My and my mom were just coming back from my NIOS centre. When we decided to take a trip to Lalbagh, which is just besides the college. Our main motivation was the delicious freshly-squeezed juice which is sold in there. But instead we had a glass of Neera each, which is made from coconut flower extracts. Than we took some photos, walked around, and sat for some time. Before leaving we brought some home grown mangoes from a farmers shop. Here are some clicks for you to enjoy:-
Lalbagh was made by Haider Ali, the ruler of Mysuru in 1760. Encompassing more than 240 acres, it hosts over 2000 species of Flora. Hayder Ali, had ordered saplings from the different corners of the enitre world and planted it here. Now there are many trees which are around 250 years old.
It is currently being looked after by the goverment.
There are many sculptures made of trees, which either died or were not able to sutvive for some reason.
“Flower Buddha”
One or two families can always be found here, talking, walking, exploring togethor.
The state government has made many exhibitions and glasshouses like this to potray various themes like Japanese Bonsai, Cacti, etc.
A work in progress…
If you are visiting Banglore, Lalbagh is definitely worth adding to your priority attractions list. It is also a great place to bring your kids for some fun, educative, screen-free, natural, and quality time.
Recently I have been missing my dear cat Monu a lot more than usual. It was his 1 year death anniversary a few days ago, probably that’s why. I know that most of you will think, ‘ come on, he was just a cat,’ not to me, to me he was my dearest, closest, truest friend.
He came to us at the end of Dec 2020, and he was so cute and small, he was just 3 days old! A cat had given birth in my cousin’s apartment, but sadly nobody in the litter including the mom had survived, except him. Because my cousin’s family had a dog, it was dangerous for them to keep the little kitten, so they gave him to us. In the starting he needed to be fed every few hours. I still remember for the first one month we used to wake up every night to feed him.
Opening eyes for the first time
Snuggling up
For the first few weeks he just slept, and he was so cuddly, he used to love to snuggle. But we were new with cats, thus we were a bit hesitant, so we built a bed for him, lined it with a heating pad and a few blankets, and he slept there. Now I wish I had snuggled him as much as I could every opportunity I got.
When he got a little bigger and a little stronger, he started playing. He used to look so cute running around the house, room to room. It was so simple, playing with him then we used to play a lot. We used to crumple up pieces of paper, or tie up a handkerchief in the shape of a ball, and throw it around the house. He used to love it, he would go chasing after it, jumping trying to catch it. We would call them “ चूहे “ which is the hindi term for mice, because he would try catching it, and attempt to kill it after. In the beginning he would bring it back after catching it, as if to tell us to throw it again!
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When he got a bit older we started taking him out, just in the apartment. He liked it a lot, and he never ran away, we never used a leash. He used to just wander around us, sniff the plants, and sit under the shade. It was really hard bringing him back up though, we had to take a badminton racket so we could bang it on the floor to scare him, and he would come running back up. He knew the way home. In fact, one day when I was meditating, I heard scratching and whining outside the door, I opened the door to see Monu trying to open the door. Apparently he had somehow managed to reach the ground floor from our balcony, and he had come straight back up!
When my tournaments started, and I got busy, I started spending less time with him. I would play, and take him out rarely. Definitely, there was a bit of selfishness involved,
I was not doing great in chess, I was lacking, losing, in a slump. So I just practiced a lot, and I was a bit demotivated so I started wasting a bit of time, but no time cannot be afforded to waste, so guess from where did I compensate? My time with Monu, the biggest mistake of my life. Bigger than all the chess blunders I have made and will ever make.
All this time though I was not spending with him, I knew he missed me, he had started becoming lethargic, eating more, he used to sit by the window and stare out for hours.
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I guess my biggest mistake was thinking there will be a tomorrow; I will play with him tomorrow, I will spend time with him tomorrow, Monu will be here tomorrow he ain’t going anywhere. Well there is no tomorrow now is there?
I don’t think there was a tomorrow ever, even if there was it didn’t matter. One day, 30 days, 45 years, it’s all too small to make a difference, it is the same. What matters is making use of every moment we have with them.
After he died, I didn’t feel sad about the fact I only had one year with him, what I regretted the most was not making use of every opportunity I had with him to make memories, to play, to be with him.
This is what Monu taught me, amongst the many other things he did. Thank you so much Monu for teaching me this valuable lesson, and being a part of my life.
My favorite moments with him were, sometimes when I was practicing chess, he would just come scatter about all the pieces on the board, spoil the position, stand in the center, and just flop down! Like right there, and just look at me like “hey, I am sitting here now, that cool?” Me, I would love it.
एक दिन मैं अपनी माँ से शिकायत कर रही थी जैसा कि आमतौर पर बच्चे करते हैं। मैं कॉलेज की छुट्टियों में घर वापस आ गयी थी । मेरा काम का बोझ बढ़ रहा था, और मैं इसे ठीक से मैनेज नहीं कर पा रही थी , इसलिए मैं थोड़ा तनाव में थी। मैं बस ये सब अपनी माँ को बता रही थी “कोई काम नहीं हो रहा है” “मैं मैनेज नहीं कर पा रही हूँ”। फिर मेरी माँ ने अचानक थोड़े जोर से कहा “आओ यहाँ बैठो, ध्यान से देखो, मैं तुम्हें दिखाती हूँ कि काम कैसे किया जाता है।” फिर उनहोने एक कटोरी में गाढ़ा सरसों का तेल लिया और खाली बजाज आलमंडल आयल की बोतल ली। उस शीशी के उपर ऐक छोटा सा छेद था, जैसे जयादतर केशमार्जन शीशीओ के ढकनो में होता है। जिसने भी कोशिश की है उसे पता है की इसके माध्यम से अंदर पानी डालना भी नामुम्किन के बराबर है। मेरी माँ ने देकते-देकते वह कटोरी उठाई और वो गारा सरसौ का तेल एक ही धारा में उस छेद के अंदर दाल दिया। में शब्दहीन रहे गया, एक बूंद भी इदर-उदर नहीं हाई थी। फिर मेरी माँ ने कहा ” यह, ऐसे होता है कोई भी काम, इस एकाग्रता से, और इसे ही ध्यान कहते है।
Today was a great day. From many days I was struggling to find people to practise chess with. But today we connected with over 30+ plus people who live near my house and are ready to meetup to play chess! So how did this miracle happen? How we go from 0 people from months to suddenly 3 dozen people.
So we can say one thing led to another. Last week I had gone to a chess tournament, over there we met someone and told him about our problem. So. he added us to a WhatsApp Group where all the chess parents of Bengaluru are there. He said us to post regarding our problem over there and we will probably find someone. So over one week had gone we didn’t post anything, but today we finally decided to start the conversation. All we suggested was are chess players living around Koramangala interested to meetup and play few games. That is it and under one hour the whole group was on fire! Everybody was responding. By afternoon there were 6 different groups for 6 different areas and over 100+ people in total.
Apparently everybody was facing this issue of offline playing practise. We ourselves were struggling from such a long time. And it took just a 2 simple steps to resolve it. The saying is true ” The best solutions are often simple yet unexpected.” Look around you, is there anything you are struggling with right now? Maybe talking to your neighbor, friend, or somebody will help. This is one thing I have learnt in life, and is now firmly engraved in my mind with what happened today. Talking to people always helps.
We all love street shopping. Street shopping is a great way to get an idea of the local market and the regional prices. Everybody should be in tune with their district market.
I always make sure to see the marketplace of the city I am visiting. Obviously living in Bangalore for so many years, I know many fashion street destinations. Let me share them with you today:-
Jayanagar 5th Block
Located only 2 kms from the historical Lalbagh Garden, Jayanagar 5th block and 4th block is a renowned shopping destination. One storeyed houses, and showrooms mark the neighborhood.
One of the most interesting things about it is its diversity. On the same road you can get jeans for 5000 rupees and another one for just 100 rupees.
If you want to visit branded shops then 4th block has it all from H&M to Zinc London. But instead if you are in mood for some bargaining then Jayanagar Shopping Complex is a haven for everything from fake jewelry to casual clothing.
Silk shops and jewelry stores are also a trademark of this place.
Mahatma Gandhi Road
Mahatma Gandhi Road; definitely one of the most developed areas in bangalore. It is a great destination for a day outing with your friends or family. Cafes, restaurants, pubs, cloth shops, vendors give this place its special appearance. If you are in Bangalore this is definitely a must visit.
Despite its posh appearance, MG road has many affordable clothes shops as well. The experienced shopper knows. Just take a left turn, into a small lane, sprinkled with pubs and female attire stores. Heads up; it’s only cheap if you are an expert at bargaining.
So grab your best friend, dress up, and get down at MG road Metro Station, shop and take some cool photos!
Chickpete
Chickpete is basically a wholesale market of clothes and dress material, located near the city market. City market has other wholesale areas of utensils, electrical stuff, motor parts, etc. Though I recommend going there with an expert, since it requires a lot of bargaining. One should also be familiar with the shops. Though you can also go there to simply visit. It is a very interesting place. It also has junk jewelry and western wear shops. Plus many food stalls.
Many of my friends go there at least once a month, to buy household stuff. Since it is available for really cheap there.
Jyoti Nivas College Market
Jyoti Nivas Is a girls degree and PU college in Koramangala. Outside it there are many Street style clothes shops, footwear shops, food stalls, etc. It is very centrally located. JNC is only 1km from Forum Mall. The entire area is very good to roam and walk. There are shops of all kinds, plus many cafes, pubs, and restaurants.
Commercial Street
Commercial Street is one of the oldest and busiest shopping destinations of bangalore. It is famous for clothes, footwear, food joints, and electronic items. Buy cosmetics, purses, bangles, dinner sets, household items, and much more at this place. Since it is very centrally located there are also many retail shops surrounding it. If you are tired of bargaining, you can always head over there for some rest and air conditioning.
Some food items you can find there are Chaat, dosa, idli, sandwiches, etc. There is also an abundance of aesthetic and old cafes there. Some of them being
MDP Coffee House
Lakeview Milkbar
Champaca
Cafe Azzure
There are many things to do there beside shopping also, like;
Cubbon Park
Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium
Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum
Mahatma Gandhi Road
So, these were some of the most famous and best shopping destinations in Bangalore. I have been to almost all of them. Though, I have to say since I have also seen the markets of Bombay, Delhi, and Ahmedabad, Bangalore doesn’t even compare with them. To name a few, Janpat, Sarojni Nagar, and Karol Bagh in Delhi, Rani no Hajiro, Law Garden, Ratan Pole In Ahmedabad, Hill Road, Causeway, Linking Road in Bombay.
Street shopping is not only good for your budget but also your street smartness. Shopkeepers though not always but frequently do try to fool their customers. I have personally learned a lot from going to local markets. One should take their kids to markets like these because there is a lot to learn from there, plus it is also really fun!
Do you enjoy street shopping too? Tell me in the comment section below.
The Homeschooling Diary 