1000 Awesome Things About India

A serene, idyllic spot with only nature for company and that too in the middle of a bustling city. Sounds too good to be true? Not if you have been to the Osho Teerth also called the Nallah park set in the lush environs between lane number two and three of Koregaon Park. An inviting tranquillity envelopes the park spread over 12 acres of greenery and is divided into two inter-connected section by a bridge.

The gravelly garden path in one section leads one on to a finely chiselled statue of Osho, the inspiration behind the project, with the words Osho Teerth written alongside. An undulating greenscape dotted with a variety of plants on both sides unfolds before the eyes of the visitor.

It may seem a little difficult to believe that this park was once a mosquito-infested wasteland
or that the gurgling brook that runs through the park was a nallah into which the effluents of the Pulgate sewerage were emptied. The park, which seems to have risen Phoenix-like from the dirt, owes its creation to the Shunyo Foundation, friends of the Osho Commune International who in 1990 took up the greening of the nallah. Members of the Shunyo Foundation approached the collector of Pune to seek permission to acquire land around the nallah for a public park.

Any place that can inspire you to meditate when it is not a part of your daily routine has to be truly special.And So is the Zen Garden In Pune.

Ratha Jatra, the Festival of Chariots of Lord Jagannatha is celebrated every year at Puri, the temple town in Orissa, on the east coast of India. The presiding deities of the main temple, Sri Mandira, Lord Jagannatha, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra, with the celestial wheel Sudarshana are taken out from the temple precincts in an elaborate ritual procession to their respective chariots. The huge, colourfully decorated chariots, are drawn by hundreds and thousands of devotees on the bada danda, the grand avenue to the Gundicha temple, some two miles away to the North. After a stay for seven days, the deities return to their abode in Srimandira. Ratha Jatra is perhaps the grandest festival on earth. Everything is on a scale befitting the great Lord. Full of spectacle, drama and colour, the festival is a typical Indian fair of huge proportions. It is also the living embodiment of the synthesis of the tribal, the folk, and the autochthonous with the classical, the elaborately formal and the sophisticated elements of the socio-cultural-religious ethos of the Indian civilization.

The main journey of the "Chariot Festival" involves the large Deities of Lord Jagannath, Baladev and Subhadra to be transported from the temple, each on their own chariot, every year, where:

A glimpse of Lord Jagannatha on the chariot is considered to be very auspicious and saints, poets and scriptures have repeatedly glorified the sanctity of this special festival.
The sanctity of the festival is such that even a touch of the chariot or even the ropes with which these are pulled is considered enough to confer the results of several pious deeds or penance for ages. In fact, there is a famous Oriya song which says that on this occasion, the chariot, the wheels, the grand avenue all become one with Lord Jagannatha himself.

The concept of the chariot has been explained in the Kathopanishada in the following words-

Atmanam rathinam viddhi sareeram rathamevatu 

Buddhim tu saarathim viddhi marah pragrahameva cha.

Those who are fortunate to see the deities of the Srimandira in the Gundicha Temple, the final destination of the procession of the chariots, derive the benefits of a thousand horse sacrifices, an immensely pious deed. Kabi Samrat Upendra Bhanja in his famous Vaidehisa Vilasa mentions that the Lord comes out from his sanctum for participating in the Gundicha Jatra, another name of the Festival of Chariots, only for redeeming the fallen, the patita jana who get the opportunity to behold their dearest god at close quarters on this occasion. Similarly, saint poet Salabega waxes eloquent in praise of his dearest dark darling and says that the Lord swaying and moving like a wild elephant arrives at the Grand Avenue and rides his chariot and destroys in a flash all the sins of his devotees, even if these may be grave or unpardonable.

If you are in India and not afraid of crowd , then Puri Rath Yatra fulfills both spiritual and religious needs. Rath Yatra will give you a glimpse of India - An India that is known for its vedic culture and religious beliefs.

Go barefoot to the Andamans. This is a place of pilgrimage. You need to have the faith, you need to believe: there are no deities, no shrines, no monuments. But yes, if you are pagan and would genuflect to a spiny thorny woody leafy decades old tree, if you would stop to hear birdsong, if you would pray that there always be a sea and a forest, if you would revere the place enough to collect all your plastic and take it back with you, and promise never to return, and never to tell anyone about this place, so that it remains there, suspended on its latitude and longitude, alone, unspoilt, self absorbed and ever growing, then and only then must you go to the Andamans.

Havelock Island is largely untouched by humankind too—visited by a mere 10,000 tourists a year (compared with the millions swarming Phuket across the water). That means plenty of room on the beach for everyone. Beach No. 7 is the prettiest (sand flies aside), but there's Ayurvedic massage and the island's best restaurant on No. 5. Either way, with a coconut-shell sundowner in hand, you'll realize that nondescript names don't mean a thing. Because Beaches No. 5 and No. 7, like the perfumes by Chanel, are heady, lingering and utterly timeless.  

The Andaman Islands, in the Bay of Bengal, are really India's secret paradise.Stunning beaches, pristine coral reefs, tropical jungle, a rich wildlife, active volcanoes, the possibility to meet swimming elephants and colourful big fishes- all in one place!

I don't need to say more as the images are self-explaining. With this project of listing '1000 Awesome Things About India' , I am discovering many places/food/cultures/people in India that seem unimaginable.. However,Not all make it to this list but they all are worth a try.

Ever felt the clouds touching your feet? No, I am not talking about the feeling of being on 'Cloud Nine' but a feeling you get when you are at 7816 Metres above sea level & experiencing Nanda Devi ("She who gives bliss") - The highest mountain in the Indian Himalayas outside of Sikkim.

Nanda Devi National Park is situated in Chamoli district of Uttaranchal. The spectacular panoramas of peaks encircling the National Park are Trishul (7120 m) Dunagiri (7066 m) Nanda Devi (7817 m) Nanda Devi East (7430 m) Bethartoli (6352 m) etc.. The beautiful surroundings with abundant flora and fauna like Brahma-Kamal and Bharal (blue mountain goat) make this a sanctuary of nature.
In 1982 access to trekkers into the Nanda Devi National Park was banned to protect its biodiversity. However,organised treks are permitted.The Nanda Devi National Park, which has been declared a world heritage site, has been partially opened recently for restricted number of tourist.

High mountains surround it from three sides while the western side is bounded by an inaccessible gorge. It remains under snow for about six months and June to August is the season of heavy rainfalls. So, the best time to visit the area is from April to June. The vegetation consists mainly of fir, birch, rhododendron, and juniper trees, while there is almost no vegetation near the Nanda Devi Glacier in the interiors. 312 floral species have been found and identified here including 17 rare ones. Himalayan animal species such as Bharals, Himalayan tahrs, serows, gorals, snow leopards, Himalayan black and brown bears, leopards, common langurs, and Himalayan musk deers can be seen here frequently while the bird life mainly consists of 80 species including warblers, gresbreaks, rose finches and ruby throats.

 The Legend - Legend has it that the hand of Nanda Devi ("She who gives bliss"), daughter of a local king, was demanded in marriage by a marauding prince. War ensued, her father was killed & she fled, eventually finding refuge on top of the mountain, now bearing her name. She is protected by a ring of mountains 112 km in circumference containing 12 peaks over 6,400, in height & in only one place is this defensive ring lower than 5,500 m, at the Rishi Gorge, one of the deepest in the world. It is the place for sages (rishi).

Are you looking for a holiday filled with rich vibrancy of Indian culture, majestic splendor and world-class luxury? Well, your quest ends at The Palace on Wheels luxury tour- a week-long train journey through the forts, sand-dunes and rustic countrysides of Rajasthan. The journey begins at New Delhi and takes you through Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Sawai Madhopur, Chittaurgarh and many other glorious destinations.

During your seven-day itinery, you will come face to face with tigers, flamingoes and other wildlife, explore royal palaces and ancient ruins, bask in the golden sand dunes of the Thar Desert and enjoy world class treatment and facilities on board. The menu changes everyday and you will get an opportunity to enjoy cuisine from all over the world during your stay on the train.

Ranked amongst the top ten luxury trains in the world, The Palace of Wheels is nothing short of a royal experience. The interiors are reminiscent of the Maharaja’s palaces and the services of the staff will pamper your ego till you are convinced that the blood in your veins is actually blue.

At the altitude of 11,302 Feet,facing the numerous Buddhist shrines and domes this Golf Course gives you a face off with the infinte.You find yourself helpless when the gush of wind throws the ball upto 30 Ft. in air.

Kashmir offers a unique opportunity to play golf all through the summer – from April to November – in invigorating surroundings, where the wind whispers through enormous trees of chinar and stately pine.

In the verdant golf courses at Srinagar and Gulmarg, you will be able to play for longer hours than you can in the plains because of the lower temperatures – Srinagar’s highest temperature seldom goes above 35°C. The layout of both the courses, too, will delight the golfers. Srinagar has an 18-hole golf course with common fairways, and a par of 70. This course is open throughout the year, unless snowbound in winter

The course at Gulmarg is like nothing you’ve ever seen or imagined before. Situated at an altitude of 2,650 m, it is the highest green golf course anywhere in the world. The layout of the course too is strikingly different from most golf courses– the land slopes and inclines along the complete area of the course, which has a par of 72. There is history at Gulmarg for those interested. The club, started by the British who used Gulmarg as a holiday resort, first opened its doors in 1904, and a charmingly written book traces its past.

Golf is a way of life at Gulmarg. At an altitude of 2,650 m, in the heart of the world famous resort, is its rolling golf course, the highest in the world. The historic Gulmarg Golf Club was started in 1911 by the British who used the place as a holiday resort. Since then it has seen over four score years of tournaments of both amateurs and professionals, of men, women and children.

The origin of Gulmarg as the Golfing Mecca of India goes back to the late 19th century when a 6-hole course was made in 1890-91 by Colonel Neville Chamberlain - the greens were known as browns in those days. By 1896, three more holes in the nullah, below Raja Sir Amar Singh's house, were added. In 1901, the Maharaja of Kashmir donated land at Gulmarg for laying out a golf course, which came to be known as the Upper Golf Course. In 1915 a 9-hole course, also known as 'Rabbits Course' was also built. There was a separate 6-hole course for children. By the 1920s the resort was totally covered with golf courses: two 18-hole courses, the ‘Upper Course’ and the ‘Lower’ and one 9-hole middle course, which was more famous as the ‘Rabbits Course’.

Gulmarg, with its rarefied atmosphere, is natural all the way. As the ball is hit, it 'whistles' its way to the next hole. The turf, since it lies buried six to eight feet under snow for five months of the year, is soft. The greens have a combination of moss and a high variety of grass and natural slopes, which are fast to play on, and the thin air carries the ball further. Golfing at Gulmarg's 18-hole course, with a par of 72, is a unique experience.

If you are planning to visit India be sure you give this place a visit.

Welcome to India – where each of the 1 billion odd people will be addicted to tea ( popularly called chai) or as in the case of IT sectors coffee (their cash surplus allows them a richer beverage)

Come 4 p.m. and everyone’s eagerly waiting for their cup of tea – cutting chai as popularly known in Mumbai. Offices have a chai-wala (person who sells tea desk to desk) come with his tiny aluminium kettle which surprisingly has tea enough for a hundred people! And if you notice, pan India, it’s the same aluminium kettle. Be it rains or summer or winter, the aluminium kettle goes along with all seasons. If not a chai-wala, then there are those numerous chai – stalls again very popular among college students and those small offices where people find a getaway and a place to unwind. Of course, this chai ka pyaala(cup of tea) is often accompanied with paav vada ( Indian burger ) or samosa or bhajji! At home, all the home makers prepare tea for themselves, as if it’s the start of the day. It helps them “look forward” to the rest of the day! Infact “high tea” is a commonly used term in India in which social events take place. Families now prefer inviting their guests for high tea inorder to save the extra workload from dinner / lunch! Shop keepers will eagerly be waiting for their chai at around 3:30 – 4 p.m. Infact so much so, that chai addicts get headaches and irritation if they don’t get their cup of tea. Its not just their cup of tea if they bunk their tea time!

That’s chai time – when little poor children run along the platform of train station shouting chai chai chai in their typical accent; the many addicts who will do anything for their cup of chai; and the amazing social bonding that happens over cup of chai. Like the advertisement goes “ tata tea… dimakh daudega nahi, bhagega…. Tez bahut tez!”

As if the variety in brands were not enough, tea comes in variety – just like coffee – from black tea to half paani tea(half water) to full doodh (full milk)tea to sugar free and extra sugar to masala chai to flavoured chai from different parts of the Himalayas! There always must be Parle G glucose biscuit or Marie Biscuit accompanying the afternoon tea. Morning tea is another topic by itself. Ridiculously, no two people have tea of the same type. Each have their own style of making tea and especially critical is the water / milk content in chai. Sugar should and must be served separately to guests to avoid the fuss over “how much sugar you have!”

India produces and consumes more tea than any other country in the world, including the famous Assam tea and Darjeeling tea.The cultivation and brewing of tea in India has a long history of applications in traditional systems of medicine and for consumption. The consumption of tea in India was first clearly documented in the Ramayana (750-500 BC).

Today, India is one of the largest tea producers in the world, though over 70% of the tea is consumed within India itself. A number of renown teas, such as Darjeeling, also grow exclusively in India.

Chai – the most loved beverage, yet the most fussed over beverage.

An Indian Tea in making!

When I was young, or not so young (Just to remind you, I am still young! ), I used to ask my father and my mother to tell me about their wedding. They did not like to do it too, much claiming that they had forgotten. However,the thing is that I am fascinated by weddings. This fascination was not just about the pomp and the grandeur of an Indian wedding. Very simply, I wanted to be the groom.

It is because I want to be at the center of attraction, the cynosure of all eyes. Everybody fretted and fussed over the groom, for a few days at least everyone was there to attend to him and indulge his whims. He got the first choice, the most attention. After watching many Hollywood and Bollywood movies I learnt that the same treatment is given to death row inmates an hour before their execution.

It is never simple. Never easy. You don't control it. You become a mere player. The strings are pulled by a council of family members headed by the parents, the grand parents and the rest.There's always communication between the two families: 'wedding ceremony, your type or ours?' 'mangal suthr, your type or ours or both?' and so on.If you are not from India and you are wondering what the heck is going on around here... Well, that's how we do our weddings here. Even our simplest wedding would grand in your eyes.

Firstly a marriage ceremony is so lengthy and ends up being such torture that no one in their right mind would ever get married twice. That's the problem with Christian marriages: they are too small and painless. Hence the high divorce rate in Western countries. Over here we have perfected a marriage technique so that the groom over and over again is reminded of
his responsibilities. He is made to sit in revealing clothing so that people can see he is more or less physically ok. His suppleness is tested by the ballerina toes, his intuition by putting the vermilion without looking at the bride, how easily he can part with cash by all the tips he has to give to all and sundry, and in sum his patience is tested all throughout. The upshot is you would never again want to go through with this!

Few things that you learn only when you become a groom (Confessions of a Groom):

1.)Mystery Of tying a Dhoti - I have always found that the dhoti reveals more than it conceals. Plus it is held up by a wonder of knot tying. One false move, and you were likely to be exposed and that too on the biggest night of your life. (However,Now a days its hard to see a groom wearing Dhoti!)

//Dhoti is a piece of cloth with no stitching (anywhere)!

2.)Shopping is something that is always a pain even in the best of times. It’s even less fun when your in-laws take you our for shopping.

3.)A Groom realized that his question of being important. It was a matter of being made the center of a huge joke. It was some sort of Govinda comedy in which nothing made sense. Except that everyone (except the people who were running from pillar to post) were enjoying it. 

4.)Auntis pulling legs- Of Course, they are trying to be friendly. But somehow when you are missing your wife (you are not supposed to see her for a few days before the marriage or something to that effect) - its not exactly what you like to hear.

5.)The strip tease show where groom would have to stand bare-torso in front of a gaggle of middle-aged women (aunts and neighbors) while he will be smeared with turmeric and then bathed.

6.) Video Camera guys - You would be blinded for the most of the cermony (Thanks to invention of Flash!)

7.)Stealing the grooms shoes. The tradition is that the groom is supposed to be teased and then asked to pay his in-laws to get his shoes back.

8.)During your own wedding, food is the last thing on your mind.

All this and zillions of other small things, Hey, Am still a bachelor (But after researching for this post feel like 50% married)!

To do justice,Hope to write someday imagining myself as a bride because  the events associated with Groom are a cool breeze when compared to hurricane rituals that the Bride has to go through! Keeping few sweet pains aside (i admit,i highlighted the pains!) An Indian Wedding is the most memorable event in an Indian family. Its like having one's own Disney Land for few days.In India, Wedding is considered a very holy ceremony and i think its this very nature of the ceremony ( & blessing of elders )that keeps an Indian couple together for life.

If you are not from India and have not seen any Indian Wedding, It would say add it to your list of "Grand Occasion to attend before I die " List!

You can find conventional terminology & the entire process (Guide for Dummies) at http://www.indianweddingsite.com/traditions/traditions.php

@Married Readers: Give this post a 'married' touch by your experienced comments 

@Bachelors - 'Get Married,Its later than you think!'

India is a land of diversity.Her myriad landscapes, varied tongues, resplendent festivals and multi-ethnicity reflect the culture of this ancient land. indian cuisine, which is as diverse and splendid as the colorful country, has gained connoisseurs, even among the rich and the renowned, across the globe. Since the pre-Christian era, the aroma of the famous indian spices wafted far enough to attract traders, and eventually invaders, from distant lands.

My parents, like most true-blood Indians, love to shower people with their hospitality and feed them till they’re almost ready to burst. We Indians are known for our need to treat our guests with the utmost care and generosity, and one common way we all seem to achieve in doing so is through our food. Food holds a very special place in any Indian household. No festivity is complete without a table laden with colourful dishes end to end, enough to please
a king.It’s no wonder that out of all the rooms in a home, many Indians take the most pride in showing you their kitchens. Truly, we love food, and our life surrounds it. Our conversations, no matter how they begin always seem to divert to the food related with the topic in question. A simple wedding announcement would automatically lead to the designing of the menu. Even meeting up with a long lost friend would be done over lunch or dinner, over food they could reminisce about.

While our meals may be laced with rich aromatic flavours, what I look forward to the most at any Indian-inspired party is the platter of appetizers. Indian hors d’oeuvres range from savoury street food, like the most loved samosas (deep fried pastry filled with potatoes) and pakodas (spiced fritters), to the ever famous tandoori tikkas (marinated meat grilled in a clay oven). They are steamed, grilled and fried. They come in various sizes and shapes, some that can be daintily picked by two fingers, and others that require a spoon and lots of napkins. No matter in what form, they each have something special to offer, and no cocktail party would regret having them.

Ask any one who has ever walked the streets of any major Indian city, be it Delhi, Mumbai or Bangalore; and they will attest to the fact that no evening stroll is complete without making a stop at one of the many hawker stalls that surround every busy area in these cities. Street after street, stall after stall, you will be greeted by smiling faces and tempting plates that urge you to come and give it a try. Smothered with spicy and tangy chutneys, yogurt and tons of other fixings, each plate creates a whole new tale in your mouth.

For beginners, eating an Indian meal might be somewhat of problem let alone cooking a balanced Indian meal. Indian food is designed to be eaten with the group. Unlike western food, Indian food cannot be eaten or served without a combination. Thus, even though you like that curried vegetable or chutney, try not to eat it by itself. Combine it with rice or Indian bread or with other dishes. This will help you enjoy the meal more and will not give any digestion problems later.

A week ago while i was checking Top Blog Of Wordpress page (I was #7 in the list), I found another interesting about India in the same list : 1000 AWESOME THINGS happened to be published by an NRI Mr . Neil from Toronto.

Seeing the title of his site an idea struck my mind and I shared it with him :

Today morning(when i was in the shower and thinking inspired by your blog), I thought of starting a new blog for "1000 things about India" But could not think of any name other than "1000 AWESOME things abut India"

He responded positively :

I think you should definitely start the 1000 Awesome Things about India blog! That would be cool -- especially from a cultural perspective. I mean, even though my heritage is Indian, I don't know too much about India. It would be fun to learn about what Indians care about and Indians think about... these little things... on a regular basis.

So here I am and so are you reading these lines..Thanks to Neil for inspiration. And as he says:

Neil,I hope we do.

I will be posting regularly on this blog ,starting this weekend. A writer about India does not suffers from the scarcity of material but because of its sheer abundance.. I would love your suggestions and feedback.