You have to dream before your dreams can come true ― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam The announcement of the “Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan”, or the policy for a more “self-reliant” India last year by PM Modi has gained further relevance after the recent Social Media ban executed on the American president, Donald Trump.[1] While the “Aatma Nirbhar”…
The Trump Ban
January 8, 2021, was a historic and sinister day. Twitter banned Trump on its platform after catapulting him to power and allowing him to misuse their platform on several occasions and post questionable tweets for many years. This action is delayed and incredibly hypocritical. It’s a well-known fact that Donald Trump might never have become…
Happy Diwali 2020
Wish you all a Very Happy (Choti) Diwali!! 🙂 Today is also “World Kindness Day”!! The pandemic has affected all of us, so let’s remember to be kind to each other! Wishing you Joy, Happiness, and Prosperity this Diwali!! A week ago, I was feeling terribly depressed after enduring months of Covid19 restrictions and bad…
World Mental Health Day
Tomorrow is “World Mental Health Day” and the theme for 2020 is “Mental Health for All”. According to the WHO, this day is observed on 10 October to raise awareness around the world. Thanks to the Covid19 pandemic, preserving mental health has become more important than ever. So many people are cut off from their…
Mandu Valley
We set out for Mandu from Dhar on a rainy day, and something interesting happened en route. 🙂 The ancient city of Mandu is situated on the Vindhya range overlooking the Malwa plateau on one side and the Narmada River valley on the other. There’s a popular viewpoint called Mandu Valley on the way –…
Queen Ahilyabai’s Room
Here are some more photos that I clicked inside Ahilya Fort at Maheshwar, last July. 🙂 You can actually stay in the room in which Ahilyabai Holkar (1725 – 1795) lived and reigned for 30 years! Its called “Haldi”, (the bed is unmade in the pic because it was unoccupied). This fort is small and…
A Love Story from Maheshwar
Old monuments and palaces are full of stories and we got to hear this tragic tale of Bulley Sarkar and Suraj Bibi, and it was very similar to that of Romeo and Juliet. On the Narmada Ghat in Maheshwar, there’s a beautiful Chhatri (tomb) – of Prince Bulley Sarkar, next to that of a dancing…
The Bhojshala (Dhar)
The Bhojshala in Dhar is a historical site that used to be a Saraswati temple as well as a Sanskrit school during the reign of the eminent Raja Bhoj, around 1010 – 1055 CE. Raja Bhoj is one of the most legendary kings of India, and he ruled from Dhar (1 hour drive from Mandu).…
Shab e Malwa (Malwa Nights)
These are photos of my trip to Mandu last July, during the monsoons. I had heard that the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh in which Mandu is situated, is very picturesque and enchanting during the monsoons. Therefore, decided to visit during that time. It was indeed beautiful and we enjoyed every bit of the…
Ahilya Fort
Last July, I had just reached the Ahilya Fort in Maheshwar, Madhya Pradesh, and was enjoying the views of the Narmada river in Mahishmati (the ancient name of Maheshwar)! 🙂 Every Monday evening, a photograph of the erstwhile queen – Ahilyabai is carried in a palanquin to the nearby ghats and worshipped there. When she…
Rani Rupmati
Visited the heritage city of Mandu in Madhya Pradesh, India, at this time, last year. The most interesting story there is the love story of Rani Rupmati and Baz Bahadur. Their attachment was based on their common love for music even though they were never married nor was their love consummated. Roopmati was not a…
The Cultural Revolution
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. – George Santayana The recent Indo-China clashes in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh got me interested in China and Chinese history. Have been reading up on it and am sharing some interesting stories from it. We have all heard about the terrible Holocaust (genocide…
Happy Social Media Day!!
June 30 is Social Media Day!! 🙂 Do check out my new blog post at adigitalgenius.com
The Bryce Canyon National Park
Photographs from my breathtaking trip to the Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah, USA. It turned out to be a great place to visit during the summer (July 2016) because it has a high elevation and perfect, mild weather – neither too cold nor too hot. This park is a large natural amphitheater (from certain…
World Environment Day
The eminent scientist Stephen Hawking once stated that the earth will become inhospitable to humanity within the next 100 years, thanks to climate change and other factors! According to him, the only way to survive this catastrophe is to shift en masse to another planet (!!) – easier said than done 🙁 Maybe we could…