Khindsi

Please note: 1. The views presented in this post are of the author's and the author's alone.
2. Some of the images shown may seem disturbing to some people (especially the studious nerdy types). Viewers discretion is strongly advised.
3. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
4. The owner of this blog (that is the great-master-all-knowing-philosopher-mystic-and-you-know-who...) will not accept any lawsuit filed in any court over matter published in this post.


With most colleges around the city going into 'picnic mode', I thought a post about a picnic spot would just be perfect!

Khindsi Lake is around 40Km from the city (5Km from Ramtek), and can easily be reached by road. The scenic road journey is itself a sight to behold, especially if you have a cruiser bike. And yes, Khindsi is exactly like the Goldilocks of picnic spot - not too near, not too far...just right!! ( TTip - Goldilocks is not the girl in the yellow/pink dress who does not stumble upon 3 bears )

Only a single restaurant is available; however, it's spicy, tasty, and cheap :) Apart from that, your group gets to sit in a thatched-roof hut. The place boasts of good boating facilities with all types of boats available (pedaled, non-pedaled, motor, large, small, etc., etc., just to satisfy your curiosity). It has enough space allotted for volleyball, badminton, football, and of course Cricket. And, as i realize that my post is getting too theoretical, i would let pictures do the talking!

Khindsi in Pictures:

This view reminds you of the journey downwards :(


These huts give a unique feel to the place


'Bhel' the perfect food for times like these


People 'enjoying' a boat ride


Play of Light & Darkness


The L-O-N-G walk home


They have had a really good time!!!

That's All Folks!!

Our Forté

Diwali season is finally over. It has been a time of festivities, sweets and fireworks. And Nagpur has its own special way of celebrating Diwali - 'Fort Making'!!

The tradition of Fort making during Diwali is as old as the city itself. It's a passion shared by kids and adults alike. They make all kinds of big and small forts in their courtyards. Something that strikes you about all forts is the attention to detail. No matter how tiny the fort is, you will always find a well laid-out entrance path, gates, walls, etc.

Some 'experts' ( TTip - People who always seem to have a lot of mud in their finger nails ) go on to make exact replicas of famous forts of yore. These forts are generally submitted as entries in various Fort Making competitions across the city. A fort made by my neighbour:




End Of A Fort

Forts built by kings were never supposed to fall...they withered only with time. However, forts made during Diwali die in a more spectacular way. They are Bombed (and blowup) by using bombs ( TTip - These are fireworks with extremely creative names ranging from 'atom bomb', 'laxmi bomb' to 'Mallika Sherawat', and so on...contact me for a complete list of names! )
This is the only officially supported way of unmaking a fort; other ways may to be too simple and thus may risk eroding Nagpuria sense.


Make Your Own Fort

Requirements:
1. Fine Soil
2. Mustard (sarso) seeds
3. Base Material - bricks, earthen pots, sand, stones, etc.
4. Decorating Material - oil paints, thermocol, lights, etc.
5. And ofcourse, some Intelligence!

Procedure:
- Think up a basic design of your fort
- Arrange the base accordingly
- Smear with mud
- Sprinkle mustard seeds wherever greenary is required (Don't forget to keep water the fort)
- Finally, go for decoration. Let your imagination run wild here!

Street-Food

The ubiquitous nature of street-food vendors in the city does make one wonder about its unvarying and consistent nature of occurrence. However, there are subtle differences.
You will find particular type of dishes and stalls in specific areas of Nagpur. Street food in the city is quite common and varied. It blends well with the city's culture of diverse peoples under a thin membrane of uniformness.
One more characteristic of street-food is that the stalls, selling similar items, are always to be found in clusters; be it the Bhutta-wallah's(roasted-corn sellers) at VNIT main gate or the Pani-puri Wallah's of Bajaj Nagar.

Ice-Gola to beat the heat


Bajaj Nagar PaniPuri Stalls
Mornings at ShankarNagar Poha!