#rouble kapoor | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

anujtikku1974 · 7 years

Text

Next town was Sergei Passat. It is around two hours from Moscow and I drove in Muzaffar’s taxi to the town. It is a quiet town full of churches – ancient ones with priests wearing black robes offering prayers to Christ. I was in a happy mood and strolled along with Muzaffar with my GoPro camera. By now, he had also become an expert in taking pictures and videos.

I ventured into one of the cathedrals and asked Muzaffar to ask one of the priests to pray for my father’s soul. The priest who was old and had a long white beard refused as Muzaffar told him that I was a Hindu. He said that only prayers for Christians can be performed in the church. Muzaffar and I were both upset at this and Muzaffar said with some frustration in his voice “Ah Anuj, God is one. He is the ultimate. He is one for all of us. Why did the priest not let you pray for your father’s soul? You are as much a part of God as he is”. His words made sense to me and the priest’s rejection at doing prayers angered me. I was now feeling hungry and felt like having lunch. We had lamb chops with mashed potatoes and beer.

Moscow is a no smoking zone. You can only smoke in designated areas. I, unfortunately, did not heed this warning and started smoking in my room. Alas, I had to pay for it and was fined Rouble 5000 for my mistake.

On my way to the hotel, I bumped into some people from Mumbai who instantly recognised me as the Indian actor who acted with Shah Rukh Khan. They stopped over to exchange pleasantries. I was happy that so far away in a distant land, even a small time actor like me was recognised by people. I guess that is the power of Indian Cinema as even Russian people like Muzaffar are fans of Indian films and actors such as Amitabh Bachchan, Mithun Chakraborty and Raj Kapoor.

The churches of Russia and its flea markets were my home now for a few days and I was loving every bit of it.

#gallery-7754-5 { margin: auto; } #gallery-7754-5 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-7754-5 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-7754-5 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

The Churches of Sergei Passat Next town was Sergei Passat. It is around two hours from Moscow and I drove in Muzaffar's taxi to the town.

0 notes

anujtikku1974 · 7 years

Text

The great thing about Russia is that the Rouble is almost equivalent to the Indian Rupee. INR 1.1 is equivalent to 1 Rouble. Russia is like enjoying a holiday in Europe at the price of India. I was lucky to find a driver by the name of Muzaffar who spoke good English to drop me to my hotel straight from the airport. I checked in to my hotel which I had booked through Expedia and realised that the breakfast was not included in the total tariff. I had to pay for it separately which was a bummer. Moscow has wide roads and Kia cars. It was cold but my jacket gave me adequate protection from the morning breeze. I struck a deal with Muzaffar – he will take me all around the city and I would pay him Rouble 10,000 for his efforts. Along with that, he will be my camera assistant and guide at the same time. The hotel was comfortable and I had a good sleep as I was suffering from jet lag.

Next morning was my date with Muzaffar as we drove around the city. First stop was Red Square and Kremlin. I took a dip in my camera bag and got my GoPro camera out. I started shooting the vastness and expanse of the Red Square and got busy capturing the scenic beauty of the city. Then it was time for lunch which was steak falafel with roast potatoes. I treated Muzaffar and he was happy to be obliged. Then we marched on to Gorge Park for a stroll. This is a major spot for skateboarding in Russia. Near it flows the Moscow River where people can go for a cruise if they please. The nearby shops sell ice creams and lollipops so that the kids can enjoy themselves.

I was feeling a bit impaired without my spectacles which I lost during my flight from Delhi to Moscow. Muzaffar was however in good spirit as I showed him videos of my Kenyan safari. He was amazed to see my adventures and told me how much he loved Bollywood movies and especially the acting of Amitabh Bachchan and Mithun Chakraborty. He had seen disco dancer three times. Russians also like Raj Kapoor and, of course, his famous movie is AWARA.

In the evening, we were back to our den. My hotel was surrounded by three more hotels which are called Alpha, Beta and Gamma. Well, that made life simpler I guess. I also took a stroll around the nearby flea market with people selling coats and caps and all sorts of Russian antiques. With my photography done for the day, it was time to retire for dinner – beef steak with mashed potatoes and salmon salad, yum yum! And now to wash it all down with cranberry juice. Russia, here I come!

#gallery-0-5 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-5 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-0-5 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-5 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

Gorge Park, Red Square and Going GoPro in Russia The great thing about Russia is that the Rouble is almost equivalent to the Indian Rupee. INR 1.1 is equivalent to 1 Rouble.

0 notes