Le Monde - Cuckoo’s Eyeview

Schaffhausen Falls

Schaffhausen waterfall is on river Rhine and is the largest plain waterfall in Europe. Very forceful, full of water in any season and a treat to watch. In summer, one can take a boat to the large rock in the center of the falls for an even more impressive view.

Schaffhausen is Switzerland’s northernmost urban outpost almost touching Germany and can be reached from Zurich in around 40 minutes by train.
A trip to Zurich is incomplete if you have not been to this picturesque place.

More later in a detailed post.

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Supposedly a few years ago somewhere in north India they were trying to find oil. Instead, out of the ground came a huge amount of boiling hot mud.  The mud swamped the village which is now like a modern day Pompeii where the whole place has no population and the people are still fighting for compensation from the company who was drilling. I don’t have any more detail.

I have done quite a lot of browsing on Google for anything that would resemble such thing and nothing I search for comes up with anything.  It was shown on the Discovery Adventure Channel in Australia.

Can anyone tell me what place this village is located ?

Feni or Fenny, as it is called, is a drink synonymous with Goa just as Scotch is synonymous with Scotland, Tequila with Mexico, or Champagne with France!
Feni, undoubtedly is Goa’s most famous triple or double distilled alcoholic drink.

There are two types of feni, both of which are made from local ingredients. Coconut or palm feni is made from the sap drawn from the severed shoots on a coconut tree. In Goa this is known as toddy, and the men who collect it are toddy tapers. One can see toddy tapers working all year round as it can be collected year-round, and so palm feni is in plentiful supply at all times.

Cashew or kaju feni, on the other hand is made from cashew apple and can only be made during the cashew season in March and April. The traditional method of making cashew feni is called the pot still method.

The cashew apple, when ripe, turns a yellow-orange color and the nut ripens inside it. When the fruit is harvested, the nuts are separated from the ‘apples’, and are laid out to dry in the sun. The apples meanwhile are placed in a pit and trampled by foot to collect the juice. Both palm toddy and Kaju juice can also be drunk fresh immediately after collection and are said to be delicious. They soon start to ferment if left for just a few hours.

In typical local method, the juice is placed in large terra-cotta pot over a wood fire; the vapor exits through a tube, which typically passes through an oil drum filled with water, below which the distillate is collected. The first distillate is called ‘Uraq’, which is of a very low strength (10% to 15%), making it a pleasant and reasonably alcoholic drink. Distilling twice more results in good, potent feni.
By the time it comes out of the second distillation, Goa’s national drink has an alcoholic strength of around 30% to 35% proof and as per the locals, after third round it can go upto whooping 45% !

Although the feni is ready for drinking soon as it has been collected, traditionally it is sealed in huge terra-cotta jars and is left to mature for anything up to a number of years.

Many people enjoy drinking straight feni, but it’s also makes a very pleasant mix. Uraq goes well with a squeeze of lime, while feni tastes great mixed with Coke or Pepsi.

Goans are keen to offer advice not to drink it on an empty stomach and mix with other spirits and certainly don’t swim after a couple of fenis.
But the best you will hear is ‘you don’t realise how strong it is until you get up‘.

I haven’t tried it till now but will definitely give it a shot one day.

Here are some photos to illustrate the method with the help of these sculptures .

Location:- Loutolim, Goa
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If any visitor asks me for a place in Mumbai that should not be missed out, it got to be Mani Bhawan among others. Though Mumbai is a big city, it has very few historical places or heritage centers unlike in Delhi, Kolkata, Jaipur etc. to see.

The Mani Bhawan is an old building, which was once home to one of the most famous icons of the century, Mahatma Gandhi. Mani Bhawan was Gandhiji’s residence when he was staying in Mumbai and was an integral part of India’s freedom movement. This monument is located on the Laburnum Road in Gamdevi, one of the most serene localities in the city.

This heritage structure has now been transformed into a museum and research center that now houses a reference library with over 50000 books and a photo exhibition of the Mahatma’s life.
The ground floor has well equipped library with catalogue shelves of old time. The rest of the museum displays and the auditorium are on the upper floors.

A portion of the library

One of the most valuable possessions of Mani Bhawan is the charkha or the spinning wheel that Mahatma Gandhi used. The charkha subsequently became the symbol of the values and principles of Mahatma Gandhi. This is kept in a room which used to be Gandhiji’s living room and working space and has been preserved as far as possible in its original setting.

Everything was glass covered including this room. I tried my best to capture the shots but still you can see some reflections here & there.

But the main reason why I went there was to see the life of Mahatma Gandhi being portrayed thorough hundreds of well crafted figurines. When I was young I always liked to play with dolls and when I saw the photos of these figurines, my desire to visit the place was doubled.

Taking mother’s permission to go abroad for higher studies

The craftsperson who made it possible is Susheela Gokhale Patel. She was a leading figure in the progressive movement in the sixties and a handicraft artiste. She is known for her portrayal of the history of the freedom struggle through hand-made doll-sized figures which are now part of the museum Mani Bhavan.
As you can see in the photos, she has put life in these figurines taking care of the minutest details. And if you don’t know she also happens to be the grand mother of Bollywood actress Amisha Patel.

Some pictures to speak of the place. I have more than 50 pictures of this museum. Will publish some more later.

Being thrown out of the first class coach in South Africa

Salt Satyagraha or Dandi March

When Kasturba breathed her last as an inmate

Hey Ram !! Last moment in his life

The Mani Bhawan is one of the most precious historic possessions of the city and reflects the days of India’s struggle and triumph over injustice and is nicely maintained.
What I observed was that we were the only Indians to visit it, all others were foreign nationals. Does that mean we are well saturated about our country’s history ? Just a thought.. ..

How to reach there:- Reach Grant Road station, walk towards Rama Bai road near Gamdevi police station. It is a 5 minute walk from the station.
Entry:- Entry is free and the museum is open on all the seven days.
Timing:- 10 AM to 6 PM

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This is typical rural Maharashtra of our India. We had gone for a trekking trip near Igatpuri and on our way up had to cross this small village named ‘Baaichi-wadi’ meaning ‘Woman’s house’.

The mud houses were vibrantly coloured and beautifully decorated. The walls, the border on the door frame and the doors… everything was beautifully hand painted. Mostly they use vegetable colours but these days since they are easily available, normal wall paints are used.

I immediately clicked some shots. Seeing me clicking them, everybody felt extremely shy.. ..  the house lady, the kids, even this girl including cows and goats !!
The small girl was very shy, I requested her to stay there but she couldn’t face the camera. Her mother was the first one to run into the room and initiate the ’shy’ run. LOL..

LOL…

In a fraction of a moment they all ran in. You can see the left over green leaves which the animals were enjoying till then.
Will definitely go there once again. I fell in love with this village.