india
This Diwali #livemore
Diwali is a festival of lights.
Haha, you know that. God that’s too simple a start.
Lets try this again –
Diwali is a festival of lights.The streets are lit bright, our houses are swept clean, everything is prettily decorated, there is a vibe all around you, a positive feel-good vibe, there is something different about the atmosphere – you are around your near and dear ones and collectively everyone is in a good happy nice mood.
That is how Diwali looks and feels.
But, then there is also that morning after Diwali. When the entire city is covered in smoke from the crackers burnt last night. And there is also that week after Diwali when you realise that you have put on a few more kgs that you thought you would.
Everything, as we know it, is changing all around us. Last year all of us came together and voted an incompetent government out of power, a few days ago some of us got together and made it clear to that government that it cannot rule everywhere ( time will tell whether we did the right thing or not). Wouldn’t it be such a drag if we did it this time in the same manner that we have been doing it all this while especially when we know that we can do better, much better.
How, how do we do it better, you ask?
There could be more, but we shall just stick to the basics –
1. #LightMoreLiveMore
Light more diyas. Hang up more bright blinking LEDS. Do this not just for your house or for your street, do it for places which seldom see light. Go light a poor neighbourhood. Or if you feel excessively adventurous go light a village without power. Stick to the poor neighbourhood for this festival. Light has been historically linked with hope. Light the house of those less privileged than you, give them some hope, help them live more.
- #BurnLessLiveMore
Why do you hate this planet?
Why do you hate the environment?
No you don’t?
Of course you do. You are always doing things which hurt earth, aren’t you?
Anyway, that is a discussion for another time. But I think you get what I am saying. Don’t be stupid and burn crackers and pollute this beautiful planet because of which you exist.
No. Don’t . Just don’t.
- #EatLessLiveMore
This is one is just for your own selfish good, you will thank me once this festival is over. By now, I guess, most of us have learnt that weight is easier gained than lost. So please please watch what you are eating, don’t over eat, don’t over drink.
Be a little sensible, be safe and have a brilliant holiday season!
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Ganpati Bappa Morya, Poodcha Varshya lavkar ya
A compilation of all our activities during Ganpati. You have already seen the team celebrate this day with the unsung heroes in a previous post. Now watch them live in action –
Environment friendly Ganpati Visarjan
God created you and god created this earth. And just like he doesn’t want you to dirty your soul, he also doesn’t want you to dirty the earth he has created. Especially not while celebrating his own festival. This Ganpati do not immerse the idols in open water bodies, below are a list of artificial ponds released by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation:
F-South: Swan Mill Manoranjan Maidan, Sewri
F-North: Ashok Pisal Maidan Pratiksha Nagar, Sion
G-South: Khedaskar Gully Prabhadevi, Dadar (West)
G-South: Mayor Bunglow, Dadar West
H-East: Mahatma Gandhi Vidhayalay, Bandra East
H-West: Shambhaji Garden, Santacruz
Gajadhar Park, Santacruz
K-East: Dr. Hedge war Maidan, Vile Parle – East
K-West: Lokhandwala Complex, Andheri – West
N: Dr Baliram Hedgewar Maidan, Ghatkopar – West
Dattaji Salvi Maidan, Ghatkopar – West
P-South: Pandurang Wadi, Goregaon East
Ganesh Ghat, Goregaon – East
P North: Ramleela Maidan, Malad – East
Buva Salvi Maidan, Malad – East
Desai Taloa, Malad – west
R South: Akriti Municiple Chowkey, Kandivili – East
Thakur Village, Kandivili – East
Lokhandwala Taloa, Dahisar – West
R North: Dahisar Sports Foundations, Dahisar West
Ashokwan Municiple Udhyan, Dahisar West
Tawdewadi, Borivali
R Central: Anantrao Bhosale Kridagan
G. Plot Kulopwadi
Swapna Nagri Taloa, Borivali
Kulopwadi, Borivali – West
Ganpati 2015 the zophop way
In our last post we released a short teaser for Ganpati 2015 –
Our team moved on the road, among the people to celebrate Ganpati with the unsung heroes and with everyone else. It was a warm experience, it was a happy experience – to be interacting with everyone, distributing sweets, sharing them. We also gave away aarti books. Take a look at how it all began from our office and how it ended on the road –
1. It starts in the office with the lady without who we would not survive, literally.
And then the team was on the road with the books and the sweets. Look how good all of them look –
The zophop team in the picture above – aunty, Pradeep Mandve, Karan Kalra, Akshaya Gupta, Santosh Patil, Manoj Madanmohan, Saif Kazi. The photos were clicked by Akash Bhatia. The team is wearing “Take Me Somewhere” t-shirts.
Wishing you a happy Ganpati.
First Post – Selfie-taking statue to Baahubali Ganpati idol
The lord of the new beginnings will soon arrive with much grandeur and fanfare and this time he will don every possible contemporary theme. As the country prepares to get into the mood to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi, the streets are abuzz with the different types of idols that you might see this season.
From Mumbai’s iconic Lalbaugcha Raja statue to the tallest-ever Ganesh statue being made in Vijayawada, the frenzy in the country over the festival is making sure that there are Ganesh idols and statues of all kinds. In the past, we have already seen World Cup Ganesha, Anna Hazare Ganesha and even the travel Ganesha. But when we say all kinds, we include those which you have never imagined before.
Here are some of the most unique Ganesh idols which will make this Ganesh Chaturthi innovative:
If there is one picture to explain the meaning of the word ‘frenzy’, it is this picture. You know that the country’s obsession with selfies has gone a tad bit too far when you find people making idols of Lord Ganesh taking a selfie of him with his family members. Don’t be surprised tomorrow if you suddenly come across a Ganesh statue in which the God is making a duck-face.
SS Rajamouli’s blockbuster multi-lingual film Baahubali reportedly collected Rs 500 crore in the three weeks since its release on 10 July, according to sources in the film unit. However, that is just a number. Perhaps the real proof of the massive success of Baahubali actually is this picture, which shows a statue of Lord Ganesh as the Baahubali. Films have always been an important part of India. But nothing proves it as much as this image.
Size does matter. The Dundee Ganesha Seva Samiti (DGSS) might be aiming to make the tallest Ganesh statue ever. However, as challenging as it would be to create a statue that massive, it would be equally challenging to make a Ganesh idol out of the lead tip of a pencil. Yet, this miniature idol of Lord Ganesh shows that good things can indeed also come in small packages.
Many people are concerned about the adverse effects to the environment caused during immersion of the Ganesh idols.
And those people are not afraid to create their own unique statues to get attention for their cause. For example, Digambar Manikar and his son Rajesh have made a 22-foot Ganesh idol weighing 150 kg using nothing but 30,000 tissue papers to show the importance of eco-friendly idols, according to Hindustan Times.
We certainly hope these idols become more popular and raise awareness about the environment among people.
(With inputs from PTI)
This article was originally published on First Post .
A tribute to Mumbai Bus Conductors
In our last post we spoke about this experience – celebrating Independence Day with over 250 bus conductors who have vowed to make life easy for the common by coming on board with us in our unique initiative of providing live bus timings to daily commuters.
The video below is this experience – shot live. Do take a look at it and see how happy they are on gaining recognition for their kind service.
#freedomis – What does freedom mean to you?
Azaadi. Freedom. Independence
Freedom is freedom of thought and choice.
Freedom is watching what you want.
Freedom is wearing what you like.
Freedom is marrying who you love.
Freedom is happiness.
As India celebrates its 69th Independence Day this 15th August, tell us what freedom means to you.
Use the #freedomis and tweet to us your replies @zophoptransit.
Also check out our Independence Day Special on Facebook.
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zophop is now on Instagram
Well, it was only a matter of time. We had to be there. Yes, and goes without saying we are loving it here on Instagram. Here are some of our recent uploads –
This is how our mornings usually start –
And here are some people from our small team of coders and designers –
Is it just me or does Akshay have really pink lips?
So that was a part of our team for you. Follow us on instagram for more updates on commute and commute related stories and other cool stuff –
