Desh Da Swaad - The food journey through North India

I, like a million others, have always dreamed of doing a travel show where i get to travel for free and see the beauty that nature has to offer, at somebody else's expense. So i sign up for this show which merges two of my most loved things - Travel & Food. Through this show, and a journey of 45 days, i discovered India like i had never seen it before.

My route for shoot was DEL-ASR-SXR-DHM-SVL-DED-MUT-MTJ-AGR-LKO-VNS-GWL-JAI-BKB

Reminiscing some of the most astounding discoveries I made through this route with Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi and my fantastic team!

DELHI (DEL)

I have lived in Delhi for a fair amount of my life and I felt I hadn't seen the city enough when i went there for the show. While i was growing up in Delhi, i ate at the same places time and again, went to the same places every weekend primarily because family loved it. This time, i chose places to eat at, to roam around and boy! was i amazed.


It was peak summer 23rd May, 2014 when we began shooting in Delhi. It has always been known for its chats and chhola but to me the most amazing discovery was Ganesh Fish, the guy who dips his bare hand in boiling hot oil and fries fish. Bang in the middle of the city, Karol Bagh area this guy is unbelievable in action. Not only are his antics amusing, but his fish tastes as good. Me and my crew chose to have dinner there after pack up and we were not disappointed. The Afghani chicken at Ganesh Fish mart is incredible among many of its delicious non-vegetarian fares.

The Epic Roshan Di Kulfi surprisingly famous for "Dahi Bhalle' (Above)

(Above) street side chholey kulche i grew up eating.

(Left) the epic Afghani chicken at Ganesh Fish Mart

This my friends is the fish that the maestro dipped his hands in hot oil for. ---------------->

(Left) Ama Cafe, Majnu ka Teela.


Another fascinating discovery was a restaurant in Connaught Place that i may have passed by a million times when i lived there but never really cared to eat at - Kake da Hotel. Undoubtedly one of the best palak chicken, paneer and the best ever Mutton kurma i had in my life.

But what will stay with me for life is my experience in the modest city within a monster city. The Tibetan settelment at New Aruna Nagar Colony is a city within Delhi. When our cars stopped at the entrance of the settlement, little did i anticipate what was awaiting inside those narrow lanes. There were a few monks in their classic maroon robes walking in and out that gave the vibe of that area instantly. As i walked deeper inside i could hear sounds of chanting and bells, i could smell momos in the air and i saw women freely sitting at their doors in whatever clothes they wished to wear. It was very highly unlike Delhi. For that moment in fact i forgot i was in Delhi, i thought i was in Mcleodganj or Ladakh or Tibet for that matter. A good 15 min walk into the lanes, i realised how massive this colony was and how these immigrants had made this place their own safe zone. The houses were typically 'pahadi' and I looked like an 'outsider' there but i wasn't unwelcome like they are treated most places. I found this cafe, AMA in the same vicinity and a narrow staircase led us up to the first floor. When the door opened i was instantly teleported into Tibet. It was not like anything i had seen or expected before in Delhi and i was welcomed warmly by Tenzing who owns the cafe. The place is warm and friendly as any cafe should be, but what made it score brownie points was the superb food and ambience it provided.

Delhi right from UPSC chat, Roshan di Kulfi, Kamla Nagar ke chholey bhature to Moti Mahal (the inventors of Butter Chicken and Tandoori Chicken) to the delicious momos at Tee Dees at Manju ka Teela... Delhi has earned more food respect in my head now than ever before.

AMRITSAR (ASR)

I havd never travelled to Punjab and one of my top things to see had The Golden Temple among the rest. So visiting Amritsar was special to me that too twice in a months time.

Our shoot began with the famous Amritsari Kulcha's at 'All India Famous Kulchawala' who makes only Kulchas! Amirtsari Kulchas are essentially stuffed with potatoes, paneer or cauliflower and soaked in desi ghee then smothered with a big dollop of butter. Best eaten piping hot with some punjabi chhole, one kulcha can give you enough carb to run like a machine for the day. Its not the most humble way to start your day if you are not a Punjabi, but i saw men, women and children eat 3 without cringing. Well, i downed 1 and half. If i had stayed longer, 3 wasn't impossible.

If you are visiting Punjab there is no chance we would have skipped the sedating Lassi. Our stop was the famous Gyani lassi but turned out that the guy next to Gyani is more famous and makes better lassi than Gyani. His lassi is large tumbler of whipped yoghurt heartily mixed with tons of sugar and half an inch of rich cream on top... nothing less than anaesthesia. But this lassi monster is so refreshing that we had to have one. The owner  infact wouldn't let us shoot without downing one glass and then he offered another after the shoot. I only wanted a khatiya to sleep after 2 glasses of sedation.





Oh that took us to the world's largest Khatiya. Right in the middle of no-where... only a mental punjabi can think of something so insane. A khatiya that can seat 60 people at once! Quite frankly Punjab is full of amusing things everywhere you look around. The infamous Jugaad or just situationally funny things... Amritsar is delightful.

One of the other most ancient and under rated cultures in India is our very chai-culture. (i want to believe it is ancient, just makes my love for tea a bit more respectful and just) Gyani tea stall, a hangout where people gather in multiples after their morning exercise, walks, jogs, runs and sip tea and eat kachori's. Nothing so notably good about the tea but its the experience that is awesome.

I have been to several dhabas in my lifetime but none with a rich history like Kesar Da Dhaba. This Dhaba is operational since pre-independence India, since 1916. So their who's who ate here includes Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and many more... the kitchen is repulsive and you should be glad as normal customers you don't need to enter any kitchen before you eat. But when you enter their kitchen you cannot ignore the wonderful aroma of kaali daal cooked overnight for 8-10 hours cooking in a ginormous pot, freshly baked tandoori roti's and saag. It just takes your breath away. But what takes the cake here is their dessert - Phirni or saffron flavored rice pudding. So dense, so aptly sweetened and so divine! Kesar da Dhaba for me is a must do purely for the food experience.


From my knowledge North Indians are no big fish eaters, but because Punjab has 5 rivers flowing forming the heart of the land, fish are abundant here. Then i discover the most abused item on every menu to be delightfuly different in actuality. The Amritsari fish! Its not red at all... its not grossly heavy on the pallatte and not at all chewy like what we get anywhere else. I was told Makhan Fish was the king there and i wasn't disappointed at all. The delicately flavored Singhada fish (cat fish i guess) died for a cause i say! For all its flavor it should be called a martyr of food!





So much we ate and then we crossed this gali full of Ramlubhavan Aam Papad... several by the same name and the original ironically hosted his delicacy on small redi under the tree. That little thing to flush down all that food! This place is humble, his aam papad modest and man he is famous!

We also visited Chef Harpal's old family home which an hour away from Amritsar. I had never seen a punjabi pind and i was most excited to see the mud slapped houses and massive joint families. I must have been a 100 degrees of a peak summer noon and we were shooting in worst possible time of the year but his family kept us hydrated with tea, sherbet, more sharbat and lots of snacks. They had buckets full of iced water and i was overwhelemed because these villages do not get water in their taps like us, they fetch water from a nearest resource and for them to give us buckets of drinking water was a huge deal and kind gesture. His family of chacha's, tauji, women in the family and their children so warm and welcoming its not even funny. The Punjabi hospitality and unconditional love they shower is beyond words.

Apart from the food, there were experiences that will go down to my grave with me! Both sent goosebumps down my spine for two totally different reasons. One was my visit to Wagha Border. Something that as an Indian i have grown up thinking what kind of a border could it be that suddenly seperated two countries that were once the same? I was already excited to get there and i was seated right on the first seat at the gate where all the action happens.


Even before the ceremony began there was a certain buzz in the air... certain anxiety. I was constantly looking at the other side of the fence like they were looking back at us as well to see if we were any different from them. Surprisingly they did not have horns, nor did they have feet grown from the head, they were just like us... so why the fuss? When the ceremony began with a loud thump of feet and shouts filling the air, my blood rushed to every part of the body in excitement. It was no less than riding a rollercoaster. The flags were de-hoisted after the ceremony and then the public was allowed to walk around.

We reached a point where it was Zero Mile, just one stone that indicated Pakistan to one side and India to the other. I just kept looking at the stone... THIS??? This divides us? Well, for any patriotic person its an experience to last.

I visited the Golden Temple later that evening. Gurudwara Harmandir Sahib... topped with the golden peak relfected in the serene pool of nectar it is surrounded with like a galaxy on earth. The long cue only added to my anticipation to get in bow down. I sat by the pond for an hour soaking up the experience and unwinding from the long tired day.

Amritsar to me was an overwhelming journey. One that was both gastronomically and spiritually gratifying. 

Ok so here's a link to all my travel pictures

http://500px.com/preetiphalke

Heavenly Manali

Freshest and the most vibrant colors

The Hadimba Devi Temple 

Kids skate boarding down the slope

Gulaba

Honeymooning yaks :(

Charu taking off for her paragliding adventure

                                           The monastry

Beggar with an ID!

The most awesome welcome ever

Our new friends

In the orchids

Its been a year since i went back to Manali and i still dream about it. Its a place where i can retire and die. From childhood to when i went last year, Manali has changed a lot and i doubt for good. Seems to me that commercialisation can kill all things beautiful. Yet it didn't fail to enthrall me with its pristine beauty and tranquility. I visited Manali after almost 9 years and i felt like a child in front of the Dhauladhar range of mountains. Charu, my best friend and i took a bus from Delhi that cost us Rs 800/-. It was supposedly a luxury bus but broke our backs till we reached Manali early morning around 9am. My eyes couldn't shut out of excitement to catch the first glimpse of snow caped tall handsome mountains. And just when I opened my eyes i saw the first rays of sun beam on the top of the icing on the mountain right in front of me and sparkle like a thousand diamonds in the sky. We couldn't wait to get off and embrace nature. We were in a hotel called Chichoga Inn which was on the other side of the bridge. The view was breathtaking from our room. Me and my best friend had not planned anything and had relied heavily on Google. So google and my last trip to Manali had got us a few places to visit and we started off with Hadimba devi temple. Everything seemed to be so expensive and the auto guy charged us 70 bucks to get there. But then looking at the twists and turns in the road and the amount of risk they take to get there, Rs 70 were nothing. Hadimba devi was surrounded by the usual calm disturbed by the bustling tourists. Angora rabbits and fleeced lambs waiting to pose with you, people wanting to sell all the memorabilia to make it memorable for you. We walked past all that and found a place to eat the famous Maggi! Somehow, the way they prepare maggi is like no other. We ate, rather hogged and food tasted better. The fruits looked fresher, vibrant and juicier than any that I'd seen before. Few kids playing on the road caught my eye. They were skate boarding down the road like pro's. They had invented a game of their own.

I visited most places that i had seen before. But this time around, we went to the Manu temple and one of the most delightful experiences of my life was having a cup of pahadi tea with the local kids right across the temple. Simple children who were more amused than us to meet each other. They would've offered us all the food they had but we settled for Tea. We walked down old manali and stopped by at drifter's inn mostly inhabited by tourists has a cafeteria that serves some awesome food. We discovered these small joints all over Manali for great value for money food. One new place i visited this time was Vashisht for its hot water springs and i was hugely disappointed i must say. The place is of great importance and has a heavy tourist influx both Indian and foreign. But sadly it is so badly managed that i could'nt spend more than 5minutes there. We went to Gulaba Point since Rohtang was in 40ft snow and closed. Gulaba was extremely crowded and so obviously not the same as Rohtang. My faint memories of Rohtang reminds of heavenly mountains covered with snow all around the pass. The pass is so high that if you throw something today it may reach the bottom day after! So we had to miss Rohtang and settle for Gulaba full of honeymooning couples who were dying to see some 'ice'. The one fun thing we did there was snow biking! Charu did a bit of skiing and i indulged in photography. Our next halt was at Solang Valley. Since i was there, i had to.. HAD to do paragliding. We were looted and i knew we were looted but i cared less for the amount of rush i was going to get. We climed up to this point from where we would jump off and i was dead already. Then i saw charu flying. I couldnt wait for my turn and geared up just after she took flight. On my turn the strings of the chute got entangled and i topelled. It scared me a bit but did not deter me at all. In about 40 seconds i was off the cliff and flying! Just wind beneath my feet and beautiful valleys around that seemed to be smiling at me. Just when i had started enjoying it we had to land. Nonetheless, a memorable day it was. One of the few awesome local things we did was eating the local delicacy 'siddu'. Not quiet sure what it was made of

I was so mesmerised by Manali that Charu and i had decided to settle there and leave behind our boring competitive life. We looked for property very seriously. We hunted a broker and went around looking for estates for home stay options. Good lord what went into our heads!

Nothing in the world gives me more peace and introspection than mountains. Like i was born to die here. My pictures speak for the awesome time we had there. Manali is heavenly!

Shirdi

I am not particularly religious but spiritual on a certain level. Shirdi has been one religious shrine that has been on top of my list for always. I had heard all these magical stories of Sai Baba coming to help his followers and things happening that had no explanation and all this made me very curious. I first visited Shirdi when I had given my 10th board exams. I had to visit and offer my prayers for better results, in my case to pass with little more marks than the passing average. I went with my aunt’s and I do not remember what special occasion it was because the temple was fairly less crowded.

We had reached early morning and checked into a shady room, well shady is an understatement though, but that was the only option then. Today you get some fantastic accommodation in Shirdi since the trust has gone into better managed hands. All of us freshened up and I was anticipating a long unwinding que but I was pleasantly surprised. We took our offerings and stood in the waiting area.

After about 10 mins of waiting I was straight in the shrine area. I was thrilled and for the first time in my life I experienced this overwhelming feeling and I had tears in my eyes as I stood in front of the shrine. I felt embarrassed about it tried to hold them back but it was too overwhelming to be held back. I sat there for a good 15 mins without any distraction and was awestruck by the aura and energy that shrine exuded. We went ahead to this other shrine in the temple complex called “Dwarkira Mai” where Sai Baba was supposed to have lived. There is an eternal flame which was lit when Sai Baba took Samadhi. There is also a neem or eucalyptus tree in the premises and the strangest part is the leaves are sweet, or rather not bitter. Very strange and you gotta taste it to believe it.

The premise then was totally different from what it is today. I could actually manage to get Darshan a second time when my aunt lost a one of her slipper from the pair (it actually happened, although doesn’t happen anymore) we went back to search for it. That’s when I managed to sneak in and nobody stopped me. It can’t be possible now since the entire management has changed and the place has become better managed and slightly commercial. Now you should consider yourself lucky if you can manage even one time decent darshan.

The second time I went was a disaster trip. I can’t complain but that can’t turn the fact around. Some gunk threw my shoes out of the bus and I went looking for it at 6 am and I had to walk bare feet till the hotel room. Some other personal problems happened and I did not know what to do. My aunt said I should not think about it and I did not. Went to the temple complex and had quick darshan but since had an evening bus to catch we sat in the premises all day. It was a very different feeling to be sitting in a temple all day, very calming.

My third trip was with friends. We all drove from Mumbai to Shirdi and like most religious trips have to begin on a wrong note coz God wants to check your endurance and faith, ours was twisted too. our driver was awesomely slow... we had a flat Tyre in the middle of no where and then we took 9 hours for a 5-6 hour journey! But all said and done... it was awesome. We reached at 11, had our first glimpse of Dwarka mai and returned to our rooms. Got p early in the morning to catch the Kaakad aarti at 4am and we did. The experience was so overwhelming. The constant echo of 'mandir ki ghanti' the chants and the calm of the place brought tears to my eyes. The effect is so calming that your mind doesnt know how to react. But then as soon as the aarti got over we had to leave and return to the madness of the city.

I want to go back but haven’t been able to somehow. But surely I will make it soon!

Aurangabad - Daultabad

I confess today I had completely not known and had underestimated the beauty and charm of this city. Aurangabad is the original home of King Aurangzeb. A city that has history in the air it breathes is also host to UNESCO’s one of world heritage sites ‘Ajanta-Ellora caves’. Has some 6 in and out flights connected to Delhi and Mumbai and is also a popular tourist destination. The Japanese have funded Aurangabad to build its airport so that tourists from Japan can connect with Aurangabad.

I had spent time working mostly here and hardly got time to explore Ajanta Ellora but one thing I did here was visit the fantastic Daultabad fort. Now this was and is the only fort which was never won in a battle due to its engineering genius. It still stands undefeated and when you see it you’d know why. Now there are several levels of security around the fort. Let me unveil them one by one.
• The entrance to the main fort is guarded by tall 10-15 ft tall thick walls that run around the fort. This is a long and winding wall which has window like openings for weapons to be placed in.
• If you manage to escape the illusive walls the premise around the Palace was surrounded by barracks that had infantry deployed for any emergency. Elephants and Horses were a part of it
• If you manage to escape that the whole fort is surrounded by a 10ft wide and several feet deep water canyon. I believe it homed alligators and crocodiles that could never let you alive. To get to the door or the fort one had to cross this canal which was a task
• If you managed to still enter the fort was still on top of a hill so one had to climb all the way up with their army which means waste of time and energy. The stairs were deliberately made so huge that it would enervate any hulk out.
• Now if that wasn’t enough the highlight of the fort is the Bhool-Bhulaiyya or a maze that was designed to disorient the enemy and lead him right out of the fort again. The entrances of the fort are so narrow that you would have to enter head first which meant your entire body is helpless and your head would be chopped off from the soldier on the other side.
• The maze is dark with not the tiniest particle of light. The defending soldiers sat inside small openings in the roofs and as soon as the enemy entered the narrow path they would jump from the top or throw fireballs in the dark. The roads were so illusive that if you take on wrong turn you would either fall into the canal outside toppling over a 200ft long tunnel or you’d be killed somewhere.
It is impossible to make it through the maze alone without the help of a guide. Although all the fatal exits are now closed for safety reasons, its best to hire a guide to see the fort. Daultabad is truly an engineering wonder for the time it was built.

Mysore Palace/ Summer Palace

Still staying in Bangalore this place called the Mysore Palace is a dream to see. A portion of it is still lived in by its original heirs and all of whom are adopted sons of the Wadiar hierarchy since he never had a son of his own.

I am not a palace person and I have faint memories of Mysore Palace but the one very important thing is a lift/elevator from very very old days that is still operational. The palace is atleast 5 stories high and perhaps the only one I saw where there was a lift inside the Palace! Very tech friendly kings! Then there were beautiful carvings all over the palace walls, ceilings and furniture that took my breath away. Supreme luxury, extremely big rooms and they had an art gallery of the sculptures and paintings gifted to the king is a must watch!


Summer Palace
By my memory and understanding the summer palace is not very far form Bangalore and hosted mighty Tipu Sultan during summers where he rested with his family. There isn’t much left in this Palace to see but a museum of the Palaces heir’s classics and the most important Tipu Sultans armor and weapons and his Famous Sword!
When you look at the sheer size of the sword its hard to believe a man 5 ft tall which was supposedly how tall Tipu was could have even held this in hand forget about fighting with it! Must pay a visit to check that sword out!

Talkadu

From the north to the south, a little ahead of Bangalore en-route to Mysore is a place most likely to be missed by many and not featured anywhere. We discovered this gem when our driver told us about it and all of us curious cats jumped on to the adventure ride instantly. A place sure to shock you and make you think if such things actually existed ever in history.

Talkadu is off the main road a few kms inside and very hard to locate then without someone who knew where it was. It was an archeological excavation site then and work was still in progress so it wasn’t open to tourists. But who can stop snooping noses like us who are suckers for adventure. The land was rocky and as we walked suddenly there was sand under our feet from nowhere. The guide told us the legend behind Talkadu. The story says that Raja Wadiar was a lazy and indulgent king. He had very little interest in ruling and had given his empire to his wife to handle and before dying asked her to never give it up to the British. Now while the British came to attack, the queen ran with as much as she could gather and cursed the kingdom would turn into sand and the British would never be able to rule it. The legend also says that since Raja Wadiar never had a heir of his own there are said o be hidden treasures around Talkadu if someone finds will be given the Wadiar kingdom.

It is hard to believe the legend but one is forced to after you see the amount of fine beach sand in the middle of nowhere. Only a few temples and courts were exacavated by then and I was completely thrilled about this trip into history. I was actually walking over the entire kingdom that was some 15 ft under sand waiting to be excavated and tell its story. The temples were carved in stone like most other old time monuments but the one interesting piece was the four corners of a temple that had rings dangling that were carved out of one single stone. The strangest is the two rings had no joints and were one single moving piece of stone. One dangled from the corner and the other intertwined in the one stationary ring. There was pottery from that time and the astonishing part was it was painted from both sides! Inside and outside!!! Now every class had different kind of paintings so one could differentiate between the pottery and utensils. The pots were regular mud brown from outside and had blue and ceramic paints inside apparently helped keep water cool for long.

I managed to steal a few invaluable pieces of that pottery which had I retained would have cost millions! But since they were jinxed I had to throw them away as I returned home. We were also actually standing on top of a mint where coins were made and I saw one that was still stuck in the mud that had some Greek face and had something engraved in a language that hailed from the era unknown to me! I loved it and had mentally been teleported to a time zone where I was experiencing how the life must have been then. Talkadu a must see on my list! It will not cost much since there is nothing to consume a day so you are free to carry on with your trip to Mysore.

Fatehpur-Seekhri

After being hypnotized by the Taj Mahal we moved ahead to Fatehpur Sikhri another mesmerizing piece of architecture. As you approach the Buland Darwaza welcomes you like a 60Ft bouncer. The inside was calm and peaceful and some maulvi’s were singing some qalam. Pigeons had made it their home and their flight and fluttering seemed to be dancing to the tunes of the qalam. There is a dargah right in the middle of the courtyard and it belongs to Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti. People tie threads around the Dargah hoping their prayers will be answered and promise to return to untie it when their prayers are fulfilled.

The calmness and serenity around here is very very spiritual. It takes you on a different level all together. I remembered scenes from the movie Pardes which was shot here and felt happy about seeing a place that Shahrukh Khan had shot in. There was something very seductive about Fathepur that haunts me even today after so many years. Agra & Fathepur Sikhri top my list of History lessons into India.

The Taj Mahal

Whatever has been written about this monument is all trash! The monument is actually beggaring description. Nothing in the world can even come close to describing its beauty and magnificence. The Taj Mahal deserves every bit of fame that it has as one of the 7 wonders of the world.

I had seen the Taj Mahal after my board exams. After the stress I underwent for 3 months for the exams I wanted a break so we all drove down to Agra to see the Taj and Fatehpur Sikhri. It was slightly chilly and the drive from Delhi down was pleasant. My first of the Taj sent chills down my spine because of its sheer splendor and we came closer I couldn’t wait to capture it in my eyes. The way to the Taj doesn’t really seem like its leading to a monument of that grandeur but all said and done who pays attention to it! All eyes are set on the colossal entrance of the monument from where you start experiencing Taj. The doorway is massive and leads into a beautiful badi or garden. The centre of the garden is full of fountains and exotic plants around it. In all that beauty all on can see it the pristine white monument in the background that zooms into your face as you walk closer towards it. All I remember is the awesome architecture and outstanding work on the walls of the monument that left me speechless. I kept looking at the walls spellbound and the surroundings faded out of my mind gradually. All I could hear was sufi music from the history that my mind was hallucinating about. Platonic love all around is all that you can sense in this monument. We took off our shoes before entering the monument and I could feel the cold marble under my feet that kind of calmed my nerves as I walked towards the main part of the Taj Mahal which is the maqbara. Both emperor Shahjahan and Mumtaz are supposedly buried there. As I stood against the maqbara I felt immense love infused in me. A feeling that I still don’t know how to describe or explain. All I felt was peace and solitude and the few moments seemed like eternity. I wish I was in love then to have shared the overwhelming experience with my beloved. Just above the maqbara is the infamous tiny whole on the top that trickles water on the hypothetical Shiv-ling underneath. I could not see it though but yes there was a grill between the maqbara from where you could see something under it.

I roamed the corridors and the premises lost in trance and feeling how it must have been to be in so much love to have built this beautiful piece of architecture. As people took pictures of the Taj in various funny poses I looked in amazement thinking pictures can not even half express how beautiful this monument is? I sat down to fill it in my eyes and take it back as a personal picture which only I can recapture when I want. The Taj is truly a symbol of love and something that will stand as the symbol of India forever.

Ganpatipule

An extremely well kept secret of Ratnagiri, Ganpatipule boasts of the coasts most dangerous beaches. The water here is turbulent and the tides erratic. But for people like me who live little on the edge such beaches are paradises.

Luckily for us we did not get accommodation in the hotel so we had to live in a tent which was even more exciting. The tents were located at a juncture where the river met the sea. Two different streams of water mixed so effortlessly I was particularly amazed at this sight. I had never seen the river attenuate itself in the sea.

We had reached Ganpatipule sometime in the afternoon and the whole beach was isolated. It’s a rare sight for a beach not a single human! We were 2 families, my uncle’s and us and we share 2 tents. I cannot resist water so I duped the bags and hit the beach straight knowing the fact that I cannot swim and the beaches were dangerous. Seeing me everybody jumped into the water and we played and soiled ourselves for 5 hours in the salty water. My cousins and I made sand castles at the shore that the sea kept sweeping away and the ladies strolled along the beach while the men showed off their heroic swimming skills. Water tires you out and after 5 hours of ducking in the water we were starving. At that time there was only one shack on the beach that served food. We ate our guts out and then slept like babies till late night. When we came back to the beach for dinner and drinks the sea had become monstrous. The tides were high and had come till the foot of the shack which was on top of a small hill. It hit the rock so hard that droplets would smudge our faces. The winds gushed through the shack whistling and romancing the sea. It was a beautiful night. We were too tired to do anything else for the night so we retired in our tents.

Next morning again I wanted to be a mermaid but we had to visit this famous Ganpatipule temple host to one of the ‘asthavinayak ganpati’s’ in Maharashtra. The Idol is completely natural which means the stone took the shape of Lord Ganesha which is called the ‘swayambhoo’. People walk up bare feet when their wishes are fulfilled. Some go around the temple 108 times at the foothill. We did none of it and did 3 rounds of the temple only and offered our prayers. When we walked back I being the Aquarian had to jump back into the water and that’s exactly what I did. But last nights high tide had not receded yet so water was tumultuous. I was a little scared and I took to the shore where I happily gathered shells. Just then a high tide with tremendous pressure came and swept off sand under my feet and pulled me into the water. I was dragged in the opposite direction as everyone and I freaked out! My uncle came running and pulled me out to the shore. Everybody laughed at me while I removed sand from my ears and coughed out salt water. Lunch was calling and we decided to climb upto this nearby resort which had a proper restaurant. Good simple sea food and we were set to sleep again! Evening we had to push off and al we did for 2 days was fighting the waves! A fantastic weekend getaway if you want to do basically nothing and chill on a hammock sipping your drinks away and reading a book at the beach or just soak up the sun.

Alibaug

I have been to fewer beaches in India so uninhabited being so close to a Metro city. Barely an hour away by boat from Mumbai, Alibaug is not only scenic but extremely placid. Every beach is like hand painted art, the water so friendly and playful. We landed in a hotel that blew a dent in our pockets and it was too late till we realized there are cheaper options. Beyond this my experience at Alibaug was fabulous.

Kihim beach, the main Alibaug beach, Ashta beach are beautiful! The auto guys charge a bomb so haggling is a must. There isn’t much we could explore about Alibaug over a weekend but food is something I cannot miss. The freshest fish and some really awesome fish fry at Kihim beach made my stay worth it.

DELHI!!!

Shifting from Maharashtra to plains in the North is Delhi, the capital of India. The sheer size and vibrancy of this city can intimidate you. Delhi they say is “dilwalon ki” meaning people with big hearts and it lives upto the name given. The moment you set foot in Delhi you instantly feel the warmth and forthcoming people. The city is full of life and color. Being the capital of India it boasts of everything you can imagine. It still retains its old charm when there was British raaj or the Akbar era.

Since the city is so vast I will only go by my list of MUST SEE’s and the topper here will be undoubtedly Red Fort. The place of tremendous pride for every Indian since it hosts the I-day Parade and the Indian tricolor was first hoisted here on 15^th August 1947. Beyond that its marvelous Mughal architecture will make you revel about the grandeur of that era. It once used to be blooming but sadly now since its open to all kinds of public is seriously damaged. The little shops around are filled with trinkets and wonderful souvenirs to take home.

Bang opposite Red fort is my personal favorite of all times – Chandni Chowk. When I first saw this place I couldn’t believe how so many people lived cramped in such tiny places and did not have to peep into each others houses. The kothi’s are so close to each other that one house’s window invariably opens in the other house. If house no 56 calls out a name somebody from house no 62 will answer. I felt like the entire world’s population lived in Chandni Chowk. I had gone to purchase books for my exams and when I entered the book market I saw what you call a JAM! It was that in all literal senses when every vehicle was standing bumper to bumper. I was in cylce rickshaw and a man on this side of the road had to cross the street he actually climbed on my rickshaw crept into the adjacent autorickshaw jumped over the bike’s rear seat like Jackie Chan and crossed the street.

Well you cannot miss out on the PARANTHE WALI GALI. This lane is so narrow that two people can barely walk without knocking each other down but the fame is much widespread. You name it and you get the parantha of a kind here. Its paradise for me and more foodies like me. I gorged on Matar parantha, the much traditional aloo parantha, gobhi and the lip smacking Keema Parantha and I died after that! I had eaten so much I could barely budge! And then my Dad insisted we have the famous Lassi with an inch of cream on it… the rest was told to me at my funeral. My fat content went up by zillions that day and I had a tough time digesting it.

My next favorite is the drive to Tughlakabad and the fort area. Its surprisingly peaceful, atleast it was then! Now it may be chaotic than before. The green and tranquility takes you to someplace else for some time in the Delhi chaos which is blissful. Delhi Haat is a Mela of all states from around the country. Vibrant as soon as you enter the gates, every state will pull you towards itself. They display the best of their artifacts, their handicrafts and food ofcourse. The place lights up with various cultural dramas in the evenings.

I cannot go away from Delhi without The India Gate. The monument that stands tall to talk of the sad struggle India went through for its freedom, the monument has names inscribed of soldiers who died for the country. It also has the famous AMAR JAWAN JYOTI a flame that is perennial lit up in honor of the martyrs.

A shoppers dream, Delhi has plenty of options for the rich and poor. To begin with Janpath is an evergreen street where you’d find the best bargains for export rejects. Palika bazaar for electronics at throw away prices and brands of all makes pirated. All of Canaught Place is host to big brands from all over the world. Then is my favorite GK’s M block market which blows my mind and pocket away every time I shop here. It has Esprit, Benettons and all the likes of the world here.

Delhi is the city where I spent most of my growing up years so I am deeply attached to this place. Every spot I have been to has been embossed in my memory be it Pragati Maidan which hosts the huge Trade Fair every year, my college, the local flee markets to the posh swanky bungalows, I love this city.

Nagpur

The first thing you notice about this widespread city is the HUGE roads and green belts. The city is beautiful if that’s the correct word to describe it. It is so peaceful, so less cluttered, so orderly that it is impossible to believe that a city like this exists today. Nagpur is the geographical center of India. All the metros are equidistance from Nagpur and thus the city hosts what is called “the Zero Mile’ which marks the center of the country. Nagpur is rather low profile for the kind of achievements it has. Over 300 international flights fly over the city’s skyline therefore a new international will enable a stop over for a huge number of flights in the near future. The city is full of two wheelers and sells perhaps the highest number of scooty’s in the country. But what attracts anybody is the stature of the roads so neat and clean and so well maintained.

Nagpur is perhaps the only city in Maharashtra where the communication language is Hindi. The entire state speaks Marathi, but here even native maharashtrians speak hindi. The highest selling daily is also hindi.

The weather is torrid in Nagpur. Summers can raise temperatures to a killing 50 degrees Celsius and winters and not very long lasting either. Nagpur is also called the Orange city for it’s oranges that are mostly exported. Locals can make anything edible out of oranges! But the most famous food from Nagpur is undoubtedly SAOJI. It’s primarily a non-vegetarian dish made of mutton or chicken and the curry is so hot that you’d smoke fire in seconds of eating it. The name of the dish comes from the community that makes it. There isn’t much of specialty food from Nagpur but it is home to the countries biggest sweet makers Haldirams.

Tapri culture is very strong in Nagpur. People flock these small tin shacks for their daily dose of tea and chaat and chat up for hours around. Everybody has one tapri that they associate themselves with. The most popular ones are Bajaj Nagar, Shankar Nagar, Telankhedi. Oh yeah! Telankhedi is a lake and mind it; every youngster in Nagpur has to hang out there. Sadly there is not much to do in the city so youngsters drive around on their two wheelers and hang around at Futala/Telankhedi. There are infact very few places inside Nagpur to see but there is a lot around the city. My favorite would be Pench Tiger reserve. The city is surrounded by quite a few forests and wildlife habitats. Pench is approximately 90-100 kms from the city and is a fantastic tiger reserve. It was recently rated as India’s best for tiger citing. It boasts of a population of around 33 tigers and some 22 thousand Deers of various species along with wild boards etc. They have two safari’s one in the morning at 6am to 11 am and the next round begins at 2pm. The best time to spot tigers is around winters when they come out in open to soak up the sun. Summers may not be a good time to spot tigers. For an open jeep safari it may cost you around Rs.800 rest depending on your haggling skills and the entry fees would be an extra Rs 100 guide charges included, although driving your own vehicle inside the premises is allowed but hiring the Jeep is recommended. There are ample of accommodation choice here but living in a tent is super adventure.

Ramtek would fall in the way to Pench. It’s roughly 60kms away from Nagpur and is said to have been the place where Lord Ram stopped over on his way to Lanka hence the name ‘Ramtek’. It’s a temple complex and is a visual delight with hills around and a lake just behind.

There is Waaki where there is dense forest and apparently inhibited by tribes so not very safe to go alone. There is Chikaldhara, Tadoba which is again a hugely popular tiger reserve, Nagzira just ahead of Pench near MP border and more such places. All in all, a city which is made to live a peaceful life.

Pune

The land of the Peshwa’s, Pune is the new is the new hang out of the pseudo rich in Mumbai. Pune is the core of Maharashtrian Brahmins. The city has a culture of its own, a language of its own and looks quite autonomous and all this is called PUNERI. The people take immense pride in being called puneri. I lived there for 5 years in my pre-teens and honestly the city I saw then to the city it is now is completely different. I happily say today that I am part of the change that changed Pune forever.

Pune is visibly divided into 2 halves - The ultra modern and the Puneri’s. The ultra modern are either people the one’s that lived abroad for a few years and have come back to home grounds or rich guys who have now moved to Pune either from Mumbai, Delhi or Bengaluroo. The have swanky apartments, swanky four wheels and suave kids who splurge and are the source of money for most of the designer shops in Pune. This specie is found living in Aundh, Erandwane, University area, Kondhwa, Kothrud, Chittaranjan Park, Salisburry Park etc most of which are newly developed areas. On the other hand, the Puneri is rather conservative who works in a bank 9-5, cannot spell designer label names, lives in ancestral houses called Waade, mostly have joint families, for them outing is going to a hotel and eating out with family, shopping means Tulsi bagh and Laxmi Road and these species are found living in all the ‘Peths’ in Pune. No offenses meant here!

Pune use to be a very quiet until all the glamour hit it. Glamour came from BPO’s and the influx of students from other states. The culture changed and what you see today is very cosmo as compared to the real Pune. Initially termed as the city for Retired people it was actually so, because life had its own pace. The Peshwa’s reign over Pune is obvious by its architecture. Shaniwar Waada is the most famous landmark in Pune. It’s the Peshwa’s palace and is also a popular tourist destination today. There is a lot in terms of heritage and architecture to see in Pune like the old vaada’s and palaces. The ever popular hang out as a child I remember was Saras baug. It’s the hugest garden I had seen so I was always excited to visit Saras Baug. Plus the food joints around the garden once were the most happening thing in Pune. Just besides Saras baug was a huge ground that hosted thousands of circuses. I remember having seen Shah Rukh Khan in one of the circuses for the serial he was shooting.

The largely popular Sinhagarh fort has been favorite school picnic point. The fort is situated on top of a mountain has long history attached to it. Small little surprises everywhere the best thing about Sinhagrh is the Matka Dahi and fresh Chicken that they make up there. The best thing about the chicken, you get to choose your own live chicken! There are rooms to stay on the fort and I would strongly recommend you to spend one night to feel the eeriness and calmness on the fort. This fort was used to send signals to adjoining Raigarh and other forts. Parvati is a temple on top of a hill. It means a climb up of over 150 stairs. Yes! I have counted them all there are about 181 stairs to be precise. But the view is great.

Food in Pune is very simple since Maharashtrian food ain’t very fancy. I suggest anybody who has never had marathi food to try out a marathi thali anywhere in a small local restaurant or atleast Thalipeeth, Sabudana vada, Vange chi bhaaji, Puran poli, kothimbeer vadi independently anywhere. One cannot leave Pune without trying the famous Mastani.

The new Pune may now be called as an ode development. The crowd makes it alive and buzzing and the culture has changed 360 degrees. Pune was once the city for retired people and is exactly the opposite today.

Mumbai

If you’re in Maharashtra you cannot possibly miss this city. A lot has been said and written about this city, a lot has been filmed and shown on TV but nothing can ever capture the true effervescence of this city MUMBAI! Named after Goddess ‘Mumbra Devi’ Mumbai is the capital of Maharashtra. I was born here so I am specially attached to this city in some way. Life is on a treadmill that doesn’t seem to stop here. There are more people in Mumbai than there are stars in the sky! Yes that’s what’s I have realized in the years gone by visiting it. And zillions come to Mumbai everyday to fulfill their dreams, be it bollywood or merely earning a little more money! Mumbai has something to offer to everyone.

I really do not have much to say about this magnificent city but “Mumbai is yours once you own it’. People of every walk of life live under one sky here eat almost the same kind of food and lead almost the same life. The first thing I love about Mumbai, formerly Bombay is the life in the city. Its buzzing day in and day out, nothing is lazy and that peps you up to something everyday. No chance of taking a lethargic break even for a moment. It’s amazing how and why people do not get tired here.

The second most amazing thing is the sea. It is priceless! Mumbai especially in the monsoons may be a nuisance to a lot of people but for me its heaven on earth. A city so dispassionate about anything suddenly exudes romance in the monsoon when the sea waves are as high as jack’s beanstalk and hit the facade at Marine drive as if wanting to break free and sweep everybody away with the tremendous heart that it has. The sea anywhere in Mumbai is just amazing. There a actually very few beaches that are secluded and all that there may be are situated in Alibaug, Mumbai’s weekend getaway. The super popular Juhu Beach has innumerable people every evening. It’s a glee to watch people at Juhu beach in the evenings because you get to see such a collage of faces and people at one place. You will often see a standard set of people who comes straight from work to either relax or catch up with some private moments with their beloved whom they haven’t seen for weeks. There is again a set pf people who are always jogging on the beach with their Ipods stuffed into their ears. Then there are the love birds occupying every nook and corner on the beach cuddling up looking at the sun set into the sea. There will be cranky family with cranky kids running around the stretch. And there will be fools like me who come to see them all!

The third enchanting thing would be FOOD! You can fill your bellies within absolutely any amount of money. The poor man’s burger the VADA PAV is the staple diet of most on the streets and contrary would those countless fancy restaurants, cafés and hotels serving food well above a thousand grand per person as well. The sea food at Mahesh lunch home is out of this world. It began as a very conservative hotel where food was served to middle class as lunch! The very famous Jai Hind hotel is known for its good vegetarian delights. The one recommendation would be Ice –cream at Bachelor’s opposite Chowpaty. The man makes ice creams in flavors unheard of. The shop was started by his grandfather and named so because then he was a bachelor and the name stuck on. But it’s weird to think of chilly flavored ice cream. His highest seller undoubtedly has to be Strawberry and cream, litchi ice cream, the evergreen mango and coconut. The sheer variety of food at Juhu Beach can stun you. Galore of fast food stalls and all the hawkers shouting and selling their store to you all at once can leave you perplexed where to eat, unless you can detect great food by smell. A must eat at Juhu Beach is Pav bhaji, Bhelpuri and the other chaat cousins, Gola and the famous Chana Jor Garam. The whole city smells of sea and fish so there is no escaping for vegetarians, unless you decide to ignore it. The fish as fresh as it can get so even home cooked sea food is fantastic.

Mumbai, anything written for this city is less and feeble to describe the charisma of the city. It hosts the magical world of cinema. It is home to all the movie stars and a zillion dreams. Mumbai has ‘mum’ in the name and absolutely makes it mother of all big cities in the world.

Indore

I will naturally take time on this city and understandably so since its where I live now. Honestly when I first landed in Indore from Delhi I wasn’t impressed at all. This looked like a small, inactive non-metro town with fashion which was 100 years behind the normal world. I was very upset with my family for having moved to Indore after living in big cities all my life. I remembered Indore as the city with the worst public transport and roads that never existed. And now to be living there was a nightmare.

It took me a while to sink into the fact. Our first trip from Indore was to Ujjain to the Mahankaleshwar Temple. Like every temple town Ujjain too was filled with spiritual energy where my restless mind found its peace. We then drove to several small picnic spots around Indore to get acquainted with the city. Choral is a dam and forms a small water body that attracts a lot of local tourists over weekends. There is Patalpani which is a deep gorge and has a waterfall that drops down from great heights. This place is said to be dangerous due to its deep ravine where lot of people in the past have lost lives. Ralamandal is a hill which has nothing over it but is an enclosed area with a lot of wild life inside which can be barely seen. We have only read stories in newspapers about Leopard attacks in the area but never saw any. Anyway I had never opened myself to the tranquility of this city therefore I could never be enthralled by its charm. I started working in Indore with an advertising agency. The people seemed surreal since Delhi is so flashy that you had to notice people there. But here was a completely different picture. Simplicity and normalcy was the way everybody lived. I couldn’t identify myself with anybody there. I seemed and so I was the odd one out in a team of 40 people. I got another opening in 6months and I left the agency.

This was a radio station and I assumed since it was a big media house I expected people to be LIKE ME which again did not happen. I was adjusting to this different planet called INDORE. It had different culture, different language, different mindsets and different humans! Honestly this is one city which when you ignore all the minuses is the funniest place on earth. It captivates you slowly grows on you and holds you tight like a bear would hug you close. The food is supreme here. On weekends you’d find the entire city bustling near food joints of all shapes sizes and cuisines. It’s not funny how much this city loves food. Indore is famous for its Daal-Bafley, Chaat and Namkeen.

Sarafa is the first name that comes to my mind when I refer to Indore. It’s a strange place that doesn’t exist in the morning till 7pm in the evening. When the clock strikes 7, this bullion market transforms into an endless lane of culinary delight. The most famous being Garadu, Bhutte ka Kees, Malpuye, Gulab Jamun, Joshi ke dahi bhalle and the suicidal Shikanji.

Indore has the famous Sheeshmahal which is a glass palace structure with stained glass all over. Its beautiful with green, blue, red and orange colors shining bright in your face with your reflection all over on the roof.

The biggest landmark is the Rajwada palace. This is where the princely souls of Indore lived. It’s the largest gate structure in all of Asia with 7 storied main entrance of which 4 floors were burnt in the ’81 riots. The whole palace is 4 storied and is an open place for tourists and keen onlookers. The maintenance is low around the area and very little attention paid to this marvel which is perhaps the pictorial definition of Indore. This area hosts the famous Indori breakfast POHA-JALEBI and a poha corner here is open all night and always crowded. The pan is equally famous and another 24 hour joint is the panwalah here at Rajwada who has his own dot com.

Indore is filled with small little places to eat and they are countless in numbers in the city. One more famous LANE dedicated to FOOD is 56 dukaan. Now the story is that the government had allotted some 56 shops in that area for commercial purpose but when they opened they were all food joints! Voila!!! So what you get at the end of it is variety of food and only food!

This city is culturally very active. Indore has given to the Indian film industry so many geniuses that it should be called the second Bollywood. Lata Mangeshkar to ring a bell is the biggest name produced by Indore. Rahul Dravid is an Indore product so is Salman Khan. And hang on… MF Hussain too was born in Indore to name a few.

The language is the funniest here and of all the places I have been to, Indore is one where you’d find sense of humour in everything and everybody. The peculiarity of the people and the pace of this city really weave its magic on you that stay with you after you’re gone. Although the roads are pathetic but the city transport system was rated one of the best in the world, infact ranked number two which is superb achievement for a city that dint have anything in the name of public transport just 5 years ago. I am very proud to be living in Indore and today I feel I belong to Indore. This city will always hold a special place in my life.

Gwalior

This is my ancestral city. Gwalior! Although there is nothing like royalty left in this city and this was the last time I ever visited this city, I really hope it gives me a chance to come back again. Gwalior is reminiscent of royalty and every piece of architecture speaks it loud. The railway station is awesome but beware of everything that may hit you after that! The city is chaotic, filthy, clumsy, crowded, and backward and genuinely my heart goes out to everybody who manages to live there.

Gwalior happened when we were driving from Delhi to Indore. We stayed in Gwalior for a day till we proceeded with our journey. I was at old family friends’ house which was no less than a mini palace. Our house was sold ages ago so we had no other place to live in. While some typically royal Madhya Pradeshi were being cooked back home we went around the city to check out my dad’s famous boarding school atop a hill ‘The Scindia School’. My dad was nostalgic about his school trip after over 25 years and it was worth a visit for us as well. The drive up was interesting because you are actually cut from the chaos of the city as you go up. There is a large Buddha sculpture carved on a stone. I don’t remember the history exactly but it surely had some significance. Water seeps through the rocks and builds up a little drama for what comes next, nothing! You reach the top where deafening wind blows through your hair and the view is superb! It must have been an experience of a lifetime to have studied there am sure when life was better. There is a point on the hill from where Rani Laxmibai had jumped off with her son while she was fighting the British. It did not seem interesting to us when we read it all in text books but it was stunning to see the height from which she must have jumped in real time.

We then visited the Summer Palace. It was reminiscent of the royal Scindia lifestyle. It is partially converted to a museum with some artifacts and old time commodities. And surprisingly it also hosts the ‘doli’ that was gifted to my grand mother on her wedding by the Scindia’s. It was studded and wrapped in gold and now adorns the gallery of this timeless architecture.

Birla temple is a landmark that every local would suggest you see. Its built by the big business family of Birla’s and is entirely made of marble. It’s jeweled with beautiful carvings of Lord Krishna and depicts parts of his life. The temple is surrounded with a green patch and low pipe music across the premises echoes in your ears feels like trance. It wasn’t populated by tourists then, but now it attracts quite a few eyeballs.

Gwalior is not exactly what I’d call as a tourists delight yet it holds some charm that can only be felt.