL, sponsors, stadium and a global fan base. We’ve everything going in our favor except the trophy bit. If we are to continue with Wenger there has to be strict timelines as to this season or next or at max the one after in 2015-16 we need to win PL title and team that boasts of 6-7 Ozil category (top top super exceptional) players and 9-10 Flamini category (hardworking and point to prove) players. The warchest is still there – it is not Wenger’s to take away so if he leaves at end of this season we can bring in new manager with new ideas and he will spend this cash to achieve the same objectives within same timelines that were set for Wenger.

As I see it there are no problems but there is an opportunity to go to the next level. And all this is because of the arrival of Mesut Ozil. Up The Arsenal. :)

Fourth Place Race Explained !

Hello All.
What an agonising weekend it was for Arsenal fans! Southampton held Tottenham until last minute winner from Gareth Bale whose curled finish from left foot left many Gooners biting their nails. And then the Champions hosted Benitez's Blues side and looked so disinterested in the game till few mins off added time in first half. RvP deliberately kept going at the far post when Valencia crossed everything near post. Chelsea managed to score a winner; again very late in the game as Mata's shot deflected off Jones and off the frame and trickled into the goal past Lindergaard. While Spurs and Chelsea scored late goals; Arsenal's Theo Walcott scored the fastest goal of the season (21 secs) and then basically switched off the for the rest of 92 mins and 39 secs of the game. 3 points are all that matters but such close is the race that 3 points matter only if other results go our way.

The league table stands as is:
Chelsea 68
Arsenal 67
Spurs 65

Here I present you all permutations that may go into the fight for securing Top 4.

What is pretty much obvious from above permutations is Arsenal's fate is not in their own hands. But also most of the fate will be decided based on the outcome of Chelsea v Spurs game on Tuesday. And the best possible result for us will be that Chelsea beat Spurs. If chelsea beat spurs they are in driver's seat for 3rd place But those who have a strong heart and are willing to risk their lives for 2 more weeks would like to hope that both teams drop points and expect it to be a draw. If the game is a draw then the race goes down to the wire... (I am one of those! see below) :-)



My gut feeling is we will still finish Top 4. We might finish level on points with Chelsea. All that players and manager needs to do is perform...get out there, sweat it out, bleed if required and ensure maximum points in all the games.  And same message goes out for Gooners... make noise, make more noise get behind the team such that every cheer from the stands, terraces, in front of  television sets, at the screening or if you're listening on the radio leads to opposition making mistake and we scoring a goal. COYG!!!

My Winter Sonnet

Give me some sunshine, 
Oh Lord to thee I pray,
Give homeless some shelter,
To spend night and day.

Give me some sunshine,
Oh Lord to thee I pray,
Give protests some peace,
Coz Rome wasn't built in a day.

Give me some sunshine,
Oh Lord to thee I pray,
Give ODI Champions a challenge,
Else we remain champions of yesterday.

Alarm clock rings frozen as I lay,
Hey but Thank God It's Friday!

The Best Of Last 20 Years In The PL

Hello All.

A quick post about the awards season now that PL drawing to close.

There is a contest going on the Premier League site. Make sure you vote for the best. Although some of the nominations I don't agree that they merit to be short listed.

So the categories for Public Votes and Panel Votes are

PUBLIC VOTES

• Best Goal
• Best Match
• Best Save
• Best Celebration

PANEL VOTES

• Best Team
• Best Players
• Best Quote
• Best Season
• Best Manager

PANEL & PUBLIC VOTES

Fantasy Team

Here's my pick in each of the categories:

Best Goal

Dennis Bergkamp, Newcastle United v Arsenal 2001/02 (sheer artistry in that goal Only he knows how he did it!)

David Beckham, Wimbledon v Man U 1996/97 (This goal is my introduction to football. In India the sport has got popular because of David Beckham and this goal from half line)

But my all time 20 seasons favorite favorite PL goal has to be Henry's goal against Liverpool on Boxing Day when he side stepped 2 defenders to score... even Robert Pires was left stranded and mesmerised on the pitch Arsenal won 4-2 on that day.

Eventually I have voted for Beckham's goal.

Best Match
Liverpool 4-4 Arsenal 2008/09 (obvious reason being Arsenal fan and for Arshavin 4 goals)

Portsmouth 7-4 Reading 2007/08 (great spectacle for a neutral just in terms of # of goals scored)

I have voted for Liverpool v Arsenal :)

Best Celebration
Temuri Ketsbaia, Newcastle v Bolton 1997/98
(What madness shown by the player. Loved it. Laughed it. Wow!!!)

Best Save
Jussi Jaskelainen, Man U v Bolton 2001/02
(Any save against United has to be good and he did twice and denied from close range)

If I were on Panel then my votes would be

Best Team - Arsenal, The Invincibles

Best Player - Thierry Henry

Best Quote - "I did not see the incident." OR "Everyone thinks they have the prettiest wife at home."

Best Season - 2002-03, Although Arsenal lost to Leeds handing United the title. I think this season onwards PL became more marketable product and started getting more exposure on the Asian markets, particularly India.

Best Manager - Sir Alex Fergusson beats Arsene Wenger by 0.000000000000001. Fine margins there.

Fantasy Team:

VDS - Dixon - Adams - Vidic - Cole - C Ronaldo - Paul Scholes - Vieira - Pires - Nistelrooy - Henry

Going by Fantasy Rules of not having more than 3 players of same team and say try and fit into 100m purchase kitty.

VDS - Petrescu - Adams - Vidic - Le Saux - Beckham - Vieira - Matt Le Tissier - David Ginola - Shearer - Henry

And about some real nominations for this season - hope Robin van Persie gets PFA Player of the Season award. Who Needs Batman, We Have Robin!