Mumbai City Guide

Mumbai City Guide
Mumbai, which was previously known as Bombay, is a major metropolitan city of India. Located on a peninsula, halfway up the west coast of India, it is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. The word Mumbai is derived from Mumbadevi, the patron goddess of the Koli fisher folk, the oldest inhabitants of Mumbai. The city has a largest and busiest port handling India's foreign trade and a major International airport. India's largest stock exchange is also situated in the city.

As Mumbai is the nagri of Bollywood, it has also dazzling shopping arcades, exciting sport activity, night clubs and discotheques, theatre, music and interesting sightseeing. There are a lot of enchanting monuments, holy places, museums, beaches, lakes, gardens and amusement parks. One of the popular attractions are like Gateway of India, Flora Fountain, Elephanta Caves, Mahalaxmi Temple, Mumbadevi Temple, Siddivanayak Temple, Marine Drive,, Juhu beach and fantastic Essel World, Water Kingdom etc.

The best time to explore Mumbai is between September and April. Go away this charming city between this time and make your Mumbai trip unforgettable experience.


Get and have a look, if you want to know more about Mumbai. Just click the below link............

www.bombay-india.net


- Maya Bhoj

Poach The Poachers, Groan The Indian Tiger

Despite the fact that respect for environmental and wildlife conservation have always greatly been in practice since hundreds of years in India, today the plight of Indian Tigers can't be ignored. Falling in big cat category of wild beast, Tiger, about which, if i was taught accurately in my 2nd or 3rd grade, is the national animal of India. Wonderful!

So, what is making Tigers a hot talk now-a-days? First, let me contradict that Tigers have never been a matter of deep concern. How many times have you heard parliamentarian of India having a debate over Tiger conservation in the country? Yes, some credit have to be given to some of environment journalists as well as some media publication houses.

Why Tigers Are So Important

The first question that has to be directed here that why biologists and environment specialist keep talking so much of Tigers. Dear honey, Tigers are predators, who play an important role in balancing the food chain of our Eco system. Facilitating it to understand, Tigers belong to category of carnivore, which according to the food system control the population of herbivore. (Herbivore are animals like Cow and Sheep who live by eating plants only. Now don't ask who are carnivores.) So, if herbivore quits becoming prey to predators, then the increased number of plant eating animals (herbivore) will become threat to the greenery of our environment. That is where predators like Tiger comes to great handy of protecting our Eco system, as it controls the number of herbivores, and balance the entire ecological food system.

The Current Grueling Figure

The decreased number of Tigers in India, which claims to be proud home to almost half of the Tigers, has become serious environmental concern for years. Lets play with figures. A hundred year ago when the Tiger population in India was no less than 40,000, in the year 1972 when the widely celebrated Project Tiger were instituted, the number fell down to 1827.

Thanks to Indira Ji, the Indian version of 'Iron Lady' and the then Prime Minister of India, who gave her full support to this world's most successful wildlife conservation program, the number of Tigers in merely next 7 years (in 1979) rose to 3017, which soared further to 3959 in 1984. The recently promulgated report of Wildlife Institute Of India (WII) has it estimation that the number of Tigers in India may descend to around 1200, though the full national figures will be published by WII by the end of this year. Little to surprise, on the another hand, biologists claim that the figure might be as less as 800.

Poaching – The Most Serious Threat

Tiger poaching, causing the serious threat to Indian Tigers, though not have been the single reason, but definitely can be termed as the most important reason. if unofficial sources are to be believed, almost 200 Tigers alone in India fall prey to poachers every year. The poached Tigers are marketed by smugglers to neighbouring countries, especially to Tibet and China where Tiger skins are worn as traditional dress (in Tibet), and bones are used as effective reliever of several of diseases (in China). Each part of Tiger's body come at a price here. Bones – £200/kg, Penis - £425 per piece, Tooth - £60 p/p. And when it comes to buying a full bodied dead Tiger, in black market it costs around £25,000.

Figures are really dreadful piercing a needle to our thoughts to believe that survival of big cats including Tigers and Leopards becoming arduous. And if we make our imagination a bit more horrid, few years down we would be seeing them only in celebrated television show of National Geographic and Discovery channels.

What Needs To Be Done

It is not that government is not aware of such ill-intentioned game of poachers, who blinded in material gaining kill Tigers. But the initiatives as well as funds allocated by Ministry Of Forest And Environment have not been appropriate to meet the challenges posed before Tigers.

To relocate the 1500 villages inhabited by 3,00,00 people falling inside the total 28 Tiger reserves of India, NTCA (National Tiger Conservation Authority) have allocated a meager and ridiculous amount of 200 crore of rupees for the next 5 years. Besides, to protect Tigers from being speared and poisoned by poachers, Government ought to understand that we do not need only Tiger Task Force, but also a suitable and effective management system minus any political motive to give the Tiger conservation program a successful run.

Delhi - Gateway To The North

Delhi, the capital of India, is the third largest city in the country. This charming city is divided into Old Delhi and New Delhi which gives the feel of the old and new, with its ancient historical monuments interspersed with soaring skyscrapers, embassies and bustling commercial complexes. It is situated in North Central India and stands on the west bank of River Yamuna. It is bounded on the east by the state of Uttar Pardesh and on the north, west and south by Haryana. It is spread over an area of 1483 sq. kilometers, 216 meters above sea level and has a population of around 14 million.

There are a lot of tourist attractions such as India Gate, Qutub Minar, Red Fort, Lotus Temple, , Akshardam Temple, Birla Mandir, Dolls Museum, Lodi Garden, Appu Ghar etc. If you are planning to visit Delhi city, make your plan according to its whether. The best time to visit this enchanting city is from October to March.

Checkout this site: www.delhi-india.net

- Maya Bhoj

To Marry Or Not To Marry

Film: Just Married
Cast: Fardeen Khan, Esha Deol, Bikram Saluja, Perizaad Zorabian, Satish Shah, Kirron Kher
Direction: Meghana Gulzar
Production: Pritish Nandy Communications
Star: ***


The denouement of the film goes like this – the half-Indian girl, Sara, who derides the marriage custom in the early part of the movie by saying that “To me attachment is of more importance than marriage”, falls prey finally to arranged marriage and marry her boyfriend living with her for last 9 years. Likewise, the female protagonist (Esha Deol) who is too uncomfortable with her husband (Fardeen) soon after her (arranged) marriage in the beginning of film, feels lastly the warmer comfort in the arms of her husband.

I am sure, fools like me, after watching the movie, shall be getting themselves in quandary while musing whether to marry or not to marry according to our tradition of arranged marriage. The film, portraying the success of arranged marriage, might not be successful in grater sense, as it lacks good plots and story as well. Nitty-gritty presentation of problems of arranged marriage are shown vivaciously, but its solutions come nowhere of greater importance to the director. A simple hug is not the solution of skirmishes taking place in a couple’s life, i suppose.

The storyteller, Meghana Gulzar, though has penned down a very fine screenplay throughout the movie. Dialogues like “Harek kahaani kahi na kahi se suru hoti hai... kabhi kabhi do kahaani mil bhi jaati hai... aur kabhi kabhi ek kahaani me hi bahut saari kahaani ban jaati hai..” show Meghana’s greater depth of understanding of relationships. Undoubtedly she has inherited a good part of her writing acumen of her father, Gulzar Ji, who has written songs for this film.

The most to cherish are many of scenes taking place between two couples – older one (Satish Kaushik and Kirron Kher) and newer one (Fardeen and Esha). On the one hand, comic scenes between the old couple, celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary (obviously the arranged one), are worth amusing; on the other, scenes between newly wedded couple, presenting honeymoon activities like communication gap, shyness of bride, and of course first night’s hesitations, are no less than golden learning opportunity for unmarried lots.

And yes.. a neat advice from me. It is better to sit still in your room and listen to some of your favourite tracks than going for this movie without your alter-ego right to you rubbing your palms and sharing oodles of giggles.

:- Rajeev

Agra City

Agra the city of inimitable Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world, is situated in Uttar Pradesh, Northern state of India, at a distance of 200 km from Delhi. Inhabited by the Mughal emperor, Shahjahan, It is one of the famous tourist destination known all over the world. A pleasant town with comparatively slow pace is popularly known for the the Taj Mahal, the architectural wonder and one of the most famous historical heritage of India. While being here Leather Goods, Handicrafts, Zari, Zardozi, Marble and Stone carving & inlay work are best buy. Petha, Dalmoth & Gajak are widely known for eats. Some of the prominent tourist places are Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Itmad-Ud-Daula, Jama Masjid, Fatehpur Sikri, Lal Qila & Chini ka Rouza, Dayal Bagh. The city of Taj Mahal is surrounded by various other places of historical significance and can be visited in the one day by taxi or by taking a bus. Best time to visit this world famous historical city is from October to March.

for more information: www.agra-india.net

- Maya Bhoj