Surviving against all odds

I captured this picture in 2005 near Devanahalli town. It was located close to the highway, which at that time was undergoing expansion to accommodate the increased to the new international airport. Now that the airport is complete I don't think this tree would have been spared the development axe. Looking at the tree one would think that it is so crooked that it would fall dead anytime, but no it was thriving and would have lived for several more years.... This shows that any life form will not give up so easily. It will fight against anything and everything to stay alive and continue life. This tree though crooked beyond proportions has survived in the face of rain, sun, winds, and of course humans.

A Long Walk Home....

I shot this picture when I was trekking in a rural locale about 60 km from Bangalore. The picture was obviously shot from atop a hill. This image shows how this villager has to struggle to lead her life. She is ok with the risk of walking along the railway tracks for long distances to collect firewood from the forest. Life is so easy for us in the city and yet we still complain that government is not doing enough. Here is this lady who has to walk long distances over uneven ground just to survive... It is time we appreciate the good things we have...

My Favorite Places around Bengaluru

I have been living in the US since the past nearly 4 years. Life has been pretty good, the roads are better, traffic jams are almost unheard of, I drive a pretty nice car, and enjoy lot more luxuries than back home in India. I have traveled the length and breadth of the country and have my favorite spots everywhere. Living in the US is like staying at a luxury hotel, how much ever comfortable and luxurious it maybe it can never be called home. When I was living in Bengaluru it was common for me to take off every weekend for a short or long trip. Here are pictures of some of my favorite spots around Bengaluru.

Devanahalli Fort

Gokak Falls in Karnataka is beautiful

Sunset at Gokarna

Sculpture of Serpant and Lord Shiva in Lepakshi

Intricately carved temple pillars at Lepakshi

Lovely Lepakshi - Splendor in Stone

Lepakshi about 100 km from Bengaluru city is home to one of the most spectacular Vijayanagara era temples. Located in the State of Andhra Pradesh Lepakshi is easily accessible from Karnataka, i.e. Bengaluru.

I paid a quick visit to this wonderfully sculpted temple back in 2005 and ever since I have been smitten by the memories of the place. Lepakshi in my opinion is a place for those willing to get away from the routine multiple-destination tourist circuits and want a quiet weekend amidst ancient monuments and rugged scenery.

With its fine temple architecture and historically interesting monuments, Lepakshi is an ideal getaway for history enthusiasts, heritage lovers and monument fanatics. Sited in Anantapur District of neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, Lepakshi is a small village about 100 km from Bangalore.

Lepakshi is perhaps one of the most important locations close to Bangalore from a historical perspective. A trip to Lepakshi will prove revitalising for those who love in heritage sites, who marvel at the art created by our ancestors. Lepakshi, renowned as the repository of the best mural paintings of the Vijayanagar empire, hosts three shrines dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu and Veerabhadra. On a hillock known as ‘Kurma Saila’ (tortoise shaped hill), is located the large temple complex dedicated to Veerabhadra which also houses sub-shrines of Papanatheswara, Raghunatha, Srirama and Durga.

According to Skandapurana – a holy book of Hindus -- Lepakshi is one of the 108 Shaiva Kshetras or important pilgrim centres for worshippers of Lord Shiva. An inscription (in HaleKannada or old Kannada) on the outer wall of the temple records that one Virupanna, the treasury officer of the Penukonda Fort of the Vijaynagar empire, constructed the temple during the 16th century.

As with most ancient Hindu temples, Lepakshi also has several legends associated with it. But the most accepted legend is that Virupanna discovered the idol of Veerabhadra and decided to build a temple in the lord’s honour. Since the king was absent, he used money from the royal treasury without the former’s knowledge and started constructing the temple. When the temple construction was nearing completion the king returned to find the treasury empty. Enraged at Virupanna’s act of spending all the money without his consent, the king ordered that Virupanna should be blinded. Being a loyal person Virupanna carried out the punishment on the spot with his own bands and dashed his eyes into the temple’s stone wall. To this day one can see two dark stains upon the wall near the Kalyana Mandapa, which are said to be the blood stains made by Virupanna’s bleeding eye balls when he dashed them against the wall. Thus blinded and ailing Virupanna did not survive for long, and soon the village came to be called ‘Lepa-akshi’ i.e. the village of the blinded eye.

The Veerabhadra temple divided into three parts -- the Mukha Mandapa, (also called Natya Mandapa), the Artha Mandapa and Garbha Griha. The Kalyana Mandapa, with its 38 attractively carved monolithic grey sandstone pillars is yet unfinished. These three form a triangle with a common Mandapam or roof. To the south of the main shrine is a magnificently carved larger-than-life monolithic statue of a Shiva Linga sheltered by a massive seven-headed cobra known as the Nagalingam.

The temple is surrounded on all sides by a spacious outer courtyard or prakara supported by large and attractively sculpted stone pillars replete with relief figures of dancers, musicians, animals and birds. The finest parts of the temple however are Natya (Dancing) and Ardha (worship) Mandapas which perhaps host the best specimens of Vijayanagar style of sculpture and mural paintings. The former is adorned with intricately sculptured pillars on which are carved life-size representations of musicians and dancers in various poses of performance. The unfinished Kalyana Mandapam is a standing proof of the detailing in sculptural art of that period. The sculptures adorning the pillars and walls of the temple depict puranic episodes like those of Ananthasayana, Dattatreya, Chaturmukha Bramha, Tumburu, Narada and Rambha.

The beautiful sculptures on the outer prakara (courtyard) are bound to awe the visitor. Notable among the sculptures are the 14 forms of Siva, such as Dakshinamurthi, Ardhanareeswara, Tripurantaka etc. The unfinished Kalyana Mantapa in which the pillars are decorated with attractive patterned sculptures has provided perennial inspiration to textile designers across the world.

Another must-see monument in the town is the massive monolithic Nandi statue located a mere 500 meters from the Veerabhadra temple. The idol measuring about 30 ft long and 16 ft high, located towards North-East of the Veerabhadra temple is perhaps the largest monolithic Nandi in India.

Getting there.
Road. If you are travelling on your own vehicle, start off on the Bellary road (NH 7) to reach Lepakshi via Hindupur. Both APSRTC and KSRTC Buses ply frequently from Bangalore.
Train. Nearest railway station is at Puttaparthi aka Sri Sathya Sai Prashanti Nilayam Railway Station. Ph: (08555) 287355
Air. Puttaparthi is the nearest airport. Flights connect Chennai, Mumbai and Bangalore. The Airport is closed during summer season (April to June). Ph: (0091) 08555-87346.

My Bangalore visit so far....

This time my visit home, to Bangalore has been limited to staying at home watching TV and going to the movies. I watched two movies Singam and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. Apart from this I haven't done anything much. I have couple of weeks more to stay in Bangalore and I hope I can accomplish somethings that I haven't been able to in the past two. Let us see only time can tell. I wonder if things turn out well or if they turn out in such a way as to prove my worst fears once again. I don't know only time can tell...

American Independence Day Celebrations!

Having stayed in this country for three years this is the first time I went to view the American independence day... ooops.. the 4th of July parade and fireworks display. The parade was held at the historic downtown McKinney, it was short, colorful and intense. Everyone from tiny tots to senior citizens participated in the parade enthusiastically waving flags, clapping, cheering and generally being happy to be a part of this country.

The show of support by the people in this quasi-official celebration is pretty impressive. The population of McKinney and surrounding towns might be just over 150,000 but I am pretty sure at least 10,000 people were there to watch the parade. Thoughts took me back to Bangalore, India which hosts over 6 million people and not even 1,000 people turn up for the independence day parade. I wonder why?

Anyway here are some pictures of the parade:

Happenings in Bengaluru!!!

Though I am in the US in body and physique, my heart and soul are in Bengaluru, India and in our farm at Kadvekere Doddi, Kanakapura, India. Meanwhile our farm is being managed by my good friend Anand who has promoted a venture known as Basic Halli, an adventure, nature getaway from the Silicon Valley of India.

I recently received an update that the first harvest of organic vegetables is available to people. Hopefully during the next harvest I will be present to pick the fruits off of our farm. But for now I content myself in looking at the pictures of the produce and the area.

Nanjangud Vistas

Continuing my post of visiting Nanjangud I couldn't upload all the pictures. So here are some more pictures of the location... both indoor and outdoor shots. Some of the pictures may be a little blurred.

My trip to Nanjangud

The first week of my holiday in Bengaluru I visited Mysore and Nanjangud with parents and extended family members. The trip was a pilgrimage for my father who had promised to visit the ancient Shiva temple here. The trip was quite eventful with several things happening including problems with the vehicle and a major stomach upset after I returned home.

Mysore city Road

We started off at 8 am in the morning from home and after some family visits in Mysore we reached Nanjangud finally at 4.30 pm just in time for the temple opening. I was visiting Nanjangud after 12 years and the place offered quite a few surprises to me. For one thing the roads around the temple have been cleaned up and some aesthetic hedge plants have been planted along the medians. The town used to be a dusty, grimy place, but today it is a clean and neat location which evokes devotion.

Street scene in downtown Mysore

The temple is currently undergoing renovation and hence there are some areas inside the shrine that are not so impressive. Here are some pictures of my visit to the temple town.

View of the Entrance to Nanjangud temple

A view of the pillars that support the entrance to the Nanjangud temple

Attractive temple frescoes

Sculptures inside the temple

Some road pictures of Bengaluru

I have finally found a place where I can download pictures from the camera and upload them onto my blog. Here are a few road images of a renovated Bengaluru...

In Bangalore... after a short trip.....

It has been a week since I am back in good old Bengaluru... the city has grown by leaps and bounds as usual. I took a short trip to Nanjangud, a small pilgrimage town less than 200 km from here and it was a different experience altogether.

The journey was pretty swift on smooth and newly widened roads and what totally caught me by surprise was the amount of infrastructure development that has taken place in Nanjangud. I remember visiting the city more than a decade ago and it was a crumbling little village struggling to handle the increasing tourist/ pilgrim traffic. Today it is a swank tourist town with smooth concrete roads, vast open spaces, neat riverside areas for worshippers, devotees who wish to take a holy dip, and even fishermen. The temple itself is undergoing renovation right now and the part of it that is complete is simply superb. Going by this testimony I am sure the temple will be transformed into a wonderful tourist/ devotional/ pilgrim center once the renovation is complete.

I will conclude with a hope that I will be able to visit the temple again once the renovation is complete.

Blogging from Bengaluru.....

I am finally back in Namma Bengaluru... after a long break of over two and a half years. I had heard only of the new problems and issues that the city was facing during these two years. Boy were they totally biased... you bet.... I took a spin around the city today in an auto and was surprised at the numerous good things that have happened to the city. The first thing is the notorious Bangalore traffic... and my experience is that yes the bottlenecks and chaos continue to reign the city but overall there is about 30-40 percent improvement in the road quality and general traffic speed.
That is something better than nothing. People who complain will do so even if they are given roads like airport runways... but believe me guys don't complain about Bangalore traffic or roads. I am quite certain you will notice the change once you land up here.
The ride is not totally smooth... but not as chaotic as before either. There has been great improvements in some stretches of roads while other roads have gone worse due to development works.
My verdict is that Bangalore has changed for the better... better roads, faster traffic, less snarls...

Blog About Bangalore

When I was back home in Bangalore I made an attempt to compile all the information about interesting spots around the city. One of the reasons was that there were too many people criticizing my home town as being a boring place with nothing interesting. I wanted to compile data and publish a book as a response to these nay-sayers. Something that never happened, perhaps my efforts were not true enough. Well I recently came to the conclusion that instead of just sitting on the data and pictures that I have collected I would just upload all of it online.
That led me to promote another blog titled "Our Bengaluru". It is right now has only few posts and very little information. So I have made it only on invitation. If someone wants to know more about the blog they need to write to me to provide them access to the blog.

Fantastic Musical Composition

I found this musical composition on Youtube while I was looking for music for my Kannada show and was pleasantly surprised by the ingenuity of the composition of this song. It is equally brilliant how the song has been adapted to a famous Kannada song of none other than Dr.Raj Kumar. This song is absolutely true and very well rendered. One would burst out laughing listening to this composition and at the same time feel the pinch about how the leading corrupt political family is taking Karnataka for a ride.

Sad News Days!

The past few days have been filling me with extreme anguish and frustration. Why? I have been reading only bad news from India. I feel sad that our country is under attack from all sides, including from within. People outside can be enemies, I wonder why people within want to destroy what belongs to them.

I have been reading about the blasts in Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Delhi etc and was always wondering who is performing these cowardly acts and why? I still don't have answers for these questions, only those who are involved can probably answer them. I couldn't help but vent out my frustration online after I read about the twin blasts today and the Delhi (Mehrauli) blast of the day before. The twin blasts which happened in Maharashtra and Gujarat have taken several lives and damaged numerous others. I am pretty positive that most of these people injured and killed would be common people who were easy targets.

But what further saddened me was the news about the Stampede in the Chamunda Devi temple in Rajasthan. I wonder why the stampede happened? The newspaper reports say that the reason is not known. I have experienced similar scrambling in famous temples such as Tirumala, Dharmasthala etc. Why do people rush to pay obeisance to the deity? God will not run away anywhere, he is there for us, we can go at our leisure and pray. He is omnicient, omni potent and omni present, he will listen to our prayers, when we offer them with all our hearts. I wish people would be a little more patient and considerate about others who are there to worship the Lord.

Anyway here is my prayer to God to protect India and our teeming millions, give the people intelligence to think out of the box, above the narrow political considerations and work towards making our nation the best place to live in this world.

Terrorists becoming braver or Indian government becoming more cowardly?

India has been at the receiving end of terrorist attacks since the past two decades, thanks to our hostile neighbors China and Pakistan and various other nations which are hell bent on destabilising our nation. In July 2008 the IT capital of India and my home town, Bangalore, suffered from serial blasts across the city. Luckily the terrorists had placed only low intensity explosives which caused only two deaths.

Within a weeks time another major city in India, Ahmedabad in the western seaboard state of Gujarat was rocked with a set of serial blasts. The Ahmedabad Blasts were by far the most deadly taking a toll of 45 people and leaving over 160 people injured.

And now after couple of months our national capital New Delhi has been attacked, early this morning there were five blasts in crowded areas in the city which has left 30 killed and 90 injured.

Isn't it time the union government took strong action against the root cause of terrorism. Which of course lies in our neighboring country and in the west? Of course people say now locally bred terrorists have taken over from foreign ones and are perpetrating these attacks.

Just imagine for a moment that the blasts had happened in the US capital instead of Indian capital. What would have been the result? US government would have acted immediately and sent their full force to destroy all the terrorist hideouts, suspected terrorists would either be incarcerated or killed. Isn't it time we Indians started to take action instead of just appealing for peace. We have been talking of peace for far too long, it is time to stand up and take action, if necessary use all means.

But then which politician or policy maker or for that matter civilian is bothered about the country. 99 percent of the country's billion plus population is bothered about themselves and their family. So long as the terrorist attacks don't affect their family they live blissfully unaware of what is happening elsewhere in the country. And for politicians more terrorists means more opportunities to appease minorities, create conflicts and make more money at the expense of the exchequer. Arms purchase, upgradation of the police, army etc means lucrative contracts to be awarded to favourite dealers and businessmen. And of course the businessmen will give generous kickbacks in the form of donations to their political parties or any NGOs the unscrupulous politicians are associated with.

I wonder if India will every become a strong and no-nonsense democracy which will be respected and feared by people and nations across the world. Or will this remain a dream of millions of Indians like me....

Linguistic conflicts plague America

I read this article recently in the Dallas Morning News about how Spanish has begun to dominate America. The author Mark Davis rues the fact that an increasing number of Spanish speakers are dominating various aspects of life in America and how the official language, English, is being sidelined in the country.

Coming from Bangalore, India's sole cosmopolitan city, I can relate very well to this peeve of the author. Bangalore's salubrious weather, accommodating and friendly people, favourable government policies have made the city the destination of everyone seeking better opportunities. This is one capital city in India where you can speak any language and yet lead a normal life. I have met several families who have lived for generations in Bangalore and yet don't speak a word of Kannada, the local language.

In fact the influx of outsiders is so much that natives or people from Karnataka have become minorities in their own capital city. This is perhaps the only capital city where locals don't have any say in any matter. Several of the MLAs and municipal councillors, people occupying government posts are non-Kannadigas, I mean they are not natives of the city or even of the state.

This article sparked off memories of my own city and the constant grouch I had against people who have lived for generations and not bothered to learn the local langauge. I get irritated and angered when people proudly said "You don't have to know Kannada to live in Bangalore". But it is of no use, my getting angry will not motivate people to learn, in fact it makes them even proud of themselves.

In my opinion, more than anything, this kind of abhorrance to the local language only shows arrogance on the part of immigrants, who want to live off the land but don't want to show even scant respect to the people who have helped them lead a better life. Anyway who is bothered about my opinions, in a democracy it is the majority opinion that counts and Bangalore's majority are not Kannadigas!