The Ladakh-Sikkim quiz

Enjoy! And post your answers in the comments.

#1 The Indus and Zanksar rivers can be seen in __________.
Sikkim
Ladakh
Neither
Both

#2 Leh is the capital of Ladakh.
True/ False?

#3 Ladakh is an independent state of India.
True/ False?

#4 The Teesta river can be seen in:
A. Ladakh
B. Sikkim

#5 The Yumthang Valley is in:
A. Ladakh
B. Sikkim

#6 Which of the two is closer to the state of West Bengal?
A. Ladakh
B. Sikkim

#7 Which of the following is a cold desert?
A. Ladakh
B. Sikkim

#8 The Nubra Valley is located in:
A. Ladakh
B. Sikkim

#9 Gurudongma Lake is a magical lake that is revered by at least 2 religions. Where is this lake located?
A. Ladakh
B. Sikkim

#10 The Sindhu Darshan and Hemis festivals are held in the months of June and July. Where can they be enjoyed?
A. Ladakh
B. Sikkim

You can also try this quiz online and check your answers here.

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On being a Sikh and other things

In the very recent past, two things have happened, that impact the way i view this religion and an association with it.

1. The Vienna Attack: In short, the story was that in a Gurudwara in Vienna, some people killed a priest and wounded another badly. The causes were one or more of the following:
A. The growing power of the Dalit Sikhs.
B. The collections being divided and diverted from one Gurudwara(allegedly, the Pro Khalistan one) to another (the pro Dalit Sikh one)
This led to more riots in Punjab and Haryana, principally among the Dalit and non Dalit Sikhs.

2. The high court ruled that a Sikh girl who does not have unshorn hair cannot be allowed admission as a Sikh into a Sikh institution. This is because the SGPC thinks that a girl with hair shorn is not a Sikh.

On the first, my feelings are expressed better by a reader called Dalbir Singh, and i reproduce his text below:
Tuesday May 26, 2009 Sikhs around the world are expressing dismay over the confusing and unfortunate events which took place in Vienna Austria and have spread to Jalandar India. Confusing because many components of the incident are completely contradictory to Sikhism and yet Sikhs are implicated. It has been suggested the outbreak of violence occurred in a Sikh temple, or Sikh gurdwara, in a clash between caste members, when there is no caste in Sikhism.

The temple in question, by all accounts, belongs to the Siri Guru Ravi Daas Society, a faction thought possibly to have splintered from Sikhism sometime during the 14th century, which is loosely associated with Sikhism in that it focuses on the writings of Ravi Daas whose compositions are included in the Guru Granth Sahib. It has been reported that a Sikh guru died, when no embodied guru in Sikhism exists. The Guru of Sikhism is the scripture known as Guru Granth Sahib. The incident, which apparently occurred over a slur to the Guru Granth Sahib, is reported to have been an offensive attack, when Sikhism permits only defensive action on behalf of the weak or innocent.

The perpetuators of the crime, while supposedly upholding the honor of Sikhism, acted in a completely reprehensible manner and un-Sikh-like fashion contradictory to the principals of Sikhism. Sikhism supports the right of all people to worship as per their understanding of the divine. Sikhism is about tolerance. In Sikhism there is no forced conversion. Sikhism is voluntary. It takes more than a beard and turban to make someone a Sikh. Respect for the Guru Granth Sahib and the principals of Sikhism cannot be expressed through murderous intent. One who resorts to slander may be called to account through a legal process. Protest may take the form of peaceful demonstration. There is no excuse for unjustifiable behavior.

The so called Sikh miscreants should be held accountable not only to the peaceful people they subjected to violence, they should be made to answer to the Global Sikh community for their misdeeds.

On the second, i have a lot to say. Most of it being derogatory and in unparliamentary language. But here it is in brief:
A. You cannot interpret a religion for me. Not when the head of SGPC goes with the name of A S Makkar. When did it become OK to add your caste based surname if you are a Sikh? (if you know me and know the kind of Punjabi galis i am capable of, insert them here)
B. You cannot decide what the rahat maryada of a religion is. Rahat is a model code of conduct, not a mandatory code of conduct.
C. Most importantly, Sikhism is about accepting people as they are, is about the absence of mandates. No priests are required to celebrate auspicious occasions, no priests are required even for final rites or for Pagdi Bandhai.. the prayer book, and faith in it, is all that one needs. Nor is Sikhism an exclusive religion. You can belong to any religion and pray in the Sikh Gurudwara, if you want to.
In short, as i know it, its a religion that is more abt personal spiritual quest with guidance from the Guru Granth Sahib, than about rituals and conduct. When the 10th Guru made some of his followers the Khalsa, he did not say that the others are NOT his disciples. What right does the SGPC have to say that?

My family taught me that there is only one Rahat for the Sikh "man neeva te matt uchhi" (Humility in the heart and high intellect/moral standards). Its a 5 word principle. Maybe the SGPC chief and others will want to reflect on that.

In short, do not be so blinded by power that you create opposition where none existed. The political parties of India have learnt that lesson very recently. Maybe Sikhism should too.

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How to do a baby shower in 4 hours flat.

We had a baby shower for a colleague at my place. We were stumped by how little information we could get online about holding quick fix baby showers. So here's a guide to arranging a baby shower in 4 man hours flat.

Theme: Bollywood Gold. Pick up some posters and post cards of bollywood. Time taken - 40-50 minutes at most. For Gold, pick up the Gold Coin bars and coins to give away as prizes for games.
Everyone has to wear a Bollywood style dress to the party.

Games: We played a game called Sugar and Spice. Everyone writes down things they like abt the mommy to be (sugar) and things that suprise them abt the mommy to be (spice). The MTB reads all the chits and has to guess who has written which chit. Prep time - 5 mins pers person to write the chits. We made them before going to the party.

Song and Dance: We did a jig on the song "Solah Singar kar ke" from the film "Filhal" Prep time - everyone heard the 4 minute song once before the party.

Cake: We bought a cake from a store nearby. Time: 20 mins.

Food: Potlunch. Time to heat and place food on the table - 15-20 minutes.

Buying the gift: This took abt an hour and was the longest prep time activity.

We took abt an hour off to party, and did we have fun!!!

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But i don't WANT to go!

We were planning a holiday to Leh-Ladakh for a few days. I was cribbing to a friend about how the expenses are way above our budget for this holiday. She asked me "How much are you spending on this?" I gave her the figure. She said "Arre itne mein to aap foreign holiday kar aao!" (you can do a foreign holiday with that much money)
I looked at her with very wide open eyes and then said "But i don't want to holiday outside India!"

I still have to do Shillong, Sunderbans, Musical pillars at Hampi, Ajanta Ellora, Khajuraho, Kaziranga, Belur, Pondicherry....there is so much to see in this country! Way more than other countries where, usually, the only thing we see are the joy rides and the malls. (Come to Gurgaon or Noida for that too)

Do we take a "foreign" holiday just for the heck of it? Is it about what we want to experience or about what we want to tell our friends?

Want help? Here is what you can do in India this summer:

Kashmir: Enough said. A houseboat cannot be explained. A pashmina cannot be described. It can only be experienced.

Ladakh: Stark, high, lovely.

Sikkim: Green, beautiful, pristine. Dont miss the Gurudongma lake.

Uttaranchal: Get off the beaten tracks, and you will like it.

Manali: The eternal favorite. Though i prefer areas around Manali more.

Chamba: Lovely hills.

Eastern Himachal: Kinnaur district in particular, is beautiful.

Vindhya Hills: in Madhya Pradesh.

Goa: Off season discount too!!

Assam: Its too green to be hot. Likewise for Sunderbans, methinks.

Chail, Himachal: Its in the middle of a reserve forest, and its incredibly nice.

Mount Abu: If you have not seen the Dilwara temples, you have not seen craftsmanship yet. They take your breath away, and more than anything, made me realise how this country is FULL of incredible things everywhere you go!!

if you are planning a summer break, this is a shameless promotion of India. Do go!

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Tell me about children, again.

Help Required: What do u do to establish good brushing habits in kids? Ishaan's gums can't stand the softest bristles and tend to bleed. Also, he does not like anything in his mouth, except the baby toothpaste, which he devours like a food group.

Increase my GK please: There was an activity that Ishaan stopped doing at 5 months of age. Yesterday, he saw something related to that activity and instantly said the name of the activity. Do all kids have such incredible memories for a while? For how long does this last?

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Yes Brutus, me too.. A Baby blog

There, i have resisted the temptation for too long... to not have a blog for my baby(for multiple reasons, primary being privacy on the net.)
And finally, parenting has pervaded all my life, and there, Brethren and Sistren, is a blog for my baby. Mercifully for you, its only open to invited readers.. but what is below, i wanted to share with everyone..

Where do i keep
the precious pearls,
that you drop
into my life
everyday?
The small memories... of little things..
like gold coins..
the moon sightings.. like silver pieces..
where do i hold
the treasure?

For paper ages
and ink fades
and memory
is a strange friend
turning up
only at its whim.

Here then, under lock and key,
I bring my treasures to keep...

Guess that's true of all moms who blog - or isn't it?

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Go Babe Go!!

The Babe in this case is Indian democracy.
One more time, the Janta has emerged as the Janardhan and all the troublemongers are out.
The biggest message is this:

• We do NOT want troublemongers - of ANY kind.
• We vote for hard work - Delhi seats are because of Sheila Dixit.
• We are NOT STUPID.

Even though i could not vote(an inquiry has now been instituted by the Returning Officer of Gurgaon into the wrong voter rolls of new Gurgaon) , this feels like a personal victory (not the Congress win, the stability and the ouster of CPI)

Go Babe, Go!!

Part Two: If any of you is hooked to city building and Tycoon series(of the business simulation variety) of games, please point me to freeware available for download or places from where it can be bought at low rates. I will be eternally grateful and more. In particular, there was this game called "Building" which was freeware. It came from Japan and am just not able to find it anywhere any more.. if anyone has an old copy, PLEASE let me know..

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