And we meet again Bangalore

It has been nearly 2.5yrs since my last visit to Bangalore, and that was also a short one. I remember having a full day meeting in Coimbatore, and from there heading to Bangalore for few days with friends and family before getting back home. Well, this time it was a short trip,but must say it was a good one at that. 

I see this change in me, a visible one and that extends to my trips as well. Few months ago, when I planned my Bombay trip I had a similar plan in the head. I was done doing the rounds of the city, visiting a million places, catching up with all of them and la la la.. This time, in Bangalore I knew I wanted to meet a few who I have known through the virtual world, and reconnect with a few I had drifted from.  And that is exactly how the trip went , not to mention the few lovely surprises it threw my way... 

It was one of those trips when I was travelling with a friend, a first time with this one.. We had a blast, though I am sure we provided some interesting entertainment to the rest around us with our constant squabbles and laughter. As I always say, travel with someone to know if you can tolerate them in your life or not.. well, this one is a keeper alright.. :-) 

Lal Bagh gardens clicked during one of my earlier visits..

I spent a lot of time walking around the hotel we stayed at, it was down the road from Lal Bagh gardens, a km maybe.. The area was fairly quiet, there was a children's park next door, the lal bagh wall across the hotel and was generally nice to wander in. 

I enjoyed lazing, and doing things at my own pace, not worried about sticking to a set time or trying to achieve way too many things in the short duration I was there. I had a meeting, spent time with people who mattered/connected, did some book shopping at Blossoms, enjoyed a quiet cup of coffee while watching people at Cafe Matteo ... 

Overall, must say it was one helluva trip~ Until next time.. 

Art and Artists - Chitra Santhe, Bangalore

It is that time of the year again, the day, the Sunday when  Chitra Santhe happens in Bangalore. It is a celebration of every possible form of art you could think of.. It happens just once a year and is quite an event... 

When? Today, 27th January 2013. ONLY TODAY....

Where does it happen? All through Kumara Krupa Road, all the way into Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath (CKP) and beyond [near golf course, Windsor Manor Hotel and Ashoka hotel]

What is so special about Chitra Santhe? The entire street is buzzing with artists and craftsmen showcasing their work. There are a few doing sketches, while others are polishing their brass sculptures while some are giving the finishing touches to their pottery/clay structures. It is an amazing feel to be walking along that street today. This year they are expecting over 2000 artists to participate.  

How do i know? Well, i was fortunate to have been in Bangalore during the event and went to check it out with Lakshmi [her mom in law i remember had called and suggested we go for this] .. It was the 1st of its kind that i saw, and i was quite fascinated by the whole concept. Watching the myriad of hues and images floating along the streets, people vying for a good photograph, and other artists more than willing to chat with you. I quite enjoyed the event... 

Mysore, all lit up for Dussehra

It was either the last day of somewhere near the last day when we landed in Mysore from Coorg. The entire city was abuzz with activities- there were people thronging street corners, vendors with stalls on every footpath and traffic that was moving, rather inching at snail's pace. We had driven down from Coorg, and were going to spend a night in Mysore before heading back to Bangalore and then to Chennai. 

One of my friends mentioned that the Palace looks gorgeous in the evening, all lit up and majestic. Towards 7pm, we drove out to meet a friend & her daughter, and then dragged them along to go see the Palace in all its glory. There was so much traffic, all we managed was a few minutes from the car. Friend who was driving asked if we would like to head up the Chamundi Hills and maybe spend some time up there getting a glimpse of the city below. 

 

 The city resembled the skies on a night when it was filled with stars. It was lit up, and there were lights everywhere. The view point was near empty, and so we had peace and quiet as we stood there gazing at the city below.. Far away from all the noise and crowd, we were lost in our own worlds. Today, as i remember that day nearly 4yrs ago, the memories come flooding.... The fun we had, the friend i made and the city that i had not visited in a few decades welcoming me with open arms... 

I hope to be in Mysore atleast once to witness the entire Dussehra celebrations!! 

 

From days gone by..

As I wandered around the vast space looking for Platform No1, as I wove my way around parked and "ready to zip out of bus stand" buses, I saw a few faces and a million expressions, changing with every minute, with every announcement..

Finally, there it was.. "Platform 1" high up above on the ceiling.. There were a long almost endless line of buses, each carrying a whole lot of passengers heading home, for holiday, back to work/college, or maybe to attend a festival/function and so on..

Engrossed I looked at each board seeking the bus that had my name on the list.. Near a pillar, I spotted a man who stood staring at me.. Dont know why, but I paused and smiled..

"you are Aarti, right?" he chirped beaming..

"yep, you look familiar but I can't seem to recall your name" I muttered..

"Am J, from JSS school, Tirunelveli,"

"Oh wow, how are you? Where are you these days..." I shot out

"meet my wife R, we're headed to CBE.. Am based here"..

We spoke for a few mins, gave him my card and we bid farewell promising to be in touch..

I hopped into my bus and memories came crashing in.. I remembered we were both part of the Merchant of Venice play.. I was the Duke and he was Shylock.. :-)

Strange are the places where we meet people from the past..

Every journey has a tale..

Talacauvery, where Cauvery is born

The journey to Coorg was very special, it was happening after years of dreaming and a few cancelled plans as well. We were 3 friends, one from Bangalore and us from Chennai, driving down to Coorg from Mysore. We had booked ourselves for 3 nights at a homestay- CoorgHallimane, in Kushal nagar. As we reached, we discovered the place was quaint, quiet and perfect. They have about 8 rooms in the main building and a few cottages scattered around, and we got to stay in one of those. On opening the window all we saw were mountains on one side and green fields on the other. There was also a swimming pool in the homestay with a small mushroom style fountain in the center. What fun we had playing around in it unwinding after the long drive to Coorg. 

We dint have any set agenda, but knew there were a few places we would visit for sure. Talacauvery was one of them. It is a good 4500 ft above sea level, and this the where the River Cauvery is born. It is said that the river disappears underground before surfacing again at Naga theertha near Bhagamandala.  Infact, Bhagamandala, about 8kms ahead of Talacauvery is where one witnesses the confluence of three rivers, Cauvery, Sujyothi and Kanike.  

During the drive from Madikeri, cloudy skies and mist was all we saw outside. There was the occasional light drizzle sneaking in through the window.  Drizzle turned to rains and it kept up with us through the journey. We had reached Talacauvery as rains lashed away. We braved the rain and walked on, freezing and soaked to the bone, looking for hot tea or any sign of shelter. The only thing we had were the akki rotis and chutney that the staff had insisted we carry along when we left the homestay. What a godsend it was, especially since we had been on the road long and not had a bite since morning.   

We were so glad to have chosen a Homestay in Coorg instead of a resort, as this experience was so much more homely and comfortable...   And like many destinations there are many Coorg Homestays that one is spoilt for choice..!!

 Rain did subside as we walked towards the shrine and the big tank near the Gundike, where I noticed many visitors taking a quick dip. From there, it was up another set of stairs to visit the temple of Lord Agasthyeshwara [Lord Shiva] and Lord Ganesha.

Taking shelter from the rain, we walked along the mandap surrounding the temple, when towards the end I thought I saw a flight of stairs leading to heaven. Well, that’s what I thought till my friend brought me to down to reality. Those steps were to go up Brahmagiri Hill, from where one got a panoramic view of Talacauvery and the city beyond. A lady passing by told us the story of how a special yagna was performed by the Saptha Maharishis up in the hills. Had it not been for the rain, we would have made our way up there.  What an experience this had been. On the drive back to Kushal nagar to the homestay, there was silence in the car, with all of us still lost in the beauty of Talacauvery.

Project 365 Day 73 Bright

I dont know the name of the flower

But i do know its beautiful

I dont know how tall it grows

but i do know its got attitude!!

Spotted this flower in the Bannerghatta Butterfly park, bangalore

Project 365 Day 48 Bugsy

Spotted this colorful guy on my cousin's coffee table.. Orange and brown, with long antennae, he seemed oblivious to us and the noise around... 

This was just before our Hoysala Tour... 

The little mouse

It was a weekend getaway that was completely relaxed, and perfect... All that we did was walk around the vast property, soak in the beauty of nature, and bird watching..... We had chosen Bikode, Coffee plantations as our destinations!!

It was one of those days when constant drizzle had us cooped us inside,atleast for a few hours during the afternoon... As i wandered the porch, looking out to see if the drizzle was letting up, i saw this little mouse near a plant. Instantly, i ran out to see if he was ok, or hurt... I saw him gasping for breath... 

Gently i picked him up, brought him indoors and tried feeding him some milk... he was so tiny, was lost in my palm and all he did was lie there gasping... My heart went out to him.... And within a blink of an eye, he stoped gasping and was gone.... a tiny tear i felt trickle down my cheek as i put him down... The cook and maid asked me to just leave him in a corner, but i just couldnt... 

I wondered if he had a fun life...

or if he was being chased by cats and dogs

I wonder if he had a family

or if he was alone

I wondered what brought him here

or had a bird of prey dropped him while taking him to their nest..... 

RIP Mr Mousey..... 

Colours of Summer

During my previous visits to Bangalore, here are some shots taken during our daily walks and around the city.... 

Looking forward to more trips... more shots... more beauty...more nature!! :)

Hebbal - The lake beckons

As the day wore on, my cousin, Lakshmi suggested we go to Hebbal lake post the meeting.. Always game for a bit of exploring and photography, i umped at the suggestion, we packed our gear and as we were to leave home, the client called saying his daughter was unwell and he had to take her to the doctor... What this meant was more time to spend at the lake and we could leave earlier... :)

Knapsack- check

Cameras-my cybershot and her DSLR-check
Binoculars-check
Some cash-check
Our mobiles and housekey and we were off by 4.30... -checkcheck

Paid entrance fee and walked into the park, spotted a few birds on the ground -- the love birds..couples hidden behind bushes and a coracle left alone...

Our feet took us towards the water and there we spotted a few guys fishing.. one guy would reel the fish in dropping it onto the ground where another guy sat cleaning it up... A few yards away, we spotted 2-3 Brahminy kites, and in a few seconds they were in air, circling right above these guys and in a flash swooped down grabbed a fish and off it went into the sky.. Wow moment...!! 

Pulling out the binocs, we spotted a few Grey heron, Pond heron and a pretty looking Purple Swamphen. 

Why not go to the other side we thought and began exploring the park some more.. It was my 1st visit, and i found it calm n quiet .... Took shots of a few intersting flowers, the setting sun, the buildings beyond the lake and as we were beginning to settle in, a deep shrill whistle came floating in the air..It was time to leave..... 

As we rode back home in the auto, the sun was beginning to set, and we could see the lovely colours against the city scapes... Short yet sweet was what the visit was....!! :)

Could stare at them for hours as they went home... together!!! in sync.. what a sight...

Trivia from wiki: Hebbal Lake is located in the north of Bangalore at the mouth of National Highway 7, along the junction of Bellary Road and the Outer Ring Road (ORR). It was one of the three lakes created in 1537 by Kempe Gowda.

Lal Bagh...Flowers, Feathered friends, and Fotography

It was saturday, and i was up at 5.45am - much to my aunt's surprise and ready to scoot by 6am.. What was the occasion? Was going to Lal Bagh Gardens to catch the sunrise and shoot a few pictures of the beautiful gardens... the previous night, while chatting with a friend, he mentioned that he had plans of heading to the gardens and i jumped saying am coming...Infact i wasnt even sure if i had my camera since i was staying over at an aunt's house just that night [ had asked friend to bring me his digi cam]

Lady luck was grinning down at me, i had my camera...Borrowed a shawl from aunt[am not a shawl sweather person, but travelling by auto in chill weather can be taunting..hence the cover]... Reached the gardens at 6.30 and began the journey that was not only beautiful but peaceful.

In the midst of all the walkers and joggers, i stood out strolling through the various lanes, soaking in the beauty of nature, clicking at random things that caught my eye..Paused near the glass house to see if anything from the flower show remained.. The Qutb Minar and A lady with the pot of water were the only ones waiting , as if they knew i was coming...

As i strode along the gardens, a sense of calm and peace settled over me...Amidst the morning busy bees, i happily let myself get lost.. There were times i paused to enjoy the sight of squirrels scurrying about, the Brahmini Kite chase a lone crow, few stray dogs look at me like they knew me and were protecting me....

Those few hours were blissful..I was lost in my own world, with my thoughts and cherished it all.. My friend, the one who was to have come early, reached about half hour later, and from there on, we chatted, took more photographs and caught up on our lives..

Explored new parts of the park i had never been to, shared a few laughs over the pelicans that were flying about, one sitting right on top of a dead tree.. the crows longing for attention eeverytime we tried taking a picture of the pelican or the lotus in the pond or the lovely palm trees...

Spotted quite a few grey heron, pond heron, kites, kingfisher, drongo, spotted dove, bulbul, cormoron, parrots and some others which i had never seen before... Shot a video of a bird so i could show it to my cousin to identify it.. Was good fun....

There are times when being alone is just what we need and for me, it is precious. I long to escape the hustle bustle, people, thoughts, deadlines, future and everything else that make our Life what it is...

With so much around us, i realised, its all upto us to find what makes me happy, what keeps us grounded and what drives us ahead...

For more pictures of Lal Bagh click here ... Off on another adventure!!! write to you soon!!

Ahem...

Today, while returning from Blore, we saw a truck ahead of us with this on the rear... i spotted it,burst out laughing and pointed it out to K since he was staring at me [probably wondering if i've finally lost it...] :)

Mysore to Chennai.. Coorg Part 4 Finale!!

Read about how it all started and the journey till now ....

• Cauvery on the go.. Coorg Part 3
• Tibet comes to town..Coorg Part 2
• Kodava land, here we come- Coorg Part 1

After that all fun, driving around, visit to talacauvery, we chilled the  last day at Coorg Hallimane... Woke up, lazed about, discovered the place had rabbits, A jr had a ball feeding them grass, and we freaked out taking pictures of the bunnies... That day, since the place was full, we had buffet style breakfast at the main building.... After stuffing ourselves, and some photo shoots... hehe... we settled the dues, packed our bags and bid adieu... but that was not the end..

 

Got a call from Hallimane saying we'd once again forgotten our umbrella.. so another here we go round the Kushal nagar roads, we found one of the guys holding the umbrella waiting for us near the tree that was the landmark !! ;)

This time, the road took us back to Mysore... and to the jam packed Hotel Siddhartha, but not before a mini stop at Ginger to see if they had a room [ just maybe...:)].. Just couldnt find parking at Siddhartha, apparently its a favourite spot for travellers/tourists for lunch/eats.. Parked the car across the road and went in to check on the rooms we had blocked!!! Surveyed the room offered[ nice big spacious room, with a sofa, huge bathroom and all at a very decent fare, it is much cheaper than Ginger], decided it was good and

waited for our bags to land before ordering room service lunch...

A jr wasnt feeling too well, so we let him rest up.. Towards evening, connected with another Blog friend- Imp's mom[she was also the guide for cake, which was yummilicous] in Mysore, and realised we better check out the zoo, for there was no time the next day.. What should have taken 5mins, took over 15mkins[was what i deduced going by all the turns we took] cos of all the diversions on the road ... Got tickets and off we went into the zoo to be greeted by the adorable tall Giraffes..

The walk around the zoo is about 2kms,but there are electric tram kinda vehicles as well that ply frequently... We took our time, taking pictures, admiring some of the animals/birds, feeling sorry for some of the others [ actually most of them were in bad shape.. looke like they hadnt eaten in days and their cages hadnt been cleaned in forever].. The bear, hyene, elephants, vulture all looked like they were dead n gone... saw a white tiger lounging on a rock, was it doped, i wondered.. Towards the end of the walk, we reached the reptile cages, and i must say the snakes i think are DEAD indeed... they were just lying there on top of a branch like someone had dropped a rag cloth... Sad indeed.... :(

Here's a slideshow of the zoo and the Palace~!!

Imp's mom called and invited us over to a hotel for some tiffin and hot coffee. That was the 1st time i was meeting her and her adorable daughter, we hit it off instantly... Bonded over dosa n coffee and decided to go check out the Mysore Palace which was lit for an hour or so in the evenings..

Thanks to the crazy traffic, we caught glimpses of the palace while on the move, untill the plan of driving up Chamundi Hills happened... Drove to a view point, and armed with cameras we clicked away to glory!!!  Good fun!!! That was how the day ended.... :)

4th Nov dawned too soon, it was the day we had to get back to Blore and then to Chennai...It was fun till the minute we hopped on the train..no doubts of that!! . Time sure flies when you are having fun!!  and this is one trip i know i shall never forget... vivid as if it happened yesterday!!! :) Thanks guys for an awesome trip....

Adios.. Until we meet again...

Tibet comes to town..Coorg Part 2

After a bit of rest, we were raring to go.. Wanted to make the most of our time in Coorg.. Up and off we went.. hit the road that led to  the Namdroling Tibetan Monastery,  popularly known as the Golden Temple in Bylakuppe.  It is  very well maintained and one feels at peace with this world.  It is a very big monastry, with very well laid out buildings  and fully landscaped. After parking the car, we walked towards the Monastery..

As you enter, there are these huge apartment complexes, which are the monk's home.. Past that is the entry into the overwhelming monastery.. The vibrant colours, large towering structures and beautiful surroundings had us mesmerised... We saw a couple of funny looking birds pecking at a pair of slippers, swans running away and a duck or two straying in the grass.. 

 In front of these statues sat multiple rows of Monks chanting, the words we could not make out but the rhythm resonates in my ears even now..  

The walls were adorned with colorful murals, each depicting different eras and some were about how good reigns over evil... Its a photographer's delight to feast on each of these art works.. 

one of the paintings on the walls 

The pillars loom large, almost reaching to the skies, there were some decorated wtih what looked like huge ties, absolutely breath taking... There were dragons, devil, angels, monks, and so much more filling every inch of space here...  :)

Door handle... beautiful and huge

The Ngagyur Nyingma University is the name of the building... Inside are more majestic statues that are towering high... There were 2 other buildings near it... One had a whole collection of mini Buddha's in it, all placed inside a glass case... 

The other one is a few steps away, with a huge bell right in the middle.. we wanted to ring it, but dint want to be the only odd ones doing it... :) 

The bell

The main building- Zangdok Palri Temple, houses 3 huge statues, all made with intricate gold cladding- Buddha in the center, Guru Rinpoche on his left and Buddha Amitayus on his right.  It just blows you away as you step in through the beaded curtains... Again here too we saw Monks sitting and praying, huge gongs hanging everywhere, walls adorned with paintings and art work... There was also a box with what looked like a giant horn, but we dint know what it exactly was... 

Along the way we kept seeing monks and everytime we saw one i had a quirky phrase --
Monk on a bike
Monk wearing sneakers
Monk outside the theater
Monk riding a bike with keys hanging from his back pocket
Monk at a restaurant
Monk wearing a watch

Monks heading out of the temple

This was driving my friends up the wall, but there was little they could do, finally they too joined in and started reciting more phrases as and when we spotted Monks around Coorg....  :-) 



After spending few more mins walking around the monestary campus, we headed out to the shopping arcade just down the road. Rows of shops selling tibetian ware- pretty mugs, hand fans, toys, stoles and outfits in true cantonese style, and various other knick knacks... It was then time to bid adieu to the place and make our way back to the homestay... however, we did stop enroute at Hotel Kannika International for a cuppa coffee and some light eats.. An incident i cant forget is that we ordered Chai, and ended up pushing it away cos it tasted of curry leaves... But the baby corn manchurian and french fries[atleast the 1st plate] was good... Settled for coffee, enjoyed the cosy warmth inside the hotel till it was time to hit the road... 


What i realised while at the monestary was - the place seemed so pure and it was almost like we were ruining its purity by walking and taking pictures... Infact Apar said the exact same thing... Its truly a magical place.. one must visit... Am glad we chose to stay at Kushal Nagar, its def closer to all these hot spots... Otherwise Kr would have gotten tired just getting from one point to the other... :)


Phew, we were tired by the time we reached Hallimane... Walked to our cottage, and crashed for a bit before thinking about dinner... We did manage to get the guys there  to bring us the Carrom board they had and played quite a few games.. which A jr also played, and some games he played quite well... :) 


Yawn... see ya tomorrow... !!! :)