Mangalore in curfew

Rush in a grossary shop during relax of curfew

My blog has been struck here from last few days, since Mangalore is in a serious situation. Curfew has been imposed for 2 days here. Curfew has been a rare condition here in this coastal city. Mangalore, a city which people call has scope for tourism and industrial expansion, now grappling in bundh, curfew and similar situations. Since Navaratri, vegetable and grossary supply has been cut to this from rest of the districts. Suddenly people started fearing this situation. People without having anything to eat at home, depending upon junk food like chips, maggie etc. The second day of curfew, on sunday curfew was relaxed for 2 hours, during which, people rushed out of home to get necessary items like milk, news paper, grossary. Huge queue was found infront of grossary shops, chicken centresm, milk booths and petrol bunks.
Right now we the journalists here spent 3-4 days night without sleep, with for each hour the situation changing, making us to change our reports. will file about the situation and lot more if get time, in the next post.

Daily dose of yoga

I do not know what others have to say about this, but I must say that I’ve been benefited by daily yoga.

May be, many of you would agree with me that guided yoga is sure to be helpful in maintaining body control, and maintaining the body shape.
Studied in a hostel with distinction, i.e siddhavana gurukula in a way has kindled in me interest fort yoga. Some experts taught us practicing yoga there, and after about 5-6 years, now I have understood the importance of yoga.
A daily bike rider on a potholed highway, should have brought some kind of joint pain or back ache to me. But I feel that my adherence to daily exercise has successfully protected me from these ailments.
I do not practice toughest asanas, but a daily blend of simple asanas, suryanamaskar, and a few athletic exercises, keep me in tact whole day.
Padmasana, vajrasana, dhanurasana, bhujangasana, sarvangasana, veerabhadrasana, parvatasana, navasana, ardhanavasana, and a few moderations in these asanas. I don’t follow all these daily, but alternatively. Few push ups, chin ups, sit ups(for keeping belly in control J), are in my daily menu. It won’t take more than 35 minutes in the morning.
I feel fit in body, and feel the peace in my mind.
Exercise, has almost become my part of life and, my duty requires utmost concentration, and filed work too, which I think i could manage easily, only because of my practice.
Very recently after watching Ramdev’s yoga and pranayam feats, I too have brought his pranayam VCD, and trying to follow them.
If any of you have a mind in doing yoga, please get the guidance of a guru, or follow simplest yogasana. I am sure you would benefit by this.

Sad demise of Steve Irwin

The death of a foreigner has really struck me, for the first time. Even though some foreigner's death has caused me concern, it has never touched my heart, but this green eyed person's death has really dampened my eyes.
Whenever i switched on TV, i would just have a look in to either discovery, animal planet or National Discovery.
Those are my all-time favourites, since they cater to my inherent surprise and quest to know about the world. And among these channels, animal planet was grabbing my attention, primarily due to this amazing personality-i.e Steve Irwin.
His ever-smiling face, kiddish acts with animals, entertaining and breathtaking endevours very soon has given Animal Planet a special attraction. His sad demise is sure to be a loss not only to channel, but for those who love nature, and fauna.
For more info about this amazing personality click here

a seascape

This is another piece of work in ms paint, a landscape. hope you would enjoy.

alone under a tree

Hi, for a change iam posting a sketch done in MS Paint in stead of a write up

Rakshabandhan to unite us

From Kashmir to Kerala, kolkata to gujarat, this thread is being tied....Thread still rules.....

What wonders me is the fact that even youngsters who dont know how to respect their elders do remember the day of rakhi and tie rakshabandhan to their brothers, and classmates. yes rakshabandhan has remained in our hearts. and probably for years this would continue to be one of the popular festivals of india.
When my little cousin sister tied a rakhi, suddenly my mind recollected my college days. When i was in PUC, most of the girls came to the boys and statrted tying rakhis and used smile in a mysterious manner(as a preautionary measure later we found!). Anyway during those days for weeks together, each boy's forearm would be enriched with bunch of clolourful rakhis! Some boys were feeling proud while some felt helpless and betrayed:) Even in hostel, each boy used to tie rakhi each other, which in a way expressed our solidarity. A bond that would attach us and make us forgive each others' mistakes easily.
When we came to degree, number of rakhi tying girls decreased comprehensively, but never their love and care.
Rrashtriya swayamsevak sangh has been using saffron coloured rakhi for years, and today companies come out with novel ideas in creating colourful rakhis, to cater to the cross section of youths. Whatever the colours, ultimately the togetherness, and forgiving nature wins the hearts, i believe and hope you all too.

when mother is out!!!

You can call this home alone special edition!

Its sure and is a mother is integral part of anyone, be it a animal or human being...

Mothers most of the time are responsible at least to their children and to their home, and duty-bound. All this eventhough i knew , but it took 26 years to realize. I could never appreciate a mother or take any woman in a home. I knew she is important, but never ever be able to understand how crucial she is maintaining the smooth functioning of an 'Industry' called HOME!

I'll call it an industry, as home creates an environment to each individual in its own way and influences his or personality. A father may look into financial matters of the family, and monitor social status of his family.But it is the mother who acts as chief executive officer and right from kithen to guest room, from garden to family functions, scrutinising her children's studies to examining each family members' health. She coordinates each and everything , i see it amazing, when i am down with fever, i cant even walk, but when my mother is ill, still she gathers her energy not to allow me to work and manage to arrange home.
Funny part of my life:
All these feelings suddenly came in to my mind when i miss my mother, for some reason she is not at home, probably for next few weeks. All of a sudden, i had to kindle gas stove, cook food for myself{so nobody there to critize the outcome:)}, she had directed me what to do and what not, still i stumble at many stages of cuisine. once i kept milk on stove and came out to see whether newspaper has come, when i returned milk had spilled over stove, another time, i prepared dal, which ultimately became a kind of watery flavourless fluid, which i had to push in to stomach without choice and i was interested to master the basic art of cuisine.
Still now i could understand this art about 10 per cent, and i hope when mom returns i should be able to prepare rice and dal for her.
Only these several days taught me a lesson NEVER THINK SHE IS 'NOT SO IMPORTANT', but think mom is ever ever important, she is the leader of home. But this doesnot mean she has to work round the clock, but my idea is 'only mom can be a mom'.

Builders of india....

Skycrapers, multiplexes, and the mighty bridges and dams...

Its their quest for livelihood which makes these building projects a reality. Whatever novelty and creativity might be shown by the architects, its the workers' audaciousness matters in actualising the plans.
Buiding work has been one of the oldest industries in india. In karnataka, there are lakhs of toilers, in fact there is no statistics available for entire state. Trade union leaders say there will be 10 lakhs labourers in the state(This is not official compilation).
In mangalore city, we can see many points, where one can find these sort of migrant labourers, who lack all basic necessities.Generally, MESTRIES(work supervisors) come to these points and pick up them in whatever number he needs. Some times a tempo-full of workers are transported for bulding works, to the sites.
These poor workers, live in untidy tents, evenwhen the rain pours heavily! They bathe there, and openly defecate. People in the trade union opine that, basic ameneties should be provided by the authorities or builders, who employ them. But problem is that, labourers have no permanant work. Most of them in Mangalore are migrated either from northern parts of karnataka or nieghbour state Tamilnadu.
Often they fell prey to diseases like malaria, diarrhea.
Central government has already made an Act in 1996, but it is the state government which actually needs to formulate the rules. According to the central act, builders have to provide healthy shelters, toilets and other basic ameneties.
When buiders spend lakhs of rupees to get license and other permitts in unethical ways, but they deny minimum facilities, abourers deplore. They accuse that, buiders have successfully hindered state government in bringing out regulations. If state govt implements the rules, then builders have to shed one rupee for every cement spent worth 1000 Rs.
Whatever the accusations are, the irony is that when a skycraper is complete the worker would be still inside a tent, worrying about his next destination.

Bangalore musings!

It was 2002 june, when i stepped in to our RAJADHANI Bengaluru, which has fascinated me whenever i used to see its pictures and images on TV.
I was there for about 2 months on my interneship in Doordarshan Kendra, after completion of my P.G in Masscommunications. Those 2 months taught me enough and at the end i was compelled to return from Bangalore due to family commitments.
Sincethen, I have been working in a kannada daily in mangalore. My editor had asked me to undergo 10 days training in legislative assembly and council reporting 3 months before. And last week i had the opportunity to cover sessions again, for one week.
2 months in 2002, 10 days in this february and one week in July....my understanding of Bangalore is growing gradually. Its different from Mangalore in many ways if i take it professionally too.
Bangalore teaches one a lot and one can get good exposure to under many conditions which are helpful in growing oneself. And one can gain knowledge about state's overall affairs. A senior reporter of our news paper told the same to me and asked me to shift over to bangalore.( But my personal problems might not allow me to shift at present, i explained my inconvinience with him.).
He was right in many ways, there is a tendancy in journalism that whatever a district reporter does, goes unidentified in the eyes of many reporters who are located in big cities. But for the sake of reputation and fame, and offcourse professional growth, one has to compromise with personal interests, habbits. The mechanical wheels of urban life in cities like Bangalore curb one in doing any other activities other than his profession. There is a danger of being attatched to urban life, which may act as a filter through which one can't see the struggles of common man in rural areas.
So I felt i could stay back in my place and justify my profession well. Hope there are at least few voices which will support my views, even if i found out to be incorrect:)
Sakat cool maga: One gets up and looks like he attaches wheels to his legs and plunges in to the river called urban life in Bangalore. His looks, actions even his smile becomes almost plastic. I am not going to generalise, but i've seen many of my friends, unable to come out from this urban life circle. Except their profession one can't expect from them anything. They don't want their old friends, they think they can't maintain relations, whenever they get time, they silently keep themselves aloof from others, some go for shopping, and some to thetres.
Even in buses, people look like suffering from unknown personality disorders, and they rather behave strangely, or they don't behave at all! You can see apathetically sitting youngsters with headphones on, tense looking mid age women, pale eyed call centre employees.
I've wondered many times in bangalore, even when a bike rider fells down, or hits to other vehicle, and is crying out of pain, no one bothers, even to look at the sight of accident!
Still life goes on... The picture was same when i visited bangalore in 2002, its same even now...Eventhough life is placid, radio mirchi yells....sakat hot magaaa!!!

Be a bike freak !

Vroooooooom......You might have seen mercurial Yamaha rx 100 bikes accelerating amidst heavy traffic in the cities. Then you might giggle yourself and say mad boys! Certainly there is a kind of attraction in biking!
There are many friends of mine who have bikes, and most of them love their bikes like their soulmates! I have seen many of them embellish and glamorize the bikes.
One of my friend Joymayya has done wonders with his Hero Honda Splendor plus. The 2 mirrors have been removed and a Moto-D race tyre has bettered the look, the steel carrier in the back has been replaced by sturdy looking black matt. Simple car mud flap replaces the original hero honda one, and now Splendor looks entirely different. The earlier elegance replaced by robust look! Mayya does not prefer tank covers, he says it disfigures the look :-)
Even i have been influenced by him and now my Splendor has changed a bit.
My photographer friend R.K.Bhat has suggested me to add some more sponge in to my bike seat, and after following his advice, i feel not only comfortable but also heightened in look! I have seen some persons careless about their bikes, those bikes...God! i really pity about them, sadly look hangdog, often not washed, with mud allover the engine, silnencer, and entire body appear to me completely dull.
Earlier , i too was lazy in washing my Splendor, but after listening to some of my friends, now i got my black splendor painted again, as it turned grey. Now because of my sheer passion, bike is awesome, it gives economical mileage and also steals my heart like a girl friend:-)
So my advice for bikers is that, love your bikes, adorn them, revitilse them, they would be loyal to you, like your loved ones.

Saintly students of siddhavana gurukula

Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands
-ANNE FRANK

If this is true, then it is also true that an institution can make a person shape his destiny. And Siddhavana Gurukula a free hostel near Ujire in Dharmasthala of Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka is known for shaping destiny of thousands of students.
Gurukula is not a mere free hostel, but it is a training camp for those who have firm belief in values, and have commitment towards life.

Gurukula transforms a stubborn kid in to a matured guy who takes life as it comes, and equips him to tackle any sort of obstacles that he faces in journey of life.
The meritorious students, those who complete SSLC or PUC can find oneself a place in Gurukula. The selection procedure and the rules are followed strictly. I was one of those luckiest students who could enter this temple of life education and form my self in to a better human being. Those five years of training in Gurukula have been certainly the turning point in my life and I am sure of many others alike me.
Those who have brilliance in mental and physical attitude but who lack financial backing, can walk in to Gurukula and try in a better way, this temple helps him in providing right kind of environment. Educationist, sportsman, engineer, doctor, police officer, teacher, administrator, politician…. name any field, and there you will find a person who came from Gurukula in this part of the state.
Life starts thus: Here you have to say bye to the luxury of early morning sleep. Long bell rings in the dawn at 5 o’clock and you have to be ready to get in to a huge prayer hall, where we all pray for our day to be bright and cheerful. When you come out of the hall, hot tea waits you, after that you have to either work or read. Hostel inmates are divided in to two groups. When one group is working, another group has to study.
Work usually consists of taking care of cattle, growing vegetable, cleaning the surrounding, gardening etc. Even the dress is simple here. White dhoti and a shaul.
Ganji(rice and rice water) with chutney is served in dining hall exactly at 8 am, and after one must leave to college. In the evening every student must be in side the campus before 6 p.m. Again inmates must attend evening prayer at 6.30 from Monday to Friday. It would bhajan in Saturdays and cultural programme on Sundays.
After the supper at 7.30 students must study till 10.30, again dreaming for the spirited next day.
In total, siddhavana teaches you everything needed in life, makes you a man with comprehensive outlook.
Ambience: The atmosphere of this saintly place is astounding. Greenery around, the old prayer hall building…spacious dining hall…nice garden….beautiful cows….and a coconut garden on a hill…
Its perfect place for those who study, those who need spiritual life.

Rain brings memories

Feels like i'm walking in the rain
I find myself trying to wash away the pain
Cause i need you to give me some shelter
Cause i'm fading away
And baby, i'm walking in the rain
-John Ray

From last four days, rain has started to lash south kanara district, which has not only cooled the earth but also dampened my memories. Every year, its does so. Especially the AATI MALE(rain in June end-July), during the same period, we loved to go out with friends, classmates and play water splashing games.
I came from Kasargod district, in which there is a place called Maniyampare(the name is rightly put since there we find laterite stone spread all over). Maniampare has got so many small ponds or PALLA and it was best water game place for children and offcourse for buffaloes.
It was in the same period, when it was raining cats and dogs, we had to travel considerable distance to reach school. Still we were enjoying our journey to school. After school, home going was still more pleasurable. Mother used to prepare hot coffee and snacks, most of the times tukdi made of jack fruit.
Our garden has so many ponds and small streams, where with my friends, i used to play whole day during holidays.
After getting cold and fever, mother used to care much, make me sleep in bed fully cover with woolen bed sheet and sit by my side. God it was the best feeling in ones life getting care by mother!
Still my mother is with me. She still loves me, but my job makes me out of home most of the time. Now also its raining heavily, i rush to perform my duty. Then when nostalgia rushes to my mind, work becomes easier. This may be the feeling of several.

Bandaje falls enchants

1. You are a hardcore trekker, and want a hard place to conquer.
2. You like to see the evergreen forests, and shola clad mountain peaks of western ghats.
3. You dream to have a cool bath amidst thick forests, where nobody can have a peep:)

Then here the famous Bandaje Falls welcomes you! western ghats provide ample oppotunity to the trekkers for admiring awesome nature and each place in the ghats is different in its feature. So Bandaje too is quite different and a 365 days flowing falls. Eventhough a famous falls, this spot is clean and tidy, and nature is left unharmed, mainly because piknic freaks dont dare to come over here. As the onward journey to the upper part to the falls is pretty tiresome, which expects tremendous energy. So those who love nature are the usual goers to Bandaje falls. If you start from Mangalore, towards Chikmagalore, you have to get down at Somantadka 4 kmts from Ujire. Its 2.5 hours journey from Mangalore to Somantadka by bus. You can hire a jeep at Somantadka and go to Valambra, which is the starting point of trek. In valambra you will find A Gowda house, the owner is Venkatraman Gowda, who usually provides all necessary information and bottlefull of water too. From there you have to a couple of kilometres in hot sun and this journey is tiresome. But once you enter the thick forest area, you dont have the problem from scorching sun. But its the height, which poses all kinds of difficulty for not only to the beginner, but to the experienced trekker too. Usually after tiresome trek of around 5 hours exhausted, you reach grassland which is stark except a few palm trees. In another one hour, you will have a glimpse of the falls, and another half an hour, you will be right near the falls. You can swim in a pond just a few metres above the falls, and can refresh all your tiredness. Bandaje jumps to a valley nearly 200 feets deep. One can trek to the bottom of the falls too, for that that you have to deviate in your journey when you find a water stream below, and follow the stream, which takes you to the bottom.
Our trekking team stayed atop hill listening to the sounds of beckoning hills, roaring falls and chirping birds. The next morning we saw a dramatic sky around, which altogether brought so much joy and spirit.

Dont we need shady trees?

They always have been the targets in the gallop of a country. Be it highways, or pipelines, dams, mining…in all these big projects, we have cut lakhs of trees.

Karnataka state has not lagged behind in this national phenomenon.

Recently we have another dream project, which has already set in, the fourlaning of national highways. The stretch of highway between Suratkal and B.C.Road of Bantwal taluk is being upgraded in to fourlane road. Main purpose of the project is to meet the demand of vehicle traffic and port connectivity.

As expected we had our trees cut in the initial stage of the project. As many as 600 big trees are cut. Using powerful bulldozers, within a few hours IRCON, the agency, which has got the fourlaning contract, cleared the tree cover beside the road.

It is true that we need our roads to be widened, and if required, we have to cut trees. The important thing is our departments forget to replace the tree cover once the project is finished.

So we have been losing out greenery, which is of utmost necessity to human beings to survive.

Digital printers-Threat to screen printing?

Screen printing, which boasts of printing virtually on any kind of surface, is on the verge of being eliminated out of the business in mangalore city.
Around 70 odd screen printers in the city are facing a grave future due to a stiff competition by the ultramodern digital colour printing technology and the entry of mini offset machines in the printing arena.
Earlier, screen printing was an easiest choice among the consumers in printing. Generally those who wanted to print visiting cards, invitation cards, stickers were largly pulled towards screen printing. But the onset of mini offset printers and the latest digital based laser printers, with reduced printing cost is proving to be a doom for screen printers.


Digital popular : The colour laser printers are being installed in every corners of the city, which provide high resolution multi-coloured prints, on glossy papers have grabbed the attention of the customers.
Eventhough these printers came 3-4 years before, its only in the last 2 years, they are spreading their wings in full speed. At least 20-25 colour laser printers are operating in the city. For an A 3 size multicolour print the charge around 30-40 Rs.
People generally get attracted towards this high tech printers since they get prints relatively faster than any other kinds. Another reason behind is the sheer fine quality.

Less Investment : In 1984-85, most of the screen printers started functioning in the city. The prime reason of early, quick expansion of this business was requirement of meagre investment. In as less as 5000 Rs, one could start a screen printing business.
The screen printing technology involves a small screen print instrument, and chemicals and ink. It is as simple as that of an art shop, does not require large machinary. People could walk in to the shop and order for 100, 125 cards. The screen printer would not take more than 5 hours to furnish the demand.
Screen printing enterprise had given employment opportunity for urban and rural youth, that too, women in particular. 'But now our future seems to be fading away, and we fear this business may not last more than 2 years' apprehended Premnath Shenoy, who is running this enterprise in Car Street from last 18 years.
As many as 300 people were in our field before. But unable to meet the stiff competition from the latest printers, mini offset printers, they most of them have moved to other profession, he laments.
Now only those who have a passion for this old type, and a few cashew industries come to screen printing. Cashew industries give bulk sticker orders to the screen printers.
Government industries should give bulk orders of stickers, and other printing orders to screen printers to save us from the closure many screen printers opined.

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First rain of joy off course with a few grave notes!

ts something like your dream….a little bit like a mother pouring water on her young child…You crave for it especially in the areas where it sweats a lot….

The first rain which anyone welcome with utmost joy. Children love getting under the downpour, playing in it, even though their mothers will not allow them to. The elders too, like it especially the redolence, the first rain spreads over.

We in cities in the name of development, pile up enough dirt allover the buildings, the trees if any remaining, which can be cleansed only by the first rain! It cleanses the roads, buildings and scum and sludge layers on the grizzled petty shops and hoardings.

Happiness not for all ! : Like other cities, Mangalore alias Kudla also experienced its first rain on May 4^th which in general brought enough happiness to people, but not so for some specific reasons.

The development drive taken up by some apartment builders in mangalore and the seashore areas of Hosabettu and Chitrapur, causing nightmares to the residents there. A main stream which takes the rain water from the low lying areas of Hosabettu is now filled with soil, for building purpose. The villagers are appealing continuously the district administration for taking necessary steps.

These low-lying areas, which were once paddy fields, and now kept idle. Since the farmers families have hardly any interest in cultivation, they find it better alternative to sell the land to all-powerful apartment builders.

The residents of Hosabettu and chitraputr are also alleging that the Tavarekere a lake which is under government’s hand could fall in to the builders hand. So they have asked DC of dakshina kannada to preserve the lake.

The problem of unscientific land filling is sure to pose grave problems to local administration. The problem is not only seen in Hosabettu, but also in Jeppu, Kottara and several other areas, where loads of soil is being dumped in the way of streams. And there is a possibility of Mangalore becoming Bangalore at least with regard to drainage system concerned, if not in development.

So the first rain has come with a clarion call to administration, to get ready for coming mansoon.

No show off, just you and me! blessings from all!

Hundreds of truly blessing hearts around...rhythmic beat of 'chenda' (drum type of musical instrument) and 'valaga' (another musical instrument)...encouraging words of your close relatives...what else you want when you enter in to a wedlock!
When the dusk set in the sky, 125 pairs et in Dharmasthala a town in South Kanara district of Karnataka.

This has been a regular scene in Shree kshetra Dharmastala since 34 years. The welfare project, which aims at simplifying and applying a kind of brake on costly marriages.

The Dharmastala which is known for its 'anna dana', 'vidya dana' and 'nyaya dana'(three type of charity work daily meals programme, free education and disbursing justice), and the mass marriage ceremony is equally famous among Heggade's other welfare programmes.

Even though the marriage is held under the auspices of Dharmasthala Heggade, The couples are allowed to obey their own religious practices. After that religious head from Kshetra preaches the oath, which stresses that the couple would not indulge in a manner, which will spoil them, or they would not get in to bad practices.

Earlier this, Dr.Veerendra Heggade distributes Mangalya to each of the couple. Under a single roof, more than hundred couple exchange garlands on the eve of Godhooli muhoortam, which is believed to be a very good for marriages.

There will neither be any show offs from unnecessary personalities, nor the exhibitionism from rich class.
The main intention behind arranging mass marriage is to promote simple marriages says Dr.Heggade. In the earlier times, the working class, primarily agricultural labourers had been in pathetic situation, and the young brides and bridegrooms had to face financials problems. Then it was thought that only mass marriage is a way to solve such a problem he says.
Heggade is happy for the issue that many temple trusts and associations are keen on arranging such mass marriage ceremonies.

Pix: R.K.Bhat

May day memories

This graphic shows the never ending fighting spirit of
working force, which still struggling in this country.

WATER... WATER!!!

This graphics depicting the summer water problems, using the wonder design software Photoshop.