#India rose 4 places

[srbachchan]

DAY 5799

Jalsa, Mumbai Jan 2/3, 2024 Tue/Wed 6:28 AM

🪔 ,

January 03 .. birthday wishes to our Ef and greetings to all ..

Ef Himanshu Srivastava .. Ef Nandkeshor Dattatreya Paatil .. Ef Omnia from Egypt 🇪🇬 .. Ef Anuradha Raheja from Madurai .. and Ef Megha VJ from USA 🇺🇲 ..

.. ✨

🌹

Babuji .. a prominent member of the Freedom Fighters for Independent India .. and how his modest home was opened for secret meetings and a place to hide, for the freedom fighters ..

In one of his conversations with me he did describe how the great freedom fighter Chandrashekhar 'Azaad' had sought refuge at his home and remained rolled up in a 'bistar band' .. बिस्तर बंद .. the 'HoldAll' of my times, a canvas type rolled packaging with straps to tie it up, inside which was laid a mattress, pillows, your shoes and other essentials for travel .. all then rolled up and tied in leather straps, which then became an essential baggage element during travel .. it would and was opened up by releasing the straps, unrolling it and viola, a ready made bed - mattress pillows and all .. open it up on the bed or floor or a train berth .. most convenient and the most important baggage material for travel .. well on train and cars and bus travels .. until the airplane arrived as the more, now common mode of travel ..

So 'Azad' remained rolled up in the 'holdall' - a most convenient and descriptive word coined for this kind of baggage essential - and secretly spent a night there at Babuji's home .. rolled up in a holdall !!

The dedication and will of the freedom fighter ! Incredible !!

Chandrashekhar 'Azad' later took on the British forces, a large contingent, in the famous Allahabad park, then known as Alfred Park, alone, hiding behind a tree, firing bullets from his pistol , until when his ammunition was exhausted and when he felt he would be caught, he ended his life behind that tree, by shooting his last bullet .. at himself .. not wanting to give himself up to the British ..

The park has now been renamed in his honour .. The Chandrashekhar Azad Park ..

I spent a large amount of time at this park, for picnics etc., and this was where the popular Allahabad Flower Show used to be held, where I went with Ma .. she won several cups for Best Garden, and Best Flower, the rose, competition !

I remember seeing that famous tree, behind which Azad took shelter and fought the British contingent ..

The park was a large expanse of green and flowers and trees right almost in the centre of the city .. a canopied structure in the middle of the park, was inhabited by a Band, every Sunday, playing old tunes of the time ..

The park also had a most well kept grass tennis court, where I saw some great International players during their tournament, organised by the Allahabad Civic authorities .. I cannot remember their names .. was too young for that .. but they were from Britain, and some European countries , I think ..

They were invited for a tea reception at Justice Mootham's residence, the then Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court ..

If my memory does not fail me .. Justice Mootham ! yes that name is correct in memory ..

7 :00 AM

a bit misleading the time , for I have been up since 4 .. loitering about in my room, nursing a muscle pulled back in spasm, unable to sleep or rest .. so a selective spray, that boasts of 'pain relief' within minutes - they all do - was generously applied and ..

And ..

Well, the discomfort remains .. ahahaha ..

🤣🤣🤣

The greetings of the New Year, the greetings for the Birthday have all been overwhelmingly large, and this has provided an enormous amount of space occupation on the mobile .. which as I try to address, is becoming a most arduous task ..

SO ..

may I just acknowledge all that have sent their wishes and greetings here and express my inadequacy in making personal responses ..

PLEASE ..

my gratitude then and my love for this ..

❤️

Laziness persists .. and that induces a temperament , which is difficult to describe ..

The absence of routine may sound odd, but routine puts and gathers the body in a way that keeps it going .. else , one never has a solution as to what can be done to occupy time .. and several essentials loose their essentiality !

Making sense ..

No ..

Well then too bad ! 🥹

Was going to suggest, you get lazy to experience and endorse my words, but that would be so ethically incorrect ..

Hence its a wish for the effervescent day ahead .. and my love 😍

Amitabh Bachchan

PS : I was right .. 👇🏽

Orby Howell Mootham

Sir Orby Howell Mootham (17 February 1901 – 19 July 1995) was a British lawyer, legal writer, and judge who was the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court from 1955 to 1961, the third-last British judge to serve in India.

[rambheem-is-real]

Gold Rings and Black Roses Pt 4

pt 3 here

-

On the fourth day Aadhya tries her luck in going outside. It’s been a while since she’s been exposed to direct sunlight, staying inside the house all these days. She walks up to the main door cautiously, but the men standing guard don’t even look at her. Now or never, she thinks, and takes a step outside. When she isn’t immediately shot, Aadhya slowly makes her way down the steps outside of the mansion until she gets to the gravel road. Here she notices the outside guards staring at her, but they make no move to bring her back inside, so Aadhya keeps walking, turning to see the mansion from the outside. 

Somehow it looks a lot less scary now than it had when she was first brought here, though that was because Aadhya had thought she was being led to her death then. She’s no architecture buff, but she thinks it’s beautiful. She’s also more familiar with the inside of the mansion now, both in terms of the layout and the people. Aadhya’s made friends with some of the women working for Radha Rama, especially the tall one that gives her clothes to wear for the day, Sara. She’s spent a few hours every day talking to Sara and the other women about her life in America, and listening to their stories of Khansaar. She’s come to the conclusion that Khansaar seems like a terrible place to grow up, what with the constant threat of being murdered, but maybe Aadhya’s just soft. Sara had spoken of it with barely concealed longing, and Aadhya had sympathized with being stuck in a place far from home. She didn’t sympathize with the rest of it, though. 

“I miss Khansaar’s government,” Sara had said last night. “Here in India, there’s way too many laws against killing people,” she scoffed. 

“...I think that’s the case in every other country in the world actually,” Aadhya had replied. 

Aadhya thinks about the rest of the conversation as she walks around the building, taking in the sights around her. She had gotten Sara and another woman working for Obullamma, Rohini, to spill about Radha Rama’s ex-husband. 

“It was a political marriage, Bhaarava was a powerful warrior and Raja Mannar wanted him in his control,” Rohini explained. 

Sara nodded. “And of course ammagaru didn’t oppose the marriage, she was willing to do anything for her father.” Rohini gave her a look. “Well, she wasn’t opposed to Bhaarava either,” Sara continued cautiously, looking like she was nervous of Radha Rama appearing behind her. “He was attractive, competent, and knew how to play the game of politics. Ammagaru… really liked him.”

Aadhya frowned. “Then what happened? Did he die?”

“Well yes, just after he was exposed as a Shouryanga spy,” Rohini spits. 

Aadhya perks up at the familiar name. Was this man related to her too?? 

“But Deva killed him and many of his soldiers in his quest to hand Varadha the throne.” 

Oh. Probably not, then. 

“Good riddance,” Sara says. “He betrayed our ammagaru, that pig. Even before he went for the throne, he sided with Rudra against her during the ceasefire.” 

So Radha Rama probably only felt resentment towards her ex-husband, Aadhya thinks as she makes it to the other side. She gasps as she realizes the back of the building is a huge garden, plants clearly only recently trimmed and wrangled into place. Delighted, she runs over, examining the different plants. She has no idea about the differences between the flowers, but she thinks they’re very pretty. Further along the path are ornate benches to sit on, and carved statues. There seems to be a fountain in the distance, in the center of the garden. 

Aadhya loves it. 

She spends the next hour exploring, and just enjoying the fresh outside air. Towards the end of the hour, she spies a cluster of beautiful black roses. The petals of the roses are pitch-black, looking almost alien amongst the rest of the white lilies and jasmines surrounding them. As she brushes her hand through them, Aadhya’s reminded of the black saree that Radha Rama wore on the first day she saw her, before she changed into the yellow one. She tilts her head, considering. Actually they remind her of Radha Rama in general. She knows there’s probably a superstition about black roses somewhere, that they represent mourning and loss, but beyond that Aadhya can see the elegance and mystery that surrounds the flowers, much like Radha Rama herself. Even though she was in mourning, and had been for the last seven years over her husband, her kingdom, and her father, Radha Rama had stayed strong throughout, still managing to be so regal despite her situation. 

“Aadhya Krishnakanth.” Aadhya jumps as she hears a voice behind her, turning to find a bored man looking at her. “You are expected for lunch in ten minutes.” 

“Oh, I’ll be there then,” Aadhya says, and it looks like the man is satisfied as he walks away.

She turns back to the flowers. Has Radha Rama ever received a bouquet of flowers in her life? Was Bhaarava the type to pamper her? Aadhya frowns as she thinks back to what she’s heard about the man. Probably not. She makes her decision, plucking a handful of black roses from the ground. She looks around and spots someone that looks like the gardener, digging a few yards away from her. Aadhya makes her way over to him. 

“Hello!” She attempts a friendly greeting. The man, who was muttering angrily to himself, turns to look at her. 

“What do you want,” he sneers. 

Aadhya’s taken aback by the blatant hostility emerging from this man, but soldiers on regardless. “So sorry to bother you, but could you please dethorn these roses?”

The gardener stares at her. “...Aren’t you the kidnapped girl?”

Aadhya squirms. “Yes?”

He looks at the roses in her hand, then back up to her face. “Who the fuck are the roses for? You’ve been here for less than a week and you want romance?”

She blushes. “Radha Rama, actually.” He stares at her some more, then a grin spreads across his face.

“I want to see this play out. Give me the roses.” He pulls a device out of his back pocket, overflowing with other gardening tools, and proceeds to clip and dethorn the stems of the roses. He hands them back to Aadhya when he’s done. “Here you go. Hope you go out quickly.”

“...Thank you,” Aadhya says, and tries to walk back inside as fast as she can. She knows she’s impulsive, but hopefully this doesn’t backfire on her as much as the gardener clearly thinks it will. 

-

Aadhya enters the dining room with the flowers held behind her back, wanting it to be a surprise. Radha Rama is already seated at the other end of the table as is their usual arrangement, scrolling through her phone. Aadhya had successfully convinced the older woman to download a few social media apps yesterday, but not before Radha Rama had gone through every sentence of the terms and conditions for each app. 

“I am not giving a random businessman my private information,” she sneered. But Radha Rama had seemed to find Twitter funny, which Aadhya counted as a win, as she believed getting the older woman on the Internet was the best way to integrate her into general society. She wasn’t royalty anymore, and it wasn’t healthy for her to hold onto that grudge for so long. Aadhya hoped Radha Rama would learn to have some fun soon. 

Radha Rama looks up at Aadhya’s entrance, raising an eyebrow at Aadhya’s hidden hands. “Are you going to try to shoot me?” Aadhya… decides not to be offended at how relaxed she is under the assumption that Aadhya has a gun behind her back. 

“Nope. I brought you a gift.” Radha Rama blinks in surprise, and Aadhya shoves her nerves down. She presents the loose bouquet of black roses, holding them out in front of her like a shield. 

When Radha Rama keeps staring at the flowers, Aadhya shifts on her feet. “I got you some roses from the garden. They’re black, and I thought of your saree, and also how cool you are…” Aadhya trails off as the older woman looks up at her, eyes piercing through her. 

“You got me roses?” Radha Rama’s voice is hoarse. “Because of… how cool I am?” 

“Well yeah. You haven’t killed me yet, and you’re mysterious and beautiful just like these roses.” 

Radha Rama lifts her arms to take the bouquet, gently stroking one of the roses as she inspects the flowers. 

“Radha Rama?” Aadhya asks. “Do you like them?” Aadhya hasn’t ever seen Radha Rama this unresponsive, and she’s nervous. 

“Rama.” The older woman says, and there’s a hint of a shy smile on her face now. “Call me Rama. It’s what my dad and-” she stops herself. “It’s what my dad used to call me, and it’s the name I prefer.” 

“Ok,” Aadhya says, relieved that Rama doesn’t hate the gift. “Rama, then.”

“I like the roses,” Rama says mildly, but Aadhya can see the blush high on her cheeks. Oh. Aadhya had done that, had put that blush there. Her heart starts to beat faster as she realizes her crush may have the remote possibility of being requited. 

Rama turns her head to the doorway. “Obullamma!” she calls. When the woman comes in, Rama hands her the flowers. “Put these in a vase in my room.”

Obullamma gingerly takes the flowers and leaves, not before shooting Aadhya a look, a mix of jealousy and bewilderment. Aadhya tries not to do anything as childish as sticking her tongue out at Obullamma. 

Rama turns back to Aadhya, then sits back down, gesturing for Aadhya to take her seat. “Let’s eat,” she says, smiling. Aadhya obeys, feeling very much like she’s accidentally rolled a Nat 20 on a charisma check. 

The lunch tastes exceptionally good that day, Aadhya thinks. 

-

Bilal finds Aadhya in her room sometime in the evening. 

“You gave flowers to WHO?” he asks incredulously as he enters. 

Aadhya sets aside the book she was reading, a political text that Sara had given her. She found it boring, but apparently it was a childhood favorite of Rama’s. Aadhya can unfortunately see that, all the talk about authoritarianism and the duties of a centralized government was right up Rama’s alley. 

“I gave them to Rama.” She shrugs, but can’t help the flush that runs through her at the thought of Rama’s smile at the gift. “She liked them.” 

Bilal stares some more. “Is this my life then? Am I to spend the rest of it running after Shouryangas who fall in love with Mannars?”

“Bilal!” Aadhya blushes. “No one’s in love with each other.”

Bilal scoffs, clearly disbelieving. “Uh huh. And you’re secretly Amma’s favorite child. Right.” He sits at the edge of her bed, keeping a respectable distance. “Whatever you’re doing to keep Radha Rama on your good side, keep doing it, but don’t get too close. Do whatever you can to get yourself out of here, then run. Don’t look back. Don’t come back. Forget about Khansaar and your biological family.”

Aadhya frowns. Her first instinct is to defend Rama, but she remembers that she’s here because Rama did have her kidnapped. But that was only to get Deva here, right? “Well, what’s the update on Deva? I’m here because of my brother, right? When’s he supposed to get here then?”

Bilal shrugs, looking uncertain. “I’m not sure, thalli. But when he does come, you should escape with him. He’s not going to let Radha Rama live when he realizes she’s kidnapped his little sister.”

“You assume he’ll care,” she mutters under her breath, but Bilal hears it. “Oh no, thalli. If Deva truly sees you as his, he’ll protect you in any way he can. He’ll tear Radha Rama to pieces if he needs to.” When Aadhya looks up, ready to protest, Bilal sighs, and lifts a hand to stop her. “You can’t protect her from him, Aadhya. You only know her good side. Deva has seen her at her worst, and if he realizes she was initially trying to set him up to kill Varadha, he’ll be even more angry.” Aadhya remembers what Bilal had told her days ago, about how Deva had beheaded a lord for daring to grip Varadha’s collar. “Think about it. That’s all I ask. Try to save yourself, Aadhya. If not for yourself, at least for your father who’s probably very worried.” 

Once Bilal leaves, Aadhya lapses into thought. Deva, with his history, has every right to kill Rama, and it would be the smart thing to do for her to use the opportunity to escape. But Aadhya realizes, with a jolt, that she really doesn’t want Rama dead, that she’ll truly miss the woman. She resolves to try to negotiate with Deva, whenever he shows up, bargain for Rama’s life somehow. 

-

Late that night Aadhya goes back outside. The skies are clear and she wants to see the stars, suddenly feeling homesick. As she tilts her head up to the sky, letting the vastness of space calm her down, she spots a familiar figure sitting on the roof. What was Rama doing up there? She wonders, but if Rama’s up there it means the guards will let her go up there. Aadhya finds the stairs that lead to the balcony of the mansion, giving an awkward wave to the unamused man standing on patrol near the staircase. She climbs up the stairs, then climbs up the ladder that leads to the rooftop. 

Rama turns her head to the side slightly at Aadhya’s approach, but seems to realize who it is and relaxes, facing forward again. Aadhya takes the opportunity to observe Rama from the back. 

The older woman is still in the red Banarasi saree she was in this morning, patterned with silver diamond designs. Aadhya absentmindedly wonders what her pajamas look like, or if she sleeps in the sarees she wears all day. Rama’s thick curls are gathered into a french braid, falling beautifully down her back, and Aadhya blushes as she realizes one of the black roses she picked this morning was carefully placed in the center, surrounded by silver earring chains. Rama’s still sitting as straight-backed on the roof as she does in chairs, but the set of her shoulders seems more relaxed than usual. As Aadhya sits next to her, crossing her legs, Aadhya’s breath catches as she observes the way Rama’s face gleams in the moonlight. The soft white light turns the hair in the front silver, making it look almost like a crown. 

Rama glances at her, brown eyes shining from the moonlight. “Couldn’t sleep?”

“I wanted to see the stars, so I came outside. Then I saw you up here, so I came upstairs,” Aadhya explains. 

Rama nods. “The stars are beautiful tonight.” 

Aadhya just barely stops herself from responding to that the way she really wants to. “Yes, they are,” is what she replies with instead. “Is this a habit of yours? Coming outside to stargaze at night?”

“I never did anything as simple as stargazing in Khansaar, no.” Rama sighs. “I was too busy for things that weren’t related to politics. It was always ‘Rama, there’s a rebellion that needs to be put down in one of our territories, authorize the military’, or ‘Rama, can you go sort out whatever’s wrong with your brother’, or ‘Rama, your husband didn’t show up to the lords meeting today, find out what happened’. I was my father’s finest weapon, and I’m proud of it. But in the grand scheme of things, does all that I did even matter? If the owner of the weapon is dead, then what good is the weapon?” 

She leans back a little, closing her eyes. “That bastard brother of mine didn’t even give my father an honorable death. Decapitated him right in front of everyone, then went and sat on the throne like it was his birthright. Of course that boyfriend of his slaughtered everyone on his way to the throne, then offered the crown he picked off my father’s corpse to my brother.” She swallows, and Aadhya can hear a deep bitterness in her voice. “It was still stained with my father’s blood when your brother crowned mine, did you know that?” Aadhya can only shake her head. “All those years Raja Mannar still kept that boy in his heart, even after he threw away my father’s greatest gift. He wanted to make him a lord, was willing to upset the Ghaniyars for it. And what did Varadha give him in return? Nothing. He kept taking and taking until he took what mattered most to my father.” 

The two sit in silence for a few seconds, Aadhya thinking about her response. She doesn’t want to anger Rama, doesn’t want to ruin the vulnerable mood between them, but as a neutral observer she thinks Raja Mannar is also very much in the wrong.

“Your father shouldn’t have punished him so harshly for what he did as a child,” Aadhya says hesitantly. Rama looks at Aadhya sharply, but Aadhya decides to keep going. “Not to mention killing Varadha’s friend’s entire family, and turning a blind eye to Varadha’s suffering all the years after.” 

Rama scoffs, quickly standing up, and Aadhya’s stomach turns. Oh, now she's done it. All the times she kept pushing, hoping that Rama would be charmed by her instead of offended, and now the worst has actually happened. 

“Of course you’d take his side,” Rama hisses at her. “You’re one of them Shouryangas too. I don’t know what I expected from you.” This is the first time Aadhya has seen Rama angry, and the shock is made worse by the fact that it’s directed at her. 

“Rama wait! I have nothing to do with the Shouryangas, I just got here! And I can’t just blindly take your side either,” Aadhya tries to explain. 

“No.” Suddenly the anger is gone, replaced by sadness. “No you can’t.” Rama wraps her arms around herself after a sudden cold gust of wind, and Aadhya’s horrified to realize that she looks close to tears. “No one takes my side, not even my own brothers, and not even my own fucking husband.”

“Rama…” Aadhya trails off, not knowing what to say. 

Without another word, Rama turns and descends the ladder. 

Aadhya stays up there for a few more hours by herself, feeling miserable and even more homesick than she was when she first came outside.

-

@illusions-of-serendipity @just-a-lazy-person @nini9224 @recentinterest @omgdontlookatmeuniverse @greatkittykoala @theimmortalprince

[best-yandere-tournament]

Tentative list for best horror and thriller girls:

1. Maria from Mad Father

2. Reiko Mikami from Another

3. Bridget, from the webtoon Nonesuch,

4. Ha-Im, from webtoon Never-ending Darling.

5. Riot Maidstone (from Hello From The Hallowoods),

6. Martha from Ravenous 1999

7. Grace, from Ready or Not (2019).

8. Regan Abbott (A Quiet Place)

9. Ava (Ex Machina)

10. Beatrice (Over the Garden Wall)

11. Jennifer from Jennifer’s Body

12. Rozy from the guy upstairs

13. Rachel (Rachel Rising comic book series)

14. Amanda Young, SAW,

15. Wendy Torrance, “The Shining” movie

16. Pannochka - Viy

17. Blind Mag (Repo! The Genetic Opera)

18. Sasha from the magnus archives

19. Mina Harker (Dracula

20. Lex Foster from Black Friday.

21. Charlotte from Hello Charlotte!

22. Carrie White, Carrie

23. Scarlet, I’m the Grim Reaper

24. So Jung-hwa, Strangers from Hell

25. Dana Scully, The X Files

26. Akane Tsunemori, Psycho Pass

27. Mima Kirigoe, Perfect Blue

28. Nina Fortner, Monster

29. Eva Heinemann, Monster

30. Edith Cushing, Crimson Peak

31. Lucille Sharpe, Crimson Peak

32. Ellen Ripley, Alien

33. Clarice Starling, Silence of the Lambs

34. Lisa Reisert, Red Eye

35. Laurie Strode, Halloween

36. Kayo Hinazuki, Erased

37. Hondomachi, ID Invaded

38. Yonaka Kurai, Mogeko Castle

39. Ib, IB

40. Re-L Mayer, Ergo Proxy

41. Kyun Yoon, Bastard

42. Jisu, Sweet Home

43. Lauren Sinclair, Purple Hyacinth

44. Nita, Market of Monsters series

45. Rose the Hat from Doctor Sleep (2019 movie and Stephen King book)

46. Sidney Prescott from the original Scream movies,

47. Jade Daniels, Indian Lake Trilogy/My Heart is a chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones

48. Villanelle, killing eve

49. Harrow from gideon the ninth/Locked Tomb

50. Maggie, Everything is Fine

51. Chaerin Eun, Surviving Romance

52. Finn, I’m Dating a Psychopath

53. Rayne Liebert, Homesick

54. Ha-im Yun, Never Ending Darling

55. Ashlyn Banner, School Bus Graveyard

56. Chae-ah Han, Trapped

57. Jeongmin Choi, Dreaming Freedom

58. Frankie, Stagtown

59. India Stoker, Stoker

60. Nam-ra, All of Us Are Dead

61. Ji-woo, My Name

62. Nanno, Girl From Nowhere

63. Emerald, Nope

64. Jessica Jones

65. Susy, Wait Until Dark

66. Margot, The Menu

67. Vera, Just Like Home

68. Rosemary, Rosemary’s Baby

69. Gertrude Robinson, The Magnus Archives

70. Alex, Oxenfree

71. Margaret Lanternman/The Log Lady, Twin Peaks,

72. Audrey Horne, Twin Peaks,

73. Su-an, Train to Busan

74. Ji-a, Tale of the Nine Tailed

75. Cha Ji-won, Flower of Evil

76. Coraline

77. Helen Lyle, Candyman

78. Nancy, Nightmare on Elm Street

79. Mrs. De Winter, Rebecca

80. Mrs. Danvers, Rebecca

81. Shiki Ryougi, Garden of Sinners

82. Kirsty Cotton, Hellraiser

83. Pearl, Pearl

84. Take-ju, Thirst

85. Suzy Bannion, Suspiria

86. Lain, Serial Experiments Lain

87. Asami Yamazaki, Audition

88. Naru, Prey

89. Eli, Let the Right One In

90. The Girl, A Girl walks home alone at night

91. Cecilia, Immaculate

92. Evie Alexander, The Invitation

93. Maren, Bones and All

94. Michelle, 10 Cloverfield Lane

95. Thomasin, The VVitch

96. Emma, None Shall Sleep

97. Contestanta, A Dowry of Blood

98. Brigid O’Shaughnessy, Maltese Falcon

99. Sandra Voyter, Anatomy of a Fall

100. Lisa, Rear Window

[indian-kahani]

Day 4: Ten Steps Forward, Two Steps Back

I know, I know, it's a day late :P I was feeling really bad today and tbh just wanted to write something, so here you go.

Tagging: @tumhari-bhairavi and @morally-gayy because you both loved Durga x Saranika ;)

also @desi-lgbt-fest since ig it counts as a submission.

Might delete later but as of now here you go:

Durga stood stonily in front of the officer with disgust smeared across his face.

“Fucking unnatural.” He shook his head, curling his lip at her. “Who do you think you are, disrespecting India like this? Bringing shame to the army.”

It’s all for Saranika. She repeated the mantra that had brought her this far, over and over to herself. We are not immoral.

“Anyway-” the officer cleared his throat, eyeing her with utter revulsion. She could see him edging away from her, as if being gay was a disease that he could catch. “-Officer Sharma, you are honourably discharged from the Indian Army as of today.”

Durga let out a little shuddering breath. Honourably discharged.

“Honourably?” she questioned, the ghost of a sure smile lingering across her lips. “What, was my father’s influence so strong that you couldn’t even bear to discharge his daughter dishonourably?”

The officer sat down behind his desk, waving his hand at her in dismissal. The gesture stung more than she would like to admit. “Collect your things and leave. Your taxi arrives in half an hour.”

Durga stepped out of the office without saluting, head held high and with a smile on her face.

She had been discharged in the name of love, because of a system that continued to deny her identity.

Her lifelong dream… gone, and yet…

She couldn’t have been happier.

Walking down the corridor in her perfectly shining boots, keenly aware that this would be one of the last times she felt this way, wearing the uniform of the Indian Army, she called her beloved fiancée.

“Saranika?” her heartbeat quickened as the smile of a young girl deep in love twinkled in her eyes. “Ay, meri jaan. Honourable discharge. You?”

“Honourable discharge as well, Dee.” Saranika sniffed from the other end, clearly close to tears. “Papa ji’s influence is still strong, I see.”

-

As Durga prepared to step into the taxi, a young soldier ran up to her, her hair a mess and holding her cap in her hands. “Sindh-ji! Sindh-ji!”

Her voice was frantic, and although Durga was tired, something told her to listen to the woman. “Yes? Was there something you needed?”

“Just one minute, please.” The woman looked around furtively, beckoning Durga to a corner. “You got discharged because… you’re a lesbian, right? Do they do that to all of us?”

Us?

The woman’s eyes were wide and frightened, and Durga crumpled looking at her, just another girl that had to make the choice between her country and her identity.

“Yes.”

Her voice was barely a murmur.

“Please don’t abandon us.” The girl begged. “We need change here. I don’t want to leave… but I want to love someone, someday. Please, Sharma-ji.”

Her voice trembled and shook as she spoke, twisting the fabric of her cap between her fingers. Durga’s eyes were filled with tears, but she placed a comforting hand on the younger woman’s soldier. “Of course I will.”

Durga’s voice was soft, but resolute.

“I’ll fight for as long as I need to.”

-

Saranika had never seen Durga so frustrated. Always calm and collected, she was used to finding a logical solution to each and every one of her problems.

“Fuck-” Durga threw a cushion across the room, turning away to bury her head in her hands. Saranika wrapped her arms around her fiancée, wishing to ease her pain, even a little. “There are so many people just like us, baby.” Saranika sucked in a breath, seeing her red-rimmed eyes.

“It’s fine.” Saranika reassured her. “We’ll find a way to help them.”

In the next few months, they were full of plans. Durga’s and her father’s influences in the army was high, and there were many willing to listen to them. Around the world, support for their campaign rose higher and higher, the hashtag #LesbianArmy trending worldwide.

We are willing to fight!

Campaigns, reports, articles, websites, documentaries – the list was endless. Durga and Saranika held their faith. They were fighting for something they believed in, fighting for something they lived by.

It was a hard battle. They received as much hate as they did support. Daily, slurs were sent anonymously, hate comments left on websites.

It was a hard battle, yes – but they had each other, and so they persevered.

Three years later, the official bill was passed allowing those of any sexual orientation to join proudly in the Indian Army, and serve their country in the way they had always wanted to. Among those, Durga and Saranika stood proudly, hands intertwined: showing the world who they were, loving each other as much as they loved their nation.

That day, someone spat at them. They received a fair amount of disgusted looks and cruel sneers.

Despite that, they carried on.

Ten steps forward, and two steps back… is still eight steps forward.

Again idk anything about the army, literally everyone is referred to as officer so feel free to imagine appropriate ranks, etc etc. hope you enjoy regardless!

[critter-of-the-day]

5th of August 2024: Ring-necked Parakeet

Today’s daily critter is the Ring-necked Parakeet (Alexandrinus krameri), also known as the Rose-ringed Parakeet [1]. You may find many older sources still referring to them as Psittacula krameri, as the genus change to Alexandrinus only came about 8 years ago [2]. They are native to Central Africa and South Asia, but have spread out much further than that [1]. They are around 40 cm in size [3]

They are considered an invasive species in many places, including Europe, the Middle East, the Canaries, Australia, the US, Japan, and South Africa [1]. One meta-analysis in 2015 concluded there are at least 90 different populations with a total of at least 85,000 birds in Europe alone [4]. Despite many humans (Homo sapiens) understandably enjoying seeing them around, they do have a negative impact on native fauna, doing everything from displacing birds to killing rodents. They are herbivores, however squirrels have also been seen to attack Ring-necked Parakeet chicks, so this may be a form of prevention [5].

Even when they stick to plants humans aren’t always happy with them. Especially in India, where they are actually native, they may negatively impact the outcomes of crops such as corn, sorghum, and sunflower seeds, and are considered one of the worst pest species there. They tend to go for fruit instead in winter [5] or in locations where they are easier to come by [6].

They may have some positive impacts in that they enlarge naturally occurring cavities so they can nest in them, afterwards leaving them behind for other birds to use [5]. Ring-necked Parakeets are, like many parrots, social birds, usually found in groups of 2-8 [6]. They can also be very noisy, emitting loud, screeching calls [7].

Sources:

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [Image]

[mycolourfullworld]

Here are some facts about the Moors in Europe: They ruled Spain and Portugal 754 years before the fall of the Mali Empire.

1. The Moors brought a wide variety of new fruits and vegetables to Europe.

The Moors brought many new fruits and vegetables to Spain and Europe that were considered exotic novelties at the time. These products included pomegranates, peaches, lemons, oranges, saffron, cotton, rice, silk, sugar cane, and a variety of other fruits and vegetables. Even though they are commonplace today, the Spanish at the time considered these objects to be almost alien. Several centuries later, they are still important components of Spanish food and production.

2. The Moors Developed Far More Rapidly Than Medieval Europe

The Arabs had an advanced civilization known for its architecture, science, mathematics, and exploration when they conquered the Iberian Peninsula. When the Moors arrived in Spain, they brought with them architectural innovations that astounded European stonemasons. The Alhambra, a fortress and palace complex in Granada, Spain, is one of the most stunning examples of Moorish architecture. Its construction started in 1238, and its grandeur and beauty far outstripped those of any comparable palace. It is still one of the palaces of the Islamic world that has been preserved the best today.

3. Chess Became Popular Across Europe Because of the Moors

Chess has been played for more than 1,500 years, but the Moors brought the game in its present form to Europe. The Moors brought chess to Spain after it had spread from India to the Arabic world. It spread through Europe's courts and society very quickly after it gained popularity. Chess was a well-liked game of strategy and endurance in medieval Spain. Chess was first mentioned in writing in Spain in the Catalan Testament in 1010 AD.

4. The Moors Took Their Hygiene Very Seriously.

A Moor, according to a catchphrase, "would rather go without bread than without soap." The Moors were known for their love of cleanliness. Due to their customs and the demands of their religion, the Moors valued cleanliness and often bathed; in the Moorish town of Cordoba, there were about 900 public baths. This made it possible to maintain proper hygiene at a time when plumbing and running water were still uncommon. Some sources also assert that the Moors introduced some kind of soap to Europe, ushering in a new era of hygiene.

5. The Moors Placed a High Value on Education

The Moors placed a high value on education and made sure that everyone in their realm had access to it. This was in stark contrast to medieval Europe, where education was only available to the richest nobles and clergy and where 90% of the populace was still illiterate. In fact, there have even been instances of European Kings who are illiterate. The Moors founded 17 prestigious universities in Spain, including ones in Cordoba, Malaga, Granada, Seville, Toledo, and Almeria.

6. Many Moorish Words Are Still Used Today in Spanish and English

The Moors introduced new ideas and words to Europe after they arrived, and these quickly assimilated into the common language. Up to 4,000 words in the Spanish language have Arabic roots, including algebra, checkmate, and influenza. Cipher, alcohol, chemistry, typhoon, orange, alkaline, cable, and nadir are additional examples.

7. The Moors Were Very Resourceful

The old Roman irrigation systems that the Moors discovered in Iberia had great potential, so they quickly adopted, improved, and revived them. This increased agricultural productivity and boosted the economy. Additionally, they were able to grow new crops they had brought, including figs, dates, apricots, lemons, and oranges. Thanks to the Moors' creative irrigation methods, Spain quickly rose to become one of Europe's top producers of crops.

8. The Moors brought significant Changes to Spanish Cuisine

For Europeans, spices were an uncommon commodity, and their cuisine was frequently regarded as bland. By bringing over hundreds of unusual spices, fresh recipes, and cutting-edge cooking techniques, the Moors altered that. We still eat a variety of wonderful dishes as a result of this culinary revolution. The spice markets of the Moors were renowned for their variety and provided options for chefs of all types. These medieval markets must have had the most amazing sights and smells.

[blitzkriege37]

What factions do you headcanon exist post-Tragedy? There's the Future Foundation, Towa City, and the various Despairs, but I don't see anything else about how societies exists in the DanganRonpa-verse, especially with their whole fascination on the semi-supernatural Talent that sorta caused the Tragedy in the first place.

I don’t have exact factions (Mainly because I was a child in 2012, the year THH takes place), but I do have general ideas of what might some factions look like, and what generally said cliques that rose from the collapse would act towards junko. Also headcanons for how some areas might collapse and redevelop.

1.Islamists would be very present in the Middle East. That era was around the peak of ISIS, and I think the tragedy increasing radicalization would only make that worse. Speaking of religious radicalization….

2. The American right-wing “tea party” faction, would be a heavy presence in the former United States. Their cliques would vary from corporatism to outright religious theocracies. Heck, junko’s influence could’ve fanned their flames into facism, being the way the union collapsed in this timeline, akin to the US today.

3. The absolute monarchies collapse. All of them are prevalent on a central figure, ones that I have no doubt Junko would get their entire lines killed to force conflict. This would be a definite way to get an opening through infighting in Saudi Arabia and the gulf states. This also applies to NK and similar regimes.

4.Africa’s borders would be nearly completely redrawn. With the primary motivation for the borders being nobody wanting to move colonial borders, the collapse of Europe would make these borders obsolete. Whatever ethnic tension came up would fracture the post colonial states not only de jure, but de facto.

5.Any multiethnic states are almost completely rended apart. Whether it be one breakaway, or outright collapse, nations like Indonesia, Malaysia, and India would face ethnic violence.

6.Everyone gets a trade shock. The entire model of globalism in the 2010’s would be the equivalent of MAD, one junko would exploit. States like the oil states and Singapore would be hit the hardest, while states with notable sanctions (Iran,Cuba) would ironically be spared from this, although their governments would go through some things.

7.The states aligned with despair have levels in how bad they are. You have cliques who allied with despair out of convenience, and you have 77-B controlled states like Novoselic. Their brutality would vary between, although still be bad, considering the worldwide warlord era. When junko died, many of the less extreme cliques would either have their leaders commit suicide, turned to her side fully, and have less extreme people take over, or outright purge their despairite influence best they could. These states would be accepted back into the world community, to the FF chagrin.

8.There would be a notable split after everything settled somewhat. The FF would face heavy opposition from a myriad of groups, the most notable most likely being of some leftist variety, considering the oligarchic and unequal ideas of innate talent. I could see the FF contesting the very archipelago of Japan with the Japanese Communist Party. Even after post-DR3, where Makoto would definitely want to reconcile with the left, they wouldn’t be very trusting of the FF’s intentions.

9. A ton of city states. Whether they split off from a greater entity, or were forcefully ejected like Singapore, I’d expect for a lot of nations to fracture down to the city at some places.

10.And as my last one, it’s more about how the tragedy (or collapse, as it would probably be known) would be viewed. I’d say the Arab spring would be inherently tied to it, due to similar ways of organizing and wanting to overthrow established regimes. Heck, I could see more reactionary people arguing that the collapse did not begin with the tragedy, but the popular overthrow of the government of Tunisia.

Again, these are just my thoughts on the whole thing, so it’s really up to you.

[the-puffinry]

But among classical writers, it is Ovid (43 B.C.–A.D. 18) whose satirical use of parrots proves most outrageous and enduring. This use occurs in the sixth poem of book 2 of his Amores: a sixty-two-line elegy for the death of his girlfriend’s rose-ringed parakeet. Beginning the exercise in a heroic vein, Ovid summons all feathered creatures to join in the obsequies for Corinna’s pet: Parrot, winged mimic from the dawn-lands of India, has died: come in flocks, ye birds, to his funeral. Come, pious poultry, and beat your breasts with your wings, and rend your tender cheeks with the unyielding claw… As for the Ismarian tyrant’s crime, which you, Philomela, lament, that same lament has been satisfied in its own  time; turn now to the sad last rites of a rare bird. Your cause of grief for Itys is great, but it is ancient history. (2.6.1–4, 7–10; my translation). Both Ovid’s occasion and his tone here suggest mockery. Certainly—to compare early things with late—that is how the same subject matter functions in Evelyn Waugh’s gleeful trashing of all things American, The Loved One (1948). Waugh’s protagonist, the English expatriate Dennis Barlow, embraces a career as a pet undertaker in Los Angeles, which career culminates in a parrot funeral reminiscent of Ovid’s elegy: “Mr. Joyboy would have an open casket. I advised against it and, after all, I know. I’ve studied the business. An open casket is all right for dogs and cats who lie down and curl up naturally. But parrots don’t. They look absurd with a head on a pillow. But I came up against a blank wall of snobbery” (140). Waugh’s humor arises from the discordant juxtaposition of human obsequies with pet care, and this is what Ovid offers us as well, two thousand years earlier. Moreover Ovid—like Persius with his Pegasean nectar—is clearly engaged in literary parody. And in Ovid’s case, the literary victim has a name. By composing a dirge for the death of his beloved Lesbia’s pet sparrow, Catullus (c. 58–55 B.C.) influenced generations of Roman love-poets to come with his tender evocation of intimate feelings: “Lament, o Venuses and cupids, and whoever is most charming among men. My girlfriend’s sparrow is dead, that sparrow, my girlfriend’s delight, whom she loved more than her eyes…. It now travels by an obscure way to that place from which no one knows how to return” (3.1–5, 11–12; my translation). This kind of tremulous emotion, however, could not have been farther from Ovid’s approach to love and sex. Where Catullus and his imitators leave the reader “convinced of the sincerity and the seriousness of their love and their bitterness at finding that [its] fulfillment is impossible” (Du Quesnay 7), Ovid seems to relish the role of the lover, which he presents not as an emotional abyss but as a game of seduction.

 Against this background his grief for Corinna’s parrot sounds derisive rather than genuine, marking the distance between his experience and his predecessors’ innocence. For instance, Ovid’s language is a little too grandiose, a little too exaggerated, for the sentiments it conveys. Catullus keeps his verses strictly in the personal register, describing Lesbia’s feelings for her sparrow and recalling her behavior with it in intimate detail: “For it was sweet as honey and knew her as well as a girl knows her mother, nor would it move from her bosom, but hopping about this way and that it would chirp to its mistress alone” (3.6–10). Ovid, by contrast, presents the loss of Corinna’s parrot as an event of epic magnitude, grander than Philomela’s rape or Procne’s murder of her own son, Itys. (Likewise, he compares the bird’s proverbial friendship with the turtle-dove to Pylades’ friendship with Orestes.) As Catullus understands, the relationship between a pet bird and its owner is too fragile a subject to sustain the weight of heroic allusions. For a poet intent upon making that relationship look ridiculous, however, such allusions are perfectly chosen. Nor does Ovid simply inflate Catullus’ diction. He also exaggerates the structure of his poem so that where Catullus offers a delicate eighteen-line lyric, Ovid responds with a full-scale formal elegy. This extends from a call to the proper mourners (“Come, pious poultry”), through an outburst against divine injustice (“The best things are often carried off by greedy hands” [2.6.39]), to a death-bed (death-perch?) scene in which the expiring bird, sensing that its hour is at hand (or at wing?), squawks out a desolate “Corinna, farewell!” (2.6.48). This moment of high bathos, in turn, gives way to a formal consolation in which the parrot finds its place in Elysium, within “a grove of black ilex” (2.6.49) designated as “the good birds’ home” (2.6.51). As the classicist John Ferguson has remarked of Ovid’s poem, “the whole thing is amusing and utterly unfeeling” (353). It’s also brilliantly pitched, employing the death of a natural mimic as the occasion for a barbed exercise in literary mimicry. Even so, Ovid handles his subject so deftly as to leave many readers doubtful of his insincerity. Even a near-contemporary of Ovid seems to have taken his poem quite seriously. I refer in this case to the poet Statius (c. A.D. 40–96), who produced his own parrot-elegy (Silvae 2.4) in obvious (but to my mind misguided) imitation of the master. Silvae 2.4 bewails the demise of a parrot belonging to Statius’ patron Atedius Melior, and this shift away from parody turns his poem into a fawning thing. Yet his obsequiousness extends still further, for the poem is not just a token of respect to Statius’ patron, but also, in a way, an act of literary ancestor-worship. Imitating Ovid as he does, Statius abandons the attitude of irreverence essential to satire, and he replaces it with a bookish kind of bowing and scraping: Flock hither all ye scholar fowl, to whom Nature has given the noble privilege of speech; let the bird of Phoebus [the raven] beat his breast, and the starling, that repeats by heart the sayings it has heard, and magpies  transformed in the Aonian contest [the maidens who challenged the Muses and were turned into magpies], and the partridge, that joins and reiterates the words it echoes, and the sister that laments forlorn in her Bistonian bower [Philomela]: mourn all together and bear your dead kinsman to the flames. (2.4.16–23) In Statius, the parrot has ceased to be a vehicle for satire and has become once again an instrument of flattery, including the sincere form of flattery born of imitation. For poets, as for natural historians, the bird remains both a servile and a transcendent creature. Efforts to fix its meaning in one category or the other seem hopeless.

from Parrot Culture: Our 2500-Year-Long Fascination with the World's Most Talkative Bird by Bruce Thomas Boehrer.

[crickblast]

Biography of Sachin Tendulkar's, career and achievements (Indian Cricketer)

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar, widely regarded as one of the greatest cricketers of all time, had a remarkable childhood that laid the foundation for his legendary cricketing career. Here's a brief biography of his childhood:

 Full Name:  Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar

 Date of Birth:  April 24, 1973

 Place of Birth:  Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

 Family Background:

Sachin Tendulkar was born into a middle-class Marathi family in Mumbai. His father, Ramesh Tendulkar, was a Marathi novelist, and his mother, Rajni Tendulkar, worked in the insurance industry. Sachin has two half-brothers, Ajit and Nitin, and a half-sister, Savita.    

 Early Interest in Cricket:

Sachin's interest in cricket began at a very young age. His elder brother, Ajit Tendulkar, recognized his talent and encouraged him to play the sport. Ajit even took him to the Ramakant Achrekar, a renowned cricket coach in Mumbai, to get formal training. Sachin trained under Achrekar during his formative years.

 School Days and Early Achievements:

Sachin Tendulkar attended Sharadashram Vidyamandir School in Mumbai, where he started to make a name for himself in school cricket. His performances at the school level were exceptional, and he soon progressed to represent Mumbai in domestic cricket.

First-Class Debut:

Sachin made his first-class debut for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy at the age of 15 in 1988. He was essential to Mumbai winning the competition.

 Youngest Indian to Debut for the National Team: a

Sachin Tendulkar made his debut for the Indian national cricket team on November 15, 1989, against Pakistan in Karachi. At just 16 years of age, he became the youngest Indian to play for the national team.

 Rapid Rise to Stardom:

Sachin's talent was evident from the start of his international career. He quickly established himself as one of the finest batsmen in the world and became a cricketing sensation in India and around the globe.

Sachin Tendulkar's childhood and early years were marked by his incredible dedication, hard work, and passion for the game. His journey from a young boy with a dream to one of the greatest cricketers in history is an inspiring story of perseverance and talent.

Sachin Tendulkar, often referred to as the "Little Master" or the "Master Blaster," is one of the greatest cricketers in the history of the sport. An overview of his early life is provided here.

Childhood and Early Life:

1. Sachin Tendulkar was born into a middle-class family in Mumbai, India. His father, Ramesh Tendulkar, was a professor, and his mother, Rajni Tendulkar, worked in the insurance industry.

2. Sachin displayed an early interest in cricket and began playing the sport at a very young age. He was just 11 years old when he made his debut in school cricket.

3. His talent was evident from an early age, and he quickly rose through the ranks of school and club cricket in Mumbai. He played for Shardashram Vidyamandir School, where he was coached by Ramakant Achrekar, a highly respected cricket coach.

4. Under the guidance of Coach Achrekar, Sachin developed his skills and started to make a name for himself in Mumbai's junior cricket circuit.

Early Cricket Career:

1. Sachin made his debut for the Indian national cricket team at the age of 16 in a Test match against Pakistan in 1989. He was the youngest cricketer to represent India at the time.

2. In 1990, he scored his first century in international cricket, becoming the youngest Indian to achieve this feat in Test cricket.

3. Over the years, Sachin Tendulkar went on to become one of the most prolific run-scorers in the history of cricket, setting numerous records and achieving many milestones during his illustrious career.

Childhood Achievements:

1. At the age of 14, Sachin Tendulkar scored a century partnership with his childhood friend Vinod Kambli in a school cricket match, which gained significant attention and marked him as a rising star.

2. He also scored a historic unbeaten century at Lord's Cricket Ground in London in 1990, becoming the youngest cricketer to do so at the age of 17.

Sachin Tendulkar's childhood was characterized by a deep passion for cricket and a strong work ethic, which laid the foundation for his remarkable career in the sport. His dedication and talent eventually made him a cricketing legend and an icon in India and around the world.

Under-19 Career

Sachin Tendulkar's Under-19 cricket career was the early stage of his illustrious cricketing journey. Here is a brief biography of Sachin Tendulkar during his Under-19 cricket days:

 Early Life:

Sachin Tendulkar was born in Mumbai, India. He displayed an early affinity for cricket and started playing the sport at a very young age. His talent was recognized early, and he was coached by Ramakant Achrekar, a renowned cricket coach in Mumbai.

 Under-19 Career:

Sachin Tendulkar's talent in cricket became evident when he was just a teenager. He made his debut for the Indian Under-19 cricket team at the age of 16 during the 1988-89 season. His performances in youth cricket were exceptional, and he quickly became a standout player in the team.

In 1989, Sachin played in the Under-19 World Cup, which was the inaugural edition of the tournament. He performed impressively, scoring a century in the semi-final against Pakistan. Unfortunately, India did not win the tournament, but Sachin's talent was there for all to see.

*Early Milestones:

Sachin Tendulkar's success in Under-19 cricket paved the way for his rapid ascent to the senior Indian cricket team. He made his debut for the senior Indian cricket team on November 15, 1989, at the age of 16, becoming the youngest Indian cricketer to play in a Test match. He went on to have a legendary career, becoming one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket.

 Legacy:

Sachin Tendulkar's Under-19 cricket days were just the beginning of a career that spanned 24 years. He holds numerous records in international cricket, including being the highest run-scorer in both Test and One-Day International (ODI) formats at the time of my knowledge cutoff in September 2021. He is widely regarded as one of the most iconic and accomplished cricketers of all time and is often referred to as the "Little Master" or "Master Blaster."

Sachin Tendulkar's impact on cricket is immeasurable, and his under-19 days were the first stepping stones in his remarkable journey to cricketing greatness.

Sachin Tendulkar's journey in Under-19 cricket marked the early stages of his illustrious cricketing career. Here is a brief biography of Sachin Tendulkar's Under-19 cricket career:

[glassbridge]

Munnar also referred to often as 'Kashmir of south India' is a hill station located in the southern state of Kerala situated at the height of 5200 ft. is kown for it's natural beauty and abundance of tea gardens. The climate provides the vegetation to grow uninhibited and flowers bloom in every small piece of land available to the nature in spring, one thing I observed during the trip was the predominance of violet and purple hued flowers throughout the hill station which I can not understand due to my lack of knowledge in the field of biogeography.

The beginning of march is the perfect time to visit Munnar since the sun is hot but the breeze and shade are cool and the wild flowers are in full bloom. Temperatures remain anywhere in between 21°C - 32°C depending on the height you are at and the time of the day.

It is one of the most beautiful places to explore and unwind making it suitable for all types of travellers. The best hotel to stay at with rooms overlooking Mountains and a velly from where you can see the sunrise is 'The Munnar Queen' located near the town of Chithirapuram, it is a budget hotel with great rooms, service and food ( the photos attached above were taken from the balcony of my room in the same hotel at dawn).

Top places to visit when in munnar:

1. Tata tea museum

2. Mattupetty Dam and lake(jet skiing is available here)

3. The rose gardens

4. Photo point and eco point

5. Watch Kalaripayattu ( it is a form of Indian martial art original to Kerala) at Kalari Kshetra.

6. Visit local tea gardens

( caution: wear shoes that cover your feet since there may be leeches that stick to your feet here and there, I am talking from personal experience and believe me they are hard to get rid of and the hirudin(an anti coagulant) present in their saliva makes you bleed for a long time after you pluck them out)

7. Explore towns that come along the way and eat at the local restaurants if you really want to taste the authentic food ; both vegetarian and nonvegiterian restaurants are available but to find the good vegetarian ones you'll have to search hard enough.

[history-time-out]

“Logos Rising” | E Michael Jones

The notes come from a podcast episode of “Culture Wars” when he was a guest on the “Joe and Joe from The Frontline” back in January of 2022.

​​​​2:25 - Atheism: 10 years ago 4(horseman) atheists based their argument on logical fantasy. Darwinism is the operating system of atheism. Prime philosophical ideology of today.

​​3:39 - Parmenides “that which is can’t come from that which isn’t”

​​​​4:14 - St. John’s gospel “in the beginning there was logos and logos was God”

​​​​4:41 - The atheists banned meta physics as an attack on God

​​​​4:54 - Darwinism says something can come from nothing. Every little step is the same as the step before it. This was their way to sell it and make it make sense.

​​​​6:31 - Atheism isn’t a philosophical problem, it’s a psychological problem.

​​6:40 - psychologist Paul Vince from NYU wrote a book on the relationship between atheism and father deprivation

​​

​​8:26 - Q: Why has modern philosophy taken this route? A: Logos makes a rebound due to researches of Thomism (official philosophy of Catholic Church) Notre Dame adopts as official philosophy as well until ND hires 2 physicists to run philosophy department (Irish men hessburg and McMillan) Late 1960’s.

​​11:20 - Talk about how God revealed logos to the Greeks. Q: How did the Greeks accept logos after throwing around different philosophical ideas which led them to the discovery of logos. A: listen to audio below for EMJs reply.

13:40 “Your thinking in physical terms with something that isn’t physical”

​​​​14:45 - God did not abandon people

​​15:16 - John wrote his gospel based on reason. (Greek) because he could not preach to the Jews anymore since he was kicked out. He said we needed a sound philosophical foundation.

​​17:30 - philosophy today, is based on science now. Physical science has become so powerful that everything has to model physics. Economics has become physics.

​​17:58 - Aristotle talks meta-physics (he calls it first philosophy) which he calls theology. “You can’t talk about the beginning and not talk about God.

​​18:02 - EMJ had this experience in India. 16 year old Hindu boy asks can you prove the existence of God? India you have hundreds of Gods and it doesn’t make sense to the boys.

​​​​21:09 - In India you have over a billion and half people in a confused state because there is no logos.

​​

​​21:34 - India cosmology is that earth is a semi-circle sitting on 4 elephants that is standing on a turtle.

​​20:33 - It is mandatory for every rational creature to believe in God. You don’t have to believe Jesus rose from dead, you accept that by faith.

​​

​​23:22 - “conform your desires to the truth or conform the truth to your desires”

​​

​​Read Degenerate Moderates

23:47 - fulfilling desires by questioning the order of the universe so you can do what you wanna do.

​​

​​23:54 - Polytheism exists bc you want to do something against Gods will (ex: sexual desires) Another example is you want to sleep with your neighbors wife. You can’t pray to God about that so you pray to another god. You are praying to demons. This stuff leads to demon cultures. Wilhelm Schmidt said “all primitive cultures are monotheistic and polytheistic cultures are a sign of decadence”

​​

24:59 - Are you willing to conform your life to logos?

​​

​​25:35 - Host: One problem in America is everyone is looking for political solutions instead of moral solutions…. Looking in wrong places for solutions…. In particular political parties.

​​​​EMJ - Reason “pure and practical reason”

​​-Pure allows you to know the truth

​​-Practical allows you to achieve the good AKA morality. Conform life to practical reason.

EMJ says Founding Fathers understood this:

​​John Adams “we have no constitution that functions in the absence of a moral people”

​​If you can’t have people do this to their lives you won’t have a government that can do it.

​​Freedom became defined as doing what you want to do as opposed to doing what you ought to do.

​​Host: “Perverted concept of freedoms”

​​License became the substitute for freedom.

31:00 - Co-Host: “Science as Opposed to Religion (modern dialogue) which is a fallacy.

​​​​“What is the Trinity? How does this concept of God lead to science itself?”

​​​EMJ: It goes back to the gospel of St. John. It begins with logos and logos was with God. Logos is God. This is the trinity.

A meditation on that phrase and the word Son. 300 years of meditation on that phrase to come up with an understanding of God. The Trinity is God revealing himself to us.

​​Pythagorus: was preparation for the Trinity. Believed number was order of the universe.

​​1 + 2 = 3

​​1 is unity

​​2 is diversity

​​3 is the Trinity (unity and diversity at the same time)

Beauty

​​​​EMJ: Another characteristic of God “The true, the good, the beautiful”

​​Because of 20th century beauty gets lost as a result of the decline of art. Beauty is a manifestation of God. There is evidence of this Trinity throughout creation.

​​​​Relationship between Jesus Christ and God the Father

​​“The father, the son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen”

​​Aryas said “if the son comes after the father then there was a time when the son was not. If there was a time when the son was not, then the son was not God. Therefore Jesus Christ is not God” This is False

​​You can’t take the term son and applying it to an analogous way to God and it does not apply because all of 3 of those principals were co eternal and always existed in relationship to each other.

​​Muslims did not get this. Did not believe Jesus Christ was God. This is the main reason science did not develop in the Islamic world.

​​The universe is a manifestation of God.

​​Openness of Heart to Accepting Linear Truth

​​EMJ: Fundamental problem is basing life on satisfying irrational passions.

​​Aquinas “lust darkens the mind”

​​Dealing with people sunken in sin and have made a living with one of these ideologies.

​​​Racism is an irrational ideology.

​​Lutheran church evaporated in Scandinavia and Iceland.

​​EMJ: Main problem in Middle Ages was collapse of Thomism and replaced with nominalism.

William of Ockham ended in Munich and died of Black Death. “no universals. Universals are all categories of the mind” (ex: Islam taking over catholic philosophy)

Martin Luther

​​Luther couldn’t control his passions. Violent guy, a drunk and didn’t pray. Finally broke from church and subjected to sexual temptation.

​​During this time the Lutherans were breaking into convents and raping nuns or pimping them out to priests to get them to join Luther.

EMJ on pornography

​“Pornography is a form of social control”

​​He once said this to a group of zoomers and they knew exactly what he meant because they were all enslaved to their passions.

[misseducator]

Challenges faced by UPSC aspirants

In India having a government job guarantees you the utmost prestige in your family. And it is truly justified as government exams are one of the hardest exams to crack. It needs:

High level of self-discipline

Great resilience power

Years of hard work

Good general awareness

A zeal to contribute towards the nation

Let us see what are the various challenges an UPSC aspirant faces while preparing for the exam.

Getting started: UPSC is no child’s play. There are so many options and so many things to take care of. Where to start, when to start and how to start? So many questions pop in mind at once. Some students spend a lot of time in planning, procrastinating it. While others do not plan enough and thus get confused on later stage.

Before taking a long dive in the ocean called UPSC, students should give a fair enough time to planning on how they going to start preparing. They should make a road map covering important factors like:

How early should they start preparing? The time needed for preparation varies person to person. It depends on everyone’s level of experience and situations. Every aspirant should firstly evaluate their current level of knowledge.

Will they be taking coaching? There are a lot of coaching options available nowadays, both online and offline. One should give it a great thought about which mode would be best for them as both have its own pros and cons.

2.Increasing competition: With significant rise in awareness and access to facilities, number of aspirants have been increasing day by day.  Reportedly, the count of students who apply for a UPSC exam has rose from 3 lakhs (approximately) to 11 lakhs (approximately) while the number of vacancies stands at a total of 1105. This increases competition.

3.Loads of Syllabus: UPSC exam tests your knowledge about every subject possible. It tests your knowledge about History, Geography, Economics, Political state of the country, Mathematics and much more. It becomes hectic to complete all on time.

It will require you to adapt a holistic approach and revise everything for at least 2 times.

4. Facing Family and societal pressure: As soon as people get to know that someone is preparing for UPSC exam, it automatically raises their expectations of that person. It does earn you a lot of respect but with that respect also comes a lot of pressure. Pressure of cracking the UPSC exam.

At times like this even motivating words can feel very overwhelming. Students should only focus on their plan and work towards achieving it. They should focus on doing better than yesterday.

One of the biggest challenges that a student faces is non availability of books in the market. An UPSC aspirant already has so many things to take care of so I have found an app that will take care of all your book related needs.

Nogozo ! Nogozo is an online bookstore. It is an all-in-one place where you can BUY, SELL, RENT books.

With NOGOZO, you can:

BUY new as well as used books at lowest prices.

SELL your used old books and get the best prices for it.

RENT books at minimum prices and get the freedom to read at your own pace. Rent your favourite book starting at Rs.10 only.

They have a huge collection which consists of Competitive exams books for JEE, NEET, UPSC exams, NCERT, ICSE BOOKS and much more.

They have a dedicated collection for government exams which also has UPSC book list in hindi medium.

You can visit the website: www.nogozo.in

Download the app today at Playstore and use the code *SHAILJA50* for exclusive offers.

[tajsamedaytours]

4 Days Golden Triangle Tour by Taj Same Day Tour company

4 Days Golden Triangle Tour by Taj Same Day Tour Company

The Golden Triangle Tour is one of India’s most popular tourist circuits, incorporating three iconic cities: Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur. Each city offers a distinct view into India's cultural richness, historical significance, and architectural marvels. The 4 Days Golden Triangle Tour by Taj Same Day Tour Company provides a great opportunity to immerse yourself in these colorful places while enjoying the ease of a well-planned schedule.

Here’s all you need to know about this fantastic tour.

Why Choose the 4 Days Golden Triangle Tour? With four days at your disposal, you’ll have ample time to see the best sites without feeling rushed. The extra day compared to the three-day tour allows for a more relaxed pace and the opportunity to dig deeper into the historical and cultural treasures of each city.

Taj Same Day Tour Company provides a flawless and comfortable experience with professional guides, top-notch lodgings, and customized service, making your trip memorable and pleasurable.

Day 1: Arrival in Delhi - Exploring the Capital Your tour begins in Delhi, where you'll be greeted by a representative from Taj Same Day Tour Company. From here, your voyage into the heart of India begins.

Sightseeing in New Delhi Qutub Minar: This 73-meter-high tower is one of Delhi's most recognized landmarks and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Humayun's Tomb: Another UNESCO World Heritage monument, this tomb is a predecessor to the architectural style of the Taj Mahal. India Gate: This tall archway acts as a war memorial and is located in the middle of New Delhi. It’s an iconic symbol of India’s historical legacy. Lotus Temple: A masterpiece of modern construction, the Lotus Temple is a Bahá'í House of Worship that welcomes people of all religions. Old Delhi Adventures Jama Masjid: One of the largest mosques in India, this architectural splendor provides a deep dive into Mughal history. Chandni Chowk: This lively market area offers a true feeling of Old Delhi. Here, you can take a rickshaw ride through the small lanes, buy for local products, or sample the street food. After a busy day of visiting Delhi, you'll retreat to your hotel for a comfortable night, prepared for the next destination: Agra.

Day 2: Delhi to Agra - Discovering Mughal Grandeur On the second day, you’ll leave for Agra, the city of the Taj Mahal. The travel from Delhi to Agra takes about 3 to 4 hours, and upon arrival, you'll check into your accommodation before immersing into Agra's fascinating history.

The Taj Mahal — A Monument of Love A visit to the Taj Mahal is the highlight of this day. One of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Taj Mahal was erected by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as a symbol of his undying love for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Its magnificent white marble architecture, rich embellishments, and romantic narrative will leave you in amazement.

Agra Fort - The Legacy of the Mughals Just a short distance from the Taj Mahal is the Agra Fort, another UNESCO World Heritage site. This huge fort complex served as a royal home and military bastion during the Mughal era. You’ll tour its stately palaces, audience halls, and carefully manicured gardens.

Itmad-ud-Daulah (Baby Taj) Often referred to as the Baby Taj, this tomb is smaller and less crowded yet as gorgeous. It’s recognized for its meticulous marble inlay work, which provided the groundwork for the design of the Taj Mahal.

After a day full with architectural treasures, you’ll head back to your accommodation in Agra for the night.

Day 3: Agra to Jaipur - The Pink City Awaits On Day 3, your travel takes you from Agra to Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, often known as the Pink City for its rose-colored buildings. En route, you’ll make a stop in Fatehpur Sikri.

Fatehpur Sikri - The Ghost City Once the capital of the Mughal Empire, Fatehpur Sikri was abandoned owing to water shortages but remains a well-preserved UNESCO World Heritage site. Here, you’ll discover the Buland Darwaza, the highest doorway in the world, as well as other spectacular sites like Jama Masjid and the Palace of Jodha Bai.

Arrival in Jaipur Once you arrive in Jaipur, you’ll check into your hotel and have the evening at leisure. You may choose to tour the colorful local marketplaces, noted for their textiles, jewelry, and handicrafts.

Day 4: Jaipur - The Royal City Your final day is spent to the regal city of Jaipur, packed with forts, palaces, and vibrant bazaars.

Amber Fort - A Majestic Marvel Start your day with a visit to the Amber Fort, located on a hilltop just outside Jaipur. This beautiful fort is a wonderful example of Rajput architecture. You can take an elephant ride or a car up to the fort and tour its opulent rooms and courtyards. The Sheesh Mahal (Mirror Palace), with its exquisite mirror artistry, is a must-see.

City Palace - The Royal Residence The City Palace, still home to Jaipur’s royal family, gives a look into royal life. The royal complex contains museums, courtyards, and gardens, all showcasing Rajasthan's rich cultural past.

Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds) Next up comes the famed Hawa Mahal, a five-story palace with 953 small windows built to allow royal women to witness street life and festivals without being seen. Its honeycomb structure and red sandstone facade make it one of Jaipur’s most photographed monuments.

Jantar Mantar - An Astronomical Wonder End your day with a visit to Jantar Mantar, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the largest astronomical observatories ever built. The observatory's huge instruments were used to measure time, predict eclipses, and monitor stars with astounding accuracy.

Jaipur’s Vibrant Markets Before flying back to Delhi, take some time to explore Jaipur’s busy markets. You may shop for gemstones, blue ceramics, linens, and handicrafts. Don’t forget to eat the local Rajasthani cuisine at one of the city’s famed restaurants.

After a day of visiting Jaipur’s royal treasures, you’ll drive back to Delhi or be dropped off at the airport for your further journey.

Why Book with Taj Same Day Tour Company? When it comes to seeing India’s Golden Triangle, Taj Same Day Tour Company stands out for its attention to detail and client satisfaction. Here’s why you should consider booking your tour with them:

Expert Guides: The organization provides qualified and courteous guides that offer extensive insights into the history and culture of each location. Comfortable Travel: The vehicles are air-conditioned, clean, and equipped with all the amenities needed for a peaceful ride. Personalized Itineraries: Whether you’re interested in photography, history, or food, the tour can be modified to suit your preferences. Hassle-Free Experience: From picking you up to arranging hotels, entry tickets, and transportation, everything is taken care of so you can focus on enjoying the vacation. Competitive Pricing: Despite offering quality services, the tour fees are competitive, guaranteeing you get great value for your money. Conclusion The 4 Days Golden Triangle Tour by Taj Same Day Tour Company is the finest method to discover the heart of India. From the bustling streets of Delhi to the timeless beauty of the Taj Mahal and the royal magnificence of Jaipur, this journey covers it all. Whether you're traveling with family, friends, or solo, this journey gives a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to observe India's rich history and culture in a short span of time.

If you want to explore India's Golden Triangle in a well-organized, pleasant, and interesting way, go no farther than Taj Same Day Tour Company.

FAQs

Is this tour suitable for first-time travelers to India? Absolutely! This tour is great for first-time tourists, delivering a comprehensive introduction of India’s top landmarks.

What is the ideal time to take this tour? The optimum time to embark on the Golden Triangle Tour is between October and March, when the weather is cool and pleasant.

Are accommodations included in the tour package? Yes, Taj Same Day Tour Company provides nice accommodations for all three nights of the tour.

Can I tailor the tour to include other attractions? Yes, the itinerary can be adjusted to fit your interests, including new attractions or adjustments to the schedule.

Is the tour family-friendly? Definitely! The 4 Days Golden Triangle Tour is ideal for all ages, making it a fantastic option for family vacation.

ALSO READ

The September 16, 2024, matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and the Philadelphia Eagles was a thriller that came down to the wire, with the Falcons securing a 22-21 victory. Both teams demonstrated strong performances, but it was the Falcons’ ability to capitalize on late-game opportunities that made the difference. The game showcased standout performances from quarterbacks, wide receivers, and defensive units on both sides.

Key Moments and Players for the Falcons

For the Falcons, Kirk Cousins delivered an outstanding performance, proving his mettle as a veteran quarterback. Despite being down six points late in the fourth quarter, Cousins orchestrated a remarkable game-winning drive. With just under two minutes left, he led the Falcons 70 yards down the field, completing 4-of-5 passes, culminating in a seven-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Drake London. London, who ended the game with six receptions for 54 yards, caught the game-winning score, securing Atlanta's win. Cousins' composure in the final moments was critical for the Falcons.

In addition to London’s contributions, Darnell Mooney made a substantial impact. Mooney's highlight came with a 41-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter, followed by two clutch catches on the final drive for 21 and 26 yards. His ability to step up in crucial moments was a turning point for Atlanta's offense. Another key player for the Falcons was Bijan Robinson, the rookie running back, who led the ground game with 97 rushing yards on 14 carries, averaging an impressive 6.9 yards per carry. Robinson also added 25 receiving yards, demonstrating his versatility​

Jalen Hurts and the Eagles' Efforts

On the other side, Jalen Hurts, the Eagles' dynamic quarterback, put on a strong performance despite the team’s loss. Hurts completed 73.3% of his passes and was also a major threat on the ground, rushing for 85 yards and a touchdown. However, Hurts' late-game interception in the closing minutes halted the Eagles' chances for a comeback and sealed their fate.

DeVonta Smith, the Eagles' leading receiver, also had a productive day, hauling in seven catches for 76 yards and a touchdown. Smith was Hurts’ go-to target in key moments, and his chemistry with the quarterback was evident throughout the game. Tight end Dallas Goedert contributed with three receptions for 38 yards, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Falcons’ late surge.

Defense and Turnovers

Defense played a significant role in the game for both teams. The Falcons' defense was able to make crucial stops, especially in the second half, where they limited the Eagles’ high-powered offense. The key turning point came in the form of a late-game interception by the Falcons' defense, preventing Hurts from leading the Eagles to a potential game-winning score.

On the Eagles' side, their defense performed well for most of the game, pressuring Cousins and containing Robinson on key downs. However, the defense was unable to stop the Falcons' offense during the final drive, which proved to be the game-deciding moment.

Conclusion

The Falcons' 22-21 victory over the Eagles was a testament to their resilience and ability to perform under pressure. While the Eagles showcased their offensive firepower and Hurts' dual-threat capability, turnovers and missed opportunities late in the game proved costly. For the Falcons, Cousins' leadership and the contributions of key players like London, Mooney, and Robinson made the difference. This game marked an exciting chapter in the 2024 NFL season and provided plenty of drama for both teams moving forward.

[pnp-pujanpujari]

9 Home Decor Ideas for Navratri 2024

Navratri, a vibrant festival dedicated to the worship of Goddess Durga, is celebrated with much enthusiasm across India. This nine-night festival is not just about prayers and fasting; it’s also an opportunity to beautify your home, inviting divine energy and festive cheer into your space. If you're looking to refresh your home decor for Navratri 2024, here are nine ideas to inspire you.

1. Traditional Torans and Bandhanwars

Welcome guests with a festive entrance by adorning your doors with traditional torans or bandhanwars. Made from marigold flowers, mango leaves, beads, and mirrors, these decorative hangings not only add color but also symbolize good luck and prosperity. You can even opt for eco-friendly, reusable versions made from fabric or jute.

2. Vibrant Rangoli Designs

Rangoli is an integral part of Navratri decor. Create vibrant patterns at the entrance of your home using colored powders, flower petals, or even rice flour. Opt for designs that incorporate symbols like lotuses, swastikas, or the Goddess Durga’s face to enhance the spiritual ambiance. For an added touch, place diyas around the rangoli to illuminate your artwork.

3. Ethnic Cushion Covers and Drapes

Update your living spaces with ethnic cushion covers and drapes in rich hues of red, orange, and yellow—the colors of Navratri. Fabrics like silk, brocade, and cotton with traditional prints or embroidery can instantly uplift the festive vibe. Complement these with matching table runners and mats to complete the look.

4. Puja Mandap Decoration

Your home’s puja mandap should be the centerpiece during Navratri. Decorate it with fresh flowers, colorful fabric backdrops, and twinkling lights. You can also use brass or silver items like diyas, bells, and idols to add a touch of elegance. Ensure that the area is well-lit and inviting, reflecting the sacredness of the rituals performed.

5. Fairy Lights and Lanterns

Add a magical glow to your home by stringing fairy lights or hanging lanterns. You can drape these around your windows, balconies, or even along stair railings. Opt for warm white or golden lights to create a serene and festive ambiance. For a more traditional look, choose clay or paper lanterns in bright colors.

6. Wall Art and Murals

Enhance your walls with festive-themed art and murals. Consider adding paintings or wall hangings depicting scenes from the Devi Mahatmya or portraits of the Goddess Durga in her various forms. If you’re artistically inclined, you could even create a temporary wall mural with eco-friendly paints or stickers, celebrating the victory of good over evil.

7. Floral Arrangements

Flowers are a quintessential part of Navratri decor. Arrange fresh marigolds, roses, and jasmines in vases or as garlands to decorate different corners of your home. You can also create floral centerpieces for your dining or coffee table. Adding aromatic flowers like jasmine or tuberose will fill your home with a soothing fragrance, enhancing the festive atmosphere.

8. Traditional Handicrafts

Incorporate traditional Indian handicrafts into your decor. Items like Madhubani paintings, terracotta figurines, and hand-painted diyas can add a cultural touch to your space. You can place these on shelves, side tables, or even in your puja area to showcase India’s rich heritage while celebrating Navratri.

9. Decorative Thalis and Urulis

Decorative thalis (plates) and urulis (wide-mouthed bowls) filled with water, flowers, and floating candles can serve as stunning centerpieces. Place these in your living room or near the entrance to create a welcoming and auspicious atmosphere. You can also use them to hold offerings during the puja, adding both functionality and beauty to your decor.

Conclusion

Navratri is a time to embrace tradition, spirituality, and the joy of festivity. By incorporating these nine home decor ideas, you can create a warm and inviting space that reflects the essence of the festival. As you prepare your home, remember that the true beauty of Navratri lies in the devotion and positivity that you bring to the celebration.

As you prepare for Ganesh Chaturthi, ensuring that all your puja essentials are in place is crucial. At PujaNPujari.com, we offer a wide range of eco-friendly Ganesh idols, puja items, and decorations that align with traditional values. Additionally, our platform provides astrology services, online pandit booking, and customized puja packages to help you perform your rituals with ease and authenticity. Let us assist you in celebrating this Ganesh Chaturthi with devotion, while also supporting sustainable practices. Visit PujaNPujari.com today to make your festival preparations complete and spiritually fulfilling.

[ootycabs1]

Temple Tours Made Easy: Coimbatore to Market Mariamman Temple with Ooty Cab

Exploring the rich cultural and spiritual heritage of South India is a must for any traveler, and a visit to the Market Mariamman Temple in Ooty offers a unique blend of tradition, devotion, and scenic beauty. For those starting their journey from Coimbatore, booking an Ooty cab provides a hassle-free and comfortable way to visit this revered temple. In this guide, we'll explore everything you need to know about making this spiritual journey easy and memorable.

1. Introduction to Market Mariamman Temple

The Market Mariamman Temple, dedicated to the goddess Mariamman, is one of the most important religious sites in Ooty. Known for its vibrant festivals and deep-rooted traditions, the temple is a place of worship for many locals and attracts visitors from all over the region. Mariamman is believed to be the goddess of rain and fertility, and devotees visit the temple to seek her blessings for health, prosperity, and protection.

2. Why Choose an Ooty Cab for Your Temple Tour

Traveling from Coimbatore to the Market Mariamman Temple by cab offers several advantages:

Comfort and Convenience: A private cab ensures a comfortable journey with personalized service, allowing you to travel at your own pace.

Scenic Route: The drive from Coimbatore to Ooty is picturesque, with winding roads through lush greenery and mist-covered hills.

Direct Access: A cab takes you directly to the temple, saving time and avoiding the hassle of public transportation.

Flexibility: You can customize your itinerary, stopping at other attractions along the way or spending extra time at the temple.

3. Planning Your Journey from Coimbatore to Ooty

The distance from Coimbatore to Ooty is approximately 90 kilometers, and the journey takes about 3 to 4 hours by cab, depending on traffic and weather conditions.

Best Time to Travel: The ideal time to visit Ooty and the Market Mariamman Temple is between October and June when the weather is pleasant and the temple festivities are in full swing.

Booking Your Cab: It's advisable to book your Ooty cab service in advance, especially during peak tourist season, to ensure availability and get the best rates. Many cab services offer online booking options and provide a range of vehicles to choose from.

4. The Route: What to Expect

The route from Coimbatore to Ooty via NH181 is scenic, with several interesting stops along the way:

Mettupalayam: A small town known for the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, which offers a heritage train ride through the hills.

Coonoor: A hill station famous for its tea gardens, botanical gardens, and stunning viewpoints.

Doddabetta Peak: The highest point in the Nilgiris, offering panoramic views of the surrounding hills.

Your cab driver can suggest the best places to stop for refreshments and photo opportunities, ensuring you make the most of your journey.

5. Visiting the Market Mariamman Temple

Upon reaching Ooty, the Market Mariamman Temple is located in the heart of the town, easily accessible by cab. The temple is known for its colorful architecture, with intricate carvings and vibrant paintings that depict the goddess and her various forms.

Temple Timings: The temple is generally open from early morning until late evening. It's best to visit during the morning or evening aarti (prayer ceremony) to experience the temple's spiritual atmosphere.

What to Expect: The temple is usually bustling with devotees, especially during festivals like the Mariamman Festival, which takes place in April or May. The temple complex also has shops selling offerings, such as flowers and coconuts, which you can purchase before entering.

6. Exploring Ooty After Your Temple Visit

After visiting the Market Mariamman Temple, you can explore the other attractions in Ooty, such as:

Botanical Gardens: A beautifully maintained garden with a wide variety of exotic plants and flowers.

Ooty Lake: A popular spot for boating, surrounded by lush greenery.

Rose Garden: One of the largest rose gardens in India, featuring a stunning collection of roses.

Your Ooty cab services can take you to these locations and more, allowing you to enjoy a full day of sightseeing in Ooty.

7. Returning to Coimbatore

After a fulfilling day at the Market Mariamman Temple and exploring Ooty, your cab will take you back to Coimbatore. The return journey offers another opportunity to soak in the scenic beauty of the Nilgiris and reflect on your spiritual experience.

8. Tips for a Smooth Temple Tour

Dress Modestly: As the Market Mariamman Temple is a place of worship, it's important to dress modestly, covering your shoulders and knees.

Carry Essentials: Bring along water, snacks, and any personal items you may need during the journey.

Be Respectful: Maintain a respectful demeanor inside the temple, following local customs and practices.

9. Conclusion

A temple tour from Coimbatore to the Market Mariamman Temple in Ooty is more than just a spiritual journey—it's an experience that combines devotion with the natural beauty of the Nilgiris. By booking an Ooty cabs , you ensure a comfortable, convenient, and memorable trip that allows you to fully immerse yourself in the cultural and spiritual richness of the region. Whether you're a solo traveler, a family, or a group, this journey is sure to leave you with lasting memories and a deeper appreciation for the traditions and beauty of South India.

[essentialoilbulk1]

The Advantages of Partnering with an Indian Attar Wholesale Supplier

When it comes to sourcing high-quality attar, partnering with an Indian attar wholesale supplier can offer a multitude of benefits. Attar, also known as itr, is a traditional form of perfume that has been used in India for centuries. Its rich, natural scents are highly sought after for their unique qualities and cultural significance. For businesses looking to offer premium fragrances to their customers, establishing a relationship with a reliable wholesale supplier is key. Here’s why choosing an Indian attar wholesale supplier can be an advantageous decision.

1. Access to Authentic and High-Quality Products

India is renowned for its expertise in attar production, leveraging traditional methods that have been perfected over generations. By partnering with an Indian attar wholesale supplier based in India, you ensure that the attar you receive is made from pure, natural ingredients and crafted using time-honored techniques. This authenticity not only enhances the appeal of your products but also assures your customers of the quality they are purchasing.

2. Competitive Pricing and Cost Efficiency

Indian attar wholesale suppliers often offer competitive pricing due to the large-scale production and direct sourcing of raw materials. Purchasing attar in bulk from a wholesale supplier allows you to benefit from lower prices compared to retail. This cost efficiency can significantly boost your profit margins and make your products more attractive to potential customers. Additionally, many suppliers provide flexible pricing options based on order volume, enabling you to negotiate better deals and manage your budget effectively.

3. Diverse Range of Fragrances

India is home to a diverse array of attar fragrances, each with its unique blend of ingredients and scent profiles. By working with a wholesale supplier, you gain access to an extensive catalog of attar varieties, from classic floral scents like rose and jasmine to exotic blends such as oud and musk. Moreover, an active Indian attar wholesale supplier stays updated with the latest fragrance trends and can provide insights into popular or emerging scents.

4. Consistency and Reliability

A reputable Indian attar wholesale supplier ensures consistency and reliability in product quality and delivery. Established suppliers have rigorous quality control measures in place to maintain the standards of their attar products. Additionally, their experience in the industry means they are well-equipped to handle bulk orders and meet deadlines efficiently. This reliability is crucial for maintaining a steady supply of products and ensuring that your business operations run smoothly without interruptions.

Partnering with an Indian attar wholesale supplier offers numerous advantages, from access to high-quality and authentic products to cost efficiency and market expertise. The diverse range of fragrances, reliability, and customization options further enhance the appeal of working with a reputable supplier. By choosing the right Indian attar wholesale supplier, you can elevate your product offerings, optimize your business operations, and build a successful brand in the competitive world of attar fragrances.