Rajgad trek

My friends and I had been planning for a trek since October, and couldn't wait till our exams were done. So,the dawn of 15th December brought the excitement that we longed for, since our previous semester started. Hence,my friends (in alphabetical order), Aakash, Abhishek, Aditya, Anupam ,and me, Nithin embarked on a trekking expedition to Rajgad.

You can board a Wajeghad or a Gunjawane bus from swargate, to get to the base of the fort. Both Gunjavne and Wajeghad are base villages. We were supposed to start from Swargate and catch a 10.45am bus to Gunjavane but, as it turns out, there was a Wajeghad bus at that time, and no Gunjavne bus. 

From Wajhegad, Gunjavne village was about 8km.We took the decision to board that bus and waited. 10.45 passed, 11 came, and 11.30 passed, but there was no sign of the bus.Finally the bus came at 11.50.We the boarded the bus and the ticket to wajhegadh was Rs 48/-. The bus was comfortable and empty for the majority of the journey, but got pretty crowded when it passed through the Nasrapur village.A passenger from the bus told us that the base of the fort would be nearer if we were to get down at a village called Sakhar and we did the same.We reached there at about 2pm.It was a 2 hour bus ride.Little further down, we sat down to eat in a hotel called Hotel Ekveera garden. They only served Misal and Poha. The Misal Pav was spicy and top notch! We had our lunch there and started for Gunjavne at 2.45 .We reached the trekking point at 3.45pm. We were climbing the fort from the chor Darwaza. There are other paths as well, like from Wajeghad, Pali and Bhutunde.
We reached the resting point of the fort within 2 hours, which was the Padmavati machi. The trek was moderately difficult, and we huffed and puffed to that point by 5.45 pm. The view was ecstatic! We were greeted by the Padmavati lake, which looked dark, coupled with the ripples from gentle breezes.
The accommodation was to be in the Padmavati Temple. We started to collect wood for a bonfire, and by 7 pm, went into the temple as it was getting very cold. There were many other groups residing in the temple as well. 
We were helped by a boy, who I presume is a caretaker of the temple , called Ram, for the stay and some tea. The night was fun, we played cards and listened to some music. The temperature was pretty cold, but inside temple, it was warm enough. Even during night time, there were many trekking groups who were entering the temple.

A word of advice- while you are sleeping, make sure that you close the temple door. The dogs frequently come inside and snuggle up with the people who are sleeping. That being said, you should also be able to open the door whenever some other group wants to sleep in the temple.
The water that is available there is good for cleaning yourself, but probably not good for drinking, because it was filled with Tadpoles.
The next day we got up, and started to climb up to the main summit of the fort through the Balekilla Darwaja, at 7.30am. The climb was a little steep, with some parts being almost vertical, but we reached the top, the Maha darwaja, before 8am. 

1.4km or 1400 meters above sea level...the view was pretty awesome.We could see many forts like Torna, Sinhagad, Raighad, and many other forts that I don't even know about. One can also see the path from Rajgad to Torna fort, which is about a 5 hours trek.
We started our descent to the padmavati temple and reached there within 15 minutes.
After having our breakfast, started our descent from the Pali darwaja, which leads to the Wajeghad village, at 9.45am. We could see lots of Monkeys running on the roof of the temple.There were stairs which mapped to about half the descent. Then we finally reached the base before 11am. The village was Pali Gaon, and we reached the bus stop which was a 30 minute walk from the base. We caught a Swargate bus at 11.45am and reached there at 2pm, at the cost of Rs 53/-.

Make sure that you are loaded with food suppies and some bedsheets, for none are available at the top or at any point during the trek.

Lokpal Bill for Dummies

What is the Lokpal Bill?
The Lokpal Bill was introduced in 1968.But due to some reasons, the bill lapsed. It was subsequently reintroduced in years 1971,1977,1985,1996,1998,2001,2005 and 2008.
Activists proposed an improvement over the original Lokpal Bill, called the Jan Lokpal Bill, which is presently under fire.
Lokpal Bill was made for checking the malpractices within governmental organisations, and act as general anti-corruption law.

Anna Hazare

Incidentally, the term Lokpal was coined by L.M.Singhvi, an MP, in a parliament debate, and his son, Dr. Abhishek Singhvi, head of Standing commitee, is a member in the panel reviewing the bill.
What is special about the Bill?
It establishes a central government institution for anti-corruption called Lokpal.
This bill acts as a public ombudsman bill, meaning, that a representative of the Lokpal lodges and investigates complaints of individuals against the Government.
The lokpal will be supported at the state level by its respective Lokayuktas.
The Lokpal will be supervised by the Cabinet Secretary and the EC(Election Commission), just like the Supreme Court.Thus, making itself free from any ministerial influences.
Each case under the Lokpal must be closed within a time frame of 2 years, which includes investigations and trails.
The most important feature of the Lokpal is that it provides protection to whistleblowers.
Also, the existing anti corruption agencies like Central Vigilance Commission(CVC) and the anti-corruption wing of Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI) will come under the Lokpal.
Who will head this institution?
The members of Lokpal institution will be selected by a selection commitee consisting of Judges, IAS officers with a clean record and private citizens through a transperent and participatory process. A video-recording of the candidates' interviews will be released to the public shortly afterwards.
This was the original content of the Bill. The government's version is modification of the original.
The government's version is the root of all the uprisings and debates.
The government's version differs from the original in the following ways-
1)Only group A officers will be under the investigative purview of the Lokpal.
2)Complaints against Lokpal members will be handled by the Lokpal itself and no independent boards will be setup.
3)The Anti-corruption wing of the CBI will not be under the Lokpal.
4)No protection to whistle blowers by Lokpal.
5)The Prime Minister can be investigated by Lokpal only after the said person vacates the office.
These issues are much debated in the present times.
The activists are demanding that the government's bill is of no use.It will not punish or check corruption.It's a 'Toothless' Lion.

Abhishek Singhvi

The government is demanding that setting up a Lokpal with such powers is as good as setting up a draconian establishment parallel to the existing democratic government.
For more information on the current developments on the Bill, and the people involved in it, refer to http://www.indiaagainstcorruption.org/index1.html

An Altercation

A Fictitious conversation between two moderates.One being an atheist and another,a theist.
T: Hey!Happy Diwali!!!
A: Happy Diwali to you.It's just a normal day for me.
T: Could you just humor me for once.This is a festival of Joy.
A: Well, choking mother Earth is a joyous occasion. Isn't it?
T: Bursting crackers is just a tradition. All of us have toned it down. We just do it for the kids.Don't mock traditions.
A: I am not mocking them. I am just saying that different times, calls for different celebrations. Even with all the technology that we possess and all the knowledge that little ones are pumped with, it's just a bit too sad to see them overlook and ignore it.
T: They are not overlooking anything. It's just one day on a year, and like I said, there are some people who believe in moderation. But, being a festive season,don't be a kill joy and a sadist. Go with the flow.
A: First of all, I'm not a sadist. Being an atheist, I really don't even care for religious festivals. They are just a marketing scheme for making more money getting more profits.
T: That's offensive. Festivals are all about joy and sharing. It's that time of the year, that old friends meet up to greet one another. You really need to be in that spirit, overlook the religious part.
A: Oh, so now,'I' should overlook? 'I' should open my mind?
T: Well... yes.
A: But why should I? Why the hell should i be open minded when everyone says "Happy Diwali!" to me? I believe that the very cause of Diwali is entirely fictitious,a fable, a moral story,something that should be told to moralize people. How would you feel if I come over to your house one day and say "Happy  Godless Day!!!!"?
T: That's a direct offense. Being an atheist, you love fidgeting with theists don't you?
A: That's not true at all!! In-fact you fuck with us more than we do!!! Just the other day I saw an agarbhatti's advertisement with it's tag line as "Bhagwan hai". I was pretty surprised to see that. My first reaction was-"FUCK YOU!".
T: Well, what's wrong in that. This is a democratic country. Anyone can say what ever one wants to say.It's you who is taking the offensive.
A: That's exactly how you reacted when I spoke about "Godless" day.See, this is the fault with theists. They aren't open minded.They take offence for the slightest of difference in opinion.
T: You are just generalising it. At one time, you say that we aren't open-minded, and then you say theists fight over trifles.When you generalize something like this, that itself shows how open-minded you are.
A: Well, since the time I have been an atheist, I was open to all sorts of religions, reading what the stories actually wanted to tell us, not reading on how to become one.
T: But what is so wrong to place a person superior to everyone.What is so wrong to believe that there was a creator?that there was a beginning?
A: Well, why should we? Why can't we simply believe that we exist, because we are bound to exist. And when we fuck up, we    
 are bound to be extinct. See, thats the problem with you theists, you guys are so afraid of the judgement day that you even fear to think differently. You fear god rather than worship him.We are more stronger mentally, since we believe that nothing is above the human mind.
T: I beg to differ on that one.We put our fates on an entity,being god,and pursue our lives effortlessly. We believe that what will happen, is bound to happen and is good for us.Thinking that way gives you the satisfaction in life from the poorest of beggars to the sickest of patients. That kind of thinking calms your mind.For what is life without living in Harmony?
A: But that kind of thinking is the very root of lethargy.The mordern technology that has been evolved from nothing to beautiful things is a manifestation of a thinking that states-"We can change the state of our surroundings.We are the ultimate torchbearers to our own future".If everyone would think as you would say, then we would never have developed.
T: That is true, but what you are talking about is extremism. A extremist would think that way.A moderate,like you and me, can bend our minds so that we can adapt with the society in general.
A: Yup, that's the root cause of all evil.Extremism. Be it of any kind. Atheism is not a bane to the society, nor is religion.Both are effective when it's habituated in a moderate upbringing.
T: Hey, we better leave. There is some strike going on about some bill that the government is not passing.
A: Ah!...If only all arguments were soo open and more Interactive.Life would have been much simpler.

Different worlds

Yesterday as I got down from  the bus near my home,I saw a child wearing a half pant and a shirt , both of them unwashed perhaps for weeks.It was understandable as their parents were busy working for the new fly over that is to be completed in few(few is not defined) years joining Aundh to Hinjewadi(most probably).As I write this blog I have set my music player in repeat mode and it will be repeating the same song so that I can concentrate on what I write.The name of the song? That I will tell you later.So yes the child as dirty as the road with sparkling eyes was collecting stone chips to help his parents. Although his effort was too meager to  have some effect on the pace of the work but was enough to make me think what I must have been doing when I was as young as him.I saw another man in his mid 50s
looking at the boy in admiration.

 I know after few years I will be driving my car on that fly over but that boy will be cursing  us in frustration, cursing his parents for the ignorance and cursing this world for its kindness. 
Why that boy at such tender age is not getting the treatment he deserves?What are our responsibilities?
What the government can do to revive the condition?Why the children of these people who are the most important factor in materializing the development of this country wont have a chance to develop?
These are the questions that lay in-front of us and we don't even feel obliged to think about these questions.

They have made tin houses for those who are working on this flyover project.I don't think those people have enough warm cloths ,that child must be shivering  in cold as I write this article sitting on a chair with a nice and comfortable headphone on.The song has started 4th or 5th time now.
I don't know,thinking of what Knopfler wrote the song(particularly the lines I am talking about) but the lines that has moved me the most than any other lines from any other song ,and it goes like:
                                                 "There's so many different worlds,
                                                           so many different suns,
                                                     And we have just one world,
                                                       But we live in different ones"

Brothers in arms is the song that I am listening to(now perhaps for the 6th time in a row)....
With a hope that a day will come when such boys will have equal chance of prospering as those who refuse to eat green-leafy-vegetables because they are not tasty and with a hope  that we all will live in the same world one day, not in different ones.......I'll go to sleep

Abusing in the name of...

This post contains some abusive and strong language. Continue reading if you are comfortable with it.You have been warned.

A couple of days back, the first thing my friend asked me after entering my college was, " Abey laude, tune Assignment kiya kya?". This was a casual and innocent question. But got me thinking. Has swearing become such a crucial factor to be integrated into my life that now,with which, i cannot live without?

The 'swear' words that we use to represent derogatory remarks, is by definition amusing.

On one hand, 'swear' means, to take oath,to declare a promise.On the other hand it means to utter obscenities.To promise is to utter obscenities!.So, next time any guy tells his girlfriend,"I swear to you..." It might mean that he is either promising something, or he is uttering profanities and is likely to break that oath.That is English language for you, contradictions in the meaning of the same word. 

I then started becoming conscious of the swearing going around me,"arre woh toh chutiya hai","arre ,call that Gandu".

"who the fuck does that madam think she is?".

These are casual remarks, but are derogatory. Derogatory in what sense?. In the sense that you compare that person, usually to a reproductive organ or a excretory organ or to a general reference to consummating.

Why is this derogatory?,Well it is, because since we were a kid, we were brought up to believe that sex and things related to sex were taboo, and any reference to something related to faeces was disgusting, eventhough because of these two factors alone, we are able to sustain our lives and continue our human species in this planet.

That is not bad per say, but that is how it is.

But now another question arises, Why do we swear?

Is it due to the western movie influence on the minds of teenagers, thinking it would enhance their 'cool' factor?

Well, maybe, but that is not always the case. I mean, i learnt my first abuse way back when I was in 4th standard(yes, I know i am disgusting), and it wasn't even english. Infact it was kannada,and that word 'Tikhlu' was the equivalent to 'Gandu' in Hindi.

Then, is it the society?

i don't believe this is a factor,but every now and then, when I walk on a busy road, and  there is an accident, you are bound to hear something abusive, which might be embedded on the minds of innocent passer-bys or little kids who don't know the meaning of '!d%*)^R'.Other than that, i can never imagine a Indian home filled with abuses,nor do i think that it is how it works.

Then, the simplest answer that dawned on me, was a word.

'Frustration'

Frustration regarding the system.

Frustration regarding the roads.

Frustration regarding exams.

Frustration on looking at extremely poor people, begging on the roads.

Frustration on getting extremely bad food for a lot of money in a Hotel.

Frustration of not finding a Hotel with affordable price.

Frustration with the rising college fees.

Frustration Frustration Frustration.

At these moments of life, some words do come out through our mouths. It will not solve the problem.It basically, is a sigh, which has vocabulary.

But does that make you a bad person?An indecent person?

Well, not necessarily.Cursing does not make you a bad person. It just means that, thats your way of dealing with the problem.

The pleasure of screaming 'fuck' in a empty room after a session of gruelling exams or lessons is unparalleled.The kind cursing that i am talking about is casual cursing. The ones that are spoken between friends in a conversation.Not during fights and arguments.

But should you do it?

Well, that depends from person to person and from situation to situation. It would be highly inapproriate to use that lingo,in business or in family surroundings, and sometimes, getting used to abusing may lead you to involuntarily utter stuff in front of people, who should be the last ones to hear you like that.

Cursing is an important characteristic in life, if you so choose adopt it. 

As for me, I better continue with completing my assignment, else my fucking teacher might put his snake in me.

In and out of the bus

I dont know how to start this post, I am actually not that great at wrting but being a part of this blog I have no choice but to write something and post it. I am writing somehting about my daily travel to my shitty college and the post is as follows...see i told you i am bad at writing you dont write 'as follows' and shit for a blog right....anyways its as follows...

I take a bus near my house and another near the COEP hostel and another near swargate and another near ok forget it and I believe in using public transport not because I dont have my own vehilce but out of my concern for the increasing pollution, and I am not being sarcastic. So why am I writng this post well the answer is written right at the beginning but on a serious note I actualy want to write something for the blog and hence this post.

Our very own PMPML BUS

It takes me more than an hour to reach my college on the way my eyes are either out of the window or on my cell phone(texting). There are many things that never change like the mad woman near the Shanivar Vada, she seems mad though I am not sure I might be the one, then the prostitutes standing at the brothel doors just ahead of the famous Dagdu Seth temple, the temple also doesnt change throughout the year except during the Ganeshotsav its suddenly a place everyone remembers and the bus route changes and i cant see the change. Bus is a pretty interesting place I am often accompanied by a labourer with the seductive smell of 'deshi daru' or by a fat lady or sometimes my brother who has started resembling Jimmy Hendrix and becomes the center of attention in the bus and I try to pretend this mad guy is not related to me. As the bus approaches swargate i find two shops with 'Deshi Darucha Dukan' written on the board and some daily wage labourers sleeeping with absolute calmness outside their doors. Sometimes it happens that a person gets caught without a ticket and shows temper on the ticket checker for not releasing him, its so funny to see a person hiding his mistake when everyone around him knows that he is the culprit. The habbit of texting that I have devloped for sometime now is compelling me to use some smileys but I will hold myself. Once a student got caught without a ticket and his excuse was 'leave me kaka i have exams' and the way he ran when the bus stopped was mind blowing the whole bus burst into laughter.

Now the B.R.T.S, well its the most amazingly misplanned and most beautifully misconstructed BRT though it has reduced time of travel it has narrowed down the road for other commutators(this might be my other reason for using the public transport) they have left no place for the people to cross the road. I everyday climb the wall like divider to cross the road, its not a problem for a 20 year old like me but the one with their back paining and knees aching its horrifying.

Last stop for me is Bharti Vidyapeeth whose red brick gate like the one during the era of Moughuls gives you a total misconception and I will not elaborate on the misconception. If I am lucky enough(which I am most of the days) I get a bus directly to my college and then I get down at the gate of my college whose name itself contains shit.

Now to end this painfull story with a happy note, I did not go to college today!!!

Mood Durga Pujo....

Pune as we know is a metropolitan. Therefore the population of Bengalis has significantly increased over the years .So Durga Puja is inevitable .Bengali associations organise Durga Puja in different parts of Pune. Durga Puja is one of most beautiful festivals I have ever seen.Being an atheist I only concentrate on the fun part of any festival not the "divine" part.Unlike any other festival Durga Puja offers  24 hours entertainment for five days.You can eat,drink,dance,watch girls(for men and vice versa).
The art which encapsulates the festival is truly admirable.When you go to the pandal and behold the beauty of the idol of "goddess" Durga you really start believing in her(I am sure of her absence though).
Now back to business, you get a lot to eat from Bengali mishti to rolls and kebabs and what not.Another
attraction are the girls. To finish it up I would say it's a fun festival and there's a lot to enjoy....I have given some address at the bottom...



Pujas in Pune:
1.Kali Bari Samiti, Kali Bari, Khadki,Near Khadki Station
2.Bangiya Sanskriti Samsad, Congress Bhavan ,Near Corporation
3.Bengalee Association, Modern College Ground
4.Punya Nagri Banga Samaj, Gagangiri Mangal Karyalay, Dhanowrie Road
5.Pune Camp Durga Puja Committee, Near Wanowrie Post Office
6.Pune Banga Sanmelani’s Purbo Poona Durgotsav, Hadapsar
7.NDA Sarbajanin Durga Puja, NDA Mandir
8.Banga Bharati, Pimpri,Near Tata Motors

 Dhaakis rolling with their Dhaaks

Kivy: A Crossplatform Framework for Creating NUI Applications

Kivy - Open source library for rapid development of applications that make use of innovative user interfaces, such as multi-touch apps.

Cross platform

Kivy is running on Linux, Windows, MacOSX and Android. You can run the same code on all supported platforms.
He's can use natively most inputs protocols and devices like WM_Touch, WM_Pen, Mac OS X Trackpad and Magic Mouse, Mtdev, Linux Kernel HID, TUIO. A multi-touch mouse simulator is included.

Business Friendly

Kivy is 100% free to use, under LGPL 3 licence. The toolkit is profesionnally developed, backed and used. You can use it in a product and sell your product.
The framework is stable and has a documented API, plus a programming guide to help for in the first step.

GPU Accelerated

The graphics engine is built over OpenGL ES 2, using modern and fast way of doing graphics.
The toolkit is comming with more than 20 widgets designed to be extensible. Many parts are written in C using Cython, tested with regression tests.

Numbers Please...

We change the song every day if anyone needs update on the song of the day......we can message it to his/her mobiles, this message is sent using a fully automated python program which checks for the change in song and notifies the followers if thers any change... please drop the  your number in the comment box

Anyone who needs the code can leave hie/her mail id here !!

Pycon India Workshop 2011

PyCon India 2011 is the primary Python conference in India. A purely volunteer effort, it is being hosted for the third time in India, and will attract some of the best Python developers in India and abroad.

The conference took place at Symbiosis Vishwabhavan, S.B. Road, Pune on 16th, 17th and 18th September 2011.

The conference consisted of tutorials, full length presentations, shorter lightning talks and open sprints and BoFs.

Picture Gallery :

Raymond Hettinger during the PYCON INDIA 2011 workshop. He is a Python core developer and consultant and a member of the PSF board. He's a prolific programmer and apart from his many high quality python recipes on ActiveState, he wrote the set and itertools modules of the Python standard library and much of the collectionsmodule.

                                    

Engineer's Day (15 Sep Every year :D)

I can write 70 words per minute but I can't read my own  Handwriting !!

I spend more time with my teachers than with my parents and family !!

I know the Euler's Theorem but I'm not sure what's my Shirt size !!

I have no life and i can prove this mathematically !!

I can translate English into Binary and  a 40/100 is Heaven for me !!

My xerox bills are higher than my semester fees !!

Can u guess who i am ????

Its not that difficult.........Yes, you got it right , I am the STUDENT OF ENGINEERING

History : Why we celebrate engineers day ??
In India, Engineer's day is celebrated on September 15. This day is celebrated in the honor of Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya (1861-1962), who was a notable Indian engineer, scholar, statesman and the Diwan of Mysore during 1912 to 1919. Internationally recognised for his genius in harnessing water resources, he was responsible for successful design and construction of several river dams, bridges and implementing irrigation and drinking water schemes all over India.

He served as the dewan of Mysore State and was considered to be the architect of the all-round development of Karnataka.

Among his most successful projects are the design and construction of the K.R. Sagar dam and its adjoining Brindavan Gardens, turn-around of the Bhadravati Iron and Steel Works, setting up of the Mysore Sandalwood Oil Factory and the founding of the Bank of Mysore.

Finally , this is for my all friends pursuing engineering :

We are Cheaters.. But we dont cheat Humanity!! 

We hate Study.. But we love Technology!! 

World cant Change us, But we can change the World!! 

We dont have Books in Hand.. But have Revolutionary Ideas in Mind!! 

We are the rarest common Race on Earth..!! Meet us.. We are the ENGINEERS!!!

I know what you guys thought before reading the history behind engineer's day , but yes what you thought might be true that this is the only day in the whole year when a engineer is actually happy !!! :D :D

Python:

It is the era of object oriented programming , we all are aware of the advantages of Object Oriented Programming over other programming approaches. Python which is an object oriented programming language is being used widely for developing applications for a wide range of platforms.Python is the future of object oriented programming.Python is a hit in open source world because it is free to use even for commercial purpose.It is closer to the real world than other object oriented programming languages.

logo


Here are some important link regarding python:
Everything about python(official site)
A free book on python

Indian Metalheads and Indian music

The first time I heard metal was way back when I was in 7th Std."Am I evil",A diamond head cover by metallica, caught my senses completely, that gigantic riff, incredible solos, and amazing shift in tempos and the outright rebellious lyrics, were something new to a 12 year boy who listens to bollywood and Linkin park, and tries to emulate screamo voices in public places. Then I opened myself to the realms of Metal.

There began my tryst with something called the metalhead scene.I started lisening to Metallica, Iron Maiden,Megadeth and all the others.I found out I had a distaste of Indian bands who emulate their icons without adding any new or any Indian element to it.Bands like Motherjane and Indian ocean, although both of them are not metal, need honourary mentions for their use of beautiful Indian music with western Instruments.
Metal is defined differently for different people. I define it as something which is extensively instrumental and which can be aggressive as well as beautiful at the same time.

In India, with all the bollywood item numbers ringing around in every corner, it is hard to imagine the how forlorn the music has actually got. It has commercialised to such an extent that no one cares about the music anymore.90% themes are love, sex, dil, pyaar...and again love.There is no other facet at all.To think Indian society is not that ahead when it comes to exposure to sexual content, 6 year olds sing "Munni badnaam hui", without knowing what that actually means,is pretty dumb.

Iron Maiden

The metal scene in India is pretty prevalent nowadays.Walk around in a street you will see a bunch of guys wearing "metallica" or surely a "Iron Maiden" T-shirt.Its pretty cool to know that there are guys who have the same taste in music and also a uniform with your fav. band on it!
And yet there are some guys I have met who proclaim-
 "Hey, look at me,I listen to such and such band.Everyone else are posers.This is Real Music.Indian Music sucks."
This,I believe, is a product of reading Youtube troll messages beneath a Metal video.These people do not know anything about Indian music.Yet they proclaim that it stinks.I believe this a by product of western influence and their attitudes towards the metal scenes.What ever they do,we not only embrace it,We copy it.
Indian music is very rich.No, I am not talking about Bollywood,even though some songs may not be as mediocre as the rest. Even though most of them could well be identified by devotional music, yet it is beautiful.Indian classical music is unparalled when it comes to emulating beauty.Listen to any violinist or a sitarist, you will swoon at their mercy.

Metallica

In India, with its rich history and cultural topographies, there is no aggressive music.I am quite bewildered with that since music is the representation of any emotion through a piece of instrument.Although I am aware of some South Indian percussional music which could give any fast double bass metal drummer a run for his money, it is still very secluded to temples and occasions.
The reason i like metal is that it can create windows of beauty and windows of pain in a very narrow platform of aggression.Take any Iron maiden song for that instance.There is an element of beauty in every song. Being a metalhead does not mean that he/she will not listen to anything other than metal.People generally listen to metal for its intensity, but that doesn't mean one can put down Indian classical music without any knowledge of it whatsoever.Being an Indian, and being a music lover, I believe we should be open to all kinds of instrumetals,be it western, eastern, or even northern or southern.
To sum it all,
I am an Indian.I am a metalhead. I like Indian Music.
Peace.
(by G Nithin and we all share the same feeling)

9/11 after Laden....

the start

10 years back this day proved to be a nightmare for the US security and intelligence , as three aeroplanes   hit different the heart of United States,the biggest economy of the world. Bin Laden was an instant hit among the Islamic fundamentalists.The incident shook the whole world. After that day US began a fight against terrorism which soon turned into a war against the innocent people living in areas dominated by Islamic hardliners.but they failed everytime to catch Laden. Every year they mourned this day with a feeling that the culprit is still free but this year the feeling must have been different as Laden's body is resting somewhere deep down in the Atlantic. Hope there will not be anymore Laden and anymore    9/11...

SliTaz

Another Linux Distributiion...worth trying... Easy to download and installs very fast and comes with a web browser too !!!

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Readers' Choice Awards 2010 | Linux Journal

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Another blast..Delhi High Court quakes...

As the bomb blasted in the Delhi High Court a little away from the Parliament , it again raised the cliched question "are we really safe in our country?". Delhi police has released sketches of two suspects , but seems clueless about the organisation which has carried out the blasts.The two possibilities could be, first the separatists in J&K or second a Pakistan based terrorist group...

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Death Penalty : to be or not to be.......

As T.N passed resolution against the death penalties of the killers of Rajiv Gandhi.......It is now time to see what will J&k and Punjab will do for Afzal and Bhullar......Telegraph's article

Sinhgad Fort Trek

Sinhgarh, or Sinhgad (Marathi: सिंहगड, The Lion's Fort), is a fortress located roughly 30 kilometres southwest of the city of Pune, India. It is situated on a hill rising 800 metres above the surrounding countryside. Previously called Kondana (Marathi: कोंढाणा), the fort has been the site of many important battles, most notably the battle of Sinhagad in 1670. It was also strategically located at the center of a string of other forts such asRajgad, Purandar and Torna.

Perched on an isolated cliff of the Bhuleswar range of the Sahyadri Mountains, its height above sea-level is 1350 metres. Given natural protection by its very steep slopes, the walls and bastions were constructed at only key places; it has two gates – the Kalyan Darwaza in the south-east and the Pune Darwaza in the north-east.

The Sinhgad Trek is of medium difficulty but the rewards of the toil is really fulfilling! Its less difficult as compared to Torna Fort Trek .Monsoon season is the best time to go for this as during this time the view is amazing and the hill is laden with wild flowers , and the fatigue will be less too. It can be tiring if you are planning to go in summer.Unlike Torna Fort here you can get drinking water and eatables at the top also but its recommended that you take your own food with you as well as carry some energy drinks with you.

Route :

If you are going for the trek from pune then you can also visit some other places like khadakwasla dam , National Defence Academy campus, Donaje village  which lie on the way to fort .You can also go to Kudje village, and Neelkanteshwar, located near Bahuli village just past Kudje which is not on the way but is very near from the fort , and you can plan to go there if the time permits !!

How to get there ??

You can choose any mode of transport to reach to the base , but its highly recommended to go early in the morning otherwise if u start trekking after the 10am it will be difficult to trek because of sun and you will also miss other scenic places nearby the fort . So go early for the Trek around 6.30am   

Torna Fort Trek

Torna Fort or Prachandgad is a large fort located in Pune district (at 1405 meters above sea-level , the tallest in the districy) in the state of Maharashtra , India. It is historically significant because it is first fort captured by Shivaji in 1643 , forming the nucleus of Maratha Empire. The name derives from Prachanda (Marathi for huge or massive) and gad (Marathi for fort).Its about 40 km southwest of Pune in the Sahyadri Mountain Range.

The Torna Trek is of medium difficulty but the rewards of the toil is really fulfilling! The narrow tracks on the way upleads to a beautiful landscape. Sinhagad can be seen at distance. After monsoons which is the best season for the Torna trek the entire way would be laden with wild flowers. With a few small seasonal waterfalls on the way the trek is truly enchanting. There are two two rock patches on the way up, a little slippery, not bad during ascending, but the descend would really prove tough. Once you enter the fort its a fairy land altogether - misty bed of flowers which no manicured garden can match in beauty.

Route :

If you are going for the trek from pune then you can also visit some other places like khadakwasla dam , pashet dam ,National Defence Academy campus , Kudje village, and Neelkanteshwar, located near Bahuli village just past Kudje which lie on the way to torna fort 

Khadakwasla Dam is situated 20 km from the City of Pune , so while going to Torna Fort it lies in the mid way , so one can go to scenic places around the dam include Peacock Bay, Kudje village, and Neelkanteshwar, located near Bahuli village just past Kudje.

                         (Khadakwasla Dam)

To get to the Torna (Bini Darwaja ) , one has to first reach the base village called Velhe. From Swargate

bus station in Pune, take a state transport bus with route 'Swargate - Velhe - Ghisar'. This bus will drop you