Postcards from Kolhapur (Part 2 - Shopping & Food) | Travel
In Part 1 of 'Postcards from Kolhapur', you saw pictures of the Palace, Zoo and I also told you about the Kolhapuri Misal, Mahalaxmi temple etc. In this post, we will talk about the Famous 'Chappal' galli and the 'Khau Galli' where a bhelpuri stall has earned the title of 'All India Special Bhel'.
After having a great time in the Palace and the Open zoo, we decided to go shopping. Kolhapur has some really amazing book stores. They stock up on rare titles in English, Marathi, Hindi and other languages, which are extremely difficult to find in Mumbai. When there is a bookshop around, my family knows that I will take time out to check out the titles and buy some books. I picked up some Marathi plays and novels, including some by P.L Deshpande.
When in Kolhapur, a trip to the Chappal market is a must! Every girl loves shopping for shoes, so do I. I love stocking up on different kinds of styles instead of sticking to just one. So after buying lots of books, we decided to head towards the 'Chappal' market to indulge in some more retail therapy.
The Chappal market is very popular. An entire lane is dedicated to shops that sell Kolhapuri chappals, mojris, sandals etc. Although the demand for original Kolhapuri chappals is low as they are expensive, these shops have also stocked up on imitations of these chappals, along with fancy mojris, sandals etc. During my last trip, I got myself the authentic Kolhapuri chappal. So this time, I wanted to opt for something different.
You see that 'peek-a-boo' of someone wearing a kolhapuri? That's my sister! She picked up some stuff as well. As for me, I picked 3 pairs. a pair of simple imitation kolhapuri, green flat tie ups and a colorful Mojri. Unfortunately, Monsoon is not the right time to wear them. So, I've kept them in my shoe rack waiting for the rains to end (I already have tons of outfit ideas).
Which one do you like the most?
Later, we picked up some jaggery and spices (Kolhapur is famous for both) and then, I wanted to try the famous Raja Bhau bhelpuri. I was told that each and every individual living in Kolhapur knows Rajabhau. He even has several Facebook pages dedicated to him. From the rickshaw guy to the Local gajra seller, everyone helped us with directions. My family members thought I've gone mad and kept telling me "Stop wasting time for a mere Bhelpuri". But I didn't listen to them, because experimenting is a hobby and I had to taste Rajabhau's bhel before leaving Kolhapur. Finally, we found the popular 'All India Special Bhel' stall in a busy lane called the 'Khau Galli'. You will get anything and everything in this 'Khau Galli'. People park their cars and bikes and enjoy the yummy food with their family and friends.
This shop opens at 4 pm, shuts at 2 am and is always crowded. Raja Bhau, the owner, cooks up bhel for all the customers with a big smile on his face. He is known not only for his Bhel, but also for his kind nature. Locals say that he is never angry, never makes a grumpy face and is always active. Rajabhau takes care of everything along with his son and a few other family members. You maybe wondering, what's so special about this Bhel! Take a look.
His bhel has a spicy flavour with some tangy twist. You get two varieties, one with farsan and one without it. Unlike the normal bhel, Rajabhau's bhel has a lot of spices and chutneys mixed together. You will see very few vegetables. Those who get a chance to eat it will know why it's different and tasty! They have family packs and special packs for children and another variety for take away. How cool is that? Me and my sister stood there for a good 15mins, after eating the bhel, to find out what keeps Rajabhau going all day long. I remember seeing him on Highway on my Plate (NDTV goodtimes) telling Rocky and Mayur, "Even if a customer comes at 2 am to eat something, he will get fresh bhel with a smile on my face. I am always happy!" I love this guy's attitude, so humble and modest. I wanted to talk to him and tell him that he is really doing a good job (and say thank you for the bhel) but after looking at the impatient crowd and Rajabhau running around doing his work, I decided to come back next time, only to talk to him.
True talent deserves compliments, right?
Just before leaving the 'Khau Galli', I noticed a small tiny room next to this stall. The man sitting inside was surrounded by a zillion onions. We were shocked to see this man cutting onions without shedding a tear or two. When we asked him about it, he said "Mee eka divsaat 30-50 kilo kaande kaapto hya bhel saatthi. Haa mazaa kaam aahe. Aata kay ashru padnaar, savay zhali aahe" (Translation: I cut 30-50 kilo onions everyday for the bhel. It's my job. Tears don't roll down anymore as I've got used to it). He was so happy and content with whatever he had. In this journey called life, you get inspired by so many people and for me, he was definitely one of them. We thanked him as a kind gesture and told him to take care.
Though we clicked 2-3 pictures, I like this picture the most! It's blurry, but his smile makes up for everything. Shopping, Pictures, Bhel and more.. The Kolhapur trip was wonderful! I had a great time in Kolhapur and all the wonderful moments brought a huge smile on my face. Not only because of the items that I got, but also because I met some wonderful, hardworking people, touched a piece of history and even clicked pictures of some adorable animals.
Now, it's time to announce the winner of our 'Style Icon' contest in collaboration with Golmaal Stores. First, I would like to thank all those who participated in this contest. We got a wonderful response and some fantastic answers. Some entries were considered invalid because they did not follow all the rules. It was difficult for us to choose a winner, but in the end, it's a contest and we have to take a decision.
The winner of the 'Style Icon' contest is.... Tanya Meghnani!
Congratulations!
Much Love!
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Thoughts and More!
There are times when you want to leave everything and go on a holiday, probably in a countryside or any place that has the power to keep you away from your laptop and mobile. I've been in that mode since a week now and the funniest part is, I really don't know why!
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| Chiplun, A beautiful village in Konkan |
The Style Icon Contest - in collaboration with Golmaal Stores
It's been quite some time since I officially launched 'Diary of a Dancebee' (This year in March, to be precise). So I thought, it's high time we have a contest on the blog to give all my amazing friends, readers and fellow bloggers a chance to win something awesome!
So here it is, 'The Style Icon' contest in collaboration with the Super awesome 'Golmaal Stores'.
Postcards from Kolhapur (Part 1 - Palace and Open Zoo) | Travel
Kolhapur, about 410 kms by road from Mumbai, is a beautiful city. It has a rich history and culture. Although most of you will only think about the Kolhapuri Chappals when one talks about this city, but there is a lot more to Kolhapur than just that. The city has lots to offer and is an ideal tourist destination for those who love shopping, food and re-visiting history. I have been to Kolhapur a couple of times and I just can't get enough of this city's awesomeness. I end up shopping more than I want to!
My recent trip to Kolhapur was fantastic. I must share one important thing - although I did not opt for History as my subject for majors (despite the fact that I love Indian history, especially all about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj), I absolutely love visiting historical locations, forts, palaces etc. I can roam around for hours, clicking pictures, talking to the natives about the real history of that area, understanding the monument and more.
Our first stop was the beautiful Mahalaxmi temple (Karveer). When in Kolhapur, I make it a point to visit this temple (I visit all the temples, wherever I am). After that, we had some spicy Kolhapuri Misal at a joint nearby.
Post some book shopping at a local store (picked some amazing Marathi and English books), temple visits and lunch, we finally reached the New Palace of Kolhapur (also known as the Shree Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Museum). This beautiful palace was built in 1881. The architect of this museum was a British royal engineer named Major Charles Mant. The first storey of this building is occupied by the current Chhatrapati of Kolhapur and his family.
Unfortunately, as is the case at most of the museums and palaces, photography was not allowed inside the museum. The museum houses the furniture, clothes, war equipment among other important items used by the Chhatrapati. It also has the beautiful, huge Darbar hall (I fell in love with this hall and stood there for a good 15 minutes looking at each & every detail). The beautiful architecture makes you wanna live there forever. They also have a huge hall dedicated to some of the animals and birds hunted by the Chhatrapati.
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| Spot me in this picture :) |
You can also see a few glimpses of this beautiful palace in the Marathi film, Balgandharva.
Honestly, I am a bit annoyed with the government's attitude towards these heritage buildings. They don't believe in taking care of it, neither do they believe in promoting state tourism. There are so many wonderful heritage sites in Maharashtra, but the Government and the Tourism department simply ignore them. High time our state gets a better tourism minister and team, so that these sites can be promoted. This will help in increasing the foot fall and our state can definitely benefit a lot from this.
Okay! Let's move on to talking more about this beautiful palace. In front of the palace area, there is a picturesque lake. Around the lake, one can spot some wild life animals like Spotted Deers, Sambar, Peacock. All of them are kept in an open space and are allowed to roam around freely. The palace authorities and servants working for the current Chhatrapati take good care of these animals. Trust me, they take care of these animals very well and I am proud that they are allowed to move around with complete freedom.These animals are absolutely adorable.
PS: Some people need to get a life and understand that they cannot feed these animals anything under the sun. I saw some people giving diary milk chocolates to the Deer. I told them to stop, but some people are just so stupid! These animals are much better than most illogical humans. I am sure you will agree.
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| This picture is so cute, don't you think so? |
The New Palace is an ideal place to unwind and perfect for a day long picnic, in case you are in Kolhapur. You can relax, walk around and enjoy the beautiful weather (Kolhapur is wonderful during the winters) without anyone disturbing you.
Post the palace tour, we had some great time shopping in the Kolhapur market and eating some really awesome Kolhapuri bhel! Find out more in my next post on Kolhapur (Part 2 - Shopping and Food)
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Fashion Paradise gets a Rebirth - Pret-Amoda
Every shopaholic dreams of having an exquisite piece of jewelry, some fabulous designer clothes, pretty shoes that can earn them compliments, Bags that make a statement and accessories that adds a magical touch to your outfit. But, what if I told you that all this can be found with a single click on
your desktop mouse or laptop's touch pad? Yes! I am talking about Pret-Amoda, your one stop online
luxury fashion shop, where you can indulge in some seriously amazing retail therapy
(Plus, no need to step out of your house).
your desktop mouse or laptop's touch pad? Yes! I am talking about Pret-Amoda, your one stop online
luxury fashion shop, where you can indulge in some seriously amazing retail therapy
(Plus, no need to step out of your house).
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| Screencap of Pret-Amoda.com |
Most of you already know this, but for those of you who don't, Pret-Amoda is an online shopping destination, which brings together some fabulous designer items from India, directly to your doorstep. It's an exclusive boutique that features individually handpicked pieces of the latest fashion from India’s most coveted fashion designers.
Pret-Amoda recently got a 'Re-Birth'. With a fresh new look, the website has been relaunched with many more designer collections. When you see the collection, you can notice a great mix of established designers along with some talented, new designers. Currently, they are working with some of the bigwigs of the fashion industry including Abraham & Thakore, Prashant Verma, Nida Mahmood etc. Plus, Pret-Amoda earns extra brownies points, simply because their range of fashion accessories and clothes which starts just at Rs 500. Awesome, isn't it?
Colors are the smiles of nature
I haven't done an outfit post since a very long time. So, I decided to take time out and ask my sister to click some pictures during my recent trip to Konkan. Yes! The beautiful coastal region of Maharashtra where people like me are allowed to go berserk on Mango based dishes, Jackfruits, Cashewnuts, Coconut water and more. You may think, 'Wow, That's a lot of calories', but I believe that when you are Konkan, never miss out on these amazing things. After all, the Konkan region is home to the original, pure Alphonso Mangoes (Unlike the almost there alphonso mangoes that you get in Mumbai, these are 100% organic & they taste heavenly) and all the other food items I mentioned earlier.
Now, let's talk about the outfit. Every year during Summer, I experiment with different colors. Be it apparel, accessories, shoes etc, I like to dress up mixing up colors in my outfit. Plus this year, the neon trend gave me a chance to experiment further with different neon shades. I got myself a Lime Green Cardigan and I've been in love with it since then. The material is extremely comfortable. Another product is the NYX addis abiba lip creme, which is an almost neon pink shade. Apart from the usual neon stuff, I found a super comfortable pair of pink pants at Chemistry. Not only can they be used for an casual outing, but I can dance in them too.
So, on the 3rd day of our trip, I decided to play with some colors here and head to the Ganpatipule temple and beach in style. The aim was to incorporate my favourite colors in the outfit and still feel comfortable. Also, I got a beautiful aquamarine necklace and decided to give it a try along with this outfit.
The outfit post is named 'Colors are the smiles of nature' as it's one of my favourite quotes by Leigh Hunt.
After the mini photo shoot at the Aarey warey point and a refreshing glass of Kairey Panhe (Seasonal raw mango drink), we got back into the car to reach Ganpatipule before sunset. I wanted to click a couple of pictures on the beach as well. First, we took Ganpati Bappa's blessings in the beautiful temple and then, decided to hit the beach. In these pictures, you can notice a small 'Tikka' on my forehead as well. It was almost time for sunset by the time we touched the beach, thanks to the fact that both me and my sister were busy buying accessories. Luckily, we managed some shots.
Quite a few good pictures were not fit for the blog as there was not enough light, but here are a few that just managed to make it here.
Top: Marks and Spencer
Cardigan - Zara
Pant: Chemistry
Rings & Necklace: Hill Road
Shades: Vero Moda
Sling bag: Gift
Have you invested in a pair of colorful pants or shorts recently?
Love
The Dancebee
Review - New Inglot Store (Khar)
Finally, Inglot opened it's doors to India a couple of years back. As most of you already know, the INGLOT Company was established over 25 years ago by Wojtek Inglot, a young chemist working at that time in R&D department in pharmaceutical company. They have a wide range of lip, eye make up and nail enamel to choose from.
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| Inglot store at Khar (Linking road) |
