Strangest Road Accident in Delhi

Yesterday when returning from work, I got stuck in a jam before the newly constructed underpass to okhla. Nothing new accept there was a truck stuck vertically under the mid of the bridge with traffic being allowed to pass it from either side. We made it through from the left side of the truck, hoping that no sudden wind would topple it over onto us.

Hopefully nobody was hurt as the front of the truck did not seem much damaged. It just was properly etched onto the over-bridge. The jam was being caused by people taking photographs as this was indeed an unusual sight, which was way out of daily occurrences.

Christmas Time at Q'BA New Delhi

Delhi is the best place to enjoy Christmas Season. The icy cold weather definitely adds to the Christmas feeling and the need to walk into a warm snug place. For our Christmas party, me and my friends visited the place on Tuesday ladies night and were thrilled to find a Christmas decorations and lanterns covering the place. On entering we simply had to see the balcony which I have heard to be was awesome. It was indeed wonderful but due to the severe cold weather me and my friends rushed back inside the cosy place.

The look of the place was quite sparkly and dark and could be good for romantic dinners in the fine dining section. The formal leather couch seating was comfortable but sort of distanced for us girls; I guess such a place would be more preferable for business meetings. A single candle was lit at the center of the table which made it a bit difficult to read the menu cards, but we did ultimately read them and order after taking a couple of group and selfie photographs.

As the ladies nite was to start after 8 pm, we decided to try that out. We ordered mojitos, Sangrias which were one-plus-one and we decided to wait till after eight for the free drinks offer. The mojitos were strong and more minty than lemony and the Sangrias were tasty and strong. A bit of a disappointment was that the free drinks were just four handpicked ones, but since they were free, we decided to give it a try. Two of these were fine but the other two were too bitter. To eat we kept it vegetarian, ordering the tandoori vegetarian platter for Rs. 555 and the crispy honey potatoes which were quite yummy. The croquettes were soft and tasty and the potato fries were quite yummy and were filled with honey and sauces. Later we ordered vegetarian paneer shwarma which was quite soft and not too dry with a mixture of sauces. Penne Arrabiata Pasta was the most delicious of all the stuff that we ordered. We truly enjoyed the Christmas theme and Christmas songs and put on our red and white Christmas caps to enjoy a few Xmas pics to be uploaded on facebook later. Overall the dining experience of the place was quite good compared to most places I've known in Delhi.

Ooh La La...Vidya Balan's Marriage Photos

Everyone is interested in following celebrity weddings. Considering that even Saif Ali Khan's second wedding was such a hit, of course because there was a lot of Kareena in it. The next big Bollywood wedding is going to be Vidya Balan's marriage. 

I actually though she was already married but hey, she's not and she and a Siddharth Roy Kapur are tying the knot on 14th December 2012. 12-12-12 was available but they chose 14th, a number I'm not too keen on, the reason being that her sister Priya got married on the same date.

Vidya Balan wedding and family plans

Hey whatever works for you just go with that Vidya. Anyway, the Vidya-Siddharth wedding is expected to be a quite affair and is scheduled to be in Chennai, a not so popular location for weddings, or anything for that matter. But true Vidya Balan fans are deeply anticipating every news and marriage photos about Vidya Balan's scheduled wedding. 

Check out some of the world's most expensive things, here!

Wedding of Kareena Kapoor and Lisa Ray

Two of the most awaited Great Indian weddings will be held soon much to the anticipation of many bollywood fans. One is the wedding of Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan, and the other is the marriage of Lisa Ray to Jason Dehni. I know that I'm waiting eagerly to see the bridal wear, the arrangements, decorations, the performances, and to know who's to be invited and who did not get invited.

Riteish and Genelia's Wedding Photos

That's How It Really Works !!: Riteish and Genelia's Wedding Photos
Quite a lot of functions,Genelia is looking beautiful in her wedding gowns. Ritesh looks quite dorky though.

Sultanpur National Park

My almost regular travel to Farukhnagar to a college, led me to visit the Sultanpur National Park, located 15 kms from Gurgaon and 40 kms from Delhi. You begin to realize that you are reaching the sanctuary when you see rare birds on the wayside. I have on a numerous times spotted the white throated kingfisher nearby to the Sanctuary, which had made me keen to visit the place.

History

White throated Kingfisher, easity spotted by me

Sultanpur named after Sultan Singh was the biggest village (covering 52000 bighas of land) under Farrukhnagar and many of the present day villages around it have originated as 'dhanis' i.e. temporary farmer's shelters within the boundary of Sultanpur. The region around Sultanpur was called Dhundhoti. Sultanpur was the center of salt production for use in Delhi and the United Provinces till the late 19th century exporting annually 250000 quintals of salt.

As a bird sanctuary it was the find of Peter Jackson, famous ornothologist, and Honorary Secretary of the Delhi Birdwatching Society, who wrote to Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, founder of the Society, in 1970 about the need to declare the Sultanpur jheel near Delhi, a bird sanctuary, and she asked him to take her there.In 1972, the Sultanpur Bird Reserve was established. On 07/13/1989 the reserve was upgraded to a National Park.It has an area of 1.43 square kilometers.It is a protected area where over 250 species of birds have been sighted.

Earlier before the construction of bandhs and drainage areas around Sultanpur remained waterlogged and attracted a large numbers of migratory birds and hunters, many from the Diplomatic Corps at Delhi. Now however the bird sanctuary is artificially revived using pumped water from the Jamuna river.

Resident birds

Resident birds include the Common hoopoe, Paddyfield pipit, Purple sunbird, Little cormorant, Indian Cormorant, Common Spoonbill, Gray Francolin, Black francolin, Indian roller, White-throated kingfisher,Spotbill, Painted stork, Black-necked stork, White ibis, Black-headed ibis, Little egret, Great egret,Cattle egret, Crested lark, Red-vented bulbul, Rose-ringed parakeet, Red-wattled lapwing, Shikra,Eurasian collared dove, Red-collared dove, Laughing dove, Spotted owlet, Rock pigeon, Magpie robin,Greater coucal, Weaver bird, Bank Mynah, Common Mynah and Green Bee-eater.

Migratory birds

Sarus Crane (Grus antigone) at Sultanpur

Every year over a hundred migratory bird species visit here to feed. In winter the sanctuary provides is a panorama of migratory birds such as Siberian Crane, Greater Flamingo, Ruff, Black-winged Stilt, Common Teal, Common Greenshank, Northern Pintail, Yellow Wagtail, White Wagtail, Northern Shoveler, Rosy Pelican, Spot-billed Pelican, Gadwall, Wood Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, Eurasian Wigeon, Black-tailed Godwit, Spotted Redshank, Starling, Bluethroat and Long-billed Pipit. In summer about 11 species of migratory birds such as Asian Koel, Black-crowned Night Heron, Grey heron, Eurasian Golden Oriole, Comb duck,Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Blue-tailed Bee-eater and Cuckoos come here.

In addition to the many birds, animals such as Blue Bull and Black Buck are also seen here. Trees which are popular with the birds like Acacia nilotica, Acacia tortilis, Berberis and Neem have been planted.

Facilities

The park is a popular picnic spot for residents of New Delhi and the NCR (National Capital Region), especially during the winter migration months when thousands of birds visit here from across the globe. There are four watch towers (machans) located at different points, an education and interpretation center, a library, films, slides and binoculars for the benefit of bird lovers. A walk along the perimeter of the park takes up to two hours. A room dedicated to the memory of Dr. Salim Ali, which contains his bust, photographs, write ups, and some of his personal effects. There is public parking, bathrooms, drinking water facilities and a children's park in the reserve. For those wishing to stay overnight, the park also has a well appointed guest house with all amenities.

How to Get There

The park is 50 km from Delhi and 15 km from Gurgaon on the Gurgaon - Farukh Nagar Road. It is easily accessible by road and can be reached by hiring a taxi or by your own transport if you enjoy a long drive. Address: Divisional Inspector, Wildlife, Sultanpur National Park, Dist. Gurgaon. C/o DFO (Terr.) Gurgaon (0124) - 2015670, 2375242 

Pictures from Anna Hazare's Revolution