Unwind with the Sunday Brunch in its new avatar at Vista - Taj Land End, Bandra’s 24 Hour Coffee Shop.
At : Taj Lands End, Band Stand, Bandra(W).
Phone Number: 66681234.
The decor of this restaurant is simply stunning. Loads of variety, delicious food and helpful staff make it a wonderful experience. 145 things on the menu for Sunday Brunch at The Intercontinental at The Grand near the Sahar International Airport.
At : THE INTERCONTINENTAL, The Grand, Sahar
Phone Number: 66992222 ext 3123
An ideal hangout place in Bandra and extremely popular also. Just chill at Just around the corner with your gang, read a book, work on your laptop or watch people coming and going. Enjoy their salad, sandwiches, waffles and choose something to drink from their interesting menu.
At: Just Off Linking Rd, Bandra (West).
Phone Number: 2600-2665/6717.
Best place to have Indian fast food in Bandra. Pao bhaji is just yum! Idlis with garlic chutney are unforgettable. Dosas are crisp. Paneer tikka masala is mouth watering. Open from 9am to Midnight.
At: Shyam Kunj, Pali Naka, 16th Road, Bandra (W), Mumbai
Phone Number: 26006318, 26002666, 26006894
Its truly a proud moment for all Indians. India’s 1st Space mission to Moon, Chandrayaan 1 completed its journey to the moon. Through the ages, the Moon, our closest celestial body has aroused curiosity in our mind much more than any other objects in the sky. With the history of the early solar system etched on it beckons mankind from time immemorial to admire its marvels and discover its secrets. Understanding the moon provides a pathway to unravel the early evolution of the solar system and that of the planet earth. The average distance from the Earth to the Moon is 384,399 kilometres (238,854 miles), which is about 30 times the diameter of the Earth. The Moon is about one-third the size of the Earth and has a diameter of 3,474 kilometres (2,159 miles).
The Moon makes one complete orbit about the Earth every 27.3 days, and the periodic variations in the geometry of the Earth-Moon-Sun system are responsible for the lunar phases that repeat every 29.5 days. The gravitational attraction of the Moon is responsible for the tides on Earth. The Moon is the only celestial body on which human beings have orbited and landed. The first man-made object to escape Earth’s gravity and pass near the Moon was the Soviet Union’s Luna 1, the first man-made object to impact the lunar surface was Luna 2, and the first photographs of the normally occluded far side of the Moon were made by Luna 3, all in 1959. The first spacecraft to perform a successful lunar soft landing was Luna 9 and the first unmanned vehicle to orbit the Moon was Luna 10, both in 1966. The United States’ Apollo program achieved the first (and only) manned missions to the Moon, culminating in 6 landings between 1969 and 1972.
On 56th indepence day, August 15 2003, India’s Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee announced. “Our country is now ready to fly high in the field of science. I am pleased to announce that India will send her own spacecraft to the moon by 2008. It is being named Chandrayaan-1″. Chandrayaan-1, is India’s first mission to the moon.
Through this First Announcement of Opportunity in the series, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) solicits Proposals from International and Indian Scientific Community for participating in the mission by providing suitable scientific payloads for Chandrayaan-1.
Chandrayaan-1: Mission Definition and Goal
Chardrayaan-1 is the first Indian Mission to the Moon devoted to high-resolution remote sensing of the lunar surface features in visible, near infrared, X-ray and low energy gamma ray regions. This will be accomplished using several payloads already selected for the mission. In addition a total of about 10 kg payload weight and 10 W power are earmarked for proposals, which are now solicited. The mission is proposed to be a lunar polar orbiter at an altitude of about 100 km and is planned to be launched by 2007-2008 using indigenous spacecraft and launch vehicle of ISRO.
Mission Objectives
* Carry out high resolution mapping of topographic features in 3D, distribution of various minerals and elemental chemical species including radioactive nuclides covering the entire lunar surface using a set of remote sensing payloads. The new set of data would help in unravelling mysteries about the origin and evolution of solar system in general and that of the moon in particular.
* Realize the mission goal of harnessing the science payloads, lunar craft and the launch vehicle with suitable ground support system including DSN station, integration and testing, launching and achieving lunar orbit of ~100 km, in-orbit operation of experiments, communication/telecommand, telemetry data reception, quick look data and archival for scientific utilization by identified group of scientists.
Specific areas of study
* High resolution mineralogical and chemical imaging of permanently shadowed north and south polar regions
* Search for surface or sub-surface water-ice on the moon, specially at lunar pole
* Identification of chemical end members of lunar high land rocks
* Chemical stratigraphy of lunar crust by remote sensing of central upland of large lunar craters, South Pole Aitken Region (SPAR) etc., where interior material may be expected
* To map the height variation of the lunar surface features along the satellite track
* Observation of X-ray spectrum greater than 10 keV and stereographic coverage of most of the moon’s surface with 5 m resolution, to provide new insights in understanding the moon’s origin and evolution.
The estimated cost for the project is Rs. 386 crore (US$ 80 million).
Chandrayaan 1, Indias Unmanned Moon Mission was launched by the PSLV on 22 October 2008 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh at 06:23 am. The vehicle caring the Chandrayaan was successfully inserted into lunar orbit on 8 November 2008. The Moon Impact Probe was successfully impacted at the lunar south pole at 20:31 hours(10.31 pm) on 14 November 2008.
Chandrayaan had a mass of 1,380 kilograms at the time of launch and 675 kilograms at lunar orbit and carries high resolution remote sensing equipment for visible, near infrared, and soft and hard X-ray frequencies to get a good view of the moon. Over a two-year period, Chandrayaan is intended to survey the Moon surface to produce a complete map of its chemical characteristics and 3-dimensional map or topography. For the Indian Scientists working on Chandrayaan the polar regions of the moon are of special interest, as they might contain ice.
The main scientists who worked on the success of the Chandrayaan-1 project are:
G. Madhavan Nair (Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation), T. K. Alex (Director, ISAC - ISRO Satellite Centre), Mylswamy Annadurai (Project director), S. K. Shivkumar (Director - Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network), * George Koshi –Mission Director, Srinivasa Hegde (Mission Director), M Y S Prasad (Associate Director of the Sriharikota Complex and Range Operations Director), J N Goswami (Director of Ahmedabad-based Physical Research Laboratory and Principal Scientific Investigator of Chandrayaan-1) and Narendra Bhandari (Head, ISRO`s Planetary Sciences and Exploration program).
Moon / Chaand and Bollywood:
So our fascination for the moon continues. While on the topic of moon, Boolywood has presented moon as a romantic object and has created innumerable songs around chaand. This post on the moon will be incomplete without a list of our favourite Chaand Songs.
Some Hindi Songs from Bollywood Moviews on Chaand (Moon):
Diwali is one of my favourite festivals and I always look forward to it every year. The very sight of well-lit diyas all over the house especially during the night offers an enchanting sight for one and all to behold. I recently came across a family who has a fine blend of traditional as well as modern values. I learnt many interesting facts about Diwali from them. Diwali is not a festival just for bursting crackers and eating sweets. I would be very happy to share the interesting facts I learnt from them with you.
The first day is known as Dhanteras. It is considered to be a very auspicious day and we should buy gold, silver and other important things required for our home on this day. This is followed by the day of Small Diwali. People usually don’t wear black coloured clothes on any of the festival days as it is considered to be inauspicious.
We then have the day of Big Diwali. A single large diya is lit with oil while 7 small diyas accompanying it are lit with ghee and kept in the place where the pooja is to be conducted. The large diya is also filled with some shells. Besides these diyas, all the other rooms too are lit with diyas. Silver coins with the face of Goddess Lakshmi are also kept at the place where the pooja is conducted. The doors are kept open on Diwali night. All this is done so that Goddess Lakshmi feels welcome and visits every home she passes by. This is also an opportunity to open our hearts and welcome others. Kaajal which is formed in the big Diya is put by all the members of the family on the eyes. This includes the male members of the family too. This is done so that in the next birth, we are not born as any other inferior form of being. We would get a chance to be born as human beings again. The game of cards is also played with money during the whole night. This is once again done to honour Goddess Lakshmi.
The next day of Diwali is followed by the Pooja of Annapoorna Devi. On this day a dish of 56 ingredients (Chappan bhog) is prepared. We worship Annapoorna Devi as she is responsible for giving us our foodgrains throughout the year. We also have a Gowardhan pooja on this day, which is basically giving respect to cow dung. The tava is not to be used on this day. We should avoid the use of onions and garlics too. We also have Khil, Batasha and Khilona (toys) made of sugar for the pooja. Five different types of fruits are also offered for the pooja. The idols of the Gods are placed in such a way, so that they face the east or west direction.
We finally have the occasion of Bhau Dooj, where the sister gives a gift to her brother and prays for the protection of her brother.
Weren’t these five days a nice opportunity for everyone to experience such wonderful Indian customs and traditions. Hope you all enjoyed Diwali.
Melser
(Special thanks to the Katiyar Family for their valuable inputs)
Indian women’s sharp features are always highlighted the best in the traditional Indian cotton & Silk fabrics. Keeping this in mind “Janhavi” uses bright & earthy colours with ethnic designs, embroidery, and block printing to suit the skin tone of Indian women.
For the last five years “Janhavi” is into making Salwar, Kurta, Dupatta & Kurtis with traditional & exclusive designs in Mangalgiri, block printed cotton, silk, mul & ikkat fabrics. She also has a range of accessories to compliment our designs
“Janhavi” has been holding exhibitions at various places in Mumbai & Pune. Now settled at Shivaji Park which is in the heart of the city.
She also continues to hold exhibitions in different art galleries.
On 1st & 2nd September 2008 “Janhavi” is exhibiting her collection at Cache Art Gallery between 10.30AM & 8.30PM
