Morning Walk in the Lodhi Gardens, Delhi

Our dear friend and neighbor of 50 plus years, Vinod Kohli suggested to meet at the famous Lodhi Gardens on a May Sunday morning and also invited another very dear friend Amar and his wife Monica to join.

The not so early morning was cool as per Delhi standards. It was really fun to walk and talk with highly informative guys like Amar and Vinod. I must confess that Amar's participation in the talks on various diverse subjects made the discussions more lively as his inputs were a tonic to mind. Ever smiling Amar reflects what his mind is all about. One rarely finds such a cool person in life. The walk and talk kick started our day with a thrill and excitement.

Lodi Gardens


 Feeling relaxed and raring to go to start the walk.

Lodi Gardens park in Delhi, is spread over 90 acres. It contains, Mohammed Shah's Tomb, Sikander Lodi's Tomb, Sheesh Gumbad and Bara Gumbad, architectural works of the 15th century Sayyid and Lodis, a Pashtun dynasty which ruled much of Northern India during the 16th century. The site is now protected by the Department of Archeological Survey of Government Of India.


Amar and Vinod engrossed in discussions.

Harvinder and Monica are not far behind

The gardens are situated between Khan Market and Safdarjung's Tomb on Lodi Road. It is beautiful, picturesque and serene, and is a hotspot for morning walks for the Delhiites. I have often met Khushwant Singh, the famous writer here. One day very early in the morning in 1995 or so, I happened to meet tainted HKL Bhagat having a walk with his armed guard. I felt he was shocked a bit when I extended my hand for a shake. So this is a place where famous and rich mingle with ordinary folks.

A fellow-walker was kind enough to take a snap of all of us together with Mohammed Shah Tomb in the back ground.

The tomb of Mohammed Shah, the last of the Sayyid dynasty rulers, the earliest of the tombs in the garden, was built in 1444 by Ala-ud-din Alam Shah as a tribute to Mohammed Shah.

As there is little architecture from these periods remaining in India, Lodi Gardens is an important place of preservation. The tomb of Mohammed Shah is visible from the road, and is the earliest structure in the gardens. The architecture is characterised by the octagonal chamber, with stone chhajjas on the roof and guldastas on the corners. Even today, the structure looks graceful and glittering in the morning summer sun.

A lonely man among group of women seen here meditating on spread out sheets and perhaps readying themselves for Yoga.

At the exit door, we quenched our thirst with a fresh coconut water which made us so freshening and raring to go for South Indian breakfast at Andhra Bhawan.



           Yummiest !




                    Cheese Dosa


   One day I had a chance to spot Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi enjoying Ice cream in mid seventies near India Gate around here.


In the fag end, we were joined by Vinod's smart and decent nephew Sanjeev Sethi and his friendly wife Rinu Sethi over the breakfast. Thanks Sanjeev Rinu for hosting the breakfast.

It was all over in three hours.


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Location:New Delhi

San Francisco to New York in 45 minutes

San Francisco to New York in 45 mins? Maybe. After going through this report, A sudden Desire has awakened in me to enjoy this to see it happen in my life time. But so far it is true books.



Since Elon Musk (the mind behind Tesla Motors and SpaceX) quipped about a new “hyperloop” high speed transportation system last week, futurists and techies have been abuzz about a new mode of transportation that could eclipse air travel one day—cutting travel time between San Francisco and New York to just 45 minutes, or between New York and Beijing to just two hours.
One company called ET3 is apparently working on a plan for “Evacuated Tube Transport” which is loosely based on pneumatic systems once used in banks, offices or hospitals (for those old enough to remember) to transport documents within buildings using capsules inserted into suction tubes.





It can carry luggage also.



ET3 says that its tubular network could transport 6-passenger, automobile
-sized capsules up to 4,000 mph in a frictionless environment inside tubes using magnetic levitation. The company claims that ET3 can be built for a tenth of the cost of high speed rail, or a quarter of the cost of a freeway, and provide 50x more transportation per kilowatt than electric cars or trains. Tubes could be built along US interstates, could travel across Alaska to reach China or even go underwater.

Is this the answer to carbon spewing aircraft…or how we’ll be traveling when we run out of fossil fuels? Who knows? But it’s certainly an interesting thought and likely something we’ll be hearing more about.
While Musk was short on details, he has described the technology as ”a cross between a Concorde, a railgun and an air hockey table.” He hinted that he might have more to say about it later this month.
How would you feel about a 45 minute hop to NYC for lunch? Should we be building a hyperloop instead of a high-speed rail line between San Francisco and LA?
We’ve got a lot of catching up to do! Stay tuned for a “Catching up with Bay Area Travel News” issue later this week, which will include United’s new boarding procedures at SFO, Virgin’s new fast lane, the newest United Club, slow progress on new PS flights to NYC and much more!
–Chris McGinnis
***



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Color Run

In many metropolitan cities in USA, a color run is being organized. It is usually a 5 KM race either on roads or by country side agricultural fields.

The Color Run is also very popular in Australia and is celebrated with lots of fun  and flare.

The Color Run  event is a one of a kind experience that is less about speed and more about enjoying a colour crazy day with your friends and family. It is about participants of all different speeds, ages, shapes, and sizes toeing the start line. Whether you are a casual morning mall walker or an Olympic athlete, the Color Run course is the most enjoyable real estate one has traveled in a VERY long time

The fun generated by the event attracts many participants who run into the fear of no slots and hence they need to be registered well in time. Usually the dress code requires to wear white shirt for  both sex, while people of all ages are welcomed to join whether they walk or run, walkers or olympians. The savings from the race usually go to a charity run by a NGO for the benefit of needy. 

I hope this idea will be picked up by Indian cities on the 'Holi' day. In fact the idea of playing with colors both wet and dry has been actually been initiated and inspired by this great ages old Indian festival of 'Holi'. The west have taken the celebration to a higher and newer level.

A recent Color Run on June 3 2013 on Gold Coast Australia is presented below:

Telegraph in USA- A project presentation by Gobind

KARAM niVAS, Badbar, Barnala

This is the sacred place where my grand mother Mrs Karam Devi spent her final twenty years of her life and my Dad Mr Vasdev Singh and uncle Mr Inderjit Singh took turns to stay with her.

I have an intention to make a small house in her memory. It is very hard to find a builder to help us make this small house. But I  going to try very hard to make this happen.

I have drawn a rough sketch and intend to develop it further into a small Farm house in our village at this lot.

First Crop of Apricot in 2013

A visit to Sis Ganj Sahib , Chandni Chock

With temperatures around 45 degrees, we braved the scorching heat to have rounds of Lutyens Delhi and old Delhi.

We passed same roads again and again due to traffic controls on account of Chinese Premier here. The roads are laden with Amaltas Trees lined on either side with yellow rain flowers at its peak. We finally reached Chandni Chowk and enjoyed everything  including a old time walk in the Bazar and books shops on Nai Sarhak.

There is a beauty mix of old and modern eateries when American fast food giant McDonald also pops up its head in the street. The Bazar is as usual filled up with low and middle income group of people who throng here in a parade like Atmosphere. 

The shops deep inside have thrown their sales man in the street to fetch new customers and some times it reaches to disgusting situation as they continue to cling on to you. For ladies, watch carefully, it is open ground for groping and molesting is hardly challenged and pursued. The pickpockets are very common. 

Our driver Sunil from Bihar was really excited to visit the Bazar for the very first time in his life and liked the shops filled up with so many good things at same place.

The trip ended with a sumptuous lunch in  'Paronthe Wali Gali' with Methi, Gobhi and Mooli Paronthas and matching veg dishes of Petha, Aloo and raw pickle. The Rabrhi,served as a finale, was awesome.

A suit Made in Badbar

Harvinder usually shops one in Ambience Mall in Gurgaon on our trips to India.

We also visit our village in Badbar, I wished to have white gents suit as normally the villager’ attire in Punjab. My associate Pawan Kumar who does ‘Aarhat services’ for me immediately recommended a village tailor who had also a cloth shop as his associate business.

I immediately gave my my measurements and he promised that ‘Pajama Kameez’ would be ready in two hours. 

Badbar made suit

So by the time I had tour of Nehri and Maru parcel of land, my suit was ready and it cost me Rs 500/-.  I requested Sardarni Harvinder Kaur to pick up a suit which she did but got it tailored from her tailor in Delhi

Badbar Cloth

Chorus Singing with Peacock

Chorus Singing with Peacocks!

On the sixth floor of Ambiance,  Gurgaon, Harvinder goads me to listen to Peacock Singing around in the early cool May morning. 

I go out on the Balcony and listen to the  melodious singing of a Peacock- the national bird of India.

Interestingly when I whistle and sing back in the same tune, lot of them start singing in harmony with me.

It is amazing Chorus Singing! with my minimal participation. I wished I could have recorded this spontaneous act of natural performance and play back to my FB friends.

My composer son Shiv would have loved it too.

May 15, 2013

For those friends of mine who love and watch birds, I tried to record the Peacock Singing form our balcony.

You will enjoy the chirping of birds, as tens of parrots fly-floating with peacock singing in synch in the background.

Bearded Face Are More Attractive?

Study finds bearded men are more attractive, proves my mom wrong
A newly published study out of the University of New South Wales concludes that men and women find bearded faces more attractive than shaven ones. WHO'S THE DISAPPOINTMENT NOW, MOTHER?

Above: R.T. Gonzalez in his natural habitat, with and without a beard


Study participants also tended to rate bearded men as more masculine, healthy, and more likely to make good parents. Write researchers Barnaby Dixson and Robert Brooks in their recently published article, which appears in the latest issue of Evolution and Human Behavior:

We quantified men's and women's judgments of attractiveness, health, masculinity and parenting abilities for photographs of men who were clean-shaven, lightly or heavily stubbled and fully bearded. We also tested the effect of the menstrual cycle and hormonal contraceptive use on women's ratings. Women judged faces with heavy stubble as most attractive and heavy beards, light stubble and clean-shaven faces as similarly less attractive. In contrast, men rated full beards and heavy stubble as most attractive, followed closely by clean-shaven and light stubble as least attractive. Men and women rated full beards highest for parenting ability and healthiness. Masculinity ratings increased linearly as facial hair increased, and this effect was more pronounced in women in the fertile phase of the menstrual cycle, although attractiveness ratings did not differ according to fertility. Our findings confirm that beardedness affects judgments of male socio-sexual attributes and suggest that an intermediate level of beardedness is most attractive while full-bearded men may be perceived as better fathers who could protect and invest in offspring.

Those incapable of growing beards – and this author's mother – would probably be quick to point out the study's limited sample size (the study surveyed 350 women and 200 men), its heteronormative bias (all participants surveyed self-identified as straight), the limitations of its socioeconomic scope (read: its W.E.I.R.D.-ness) and the inherently subjective nature of it all. We're not saying those criticisms are unfounded – we're just saying I like my beard and haters can hate all they want because this study says I'm marriage material so there.

Gobind Jania at Live Oak Swings

Wheat Starts Rolling into Markets

Wheet Crops Sale


The wheat crops arriving in Trollies swells the chest and proud of any farmer. This time reminds of my wheat crop rolling into Badbar Mandi (Grain Market). My Dad will encourage me to sit on the wheat grains in the tractor trolley while having a ride from my fields to Mandi a distance of two kilometers. It was a great fun, but the bigger fun was to have a ride on our bullock cart laden with cattle feed, raw & fresh vegetables along with agricultural tools. The cart will move even slower than a cycle giving us a chance to wish everybody on the way a sweat and loud greetings 'Sat Sri Akal'

What it used to be a couple of months in the Mandi, present scenario lasts for only  couple of weeks. Besides facing scorching sun in the open, the nights are cooler but full of hoards of mosquitoes. This was also a time to meet our cousins and uncles who were there to supervise their produce and collect their inherited annual earnings.

I also recall one time in 1989 when, my younger brother-in-law Charanjeet who was visiting us from USA, also accompanied me to Badbar on such a occasion. But he could not stand the sun  in the day and mosquito in the night together and we had to return to Delhi leaving my Dad to supervise the sales of the crop. I can not narrate the harsh words thrown on me by other wise cool wife Harvinder. I promised myself that never ever in my life would accompany them to Badbar. On the other hand, my older one Jagjeet still complains that I never gave a chance to visit Badbar.

Our small house has since been bulldozed, I intend to reconstruct a modern 1000 square ft house on the site

Gobind Sends Me A First Letter on Spring Break 2013

Dear Dadaji,


MY SPRING TRIP TO MEXICO 2013
I went to the airport in San Francisco. It was 2:30!!!!!!!!!! Mom got us hot coco while we were waiting for our flight to come. I read on my kindle the whole time in the flight.

When we landed we ate at a resteraunt called Wolfgang Puck. I had a breakfast pizza with scrambled eggs, cheese and mmmmmmmm bacon.-------------was what I was when I tasted that yummy pizza. And for lunch I had Carls Junior.

When we got off, we spent a trillion minutes waiting for dad to get the rental car. On our first day we went to swim in the pool at our balcony. On the next two days we swam in the hotel pool.

When it was time to go we got cheated by the taxi people.The hotel people helped us get a taxi. Now we are on our way to Cancun


Gobind

G&J at Boomers 2013

G&J at Boomers

South Beach, Miami