On being asked, is it possible to make our country 100% Chinese free product..? I would say NO. Even in the longest run.
May be it’s not an easy task or rather not possible at all. But, it would definitely help us achieve two things: 1. Growth of our in-house industries 2. Keeping a check on Chinese economy.
The idea behind our initiative must be to move towards being self reliable or becoming #AatmanirbharBharat.
Remember, our choice of product is really gonna impact our nations Security and wellbeing. India being their biggest market, we have great scope of impacting their economy and their ill intentions too. I think after knowing this aftermaths, giving up on personal luxury product or likings or choices becomes ones prime duty..! For now we can contribute to the cause and stop/reduce using things that is made in China. (Whatever you are ready to give up.. let’s start with an app throwing out of your phone).
Its been quiet some time I have left my full time job to pursue my long time goal of working for self. So, finally i am here. Living the day and the life to work for self has just begun.
Many of my close friends and colleagues know that I have recently launched myself into a full time photography business. Launched, doesn’t actually mean that I am sky rocketing the business now, but definitely a platform to launch.
Recently, I have got a chance to do a photo shoot for my ex- colleague’s baby. It was supposed to happen in the early morning. The parents and the baby had to get up early to travel for 40 mins to reach the venue. Long distance and early morning preparations, little troublesome for the little kid. But, surprisingly, the kid was very fresh and happy to be around. We were a bit…
From a far distance, he will always appear like the tip of an iceberg. Very insignificant in physical size and appearance. However, one must not take its humble calmness as his weakness. He will not charge on to you and destroy you but when one takes head-on to him, seldom anyone is pardoned. He doesn’t need to move fast or do unusual things to compete with anyone. He is strong enough to destroy the mighty just by staying where he has emerged; in the middle of this chaotic world. He won’t hit any of us unless we go to him and call upon catastrophic destruction on oneself. It’s his humble boldness which stands him out for his character of an entirely different league.
Recently, either some people had paid him a visit or they might have met accidentally. But in that accident, his vigor has overpowered the people who met him, and slowly, everyone who had an encounter with him had perished to his wrath. Now, due to people’s ignorance and misinformation about his vigor he has managed to scare us to the extent that we have to limit our movements within our area. People who have managed to save themselves from his reach have understood that his strength is ignorant and misinformed people whom he can target, attack, and terminate as and when they reach around his place.
Smart and considerate people are informed of the situation and are aware of how to save themselves from his wrath. The only success #mantra to protect oneself is, be informed, be aware, and be wherever you are. Be in your home. Do not go out and call upon his destruction onto you and your people.
With ever evolving technologies it has become a challenge to choose a right career option for students or even for the ones who want to explore a different career path after spending some years in any particular industry.
Which technical industry is going to be a safe bet to invest into, as a career, for next decade or so is a question mark. With Every passing year the craze of getting an MBA degree is fading as majority of MBA pass outs are not getting placed thru campus interviews. Although it is not going to vanish, as a career option, anytime soon.
Automation, on the other hand, is replacing humans from almost every business sector. So, What could be the next big thing as a career option, Automation Developer, AI, Robotics, Data Science, Analytics, Digital Marketing or anything else which is yet to emerge.
Write your factual thoughts or insights which would help someone somewhere across the globe.
Yeah .. I am no more running that race. The race which almost everyone on our planet is running in their respective professions. People, around the globe have literally been compelled to believe in a myth that they only exist to run in that race. The race of the vicious circle of either power, politics or money. I call it the rat race. It is a kind of untold way of life in the corporate world. Everyone is running aiming nothing but a pointless battle. The prime purpose of their run is not clear, or perhaps not defined properly. Psychologists says that competition and a mild stress is good; a person performs better when he is put under a competition or when he is working under a mild stress. But the psychology of entire generation has been developed so as to believe that the sole purpose of their life is to run that race. Winning, losing or reaching the destination has nothing to do with that. Just run, because you have to earn your bread and butter, because you don’t want someone else to overtake you, because there is a constant watch on your progress by the society where you live in. And in all this juggling of thoughts you lose the prime purpose of your run. For sure, winning gives you a sense of achievement or a sense of pride or a momentary pleasure that you have won over your competitors or co-workers. But it again pushes you back strongly into the same race at a higher levels, making you forget that there’s a beginning at every end. And that loop never ends. Unfortunately, now that is even spreading among the younger generations too.
There are only few who realize the limitations of that run and wisely prepares their own track to run their way. It is not the same loop or a vicious circle in which one runs time and again and reaches no where. It is a track where you have visibility of what you are doing, where you are heading to, where you want to be after certain period. You either go forward or backward. But when you do something better today than what you did yesterday there is no way you go backwards, you only move forward. And you can achieve this because you are in a competition with none but self. Good thing about this is you run for your own self neither to win nor to lose. You run to better your performance. You run to improve your skill sets. You run to make yourself happy and not to please someone. You run not to prove anything to anyone but to yourselves about your worth and potentials. And once you attain the speed you only take-off from there to cruise further.
I believe everyone is free to make a choice of what race they want to run. Everyone is gifted with some unique strengths. You really need to take a pause to figure it out and start working on it. I cannot say that i have figured out mine but for sure I am not running that race… Cheers.. 🙂
Everyone out here is living by a dream. A dream which encourages you to live your life to your true potentials. A dream which enforces you to push your limits to the higher levels every time you get rejected. A dream which wakes you up every morning to work harder, harder enough to reach closer to your goal. A dream which drives you thru even the toughest of the hurdles with a gentle smile on your face; giving you a sense of courage and fearlessness.
Rightly said by Seth Godin “You have everything you need to build something far better than yourself”.
So, dream. Dream big. Chase it down and live thru it. Don’t let go. Don’t let your dreams just be dreams…!
Each new day is like a tiny bud of possibility for your life to change for the better. All you have to do is let go of whatever has happened so far, and step into a new threshold of opportunity. Use your imagination, and envision a renewed blossoming of your life.
Swaroop J Photography wishes you a happy and prosperous New Year 2018.
Working for someone to earn your bread and butter is one of the simpler ways of earning them. Let it be as an engineer in a reputed multi national firm or as a cashier in a small jewelry shop. You rest assured of the monthly salary on every month end. Although, one can’t say its a cake walk as every job has its own challenges. Being a worker or an employee is like you are part of a huge tree which has firm roots in the ground, which is capable of surviving you despite you do not really have a greater role to play towards its growth and development. You could be its branch or a leaf or a fruit or its ever changing bark. But, essentially every part has its unique role to play and has an importance in keeping the tree protected and keep it growing.
But, on the other hand, working and earning for yourself is quite challenging and involves lot of uncertainties. Being an Entrepreneur is like being someone who seeds the idea of planting a tree; nurtures it to make it a sapling, to a plant and then into a fruitful tree. He works hard, patiently and persistently, to make the seed grow into a fruitful tree. With no assurance of when and how much he is going to get paid for his hard-work he continues to strive really hard to protect and nurture the young growing sapling into a tree till it starts bearing fruits.
Being an Entrepreneur is a way of life which is defined and characterized by getting yourself out of that comfort zone and setting yourself up for the sail, setting yourself free from a caged frame of mind, helping yourself realize your true potential, giving yourself a chance to explore yourself; an out of the pit thinking.
So, what are you waiting for..!! Grow a tree for yourself, I have planted mine. When are you planting one for yourself..??
This is about my trip to one of the holiest shrines in Hindu beliefs, Mata Vaishno Devi. Vaishno Devi, also known as Mata Rani, Trikuta and Vaishnavi, is a manifestation of the Hindu Mother goddess of Maha Kali, Maha Saraswati and Maha Lakshmi.
The holy cave temple is located in Katra at the Trikuta Mountains. Katra, also known as Katra Vaishno Devi, is a city in the Reasi district of the state of J&K in India. It is in the foothills of the Trikuta Mountains, located about 42 km from the city of Jammu, and 35 km from Udhampur. The main attraction is the Mata Vaishno Devi temple, Adh Kuari (Garbh Joon caves) and Bhaironath Temple.
That was just an introduction part of the trip. Now, lets go back to the beginning. Where did it actually start, how many days trip, best time to visit, any specific travel preparation etc etc., I know you all must be having questions. But, all those answers in a short while. Well, lets begin from the beginning. It all started from Pune, a district in the state of Maharashtra in India. Its peak summer during the months May to July here. To avoid travelling in heat I preferred an early morning flight from Pune to Jammu via Delhi. It took about four and half hours of flight time to reach Jammu airport, with one hour layover time in Delhi.
At Delhi International Airport, while waiting for the flight to Jammu.
To reach Katra from Jammu, the most convenient commute is J&K state transport buses. Its roughly two hours journey from Jammu to Katra. There are many private bus operators too. One can also reach here by train.
At Katra, there are numerous options available for stay at every budget, from dormitories to star hotels, its all available here. I preferred to stay in a place which was close to the starting point of climb ‘Darshani Darwaja’. I chose a decent hotel which was about two kilometers from ‘Darshani Darwaja’. Freshened up and had an early dinner. Went back to hotel to get enough time for sleep to ensure complete fitness for the next day climb.
I got up early to start early, to avoid the rush and scorching sun. Although, i did my best to start early but couldn’t make it before 7:00 in the morning. Sun was already up and burning. It was about half an hour walk from my hotel to “BanGanga Check post”.
View of Adh Kuari from the Hotel
The Main Gateway “Darshani Darwaja”
For the temple visit this was not the ideal time as it was the peak season. May to July is considered as peak season. You have to be really very lucky to get away from the long tiring queues. Make sure you have completed the online registration process before starting your climb and you have a print out of the Yatra Parchi. Offline registrations can be obtained from the Katra bus stand at specified time.
To witness the best scenes of Trikuta hills one must visit this place either in monsoons or during winters. Both the seasons have its own charm. One would fall in love with the place during winters witnessing the frozen mountains and monsoons overwhelms them with the numerous waterfalls. Nevertheless, i was happy to be here in the month of May.
Helicopter Services: Katra to Sanjichhat
As its a long and steep climb many people prefer to start the climb late in evening to avoid the scorching sun. Although, in last few years the facilities available to reach Bhavan (The Ultimate Cave Temple) have improved a lot and are quite pocket friendly.
One have options like Helicopter, Pony, Palkhi, Pitthu and electric vans to choose from. Pony, Palkhi and Pitthu’s are available at reasonable rates fixed by the temple authority. One who prefers to take Helicopter ride should know that it takes you only till Sanji Chhat, a helipad 3.5 Kms away from the Bhavan. You can walk the distance or use the other facilities, as available.
Sight of Himalayan Griffon
I chose to climb on foot, started early in morning as I don’t wanted to miss out on capturing the mount Trikuta’s beauty, sight of the mighty Himalayas and the Himalayan Griffons on the way climbing. The total climbing distance is around 13.5 Kms till Bhawan. It is located at an altitude of 5200 ft. Another 1.5 Kms and 1400 ft will take you to Bhaironath Temple. It is total of 14.5 Kms and 6600 ft one way.
The climbing speed and number of resting halts varies with person to person. The first major station is BanGanga which is just 1 Km from Katra. BanGanga is a small stream of water or a rivulet which has emerged from Trikuta hill. There is one more stop called Charan Paduka, roughly after 1 KM from Banganga.
Sight Of Adh Kuari
Adh kuari is the next big stop and on an average it takes around 4 hours to reach from Katra. It is the halfway mark at 6Kms. Most pilgrims take rest and refresh here for a while. A small womb shaped cave, ‘Garbh Joon’, is located at AdhKuari. It has got a great story associated with Mata Vaisho Devi and have high spiritual significance. One must pass thru this cave.
View of Mighty Himalayas
The next major stop is Himkoti. It is about 3 Kms from Adh kuari on the new route, at an altitude of 5120 ft. It has no spiritual or religious significance but the scenic beauty it offers is breathtaking. You get to see glorious views of mighty Himalayas, provided its a clean weather. This place is getting developed as more than a view point. It has already got a small garden, eateries, and a meditation center.
Helipad at Sanji Chhat
The next big stop is Sanji Chhat, the helipad. It is about 1 Km from Himkoti and 3.5 Kms away from Bhawan. It is located at 6200 ft. If you are taking chopper from Katra, you would land at this very place. This place is also developing fast. It is equipped with a fully functional Hospital of 24 beds.
After reaching Sanji Chhat its a cake walk till Bhawan as its a decent of around 1000 ft which hardly takes any time. You just have to walk for half an hour and the destination is in your sight. The first glimpse of Bhawan instills great amount of energy in you and you rush down to reach there in no time.
Sight Of Bhavan
The Holy Bhawan, is the main centre of reverence for the devotees. It is also the key location in the whole Yatra circuit. It has got every possible facility required for a travelling devotee, including bank and post office.
Bhawan, is goddess Vaishno Devi’s abode in a 30 m long cave with a narrow opening. The holy cold and crystal clear water washes the lotus feet of the Mata’s “Pindian”. There are three natural pindies representing Maha Sarswati, Maha Lakshmi, Maha Kali which represent creative, preservative, and destructive aspects of the Super Power. It is an ancient shrine whose reference is found in the Vedas and ancient scriptures. As the photography of Pindis is not allowed you have to capture them thru your eyes only.
Baby Monkey on way to BhairoTemple
There’s a saying that if one doesn’t pay a visit to ‘Kal Bhairo Temple’ after visiting Bhawan, the yatra wouldn’t be considered complete. Kal Bhairo temple is about 1.5 Kms from the holy cave. Although the distance sounds less but its a strenuous climb. It is situated at an altitude of 6600 ft. Around 1400 ft more than Bhavan. The temple area has been beautified by fixing marble tiles and slabs along the pre-ambulation of the temple. This place also offers very scenic view of Himalayan ranges. It has got a small open platform to sit and admire the nature, mountains, snow capped peaks. One may also have light food and snacks here. I took my time and stayed there for about 30 minutes before starting the final descent.
Mighty view of Himalayan mountains
The dramatic cloud formation over the hill
The descent sounds an easy word. Although it sounds easier and takes lesser time but one must take proper care of knees and should avoid jerks during descent. Maintain a constant pace to reduce strains on your knees. It took less than the half the number of hours to reach down than climbing up. I chose a different path, the older route. With no such time targets to achieve I kept my descent pace steady, took enough photography breaks.
Leaving you with few of the images clicked during descent.
Bird eye view of the City Katra, with a bird 🙂
When the chopper flies parallel to your eye level
Chopper taking off at Sanji Chhat
View of the City Katra in night
I reached my hotel around 9:00 in the evening. Had dinner on the way back to hotel. Thereafter, it was complete rest time of around 8 hours. Next morning was destined to travel to different location, a different peak was waiting to be conquered. Stay tuned for it, we will climb it together.. 🙂
This is about my trip to one of the holiest shrines in Hindu beliefs, Mata Vaishno Devi. Vaishno Devi, also known as Mata Rani, Trikuta and Vaishnavi, is a manifestation of the Hindu Mother goddess of Maha Kali, Maha Saraswati and Maha Lakshmi.
The holy cave temple is located in Katra at the Trikuta Mountains. Katra, also known as Katra Vaishno Devi, is a city in the Reasi district of the state of J&K in India. It is in the foothills of the Trikuta Mountains, located about 42 km from the city of Jammu, and 35 km from Udhampur. The main attraction is the Mata Vaishno Devi temple, Adh Kuari (Garbh Joon caves) and Bhaironath Temple.
That was just an introduction part of the trip. Now, lets go back to the beginning. Where did it actually start, how many days trip, best time to visit, any specific travel preparation etc etc., I know you all must be having questions. But, all those answers in a short while. Well, lets begin from the beginning. It all started from Pune, a district in the state of Maharashtra in India. Its peak summer during the months May to July here. To avoid travelling in heat I preferred an early morning flight from Pune to Jammu via Delhi. It took about four and half hours of flight time to reach Jammu airport, with one hour layover time in Delhi.
At Delhi International Airport, while waiting for the flight to Jammu.
To reach Katra from Jammu, the most convenient commute is J&K state transport buses. Its roughly two hours journey from Jammu to Katra. There are many private bus operators too. One can also reach here by train.
At Katra, there are numerous options available for stay at every budget, from dormitories to star hotels, its all available here. I preferred to stay in a place which was close to the starting point of climb ‘Darshani Darwaja’. I chose a decent hotel which was about two kilometers from ‘Darshani Darwaja’. Freshened up and had an early dinner. Went back to hotel to get enough time for sleep to ensure complete fitness for the next day climb.
I got up early to start early, to avoid the rush and scorching sun. Although, i did my best to start early but couldn’t make it before 7:00 in the morning. Sun was already up and burning. It was about half an hour walk from my hotel to “BanGanga Check post”.
View of Adh Kuari from the Hotel
The Main Gateway “Darshani Darwaja”
For the temple visit this was not the ideal time as it was the peak season. May to July is considered as peak season. You have to be really very lucky to get away from the long tiring queues. Make sure you have completed the online registration process before starting your climb and you have a print out of the Yatra Parchi. Offline registrations can be obtained from the Katra bus stand at specified time.
To witness the best scenes of Trikuta hills one must visit this place either in monsoons or during winters. Both the seasons have its own charm. One would fall in love with the place during winters witnessing the frozen mountains and monsoons overwhelms them with the numerous waterfalls. Nevertheless, i was happy to be here in the month of May.
Helicopter Services: Katra to Sanjichhat
As its a long and steep climb many people prefer to start the climb late in evening to avoid the scorching sun. Although, in last few years the facilities available to reach Bhavan (The Ultimate Cave Temple) have improved a lot and are quite pocket friendly.
One have options like Helicopter, Pony, Palkhi, Pitthu and electric vans to choose from. Pony, Palkhi and Pitthu’s are available at reasonable rates fixed by the temple authority. One who prefers to take Helicopter ride should know that it takes you only till Sanji Chhat, a helipad 3.5 Kms away from the Bhavan. You can walk the distance or use the other facilities, as available.
Sight of Himalayan Griffon
I chose to climb on foot, started early in morning as I don’t wanted to miss out on capturing the mount Trikuta’s beauty, sight of the mighty Himalayas and the Himalayan Griffons on the way climbing. The total climbing distance is around 13.5 Kms till Bhawan. It is located at an altitude of 5200 ft. Another 1.5 Kms and 1400 ft will take you to Bhaironath Temple. It is total of 14.5 Kms and 6600 ft one way.
The climbing speed and number of resting halts varies with person to person. The first major station is BanGanga which is just 1 Km from Katra. BanGanga is a small stream of water or a rivulet which has emerged from Trikuta hill. There is one more stop called Charan Paduka, roughly after 1 KM from Banganga.
Sight Of Adh Kuari
Adh kuari is the next big stop and on an average it takes around 4 hours to reach from Katra. It is the halfway mark at 6Kms. Most pilgrims take rest and refresh here for a while. A small womb shaped cave, ‘Garbh Joon’, is located at AdhKuari. It has got a great story associated with Mata Vaisho Devi and have high spiritual significance. One must pass thru this cave.
View of Mighty Himalayas
The next major stop is Himkoti. It is about 3 Kms from Adh kuari on the new route, at an altitude of 5120 ft. It has no spiritual or religious significance but the scenic beauty it offers is breathtaking. You get to see glorious views of mighty Himalayas, provided its a clean weather. This place is getting developed as more than a view point. It has already got a small garden, eateries, and a meditation center.
Helipad at Sanji Chhat
The next big stop is Sanji Chhat, the helipad. It is about 1 Km from Himkoti and 3.5 Kms away from Bhawan. It is located at 6200 ft. If you are taking chopper from Katra, you would land at this very place. This place is also developing fast. It is equipped with a fully functional Hospital of 24 beds.
After reaching Sanji Chhat its a cake walk till Bhawan as its a decent of around 1000 ft which hardly takes any time. You just have to walk for half an hour and the destination is in your sight. The first glimpse of Bhawan instills great amount of energy in you and you rush down to reach there in no time.
Sight Of Bhavan
The Holy Bhawan, is the main centre of reverence for the devotees. It is also the key location in the whole Yatra circuit. It has got every possible facility required for a travelling devotee, including bank and post office.
Bhawan, is goddess Vaishno Devi’s abode in a 30 m long cave with a narrow opening. The holy cold and crystal clear water washes the lotus feet of the Mata’s “Pindian”. There are three natural pindies representing Maha Sarswati, Maha Lakshmi, Maha Kali which represent creative, preservative, and destructive aspects of the Super Power. It is an ancient shrine whose reference is found in the Vedas and ancient scriptures. As the photography of Pindis is not allowed you have to capture them thru your eyes only.
Baby Monkey on way to BhairoTemple
There’s a saying that if one doesn’t pay a visit to ‘Kal Bhairo Temple’ after visiting Bhawan, the yatra wouldn’t be considered complete. Kal Bhairo temple is about 1.5 Kms from the holy cave. Although the distance sounds less but its a strenuous climb. It is situated at an altitude of 6600 ft. Around 1400 ft more than Bhavan. The temple area has been beautified by fixing marble tiles and slabs along the pre-ambulation of the temple. This place also offers very scenic view of Himalayan ranges. It has got a small open platform to sit and admire the nature, mountains, snow capped peaks. One may also have light food and snacks here. I took my time and stayed there for about 30 minutes before starting the final descent.
Mighty view of Himalayan mountains
The dramatic cloud formation over the hill
The descent sounds an easy word. Although it sounds easier and takes lesser time but one must take proper care of knees and should avoid jerks during descent. Maintain a constant pace to reduce strains on your knees. It took less than the half the number of hours to reach down than climbing up. I chose a different path, the older route. With no such time targets to achieve I kept my descent pace steady, took enough photography breaks.
Leaving you with few of the images clicked during descent.
Bird eye view of the City Katra, with a bird 🙂
When the chopper flies parallel to your eye level
Chopper taking off at Sanji Chhat
View of the City Katra in night
I reached my hotel around 9:00 in the evening. Had dinner on the way back to hotel. Thereafter, it was complete rest time of around 8 hours. Next morning was destined to travel to different location, a different peak was waiting to be conquered. Stay tuned for it, we will climb it together.. 🙂
Swaroop J Photography 