Pandavkada Falls, Khargar

The natural swimming pool

Pandavkada water falls

Since the rain continues to shower its blessing, we too thought to make the most of it this year, and off we decided to go to another waterfall, and this time we chose Pandavkada.

Pandavkada waterfalls is situated in Khargar, Navi Mumbai.  Nearby spots to visit are the Central Park and Valley Golf Course, said to be Asia's largest golf course.

How to Reach:  If you are traveling by train, get down at Khargar station in the Harbour Line and take a rickshaw to the falls.  You also have NMMT buses plying in this route.  If you are traveling by car, use the Sion Panvel Highway.  It is a very easy-to-follow route.

This waterfall was closed to public for a couple of years due to many accidents/drowning that took place.  But after a lot of precautionary measures undertaken, it was open to public this year.  My brother-in-law went there a couple of weeks back and there was lot of water and the videos were tempting to watch, the waters beckoning us to come soon.  Unfortunately, when we went there, there wasn't a lot of water, yet it did not stop us from taking a splash.

We booked a cab that took us right to the main entrance.  There are two ways to go.  One is where people get down near the race course and your foot trail begins from here.  Secondly, you can take a left after the race course, pass right through a village and this takes you more closer to the trail.  We took the second option.

While passing through the village I had thoughts of how lucky these villagers were that they could still enjoy their village life while having a city only a stone's throw away.

Since we did not have plans to spend the whole day there, food was not a major concern.  We left home by 11 a.m., reached there by 11:30 and were back home by 4 p.m.  We just carried little snacks to munch away.

Once you park your vehicle, it is only 15 minutes' walk to the streams and another 10 minutes' walk to the falls.  The path is a mud trail lined by balsam flowers and fields.

They have constructed walls in the middle of the stream and it blocks the water at two points and forms a natural swimming pool that is 3 to 4 feet deep.  It is floored by sand and is safe to swim as there are no rocks in these pools.

It would be a good idea to pack your eatables as we did not find any nearby shacks or food suppliers and most tourists were also carrying their food.

If you choose to visit the falls in the afternoon, you can also spend some time at the Central Park which opens at 5 p.m.  It is the largest park in Mumbai and very well maintained.  They have excellent facilities in terms of kids' park, variety of play tools for kids, boating, and a soon-coming-up amphitheater.  Parking is free and well maintained toilets at every section of the park. You will find a collection of musical instruments all over the park along with a short write up/description.

This year I have had the opportunity to visit a lot of places and we did not have lot of money in our hands, and I learnt that happiness is not expensive.  With a little planning, one can enjoy a fun-filled picnic within one's means.  We have never picnicked in the monsoons, and it was a refreshing change this year that we explored a lot of places.

Life is waiting for you.... Go grab it!!!

Bubbye UTI - a tip to avoid urine infection

UTI or urinary tract infection is a common problem among females, and every female will face this at least once in her lifetime, unfortunately more than once.  For those who do not understand the medical term, it is that burning urination you experience, sometimes with pain, where you feel like sitting in the loo or a water tub the whole day.  You seem to want to urinate every 5 minutes and with much difficulty you are only able to get a few drops of it.  What a nasty thing it is!

Here is one simple tip to prevent UTI.  After finishing your defecation needs, never wash yourself from front to back or back to front, always wash yourself from side to side.  Keep a mild soap handy just to be extra sure.  Since vagina is situated very close to the anus, you can accidentally pass along some fecal material and thereby bacteria to your vagina or urethra, which in turn will lead to infections of the genitourinary tract.

Do not be surprised if you find a lot of women not knowing this; the number is really huge, hence, the need to pass this vital information to the masses.

Another tip is to avoid wearing your sanitary napkins for a long time during your periods or menstrual cycle.  Blood being an excellent medium for bacterial growth helps bacteria to grow and multiply.  There have been recent updates regarding the long-lasting, keep-yourself-dry, gel versions of napkins containing cancer-causing chemicals.  So change your napkins every 4 to 6 hours.  Tampons, depends on the recommendation duration on the pack, change every 4 to 8 hours.

If you are a sexually active woman, then you must urinate and wash yourself with a mild soap after the act.

Kindly spread the word as there is some needy woman out there in need of this info.

Spread awareness and keep infections at bay.

Nature's Wonders

This is my first ever poem, and guess when or where I wrote it?  It was in my 12th standard Physics lecture.  I was always termed as a talkative and naughty student, and I feel proud of it now.

I had sent this poem as an entry for a youth section in Indian Express newspaper back in 1996.  I had just scribbled the poem, but did not know what title to give, so I had written a note along to the editor asking them to help me give a title.  The editor was kind enough to title it "Nature's Wonders" and I have retained that title till date, and will continue to remain so as my appreciation to them.

It was such a joy seeing my poem in the newspaper.  It was a big achievement those days.  One of my friend's dad, Thanabalan uncle, who is no more, called me up to congratulate me, and the excitement was no less than receiving a gold medal. That uncle is a constant source of encouragement and appreciation.

As usual on a Tuesday, that's the day for the youth section, I eagerly scanned the newspaper for various talents displayed.  I saw this poem titled Nature's Wonders and began reading it.  The words felt so familiar, but I did not realize that it's mine.  Just out of curiosity, I saw the poet's name and there it was listed, Kavita, AFAC Junior College, and I had such a surge of adrenaline.  I still can feel the jitters.

With that note, I present my first ever poetry, Nature's Wonders... Thank you Indian Express!!!  Thank you Mama!!!

Nature's Wonders

Sun rises with a golden lining,

Moon with that of silver,

Nature is so full of beauties,

With all its bloom and bower.

Flowers with colours so bright

Symbols nature’s love and light.

The streams flow with sparkling water

Thro’ the valleys with joy and laughter.

Sunset portrays its golden beauty

And all creations go to rest.

Then nature opens its arms so wide

To gather all creation to her breast.

Though darkness blankets in the night,

The moon showers its moonlight.

Trees sing their sweet lullaby

For babies tired with play and cry.

All creations, both animals and plants

From pipals and babuls to crickets and ants

All offer God a song of praise

Thanking Him for His mercy and grace.

Penned in 1996

BETRAYAL

I loved you with all that’s within me

And wanted us to be together forever.

What was it then that you drifted away

Without a word, nor a reason to say?

Did you never mean the words you spoke?

Were those feelings not real that you felt?

Did you not yearn those moments we spent?

Was the thread so fragile that you wove?

I saw it in your eyes, felt it in your smile

Felt it in everything that you did

Those unspoken words, those unrevealed feelings

I felt just by being near you.

I was entrapped in the storm of distress

Rigging and tossing with the tides of sorrow.

You stretched your hand to strengthen me

Lighting a hope to live life again.

When I was just coming out of it,

Just beginning to see the light of life

You removed your hand off from mine

Leaving me to fall in the storm again.

Is there no end to these tears?

Will they flow for endless time?

Can’t these threads be tied again?

Can’t we give our love a chance again?

         

Penned on March 23, 2000 

LIFE -- A Strife

When life seems an ocean of darkness

You stumble and fall, but can't perceive your fall;

Get up, though bruised, and search your way

For the ocean meets the shore of light.

When life seems a thorn of difficulties

You prick yourself and bleed tears

Quit not, but climb up the path

For there is a blossom of roses ahead.

The night is never a night always

The break of dawn declares the day

Awaiting you with a ray of light

To shone your path with possibilities.

But do not think it the goal of life

'Cos it's still miles away

Let not your hope die, for hope

Is the foundation to build your goal.

Strive through the trials and tribulations

Make them the pillars of your success

For this success is true and lasting

Gifting you a life -- content and prosperous.

Penned on February 17, 1999

Passions

Writing poems was a once-upon-a-time passion for me.  Through the years, in the mad rush, I seem to have lost touch with it.  I wish I could rekindle my thoughts and revisit that part of me through blogging.  I wanted to publish all my poems back then, and I always wanted to name my album "Passions".

So, I dedicate this blog to the younger me, whom I thought was dead, and whom I want to resurrect.

Also, I somehow feel like dedicating this to my brother, who always loved teasing me, saying that he is my inspiration and I write poetry because of him.  I do not know if it's true and if it is, I do not mind giving the credit to him.  But, I believe that I have inherited it from my dad, who is an excellent, but unpublished poet himself, and he has written many devotional songs in Tamil.

Finally, I could say that I have at least lived my name.

I would like to restart this journey with one of my favorite poems, and it was published in poetry.com

http://poetry.com/poems/890138--65279-My-Promise-To-You-#

My Promise To You

penned on ... January 28,2000

Need Whiter Clothes??

Just thought of passing along this useful tip I learnt from my mother-in-law.  They work in an organisation where they require to wear white uniform very often, and I always found their clothes to be sparkling white.  When I asked her how, she shared this with me.

After washing the clothes as usual, just give it another quick wash with Lux soap.  I was very skeptical of this, nevertheless, I tried giving it a shot.  I picked up my daughter's dress and did as told, and lo, it had such a nice shine.  It gives a new look to the clothes.  I washed her shoes with it, and that too turned out sparkling new.  I tried washing my trekking shoes that were so dirty and I got the same result.

What you need to do:

Use LUX Soap (white or pink, both should work, though I used the white version) instead of your regular washing soap.  Work up a nice lather.  You will see that it removes stains and dirt very efficiently and leaves them bright and shining.

My experiment did not stop here.  The other day, I tried washing my bathroom tiles and toilet seat.  We have hard water here and it stains our bathrooms a lot.  My bathroom smiled back at me for making them twinkling like that.

I do not use Lux soap for bathing, but I surely buy one for these purposes.  Do try it out and let me know how it works for you.

Happy Washing.. Keep Shining...