New Year-New Assurances , New Hopes

Dear friends! Year 2013 is round the corner.

 

 

 We all celebrate New Year eve with lots of festivities and follow age old rituals to celebrate New Year in our own ways. The New Year dates vary from country to country and from culture to culture. However, the New Year of the Gregorian calendar that is now used universally falls on 1 January, as was the case with the Roman calendar. The order of months in the Roman calendar was January to December since King Numa Pompilius in about 700 BC, according to Plutarch and Macrobius. According to Catholic tradition, 1 January is the day of the circumcision of Jesus (on the eighth day from his birth), when the name of Jesus was given to him.

The Roman senate declared January 1 as the New Year in 153 BC. Though even this date saw major tampering, it was Julius Caesar who again declared January 1 in Julian calendar as the New Year, in 46 BC.

The first month of the year i.e. January has been named after God Janus (Latin word for door), in the Roman calendar. Janus is the God with two faces, one looking backwards and one forward, at the same time and marks the ‘spirit of the opening’. The tradition of making New Year resolution also dates back to the early Babylonians.

I have compiled some of the interesting rituals practised worldwide on the New Year. I am sure the readers would find them interesting.

In Britain, when the Big Ben clocks strikes 12, everyone gathers around to sing ‘Auld Lang Syne’, a Scottish song. It was written by Robert Burns in the 1700's, literally meaning "old long ago," or simply, "the good old days", to remember old and new friends.

Many cultures believe that anything given or taken on New Year, in the shape of a ring is good luck, because it symbolizes "coming full circle".

Probably the most famous tradition in the United States is the dropping of the New Year ball in Times Square, New York City, at 11:59 P.M. Thousands gather to watch the ball make its one-minute descent, arriving exactly at midnight. The tradition first began in 1907. The original ball was made of iron and wood; the current ball is made of Waterford Crystal, weighs 1,070 pounds, and is six feet in diameter. Many parts of the U.S. also celebrate New Year by consuming black-eyed peas and other legumes, as it has been considered good luck in many cultures.

The Spanish ritual on New Year's eve is to eat twelve grapes at midnight. The tradition is meant to secure twelve happy months in the coming year.

The Dutch burn bonfire of Christmas trees on the street and launch fireworks. The fires are meant to purge the old and welcome the new.

In Greece, New Year's day is also the Festival of St. Basil, one of the founders of the Greek Orthodox Church. One of the traditional foods served is Vassilopitta, or St Basil's cake. A silver or gold coin is baked inside the cake. Whoever finds the coin in their piece of cake will be especially lucky during the coming year.

In China, families welcome the New Year with the color red, which symbolizes good luck. Deck the family in red from head to toe, add red food coloring to your family meal, or make an obnoxious red desert, use red napkins and light red candles.

The people of Talca, Chile are celebrating the New Year with their dead relatives for the past 15 years. The doors of the cemetery are opened for the local public by the Town’s mayor at 11 pm sharp. People are welcomed in the cemetery with light classical music and dim blinking lights making the cemetery are perfect party place

Residents of Brazil, Mexico, Bolivia and other South American states welcome the New Year by wearing colorful underpants. The usually wear red, yellow or other brightly colored under-wears past midnight to catch good fortune for the coming year. This also helps them find a loving mate. Red means an amorous love life ahead and yellow expresses the desire to gain money and wealth. The wishes of the locals are expressed via their underpants.

Japanese eat a bowl of buckwheat noodles called "toshikoshisoba" ("year-crossing noodles") and listen for the sound of the Buddhist temple bells, which were rung 108 times at midnight. The sound of these bells is said to purify the listeners of the 108 sins or evil passions that plague every human being

Standing on chairs and then jump off instantly is the long-standing ritual followed by the natives of Denmark. It takes place at twelve o'clock at night with the intention to expel evil spirits and hence welcomes prosperity

In Columbia, Cuba and Puerto Rico families stuff a life-size male doll with things and then they dress it up in old clothes from each family member. At the stroke of midnight, this 'Mr. Old Year' is set on fire. This is done with the simple belief that a doll thus stuffed have bad memories or sadness associated with them, and that the burning of these will help one to do away with all past grief's and usher in happiness in life with the coming year.

One has to eat seven times in Estonia during the celebration of New Year eve as it confirms the counterproductive, representing no dearth of meal at all. However, in recent times, being a major hub of Euro’s party animals, folks love to indulge themselves in excessive alcohol.

In Ireland, Mistletoe Leaves Are Placed Under Pillow to Find Husband.

Wearing Polka Dots is a ritual widely observed in Philippines.

Burning scarecrow dummy on the New Year eve is a ritual typical of Ecuador.

In Denmark, there is a ritual of breaking Dishes on Neighbor’s Door.

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR   FRIENDS

 

 

 

Delhi rape victim-My condolence

It saddens me to hear about the demise of the Delhi gang rape victim. "The desire to live " ends today. My heart goes out for this brave girl who showed immense courage and desire to live even after the brutal assault on her. The humanity died today but she became immortal. Life goes on but have we learnt any lessons ? Lets pray for the deaprted soul and resolve that we will fight the animal spirit in us as well as in the socety so that no "nirbhaya " who desires to live is forced to die a brutal death. May her soul rest in peace and may her near and dear ones have the courage to withstand this irrepairable loss.......

 

-Ajay

The islets of Parali (Lakshdweep)

There are small uninhabited islands near Bangaram, namely Parli 1, 2 and 3 and the islets of Thinnakkara. These islands are part of the Bangaram atoll and provide additional opportunities to explore the corals and marine life. Visiting the Parli Island is an exotic experience where one can enjoy the blue lagoons, shining soft beaches and the swaying palms. It is an ideal destination for various water sports popular in the region like snorkeling, pedal boating, scuba diving, boating, sailing etc

 

We had one of the most memorable experiences visiting these islands. Hamid had made arrangements for cooking on the boat itself. We watched  him and his two colleagues fishing while we were sailing towards the islands. It was fun watching them fish. Every time they caught a fish, everyone yelled in excitement. The kids were little scared when a big fish was caught and killed onboard.

While the fish was being cooked on the boat, we swam to the island .The water was soothing cold and so clear that we can see the underneath corals. We were, however, told to be careful because the corals were sharp edged and could have caused injuries. It was just a couple of minutes swim to the island that was surrounded by white and shiny sands. After drying ourselves at the beach, we went into the island. We were the only ones on the island. We walked around for a while after enjoying the enthralling view of the sea and the Bangaram Island from a distance. Since the time was short and we had to return to Agatti, we decided to go back to the boat.

 

The return journey to Agatti was no less adventurous. While we enjoyed the smooth sail in the lagoons and the view of the adjoining coral reefs, we had no idea of what the return journey would be like. We enjoyed the fish curry with rice , which tasted so good that we still remember its taste .Meanwhile Hamid put a sheet on the floor of the boat and asked the kids to sleep and rest there with life jackets as the pillows. He told us that the voyage back to Agatti will not be smooth as this was the small boat unlike the one that bought us to Bangaram. After about 10 minutes we entered the deep sea and the sea all of a sudden behaved like a spoilsport brat. We could spot high waves approaching us every now and then and it appeared at times that the waves will go over the boat. I could see the fear on the face of my wife and the kids look scared too. To be honest, I too was a bit scared but was relaxed after a while when I saw Hamid and the other boat men smiling and talking among themselves normally. Since from their body language it appeared that everything was normal, it did gave comfort to all of us. Hamid, however, could see through our eyes the confusion and fear that we were going through. He  was quick enough to clear all suspicion and told that it was normal in high seas and that’s why he made that arrangement for the kids and asked them to sleep. Although he did admit that the sea was little more rough than expected. After a ride of about an hour, we entered the lagoon and could see the Agatti island clearly. We took a deep breath. My wife admitted that she was scared and also felt why the hell we ventured into deep sea at all.  But everything was back to normal-the turquoise blue waters, swaying palms, the innocent villagers, fishing nets –all started appearing beautiful as ever. Hamid handed over the catch to his family and invited us for the dinner. The invite was straight from his heart and we did not had the option but to accept it.

The next morning we were all set to fly back to Cochin. However, the weather god played spoil sport this time. The weather in Lakshadweep is very unpredictable typical of an island weather. Our flight got delayed by over three hours and it also appeared that it can get cancelled anytime. It was not a bad idea to spend another day at the beautiful island but we had plans for visiting Kanyakumari for which we had advance bookings . We were really concerned but the weather god seemed in a mood to appease us. The black clouds hovered again and again and our hopes of flying back were dying fast. Soon the rains stopped and the weather turned windy and we could see the black clouds flying fast. While we still sounded optimist, the Sub District Magistrate informed us that the flight has taken off from Cochin. We took a sigh of relief and after an hour spotted that tiny little aircraft landing on the airport.

That was mesmerising Lakshdweep. Hope many would be tempted to plan a visit to these beautiful islands.

Glimpses of Xmas worldwide

Dear Friends,

Wish you Merry Christmas . May God fulfill whatever you thrive for in life. To add to the festivities , here are some pictures of xmas celebrations in some of the cities .




Paris

 

Paris

 

SWITZERLAND

 



Krakov, Poland

Poland

Amsterdam

Brussels

London

New York

Niagra

Moscow

Warsaw, Poland

Rome

Niagra , Canada

India (Kerala)

Visit to Bangaram (Lakshdweep)

Bangaram island is popularly called “The Jewel of Lakshadweep”. It is  an uninhabited island frequented by occasional visitors. Bangaram presents a breathtaking spectacle of sparkling coral reefs, turquoise blue lagoons, silvery beaches and lush green coconut palms. It is one of the islands on which foreign tourist is allowed and it takes about an hour to reach the island from Agatti. The journey from Agatti to Bangaram itself is full of thrills and excitement.

 

On day 3 of our visit to Lakshdweep, the sun god did decide to favour us  and ultimately our much awaited journey to Bangaram began. I was ready with the camera to test my photography skills . We all were excited as we never entered deep sea before. The initial journey within the lagoon was pleasant something like going from Mumbai’s gateway of India to Elephanta caves . But soon we realised we are in the deep sea. The sea waves turned wild as the height of the waves increased . The sea looked rough and the pleasantness of travelling thorugh the lagoon was gone. My wife and son had vomiting sensations but the born traveller in me and my daughter were still enjoying the journey with coke and chips. It also occurred to my mind how arduous and dangerous the deep sea fishing could be. I also thought how easy its for us to make the policy for fishing in the country sitting in our air-conditioned offices, while the ground realities could be entirely different. It was a learning experience to me besides the vacations.

My thinking process was suddenly stopped by the breathtaking views of the approaching islands, which by now became very clear. We once again entered the lagoons as we approached Bangram. The sea was now calm and the ride was steadier.

 Bangaram Island with 2.3 km² is the largest island in the atoll. There is a long brackish pond in the center of the island fringed by screwpine and coconut palms. Bangaram offers an unspoilt natural beauty and a perfect place to interact with the nature. Bangaram is an island that does justice to all that romantic imaginations. This teardrop shaped piece of land is encircled by creamy sand and covered with swaying palm trees. The deep, warm, clear waters of the sea with its myriad flora and fauna are an irresistible invitation to the scuba diving fraternity of the world. The exquisite coral formation including the black coral formations, the variety and number of coral fishes - the angel, the clown, the butterfly, awesome -looking but harmless sharks, sting rays moray eels and turtles make diving here an addictive experience.

You name it and the Bangaram has all the water sports and adventure activities be it beach volleyball, scuba diving, para gliding, kayaking , snorkelling , ride on glass bottom boats or deep sea fishing.  As I mentioned earlier, Bangaram is primarily an international tourist destination and therefore is very costly. Staying on the island for a night or two means shelling a lot of money . Besides, its the place where one spots more foreigners then Indians and some Indians did complain that the resort staff were more interested in foreigners than Indian because they get better paid . We, however, did not face any such problems. We got a warm reception on the island . It was fun watching the underwater aquatic life on the glass bottom boat. We also had a stint at snorkelling and it was an experience in itself .It was something that we saw on National Geographic Channel or Discovery channel. The crystal clear water gave a mesmerising view of the underwater world. I was lucky to spot the real pearl in the oyster shell.

We spend half a day at bangaram and then proceeded to the nearby uninhabited islands , before sailing back to Agatti. I will talk about these smaller islands and our adventurous journey back to Agatti in my next post.

A sojourn to the Kalpitti island (Lakshdweep)

The first day at Agatti was definitely an exciting one but more fun and excitement was to follow. We all woke up earlier than we planned only to find some drizzle in the morning. Our plan was to visit the most famous of the islands called “Bangaram”. To our disappointment we were told that we can not go there as the sea was rough . We had no option but to enjoy the beauty of the Agatti and the never ending  hospitality of the locals. Hamid took us to the only private bach resort at Agatti.

 
 

Agatti Island Beach Resort presents a breath taking spectacle of sparkling coral reefs, turquoise blue lagoons, silvery beaches and lush green coconut palms. Perhaps it is one of the very few places where all shades of blue, green and white are present. In fact, the islands and the coral reefs are so varied in its physical form and appearance that no two would look alike. The quietness and the peace is an enthralling experience that ensures total rejuvenation to the body, mind and soul. The resort is just a couple of minutes walk from the airport. There were only a few tourists at the resort and there was so much tranquillity in the atmosphere something that we in Delhi can never think of even in our dreams.

 

The kids were full of excitement so were we.  We enjoyed the sight of the  giant tortoise seen in the crystal clear waters. We only saw such huge turtles only in Discovery channel before. We did a bit of swimming too and enjoyed watching a  few tourists surfing on giant sea waves. While we were enjoying ourselves at the beach resort, we saw Hamid approaching us with a big smile on his face, He informed us that he has planned to take us to an uninhabited island nearby called kalpitty.

Kalpitty means “rocky island”. The island is full of slippery rocks and we were warned to be careful walking as the rocks are mostly corals and there are chances of injuries. However , after climbing a bit we found the island  nothing less than a paradise of lush green flora and fauna .The island is full of palm and coconut trees and one gets a mesmerising view of the sea from there. When we visited the island, we were the only family on the island while Hamid waited in the boat. It was like we owned the island.

While we were exploring the island , it again started to drizzle and we had no option but to return to the circuit house. It was another treat to watch the rains from the balcony  and the sound of the swaying palm , while the darkness gradually engulfing everything around. After having the sumptuous dinner of idli, dosa and payasam , we finally decided to sleep with the hope of awaiting thrills of Bangaram-the next day , ofcourse weather permitting.

Arrival at Agatti (Lakshdweep)

Lakshdweep islands always attracted my attention because of its serene beauty and charm but more so because these chain of islands are located far away from the Indian mainland close to Maldives. Since the entry into the islands is restricted, the nature here is at its natural best with crystal clear blue waters, white sandy beaches , lush green coconut trees and unpolluted environment. I finally made my mind to visit the islands in October 2010 alongwith my family. Obviously we all were excited to see what these dotted island on the Indian map actually look like. We have seen videos and images of this beautiful island on internet but the excitement of actually being part of all this was something that is difficult to describe in words.

As already said the entry is restricted in Lakshdweep and both Indians and foreigners require permits. While most of the habited and some inhabited islands are open to Indians, the entry of foreigners is permissible only on the three islands of Bangaram, kadamat and Agatti. Administrative office of the  U.T. of Lakshadweep at Wellington Island, Kochi is the competent Authority for issuing Entry Permit. He has also been authorized to issue permission to Indian Tourists/Foreign Tourists and Officials as per simplified procedure. Besides, Department of Tourism, Goa is also authorized to issue such permits. Getting a permit was easy for me being the government official .

We took Air India flight to Bangalore and boarded another small one from Bangalore for Agatti. Kids were more excited to see the 25 seater aircraft , while my wife looked little puzzled . She seemed not sure if this little one can take us safely to the islands.

 

Initial 20 minutes were like usual but suddenly we were forced to peep out of the window when many fellow passengers were shouting “wow” in a voice filled with excitement. The view was out of the world. Blue water everywhere and few patches of land here and there. Suddenly , we could spot a narrow airfield .There was some amount of anxiety and anxious moments as the airfield was so narrow and surrounded by sea. Anyone will have doubts if the plane can land safely. It’s definitely not meant for any big aircraft to land. But, before we could do further analysis, we did land safely. Agatti has the only airfield in the entire Lakshadweep islands and the airport is very small with bare minimum facilities. But who had interest in the facilities at the airport !.

 

We drove straight to the Government Circuit house , which surprisingly had good rooms fully equipped with Television , refrigerator. The view from the rooms balcony was breathtaking . It was already a thrilling experiencing with sea all around us.

 

Agatti's total land area is approximately 2.7 km² and it has a length of about 5.5 kilometers and the maximum width at the middle of the island is about 1000 m. The circuit house was located at the narrow end so the sea was approximately 250 metres on each side .  There are about 7000 inhabitants on the island –mostly fishermen. There is only one private resort on the island, which obviously is costly to stay. There are few petty shops nearby that sell daily grocery items. The island is full of coconut trees . Since I am fond of coconut watres, coconut trees have a special significance to me besides its natural and beauty. The island sells “ilaneer”, which is coconut water but  very sweet in taste unlike the coconut water that we are used to drink generally.

We were lucky to have Hameed who is a fishery officer and proved to be a good guide to us. He is a very popular among the locals and was an exceptional host. With him we were able to know the every minute details about the customs and traditions of the local people. The people on the island are very lively and cooperative. Its common to find locals greeting you with smile. The taxi driver was a friendly boy too. The million dollar question is if we needed a taxi at such a small island !! Anyway we were treated with the local delicacies by this taxi drivers family. A lacal bank manager treated us with neer dosa and very spicy chicken .

Agatti has long stretches of absolutely white sandy beaches on both sides of the island. Most of the stretches of beach gave us the feel as if we own the beach because there were hardly any people around, just a few fishermen occasionally found roaming around. Lying down under a tree looking at the never ending sea with blue water , listening to the roaring sound of sea is memorable experience. Sitting on the  white sandy beaches with no one but only my family with me and watching sun set and gradually the darkness engulfing the area with only ever increasing sound of the mighty roar of the sea –is the lifetime experience that one can only feel and nit easy to describe....to be continued

Lakshdweep Islands-Nature at its best

After Amsterdam , it would be a good idea to  chose an Indian destination that I visited .As a nature lover, I am rather tempted to begin with my experiences at the mesmerising islands of Lakshdweep located in the Arabian sea . As I always do, i begin by giving some interesting facts about this breathtaking island alongwith some introductory images.

• Maldives, Lakshadweep and Chagos are three island groups in the Indian Ocean that together form a vast submarine volcanic mountain range, the Chagos-Laccadive Plateau.
 
• Altogether, the Maldives-Lakshadweep-Chagos Archipelago comprises the most extensive coral reef and atoll community in the Indian Ocean as well as the largest atoll system in the world.
• Lakshadweep comes from "Lakshadweepa", which means "one hundred thousand islands.
 
• Lakshadweep is an archipelago of twelve atolls, three reefs  and five submerged banks, with a total of about thirty-nine islands and islets.
• It has 10 inhabited islands, 17 uninhabited islands, attached islets, 4 newly formed islets and 5 submerged reefs
 
• Archaeological evidence supports the existence of human settlement in the region around 1500 BC. The islands have long been known to sailors, as indicated by an anonymous reference from the first century AD to the region in Periplus of the Erythraean Sea.
• The islands were referenced also in the Buddhist Jataka stories of the 6th century BC. The arrival of Muslim missionaries around 7th century led to the advent of Islam in the region. According to popular tradition, Islam was brought to Lakshadweep by an Arab named Ubaidulla in 661 CE. His grave is located in the island of Andrott.
 
• The islands form the smallest Union Territory of India: their total surface area is just 11 sq mi or 32 km²
• Lakshadweep has a population of 64,429
 
• About 93 percent of the people in Lakshadweep are Shafi School Muslims of the Sunni sect, and they speak Malayalam
• Only three Lakshadweep islands -- Agatti, Kadmat, and Bangaram -- are open to foreign tourists, and the Indian government employs a strictly enforced entry-permit system. All the islands are "owned" by the indigenous people, and land is unavailable for purchase by non-natives -- even a man marrying a local woman may not buy land here. Everybody, Indian or otherwise, requires a special permit to visit Lakshadweep

Witches weighhouse

Hi friends, I would like to end my review on Amsterdam by giving an interesting extract on the “witches weighhouse". Since one of my friends made a comment about that, i thought it worthwhile to go through what it was .The wilkipedia provides an interesting piece of information . Obviously, i had to rely on wilkipedia because we were not aware of this place in Amsterdam when we visited it . May be those who get an opportunity to visit Amsterdam may find it worthwhile to visit this interesting museum .

“A weigh house or weighing house is a public building at or within which goods, and the like, are weighed. Most of these buildings were built before 1800, prior to the establishment of international standards for weights. As public control of the weight of goods was very important, they were run by local authorities who would also use them for the levying of taxes on goods transported through or sold within the city. Between 1550 and about 1690 people accused of witchcraft were at times brought to a weigh house in order to be subjected to a "witch test". If a person was found to be lighter than a set weight, he or she was deemed guilty.

The Amsterdam Waag is a remnant of the former city walls in Amsterdam. Constructed in 1488, it was originally one of the city gates the Sint Anthoniespoort. When the city wall disappeared, the Nieuwmarkt (new market) was created around it and the weighing scales for the market were placed in the former gate. Today the building houses the Waag Society, an ICT research foundation working in the social and cultural domain, and there is a café/restaurant on the ground floor.The building carries the oldest plaque in Amsterdam, which reads On 28 April 1488 the first stone of this gate was laid.”