Bhopal marks tribute to India's first war of Independence

Tribute to martyr's - Bhopal city paid homage to 1857 war of Independence, While Bharat Bhawan of Bhopal had host of programmes like music festival and painting exhibition, squares of city with statues of freedom fighters were decorated and lit with earthen lamps as a mark of respect to Great War of 1857.

Aaj ki taaza khabar !

Man reading newspaper early Saturday morning on a wooden bench in a park overseeing upper lake of Bhopal. Though interestingly ad in the newspaper which he may be reading says 'all news are missing' !!

Hum Tum !

Comic characters Hum and Tum as shown in the film Hum Tum, painted by 'DS' on a rock in the walking lane at Bhopal's upper lake . Hum Tum were comic characters which have their own animated sequences in the movie 'Hum Tum. Hum Tum was the movie which was directed by Kunal Kohli, produced by Aditya and Yash Chopra and had Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukerjee playing the lead role as Karan and Rhea. The movie is about the encounters of the two main characters until they, after several years and various meetings, become friends and finally fall in love at the end of the movie. Their state of relationship is also shown in the movie in form of Hum Tum animated characters, as Karan the main lead (played by Saif) was the cartoonist in the film.

Mobile companies paint the farm fields blue...

Mobile subscribers in India are growing at fast pace and rural subscribers are major share in it, may be reason for mobile companies like Reliance to use houses in the farm field for its own advertising. Reliance is painting available places on farm field like storage houses blue on Indore - Bhopal highway to reach out to people. May be it's a 'double take' - to reach out to people travelling on highway as well as rural mobile users with its brand. In marketing terms they say Reliance wants to reach to the deep pockets to penetrate into this “bottom of pyramid” market, where lies the real cash cows. Interestingly on other hand Reliance is calling other companies to use their mobile service to advertise to rural hinterland..... ?

Bhopal's Deewan-e-khas

Sadar Manzil - a view from the gate

Sadar Manzil at present houses office of Bhopal Municipal Corporation but at one point of time this red building was Hall of Public Audience. This building was built in 1898 AD by Nawab Shahjehan Begum and was converted as Durbar hall of Bhopal by her daughter Nawab Sultanjehan Begum. The building was beautiful but now with Municipal Corporation office running in it, it is losing its glory, unless the same is removed from there.
The mosaic of this building akin to Deewan-e-Khas of Red Fort in Delhi.

Under tree's shade !

A person sleeping under the shadow of the 'Jhirni Tree', which is about 100 years old at Iqbal-e-Maidan, Sadar Manzil, Bhopal. Mentioned on the parapet under the tree is the famous couplet by Iqbal.

Seeing this pix, remembered a saying 'Every man has a different idea of what's beautiful, and it's best to take the gesture, the shadow of the branch, and let the mind create the tree'..... a point to ponder !

Sirpur lake leasing to life

SIRPUR LAKE is based on the outskirts of Indore, it was virtually dying two years back but is now leasing back to life, thanks to the efforts of an NGO ‘The Nature Volunteers’ supported by Environmental Planning & Coordination Organisation and the Municipal Corporation of Indore. As of now it attracts many migratory birds, which pass through Indore and has a great avifauna.
The Nature Volunteers (TNV) of Indore, is a volunteer group that advocates environmental issues and has been raising concern on the condition of the lake. It has been relentlessly trying to save the Sirpur Lake.

Bhalu Monde a volunteer with TNV’ says that it took an effort of many years to shake the system so that we could reach this level, where it is reviving back. But this is the start we will make sure that this lake becomes the pride of Indore, which it is. ‘Indore is a fast emerging metro, this lake is like nature’s life line for us, and indeed was important to save this’ adds another volunteer of TNV. I was at the lake recently, early morning with my D 70 camera and was impressed by the efforts put in by TNV to save this wetland. It was great to see purple moorhens, coots, cormorants, grey horn bill, whistling teals and common teals which are some of the birds there.

Sirpur Lake is a rain fed lake and about 100 years old. The Holkars, the erstwhile rulers of the Indore state, created it. It has an ideal environment for birds and hosts many insects and fishes which form food for the resident and migratory birds. It was virtually getting converted into sewage and part of its land area was illegally being occupied during summer season and slowly this lake would have died down. Now fencing has been done around the lake to save it, and a jogging track is being developed, surrounding the lake. But still, open defecation and water pollution are many of the issues, which are affecting the lake and its avifauna.