A pristine beach in the Konkan known as Ladghar

To beat the summer heat, there is a beautiful place known as Ladghar which is famous for its clean, unspoilt, scenic beach. Its near Khed in the Konkan region. Catch a train from Mumbai to Khed as there are many trains between the two places or drive down to Ladghar which is about 7 hours drive on the Mumbai Goa Highway or catch a MSRTC bus from Mumbai.The train journey takes about 5 hours. Once you reach Khed catch a MSRTC bus from Khed to Dapoli. The ride will take about 25 minutes. Get down at Dapoli and again catch a MSRTC bus to Ladghar which is 24 kms from Dapoli and it will take you about 45 minutes. Do not worry about the bus as their frequency is good. As you reach Ladghar one has the choice of staying at the famous Sagar Sawali hotel which has both air conditioned room as well as non air conditioned rooms or staying at the shacks which the locals have built for tourists which are good for tourist with a low budget. To get the real feel  of the place I advise you to stay in the local shacks which are built on the seashore and they provide with homemade food which adds to the wonderful experience . The climate there is cool even in the summer due to the cool sea breeze blowing from the Arabian Sea. In Ladghar go for a stroll along the beach and collect colourful sea pebbles. This place is less crowded as many people do not know about it. At times you may be the only one on the entire shore. This place is very famous for its dolphins. To sight the dolphin pods, the local fisherman will take you into the open sea early in the morning in their boat for Rs 800. This is a must do as the boat trip on the sea waves itself along with the dolphin sighting is mind blowing. One important thing worth mentioning is that as Ladghar has few shops so to shop you must go to Dapoli which is not very hectic as there are regular shared Tempo Trax taxis which charges Rs 10 per person along with the regular MSRTC buses to and fro from Ladghar and Dapoli. Other places worth visiting are the ancient temples of Veleshwar dedicated to Lord Shiva which is more than 1000 years old and Lord Datta temple which is situated on a hill. One has to trek about 30 minutes to reach the temple but the journey to the top is awesome with a small pool of spring water to freshen you on the way. This trek is through some heavy plantation of coconut and betel nut trees so it is kind of walking through some dense vegetation which is very refreshing. Do make a point to eat at the local homes while coming down as it adds to the experience. The food is delicious and inexpensive to say the least. Then there are the famous Panhalekaji caves. These are ancient caves with Buddhist and Hindu sculptures  and are worth a visit. Other places of interest are the clean and pristine beaches of Harnai, Murud, Dabhol. Over all this trip is for those who want to get away from the maddening crowd, pollution of Mumbai and other places for a short period and as this place is not far away from Mumbai and Pune and is inexpensive, give it a try. I bet people who have come here alone or with their friends or with their family will come back sooner or later. The pros of this place are proximity to Mumbai but still has that very village feel. Its well connected to other places and the roads are good. The place is pollution free and the most important factor is that it’s not crowded as there are less number of visitors throughout the year but do not know for how long. The con if any is that this place has limited options for accommodation. Still undoubtedly, one of the best place I have every visited.

The Great Indian Election

The election season is back again. The whole country is now gearing up to vote. The Congress is trying to retain its government in the centre and the main opposition party the BJP are trying their best to dislodge them and come to power. But with these two main parties, a third front has come to the party which comprises of the Left parties, the CPI and the CPM and regional parties like the BSP, PSP, Forward Bloc, JD(S), TDP, TRS and the AIADMK. The Congress is banking on its performance in the last 5 years. Honestly speaking I don’t see much of a difference their policies have made for the country. Everything has gone haywire, inflation had shot up to a new high, unemployment increased but we can give them the benefit of the doubt as we may put this on global recession. But the security scene was if best described at its worse. There was the Malegaon, Ahmadabad, Bangalore and Allahabad blasts and to add to it there was the dreadful and unforgetful Mumbai terror attack which left many people dead and the whole country in a state of shock and fear. Some people attribute this to the weak anti terror policies of the government. Then there is the issue of farmers committing suicide in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra and in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The BJP are playing their card on these policies and promising a great change for the country but as during their their time of governance, they made little impact and were voted out of power by the people of this country. Their poll manifesto includes promises of tougher anti terrorism law, creation of new state for better governance, good governance and development. They are putting themselves as a party with a difference. What difference will they make for the country is still to be seen. The Third Front is purely formed on the basis of the aspirations of their leaders. Most of them like Mayawati and HD Devegowda who are a part of this coalition want to be the PM of this country incase their Front gets the majority. This is highly unlikely scenario but then you never know in Indian politics. Anything can happen here. Poverty, terrorism, naxalism, population boom, unemployment, development, crime, corruption, illiteracy, malnutrition etc are the problem which are haunting our country today. Something must be done now to solve these problems. But with the candidates, the parties have put up and the sincererity of the political parties who want to solve these problems, the problem seems to be far from being solved. But like every single election in the past, we as responsible citizens should go out in large numbers and vote expecting at least this time, there will be change for the good for us as well as for India and hope for the best.

Kaun Banega Pradhan Mantri

 

In India most of the politicians ultimate aim is to be the Prime minister. These politicians can go to any length to have a go at the chair. Here are some potential aspirants for the prime ministerial post. Atleast some of them think so !

·         Dr. Manmohan Singh – The best  finance minister India ever had and the present prime minister .This is the person who is sure to continue as the PM of this country if the Congress does well in the elections. The Congress has portrayed him as the PM if it wins and the chances are looking good. One advice to Mr Singh, please make some decisions on your own without the advice from MADAM.

·         Rahul Gandhi- Scion of the Gandhi-Nehru family. His biggest advantage is that his father, grandmother and great grandfather were all PMs so he is following them. It sounds like dynastic rule in a democratic republican country. He is too young without much experience so he has to wait but his time will come for sure.

·         Lal Krishna Advani- Leader of the Opposition, the BJP. He is the party’s Prime Ministerial candidate if they come to power in the centre. The chances look slim but can happen. Mr Advani nurtured the ambition of becoming  the PM from a long time. They did not come to power for a long time and when they did, Mr A.B. Vajpayee was made the PM with a consensus much to the displeasure of Advaniji. At 82 years, I guess he will  leave no stone unturned as he will feel this is his last chance at the PM’s chair. Hope he wont beat Morarji Desai in it.

·         Narendra Modi-Some BJP members had come up with his name as a probable candidate for the post of PM. But since Modi was never involved in national politics and has limited base that too in Gujarat, he is not likely to be BJPs  face for the PM’s post. But now even though he has started taking interest in national politics, there is a long wait for him to take a shot that the throne.

·         Sharad Pawar- Leader of NCP which is a part of the ruling UPA. Mr. Pawar , union agriculture minister in the government has been known to switch parties in the past. He has made his ambition for the post of the PM public. He has limited time to fulfill his ambition as he is not keeping good health. In desperation he is switching sides, sometimes he is seen with the Congress, sometimes talks of his alliance with the Shiv Sena are doing rounds, and at times he is attending rallies of the Third Front. I guess he is trying every equation available that will make him the PM. All the best Mr. Pawar. Try, try till you succeed even if it means going to the extreme and teaming with people you hardly know.

·         H.D. Deve Gowda- One time Prime Minister of India (for a very very short time) made a statement saying that even if the Congress or the BJP offers him the PM’s post he will not accept it. Mr. Gowda, it’s a good thing that your are very optimistic but optimism does not always pay. Please do not fool anybody by telling them that you are a strong contender to the PM’s post.

·         Mayawati or Behenji – She formed the Third Front with other parties and declared herself the Prime Ministerial candidate from this Front. This lead to much heart burn within the Front as other leaders have the same aim. She was finally forced to withdraw her name and was decided that the Front will name the Prime Ministerial candidate after the elections that is they get any kind of majority. No one thinks they can. And as everyone knows the Indian political system and the games that are played there, you can’t rule her or  for that matter  anyone out of the race.