RED CARPET BY THE LORDS.

What a Day !!

In the beginning it was supposed to be a road trip between we friends. But then there was inclination to see the Lords for one glance before they go inside the temple.

Out of the 365 days, the lords are out of the temple for the chariot festival for only 12 days. Rest of the times who visit the lord Jaganath temple, he plays hide and seek. You have a glimpse only if you are lucky.

But sometimes you are just blessed. You bike to the chariots, there is only one spot for parking i.e just for you. You get to see the lords, make wishes, ask for blessings. Do the prayers. No one's sweets go up on the chariots to be touched by the idols but someone does it for you like a miracle. 

How happy you are in the end.

Today it really felt that the lords had put a red carpet for us to visit them.

Raja Festival 2016

During the Raja festival this year, I came across some real truths of life.

While passing by the villages in Orissa, I happened to come across these beautiful n innocent kids celebrating Rajo Festival among friends.

The smile and innocence of these kids to explore the world as it comes, left me thinking that sometimes life is very simple.

I realised how important it is travel or be in move to learn the lost values of life. 

Raja Festival

  Raja Parba or Mithuna Sankranti (Odia: ରଜ ପର୍ବ) is a three-day-long festival and the second day signifies beginning of the solar month of Mithuna from, which the season of rains starts. It inaugurates and welcomes the agricultural year all over Odisha, which marks, through biological symbolism, the moistening of the sun dried soil with the first showers of the monsoon in mid June thus making it ready for productivity. 

This is very symbolic for the Women as it marks for their power to reproduce. 

It is believed that the mother goddess Earth or the divine wife of Lord Vishnu undergoes menstruation during the first three days.The fourth day is called as Vasumati gadhua or ceremonial bath of Bhudevi.The term Raja has come from Rajaswala (meaning a menstruating woman) and during medieval period the festival became more popular as an agricultural holiday remarking the worship of Bhudevi, who is the wife of lord Jagannath.

During the three days women take a break from household work and time to play indoor games. Girls decorate themselves with new fashion or traditional Saree and Alatha(Red colour liquid) in feet. All people abstain from walking barefoot on earth. Generally various Pithas(Sweet dishes) are made of which Podopitha,and Chakuli Pitha are main. People play a lot of indoor and outdoor games. Girls play swings tied on tree branches whereas aged ladies play Cards and Ludo.Many villages organise Kabbadi matches among young men. 

SONHAR É GRATIS(To dream is free) # 7

SONHAR é  GRATIS

Another free travel. Visas, flights, monuments, museums, food all coming free. 

How cool is it to travel with friends you love! They say dreams are linked to your thought process. What we think is somehow is what we dream. Of course in the weirdest version. 

In the new year eve of 2014, I met a group of friends from Portugal to celebrate the new year and travel for the next 12 days. The time we passed has risen to unforgottable memories. The tour was an epic. I always miss those good times and wish I could go for another such tour. 

Probably the memories always run in my mind for which I think I had this dream last night. 

As per the gift of remembering what I dream, I was riding a motor bike with my friends Cristina, Jorge, Assunsão, Rodrigo, Diogo, Pedro, Rita and Valter. The new entries whom I saw were Fransisca and Lilianha, both common friends with the above friends and my facebook friends. There was

Conceisão from Maia, Portugal. Also a girl called Ana who is not one of the Anas I know from Portugal. 

I dont remember where we were but I remember discussing the monuments of Siem Reap that we visited with Jorge. The incredible stories of Indian mythology is one of the matter of discussion between me and Jorge. But the Landscape had the beaches of Goa and the fort exactly same like the one in Ankara, Turkey. 

I remember that am so obssessed with the museums that I got all my friends tired of it. They all walked ahead while I was still exploring one of the museum which looked Egyptian. Guess who gave me company till the end,  Cristina. The girl who would be least interested in Museums as much as I know. 

Then we walked from the top of the fort to sit by one of its rocky steps. On the way down I made friendship with a British couple. The view was incredible to see the sun setting from the steps of the fort and the sea shinning like molten gold. 

For now in real I have not met any of those friends in last one year but am happy to wake up with a smile after this dream. Am happy to catch up with my friends over a dream which still feels real. 

Really dreams are absolutely free. 

Its 32 !!

Its 32 Countries I have visited and I want more. 

Below is the list in English and Portuguese : 

1. India - Índia 

2. South Africa - África do Sul

3. Qatar - Qatar

4. Thailand - Tailândia

5. Vietnam - Vietname

6.Cambodia- Cambodja

7. Indonesia - Indonésia

8. Sri Lanka - Sri Lanka

9. Malaysia - Malásia

10. Laos - Laos

11. France - França

12. Switzerland - Suíça

13. Italy - Itália

14. Germany - Alemanha

15. Portugal - Portugal

16. Spain - Espanha

17. Turkey - Turquia

18. Jordan - Jordania

19. Uae - Eua

20. Brazil - Brasil

21. Argentina - Argentina

22. Chile - Chile

23. Uruguay - Uruguai

24. Bolivia - Bolívia

25. Peru - Peru

26. Equador - Equador

27. Colombia - Colômbia

28. Singapore - Singapura

29. Philipines - Filipinas

30. Myanmar - Bírmania

31. Bangladesh - Bangladesh

32. Nepal - Nepal

Christmas = Church

It started in the year 2005 that I visited a small chapel on Christmas.

I was hanging out with my classmates at hostel is when my friend Rakesh said its Christmas lets go to Church. Although we could not find any church, we all went to a small Chapel in Mathikere, Bangalore and lit candles. We all wishpered a small prayer. 

Ever since then I always go to church on Christmas. It has because a tradition for me. 

No matter where I am I always find a church, chapel or like a little house in Goa with a cross to light a candle. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS HO HO HO !!

It seems that I am hooked on to the colour blue, where as its time for some of the colour Red.

It is Christmas. Lets jump, dance, dine and drink because its the favourite time of the year.
Wish you all a Merry Christmas!

BLUE IS EVERYWHERE....

While looking for the windows from Alentejo in Portugal, I came across from stunning doors and windows in Spain and Morocco.

Especially when I was surfing in Pinterist, I came across this city in Morocco which is painted in different shades of Blue. It is Chefchaouen.

Again the pictures I chose from Pinterist are worth sharing. I definitely have to travel to Morocco one day and to this beautiful town of Chefchaouen.

                                                                                                      

 

                                                    

 

BLUE WINDOWS OF PORTUGAL

Yet again more blue.

Today while I was doing some research work for my house renovation, I googled for the windows in Alentejo. To my surprise most of them are blue.

I can't stop sharing the beautiful windows here. Is it I like blue a lot or I blue crosses my road in purpose, he eh...

PORTUGAL LOVE FOR MY MOM !

Perhaps, it is for the first time I share here in my blog that I am renovating my parental house.

I did and still doing a lot of research on how to give a lift to my house which is easily 50 years old. 

I am trying my best to give a fresh look keeping the old intact. I kept the old furnitures and also bought some new. Demolished all unwanted shelves. The concept is vintage to relate to my mother's taste and also my choice of life ;)

Sooner or later towards the 70% completion I realised that my house has some looks from Portugal. A country which is close to my heart. I had two friends from Portugal, Jorge and Luis visiting my house and they could relate it to the looks of an old Portuguese houses. I heard it and immediately was on the 9th cloud. May be this house is the expression of my love for Portugal. All those good memories I carried from Portugal from the May-June of 2012 can be seen in my house.

Again the colour blue has dominance in the entire renovation.