Mukteswar

 Mukteswar is another beautiful location in the Kumaon hills at about 7500 ft above sea level and nearly 72 to 75 Km from Haldwani. As we near the destination we are greeted with thick corneferous forests, jungles of silver oaks and Deodars, huge meadows and different hues of trees and leaves. The Mahadev temple located at the top of the hill is an added attraction.One has to climb  steep steps and we are greeted with a Durga, Hanuman and finally the Mahadev  shrine  on the hill top. Looking down one can just see the vast expanse of the forests and the big valleys of green. Jim Corbett has mentioned this place often in his Man eating Tigers of Kumaon and the Temple Tiger and I was always curious to visit this place but never found the time to do so. I could do this, now  thanks to Dr. Surabhi Rai who came all the way from Rudrapur and insisted we travel to Mukteswar with her. It was an enjoyable journey sharing many stories and memories en route. There is a doll museum and a local chocolate shop here, but we could not visit it for want of time. Instead, we spent a lot of time in the shop, Kilmora selling the local woollen wares. The different coloured shawls, woollen sarees, dress material, caps, scarfs and cardigans were a treat to the eye. I had to resist myself from purchasing many of these for they can never be used in the Hyderabad climate. However, on the way down a stop at the restaurant, Chandi Mati is a must for it is known for its tasty food. Since it was past lunch time we enjoyed  some very tasty snacks that are served and enjoyed the ambience of the place. The cold was bone chilling and as we moved away from the hill station the sparkling lights down in the valleys added to the beauty and aura of the stillness of the night.

Final approval of a Project

 Final approval of a Project, on, Multidimensional support for the aging population with assistive technologies  by the Institute of Eminence under the University of Hyderabad. Before, I retired, we had applied for a major Project on Old aged persons and developing tools to assist them. This was a very unique project where Social Scientists, Health Pshycologist, linguists and Computer experts would work together to assess the issues related to old aged women and develop mobile apps and tools to assist them focusing on their health issues. Unfortunately, due to the  lock down every thing was closed and there was no news. These projects are assessed by outside experts and given a ranking. Meanwhile, I retired. However, today we have got an approval for it. It states that due to my expertise, I will continue to be associated with this. I am so happy that my association with the University will now continue again for another five years but does it ever end? Thanks Atul Negi, Padmaja, Narendra, Raja Rama, for all the hard work we had all put in. The memories of our endless meetings, discussions and the little little details that we argued upon are fresh in my mind. We learnt so much from each other and the different disciplines that we came from. Finally we can start working on this and contribute significantly to this field of gerontology. I am already working with Padmaja on a Project related to old aged women from ICSSR, till 2021.My experiences here will add on to this new Project. I am glad that I will continue to work for old aged women an issue that has interested me since my youth when I interacted with a widow from Vrindavan and then worked on widows of Vrindavan and also published few papers and a book on this issue. The Multidimensional perspectives on aging by IGI, Pennsylvania, USA.

Snow View Point

 Snow view point is about two km. away from Nainital. Located at a height of 2270 mts from sea level it offers a beautiful view of the Himalayas. From here one can get an  enchanting view of the three mountain peaks of the  Himalayas, Nanda devi, Nanda Kot and Trishul peak. As children, we would just walk down to this point and roam around the place and have  an eye view of the Naini lake from the top which is breathtaking. Now we went to this point not walking but in a  taxi. I realised that the view of the Himalayas from here is at a distance and not as beautiful as we see it from Jageswar or Kausani  However, as children for us this was the ultimate view and nothing could even compare to this. At that age it never occured to us that Himalayas could also belong to other cities or regions. To us the Himalayas were our own property and belonged to only Nainital. It was ours and only ours  alone. One could look down and see huge ravines with a beautiful view. As,I looked down now, I could see the mist rising and adding a magic and aura to the scene. It was indeed a very nostalgic trip.

Visit to Nainital

 Nainital is always a treat to visit. To me it is also associated with childhood memories. I studied in 6 th and 7 th class in 1966 and 67,  here, when Dad was posted in the border area in the army and families were not allowed. We had stayed near my grandfather in the Nainital club,an old Colonial structure made of wood and an imposing structure with large number of rooms, with huge dancing halls,  and open spaces covered with green lawns. Unfortunately it was burnt down and a monstrous brick structure has replaced it and my heart weeps when I see it in the place of the grand old structure which  stands tall in my memory. During our childhood, we would walk down  to the flat, listen to the music being played on the bandstand. The major attraction was Capitol cinema Hall and Ashoka where we would go to watch the films of yesteryears. During exam test results a visit to Naina devi temple was a must.We would also go to the bazaar to watch the Ramlila during Dusherra. So this trip was like catching up with those memories though every thing looked changed now. I enjoyed roaming around this new Nainital, visiting some old and some new places like the jungle cave newly opened for tourists from natural rock formations. I wandered around the Bhotia market enjoying the hawkers with their wares but hardly any tourists to sell them to. We took a boat ride in the Naini lake of which we were in such awe as children and had heard such stories about what was under the lake. It is sad to see manyof these boatmen out of business with hardly any tourist taking  the boat rides. Indeed a beautiful trip filled with nostalgia. We stayed at a hotel called Swiss Villa which is a heritage hotel established in 1937. It must have been a beautiful hotel earlier nestled amidst the jungle but now lots of buildings have sprung around it and most of the forest surrounding it have been cut. Though the interior is still beautiful and has been modernised the exterior is not much to boast of. Indeed a beautiful trip down memory lane.

Kanch Dham and Ghodakhal temple

 A spiritual pilgrimage to Ghodakhal temple, which is attributed with a very strong power to fulfill your wishes. Once these wishes are granted then you have to again visit this temple and offer a Brass bell which is then tied. Often people also tie a bell asking for their wishes to be fulfilled.One can find so many letters and application forms tied with strings along with court summons, case file etc. The Kanchi temple a seat of the much revered Neem Karauli Baba. Here too people come to offer their obeisance  to the Baba. This place became very famous because both Steeve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg visited the Kaichi arshram to seek it's blessings before starting their venture in the 60's and 70's and the rest as they say is history.

Such a soothing voice

In the tempkle at Ghodakhal, i heard such a sooting voice. it was magical to hear him surrounded by the forests and mountains all around. 

 video

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rlATKF8-nJbfKsPzYRUbJ7gGjiJ0eoki/view?usp=sharing

Different sights and sounds of the Uttrakhand region

 No travel to the hills can be complete with out touching the various sites and getting a feel of the different sights and sounds of the Uttrakhand region. Hence, we travelled  first to Bhimtal, then Saat taal and finally Naukuchiya taal today. Bhimtaal is the largest lake in the Uttrakhand region. Saat taal is a water body of seven inter connected lakes. Naukuchiya taal has a lake with nine corners and is about 175 km. deep. The flora and fauna are worth watching with pine and deodar jungles surrounding and adding a serenity to the area. These places are not very central to a tourist except Bhimtal, to which all tourists go to. Unfortunately, all these areas that survive on tourism are now seeing a downhill slide due to the pandemic. Every where we were greeted with closed shops, empty boats and not much of a crowd. Indeed a very difficult scenario for the tourists spots that have an economy which thrives on tourism.