Queen of Hills - Shimla

The capital city of Himachal Pradesh - Shimla, at an altitude of 2,205 metres is rightly called 'the queen of hills'. It's idyllic beauty, even more beautiful people and the wonderful climate all the year round attracts tourists from all over the country as well as foreign tourists. You can reach there by train, air or by road from Delhi. The 8 hour long drive from Delhi, through the National Highway provides further scope for budding photographers; for capturing wonderful scenery. But generally, tourists prefer to reach Shimla by the narrow gauge train lines that runs through a number of hills and forests, before you actually reach Shimla station.

The 6 hour train route will actually be a visually delightful way to capture the breathtaking landscape of Shimla. Forests of fir, pine, walnut, apricot with occasional encounter with an unknown and unnamed stream captures the attention of all the tourists. You will also be intrigued to see the  terrace farming running down the villages of the hills that grow corn and capsicum. If you are adventurous, plan your trip in December-January, for you will be welcomed by white snow-covered mountains through the same path. It's almost fairytale-like. 

After you reach Shimla, there are various hotels available at various locations to suite different kind of travelers. Special mention is to be made for the wonderful location of the Railway holiday home. 

You can relax and have a perfect calming and soothing holiday in Shimla, or, you can just go overboard and get a super-exciting holiday full of trekking, rock climbing and skiing. The choice is yours and the place would not disappoint you on either of your choice! For trekking you have to come in March-August.

The historical intrusion of British can be felt seeing the Auckland House, Gaity Theatre, Gorton castle, Peterhoff house. It's a place where almost every house is made up f oak wood in Gothic style. Then there is the famous mall of Shimla. A walk around the mall, with your perfect partner, would make for a perfect romantic outing  - guaranteed! There are plenty of shops around the mall, that constitute the local bazaar, where you can get handicraft items, shawls, woolens. But be prepared to bargain with the sellers. Also, visit The Indian Coffee House and the Himachal Emporium beside the mall.

Hire a car, and go for a visit to another beautiful place  - Manali, in the Kullu district and about 270 km from Shimla. Th ride will not be exhausting, believe me, for the road runs beside the Beas on one side and coniferous forest- covered mountains on the other. They make for a cocktail so strong that you will not loose your hangover weeks after you come back! 

Manali marks the beginning of the ancient trade route to Ladakh, from there it  goes to the Karakoram pass. There are many small temples that are very beautiful. You must visit to the Hedimba temple, Vashisht temple - famous for intricate wooden carvings and hot spring, Manu temple and Van vihar park. 

52 km away from this picturesque town; is Rohtang Pass. The place is known for windy, cold weather. The snow covered mountains all around will mesmerize you, and you have to surrender yourself fully to its overpowering and serene beauty. The pass is at an altitude of 3,978 metres and may cause some breathing problems. So, take precautions necessary, cover yourself fully and enjoy this place. While returning to your hotel in Manali, ask your driver to visit to a nearby apple orchard. It makes a yummy sight, bunches of red apples hanging from green branches!

So go there soak yourself to the land of hills and valleys and coniferous forests.
Happy travelling!

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Varanasi

Said to be the oldest city of India, Varanasi is a place that gets its name from meeting of two rivers - Varuna and Ashi, and is about 800km away from the capital Delhi. The place ranks high in Hindu mythology and is famous for temples; some of which are believed to make your wishes come true. But, even if you are not a hindu or not religious, the place is wonderful backdrop for photography.

Manikarnika Ghat

And the beautiful Ganges passes through the heart of the city, that entwines the culture, the mythology, the myth with the industries, the tourism, the economy and the society in general. The city is famous for its endless series of steps or Ghats; going down to the river Ganges - that is around 100 in number and stretches for about 7km. The names of the ghats are a mouthful - Dasashwamedh ghat, Manikarnika ghat, Harish Chandra ghat, Kedar ghat, Ashi ghat,Panchganga ghat.. the list is endless. Some of the ghats are more famous than others. Take a boat ride down the stream and ask the boatman to tell the stories of the ghats, they are very good at it. The fact is, the city with its ghats, temples, markets and scenic beauty provides the perfect kaleidoscope to experience the cultural diversity of India.

The ghat has one of the prominent temple of the place - KashiVishwanath Mandir or The Golden Temple. The temple has its own share of history; it was always the centre of attraction of the invaders of India. In the 13th century, the temple was ravaged by Bakhtiyar Khilji but was later built. During the rule of Akbar, donation to the temple trust included a number of surrounding villages. But Aurangzeb cut them down and almost demolished the structure. Rani Ahalyabai of Indore; came to the rescue and rebuilt the temple in 1776. Finally, Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Lahore; donated the 800kgs of gold to ornate the stupa of the temple that has remained like that till now.  

Varanasi

The next splendid thing that is to be experienced on the ghats is the evening Aarti of the river goddess - Ganga, performed by 6-10 young priests in beautiful choreography and totally in sync with each other; and to the music of the mantras. The visual opulence of this saffron prayer is a visual delight and provides a wonderful subject of photography. 

On the opposite bank of the Ganges lies the beautiful and majestic Ramnagar fort, built around 1750 A.D. by the maharajas of Benaras. Presently it has been turned into a museum by the last king - Vibhuti Narain Singh, showcasing the wonderful brocade sarees, benarasi sarees with gold threadworks, palanquins in silver, bronze and ivory, howdahs, hookahs, clocks, carpets encrusted with pearls, weapons and many other things that history books tell us. There is also a temple of Ved Vyas in its premises.

Dasashwamedh Ghat at night

Also, visit the Benaras Hindu University campus in the city. It's a beautiful campus and worthy of paying a visit. There are many other famous temples like the Sankat Mochan Temple, Durga Mandir, Vindyabashini Temple, Kaal Bhairav to mention a few.

Just 10km away from Varanasi is Sarnath - the place where Lord Buddha offered his first sermon, after enlightenment, to the five disciples. The peepal tree that bears testimony to this fact still stands there. There you can find the imposing Sarnath stupa and some monasteries surrounding it. They are all beautiful. There are a few handicrafts shops and emporiums from the govt. or privately owned, and they sell very good sarees, decorative items and collectibles. The Sarnath excavated site is open for visitors and you can see the architecture dating back to 12th century A.D., including the Ashoka pillar of our national emblem. The museum of Sarnath is also very rich with artifacts, chakras, chatras of that bygone era. Don't miss this opportunity to visit the museum that is near to the Sarnath site.

40km away from Varanasi is the Chunar fort, overlooking the Ganges, that was under all the prominent mughal rulers from Babur, Humayun to Akbar and Aurangzeb. In 1662, Auranzeb's governor Mirza Bairam built a mosque in its premises. In 1772, the British East India Company took hold of the fort and established a depot of arms and ammunition.

Boats resting Varanasi

Last but not the least, the visit to Varanasi is not complete if you don't take a dip in the Ganges. This, legend says, washes away all the sins of this life. Whether you are religious or not doesn't matter, just take a bath, you will wonderful. Guaranteed. So, the next time you plan a visit to a colourful place; make sure that the yellow and saffron city of Varanasi is at the top of the list.

Few words on Photography

At present, almost everyone who owns a camera thinks they are great photographers. Their exposure is limited to facebook, twitter and orkut. But the fact is their work is far from being a work of ART - which a photograph really is! The thing takes a toll on my nerves when friends take random photographs and expect 'likes' and positive comments for their weird photographs.

A bird's eye view of the landscape of Orissa

The real fact is; they are not that great photographers. The sooner they realize this the better! Not everyone needs to excel in photography, it's ok if you own a camera, take a photograph and share them on public websites; but please don't expect to receive whole bunch of accolades and hats off's. The worse part is when they come after going through hundreds of editing softwares.  

A flower shot

Many of us even go to the extent of taking photography lessons spending huge sums of money. To them, 'why bother?'. If you possess the aesthetics of good photograph you will excel without training. I have nothing against them. Just help yourself with good promotion techniques. And there are a few; who just want to become a photographer just for the sake of the glamour associated with it. How sick can some people get! Try and be original. In Arts field you are nothing; if you are not original.

And finally, for those few; who know that they are good at it, don't get yourself be bothered about what another person may say about that camera angle, that subject, that proper light alignment, that 3/4th rule or whatever the heck it is called. They are just dumbos with critical views. If a photograph looks good, expresses some feeling, its work is done. It's as simple as that! Never get involved in technical details. A photograph speaks a lot about you and the person/objects/place being photographed. Let those natural moods be expressed. Don't let technical details influence your aesthetics of taking a perfect photo. So, with that just 'click' 'click'.

Vidyasagar Bridge in Kolkata

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Digha - A great holiday destination!

Digha is a small town in West Bengal on the coast of Bay of Bengal, and is a GREAT holiday destination. It's just about 200km away from the central city of Kolkata. What is attractive is it's affordable and is very relaxing! It's a perfect place, if you want a small vacation for a day or two, to unwind and relax from your hectic schedules. 

New Digha Beach

There are trains running between Howrah and Digha that takes you to your destination in just 3.5 hours. Other than that you can always take your private car, hired vehicles or luxury buses. But a word of caution, make sure you know the road route, many travelers go the wrong way from that Bardhaman division. Going in your own vehicle allows you to have lip-smacking foods of dhabas on the highway in addition to some quick photography.

There are plenty of hotels and motels available to suit every kind of traveler. Food is never a problem. What will relax your senses is the ever-welcoming seafront. In the evening you will find shops coming up on the beach and it will resemble a fair, which is wonderful. You can just sit there till late night with just your perfect companion or your bunch of friends and have your very own me-time in your own way.

If you plan for more than 2 days, make sure you visit the nearby beaches. They are equally good ,only less crowded. You will get local autorickshaws and vans that will carry you there and bring you back to your hotel. Beaches like Mandarmani, Shankarpur, Talshari and Udaypur are worth mentioning. There are ample opportunity to splurge in the seas.

Udaypur Beach

You can visit Digha at any time of the year. If you luckily can make your trip during the monsoon; it will be an added advantage for photography and romanticism. Lastly, don't forget to have some fried fish from the temporary shops at the seafront. They are simply delicious! So, what are you waiting for? If you are tired with your work and ever-consuming work, just pack your bag and go and enjoy!!

Happy travelling!