At least, these were my assumptions about the country when the plane landed at the Heydar Aliyev airport. The top sight to explore is the Sheki palace, the summer palace of the Khan dynasty, where the rooms are painted with floral and nature motifs and decorated with stained glass in lattice wooden frames. Instead of hijab-clad women, there were the most beautiful Russian and European ladies, a vision of exotic beauty in the most modern clothes and instead of donkeys on the roads, all you could see were speeding BMWs and Audis! My driver-cum-guide, the handsome Suleyman drove up in a BMW at the airport to pick me up, and certainly not in a donkey cart!Yes, that’s Azerbaijan, a rich country thriving solely on its oilfields. Ialso visited the caravaserai which is now converted to a hotel.The mud volcanoes, also in GobustanShake it like ShekiFrom Baku, my explorations took me to Sheki, around 300 kilometres away from the capital. What attracts you the most about Sheki are the landscapes of mountains and nature in full bloom. Meals begin with a salad, typically cucumbers and tomatoes along with radish and herbs. Even now, they are so well preserved, depicting images of women dancing and men hunting, reflecting the way people lived back then. My guide insisted I taste it and while it was too sweet for my taste buds, it was definitely a hit with the locals and the tourists.2 It’s safe and fun to see a liberated Muslim country where women can be admired for their striking beautiful features, not to forget fashion, which is at its finest best here.Azerbaijan — the name conjures up images of a country filled with hijab-clad women, donkeys bearing loads, and walking down narrow street alleys where men sit and smoke shishas.Check the capital Baku outThe capital is a lot like Paris or Milan and wandering around the city, you feel like you could be anywhere in Europe.— The writer is a travel enthusiast. Wandering in the capital, I first made my way to the quaint old city which also happens to be a UNESCO world heritage site with towers and minarets. Baku is architecturally very rich and my favourite was the modern and striking Wave building called Heydar Aliyev cultural centre with exhibits by the most exalted artists of Azerbaijan. My next stop was the caravanserai that used to be on the Silk Road, now home to the Mugam Club, a very popular restaurant serving Azerbaijani food.How to reach AzerbaijanThe best route would be to travel to Sharjah and then take flydubai to Baku.Fire worshipFossil fuel reserves abound around the Yanar Dag and Ateshgah, two places where fire comes out from natural gas and forms natural flames.The caravanserai that used to be on the Silk Road, in of city ShekiThe cave paintingsGobustan, which is 60 kilometres from Baku, is home to prehistoric cave paintings or petroglyphs dating back to tens of thousands of years. Then come the kebabs eaten with sour plums and some meat dishes or a chickpea soup.Go up the Flame TowersThe Flame Towers architecture is something I have never seen before, and it’s the most iconic structure of the city with three skyscrapers side by side in the shape of a flame, depicting the land of fire. All photos are by Vibha Jain. The best time to visit Azerbaijan is in April or September when the climate is pleasant. The meal usually ends with tea, which the Azeris drink with lemon. In fact, there is so much oil around its capital Baku that just a few meters below the soil, the gushing oil has made billionaires out of this country. Although a bit run down, it is yet maintaining its traditional touch.Why visit Azerbaijan:1 It’s a very modern country, but historically and culturally very rich, completely different from https://www.nb-huayi.com/product/motorcycle-bearings/ your imagination. The locals call it Shebeke. The Yanar Dag mountain has been burning from time immemorial while the Ateshgah or Fire Temple is believed to have started burning in the 6th Century, prompting the Zoroastrians who came here to build a huge temple complex around it. The views from the observatory deck are simply amazing.There is bread and salty cheese too.Gurgling mud volcanoesIt is said that 300 of the 700 mud volcanoes sit in Gobustan, Azerbaijan and the sight is almost unreal as you see the small pits in the earth gurgling and spouting mud a few feet high, enough to cover you completely. The style is to pop a sugar cube and slowly drink the tea till the sugar melts in your mouth.3 Close proximity to India and easy e-visa for Indian nationals.The Sheki halwaIt’s the famous Sheki halwa that attracts a lot of people to taste the rich nutty but very sweet halwa in different flavours. Much to my astonishment, I had to quickly retract those assumptions as what stood before me was an architectural marvel with world class technology in glass and steel.Azeri foodFood here is vaguely Middle Eastern. This temple has inscriptions from the Adi Granth in Gurmukhi made by Punjabi traders from India during the middle ages and there are also Sanskrit inscriptions in praise of Lord Shiva and Ganesha

In reality, they are simply recycled schemes that were launched during the UPA government. The pluralistic nature of our society -- which has been its strength for centuries --is being eroded," Sonia said, adding that institutions were being ‘destroyed’. But this seems to be a game of Maximum Publicity, Minimum Government, or put another way, Maximum Marketing, Minimum Delivery. We salute our jawans who are bearing the brunt."Attacking the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre, former Congress chief said, "It has been almost four years since this government (BJP) came to power, this has been a period in which institutions which have come under systematic assault-Parliament itself, judiciary, media and civil society."Lauding the achievements of Congress, Sonia said, "We performed very creditably under tough circumstances in Gujarat and recent by-election results in Rajasthan were huge."She said rural economy and small and medium enterprises were in a shambles and joblessness had increased. True, the new names are catchy and colourful, perhaps much more so than during our time, we must admit. Side-by-side, we must also ask, where is the healing touch, where is the developmental thrust, where is the political engagement that was so much in evidence when Dr Manmohan Singh was Prime Minister?," she said. She added that there was a need to "restore India" to its democratic, inclusive and secular path. Liberal, secular and democratic traditions are being wantonly damaged.."We have a new Congress president and on your behalf and my own I wish him all the best."Reacting on Prime Minister Narendra Modis attack on Congress in his speech in Parliament on Wednesday, Sonia Gandhi said, "Tall claims are being made of so-called economic achievements, but the reality is quite different."We must combat cross-border terrorism forcefully - on that there can be no compromise.Sonia also said that while the NDA government promised a government under the theme ‘maximum governance, minimum government, they failed to deliver and their only skills appear to be those in marketing of https://www.nb-huayi.com existing UPA schemes."However, while stressing that her son was in-charge, Sonia made it clear that she would take the lead in rallying other parties against the BJP.Addressing the Congress Parliamentary Party meeting in Delhi, Sonia said, "I know that all of you (party leaders) will work with him with the same dedication, loyalty and enthusiasm as you did with me.Former Congress chief further said that all the like-minded parties need to work together and ensure that the ruling BJP is defeated in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. "The last budget is full of sleights of hand - of jumlas," she added. Our hearts go out to the families of those who have laid down their lives for our country. If this government is to be believed, India had accomplished nothing before May 2014."As for myself, as Chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party, I will work with the Congress President and other colleagues in discussions with like-minded, political parties to ensure that in the next election, the BJP is defeated and India is restored to a democratic, inclusive, secular, tolerant and economically progressive path," Sonia said."This government announces what it calls new programmes and initiatives ever so often, unveiling them with the flourish of a magician. I am sure Karnataka too will underline resurgence of Congress.""Investigative agencies have been let loose against political opponents," she added.She also urged the Congress party to gear up for the general elections, which, she said, are due in slightly over a year and "might well be called earlier as they were in 2004"."An all-pervasive atmosphere of fear and intimidation has been created."Increasingly, the people of our country, people belonging to all sections of our society-are getting disillusioned with the present regime.On December 16, 2017, Rahul took over the baton of the grand old party, Congress, from his mother Sonia Gandhi who was holding the post for 19 years.New Delhi: Former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Thursday said that her son Rahul Gandhi, who was elevated to the post of party chief in December 2017, is now her boss too.Sonia also questioned the Centre’s policy on Jammu and Kashmir saying violence continued in the Valley and there was little being done to boost development. This shows winds of change are coming. It is for us to channel this discontent into support.Describing the Congress debacle in the 2014 general election as a severe setback, Sonia said she was convinced that it was an aberration. Let there be no doubt about that," Sonia said in Congress Parliamentary Party meeting. He is now my boss too

. He said his outfit tried to organise the tribals and channelise their energy for the environment-friendly project. We planned the activities by keeping in mind the Halma custom that encurages local adivasis to offer one full day of labour for improving their surroundings, he said. Another 25,000 trenches, lying in a state of disuse, were revived, he said. "The greenery and rainwater harvesting structures in Hathipawa hillock has come at zero cost," he added, giving credit to the tribal volunteers.All the 40,000 trenches have helped this monsoon in harvesting rainwater that used to go waste earlier. "The rainwater harvesting structures built in the Hathipawa hillock have helped in recharging the biggest pond in Jhabua town, turning it into a perennial water body," said Mr Sharma. Nearly, 15,000 trenches were dug up all around the hillock.The contour trenches built in Hathipawa hillock have a cumulative capacity of storing 40 crore lakh litres of rainwater which can meet the requirements of the 44,000-strong population of Jhabua town for about five months, he said."Around 8,500 people, including NGO volunteers, participated in the plantation drive.Hathipawa mound, overlooking the district headquarters town of Jhabua in south west MP, lay barren till a couple of years ago, contributing to soaring mercury in summer and bringing misery to area inhabitants."In January last year, around 10,000 Bhill tribals, comprising both men and women toiled for five hours, undertaking plantation and digging contour trenches and pits to harvest rain water," said Mahesh Sharma, head of Shivganga, an outfit engaged in building water harvesting structures and check dams in tribal areas. Last month, Shivganga also encouraged non-tribal volunteers to join the plantation drive on the hillock, a programme sponsored by the Jhabua district administration.Bhopal: A tribal custom of offering voluntary labour has weaved magic on https://www.nb-huayi.com a large barren hillock spread over nine sq km area in Madhya Pradesh’s Jhabua district, turning it into a lush green zone and creating a water bank at its foothill at zero cost. Thanks to Halma, a custom of Bhil tribe to offer voluntary labour for community development, the barren rocky mound is now covered with a green carpet with small rain harvesting structures dotting the foothill. "The water harvesting structures have also helped in recharging ground water," said Mr Sharma, whose organisation is active in Jhabua, Dhar and Alirajpur districts. Mainly fruit-bearing trees were planted and local people designated as custodians of the saplings to nurse them in future," Jhabua district collector Ashis Saxena told this newspaper