Taking a Bit of India with me

I wanted to travel to Switzerland and so saved for a holiday. Slowly I could save enough for my visit to Switzerland. I am a great fan of the Alps and wanted to stay in a place from where I could get a good view of the beautiful mountains. Thus I booked a stay in Interlaken a peaceful city of Switzerland. I booked a room in a hotel from where the mountains were very close and I could have a 24X7 view of them.

The hotel I had to stay in was run and managed by a German couple. Upon meeting them I discovered that they were great fans of India. They had always wanted to travel to India and see a Bollywood shooting.

I was carrying a few Bollywood CD's and DVD's with me and I gave it to them as a token of reciprocating their warm welcome. From that day onwords whenever I went for breakfast I found the same Bollywood music playing in the restaurant that I had given to them.

The View of the Alps from my breakfast table, fresh mountain air and sound of Bollywood music made a heady mix and I saw them and rest of the guests swaying to the Bollywood tunes.

I saw everyone having a good time and whenever anyone asked or complimented them about the choice of music they would point in my direction and introduce me to them. I felt so proud and felt as if I was the ambassador of Indian culture and Bollywood.

Throughout my stay I was treated as a special guest from India. When it was time for me to go. The owner even came to drop me at the Interlaken railway station from where I was to take a train for my next destination. I felt that my India effect had got rubbed on to them and they too were acting like Indians who go to see off their friends and relatives to the airport.

Looking back I felt I was #MoreIndianThanYouThink. It is not just me a lot of Indians leave a positive indelible mark where ever they go and interact with people of other countries and cultures. bit.ly/2oQTj8q

Mumbai Meri Jaan Here we come

Visiting Mumbai has been a dream for me and my family for a very long time now. Mumbai means different things to different people. For some it is the lure of Bollywood that attracts hoards of people to this tinsel city. For others it is the possibility of finding work and job opportunities that draws people to this wonderful mega city.

For me it is the opportunity to visit a city that is always on the go. Mumbai has a large number of attractions that every tourist would like to see and experience.

Getting to Mumbai

Mumbai is well connected by road ,rail and air. So one can pick a mode of getting there as per ones convenience. For me going on a family holiday is a collective decision. We discussed the options of going to Mumbai via rail as well as via air and then decided on traveling to Mumbai by air.

We searched a number of Domestic Airlines and then finally decided to book on Indigo Airlines

Making the air ticket bookings was just the first step. Next we made the hotel bookings.

The fun of travel is as much in planning the itinerary as it is in executing the journey.

Now began the part of preparing a list of places we would be covering on this trip of ours.

Since we were taking an early morning flight so we would have the entire day to ourselves.

Hence we decided that after requesting for an early check in and leaving our luggage at the hotel we would be heading to the Sidhi Vinayak temple which is a very popular and revered temple of lord Ganesha and no trip to Mumbai is complete without a visit to this holy temple.

Our Next Stop would be the Maha Lakshmi Temple and pray to goddess Lakshshmi that she may bestow her blessings and wealth on me and my family.

By this time it would be lunch time so we would head towards Dadar and head towards numerous restaurants for a good hearty vegetarian meal.

Thereafter we would move towards Haji Ali Dargah a sacred and much revered dargah where thousands of devotees visit and pay their respects every day.

In the evening we would spend our time at the Juhu beach.

Day 2

This is a day reserved for a visit to Thane where we would visit the Kopineshwar temple locacated close to the Thane railway station.

Next we would head towards the Zaveri Bazaar and Visit the Mumba Devi Temple. By this time it would be lunch time and Zaveri Bazaar boasts of a number of good vegetarian restaurants and we will have our lunch here.

The second half of the day would be spent in the fort area and the evening observing the beauty of the queens necklace that is the beautiful Marine Drive.

Day 3 is reserved for the numerous malls that Mumbai has to offer. We would spend the first half of the day in Malad's Inorbit mall and the second half of the day in Phoenix mall and the other malls in the vicinity.

Day 4 This day is reserved for a trip to Bandra. We would spend the day visiting linking road and the fashion street. This is the day dedicated to Mumbai's street food so we would have our fill of the Mumbai's famous Vada Pao. After all it is not every day that one comes to Mumbai.

Mumbai has a lot more to offer but there is only so much we can pack in a 4 day's trip so we check out of our hotel on Day 5 morning and head towards the airport.

Summer Holidays

Summer holidays come only once in a year. They are the holidays which everyone looks forward to.It is the time for respite for the children as well as the parents.An escape from the summer heat.
We all look forward to them.I counted the days left for the summer vacations to start. It meant for me getting up late and eating a lavish breakfast,something which I missed during my school days.The days were filled with excitement as I explored the possibilities of playing indoor games and of course my favorite video games.My mother cooked special dishes for me and every day was a treat for me.As the evening set in I used to go to the park with my friends and we would spend time either playing football or just strolling in the cool shade of the numerous trees.We then used to come back home and after dinner would watch the Tv along with my parents. It used to be the best part of the day as we sat together sharing jokes and laughing together.Now there is no school for me but the memories of the summer holidays is still fresh in my mind.

Is it not Strange

Is it not strange that all one knows about the heart is that it beats. All the science books say that  it pumps blood that is circulated to the entire body and it carries oxygenated or oxygen rich blood.
Is that all the heart does?
Where is the heart where our aspirations live.
Where does one find the heart that drives our passion?
Where is the heart that drives one to excel
Why is this heart not found in science books.
These only talk about some chemical reactions deep inside our brains that triggers these reactions
But the heart that makes you stop to help someone in need is no where to be found.
Neither in science books nor in reality.
Does it actually exists or is it a figment of imagination.
So if you come across a heart that beats for others with compassion and makes you stop to help others do let me know...

Morning

Every day in the morning
When the sun comes out in the sky
The birds big and small come out of their nest
They fly here and there in search of food to eat
They eat some and take some
For their little ones to feed

School Bus

Tring Tring the alarm has begun to ring
Get up get up you lazy head
You have to go to school
Brush your teeth and take a bath
Wear your school dress
Your shoes are ready and shining
For you to put on
Eat your breakfast quickly
The school bus is about to come

Summer

Its summer time
The heat is on
Stay inside and play
The sun is too hot
For you to bear
Call your friends
And have some fun
Here is some lemonade
And cookies for you to share