Jalan Jalan (Walkabout) & Stray Walking in the various cities, main streets, back lanes etc in Northern & Southern India - words of wisdom I picked up while doing my free & easy walking in Incredible India ! Also a few candid pictures on small acts performed by locals but doing it for a noble cause, energy saving or to earn a decent living ! Not to forget taking pictures of animals championing for their rights in this Incredible India through my lens !
- Spotted these words of wisdom in Darjeeling Mall, Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling, West Bengal & Kolkata International Airport & other cities during my 32 days visit to India
2) Candid shots taken during my travelling in Northern & Southern India
- Porters carrying bulky plywwod cabinets in M.G. Marg, Gangtok, Sikkim; a tough act but all for the sake of earning a decent living !
- A rooftop on the Hillsides of Gangtok, Sikkim; energy saving, easy to dry & a colorful display of clothings !
- Chai (tea) or Mr Chai (a surname) of Malaysia, but in India, Chai is hot tea - local's favorite hot drink by the roadside, this chai has a big oomph especially after one sip, very refreshing as though you are on top of the world !
- Counting the Rupees after a hard day of "fishy" business in Old Calcutta area !
- Go for a roadside open barber stall, Bollywood haircut & beard shaving for 30 Rupees (Rm1.80) if you are happened to be near the Mumbai Central Railway station, a cut above the fashion !
- This old faithful yellow cab taxi, Ambassador Classic 1,600cc diesel, offering no refusal services to customers in major cities of India - I have yet to take one of these taxis as I hate haggling with taxi drivers knowing that locals paying much less than foreigners the moment I open my mouth and ask "how much" is the taxi fare from where I stand to Mumbai Central ! This car model is probably older than my age ! Is it 1940 or 1930 model, I hope my answer is right !
- This No Horn sign was put up by the Government of West Bengal in a posh residential area of Darjeeling - hoping motorists here could abide the ruling but in the bigger cities of India, horning, this small act has become a motorist past time & hobby as they zig zag around the high traffic areas & small lanes etc using vehicle horns at their own pleasure, noise pollution is probably at the highest level when you are walking around any parts of the cities, day & night ! Stop talking to your travel buddy if you are at a traffic junction - I can't hear you lah ! Overnight, if the Indian government imposes a strict ruling on horning, the local motorists may go "crazy" !
- These 2 letter boxes (one green for locals & one red) I saw in Darjeeling Mall belong to ages ago, maybe my grandpa's times. If you have a post card to send from Darjeeling to your loved ones back home, use them & I believe the postmen will do the necessary after you drop your letter or post card onto either one of these letter boxes !
- This porter (barefooted) is probably doing a tough job carrying 3 mattress tied to a rope (hopefully these are of light sponge materials) & using his forehead to do the balancing act when walking on the M.G Marg in Gangtok, Sikkim - I hope he is handsomely rewarded for executing this noble job !
- In Gangtok, Sikkim, a local restaurant promoting Calcutta & Hyderabad Biryani - correct me if I am wrong, this could mean the best chicken /muttom biryani comes from these two cities ! I had eaten a chicken biryani in Hyderabad but not in Kolkata which I opted for chicken rolls for 3 consecutive evenings - a yummy tummy meal as dinner in my 3 nights stay in Kolkata !
- In Rome do as Romans do, a public toilet next to the Howrah Railway station in Kolkata ! Easing yourself in a noble way, no service fee, just queue up and wait for your turn & everything should be fine after this act. Bring along a wet tissue paper to clean your hands, please !
- Water is precious in both the urban & rural life of India. In Darjeeling, water supplied by local government authorities is free but because of increased population, the existing reservoirs are unable to meet the growing demand for water ! So some households with limited water supply have to rely on private sources to install individual piping connections & for institutions eg hotels, they had to resort to buying water from tankers daily ! In Khajuraho villages, rural households have to rely on ground water to meet their daily use of water for washing clothes, cooking & drinking. Water hand pumps were built in various locations around the villages & in the morning, we could see neighbors carrying plastic pails & waiting patiently for their turns to fill up water from the pumps ! I understand this year climatic change has resulted in massive flooding in major cities in India eg Mumbai. But the heavy monsoon rain is also meant better days ahead for farmers in improving their agricultural yield especially in dry arid places of India !
- Flooding in low lying areas in downtown Kolkata. In my final day before my departure for home, I had a 4-5 hours of spare time so I took a Metro and made a visit to the Marble Palace in suburban Kolkata. Guessed what, upon arrival, a number of side streets leading to the Marble Palace were flooded especially the front entrance, so near yet so far ! So I had to leave the area & visit another place of interest - what a let down for me ! For this part of Kolkata, rain drops keep falling for hours ! So be prepared if you are visiting India during the monsoon season ! You may miss your flight if the city is massively flooded for days and crippled the public transport system !
- Wow ! A Penang Restaurant has been operating in Darjeeling since 1972; owner could be a Malaysian Indian, Nepalese or Bengali ? Hope this restaurant serves authentic Penang curry laksa noodle, Penang Loh Bak & Penang fried Kweow Teow !
- Chowrasta Square, Chowrasta Stores (Wines established 1900), Chowrasta Crossroads of Love (a popular Indian film), no doubt Chowrasta is a familiar name in Darjeeling. The name of Chowrasta rings my bell as in Penang, a Northern state of Peninsula Malaysia has a Chowrasta Market in Jalan Chowrasta, George Town, Penang - Interesting to note that both India & Malaysia (formerly Malaya) were British colonies. India was ruled by British from 1757-1947, a total of 190 years whereas Malaya was under British rule from 1824-1957 (133 years) ! The older generation of Indians & Malaysians born during the colonial days (I believe most of these oldies are no longer living in this world) could master, speak & write in Prince Charles's English !
3) Animal Kingdom in Northern & Southern India
- Be careful of monkeys in temples & monasteries, if you love them, bring along a bunch of bananas & lure them away from the places of worship and shower them with care & love ! Monkeys loitering around the temples can be a nuisance. In 2007 while visiting a Hindu temple in northern India, a smart monkey snatched my spectacle from behind and through the help of an attendant in the temple by throwing a banana on a floor, I was fortunate enough to retrieve my spectacle which was left on the floor not far from where I stood ! Monkey is a very intelligent animal and they certainly have acquired a skill in barter trading with human beings !
- Horsing around in the The Darjeeling Mall in West Bengal, for a small sum of rupees, children like to take a horse ride & do a merry go round in the Mall !
- Wild pigs, a minority "race" in India and we found them mainly in villages while wandering around the Eastern Group of Monuments in Khajuraho. Malaysians love eating wild boar meat in thick spicy curry gravy - Indian style !
- Big water buffaloes weighing over 100 kilos are King of the road, roaming on a village in Eastern Group of Monuments in Khajuraho
- This Asian black bear is a big fellow - over 200kilos I guess - fortunately it is now kept in the Himalayan Zoo in Darjeeling or else you have to run for your life if you see one heading your way !
- a herd of Billy the Goats, well mannered, always accommodating & pleasing to people led by a villager in a village in Eastern Group of Monuments in Khajuraho
- This big cat or red panda is a symbolic thing in M.G. Marg of Darjeeling - a PR exercise or is this a rare animal in Darjeeling ? I am still looking for an answer .....
- Given the cool & pleasant weather in Darjeeling, no wonder this dog chose a roof top to fall asleep, looked so calm & peaceful. Good on you, doggie, just carry on your deep slumber & I admire your courage !
- A herd of cattle having a well earned rest by the side of the road in Eastern Group of Monuments, Khajuraho. In India, cattle is a sacred animal so please show respects to this animal, an endeared & respected living being to some sects of Hindus, Jains & Buddhists. But beware of "landmines" ie cow dungs as it will be messy if your shoes accidently step on it !
- Visited the Himalayan Zoological Park in Darjeeling (admission fee for foreigners Rp100=Rm6) including entries to Himalayan Mountaineering Institute & Museum + Bengal Natural History Museum - well worth it as this is the only specialized zoo in the India and is internationally recognized for its conservation breeding programs of Red Panda, Snow Leopards, Tibetan Wolf & other highly endangered animal species of Eastern Himalaya !
- A herd of geese heading towards me when I was visiting the Tsuklakhang Royal Monastery, Gangtok, Sikkim - fierce looking & quacking loudly so how well do you know the behavior of this feathered animal ? Are they people friendly or should I extend my hand to greet them or quickly be a marathon runner and run for my life !
- Feeding time for a flock of pigeons in front of a building in upper Pelling, Sikkim. Calm & peaceful, whether these pigeons are domesticated or wild, we all love pigeons or doves as many cultures see this bird as a sign of peace. May peace prevail on earth at all times !
Last but not the least, a powerful message from the current Prime Minister of India to the people of India - " Think sustainable, Act responsible. " Are you all ready for this challenge ? Yes, we can do it ! I look forward to seeing a much more progressive society in India when I make my 4th visit to India in the near future !
This year ie 2019, India celebrates the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Ghandi, the Father of Nation. India celebrated the anniversary by organizing cleanliness drives, film screenings & making a giant spinning wheel made out of plastic waste.
