Real Neat Blog Award, my congratulations!

Posted on June 4, 2015 by Rashid Faridi

I have got a nice blog award 🙂

petrel41's avatarDear Kitty. Some blog

Real Neat Blog Award

Late in 2014, I made this new award: the Real Neat Blog Award. There are so many bloggers whose blogs deserve more attention. So, I will try to do something about that 🙂

It is the first award that I ever made. I did some computer graphics years ago, before I started blogging; but my computer drawing had become rusty 🙂

The ‘rules’ of the Real Neat Blog Award are: (feel free not to act upon them if you don’t have time; or don’t accept awards; etc.):

1. Put the award logo on your blog.

2. Answer 7 questions asked by the person who nominated you.

3. Thank the people who nominated you, linking to their blogs.

4. Nominate any number of bloggers you like, linking to their blogs.

5. Let them know you nominated them (by commenting on their blog etc.)

My seven questions are:

1. Where do most…

View original post 122 more words

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

To Sua Ocean Trench: A Spectacular Natural Swimming Hole in Samoa

Posted on June 2, 2015 by Rashid Faridi

DSC_0423To Sua Ocean Trench is a very unusual and spectacular location near Lotofaga village on Upolu. The name “To Sua” is literally means ‘big hole’ – it is an amazing place to take a swim or just to look at. The 30 metre deep sea water is accessible via a rather large ladder that is not for the faint hearted. Water flows into the deep holes through a lava tube tunnel.It is connected to the main sea nearby.Upolu island was formed by a massive basaltic shield volcano, rising from the sea floor of the WesternDSC_0283 Pacific Ocean. The island is 434 sq miles in area, with a population of 135,000, making it the most populated of the Samoan Islands.

This site is surrounded by beautiful colorful gardens.There are a few other sites that areDSC_0286 situated in the same area, including blowholes and an incredible small beach on the western side. There is a small fee to enter the site.It is located in Lotofaga village. Lotofaga is a village on the south coast of Upolu island in SamoaFew sites are situated in the same area, including blowholes and an incredible small beach on the western side. A ladder is installed on site for visitors access to and fro into this 30 meters deep seawaters. This site is surrounded with beautiful colorful gardens. The site is for swimming and nature photography.

A Real Coral

A Real Coral

P.S->All pictures are clicked and sent to me by Samia Aamir Faridi

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

‘Go to Pakistan’! Do Indian politicians think ‘Pakistan’ is a dustbin?

Posted on June 2, 2015 by Rashid Faridi

ramblinginthecity's avatarramblinginthecity

Bunches of unwanted Indians are being sent off to Pakistan pretty often nowadays. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has conveniently asked all Indians who want to eat beef in the face of a beef ban in Maharashtra to go to Pakistan (“or Arab countries or any other part of world where it is available”). In April this year, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad requested (for the umpteenth time) all such Indians to go to Pakistan who do not agree with their policy of Hindus reproducing vehemently so that they can outnumber Muslims and correct the demographic balance. Whatever the reason for the banishment, I am baffled by this business of sending the unwanted to Pakistan!

Instead of permitting dissent and strengthening the idea of India among a wider audience, the right wing is threatening to send all naysayers to a 'Pakistan' that I suspect is a dark place in their imagination and not really the country next door! Instead of permitting dissent and strengthening the idea of India among a wider audience, the right wing is threatening to send all naysayers to a ‘Pakistan’ that I suspect is a dark…

View original post 227 more words

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Chinese Explorer Hiun-Tsiang

Posted on May 31, 2015 by Rashid Faridi

Hiun Tsang at Nalanda University

If one goes through the ancient history of India, he/she must have come across the name of the Chinese Buddhist monk Hsuan Tsang (var. Hiuen Tsiang) who visited India through the Silk Route between AD 627-643. He was a great traveler, scholar and translator. Till date his work on India is very significant.

Hsuan Tsang left Ssu-ch’uan without a travel permit in 627. His left this place very secretively as it was against law to travel abroad in China. Though he was on the main route but after his experience at first outpost where he was stopped he made a detour. Now he was into a place where there were no signs of life. All along his way, Hsuan Tsang faced many challenges and crossed deserts and mountains, passed through the central Asiatic regions of Turfan, Karashahr, Tashkent, Samarkand, and Bactria. But this didn’t stop him from visiting India. After traveling about 34 kingdoms he finally entered India in 631 through Hindu Kush. He spent near about two years in northwest India and then went to Ganges region for visiting sacred Buddhist place. His travel included Kapilavastu (birthplace of Buddha), Benares; Sarnath (places where Budhha delivered lectures), Bodhgaya (Buddha accomplished Nirvana at this place) and then to Nalanda (Buddhist learning center in India). For 15 months Hsuan Tsang studied at Nalanda to learn Sanskrit. He even studied Indian philosophy, grammar and logic.

 King Harshaa  came to know about him while he was going back to his country. The king made his travel back to China much easier. Hsuan Tsang left India in 643 and reached Ch’ang-an in 645. Back home, he was offered a ministerial position but he refused it, as he wanted to complete his religious work. He started translating Sanskrit texts that he brought from India and successfully completed the translation of more than 600 Buddhist texts. Hsuan Tsang’s translations contained some of the most important Mahayana writings.

Hiun-Tsiang  was an explorer: a Geographer. He travelled extensively and enhanced knowledge of the world. read more about  here  and here

Posted in Geographers | Tagged , | 2 Comments