Five years of rambling......

This day..... a few years ago......
A Backbencher thought of rambling sitting in a corner ..............

And......................
After Mumbai was attacked....... after India won a Cricket world cup, after Osama Bin Laden was shot dead...........

After a lot of scams and chaos, after Anna hazare declared his war on corruption...........

After five monsoons, and five summers....... after Obama entered the White House...... and after Benazir Butto was killed..........

After 3 Idiots broke all the India movie records....... and after Avatar changed the way the world watched movies.....

After M F Hussain painfully surrendered the Indian citizenship...... after Sachin scored a double ton in a one day match......... and after Bhimsen Joshi died............

After the Ayodhya land was cut into three pieces by a court.......... and after the Sathya Sai Baba left his mortal body.........

After the Indian flag landed on the Moon........... and after the Chandrayan found water on moon with a NASA equipment.........

After the Oracle gobbled up the Sun Microsystems..... and after the android phones hit the market........... after 2G..... 3G and then the 4G...........

After the stars from Elizabeth Taylor to Rajkumar and Vishnuvardhan left us with a void.....

After Star Plus finally stopped the sobbing serials........

After the Dalai Lama desired to resign from exile politics....... and after the LTTE was routed.......

After the Nepal became a confused democracy....... and after the people uprising in the middle-east........

After Mubarak was ousted.......... and after Saddam Hussein got executed.....

After the IPL was launched........... and after Bangalore got its International Airport..........

After the dish tvs protruded the rural Indian homes....... and after Michael Jackson left Neverland and the world in a shocking way..........

After A R Rahman stood up to the world challenge to win two Academy awards...........

After Lee-Hesh went on a rampage, winning all that they played...... and then parted ways..... and then came back together......... And after the facebook became a way of life......

After the island volcano Eyjafjöll awakened to stand the European airspace to a still...... and after a Royal wedding left the British in a frenzy....

After the cheapest car Tata Nano became a reality............. and After the Tsunami destroyed Japan........

After China topped the Olympic medal table........ and After the Midnight's Children became the booker of Bookers.....

And....

After conquering the mighty Himalayas, the wonderful Sahyadris.... and the challenging Nilgiris.....

After a lot of traveling and a lot of new learning....... and after meeting a lot of new people.........

After riding thru from the East Coast to the West Coast......

After changing my marital status on my facebook account.....

Here I am - declaring that the last five years have been phenomenal, in every way possible!!

Thanks for reading me through :)

The festive furore!!

A walk on the main markets of Bangalore takes you back in time!

A sea of stalls selling flowers of all colours, adjoining stalls selling fruits of multiple variety. Prices shooting up, but the spirit ecstatic!

Some ad-hoc shops, make shift ones as well, selling bangles of different colours and sizes eat up the walk way on those streets, people seldom have complaints about them!

People walk on all the available lanes, bargaining high for a rupee or two to make the shopping contented.

Villagers stocking up banana leaves, banana plant-trunks, mango leaves, garike straws and variety leaves which are specifically used in the festival coming a day-next.

Traffic on those roads - a choc-o-bloc and no body cares, of course!!

And the main attraction of the market would definitely be the illuminated make-shift stalls with lines of colourful Ganesha and Gowri idols. Truly a sight not to be missed, and a feel not to be unfelt!

Thats a traditional Indian festival-eve, for you!

Yes, you are experiencing the great Indian festive furore! The middle class of this country comes alive in all those traditional market lanes on such days. Great sights and great preperations.

Wishes for a great Gowri-Ganesha festive season.

Anthoo Inthooo....

Hallakke bidda.........

Yaaru??

...............

.......................

..........................

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

The Cherry Blossom!!

Sunday........

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

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


Friday .........

Thats SPRING at its best in the Washington D C

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.

A piece of a Heaven - I thought

Just Imagine...

I am walking to the edge of a valley.
On the Left side I see a huge mountain
Which I can't even try thinking of exploring
Because of its magnitude in size
And green carpet like appearance.

High raised cliffs peaking out of
Beds of the clouds made a panormic disguise!

Down at my instant right is a steep valley
Of brittle sand and a shrubby little vegetation.

Down there flows a crystal clear canal of water
That runs in my direction, from heavens up there!
It- making me jealous of its heavenly living.

Beyond the river starts another mountain,
Green on the surface, Red in its strength!
Blue at its top, white in the middle!

From the mountain top on my left, I see a
Milk-thread that grew in size as I turn my eyes down!
As I reach this thread, I hear a hurled voice
Of a growing anxiety from there,
A waterfall of such an authentic style!

Now I move my eyes around the horizon -

I see multiples of such waterfalls from
Every nook and corner of the mountain!
And I see such mountains in huge numbers to my left!!

Similar sights to my right, beyond the river down there...
Hundreds of mountain peaks, arranged in an interesting manenr,
Each peak hosting a few waterfalls in them!!

All these waterfalls culminated in
The river down at the centre.

Both sides of me - all the mountains are
Clad in pure green, with no space left on the plains!

These were plants bearing flowers!
Flowers of all colours - red, white, blue!
Orange, cream, pink - et al.

There was not a single tree down there,
But some only up the mountain.
So, the sight was complete with water,
green bed on plains with added colourful grandeur!

The starlit green bed dally dangled
And a fresh aroma hit my nose!
I close my eyes to feel the air in
My nerves - even the last one,

Breathe - Sigh!

I go down the valley at a suitable joint -
I get to touch the waters, feel the chillness!
I cross a small bead of it at some place and go
Acros to the bed of flowers!

A gay feel crosses and ignites my mind.
I joyfully run my eyes on all the sides
Expecting to gulp in the offer of nature -
As much as I can, in that

One single moment!

I stand there destitute - before these structures of God!
I stand surrendered before the almighty
Who was evident in every piece of that vision!

Now -
Right across my eyes, I see the clouds vanishing!
The sky is clearing up!
The veil of clouds opening up -
A huge mountain, With snow covered peak!
Reminiscent of a recent landslide, huge trees fallen,

Ice formed on the canal of water, and a glacier beneath!

Spectacle of my life time,
I bow my head to the Mother Nature!
She suddenly caresses me with another gush of wind!

A piece of a Heaven - I thought.

Am I not dreaming? Am I feeling it - really?
Am I the lonely explorer of this space?
Am I the Only One?
Am I the Chosen One? Or
Am I the Only Blessed One?
Yes, I am - all of these -
And More!!

Don't believe it to be true - ain't you?
Now look at this picture -

Believe it or not - such a place exists on the face of this earth. And I bet that there are hundreds of such extravagant sites for us to cherish.

Alas! The place I have quoted here is unique in its own style, for its floral bed is not manmade, its totally the Almighty's garden - "The Valley of Flowers".

In the heart of the Himalayan might, Under the Nanda Devi Peak, inside the Nanda Devi National Park, as a UNESCO World Heritage site, on the banks of the river Pushpavati, this scene exists!

With its multitude varety of fauna, the valley stands personified to the benevolence of the creator!

This space finds its place in Indian Mythology too -

As the home of Sanjeevini Parvat (Life giving mountain) containing the Sanjeevini herbs that Hanuman carried to Lanka to rescue Lakshman from a debacle in the great war of Ramayan!
Boy! You can readily believe in the theory of Sanjeevini Parvat here!

A must visit for all those who enjoy the raw beauty of nature.

NOTE: Await the details of reaching there.

Navaratri Namaskara

Hi all, Sorry for being away for so long.... and let me not delay any more....


Here are the wishes for a wonderful Vijayadashami to each and everyone.
Let the divine Mother bless everyone of her sons and daughters with Prosperity and Happiness.


Lets celebrate the Vijaya Dashami here, at this Backbencher's corner with a visit to a stunning temple dedicated to the Holy Mother Saraswati.


To be straight, it is not common to worship Mother Saraswati in her original form. She is being worshipped across the nation in many forms like Sharada, Brahmi, Vagdevi and Maha Mayi. But as Saraswati.... there is no one temple that is dedicated to the Saraswati element of Mother.


In every home, every village Saraswati pooja is celebrated during the Navaratris. It was common for us to conduct Saraswati pooja just before our final exams during our school days. Yet, there is no one 'ancient' temple that is purely a dedicated to her! I had just known about one destroyed Saraswati temple at Hampi.


Wait... that was what I knew until I stumbled upon the name Koothanur while planning a trip to the Navagraha temples. Koothanur has an ancient, wonderful, huge temple dedicated to Mother Saraswati. Goddess here attracts thousands of devotees since this is the only known ancient temple of Saraswati. This temple is none less than a discovery for me!


The Idol has an effervescent smiling face asif the kindness has embodied before us. Amrita Kalasha, Chakra in the upper hands, with lower left hand holding a book and the right showing the Abhaya Chinmudra. The right upper hand holds an Akshamala as well, as a mark of alphabets(from A to KSHA). She has compassion filled eyes, with a Jnana Chakshu situated at Ajnachakra. She sits majestically on a lotus in Padmasana adorned with a white silk saree.

Koothanur or Poonthottam is a small, serene, beautiful village on the banks of Arasalar river. The Goddess here is magnetic in nature and is attributed to many a miracles like dumb people gaining their speech, illustriously ordinary person gaining higher levels of knowledge to become a great poet in Tamil, etc... all by the grace of this divine Mother.


Saraswati idol also holds a veena between her lower hands. This denotes the supremacy she behodls over all the arts. Veena is a divine instrument that represents a human body. One who masters the Veena gets nearer to divinity. Saraswati's veena vadana is supposed to be of the highest order, and the resonance to which causes one to attain divine powers. Many musicians have emerged from this village is an illustration that the whole area is filled with Saraswati's magical powers.


Since Saraswati is the Mother of all knowledge, all arts, in this temple people offer the Mother with sevas in different arts. Every evening there would be musical concerts, every day there would be Vedic chants filling the air with a spiritual vibration. The Dramas, bharata natyam etc are performed occasionally too. Navaratri is the time of annual fest here, Vijayadashami being a grand celebration.


The shops outside the temple sells pes, slates, books etc which can be bought to offer at the feet of Mother Saraswati and take back for personal use after the worship here. It is said that on Vijayadashami day alone 100s of children get initiated with their Aksharabhyasa here. Students offer pens, and books here, and worship the Goddess. Later they carry back the pens to be used in their examinations. It enhances their chances in the exams, it is said.


So, friends, let me make it more clear... This is the only known Saraswati temple that has about more than 1000 years of history. Koothanur is a sleepy village that lies on the banks of Arasalar river on the highway connecting Mayilaudurai and Thiruvarur. It lies in Thiruvarur district of Tamilnadu, at about 20 Kms distance from the district headquarters, Thiruvarur. It is at about 25 KMs distance from the famous Shani Sthala, Thirunallar in Pondicherry.


Though not known to many, this temple stands out with its particular set of visitors and devotees. Hats off to the teple management who have preserved the sanctity of this place to this day so that devotees feel the Love of divine Mother and feel blessed.


Come Lets visit such a divine world, and be blessed by Mother Saraswati.

A marriage beyond all the conservativisms and cultural barriers

A christian, native of America, born and brought up there, fell in Love with an Indian girl hailing from a conservative family. He met her at work.

He followed her all the way to India, and was successful in convincing her parents to get her hand in marriage. Only condition of her parents was that the marriage happens in the Indian style!

He went back to USA, got his parents to India, and the marriage preperations were started.

Meanwhile his friends, wellwishers and neighbours got interested in this strange tie of cultures and booked their flights directly to India. All in all 17 families discented in Bangalore for this extravaganza.

The curiosity they all had for the culture of this land finally turned to Love, looking at the affection locals showered on them. They prepared for the wedding as if it is a celebration of this new found affection.

The Hindu bride was busy shopping sarees for not only her, but also to her in laws and their friends. Her to be husband was to be coronated to brahminism officially with the thread ceremony just before the marriage.

All went well, the groom and his party had a definitive plans to attend the marriage with utmost interest and were fully prepared to patiently follow each and every aspect of the Indian marriage.

The bride's family was nervous on the other hand; this was not only a question of the prestige of the family at stake, but also that of the country at stake! They took cautious steps in arranging for everything related to the marriage. They contacted a host of vedic exponents to learn about what sorts of procedures to be followed, what was the plan in place in sacred texts etc. And every thing was set right in time and the marriage was perfectly organised.

Right from the brilliant fusion of Nadaswara orchestra to the vedic chants mesmerised the visitors. The luncheon contained carefully chosen menu prepared by the best in the business. But not sure how much it appaled the visitors, since they came from a differnt fooding culture. Yet, they all praised the quality of food to be the best.

And the wedding contained all the ceremonies that is performed in a usual south indian marriage; the visitors participating in every thing patiently, and smilingly of course.

Now coming to the point... the "moral of the story" is, the Hindu community is changing, and changing to open itself to that dawn which never sets.

What makes me say so:

• A few centuries ago, Indians had never known of any conversions.
• A few decades ago, there was no conversions to Hinduism.
• Once converted away from Hinduism, there was no question of behaving with that person normally, lest taking him back in to its fold.
• Once the conversion to another religion happened, Hindus would not even consider drinking a drip of water from his hands!
• Even if the convert doesn't eat beaf, nor touch the non vegetarian food, he would be considered a taboo from the society.
• The converts were made to feel neither belong to here, nor to there, and end their lives in the confused state of faith, hatred and sagacity.

Such a community waking up to accepting and allowing 'others' to have a feel of its divine practices....is something miraculous. The good thing about the whole stuff here is that it happened in the Brahman community which is the most conservative of all the internal communities in Hinduism!

I totally appreciate the brave initiative by the groom and her family to honour the real essence of the Vedic living, the "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam"!

Could this well be a beginning of a change that was in waiting for a long time to take place or are the people gaining proper senses to live life like its sacred texts, finally?

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!

Twenty Twenty that mesmerised

Three Indian moments that defined the cource of just concluded T20 World cup are as follows.

1. The defining ball of the tournament :

Ball of a lifetime for Joginder Sharma and the catch of a lifetime for Sreeshanth!!

2. Yuvraj Singh's scintillating knock against England :

Yuvraj Singh lambasting Stuart Brad

3. The first ever Bowl Out to put Cricket along side the Soccer :

The Bowl out against Pakistan in the league match

Hats off to the Indian team aptly lead by Dhoni for pulling out a sensational victory to bring home the coveted Cup of glory. Three cheers to the team for a brilliant effort on field.

Festivals and more...

An Indian calendar is full of festive seasons.. Yes, barely two weeks ago we celebrated the birth of Krishna, and now we are all set to welcome the Mother-Son duo Gowri and Ganesha. An amazing happening life we are exposed to here! Let me ponder over all the major festivals that make an appearance on an Indian calendar.

In April, we celebrated Ugadi, the Hindu new year’s day, following which comes Ramanavami, a happy moment of Rama’s arrival on our planet. Ugadi is celebrated as Bihu in some parts, and as something else in Punjab. But the spirit of welcoming the spring is the same.

Ramanavami is followed by Budha Pournami with only a month between them. This marks the auspicious day when Siddartha attained Budha hood!

Between Ramanavami and Budha Pournami there comes a day which displays importance of Love and devotion over monetary richess. It is said that a hungry Krishna was satisfied with only one gram of rice, offered with devotion and love by Droupadi. This day is known as Akshaya Thrithiya.

After this, there is a gap of two months for the observation of a major festival. But in the meanwhile, people observe different worshipping for their favourite deities. For example, Tamilians celebrate a festival called Kavadi as a means of worshipping towards their favourite Muruga, the snake God, son of Shiva and Parvathi, the celestial parents of the whole universe. And the worshippers of Goddess Durga wait for Fridays of the month Ashada to offer their prayers. Worshipping God is a daily matter, and on special occasions, it gets better. Other important festival in this season is Onam, celebrated by Malayalis. Also, there is one Guru Pournami, the graduation day for students in the Vedic era.

Somewhere around mid-July there comes a unique festive season called Naga Panchami. This is the day of offering prayers to the snake God. People offer milk to snakes to mark this festival. In certain parts this is preceded by Bhimana Amavasya, day with darkest night in the year. Un married girls offer prayers to Bhimeshwara for a better marital alliance, on this day.

Then comes a Friday when Mahalakshmi, considered as one who allots all wishes of a devotee, is worshipped. She is the consort of Vishnu, the Supreme Being. She is the Goddess of money. And people love her for everything that she brings them.

Nagapanchami is followed by Raksha bandhan, a festival of bondage. Bond I am speaking about here is that of a strong relationship among siblings. Brothers and sisters all get together on this day and spend some quality time remembering the days of their childhood. In Karnataka, this is observed on Nagapanchami itself, as snake is often related to the umbellar cord or the family tree.

Rakshabandhan is followed by Sree Krishna Janmashtami that marks the night when Sree Krishna was born. People put up a cradle right in the middle of their houses and put in it, an idol of infant Krishna with butter in his hands. It is said that little Krishna loved milk, butter and milk products.

Twelve days later comes home the most admired daughter, Gowri. Goddess Durga, mother of universe, is considered as a daughter of the house, being married to Shiva. She makes an annual trip back home. And on this day, whole family gets together and welcomes her with an affectionate warmth that is obvious. Next day comes Ganesha, her son, to take her away to her house. People ask them to stay back for a while and treats them with all that they can afford. Gowri and Ganesha go back happy and with a promise of making a trip back here, next year, same time!

With the dullness of sending off daughter to her husband’s house not vanished yet, people get ready to worship Anantha Padmanabha, one who has no beginning, no end…..and one who is the cause of this universe!

Immediately follows a fortnight when people remember their ancestors, parents, grandparents and ….and worship God to ask for peace for the ancestors in their afterlife. This season culminates on Mahalaya Amavasya. And thus ends half a year.

After satisfying daughter, her family, elders of the family who are in heaven, then comes time for the spiritual growth of one self. Thus arrives Navaratri. This includes a nine-day of continuous spiritual observation, which ends on Vijayadashami, with a declaration of burning of the egoistic “I”. Navaratri is observed with a different fervour in different parts of India. Some worship Goddess Durga, some worship Lord Vishnu, some…some other God… but all converge to one point called spiritual attainment of the self. Bengalis call this as Durga Pooja, and celebrate it with an ecstatic aura.

Exactly 20 days later comes Deepavali. In the heart of the winter, this is celebrated with joy and spirits across the country. This is the day when Rama returned to Ayodhya, completing his victory over the evil called Ravana. This is the day when Vishnu relieved the world of a selfish king called Balindra. This is the day when Krishna relieved the world of a notorious king called Naraka… Basically, this is the day of victory of good over bad, divine over evil, truth over the untruth, light over the darkness. Thus it is celebrated by lighting the house, mind and souls of each person.

10 days from Deepavali comes a day when Tulsi(Ocimum tenuifolium, known as Holy basil) plant is worshipped. Tulsi plant is usually planted in the backyard of each and every Hindu house. Scientifically, Tulsi has a medicinal value that is unmatchable. And, Tulsi is held, installed and worshipped as the Goddess by Indians. This shows the importance given to Health...

Winter gives a break to the festivals. In the meantime, there comes Christmas and the English New Year to fill the people with joy and spirit.

As the winter fades away, then comes the harvesting season across the country. Around Jan15th, the crop is ready to be consumed. This is also an auspicious day when Sun starts his movement towards North. As a mark of respect to Sun God who helped the crops grow, there is an observation of another festival called Makara Sankranti. Again, this is called by different names across this country of diversity. Tamilians call this as Pongal.

In February, there comes a special day of offering prayers to Lord Shiva. This is called Shivaratri. This is the only festival that is celebrated during and thru the night. People are up all night to pray at the feet of Shankara, the one who graces one with only joy.

Following Shivaratri comes a day of burning the deadly shivers of winter and welcome summer. This is known as Holi. Celebration pattern differs in different parts of India as usual, but at the end, spirit of the festival remains same.

Apart from the above, we also celebrate with an emotional aura the national festivals, namely, The Independence Day and The Republic Day.

Amidst all these, there comes a festival season of Universal brotherhood...Ramzan, which is celebrated across the country with as much importance.

Two things that are common among the festivals in India is the divine spiritual obedience before God and the feast that lingers in one’s culinary buds.

Even though there is a different fervour that goes with observing festivals among different cultures of the country, we can observe a similarity in them. Some of the observations I am listing here :
1. Sesame seeds(eLLU) are had as feast in all parts of the country on Makara Sankranti/Pongal. Similarly Neem leaves are consumed on Ugadi.
2. Ganesh and Parvathi are always sent off, i.e. Gowri is considered as a daughter in all parts of the country. (ex. Durga idols are immersed in water after Durga pooja in Bengal)
3. The fortnight before Navaratri is reserved for the remembrance of the departed souls in the family.
4. Navaratri marks the beginning of the second half of the year.
5. Deepavali is observed by consuming more sweets(reason being the winter, probably!)
6. Everywhere there is a special day reserved for worshipping the snakes.
7. Heavy oily stuffs are consumed during Ganesh festive season, may be because of the small break between the rains.

Thinking about these, I am always amazed at the level of understanding of nature that is required in formulating a system like this. We can see that every festival is thought of as a step up for the spiritual growth of the mankind, and most importantly, each is placed at an appropriate time of the year.

And to add to this note, each festival is linked with a particular dish that helps the body get control over the climatic changes of the season.

Note : I might have missed to mention about some of the festive seasons in this note. Please enlighten me about them. I take this opportunity to wish you a great Gowri-Ganesha festive season. Check out the details of festivities at your nearest Ganesha pendal and feel blessed.

Related links :
1. Trip to Kurudumale Ganesha temple
2. Krishna Janmashtami
3. Real essence of India
4. Festival of lights
5. Rakshabandhan
6. Guru Pournami
7. Independence day
8. Akshaya Thrithiya

Sree Krishna Janmashtami today

Wishing you a happy Sri Krishna Janmashtami

Krishna is India's peerless avatar(incarnation). He was born in a prison and died in solitude in a forest. He gave the world the Bhagavad- Gita. He is the architect of Dharma and lives forever in the hearts of the people of India and the whole world.

From Book X

Learn from me, Son of Kunti! also this,
How one, attaining perfect peace, attains
Brahm, the supreme, the highest height of all!
Devoted-with a heart grown pure, restrained
In lordly self-control, foregoing wiles
Of song and senses, freed from love and hate,

Dwelling 'mid solitudes, in diet spare,
With body, speech, and will tamed to obey,
Ever to holy meditation vowed,
From passions liberate, quit of the Self,
Of arrogance, impatience, anger, pride;
Freed from surroundings, quiet, lacking nought

Such an one grows to oneness with the Brahm;
Such an one, growing one with Brahm, serene,
Sorrows no more, desires no more; his soul,
Equally loving all that lives, loves well Me,
Who have made them, and attains to Me.
By this same love and worship doth he know

Me as I am, how high and wonderful,
And knowing, straightway enters into Me.
And whatsoever deeds he doeth-fixed
In Me, as in his refuge - he hath won
For ever and for ever by My grace Th' Eternal Rest!So win thou! In thy thoughts

Do all thou dost for Me! Renounce for Me!
Sacrifice heart and mind and will to Me!
Live in the faith of Me!
In faith of Me All dangers thou shalt vanquish, by My grace,
But, trusting to thyself and heeding not,
Thou can'st but perish!

If this day thou say'st
Relying on thyself, "I will not fight!"
Vain will the purpose prove! thy qualities
Would spur thee to the war.
What thou dost shun,
Misled by fair illusions, thou wouldst seek

Against thy will, when the task comes to thee
Waking the promptings in thy nature set.
There lives a Master in the hearts of men
Maketh their deeds, by subtle pulling-strings,
Dance to what tune He will.
With all thy soul Trust Him, and take

Him for thy succor, Prince! So-only so,
Arjuna!-shall thou gain
By grace of Him-the uttermost repose,
The Eternal Place!

- From: The Bhagavad Gita (translated by E.Arnold)

Hundred

When on Ninety-nine, one doesn’t feel all that good. I know, and have that experience. For that 'One' run makes all that difference. Hundred is a relief, and a great feeling.

Frustrating Ninety-nine usually fools people off. Some batsmen get out meekly at this score. Some old people die at Ninety-nine.

For people who cross 100, they care little for further things, either hit or get hurt. The world starts from one for them, then.

And from today, I will be in that league too. I will start afresh, with a feeling of getting past a milestone, with loads of experience and good amount of learning.

Nope...I'm not turning 100 yet, but the backbencher's page is getting to be 100 posts older now...

Well.. I complete a HUNDRED with a beautiful poem written by my friend. A poem that speaks out my heart felt feeling, that is straight from heart for that special person..for that special ingenuity!!

This poem was published in a Hindi magazine some time ago. I am glad that this is making its presence on backbencher's page also!

Rakesh... Thanks buddy!
- Srik.

" मै क्यो लिखू ? "

क्या __
जरूरी है, लिखना तुम्है समझाने को
इतने नादान भी नही तुम कि
बुझ ना सको मेरे पैमाने को ।

क्या __
माँ ममत्व लिखकर दर्शाती है,
नही _ वो तो कलापों से ममत्व झलकाती है ।

क्या __
भंवरा लिखता है अपने अफसाने को,
नही _ वो तो केवल गुनगुनाता है प्रॆम दर्शाने को।

क्या __
पतंगा लिखता है अपना प्रॆम किसी परवाने को,
नही _ वो तो सहर्ष जल जाता है अपना प्रॆम दर्शाने को।

तो मै क्यो
लिखूँ तुम्हें बतलाने को
तुम भी तो इतने नादान नही कि
बुझ ना सको मेरे पैमाने को ।

Anniversary

I don’t generally understand the concept of celebrating one’s anniversary. Birth day, marriage day, Union day etc…

One thing behind it might be to go thru the major events that happened during the cource of the year gone past and learn from them… lessons.

If that exactly is the intension, why do people celebrate it? For another round across the Sun? Or just to remember the plights of them then?

Whatever the reason behind it, I feel, it’s the time to recollect the events, thank the people those helped us achieve whatever we did, if any, learn from facts and get on in lives. Basically, it is one day when one can say, “it belongs to me”!!

And, folks, today belongs to me!!

Yes, today is my first anniversary in the blogoworld. It seems it began yesterday….and….I am an year old already.

Welllll wellll…. A year is not a very big time if we consider the universe as a whole, but a human being…with a small life span, an year is a big thing…

Achievements : I have made a lot of good friends. Some friends whom I have met, some friends whom I have not yet met…. Some of them are elder to me… some younger… and some of my age..

Flashback : It all started with me reading and commenting on Sanjay’s Muktha blog. His random rambling went on to become a club of people’s discussion forum about Muktha the serial…and most of the times everything else… We had good debates, mind blowing factual learning, superb acquaintance with some regulars… And then there was one man who’s articles I was an avid reader of, Srivatsa Joshi on thatskannada portal. Then I decided to write a few lines on my village, at an apt time of Ramanavami. That post was published on thatskannada portal and got some good reviews too…

In a few days, I visited Hampi… and my emotional account of my visit came out in the form of an article that was intended to be sent to my friends. Then having seen Sanjay and Shruthi write articles, I thought of publishing it myself, thru my own blog.

Thus it started….. a jouney…I wish it goes on as long as I do....

There were times when I cribbed against some Govt. policies… or times when I took sides with one community… or times when I wrote somethings politically… or times when I wrote some things poetically….There were times when I ranted on some issue….there were times when I tested people’s patience by putting up lot many stories on the same subject…And were times when people were made wait to read a part of some story that was started in parts.

In all those times, all of the following people have stayed with me…commented and encouraged me to post the next one… I must Thank all of them(you) for this un-precedented support.

Shruthi, Harsha, Praneshachar, Usha, Anu, mouna, December Stud, Savita, Ashwini, vicky, usha, Gautham, K.Pal, Maddy, Sanjay M, SHEELA, Rakesh, Prashanth M, Raaji, Mohan, Chaitanya, Samudyuta, Vijay, bellur ramakrishna, reborn, Bhargav, AJEYA RAO, Sharu, child, Balaji, Gini, Prasanna L.M, opinionated indian, Pegasus, s.b., shark, Veena Shivanna. DutchDerk, Prashanth M, Mahesh, Deepshikha, tpraja, Shiv, sprash, Vani, ರಾಜೇಶ್ ನಾಯ್ಕ, VENU VINOD, Sundar, neela, Diya, ANAND BALAJI, Tttozz, astroshiva, bachodi, Mysorean,

Sometimes I used to feel it’s a huge responsibility to carry forward a blog over the time….An year has passed and it has progressed along with me… I have taken pleasure in presenting my stories to my readers(I rather call them friends), scribbling some things that I like to see… ending up writing nostalgic accounts of my childhood…and what not….

Now I realise…Its not a responsibility, its all about one’s priority and understanding. One need to love being a reder for being able to present various information in the most apalling way as a writer.

But one question remains….Why do you write? So as people read and Recognise you? Or people get to think for a moment in your point of view?

I feel the second answer is nearer to my interpretation of writing. Blog is a space where one can make his argument heard and felt, I think.

A recap of the year that was :

Un categorised article : SHE

Ramblings : Superstition, Iqbal Part II,

Scribbles : Aa yaa India…!, Good Bye and Thanks for all the ad campaigns!!, Reservation series, Kannada in Bangalore, Mercy upon one kills the nation as a whole!!,

Stories : Malgudi Days, Living Perplexed with a news, An unforgettable accident, Electing a chief minister

Maga series : Meghane Trek log, Licence to Kill series,

Visits : A small walk into the past...., Ramakrishna Kendra, Kuditini, Bellari, YaladUrina rAmOtsava, Kurudumale, Oh! It was a thriller!!!!!!, A blissful dread, Children for equality, Remembering Independence, A stranger that was not, Meghane,

Light ones : Juduciary, When I met a friend, Superstitious practices

Movie review : Mungaru MaLe

Apart from the above, there were celebration, tribute and gyaan sessions on this forgettable corner of a backbencher….

Thanks for all the wishes and blessings.

Akshaya Thrithiya

Today is "Akshaya Thrithiya", one of the most auspicious days on a Hindu calendar.

Legend says that if you invest one Rupee on this day, it grows to be an infinite billion.
Not only Rupees, any investment for that matter, will grow innumerable times.

One fine morning, during their forest stint, in Mahabharata, Pandavas performed their morning worships and later they had their lunch, prepared by their wife, Draupadi.
Soon after their lunch, there came a delegation of roaming saint (Rishi) Durvasa, consisting himself. And it were times when a visitor was considered to be as a God and if the visitor was a saint, then he must be satisfied before leaving the visited place...or else...wrath of him might ruin the family...Durvasa was known to be an angry saint.

Draupadi checked her kitchen, there was no stock in her stores, neither the rice she cooked that day had any remains...She was worried about her future. Already suffering a wrath of Gods in the forest, she had no choice but to pray at Lord Krishna.

Once she finished her prayers, she was mesmerised to find Krishna himself at her door. He asks Draupadi to serve him his lunch. Draupadi concedes in him her troubles.

Krishna says, “if you give me one grain from your hands, its enough for me.” Draupadi checks her utensil, finds a single grain and serves it to Krishna with a Tulasi (the Basil Plant) leaf.

He grins with satisfaction of a huge lunch. Exactly then, whole gang of Durvasa comes home from a bath at the river, and declares that none of them felt like having lunch. They were all satisfied with what Draupadi offered Krishna, one grain of rice!!

And then Draupadi was blessed by Krishna with a utensil that would cook itself food enough for any number of people, whenever asked for. That is called "Akshaya Paathre"(Utensil that can meet no end).

And the day of this display of devotion by Draupadi is called "Akshaya Thrithiya", third day after the first month in spring (Vaishakha Shuddha Thrithiya).

Today, this day is widely celebrated across India as a gold buying festival...and innumerable offers to lure the customers are available in all the jewellery malls...

The Real essence of India.

A Traditional Indian festive evening. Real essence of India.

India has a very mystic presence in the eyes of a foreigner. But being Indian is a different feeling. Every day is a festival for people of this country. Every day is a celebration, every day an interaction with the divinity.

This video is a small introduction of how any celebration gets better with time. Here we have this Theru(A vehicle that carries God) all illuminated and loads of people pulling the chains to move the same. Dont forget to listen to the divine voice of Nadaswara(a south Indian musical instrument that is considered to be auspicious). A wonderful feeling to be a part of it all. Its here we meet many of our forgotten friends, and cherish the moment in the company of the Lord.

Come friends, lets go to one such place and enjoy being a part of it. :)

The place shown in the video above is Yeldur, the place where I was brought up.

Maryada Purushottam Sri Raam ki Jai

Salutations to Lord Sri Rama on the auspecious day of Sri Ramanavami.

You can have a live experience of Ramanavami celebrations here!!

Ramanavami celebrations are on with full gusto across the country.

And here is my account of how it is being celebrated in my village YELDUR. It was published on thatskannada portal last year.

Synonym to knowledge, religion, sacrifice, courage and patriotism...Lets remember the great soul!!

I cannot write about Vivekananda without going into raptures. Few indeed could comprehend or fathom him even among those who had the privilege of becoming intimate with him. His personality was rich, profound and complex... Reckless in his sacrifice, unceasing in his activity, boundless in his love, profound and versatile in his wisdom, exuberant in his emotions, merciless in his attacks but yet simple as a child, he was a rare personality in this world of ours... Subhash Chandra Bose

He was that great a man. An inspiration to billions throught the world, even after a century of demise. This fact itself speaks volumes about him.

Lets remember him on the day of his birth anniversary.

Incedentally this day is being celebrated by the Indian Govt as National Youth Day. And rightly so. He has been an inspiration and a great motivating factor for country's youth for the last century and will remain so for many centuries to come.

Following is an absorbing account about this great Patriotic saint India has found in the modern times.


For those who can not read Kannada, here I'm typing it in English.

Vivekananda..
Whole world is still not able to figure out this personality. Even today he is a mystery.
He wandered across the world like an emeror, conquered hearts and minds of people all thru the globe, commended respect from even the powerful.
He attained all the knowledge available. There was nothing in the world that was not reachable to him.
Eastern, western philosophies, musics, scientific invensions, vedic mannerisms, complete proficiency in Sanskrit, English, Latin, French languages and literature,
thoughts from Ravivarma, Spencer, Hegel, pre-inscriptions about the contemporary invensions....what not!!

He was all these when he was a student. Professors amazed "We don't get to see such brilliant pupil even in German Universities."

Porabandar's Deewan Panduranga Swamiji, a scholar who was translating Atharvana veda in to English exclaimed "A 30 minutes disucssion with you is like reading 10 books at once."

He was denied permission to take part in the world religion conference. At that moment he was traveling to Boston from Chicago in search of a support. Some Miss Catherine asked him to stay with her family for some time and enlighten them with his knowledge. For one of the discourses, she invited her neighbour, a Harward professor, Henrilite. Impressed with the abode of supreme knowledge in front of him, he asked Swamiji why didn't he attend the Conference of world religions. For which Swamiji replied by saying that he didnt have a reference.
He was surprised and said "You dont need a reference Swamiji!! If they ask you for reference, its as stupid as asking Sun why does he shone." Professor also wrote a reference note to the organisers which had these words "Here is a monk from India who is more learned than all American professors put together." Rest is history.

Gandhi, Nehru, Netaji, Rajaji, Radhakrishnan, Jemshedji Tata...everyone got their inspiration from this great soul. They also followed his righteous path.
Unfortunately post-independence, we are looking at American, English and Russian professors for guidance.

As Professor Henrilite said, Sun alone is comparable to Swamiji. Swamiji with his positive thoughts, just like Sun, is an ocean of energy.
- Swami Nirbhayananda Saraswati.


Beware of everything that is untrue. Stick to truth and we shall succeed.
Fifty centuries are looking on you, the future of India depends on you. Work on.."
- Swami Vivekananda

Suvarna Sambhrama in Suvarna Karnataka

Here are a few wonderful postcards from Karnataka. Most of the pictures are taken from my hands.

I am really glad to announce that This is my 50th post. A mile-stone achieved!!
Its more heartening to see it coming on the 50th anniversary of formation of Karnataka.
"Suvarna Sambhrama on Suvarna Kannada Rajyotsava in Suvarna Karnataka"!
What a clever co-incidence!!

"EE PATRAVANNU ODUTTIRUVA YELLARIGOO SUVARNA KANNADA RAJYOTSAVADA SHUBHASHAYAGALU".

Festival of lights..

Deepawali is a festival of spirit...
Deepavali is a festival of joy.....
Deepavali is a festival of songs.....
Deepavali is a festival of virtues.....
Deepavali is a festival of celebration.....
Deepavali is a festival of humbleness.....
Deepavali is a festival of re-union.....
Deepavali is a festival of thanksgiving.....
Deepavali is a festival for worshipping.....
Deepavali is a festival for friends.....
Deepavali is a festival for forgetting everything else in the world.....
Deepavali is a festival of LIGHTS.....

Here are two kinds of beautiful thoughts for the festival of lights :


1. Lead Kindly Light

**********************************
2. Allow Your Own Inner Light to Guide You

There comes a time when you must stand alone.

You must feel confident enough within yourself to follow your own dreams.

You must be willing to make sacrifices.

You must be capable of changing and rearranging your priorities so that your final goal can be achieved.

Sometimes, familiarity and comfort need to be challenged.

There are times when you must take a few extra chances and create your own realities.

Be strong enough to at least try to make your life better.

Be confident enough that you won't settle for a compromise just to get by.

Appreciate yourself by allowing yourself the opportunities to grow, develop, and find your true sense of purpose in this life.

Don't stand in someone else's shadow when it's your sunlight that should lead the way.
**********************

These good thoughts for the festival of lights was sent by one of my friends through mail.


Wish everyone a grand, prosperous and happy Deepawali.