In my shutter's vista!

My address has changed...

2007-07-18T18:14:00.000+05:30

I have moved in to a new address, for I felt a little crippled over here...

You should be able to find all the useful information that you found here, there as well with a better feel and navigation.

You should ideally be automatically re-directed to my new blogspot in 10 seconds. If not, please click here to get there.

Keep visiting - not here, but there :-)

me and my... part ii

2007-03-11T18:09:00.000+05:30

continuation of my previous post...

10. Quite a gadget geeky!
11. Love spending hours together in a calm, serene place (outdoors especially) – be it temple, park, a riverbank or on a boat in a huge lake.
12. I love trying out food of new and interesting cuisines. More interesting if it contains exotic vegetables like eggplant, capsicum, broccoli to avocados, zucchini and so on; of course only if they suit and taste good on the dish prepared.
13. I am crazy about ‘sound’… I mean I would love to listen to music all day, but from well-engineered receivers & amplifiers and aptly positioned hi-fidelity speakers in a huge hall.
14. Not interested in watching sports, but playing tennis.
15. Most favourite channels – Nat Geo, Travel & Living and the like followed Sun Music, [V] and the like.
16. I do have faith in God.
17. I don’t outsource my activities. I enjoy doing it myself, right from the scratch, very meticulously.
18. Like reading magazines; most read being Outlook Money, av max, Outlook traveller, Overdrive, Smart Photography, at times Business World...

more to come...

silver birthday...

2007-03-03T23:20:00.000+05:30

as i turned 25 this year, i celebrated my birthday better than my last years; rather than saying - i celebrated, it was more of my friends' involvement in celebrating my birthday.

started the day with two calls (at 12 midnight) - one from my friend staying abroad and one from my fiancee.

was around 6:10 am when i woke up to my parents and brother's wishes, wishing me a prosperous year ahead!

getting out of my bed with a half mind - so early - to wake up now or not? brought the newspaper and was going through it with tv running in the background - still on the bed... ;-)

got ready, prayed to god for the well being of myself and others.

i had planned to meet one of my good friends - so started off to meet her. on reaching her home, i was doubtful on her flat number. called her up and got it confirmed. she opens the door after making me wait for few minutes. and she was peeping out of the door - reaction being - she was doubtful if somebody had knocked the door or did she hear something like that!! and then she lets me in. wow! there was a surprise for me. that was an amazing start of my new year. she had arranged, on the table, a nice cake with candles lit up all over the sides. i was really taken aback. i really didn't know how to react for i didn't expect that at all - in fact, i started cutting the cake, even before blowing off the candles... :-) another perspective could be it has been ages since i have cut a cake and hence that inexperienced act ;-)

that being the biggest different event of the day, the rest of the day went on as usual.

i rather plan for the year on my birthday than on a new year. i wanted to finish my post graduation theory papers successfully, wanted to learn swimming, trading stocks and cooking. i wanted to buy another two wheeler, not exactly another - after disposing off my current!! i wanted to travel more, for i haven't in the last two years. all my saturdays were spent attending classes. will start as soon as my exams are over - that should be by april mid.

coming back to the day - after roaming around to some places, i relaxed for sometime at home. then, later in the evening, i went to a nice mediterranean restaurant for dinner with my cousin and his wife. started off the day with a home-made indian breakfast and ended up having an authentic italian dinner.

was an amazing day, indeed!! this post is dedicated to all those who made my day special... thanks a ton :-)

me and my... (part i)

2007-02-25T00:26:00.000+05:30

I have tried to list down things that interests me. Some may be exhilarating, some may be ridiculous; some may be significant, some may be trivial; some may need an improvement, some may be worthy catching. i prefer it be that way because that brings the difference between you and me :-) Read on!

1. I wish to ride to the highest motorable point in the world in the most royal way, by participating in the Himalayan Odyssey.
2. I like watching live dramas (plays).
3. I love to grow bonsai trees.
4. I am very curious and interested in backpacking and visiting places… learning lots and lots about new places, culture, cuisine, people, lifestyle.
5. I love to capture memories in forms of photographs and write-ups, which sometimes takes a place here.
6. I am interested in learning a lot on avionics and ‘flying’… of late developing a love for it, after my job got closely related to it.
7. I very much believe on the excerpt from Bhagavat Gita – “whatever happened was for good; whatever happens is for good and what would happen will be for good”.
8. I play tennis, but don’t watch much of sports.
9. The only cartoon I like is Tom & Jerry.

Keep watching this space, in the days to come, for more...

my presence in this blogging world!!

2007-01-10T15:33:00.000+05:30

well... it has been close to 1150 blog hits... its close to one year and one month since I started this blogspot and almost one year since I started bogging actually (till then , I was just posting some photos) and that was regarding an amazing ride to my home on a thunderbird for pongal... the memories still stay afresh... waking up early... having the tea breaks... enjoying the scenery all the way through till my home - 330 kms from Bangalore...

the person who introduced me to this word of blogging is celebrating his birthday today… happy birthday Nithy... but then he’s no more in the blogging world... ;-)

looking at the past one year of more than thousand hits, its quite interesting to understand the visitors requirements visiting the website...

for example, there have been more than 70 unique hits (most of them routed through google) due to the search string “nisargadhama” followed by info on coorg and then my thunderbird ride… although the top referrer to my blogspot was orkut...

some more interesting info on the nature of bloghits… there have been hits from less known or expected places like UAE, Italy, Brazil, Netherlands and 20 such countries... the most number of hits(~200) is bagged by my experience at tgif... the month of maximum hits was jun for having more than 200 hits… and a single day when the hit count crossed a century was Jun 08 – I don’t know, what’s special on that day!!

anyway, things keep happening!! happy new year... not too late... 51 more weeks to go... and happy pongal as well...

my experiences with the unexperienced...

2006-11-17T00:13:00.000+05:30

I make no guesses on the guesses you would make after reading the title. So, lemme complete it - My experiences with the unexperienced phase of life. :-) I guess I have come closer.

This is all about a proposal (for marriage) which came on Deepawali and got finalised on my mom's birthday (that's Nov. 16, 2006)!!

To keep the post short and crisp, I met her, exchanged views with each other, liked her and gave a go ahead to my parents. And so, the could-be is now my would-be... So, entering into a very dfferent phase of life - from being a carefree single to a more responsible person - lot more pleasant moments to enjoy, challenges to face and experiences that would make a complete man to come!! Lemme face it with cheers... :-)

One interesting and a relevant fact is that early this week, the "Today's Fortune" in Orkut read "Happy events will take place shortly in your home". Now, it makes sense :-)

celebrating I-Day in Coorg!!

2006-08-25T16:20:00.000+05:30

Day I: 3 am, 12 Aug. 2006
The time when we had planned to start for a four day outing, making the weekend bit more longer and adding true value to the Independence Day. But that was the time when I just put the mobile alarm to snooze again!! Few had stayed in my home and two more were supposed to come from their home by that time. It was almost half past four when we literally started.

The plan was to cover Sharavanabelagola, Halebid, Belur, Madikeri, Nagarhole and Kabini. So, Day I was based around Hassan and so we headed towards Hassan. It was me driving the just four months old Tata Indica with excellent Sony Xplod sound systems. I was cruising on the NH4. I was supposed to take the NH48 from Nelamangala. I didn’t know that until we were past some 20 kms on the NH4 itself. I don’t actually blame the navigator being asleep for this mistake. But instead we took a deviation from the NH4 onto some countryside roads and some SHs until we caught up with the NH48 after roaming around some additional 60 kms. That was an even more interesting drive. Now we’re back on track; and very much compliant on schedule ;-)

We could see signboards indicating deviations to Sharavanabelagola, our first waypoint to be sequenced. The highlight of this place is the 57 feet high Gomateshwara statue, which is the only monolithic image of this height in the world. This holy place for Jains is more than 1000 years old. We can opt to climb up the hillock or get some local people carry you, like the foreigners and oldies do. Amazing workmanship behind this beautiful huge monolith carved with a great sense of proportion should be appreciated.

Climbing down, I was watching the town planning and a pond nearby which adds beauty to this place. We had our breakfast there; very tasty indeed. We didn’t have hopes of meeting the schedule anymore. So, right click on Belur, select Delete :-). The way to Halebid was through Hassan. The roads went bad soon after crossing Hassan. The scenery on either side of the road was very scenic. Everyone knows the state of roads in Karnataka very well and its effects after rain. And it was raining badly when we were traveling to Halebid.

Temples of Shiva dating back to 12th century are situated in Halebid. The walls are full of mini sculptures and carvings. And every carving has a great story behind them. That was a very interesting visit; getting to know about the amount of knowledge and rationale people possessed during that time. We had to rush up with the place as we were running out of time. This visit just made me plan another detailed visit to the temple with a guide.

Way back, we had lunch at a good resto in Hassan and headed towards Madikeri.

Now, the highways running through the ghat sections and continuous drizzling made the travel more pleasant. We happen to see a dam, Hemavathy Dam, enroute. Park the car and pay a visit! The sight was splendid. The water on one side of the dam was so calm and the other side was a total contrast – water gushing with a great force. But then the purpose of a dam is precisely that.

It’s well past twilight. Hilly roads, sharp and curvy roads, hairpin bends, fog crawling over the roads quite often hindering (even obstructing) the vision of road, continuous drizzle and intermittent rains, chill breeze were very much signs of getting closer to Mercerra (aka Madikeri). A picture is worth 1000 words. I would say a real experience is worth 1000 pictures!! Its hardly 150 kms from Hassan; but it was 9:30 pm when we reached Mercerra.

But then there was one more interesting confusion happening out there. We had booked our accommodation in a cottage (home stay) and the person in-charge kept guiding us with directions, but still we were facing difficulty spotting it out. There were hardly a few people on the road. So, you need to call him up every time you feel you were lost. And finally we met. And he gave directions to reach the cottage. We had dinner and then reached the cottage, now not with much difficulty.

I would be missing some important part of the trip if I don’t mention about this stay. The villas named ‘Sunshee’ is situated amidst a 16 acre coffee plantation. I learnt that somebody closely related to our former chief minister SM Krishna owned it. It was very beautifully maintained and planned. It’s a ready to move-in and live kind of house. There was a person, at our call, staying adjacent to our cottage to help us out for all our needs. And when they say home stay, they mean it. A home away from home. In a nutshell, I would call it an ideal holiday villa.

Day II: 13 Aug. 2006
The day began with a pleasant morning walk in the estates of Sunshee. Lot other vegetation apart from coffee could be found; and very beautiful gardens too. The day’s plan to visit Talacauvery and head towards Kutta, near Nagarhole. That’s where we had booked our second day’s accommodation.

Returning back from the walk, hot coffee was ready. Coffee, prepared from their own estate plantation. wow! the coffee was simply superb. The freshness you get will last for more than a day!! We had ordered what we wanted for breakfast before going for the walk. And now it was ready. After the breakfast, wanted to have yet another cup of coffee; as we don’t know when we can taste such a coffee again. Time to say bye to Sunshee.

Heading towards Talacauvery, I should say I had one of moi best driving experiences. I have never driven at such high speeds in hilly section. I just coasted up the hill. The roads were getting interesting to drive. The landscape was very scenic, with water flowing across the roads and tall trees on either side and sometimes you get to see the entire Mercerra town from some view-points enroute.

We have driven all the way up to 3000 feet above MSL to see the birthplace of one of the holy rivers, Cauvery. It was a 2 × 2 feet small square wherein from the river Cauvey springs up. The water then flows into Kalyani, which is another artificial pond, bigger in size. There was a companion hillock where people visit before returning back from Talacauvery. We also visited there. You get a grand view of the Western Ghats.

We called up Chilligeri Estates (in Kutta), where we had planned to stay for the night, to know if we could reach there for lunch. But then we were told that we were very far. Kutta is located in southern part of the Kodagu (Coorg) district and Talacauvery in the north-western part of the district and almost 70 kms between them. We decided to cover up some more places before we head towards Kutta. Way back from Talacauvery, we filled our stomach with not so exciting stuff from Hotel Mayura, a unit of KSTDC.

Cauvery Nisargadhama, few kilometers before Kushal Nagar (yet another town in Coorg district), was our next target. It’s a lush green garden (or park) spread across over 65 acres of land around the banks of Cauvery. There’s nothing exciting to see; still you may feel to visit again. Hanging bridge, bamboo huts atop trees, deer park, elephant ride and rabbits are few attractions here.

It was 7 pm. Instead of starting to Kutta, we thought we shouldn’t miss the majestic Tibetian Monastry before leaving Kushal Nagar. This largest Tibetian settlement is located in Bylakuppe, in the outskirts of Kushal Nagar. This is my second visit here; but my first visit was during daytime. It looked richer in the night. It’s also known as Golden Temple and it is. The dress they wear, the language they speak, their culture, hospitality, all interest me to know more about them. Then, we thought we would spend some time shopping. I bought some hangings and wind chimes, which were more a souvenir depicting their art for some of my friends and myself.

Its 8:30 pm. Ok, lets head towards Kutta. When we seek help from the localites, everyone gives different directions to Kutta. We asked many people and finally followed the route which majority had suggested :-). This route was pretty deserted; but the roads were pretty good. It was almost 1 am when we managed to reach Chilligeri Estates, Kutta and had our previous day’s dinner. It looked like a 1947 bunglow, wherein we were given a simple room, which hardly had some moving space as it already had two cots. And the verandah was our dining hall.

Day III: 14 Aug. 2006
Next day morning, I woke up late and we were just waiting for breakfast. Tasty dosas were served. Having had that, we started out to Irupu falls. It was quite close (~ 3kms) from the place where we were staying. The Irupu falls is situated in the Bramhagiri reserve forest. We just spent sometime there in the falls and returned back.

We were back to Chilligeri for our lunch. Had a good lunch and packed up our stuff and left Chilligeri Estates. If I do a character comparison of Sunshee and Chilligeri, I would associate Sunshee to Soundarya and Chilligeri to Ramya Krishnan in the movie Padayappa (a box office hit Tamil movie).

The next in our agenda was Nagarhole forest. It was pretty a straight road to the forest. Drove till the forest office premises in the forest. Parked there; had a break watching out some elephants there; having tea and interacting with some kids out there. We learnt that safari was not encouraged, as it was monsoon season. But then we bought a very brilliant idea from one forest staff there. That was to drive slowly for the next 22 kms. “Nidhana hogi, sir. Huli kooda kansuthe” (meaning - drive slowly, you could even spot tigers). And the accent he said was even funnier. Listening to experts’ advice, we drove the slowly. We were tired of not so respecting spotted deers. They cross the roads very casually, doesn’t matter if you are there or not. We spotted wild boars; nothing much. The last time I had been here, had luck to see sambhar, barking deer, giant squirrels and herd of elephants.

That road directly leads to Hunsur, then to Mysore. Kabini was also more of a reserve forest, just that its located on the banks of Cauvery. We decided to cover it up later. Had a break at Hunsur and then headed towards Mysore. Had our dinner in a dhabha and continued our journey to Bangalore. It has become more a culture to have our last dinner of every car trip in a dhabha. If I am not wrong it was around 3 am when we reached Bangalore with loads of memories after having lots of FUN.

A big thanks to A2B Car Rentals for lending a very good car on rent for self drive; Karnataka Tourism Website for providing lot of useful information; Sunshee for providing excellent accommodation and Chilligeri for providing simple accommodation and homely Coorgi style food for making this whole trip memorable.

Some trivial mosts and bests of the trip
Most played song: Sutrum vizhi chudar, Ghajini
Best beverage: Coffee @ Sunshee
Most cherished dish: Vada @ Sharavanabelagola
Best drive: From Madikeri to Talacauvery and back
Animal Most often spotted: Spotted deer
Most enjoyed spot: Cauvery Nisargadhama
Most tiring climb: Shravanabelagola (against climbing in Hemavathy Dam, hillock near Talacauvery, Irupu Falls)
Most impressive architecture: Golden Temple, Bylakuppe (against Shravanabelagola, Halebidu)
Most enjoyed stay: Undoubtedly Sunshee
Most challenging drive: Driving out of Chilligeri Estates premises

a for annachi… b for banjara…

2006-06-26T02:26:00.000+05:30

These new definitions for the letters of the alphabet would not really be new for those who dine out quite often.

While returning home after strolling through the streets of Indiranagar, I came across a restaurant called Annachi Restaurant on the 100 ft road of Indiranagar. I have already heard this name and wanted to pay a visit here sometime. Not missing the opportunity of having come to this locality, I immediately decided to have my dinner here.

Opening the doors of the resto made me feel comfortable may be because of the relatively silent atmosphere and elegant ambience. I could feel the interest and care which had gone in in designing and coming up with this environment.

I was guided to occupy a seat by the side of a glass wall and the activities on the main road gave me company, as I was alone this time. I was offered the menu card once I had my seat. Very carefully chosen and designed menu items are evident at the first glance. It’s a typical Chettinad cuisine restaurant.

I wanted to have murungakai soup (drumstick soup), but that was not the specialty of the day. I had to have kaaikari soup (vegetable soup). That was no less in taste! Meanwhile I was contemplating on whether to have some rice items or some tiffin items. After a brief discussion with the bearer, I ordered for vadi saadam (steamed rice) and vellapoondu kozhumbu (garlic sambar).

Once I started having the dishes, just a thought… whether I ordered for the right dishes or all their dishes were prepared this tasty;-) I had curd rice too. The kozhumbu was too tasty that I didn’t want to ask for pickle or something that would go along with it.

Clean bowls post dinner should suffice in describing the quality and the taste of their food.

It’s not very common to find really polite and friendly bearers, atleast in Bangalore restaurants.

“Truly Chettinad”.

Having said my Saturday experience on the first letter of the alphabet, Sunday is made for the next letter.

Jayanagar no more sans a good restaurant. Located in a very unexpected place; there is a heavy contrast comparing the inside and outside of the resto.

They have their people put up from previous floor to the resto to welcome and guide you and carefully hand over to the next appropriate person.

You may opt for smoking or non-smoking zone.

Menu was pretty neatly arranged with soups, starters, main course items and desserts, each in turn consisting of both veg and non-veg items. They had north Indian, Chinese and a few south Indian items.

I ordered for palak shorbha and shangai potato. It was a treat for the taste buds; “yummy” to put it simply.

Sabzi biriyani and pudina raitha for the main course made a perfect match. I am looking for words, which would mean greater degrees of deliciousness to describe how they were. Or, I could say, go ahead and experience for yourself!!

The ambience and the courteousness of the bearers are to be definitely appreciated. When they say their guests are friends, they mean it. They make you feel very comfortable.

“Luxury Dining Redefined”.

I had one more post earlier on my dining at T.G.I.F. That was primarily because of my altogether different experience with the cuisine. Now this, although a very common cuisine and dishes, this post is for the ambience and well-mannered staff of these restos, which is not so common and one shouldn’t miss, I feel.

trip to wayanad!!

2006-05-28T20:10:00.000+05:30

Friday evening 10 pm. There was eagerness and ecstasy and enthusiasm exhibited on everyone’s face. We were planning for a team outing to Wayanad in Kerala. It’s me organizing the show again. It’s the third time I am doing such a stuff since my college days. Wayanad is located 280 kms to the southwest of Bangalore. The activities for both the days were roughly outlined after discussion with a few members in the team. Some team activities were also planned to add fun.

The journey begins and the coach was filled with jubilance. There was a huge demand for the Super Star’s recent mega hit Chandramukhi. That was screened and thanks to the subtitles (in English) as there were hardly few who could understand Tamil.

The next day begins after the folks got refreshed and had their breakfast. We headed towards Kuruva Dweep, a picturesque island located 35 kms from our hotel. We had a professional guide accompanying us. The activity he had planned for us was just to walk across the river and get on to the island, no boats.

Walking across the river, forming a human chain.

Photo Courtesy: Pranav Patel

The folks are getting ready. A few already came ready wearing just half pants and a few folded their full pants there. The suggested dress code was half pants and slippers to have a comfortable walk across the river. We got down into the water and started walking. We were expected to form a human chain and cross the river to minimize the effect of river currents on us. It was also helpful in the way that we were unaware of the surfaces below and neighbours could always come in rescue for us in case we stepped upon some stones or tree branches underwater.

It was exciting and soon we became familiar. We soon reached the main island. We had quite a few games organized and we played that for around an hour. The games were quite common, nothing from the sky; but still it was very exciting and interesting – kept the hour very lively. It was almost noon by the time we finished them and so we started back.

We, together!!

Photo Courtesy: Guide who accompanied us

Way back was even more fun. We had little more than hip deep water. We started playing with a soft ball that we had carried. Time keeps flying and the food was getting cold. We continued back to the main island and we almost took a different route going back. We had requested the hotel to cater our lunch in the island. Any food would be great when we are completely exhausted and that was the case there.

It started drizzling and we were rushing up. We went back to the hotel and it was evening. Got freshened; munched some snacks and were out for some indoor games. Sun had set long time back, we thought of having a bon fire. Again we had some music, dance, games and of course there’s always fun when it’s in a group. Dinner and done for the day.

We missed out to visit a wonderful lake, Pookut Lake, the previous day as we learnt that it was raining there during the time we planned to visit. And we had planned Soochipara falls for the day. So, we were in a dilemma, whether to miss what we have missed or make up the losses. India, being democratic, elections and votes everywhere. The results seem to indicate “falls” unanimously. We reached a place from where we have hire jeeps and thereon proceed towards the falls, as the road is not motorable for luxury buses. It was another 28 kms and took nearly 45 minutes to reach a place near the falls. The route, which takes to the falls, is very scenic. Lush green indeed.

Enroute falls...

Photo Courtesy: Savita Nair

The falls is another kilometer walk from the place where we were dropped off the jeep. The terrain was very hilly. After so much of pain, we reached the spot finally. wow! what a falls!! The summer has played havoc on the falls :-(. Still, there were not many left who decided not to bathe in the falls. Soon, people got ready for the shower under the falls.

Soochipara falls

Photo Courtesy: Savita Nair

Way back to the assembling point was a kilometer walk uphill and everyone was tired after bathing and walking uphill. Everyone invariably had limejuice and proceeded to board the jeep.

Returned back to the hotel. Had a late lunch and started back to Bangalore.

We still wanted some more fun. We had planned for some more games and activities to happen during travel. We had them too. The drive touched upon Bandipur reserve forest and some mild wildlife were to be seen from the bus.

Once everyone was almost exhausted, we saw Anniyan, another blockbuster that hit the screens competing Chandramukhi.

Thanks to Green Gates Hotel, Kalapetta (Wayanad) and SRS Travels, Bangalore for making the trip more pleasurable.

It was simply F⋅U⋅N⋅.

thank goodness its friday's

2006-04-25T02:07:00.000+05:30

While I was returning from the airport after sending off my friend, I had a sumptuous dinner @ t.g.i. friday’s. From outside, it wore a look of an English style resto. It’s a pub-cum-restaurant offering Mediterranean and Mexican cuisine.

Okay, let me give a try. I was offered the bar menu and the food menu once I had my seat.

I just glanced through the bar menu and decided to have November Seabreeze, a mocktail. The description goes like this. “Cranberry, Apple and Lime juices with simple syrup fizzed with soda”. Cranberry is in fact a rich source of antioxidant. The drink was very tasty indeed, accompanying throughout the course of my meal.

Meanwhile I was going through the food menu. I was reading the description of every dish, but still seemed to be greek and latin.

“Excuse me”
“Yes, how can I help you?”
“Suggest a good dish for a first time visitor”
“Hmm… Try Margarita Vegetable Fajitas”
“&!!@#$??”

I just turned pages to look into its description. It reads, “Marinated mushrooms, grilled with zucchini, squash and carrot slices; Chargrilled and served sizzling over a bed of grilled onions and bell peppers. Served with Spanish rice, guacamole, sour cream, pico de gallo, fresh salsa, colby cheese and flour tortillas”.

“It’s a sizzler with blah blah blah”. Everything was overhead transmission.
“Okay”.

I was just waiting eagerly to understand what he was saying all this long.

And there he comes with my dish; a sizzling pan on one hand and a tray on the other. The tray contained tortillas in a hot pack; pico de gallo (North American condiment made from chopped tomato, onion and jalapenos), colby cheese, guacamole (a dish of mashed avocado mixed with chopped onion, tomatoes, chilli peppers and seasoning), sour cream in a rectangular bowl and fresh salsa in a small cup with salt applied all over the brim and a slice of lemon tipped across. And coming to the sizzling pan, it had Spanish rice taking up almost half the plate and marinated mushrooms, zucchini, squash, carrot slices, grilled onions and bell peppers for the remaining plate.

Now comes the even tougher part of the day!! How do I have it? Shouldn’t be had the traditional way we have our dishes. So, again Nagaraj (bearer) comes to rescue. He just took one tortilla, placed little of everything (pico de gallo, colby cheese, guacamole, sour cream, fresh salsa); topped these with mushrooms, zucchini, onions and bell peppers and added a little salsa. Then he just rolled the tortilla. “Have like this, sir”.

Dining is another art!! Lots to learn!!
wow! That was just delicious!! Truly awesome taste!!!

After all, all these pain had something yummy in reserve… a must visit again resto.

"Everyone looks forward to Friday’s".

charminar

2006-04-08T00:23:00.000+05:30

Charminar, which is synonymous with Hyderabad is one of the magnificent structures was constructed at the centre of the city in the middle of the eighteenth century by Bussy, the French Commander and made it his headquarters. The four clocks were added on the four cardinal directions later in the year 1889.

Ornamental Arches
A peep from the one of the balconies in Charminar

Getting there: At the centre of the city, any localite would just know it.
Best time to visit: Any time of the year, but off-summer!!

the fours

2006-02-28T19:20:00.000+05:30

I am tagged by Nithy to write on the fours. So, here it goes...

Four movies I would watch over and over again:
1. Alaipayuthe
2. Thillu Mullu
3. Padayappa
4. Titanic

Four places I have lived:
1. Kalpakkam
2. Coimbatore
3. Bangalore
4. Thiruchirapalli

Four things I like the most:
1. Sleeping
2. Travelling (Riding and driving)
3. Photography
4. Listening to music

Four things I dont like:
1. Reading books
2. Getting up early
3. Working on Sats and Sundays
4. Talking unneccesarily

Four dishes I like the most:
1. Mom made upma
2. Phulka with baingan bhartha
3. Bitter guard sambhar
4. Curd rice, pickle

Four places (while touring) I liked the most:
1. Kudremukh
2. Bandipur
3. Chalakudi Falls, near Cochin
4. Coorg

Four hotels/restaurants I liked the most (in Bangalore):
1. Queens, Church street
2. Ebony, MG Road
3. Samarkand, Infantry Road
4. Fusion Lounge, Magrath Road

Four restaurants many people wouldn't have tried (in Bangalore):
1. 100 ft, Indiranagar
2. Herbs and spices, Indiranagar
3. Sufi, Airport Road (I have also not tried, hopefully fits in the list)
4. Fusion Lounge, Magrath Road

Four places I wish to visit:
1. Switzerland
2. Australia
3. Shimla, Himalayas
4. Egypt

Four things I am want to learn:
1. Cooking
2. The art of talking unneccesarily (want to learn, but not practise)
3. Swimming
4. Trading in equities

I would tag Vasanth and Karthik...

my better half

2006-02-03T19:55:00.000+05:30

I have been tagged by Nithy and I am expected to write how a perfect partner of life should be according to me.

7. External beauty shall never be a criteria. Afterall beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. The inner beauty lies in the following seven parameters.

6. She should have a great healthy hobby which helps keep the mind active; soothes the soul when disturbed. I would enjoy if she loves to travel, sing, play instrument, dance or paint.

5. She should know cooking so that I get an opportunity to learn :-) If she has a flair towards trying out different cuisines and dining out, that could make it up ;-)

4. She should be lively, humurous, witty and interesting, maybe because I am less than 50% in all these aspects ;-)

3. Caring is an very important attribute of a life partner and at times you may be dying for it!!!

2. Everything is attitude and attitude is everything. Be optimistic in life. Look ahead.

1. She should live with right amount of self esteem. Shall neither be with inferior complexity nor with superior. Both are dangerous.

0. The most important, ego should also be rightly balanced. Too much of ego will spoil oneself and too low ego would drive one to low self esteem and surrendering to everything and everyone.

As per the tagging rules, I am supposed to tag someone else to contnue this. But, I dont have any regular reader of my blog except for the one to whom I became the victim. So, the first few readers could take up the tag and follow the game. The rules of the game are available in Smyta's blog... So, take up and continue.

Few hours at parikrma

2006-01-23T12:09:00.000+05:30

This is all about a few hours I spent in improving our community we live in.

I, along with few more colleagues, had been to Parikrma Centre of Education in Jayanagara, Bengaluru as a part of our Community Service programme in Honeywell. The primary mission of Parikrma is to provide education to children, whose family is below poverty line, thereby preventing child labour too.

When we reached the school at around 8:45 am on the 21st of January 2006, prayer was going on and they were about to start national anthem. The school notice board had a thought for the day, “When love and skill work together, expect a master-piece”. “Weather: Sunny”; “Season: Winter” were some of the other information seen on the notice board. When the national anthem was over, the school dispersed and we, the volunteers assembled and we were given an introduction on whats and whys of the centre by the in-charge. They run up to class three. There was one more class which consists of similar aged students, but who had missed education in their past for some reason or the other. They were all put on an accelerated path, it seems. Academically they seemed to be of class four or five. We then decided to divide ourselves into six groups; three groups would conduct quiz and the remaining would conduct an art workshop.

Before we proceeded towards the class, few students came running towards us and handed over diyas, one each and we were asked to light them up and leave afloat in a vessel or a wide open vase containing water and flowers. It just reminded me of the first day when I joined C-DAC, where everyone of us was asked to do the same thing with an aim in mind; believing it to bring a bright future for us. So, I lit the diya for them and prayed all good for them.

I was in the former group and we got the latter class. The questions were already prepared. The class was named Atlas. The class teacher introduced us to the students as young successful role models for them. They were asked to learn the secret to success from us. Then a couple of questions arose from here and there regarding the same. They were answered promptly and diligently.

There were eighteen students; so made six groups of three each. We asked the students themselves to name their team. The first team came up with Pikachu, a Pokeman character it seems. Rama, Undertaker, Rose, Jasmine and Titanic were the names of the other teams. There was a lot of enthusiasm filled even in naming their teams. The quiz begins.

Every individual is very enthusiastic about answering the question, whether the answer is going to be right or wrong. They were also able to express what they felt without any inhibitions. In spite of their staff being there in the class, no student was in his place till the end of the quiz. Tried to maintain discipline like asking them to avoid answering other teams’ questions and so on. They were making every effort to speak in English. Any deviations and speaking in regional languages are strictly prohibited and their staff warns them. There was a lot of happiness in their faces all the time, could infer that everyone loves studying in the school with their classmates.

As the quiz came to an end, the winners were declared. The prizes were given to the winning team and chocolates to the whole class. The happiness doubled in the faces of the winners. Meanwhile, the art workshop also came to an end and selection was going on to decide who’s looked good. And after that was all over, we all went out to the ground to have some fun.

We (some five of us), with opponents as the school children, played football. In fact, it was after a very long time I play football; reminded me of those good old school days when we used to long for PT periods… Not to be surprised, they won. Those who didn’t get a chance to play this game started off with second round and we retired. Simultaneously, there was cricket also happening with a different team.

When the clock was about to strike twelve, the lunch was made ready for the students and they all assembled for lunch. Before starting the lunch, they had their prayers. We were also thanked and they prayed for prosperity and happiness for us too. The students gave a thanks-giving card, designed with care and love, to us.

“Love, explore, enjoy” is Parikrma’s motto and they live to it.

The 350 cc beast

2006-01-16T10:23:00.000+05:30

I had long time wanted to own a thunderbird and still want to. But I was a bit apprehensive if I could be comfortable riding it. I read a few reviews and that gave me the confidence that its as easy as riding any 100 cc bike. This travelogue is all about my experience with the 350 cc beast. I took a Royal Enfield Thunderbird (KA 01 Y 3346) from the showroom for an experience ride. I decided to really experience it… I took it for a long 700 kms ride, all the way home (my home is in Kalpakkam, 70 kms to the south of Chennai) from Bangalore and back.
14 Jan ’06; 3:50 am. The journey starts. I decided to go via Hoskote – Kolar – Chitoor – Vellore – Kancheepuram – Chengalpattu – Kalpakkam. It took almost 40 minutes to reach the string bridge on the old madras road; there was more than expected traffic at that time also. By that time, I had got my hands on maneuvering the thunderbird.

I had gone past Hoskote and on my way towards Kolar. Mist all the way, crawling towards Bangalore, had reduced the visibility to just ten to fifteen feet. Speed dropped to a mere 60 kmph from an average 90 kmph. I find all the vehicles crawling their way on the highway. This lasted for around ten to twelve kilometers. The highway as such was not very wide; looked like a state highway. Might be; I am not sure.

I had done almost 120 kms in slightly more than an hour and a half. I thought I would have a break. I had a sip of hot tea just to refresh myself. I learnt I was quite close to the Karnataka – Andra Pradesh border check post. I continued my journey…

The dawn was so beautiful; the tender orange rays spread across the cloud of beds with mountains and lush green fields and pastures on the foreground. The sun rose; raised and said a good morning to me. By the time, I was on my Chitoor – Vellore bypass road.

As I said earlier the road was just okay. There were quite a few potholes and few bad sections too. But the gas filled shock absorbers fitted onto the thunderbird makes them literally virtual. You could only see the potholes; but don’t get to feel them. I was impressed.

The powerhouse encases a single cylinder 346 cc four-stroke petrol engine. Designed to perform and it simply performs. Just to check out the power of the vehicle, I tried this; although not a good practice to do. I brought the vehicle to halt and tried moving the vehicle in fifth gear. It did it effortlessly. That was amazing. I could also feel the power of the vehicle in fourth gear; quickly ramps up from a mere 60 to 100 kmph, which any other bike wouldn’t even be any close. I could feel the power being unleashed when I squeeze in through the traffic. Awesome performance!

I was in the outskirts of Kancheepuram; about an hour and a half from my home. I had already done my 250 kms. The time was 8 am. I had another break. Continuing, I had to pass through the Kancheepuram town and market. As it was festival (Pongal) time, I could see lot of people out on the market purchasing sugarcanes and turmeric plants. Riding at 20 kmph was also pretty comfortable; its quite stable and I could maneuver with much ease.

I reached home at around 10 am, right on time for breakfast :-). That brought down my average speed to just 50 kmph. I was maintaining an average of 80 kmph in my first half. As the day begins, vehicular movement increases and lots of brakes and breaks brought down the average speed.
15 Jan ’06; 3 pm. I thought I’d start my way back. I was in Kancheepuram in just an hour. I had a tea break and continued my journey. I laid my route through NH 4. I had to take this to get to Chitoor. The road was just fantastic. Excellent work done by the National Highways Authority of India. Six lane solid road wants you to cruise all the way along. My all time high on my way home was 110 kmph and I couldn’t maintain riding at 110. Now, my new all time high was 120 kmph. As the needle touches 120, I could feel the start of wobbling. So, I got settled to 105 – 110 kmph.

The junction has come where I had to take a deviation to Chitoor. The amazingly laid road didn’t let me pull off the road. I decided to take an alternate route to Bangalore and continued to cruise on the highway. The road king (to be read as thunderbird) on such roads gives you a real riding experience. I felt for myself on why did I come on that sick road on my way home.

So, this route goes likes this: Kalpakkam – Chengalpattu – Kancheepuram – Vellore – Ambur – Vaniyambadi – Krishnagiri – Hosur – Bangalore.

The trip meter read 160; I had done half my distance; watch ticked 6 pm. It was a beautiful twilight. I should say I am lucky. On my way home (travelling west to east), I could see the beautiful sunrise. On my way back to Bangalore (traveling E to W), I could see the sunset behind the clouds and mountains; saying goodbye for the day. I had another break just to stretch out my arms and legs for few minutes. I was in Ambur.

A couple of things scared me on this highway. I witnessed a government bus giving a gentle kiss at the back of an ambassador, leaving mild dents. Another incident I saw was an ambassador at 45 degrees on the wrong side with one front wheel with no tyres and the same side rear wheel missing the wheel itself; just the shaft was there. It seemed like he had been coming on the opposite side; lost control; ran over the median and ended up wheels running ahead of the vehicle. I became extra cautious; speedometer started reading 80 – 90 kmph.

By the time I reached Vaniyambadi, the roads started to deteriorate. I was a bit upset, as I didn’t know how long it would go on like this. Nevertheless, I had my thunderbird giving me only a gentle feel of the bad roads. I suddenly saw a railway gate being lowered and sadly I was just in time; I was the first vehicle to be stopped for the signal. A couple of minutes passed. I could see a goods train. It crossed. I was happy, thinking that was a pretty quick. But to my dismay, I am not seeing the gates being raised, neither the operator taking any initiative. Then another train (Guwhati – Ernakulam express) came crawling; thinking and rethinking whether to cross the signal or not. Finally, it made its way out of the road. I started my engine and still the gates weren’t lifted. I am having another break here. After 4 – 5 minutes, a train just sped away, no clues on what train it was, must be a super fast express ;-).

The fuel tank indicator fell below quarter and was close to reserve. I just topped up with a few litres of petrol. As I crossed Vaniyambadi, I could see the excellent roads were back. Probably, I missed some bypass, if any, and hence ended up with bad roads and railway signals.

Then, it was all cruising and negotiating with the traffic, seeking way and giving way. The NH seems to come to an end. Boards read, “Toll plaza 500 metres ahead”. It was Krishnagiri, just 90 kms from Bangalore. I had my final break at around 8 pm. Clicked this picture then.
One more advantage I could see in having chosen this route was I could reach home earlier, avoiding all the bustling city traffic I would have had if I had come the way I had gone home.

It was 694 kms in all. Kudos to the Royal Enfield Thunderbird; didn’t give any problems and co-operated well for my riding styles. It was a safe, but exciting experience.

Our Ancestors

2005-12-24T01:53:00.000+05:30

Pictures of our ancestors clicked at various places! They are the most interesting creatures to be watched ;-)

Monkeys shouldn't be like this, with an innocent face, isn't it? They are ready to be clicked. Say cheez!!It's their right of way here (inside a reserved national park)."Have you got something for me?"I guess this is loooong tailed macaque, but it isn't.A thirsty one.This is the monkey! Any extra word, it would be upon you!!

Elephant Camp @ Dubare

2005-12-24T01:26:00.000+05:30

Dubare is mainly an elephant capturing and training camp. You can get to have a look at the elephants being tamed and tamed elephants used to take plesant rides by the Forest Department with the help of the local tribes, Kurbas.

Elephants having a refreshing bathe in the Cauvery river
Elephants having their supper
Getting There: The elephant camp at Dubare is accessible from the Kushalnagar - Siddapur road. You may have to cross the river to the camp with the help of motor boats available there.

Cauvery Nisargadhama

2005-12-22T22:11:00.000+05:30

Located on the banks of Cauvery, this wonderful nature's resort with lush foliage has a deer park, orchidarium, elephant and boat rides. It's spread over a huge area of around 65 acres. Sitting on the banks of the rivers and admiring the nature, you can while away an entire day.

Getting There: Cauvery Nisargadhama is located just 2 kms from the Kushalnagar (in Coorg district). You enter the park by walking on a hanging bridge.

Lalbagh Flower Show

2005-12-20T14:54:00.000+05:30

Some pictures clicked during Lalbagh Flower Show, August 2005.

The beautiful style of a hibiscus

Confidants

The dual coloured flower

Abbi Falls

2005-12-16T19:37:00.000+05:30

The Madikeri stream, also called Muttaramuttu, falls 21m between huge boulders to a deep rocky valley to form the picturesque waterfall called Abbi Falls. The British called it the Jessey Waterfall in memory of Jessey, the daughter of Madikeri's first chaplain.

Getting there: In the outskirts of Madikeri (Coorg district), Abbi Falls is situated in a private coffee estate. The narrow road in the coffee estate goes through a lot of steep ups and downs leading to a long hanging bridge from where one can have a splendid view of the Abbi falls.