Travelogue: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Park near Dange Chowk, Thergaon, Pune

Very near to Dange Chowk, Thergaon, Pune, there used to be a municipal park along with a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Recently this same park has been renovated and upgraded into a theme-based park by Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC). Of late several new parks have been developed by PCMC in the Chinchwad area and it is a good trend. 

You can find it on Google Maps here. 

Here are some of the pictures from the park:

(Above) The statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

(Above) The beautiful garden provides shade and a peaceful sitting 

(Above) A giant saffron flag (pataka) can be seen proudly in the sky

(Above) The park has this theme of wall murals depicting the whole life of Shivaji Maharaj; starting from his birth as seen above

(Above) An exhibition in the form of series of wall murals can be seen inside the park

(Above) Another wall mural showing victory of Shivaji in the South India. Do you know that Shiva ji had spread his empire till Tamil Nadu? In 1677 Shiva ji had invaded Madras and you can read about it in the Hindu newspaper here. 

(Above) The skyline of the park is dominated by the Shivaji Maharaj statue

(Above) The beautiful gate to the park; at Dange Chowk, Thergaon

(Above) The flyover at Dange Chowk is also named "Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Udan Pul, Thergaon"

(Above) Wonderful wall murals at the park showing different stages of Shivaji Maharaj's life

The entry to the park is free. Though the park seems to be still developing and a few sections may be added in the future. Kids were seen touching these murals and I saw a kid applying force to check how strong an elephant's trunk was! I stopped him and asked him not to touch it; but in the meanwhile the kid did beak a small bell from the neck of a bullock's statue. Feeling guilty, he picked it up and tried to install it back on the statue without success. I helped him do that but not before hurting my finger a bit. :) I think protective chains need to be installed before these murals so that they can be viewed but still remain safe. Also, it seems there will be a shade built to protect these murals from the rains - as of now these stand in the open sky and hence dust and water can harm those. 

The park is situated at the very busy Dange Chowk and there is no other place so near to the buzzing junction which is so calm and peaceful. Appreciation goes to the municipal corporation and government for making this park a wonderful and inspiring place to visit.

- Rahul Tiwary | April 2019

Television: Game of Thrones: Season 6

In Season 6 of Game of Thrones (GOT), Jon Snow's resurrection at the earliest episode was perhaps the most anticipated and debated event. It was the most satisfying also. 

Jon Snow: Arguably the most handsome face of Game of Thrones

In the first episode, if Myrcella's murder by poisoning was not bad enough, Doran Martell, the handicapped Prince of Dorne was killed by Ellaria with a knife to his chest. Doran should not have pardoned Ellaria earlier; giving her a second chance. To make it worse, Doran's noble and only son Trystane is also murdered by Ellaria's female mercenaries. Ellaria is one of the hated characters of GOT.

Sansa Stark's reuniting with Jon Snow was a great relief. And the war between Stark and Bolton armies (the Battle of the Bastards) was one of the best shot parts of GOT. Still, the part where Jon gets weighed down over the pile of dead soldiers while fighting in the war and gasps for breath appeared to be too much of an attempt for creating unnecessary drama. Also, the Stark army was not able to find a way out after being surrounded by the Bolton Army; this does not look possible given that they had Wun Wun, the a giant warrior from the Free Folks. Wun Wun could have just thrown away any such captivity by pushing through them. Also, it was surprising why Wun Wun was not armed with some giant swords or daggers and why he did not have a proper metallic armor. The Bolton soldiers were able to pierce the Giant Wun Wun through their arrows and it shows just a waste on the side of the Free Folks; if they had cared to get him some shield or armor. If Wun Wun had a giant dagger in his arms and also word an armor and a headgear, he would have defeated Bolton army single handedly. It was surprising that no one from the Stark army was ordering or asking Wun Wun to do anything and he appeared to be on his own.

Ramsay Bolton is one of the most hateful charcters in GOT and thank God he died. Before that Ramsay killing his own father Roose Bolton seemed like it was destined. Roose should have known much earlier what an evil character he had allowed to grow in his house; perhaps he knew but still ignored him since Ramsay was his only possible heir. After killing Roose Bolton the manner in which Ramsay killed his step mother and step brother who was a just born baby; was one of the most horrible scenes of GOT. 

Sansa Stark: A fine idea of a woman of character from Game of Thrones

Cersei Lannister destroying the Sept of Baelor by fire, killing the High Sparrow: This was a very satisfying event; Cersei finally behaved like a queen. Ever since the High Sparrow started treating the royalty like dirt; there was a sense of disbelief and the story looked 'unnatural'. Finally this was set right through the Sept burning. Although it was saddening to see so many folks dying in the fire. 

Cersei Lannister: Strong, weak, confused, hard-headed; idea of a complex character

Young King Tommen Baratheon's suicide was not convincing for me. The way he was, he should have been too much of a coward to take his own life. And if he had the guts, he would not have allowed the fenatic Faith Militants to do that to his mother.

Arya killing Walder Frey and his sons was another great event which set a lot of wrong things right. Felt proud of Arya for being able to do that. But before that, thank God the joke in the name of "no one" she was playing got stopped. She was the daughter of Ned Stark and it was disgraceful of the way she had put her whole life in the hands of a "no one". 

Arya Stark: Pray her unending suffering ends forever

And Season 6 continued the boring series of Daenerys Targaryen aka Khaleesi, the Mother of Dragons who kept fighting all the holy evils of this world including slavery. As I have said before, if Khaleesi's character was erased from GOT, GOT would become much more realistic story which grown up people would appreciate.

PS: Interestingly the most interesting character I came across in this Season was of Lyanna Mormont. It is wonderful how they found this perfect child artist Bella Ramsey who has played this role wonderfully. 

- Rahul Tiwary

Related posts: Game of Thrones: Season 5

Nature: Stray Dogs

- Rahul Tiwary 

Nature: Ducks Fight in Bird Valley Park

When I visited Bird Valley Park in Pune recently, I witnessed a curious scene. You can check out my pictures of the lake-park and ducks here in my previous post. Coming back the incident; here is the sequence of events which unfolded: 

The lake has both complete white and spotted brown type of ducks.

(Above) Two brown ducks were swimming and enjoying in the lake

(Above) Suddenly a group of white ducks rushed towards them

(Above) More white ducks joined them and they started confronting the brown ducks as if there was going to be a gang-war

(Above) The brown ducks were threatened and one of the brown ducks, perhaps the male, is seen coming in front of the other duck which was perhaps female and it appeared as if he was trying to protect her. But the brown ducks were completely bullied. All ducks were also making noise. 

(Above) After a while, it was all fine. The white dominating ducks were calmed down after having made their point and in a few minutes swam to a different area. 

I do not know exactly what transpired among those ducks. But clearly the white ducks were united as a group and the brown spotted ducks were a separate team. There was certainly a tension between these two groups which did not turn into a full fledged street (lake) fight and no one was really harmed. Perhaps the white ducks sent a message to the brown spotted ducks. Was it a fight over territory which had food? Most likely. The white ducks also appeared much bigger in size and were stronger; giving them an edge. 

After this incident, I am left wondering that perhaps racism is not really a human trait; is it? Perhaps even among some animals and birds, folks are treated differently based on their "color". 

"Birds of a feather flock together" - is an old saying; how could I forget? 

A curious incident indeed. 

- Rahul Tiwary | Pune | March 2019

Travelogue: Bird Valley Park in Pune

Bird Valley Udyan (Park), is a wonderful lake-park in Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pune. You can find it on Maps here. Here are some of the pictures taken during my visit:

(Above) Status of Chhatrapti Shiva ji Maharaj fighting a lion with bare hands; at the entrance of the park

(Above) Scenic view of the lake and area around it

(Above) Visitors enjoying boat ride. There are two types of boat: motorized which will take you around come return along with others; solo ride (smaller boats) which you need to drive by paddling yourself. You can roam around personally and with privacy on the boat and then return within a time limit. 

(Above) Beautiful ducks in the lake. You can feed the ducks by throwing cracked corn or other allowed items and they will readily grab and eat

(Above) A white duck dives

(Above) Hello! Anyone inside? :) A duck is inside the ripples. 

(Above) People roaming around the lake in solo boats

(Above) Ducks would do the talking

(Above) Why are you hiding mate? Dipping inside the water to bring out food!

(Above) Ducks of all colors

(Above) Natural beauty

(Above) At far distance; you can see a demon-like mascot oozing out water from his mouth

(Above) Want to say something? Reaching out!

(Above) I loved this duck the most; he is standing tall on two legs as if he is a small man or boy! 

(Above) Sculpture of a large eagle at one end of the lake

(Above) Sculpture of workers at the main entrance of the park

(Above) Outside the main gate

(Above) People coming out of the park

(Above) I could find an old bird; her feathers have all fallen. I am not sure if she was sick; but she was along with the healthy birds and hence I could sense that she should not be sick. Thankfully she was only one of her kind and there were no other suffering birds. 

A few general suggestions: 

The park's opening time is 12 PM to 7 PM. It is really a nice place to visit in the evening; but you must have 1-2 hours to enjoy properly.

Entrance fee for the park is only Rs 10 per person. There is parking available near the main gate and it appears to be free. 

You can take your camera or phones inside and there is no restriction or fee. Boat rides are of course charged. 

You may need minimum 2 hours to enjoy the visit properly. Main attraction of the park is the lake and its boat ride. Even if you choose not to ride the boats; you may stand or sit near the lake side and enjoy watching the ducks and the scenery. 

There is a walking path all around the lake; it must be long stretch (may be 2 km). If you decide to follow the path; you should be prepared to find some couples sitting there in objectionable state (PDA: public display of affection); hence be prepared to ignore or else do not go much further and return to the area where ducks are and boat platform sooner.

This is a wonderful lake and park and a must visit for all if you like waterbody and ducks. 

- Rahul Tiwary

Television: Game of Thrones: Season 5

Finished watching Season 5 of Game of Thrones on Star World; which his airing all previous seasons of the series as a precursor to the final Season 8 which starts on April 19. Three things made our remarkedly. 

1. Cersei Lannister's dangerous with the High Sparrow and Faith Militants: Even before knowing the final fate; Cersei's solicitation of High Sparrow and his 'faith militant' group raised serious doubts over her decision. Hardline religion becomes fanaticism and has the toxic power to destroy common sense and decency everywhere and in all times. Cersei should never have empowered the Faith Militants. But in her blind hatred of new queen Margaery; Cersei did not see what she was doing. She was also mad due to her power and she never imagined that anyone could touch her. But her decision to empower the Faith Militants came back to haunt her and in the end she was proven to be an utterly incompetent and short sighted person who did not know how the world works; forget about any proper method of ruling over the kingdom.

Picture: Cersei and High Sparrow: The twain should not have met

2. Stannis Baratheon's insistence on going forward and his unfortunate end: Stannis Baratheon is a character which really intrigued me. I had to search and read about this character more. I first noted him when he stormed into the Wildings and protected Night's Watch against the wildling invasion. That was really impressive. Stannis stood like a real king. When he met and negotiated with Jon Snow, we could notice more elements of his character. When Jon Snow did not agree to his offer to legitimize him and becoming officially a "Stark"; and to be appointed Lord of Winterfell; Stannis did not take offence and accepted the setback with maturity and grace so uncommon in other characters. 

Picture: Stannis Baratheon, "The Iron Throne is mine by right. All those that deny that are my foes."

It appears surprising why Stannis forced his army to march forward no matter what the consequence was; and in the end when his wife and troops desert him, he still persisted in having the war. Before going for war, everyone knew that there was very slim chance of his army winning it; given that his army was half destroyed in the snowfall and fire and half had deserted him with horses and arms. I liked his explanation for his decision - winter was coming and if he returned to the Castle Black, it would mean he and his army would get stuck there and could meet a horrified end at the hands of the White Walkers. And if he returned, he would be remembered in history as a king who gave up. He put his bet on his ability to fight; given that he was a proven military commander.

Picture: Stannis Baratheon: A man of war

The way he was killed by Brienne of Tarth was disgraceful; the way she announced verdict against him for his role in Renly's death appeared farce. Brienne of Tarth is a character I have never liked in the GOT. Look at her logic: Brienne was loyal to Sansa Stark; Sansa Stark was held captive and being tortured by Ramsay Bolton; Stannis had raided and attacked the Boltons; and yet when Brienne gets an opportunity she kills Stannis who was indirectly helping Sansa Stark? If Brienne of Tarth had a little brain she could have found out that Stannis Baratheon was a friend of the Starks; he respected Jon Snow and had just saved Jon Snow's life and while attacking Winterfell he was indirectly helping Sansa Stark. Roose Bolton had murdered Robb Stark; and if this Brienne of Tarth was really loyal to the Starks she should have helped Stannis Baratheon in defeating Roose and Ramsay Bolton. But no; all she had to do was to keep hiding until Stannis' army was destroyed and then pop up and kill him after declaring him guilty of murdering his own brother (although it was Melisandre's doing). 

Still, in his death Stannis evokes a kind of 'respect' for him.

3. Jon Snow and his decisions leading to his assassination: As mentioned above, I believe Jon should have accepted Stannis Baratheon's offer and he should have secured legitimacy and position of Lord of Winterfell. But he put his bet on his people who failed him. He should have realized that the crowd at the Wall were no thinking or educated folks and most were criminal in character. He should not have put his faith in them; a little bit of skepticism does not hurt. In the end, the way Jon Snow was murdered during Mutiny at Castle Black was an utterly shocking event. 

Picture: Jon Snow; proving "youth is wasted on the young"

Season 5, near the end, appeared to be much intense and true to the image of Game of Thrones. 

- Rahul Tiwary

Related Posts: Game of Thrones Season 6

Television: Facing: Saddam Hussein on National Geographic

I watched "Facing: Saddam Hussein" on National Geographic on the television recently. I have searched and found this on YouTube below:

I remember when Iraq had invaded Kuwait in 1990. I was young at that time but I still have memories of watching the news on TV in the evenings on DD1; the scenes of nights lit up by anti-aircraft missiles being fired. 

I was in 2nd year at engineering college when the US was attacked and WTC twin towers were destroyed in year 2001. I remember how in our hostel news broke out in the evening and everyone watched the news with horror on the common room television. And then the US attached Iraq and in year 2003, Saddam Hussein was captured. 

At my college we used to have debates in the class on this topic whether USA was right in attacking Iraq. Curiously some folks were anti-USA and they insisted strongly that USA had no right to attack Iraq even though they accepted the killings and human rights violations that Saddam had done. I could not understand them at that time.

For me, it was a simple case. Saddam was a violent dictator having killed thousands of men and he should be punished. USA was world super power and if USA had decided to channelize the world community and bring Saddam to the books; so be it. But the boys insisted, "what right the USA has to attack another country?" I said that suppose the USA sat and did nothing; then they would all be crying that no one bothers about the dead and tortured people in Iraq and why no one did anything. But when USA does something, they are crying injustice!

At that time I was young and had not seen all kinds of men. At that time I did not know that not all men sought "solutions" to problems. I did not know that many people love problems and they want to remain incapable of doing anything. All they want is someone or something to put the blame on. So in this case, they just wanted to blame the world community with doing nothing about Iraqi people; and for that they did not want the world community to do anything! George W. Bush changed everything by acting bold and decisive, like Americans are famous for. 

This documentary shows many new aspects to the war. I agree with the portion where it appears that Saddam Hussein had vastly underestimated the power of American armed forces and when he said that US Air Force would never act as a deciding force in that "kind of war"; he was actually acting foolish. It seems Saddam had turned too over-confident and arrogant and arrogance is known to make people do foolish things. 

Although the documentary does not touch this topic; but I think the disaster in Iraq and rise of ISIS in particular did not directly happen due to Saddam's ouster. It happened due to wrong foreign policies by George W. Bush's successor Barack Obama who was bent on proving his worth about his "Nobel Peace Prize" and being too favorable to the Middle East countries, he made a mess of the original US plan in Iraq. 

This is a great documentary and a must watch for all. Saddam was no ordinary dictator and the future generations who were not born during the years of his atrocities would not be able to understand his fury completely. 

- Rahul Tiwary

Internet: How to Cancel LinkedIn Friend Request Sent to Someone

Here is the quick process to cancel or withdraw a friend/connection request you sent to someone on LinkedIn:

Go to: My Network --> Manage All --> Sent --> Select --> Withdraw

- Rahul Tiwary

Photos: Figurines

Beautiful figurines kept at a lunch arrangement in office:

- Rahul Tiwary