Dynamic Dust

Shimla-“Queen of Himalayas”

09:45

Either the old gnarled trees,

Or aplomb breeze

Enthrall me every time, o thy!

Whenever I see #madeofgreat

Shimla is a beautiful place in the lap of Himalayas enclosed by mighty mountains which protects it by standing straight with their broader chest. Its natural beauty is carved by the God himself. I think a beautiful combination of flora and fauna is made in designing the queen of hills with such a care that no mark should remain to spoil its beauty and that’s why it has natural beauty in abundance. You can’t deny the cool breathtaking breeze of fresh air here.

Christ Chruch at Ridge,Shimla

It used to be the Summer Capital of India during British era in India. When it was built, seven hills were chosen to establish the town. Those hills were Bantony hill, Observatory hill, Prospect hill, Elysium hill, Inverarm hill, Summer hill, and Jakhoo hill. Jakhoo being highest among the seven possess a heritage of Jakhoo temple which has the largest statue of Hanuman ji, a Hindu deity which is of 108 feet. It offers the breathtaking view of Shivalik ranges.

Its construction reflects the great architecture of Britain. I recommend you to take a walk of entire stretch of 3 km from ridge up to Vice Regal Lodge (IIAS). On one side, there must be hustle and bustle in ridge and on the other when you start moving you will be mesmerized by the beautiful woods having deodar trees. You can easily see Tyndall effect of sunlight as it passes through the Shimla woods. You could either choose to stay at church which is at ridge or could enjoy stage shows or movies in gaiety theater. Vice Regal Lodge, also known as Rashtrapati Bhavan is a majestic palace which reminds the palaces which you have seen in movies and is situated on the observatory hill. It was formerly the residence of British Viceroy Lord Dufferin and was a venue for many important decisions. The decision of partition of India was also taken here.

It shares its boundary with Kinnaur, Kullu, Mandi, Solan, Sirmour and Uttrakhand. You can easily connect yourself with other districts and can have a view of wonderful places around. Shimla is connected to Kufri with a stretch of 14 km. Manali is also connected to Shimla by road with the distance of 370 km. Kinnaur, however is not a much developed place but possess natural beauty in abundance. You can connect to Kinnaur via Shimla. Railway was also introduced in 1891 connecting Kalka and Shimla and this trip adds more charm to your travelling. The mesmerizing view of mountains will make your soul to dive in blissful sea of your inside heaven which will make you to forget all your worries as if nature is taking you in her lap and consoling you with her gift of natural beauty. Shimla is connected with Delhi by airways also as airport is located in Jabarhatti. It’s not a grand airport but yes if you don’t like the road rides and curves of hilly terrain, you could choose this way either.

It’s best for you to drive yourself to explore enchanting view of each and every place. You can start you drive from Delhi, the capital of India to Chandigarh first and then you could drive yourself and reach Shimla headquarters in 2 hours which is main area visited by tourists. Listen, but drive to Shimla doesn’t end here. Actually it’s the starting of your journey. You can take a drive to Chail, Naal Dehra, Mashobra or Chadwick fall if you don’t want to explore more adventures but yes these places will surely add charm to your journey. Its mesmerizing view undoubtedly takes away hearts of many people.

Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, Observatory Hill

If you want to explore more of Shimla, you could choose to explore more mountain ranges or go to Rohru, surely a breathtaking place it is! If you love adventures, you can try activities like bungee jumping, snow-skewing, sky-diving and para gliding if you drive 14 km from Shimla to Kufri.

Surely, here’s no end of list. There are a lot more places to be explored which truly cast their shadows in hearts!

Paris Attacks: Insanity of Humanity

08:39

Few days back, there occurred a severe attack on Paris letting people to shiver with fear. Is this what humans are supposed to do? Is it the thing which gives them peace?

Some people are comparing these attacks with 26/11 attack which India had suffered. A series of blasts shivered the soil of Paris. To watch death standing at your door is not just the work of the back of your hand. People didn’t even give a second thought that it might be a terrorist attack. They thought the voices could be of firecrackers when they heard shooting at first but lately came to know that this is something that will give them wounds, wounds so deep which could never be healed permanently. It was deeply saddening that on one hand, world is developing new technologies, trying to invade new planets and on the other hand, it is having such a severe problem of insane terrorism.

People are getting educated but also there are people who are indulging in terrorism. We all feel that this terrorism should be stopped. But do we really even know that what is terrorism? Why is it expanding? Groups like Islamic states, Al Qaeda, Boko Haram and Taliban are a major reason behind the deaths of many innocents. According to a report, 162 countries were examined covering 99.6% population of the world and it is estimated that 66% of deaths are caused by these groups. Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nigeria and Syria accounted for 80% deaths from terrorism in 2013 and Iraq was the country most affected by it. IS now targeted Paris. Why? Was it just for fun? No, absolutely not. These insane minds did it to show how powerful they are. These were the responses after airstrikes were caused by France in Mali to fight terrorism.

Abdelhamid Abaaoud is described as the mastermind behind these attacks by French officials. This massacre has left at least 129 people dead and 100 are still in critical condition. It has been suspected that three co-ordinated teams appear to have been behind the attacks. First three attacks occurred outside the stadium where a football match was being played by France and Germany. President Francois Hollande was also present there to attend the game which was being broadcast on TV. Three suicide bombs occurred around the stadium.

Another attack occurred in a restaurant and bar. People initially assumed that these voices could be of firecrackers but lately came to know that they were under fire from semi-automatic guns. People said that they assumed it was fireworks but then there were men shooting in all directions. At one place, they fired for three minutes and then headed towards their next stop. The most dreadful scene occurred when a concert was going on. Terrorists entered from the main gate and people in front rows previously thought there must be crackers but in a short time saw the most horrible and deadly scene of their life. After terrorists attacked with rifles, they used three subsequent suicide bombs.

Soon a hall where happy and cheerful faces were seen turned to a place full of corpses. Around 89 people were killed there. This attacked was the biggest one after the world war which France had faced. Investigation revealed the identities of some of the terrorists. A suicide vest Sami Amimour left France and went to Syria and this news is sent to his family lately. His father went Syria to bring back his son but he refused to come back. He told his father an incident. It was like. Amimour traveled two days back with a French woman and her six month old baby. Her husband was about to be a part of suicide attack. She looked happy. According to him, he was about to do a blissful task by killing innocents in the name of God. His father had to come home alone.

The mastermind of this Abdelhamid Abaaoud belongs to a well to do family. His father said we had a nice life. “I am ashamed of my son”, he said. His father added that he was horrified that his son had contemplated attacks in Belgium, a country which had been good to his family. On one hand, world is fighting terrorism and on the other one people are closing their eyes and doing blind acts in the name of god. May light of knowledge and education enlighten them! May one day we will see world without terrorism. We hope..!!!