WHERE DID WE GO THIS TIME ?

As our first son Nikhil stays in the US with his wife and son, we visit America every now and then and make short trips around the lovely vast country. This time we thought why don’t we visit Hawaii and celebrate our grandson’s birthday there

So our planning began, we tried to look for the places in Hawaii which we could cover with a 4 year old inquisitive and naughty boy which would be interesting for him and not too taxing too

The Hawaiian Islands, or Aloha State, is an archipelago - an area containing 137 islands scattered in the Pacific Ocean with eight main islands being well-known among them. From west to east are they are  Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, Maui, and the Island of Hawaii (Big Island).However only seven out of  the eight islands are inhabited. 

Niihau is known as the "Forbidden Island" due to its restricted access and preservation of traditional Hawaiian culture. 

Kauai is also known as the "Garden Isle," and boasts of stunning natural beauty which includes the majestic Napali Coast. 

Oahu is the most populous island, home to Honolulu which is Hawaii's capital and the vibrant Waikiki beach. 

Molokai is often referred to as the "Friendly Isle," offers a low-key but authentic Hawaiian experience. 

Lanai is the smallest inhabited island and is known for its off-beat attractions and laid-back atmosphere. 

Kahoolawe is an uninhabited island, primarily used for military training and preservation. 

Maui popularly known as the "Valley Isle," offers a blend of volcanic landscapes and luxury resorts. 

Hawaii (Big Island) features active volcanoes, diverse landscapes, and cultural attractions.

Hawaii is very popular due to its natural beauty, rich culture and delicious cuisine. There are beautiful beaches, volcanic landscapes, and the welcoming "Aloha Spirit" which make it an attractive vacation destination ,it is also a surfer’s paradise

While preparing for the trip we were advised to take lightweight and breathable  cotton, linen, and quick-drying fabrics to stay cool in the tropical climate. We packed few swim suits for our grandson for the inevitable and frequent beach visits. Comfortable but sturdy shoes were packed which are a must along with sandals to use in beaches. 

Accessories like Sunscreen, hats and sunglasses to protect our eyes and skin from the intense sun were packed   

We took some reusable water bottles and baggy shopping bags with travel documents like passport, flight confirmations, and other travel documents along with Snacks and travel-sized toiletries like shampoo, conditioner, and body wash with first-aid kit with pain relievers, band- aids, and personal medications along with the essential power adapter. 

We decided to go to Oahu one of the popular islands as we had a direct flight from San Diego where our son resided to the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) which is the largest airport in the State of Hawaii and located in Honolulu on the island of Oahu. From Honolulu one can fly to neighboring island airports which totaled 15 airports.

The airport is named after Hawaii’s late Senator Daniel K Inouye who was the second longest serving member of the U.S. Senate with a distinguished tenure of more than 49 years. 

There are non-stop departures from HNL to various states in US, Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Philippines, New Zealand, China, Mexico, India, Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Norway, Russia, Italy, Spain, Germany, Switzerland and United Kingdom.

We started from San Diego airport, our grandson was hell bent on carrying his own suitcase which he had packed almost 3 weeks prior and had shuffled and reshuffled all his clothes every single day, the clothes started looking extremely bored and were wilting due to his enthusiastic handling LOL!

During the flight which lasted 6 hours he enjoyed looking out of his window and played with the imaginary cloud formations incidentally my favorite past time too 

Finally we landed at the airport which I found to my surprise quite dated, hired a rental car and started our tour

OUR PLEASANT VISIT TO KANHA SHANTI VANAM

We had been hearing about Kanha Shanti Vanam since quite a long time and wanted to visit it, so we made plans to go there on my birthday 

I looked up for details about it, Kanha Shanti Vanam, spread over 1,400 acres, is situated about 40 km from the center of Hyderabad city 

Sri Ram Chandra Mission (SRCM) which teaches the practice of "Sahaj Marg" or "Heartfulness Meditation" is a non-profit organization and a spiritual movement which originated in India. It was registered in 1945 by Ram Chandra also known as Babuji hailing from Uttar Pradesh, its current headquarters are at Kanha Shanti Vanam, Kanha village, Ranga Reddy District near Hyderabad in Telangana

Sri Babuji had taken the name Ram Chandra after his teacher of the system Ram Chandra of Fatehgarh, also known as "Lalaji". Babuji was succeeded as president and spiritual master of SRCM by Parthsarathi Rajagopalachari. Following his death on 20 December 2014, Kamlesh D. Patel became president of SRCM and the fourth spiritual Master of the Sahaj Marg system, he is fondly called Daaji by all

Shri Ram Chandra Mission has spread its system of meditation amongst millions of people across 160 countries the world over 

We had our breakfast at home and started off for Kanha, we had booked accommodation in the Pearl hotel in Kanha

There were various other accommodation options, like AC Cottages (twin-sharing) where up to 200 persons can be accommodated.

Luxury Dormitories (air-conditioned) which can take 40 persons per room totaling 300 persons also were there.

Service apartments are also available for rent, as well as Madhuvanam apartments which are similar to a hotel 

In no time we reached Kanha, at the main gate we were stopped by the security guard who checked our ID cards and guided us to our hotel, he asked us not to honk the horn and to keep our speed limits below 20 km per hour, there were direction boards which made it very easy for a new person to navigate the area. 

As soon as we entered the campus we could feel the stillness in the air, plenty of trees gave cool shade and the clean roads were a beauty to watch, people were either walking down them or cycling leisurely 

 The pearl hotel had 44 rooms and needs prior booking, the reception desk people were very courteous and directed us to our room in a jiffy

The room was a luxurious one with all comforts, oddly there was no calling bell, maybe to minimize sounds in the hotel, all the foyers had books scattered around and free hot and cold water facility, Wi-Fi and Laundry service and gym facility existed, we could hire a Bicycle and had Golf cart facility to go around 

We freshened up and went around, we first went to the meditation centre and were spellbound by its magnificence, it is 30 acres wide and has a central primary meditation hall, with cold water running under the floor to keep it cool in the summer

It has no pillars or other structures within it but stands freely as the designers had come up with a new concept of large empty spaces surrounded by eight additional pods to enhance deep introspection and contemplation in the people spending time there, they did this by applying advanced scientific principles called Ferrari tensile fabric. 

High-quality material like stones, timber, glass and clay were locally sourced to guarantee long-lastingness besides linking the construction with the environment.

The 8 pods house an auditorium with a seating capacity of about 850. It is centrally air-conditioned and sound-proof with high speed Internet and a hi-tech audio-visual system. The auditorium is well-equipped with green rooms, washrooms and drinking water facility.

There is also a conference hall and seating over 2 floors for meditation and training purposes. Collectively, the meditation facility can hold 100,000 participants, making it the largest of its kind in the world

We left our footwear and entered the central hall, there was a stage and in front of it rows and rows of chairs, I thanked my stars for the chairs and meditated or truly speaking stilled my thoughts for nearly half an hour

The hall was surrounded by inscriptions of sacred scriptures carved into granite stone, on special occasions flags of various countries are unfurled in the central lawn.

Kanha is known and famous for its Green initiative to conserve the threatened, rare, and endangered species of our tropical forests, the mission feels that tree plantations is the answer to combat air pollution and temperature stabilization.

The mission also aims to create nationwide nurseries to grow highly resilient saplings that can compete and survive in hostile conditions and support livelihoods and micro-entrepreneurs.

Tree Conservation Center's project of Kanha undertook plantation of 50,000 plants over the years. A contemporary tissue culture laboratory has been built to aid in the propagation of critically endangered plant and tree species and is used in addition to the traditional methods of seed propagation, cutting, and layering.

 Kanha changed the name of horticulture to Heartyculture which I found quite quaint 

The rainforest in Kanha Shanti Vanam, which is grown in the formerly arid Nandigama mandal, covers five to six acres, has increased the area's green cover and has become home to vulnerable and endangered species in the past four to five years.

Rain Guns made by Italian technology have been applied in large forested areas to improve water conservation with less labour input and usage of fewer water tankers. They maintain and promote moisture for the trees.

Extensive Mulching is also adopted in large-scale farms and croplands to curb crop and soil moisture loss through evaporation. 

We were taken to the various vanams like Nakshatra Vanam, Ruchi Garden (Garden of edible wild fruits), Ayushya Vanam (Garden of Medicinal Plants), Raashi Vanam (Garden of Zodiac Signs), Palmeral (Coconut Palms), Freshwater ecosystems and Rock garden and other theme-based gardens.

It was a delight to go around and see the various gardens developed with utmost care and thought, seating was available everywhere for people to sit, relax , think and meditate

Kanha has started an initiative to improve the fertility of the soil using biochar. Biochar is created using organic wastes and twigs and through a process called Pyrolysis. This way the organic wastes are “burnt” without smoke and a fertile coke is produced that can be mixed with soil to grow plants.

We were stunned by the Babuji Maharaj statue which was 30 feet tall on its own and stands 75 feet above ground level when including the platform it sits on. The statue weighs 13 tons. It overlooked the entire Kanha campus blessing the inmates with its august presence

Apart from the green one, the Blue initiative was reached by developing twelve water harvesting ponds to replenish the groundwater surrounding the site. As a result the recent years have seen better rainfall due to the increased green cover. 

We could see the "Heartfulness Learning Center," established to offer knowledge and education to children from Pre-KG through Grade 8 in most novel ways and also prepare them for their future in an innovative manner

We had our complimentary breakfast in the hotel, it was a simple one though rather bland. Kanha houses a spacious dining hall where all residents and abhyasis can get simple, sattvic, hearty vegetarian meals completely free three times a day, throughout the year. 

Fausto's is an Italian terrace restaurant at Kanha, serving authentic Italian cuisine. The place is ideal for small events and gatherings. We found it very colorful and filled with youngsters

For our lunch and dinner we went to the Suruchi Cafe which was a spacious modern cafeteria, they were serving regular vegetarian meals in form of thalis thrice a day.

We could see that there were on sale a variety of mouth-watering cuisines, bakery items and confectioneries. There were North Indian, South Indian, and Chinese cuisines. There was both indoor and outdoor seating provided

As we strolled along we came across the children's park, very well designed with various games to enhance the development and observation skills of children. Apart from the park, Kanha Shanti Vanam has wide open places that allow children to play freely, ride bikes, learn cottage crafts and join storytelling and other activities. 

The idea of HISC (The Heart fullness International Sports Centre) was conceived in 2020 as a unified multi-sport facility to promote excellence in sports. The idea is to ignite that spark in children to look at sports and fitness as a means for career or healthy lifestyle. The sports centre facility spans over 54,680 square feet with state-of-the-art infrastructure. It includes 14 badminton courts under Gopichand Badminton Academy, 3 squash courts, 25 meter temperature controlled swimming pool and Gym and Fitness centre ,it serves both the youth and old alike

There was a convenient store where the residents and visitors could shop for fresh vegetables and fruits, as well as groceries and items of daily use, food provided at this store is fresh and organic, some of which are grown right here in Kanha , to my surprise I found that the rates also were quite reasonable

There was a Pottery Studio equipped with tools of the trade, products to purchase, a large kiln, and all the materials one needs to potter around to their heart’s content.

The Goshala at Kanha is home to over 100 native cows and buffalos from various regions of India such as Gir, Red Sindhi and Sahiwal, it surrounds vast agricultural land which made it more pertinent, I found kids enjoying their time there feeding the cows

We then saw the Wellness Center which looked very professional, it provides an integrated and holistic approach towards health and well-being, there are doctors who prescribe mainly ayurvedic treatments for all health conditions and it has adequate medical facilities to assist the local population and visitors too

Who would have ever imagined that a once barren and parched land could turn into a lush oasis with more than half a million trees, Kanha is now fully self-sufficient and sustainable and has become a haven for people thirsty for mindfulness irrespective of their age, a few committed individuals working towards a noble cause selflessly can achieve wonders and do miracles

We returned home from Kanha Shanti Vanam with our hearts filled with Shanti and lungs full of oxygen, our minds were peaceful and rested,I  reluctantly left the place wishing I could have stayed there for ever and for ever

OUR AWESOME ASSAM JOURNEY

After touring Meghalaya, we started for Assam with our spirits fully rejuvenated but knees strained and protesting vehemently

We first visited Basistha ashram as it was close to the Meghalaya Assam  border, it is believed to be hermitage of sage Vashisht , one of the Saptarishi and it was on the outskirts of Garbhanga reserve forest

Vasishtha is one of the oldest and most revered Vedic rishis or sages, His ideas have been influential and he was called the first sage of the Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy by Adi Shankaracharya and has written Yoga Vasishtha, Vasishtha Samhitha ,few versions of Agnipurana and Vishnu Purana.

He is famous for his legendary conflicts with sage Vishwamitra ,was the family priest of the Raghu dynasty and teacher of Rama and his brothers.

As we entered I noticed the usual hustle and bustle in the locality with pilgrims going around and beggars all sitting in a row, the usual tea and toy stalls

We were on our way to the temple when I noticed a car coming, people in it wanted to distribute blankets to the poor, suddenly there was a flurry of activity and I could see the beggars rushing and taking and hiding the blankets in their bags and asking for more , it saddens me to see greed in the people ,be it any category

The temple was in a hilly area and very near the forest and as a result, there were plenty of playful monkeys which showed similar greed by snatching parcels from the hands of pilgrims

The temple was reachable by ascending few steps and had three rivulets named Lalitha, Sandhya and Kantha forming a waterfall with the water originating from Meghalaya gushing down to enter Bramhaputra river  

The temple was built by the Ahom king, Raja Rajeswar, in the second half of the 18th century

Apparently many years ago, a stone hill collapsed revealing four Ganesh idols and a Durga idol carved into a giant rock.

We saw Janardan Devalaya, dedicated to Lord Vishnu and a Ganesh mandir

There was a big statue of a huge mouse standing royally alone

In the courtyard, there was an imaginary statue of Sage Basistha ,there were idols of various other Gods

A cave said to be used by Ma Arundhati, wife of Saptarishi Vashistha for sadhana exists a little distance away

The place was serene and beautiful but needed more maintenance, I noticed some local people washing their clothes in the water in which I could see multiple linga being worshipped and felt helpless

We then passed by the streets of Guwahati ,it was a typical busy day with lot of shopping going on, I found the autos very colorful and attractive

We next visited the Kamakhya Temple 535 feet above at Nilachal hills also called Kamagiri hill ,adjacent to the hill we could see the mighty Bramhaputra river flowing ,Kamakhya temple is one of the oldest and most revered centres of Tantric practices and is dedicated to the goddess Kamakhya. The temple is the center of the Kulachara Tantra Marga and site of the Ambubachi Mela, an annual festival that celebrates the menstruation of the goddess.

Structurally, the temple dates back to the 8th-9th century with many subsequent re-buildings and the final hybrid architecture with a hemispherical dome on a cruciform base defines a local style called Nilachal. It is also one among the oldest 4 of the 51 Shakti Pithas .

Historically the worship progressed in three phases— yoni under the Mlechhas , yogini under the Palas and the Mahavidya under the Kochs.

The Kalika Purana, an ancient work in Sanskrit, describes Kamakhya as the yielder of all desires, the young bride of Shiva, and the giver of salvation and this denotes the spot where Sati used to retire in secret for a carnal union with Lord Shiva, and it was also the place where her yoni (genitals and womb) fell after Shiva's tandav nrutya with the corpse of Sati

The main temple is situated in a complex of individual temples dedicated to the ten Mahavidyas of Saktism namely, Kali, Tara, Tripura Sundari, Bhuvaneswari,  Bhairavi, Chinnamasta, Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi, Matangi and Kamalatmika.

We took a ticket for special darshan as there was heavy rush and a panda accompanied us, the garbhagriha was small, dark and reached by narrow steep stone steps. Inside the sanctum it was quite dark and  from somewhere a sudden gush of very cold air brushed our faces, there was a sheet of stone that sloped downwards from both sides meeting in a yoni like depression  about 10 inches deep.

This hollow is constantly filled with water from an underground perennial spring. It is this vulva-shaped depression that is worshipped as the goddess Kamakhya herself and considered as most important pitha (abode) of the Devi. Before we could even experience or see it fully we were lead out by our panda

Historians suggest that the Kamakhya temple was likely an ancient sacrificial site for Khasi and Gharo people and that the name originated from the Khasi goddess, Ka Meikha meaning old cousin -mother

Garos people, offered worship at the earlier Kamakhya site by sacrificing pigs. The tradition of sacrifices continues today with devotees coming every morning with animals and birds to offer to the goddess.

Due to a legendary curse by the Goddess, members of the Koch Bihar royal family do not visit the temple and avert their gaze when passing by as they are not supposed to even glance at the temple

As a centre for Tantra worship, this temple attracts thousands of tantra devotees in an annual festival known as the Ambubachi Mela. In June from the 7th to the 10th day, the Kamakhya Temple doors are closed for worship as the goddess is believed to be menstruating. 

This festival is seen as a celebration of menstruation, which is often a taboo topic in many cultures, and is a unique expression of female power and fertility, temple is closed for three days during the festival.

During the festival, the river near the temple is said to turn red, symbolizing the goddess's menstruation. Prasad during the festival includes "Angodak" (fluid from the body) and "Angabastra" (red cloth used to cover the stone yoni during menstrual days), which are distributed to worshippers.

Durga Puja is also celebrated annually at Kamakhya during Navaratri

Our next visit was to Deepor Beel a fresh water lake located to south-west of Guwahati city. It was a very peaceful place with a large expanse of water, Rani and Garbhanga hills guarded the lake on one side and we could see a bridge and fields around.

Over 120 species of birds have been listed in the sanctuary, including kingfishers, fishing eagles, adjutant storks and abundant varieties of ducks. A watch tower has been erected on the bank of the beel for bird watching and also security purpose.

Occasionally people see herds of elephants visiting this lake to quench their thirst and also enjoy a thorough bath in the water

Surveys have revealed 20 amphibian, 12 lizards, 18 snakes and 6 turtle and tortoise species in the beel. Over 50 commercially viable species of fish, belonging to 19 families have been identified

Deepor Beel is declared a wetland under Ramsar Convention due to its biological and environmental importance.

We visited the lake in evening so there was a cool breeze wafting in, there was provision for boating but there were no traces of the boatman

Shooting and bird-trapping are prohibited by law, but enforcement is said to be inadequate.

The Dipor Bil provides, directly or indirectly natural resources for the livelihood of fourteen indigenous villages

The Basistha and Kalmani rivers and local monsoon run-off are the main sources of water to the lake, between May and September. Khonajan channel drains the beel into the Brahmaputra river.

The lake acts as a natural storm water reservoir for the Guwahati city during the monsoon season

During the winter months, when the size of the lake reduces in area by about fifty percent, the shore area is cultivated with rice paddy as the climate is also relatively cool and dry.

We then went to a temple of Lord Venkateswara, the temple looked serene and beautiful and had pure white architectural structures and images of deities carved out in the walls. The wooden doors of the temple were handcrafted in Chennai and were intricately carved.

There was a park located outside the temple for tourists to enjoy the scenic beauty. Goddess Durga temple is built to the right side of the main temple

The temple premises had a Yagasala built for performing yagnas and an auditorium decorated with beautiful interiors and exquisitely designed statues to hold cultural functions of classical and folk music gatherings regularly during Sundays. The temple looks divine in the nights as it is well lit with lights.

That night we went for a cruise in the mighty river Bramhaputra, as the sunset cruise tickets were sold out, we chose the Alfresco Grand Luxury Dinner cruise, we could get seats on the deck area, seats were comfortable and food was good , served hot and quickly too 

We enjoyed going around the river with the cool breeze caressing us and listening to the pleasant live music ,the singer was in fact good and belted out old Hindi songs

The next day after the customary complimentary breakfast in our hotel we left for Hyderabad, in the foyer I found these typical domestic items we call as cheta nicely decorated ,I admired the creativity of the Assamese people