Wisdom at Juhu Beach!

Monday the 13^th June had been a working day. But there were more than a 100,000 people that evening at the Juhu Beach.

There was no anti corruption movement or any Yog Camp by Baba. They were all there to take a look at this Lady “M.V. Wisdom”. There were people from all walks of life. Poor workers from North with their entire family, college students, office executives, high society ladies from JVPD- they all have  taken over  Juhu Beach from the regulars who usually are there to take their pedigreed pets for the evening walk.

M.V. Wisdom has decided to come to a rest right on the Juhu Beach.

 Good it got stuck in the sands in the shallow water.

 Another 1000 feet and it would have been looking straight down at the bikini clad beauties in the swimming pool of the JW Marriott!

As per the reports, this unmanned MV Wisdom had been scrapped and was being towed from Sri Lanka to Alang (ship breaking port in Gujarat) for breaking.

 Somewhere near Mumbai, the towing  lines snapped!

The tower boat carried on and Wisdom started to drift towards shore.

She came dangerously close to the Sea-Link but changed its mind and decided to head towards Juhu.

A potential disaster avoided.

Its there now. Bang on the beach and has already become a tourist attraction.

  Advantage: Bhel Puriwallas.

If you are in Mumbai, do visit the beach. Avoid Bhelpuri.

P.S.

An after-thought:

What if this was some sinister plan by the Terrorists?  What if she was  loaded with explosives and made to hit the Sea Link……?? 

Sinha Gadh (Lion's Fort) - Pune

 A Fort with a long history is not far away from Pune and a very popular hikers destination. Its more than 4000ft high from the sea level and the view from top is fabulous. 

Motorable single track road leads right up to the base of the Gadh (Fort), and the climb up from there is easy. Two gates, Kalyan Darwaja and Pune Darwaja are facing in the direction of these cities.

Pune Darwaja

Kalyan Darwaja

 No monkeys on the top, but there were some on the was up.

One can get a clear view of Khadwasla Dam and Panshet Dam

 Unlike most other forts, this one is taken care of by the Govt. A metal railing is erected all around for safety, and a small pathway goes all the way around.

There are number of water tanks on the Fort. 

The view all around is breathtaking

Sant Dnyaneshwar and Alandi near Pune

As I am not so religiously inclined, my visits to temples and places of pilgrimage are restricted. Whenever I visit such a place, frankly it is more out of the historic importance and natural beauty surrounding the place. Alandi, near Pune is one such place I wanted to make a trip to. I could make it this time. It way the month of May, and it was really very hot.

When I reached the place, at around 2 pm, it was scorching hot, hence I did not expect to see many people by the Ghat (river bank).  but it was teeming with people from rural Maharashtra.

The lane leading up to the samadhi was crowded as usual..

It also dwarfed by the huge posters of our beloved politicians!!!!!

But the river and the Ghat, is where the common man goes...

And takes shelter wherever possible.

But the heat has no effect on these youngsters. What lays in store for them in future???

Difficult to answer.
I bid good bye with a last look at the domes of the temples..

Jangli Maharaj Road, Pune

Like every other city, Pune also has some roads which are quite well known. Moledina Road in the camp area, F.C.College Road (Fergusson College), Prabhat Road ( for the Prabhat Studio), J.M. Road (Jangalee Maharaj) etc.
The J.M. Road always made me curious about its name. All along I assumed that as Pune was ruled by various Kings- Marathas, Peshwas- one of them must have been a bit "Wild" and hence named this road after him!
I was so wrong! Recently, while walking along J.M. Road, I saw this temple named after him, and could not resist a visit.

Jangalee Maharaj was actually a Saintly person, known as Sadguru Jangalee Maharaj, who lived in Pune in the late 18th Century.

(A painting of the temple by Shri Mohan Jadhav)
Its on a tiny hillock, and walking up a few steps, one reaches the main courtyard.
Next to this is the "Pataleshwar Temple". As the name denotes, a huge boulder has been dug in to carve out this temple.

Here, you have to climb down a few steps to reach the courtyard. This is a bit different from the normal style of temples. There is a stone canopy.
that houses  a Nandi.keeping a vigil on the Shiva temple
A huge Banyan tree blens well with the surroundings.

How much Land does a man need???

Remember the famous short story by L Tolstoy? The central theme being human GREED! It was written in 1886.
 I think Greed precedes Homo Sapiens. Probably it enters the embryo when the child is taking shape.
Humans have very developed brain- it can reason, introspect, solve problems. At the same time humans are also infested by something called "desire". Desire to hold on, to grab and to grab more and more.

This is where birds and animals differ from humans.

They are happy with what they have.

and enjoy life in their own way
If they get what they need, they are happy. They do not demand more.
Have you seen a Lion occupying 3 caves? Or a Tiger staking claim on 4 Dens at a time? I Bed Room/Kitchen Dinning/Living?


Or have you seen a bird occupying more than one nest?
These species do not crave for more- than what is needed.
But what about us- the Homo Sapiens? There is no end or limit to our greed.
Look at some of these private residences....
Laxmi Mittal created a record by buying this house at the Kensington Palace Gardens for £70 million ($128.25 million or about Rs 560 crore).



This 63 acre home is considered the largest residential compound in America

The above house(?!) is now world famous...Antilia at Altamount Road Mubai

• 400,000 square feet (37,000 m²) of living space.^[8]
• Parking space for 168 cars.^[8]
• A one-floor vehicle maintenance facility.
• 9 elevators in the lobby.^[5]
• and what not? leave it to your imaginations.
• AND NOW CONSIDER THIS:
• In India, at least 46 per cent of children up to the age of 3 still suffer from malnutrition, making the country home to a third of the world’s malnourished children.
• As per 2005 World Bank report, at least 42% of Indian population falls below International Poverty line.
• In Maharashtra, which is considered as a developed state of India, more than one child dies everyday due to malnutrition in Melghat - ref TOI http://blog.giveindia.org/2011/04/maha-shame-more-than-one-child-dies.html

And no one knows how many Homeless people exist in India. This is regardless of all the surveys undertaken.

How can we comment on a private citizen's extravagance when our President stays in a 4 storied Mansion with 340 rooms; built over 200000 sq ft!!

As a country, we are  doing very well at GDP growth rate of over 8%. But the gap between the Haves and Have nots is widening....