GWALIOR- A Regal City of dyanasties stuck in time….part 1

One weekend during the mid of March this year , I planned to visit Gwalior – the Heritage City with my family.With not many leaves in our disposal,Gwalior seemed to be just the right destination for a short getaway from Delhi.

We boarded Bhopal Shatabdi(12002) which departs from New Delhi Railway Station at 6 AM in the morning .We reached well in time by 9:30 AM and de-boarded the train at Gwalior Railway Station.

The ride from the Railway Station to our Hotel took us through the narrow roads of the city which was slowly & gradually waking up to a bright sunny morning.The city seemed to me virtually paused in time.Gwalior city is small and congested but has an old world charm to it if you know what I’m talking about.The pollution seemed to be on a high here.

Small  “Thellas” & Shops were opening up and people were steadily gathering up for their morning cuppa and speciality breakfast of Jalebis,Kachoris,Poha & Imarti.After reaching the Hotel we quickly freshened up and had our Breakfast right opposite to our Hotel,across the road on a small shop to get the feel and flavor of the local specialities right away (mentioned above). 

Let me tell you,if you really wish to enjoy & understand the local cuisine,leave your hotel restaurant and visit a local outlet and satisfy your gastronomical urge by mingling into local crowd and relishing the desi delicacies of the place.We had a sumptuous Breakfast before we move ahead to our first tourist attraction.

JAI VILLAS PALACE MUSEUM -

By far the best attraction of Gwalior is The majestic “Jai Vilas Palace Museum” which was rightly so our very first destination in the city.As soon as you come within the visible distance of this marvellous white Palace,you are blown away by the beauty of this grand property enhanced by lush green lawns sprinkled with beautiful colourful flowers. There is an entry fees here and you have to shell out extra to carry in your camera or mobile,otherwise you can keep your  belongings in lockers provided at the entrance.                                                                                                                                                 

 This Palace is a fine example of European Architecture and still houses the descendants of Scindia Dynasty.It is a 3 storey building,spread in a huge 13 lac sq ft area.The highlight of the Palace is the huge Darbar Hall decorated with  gold furnishings & massive chandeliers (weighing 3.5 tonnes) believed to be the heaviest in Asia.The Hall is about 100 ft long ,50 ft wide and 40 ft in height. 

Part of the Palace is now converted into museum which has about 35 rooms for the visitors consumption.Museum offers the public a unique view of the palace & focuses on various arts & crafts of the royal family.Each room is of historical importance in itself as they are decorated with Scindia Ancestors pictures, Art Galleries,various types & sizes of Swords dating back to Aurangzeb & Shah Jahan, the original "dhaal" of Rani Laxmi Bai of Jhansi,Library,Ladies only Swimming Pool, the Royal Living rooms, Bathrooms, Bedrooms, Gadgets & Antiques of yester era.   
                                                                                                                                          

   

The Palace leaves you with a sense of pride and makes you explore the life and times of kings and queens of that time. You will be mesmerised while looking at different types of Chariots,Palkis and war weapons.The ultimate one is the silver train on the dining table which serves to almost 120 guests at once in the dining room. 

Not taking away anything of the royal vintage cars on display here as well.                                                                            

GWALIOR FORT-

2^ND  attraction of Gwalior is the magnificent Fort which is the largest fort in India situated on a hilltop and presents a breathtaking view of the city down under. The fort spreads out over an area of 3 square km, surrounded by concrete walls of sandstone.The fort is a visual delight when it is decorated with light & sound show in the evenings.

The Gwalior fort encloses three temples, six palaces and numerous water tanks. At one point of time Gwalior fort was regarded as North and Central India's most invincible fortress.

Man Mandir and Gurjari Mahal, constructions in the Gwalior Fort notable for their sculpted work and architecture include the most famous Teli ka Mandir, The Elephant Gate (Hathi Pol gate), the Saas-bahu temple, Karn Mahal and Vikram Mahal. There is gruesome Jauhar Kund, where the women of the harem burnt themselves to death after the defeat of the king of Gwalior. 

The Teli-ka-Mandir is the most famous of all the temples of the Gwalior fort. This temple was built in the Dravidian style shrine and is notable for its generously sculpted exterior & is known to be the highest building in Gwalior. 

The Saas-Bahu Temples(Sahastra Bahu Ka Mandir) - (two pillared temples which stand next to each other, one larger than the other) are also fascinating. 

This temple has both Shiva & Vishnu statues,both the Gods were worshipped by different clans during ancient time.

It is humorously said that a royal mother -in-law & daughter-in-law fought about which deity to worship & this strange temple was built to satisfy them both. 

Although the Fort is in a bit of distress due to lot many attacks but still the beautiful colourful carvings catches ones eyes immediately .

This Fort is an iconic historic monument that express the culture of bygone era & is a must visit tourist destination. 

Close to the fort is Gurudwara Data Bandi Chhod Quilla- a memorial to the 6th Sikh Guru Hargobindji.

You will feel a lot of peace just sitting inside the premises & can experience taste of "Langar" as well.

While you are going to the fort which is on a hill top,you will witness Gopachal parvat- Lord Mahavira statue carvings on the mountain rocks.

 Its a beautiful piece of Jain-art.  

Sun Temple - 

The 3rd Interesting Attraction in Gwalior is the  breath-takingly beautiful Sun Temple. This is a new place of worship but has turned out to be one of the most popular tourist attraction of Gwalior due to its splendid architecture modelled on Konark Sun Temple of Odisha.   

There is much more to GWALIOR but let me continue further in my next blog in continuation to this one.Until then enjoy reading this first part .

Happy READING !! 

Does REAL FRIENDSHIP exist in today's world ??

A deep sense of hollowness & an urge to write about a new topic after the unexpected end of India's superb journey in the recently concluded Cricket World Cup, led me to an article in the English Daily recently.

It was about Emotional Connects, Shared Love & Concern.

 Now I find all these traits quite evident in “REAL” Friendship. You may laugh at my supposedly naiveness saying “Does the “REAL Friendship actually exist in today’s world?” But let me tell you, in spite of all the need based connect the world around us has , there exist at the corner somewhere a sense of Concern, love & an emotional connect for chosen few which we rarely bring out fearing we may be miss-judged, used or stamped as a fool.

According to me, this feeling of "Emotional Connect" is a very vital aspect in Real Friendship. One has to have a connection full of emotions with the few real friends. It may not be there for every other acquaintance you interact with day in day out but for chosen few it is essentially there. But one has to keep the emotional connect relevant and palpable at all time as it is always in a work- in- progress mode for both the parties.

   

Close on the heels of emotional connect is “Shared Love” which is - the strongest bonding factors for such real relationship. Now here, Love may not be the Love as in between lovers or sibling or even children but a Love of Friendship which is Real.

Shared Love brings a sense of “Concern” among the real friends who standby each other in times of adversities come what may. In today’s world where even the blood relatives don’t stand with you in difficult times, presence of a Real Friend is absolutely heart-warming & reassuring.

As they say “The most important irreversible thing you can give to somebody is –TIME…”. Real Friendship is not bound to the digital medium but prefers face to face sharing of Interests & Emotions which helps making of real memories which stays for ages & cements friendship. In one to one interaction, sharing your mutual stories of success & failure helps to hit it out instantly.  

          

When real friends meet, they invariably go back to the old shared memories & this brings a bond of togetherness between both but this feeling may be momentary unless backed by mutual emotions & empathy. For this, one has to open up with the chosen few & let them peep into ones innermost world –share one’s deep thoughts & emotions & be equally receptive to theirs. At times, it’s ok to be vulnerable with the chosen few – a very difficult task but not impossible.

All this will only be fruitful when both the parties will make an effort & demonstrate the sense of affection, trust, attention & togetherness equally. 

As they say “You can’t choose your parents neither can you choose your relatives or kids but the only relationship you can choose is Friendship”

So choose wisely & open up with the chosen few & enjoy the fruit of “REAL” Friendship….yes it exists.

Happy Reading!!!  

   

Indian Team's Journey in 2019 Cricket World Cup.. The Semis...India Vs New Zealand –The Sudden Death Stage

After winning 7 out of 9 league matches, India catapulted to the coveted no. 1 position in the points table & was designated to face the Kiwis in the First Semis of the WC 2019 at Old Trafford.

 According to me it was advantage for India to face NZ rather than England as England was a much better side out of the two.Moreover, our match against NZ in the league phase was a wash out too.

A fresh pitch at Old Trafford was set to witness the competition between the two Nations. The conditions were Off & On overcast with forecast of rain intermittently through the Game.

With fingers crossed & excitement galour the two captains went out for the toss.NZ won the toss & choose to BAT FIRST. The toss was vital because the stats were heavily in favour of team batting first (16/4) at this venue. India played two games at this venue & won both batting first.

Now the Indians fans were in dilemma as to whether India will play an extra Batsman or an extra Bowler today.Virat made the all important decision with only one change from the previous match by playing Chahal in place of Kuldeep .

 In my opinion seeing the overcast conditions only 2 pacers were a bit too tight, India should have played Mohd.Shami as well. With 14 wickets in 4 league matches he has performed exceedingly well & deserved a spot in the playing eleven. Neverthless, Kohli & Team Management thought otherwise & went in with 3 specialist bowlers (Bhuvi, Bumrah, and Chahal) & 2 all rounders (pandaya & Jadeja).

Bhuvneshwar Kumar opened the bowling attack for India & almost got Martin Guptil LBW out the very first ball he faced. To me the ball was missing stumps but in excitement Virat took the review & eventually lost it.Guptil survived.

NZ start was a tentative & over cautious one, as first 2 overs were played maiden by them. It was surprising to see such a subdued start from the Kiwis in the all important Semis.

Bumrah took Guptil’s 1(14) wicket in the very next over when he got him caught in the slips by virat. Guptil’s dreaded form in this WC continued.

This brought Captain & ever dependable Kane Williamson into the crease; together he & Henry Nicholls steadied the ship after the early fall of wicket. They both contributed a vital 50 runs+ partnership before Nicholls 28(51) was clean bowled by Jadeja.

NZ 69/2 in 19^TH Over.

After this the NZ scoring was so slow that 1^st boundary came after 14 overs (14^th over & 28^th over) .Literally they played the match like a test match during this phase.

Meanwhile, Williamson completed his 50 (79) in the 30^th over with just 4 fours in that inning.

NZ 113/2 in 30 overs..

The scoring was very slow inspite of the NZ’s two most dependable & experienced  batsman on the crease( Ross Taylor & Williamson).There was a partnership of again 50 runs between both of them in the 31^st over.

Virat brought back his spearhead Bumrah again in the 32^nd over in search of a wicket. He almost did what his captain desired when Taylor nicked one to Dhoni who dropped  an easy chance.

Ultimately Chahal proved his inclusion in the team right when he got the dangerous Williamson 67(95) caught by Jadeja in Gully in the 36^th over.

NZ155/3 in 40 overs with a run rate of less than 4.

Hardik pandaya cleaned up Jimmy Neesham 12(18) caught by Dinesh Kartik in the 41st over & completed his quota of 10 over for 55/1 .He did fairly well for a batting all-rounder.

Ross Taylor completed his 50 (73) & also hit the first & only six of the NZ innings in the 44^th over.

Taylor survived LBW appeal of Bhuvi, but Grandhomme 16(10) was not so lucky & succumbed.

NZ 202/5 in 45 overs.

They scored at a brisk pace of almost 10 runs between 40-45 overs, prior to 40^th over NZ were scoring less then4 runs per over.

It was in 47.1 overs when NZ was 211/5, heavens opened up & it started pouring heavily. The match could not be started later in the day & eventually it was decided to resume the match next day which was a reserve day.  

 Taylor & Latham resumed the match the next day on a bright shining morning. Jadeja sent Taylor 74(90) back to pavilion by a superb direct hit of Bumrah.

NZ 225/6 in 48 over.

You can’t keep Jadeja out of the action for long when he again caught Latham 10(11) the very next over of Bhuvi.  It was a spectacular catch to watch.Virat too caught Henry 1(1) at the boundary of Bhuvi again in the same over.

NZ ended their innings with 239/8 in 50 overs.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the Most Successful Bowler for India with figures of-

10-1-43-3

Rest of the bowlers shared 1 wicket each between them.

India started the run chase; suddenly the pitch started behaving differently. The same pitch which was offering no lateral movement what so ever the previous day was full of life & bore teeth.

Rohit Sharma 1(4)- the most successful Indian Batsman in the current WC with 5 centuries under his belt already, could barely open his account & was sent back by newbie Henry in the very 2^nd over.

Kohli 1(6)-the best Batsman in the world came & went back as he was LBW of Boult.

The NZ bowlers sensing the opportunity pressed the pedal.

Rahul 1(7) –the Centurian of the last match became the 2^nd victim of Henry when he was caught behind by Latham.

India 5/3 already!!

The stadium was in complete silence as the crowd sensed the inevitable. The Formidable Top 3 for India were already back in the pavilion & the middle order was exposed at the worst possible time.

Rishabh pant who came after the fall of Kohli’s wicket, tried to stabilise the situation with his natural attacking batting.

Dinesh Kartik 6(25) came & perished too, unable to sustain the situation giving Henry his 3^rd wicket.

India 24/4 in 10 overs.

I was expecting Dhoni to come up the order just like in the WC 2011 Finals (may be even before Rishabh pant considering this was the WC Semi-finals).

India lost only 4 wickets in all power plays until this match in current WC & in this match India lost top 4 in first 10 overs.

Ferguson came in first change & almost got Pant caught at short mid wicket by Neesham in the 13 th over.

Pant & Hardik tried to resussect the Indian Innings with a close to 50 runs Partnership before Pant 32(56) was caught of Santner at mid wicket boundary who was Put into the attack only after the 20th over.

India 71/5 in 23^rd over.

Dhoni finally came in (too late according to me).

India needed 169 runs in 162 balls (almost run a ball) which by Dhoni’s standard is a cake walk according to me. With Pandaya Playing alongside Dhoni & Jadeja still to come in, there should not have been any Problem.

Pandaya finally gave in on 32(62) when he was caught by Williamson at mid wicket of Santner in the 31st over.

India 92/6…needing 148 of 114 balls (about 8 runs Per over-still gettable).

This brought the warrior Jadeja into the middle. He immediately swung into action & hit Neesham for a mammoth six. 

Next 9 overs Produced 58 runs for India (almost 7 runs Per over-thanks to Jadeja’s swashbuckling Innings) All these overs Dhoni only nudged & Pushed along playing the second fiddle to Jadeja when he could have contributed more in the Jadeja’s lone attempt to bring India closer & closer to victory. 

India 150/6 in 40 overs….90 runs of 60 balls needed (still gettable with dhoni’s standard)

Meanwhile Jadeja completed his well made 50(of just 39 balls)

India 188/6 in 45 overs…52 needed of 30 balls (still gettable with experienced dhoni still in along with jadeja firing on all cylinders)

42 needed in 24 balls…

37 needed in 18 balls…(only 5 runs came in 6 balls- Dhoni still didn’t tried any big hit)

Ultimately Jadeja succumbed to the enormous pressure of run chase & finally lost his wicket trying to up the ante caught by Kane Williamson of Bolt in the 48^th over..He made superb 77(59) with 4 fours & 4 sixes.

India 208/7 in 48^th over….32 needed in 13 balls.

With Jadeja back into the Pavillion, all eyes were now on Dhoni but he disappointed as is the norm in this WC .He could only add 8 more runs to the team’s total & misjudged a double & was found short of his crease of a brilliant direct hit from Guptill.

India 216/8 in 49^th over…

Now, when was the last time we saw dhoni misjudge a run & getting run out..Have a look at Dhoni’s score –50 of whooping 72 balls with a single four & a six.

The game was over for India by now who eventually made 221 all out in their quota of 50 overs.Well short of 18 runs from victory.

With this loss India’s hope to win the 2019 WC came to rest.  

MY ANALYSIS-

·        The Indian Team’s dream run in the 2019 WC came to an abrupt halt with a loss in the Semis .The story of a near perfect journey through the League stages was too good to be true considering there middle order wasn’t tested & law of averages finally caught  with them in the worst possible time.

·        At the outset, losing the crucial toss was one of the factors in India’s loss in the Semis. India had won all their matches in the league stages when they had batted first.

·        India gave away crucial runs between 40-45^TH over(at a rate of 10 runs per over) during the NZ innings & a total of 84 runs in the last 10 overs.It is where I believe India loosened their grip of the match & gave away vital runs which ultimately proved  costly. Prior to 40^th over NZ were scoring below 4 runs per over.

·        The top 3 in the line-up Rohit (5 Centuries & a Fifty), Rahul (1 Century & 2 Fifties & a 48) & Virat (5 consecutive Fifties) together took India through in all the League matches. It’s unfortunate they all fell at the same time when India needed them most. In hindsight all the 3 were victims of superb deliveries ably supported by overcast conditions & lively pitch.

·        Rishabh pant is a new kid just out of blocks in the ODI’s, expecting him to take India past the finishing line was too much to ask for. He is work in progress & India needs to play this fearless talent on a regular basis. I see a “vintage Dhoni” in him .He did not shied away from playing his natural game trying to take the attack to the opposition inspite of  India being in a precarious position at that time  . I strongly believe that the time has come to blood him in the Indian Team in place of Dhoni as a regular wicketkeeper batsman. He should bat at no.6 or 7 and can solve India’s problem of “Finisher” when Dhoni makes way for him.

·          Dinesh Kartik, to me is a misfit in this whole lineup, barring his superb fielding in the outfield he was unable to contribute much of the limited opportunities he got in this WC. Expecting him to finish the job is too much actually, he can be a support in a run chase rather than be a finisher. I doubt he will be given a chance again as Rishabh pant is all set to take Dhoni’s place. India could have played Mohd.Shami in place of Kartik who was in prime form all throughout this WC. Overcast Conditions & Fresh pitch would have been God sent opportunity for Shami and India would have stopped the Kiwis for much less. 

·        Hardik pandaya’s intent was correct but he still has to learn a lot about how to pace an innings & put a price on his wicket. He is a newbie with tremendous potential both with the Bat & Ball & will learn as the time goes. He needs to take the blame partially today as he along with Chahal gave away 118 runs between them while bowling  which is almost half the total of NZ Score.

·        Ravinder Jadeja is somebody who impressed one and all today. Infact he is the only silver lining in an otherwise gloomy day for India. This man can Field brilliantly, Bowl in a jiffy & Bat like a Warrior. He showed just that today. Jadeja singlehandedly almost snatched the victory from the Kiwis mouth. Till the time he was in the crease, the Kiwis were in 2 minds about their victory. He succumbed to mounting pressure ultimately as Dhoni was unable to accelerate the run chase from the other end. I wish Jadeja should have played more matches in this WC. Jadeja should be a certainty in the playing eleven from now on come what may as players like him contribute in all the 3 departments of the game & are a big asset to the team. He brings something extra to the table every time he is in their & I believe Team India badly needs his presence in the team at all time.

·          Bumrah & Bhuvi did their bit with Bhuvi picking 3 vital scalps to Bumrah’s 1 & justified their role in the team.

·         India missed one specialist bowler as both HARDIK & CHAHAL went for lot of runs .Had there been Shami in the team, these vital runs could have been saved. I believe India let NZ score 20-25 runs more which eventually were decisive in the end.  

·        This brings me to Dhoni a veteran of 350 ODI’s who by all means is a Legend & the greatest Finisher of all time the game has ever produced. He has contributed enormously in all these years & taken India out of the rut numerous times.

But today I’m going to concentrate on his current WC performances & will present to you some facts –

1.     He batted in all the games he played at no.5 or 6.What happened in the semis??

2.     He was unable to rotate strike with the ease he is known for. We saw him succumbing to mounting pressure & getting stumped(against Afghanistan & then almost against WI)  as well as almost getting his batting partner run out (against Afghanistan)

3.     More often than not Dhoni was found unable to finish the games (against SA & then against NZ).

4.     Dhoni was found to lack the ability to up the scoring rate even when India batted first (against WI).

5.     Dhoni’s big hitting abilities have also gone for a toss in this WC. He woke up late (in the last over)even in league game too (against WI & then against NZ in the Semis), leaving things way too late when it is difficult to cover the lost ground.

6.     His keeping skills were also found to be wanting, dropping catches at important junctures (against NZ in the Semis).

7.     Dhoni’s guiding abilities (especially to Kulcha duo) was also nowhere to be seen as in the past when they both where hammered away for record runs (against England & again in the semis against NZ when pandaya & chahal were being hammered around).

8.     His ability to judge whether to go for DRS or not is also not that sharp ,India on more than one occasion lost the all important DRS due to wrong judgement of Dhoni(latest being against NZ in the Semis).

9.     Dhoni in his last 3 innings (against WI, England & then NZ) was NOT OUT in the end with India loosing 2 out of 3 encounters.

I’m not against Dhoni & don’t deny his greatness & contribution to the Indian cricket but for me every player in the team has a specific role in the game & Dhoni’s role was of a “Finisher”- a role which he has performed to the tee all this time enroute to the WC but he is found wanting when it mattered most in this WC.

He being the experienced campaigner could have guided India to go all the way lifting the coveted Cup.

In the semis as well, when the top 3 (Rohit,Rahul & Virat) fell cheaply, Dhoni should have taken the onus & could have come even ahead of pant( I don’t buy this reasoning that batting lineup & changes are done without taking Dhoni’s opinion)  .With coming up the order ,Dhoni would have got ample opportunity to play his game of nudging & pushing & keeping one end safe which is now the style he pursues more often with hard hitting  pant, pandaya & Jadeja to do the job of finishers for the team later on. But he chose to delay his coming in the ground & eventually when he came there was no urgency on his part to take team India across the line instead he preferred to play second fiddle & saw India loosing in front of his eyes.

A lot of learning for Team India & time to think about the future “Finisher” to take the country ahead. As for Dhoni, it’s high time he thinks about his future.

Good bye friends!! Till we meet again ….

Happy READING!!!