Traveling is good
First Story on this destination on Ghumakkar
A team building activities is an ideal way to take a break from your daily routine and there is something for everyone as the combination of Team Building and Sports Activities. Recently, I had attended a Training Program at Pegasus Institute for Excellence at Dibli, a small hamlet in the upper Dehradun. It was a great learning experience as an Individual & professional.
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To have performed Hajj in such unusual circumstances also means that I would be able to advise others on how to go about performing Hajj in this manner. Only Allah can tell whether this can be construed as a good thing or not. The good thing is that I can definitely advise people to spend more and ┬аgo with a comfortable agency, whichever it may be, and preferably legally cleared with the Saudi authorities; to perform Hajj тАЬlegallyтАЭ means not having to suffer as my friends and I did. It means that one gets proper accommodation at Arafah, Muzdalifah and Mina. It means not having to worry about whether eating food properly may increase oneтАЩs desire to visit the toilet, especially because they are neither clean, nor easily accessible, esp. at Arafah and Muzdalifah. It means that once one lands at Mina, one can stay there for the next three days to pray and visit the Jamarat whenever one wants to without actually having to walk up and down from Makkah and to it multiple numbers of times. It means that one is not inconvenienced by having to squat on roads at Mina and being told by the police to get up and go elsewhere every single evening/night.
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Tonight, though, the crowds were huge, and we had to really hunt for a good place in which to relax. Our successful location of a nice spot turned out to be a not-so-nice one after all as a police van landed within 15 minutes and started blowing all the on-board horns and sirens. In tandem with them, foot-soldiers began to ask everyone to get up and take themselves elsewhere. We got up, moved a little way off, and waited for the police car and the troops to move before returning to the spot where we had lain a few minutes earlier. This kind of ritual was repeated once, but we managed to remain at the same spot for a few more sessions of prayer. In between, a Saudi guy came and handed over a pizza pack to Dr. Naheed. We all partook some of the pizza and found it hot and fresh. I also visited the Al Baik outlet (to buy some chicken) , but returned as the queues were very, very long.
At about half past two, we left Mina and returned to our hotel in Makkah.
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Andhra was a bastion of Buddhism for at least a thousand years. It was a centre of learning and Buddhism spread out to Sri Lanka and South East Asia through its ports. The stupas and monasteries provided the architectural models for the more famous Buddhist shrines in the rest of the world like the famous Borobodur in Indonesia. The Buddhist phase lasted for nearly a thousand years till the rise of Shaivism in the 7th century CE obliterated Buddhism from this region. It is sad that while these places attract visitors from all over the Buddhist world, Indians are not aware of the existence of these places.In this series, I am retracing the footsteps of those distant ancestors of mine.
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The Naf river rises in the Arakan mountain ranges of Myanmar, thence it flows through Myanmar and Bangladesh. Akyab in Myanmar is on its left Bank, Teknaf in Bangladesh is on its right bank. Outside the famed Sundarbans, the river is home to Sundari trees . Flowing between mountain ranges, dotted with little fishing boats, Silver Hued and wide as the heart of a Saint, the river was in true sense the “Daughter of the Mountains”. As the boat cruised through the Naf, Myanmar came into view, the 36X zoom of my Nikon P-500 revealed a beautiful land nestled at the foot of sky kissing Mountains and dotted with beautiful pagodas, but fenced with tall barbed wire fences all through. It was a reminder that this was a country which is warning the entire world , “Keep OFF”. Cut off from the world for the last 24 years , Myanmar is an enigma in itself. We are all awaiting the day when Myanmar will be opened up to the world at large and tourists would flock back to this lovely place.
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What Jawaharlal Nehru had said about India is equally applicable to my hometown, Visakhapatnam, better known as Vizag. It is a young city with a history that goes back to the prehistoric period. In this series, I shall revisit the footprints left on the sands of time in and around Vizag by the early Buddhists.
I shall start at Thotlakonda, a 130 metre high hillock overlooking the famed beaches of Vizag. The Buddhist settlement was accidentally discovered in 1988 by Naval personnel were carrying out an aerial survey for setting up some facility.
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The Bala Balaji temple is a standing testimony to the devotion and perseverance of a humble coconut vendor called Ramaswami. Every year, he used to visit Tirupati and place a share of his annual income at the feet of Lord Venkateswara as his offering. In 1966, the priests there refused to place the offerings at the feet of the idol and understandably, Ramaswamy was upset thinking that the rejection was by the Lord himself.
That night, Lord Balaji appeared in Ramaswamy’s dream and told him to build a shrine in his hometown itself. Ramaswamy installed framed photographs of Lord Venkateswara and his consort Padmavati in his shop. He would feed the people who visited his shrine without charging any money. In course of time, the temple attracted hundreds of devotees and Ramaswamy had sufficient funds to build a temple. The construction was completed in 1991 and the idols were installed an consecrated by Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji, a famous Vaishnavite saint.
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рдЗрд╕ рдлреЛрдЯреЛ рдореЗрдВ рдЖрдк рдХреИрдиреЗрдбрд╛ ┬ардХреЗ рдореВрд▓ рдмрд╛рд╢рд┐рдВрджреЛрдВ рдХреЛ рджреЗрдЦ рд╕рдХрддреЗ рд╣реИрдВ, рдпрд╣ рдЗрдирдХрд╛ рдкрд╛рд░рдореНрдкрд░рд┐рдХ рдШрд░ рд╣реИ. рдХреБрдЫ рд▓рдХрдбрд╝реА рдХреЗ рдбрдВрдбреЗ рдЦрдбрд╝реЗ рдХрд┐рдпреЗ рдФрд░ рдЙрд╕рдХреЗ рдЗрд░реНрджрдЧрд┐рд░реНрдж рдПрдХ рдХрдкрдбрд╝рд╛ рд▓рдкреЗрдЯрд╛ рдФрд░ рдШрд░ рддреНрдпрд╛рд░. рдпрд╣ рдЕрдкрдиреЗ рдЖрдк рдХреЛ рдиреЗрдЯрд┐рд╡ рдпрд╛ рдРрдмрдУрд░реНрдЬрд┐рдирд▓ рдХрд╣рд▓рд╛рдирд╛ рдкрд╕рдВрдж рдХрд░рддреЗ рд╣реИрдВ. рд╕рдм рд╕реЗ рдкрд╣рд▓реЗ рдпрд╣ рд▓реЛрдЧ рд╣реА рдХреИрдиреЗрдбрд╛ рдЖрдпреЗ рдереЗ.
рдЗрд╕ рд╕реНрдЯрд╛рд▓ рдкрд░ рдШрд╛рдирд╛ рдХрд╛ рдирд╛рдЪ рдЪрд▓ рд░рд╣рд╛ рд╣реИ, рдпрд╣ рдЬреЛрдбрд╝реА рджреЗрдЦ рдХрд░ рдирд╣реАрдВ рд▓рдЧрддрд╛ рдирд╛рдЪрдирд╛ рдЗрдирдХреЗ рдмрд╕ рдХрд╛ рд╣реИ рд╢рд╛рдпрдж рдЧреАрдд рд╕рдВрдЧреАрдд рдмрдЬрд╛ рдХрд░ рд▓реЛрдЧреЛрдВ рдХрд╛ рдордиреЛрд░рдВрдЬрди рдХрд░ рд░рд╣реЗ рд╣реИрдВ, рдиреАрдЪреЗ рд╡рд╛рд▓реА рдлреЛрдЯреЛ рдореЗрдВ рдорд╛рд░реНрд╢рд▓ рдЖрд░реНрдЯ рджрд┐рдЦрд╛рдпрд╛ рдЬрд╛ рд░рд╣рд╛ рд╣реИ, рдХрд╛рдлреА рдмрд╣рд╛рджреБрд░реА рд╕реЗ рдореБрдХрд╛рдмрд▓рд╛ рдЪрд▓ рд░рд╣рд╛ рд╣реИ, ┬ардпрд╣ рд▓реЗрдбреА рдЖрд╕рд╛рдиреА рд╕реЗ рдкрд░реБрд╖ рдХреЛ рдкрдЯрдХ рджреЗрддреА рд╣реИ.
рдпрд╣ рд░рд╢рд┐рдпрд╛ рдХреА рд╕реНрдЯреЗрдЬ рд╣реИ, рдпрд╣ рдирд╛рдЪ рдХрд╛ рдХреМрди рд╕рд╛ рд╕реНрдЯреЗрдк рд╣реИ, рдХрд╛рдлреА рдкреНрд░реЗрдХреНрдЯрд┐рд╕ рдХреЗ рдмрд╛рдж рд╣реА рдЗрд╕реЗ рдХрд┐рдпрд╛ рдЬрд╛ рд╕рдХрддрд╛ рд╣реИ, рд░рд╢рд┐рдпрд╛ рдХреЗ рд▓реЛрдЧреЛрдВ рдХреЛ рдХрд╛рдлреА рдорд╣рд╛рд░рдд рд╣рд╛рд╕рд┐рд▓ рд╣реИ ┬ардкрд░ рдмрд╛рдж рдореЗрдВ рджреВрд╕рд░реЗ рдирд░реНрддрдХ рджрд▓ рдиреЗ рдЖрд╕рд╛рди рдиреНрд░рддреНрдп рдкреЗрд╢ рдХрд┐рдпрд╛ рдХрд╛рдлреА рдЕрдЪреНрдЫрд╛ рд▓рдЧ рд░рд╣рд╛ рд╣реИ .
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In reality, we returned to our hotel room in Makkah and snatched a little sleep before dawn. After the Fajr prayers, we proceeded to go to Mina, which is about 2 km away. Just ahead of Mina is the тАЬJamaratтАЭ or the place where the three тАЬdevilsтАЭ are located. Before I describe this, let me say that stoning of the three devils is a ritual more to remember and praise Allah than to actually denounce the devils.
The route to Jamarat goes through a tunnel that is over a kilometer long. This tunnel was full of devotees right in the morning; only police and emergency vehicles are allowed to pass (and some motorcycles, which had one Saudi and one pilgrim тАж a private arrangement where the Saudi earns some quick bucks). We also saw several guys with wheel-chairs for hire; they ferried the willing pilgrims to Mina for 50 Saudi Riyals. However, theirs is an illegal enterprise, and we frequently saw the police blocking them and asking the pilgrims to тАЬdisembarkтАЭ. However, the thing I wish to say is тАж the road to Mina, and beyond, to the Jamarat, is easily traversed as you are walking with hundreds of others. We went past the tunnel, and via a busy but narrow road, we finally reached Mina.
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I was in regular touch with the other doctors whom I had left behind, and at about half past twelve, one of them informed me that Sk. Jamal, the tour operator, had finally sorted out the problem with the police, and that they would all be proceeding shortly directly to the hotel where we were to be lodged for the next few days.
I then caught a cab and went to the hotel, where everyone else was just arriving/settling down. This hotel, grandiosely called the Salman Plaza Hotel, was just a building with sub-standard rooms … the kind that you saw in your salad days! They had allocated one room of about 220 sq. ft. for 11 males! Each of us would get to sleep on a half-width Chinese mattress, with the rest of the space being used to keep our bags and shoes/slippers. The A/C worked okay, as did the fan. The room had a small (read cramped) toilet-cum-bath. I chose my “bed” and lay down almost immediately.
My co-passengers were all as tired as I was; one of my friends brought some food, and invited me to share it with him, which I did. We prayed the Dhuhr prayers, and then went to the Holy Mosque to perform the ARRIVAL circumambulation (7 rounds around the Holy Kaa’ba). I continued after this to also complete 7 lengthwise walks between Safaa and Marwah.
Read MoreWe come across “Nilgiri Coach” as we started walking. The Nilgiri Toy Train journey runs in between Mettupalayam and Ooty hill station. This narrow gauge train covers a distance of 46 kms. The train runs through the plains, plantations and tropical rainforest of the Nilgiri. The Nilgiri Mountain Railway has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2005 and be a part of Mountain Railways of Indian World Heritage Site along with the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (1999) and the Kalka-Shimla Railway (2008).
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As you enter the fort, you are greeted by this tall minar тАУ Chand Minar. It used to be covered with Persian glazed tiles. Now they have whitewashed it in faded orange colour. You want to strangle the person who ordered this colour. The minar was built by Ahmed Shah II to celebrate the capture of the fort. To approach from the front one has to go through three bastions of fortified walls.
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