Different Hues of My Mind

So much has been said about the condition of roads in India. On a recent visit to Nagarhole (pronounced Naagar-ho-lay), I ran into some of the worst roads that I have ever come across in my life. We drove down from Bangalore in a Wagon R via Mysore & Hunsur. The road till Mysore is absolutely fantastic and the drive is very pleasing and enjoyable. Sadly, the same can't be said about the 30 km stretch of road inside the Nagarhole forest. Nagarhole is a natural forest inhabited by several species of animals, vegetation & fauna. Most common ones are tuskers, tigers, deers, sambars and peacocks. It is also reported that wild animals can be sighted during the drive through the forest. The forest department also offers a safari (in a van) inside the forest where the chances of sightings are higher. I have observed that the roads that belong to the forest department are normally better maintained than other roads. The drive between Mysore and Hunsur was also good, save some patc

Ok... I have to admit, I have nothing to write about, and it's been a long time since I posted anything on my blog. So, now that I'm back in Bangalore.. oops "Bengalooru" after 2 odd years, I was wondering what happened to Bangalore that was 3 years back. The change of name has nothing to do with it, but the use of these names helps us understand the divide that has set in. Since I've been away for a long time, and that I've experienced another city, I think I can analyze and put down some things that have changed in Bengalooru. Bangalore was a nice & clean city with great weather all round the year. Not that there were no shortcomings but that they were far outweighted by the advantages of the city. Bangalore had nice parks & gardens everywhere and had a more relaxed appeal. I'd heard so many comments that Bangalore is a pensioners paradise. Enough about Bangalore, let's speak of Bengalooru. Bangalore was renamed as Bengalooru on Karnataka Raj

On a recent (of numerous) visit to Ooty with Sudhakar (His Highness) - a close friend and Jai - a close cousin, we encountered some unique experiences! We started out from Coimbatore on two bikes, with three people "on-board", there was a vacant seat. Sudhakar (Sudhi), and I were on the Splendor. Sudhi was riding, wearing his trademark "red" jacket, while Jai was on his Libero. Within 5 minutes from Jai's home, we were stopped at a police checkpost for some enquiry. After some explanation the policemen finally let us go. According to Jai, it was the first time in his life that police had caught anybody at that check post! Furthermore, what was more surprising is that, the Police was not as interested in the driving license or other documents, as the purpose of visit. Stumbling! We proceeded agreeing that it was to do with the red jacket and Fast Track shades worn by Sudhi. We asked Sudhi to remove his red jacket and ride to avoid further problems. The rest of

Kalpakkam, a township for the residents of the Nuclear power plant here, is roughly 60 kms south of Chennai. Last weekend we decided to visit one of our relatives in this small town. As we approached this town by bus, I was wonderstruck with the proximity of the town from the sea. The sea itself is a stone’s throw away from the road. The Kalpakkam Township itself is a sprawling area with its own backwaters, beaches and trees that dominate the houses. The entry to Kalpakkam greets visitors with the backwaters first and then the Tsunami Park , aptly named after the Tsunami that wreaked havoc here in December ‘04. Simply said, this place is very charming, calm and makes for a good living. Now a wall (about 10 feet tall) is being built along the beach to protect the township from a future Tsunami! The wall they are building must be some 15-20 feet from the sea line itself. I doubt at the utility of this wall. The massive cost for the wall might not be worth the purpose it is going to serv

Just back from Tirupati, with a bad headache, I still sit glued to my computer, writing this blog about the whole experience of getting a Darshan of Lord Venkateswara. It is astonishing to see and experience a huge deluge of humanity rushing, gasping, and crushing each other to just catch a glimpse of the Lord (lasting no more than 10 seconds). We waited with uncertainty for 6 hours in a crowded & locked room where a big TV was playing Ramayan. The Temple although located on the top of the Hills gets too warm due to the sheer number of people visiting the place. The gates of the "Waiting Room" finally opened, being excited at being let free, we ran with all our might towards the temple. We soon ran into a very long queue of people waiting to get "Laddu" tokens. This queue took us another hour and a half to get to the Deity. Having weathered the hassles of the queue, we looked forward to a Darshan of the Lord. Instead, we were greeted by some burly men & ster