A Short and Sweet Trip to Ooty

Drinking "Garam garam chai" in winter is a top of the world feeling . 

This winter break my maternal uncle, aunt and cousins, Gauri and Raghav from Dubai, visited India and we had the opportunity to travel together for a short holiday to Wellington near Ooty in Tamil Nadu. My other maternal uncle who is a Pediatrician in the Indian Armed Forces is posted at the Military Hospital,Madras Regimental Center -Wellington.

We visited Mysore for a day on Dec 25th to attend a family get together and from there we proceeded in a TATA Sumo to Wellington on Dec 26th.

We drove through Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Karnataka and Madhumalai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu. 

We were fortunate to have spotted a herd of Deer, Langur Monkeys and Peacocks. The drive uphill was a little tiring as it took nearly 6 hours.

But as soon as we reached Wellington and saw my little cousin Advait dancing with joy on seeing us, we forgot our tedious journey. 

The next day Dec 27th, we set for a sight seeing trip to Ooty. This was my third trip to Ooty and I was a little bored initially. 

We drove to Doddabetta which is the highest peak in South India located at 8650 feet above sea level in the Nilgiris Hills. 

The highlight of the Ooty tour was visiting the highest elevated Tea factory in South India, for the first time. A walk inside the tea factory gave us a glimpse of the machinery used and the process of preparing the tea powder from the tea leaves. We were given some hot masala chai as a sample. On the same premises, there was a small homemade chocolate making unit with a sales counter that sold varieties of yummy chocolates. We bought a few delicious varieties and relished munching them. 

Then we proceeded  to visit the indoor "Thread Garden" which is made up of sixty million meters of thread and is located opposite Ooty lake. It is indeed a very creative and innovative place.

We took a break for lunch and lastly visited the famous Botanical Garden.

I thoroughly enjoyed the trip with my three cousins, parents, uncles and aunts. This was a memorable vacation for me.

Veeresalingam Kandukuri – A Social Reformer of Andhra Pradesh

Veeresalingam  Kandukuri  (16 April 1848 – 27 May 1919) – A Social Reformer of Andhra Pradesh

Veeresalingam is considered,” The Prophet of Modern Andhra Pradesh”, as he awakened the Andhra Society from their orthodox customs and superstitions. He was a reformer and the first person to write a novel, book, drama, on natural science and history in Telugu and Telugu prose for women. He wrote Abhagyopakhyanamu, a humorous satire on Andhra Society.

Veeresalingam started a magazine named Vivekavardini in which he propagated women’s education, widow remarriage and the rights of women. He opposed Kanyasulkam (price of bride) and marriage of old men with young girls.

He was affectionately called as Veeresalingam Pantulu.

India's Struggle For Independence - 1857 Revolt.

History is my favorite subject in school. The word Independence means freedom, to me. And I feel lucky to be born in an independent country like India. But when I read the history of India especially the freedom struggle, I was astounded by the bravery, courage, determination and love for motherland by our freedom fighters. 

I did a project on the "First War of Independence -1857" more popularly called as "Revolt of 1857" and beginning of the long struggle for freedom from the British Rule. 

Bahadur Shah Zafar

Begum Hazrat Mahal

In the Indian Sepoys struggle for Independence, they were lead by the Kings of Princely states  like Bahadur Shah Zafar II (Delhi), Tantya Tope (Gwalior), Rani Laxmi Bai (Jhansi), Begum Hazrat Mahal (Awadh), Raja Kunwar Singh (Rajput Royal of Jagdishpur) and various others.

The cause for revolt were many; like the economic, social, religious and military being the immediate causes.  In the course of Revolt, the Sepoys broke out into an open revolt at Meerut in April, 1857.

Rani Laxmi Bai

Kunwar Singh

The Revolt was started by the Sepoys but the participation of the peasants and the artisans gave the Revolt it's real strength . It reflected the Hindu-Muslim unity. 

Although the Revolt was a great event, it was effectively suppressed by the East India Company, for the fact that it was not spread out to other parts of the country.  The Heads of the Princely States were more interested to protect or get back their Kingdoms/Provinces and did not act in cohesion with others. Bad planning and execution was the main cause for the failure of the Revolt.  However, it started the beginning of the end of the Rule of the East India Company and paved the way for taking over by the British Monarchy. 

Tantya Tope

My visit to Bapu Ghat - Peace Truth Ahimsa Museum in Hyderabad

With my Class teacher Mrs.Sumedha Arya 

We visited the Bapu Ghat as part of the field trip from school on Nov 15th, 2013. It is located in Langar Houz near Mehdipatnam, Hyderabad. 

Bapu Ghat is a historic "Peace Truth Ahimsa museum", located on the banks of River Musi where Gandhiji's ashes were immersed on 12th February 1948.

We all stared from our school at 8:30 am and throughout our journey we were gossiping, listening to music, singing etc. We reached Bapu Ghat by 10:00 am. 

With my Social Studies teacher Mrs. Shobha &
my best friend Vaishnavi & Bhavani

Newspaper

Main  Hall

We were warmly welcomed by the volunteers. We began our visit by singing a song dedicated to Gandhiji. Then each one of  were given a photograph related to Gandhiji's life and were asked to find the picture in the collage consisting of 400 photographs.

The first 41 children who identified the photos were taken into a digital room, where we could learn and know everything about Gandhiji's life. I read hand written letters by Gandhiji on an I pad.We were also shown 4 documentaries about Gandhiji. We also saw a private collection of Gandhiji's memorabilia. 

With my friend Shruthi

We were taken into a room where a Harley Davidson Motorbike was kept on display. It is called the Ahimsa Harley which has signatures of  900 students from 26 countries as a symbol to announce that Gandhiji has arrived in this 21st century. The students pledged their support by signing on the black Harley Davidson and turning it white as a symbol of Ahimsa.

Cover of Time magazine 1930

Around 1:30pm we were taken to the dining hall for a sumptuous Gujarati lunch. 

While returning, we were given a book about Gandhiji titled Peace Truth and Ahimsa, a photobiography written by Birad Rajaram Yajnik.

I enjoyed this trip and learned facts about our Father of the Nation.

Book Review - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

This is the adventure story of the protagonist, Huckleberry Finn a young lad who escapes from his alcoholic father by faking his own death.He begins his journey through the Deep South where he finds a treasure chest containing 12 thousand dollars. Then he meets a slave Jim who is a wanted man.Together both start their journey until they reach Mississippi river, where both of them with new found freedom, independence, bravery and hope, begin their adventure.

Through their journey they meet a guy Sid and they start looting people of their valuables while staying on the raft. Now three of them become the wanted by the police. So, they decide to part ways to escape the police. They divide the loot into three equal shares and go their own way.

I liked the story of Huckleberry Finn, as it emphasized not to misuse the independence and freedom; it also teaches the  need to be brave in any given situation.

I strongly recommend this book for reads.  

My rating: 5/5