Kintamani - God's poem!!

Ah! If God decides to write a poem, how would it look like? How is he going to publish it?

According to me - it would be -
in the form of a - dancing peacock!
Or a - monsoon evening!
Or the - rushing water!
Or a - peaceful valley!
Or a - vibrant resonance!
Or a - tasty delicacy!
Or an - intertwined story which was heard never before!
Or an - overwhelming notion!
A - bustling crowd!
Or a - euphoric celebration!
Or a - magnificent picture!

Or ...............................

a Kintamani!!

Kintamani - is a beautiful (yet not so famous) destination in Indonesia, is a Balinese village.
It is a hill station that provides generous sights of beauty, pleasant environment, beautiful weather, idyllic lifestyle, cultural traditional and spiritual images, and many more to mention.

As soon as you enter, you are stopped by a police man, with his mouth wide open - in a smiling position and he gives you the direction - if temple, go here; if volcanic mountain go here; stand here and take a picture etc.

The weather hits you the moment you are here. Bali is known for its tropical weather marked by humidity and hot temperatures; but Kintamani is very different.

It is home to one of the volcanic mountains - Mount Batur.  Batur had last erupted in 1999.

Batur is worshiped by the Balinese, they have built a major temple by its base - Pura Batur (Or Pura Ulun Danu Batur) and the deity here is the mountain itself. The imposing structure of this temple is very beautiful to look at, neatly maintained. A strict guideline is marked for every visitor there - dress code, do's & don't's.

People of Kintamani are simple, contently, fun loving. It is very easy to like them! They establish your trust within no time, and start a conversation instantly as if you are one of them!

Kintamani has a lake at the base of Mount Batur, which is the largest crater lake in Bali.

The stay/eat options here are very minimal, but it is opening to the outer world now... Some resorts, tour operations coming up here!

The road to Kintamani itself is so eventful that you would be mesmerized; for the Orange farms, the terrace rice farms, nicely laid empty stretches of road, pleasing weather....

If I must, I will compare it to Madikeri (More popularly, the Coorg) of Karnataka, except for the thin forest cover around Kintamani.

For pictures run the slide show:

Ooty - What is it?

------------------------------------------- details to follow!!

Anthoo Inthooo....

Hallakke bidda.........

Yaaru??

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Namma Prashantha (Payaniga)

Yavaga?? Yelli? Yenu??

Yeah! Last Sunday he fell into wedlock with Madame A.

Here's wishing the lovely couple a great married life!

Srik

Mathe Mungaru

I agree. I am at fault – for not coming back to my blog. But you know, it needs a push, a reminder or some event to change the sides and to be back in business.

The title suggests – Monsoon, again! Monsoon is a synonym to good times. And yes. I am back to the good old days, means blogging too!

A change in the personal ‘status’, a little too much work and work and family related travelling has all added up to my inability to put some stories here. I am overcoming all of them, to be back to (another) eternity.

Well… Life has been good all these days. Marriage is a definite eye opener of sorts for a youngster. And very much – IT IS A GREAT FEELING TO BE MARRIED. I really mean it.

Monsoon, again – Mathe Mungaru is incidentally a movie in Kannada which is hitting the screens today. The promos and the story looks to be intriguing, intense, and the songs are awesome, to say the least. I hope the production house, which lead every Kannada speaking creature in getting drenched in that eternal Mungaru Male, is successful in recreating that feel of monsoon, again.

Let me review this album for you.

The music is composed by some Paul Raj. I am sure he will attain the new heights with this album, which has been made with lots of innovative techniques, and melodious tunes.

The singers – the Likes of Asha Bhosle, Hariharan, Chitra, Karthik, Vijay Prakash and Shreya Ghosal have lent their voices to this beautiful album.

The album opens with a tragic solo by Karthik, “KangaLu Kanalive” – This sets the tone for this whole album. Background music for this song is exceptional at places. Though slow paced, the song gets straight in to the soul of the listener. However, the same feel is not kept thru the song, it dilutes in the middle, and catches up again. The song, however, gets its due and succeeds to connect to the listener. Karthik does superb in this song.

The duet ‘Chita pata chita’- by Karthik and Shreya Ghosal is fantastic. The melody, pace, the orchestra, the lyrics and the heavenly vocals of Shreya all are in perfect harmony through out the song. A must listen for any Kannada music enthusiast.

"Summaniruva ee manasali" by Ranjith is smooth and passes off. It is just another seasonal song added now a days by default to a Kannada album. Ranjith is high with energy throught this song. a peppy one.

There is a patriotic song ‘Mera Bharat Mahan’, which is sung by the ‘Jai Ho’ star Vijay Prakash for the most part and though he does well – the music and the lyrics are off synch. It fails to pull any patriotic feeling in the listener. Chitra’s vocals towards the end bring the much needed lift to this song.

“Belagayitu” is a theme song sung by Hariharan. Hariharan’s magical voice is tailor-made for this sort of a song. He performs wonderfully in this song. I felt the lyrics are heavy, though. I am not sure if that had anything do with the actual intensity of the movie. Wonderful folkish music accompanies Hariharan here.

The crown of this wonderful album is “Helade karana” rendered in an emotional tone by the veteran melody queen Asha Bhosle. Beautiful lyrics clubbed with an apt musical blend lift this song to the voice of Asha Bhosle. I appreciate her for having taken this song, and making this a complete album!

In all, this is a complete album, with a perfect mix of singers from north and south – Kannada and otherwise too. Karthik is a revelation in this album. Lyrics are by the director Dwarki Raghava and V Nagendra Prasad.

I give my best rating to this album. I will try and see this movie as well this weekend. Let me see.

Here is a related story that appeared on Rediff today. This movie, as the article states, is based on the true story of some Narayana from coastal Karnataka's life's roller coaster ride.

BTW – Here is a picture taken by me, which has been picked by Rediff to showcase in their monsoon pictures series. Let me know if that was worth it!

The Cherry Blossom!!

Sunday........

Wednesday .............

And...................


Friday .........

Thats SPRING at its best in the Washington D C

The Valley of Flowers - a few visuals

Here are a few snaps from this excitingly beautiful valley. Thanks to my co-traveler Ram for capturing some of these.

A sneak into the valley. Nanda Devi peak in the background

A view from inside the valley, The peak covered with clouds.

River Pushpavati beginning its envious journey.

A lush green clad mountain, from within.

A pathway leading to the paradise, inside the valley of Flowers

A sample of flora grown specifically in this valley

Oher few varieties of flowers carpetting the valley

This breathtaking valley inspires one to make love with peace and simplicity. Hope you enjoyed the journey all along.

The Valley of Flowers - Facts

Some tidbits -
Place - "The Valley of Flowers"
Located in - The Byundar valley of Uttarakhand state of India
Good time to visit - Right from mid-August to October - as variety of flowers bud post monsoon.
Commuting there - One has to trek to undertake this expedition, no other means is there at all!
Food - No food or accomodation available in this land of God, as this is a part of the protected Nanda Devi National Park.

FAQs:
Where exactly is this place?
Inside the Nanda Devi Natioanl Park, nestled high in the West Himalayan range. This is geographically located in the Uttarakhand state of India;
At exactly 276 KMs from the pilgrimage haunt Rishikesh, and is located in the Chamoli district of Gharval region of the state.

So, How do we get to feel the air of here?
1. Reach Haridwar/Rishikesh by train Or Dehradun by flight

2. Take a bus to Joshimath, a 10 hour drive from Haridwar.

3. Stay overnight there. It is a good town and comfortable accomodation and food options are available here.

4. Start early morning to Govindghat - enroute Badrinath Dham. It takes about an hour to reach Govindghat from Joshimath. Govindghat is the closest to the Valley one can reach by road.
5. Start trekking to Govind Dham/Ghangriya, which is at a 13Kms distance from Govindghat.
- A very strenuous trek, which is uphill mostly, would take anywhere between 6 hrs to 9 hrs - depending on the individual strength and capabilities.
- No night trek possible since the forest region this, is a leopard ground!
- Food/refreshments - are available throught the trek route.
- Human traffic can be expected - mostly the Sikh pilgrims doing the Hemkunt Sahib visit.
- Alternatively, ponies or dolkis are available for those who can not walk.

6. Stay at Govind Dham/Ghangriya - hotels are available that provide comfortable accomodation, sometimes food too.
- A Gurudwara gives good food and accomodation to all the pilgrims, free of cost.
- Everything is costly in this part of the world, because of the accessibility issues.
- Electricity is available for only 2 hours a day, for an hour early in the morning and another hour soon after the night fall.
- Telephone networks are a strict no-no, and a few satellite phones available operate on the ration basis, and at a hefty charge. No other option at all!

7. Next morning, leisurely start walking towards "The Valley of Flowers" -
- A leisure trek of 3 KMs amidst a wonderful landscape along the bank of river Pushpavati would land you at the gates of the Valley of Flowers
- The Valley of Flowers is spread over a huge area of 87.5kms.
- Altitude of this valley is roughly 4000 meters above the sea level.
- A well-maintained natural park is this. A decent road way made of stones is laid along the walking path.
- There are huge boulders at regular intervals for one to take a break from walking.
- To experience the paradise - one has to walk at least 4.5KMs inside the valley.
- There are quiet a few water bodies that crosses ones' path, for people to fill their water bottles.
- The whole environment is mostly clean, and there are dust bins provided at some places for the litter dump.
- Unlike the Ghangriya, the Valley is less crowded.
- There is no way a porter or a pony is allowed to carry you inside the park, it is just for the trekkers alone.
- Some venomous shrubs are also existing in the valley, so, the visitors are adviced not to go near the plants nor to pluck the flowers from here.
- Flowers here - There are about 80 different varieties of flowers that enrich the visitors' experience.
- Note: For people from Bangalore/ South India, these flowers might not appall as extravagant, as it might sound at the thought of the Valley of Flowers.
(I mean we get much more colorful and pleasing variety of flowers here. But when you see those wild flowers, spread as carpet - thats something special, and a unique feature of this National Park).
- Pack your lunch form Govinddham/Ghangriya itself, and have it leisurely inside the valley.
- Do not forget to carry back the plastic and other unorganic waste.

8. Walk back to the hotels at Ghangriya well before the sunset. Yes, Sun sets pretty fast here - by 5 PM. So, be home quick.
- Take a good rest - there would be no disturbance here except that of the hooters and the pony rackets.
- No mobile phones can be a blessing in such places!

9. It is best adviced that you continue to trek next day to the Hemkunt Saheb Gurudwara.
- At Hemkunt, which can be reached after a tougher trek of 6kms from Ghangriya, there is a modern building having the Gurudwara shrine where Sikhs worship the Guru Grantha Sahib.
- It is also believed that Lord Lakshman, Lord Sri Ram's younger brother, meditated at this spot when he was Vasuki, in his prior life. There is a temple dedicated to Lakshman besides the Gurudwara.
- Main attraction of this place is the lake named Hemkunt popularly or Lakshman Ganga historically.
- Nonetheless, it is revered by both Hindus and Sikhs.
- A dip in the chilling waters of this lake is said to cure all the illnesses, and wash away the sins of 100 lives of a person.
- Temperature here would mostly be around 09 degrees at 10AM on a given summer day. And it would go down to sub zero any point in time. So, no one is allowed to stay here after 2PM.
- Yummy Kichdis - both sweet and spicy variants are provided as prasad to all the pilgrims on behalf of the Gurdwara. A hot tea follows up the kichdi treat as well. One will feel stunningly fresh after this refreshment.
- The seven hills surrounding the lake gives a mystic appearance to the environment. The priest at Lakshman temple puts them as saptha rishis (Seven original eternal monks)
- This whole area closes every winter, after Deepavali. Opens only after April in the next year.
- This is due to the heavy snow fall in the region during winters.

10. If you start from Ghangriya uphill to Hemkunt at 4:30 AM, you would complete the 6kms trek by 8:30AM. If you start back by 10:15 AM, after the prayers and brunch, another three hours would take you back to your hotel in Ghanghriya.

11. From Ghangriya, back to Govindghat is again a strenuous trek of 13 kms down hill. Would take 4-5 hours, by when night would have come!
So, It is advisible to stay back for another night at Ghanghriya. Since this is a boring place for you to spend so much time, you can actually try the pony option which would take around 3-3.5hrs to reach down hill. That would give you enough time to reach Badrinath Dham or Joshimath by road.

12. From Govindghat, Badrinath dham takes an hour by road. You can also go back to Joshimath which is again at an hour's distance from here.

In all, it is a total three day hardship, at the least, which gives you an unlimited joy of experiencing the Valley of Flowers.

Wait for the pictures of this wonderful valley.

Caught the Jog falls....... again :-)

Ah! The wonderful Jog Falls!! Even if it is the nth time you are there, the Jog opens up a new dawn, a compltely renewed energy, a dream!!

It signifies an unlimited energy, signifies the best hope for a great tomorrow and a selfless joy!!

I hope you will enjoy this picture, as much I did when taking it!!

Related links:

1. Sharavathi valley

2. Jog from top

3. Mega trek in the Sharavathi Valley

4. Mungaru Male

Mondays' Mirage - 9

Sun, Setting? or Rising?

Have a marvellous week ahead, people! And a wish for super Sankranti to everyone!

Mondays' Mirage - 8

Victory....
A sweet memory

A hard-earned prize!

It is after a herculian effort you get to taste it.

It remains etched as a brave tablet, a memoir.

Similarly, this is an year-end and

A victory symbol for all of us.

That we have crawled past another year, another milestone!

We've learnt from it, as much gained from it.

Good, Bad memories are always there to carry forward.

We need to learn from them and keep

Applying our unique ideas to tackle the situation that

Arise in future.

Only point to remember on 31st Dec is

"I won".

Have a victorious week ahead, and a Grand New Year, friends!

@in pic: My friend Sathish on top of a pillar standing on a hill, posing after a victorious attempt at it

Mondays' Mirage - 7

GO HERE
Monday is here....and a long weekend is in the offing!

Forest calling and Mountains inviting!!

Trek on offer, and a village in sight...

Yes... Weeks in and off...

There is no special time than this for a dreaded trek, walk, hike, ride, cycline, drive, joy, beach, holidaying!!

People.......... plan fast, implement and feel light!

This is the time of the year you've been long waiting for.

HAVE A GO, SOON :-)

Mondays' Mirage - 6

A Sunday!

Time for friends, time to

read, write; play, self expression!

Time to reunite, make merry.

Its a time to dine and wine,

Over moon and rain!

With Sun and water,

It is to swim and scream!

Let the child in you come alive!

Let's have a refreshing week, friends!

@in pic: Children beating off a Sunday afternoon heat by playfully diving and swimming in Mahamaham lake at Kumbhakonam, a town in central Tamilnadu.

Mondays' Mirage - 5

Climbing A Ladder to the Heaven

A ladder to the Heaven,
Was a precarious circus.
A weak lymp climbs up so easy
While a healthy bump makes it lossy!
It was a rust metal, with sloppy steps;
Order there was none, and the slant, eerie!

A ladder to the Heaven,
Was indeed a pleasurable ride;
Who makes it full, takes a pride.
Climb,
Was difficult, but not estranged!

A ladder to the Heaven,
Calls him me and Thou, Alike;
Make no mistake, treatment belike.

A ladder to the Heaven, with its steps
Some slippery, some firm;
Some round, some not bound!

Those steps, step on me whilst-
I plunge half the transit, pruned!
- Srik

Have a step-up week, friend!


@in pic: Me 7 years ago at Talakaveri

Mondays' Mirage - 4

Spirit... The thing that rules the world.
Spirit... Drives motives to action.
Spirit.... transforms a barren land into a green valley.
Lerts pledge to transform ourselves, and take a step towards a spirit filled land!

Have a spirited week folks.

@in pic: Students of Al-Ameen school on the outskirts of Bangalore, planting a sappling on their school's dry and barren land. They pledge to grow the sapling to be a fruiting tree, and eat from the same!

Mondays' Mirage - 3

A Rock, the solidity,
A Rock, the cradle of life!
A Rock, a stagnation,
a timeless movement!

A Rock reflects the human spirits when going strong, reflects human mind that looks ahead.

Guys and gals, have a Solid week ahead!

@in pic: A rock, as seen cradling life on the hills of Parvathamalai.

Mondays' Mirage - 2

A river rushing down with renewed spirit in her quest to reach the sea sooner.
In her effort to reach the Annwn, she goes places and fertiles the land and souls she flows by.

Thanking that huge energy and blessing, lets move ahead in our quest to realise that Utopian dream hidden in us!

Have a blessed week people :)

@in the pic: Cauvery energises herself as and when required to accelerate her journey towards the Bay of Bengal. This is a show of her selfless joy in working for others! As seen at Shivanasamudra during monsoon.

Mondays' Mirage - 1

This is a new series that is on air from today on this backbencher's page.

Come Monday, here would be a post card with a promise of an adventurous week ahead.

A Monday represents a horizon, a dawn.

A Monday brings with it a new Hope, new energy.

A Monday assures a new beginning, kind benevolence!

A Monday opens up an avenue of possibilities, an avenue of opportunities.

Well Always.... there is a tomorrow. And Monday brings that tomorrow to life, to today!

Monday shows a Mirage.... that comes alive on the Backbencher's page, from today.

People, Have a Thunderous week ahead!

@in the pic: A new attempt of recreating life on a gory land of Dhanushkoti. Dhanushkoti represents an end, as well as a new beginning. Lets start the Monday with an iota of captivation and dreams unlimited! Get on to it!

A ride to the Arabian sea

A few postcards from my recent trip to the Karavali(West-coast of India). Log for the same is coming up.....shortly.

To note a few key points of the trip :

1. A total of 965Kms covered on bike, and about 250 Kms covered in a taxi.

2. Meeting three bloggers, who are excitingly nomadic. :)

3. Visiting some of the old and well-maintained temples.

4. Crossing the Kerala border for the first time,

5. Managing with Kannada in Kerala(!)

6. Rushing back to Bangalore to attend to work in the evening.

7. Sneaping thru the lovely ghats, past the sexy curves hugging the majestic evergreen forests.

8. Witnessing the popular Aagumbe sun-set.

Will come back to tell you the complete story.

Oooops.... I dint tell you the main reason for me to take on this ride!! We went there to attend a marriage :)

Happy new year!!

Enjoy the Holidays and have a blast on the new year's day.

This picture is from Pondicherry which I visited recently, log is coming up shortly!

I was stuck

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A traffic Jam