Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary | Famous kachori | Apna Ghar | Street Food | Rajasthan
Namaskar Friends! Welcome to Visa2explore! This is your host, Harish Bali. We are in Bharatpur right now. I have with me Mr. D.D. Sharma. Namaskar! D.D. Sharma!
Namaskar! Sharma ji is a bird photographer as well as nature lover. How long have you been doing bird photography? It has been 42 years Sir. Alright! Fantastic! It happened so that we went to the bird sanctuary...
...this morning around 7.15 pm. It was raining heavily at that time. Now, you can see, the rain hasn't exactly stopped... ... but it has slowed down. So, Sharma ji suggested we should eat breakfast first... ...and then we would visit the national park. The name of this shop is "Deviram Kachori Wale." It is at least 50 years old.
Their snacks are famous all over. You can eat here and find out yourself. Please give us one plate each. Thanks! It is lighter than usual Kachoris. Normally, two kachoris are enough to fill up.
But that is not the case here. There are two highlights of this kachori. One, it is light on spices. Because of that it feels lighter on the stomach.
Alright then, let us finish it and then... ...decide our programme further. We have come to another shop to eat kachori. It is about 300 m from Deviram Kachori shop. What is this area called? It is the Lakshaman Mandir area of Bharatpur. One of the busiest squares of the city.
It is raining right now and the time is 8.30 am. That is why we were able to reach here by car. Otherwise, this area is so crowded that one can come here....
...only on an e-rickshaw. And we are here today to eat Gopal's kachori. Where is the shop? Right behind me on the T-point! It is right there. Yes, let us go. Let's go.
The Kachori and Aloo (potato) sabzi looks to be very spicy. You make variety of kachoris, with filling made of aloo,.. ...dal, as well as pyaaz (onion). Yes!!! Nice! This kachori is delicious! Absolutley crispy! What are your working hours? From 7 am to 12 pm! Very good! Eating kachori at this shop is like a special occasion. Whenever our kids visit us from Jaipur...
...we make it a point to come here and eat this kachori. We celebrate eating kachori here. We'll do one thing. We will also have jalebi after finishing kachori. Of course! Can I have some more of this curry? I have to say that this kachori is delicious to eat.
Tasty, very tasty! This kachori is really flavorful. Absolutely! Good! Let us have jalebi now! This jalebi can also be had with some curry. Yes, it will taste even better.
I found this combination weird at first but later on... ...I could understand the attraction. I feel that the curry was too hot when you took the first bite. Yeah! Otherwise, this taste is enjoyable.
Yes, it is a different and interesting taste. To sum it up... Bhai Sahab, I am seriously impressed with these flavours. I think I ate too much! You haven't eaten anything yet. You ate the aloo kachori yet. You haven't eaten the one with onion filling.
You must eat that one too. I am full now. If I were staying tonight, I would have come here... ...again tomorrow morning. Good! We travelled for 5 minutes to reach this Kotwali Chauraha (Crossing). This area has 3-4 famous sweet shops. We are standing outside the Bharatpur Mishthan Bhandar.
You told me they have a famous sweet called "Bistar-Band." Yes! Shall we go inside? Okay! Bistar-band, the name itself is so interesting. Isn't it? Bistar-Band. Namaste! This is Bistar-Band? Yes it is Bistar-Band.
Before we eat it, please tell us what kind of sweet it is! First of all, I would like to tell you that this... ...sweet was first made by my grandfather. That was about 80 years ago. In these 80 years, our fourth generation has joined the business. This sweet is made by boiling milk into a thick layer of cream... ....which is then rolled and stuffed with mawa. It means you stuffed mawa into a layer of malai (fresh cream). Yes! Bistar-band! Bistar-band! So, what is "Malai ki Khurchan?" My grandfather named this sweet the name Malai Ki Khurchan.
But happy customers like you gave it other names like... ...Palang-Tod, Bistar-band and Bed-roll. Very good! That is why we call it Bistar-band. Fantastic! So, give us a piece of this sweet. Sure Sir! Here you go! Thank you! It is very soft! Yes Sir, it is. Even diabetic patients can eat it.
It is sugar-free! So tasty! Sir, you won't believe, this sweet travels to foreign countries. I will believe you. Why won't I? When it is so tasty. What is its shelf-life? Sir, during summer season, its shelf life is just 2 days. Alright. And during winters, you can store it for 4-5 days.
Without refrigeration. What a taste! Does it have sugar inside? It is a derivative of sugar called 'Rava.' The sugar is melted and then dried through a long process. Thus, rava is made. What a taste! Really exclusive taste! I assumed it to be heavy! Well, it is heavy no doubt! See, it has malai in it, so it will be rich in taste. But not that rich or decadent.
I am enjoying this taste. And you won't get it anywhere else in India Sir. Except for this shop.
Very good! very good! Amazing. I enjoyed it. Bansal Sweets is close to the Bharatpur Mishthan Bhandar. That is where we are right now. We are here to eat rasmalai. We've already received our order but...
...this doesn't look like rasmalai. It feels like we are eating something else. Something like barfi. Too good! It tastes like Kesar (saffron) and Mava (milk solids).
Rasmalai is usually made with Chhena (curdled milk). It is made with the same but through a different process. This shop, I've been seeing for a long time, is 50-60 years old. And just like we can call "Bistar-Band" as the pride of Bharatpur,...
...this sweet is also the pride of Bharatpur. You must have eaten rasmalai in the past... ...but you won't have eaten something like this. Wonderful! It is very good! What is the per kilo rate of this sweet? 460! Rs 460 per kilo. The rain seems to have stopped now. We plan to visit the Lohagarh Fort now. How far is Lohagarh Fort? It must be around 300 m in distance. It is nearby.
Yes! We will spend an hour or so at the fort. If the sun comes out, we will go to the sanctuary. Otherwise, we will go there in the afternoon.
Our car is parked here. Let us go there. Lohagarh Fort is the pride of Bharatpur. How many entry gates are there in this fort? It has two entry gates. One is on the eastern side and the second is on the western side. We are standing at the eastern gate right now.
Alright. This is where we will go in from. Let us go in. We stopped our car here to watch the front side of the gate.
Yes! Let us go! This fort also has a museum inside. On reaching here, we found out that the museum timings.... ...are between 12 pm and 8 pm. So, we are one hour before opening time.
Currently we are going to visit the Fort. This the way to go? Yes! So, what will we get to observe inside? You will see the Jawahar Burj (tower). It was built by Maharaj Jawahar Singh. The tower was built when Delhi was conquered by the Maharaj. It is said that he could watch Delhi from atop that tower. Did you see the construction of this path? Yes! This construction! Yeah! Elephants used to walk on this path.
Elephants used to walk here carrying various things. These are small-sized bricks, called "Kakhariya bricks." These are quite durable and long-lasting. Alright! The weather is good today! Yeah! The weather post-rain feels good. We have reached the Jawahar Burj. You can see Jawahar Burj here.
Let us walk upto the Jawahar Burj. There I will tell you about the different generations... ....of Bharatpur rulers. There are names written on this Burj. Yes. This Burj contains names from the first ruler, Maharaja Surajmal,..
...to the present one, Maharaja Brijendra Singh. Hmm! Very good! It is a fact that Lohagarh Fort remained unconquered. That is because of its structure, which made it difficult... ...for the enemies to approach closer. There is a moat all around this Fort. It is called "Sujan Ganga."
Sujan Ganga! It was built during the reign of Maharaja Sujan Singh. There are two entry gates, which could be folded... ...in case of an enemy attack. The bridges could be folded into the Fort premises. The bridges were folded... Yes, so no one could enter easily.
Let us see Sujan Ganga, that you told me... ...runs all along the Fort boundary. Yes! Is this the boundary wall? Yes, it is the Fort's boundary wall. You can see a parapet along it. That is where the canon used to be placed.
Hmm! From here, you can also see the museum. The museum is closed right now. So, shall we go to the sanctuary? Yes! The weather is better now. It is! It would be better to go to the sanctuary now.
Once we return from the sanctuary, we can visit the museum. Yes, that would be a better thing to do. The sanctuary is about 4 KM from here? Yes, 4 KM. 4 KM.
Come, let us go to the sanctuary. Okay! We've reached the Keoladeo National Park. First of all, we've rented bicycles for ourselves. The charges are Rs. 150 per bicycle.
You can use it from morning till evening. If you want to take a rickshaw into the sanctuary,... ...its charges are Rs. 150 per hour. You can even visit the sanctuary on foot. The entry charges per person are Rs. 111. I enquired and was told that tickets are sold... Right! Alright.
So, let us start the visit. We will try to understand from you about... ...the various bird species that we would see on our way. Sure! Let us go! What are the chares for a guide here? The guide charges are Rs. 250 per hour. It is applicable for a group of upto 10 persons.
For larger groups, you can hire a guide for Rs. 400 per hour. Alright! And the guides are very expert. They will explain everything. Okay! You can also rent binoculars here, to watch the birds closely.
Those cost Rs. 100 per hour. You will be able to enjoy your sanctuary visit... ...with the right type of equipment and expert guides. You are right! It is because not everyone knows about birds. People need to learn about birds, gain enough knowledge. One thing is there, for such activities...
...you need good weather too. Like it rained this morning. Well, the weather is quite conducive today. Hmm! In fact, it is getting better with time. These are green pigeons, also known as "Hariyal."
They prefer to live inside dense forests. It is a beautiful species. Its complete name is Yellow-Footed Green Pigeon. Earlier, I also saw a vulture on this tree. You must have seen a vulture. I will show you vulture too.
Although, this one flew away, it will come back. Let us leave our cycle here. We will walk inside to watch owls. Did you see them? Where? Can you see the owls? Where, tell me! Alright! There are a few owls. There are 2 sitting together. These are Spotted Owls, that is their name.
These birds have spots over their bodies. You can see the spots for yourself. Right now, they've puffed up their whole body.
They've puffed up their feathers and body. It is normal for birds to sit puffed like this during winters. Hmm! This is the whole map of Keoladeo National Park. It is spread over an area of 29 sq. km. The main temple is about 3.5 KM from here.
That is where we have to go. After a KM on this path, there is a swamp. In the swamp you will find various water bird species... ...and a large number of migratory birds... ... from different parts of the world. We will watch the birds there. The best thing about this park is that you can travel ...on any of the trails as marked in the map. There is no carnivorous creature around here,... ...which might attack you. There is no tiger, panther, leopard, etc.
So, you can travel anywhere. Fantastic! We are going towards the boating area now. You can see there are boats here. These boats run on this canal.
This canal is linked to the main lake. These boats are to get a closer view of the birds. It is a 50-minute tour. On boat, you can enjoy the sunrise and... ...enjoy a closer view of the birds too. People interested in bird-watching must be staying...
...here for 3-4 days even? One week! For one week? Yes, once week! Why is the water looking green? It is because of aquatic plants floating on the water surface. A type of vegetation called 'Lamina.' What is it called? Lamina! Alright! Lamina is its latin name.
By the way, in Hindi, it is called "Kumudini". It is food for ducks. It is a rich source of protein. Ducks eat these plants.
It looks so beautiful! It is as if there is no water beneath it. Yes! It is like an image that has been photoshopped. The aquatic plants make for this beautiful lake view. Beautiful! All these are Gadwall birds, migrated from Europe. Look at how they eat their food.
They eat the plants accumulated under the surface of water. These are vegetarian birds. They dip down and their tail goes up. They dip their frontal body and eat the vegetation beneath. These are Pintailed Duck. Pintailed? The bird whose tail is just like a pin.
All of them have tails like pins. Yeah! This bird comes from Siberia. It is the fastest flying bird. While airborne, it is able to maintain its speed at 90 KM/hr.
90 is a lot! Yes, 90! This is an adult Painted Stork with a yellow beak. Behind it you see its two children. Alright! They have brought food and are now feeding them. You can see the child behind is trying to stretch his body. Hmm! They will feed the food to their children now.
So, they get fish for the family? Yes, small fishes. They can carry upto 400 gms of small fishes in their throat... ...and bring it home for their children. Then they vomit it out and feed their children. They swallow it inside? Yes, they do and then vomit it out. As we covered the first 1.5 KM into the sanctuary,... ...we saw smaller water bodies, here and there. These separate water bodies add to the charm of this place.
If not for these water bodies, this place wouldn't be as much fun. This is the reason why this place is given the status of... ...World Heritage. You see that European bird? Shoveler? It is sitting back there, with his neck down. It is called Shoveler. Green, white, brown! Yes, green, white, brown.
Let us go further. After half a km we will reach the end point? Yes, that will be the end point. See, how the bird is feeding his children.
Did you see a bird feedin here? It is Snake Bird. it is also called Darter. Its whole body remains submerged in water. Only its beak and a part of its neck remain visible. That is Snake Bird for you. Before that, you saw Painted Stork and Pelican feeding together. That is Pelican.
Yes, it is Pelican. it comes from the Central Asia. This group of 8-10 birds? Yes, this group is of Pelican birds, light pink in colour. This is Pond Heron, smallest bird in the Heron species. It is also known as the "Magic Bird." I have to admit, this is a lovely place for bird watching.
We travelled straight for 5 KM from the entry gate. We also saw a cafetaria on our way. After that, we must have travelled a KM after a left turn. Yes, a KM. Now we are sitting atop a tree.
It feels so good here! Tell us some more about these birds. These birds are all adult Painted Storks. The've come here for feeding. All these birds do feeding in their own characteristic ways. Now this Painted Stork cannot dive into the water but...
...it still manages to eat fish. All these birds ambush the fish. The Pelicans, the Kovelers, they ambush the fish... ...and push it towards the edges of the lake. Really! So, these birds remain ready at the edges. Painted Storks, Herons are among those. Such birds who eat fish but cannot dive in for it.
So, the other birds, who can dive, they... ...push the fishes towards the edges. This portion of the lake, you can see, is a corner. Beyond it is land, which blocks the way further. Therefore, this is where the birds get together and eat fish.
It is their fishing point. Rather, you can say, it is their restaurant. You are right! We have been sitting here for the past 15-20 minutes.
It feels so good to observe nature so closely. So peaceful! Yes it is very peaceful here. Now,let'us do one thing. The time is 2.40 pm. Let us start our return journey. Okay! We will stop on our way back. Sure! Wherever we get to see a good view.
Okay! We will definitely stop at a few places. Like in the cafetaria, I will show you a bat. Indian Fruit Bat! It is huge in size. Really! Yes, I will show you that.
This place is slippery. Yes! Look at all this mud stuck on my shoes. It is actually an adhesive.
There is no lunch available in the cafetaria. But I've bought tea and biscuit. Sharma Ji, if you don't want tea, you can have a cold drink! No, I don't like either tea or cold drink.
Okay! We've stopped about a KM before the entrance gate. Here, we've seen this board of Bharatpur Forest Lodge. So, this place offers accommodation. Yes, you can get accommodation here. Alright.
They have rooms. Can we visit there? Yes, we can. We will also find out about the tariff. Because staying inside a national park is an experience in itself.
You are correct. Though I haven't ever stayed in one. Can you show us the rooms? Yes! Where? Right up there. Up there? Yes! Okay, let us go. The rooms are nice. Yes! Well, I believe the main thing about staying inside a sanctuary is this.
Yes, this view! I have never... Wow! Wonderful! The room that we see here, you told me... ...its tariff is Rs. 4000 plus taxes. Yes! So, are there other rooms too, may be cheaper or costlier? No Sir, all rooms are the same. And tariff is also same, Rs. 4000. How many rooms are there? We have 18 rooms. Now, our programme is that first, we will go to the main gate.
On our return, we will go to Apna Ghar? Apna Ghar! How far is that? It is 7 KM from here. Okay! We must all have heard or read about the kind of... ...charitable work being done by Apna Ghar for the society. I want to personally go there and understand their work. It is a good place to visit. Okay then, thank you! Thank you Sir! Before leaving here, I seriously want to say thank you to you.
For giving us your valuable time. And you guided us around Bharatpur as well as the bird sanctuary. At present, what profession are you in? That is a very good question to ask. I have such a long experience in bird-watching that... ...today I organize bird-watching sessions for experienced... ...as well as amateur bird-watchers. I also teach nature and bird photography.
I also invite amateur bird-watchers to Bharatpur or Ladakh. Or in Talchhapa. I have travelled across the length and breadth of India.
I teach photography skills and charge fees for that. That is my profession. Alright! So, basically, you indulge in activities related to birding? Yes! Birding and nature photography. Specially for those who are already at a certain level of expertise. I mean they know what they want to watch.
Yes! Exactly! Okay! Thank you very much! It is 5 pm now. We will take at least 20-25 minutes to reach Apna Ghar? Yes, 20-25 minutes! The distance is 7 KM. Thank you very much! Thanks to you and to all your viewers! Whenever required, please visit us. You are most welcome again! I have your contact number.
I will mention it in the video description. As you told me, you can arrange tours for groups. I also entertain individuals in a group of 1 or 2... ...but they should have certain prior expertise in bird-watching. Naturally! They should have a deeper interest in it.
Yes, exactly, in both, photography and birding. Alright! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you all! Thanks! As I told you, we've come to visit Apna Ghar. I have been sitting here for the last 30-45 minutes. I have with me Dr. Bhardawaj.
We have been talking for the last 15 minutes about... ...how it all started, the journey till here and... ...what all activities they are involved in. Apna Ghar is an ideology, which considers taking care of... ...persons suffering from mental health issues, some kind of disability... ...or any other health issue, its sole purpose of existence. That is our ideology. There are people who don't have anybody to take care of them.
They cannot beg, earn or work for themselves. They have been left alone by their families. There is not government policy for their benefit.
Most of them were found suffering out on the roads. Or in front of a gurudwara, a temple or a mosque somewhere. Some of them had been abandoned at bus stand. All of them have just one hope - someone who looks after them. That is what Apna Ghar's mission is.
We bring them here and provide them with food, shelter and medicines. However, that is not our sole objective for them. Our main objective is to keep them happy here.
That is what we work towards. There are 54 such centres all over the country. Wherever we manage to construct a building anywhere... ...that is when we begin our services too. The driving thought of Apna Ghar is that there shouldn't be... ...a single person left in India, at least, who feels... ...that there is no one to take care of him. We want such a set up in every city of the country. There shouldn't be a single person left alone and unattended.
He should be assured that he has a home where he can come to. It doesn't matter that his family has abandoned him. Our doors are open for them 24 hours of the day. They should come here with a free mind. We take care of patients suffering from AIDS, Tuberculosis,... ...mental health issues, etc. There are separate residential facilities for each of the categories.
The main thing is that we don't receive any government grant. We don't go out asking for donations either. We spend 8 Lakh Rupees per day.
We just write to Thakur Ji (Shri Krishna). Every morning, we write to him our list of requirements. He arranges for everything for us on time.
In case some things are not arranged, we realise... ...that we have done something wrong somewhere. We consider it a sign from Thakur Ji to correct our ways. Earlier, I was visiting the campus. I went into some wards and talked to a few ladies too. They told me that their mental health wasn't good...
...when they were brought here. But today, they feel healthy. They have even talked to their families... ...expressing a desire to go back. In these situations, do you wait for the family members... ...to approach you or do you arrange for them to travel back? Our Punarwas (Rehabilitation) cell takes care of such matters. Once the patients are in a state to tell us their address... ...we ensure that we confirm the same as correct. We search their families, meet them, inform them...
...call them here and then hand over the patient to them. That is the procedure we follow. So far, we've rehabilitated more than 23,000 Prabhu Jan (patients). There won't be a single district in India...
...where we haven't rehabilitated a Prabhu Jan. The doctors who take care of the patients... ...are they in-house doctors of visiting doctors? In this facility, we have 19 doctors serving the needy. Some of them live on the campus while others... ...visit on daily basis. As per the requirement, they are called and they come.
In case no arrangement can be done immediately,... ...we also have 34 ambulances and other means of transport... ...to take the patients to hospital. We can take them to any hospital, anywhere. We have put in place a system that can also...
...bring in patients from anywhere. Our objective remains that they should receive... ...treatment on time, whether they go to the doctor... ...or the doctor comes to them. This is our animal care centre. We bring different species of animals here... ...and take care of them. You also told me that the total amount of money required... ...to run about 54 of your centres is about Rs. 7.5 lakh. Rs. 8.5 lakh is the expenditure of just this one ashram!
Each centre has a different amount requirement. Rs. 8.5 lakh is the total expenditure of just this ashram? Of this one centre! It is a large amount.
You are looking after this operation. And, as you told me, whatever the problem, you are... ...able to find a solution to that. The truth of the matter is that for serving others... ...money or resources isn't the main requirement. You need the passion to serve. Usually, such centres look for donations or donors.
But in our case, not just from Rajasthan, or India... ...but from around the world, people look to donate to... ...genuine causes. They are looking for such people who are doing charity honestly. Such donors come looking for us. They want their hard-earned money to be spent where... ...people work with truth and honesty. At such oranisations, people prefer to donate all that they have. If ever there is a survey in the world about which organization...
...gives the most economic service... ...Apna Ghar would come on top of that list. That is the level at which we operate. Hmm! If someone dies, may be of a serious illness, which was incurable... ...what happens in that case? Even today, we face deaths from diabetes and... ...other medical conditions on a daily basis. At an average, about 75 Prabhu Jan pass away. Recently, we were bringing two people here,... ...one from Vrindavan and one from Haryana. Both passed away while enroute to the ashram.
So, like that, we perform the last rituals of Prabhu Jan... ...as per their religious diktats. Hmm! In case of any legal formalities... Of course, that needs to be done! ....we do it properly, including informing the police too. It was a pleasure meeting you today. The thing that has impressed me the most is that... ...in today's day and age, we have people like you... ...who don't think of themselves, but of others. And you are thinking of those who have no one else to care for them. This organisation is supporting those, who are left....
...alone in this world. No, it isn't so! No, I think that is the best way to explain what you are doing here. I am happy that I visited here. Thank you very much! Pranam Sir! Pranam! From Apna Ghar, we passed through Bharatpur...
...and reached Mathura in about an hour. We took a turn for Delhi on the highway. We travelled for an hour from there. Right now, the time is 10.15 pm.
We've stopped at a random restaurant for dinner. Its name is Sukhdev. We will leave here after dinner. It will be 1 pm by the time we reach home.
Take a look at the highway. Cars, trucks are running at a speed of 70-80 KM/hr. We had a good trip today. In the past 5 years, since we launched Visa2Explore,... ...I have never visited a destination in just 2 days. Like it happened today that yesterday, we reached Bharatpur... ...and today, we are coming back from there. This is the first time that I am on such a short tour.
Usually, you know, our tours are longer. I will say bye to you now. Though I haven't decided 100% but... ...I have Chhattisgarh in my mind for the next destination. I hope I am able to finalize it in the coming few days.
Bye-bye for now! Thanks for your time!
2022-03-22 00:12
