Murud-Janjira Trip

This Diwali, we planned to visit the Alibaug beaches. A friend suggested that it’s better to visit nearby Kashid and Murud-Janjira, as the waters are cleaner and sands are cleanest on ghats. I browsed through the Google, and found the suggestions real true. One of my seniors, hailing from IIT-B, even told me that it’s actually white color fine sand/silt beach at Kashid (Geologists’ can’t resist), and the beaches are not very much crowded. We were also advised to witness the sunset at Kashid beach.
Sooooooo, we were total 8 people, (3-me n my 2room-mates + my 3 frns + frmz’ 2 frns) for the day-long tour-de-Kashid-Murud-Janjira! We hired an 8-seater Tavera, and the driver was in his handsome 19, though very coooool n calm on steering.
We started at about 9AM from Ghansoli, Navi Mumbai and reached Kashid beach at about 11:30. The beach was so fascinating and inviting that we couldn’t control and run towards it!

It was a high tide time, so the waves were enough powered to topple us! We were all wet when realized that it would be better if we visit the Janjira Fort, before having fun at Kashid beach. Okay, so we had omelette at roadside dhabas on the beach, lying in the hanging-nets. Then we proceeded towards Murud-Janjira, which is at about 40mins distance from Kashid. As I collectd from diffrnt websites, the Kashid fort was most probably built by Koli (fisheman) King, and had never been conquered. We had ‘barf-ka-gola’ (ice-balls) at taxi stand, Murud, and two of us bought the classic Cowboy hats...certainly I was one! 8-)

Bought tickets, got into the old-style sail boat, and started for about 10mins journey towards the fort.

Though, on public domain we came to know that the fort is about 2km from the port, it didn’t appear so. We reached thr in mins, and truly didn’t find it very exciting. It was an old fort, like all other forts, ill-managed, without any potable water and having locked-toilets! We spent some time there, and then returned. Best thing we found there were sea-shells! Itz very easy to get some good conches there, I too collected a few. Most of them were alive, so had only two with me...rest thrown into the waters.

On our way back to Kashid, we had lunch at about 3PM in a ‘good’ restaurant of Murud...which turned out too bad! Everyone’s mood was screwed after that food, few of us who ordered beers were given some jus-cold ill-known thing. Guys were so exhausted that they took those, and ended with more frustration.
Leaving it, we came again to the beautiful Kashid beach....sun was ready to dip into the Arabian Sea...the view was awesome!

Some frnz tried to get snapped with diving sun...and some others including me....ran towards waters! It was low tide time, so we could get little more inside and even felt the basalts below our feet. Had great masti there...playing water-polo with someone’s tee and splashing waters on each-other. The beach is not as good as the Eastern coasts' beaches, but it’s the best I ever visited in and around Mumbai!
Okay for now, will keep posting my earlier and future trips....cheers!

Banned Indian Books

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high; Where knowledge is free; Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls; Where words come out from the depth of truth... Few days back when I came to know about a book on an Indian Business Barron on the Banned Indian Books’ List, the first thing that came in my mind were the lines from Tagore . What an irony, we live in a country, whose forefathers have dreamt about a nation without fear, about a nation with right to speech, right to knowledge; and where the Government enjoys the “privilege” to “freely” ban the books, censor what it feels offensive! Wikipedia describes Banned books as the books whose free access is not permitted. Further it says that the practice of banning books is just another form of censorship, and often has political, religious or moral motivations. In our country, banning books have got its history since the British rule days. In fact, few of the Books ...

Hoolangapar - Home of Indian Gibbons

Known as the Knowledge city of Assam – Jorhat is a small town in the NorthEast India with a unique distinction of sheltering India’s only population of Apes – the Gibbons . Hoolangapar Gibbon Sanctuary spreads across an area of about 21 km sq and is named after Hoolock Gibbons . Not just the Gibbons, it also houses 7 species of monkeys out of total 15 species that are found in India, varied species of birds, spiders and squirrels. A morning walk inside the Hoolangapar Gibbon Sanctuary Gibbons are the Apes and are differentiated on smaller size, lower sexual dimorphism, no nesting habits from the Greater Apes. Hoolock gibbons are the second largest of the gibbons and spread from NE India to Myanmar, with smaller populations in Bangladesh and China. Hoolangapar Sanctuary provides an unparalleled opportunity to meet these gibbons in their natural habitat. Also, the sanctuary has India’s only population of nocturnal primates – the Slow Loris . With distinctive large eyes, every...

Home Quarantined Day - the Last 1

I am not at all getting in to exactly how many days I stay locked in this room. I did not complete the course, neither Dark Season 3, nor the Book and didn't click a lot. I just kept working, on this or that stuff, cold calling people, and watched a lots of movies and web-series. But not Dark S03 - it's too intense; 3 timelines now intertwined with 2 alternate dimensions! I love all these complexities, absolutely, but the series is too heavy. I couldn't complete the course I intended to - was not at all in mood. One day, however, I did set up the camera and the flash and the stand - but like always camera battery died, and I have been too lazy to recharge. A few random shots like the above one and the one below - I didn't do much. But, I kept keeping track of my body temperature and it never crossed the normal number. So, I am good and finally yesterday when Hospital confirmed that "I can live my life", my wife agreed to put an end to this "no-good for an...

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