Thursday 15 January 2015

Is Private Coaching necessary for competitive exams?


       In today’s competitive world, everyone is trying their best to win the rat race to become successful. Students of the secondary school start preparing for their career right since class 7. For this, most of them join private coaching classes. These classes aim at making them able to crack tough exams and builds their confidence. They guarantee success. So, the advantages of these classes are many, but just as each coin has two sides, even coaching classes have their own disadvantages.
          Firstly, these classes horribly mess up the daily routine of a student. My brother goes to his classes right after coming back from school, and come back late in the evening. He does not have any time for physical exercise or any other activity, and even his own school homework.
          Secondly, these classes give their own homework. Now, this is serious. Along with the school homework, you have to do tuition homework. A lot of extreme hard work. If you don’t have time to do your school homework, what will you do about tuition homework? I’ve seen my friends doing their tuition homework in school, and leaving their school homework pending. This greatly increases the stress on the students.
          And lastly, these classes have exorbitant fees. Parents invest their hard earned money in these classes, believing there will be value for money. But in some cases, the teachers aren’t as experienced and educated as they should be. They aren’t able to give individual attention to each student, as big coaching classes usually teach in large groups. So, the classes become a waste of precious time and money.
          Good coaching classes might lead you onto the path of success. If the teachers are experienced, and they have a good name, it is a great educational investment. But I believe, it’s much better to be independent and study on your own with determination. All you need is some good books, and a lot of confidence, and before you know it, you will be treading on the path of success towards your destiny.
 
-  Manas Trivedi
 
 

Sunday 4 January 2015

Review - RAWAT Restaurant, Jaipur

          Rawat is a vegetarian restaurant opposite Hotel Maharani Palace and Kanchi Mishthan Bhandar. It is, by far, the best restaurant in Jaipur, when quality of food is considered. It has a large cuisine, but there are only some main items which are their speciality.

The restaurant is divided into three parts – an A/C dining hall, an outdoor dhaba area and a sweet shop having tables. I’m going to explain about the ambience of the A/C hall, because that’s the part you’d like to go in. Then we’ll look at the food.

The ambience of the A/C hall was not all that good. It was, well, average. I was expecting the tables and chairs to be covered with cloth and all, but it was just simple. Too simple for an A/C hall. Rawat has to improve its ambience, so that the hall could really be called an A/C hall. The kitchen is adjacent to the hall, with a glass wall separating the two. So you could actually see what’s going on in there. I don’t know whether the A/Cs of the hall actually work or not, but they have two TVs, for entertainment while dining.

Before we move on to the food, let’s look at the prices. I assure you, the food is horribly expensive. Now, where do you get to eat a ₹175 plate of Poori Subji (fried flat bread with cooked vegetables)? You might want to run out of the place after looking at the menu card, but the food is worth the money.

I tried the ₹175 plate of Poori Subji, thinking whether ordering it was a mistake or not. I dug into the food. It. Was. Awesome. Nothing like it. One of a kind. This has to be the best traditional dish of this place. Delicious. Sumptuous. Tasty. Mouth-watering. Yes it is. The poori has an incredible taste. The aloo and gatte ki sabji have amazing flavours. The raita is fine, just as an extra touch. So, this is one dish you must have if you’re dining in Rawat.

The general favorite of the Indian public – Chole Bhature is also available here. The Bhatura part is good, but the chole part has a bit more cinnamon for my liking. You may try it, but it’s much better if you order the bhatura part separately, not the chole. You could order something else along with it, such as paneer or aloo ki sabji.

Speaking of paneer, it was, as usual, great. The Dal Bati Churma Thali contained a bit too much churma instead of the bati and dal. There were only three batis, each with a 2 inch diameter. So the main course was less, whereas the dessert churma was overflowing from the plate. The plate contained three types of churma – White and Yellow churma, both tasting almost the same, and Rose-flavoured churma. Still, the white and yellow churma were fab, not the rose one. My suggestion-order the mini dal bati churma, you’ll get the white one at least, and that’s all you need for a dessert

This is all I know about Rawat. There is value for money. This is the place for high quality high cost food. If you are a foodie, and have the money, visit Rawat, the best middle class restaurant in Jaipur. I’d give four out of five stars to Rawat and hope that it will continue serving its delicious food forever.
 
-         Manas Trivedi

Rawat Restaurant Pure Veg.
The part of the building above ground is the sweet shop and the part underground is the A/C dining hall

The inside view of the A/C Dining hall of Rawat restaurant


The ambience of Rawat restaurant
Too simple for an A/C dining hall

Rawat's Thali

A view of Rawat Mishthan Bhandar, the sweet shop famous for its Kachori


The outdoor dhaba area of Rawat


Hotel Rawat