A VISIT TO THE BEAUTIFUL MARTHA'S VINEYARD ISLAND IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN

                                                                                   

         

A  beautiful island  in Atlantic  Ocean known as Martha's Vineyard . Martha's Vineyard is a  celebrated vacation  island that has been captivating visitors  since long. Over here, one can see  long-term summer residents and day-trippers .

The island offers extraordinary natural beauty , sandy beaches, rolling hills , great ponds, coloured clay cliffs and pine and oak forests. It is separated  from Cape Cod by a seven minutes  stretch of Atlantic Ocean.

In 2019,  we went to this place  by  a tourist coach from Bowery, Canal street, New York. It took us  about 6  hours via Mystic and New Port to reach Falmouth  ferry point . From Falmouth , it was about one hour's journey by ferry .The ferries  carry tourists and cargo. The basement of these huge ferries is for transportation of cars and trucks. Accordingly, you can go to the island in your own car as well. There is a small airport  in this island  and I was informed that some flights bring tourists and VIPs to the island during summers.

The island  was inhabited by about 3000   native Indians till  early 17th century,  whereafter  it was colonised by the  Britishers and finally, it  became a part of the  US.

We were told that in 1884, 13 persons aboard a wrecked ship (that sank near  Martha's Vineyard Island  )were saved by daring men from the native Wampanoag  tribe who swam to the site in freezing Atlantic waters.The immigrants were  taught  whale catching by native tribes who were skilled in this task.

Steven Spielberg selected this island  in Atlantic as location for his 1974 blockbuster movie  "Jaws".  The island has summer houses of Obamas, Clinton family ,  Prince Charles , Actress Meg Ryan ,Spike Lee,and many more  artists and   celebrities. Roughly 17000 people live in this beautiful island permanently;  however during summer season the population touches 200000. There is a single source of drinking water  on this 96 sq. miles island that meets all the drinking water needs . The rest is sea water.
Summers are pleasant and cool. Winter temperature may drop down to minus 18 degrees Celsius . Deers are in abundance in this island. Construction activity is restricted to small cottages. No high-rise  structure, no Wallmart , no Wells Green ,  no Wholefoods and other big business Malls. Many shops rent bicycles,cars and two wheelers. The area is home to Atlantic white whales . Electric power comes  through under water ocean cables.  It is a place of  sprawling nature preserves and expansive ponds and sandy barrier beaches.It is a place to relish sea food ,ice creams, pizzas, bakery and wines. You can also have excellent  Chinese , Japanese, Italian , Mexican and Thai food. Rent a bicycle,car, jeep or  a motorbike and move around. Go for fishing and  enjoy blue water beaches. Our guide told  us this :-

" A British explorer , Bartholomew Gosnold, arrived in 1602.  He saw plenty of wild grapes in the island.   He  named the island “Martha's Vineyard," probably after his daughter whom he loved intensely and from whom he was separated due to the long sea journey . He saw the Wampanoag  tribe  ,the original residents of the island.Martha’s Vineyard has long been a popular summer destination for  top politicians, from the Kennedy clan and former Secretary of State John Kerry to the Clinton family and former President Barack Obama. Obamas love this island. They keep coming . I have seen Obama riding a bicycle and moving  around many times. Lady Diana's summer house is also a place worth visiting. Winters are harsh. Few ferries arrive from the mainland. It is snow and very cold."                                                                          

Many artists have lived and done exceptional landscapes of this Island and its surroundings.. Ray Ellis was one such artist. In New York, I purchased an autographed   book that had many paintings of  this beautiful island done by Ray Ellis. Some paintings from this book are as under:-

                                     

                                 

There was a report in newspaper recently  that the Obama family has bought a $14.85 million Martha’s Vineyard home from  its Boston owner. Situated on 29.3 waterfront acres near the Edgartown Great Pond, the impressive estate, which was built in 2001, features seven bedrooms, eight bathrooms, and a powder room. It also boasts of  an elegant master suite complete with a fireplace, as well as two guest wings, a two-car garage, a sun deck, boathouse, and a pool.With these standout features, there is no doubt that Barack and Michelle Obama, along with their children, Sasha and Malia, will continue to enjoy memorable stays on Martha's Vineyard for years to come.

So long so much on Martha's island.

(Avtar Mota)

 
CHINAR SHADE by Autarmota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.
Based on a work at http:\\autarmota.blogspot.com\.

VESSEL IS NEW YORK'S VERSION OF EIFFEL TOWER.

                                   

                             ( The Shed )

                        ( Hudson Yards Mall )

                        ( The Vessel )

 
VESSEL  IS NEW  YORK'S VERSION  OF EIFFEL TOWER...

Hudson Yards is a new  sprawling neighbourhood  in Manhattan close to Lincoln Centre ,Heliport, Chelsea Ferry stands  , Highline. and Hudson River . Massive structures have come up in this old abandoned railway yard . These structures  are  altering the Hudson River skyline .One can see rising skyscrapers, shops , restaurants , a mega-mall,  the vessel and the  Shed, an innovative visual and performing arts center over here.The vessel occupies a key place in this complex.Designed by   British designer   Thomas Heatherwick , Vessel  is newly built  centrepiece interactive sculpture in Hudson Yards just opposite to the  newly built Hudson Mall . In 2017, I used to go for morning walk through this area and I could see some metal structures  coming up near the  Highline. Nobody could answer my query at that point in time as to what exactly was coming up at that place.

  Vesel   is exactly located close to 10th  Avenue between 30th and 33rd  Street near the Hudson River . Vessel    is a honeycomb shaped art installation   made of glass, copper, bronze and steel at a cost of US  $200 million.It is 150 feet in height spread  between  16 floors . It has 80 landings and 2500 individual steps for its vertical climb. One can also use an elevator to go up .

 From outside, Vessel looks like a structure made from shining copper.I was told that the high-rise apartments that are being built presently in this abandoned railway yard  , shall provide accommodation to many  thousand   families.

This is a unique piece of architecture. I was also  told  that the ribs of   Vessel were built in italy and later shipped to New york.The construction was done under high rise enclosures so that  none could copy this unique architecture till it was declared open  to public.

One  can look at the city  and the Hudson River from different heights, angles and vantage points.

Anytime  ,if you happen to be in New York, pay a visit to Hudson Mall  (       seven-story, 720,000-square-foot ),  Shed  and Vessel.

Unfortunately, the Vessel has been the subject of intense scrutiny since its opening in 2019, spanning its questionable funding sources,  Inaccessibility for individuals with physical disabilities, and alleged lack of safety measures. 

(Avtar Mota)

CHINAR SHADE by Autarmota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.
Based on a work at http:\\autarmota.blogspot.com\.

BOOK SELLERS SAY BUYERS ARE VANISHING

                               

HISTORICAL FORTS OF JAMMU EITHER EXTINCT OR CRUMBLING.

                                                                       

                                  ( Reasi Fort outer view . crumbling from within .)

                                             ( Basholi  Fort  extinct ))

                    ( Dharnidhar Fort Rajouri Almost extinct )

                                                     ( Hiranagar Fort  Crumbling )

                                                              ( Jasrota Fort facing extinction  )

                                 ( Kaleeth Fort Facing extinction )

                                               ( Mohargarh Fort Crumbling )

                                                             ( Samba Fort Crumbling )
                                                                               

                                                       ( Laddan Fort Udhampur )
        

HISTORICAL FORTS OF JAMMU ARE EITHER EXTINCT OR CRUMBLING....

Forts are a special feature of Jammu's historical past. Mostly spread in the areas falling between rivers Ravi and Chenab, these forts are facing neglect and apathy. History of Jammu is written in so many crumbling structures left totally unattended to the vagaries of nature. Due to neglect, so many structures have faced extinction. The gates of the old walled city of Jammu are nowhere to be seen now. I mean Jogi gate, Denis gate and Sherawala gate. The surviving Gumat gate is facing total neglect. Entire Mubarak Mandi Complex is facing apathy and inattention. Many heritage and historical buildings in this complex are crumbling and may turn into debris. The repairs started with much fanfare is very slow and intermittent. This Darbaar complex is spread over 120 kanals of land. It is a blend of Rajasthani, Mughal and Baroque (European) style of architecture. Some important structures like Gole Ghar, Rani Bhandrali Palace, Maharani Charaki Palace, Darbaar Hall, Hawa Mahal, Green Hall, Grey Hall, Raja Amar Singh Palace, Gharvi khaana (Dawai khana) and Gulabi Dewan Khana have either crumbled or are in pathetic state due to utter neglect. Royal Treasury Building is a heap of debris, Maharaja Partap Singh's Palace has turned into ruins and some floors of Gole Ghar have completely collapsed.

 

 

In this context, I need to mention that almost all historical forts are either crumbling structures or have become extinct. One or two surviving forts demand immediate repair, restoration and attention. Some prominent forts of Jammu could be listed as under:

 

(1) Jasrota and Jasmergarh Forts near Kathua facing extinction.

(2) Lakhanpur Fort built by Jamwal Rajputs facing extinction.

(3) Ramnagar Fort needing restoration, repair and attention.

(4) Mastgarh Fort in Jammu city is extinct now. The Mosque in Mastgarh locality was actually inside the extinct fort. The mosque was built by Raja Gaje Singh (1672-1707) for Khalil Khan, an emissary sent by Aurangzeb.

(5) Ramgarh Fort about 20 Kms from Jammu and close to the border. Almost extinct.

(6) Samba Fort crumbling structure.

(7) Mohargarh Fort, about 11 kms from Samba on the Mansar Lake road near the village Nadd, is crumbling.

(8) Sumrata Fort, about 100 kms from Jammu, built by Sumbaria Rajputs, is facing extinction.

(9) Basholi Fort in Basholi town facing extinction. The fort looks like a heap of debris.

(10)Bhimgarh Fort in Reasi crumbling from inside.

(11) Bilawar Fort facing extinction.

(12) Bhaderwah Fort facing extinction.

(13) Bahu Fort in Jammu city needs restoration, attention and repair.

(14) Mahanpur Fort near Thein facing extinction.

(15) Mankote Fort facing extinction.

(16) Kapoorgarh Fort near Nagrota facing extinction.

(17) Jaganoo Fort near Udhampur facing extinction.

(18) Salaal and Dhyangarh Forts in Reasi facing extinction.

(19) Kiramchi Fort built by Bhatiyal Rajputs facing extinction.

(20) Nanga Fort near Ramgarh Jammu now extinct.

(21) Devigarh Fort now extinct.

(22) Baddu Fort near Bilawar is almost extinct now.

(23) Chenani Fort built by Chandel Rajputs now extinct.

(24) Thaloda Fort near Manwal facing extinction.

(25) Syedgarh Fort near Ramgarh now extinct.

(27) Akhnoor Fort needs repair, renovation and attention.

(28) Hiranagar Fort Is cing extinction.

(29) Poonch Fort almost extinct.

(30) Darhaal Fort almost extinct.

(31) Kaleeth Fort near Nowshera /Jaurian almost extinct.

(32) Laddan Fort. Udhampur is almost extinct.

(33) Gajpat Fort Ramban crumbling due to neglect.

(34) Dharnidhar Fort Rajouri crumbling and facing extinction.

(35) Thein Fort (Near Lakhanpur) facing extinction.

 

History of entire Jammu is linked to these forts that have faced neglect, callousness and inattention from all quarters. These places have enormous tourist potential.

 

(Avtar Mota)

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CHINAR SHADE by Autarmota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.
Based on a work at http:\\autarmota.blogspot.com\.