History: Major Defeats of Tipu Sultan in Hands of Maratha Empire

If you use Twitter, you can choose to follow a very good account called Indian History Pictures whose handle is: https://twitter.com/IndiaHistorypic

Recently, it posted two tweets which show the timeline of major defeats of Tipu Sultan, majorly in the hands of the great Marathas:

While most of us consider Tipu Sultan as a brave warrior, to consider him invincible and a greater force than other Indian kingdoms of the time is not true. Maratha warriors at that time ruled over most parts of India and defeated Tipu many times; as indicated in above image. 

- Rahul Tiwary

Travelogue: Garden inside Aditya Birla Memorial Hospital Pune

Visit to a hospital is mostly stressful. But imagine a hospital which has such a beautiful garden inside it that for a moment you forget if you have come to a hospital or to a park! Aditya Birla Memorial Hospital (ABMH), Pune is one such hospital. Just treat yourself with following pictures for example:

- Rahul Tiwary | Pune | Jan 2019

Travelogue: Jijau Paryatan Kendra, Chinchwad, Pune

I visited Jijau Paryatan Kendra (Jijau Tourism Center), Chinchwad and here are some of its pictures. It is named after Rajmata Jijau who was Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's mother.

There was no entry fee inside the park when I went. There is very nice children's playing area with lots of rides etc; there are seats where you can sit on the bank of Pavna river and watch the sun set; there is an open gym where you can exercise under the open sky; there is an area with big sculptures of animals which look very "real" and there are lots of stuff which children can enjoy; included a scary crocodile!

This is a must visit place for small kids and I can't wait to go back there again. 

- Rahul Tiwary | Pune | Feb 2019

Online Donation to Ramakrishna Mission

I wanted to donate something worthwhile for a long time and finally took the courage to go and do it in September last year. Before this I have been donating in small amounts but this was my first bigger donation. I am not posting this here for any ego satisfaction; I did not post about it on Facebook or anywhere so far and now I just felt this is worth sharing to encourage others and hence I am doing it. 

While donation I thought about which category to donate and finally chose "care of old and sick monks". Old age is most vulnerable period of life for most and if someone had chosen to become monk/sadhu, most likely he or she does not have access to funds and can't afford proper healthcare. This is why I chose this category. 

You can follow below process to donate:

Go to https://belurmath.org/ and choose "Donation" option on the right hand side Or Else, go directly to https://donations.belurmath.org/

You can choose "Donate to Ramakrishna Mission (Indian Donors) if you are an Indian donor. 

Minimum amount for donation is Rs 100.

It is a very simple process and you can use Credit Card / Debit Card / Net Banking in order to donate the amount.

You can choose from the following categories:

• Relief and Rehabilitation
• Tribal welfare
• Widows' welfare
• Scholarships to women students
• Rural development
• Rural development training
• Pallimangal (Integrated Rural Development)
• Gadadhar Abhyudaya Prakalpa (GAP) - Holistic Development of Children
• Monetary help to the poor and needy
• Monetary help to the poor for medical treatment
• Integrated development of backward class people
• Charitable dispensary
• Viveka Tirtha - Centre for Human Excellence and Social Sciences
• Swami Abhedananda Convention Centre
• Scholarships to poor and meritorious students
• Research work
• Scholarships to students for higher studies
• Care of old and sick monks
• General Fund
• Philanthropic and charitable activities

You can also to through FAQ page in case of any queries: 

https://belurmath.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/6000035173-how-do-i-donate-online-

While donating for social cause, it is still important to choose the right organization. For example, recently, Government of India had banned a number of NGOs and social organizations because they were doing all sorts of activities including religious conversions and funding social and political unrest in our country. This is why it is important to choose the right organization instead of donating to any random NGO based on advertisement. When in doubt, which organization can be better than the one established by Swami Vivekananda himself?

- Rahul Tiwary

Kashmir The Story | Full Documentary on Kashmir Valley

A TIMES NOW Exclusive, this documentary series gives an insight into the conflict-ridden region, showcasing facts as they are. 

The purely observational piece of storytelling is an honest attempt to showcase life in the Kashmir valley. 

Watch Kashmir The Story here. https://www.timesnownews.com/videos/news-plus/singles/kashmir-the-story-full-documentary-on-kashmir-valley-the-story-of-kashmir/14843

Hindu Temples: Shri Ram Temple in Chinchwad, Pune

I visited this amazing Ram Mandir in Chinchwad, Pune:

The temple appears to be made of gold. It shines and shines and one can simply get mesmerized. When I went inside, a group of women were singing bhajans and it had amazing atmosphere. The deity is in the form of Ram Darbar, i.e. consists of Lord Ram, Goddess Sita, Lakshman ji and Lord Hanuman. 

If you are visiting anywhere nearby, it is my recommendation to visit this temple too. You can find it on Google Maps here. 

- Rahul Tiwary | Pune | Feb 2019

Travelogue: Chapekar Chowk at Chinchwad, Pune

Below pictures show a splendid sculpture of the Chapekar Brothers from Pune who gave up their life fighting the British: 

If you are not from Pune/Maharashtra you might not have heard about these legendary brothers. 

The Chapekar brothers, Damodar Hari Chapekar (1870–1898), Balkrishna Hari Chapekar (1873–1899) and Vasudeo Hari Chapekar (1879–1899), were Indian revolutionaries involved in the assassination of W. C. Rand, the British plague commissioner of Pune.

Chapekar family came from a traditional Maharashtrian Brahmin family and were rich and influential once in the past. Later the family had turned into poverty.

Chapekar brothers were ardent followers of Bal Gangadhar Tilak and influenced by his hardliner and nationalist thoughts. Bal Gangadhar Tilak is an icon amongst Indian freedom fighters and is also considered "Father of Indian Unrest" against the British rule over India. Many also consider Tilak as one of the original 'Hindu Nationalists'. Influenced by Tilak's ideals and in attempt to make true his visons, Chapekar brothers founded a secret organization called "Binashi Samity" in Pune.

When there was a Plague outbreak in Pune, in the late 1896; part of the "global Third plague pandemic". A Special Plague Committee was formed by the British under the chairmanship of Walter Charles Rand, a Civil Services officer. Mr. Rand, the "Plague Commissioner" and Lieutenat Ayerst treated Indian patients ruthlessly in the pretext of preventing the plague epidemic and were detested by local population. Stories of their atrocities on Indian population were commonly known. Chapekar brothers were enraged and thought to eliminate the two British officers as a lesson to the British.

Chapekar brothers shot Mr. Rand and Mr. Ayerst dead. this was perhaps one of the first such assassinations.

The British police got hold of Chapekar brothers and hanged them till death. The selfless and defiant sacrifice of Chapekar brothers helped spread the revolutionary spirit all across Maharashtra. Reference

Where else can we find examples of such brave revolutionary brothers who gave up their lives for their motherland?

Chapekar Wada or Chapekar House:

The house of Chapekar brothers still exist today; called Chapekar Wada; in the same Chinchwad locality. I visited this wonderful house which is now converted into a museum:

Entry to this museum is free

I could simply walk into the main door

The view the house is amazing

It was indeed a wonderful visit to pay tributes to the great Indian revolutionary brothers... 

- Rahul Tiwary | Chinchwad, Pune | Feb 2019

Photography: Some Nature Pictures

Here are some pictures taken by me from a village in Bihar using my cellphone camera: 

A flock of birds resting on a parched tree

A couple of birds sitting on a tree in a poignant evening

A possible military jet passes through the sky

A bonfire which serves as a life saving aid during winters

Sun sets behind green fields

Sun plays hide and seek behind the trees

Stray mustard plants during the season of Vasant

A wild fruit lying on the ground, perhaps eaten partly by a bird

- Rahul Tiwary | Bihar | Feb 2019

Travelogue: Buddha Memorial Park in Patna

I have prepared a video with pictures of Buddha Smriti Park or Buddha Memorial Park in Patna. 

The park is situated at Frazer Road, very near to Patna Junction Railway station. This park was inaugurated by Dalai Lama. It is a very beautiful park and inside it I got similar feeling as I got in park around Lotus Temple, Delhi.

The park also has preserved remains of historical Bankipur Jail (picture posted below).

Pictures:

- Rahul Tiwary

Travelogue: Wall Painting in Patna

A Wall Mural in Patna showing women empowerment theme Madhubani Paintings:

- Rahul Tiwary | Patna | Feb 2019

#Environment: Plastic Ban and its Impact on Paper Consumption

Several states have banned single use plastic and plastic carry-bags in India. The change is obvious in these places. Plastic use is now very less and people have started using paper, clothes and jute bags instead of plastic carry bags. But this good development has potential to create a new problem - increase in paper consumption would mean more trees being cut for increased paper production!

Domestic paper consumption has been increasing in India. As this article from CARE Ratings published on 12th Feb, 2018 tells, the domestic demand in India grew from 9.3 million tonnes in FY08 to 15.3 million tonnes in FY16 at a CAGR of 6.4%. But this plastic bag ban is a game changer - this would definitely lead to increase in per capita paper consumption; which may be good for paper industry in India but not for the environment. 

According to references, 1 carton (10 reams) of 100% virgin copier paper uses 0.6 trees (Ref). According to this Quora thread, "each ton of recycled paper saves 17 trees and a multitude of other resources such as oil, water, landfill space and the energy used to produce paper. The average person in the United States uses approximately seven trees per year in various paper products, totaling 2,000,000,000 trees per year."

Another report from the USA tells, "The United States produced about 20,700,000 tons of this paper last year, which by my reckoning (see below) takes 55 to 110 million trees, but we only recycle about 11,000,000 tons, or 53 percent, according to those who should know: the American Forest and Paper Association." 

The solution to this threat is to re-use paper to the extent possible before throwing, and to recycle more paper than we are doing now. 

If we re-use and recycle more then this will reduce the harmful effect of increased paper consumption due to plastic-ban. 

- Rahul Tiwary

#Pictures: First doggie in the world having created its own "nest"

This is the one of the pups about whom I had posted earlier here and here; he is now grown up a bit. 

- Rahul Tiwary | Pune | Feb 2019

#Pictures: Gauraiya (Sparrows) in Food Court

- Rahul Tiwary | Place: Pune

#Video: Shivshahi Bus and Shivaji Idol Video

Someone has made this amazing video clip of a Shivshahi Bus going in the background while an idol of Chhatrapati Shivaji can be seen inside the traveling car: 

Shivshahi bus is launched by Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) and you can check more details and features about this very good bus service at this website: http://www.shivshahibus.in/

- Rahul Tiwary

#Travelogue: Dal Lake, Leh and Ladakh

In his recent visit to Jammu & Kashmir, Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi has posted two amazing pictures, one of iconic Dal Lake and the second of Leh and Ladakh: 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Dal Lake, Srinagar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Leh Ladakh

Picture Source: https://twitter.com/narendramodi

These pictures once again remind us of the natural beauty of this earth and the blessing India has got. After all, Kashmir is called Switzerland of India. 

Once upon a time, Kashmir was a major tourism destination for domestic Indian tourists. But along with rise in Pakistan supported militancy, gradually tourism declined and now if anyone plans a domestic tour, Kashmir does not most likely come in the mind at first. Thanks to the Prime Minister, we are reminded once again of its beauty. 

The number of domestic and foreign tourists visiting Jammu and Kashmir in 2016 were 94.15 lakh and 62,000 respectively, registering a positive growth of 2.95 per cent and 7.92 per cent, respectively over 2015 (Source). Tourism is a major source of income for Kashmir. Looking at tourist inflow data, it seems even foreign tourists are not flocking in in large numbers. We need to create more awareness among tourists, since not all places in Jammu & Kashmir are impacted by terrorism. Also, the local population has to keep a positive mindset. If they continue to pelt stones at Indian Army men in exchange for a Rs 500 note from the pro-Pakistan militant groups, it won't help their state. 

Let us hope that tourism booms in Jammu and Kashmir once again and very soon.

- Rahul Tiwary