Gods must be crazy - an Madumalai Odyssey

A movie that is strongly recommend every one to watch is “The Bucket List” – Jack Nicolson & Morgan Freeman. You might be wondering that is the relation between the title of this post and the movie… well the planning for this trip started after watching the movie…
All of us have been so tied up with our day to day work that we don’t sit back for a moment and think about our future… next steps or some where in space while we are fighting hard to meet our deadlines we forgot what it is to be free and what it feel like to dream… J

So we Rags, Nags & myself decided to take off some where for a weekend … a place where only thing you can hear is your thought, no cell phones, no laptops, no TV , just plain nature & wilderness. When we started to scout for a place, Madumalai was just right for this Adventure of self discovery.
The distance from Bangalore to Madumalai is approximately 6 hours by road, so we leave Bangalore on a Friday, Nags & Rags leave in the morning, and I was suppose to join them the same night. Mid way nags decides to return back to Bangalore and join me for a meeting in the evening. We finish our meeting & leave Bangalore at 9:30 pm that’s right at night thanks to sweet long hours at work, in Nags faithful Alto.
We had coved a good distance on the new Mysore road which is truly amazing and lady luck decides to have some fun with us at 12:00 in the night, that’s right we have a flat… well we change the tires and we hit the road… now just as we across Mysore and take the diversion to Madumali via bandipur be warned the road is not exactly what you call motorable and nags being nags did not want to venture into this part of the Bandipur with out a spare. He was being very considerate to the animals, he did not want to scare them with his scraffle look J .
Luckily we found a place to get our tire fixed & we hit the road after an hour… After many turns & back tracking our way we finally reach Madumalai forest check post. Nags had arranged our stay at the forest guest house, but what I did not expect is the local SI (sub inspector of police) waiting for us … no before you think other wise, we were Sarkari Guest for the weekend… a very nice gentle man Mr. Ramesh , welcomes us and shows us the way to the guest house.
It was around 3:30 by the time we reached it was pitch dark around the guest house to actually realize where we were. We hit the bed and get in a slumber sleep… unaware as to what was happening around us…
It was decided that we will not get up till late in the morning … the first sight when we saw when we stepped out of our guest house can only be described in one word “Heaven” we were surrounded by greenery trees tall trees on one side and as far as you can see you see the beautiful Nilgiris range and the only sound you could hear were that of the birds… It was wonderful to just sit in isolated corners.

After lunch we decided to just drive around find a nice water fall and talk and retrospect… well we found the right place… calm peaceful… well it was just too peaceful that we found a nice grassy place to lie down… and Zzzz Sleep…

I don’t know how long we slept… we hear some sound of leaves we looked up only to see some wild buffalos grazing near by and jumping into the cool water to cool them off… no u silly this is not the one,

the one below… and we went back to snooze but we all jumped out off our skin the minute we heard a sharp elephant shriek… well it sounded as if it not to far from the place we were… no questions asked we jumped grabbed our bags and ran.. Ran like there is no tomorrow… later we realized that we had ventured into the elephant territory. On our way back we passed by the elephant camp where the mahouts were taking the elephants out for their evening wash / dip in the stream near by. We got back to the guest house and chilled rest of the day enjoying the beautiful sunset…

Next day we decided that we will go for a nice long trek with all arrangements made we met up with our guide at 7:30 Am to start our trek. The trek lasted for a total of 4 hours, 4 kms one way to approximately 1800 FASL (feet above sea level) that is when we spoke out our bucket list… things that we want to do before we die… as we progressed inch by inch the conversation got interesting and I realized that one thing that bonds all three of us is the drive to achieve, innovate and be some one.
The trek was tough, having been desk bums for so long we were seriously out off shape… trust me we had given up many time and decided to give up in between and return but one thing that kept us going is what rags had said earlier ,

‘If I reach the top the adrenaline rush I will get of having conquered this will keep me going for quite some time with the faith that if I make up my mind I can achieve any thing…” so we kept pushing our selves to reach the top… with fresh air and greenery around us we reached the top. Once we reached the top the view from there was worth every thing that we endured to reach there… after having spent time there our guide suggested that we take another 15 min trek to a water fall near by to cool off before we trek back… we decided to take the offer … after 15 min trek we reached this beautiful fall totally isolated and hidden between the trees… no one had to say any thing… we stripped and jumped … very wrong move the water was so icy cold that we had to run out else we would have frozen our B**** there… After our body got used to the temperature we took a nice dip and we head back… as we came down the trail we were all refreshed.
We decided to stay back that evening the head back to Bangalore the next day morning, so we pitched our tent , no not in the forest but on top of the watch tower in our guest house not very adventures you might say but trust me you have wild elephants, bores and other animals hovering around, at 4:30 in the early morning our ever sensitive rags heard some sound near by decided that it is a Wild cat on prowl … well that was the second time during this trip that we ran … luckily this time it was indoor…
We left the guest house the next day morning and reached Bangalore late afternoon… all charged up and ready to take on the world…
One of the things on our Buck list is to make a difference in peoples lives & leave a stamp on this earth, when we are gone people are should say

“ I walked the same earth as Mayur, Rags & Nags”This Picture was take by Rags on our way back

Markets of Bangalore

The earliest phase of the Dravidian civilization, of which Bangalore is a part, has been traced back to the 5th century BC and its origin is unclear. The earliest settlements in south India were mostly rural settlements and date back to the 2300-1800 BC. The city dates its traditional founding in 1537, when a pettah (combined residential quarters with shops and markets) was established, protected by a mud-walled fort located just to the south. Subsequently, most traces of the original fort, and its successors on the same location, have been lost. It did not occupy a prominent height of ground. In fact, the ground chosen actually was in a slight depression of landscape.

Although a few stone walls and other traces of fortifications remain, the major impression of the fort today is gained by its name, applied to a roadway and more widely, to the section of the city, whose small roads and lanes criss-cross the site. The pettah (now divided into two neighbourhoods called Cubbonpet and Chikpet) has persisted, its form little changed from that of centuries ago.

Narrow lanes and small, twisting alleys betray its ancient origins. Squeezed between Chikpet - Cubbonpet and the Fort the major market of Bangalore, called City Market, has grown up. The City market area is a very important heritage site of the city, the extended Stone Fort of Haider's period, Tipu's palace, and the Armory are prominent pages of Bangalore’s History.

Being one of the oldest markets in Bangalore, City market got the vibrancy of its own. Even though it fails to compete with the growing shopping malls here and there, still the livelihood and life in city market is commendable. City Market has been named as K R Market after the name of Mysore king Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV. This market is more than a century old and still so colorful and vibrant. The activities start there at dusk, much before the sun rise. One would hear the hue and busyness inside the market place at the early hours. Wholesalers, retailers, day-today business everything go in its highest pace. It is truly an experience being there at that time. I bet none of the shopping mall can have this kind of vibrancy and color and lives.

Following is a photo series of different market in Bangalore each market has a different flavor to offer to its viewer. I will be adding more pictures as is progress with this project. Do come back for more


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Project Yellow Hat

I recently did a photomentry (photo documentary) called Project Yellow Hats...
Yellow hats are typically associated with construction work...
Bangalore - India also know as silicon valley of India has recently seen a boom in population in terms of ppl traveling from all over the country to work & cash in on the IT/BPO boom... with the increase in ppl numbers so has the vehicular count... to keep up with the rise in numbers the government is constructing fly overs & trying to improve the infrastructure in general... one such place is a high way called Hosur road... that leads to the IT hub where lot of IT & BPO companies are situated...

TO help the congestion they are constructing a fly over... please click on the below link to view some picture I shot in & around the construction work....


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Pondicherry --- Road trip

It was a weekend that I have been waiting to take for a long time …. A weekend just to chill and do nothing….
Well like they say nothing comes for free… or with out pain…
Unlike many of the holidays we decided this time that we will plan thing in advance. So started the planning phase, given the fact that we have only a weekend we decided to select a place not too far and is drivable …. After short listing couple of place be decided that Pondicherry would be a good option… so we called our travel agent to find out if there are any good place that he can suggest (with in an affordable price range). With the place decided and booked and all done I was a happy man and also managed to earn some Browne points from my wife … who was thrilled by the fact that she can shop for the weekend and also during the weekend…
Like I said nothing come for free or with out pain… the evening before our scheduled departure got to know that there is a Tamil Nadu bandh (strike) and every thing will be closed from 6am to 6 pm… (For all the planning that I did)... checked with the resort, aurovile travel agent if any thing will be affected… got the assurance that every thing will be ok and should not affect any thing...
Well decided to leave early in the morning (5:00 am) to beat the traffic and only to be stopped at the tamilnadu border and sent back (almost felt like refugees trying to cross the border) by a land cop who refused to speak any thing but Tamil, for they were not letting any traffic cross the border had to return back… all disheartened, not to mention an angry wife….

However, after a long week of grueling work we left for Pondicherry. This time around we ensured that there was no strike, no traffic jams and any possibility of being sent back.
All packed and car gassed up, we hit the road at 5:30 am the sun was not yet up and the high way was just getting up. As we cruised along the Hosur high way listing to Aishwarya’s song from Dhoom 2 it slowly started to sink that we were on a holiday … after an hour or so of driving Priya started feeling hungry (she is an early bird you see unlike me who can go with out food for hours as long as I get my required sleep). We started to look for a Darshani (more like a South Indianised version of a fast food) well after a desperate hunt and unsuccessful attempts to find out if there is a place around we found a small little road side place “Kannamma’s tiffanies. As the name suggest it was run by a very sweet lady “Kannaama”, who had this big welcoming smile on her face when we walked in. This place too has a history she says – "I have been here for the last 20 years, I have seen tashildars come and go up”. Having freaked on the Hot hot idly and Dosa we started on toward Pondicherry.

The drive to Pondicherry from Bangalore is approx 280 km via Krishnagiri . The road is good except for few bad patches along the way. One vehicle that will have a smooth ride...is the Cart .. you will find quite a few of them esp during the month of April - May with the harvest season.

Since we drove down we stopped at every possible place.
One such stop that we did was this field, with beautiful green harvest and a scare crow sticking out. We took the liberty of walking into the field and I started snapping out to glory not realizing that I had attracted the attention of the farmer. He saw us from a distance for some time wondering our fascination with the scare crow.
On talking to him I gathered that he I owns this piece of land that we had encroached on and his name was Kuppaswamy.

Tailing behind him was his daughter Meera. Who was so shy that she refused to stay still in one place and was constantly running behind her father for cover.
From there we head down to Gingi Fort which is about 60 km before Pondicherry. The Drive through this streach is beautiful....As you drive past the fort you can see it majestically standing on top of the Hill Krishna Giri. On digging further we realized that this fort has a rich history. It dates back before the Vijay Nagar Empire. I was originally built by the Nayaks of Gingi. Later ruled & fortified further by the Vijayanagar kings, the Moguls, the French & finally the English who destroyed the fort like every thing else in India.

We finally reached Pondicherry and decided to visit Aurovile before we head out to the resort. Aurovile is again a beautiful place to spend your time. It is famous for its architecture style. Every thing here has a very earthy feel to it, for they have consciously used only natural resources. One can totally freak out on two things shopping for all the shopoholics and second thing is the food (French cuisine).

Then we head down to the resort. It took us some time locate the place for it was located far away from the main road by the beach. In the evening we decided to head down into the city to enjoy a bit of the French architecture and French Flavor.
The area around Sri Aurobindo Ashram and the French Consulate is beautiful… one can walk around this place for hours together and the peace and quietness.
Not to far from the ashram is "Vysyal Street”, it is one of the oldest surviving streets in Pondicherry. This area is on the other side where the non Anglo – French settlers lived. (In other words Indians). The houses around this area still have the old Pondicherry feel, with central court yards & sit outs. Even to this day you find old people meeting up in the evenings to catch up on the local gossip.

All in All if you truly want tojust chill out Have a Beer by the Sea and hog till you and eat no more and just to unwind you know where to head....
more Snippets of Pondicherry through these Photos ……

Kathakali

Kathakali is the classical dance-drama of Kerala, South India, which dates from the 17th century and is rooted in Hindu mythology. Kathakali has a unique combination of literature, music, painting, acting and dance.

Hampi Utsav

In March 2002, the Government of India has announced that Hampi would be developed as an international destination centre. The State Govt will constitute a Hampi World Heritage Area Management Authority for integrated development and conservation of Hampi. The Hampi Festival was organized by the Government of Karnataka in November to recreate the grandeur of the bygone era. They had various event spread over 5 different stages located in between the HAMPI ruins. They had events covering dances, plays, musical performances, Kusti (wrestling) and the finale was a grand parade (procession). Through this photo log I have tried to capture the sprit of Hampi and the festival. Request you to view and please leave your comments and suggestions.

Hampi Utsav : a photo journey

HAMPI, the seat of the famed VIJAYANAGARA empire was the capital of the largest empire in post-mogul India, covering several states. The empire reigned supreme under Krishnadevaraya, the Emperor. The Vijayanagara empire stretched over at least three states - Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh. The destruction of Vijayanagar by marauding Moghul invaders was sudden, shocking and absolute. They reduced the city to ruins amid scenes of savage massacre and horrors beggaring description.
Although in ruins today, this capital city once boasted riches known far beyond the shores of India. The ruins of Hampi of the 14th Century lies scattered in about 26 sq. km area, amidst giant boulders and vegetation. Protected by the tempestuous river Tungabhadra in the north and rocky granite ridges on the other three sides, the ruins silently narrate the story of grandeur splendor and fabulous wealth. The splendid remains of palaces and gateways of the broken city tells a tale of men infinite talent and power of creativity together with his capacity for senseless destruction.
Saint Vidyaranya established the seat of Vijayanagara empire in 1336 A.D, with the help of his devotee disciples Hakka and Bukka. The empire later became famous for its support towards renovation/reconstruction of temples through out India. It also became renowned for re-establishment of Indian culture, its support for music, art and literature. With the prime purpose of caring for the people and their welfare, this empire stretched physically covering Karnataka, Andhra and Maharashtra and became a by-word for golden rule.

Charminar - Hyderabad - India

Charminar, a splendid piece of architecture standing in the heart of the hyderabad city built by Quli Qutub Shah, in 1591. This magnificent monument is the unique symbol of Hyderabad. Charminar is often called as "The Arc de triomphe of the East". It is considered as the legendary masterpiece of Qutub Shahi's.

Charminar derives its name from four intricately carved minarets, The four graceful minarets literally meaning 'Four Minars', soar to a height of 48.7m each, above the ground. It is located amidst the colourful shops of Lad Bazaar with its glittering traditional bangles in the old city. Enormous in its size, this imposing monument of India exudes a charm that is more than 400 years old.

Independence Day

Independence Day

India recently celebrated it 58th year of Independence. In these 58 years we have come a long way. We have seen the economic boom, wars, and natural calamities like floods, earth quakes, and famine. Governments have come and gone loads of other things.

In spite of the economic boom, we can still see a sharp contrast between the rich (Economically Stable, thanks to all the banks who are providing the Credit card facility) and the poor. So this independence day I decided to capture few of those moments that high light these contrast.






This picture above captured my attention the Our own Desi Marlboro Man (cig pack in his hand) and the contrast of a kid trying to cash in on the Independence day euphoria. The Body Language in both the pictures says a lot, Gal in the above picture and Man in the picture to the right, his line of sight and the hand on his hip, like I am superior.....

Again in this picture I have tried to shows the contrast, the school kids and and gal must of more or less same age.....

More pics on http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2121724916

Jai Hind

Eyes

Look into my eyes you see no pain....You see no happiness ....
For your camara will not capture it...
Listen to my heart...
You will hear what I want to say ....

I took this photograph some where in the Bangalore City Market (to be precise in Flower market). The old man in the picture captured my attention not because of his face but his attitude and the surrounding.... He was sitting in an old Ambi (ambassador) taxi Black and yellow, with a Beddi and had a smile.

For more pics on people vist : http://www.imagestation.com/album/index.html?id=3402380093