Jaipurites bid adieu to hookas!!!

One thing that today’s youth mandatorily need to strike a conversation is hookas.

Restaurants, lounges or coffee shops are often the witnesses to the sight, where youth are seen spending fun moments with their pals, passing hooka pipe through a circle of friends.

But alas! From today hookas have been banned in the city.

Jaipur Police imposed bans on 'hookah bars' stating that they were serving tobacco molasses containing nicotine which is injurious to health of the people, affecting youngsters especially college students and youth.

Bars, which would serve hookah and remain jam-packed with teenagers, from now on, will wear a deserted look. While the decision certainly disappoints Gen Y, parents and schools have heaved a sigh of relief..

This step might just divert their future on the right path but the question which arises is… Why is today’s youth just glued to hookas ?

Is it probably because they are unwilling to commit, and hookah is a happy medium. Risky enough to be considered fun, but safe enough to easily leave behind.  Today’s twenty something’s are free moving, and if the hookah is ready to be smoked, they’ll flock right to it.

Whatever the reason might be , the ringing sounds of “Bombay pan masala, mint, green apple ” have ceased for a while !!!

Jaipurites Jaago Rey !!!

Jaipur  marks  the occasion of World AIDS Day on December 1, Rajasthan State AIDS Control Society (RSACS), is going to launch a special drive in city colleges and offices to make people more aware about this issue. 

Red Ribbons Clubs have been formed in different colleges, more than 6,000 college students are its members. These students who are the members of these groups have been deputed to different colleges and offices both private and government, where they will spread awareness about the AIDS.

For this year the theme of World AIDS Day is zero. Which means zero new HIV infections,zero discrimination and zero Aids related deaths. Members of these groups will distribute red ribbons and wrist bands to create awareness on HIV/AIDS & its allied issues.

Expanded access to counseling and testing, Safe blood supplies, develops strategies to combat stigma and social exclusion connected with the global pandemic. The AIDS society has also felicitated the opening of Center s for women and children.

Winter crawls in the state

Winters have finally knocked the doors of Rajasthan. For the last few days, cold could be felt in Jaipur and other parts of Rajasthan. However, Tuesday night’s temperature increased by one degree in comparison to Monday night.

Tuesday night temperature was 12.1 degree Celsius.  According to sources, clouds are hovering in the state, as a result temperature increased by 0.7 in Jaipur. It is expected that after the “departure” of clouds from the state, coldness will increase in the state. However, in morning and evening people could be seen sitting around bonfires. The trunk coats, shawls, sweaters are paving a way out of one’s shelf. People are welcoming the winter season with open arms.

Jaipur, A Shopping Spree !!!

Jaipur is a city of vibrant colors and markets (bazaars) of Jaipur verify this fact. Jaipur's colorful markets offer a great deal of stuffs for a complete delight. How many times has it happened, you went out and couldn’t stop your self from spending on those beautiful hanging dupattas or bangles or may be the home décor stuff.  . While moving through the markets, you will come across the vivacious culture of this region. Jaipur is the perfect place to shop for Handicrafts, antiques, jewelry, gems, pottery, carpets, textiles, metalwork and leather ware. 

In Jaipur, there are many markets to present you the art and craft of Rajasthan. Kishanpol Bazar, Haldiyon Ka Rasta, Maniharon Ka Rasta, M.I. Road, Jauhari Bazar, Bapu Bazar, Nehru Bazaar are the main markets of Jaipur. Jauhari bazaar glitters with jewelries embedded with precious stones and gems. Moreover, one can also get ethnic saris and dress materials from this shopping market. Bapu Bazaar and Nehru Bazaar are ideal for shopping special shoes made out of camel skin. Others include textiles, local scents and perfumes besides bags and belts. M.I. Road market provides you with ethnic kundan jewelry, earthen potteries, brass articles and excellent wood articles. If you are looking for beautiful and cheap ornaments like colorful bangles, then step into the Tripolia Bazaar and Chaura Rasta market place.  One cannot define in words, the assortment of products, which these markets offer. This colorful city really gives an actual experience of delighting shopping. Shopping is really an electrifying activity in Jaipur. If you don't visit these markets of Jaipur, you will be definitely at amiss. A shopping spree in Jaipur's markets is an absolute fun. How many of you agree that there is no place other than Jaipur to give such satisfaction and delight in Shopping. From the most exclusive designer stores to market stalls, there is something for everyone.

Quit Smoking by helping Others! Sounds Backward but Really Works.

"Do as I say, not as I do." How many times have you heard that? 
How many times have you said that?

Everyone gives advice to others. It's easy to give advice,  whether people ask for it or not. Everyone has an opinion and their own ideas about how something should be done. I bet you've heard it from lots of people: "Quitting smoking is easy. Just  quit," or something equally as ineffective.

Advice from non-smokers on how to quit will probably not help you. In fact, you may find that advice from anyone, including other smokers who have quit successfully, doesn't help you. If you just aren't motivated by advice from others, try *helping * others, instead.

It may sound backwards, but how many times have you been able to see the "true" situation and solution in someone else's life, while they just could not see it? Perhaps, that's why giving advice to other people is so easy. As a disinterested third party, you can evaluate a situation or problem from a logical, 
unemotional (yes, I'm a man) and detached perspective. It's easy to see how to get out of the maze, when you're looking at the maze from the outside. Ever watch a rat trying to get out of a laboratory maze? You immediately see the way, but the rat must search blindly, because he can only see the walls around him.

The same can be true when you begin to help others quit smoking. By evaluating someone else's smoking, and their quest to quit, you can quickly see solutions to the other person's problem as well as yours J

Face off the Angry Sun with Chilled out Mocktails

 With Sun showing all his attitude and tantrums... give him back yours with cool thanda's !! Here are few easy to prepare mocktails to face off the Heat.

1. ORANGE TANG

Half Glass Orange Juice

Half Glass Orange Cold Drink

2 Spoon Vanilla Ice Cream

Little Crushed Ice

Churn in Mixer or you can mix them directly in a glass… Enjoy watching TV

2. MINTY COOL

4 Tbsp Sugar

I Tbsp Fresh Mint

2 Tbsp fresh Pineapple Juice

¾ glass crushed ice

Drinking Soda (optional)

Crush fresh mint with 1 tsp water and strain it in a mixer. Pup pineapple and mint juice in a glass. Make it sweet by adding ground sugar into pineapple juice. Add crushed ice and fill remaining glass with drinking soda. Drink it chilled with Mint leaves garnish.

3. MELON MELODY

1 Glass Melon Juice

A pinch of salt

A pinch of black pepper

½ Spoon ground sugar

½ spoon sugar syrup

Mix all the ingredients and enjoy it with crushed ice. Stick a rig of lemon and melon on top of the glass.

4. MANGO CASCADE

½ Glass thin Mango Juice

1 Tbsp orange Juice

1 Tbsp Pineapple Juice 

Take a glass First put pineapple juice, then orange juice followed by mango juice. If required you can add sugar syrup and drink it very chilled.

Hope you’ll Enjoy these amazing cool mock tails to beat the summer Heat.

Morning Walk at Central Park, Jaipur

One can’t actually think of anything that is more enjoyable & refreshing than a nice early morning walk when the city is just beginning to wake up.  We all know morning walk is good for us and that we should go for it but somehow it is easier to lay in bed. It took longer to actually get out of bed and do it but once you do, you felt simply astounding and motivated to keep it up in order to maintain the feeling of being so optimistic and alive.

And to actually keep you enthused, an excellent place for walk is must. Being a Jaipurite, one knows well about an exceptional place to walk that is Central Park, which is the most popular park among walkers & Joggers, located almost in the centre of the city. As a walker I was impressed with Central park’s beauty and size, making it a wonderful place to enjoy a bit of relaxation where people can spend hours in the enthralling and imposing atmosphere. The beautiful 4.5 km walkway of the park fills one with rejuvenating freshness escaping the din & chaos of the surrounding city. A wonderful designed park, having intensely manicured grass land. Its vast stretch of seasonal plants with their enigmatic aroma makes any visitor spellbound.

After an interesting strenuous walk, all those walkers who are coming to the park treat themselves & rehydrate with fresh & healthy juices like those of wheat grass, aloe Vera, bitter guard, guard tomato juices, feeling replenished again.

So get your butt up, wash your face, dress up, wear comfy shoes come & explore all that nature has to offer early in the morning.

Spend the weekEND with a blEND!!!

The most waited days of the week- Saturday and Sunday are on the calendars again. And if you are in Jaipur city… you have so many ‘options’ with you. Jaipur city has ‘everything’ for ‘everyone’. Big shopping malls, cafes, night clubs, amusement parks, resorts, multiplexes are to name a few.  

In the day time, you can go to have the sips of coffee with your friends. Bana’s coffee shop near Mr. Beans, C-Scheme serves the best coffee in Jaipur.  Or how about giving a crunchy start to your day??? If you do not mind a snack early in the morning you can get a Kachori near the panch batti circle or at the Rawat Misthan Bhandar.

If want to go out with family then nothings best than resorts.  Swapanlok, Kanchan Kesari, Nandan Resorts, Parilok are some of the many.

Those with the third eye can’t resist themselves from capturing the royal and elegant forts of Pink City. The beautiful pink city with its forts, gardens and markets is a best option for the photography lovers.

Hot beds of cultural activities: Jawahar Kala Kendra and Ravindra Manch. At Jawahar Kala Kendra there might be a mela on. You can visit the museums and the art galleries too. More often than not there are painting exhibitions and plays being put up during the course of the day. Another such venue is the Ravindra Manch and the open air theater there.

Numbers of malls are increasing in Jaipur like wild mushrooms day by day. City Pulse, Metropolitan Malls, Crystal Palm, Crystal Court, Silver Square, Mall 21, Hypercity, Vaibhav Mall, Triton are the names of the most visited ones.

And nothing can beat the multiplexes provided the currently showing movie is good. 

Buzzing Jaipur

There were time when the only reasons Jaipur was visited were Tourism and Shopping, Strictly in this order. As times changed so does the option. People realized there was more to Jaipur then mere heritage building and shops. The culinary delights, those historical hotels and even the cinema halls were enough excuses to plan a trip to Jaipur.

Now observe the Jaipur of last 45 days and you would wonder whether this is actually the place we all knew as Pink City. Cultural nights at Diggi Palace, Jaipur Heritage International Festival, Jaipur Literature Festival, Jaipur Marathon, Stone Mart and now Jaipur International Film Festival. Jaipur is simply buzzing with action.

It is now safe to say this is the next version of Jaipur. Ladies and Gentlemen you are now witnessing Jaipur 2.0 for sure. This city has safely left behind its reputation of heritage tourist city. This city takes Page 3 and glamour to next level. The glamour clubbed with heritage is a deadly combination. Jaipur beats every city in that department.

JLF has now comfortably brought Jaipur to the world literary map. The international flow of guests ensured that Literature Tourism is the next big thing in times to come. Looking at the sheer size of JLF this year, the next year looks even much bigger and brutal.

The hue and cry at Rambagh Palace drinks party, the camouflaged methods to serve liquor and conservative dresses are now rested totally now. Jaipur does every thing out in the open with social acceptance.

Stay tuned to Jaipur Beat to experience the actual Beats. 

Jaipur Literature Festival is place to be !!!

While going towards Diggi Palace from Sawai Ram Singh road when you are not allowed to take your car inside the lane, you immediately realize things have changed drastically at Jaipur Literature Festival. Being a regular visitor of all its previous editions, it was indeed a surprise to see large number of cars being parked at the make shift parking for JLF.

Jaipur Literature Festival today claims to be one of the leading Lit-fest in the country. As Tina Brown puts it “ the greatest literary show on earth” To see large of foreign writers/publishers at the festival clearly implies the market potential of JLF. New York times puts it as “In only five years, Jaipur has become official annual celebration of a vibrant and resurgent Indian and South Asian literary scene.”

A concept that started in one hall with just 14 guests in 2005 has now spread across entire Diggi Palace. It was heartening to see all the lawns/halls/tents and even make shift halls full with book lovers. The sizeable number of stalls of various products also indicates the commercial success of the festival.

Its not just the literature that’s in offering at JLF. The festival today has become a major Page 3 event that also contributes as source of fashion statement for its visitors. The rich aroma of seed coffee mixed with wine and brownie makes one really wonder whether we are actually in Jaipur.

JLF today allow the celebrities, authors, intellectuals and even the school kids to rub the shoulder with each other. The media and shutterbugs can be seen making the most out of a story at JLF.

After the full day of literature and wine, the JLF provides top class musical performance at night. For any music lovers its essential to witness these great musical performances.

 One thing is absolutely clear ; the JLF 2012 would be a much bigger and larger event. Is Diggi Palace prepared for it ??

Faith and Blind Faith

Rallies raising awareness about the abilities of the persons with disabilities has become an annual event in major cities of the country. “Car rally for the Blind” is the name of the rally which is going to take place in our city, Jaipur on 16^th January, 2011 (Sunday) under Jaipur Heritage International Festival. This rally has been approved by FMSCI (Federation of Motor Sport Club of India).

The rules of normal traffic driving would be followed during the rally.

This unique car rally in which the sighted driver virtually becomes “blind” and his blind navigator becomes “sighted” works on the format called Time Distance and Speed (TDS format). Every time we help the blind cross the road, they put their 'faith' in us and the Blind Car rally is designed to ask us to put our ‘blind faith’ in their 'navigational skills' ... using a Braille navigation chart. The tulip chart (driving instructions chart) is given in Braille which a sighted person cannot read. So the blind navigator reads out the instructions on the speed, directions, etc which guides the car through the streets of city to the finish.

There’ll be usually 3-4 people in each car, the driver, the blind navigator, the time keeper and sometimes, one more person who plays the role of the writer. The roles of the Driver, Blind Navigator, and Time keeper are pretty clear. The role of a writer is to write down all the instructions as they are read out by the blind and pass it on to the sighted navigator.

Eminent people from various streams of the city are participating in the innovative rally. It is proposed that a total of 40 to 45 cars will be participating in this rally. These cars will be decorated with stickers giving the messages and the names of sponsors.

The main objectives of this rally are:

1. Bringing in awareness in the community about the abilities of the disabled people in their efforts towards social inclusion.
2. Increase awareness and bring attitudinal change regarding people with disability in the community in and around Jaipur and other parts of the state and facilitate the creation of an enabling environment in the state.

PARTNERSHIP:

Rally has been organized with the support of individuals, organizations engaged in making the life of persons with disability a life with dignity and respect where society accepts them as a human being considering their abilities. The technical support for the rally organization is from the motor sports club senior members lead by Mr. Sanjay Sankhla who have experience and zeal for organizing such events in past. Sightsavers and Eye Bank Society of Rajasthan along with individuals and organizations are coordinating the rally. Various organizations of blind people would also be participating in the event.

This drive of approximately 3-4 hour through the major roads and by lanes of the city will forge a unique bond between the drivers and their navigators.

Stay connected with Jaipur Beat and Jaipur: News & Views to get the thrilling actions of the rally LIVE!!! 

Wandering Couple

Traveling for some is a hobby; to some it is a break from monotonous life. Traveling is a job for some and traveling for lot of us is a passion. We all dream of traveling around the world one day. To explore the unexplored is what we all intend to do. But how many of us actually are doing a serious efforts to achieve our dreams ??

Meet Michael Pauluzzi and Marie Kuter, a French couple who were here in Jaipur recently during their World Tour 2010-2012. Yes you read it correctly; it’s a two-year tour that they are undergoing currently. During a holiday in New Zealand both of them realized to make life more happening and adventurous. This is where the thought of starting the world tour entered their mind. They always wanted to travel at leisure and as per their own time, hence the thought of travel by road. They developed a 3000cc, Land Rower Defender, made in Australia and bearing Australian number plate, into a mini caravan. Their vehicle today has its own mini-kitchen; a place to put two mattresses for sleeping and also keeps necessary items.

The trip started from New Zealand in January 2010 and they will be on the road for the next two years. They will complete their tour in 2012 at Norway. Starting from New Zealand, they have been to Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and then India. In India they have explored the hidden treasures of Chennai-Pondicherry-Mangalore-Goa-Mumbai-Lucknow-Agra-Fatehpur Sikri and now Jaipur.

They stayed at Devraj Niwas, beautiful boutique heritage hotel at Bani Park, Jaipur along with their parents who joined them on Christmas. The forts and palaces of vibrant Rajasthan allured the couple so much that according to them Rajasthan is amongst the ‘best’ places they have ever been to. They checked into the hotel for one night and eventually left the place after 4 nights. They head now towards Pushkar-Jodhpur-Jaisalmer-Iran-Turkey and so on.

Marie Kuter is a Graphic Designer and Michael Pauluzzi is working as a web designer. During the whole journey, the man would be driving the car and the lady, as she has been doing till now, would be assisting his man as a navigator. This enthusiastic couple is not using any GPS (Global Positioning System), they are totally dependent on manual maps. During their entire journey till now they have had only three punctures/ flat tires. 

The couple is thoroughly enjoying their journey and that is exactly what they originally planned to do during this trip. This very friendly couple can be reached at

mkl@mkl-prod.com

By Team Jaipur Beat