Mumbai Meri Jaan!

LOL This is funny title. I haven't lived in Mumbai, not yet. I haven't spent much time here. In fact, I desperately wanted to explore the city. That's why I am here. This time. :)

I keep hearing people say 'Mumbai Meri Jaan'. So, I couldn't think of better title.
[I titled as Mumbai. One can call it Bombay as well. Let's be fair, and call it Mumbay :D]

Things are going good so far. It's quite hot here, and was surprised that there is nothing like winter here. This is just first day, still lots of places to visit. Meanwhile, I am reading The Maximum City by Suketu Mehta about the city, Bombay to Mumbai to Mumbay. This book is interesting and  just finished first few chapters which cover 90s Hindu-Muslim riots.

I am exploring this great/not so great city on foot and also through book. The book explains Bombay to great degree of reality, just like this.

On Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, Sunil (Shiv Sena local leader and cable operator) broadcasts a pornographic film on his cable network. The requests for porn often come from his female subscribers.

While exploring city, I plan to pen down here on my blog. I hope I will get some time to seat aside and pause for the city where millions of people live, struggle, fulfill dreams and watch pornography. 

(Note: Promise broken. I wanted to blog so many things about Mumbai. I was busy enjoying there. Seems like it been almost a month since then.)

Notes on Rajasthan’s Royals and Thar Desert

This is not about IPL cricket team Rajasthan Royals. But, actually I am writing about my travel experience around Rajasthan. I was there on the last week of December 2009. Few things made me fill up my note book.
The state was ruled by Rajputs in the past also commonly known as Marwadis. The ruler mixed Hindi and Mugal arts on their buildings. Rajputs were clever diplomat and they protected their land from Englishman too. And they had followed a principle “Work for self, not for others”.
Imagine ‘If I can wine and dine where Royals used to do, if I can have heavenly peace where prince and princess used to do so, if I can live in the Palace’. Isn’t it great idea? People are willing to pay more just for this concept. Many palaces in Rajasthan were turned into star hotels. It was pretty interesting for me.

My travel guide said that rainfall was source of drinking water there. Ah… again another interesting story. Rajasthan also has Asia’s only one camel breeding farm under Government of India supervision. Tourism is main source of income as it is Desert of India.
Magnificent great Thar Desert is what I really like about Rajasthan. Thar, Rajput saga, huge forts and palaces are reasons why Rajasthan is most visited state by tourists. It is ahead of Goa in terms of number of tourists visiting.
Personally, I highly recommend going for Thar Desert, but I will not visit again those forts and palaces. Forts will remind you a statement “Men and women worked for themselves in Stone Age, then for Kings and Rajputs”.