Travel Time

The Theory of Relativity couldn't have been explained better than this.

Get this.

You may think - a road is a road and distance is distance and that it takes the same time to cover the same distance - no matter which road you're on. But I'll have you reconsider your theory shortly. Let me show you how.

Let's look at some of the popular roads of India:
1. Bandra-Worli Sea Link Road - a bypass through the sea.
2. Khardong La Road - one of the highest motorable roads in the world.
3. Stilwell Road - once the most expensive road in the world.
4. Grand Trunk Road - one of the oldest roads in the world.
5. Magnetic Hill in Ladakh - one of the strangest roads in the world.
6. Hyderabad-Bangalore Highway - one of the easiest roads in the world.
7. Rohtang Tunnel Road - the longest tunnel-road in India at 10,200 feet elevation.

Geography. Landscape. Weather conditions. Speed limit. Magnetic forces. Unforeseen and uncontrollable forces.  And the driver's disposition towards driving. All contribute to the variation in driving speed and experience.

Now picture this....
1. Bandra-Worli Sea Link is an 8-lane cable-stayed bridge road which is 5.6 kms long and serves as a bypass to the Mahim Causeway, through the sea and is built to reduce travel time by 20 minutes between Bandra and Worli. Though the road may facilitate 60-km drive-speed, the traffic-congestion still brings the vehicles to a grinding halt for more than 15 minutes at both ends. It is one of the best roads in the world and still can't expect to reach on time.

2. Khardong La Road is perched atop a 17,600-feet high mountain in Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir. Speed is secondary on this road - safety comes first. With all the perennial snow and ice mountains, finding a road beneath the sheets of snow is top priority.

3. Stilwell Road - also called the Ledo Road, was named after U.S. Army General Stilwell and was built during the World War II as an alternative to the Burma Road which was cut by the Japanese Army. In terms of construction costs, this road was once the highest in the world! It's the zigzag that will make you dizzy if you attempt speed on this road.

 





4. Grand Trunk Road - one of the oldest and longest roads in the world which connects Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. This route was first initiated during the Mauryan Empire  and was renovated and extended during the 16th Century by Sher Shah Suri of the Muslim Sur Empire who took control of the Mughal Empire in 1540. Now this road would be ideal for high-speeds in most parts of its entire length.

 

 

5. Magnetic Hill in Ladakh - thousands of curious tourists visit this area to check this strange behaviour of this mountain/hill which is 27 kms west of Leh in Jammu & Kashmir. Tourists who visited this place at 11,000 feet altitude, have reported that this hilly area has magnetic properties which are strong enough to pull vehicles uphill. If this theory is fake, then why do aircrafts increase their altitude while flying over this area? As it is this hilly landscape is not speed-friendly and then this magnetic force which has a mind of its own?

 

 

 
6. Hyderabad-Bangalore Highway - they say you can drive on this road with your eyes closed. There is some reality to that - though should be attempted literally! This is almost a straight road that runs north to south without any deviations. During the day, you would barely see any traffic on the road. And the highway is 4-track road. You can easily cover this 570-km drive in 7.5 hours during the day in a car as opposed to the 12-hour drive in the night. Well.....I did!

7. Rohtang Tunnel Road - the current longest road tunnel of India which is at 10,200 feet altitude under the Rohtang Mountain Pass in the Pir-Panjal Range of the Himalayas on the Leh-Manali Highway. The tunnel is 8.8 kms in length and is supposed to reduce driving distance of 60 kms between Manali and Keylong.

 

By this theory, you ought to know better than to apply the same formula of distance, time and speed to all geographies alike!

Pix courtesy: Wikipedia, Placeforholidays, Tinsukia.gov.in, team-bhp, walkthroughindia.

Eid-ul-Fitr

According to Islam, the ninth month of the Muslim or ‘Hijri’ calendar – ‘Ramadan’ is the holiest month of the year. During Ramadan, believers of Islam observe strict fasting from dawn to dusk during which period; they abstain from food and drink and spend the days in spiritual reflection. After 30 days of Ramadan is ‘Shawwal’ – the tenth month according to the Hijri calendar. And the first day of the Shawwal month is ‘Eid-ul-Fitr’ – the joyous festival of breaking the 30-day Ramadan fast. Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations span three whole days when Muslims worldwide meet all their families and friends in person to partake of the Eid celebrations.

From the sighting of the first crescent of a new moon after the eighth Islamic month, the ninth month – Ramadan begins when Muslims observe fasting, reflection, devotion, sacrifice and generosity – the five Tenets of Islam. Not only do the Muslims comply to this imperative, they feel blessed by this compliance.

The five tenets or pillars of Islam are:

1.    Creed or Testimony or ‘Shahadah’ – where Muslims recite under oath, the Islamic creed - "'ašhadu 'al-lā ilāha illā-llāhu wa 'ašhadu 'anna muħammadan rasūlu-llāh", or "I testify there are no deities other than God alone and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of God."

2.    Prayer or ‘Ṣalāh’ – these are ritual prayers which Muslims perform five times a day at five different periods of the day: Fajr (near dawn); zuhr (noon); asr (afternoon); maghrib (just after sunset) and isha (at nightfall). The Arabic word ‘Salah’ is popularly known by its Persian counterpart – ‘Namaz’ – both of which mean bowing, homage, worship and prayer.

3.    Alms-giving or ‘Zakāt’ – it is an act of voluntary alms-giving of a fixed portion of accumulated wealth to help the poor or the needy. Zakāt is to Muslims what ‘Ma’aser Kesafim’ is to Jews and ‘Tithe’ is to Christians. During Ramadan, Muslims donate 2.5% of their personal wealth after ‘nisab’ (meeting essential needs) is reached.

4.    Fasting or ‘Sawm’ – in order to inculcate ‘taqwa’ or ‘God consciousness’, Muslims abstain from food, drinks and sex from dawn (fajr) to sunset (maghrib) during Ramadan. Fasting or abstinence from any indulgence, helps one to empathize with those less fortunate ones. Abstinence also helps gain control over one’s desires and increases focus on devotion to God. Usage of expletives or thinking evil thoughts is strictly avoided during Ramadan. And even before fasting, it is a practice among Muslims to explicitly express their intention to Fast which is called ‘Niyyah’ or ‘Niyyat’ in Arabic. Infact, without the prior outward commitment – Niyyat, even fasting is not considered valid. The emphasis here is to solidify commitment of the person who is fasting towards this tenet of Islam by outward expression.

5.    Pilgrimage or ‘Hajj’ – every Muslim is to make a pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia during the 12^th month of the Islamic Calendar – Dhu al-Hijjah. Mecca is the holiest place of Islam religion as Mecca is the birthplace of Prophet Muhammad. Mecca is also where the Holy Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad centuries back. Every Muslim on earth who has the financial and physical capability to travel to Mecca needs to perform Hajj at least once in his lifetime. Millions of Muslims perform Hajj at Mecca each year.

Bound by these Principles of Islam, Muslims believe that they are commanded by Allah – as mentioned in the Holy Quran – to observe fasting right up till the end of Ramadan plus pay ‘Zakāt’ before performing the Eid-ul-Fitr prayer.

Typically, on the day of Eid, Muslims wake up before sunrise offer ‘Salatul Fajr’ (the pre-sunrise prayer) then at the time of offering Eid Prayers they walk up to the Mosque reciting the ‘Takbir’ or incantation until they reach the Mosque or until the ‘Imam’ commences worship.

It is forbidden to fast on Eid so a mini-breakfast – mostly made of dry fruits is had before performing the Eid Prayer. The Eid Feast in India – is a lavish spread of dry fruits, biryani and sweet meats which the women-folk prepare at home. People of other faiths visit their Muslim friends – sometimes many households on the same day, to wish them ‘Eid Mubarak’ and partake of their joy and festivities.

Besides four weeks of austere fasting and heightened piety, Ramadan also is the much awaited month for shoppers of the other faiths as some of the most ostentatious, ornate and attractive apparel and jewelry are sold during this month.

Night-bazar trend is another thing to look forward to during the Ramadan season when brightly illuminated marketplaces display their best wares and solid retailing continues till the wee hours of the morning. ‘Qawwalis’ or Sufi songs are heard on music systems everywhere you go in the market. Especially at places like Delhi and Hyderabad, you would see equal number of non-Muslims shopping at nights during Ramadan when these cities’ shopping places come alive after dark. The marketplaces are overcrowded with shoppers and vehicular traffic is diverted during this month.

‘Haleem’ – a wheat and meat delicacy is made and sold only during the Ramadan. Hyderabad is the ‘Haleem Capital’ of India and is visited by countless Muslims and non-Muslims for the sole purpose of eating Haleem during Ramadan. No wonder then that Haleem alone does a whopping business of Rs. 100 crores during Ramadan in Hyderabad.

Popular Mosques of India are:

1.    Cheraman Juma Masjid – located in Thrissur District of Kerala – is the first Mosque of India built in 629 AD by Malik Ibn Dinar.

2.    Jama Masjid – located in Delhi – is the largest Mosque in India, built in 1650 by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. The capacity of this Masjid’s courtyard is 25,000 people at one go.

3.    Makkah Masjid – located in Hyderabad – built by bricks which were made from the soil brought from Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The fifth ruler of the Qutb Shahi Dynasty – Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah commissioned this Mosque which was completed in 1694. Mosque can hold 10,000 worshippers at a time. IT took about 8000 workers to build this Mosque.

Pix courtesy: Wikipedia, dsaravanane@flickr.

Hyderabadi Haleem

After reading my blog ‘A Real Taste of Hyderabad’, I assume your mouth may be watering and you are tempted to try out those dishes. But to try out those authentic delicacies of Hyderabad, you need to visit the city of Nizam’s in this month of Ramadan, which starts from July 20^th and will last for a month.

The true flavor of Hyderabad can be experienced in the evenings of this month, when the Muslims break their day long fast with Iftar, which becomes a reason for get together of relatives and friends and if you get an invite for any Iftar, do not miss it, as this is the place where you can savour different delicacies of Hyderabad free of cost. Otherwise do not feel bad, because you will get all these delicacies in different restaurants of Hyderabad and some are world renown for some particular variant.

There are various dishes in Hyderabad which can be relished by the foodies, but this being the holy month of Ramadan, let me give you some information about the dish which is synonymous with Ramadan and that is world famous Hyderabadi Haleem.

Haleem is usually consumed in this month during Iftar, as it is highly nutritious, tasty and above all instant energy giver. The dish is rich in protein and it contains anti-aging ingredients as it is made of meat, lentil, pounded wheat, ghee and different spices. This is usually cooked on a low flame of firewood for nearly 12 hours to make into a thick paste. It is served hot with fried onions, chopped coriander, cashew nuts discs of lemon and slices of boiled egg.

Hyderabadi Haleem was rewarded with Geographical Indication Status in 2010 and this is the first non-vegetarian dish of India to get this status. 

There are innumerable joints in Hyderabad where you can savour this dish in the month Ramadan, but some possess very good ranking among foodies like Pista House, Survy, Hotel Shah Ghouse, Madina Hotel etc.

                            Haleem Joint

Pista House is an ISO 9002 company, which has various outlets in different parts of the city. It has the facility of home delivery to different parts of India as well as to some places of Europe and USA.

Mouth watering! Feeling hungry! So why don't you join me to relish Hyderabadi Haleem here in Hyderabad ? 

Waiting for U!

Hyderabad Delicacies

A Real Taste of Hyderabad

Hyderabad, the city of Nizams, comes alive in the month of Ramadan. This year that is 2012, Ramadan will start from July 20^th, which will continue for a month. 

In this month of Ramadan, Muslims throughout the world fast for the whole day. Before the break of dawn, they have their food and then for the whole day they do not consume anything. They break their day long fast in the evening at sunset mostly with fruits which is followed by dinner known as Iftar, comprising of region’s delicacies.  

                     Charminar                      

Hyderabad is well known for its heritage, hospitality and different delicacies and in the month of Ramadan during iftar, every day these delicacies can be bought from different outlets in the twin city. Or if you become the part of any iftar in the city, you get to taste different dishes free of cost. 

Being in Hyderabad for last 3 years I get to taste these dishes quite often, but these delicacies taste much better during Ramadan. The secret behind this I too don’t know.  So the best time to visit Hyderabad is in the month of Ramadan, when you will get the real flavor of Hyderabad.

Hyderabad is a place of non-vegetarians delight, where you can try different dishes which must not be missed by anyone who visits the city. They are:

1.      Hyderabadi Biryani

2.      Nahari

3.      Haleem

4.      Pathar – Ka – Gosht

5.      Double -  Ka - Meetha

6.      Khubani – Ka – Meetha

7.      Seviyon – Ka – Meetha

8.      Kheer

The most popular and awesome dish of Hyderabad is Hyderabadi Biryani, which is eaten and even taken as a parcel for their dear ones in different parts of India. Cooked in a unique manner, this biryani is a blend of Mughals with a special cooking style of Nizams, which has a very different aroma.

There are many variants of biryani such as Mutton Biryani, Chicken Biryani, Biryani Kham, Biryani Zard and the most exotic one is Joban Malti Biryani, which is made of mutton, partridges and quails with rice.

These biryanis are decoratively garnished with mint leaves, fried onions and boiled eggs. The aroma and appearance of these biryanis will certainly make your mouth water. These are served hot with kuchambar or onion raita( made of curd and onion) and mirchi – ka – salan.

   Hyderabadi Biryani

Another delicacy to be tried is Pathar – Ka – Gosht, which is marinated meat cubes cooked on a hot stone. 

                     Pathar - Ka - Gosht

The most popular and delicious dish of Hyderabad in the month of Ramadan is Haleem, which is a dish made of minced meat cooked with butter and ground wheat. Muslims break their fast with this nutritious and tasty dish. Haleem is so yummy in Hyderabad during Ramadan, that nothing can beat the taste and flavor of this dish.

                    Haleem

Another traditional authentic dish of Hyderabad is Nahari also called as Paya. This is a dish made with goat’s foot, which is cooked in a spicy soupy shorba. This is mostly taken with hot parathas or naan in breakfast. Traditionally this dish is served with goat’s tongue and tender part of the head.

                    Nahari

After enjoying these hot and tasty delights of Hyderabad, how come one leave the dining space without any desert treat, for which too Hyderabad has got the fame. The deserts like double – ka – meetha, khubani – ka –meetha, seviyan – ka – meetha, and kheer are so deliciously made that without which the Hyderabadi food is incomplete.

Double – Ka – Meetha is prepared with bread, milk, sugar, ghee and nuts.

             Double – Ka - Meetha

Another desert is khubani – ka – meetha, which is made of apricot, sugar and lemon juice. This is garnished with almond and served hot or cold with ice cream or fresh cream.

                     Khubani – Ka – Meetha

The next and very important desert of Muslims, without which no Id is complete, is seviyan – ka – meetha or seviyan. This sweet dish is prepared of fine fried vermicelli, boiled in milk with sugar and garnished with dry fruits.

                   Seviyan

Being in India, how can I forget to mention about the desert named Kheer, which is considered to be very auspicious in most of the Indian occasions. This dish is prepared with rice, milk, and sugar, flavored with cardamom and garnished with dry fruits.

                    Kheer

Feeling hungry? I am sorry I cannot parcel these dishes to you immediately as there is no home delivery facility for the out station people.

But you are missing something which I am enjoying, sitting in one of the restaurants of Hyderabad ….this is so delicious …. yummy yummy.

 For tasting all these delicacies you need to visit Hyderabad, where Nawabi dishes are waiting eagerly for your admiration.

So if you are having little free time, why don’t you join me, to get the real flavor of Hyderabad in this auspicious month of Ramadan?

Bye – Bye!

See you in Hyderabad soon…

 If you want to treat some dear ones with these delicious dishes in Hyderabad, then for more details visit the website   @ Hop Around India