This is my first experience at blogging. I chose to blog on Daman coz I have been feeling, seeing & experiencing a lot of things everyday & clearly felt the need to express these. Here goes...
For the starters, Daman is a city and a municipal council in Daman district in the union territory of Daman & Diu, India. It was discovered by Vasco da Gama in 1498 and was a Portugese territory till 1961 when it was merged as a part of India. Daman mostly consists of 2 areas - NaniDaman & MotiDaman which are seperated by the river DamanGanga. NaniDaman is an important manufacturing and it is here that my company's (Prince Plastics) factory is located. We cater to local and export markets with the focus largely on the latter.
When I joined the company on 4th May 2009, I was given approximately a month's accomodation to search for a house. I soon found a house at DilipNagar - considered to be Daman
's posh area. I am getting used to the new place and also to the new ethics & antique styles. On a rainy day, when I had to return home, the rain gods decided to give me a tough time. I had 2 bags and had to travel on the bike so in order to do that, I emptied all my valuables in a plastic bag including my leather shoes (how could I ever ignore the rains man...), put those things along with the bags in a bigger bag, somehow managed to settle on the bike and off we were on the road. The cold rain took us by surprise. Every drop of rain and lightning seemed to be a laughter from God as to how unprotected we were under the big black sky. To add to the woes, some insane car driver rode past us in full speed & splashed dirty water all over us. We somehow managed to reach home, completely battered by the rains.
Some very interesting things happen here which I believe will always be typical of Daman. Like the mode of transport. Here we have various options like an rickshaw, taxi(being desi and not using the terms 'AUTO' & 'CAB'), Mini Buses & Govt Buses. There is no funda of a meter here. The fares are fixed depending on the area you want to get down at. So for a taxi, its Rs.15, Rs.7 for rickshaw, Rs.10 for Mini Buses & Rs.5 for the Govt Buses for me. Now, here's the catch. If any of these modes is not full(full, meaning giving tough competition to the trains in Bombay), the driver waits & waits till the vehicle is stuffed to the limit barring the exception of the Govt Buses. All the other 3 remind you of Jews being packed in trains before being sent to the Concentration Camps. You shout at the top of your voice when your stop comes, the vehicle comes to a screeching halt as if something startled the driver. You emerge from the crowd victorious but your ironed clothes are not the same anymore making you wonder - Are you in Bombay's crowded local for once ? The amazing breeze (which keeps blowing here always) gets you back to reality. Tired of all this travelling already? Then get your own vehicle dude.
There seems to be a problem with the water in some areas because I have seen men always scratching their groin area for some reason & picking their noses (both publicly) which are highly disgusting acts. I always do a 'Namaste' to shady looking characters who have made a mark in the above business.
Missing home cooked food ? Here there are various tiffin options which dont really give you finger licking food but are enough to satisfy your hunger. However, one needs to order early here as the tiffinwalas come at 9:30 pm - 10:00 pm. Think that they should take a cue from Mumbai's famous 6 sigma dabbawalas. Of course, if you are a drinker, then Daman's a heaven.
Moving on to shopping & entertainment, there is Dubai market here but they sell goods from Ulhasnagar supposedly. Also, I saw the movie "NewYork" at Daman's first Dolby Sound Cinema called as Daman Talkies - couldnt they think of a trendier name ? As you enter the theatre, there is a signboard in Hindi which says "Angrezi Show - 1 - 10:30 a.m.". I leave that upto your imagination. The crowd's a typical with whistles and all and you strain yourself to catch up with the dialogues. However, they leave you completely refreshed at the end of the show.
More on Daman in the coming days, months, years I spend here..........
's posh area. I am getting used to the new place and also to the new ethics & antique styles. On a rainy day, when I had to return home, the rain gods decided to give me a tough time. I had 2 bags and had to travel on the bike so in order to do that, I emptied all my valuables in a plastic bag including my leather shoes (how could I ever ignore the rains man...), put those things along with the bags in a bigger bag, somehow managed to settle on the bike and off we were on the road. The cold rain took us by surprise. Every drop of rain and lightning seemed to be a laughter from God as to how unprotected we were under the big black sky. To add to the woes, some insane car driver rode past us in full speed & splashed dirty water all over us. We somehow managed to reach home, completely battered by the rains.
Some very interesting things happen here which I believe will always be typical of Daman. Like the mode of transport. Here we have various options like an rickshaw, taxi(being desi and not using the terms 'AUTO' & 'CAB'), Mini Buses & Govt Buses. There is no funda of a meter here. The fares are fixed depending on the area you want to get down at. So for a taxi, its Rs.15, Rs.7 for rickshaw, Rs.10 for Mini Buses & Rs.5 for the Govt Buses for me. Now, here's the catch. If any of these modes is not full(full, meaning giving tough competition to the trains in Bombay), the driver waits & waits till the vehicle is stuffed to the limit barring the exception of the Govt Buses. All the other 3 remind you of Jews being packed in trains before being sent to the Concentration Camps. You shout at the top of your voice when your stop comes, the vehicle comes to a screeching halt as if something startled the driver. You emerge from the crowd victorious but your ironed clothes are not the same anymore making you wonder - Are you in Bombay's crowded local for once ? The amazing breeze (which keeps blowing here always) gets you back to reality. Tired of all this travelling already? Then get your own vehicle dude.
There seems to be a problem with the water in some areas because I have seen men always scratching their groin area for some reason & picking their noses (both publicly) which are highly disgusting acts. I always do a 'Namaste' to shady looking characters who have made a mark in the above business.
Missing home cooked food ? Here there are various tiffin options which dont really give you finger licking food but are enough to satisfy your hunger. However, one needs to order early here as the tiffinwalas come at 9:30 pm - 10:00 pm. Think that they should take a cue from Mumbai's famous 6 sigma dabbawalas. Of course, if you are a drinker, then Daman's a heaven.
Moving on to shopping & entertainment, there is Dubai market here but they sell goods from Ulhasnagar supposedly. Also, I saw the movie "NewYork" at Daman's first Dolby Sound Cinema called as Daman Talkies - couldnt they think of a trendier name ? As you enter the theatre, there is a signboard in Hindi which says "Angrezi Show - 1 - 10:30 a.m.". I leave that upto your imagination. The crowd's a typical with whistles and all and you strain yourself to catch up with the dialogues. However, they leave you completely refreshed at the end of the show.
More on Daman in the coming days, months, years I spend here..........
