Lavasa: A Review

We travelled to Lavasa on the eve of Valentine’s Day this year. Considering, it was a Friday (followed by a weekend) we had anticipated it to be crowded. However, unexpectedly, it was not.

A metallic structure @ Promenade

I had read and heard a few good reviews about this place and had high expectations however I would say my trip to Lavasa was not very exciting. The place did not have much to offer except that it is a huge township amidst mountains.

Probably I was there during the wrong time of the year as many suggested monsoon is the good time to be there.

We had booked our 1 night stay at Hotel Mercure Lavasa, which was a little costlier option. The hotel was decent and I would cover about it in a separate review. 

Hotel Mercure

There is not much to do at Lavasa except walking along the waterfront promenade, the prime attraction, which is very well maintained and clean. It was about 10mins walk from our hotel, Mercure.

Pinky hai paise walonki...

Lavasa offers various options for dining at restaurants serving delicacies from different countries like American, Australian, Lebanese, Singaporean, Chinese along with Pizzas, Ice-creams and Indian street foods like Chats & Tikkas. Some of these are overpriced. It is recommended to have meals at the hotel; however, one can try these restaurants for one meal.

We had our dinner at American Diner, which was obviously a costly affair. The place had on offer, a 5 course dinner for a couple (Valentine’s eve) at a discounted price of Rs. 1000/- (we did not opt for it). The restaurant serves imported drinks. We tried a Vodka brand called Pinky (this is the first time, we heard about this brand). It was ok.

What one can do?

• Water sports activities offered a family boat ride (for 6-10 persons) (Rs. 200/person, even for kids above 1 year - which I thought was on a higher side). There were few other options like individual/twin pedal boats, Kayaking and Jet Skis.

Boating jetty

• Fun zone for kids had most video games in non-working condition. Can try bowling, pool table, car/bike racing.
• There is an option of adventure sports – X-thrill, which offers rock climbing, rappelling, valley crossing etc. We did not try this.
• There was also a mini golf, which looked not worth trying.
• One can also witness a musical fountain show in the evening at around 7 pm.

 Minuses

• There is lot of construction activity going on so expect some disturbance and dust     around.
• Some restaurants were closed or highly priced.
• There were not many options of entertainment and most games were not operational

Weather was the only plus, it was very pleasant and started getting colder towards the evening.

The place turned romantic by the evening when many couples, newly-weds arrived to enjoy the dusky mood, strolling around, clicking photos on the picturesque background.

Some metallic creation

My friend mentioned that the place also has independent villa’s – Ekaant, situated amidst the mountains, which offers a nice, never-ending view of the mountains and a panoramic view of complete Lavasa. (However, since we did not stay in these, cannot comment).

Probably, it will turn into a good holiday destination once the place is completely developed and ready.  Overall, it is a place worth staying for a night.

Is India a rapist nation?

In last week, I woke up to read two stories, a minor raped in Delhi and an elderly woman raped and killed in Goa. The reports were very depressing and disturbed me deeply.

 

Yet again, the capital of India was put to shame by the rapist. There seems to be no end to this and news of this sort is featuring regularly in the papers. Have we been immune to such incidents now?

 

Neither social gatherings and protests nor candle light vigil nor national angers nor laws nor bills nor panel discussions nor social media awareness nor education nor preaching nor religion nor our cultural values…Nothing really seems to make a difference when it comes to rape! We have become unstoppable!

Tourists, students, kids, rich, poor, celebrities, educated, starved, orphans and even daughters – none are spared from this evil act.

 

I don’t know what will put an end to this or for that matter, will it ever end?

 

Almost since the time I learnt reading, I have been reading local newspapers in my childhood and rarely read about such incidents. And whenever I happened to read about them, it was always a case that involved a non-Goan. The times have changed so much that the news has become a regular feature and we also find so many of our local perverts involved in them.

 

Is this the nation, we say, Ram belonged to and in what we believe we take pride in building a temple of?

 

What causes a Rape?

Nobody has been ever able to gauge what exactly causes a rape? We have seen people blaming multiple factors that could constitute reasons, why it takes place. However, there are always incidents which contradicts these reasoning. There is no one theory, why a rape takes place and precisely because of this, there is no one solution to this pain.

 

Provocative Dressing?

‘Bharat v/s India’ theory believed rape happens due to provocative dressing. How do we justify this, when a school kid got raped in school at Vasco-Goa? How provocative could have the elderly fisher woman from Canacona-Goa be dressed, when she got raped and killed?

 

Sexual Starvation?

Are Indian men sexually starved? But, wait, haven’t we had cases of rapes by married men? By people who were happily married and having children?

 

Modern lifestyle/Internet?

We cannot stop these revolutions as it brings in a lot of positive advancements and which are required for the global progress. We should learn to ignore the dark parts of it and just take what is required. Again, what connection does Internet have with incidents of rapes with poor Dalit women in rural India?

 

Illiteracy/poverty?

Can improper education, literacy or poverty cause it? May be yes, but why do we have so many lawyers, politicians, businessmen, industrialists, celebrity artists, teachers who have been named in rape cases. What about, a remote village panchayat in India decides that the girl must be gang raped as a punishment for having a love affair with an outside community boy?

 

Rape in the pre-text of marriage?

This is something, I feel, one can certainly avoid. What we need here is some education and probably being little smart with some common sense to add.

Fearlessness about Law?

May be yes, I feel this majorly contributes to the reasoning.

 

Our judiciary system is so sluggish and full of loop-holes that probably the criminals feel they could easily get away with such heinous act or get very lenient penalty. Either our laws are not fully exercised or when they are exerted, the extreme delay in executing the punishment is what fails to imprint its effect onto people. The legal course of action in such matter should be quick and such that it embosses in everyone’s mind an affright of the term – Rape!

 

Probably, only the culprits caught in such incidents can tell us, their motive behind such crimes. They should also be psychological interrogated.

 

Role of Police:

We blame them for everything!

Everyone points fingers at them, even politicians, when it comes to saving their own skin. How many matters we expect them to handle at a time? They are required to be looking after our politicians, taking care of our venues for festivals/sports, looking after traffic arrangements for wedding event of a public figure, taking care of accidents, building collapses, mining scams, dakoities, rapes, murders, quarrels, disputes and so on.

 

Unfortunately, they also have to look into their internal inquiry matters, where their colleagues themselves are involved in cases related to sexual misconduct.

 

Role of Media:

I always believed media played an important role in creating and spreading necessary social awareness on topics like rape. But what a shame – we find a top honcho of media industry accused in such cases?

 

What can we do?

Change our attitude towards women? Reform judiciary system and have quicker trials? Educate people, students and youngsters? Introduce sex education?

 

The least our women can do is proactively follow few measure of safety. Be aware of who are our friends, colleagues, neighbors, classmates, followers, stalkers. Use freedom, keeping in mind the essentials elements of safety. Avoid secluded places or be with someone whom you trust or where a help is a phone call away.

 

On a parting note:

This brings me to a question, rarely debated here – should prostitution be legalized in India? Will this curb the rapes? I don’t know. It’s a very sensitive topic, when it comes to our values, culture, tradition and our Indian-ness!

image credit: http://www.sxc.hu/

Tata Safari Storme:10 reasons to buy it or not

I have listed below few points that can assist one make the choice. The observations are broadly based on: Exterior/Interior and Engine (mechanics).

 

10 Reasons why you should buy a Tata Safari Storme

A born SUV

1. Vehicle for die-hard fans: It’s an iconic vehicle. One should go for this vehicle in case you are an ardent fan of Safari. 

Such people will buy this vehicle, irrespective of any setbacks, and why not?

...just go for it. It would not disappoint you majorly.


2. Engine and performance: The Storme boasts of 2179cc, 2.2L 16 valve Varicor diesel engine with Power/Torque of 138 BHP/320Nm.

3. Ride quality: Excellent! Outstanding road presence. The best driver seat view.

4. Improved interiors: The interiors are much better than the older Safari. The beige finish is plush!

*There is faux wood on the top model.



Interiors get a beige finish

5. Cabin Comfort: The cabin comfort remains the same as that of the old Safari. Pilot seats for the driver and the co-passenger with arm-rest.  The rear seat comfort and the leg space, the boot area...no questions asked! AC is powerful, with roof mounted rear AC [with independent controls]. Split and fold rear seats.

Rear AC vents with independent controls

6. Build & Body: Storme gets a Solid Body-on-Frame construction using X2 platform (first used in Aria) with crumple zones, side impact bars. Most niggles which earlier safari owners faced are gone. Rattling of the rear door is gone.

7. Shift-on-fly 4WD: its electronic "shift-on-fly" feature engages 4WD on the move [only in VX 4x4]

8. Ruggedness & Improved Exteriors: The Storme has a rugged performance on any stretch of road and is equipped with ABS, EBD & disc brakes on all 4 wheels. Gets some chrome on the exterior. Roof mounted antenna. Body colored side footstep.

9. Additional Features: Better turning radius, ground clearance [200mm], adjustable Steering column, adjustable driver seat, adjustable lumbar support. ORVMs with electric de-fogger. Electrically foldable mirrors [only in VX]

10. Others:  

• There are 3 types of AMCs provided, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Platinum AMC covers everything including battery and tires.
• Bluetooth connectivity, Dual exhaust
• Newer model – Explorer comes with Nudge Guard, 2-DIN infotainment system

10 Reasons you may think otherwise:

1. Looks: My personal view is that Tatas have killed the original masculine looks of the traditional Safari. 

The Storme now carries a more sober front while the spare wheel at the rear door, which was the safari trademark and added a robust look, has found a place under the body. These two aspects are a major setback. 

The side profile remains almost untouched. 

2. Fit & finish: This has been Tata's ill-reputed area. The vehicle comes with some indecent finishes, with uneven panel gaps clearly visible.

3. Features: The vehicle comes with basic features. Top end model has a Dashboard with matt wooden finish. 

Basic instrument console, No digital meters, no FE indicator

A music system, an analog clock, traditional rotatory knobs, AC vents. 

One big upset (for me) in terms of safety is there are no air bags in the LX and EX variants. Considering, even some hatchbacks now come with this feature. A vehicle costing above 10L should have made this a mandatory feature across all variants. 

Rear-AC features only in EX/VX models.

Gear knob in 5th slot almost disturbs the USB

4. No 4x4 on all models: 

The vehicle comes innts LX, EX and VX and VX 4x4. Ideally, Tata should have provided 4x4 in all the variants.

5. Jump seats: The Storme has retained the rear 3^rd row jump seats. This is a let-down for many as they feel, the front facing seats are better for the 6/7th passengers for a longer journey. 

Rear seats are very uncomfortable to carry any adults.
Best suited only for children

6. Kitna Deti hai?: This may not be as bad a reason, however the vehicle offers between 12-12.5 KMPL on an average, which is promised by the manufacturer to improve as the vehicle runs more KMs.

7. Service: Tata’s are known for poor after-sales-service and this could very well contribute to the list of reasons for not opting for Storme.

8. No Automatic gearbox: May not be as important, however many prefer it to be auto.

9. Price: VX4x4 will be close to 17L!

10. Others: good to have candidates

• Window glasses features an express down [one-touch-down]. It should have an express up feature as well. Fuel lid opener is placed near to window glass open/close switches and many a times, accidently the fuel lid opens up.
• Power foldable ORVMs [only in VX] features an indicator, however mind you - Tata does not sell only mirrors and in case of any damage the entire mirror assembly needs to be replaced, which can cost about 7k.
• Provides a single DIN, average quality Alpine music system. No stalk/steering mounted music controls (or only in top end model)

       * 2DIN Touchscreen Infotainment provided with the new Explorer edition.

• No parking sensors, climate control. Reverse guide system only in VX.
• Overweight, weighs about 2 tonnes, heavier than most other vehicles in this category.

Notes:

• All Safari owners can join in SOUL - Safari Owners United League http://www.tatasafari.com/soul/
• Renault Duster, Nissan Terrano, Mahindra XUV, Mahindra New Scorpio, Toyota Fortuner can be considered as alternatives.