Home is Heaven on Earth: Part Uno

Sharing with you all some pictures of our home in Delhi. I love eclectic organization; I also have a knack for monochromatic palate. My home, therefore, is a mix-and-max space of both eclectic, multihued decorating style wish a dash of monochrome thrown in here and there.

My favorite corner in my home. This nook houses two of my favorite pieces: the miniature painting from Udaipur, and the antique brass lamp. 

The Dinning Area. The lamp of the table is a traditional brass lamp from Nepal 

The Living Area. The star attraction of this space is my huge framed wall hanging depicting Durga, the mother goddess and her family. 

A Colorful Corner

  

Pictures of our guest room. The thanka is from Nepal. 

The Launch of Dr. Manju Jaidka’s Novel “Amaltas Avenue”

     

The launch of Dr. Manju Jaidka’s new novel Amaltas Avenue at the Indian Habitat Center in New Delhi on the 16^th of August 2014 was a literary event that added a dash of warm aureate hue to an otherwise plain Delhi evening. The event was attended by several renowned Indian academicians, writers, scholars, and bibliophiles. Among the prominent personalities who were part of the event, were writer and journalist Mr. Rahul Singh, son of the noted Indian scripturient, Khuswant Singh; Dr.Vijay Sharma, principal of Ram Lal Anand College, Delhi University; Dr. Manpreet Kang, Dr. Vivek Sachdeva, Dr. Ashutosh Mohan, Dr. Rajiv Ranjan Dwivedi of the University School of Humanities and Social Sciences, GGSIP University, New Delhi. The event was presided over by Rahul Singh, while Dr. Vijay Sharma formally introduced the proceedings.

Dr. Manju Jaidka

Amaltas Avenue is the third novel penned by Dr. Manju Jaidka. Dr. Jaidka, a stellar academician, a writer of more than eleven scholastic books on English literature, is a professor of English at Panjab University, Chandigarh and a present chairperson of the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi. She is a prolific writer, who has written, apart from two novels, Spots of Time and Scandal Point, a play called The Seduction and Betrayal of Cat Whiskers, and a poetry collection, For Reasons Unknown. Unlike Scandal Point—a historical fiction—Dr.Jaidka’s latest book, Amaltas Avenue, is an academic novel set in contemporary India and focuses on the lives of characters who are denizens of the same milieu. 

The book launch (from left: Mr. Rahul Singh and Dr, Vijay Sharma) 

Following the official launch of Amaltas Avenue, Dr. Jaidka read certain excerpts from her novel at the request of her audience. The latent wit and humor of the book, together with the oratorical skill of the author, the inflection of her voice and her enthusiasm made the experience of listening to her a refreshingly pleasant one. As I listened to Dr. Jaidka reading from her book, I felt that Amaltas Avenue, if read by its brilliant author, might do great as an audio book as well!

A question-answer session was the penultimate part of the evening’s literary proceedings. During this session, Dr. Jaidka made several important observations about creative writing and her life as an academician in general. She said that in order to write well, one much have sufficient time and space. She mentioned that one always has stories inside one, and that ordinary life incidents could very well marinate in mind and take fictional form in due course. She laid great stress to the idea of a creative work gestating in mind for a long period before it is rendered on page. When asked what inspired her to become a creative writer, she replied that she had always wanted to become a writer and that she was glad that she could now devote herself to her creative pursuit. In response to a compliment on her stylistic legerdemain and her effortless narrative technique, Dr. Jaidka said that her training as an academician and her previous experience of teaching narrative theory and narratology has helped her in perfecting the craft of writing. 

Talking about Dr. Jaidka’s latest novel, both Rahul Singh and Dr. Vijay Sharma commented on the author’s brilliant power of description, her elevated sensibility, her perfect sense of artistic detachment when composing a work. Both the aforementioned dignitaries considered Amaltas Avenue a literary masterpiece displaying the same high level of perfection that is the recognized signature of Manju Jaidka, the writer.

The literary event concluded with the author of Amaltas Avenue autographing copies of her book and interacting with her friends and fans. 

My Copy of Amaltas Avenue 

Publication in the May 2014 Issue of Reading Hour Magazine

Publication_Reading Hour Magazine : Reading Hour

Memories of Nepal (Part 3, Day 3)

Memories of Nepal_Day 3

The third day of our Nepal trip had a gloomy beginning. We had arrived at Nagarkot, the small hill station close to Kathmandu, the previous evening and had spent the night there surrounded by gorgeous rolling hills and pine-forests. It is a sequestered spot where you can enjoy gorgeous sunrises and sunsets. Nevertheless, the morning we woke up in Nagarkot proved to be an exceptionally somber cloud-covered one. At five in the morning, we beheld, instead of the birth of the sun in the eastern sky, great rolls of cloud covering the sky from end to end. It was as we saw these great dollops of cloud that we realized what a great decision it was to come to Nagarkot earlier than we had planned and seen the breathtaking view of the mountains the evening before. The memory of that spectacular view acted as a palliative and prevented us from being despondent.

Morning in Nagarkot, Nepal

Morning in Nagarkot, Nepal

Having breakfasted at nine, we left Nagarkot for Changu Narayan temple at ten in the morning. This temple is another UNESCO World Heritage site in Nepal. Located around 6 km north of Bhaktapur, the temple of Changu Narayan is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It is home to a series of beautiful sculptures of Vishnu like the Vishwaroop Lord Vishnu, Vishnu-Vikranta Lord Vishnu, Nar Singha Vishnu and Vishnu mounted on Garuda, the humanoid-bird.  Magnificent relief work done in gold in the pillars and in the torans crowning the temple offer a rare treat to the eyes. The temple is one of the holiest sites in Nepal and is said to have been constructed in the Lichhavi period. It is home to a series of incredible examples of Nepalese architecture. Like other temples in Nepal, the Changu Narayan temple too is done in Pagoda-style.

Changu Narayan Temple, Nepal

Changu Narayan Temple, Nepal

Changu Narayan Temple, Nepal

The second stop on the third morning of our visit to Nepal, was the world famous Bhaktapur Durbar Square. Situated about twelve kilometers away from Kathmandu city, Bhaktapur, or the city of devotees, is said to have been founded by King Ananda Dev in 1197 A.D. Of the three Durbar squares we visited in Nepal, the Bhaktapur Durbar Square was unequivocally the best. This royal plaza is not only very well maintained— which you will expect it to be considering the exorbitant entry fees you pay before you step into it—but is also home to some of the most exquisite pagodas, palaces, and monuments that we've seen in Nepal. I was glad that we had kept the visit to the best Durbar Square in Kathmandu till the last day of our visit.

View of the Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Nepal, from the Palace Restaurant. 

To enter the Bhaktapur Durbar Square, you need to walk a little way down the road opposite the ticket counter and climb a series of stairs leading you to the entrance gate to the Durbar Square. The moment you step through the gate into the Durbar Square, the royal plaza with its irresistible antique charms, would suddenly burst into view and obliterate all thought for a moment. What you would perceive before you would be unlike anything you've seen before. For few brief moments, you would be overwhelmed by the majesty and beauty of the edifices that stand before you. When you have gained your composure, you may look around and concentrate on each specimen of exquisite Nepali architecture and treat yourself to as many photographs as you like. I think we took more than a hundred photographs at the Bhaktapur Durbar Square, and still felt that it was not enough.

The Lion Gate, Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Nepal

Our first stop at the Durbar Square was The Lion Gate. It gets its name from the two exquisitely carved stone lion statues installed on either side of the gate during the reign of Bhupatindra Malla. Statues of lions, symbolizing the elements of power and protection, are found in every Durbar Square in Kathmandu, but none we've seen before were as beautifully carved and perfect in every detail as the pair we saw sitting on either side of the Lion Gate at the Bhaktapur Durbar Square.

The statue of King Bhupatindra Malla perched atop a long and slender stone pillar with his hands folded and his body bent in an attitude of prayer to the Taleju goddess, was the second exquisite royal figurine we saw. We stopped before the column on top of which the stone-king sat motionless under the shadow of an elegantly carved umbrella, his sword and buckler next to his kneeling form, and thought how true the statement of E.A. Powell, writer of The Last Home of Mystery, was, who said, while talking about the Bhaktapur Durbar Square, that even if there were nothing else in Nepal, save the Bhaktapur Durbar Square, it would be sufficiently worth “making a journey half way around the globe to see” it.

The Golden Gate, Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Nepal

Tympanum of the Golden Gate, Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Nepal

The Golden Gate, erected by King Ranajit Malla after a successful feat in the battleground in 1753, was our third stop. It serves as an entrance to the Taleju complex. This ornate gate, boasting some of the most delicate gilded copper-work in the Kathmandu valley, is one of the most beautifully carved golden entrances in the world. It is an exquisite piece of gilded art that takes the breath away. At the richly-gilded bosom of the tympanum, appears the ten-armed goddess Taleju with Shri and Lakshmi on a crocodile and a tortoise respectively on either side of the central deity. On the door frame are gilded representations of a doorkeeper, a good-fortune vase, and figures of such deities as Bhagwati, Bhairava, Ganesh, Kumari and Kali.

Palace of 55 Windows, Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Nepal

The supreme wooden architectural structure dominating the entire Bhaktapur Durbar Square area, is the three-storied palace of 55 windows. It was built by Yakshya Malla in 1427 A.D. and embellished later by Bhupatindra Malla in the 17^th century. It is a magnificent edifice with exquisite relief work in its windows and pillars and beautiful carvings on the doors and windows of the lower floors.

The Art Gallery in the area, like all museums and galleries we visited in Nepal, charges exorbitant entry fees. The gallery has a modest collection of Buddhist artifacts and some exquisite thankas depicting esoteric images of Tantric deities.

Temple in Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Nepal

Temples galore at the Bhaktapur Durbar Square, and you may take your time and visit the four dhams (religious sites) of Jagannath, Kedarnath, Rameshwar and Badrinath situated near the west entrance.

The Shikhara style stone-made Vatsala temple dedicated to the goddess Durga is a breathtaking monument of religious architecture. On the lower section of this edifice, is the famous “barking bell,” which causes dogs to bark and whine when it is rung. In olden days, this bell was used to communicate an alarm of emergency during times of trouble.

The Yakcheswor Mahadev temple, which is a replication of the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, is an important religious edifice in the Bhaktapur Durbar Square area. This religious seat of Lord Shiva was built by King Yakshya Malla, who was a great devotee of the lord, and is said to have received dream-instructions from the divine deity himself who commanded him in his reverie to erect a temple for him in the Bhaktapur area.

The greatest temple we visited on our day-trip to the Bhaktapur Durbar Square was the Nyatapola in the Taumadhi Square. We were awestruck by the sheer size of this enormous religious structure. It is a massive five-storied pagoda-style temple that stands above five plinths. Each plinth has majestic stone statues of men and animals on either side of the stairwell that runs through the middle of it. The five tiers of this gargantuan temple symbolize the basic elements of Nature. It is the tallest temple in Nepal and is dedicated to the goddess Siddhi Lakshmi— a Tantric deity representing the most potent female force.

After visiting the Taumadhi Square, we took our leave of the gorgeous Bhaktapur Durbar Square.  I wished I could stay in Nepal and in the Bhaktapur Durbar Square for a decade in the least. Nevertheless, logic came to the forefront of my mind and waved a pair of air-tickets at me. 

Traditional Nepali Thali Meal 

Our last meal in Nepal was at a small but famous restaurant in Kathmandu. My husband ordered a Nepali thali for himself while I had a plate of dumplings. The dumplings I was served was good, but the ones I had at the Tree House Inn in Nagarkot were the best. The Nepali thali looked very much like a traditional Bengali afternoon meal with rice, saag, daal, vegetable curries, and a dish of chicken. The food was lightly spiced and was delicious. I especially loved the brass platter and bowls they served the food in.

 Having finished our afternoon meal, we headed straight to the airport. The departure formalities and security check being completed, we made our way to the waiting area. One incident that brightened my last moments in Nepal was this: As I was being pat-checked by a female security official at the airport, I noticed the beautiful glass bangles she wore. When I told her that I absolutely loved her bangles, she promptly took out a few of them and gave them to me. I was surprised at this and said that I was simply complimenting her. But she was so touched by my remark that she insisted I take a few of her bangles as a parting gift. I hugged the security official and accepted the gift. I still have the bangles with me carefully stored in my accessory box. That last moment in Nepal welled up my eyes.  

Time to Say Good to Nepal 

I believe that when you visit a new country, a new city or town, not only do you see the place, but the place sees you too. To it you may be one of the travelers with indistinguishable features flitting from tourist sites to tourist sites sipping the delicious nectar of art and heritage that the place offers. Nevertheless, it always has a ubiquitous eye directed at you, judging your actions and watching your deliberations during your stay in it. I wonder how Nepal saw me; did it see me as one of the many travelers who flit about from place to place, or more like a person, an individual who loved every bit of the gorgeous country she saw. Did it perceive my childish excitement on seeing the Kal Bhairav statue in Kathmandu, or my exhilaration upon seeing the beauteous mountain ranges in Nagarkot? May be it did, may be it smiled and shook its head like a septuagenarian at the foolishness of a young soul; may be it too shed a few drops of tears like I did when I boarded my flight back home and bid Nepal adieu.

 The trip to Nepal was one of the most memorable trips I had made in my life. And now, as I sit at my desk in my home, surrounded by souvenirs I got from that beautiful country, I feel that even if I had my finished my trip to Nepal, a bit of Nepal will always be in and around me forever. 

Prayer flags from Nepal in my balcony garden communicating my devout prayers to the gods! 

Memories of Nepal (Part 2, Day 2)

The Pashupatinath Temple, the holy seat of Lord Shiva, located on the banks of the Bagmati river in Kathmandu, was our first stop at the commencement if our second-day tour of the Kathmandu valley. The temple is another UNESCO World Heritage site, and is an important religious location for Hindus. It is the oldest Hindu temple in Kathmandu. The intricately-carved Pagoda style temple houses the sacred deity visited by thousands of pilgrims’ every day. Photography is strictly prohibited in the area, as in many other religious sites. Although always crowded, we found our way to the temple quite easily. It was a great experience visiting the Pashupatinath temple, and we both felt very happy to have had a chance to pray before the sacred symbol of our Lord Shiva.

Swambhunath Stupa. Nepal

Swambhunath Stupa. Nepal

Our next stop, the Swambhunath Stupa, was one of the most unique works of Buddhist architecture that I ever saw. It was unequivocally one of the most gorgeous structures I came across while in Nepal. The Swambhunath Stupa is located atop a hillock some 4 km west of Kathmandu. In case you are looking for a way to shed some adipose, you may want to climb the 360 steps that lead you to the top of the temple. As for us, we decided to opt for a short-cut: we ascended the hundred steps at the back of the temple that took us to the same spot. Although people are generally worried about monkey-attacks in the area, we didn’t see any out-of-the-way or wayward monkeys’ harassing tourists. Some four or five of the quiet ones were there, but they didn’t bother us. Many people give this place a miss because of the 360 steps and the stories that they hear from other travelers about the monkeys, but I thought that both these problems are highly exaggerated.

The breathtaking view of the Kathmandu valley and the surrounding snow-tipped Himalayan Mountains commanded from atop the Swambhunath temple relieved us of the slight exhaustion we experienced after climbing the hundred steps.  

Many legends abound the construction of the Swambhunath Stupa. It is said that the stupa was constructed during the Licchavi period and underwent several renovations during the medieval Malla period. Various historical monuments and votive shrines surrounding the area are a testament to the significance and antiquity of the famous stupa.

The central structure looked very much like the Boudanath Stupa we visited earlier, but we learned here that the tradition followed in the stupa is Vajrayana form of Buddhism, a tantric version of the religion. The stupa is erected on a lotus mandala base. Atop the central white hemispherical dome is the customary hermika, a square golden painted structure carrying the eyes of the Vairochana Buddha. The representation of the Nepali number one forms a question-mark like nose for the Buddha. Beautifully carved torans crown this hermika. Instead of the thirteen steps that we saw in the conical structure atop the square tower in Boudanath, the pyramidal structure on top of the hermika in Swambhunath consists of thirteen gold plated spires symbolizing the thirteen stages of salvation.  The structure is crowned by a circular umbrella-like structure and a golden spire.

Several other important sites surrounding the Swambhunath Stupa area are the Vajra Dhatu Madala, Harati Temple, a two-tiered Pagoda like temple dedicated to the mother-goddess Ajima, and the Panch Buddhas or five Buddha statues at the base of the stupa. Apart from these, other unique religious artifacts like prayer wheels, painted images of deities, numerous small temples and other eclectic religious objects are also located the area.

White Gumba, Nepal

White Gumba, Nepal

Our penultimate destination on the second day of our trip to Nepal was the Seto Gumba, or the White Monastery. The monastery, open to the general public only on Saturdays, is a nunnery rich with Buddhist artifacts. It is the best and the most beautiful monastery that I have been to in Nepal. Situated atop a hill, the White Gumba, or the Druk Amitabha Mountain, is a unique spiritual spot that eclipses the memory of all the previous monasteries you might visit in Kathmandu. The hike up the hill could be exhausting for travelers, especially old ones. The other option to reach the top is to take your car. Our driver was reluctant at first to take the car up the hill, but after a remonstration did as we instructed. Adjacent to the car parking area is the ticket booth where you can get your visitor badges. Entry to the Seto Gumba is free.

After having your visitor badges checked by a nun, you climb a series of stairs. A spot of ascension later, you reach a flat-topped area where you will see the first of many gorgeous golden Buddha statues that house the area. A splendid golden Buddha, his aureate features lathered with heavenly peace, gleaming under the glorious rays of the sun situated atop a beautifully painted rectangular pedestal will meet you at this juncture. Other golden statues of the Buddha of similar description are located at regular intervals on the way up the hill. The actual temple is located on the right of this first statue. We decided to visit it later.

View from White Gumba, Nepal

Breathless and perspiring, we reached the top of the Seto Gumba a little later. The view of the Kathmandu valley and the surrounding mountains verdant with vegetation commanded from atop the mountain will instill a sense of absolute peace in your mind. At the central area of this mountain, atop an elevated spot, are a series of gorgeous statues of the Buddha. These towering structures, gleaming in sunlight, representing the various facets of the Buddha will spellbind you with their ostentatious appeal. Underneath the cloud-flaked sapphire sky, the statues seemed to be brimming with life. They appeared to emanate a golden aura; their features, calm, composed, and perfect, were latent with divine tranquility. Their hands designed in some symbolic ritual mudra suggested some esoteric message that I couldn't decipher.

 If pantheism is your religion, you’ll find yourself greeted by the divine spirit at this spot where nature and divinity commingle into a perfect concoction and paint the atmosphere with a breathtaking kaleidoscope of colors. The blue of the sky, the white of the clouds, the green of the mountain vegetation, and the myriad colors of the prayer flags all stood out by themselves creating a sensational palate of colors too beautiful to forget.

The temple at the Seto Gumba was as sensational as the surrounding scenery and the golden Buddha statues in the monastery area. Since photography is strictly forbidden inside the temple, we couldn’t take any picture of its richly-decorated magnificent interior. The walls inside the temple have little glass covered showcases. Inside each of these showcases, is a gleaming brass statue of the Buddha.  Electric light bulbs that are switched on in the evening are fitted inside each of these little showcases. We wondered how beautiful the temple might look with all the lights inside the showcases switched on and all the brass-golden statues gleaming in the light. We tried finding a postcard with a picture of the interior of the temple in the evening, but there weren’t any available.

The traffic as we drove down the hill being extremely slow, it took us nearly an hour to reach the base of the hill. This delay resulted in us jettisoning our plan to visit the Bhaktapur Durbar Square that day and head straight to Nagarkot where we were to stay the night. As we made our way to this little hill station around 32 kilometers east of Kathmandu, it began to rain. The rain-swept vista before our eyes as we drove up a series of serpentine hilly roads on our way to Nagarkot was beautiful; nonetheless, we were too apprehensive at the time to enjoy it. At times the downpour was so heavy as to obstruct all view. However, as we neared the hill station, the rain stopped and an un-bright sun peered from the sky.

After the rain, the surrounding mountain ranges raised their heads momentarily and offered a spectacular view. People usually go to Pokhra to see the Himalayan range at close quarters; however, time being short, we decided to visit Nagarkot instead. Also, we were apprehensive about taking any domestic flight in Nepal. Nagarkot was, therefore, a great option for us being within easy distance from Kathmandu and offering a great view of the surrounding mountain ranges. It being the middle of July, we never expected to see any breathtaking mountain scenery; nevertheless, the evening view of the mountain ranges was spectacular in every respect.

View from Nagarkot, Nepal

 Our room at the Club Himalayas, a strategically located mountain resort, had a balcony, and from there we had a stunning view of the surrounding mountains and the valleys. We also climbed upstairs to the open terrace of the hotel and took several pictures of the breathtaking mountain ranges. The pine-covered, quaint little village of Nagarkot had beauty written all over it. The breeze that fingered my face and played with my hair was cool and refreshing. Devoid of the sooty finger marks of pollution, the air was light and invigorating. The mountains that stretched before my eyes struck me as curvy monsters sleeping with their bellies up. I stared at them with awe wondering what mighty hands had built them.

View from Nagarkot, Nepal

In the evening, my husband and I went out for a walk around the hotel and discovered the several little points which offered magnificent views of the mountains. The rest of the evening was spent at tour hotel-room balcony listening to the croaking of a jungle cow and watching the massive mountains before us gradually don the garb of darkness and tread into the realm of the night. 

A delicious dish of momos (steamed dumplings) we had at the Tree House Inn in Nagarkot, Nepal