The BBMP elections were held on 28th March, 2010. Viji was given polling duty as APRO (Assistant Presiding Officer). Here was a chance to give something back to Bangalore, a city which has become a home away from home and she grabbed it.
On 27th March, Saturday, I took Rianna to Marina's home which was near to Viji's polling booth. Ria was most happy to be with the two lovely dogs at Marina's home (Becky and Mischief) and was soon friends with them. I went in search of Viji's polling booth (Roundtable Government School). Ria finds a similarity between bhooth nath and polling booth. The booth was located at Muslim Colony, Pilani Garden, one of the many slums in Bangalore. I could locate it with some difficulty. Lights were being put and the place was being cleaned as the polling agents had to sleep there for the night. I decided to check the place around and made a couple of small friends who were attracted by my camera. The PRO was kind enough to let Viji go home early.
On 28th March we woke up early as had to reach the booth at 5.30 a.m. Everyone was up already there. The PRO conducted a mock voting drill and all was set for the voting to begin at 7.00 a.m. After the voting began, I came back for breakfast as Ria was up and waiting for me. Slept for some time and then went back to the booth. Once the voting was over waited for the EVMs to be sealed. These were then taken to the main polling station and Viji had to accompany the EVMs.
Vijita Gandhi as APRO
I reached Marina's home and I and Ria left for our home. It was a very tiring day. Luckily took a leave on Monday and slept the entire day.
Valentine's Day. We decided to visit Mother Mary's Shrine at Nagamangalam. Attended morning mass at Holy Eucharist Church and then left for the shrine on the Activa. Ria was not in the best of moods to travel and slept off half-way. But then we stopped at a farm with a little calf and she was wide-awake. I managed to photograph a beautiful bird while we waited there for Ria to finish playing with her friend.
On the way we met Parthibhan from Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) on his bicycle. He was on his way from Bangalore to Kanyakumari and then back to Bangalore via Kerala.
Wished him luck and reached the shrine. As it was a Sunday there was a huge crowd at the Shrine. After drinking the Holy Water we had lunch and then started our journey back. Managed to capture the kingfisher and some other birds. I need to brush up my knowledge regarding birds if I continue this habit of bird-watching.
It was a good way to celebrate Valentine's Day.
Now for the route to Nagamangalam:
From Bangalore to Hosur. Turn right at Victoria Hotel. Take the Hosur-Rayakottai road till you reach J.G. Farms.
On 30th January, 2010, the brightest and biggest moon of the year could be seen from the earth. Read news article here. Viji as usual was excited. Here are a couple of pictures we captured in HSR Layout.Check all the pictures here.
Finally the Hosur Road Elevated Expressway was inaugurated last week. It has been a long wait. 5th November, 2006, when I came to Bangalore to 22nd January, 2010.
We decided to check the fly-over. 26th January, being Republic day and a holiday for us, off we went in the evening. The ride was smooth and it took us about 10 minutes to reach Electronic City from Bomanahalli. The lighting was good though there were no lights on some stretches. There were traffic controllers on the road and vehicles keeping to their lanes.
Celebrated Vijita's birthday on 21st. I had taken a leave but unfortunately Viji had to go to school as it was her subject exams. She came half day home. Ria was all excited to cut the cake and got her best friend Kannan to help her do it. In the evening we went to Infant Jesus Church, Viveknagar, to seek the blessing of Miraculous Infant Jesus. Then had a quiet dinner at Coconut Grove. The appams and fish curry was awesome.
For the past few weeks there is a beautiful companion who watches my every move as I go about my laps in the swimming pool. She is just contented to watch me, having a sip from the cool water of the swimming pool. Sometimes standing on one leg, sometimes taking off to the other side to get a better view. Confident that I will not harm her in any ways. She reminds me of my school P.T. teacher, Sir Sawant, watching us as we played football on the school grounds.
Check the pictures of my cute little friend here
Sab was the one who initiated and Sab was the one who missed it. The planning began in November for our yearly get-together. Sab and I zeroed on Karde. The reason I liked Karde was the possibility of sighting dolphins. Last March when I, Viji and Rianna had been to Mangalore we saw dolphins swimming along the sea-shore at Maravanthe beach and this was what gave Karde the thumbs up. The dates were decided 29th and 30th December, 2009 and Sab also managed to book a home-stay at Karde. We were 10 of us, me, Viji, Harry, Cissy, Jai, Mayuri, Sab and Pav with the bacchas Ria and Valerina. One car could fit 5, so we decide to take 2 bikes along.
One day before we leave, Sab says that his leaves are cancelled and he will not be able to come. No persuasion works, so now its one car with 5 and a bike with 2. The kids go in the car.
It is decided to begin at 8 a.m. in the morning but then as usual it is 10 a.m. by the time we leave. Jai driving my Fiat Palio and I and Viji on his Unicorn. None of us had a proper breakfast so the first halt is just after Hinjewadi. A round of poha and tea and it is decided that the next stop will be at Mulshi. Its been a long time that I rode a bike but then the bike responds like a gem. The Bajaj M80 is my companion in Bangalore. I and Viji go ahead on the bike so that we can capture some photos on the way. It is easier to stop the bike and click photos than doing it in a car. Cross Mulshi and the Tamhini Ghat, Nizampur and reach Mangaon. The Konkan plains look superb from the Tamhini ghat. A few kms on NH-17 and we stop for lunch. A few kms further at Goregaon we take the road to Mandangad. After Mandangad, Harry decides to ride and I and Viji are in the car. Pune to Dapoli is around 200 kms and we reach Dapoli late in the evening at 5.30 p.m. After drinking tea at Dapoli we start towards Karde. When we are reaching Karde a thought occurs, have we made the right decision coming to this place? The road is bad and narrow. One vehicle at a time. On the right we can see the sea. There are a couple of hotels nearby. Our home-stay is a little further. On reaching the home-stay, our view about the place changes. The home-stay is just 100 meters from the sea-shore and the sea looks inviting. I know that we will enjoy being here.
Its 7 at night when we reach and ask the owner to cook food for us. After a bath, I and Jai ride to Dapoli to arrange for slippers, odomos and some drinks for the night. On coming back we sit together relaxing and then have dinner. Want to wake up early in the morning so that can take the boat for seeing the dolphins.
I wake up at 7. Valerina is awake and so Cissy too is. We go to the beach. But there are no boats on the beach. Come back and all are still sleeping. Anyways Ria wakes up and I take her to the beach. Ria loves the beach and the sea-water. The waves here are gentle so she has a good time. After an hour all are in the sea and enjoying ourselves. We are keeping an eye for the boat but there is none. We can see a couple in the sea ferrying people for dolphin watching. Anyways. just as we are leaving a boat comes but the boat-man says that the sea is getting rougher so no more trips and he would take us tomorrow.
We decide to get ready and go to Harnai to see the sea-fort Suvarnadurg (Harnai). On the way to Harnai we see sea-gulls on the sea-shore and manage to capture some good pics of them. Reach Fategad fort which faces Suvarnadurg. Suvarnadurg is surrounded by the sea on all sides and we have to go to the port to take a boat that goes there. Explore Fategad fort and climb down to the sea-shore. Ria and Valerina are excited on seeing the sea-shells at the base of the fort and are soon collecting them. After spending an hour exploring the fort, we are hungry. On the way to the port we find a restaurant and have lunch there.
On reaching the port, see the Harnai light-house. A boatman agrees to take us to Suvarnadurg for 500 rupees and we get in the boat. The sea is rough and the boat bounces on the waves. A beautiful island with thousands of sea-gulls. What a view! The boatman suddenly says that the sea is too rough and he is finding it difficult to go to the fort. Harry and I force him, inspite of the pleas of Valerina and Mayuri to turn back. He manages to take us to the fort and we have one hour to explore. There are lots of bats hanging on a tree. We also see a crow's nest with a baby crow in it. In fact, we can touch the baby crow if we want to. Wish there was some maintenance that was done for the fort. The way back is smoother as the wind is behind us.
There is an auction of the fish going at the port now and we decide to capture the action. Cissy agrees to cook lobsters and we get 5 for Rs. 350. It is a good deal. We also buy some prawns. The dinner menu is lobsters and prawns curry. On reaching our home-stay, Cissy and Viji cook food for us. I agree to wake everyone up early so that we can go to see the dolphins.
Wake at 7 a.m. and am at the sea-shore. The boatman asks me if we are ready. Go back and wake everybody up. Off into the sea we go to see the dolphins. There are couple of other boats too on the same mission. This makes it confusing. Each boatman tries to take the boat near the dolphins and the dolphins get frightened and disappear. Anyways, after a long wait we manage to see a couple of dolphins. Probably could have seen more if there were no other boats and people screaming on seeing the dolphins. There are so many people who do not understand that animals in the wild are not like pet animals.
Its time to return back to Pune. Harry and Cissy ride till lunch time just before Mangaon and then I and Viji ride. On the way back, take a short cut near Paud through Ghoatavade and see the blue moon. The moon-light guides us back home. Reach home at around 8. We are tired. Sleep and miss the mid-night mass. Wake up in the morning, refreshed. Its a Happy New Year and we are all set for it.
Karde is a quiet village, perfect for spending some time away from the city. The beach is just great, one of the best that I have seen. One should definitely go for the dolphin ride. Harnai with its auction market is exciting. The ride to Suvarnadurg and Suvarnadurg fort too is great.
About a year ago, we heard about the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, about a couple of kilometers from Hosur. I and Vijita wanted to visit it. There were a couple of people who had heard of the shrine but directions on how to reach them were confusing. Also searching the internet for information did not yield any results. This is my attempt to provide an information on the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes at St. Mary's Nagar, Nagamangalam.
Nagamangalam is on the Hosur-Rayakottai State Highway. There are a couple of ways to reach it:
When coming from Bangalore, reach Hosur and cross the Hosur fly-over. On the flyover, you will be able to see the Hosur Main Bus stand on the right. After the flyover ends, take the right turn at the first junction. You should be able to see a petrol pump and Victoria Hotel. On this road, take the first left and you are on the Hosur-Rayakottai road. Nagamangalam is about 22 kms from here.
This is the junction where you need to take the right after the Hosur Fly-over
The Victoria Hotel should be seen when you take the left
This first left turn taken after the Victoria Hotel will get you on the Hosur- Rayakottai Road. The building seen is a temple and should act as a landmark. If you go straight, you enter the Hosur Market.
The Sign Board where we have to take a right turn on the Hosur-Rayakottai Road.
When coming from Bangalore, before the Hosur fly-over take a right for the Denkannikottai road. You will reach a cross-roads where a left leads to Kelamangalam. Take this left till you reach Nagamangalam. Check here for pictures and directions for this route.
Another road that has been suggested is - Bangalore -> Attibele -> TVS Road -> Rayakoteah Road -> Kelamangalam -> Nagamangalam -> Church.
Saturday and Sunday: 11.00 a.m. and 3.30 p.m. (Rosary, Mass and Adoration)
On every Second Saturday: Car Procession: 10:00 a.m.
Healing through Prayer Service: 11.00 a.m.
Followed by Mass and Adoration
The following extract is from a pamphlet that was distributed during the Feast of Infant Jesus, Viveknagar, Bangalore on The Origin of the Miraculous Water from our Lady of Lourdes. courtesy L. James Mary & Family)
On 19th May, 2008, Rev. Fr. Joy Oonnukallell OSB, Rev. Henri Bonal M.E.P., Rector of St. Mary's Church, Rayakottai and Mr. Periyanayakam, a traditional Christian devotee from Kelamangalam, gathered together in the J. G. Farm to discuss about the Chapel which they had constructed in honour of Our Lady of Lourdes. They were discussing where to fix the Holy Cross and the statues of Our Lady of Lourdes and and St. Alphonso. Around 8 a.m., while they were discussing about the place, Mr. Prabhakaran, a worker in this farm, dug the soil in the farm. Suddenly there was clear and pure water gushing out of the hole that he dug. This pit was only one and half deep. Mr. Prabhakaran had no intention of digging a water pond. Astonishingly, a 660 feet deep borewell dug nearby earlier had failed to yield any water. This pond is the same big pond that we see at the shrine today.
Seeing this water, Rev. Fr. Joy felt an extra-ordinary shock. He felt and told Mr. Prabhakar that the water was something special. Father gave this water to a 25 years old young worker on this farm, who was suffering from diabetes for a long time. The worker used to take 2 doses of insulin injections per day. He drank this water for one and a half month and his sugar became normal and he was completely cured from his disease. Now he is not taking insulin or any other medicines. This was the first miracle done by God with this water.
After this incident a lot of miracles happened with this miraculous water in and around the village and other places. Miraculous cures were witnessed patients suffering from diabetes, blood presure, cholosteral, skin diseases, ulcers, cancer, heart problems, chikungunya, joint pains, arthritis, T.B., family problems, etc., by drinking this water.
The Solar Eclipse reflection as seen on the floor in front of my house
Another Image
Tried to capture the Solar Eclipse by pointing the camera directly at the sun and this is the image that was captured. See the partial sun in the center.
15th January, 2010 - the first solar eclipse of the year. A solar eclipse till now was just one of the things that happen in life. But this time it was different. Vijita was all armed with the information of the solar eclipse. When the eclipse will begin and when it will end. She woke early though school was closed. (Superstitions still control things in India). Breakfast was ready early and the hunt began for the elusive solar eclipse goggles in Bangalore. We had only one and she did not want to risk Ria trying to imitate her when she looked at the spectacle in the sky. Ria is a copy-cat so was bound to follow her actions. The hunt was unsuccessful. Bangalore is a big city but some things don't exist here. I am trying to get the body of a Samsung 3010 phone for 2 months and have tried about 100 shops and still no luck. The worst part is that shopkeepers don't even make a promise that "Saar! come tomorrow, will get it for you". Anyways, that's another story.
The hunt was over and we were back home. 2 minutes for eclipse for begin and off she is with the goggles. I am trying to get ready for work and she has already made arrangements that Ria is at her best friend Kannan's house so that she can watch the solar eclipse peacefully. I too take a 2 minutes glimpse before rushing to catch the company cab. I knew that she would have a great time watching the eclipse.
There are very few people in this world who are passionate about their work. Vijita is one of them and hope this passion continues and grows.
It had been a long time since I had been on a trek. So when Deepak Sibal suggested the Sakleshpur trek decided to join him. This would be different as the entire trek is done on railway tracks. I had done something similar a long time back when I was in school. Had trekked from Lonavala railway station to Khandala railway station and then got into a goods train at Khandala and reached Lonavala back. The only exciting part that I remember of that is walking through the tunnels and the goods train passing through tunnels. It was an open goods car so it was very scary at that age.
So Gans, Deepak, Sameer and myself were on for the trek. Deepak booked KSRTC bus tickets till Mangalore (no option to book tickets till Sakleshpur). It took around 5 hours to reach Sakleshpur bus stand and we were there at 4.30 a.m., 21st November, 2009. We started walking towards Donigal station and luckily got a local bus that dropped us up the road where we could see the railway tracks.
Got down to the tracks and the first thing we heard was a train whistle and there was the first train that we saw on the way to Mangalore. 50/600 read the first board which means 50 kms 600 mtrs from Hassan. Started walking down the tracks. The fresh air and the green surroundings were exhilarating. Each one of us wanted to capture photos of anything that was beautiful. A flower, a tree, the clouds, birds, grass and even the distance markers. Its funny that we miss nature so much but do not find the time for it.
And then we saw the first bridge. There is a thin strip of metal on the bridge so makes crossing the bridge easier. But then one has to be sure that there are no trains coming. Who wants to jump off a bridge to avoid a running train???
And so we walked, trying to place our foot on the sleepers thus avoiding the hard stones. Crossed the bridges without fear – the thin strips of metal were helpful. Walked faster in the tunnels, we did not want to be clinging the tunnel walls with rats, bats and snakes as companions. Clicked photographs, digital cameras making it easier to capture all. Saw the railway workers – some of them who walk these tracks everyday, checking the fishplates that hold the tracks, cracks on the tracks. What a life, man! To walk through such beautiful surroundings but having to keep your eyes glued to the tracks so that you don’t miss a broken fishplate or bolt.
Met an interesting character, a railway staff, who told us, “No trekking on the railway tracks is not allowed here. It is government property!” Remembered my school English teachers grammar classes which said that two negatives in a sentence is a positive and interpreted what he meant as “Trekking on the railway tracks is allowed here!”
Around 1 p.m., when we were having lunch, met a few people from BMCIndia who were on the way to Yedakumeri too. Decided to walk faster as these guys had left Donigal 2 hours after us. We were too slow or probably clicking too many photographs. Picked up speed, walked faster and overtook the BMC guys and stayed ahead of them. On the waythere are 2 bridges, one with the strip of metal and the other without. Crossed the one without and felt good. It was not very difficult and do-able.
Around 4.30 p.m. reached Yedakumeri station. There was a good train on the tracks and confusion amongst us on whether to take that train and reach Subhramanya road or continue with the original plan of camping at Yedakumeri station. Decided on Yedakumeri. On reaching the station found a small room and the Talking Man of Yedakumeri. For how he earned the title read on.
Coaxed the Talking Man to prepare dinner as we did not have any food and he also arranged a small room for us for the night. Were dead tired and slept around 10. At around 1 a.m., I mean 1 in the morning, enters the Talking Man in our room and starts speaking in Kannada to himself. I and Sameer don’t understand the language and try to sleep on. Blissful Gans knows the language, is in a different room and is oblivious to the blabbering. At 3.30 the Talking Man is more excited and I make a tremendous effort and wake Gans. As per Gans, the Talking Man wants us to leave the room and catch the Bangalore-Mangalore Express train which will be arriving at 4.30 and go to Subramanya Road. Efforts to explain that we are not interested in doing the same and will leave in the morning have no effect on the Talking Man. It seems that at night he only talks. Nothing makes sense to the Talking Man. Nothing makes sense to me and Sameer anyways as we do not understand Kannada. We get out of the room.
4.30 a.m. and half of the BMC group is in the train. The other half cannot get in as the passengers do not open the doors of the train. We have an option – wait for daylight and then decide what next. But then decide to join the BMC guys who plan to trek till Tunnel 35 where there is a path downhill that leads to Gundia. No one knows if the path is before or after the tunnel. If that does not work out the option was to trek to Subramanya Road.
Anyways, 4.30 a.m. and we are walking in the dark towards tunnel 35. Not much to see in the dark. As daylight breaks, see the Bangalore-Mangalore highway on the right. Can also see a stream that we will have to cross if we have to reach the highway.
Reach tunnel 35, no path is seen that leads down. Cross tunnel 35, still no path that leads down. Meet a guy who has walked from Mangalore till here and wants to go further. He has no money to buy train tickets. What courage! He too wants to get off the tracks now and joins us. Walking on stones for the past 30 kms is now getting monotonous. Come back to the beginning of tunnel 35 and see a path which seems to be a path that follows a waterfall. No one is ready to listen to me to go down that path. Climb down the path and see that there is a chance to get down. Ask Gans to join me. He too seems to agree that we will reach somewhere, looks like a path. Sameer and Deepak too climb down and the BMC folks follow. Though this is not a proper path, one needs to get on his haunches at some places to climb. But it is better that walking another 10-15 kms on the tracks. Sameers sports shoes soles were broken to 2 pieces and Deepak had cuts on his feet as he was wearing slippers and not shoes.
See a proper path after some time and elephant dung. Hope there are elephants nearby but then no such luck. A half an hour walk and we are on the Subramaya Road – Gundia Road. Reached the Mangalore-Bangalore highway and got into a bus to Bangalore.
