Kadalekai Parishe -2012 @Basavanagudi, BLR

When someone says "Basavanagudi",
only one thing flashes across a Bangalorean's mind..
The temple of the "Dodda Ganapati" and the temple of the
"Basava" which is one of its kind.

Basavanagudi literally translates into ''The Bull Temple''
It hosts the mighty bull that can cause anyone to tremble!!
There is a legend behind why the temple was built,
It was dedicated to the bull god by the farmer's guild.

Around Basavanagudi,long long ago before the city made its way,
The temple area was surrounded by many villages they say..
The farmers grew peanuts for their daily bread..
and waited in anticipation for the harvest day ahead..

But Alas, shattered was their dream of having a good harvest,
when a wild bull raged into their fields in it's peanut quest..
They tried to shoo it away with sticks and stone,
But the strong bull was not easily prone..

They then decided to pray to the almighty and seek refuge,
Their prayers were answered and they offered him the harvest huge..
The bull no longer troubled them, they lived without fear..
and hence came the tradition of offering the first crop each year..

The bull was honored with a temple and worshiped and revered,
The fair is celebrated in its honor and the story remembered!!

The fair this year was a breath of fresh air from the city's hustle-bustle,

With tons of peanuts everywhere and toys that make a whistle..

With sugar-candies, pop corns and spicy puffed rice abound,

It's a kid's dream to stuff all these and sit on the merry-go-round..

The place is abuzz after sun-set, with colorful lights, the games and the fun,

Colorful dolls, bangles and bells can make even the stingiest of all to buy one...

We saw small kids on their father's shoulders trying to see ahead,

with eager eyes they saw the toys, the games and the heart-shaped balloons red...

There was a vendor frying chips, another baking some corn,

There was one making soap bubbles, but the moment I caught them, popp! they were gone..

One sold  helicopter toys while another told our future,

One made tattoos for people  while another their caricature..

One made fresh sugarcane juices while another roasted hot dosas, but...

It is just not done if u have gone to the fair and not had baked peanut!

Mixed with some chilly powder, some salt and some lime,

He served us the hot baked peanuts in December's cold night time...

Packing some for home, we went back relishing the peanuts,

Not to return until 2013's Peanut Fair again makes us go nuts!!

'Manasiddavaru' - for people with hearts

Last Tuesday, on my way home from office, I received a call from one of my friends asking me if I were free the next day. It being Gandhi Jayanthi, a public holiday, I had no specific plans, so I said 'yes'.

She was extremely delighted as it looked like that was something she was hoping for. She had an offer for me, an offer I could not refuse.

Two social service organizations - 'Samaja Sevakara Samithi'  and 'Margadarshi Samithi' had collaborated and arranged for a felicitation program to honor an author, Dr. B R Prasad. They wanted someone to host the event as their MC was not available for the day. There was a brain storming discussion to zero-in on the MC for the event and my name was recommended by a colleague from my ex-company.I was elated. It was a good opportunity for me and I readily agreed.

I was present sharp at 10 in the morning as I wanted to get acquainted with the people about whom I would speak. Honestly, I was under-prepared due to the short notice, so I decided to go through the book of  Dr.B R Prasad for which he was being felicitated that day. The book is named -'Manasiddavaru', which means 'people with hearts' in Kannada. 

The book is one of its kind, a rare contribution made to the field of Kannada Literature. It is not a collection of poems, plays or stories, neither is it a biography of a great personality. This book is a collection of details about people with hearts, their inspirations, its about people who cared for the society and looked forward to do something for people beyond their kith and kin. 

Dr. B R Prasad took up this project last Ugadi and decided to complete it in one year. His dedication and faith helped him reach his target in spite of his hospitalization due to an accident. He has traveled across the city of Bengaluru to collect information about NGOs who work selflessly for the betterment of the society.

His book features 83 such organisations, their contributions towards the society, their livelihood, their aims and objectives and contact details for those who would want to extend a helping hand.

The most voluminous data of the 83 NGOs is that of Smt. Susheelamma, the Chief Guest of the day who runs 'Sumangali Sevashrama'. Unlike other ashramas, where the person in-charge is addressed as a guru or Swamiji, Susheelamma here is addressed as 'amma' for the motherly love that she showers upon the desolated women and children who stay here.

The guest of honor for the event, Dr. Narayana Sawanth runs a trust called Hari Om trust. He is a homeopathic medicine practitioner. He gives free medicines to all who visit his ashram-'Tapovana'. Located near Tumkur, the count of the daily visitors to his ashram ranges from 800-1000. A religious person by nature, Dr. Sawanth  beleives that what he receives from God,  he gives to people. He believes that God gives him only how much he needs to help his patients. The best part of 'Tapovana' is that there are no paid servants in this ashram. Everyone of them is a volunteer, a true display of selflessness!

There are many such mentions in this book which accounts for the valuable contributions made by so many not-so-famous people. They did not give the details to Dr. Prasad to gain an entry into his book. In fact, many of them were not even aware that Dr. Prasad was planning to write one. 

I was especially moved to read about a lady who had no kids of her own. She decided to start an orphanage. Soon she was blessed with children of her own and her joy knew no bounds. Her husband, now a father of two, wanted her to close the orphanage as she now has her own responsibilities to address at home. She denied and was forced to choose between the orphanage and her husband. The brave lady chose the former and runs the orphanage till date.

Such brave stories are an inspiration for people who want to do something but don't know where to start. Dr. Prasad says he has not done anything great by writing this book. He says that the characters were already there and enacting their roles. He played the role of a playwright and wrote the script, connecting all the characters and giving life to their roles and bringing to light their low profiles lives.

But in my opinion, to play the playwright and write the script, it requires a person with a heart. A heart to contribute, a heart that goes out for the betterment of the society and not just within the thresholds of their houses.

Dr. Prasad's felicitation ceremony was a grand success and I came out that day as a changed person. I must have been destined to host the event that day. My 'Gandhi Jayanthi' celebration just could not have been better. 

This blog post is a tribute to all those manasiddavaru, the people with hearts....

Book is available for online booking at www.sapnaonline.com 

Book id -KAN0027939

Just A Click Away..

Say cheese, and the word itself automatically brings a smile,
Even on a face that has been sad and in pain for a while..
It is for this reason that I find,
The camera to be a modifier of the human mind..

No matter how sad, how worried , how irritated you are,
The moment a camera faces you, the frowns wander away too far..
The lens looks straight into your eye and says,
You better put up your best looking face..

This wonderful invention comes in different forms,
small-big, slick-thick to suit various norms..
Different colors, different brands, different shape
They come with but one intention- to capture and to drape..

I don't know if Kodak had this thought,
when for commercial sales the camera it brought..
that it's bringing a gift to the common man's reach,
Who now could relive moments of joy that once he cud only beseech..

It brought him more joy as he could now click,
Scenes of nature, street or anything he chose to pick..
With time came a revolution with cameras more advanced,
He learnt, he revised and now to click, his fingers danced..

There are manual modes to adjust the shutter speed and aperture,
and there is flash too, so that the pictures come out brighter..
There are automatic modes for beginners and novices,
To first get a hold on to the various photographic devices..

There are various lens- one to shoot wide-angle, other for macro,
another called a standard and another a telephoto..
Like the different flowers that combine to form a beautiful bouquet,
These lenses are all there to capture life and make it stay..

A bird's flight, a tiger's roar or may it be an insect's crawl..
A road-side vendor, a beach-side scene or just another street side brawl..
A child's sweet smile or a sleepy yawn, a doggies pup or a kitten's play..
It leads its lens to seal for us, moments, that have passed away..

A good camera they say is a photographer's delight,
Also the subject, the surroundings and the light..
SMILE.. Cos no one wants to click a thorny bush or a deserted town..
A moon less night nor a face with a frown..

The little joys of life and unforgettable moments of yesterday..
If you come to think of it, were just a click away..

LIFE in a METRO..

Shutting down the alarm in my mobile, after a couple of snoozes,
I decided to get up from the bed before my eye-lid again closes..
I just had two minutes to spend on brushing and ten left for a quick shower,
And 15 more in front of the mirror is all it takes for that complete make-over..

I rushed downstairs to gobble up my breakfast and  gulp down some milk ..
I chose to slip into my favorite flats instead of shoes, to save time, that's the trick..
I hurried through the curvy roads to catch the Volvo bus just in time..
And was fortunate enough to get a window seat as it suits me just fine..


Looking out of the window I was lost in my own world..
Organizing my thoughts giving them some order and poise..
My thoughts were suddenly shattered by the fight..
Or so I thought by their volume and noise..


I then realized it was the busy conductor asking for the right change..
But why this howling and shouting early in the morning? It looks so strange..
Thinking about this I went down memory lane..
A period when day-to-day life was not such a pain..


There was just one red-colored bus used for local roaming..
The middle class and poor used it alike without discriminating..
There was no Suvarna no Big10 no Marco Polo...
Neither was there a Pushpak nor a Volvo..


The early morning buses were filled with vendors and their bamboo baskets...
In AC buses it isn't any different now,as baskets are replaced by laptop caskets..
Those buses were filled by the scents of flowers, fruits and incense stick fumes..
In Volvo its filled with the headache causing odor of deodorants and perfumes..

Some old lady hummed a tune, the other busy preparing a jasmine flower garland..
School kids hung on with their heavy school-bags, shoes -socks and  pockets full of sand..
But today all you hear is the blaring FM Radio and the GPS announcing the places,
With all IT professionals hanging on with their backpacks and Tupperware carry cases..

There is no one to call the red-bus conductor "Uncle" anymore..
Or chit-chat with him and share with him tales happy and sore..
No one to fight with him for giving soiled or torn notes..
As he juggles to find change for all the 100 and 500 rupee notes..

There is no acknowledgement between fellow travelers, no hi, no hello..
All they do is to switch on their iPod and sleep with their heads hung low..
No one shares a biscuit, a fruit or a chocolate..
No one I have come across offers their seat to an elderly, off late...

The old buses did not have AC, nor did they give you the luxury of individual seats..
But there was a joy when the fresh air blew in while we did a two-by-three of our seats..
We waved and screamed when a double-Decker bus passed by,
We didn't find it silly.. No one objected.. No one asked "Why?"


And slowly the red colored buses then changed to Blue and White..
And the name changed too..from BTS to BMTC..Right ?
How life has changed and evolved!! And so has Bangalore city..
with lots of things to boast about and now the Metro too in her kitty..

Time has advanced and so has the technology and how it has reflected in our lives!!
I found the change in a short bus journey and was surprised to see how it thrives!!
A local bus journey is not a luxury anymore nor is it supposed to be exciting..
Its become just a means of transport for you to race through and keep moving!!

I realized that it no longer matters if the attached sentiments are absolutely zero..
I guess that's where we are heading to.. to a Life in a Metro!!

Destiny's Guest

It was a bright chirpy Saturday morning,
The day of the week when I plan to be lazy and free;
I headed downstairs breathing in the fresh air,
For my normal dose of hot morning coffee;

I took a step down and it was just then,
that I saw a creature moving and struggling...
It was so tiny, so tender, so gentle..
But what is it? A rat or a squirrel ??

I stood there observing what it would do,
It struggled to move but turned too..
The 3 famous dark lines on its back were there,
It was a squirrel, that too a baby there..

We took it to a Vet as we didn't know what to do,
He said, "He's too small, he may not live for more than an hour or two..
Give him some milk and cuddle him up warm,
If he lives, its only cause of his lucky charm".

We brought him back home and cuddled him up tight,
Stuffed him around with cotton, dry grass and whatever we found right.
We fed him some milk, he gobbled it up quick,
"go slow" I said,"your food pipe isn't yet that big"

He was too tiny, too tender, too fragile to see,
He hadn't yet opened his eyes but responded well to me..
He played inside the small shoe box, his cozy home for now,
He hid himself inside a sock or went in and out of a glove..

He cuddled up at night when the weather went cold,
went cranky to drink milk, which is better seen than told..
His games amused me and made me realize, that all kids are same,
Human or not- what's in a name ??

He had become a part of the family, one among us,
Would make a lot of noise and a lot of fuss..
He was almost like an adopted son,
who needed care, love and lot of affection..


I showered him with all that and he responded well..
Each day after office he helped me cope with my stress as well..
I waited for him to grow up and christened him too,
To see him jump on his bushy tail and go out to the world anew..


But my plans were disposed as they were meant to be mere dreams only,
They were shattered when I saw he didn't grow up and fell silent suddenly..
There was no jumping, no cuddling, no cranky sounds..
All I could hear was my heart's sorrowful mourns..

He missed his mom, her warmth, her hug, her gentle care, 
She was not there for him, and that's not fair..
I did my best to make his shoe box a luxury suite..
But alas! in vain.. as mother's love has no substitute..

He left me one night and bid good bye..
leaving me with sweet memories of days five..

With lots of love, I send u from your nest..
May in peace u rest, my destiny's little guest!!..

DEATH leaves a heartache no one can heal, LOVE leaves a memory no one can steal!!

...a Quarter of my wisdom

A peaceful sleep disturbed by the crackle of the dawn,
I woke up to stretch with a big big yawn!!

Ouch!! came the striking pain in my right cheek..
There ought to be an explanation and in the mirror I took a peek..

There was nothing I could see, nothing I could tell..
nothing on the outer cheek and nothing in as well..
Ignoring the pain I went about my chore,
Blind to the fact that the pain had made my jaw sore..

The ache worsened by the day and that was it..
I could take it no more and I had to see my dentist..
I fixed an appointment fearing the worst,
"Its urgent" I said,"I can feel the pain burst"..

He gently laughed and prescribed an antibiotic,
"come down 'morrow, let me have a look at it!! "
The dreadful giant chair awaited just me it seems,
I sank into it hoping its one of those bad dreams..

Three heads bent down into my mouth to take a peek,
The big light went ON and the specialist began to seek..
"This needs a X-ray" announced the specialist,
The mask, the instruments and the gear made him look more like a terrorist...

The giant machine did a humming sound..
moved through my mouth-one complete round..
They call it "A full mouth scan"..
To check if my teeth were all spic and span..

The X-ray showed that my wisdom tooth was nonaligned,
An extraction was in the queue I tot and I sighed!!
The worst of my nightmares was going to be true..
"Oh God!! help me out " the cry was all I cud do..

The impaction surgery was scheduled the next week,
I entered the clinic letting my imagination go to its peak..
The Doc gave me a sweet smile and said I ll be fine..
"I know I know" I said to myself.. "but the tooth u r plucking out is mine!!"

Reluctantly I sat on the chair, with my eyes shut completely tight..
He said, "Sit straight and u r gonna be thru.. don't look left and right"
The process started with the drilling, with my mouth full of the oozing blood..
But the giant suction machine managed to drain out the red flood..

God bless the scientists for inventing the Anesthesia,
I didn't feel a thing, May be I forgot or had temporary Amnesia..
It was done in an hour's time, the cutting, the tugging, the pulling..
The tooth came out from within the jaw bone with more blood simply oozing...

He stuffed some cotton, and took out a needle,
"Just 2 stitches and and u can go out as fit as a fiddle"..
He sew like exactly how my tailor does,
I giggled wondering if my tailor too can do what he does!!


I finally got out of the chair, with half my jaw numb,
I couldn't open my mouth, was almost dumb..
I don't really know if the doc is a friend or foe..
But yes, he relieved me of the pain that shot from head to toe..


The pain is gone but so is the tooth..
Some say "you are ignoring the truth..
Your teeth count has become thirty-one",
Sad but true, I lost a quarter of my wisdom!!

500 days of togetherness!!

An answered prayer he is to me,

my greatest blessing he will always be....

Once in a while right in the middle of an ordinary life,

love gives us a fairy tale and I am extremely happy to announce that last Sunday on May 13th, 2012

this fairy tale became 500 days old!!

500 days old or just 500 days new- hard to say which is the right phrase 

but with this special person right by your side in all your joy and all your hardships, each day is as fresh as the morning dew, its all so new its all so true...

It's all so new, its all so true,

All the wonderful feelings about you...

That make me smile all day long, like the birds singing their merriest song,

Is it the way you speak? or the way you listen?

The way you smile, or the way you see.....

That without a thought i know i am safe, in the loving arms of thee...

Its all so new, its all so true....

Just as fresh as the morning dew....

The Computer Guy!!

Out on a holiday was a computer guy!!
wandering in a forest under the clear sky;
Without his laptop he could never do,
Oh YES!! he had got it in the forest too;


Absorbed as he was in the 12" screen,
He tumbled upon a stone unseen;
Up went the laptop as he fell,
Did it fall in the well??? No one could tell;


Pulling himself up,he went to the lake,
"Give me my laptop for heaven's sake"
Sobbing he sat like a departing bride,
Not noticing the angel striding by his side;


"whats wrong?" she warmly asked the guy
"i just lost my life"he said with a sigh!!!
she listened and saw the story unfold,
Her heart melted for his grief untold;


She promised to go in and find his laptop,
His eyes sparkled like a fresh dew drop;
She went in and searched for hours together,
and finally the guy's prayers were answered!!!


She rose up like a blooming lotus in the lake,
An object she gave him to take;
"A matchbox?!!"he exclaimed once he saw it,
Disappointed he decided to give up on it;


Determined to help him she took back the object,
Sunk down again in search of her target;
She succeeded this time and rose up again,
"Its a Calci!!!!" he said in pain!!!!


"Update yourself angel!! you ought to know"
"power without knowledge makes you feel low";
"A laptop is just as big as a tray"
"with the power to bring the whole world your way";


Humbly she listened and took the calci,
Determined to again try and not be messy;
She found the laptop and up she came!!!
"HURRAY!!!" she said, "I reached my aim";


He touched and felt and kissed his life,
As she indeed gave a rejoice to his life;
"how did you?!!" he asked with surprise,
she said, "it was jsut like catching mice!!!" ;


Story takes a turn when the angel now,
Asks him to return the laptop somehow;
"you are smart and clever but arrogant true!! "
"you dont realize that others are smart too!! "


"you called me outdated,old and stupid"
"I am no less at bull's eye than cupid";
"I rewarded you with a super computer"
"you called it a matchbox and only grew sadder";


"I gave you a palmtop, just to see you smile"
"you called it a calci,as arrogance took its toil!!";
We have heard this as a wood-cutter's tale,
and we just leave it to the wind's gale;


What happened of the guy we all can guess!!!
He came back without a laptop but woke up with a divine bless!!!