Getaways!

Getaways can do miracles to shoo away boredom in one's life..they can also be wonderful learning experiences....n ends up adding quite a lot of spice n colour to ur tastes:)

Was travelling with my friend's family from B'lore to Thornagallu in Bellary, last week.

1st,I lost my spectacles in the train....n got it back yes....after quite a commotion...I was sleeping on the Upper berth n it had fallen off sometime during the course of the night....Ppal sleeping on the lower berth were quite convinced that it had fallen out, as they had opened the window sometime in the night....

2nd, I lost my chappals after leaving it outside the temple....only mine were gone!!...n ya...ended up walking barefoot, with the blessings of the sun-god...

3rd, survived the bad road journey from Bellary to Mantralayam.....this is 1 ride I wont forget in a hurry!!...all coz the Karnataka n the AP Govts r still to make up their minds on who will get the roads done...

How can I miss out our driver's shortkut....he wanted to save a 20 km ride on a good road...so he takes us on a route that has never seen an invention called "tar" n with ups n downs all through the never ending 15 km ride at 7:30 pm ...in an area that was surrounded in pitch-darkness...n with no signs of light or any human habitation for miles altogether.....

Our vehicle was quite an antique piece and wud require regular attention, every now n then...with our driver getting under the car....in 1 such attempt...the poor guy had to bid goodbye to his pants:)....n had to make - do with a dhothi adorned over the pants....

4th, was amazed by the sort of facilities n infrastructure at the Jindal Steel Plant.....excellent is an understatement.....they literally have a kingdom of their own!!

5th, passed by cotton n red chilly fields.....was actually requested by a kid's mother to take her daughter's pic....here it is...

6th, gotto c different lifestyles of the ppal from the loadsa villages v passed....the highlight being their mode of transportation.....atleast 40 ppal found their place either inside, on the periphery or atop their chutku...tata sumo kinda vehicles.....It was almost like U had ppal popping out of every corner from their vehicles:)

Actually gotto c more number of women working in the fields than the menfolk:)

7th, was almost red-faced:)...well only coz of the soil there...I remember washing my face after getting back home...n seeing a red-patch of mud on the towel....I repeated the face-washing thing twice after that...But with repeatedly fading reflections on the towel!!

If I can write so much abt a 2-day trip...just imagine what I will do....if I take longer trips...God save the blog-readers:)

Discrimination in today's era!

V r blessed with such wonderful cultures, customs n traditions!

V share a whole lot of diversity too in terms of caste, creed, religion, colour, etc....

V r also cursed with adversity in our diversity!!

Im not playing with words or for words here.....Im just referring to an incident that I faced in a temple, where preference was given to ppal just coz they belonged to a higher caste!![High in wat terms...I dont understand....To me ... a person is high only coz of his karma]

If this can happen today.....wat is the solution to prevent it?

I dont want to get into the sympathizing part to the ppal who r inflicted with such discrimination...but is there a way out?

I can change the way I think....But do I take the trouble of changing how the world thinks?

The truth today is that....I will blog abt it....but do nothing else abt it!!

What is SS?

Always thought of it as something that u do to help ppal in need or to make a difference in other ppal's lives....

But its a lot more than that!!

Met a doctor today who has done a whole lot of SS her entire life....she used to visit villages n treat patients free of cost n have her pals pool in money to fund medicines....

I was mighty impressed with all that she had to tell....about how the villagers looked up to her service n about how she was constantly motivated to do her bit ...even though she was managing her career, family n kids apart from her commitment to the villages 2 days a week...

Then she told me of an incident...happened sometime in the early eighties...when she was a visiting doctor to a village near Nandi Hills n was asked to take another specialist from B'lore to visit a very ill patient from the village...but on the behest of her other colleagues....she had to drop the plan ....as she was new and unassertive n didnt really understand the gravity of the situation....

The specialist ended up not going ...n the patient dying!!

From then onwards, she stopped making these visits, as she tells me that if you want to venture into SS, do it only if you can do it responsibly n with a commitment which understands that sometimes u end up doing things which get caught between the circle of life and death!!

So, what is SS finally?...I think u got my point!

Life's many courses!!

Ur just the kinda person...who loves travelling....U'll be the 1st 1 to take ur car with ur family in it to places both near n far....U just love the thought of getting away from the monotony of everyday life to places that make it to nature's wonders or to unheard or unseen towns n villages....

U discover places.....have a wonderful time....a break thoroughly deserved ...n then ....

Comes a trip where ur world comes crashing down.....An accident....a head-on collison that cud have gotten fatal....but u thank ur stars that u got through the ordeal n lived to tell ur story....

Will u be afraid of taking another trip post the ill-fated one?

No,comes the reply....simply coz u lived through that one only to see many more!!

V all face roadblocks where in things v take for granted come to a grand halt....n v take a back-seat...

But what is important to me here is this person's outlook in life.....that u learn to put ur life back together.....all the pieces ...that is...n to take on to another journey...another course!

Hampi rocks!

Im not gonna start writing abt all the things that v did in a chronological order......M just gonna talk abt chasing ur dreams:)

I've always been an ardent history lover...History to me is a figment of imagination n a story waiting to unfold...

Seeing a signboard which said Hampi-4kms got me all excited....n d 1st thought that came to my mind when I saw the place...was thanks Sowmya!

Sowmya was kind enuf to take me with her family to visit Hampi..n I think I have already made it extremely explicit that this is one place that I have always wanted to c!!

Sowmya n me were having this conversation a couple of months ago abt visiting Hampi...n when she called me early this month asking me if I wanted to join...All I told her was...C ya...I want to c Hampi....book tickets whenever u want...But Im coming!!

Hampi had a very mystical influence on me....When I was standing infront of the Vittala temple, facing stone structures built to entertain traders from all over the world....for a moment ...I was actually visualizing traders selling gold, gems n other precious stones n a crowded market place...to me at that moment none of it was 500 years ago...It was almost like it was happening there right infront of me!!

The Purandhara [famous poet of that era] shelter, built right beside the Tungabhadra river literally had a "cooling" effect on me....:)....Not that it was very sunny outside....But it was almost like I was at peace with myself....I was actually smiling inside....Just happy to be there!!

I was telling Sowmya that if u leave me here for a few more hours, I will come up with the most beautiful verses ever heard by mankind.....Too much I know for my standards that is:)...Im sure my friends have already heard enuf...ya ...ya..Im referring to my lunch-table pals at work..Im at my philosophical best after food gets into my system at lunch-time:)

V, Indians were indeed outnumbered there by foreign tourists.....loads of them clicking photos ....asking the guides numerous questions n learning about our culture n history!!

There are plenty of places that u get to visit in and around Hampi....some of them temples...d others palaces...then the Queen's bath:)....n the royal stables.....n so on....

Wat strikes u most is not only the archaeological brilliance ...but the fact that even in those days ppal had provisions and access to some of the best facilities in terms of layout of their structures, their irrigation n sewage systems .....

U do feel bad seeing the ruins at Hampi....But the thought that the place has seen so many generations come n go...so many historical moments ....n ofcourse the winds of change across the sands of time:).....most of the structures were destroyed by the Mughals n the deities stolen from temples....but Hampi even today is a standing testimony to the great culture our country has!!

2 things I will never forget: Being asked if v were foreigns:) actually by a bunch of schoolkids n a small schoolkid actually running towards me n touching me n running back ...this she did twice...n I was left standing there wondering[actually I was smiling to myself:)] as to why she did that!!

If you want to see Hampi the way I saw it with a little more details on the monuments...do read this:

*Hampi Unplugged-Part 1

**Hampi Unplugged -Part 2

Hampi Unplugged-Part 1

Vitthala Temple

Home to the famed stone chariot, a beautiful kalyana mantapa, sabha[conference] mantapa and a sangeetha mantapa.

Excellent ways they had of ensuring that rain water did not stay on the stone structures, but perculated down easily....

Some of the sculptures have various interpretations when viewed from different angles!!

If you touch the pillars in the sangeetha mantapa, you can actually hear the sounds of Sa re ga ma...n that of various musical instruments.

Rings aligned to the top corners and the bottom corners of the mantapas, used to have curtains laid across and the reverberations of the music generated used to actually last half a km away!!

The stone chariot actually moved once upon a time, hard to imagine that it did!!

V also didnt miss a 300 year old tree in this very campus!!

Hampi Unplugged -Part 2

Hazara Ramachandra temple

This temple has sculptures in granite. It is known for the wall inscriptions of the stories of Ramayan.

Elephant's stable

Lotus Mahal

Residential quarters for the royal women. Is inspired by Indo-Islamic architecture styles.

Underground Shiva Temple

Badavalinga Temple

Lakshmi Narasimha Temple