Captain's Corner

Friday, November 1, 2013

Golf in the Mountains Nainital and Ranikhet – 14 to 17 Oct 2013

My dear friend Kataria’s younger daughter Naina decided to tie the knot on 20th Oct 2013 at Delhi. This also coincided with Dussera holidays and we decided to take a break from Bangalore and the routine work. Along with our very dear friends - Freddie and Pushpa, we planned to visit Jaisalmer, Corbette National Park, common friend’s summer get away in Ranikhet and so on. Finally we decided to enjoy the hospitality of the Indian Army at their Nainital ‘Holiday Home’. Indian Army maintains a number of HH in important tourist destinations all over India, to provide boarding and lodging to visiting defense personnel.

Delhi is very uniquely placed for an extended weekend getaway. There are a number of tourist places to visit within 8 to 10 hours drive.

Figure 1 – Early morning Delhi

We set sail from Delhi at 0630 in the comfort of Honda Civic and were able to beat the dreaded morning office traffic. We stopped at Bikanerwala for breakfast. I was very impressed with the restaurant and they are true to what they profess in their web site --“Bikanervala’s concept always has been to innovate and yet maintain the original flavour of traditional Indian food with primary focus on quality, hygiene and affordability”. The place is very clean and well managed. The food is very tasty and reasonably priced. To see their staff serving food with FSPG (Food Service Polyethene Gloves) was a very welcome sight. The toilets are clean.

The roads are in good order except for 7Km stretch between Suar and Bajpur, where it is nonexistent - 20 minutes of jolting and dust. The recommended route is Delhi – Rampur – Suar – Bajpur – Kaladungi – Nainital. The climb to the hills starts 35 Kms short of Nainital. After a brief stop for lunch at one of the many road side restaurants, we reached HH Nainital around 3PM. The restaurant displayed a very interesting menu card – Hot and Shower Soup, Chess Baryani, Veg Barger, Veg Chopasi amongst other items.

Figure 2 – Short of Nainital

Uttarkhand is a state located in the Northern part of India which is well known for its natural beauty, it was carved out of Himalayan and adjoining districts of Uttar-Pradesh (UP) on 09 November 2000, becoming the 27th state of the Republic of India. It’s sometimes called "Land of the Gods" (Dev Bhoomi) because of the presence of a multitude of Hindu pilgrimage spots. Uttarkhand is the combined region of Kedarkhand (present day Garhwal) and Manaskhand (present day Kumaon). Nainital and Ranikhet are integral part of Kumaon. Ranikhet is home to Kumaon Regimental Centre – KRC. The Kumaon Regiment is one of the most decorated regiment of the Indian Army. It has produced many heroes – prominent among them being Major Somnath Sharma (Posthumous), 4 Kumaon, Badgam, Kashmir, Indo-Pakistan War of 1947 and Major Shaitan Singh, (Posthumous), 13 Kumaon, Chushul, Ladakh, Sino-Indian War of 1962 both recipient of the Param Vir Chakra (Posthumous). Gen. KS Thimayya , General S M Shrinagesh and Gen. TN Raina of Kumaon Regiment occupy pride of place in the Indian Army.Their photographs welcome one and all to the Kumaon hills.

Nainital is a pleasant hill station located at an altitude of 6450ft.The town gets its name from a beautiful lake situated in the valley “Nani Lake”. The temperature hovered around 18 deg C during the day and 10 at night - an ideal setting for picnics, stroll and the like. The city is clean in spite of large number of tourist visiting during the Puja holidays. The conservancy staff is out early in the morning to sweep and tidy the place. During the peak hours the traffic does become messy due to narrow roads. The lake has been maintained well and the water is clear. The local administration should seriously consider banning ‘Horn’ in the mall area. Nainital is also home to few reputed schools – prominent among them being ‘Sherwood’ where my course mates John Siga and Kulbir Singh Aulakh learnt their nursery rhymes. I did not see any beggars –good.

Figure 3 – Holiday Home Nainital

Figure 4 – Push and Jai very thrilled

The HH is located on the mall overlooking the lake and the surrounding hills. The overall stay in HH was excellent – accommodation and food was top class.

Figure 5 – Naini Lake

Figure 6 – Another view of HH

Figure 7 – Typical Naini sky

The girls spent their time going for long walks on the mall and window shopping. Self and Ashok had some very serious business to attend – Golf. Early next morning we teed off from the ‘Raj Bhavan Golf Course’. The course winds its way like a Python amidst thick forest full of Kaphal, Sal, Oak, Pine, and Weeping Willow trees. It is a short par 61 course with the regulation 18 holes covering a distance of about 3.2 kms. It has combination of Greens and Browns. The course is extremely challenging – the fairways are narrow with trees on either side and located on the slope of the hill face. Tee off has to be very accurate and precise. It was a real boon to be playing with a pro like Ashok Dewan, who with decades of experience was able to guide a novice like me. In most cases you cannot see the pin, which is further complicated by layers of cloud masking the entire area. Holes 1 to 5 are down slope and 6 to 10 is located on the limited level area of the valley flat. The caddy politely and discretely cautioned us that 11 to 18 require more of stamina than golfing technique. The last 7 holes are uphill and one ends up panting and gasping for breath. Later on we were told that it’s not uncommon to find leopards on the course after dark. A unique and wonderful experience.

Figure 8 – Hole No 1 downhill – no sight of the pin. – 18^th pin on the right

Figure 9 – Freddie teeing off – Hole No 4 – between the gaps of pine – 12^th pin in sight

Figure 10 – Tea after the 9^th at Governors Pavilion - at the back

Figure 11 – Catching up on breath 13^th Hole

Figure 12 – Talking about direction – waiting for the clouds to clear

Figure 13 – A fascinating sight

In the evening we dined at the exclusive ‘Boat House Club’ established 1890.The club is situated on the lake and provides a panoramic view of the lake and the adjoining hills. The drinks and food are reasonably priced and we spent an enjoyable evening gazing at the lake lights. Later, we took a cycle rickshaw home.

Ranikhet 16 Oct 2013

After a scrumptious ‘Puri and Bhagi’ breakfast we set out for Ranikhet. Hot P and B with pickle is the ideal choice for the mountains and cold weather. It has a remarkable ability to revitalize both the body and soul on a wintery morning. In the navy, every Monday morning was P and B. It takes around 2 hours to reach Ranikhet, which is 60 Kms from Nani. The drive is very picturesque and interesting. Basically, a military cantonment Ranikhet is situated at a height of 6200ft and the seat of “Kumaon Regimental Centre”. R is sparsely populated and more appealing to the eye than Nani.

The agenda was very simple – We play golf and the girls relax and study the nature around ‘R’ in greater detail. Once again the ‘Army Uppat Golf Course’ (9/18 holes) is set amidst green meadows and gentle slopes; together they give the course the required degree of challenge and complexity - rendering the game interesting and unpredictable.

Figure 14 – A tributary of Ganga – rather dry

Figure 15 – On the way to Ranikhet

Figure 16 – Photo op on the course

Figure 17 – Ever gentle slope with 4^th and 5^th Holes

Figure 18 – Freddie teeing off from the 6^th hole – notice the ram rod straight left hand

Figure 19 – A distant view of the Golf Club

We then visited ‘Valley View’ Home stay for lunch. It is located on National Highway (NH) 87-E, between Ranikhet and Almora, near Majkhali and is about 6 km from Ranikhet Golf Course and 12 km from Ranikhet Market. Ashok and Push had visited this place on an earlier trip to R and very duly impressed with the overall ambiance it offered. The rooms and the ‘Café” overlook the amazing ‘Gagas River Valley’ and the Himalayas at a distance. The picture is really breath taking. The place is run by a retired army officer and his wife. A chilled glass of beer, hot pasta with tomato cheese sauce and grilled fish after a round of golf with good friends was the highlight of the day. The place is very elegantly decorated with a number of knick knacks and artifacts. A well maintained garden adds to the classy show the owners have painstakingly developed. The rooms are basic but clean and well appointed. All overlook the fascinating view of the valley and the mountains. Worth a stay and one is assured of ‘value for Money’

Figure 20 – Valley View Resort

Figure 21 – Gagas Valley View

Figure 22 – The Café

Figure 23 – Another view of the café

Figure 24 – Totally at home- cutting nails

Next morning we started very early and did a bit of BF in a ‘Dhaba’ enroute. After a couple of hot and mouth watering Aloo Parathas we reached outskirts of Delhi to be confronted by its swollen traffic.

Figure 25 – Savoring Parathas

Both Ashok and Pushpa share the task of driving. After a long haul, to chill out was a good idea – especially for A and P. We had a nice lunch at ‘Big Chill Café’ in Khan Market to celebrate Jayanti’s birthday. The walls are adorned with framed posters of yesteryear's classics like Casablanca, Russia with love and Hitchcock's Psycho. The look is retro and different.

Figure 26 – Different posters in the background on the wall

On 18^th, Ashok and Push hosted a dinner to all the naval course mates visiting Delhi for the wedding. The evening was full of merriment, fun and frolic. Generous amount of Black Dog, Pushpa’s excellent fare and pleasant weather – all added up to make the evening very memorable.

Figure 27 – Lovely Balcony – Nair, Rags, Sameer, Bill and Keith.

Figure 28 – Good old friends- Rags, Keith and Snitch

Figure 29 – Gir with Jai and Nair

Figure 30 – Jai cutting the cake so lovingly ordered by Push and Freddie

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Bull Fight at Madrid – 01 June 2013

The overriding principle of ‘experiencing everything at least once’ made most of us watch a bull fight. How, one can visit Spain and not witness a bull fight was the thought, foremost in my mind. None of us really knew how a bull fight would unfold. Our scanty knowledge was from novels, movies and hearsay. My respect for the bovines had increased manifold since the time I saw a National Geographic clip of an African buffalo taking on the mighty lion.

I come from a land, where bulls and cows are revered and worshiped My childhood days were spent in the playing fields of ‘Bugle Rock’ in Basavanagudi (meaning Temple of the Bull) Bangalore. Adjoining the play field is located the famous Bull Temple of Bangalore. In fact the road is named the ‘Bull Temple Road’. Many evenings were spent visiting the temple and praying.

Figure 1 – The Bull

The huge idol of Nandi (Bull) stands approximately 15 feet tall and 20 feet in width. This idol is said to have been carved out of a single rock. It was installed in 1537 by Kempegowda the First, the founder of Bangalore and a feudatory ruler under the Vijayanagar Empire. The Nandi is the vehicle of Lord Shiva.

It is also very common to find a decorated bull and its handler parading on the streets of Bangalore. The appearance of the bull is seen as a good omen.

Figure 2 – Decorated bull doing the rounds with its handlers

My only other association with the term ‘Bull’ having reference to the restaurant ‘The Bull and Bush’ in http://samundarbaba.blogspot.in/2010/09/person-perception.html and the bar ‘Cock and Bull’ in http://samundarbaba.blogspot.in/2012/11/we-went-to-sakleshpur.html

Incidentally bullfighting was banned in the Spanish autonomous community of Catalonia by a vote of the Catalan Parliament in July 2010. The ban came into effect on 1^st January 2012. The last bullfight in the region took place in Barcelona in September 2011.

Figure 3 - Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas

I went to watch a bull fight in the ‘Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas’ a famous bullring in Madrid. "Las Ventas" is divided into a ring or arena and a group of zones called "patios". The arena has a diameter of 60 meters. The seating capacity is divided into 10 "tendidos" (group of 27 rows around the arena), some of them in the shade and the rest in the sun. It has a capacity of 23,000 spectators.

Figure 4 - Toreros statue outside Las Ventas bullring, Madrid, Spain

Figure 5 - Antonio Bienvenida a very famous Spanish bullfighter

Figure 6 – The arena

Figure 7 – Waiting in somewhat tremulous anticipation

Spectators arrive in hoards to watch the bull fight. The whole place gets filled up with fans eagerly waiting to see the action - girls, boys, children, old people, make up the scene. Food and drinks are freely available to add to the spectacle. As time progresses the crowd becomes restless and starts cheering. The mood inside is charged and electric. Finally the bugles sound the commencement .The Picadors enter the scene with aplomb and are received with thunderous applause. For the crowd there is no going back – the action has commenced. The crowd enter into a trance – a make believe world reflecting the virtues of human power over animals. It’s not about survival - hunting in the jungle to kill, eat and stay alive. We are not in the Paleolithic age, when man competed with animals to rule the earth. This crowd is now in the year 2013 AD in modern Spain, waiting to satisfy its meanest instincts – to maim, wound, draw blood and kill.

Figure 8 - Picadors enter the scene

The Picadors along with various henchmen enter the arena with fanfare. As in a military parade, they go around the arena waving and saluting. The crowd explodes in approval. Then a man holds a placard proudly proclaiming the details of the bull – mainly its weight.

Figure 9 – 460 Kg bull

The most anticipated event of the day happens. All of a sudden, the bull appears in the arena. The animal is totally confused and bewildered not knowing what to do and where to go. It is in a strange and unfriendly environment. I later learnt that the bull has been severely handicapped during the last two days, with the primary aim of making it weak, disoriented and submissive. Only a sick mind can do this. The bull has already been maimed with a short spear marking the spot for further mutilation. Bull fighting has been glorified over centuries as a contest between a wild and uncontrollable beast and a brave Matador. The junior Matador commences his serious business of tiring the animal. The bull runs around the arena aimlessly, tiring itself in the bargain. The brave Picadors safely seated on horseback, wait for an opportune moment to drive a javelin-like spear into the bull’s back. The horse is protected by a metal blanket as the bull stops to gorge. The Picador bravely inserts the spear into the bull and it starts to wriggle free from pain. The Picador is relentless in his pursuit and with single minded devotion continues to stab and gorge the bull. The bull charges in anger and our heroic men take shelter behind a steel wall. The crowd applauds and shows their marked appreciation by waving out white handkerchiefs. As the bull bleeds, the chief matador enters the act, teasing and further wounding the animal with the Banderillas a sharp, harpoon-like barbed instrument. These are plunged into the bull’s body repeatedly. Five to six Banderillas are pierced with surgical precision as the bull staggers and groans in pain. During all this acts of bravery the Matador is helped by Picadors and a number of assistants. The bull has no chance and is cornered. In a final act of subhuman cowardice the Matador plunges a knife into the tired and helpless bull. The bugle blares, heralding the end of a gruesome display of a one sided ugly sport. The bull never had a chance from the very beginning. A medieval sport without any meaning continues to thrive in modern Spain – encouraged by the locals and tourists. I understand a top Matador is paid up to 350,000 Euros for every fight and he does four in a year. As the defenseless and maimed bull falls, he attacks it once again to seal the killing. The worst happens thereafter. The dead bull is unceremoniously dragged by horses out of the arena as the crowds boo and jeer him. Now at peace for the first time, the bull departs the arena after twenty minutes of the most atrocious and unfair treatment by so called civilized men.

The barbaric show is over. We cannot take it any longer. We decide to call it quits and skip the next three fights. We slowly troop out, with heads hanging in shame, guilt and a deep sense of remorse. Never again! Some are bound to say ‘Why the first time itself?