Shimsha falls, Karnataka

                           
Shivanasamudram falls popularly known as Shimsha falls is about 150kms drive from Bangalore and it takes about 4 hours to reach the spot by car.  Shimsha river originates and flows in the state of Karnataka before it joins Kaveri, the life supporting river of both Karnataka and Tamilnadu.

My son Neeraj and his wife suggested that we go on a long drive to see this beauty of the nature and enjoy the serenity.  My younger son Pushkar and his wife Taruna were excited about this trip as they came from Muscat where Water falls stands as a myth!!  We were also joined by Pavithra's parents and brothers who took charge of the entire planning and were instrumental in making the trip memorable.

                                            

once you reach this place, there are about 300 steps that you climb down to reach the spot where the locals thrive taking the tourists very near the falls in a float called "Theppa" or "Parisal" in Tamil.  The water mist that bounces off the rocks and splashes on your faces makes you feel as if you are in heavens!! The summer heat quickly evaporates the water drenched clothes and gives you one of the finest experiences equivalent to that of Niagara falls where you are allowed to go very near the falls by the "Maid of the mist" boats.  The only difference is that Niagara is well developed and Shimsha falls has tremendous scope to develop and attract tourists from all over the world!  The only draw back in this beautiful place is that there are no proper eateries or comfortable places where you can sit and dine?  The Karnataka Tourism Development Corporation must realise this potential centre for tourists and make everything possible to make it an attractive destination showcasing the water falls!

After a small drive and detour, we reached a place called Mudukuthore, near Talakkd which is on the banks of river Kaveri.  Mudukuthore is a quiet, tranquil village.  Mudukuthore also means Turn and move forward which depicts river Kaveri which takes a turn in this part and proceeds ahead!   The ancient Shiva temple stood on top of  Somagiri hill which is about 200 feet high, as a testimony of Hindu religion and provided solace to heart and mind. This is also one of the Panchalinga temples of Talakkad.    From atop the hills, one could see River Kaveri flowing magnanimously and in peace giving life line to all those dwelling on the river banks and near.  Talakkad is a holy place in Karnataka which is also called Shivasthala as it has many Shiva temples, leading them all is the Vaidyanatheshwara  temple!  Adjoining the main deity's sanctum and sanctorum is the temple of Brahmarambha Devi, celestially known as Parvathi. We offered Puja at both the Sannidhis and spent some time listening to the history of the temple as narrated by one of the priests with interest.

We spent quite some time watching the river flow and the calm that was spread all over the place for devotees to meditate and attain oneness with God!  It was already dark by the time we decided to start our journey back to Bangalore.  It was destiny and our fortune that prompted us to visit these interesting places which can be better described as "pleasure and religion" mixed.  We were thankful to God for creating a good sense and to offer worship that will go down in our memories for ever to cherish and be happy about!

Sandhya,Raju,Taruna,Pushkar,Neeraj,Pavithra,Praveen,Renuka, SomaShekar

Borewell tragedies in India

(the borewell into which the 4 year old Mahi fell)
   (the borewell covered with 2 bricks after the incident)
The falling of Mahi, a 5 year old child into the unused Borewell in Manesar, India reflects the apathy on the part of both the Government authority and that of the public collectively.  The entire media attention was drawn to this episode for atleast 3 full days forcing the public to watch the proceedings live and finally drawing a big "Nil". The media in India just blows up the entire issue beyond perception just to hold the Government responsible for the situation and collecting public sympathy by showing images of the child trapped deep inside the Borewell and interviewing the parents and relatives who are ready to kill the persons holding positions in the government.  There should be some kind of gag on the media and regulations about showing the incidents live to create public sympathy for an incident that has happened and  that can not be unwound?  The child's parents in their interview to the media said that they reported the incident immediately as soon as the child fell into the Borewell and that the police came only after about 50 minutes and that too without any tools or preparedness to pull her out alive out of the bore that was dug 80 feet.  There is no disaster management team concept in India and what I hear is that they have started one specially after the Tsunami that hit Asia a few years back leaving memories that still haunt the Asian region?  What intrigues me is that why did not the people around the area cordon off the Borewell site or atleast complain to the authorities about the Borewell that could end as a death- trap for innocent playing children?  The collective social responsibility failed leading to this kind of incident that has ashamed the entire country.
   (the rescue team comprising of Army Personnel)
Unable to cope with the situation, the local police summoned the army to help them out.  The army whose duty is to defend the country is engaged in such matters defeating  the purpose for which they are trained and stationed!  The army came in and took nearly more than 3 days to dig a parallel pit and make a tunnel to the place where the child was stuck without life.  Obviously, the child died without food and water for more than 3 days, stuck deep inside a Borewell where there was lack of Oxygen for her to breathe.  The army should have planned their strategy precisely and retrieved the child within a few hours of their engagement and that would have enhanced their image and respect.  Instead, the army chose a full 3 days excercise drawing the entire focus of the country through the media without any accomplishment.

The State governments in India give scant respect to the rulings and verdicts given by the Supreme court in respect of various matters and one such ruling is a directive from the Apex court to cap the borewells that are not in use so that precious lives could be saved!  No one cares for the judiciary and things happen as they were and sometimes, its all barbaric!

Mahi is dead.  Unless the guilty or the accused are punished, there will be many more Mahis who will die unable to breathe in mother earth's womb and perish.  Who will take the first step forward to arrest these kind of incidents and very surely, it has to be the government who must pass orders to this effect, monitor  and give out punishment to those found guilty.  Indians are thick skinned and they fear only third degree punishments and this has to be done immediately to save and discipline humanity in India!!!
 (Mahi-the innocent child)
May god bless the innocent soul and allow it to rest in peace.

Ferrari ki sawari is all about dreaming high about ambitions and making it realise!  Compliments must be paid to the director Rajesh Mapuskar for giving a clean breathe of fresh air and for giving  a different film with simple star cast and no heroine for glamour part!  A bold attempt by the producer vidhu Vinod Chopra ably assisted by Raju Hirani to churn out one of the best movies of the year!
Sharman Joshi as a patient, encouraging father(father of 3 children in real life) gives his best shot to suit the role of a Parsi Bawa, all out to encourage his only son Kayo achieve his ambition to become a national level cricketeer at a very young age as Sachin Tendulkar did a couple of decades back!  Sharman Joshi blends himself with the Parsi character and  proved his acting skills after having toiled in the Bollywood for the past 15 years!
                                   
The scene where Sharman with his son Kayo on the back seat goes to a cop and confesses having jumped the red light and willing to pay the fine reflects the purity in the heart  of the character that he was playing and a message given out loud to the citizens of the country.  The young boy's role played by Ritvik Sahore is commendable as he was able to enact like a mini Sachin Tendulkar aping Sachin's mannerisms and postures while playing cricket!  The combination of Cricket and Ferrari is the ultimate dream of any youngster and the film maker and the director have capitalised this bonanza to give the best of family drama, sports and comedy mix for the viewers.

Boman Irani as the grand pa of Kayo makes a perfect disgruntled Parsi who is averse to cricket as his good cricket friend plays foul to make him fail in cricket and a career emanating out of it.  The friend who betrayed Boman Irani is now the selector (Paresh Rawal) who justifies his character and lives it?

The film is totally an inspirational film pushing the youngsters to look beyond what they see and set goals to achieve them in life!  Any young kid will draw tremendous inspiration from the film to get set and go??

The director has done well to bring in the Ferrari owned by Sachin Tendulkar without bringing him in any scene but making the story revolving around.  The local corporator and his son make a good duo to set the hall rolling in laughter with their mannerisms and dialogue delivery!  The role donned by Seema Bhargava as the "Juggadu" event manager is commendable and reflects the attitude to bring in the impossible and charge a bomb for the same!  Vidya Balan does an item number which does not suit her stature!  Probably, she must have realised the short span that she is going to live in Bollywood and thought of en cashing her present popularity??

What attracts the most is the way the movie tells about parenting- be it with Kayo and Rustom or the way Kayo's cricket coach handles the young boys emotions and feelings together with Rustom(Sharman Joshi).  Any young kid would love to have a father like Rustom and a coach like the one Kayo is blessed with to live a hearty life!  The relationship between Deboo played by Boman Irani and Rustom and the relationship between Rustom and Kayo reflects a perfect battle of parenting styles and probably a good suggestion to the modern day fathers about bonding with their kids!  The politician father and his glamour struck son adds good humour to the Ferrari ki sawaari.

Your money is realised within  those few minutes of the film when Boman walks in to the room of the selector(Paresh Rawal) and the subsequent exchange of words coupled with excellent skills of acting and emotions displayed by both the veterans!

The last 20 minutes of the film is stretched beyond elasticity and is testing and this could have been avoided making the film more crisp??

The combination of Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Raj kumar Hirani who have given quality pictures earlier have done well not to disappoint the audience?  With no big names to boast and without any female glamour, these guys have done extremely well to give an entertainment that will also inspire many aspiring youngsters and push them towards realising their dreams, one day or the other!!! A movie which you can boldly watch with your children and to inspire them!
                           

The steep increase in petrol price created a panic driven frenzy all over India resulting in wild protests and burning of effigies of political leaders in command of the nation.  The Prime Minister is supposed to be the head of the cabinet and responsible for everything that happens in the country affecting the common man.  We have a strange Prime Minister who claims to be an expert in Economics and who promised a corruption free government within 100 days of coming to power!  Once voted to power these politicians forget whatever they have said to the voters and behave like Kings and treat people like beggars on the roads!  They have no idea as to how much of hate they spread with their wrong governance through faulty and disastrous economic policies.  The international crude price as of today is falling down due to less demand and Europe going into economic recession!  In India, the fuel prices are going up like there is no tomorrow and oil companies claiming huge losses as an excuse!  All these oil firms bring out a balance sheet which reflects profits in millions and more! Then, why this Kolaveri Di??

The Prime Minister of a country should be someone widely respected, dignified and honoured not merely because of his position but also for the knowledge, skills and sincerity with which he steers the country.  I am saddened to see the fate of our Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh whose poster is stamped by numerous people all over the country exhibiting their hatredness and anger by stamping on his face.  Many protesters burnt his effigy along with that of Mrs Sonia Gandhi, a descendant of Gandhi family who were held in high esteem even until a few years back?  The leaders must realise that it is because of their faulty policies and remaining neutral to speak against corruption and nepotism that they find themselves in this position.  Dr Manmohan Singh who is supposed to be an eminent economist finds himself in utter illiterate atmosphere for he does not know what his government is doing or where it is headed to?? Adding fuel to the fire is our Finance minister Mr Pranav Mukherjee who does not want to take any questions from anyone.  He is so forceful  that he wants journalists to only listen to what he says and that's the final word!
If there is any increase in petrol prices and devaluation of Indian Rupee, blame it on Europe going into recession or external factors! No one knows what is that external factor!!!??  The Reserve Bank governor does not know his job and has been saying that Reserve Bank would take necessary steps to control the slide of the rupee but then the rupee has already slid more than 40% in the last one year!!

The politicians at the helm of affairs should put their brain together and think sometimes for the cause of humankind and take considerate actions to mitigate the sufferings of the poor and the middle class and try to restore a respectable image and dignity for themselves so that their posters or pictures are not burnt or stamped in public any more?

Mutiny in the Indian army

The Media reports of Mutiny in the cadres of army somewhere in the region of North East where the officers and the jawans came to exchange of blows and fist fights resulting in jawans taking complete control of the main artillery stores!  The Indian army denies the fact of revolt and underplays the entire incident.  If a careful analysis is done one will find that the army officers and the top ranking generals give unwanted and unnecessary orders to their cadres below  for carrying out works which are not in consonance with the duties related to the army!  Often, many sepoys or the lower ranking soldiers are made to do domestic duties of the officers and their wives who sit back relaxed and enjoy the position that they are in without having to move a bit here and there! I have personally attended some parties hosted by these army officers and many times envied their positions as they are surrounded by a group of jawans who take any orders unrelated to their official work and give their physical best to make the officer happy and the party successful!!

Somewhere within these orderlies must be feeling frustrated and fuming without any ways to make them exit out of their minds!  These young jawans who live all alone in the barracks with many such people like them are always missing their near and dear ones and are not allowed home leave whenever they require.  It solely depends upon the commanding officer to sanction leave as per his whims and fancy and often has a revengeful attitude in sanctioning leave to the jawans.  I know of one incident where a jawan recruited as a barber for the army in the front area in Kashmir was punished by removing one side of his mustache for not shaving the beard of the officer in command with perfection or satisfaction.  The Jawan unable to tolerate this kind of shameful treatment deserted the army and ran away to his native place in South India!  It is not understood if he stood for court-martial at a later date?

It is time that the army officers realise the factual conditions prevailing and stop abusing their powers specially relating to their sub-ordinates and use them for their personal errands.  The officers must show some humane values while dealing with people below their cadre and must act presuming that they are watched by their juniors and sub ordinates at every step!   Further, the army will do well if they go in for the latest state of art defence equipments instead of relying on age old tanks and artillery which are obsolete these days given the fact that the latest weapon that the Americans use is Drone guided missiles which pin points the target anywhere in the universe, attack and destroy the object through laser technologies which are controlled by a couple of people trained in computer technology, sitting in  air conditioned cubicles and following remote orders from their bosses and destroy the target of the enemy with precision and without any sweat on their body!!  This technology will replace the age old custom of accumulating human heads in the border and engaging in firing exchange etc..  The tension is reduced with adaptation to the latest technology!


India will do well if they position well armed Drones across their border and monitor enemy through the GPS technology and protect the border with laser technology guided Drones that will replace the entire arms and ammunition that are carried by the army and placed in combat mode resulting in unnecessary killing of numerous soldiers and destruction to property and family values!!

 It is imperative that India must evolve and apply themselves to the latest discovery in Science and Technology.  If this is implemented, Indian army can avoid such confrontation with their own Jawans and lower cadres as the use of manpower will be minimal which will lead to ultimate peace within the army!!!

JAI HIND!!

some persons you miss in life!

Some call him Ramu and some PNR.  He was P N Ramachandran who worked forSandvik Asia Ltd; in Pune!  For me he was a dear chitappa and more than the relationship, both of us developed a chord of friendship and understanding!  It was in the year 1970 when I was invited to Pune where Ramachandrans stayed.  I was trying to book tickets from Mumbai where I had gone on a vacation.  Suddenly this gentleman, my chitappa(uncle) turned up at my another uncle's house and posed me a question if I was ready to go along with him to Pune as he was leaving within the next 1 hour.  The offer of travel by Taxi from Mumbai to Pune lured me and I readily agreed!  I found him very cordial and warm and spoke in a language and style that comforted me and reach nearer to him.  He enlightened me about the famous Batata-vada, Vada-pav and the famous Maharashtrian Poha that were available on our way to Pune and that we could try that.  As an youngster, my stomach was ever ready to welcome food at any time and more so because of the environment that we were passing through to reach our destination.  It was Kopoli where we halted to have the snacks and a nice hot cup of tea to push the items inside your stomach!  We reached home late in the evening after a journey of nearly 4 hours as it used to be a 2 way lane unlike what is present.

My chitti fondly called as Vijayam had prepared elaborate dinner and made me feel comfortable and at home.  Both my chitti(aunt) and chitappa(uncle) took so much care and made sure of my entertainment during my visit by taking me to Saras Bagh/Pune Cantt/ Parvati and other places of tourist interest.  My chitappa who used to work for Sandvik Asia Ltd, Pune organised a grand dinner in one of the best hotels Pune had during those times known as Hotel  love nest.  I was thrilled to enter a nice hotel which looked like a five star hotel to me at that time!  I enjoyed not only the company of my uncle and aunt but also the food served which was of high quality.

My uncle planned a trip to Mahabaleshwar which was about 70 kms from Pune and that was the first time I ever went to a hill station!  The experience was awesome and still green in my memory.  We went Boating in the lake where the famous song of Sangam featuring Raj Kapoor and Vyjantimala (bol Radha Bol sangam hoga ke nahi) was filmed!  My joy knew no bounds and I felt like a hero myself boating on the lake!! We had a wonderful Gujarati lunch at a hotel and that was the first time I ever had Gujarati food!  We drove down in the Fiat(1962) car which my uncle owned with pride!  To crown my visit and to give me the ultimate enjoyment, my dear uncle booked me an A/c chair car ticket by Deccan Queen to take me back to Mumbai.  He ensured that I carried sufficient money to eat whatever i wanted during my journey to Mumbai.  My uncle gave me the first hand experience in things like travel by a private taxi, eating exotic snacks in Kopoli, dining in a star hotel, driving down in your own car to a hill station, gifts galore and travel back by A/c chair car in deccan Queen!!

Subsequently, we met several times both in Delhi when he came for official purposes and in Pune where I preferred all my vacations and holidays and we carried a unique relationship and bond of affection for each other.  We could catch up any time and talk like friends with a sense of humour and joke!

We attended his Sadabhishekam in Mumbai conducted in 2009 with much gaiety and religious sentiments, attended by hundreds of friends and relatives.  My dear uncle passed away a few months later and I felt sad to have lost a good friend who was so full of happiness always and spread happiness all around with his witty talks and patience to hear people.  Heart of hearts, I always pray for the noble,departed soul to rest in peace and continue to guide his family. 

I T sector in India- a boon or a curse?

The invasion of Information Technology  lifted the economic conditions and living of thousands of people across India.  One could see students scrambling for IT seats in Engineering leaving all other sectors behind.  Jobs were there for asking and big companies like Tatas and Infosys employed thousands of young graduates and made a special glitter for IT industry.
The recent melt down and recession in the U S and Europe forced many companies to close their shutters or downsize the operations which forced many out of their jobs and look for alternate avenues.  The U S based companies were lavish in their pay scales and hospitality and treated their employees royally!  Now, once out of jobs, these youngsters are unable to fit themselves in the Indian environment and find themselves as fish out of water!  The pay scales are low and there is no pampering of the staff with unlimited food and beverages.

My friend was on the look out for a household help and one fine morning the door bell rang!  My friend's wife encountered a smartly dressed lady who enquired if they needed any domestic help? Reacting happily at the offer, my friend's wife asked if she had any experience and who had hired her services earlier?  Pat came the reply, "Infosys"!  My friend joined the conversation and asked the reason for leaving Infosys!  The smart lady responded immediately citing Recession and the melt down trends due to which there was retrenchment of jobs.  My friend asked the salary she was expecting for which she replied she was getting Rs 12000/- in the company and left it to their wise thinking as to what should be her salary?  My friend and his wife were shocked and taken aback and sent her away but kept wondering as to how these IT companies had affected the life of people who were leading a life that could afford hiring a household help until a few years back?
                        
In Chennai, it has become so difficult to get hold of a qualified electrician or a plumber to attend to household works.  I managed to get someone to fix the leaking tap in my house only to find him driving an Auto Rikshaw during the day time!!  I confronted him to clear my doubts if he was the same person who came to my house in the guise of a plumber, he said "Yes" and added further that he is also a painter and could paint my house walls and doors!! I was absolutely shocked to hear this as it would mean that he is a jack of all trades and money was his sole aim!!  This is what is happening in Chennai where it is hard to find any specialists for a particular job!

My relatives came from Delhi and hired an Auto rikshaw who charged a flat Rs 300/-(after bargaining) to commute a distance of about 15 kms in a vehicle that runs on CNG (compressed natural gas)which costs about Rs 27 for a kilogram that can run the vehicle for about 30 kms!! Imagine the kill that these men make in the city with their exorbitant fares!

All these expenses sky rocketed only because of the IT industry where the young tech were willing to pay anything just to realise their wants at that particular time.  One of the occupants of the building who had about 25 IT people working  suddenly decided to shift their operations to Ahmadabad as he could save a few lacs of Rupees every month as the labour came cheaper there!  My inquisitiveness forced him to divulge that he could hire a IT guy for about Rs 6000/- in Ahmadabad in comparison to about Rs 12000/- that was being paid here in Chennai!  Many such industries are closing down and shifting their operations to other states where it is cheaper to hire a labour.  The commercial rentals have come down drastically in the city and lacks lustre.  It is said "if the U S sneezes, the world gets cold"!  Every one here hopes that U S will tide over this recession crisis soon so that Indian Economy also survives and thrives along??