Delhi's Royal Beasts

The road not taken: Delhi is packed of ‘unstable Uranium isotope’ adolescents ready to take on the world head on, its not only city of Nizams, Nomads, Wealthy & underprivileged but also full of young turks of richie-rich parents.

If you worried about falling off the bike, you’d never get on: You can love them or hate them, but you just can’t ignore them! Started on April 6, 2002, by two friends, Kartik Krishnan and Ajeet Hundal, with an ambition to form an exclusive club of Bullet enthusiasts, the Royal Beasts have today grown to a huge 202 members.

The Royals Beasts: In fact, so rapid has their growth been that within one-and-a-half years they have became the third largest group in India. Yes, Royal Beasts is part of a nationwide phenomenon of Enfield bikers coming together to enjoy their bikes. Similar Enfield bikers’ groups are running in cities like Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and even Aizawl.

Why should boys have all the fun? Gautam Da (Inddie Thumpers) & Mahima Nijhowne (Royal Beasts):Talk to the youngest member of the group and you know that biking is no longer a male thing... 18-year-old Mahima Nijhowne, owns a Royal Enfield, and joined Royal Beasts the day she turned 18. Ask her about the reaction she gets from fellow motorists on roads, she says, “I get a lot of thumbs-up signs from people. Sometimes they clap or smile or just look at me in amazement.” Does she face uncomfortable moments? She says, “Not really. But then, who would mess with a girl riding on a Royal Enfield?”

I have miles to go before I sleep, Bally (Road Raiders - Doon), heading towards Rohtang: Sachin Chavan, an automobile journalist, “Last time we went to Ladakh, we had to cross this stretch which was very close to the China border. It was a dirt track and we had no map to help us navigate. That was a real tough one.” The group goes on two big rides every year, one to Ladakh in summers and to Goa in January. Besides, the group organises short trips to Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, etc. When in town, the group meets every Sunday evening at Qutab Institutional Area, opposite the Fore School of Management.

Man, Machine and Myth - Romancing the Roads, on way to Ladakh: Take a look at them and you know that this is a wide variety of people brought together by one passion, Royal Enfield. There are doctors, lawyers, students, marketing guys, journalists, entrepreneurs... and many others, who are part of this group. Says Sachin Chavan, “There’s this unbelievable camaraderie amongst us.

No commerce: The Royal Beasts members may adore the Royal Enfield bike but they would never like to promote it on a commercial basis. "Ours is an exclusive club of adventure. We don't want any kind of commerce to enter our club. It will ruin everything," says Kartik.
For this reason the club refuses any sponsorship for their cross-country bike expeditions.

You don't suffer, kill yourself and take the risks I take just for money. I love bike racing: It is a very free and independent group, and we do our own thing. If sponsorship comes in, one has to listen to the dictates of the sponsors. That goes against the spirit of our club. We encourage our members to save money and expect them to be enthusiastic enough to spend their own money for the expeditions," says Kartik.

I enjoy dirt bike riding, reading classic literature, impressionist art, traveling, and music: Therefore any Royal Enfield enthusiast who wants to join their club is thoroughly examined before being accepted as one of them. Tour operators are especially discouraged from joining the club. "It is not just love for the machine, the member should also share the passion for adventure and travel, says Mahima, 19, the only female member of the club.

A bike is only as bad as it's worst rider: She has her own Royal Enfield bike and rides it to her college everyday. The club was founded three years ago by Kartik and his friends. "We saw that most people who rode the Royal Enfield were different, so we decided to contact them," he says.

The mean machines: A lot of fun stuff happens when you go out on a bike compared to when you're in a car. You're more in the environment. It's enjoyable. Even when It's raining It's still fun. So, if you’ve always wanted to don your leather pants, leather jacket and leather shoes, and ride ‘peacefully’ into the sunset on your Royal Enfield... ride into the Royal Beasts. There’s no entry fee, no joining procedures... all you need is a ‘thumping’ love for the Royal Enfield! Happy cruising!

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Dating with Nature

Romancing with moon, Gurgaon: For a moment I conjecture with 'Chandrayaan' accomplishing moon some time in future that era will also come when duo will date on moon, candle lit, and earth to observe from moon, it would be majestic sensation, isn’t it?……how would that sensation be? Will that ever be feasible?

In love with flowers: Couple of months back I sowed some Cosmos
seeds in my garden! and Vola! I have sooo many beautiful flowers in my garden. and look... who came to visit them ;-)

Civilised Sunset at Gurgon:

Maybe not now

but someday soon,

We'll meet not under the sun

but beneath the moon.

The Brown Rock Chat (also called the Indian Chat) is a fairly common bird in our garden.I have seen the rock chat singing away in solitary splendour around April-May, which may be their mating season. They can often be seen on prominent roof corners of buildings, and are well-known for their ability to mimic the songs of several species.

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"मै डरती हूँ "

मै जानती हूँ .........
मेरे खत का उसे इंतजार नही
मेरे दुख से उसे सरोकार नही ,

मेरे मासूम लफ्ज उसे नही बहलाते

मेरी कोई बात भी उसे याद नही.
मेरे ख्वाबों से उसकी नींद नही उचटती
मेरी यादो मे उसके पल बर्बाद नही
मेरा कोई आंसू उसे नही रुलाता
उसे मुझसे जरा भी प्यार नही
कोई आहट उसे नही चौंकाती
क्योंकि उसे मेरा इन्तजार नही
मगर मै डरती हूँ उस पल से
जब वो चेतना में लौटेगा और
पश्चाताप के तूफानी सैलाब से
गुजर नही पायेगा ...जड हो जाएगा
मै डरती हूँ ....बस उस एक पल से

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City's Vintage Craze

Naval Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta flagged-off the 43rd Statesman Vintage & Classic Car Rally 2009 on Sunday, February 8th at the majestic building of Statesman House in New Delhi.Record 140 entries have been received for this year,s rally which is truly India,s biggest and most popular vintage rallies. These rare beauties will travel between Delhi and Greater Noida before returning to Modern School Barakhamba Road for prize distribution.
This Statesman Vintage Rally is seen as the Mecca of all vintage rallies in the Indian sub-continent and this year the legendary event has grown even bigger with the maximum number of vintage, classic and post war car entries ever.

The clean and fantastically restored Ambassador Mk-I: The car as we know it is on the way out. To a large extent, I deplore its passing, for as a basically old-fashioned machine, it enshrines a basically old-fashioned idea: freedom.

Another superbly restored Chevy, a 1959 Belair: “They're dressing like in the 50's when they come out to the shows, and many of them have vintage cars.”

1947 built Buick: Today's corporate race cars go real fast and real straight, and they're awe-inspiring, but they're kind of predictable. Vintage drag racing is grass roots, it's not what I'd call professional, and it's very unpredictable.

A 1932 Ford: I put a new engine in my car, but forgot to take the old one out. Now my car goes 500 miles per hour. The harmonica sounds amazing.

Admiral Suresh Mehta stans next to 1942 model Lincoln: He looked entirely too comfortable. That's what all that fishing and working on old cars will do for you.

A 1922 Graham Paige: You know, somebody actually complimented me on my driving today. They left a little note on the windscreen, it said 'Parking Fine.

1935 Buik: There are two things no man will admit he cannot do well: drive and make love.

A 1935 Rolls Royce: If your wife wants to learn to drive, don't stand in her way.

Visitor look at 1938 model: A careful driver is one who honks his horn when he goes through a red light

A 1927 Chevrolet: Never drive faster than your Guardian Angel can fly.

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Yoyos

Kids play with lighted yoyos around India Gate, New Delh, India

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Capital Samurai: Laxman Rao

Laxman at his tea stall at ITO in Delhi

At first look he is like any other tea vendor pouring infinite cups of tea for clientele, Laxman Rao appears to be one of numerous tea vendors we see in our everyday life on any busy road of the capital. But looks can be deceptive and Rao proves that. He is not just any other tea vendor in the national capital. He is different from many.

Meet Laxman Rao, the tea vendor turned book writer. Born to a family of farmers in Amravti district in Maharashtra,
Rao's fondness for Hindi literature saw him complete his graduation in Hindi medium from the Mumbai University in 1973. Reminiscing the bygone days, Rao said he was an avid reader and got addicted to Gulshan Nanda's novels early on.

This tea vendor has authored 18 books till date! The reading inclination he is carrying from his school days way back in early 70s and love for Hindi literature made him devoted to first with reading and then writing novels. He writes at the night, when the world sleeps, he finishes of his work and starts writing. The writing sometime continues while working when there are not enough customers. His writing often has his own experiences and hardship which he confronted in the capital. Sitting on a low down chair at his tea stall near ITO in Delhi, 53-year-old Rao spoke of how he came to run his own publishing house, Bharatiya Sahitya Kala Prakashan.

"I have been writing short stories, plays and books for 28 or 29 years," Rao smiled and said, as he poured tea into one of the small glasses to a customer. "In my first book, titled Nayi Duniya Ki Nayi Kahani I poured out my heart. I narrated all the hardships that I had faced and the challenges that I fought to rise to a decent life. That was back in 1979," Rao told. He went on to write a play, Pradhan Mantri in 1984, which was about his meeting with the then prime minister, the late Indira Gandhi. The play was woven around Gandhi in a social set-up and how her subordinates were responsible for corruption. 'Ramdas and Parampara Se Judi Bharatiya Rajniti' are some of his other publications.

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Capital Affair- 'Suraj Kund' Fair

Folk dancers at the fair: The Surajkund Crafts is an annual event that highlight some of the finest handloom and handicraft traditions of the country. From 1st to 15th February rural India basks in the warmth of admiration at Surajkund mela village that lies some 8 km from South Delhi. The Mela also celebrates the rhythms of folk theatre- and a theme State that makes each visitor marvel

Rest wait for thier turn: The Mela is organised under the aegis of the Suraj Kund Mela Authority. This comprises of the Department of Tourism Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Governement of India in collaboration with Haryana Tourism,
Development Commissioner for Handlooms, Commissioner Development (Handicrafts)

A foreign national at Suraj Kund 'Mela': The objectives

• To create a rural ambience for the foreign and domestic tourist to see.
• To educate patrons both from abroad, urban centres and educational institutes about the fascinating technique and skills involved in craft creation.
• To introduce crafts and craftspersons directly to the buyers and help them find their patrons.
• To Identify, nurture and preserve languishing crafts of the country and save it for posterity.

Suraj Kund is a beautiful tourist location of Haryana Tourism and in its lovely setting, folk painters, metal workers, stone and wood carvers, tie dye craftspersons, embroiders, lace makers, textiles printers, carpet and loom weavers, producers of silk fabrics, jewellers and sculptors- execute and display their skills. The entrance to fair: The fortnight long celebrations also come as a food festival. Some of the popular food traditions from Punjab come at the Punjabi 'Rasoi'. South Indian delicacies come in from South Indian Section. Popular Chinese and snack foods also arrive for the event along with a special stalls where patrons are introduced to the traditional foods and sweet meats of the selected theme State. A woman tries the art of heena artist: The Surajkund Crafts Mela has grown equally famous for the rhythms of folk theatre: It resonates with the formal notes of the classical genre: The heady rhythms of percussion instruments: The ballads of singing minstrels: The clebration of the simple joys of rural life and reverence of epic traditions all mingle well. All these colourful events are also presented before the audience in the open-air-theatre named Natyashala. Folk dancers performing at the fair: Some of the most deligtful crafts collections of the Mela arrive from practically all over the country. In wood and cane come inlay work, rose wood carving, sandal wood from Punjab and South India. Chiki wood craft of Kashmir and some very fine cane craft come from West Bengal and North Eastern States. One more: Delcate sholapith and shital patti work come from Assam and West Bengal. The phulkari of Punjab, the Banjara and Banni embroidery of Gujarat and Rajasthan, the Kantha traditions from West Bengal and Tripura, lace and crochet from Goa, the Suzni of Kashmir and Mirror encasing work along with the traditional chikan work of Lucknow delight.Oxidized jewellery, sea shell decorations and agate stone work delight as also do delicate gold work and chunky silver jewellery. Toys in wood and cane, ply and mud make the young thrill with joy. Some of the fine phad paintings of Rajasthan, the kalamkari of Andhra and Karnataka, temple paintings of Orissa, madhubani of Bihar, fascinate. In the metal section tribal dhora work, classical south Indian metal work, glittering brass ware, bell metal and iron craft delight collectors. In the field of woven textiles some of the finest silk work of Orissa, Patola, Bandhini of Gujarat and Rajasthan, Ikat, Kanjeevaram, Dharmavaram and temple silks of South India vie for attention with the most simple cottons of West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and tribal textiles of North East India as also do the handloom of Haryana. The Various Crafts particpated in the Mela every year. The Introduction of some of the Crafts are as follows:
Cane & Bamboo
Embroidery
Metalware
Pottery

THE SURAJKUND Crafts Mela 2009 was unusually vibrant and lively with the ambience full of drumbeats and folk music spreading the festivity all over. The display of exquisite handicrafts and handlooms further added the colour to the mela making it a perfect getaway for the visitors away from the hustle bustle of city life. Varieties of cuisines from all parts of India and foreign countries were relished by the crowd.

The Mela is a paradise for the shoppers’ and one could see an entire spectrum of buyers, with their hands laden with bags.

Among the crafts this year, woodcraft garnered special attention and praise. There has been a tremendous increase in the number of stalls of this craft this year. The craftsmen of this art find the platform of the Surajkund Crafts Mela extremely beneficial, as they get immense publicity and recognition. It also helps them to add to their income, which supports for almost the whole year. The mela provides them an elevated stage, with large number of buyers, wherein they get an opportunity to popularise their age old craft in addition to reaping the benefits of selling their products directly to the consumers.

These craftsmen, to say the least, have emerged as the flag bearers of the dying art of wooden carving. Due to the advent of variety of machines, handmade wood carvings find it difficult to sustain in the present day market but a platform like Surajkund Crafts Mela provides unique opportunity for them to sell these products to those buyers who understand the artistic value of these handicraft. Surajkund Crafts Mela mainly has the craftsmen, who have been the recipients of national or state awards. These master craftsmen are the real ambassadors of India for the foreign tourists, who throng the mela, in large numbers, every year. The craft can easily be seen gaining popularity in foreign countries, especially the Arabian countries, where woodcraft has a special place in the hearts of the people.

Abdul Rehman Siddiqui is one such craftsperson, who hails from Saharanpur, UP, and has been in this business for the past 50 years. He learnt his art and skill from his forefathers. He and his nephew Shahid Siddiqui have already helped more than 150 other youngsters to learn the tricks of this trade. Recipient of national award for his woodcarving, Siddiqui had a chance to hone up his skills in wood carvings by visiting Germany. This exposure to a foreign land has provided him an edge over other craftsmen in this trade. This is for the second time that he has got an opportunity to exhibit his craft at the Surajkund Crafts Mela and he finds it extremely profitable, he confessed.

Basher Ahmed, one of the other craftsmen, also hails from UP. He makes an exclusive use of brass on wood carvings. He makes variety of walking sticks, jewellery boxes, coaster sets and even hair clips with this art. His entire family is devoted to this craft for more than 100 years. He also holds a national award for the year 1984.

Sardar Hussein makes use of block printing art on wooden boxes. From mirror frames to candle stands, one can find beautiful wooden artifacts with intricate designing. He has been bestowed with Shilp Guru Award, in 2006, for his special creations.

The mela provides a perfect blend of cultural heritage of various states of India. The cultural events showcase the various aspects like with ethnicity, environment and prosperity of various regions of our country. Khalil Mohammed Kalwal, a craftsman from Kashmir, was demonstrating the art of walnut wood carving in the Surajkund Mela, grounds at stall No.281. He has already exhibited his craft in various countries like Dubai and Romania. The beauty of his art lies in the fact that walnut wood is exclusively used for his creations. He finds this platform very lucrative for his business where he earned name, fame and his livelihood.

This mela is a perfect platform for direct sales as the chances of traders and middlemen to reap benefits out of the creations of the craftsmen is completely shelved, commented Kahlil Kalwal. It also gives them a chance to provide authentic handmade wood craft to their customers as per their own choice. Surajkund Crafts Mela has craftsmen participating from far flung areas like Leh and Ladakh also, who have caught the attention of the buyers. Tsering Namgyar makes use of special wood of Leh and Ladakh region and carves them out to make beautiful tables and boxes. These are matchless, commented one of the foreigners visiting the mela.
Nafisa Begum, a recipient of national award makes sure that she employs economically poor so that they can learn the art of wood carving and become self dependent. Women from extremely poor households, widows and young girls, are also taught the art of woodcraft to alleviate the problem of poverty to some extent. It was heartening to see that these struggling crafts-persons play an active role in the society as a whole.

The Surajkund Crafts Mela authority this year decided to promote this almost dying craft to make it self-sustainable. Fifteen work huts were offered to various craftsmen, belonging to this field, and the response at theses stalls was overwhelming

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Color for festival

Two young boys mix colors at a dye-making business in Delhi, India. The blood-red brew is blended with corn flour then spread on a roof for drying. The resulting powder is then ready to be tossed by celebrants of India's colorful Holi festival.

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