And you call animals violent

Hurting Animals is not Cool.. Say no to animal abuse!!

A medical student throws a dog down from the rooftop.

Image sourced from Indian Express 

The cruelty committed against animals is going up day by day and it’s just too painful to watch. Dogs are thrown off from the terraces off buildings, puppies are burnt alive, and they are just pulled up by their legs and just smashed by their heads. These are just heinous acts and totally intolerable. It became a routine now, that we see such videos on popular social media platforms

I log into my Facebook account with so much fear in my heart, of having to come across a video shared by a friend or somebody, that shows a brainless man holding a dog by its leg and just throwing it up in the air before smashing its head against the ground. It scares me every time I scroll down on Facebook and now especially with the new system on Facebook wherein videos start to play automatically, sometimes I just happen to watch such videos by chance and then it leaves me traumatised for a long time.

Puppies being set to fire.

Image sourced from Hindustan Times. 

I have heard about people abusing and hurting animals. And I have always wondered too as to what exactly runs in the heads of these people while doing so. do they actually feel good while hurting a poor living creature? How could they even think of  hurting a poor animal that cannot even speak. And then i came across these videos all over  Facebook  and other social media platforms and it hurt me even more to see that grin on their faces while they were performing this horrible act.

A dog being brutally thrown around by a man. Image sourced from Indian Express.  One of the instances when a video went viral and created so much rage in the all animal lovers was when a Chennai-based medical student uploaded a video on Facebook. The video showed him holding a poor dog by its neck and swinging it i the air a few times, before he threw it off from the rooftop. And what’s even more sadistic is that he actually looked into the camera and smiled right before throwing the dog down. The video wen viral and the accused and his friend who shot the video were supposedly booked under Prevention of Animal Cruelty Act and other sections. The next incident came up just few weeks after the dog was thrown off the rooftop in Chennai. In Hyderabad, around 8 youngsters, aged between 10 and 17 ended up burning 3 puppies alive and for fun. These boys are said to have been playing cricket in the area when they came across these 2-month-old puppies, which they threw into a pile of fire and kept showing inside as they tried to run out of the fire. And then the video just kept growing and growing. Dogs being beaten up and flicked into the air, left to die and what not. The atrocities have only increased as each day passes. And the offender seeks and finds pride and happiness by their horrendous acts. Recently too, in God's Own Country, a set of ministers brutally tied up and killed stray dogs and paraded proudly through the city of Kottayam. This according to them was in protest to the government and local body who hadn't yet taken any action to curb the problem to stray dogs in the state. Protesting can be done in several ways, but why did they choose to protest in such a criminal manner?  What are people doing in protest to this? Many people have and are still taking to social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook to react or report and share such acts so that more people get to know and hence spread awareness about the same. Here are a few Twitter reactions on abuse against dogs in the country in separate incidents:  One of the instances when a video went viral and created so much rage in the all animal lovers was when a Chennai-based medical student uploaded a video on Facebook. The video showed him holding a poor dog by its neck and swinging it i the air a few times, before he threw it off from the rooftop. And what’s even more sadistic is that he actually looked into the camera and smiled right before throwing the dog down. The video wen viral and the accused and his friend who shot the video were supposedly booked under Prevention of Animal Cruelty Act and other sections. The next incident came up just few weeks after the dog was thrown off the rooftop in Chennai. In Hyderabad, around 8 youngsters, aged between 10 and 17 ended up burning 3 puppies alive and for fun. These boys are said to have been playing cricket in the area when they came across these 2-month-old puppies, which they threw into a pile of fire and kept showing inside as they tried to run out of the fire. And then the video just kept growing and growing. Dogs being beaten up and flicked into the air, left to die and what not. The atrocities have only increased as each day passes. And the offender seeks and finds pride and happiness by their horrendous acts. Recently too, in God's Own Country, a set of ministers brutally tied up and killed stray dogs and paraded proudly through the city of Kottayam. This according to them was in protest to the government and local body who hadn't yet taken any action to curb the problem to stray dogs in the state. Protesting can be done in several ways, but why did they choose to protest in such a criminal manner?  What are people doing in protest to this? Many people have and are still taking to social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook to react or report and share such acts so that more people get to know and hence spread awareness about the same. Here are a few Twitter reactions on abuse against dogs in the country in separate incidents:  One of the instances when a video went viral and created so much rage in the all animal lovers was when a Chennai-based medical student uploaded a video on Facebook. The video showed him holding a poor dog by its neck and swinging it i the air a few times, before he threw it off from the rooftop. And what’s even more sadistic is that he actually looked into the camera and smiled right before throwing the dog down. The video wen viral and the accused and his friend who shot the video were supposedly booked under Prevention of Animal Cruelty Act and other sections. The next incident came up just few weeks after the dog was thrown off the rooftop in Chennai. In Hyderabad, around 8 youngsters, aged between 10 and 17 ended up burning 3 puppies alive and for fun. These boys are said to have been playing cricket in the area when they came across these 2-month-old puppies, which they threw into a pile of fire and kept showing inside as they tried to run out of the fire. And then the video just kept growing and growing. Dogs being beaten up and flicked into the air, left to die and what not. The atrocities have only increased as each day passes. And the offender seeks and finds pride and happiness by their horrendous acts. Recently too, in God's Own Country, a set of ministers brutally tied up and killed stray dogs and paraded proudly through the city of Kottayam. This according to them was in protest to the government and local body who hadn't yet taken any action to curb the problem to stray dogs in the state. Protesting can be done in several ways, but why did they choose to protest in such a criminal manner?  What are people doing in protest to this? Many people have and are still taking to social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook to react or report and share such acts so that more people get to know and hence spread awareness about the same. Here are a few Twitter reactions on abuse against dogs in the country in separate incidents:

Help the stray, abandoned, abused, hungry & sick dogs in India http://t.co/Nl7hwM8T

— supportadog (@supportadog) June 24, 2012

#PETA finds support from @P9Ashwini to highlight the lives of neglected, abused and starved homeless dogs in India: http://t.co/WZuEOVlWYc

— Dog House One (@DogHouseOne) October 22, 2014

People who insist on forever posting photos of abused dogs on facebook should be shot at dawn #howaboutSPCAdoonationinstead

— India D.S. Frazier (@india_indiadsf) January 26, 2016

@peta is PETA doing anything in India for all the stray dogs that are neglected and abused? It's so awful.

— nah (@thevogueimage) April 14, 2016

     

Instagram, a leading social media platform which allows its users to share and view pictures and mini-videos too has several of its users fighting for the cause of the injustice done to animals. The pictures that are shared on Instagram are usually supported with the trending # (hashtag). #stopanimalabuse #stopanimalcruelty . Also, the videos of these offenders performing such atrocious acts have been uploaded on sites like Youtube. 

According to Sections 428 and 429 of the Indian Penal Code, it is a punishable offence to kill or maim any animal, including stray animals. And the offender should technically be punished but then again in our country and with our legal system, even rapists are getting away easily after committing heinous crimes, let alone animals being abused. The man who threw the dog from the rooftop in Chennai allegedly got out of the jail by just paying off Rs 50 to the cops that is exactly the condition of the legal system in our country. Organisations like PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) are fighting for the rights of these animals. 

Land of Strawberries and much more 😍

Land of Strawberries and much more….

When I was out there, exploring the scenic beauty of Mahabaleshwar, I knew how exactly I wanted to share my ‘travel’ experience. But now, it took me a good 3 hours of staring at my laptop screen, to kick start off. I realised that sometimes it gets really difficult to express in words what you really experience.

Photo Credits: Vandana Surya

The trip to Mahabaleshwar was a sudden and last minute plan made over a cup of chai, one fine evening. We decided to go via car to Mahabaleshwar. And since none of us was really confident of our driving skills, we hired a driver. It took us a good 3 hour drive to reach our destination.

And this being our first ever trip together, we were filled up with all sort of emotions.

As we sat in the car, listening to the radio, we like many people would do, opened up most of our life saver, Google, and started reading up about ‘Mahableshwar’ . 

So halfway down, we started feeling hungry and so stopped at a food court that we saw on the way.

We stopped for breakfast in between, when one of the most amazing thing happened. As the three of us entered the food court, the song that played was ‘Dil Chahta Hai’. And what else could be more perfect that this moment. The three of us looked at each other and just giggled. 

So after a sumptuous meal, we set out once again.

After a few hours, the cool breeze and the chills outside woke us up. And we knew that we had reached our destination.

Where all did we go?

1.      Lodwick Point: Standing 4087 feet above ground level, this point is named after General Peter Lodwick, who was the first Englishman to set foot on this hill, way back in 1824. So this point is like a tribute to him. It is said that in 1973, a lightning destroyed the whole point and then it was later on reconstructed. The Prathapghat fort can be seen from this point. Oh and yeah, you get amazing Strawberry Gola here.

Photo Credits: Vandana Surya

2.      Lingmala Waterfalls: There are two sets of waterfalls, one is the smaller one and the other is the humongous waterfall. And as we walked down a hundred steps down in order to go see the smaller waterfall, we saw boards on the sides that gave us a brief descriptions of the Giant Squirrel and the Great Pied Horn bill, and presumed that they could be seen in there, though we din't really see any. The falls were a treat to my eyes. The very sight, smell and the sound of the flowing fresh water just takes you into another world. And what was further interesting was to just watch the crowd that was there. Newly married couples, who were clicking a lot of photos and posing away to glory; families enjoying a break; kids playing in the water and giggling; teenage boys trying to do stunts and stuff to gain the attention of girls; elderly couple sitting by the bank and enjoying the view.

Photo Credits: Vandana Surya

3.      Venna Lake: This Lake is a beauty all by itself. The lake is about 120 feet above ground and is 2 km long. The best way to relax is by taking a boat ride in the lake. As you are moving you can see a Hanuman temple towards the shore. This temple has been in place since the time of the British. As we were rowing, we saw a roof kind of structure in between the water and curiously asked the guide what that was. He then told us that it was their old pump room and when they raised the level of water, the room sunk and is completely under water now. Around the parking area of the lake, there also provide horse riding. And what seemed interesting to me were the names of the horses. All of them were named after some Bollywood movie. ‘Chulbul Pandey’, ‘R Rajkumar’, ‘Baazigar’… and so on…

Photo Credits: Vandana Surya

4.      Mapro Garden: What more fun that visit the hub of strawberry farming. Their ‘Fresh Strawberry Cream’ was a real treat to my taste buds. They also sell all ‘Mapro’products in there. They have a chocolate factory and to all the chocoholics out there, trust me, your taste buds will just melt by the mere sight of how they make chocolates.

There are a few more places and points to be seen in there, but due to time constraint, we could explore only so much. And as we ended our expedition, we realised that a mere trip, no matter to which part of the world, makes a huge difference to a person’s life, and it brings so much joy and happiness. 

Photo Credits: Vandana Surya

Message to all ‘Strawberry lovers’: Pack your bags and leave right now. And yes eat the yummiest strawberries ever, all you want. 

Photo Credits: Vandana Surya

Burbee's sure leave you burping

Visiting Noida? Head to Burbee's Cafe

Burbee's Special 'Watermelon Mojito'

The mere look of it will drag anybody to this place. This is Burbee's Cafe and Diner,located in Sector 18, Noida. A cute little door that opens up to a set of stairs that leads the customer to the top floor awaits at the entrance. The entrance itself gives a very French Cafe'ish' look to the place. A menu with all the lip smacking dishes is put right outside the entrance itself.

On walking into the cafe, we realize that its a small and well maintained place. The ambience is just great.The lights are simple and not too bright. The music played too are commendable. A list of songs that takes one back in time indeed.

Coming to the best and most awaited part of it. The FOOD!!! Being a complete foodie, apart from all the other things, what attracted me the most was definitely the food. This place has got a variety of cuisines ranging from Chinese to Lebanese and even Italian. Their pastas, burgers, lasagne's and pita's are a delicacy to the tongue. They serve both vegetarian as well as vegetarian food. They don't really have like 5-6 pages on their menu card. The list is small but whatever they have, is served with so much love and tastes so good. I dug into their Chicken Lasagne,like a person who hasn't eaten for like a week. but it was worth it. The food was cooked to perfection and tasted really good. And to go along with this, I ordered the Burbee's special Watermelon Mojito. They do offer a wide variety of beverages too.

Most importantly, the price is very reasonable.Dishes usually range between Rs 200-250 approximately. On a whole, Burbee's is a very nice place to chill with family and friends and have a nice meal without burning a hole in your pocket.

Food: 4

Ambience: 4

Service: 4

Price: 4 

Welcome dear fellow Dosa loverrr

Want the taste of South India? Run to ‘Coffee House’.

The sheer smell of yummy Masala Dosa's and filter coffee along other mouthwatering delicacies

is what awaits one at the Coffee House, one of the oldest restaurants in the city of Pune. The restaurant which is located in Camp Area promises a plate full of lip-smacking items to the foodies in town. The multi-cuisine restaurant serves varieties starting from South Indian to Tandoor and even Chinese. However, the restaurant may not really please the hardcore non-vegetarians out there, as it is a pure vegetarian restaurant.The South Indian food served out here is however the highlight of the place. People could blindly walk in here to get a taste of some authentic South Indian food. They have quite a lot of varieties of south Indian delicacies.They serve both spongy steamed idli’s and also fried idli’s, which is served with mulagapodi (popularly known as chutney powder or gunpowder). Mysore Masala Dosa, Ghee Dosa, Paper Dosa, Rawa Dosa, and Uthappam’s are a few tasty items that one shouldn't miss. The Dosa’s are cooked to perfection, and are crispy and served with a little bit of ghee (butter), making it all the more flavoursome. These items are served along with sambar which almost tastes like the one made in Tamil Nadu, with just enough spice, and two types of chutney, mint and coconut.

                          Image Source: dosaboston.com

The price too is comparatively reasonable and would cost approximately around 550 for two people.They menu here also serves snack items, Chinese, sandwiches, and special Jain food items too. The ambience is decent and also is crowded at most times.The service and quality is appreciable. Overall the place is pocket friendly and can fill ones stomach with some delicious food.

When power and money take over.

RIP Chandrabose: Nisham sentenced to life imprisonment

After a long struggle, finally justice has been served. Muhammad Nisham who, last year ran his luxury SUV over K Chandrabose, a security guard at the Shobha City apartments in Kerala’s Thrissur district has been awarded punishment finally.

Nisham has been sentenced to life imprisonment plus 24 years. Along with this, he also is expected to pay a fine worth 70 lakh, out of which, 50 lakh will be paid as compensation to the victim’s widow.

Chandrabose’s widow Jamanthi said “We expected him to get the death penalty. With his money and influence, he can lead a decent life behind bars.This doesn't feel like justice,” she added. 

#Chandrabose. #ShobhaCity #Nizam. The punishment is inadequate to the crime. P P & Govt to take tougher stand. pic.twitter.com/bBkNX7Hqxn

— BOAZ CHACKO (@boazbchacko) January 21, 2016

A grieving family of the victim K Chandrabose, waiting outside the court for the verdict. (Source: The Indian Express)

The court said that a case had to be filed against Hisham’s wife Amal, for trying to mislead the court by submitting a false affidavit. Nisham was booked and has been convicted under sections of 302, 326, 323, 324,427,449 and 506(1) of IPC.

Nisham ran his Hummer over Chandrabose when the latter delayed to open the gates of the apartment. An extremely enraged Nisham then chased the victim around the premises of the apartment, and then crushed him against a wall. Residents immediately took Chandrabose to a hospital, who later succumbed to injuries, three week later.

The case attracted a lot of coverage. And hence the proceedings had been hurried since.

A billionaire behind bars, I'm eager to see whthr his money saves him from punishment. #India #ChandraBose #Murder https://t.co/vQZDSr2Z5r

— Ebi (@obscureEbi) January 21, 2016

Muhammad Nisham convicted of murdering his security at the court. (Source: First Post)

Reports also show Nisham’s previous criminal records where he was book in the year 2013 for allowing his minor son to drive his Ferrari around his apartment area. A case was registered against him after his Facebook post went viral. He is also said to have been booked for drunken driving and for obstructing a government servant from discharging her duty after he had reportedly locked a lady police officer in his Rolls Royce for around two hours, after she attempted to book him for drunk driving.

His criminal background is hence very clear from such reports. Power, money and influence are three major assets that he possessed, and these assets always got him out of trouble, no matter what the case was. Such cases have always set a bad example to the public. It creates in them a feeling that our judiciary system and laws can easily be influenced and are hence corrupted.

However, after the verdict was passed there is a satisfaction that the victim has finally got justice.

Mohammad Nisham has been sentenced to life imprisonment plus 24 years. (Source: The Hindu) 

Public prosecutor C.P.Udhayabhanu, who has been battling religiously to make sure that justice is served to Chandrabose, said “I respect the verdict. Though the court refused to give death penalty to Nisham, he has to be in jail for around 39 years if the punishment is implemented in the same grade. The poor family of Chandrabose will also get a compensation of Rs.50 lakh”.

In his interviews to news channels, he also said that this particular case will fall under the category of the rarest of the rarest cases and that he is satisfied with the verdict.

With the verdict of this case now, I believe that a ray of hope still remains and that we can still trust our judicial system to an extent. Money and power has always played and will always play a huge role and reign over everything, but that should never influence the truth.  

@saikatd @dhanyarajendran DEATH for poor powerless #ChandraBose and LIFE for rich powerful #Nisham . #JustNotFair #NoJusticeForPoor

— Devaraj Dey (@devarajdey) January 21, 2016

Indian judiciary system is too slow !! But it works !! #nizzam #chandrabose

— shamjad shan (@shamjadsep7) January 21, 2016