Funny Photo on Facebook

I came across this on facebook and thought id put it up here :)

I can feel a writer's life! :)

Past few days i certainly have written more than i wrote the whole of last year! Something about the cold weather outside, the warm bulb and cool arm chair and a Sony VAIO..really makes you want to coop up , look out, dream and write :) doesn't it?

My thinking chair

My Writing Corner

Now i know how Hans Kristian Andersen could dream up 'Little Mermaid', you have to be in place like Copenhagen to do just that.
I was watching the world go by from my room today. I missed breakfast so walked down to a 7 - 11 store and picked up tea ( the store attendant was nice enough to assist me with a terribly complex looking vending machine, bless him!) For a change i was glad it was a huge cup, which meant that i could drink it for at least 1 hr. Bought some muffins and scones to eat from a Bakery and came back and sat on the window sill.

My fuel - muse, tea, wine, smokes & blue berry muffins!

The city from my window getting along, this evening shot is taken at 12:00 afternoon!

A sweet little Chinese lady came to clean up the room. I finished off the scones and finished some writing. We will be going for dinner to Norreport (another part of the city) with Casper.

Etisalat sent me a message about opening a new branch and saying "we are closer to you"..when my bloody phone refuses to operate and they keep telling me in Dansk that my local operator Etisalat is blocking my services ..closer..my arse!


Today is my best friend's bday. Uzma, i really miss chatting with her. One hardly makes close friends that easily now a days... i guess its part of the middle age crisis i talked about earlier! I hope she is doing well. She is quite a benevolent character, you have to meet her to know what i am talking about. We share birthdays one day after each other's so usually we used to party on 11th eve and through to 12th night :). Those were college days.

My in laws sent me an e card. Felt bad that they forgot my birthday..what to do..sometimes life is so insensitive. Darn, i keep thinking it doesn't matter but it does..why ?

Anyways gotta run and have a bath and then leave...more later.

Birthday Evening

Decided to dress Scandinavian today! except for skin that is brown !!! it was not that hard to do at all :), i wore my new clothes that i had picked up at Terranova in Dubai and waited till Pashu came back.


It was later than usual as he had got stuck at work. We looked for a Thai place close to the hotel that we could go to. Came up with this one called "Nam Thib" so we went out in the cold evening. Actually i think i used to feel much colder when i was here last because i was not dressing right. This time i am better prepared and handling it a lot better.

Nam Thib actually turned out to be a place we had eaten in before as well. We used to visit Vesterport ( Central Area / Downtown of Copenhagen ) as some Indian grocery shops used to be around here. On one such occasion we had stopped by at Nam Thib. It is a small little place and unless you go inside and actually get a table you keep wondering how on earth so many people could fit in!! It is a little like the Harry Potter room of requirements. Just a little more seems enough to fit in what is required! :). Anyways we got seated with some house wine and we waited for the order to be taken.

It took an eternity as only one lady was serving all tables! Pashu got so annoyed that he wanted to leave and just as we were about to, she came :) ! Just like that :). I noticed then that we were the only grumbly characters, all other Danes were patiently waiting their orders. This made me calm down and smile, what the heck.. no one is in tearing hurry and maybe living in the fast pace of a city like Dubai, we forget the smaller things and to appreciate it. We started relaxing and decided to enjoy ourselves. I was in tears when i was describing to pashu how i felt like such an idiot as i was trying to smoke outside the restaurant at breakfast time!. I had a tea cup in one hand and a smoke in the other and both were shaking so laterally in the cold that the Lady standing in track pants a mink coat & sunglasses on a cloudy day trying to smoke as well ( most likely a hotel guest like me ) seemed less ridiculous than me !! she smiled and i felt so daft! I gave up. This was one thing..in Copenhagen going for a cigarette is such a bloody ordeal

1. You can not smoke inside unless you want to burn the house down ( its all wood mostly ), so you go have to go out in the torturous weather
2. To go out you have to dress in a million layers and feel like an astronaut by the time you get out
3. Then you realise you forgot your gloves @#$%^&*& !!!! You kick yourself.
   
4. You go back but you're so large because of your coat that you cannot fit in the doorway anymore.
   
5. You take off your coat, which is an exercise in patience with the number of buttons and zips involved. (Apart from making coat wearing an event i don't know why they put so many in the first place!)
   
6. You get your gloves you put on your coat and go back out
7. Have you ever tried lighting a smoke with gloves on? Better still try getting a smoke out of the pack with gloves on...it is a challenge in dexterity and i am severely challenged on that account to say the least!! In simpler words... IT IS IMPOSSIBLE.
   
8. By the time you have done it - to manage to light the cigarette , you realise your lungs have lost all of its breathing capacity, as it is so freaking cold, making the whole act pretty futile!
9. But what are we? stupid ! ? what do we do?..try to smoke anyways.

I'm sure you see the humour in it!
Meanwhile B secretly produced a grey box which reminded me of my first bday present of designer earrings that B bought me from Megasin. He is a sweet heart! He remembered in the Air India fiasco when my jewellery got stolen, those ear rings were part of it , so he got me a nice aquamarine set. Its beautiful. So now i know why he got late in coming back.

We had a great dinner, the food was great , i had red curry and B had chicken in oyster sauce. The ladies on the next table offered us their remaining wine, but i was so taken aback with the ordinariness of it that i refused politely. Then i realised i had been stupid and wanted to ask back for it and B did not let me !!
Strangely the lady who was serving remembered us from our last visit, which was surprising as it had been nearly 3 years ago! We paid up and left, went to the room, i drank some wine, we downloaded photos and we went to sleep.

I am officially over the hill today!

Me at a Fort

Hmmm... Today i am officially 31 yrs old...which means i have crossed into the 30s. At one point of time I used to consider that "middle ages" !! ( you see one has to be careful what one "thinks" today even ... So here i am I never liked the term "middle" It means neither here nor there!! I never found my teens annoying at all, but this mid phase is truly the most confusing to be in .

You keep wondering along the lines ...

1. Shit! my hair is starting to Grey
2. Should I go into this club or is it for the younger people? but wait! i am not exactly old..so where does that put me ? - in A "crisis"
3. On a Y axis graph are you on the left or right of "old"
4. Are you successful enough? do you still have time to be successful?
5. I am still fit enough to wear minis but not young enough!
6. You're not young enough to be stupid and free but not old enough to be respected and heard!

Get the drift? Basically some call it "mid life crisis", i call it the "shit phase" ... :). But like some people I am the eternal optimist and like i read in the Birbal stories..shit has a lot going for it! ..

So Happy Birthday! Papia... enjoy it while it lasts :).

The day started with and at 3:00 AM! - "Royal Jordanian wishes you a Happy Birthday"..remind me to unsubscribe me from their frequent flyer programme please!

Then my BIL wished me by SMS at 6 in the morning, mum called at 7:30..and you can imagine the rest!

On one hand i realise, so many people love me, but how many truly know me at least to leave me alone until 11 AM on my birthday!!

more later then...

Dinner at golden bamboo - Copenhagen

Bobpsy came back at around 6 in the evening. He was surprised i was so happy and uppitty..he didn't know i had helped myself to half a bottle of red wine apart from having done nothing even vaguely useful the whole day!.

I had Finally had a bath which stretched out to be quite an exercise as it took me 1 1/2 hrs/ Half an hr for the management to come and fix the bath as it wasn't filling up, 20 mnts to wash some clothes as we ran out of space and couldn't pack enough! 20 minutes to convince myself that i really needed one! and then i was done ...voila!

Dressed up and after a few glasses of wine we walked around in search of a restaurant. We saw a shwarama place close to the hotel, which we will check out another time, and settled in this Chinese restaurant called "golden bamboo" which looked pretty fancy. On going inside and checking out the menu and prices we realised that the fanciness came at a price!! Anyways the ambiance was nice and the waiter really pleasant. He even took a picture of ours to finish of the touristy bit. I guess he realised no one was silly enough to roam the streets and sit in such an exorbitant place on a Monday evening, other than dumb tourists!

We ate noodles and chicken and rice. The food was nice enough. We also caught up on talking to each other..something we do quite eloquently when we are both down wine and eating in fancy places on holidays! :) Times like these i realise we really are close and our bestest friends :) just kidding.



We walked back admiring the streets and came to the hotel and saw the 4 star sign..only confirming, something that always seems to puzzle me in Denmark! why? how? ridiculous... ..forget it!

The Grand Hotel from the streetOur Room

Copenhagen 9, 10th dec 07

We almost packed until 3 am so hardly got any sleep when the alarm rang at 6 in the morning. Phoebe slept on the bed as she had seen the suitcases and we were feeling guilty as we hardly leave for this long a time usually. This is one thing i feel so guilty about when i travel Leaving Phoebe behind. Puddles does okay but Phoebe really gets into the dumps when I'm not around!

At the airport finally and having checked in we sat at the British pub and had breakfast. The PA announced " Announcing the delay of Emirates "ALL" Flights until 10:00 AM " it had been a pretty foggy morning as we drove to the airport so our hearts sank as plans of boarding soon dipped. luckily SAS did board on time and we left shortly after the scheduled time.
To my surprise! the flight was good and the service great, the crew was pleasant and smiled!!! unusual for SAS. But the leg room was miserable and my knees started troubling me after 3 hrs. I have to get it checked, it pains more now in one position. Couldn't sleep very well as my sinuses usually go berserk on a flight.
Landed in Copenhagen on time. Did not get to see my favourite sight of landing over a shimmering gold sea as the Kobenhavn isle comes to view, as the pilot announced that the weather was "fine" - much overcast, with drizzles at 6 degrees!!- George Carlin would say "fine" means ... "GREY" - bloody Cold & raining to top it all at 1:30 noon! grrrr fine weather i say!!
Much to my irritation, in the loo i realised i was down!! timing!! man #$%*@#$
Anyways was pleasantly surprised to find outside temperature pretty warm at 3 degrees, so we did not freeze our arses straight away as we pushed luggage into our taxi.

As we drove, i was wondering why i hated it in the winters so much when i was here before and Bobpsy promptly reminded me that i was getting mushy in the head because it was ten degrees warmer now than it is normally at this time of the year! As the taxi wove around familiar areas, we got to the hotel.It was right next to the central station and in the middle of it all with Tivoli on one side. We read online somewhere "Renovated in 1999, it has proven to be one of the most demanded hotels amongst many customers". Ha ha ha :) I don't know what system they really follow in Denmark for their star rating , bcoz its bullocks, compared to what we had stayed in before, this was luxury !! it actually had -

1. some staff
2. were very polite
3. room service
4. a restaurant
5. ...beat that :) !!!

Actually in Scandinavia most things are minimalist and the concept of luxury is totally absent. I saw some hotel ratings on tripadvisor.com .., poor tourists, they come expecting general standards and are disappointed. My thoughts as well.

But having been to a number of starred properties and having seen the lifestyle in Copenhagen, i think the hotels are fine. Danes firmly believe in doing most things themselves, are unassuming and are minimal. The hotels are basic but with most required amenities at your disposal. Property is expensive so space is limited as well. Under these circumstances, The Grand Hotel was decent and very well located. Close to the station and with most services. We ate a dinner of pizzas and burgers at the pizza joint right next door and i promptly went to sleep at 9:00 and slept on for 13 hrs!.

I woke up refreshed and had a great breakfast in room, neatened up and sat down to write. ( something i had missed doing for ages ) with a nice smoke on the window sill and an inexpensive glass of wine by my side. This is life :)...i had just this in mind as a holiday, as Copenhageners went by their routine life from the hotel window. Tivoli rides against a grey sky and the brightly lit and decorated christmassy shop windows glowing warm and welcoming.

Orchha, Madhya Pradesh, India

Fortress of the Bundels,

Capturing romance through a labyrinth of strategy.

There are only so many ways one can get to Orchha (catch a train into Jhansi and it’s a mere 20 minute road trip), but why this place in the middle of nowhere? One would wonder!

It’s stuff dreams are made of….. the tales which feed fantasies….. that’s why…

Orchha is on the road to Khajuraho from Jhansi. It’s a sleepy little town once the capital of the princely state of Bundelkhand, set amongst a wonderful complex of well-preserved palaces and temples. The most talked-about feature here is the Orchha Fort.

Founded in the 16th century by Rudra Pratap Singh, the first King of Orchha, the fort has still managed to keep its grandeur. Approached by a multi-arched bridge, it has three palaces set in an open quadrangle. The Jehangir Mahal, the Raj Mahal and the Rai Parveen Mahal. The fort was strategically built on a small island created by the Betwa river splitting into two narrow streams before rejoining. The river gave it automatic protection with the waters being guarded by crocodiles!

As the story goes Raja Rudrapratap wasn’t particularly interested in administering his kingdom in his youth. He was more involved in hunting and came upon Orchha accidentally during one of his sojourns. He was so captivated by its natural beauty, with rivers, forests and hills surrounding the land, that he called upon his ministers and announced that from then on he would give up hunting and make this place his capital. His ministers were given the job of thinking up a name for the new capital. Convinced of its strategic location the minister went around the land in search of a feature characteristic to the area to name the place after but gave up! On one side he found the forests stretching into the horizon and on the other end the river showed no sign of ending even as he rode on. When he mentioned his predicament to the Raja, the Raja asked his royal litterateurs to improvise on the two words ore and chhor (ore and chhor are terms in the local language denoting “beginning” and “end”). From then on the clever fusion of the two terms, Orchha, gave the place its name. Now how is that for a story ?

Jehangir Mahal was built by Raja Bir Singh Ju Deo in the 17th century to commemorate the visit of Emperor Jehangir to Orchha. Its strong lines are counterbalanced by delicate chhatris and trellis work, the whole conveying an effect of extraordinary richness. It is believed that it was an appeasement gift to Jehangir, so as to protect the state against any attacks by the Islamic empire. Seems like the trick worked. Orchha was the only Bundela state not subjugated to plunder in the 18th century. The fort has a fascinating mix of Hindu and Islamic architecture. The umbrella-like structure on the top, called Chhatris, are typically a mix of Islamic domes topped with the Hindu symbol of the lotus. Throughout you see tiles and paintwork in green and blue, each representing one of the religions.

Raj Mahal, situated to the west of the quadrangle, was built in the late 17th century by Raja Madhukar Shah, the deeply religious predecessor of Raja Bir Singh Ju Deo. The plain exteriors, crowned by chhatris, give way to interiors with exquisite murals having bold & colourful religious themes. The most notable amongst these are the ones in the Queen’s quarters depicting the various avatars of Lord Vishnu.

Incidentally, the Shah descendants are still very much active in the region through properties designed to host tourists. The Bundelkhand Riverside Resort boasts of heritage interiors, personalized service and a great location right next to the river with views of the chhatris.

Rai Parveen Mahal, on the other hand, is quite another story. Rai Parveen, an enigmatic poetess and musician, was also the beautiful paramour of Raja Indramani (1672-76). The much talked-about siren was sent to Delhi on the orders of Emperor Akbar who was also captivated by her. Some even say that she was offered as a gift, stories of her talent having traveled further than herself. She so impressed the Great Mughal with her wit that he returned her to Orchha with honour. The incident is that when the Emperor wanted her she chided him that a “used object” (of the Bundels) like her did not befit an Emperor!

Rai Parveen was fond of fruit trees and gardens. The palace built for her is a low, two-storeyed brick structure designed to match the height of the trees in the surrounding, beautifully landscaped gardens of Anand Mahal, with its octagonal flower beds and elaborate water supply system. Skillfully carved niches allow light into the Mahal which has a main hall and smaller chambers.

As I was looking down at Rai Parveen Mahal from Jehangir Mahal, I got eerily reminded of the character from Vrindavanlal Verma’s highly acclaimed novel “Mrignayani”. My guide, the resourceful Mr. Sanjay Yadav, immediately confirmed that Rai Parveen was the main source of inspiration for the author’s heroine!

It was 6:30 pm and the fort was closing. As the wind whipped my hair, standing at the entrance of the grand fort, I could not help but feel the ghost of Mrignayani. Floating in her beautiful dress of Chanderis, singing raags from the Gwalior Gharana…. echoing through the walls. The image that stays in your mind is of a woman with eyes like that of a doe (Mrignayani …Mrig meaning a doe and Nayan meaning eyes).

It was easy to imagine art romancing the sunset. But like so many love stories, the mirage shattered when I learnt that this enigmatic woman was always a part of the fort but still the king never married her. I do not know if I can convince you to visit Orchha because of Rudra Pratap’s legacy but I can assure you that Mrignayani’s romance will take shape in front of your eyes as the sunlight weaves stories untold. Everything else, however grand, pales in comparison to her haunting presence that is still so strong.

Written for Landscape magazine

Papia Hajra

( Edited by Pashupati Sah )