Oscars 2009 - Jai ho

What a day it was! I was glued to the TV since 8.00 am to watch the 81st Oscar Academy Awards presentation ceremony at the Kodak Theater, Hollywood, USA. "Slumdog Millionaire "bagging 8 Oscars out of the 10 nominations was just superb.

But the proudest moment for us Indians was Resul Pookutty winning the Oscar for Sound Mixing and the very talented A. R. Rahman for original score and original song for the movie of the year " Slumdog Millionaire."

Both the winners gave a very touching and original thanksgiving speech. Rahman said " The essence of the film is optimism and hope. All through my life I had the choice of love and hate…I chose love and I am here.” It reinforced my belief in the word "Hope."

Resul Pookutty said "I come from a country and a civilization that has given the universal word. That word is preceded by silence, followed by more silence. That word is 'Om.' So I dedicate this award to my country. Thank you, Academy, this is not just a sound award, this is history being handed over to me." What a tribute to your country ! Jai Ho !

Information Galore - 9

ATTENTION TELECOM CONSUMERS !


Are you aware of the guidelines issued by TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) regarding Value Added Services ?

• The fact is that no chargeable value added service shall be provided to a customer without his/her explicit consent.

• The subscriber for international roaming can opt a particular ring back tone from their service provider to avoid unwanted / unimportant calls by indicating message to the calling party in the ring back tone about his/her international roaming status.

National Consumer Helpline No: 1800-11-4000


Courtesy : Advertisement "Jago Grahak Jago", issued in public interest by TRAI & Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Govt of India in The Times of India, Hyderabad, February 19, 2009

Dollar Bahu by Sudha Murthy - Book Review

For quite sometime now, I desired to read Sudha Murthy's novels in Kannada. But somehow I did not do it. Last week I went to a well known book store "Akshara" in Hyderabad to buy a book as birthday gift for a friend's son and laid my hands on "Dollar Bahu" - an English novel by Sudha Murthy, originally written in Kannada and translated into many Indian Languages. The book is published by Penguin Books, India and priced at Rs. 150/- which I feel is slightly on the expensive side. The novel comprises of 142 pages.

Dollar Bahu is certainly a short and sweet novel. The story is simple and well told, like the author says in the preface - "This story can happen in any part of India but I have set it in Karnataka, the region most familiar to me". As I read the book I could sense the protagonist's emotions and travails.

The story revolves around a middle class family and how the lure of the Dollar affects relationships within that family. Sudha Murthy hopes that this story will show some families that love and affection can be more important than money. And I think she has successfully conveyed her sentiments.

Vinuta, the protagonist is an orphan who lives in Dharwad. She is a beautiful girl , hardworking, sweet natured and a talented singer. Chandra Shekar, an Engineer from Bangalore is posted in Dharwad and stays as a tenant in her house. He likes her and wishes to propose to her, but his ambition to settle well monetarily or rather to fulfill his mother Gouramma's ambition to see her son earn loads of money and marry off her daughter Surabhi into a well to do family.

Chandra Shekar's destiny takes him to the land of opportunities - The United States of America. Vinuta's destiny brings her to Banagalore and she becomes a teacher in the school where Chandra Sekhar's father Shamanna works as a School teacher. Shamanna is a simple, kindhearted gentleman and a highly regarded teacher. Again destiny brings Chandra Shekhar's younger brother Girish, a bank clerk and a good human being into Vinuta's life and she marries him and starts living with his family in Bangalore.

Meanwhile Chandra Shekhar settles in the United States and sends his mother Dollars, which keeps her happy as it has brought affluence to her family . Though Girish and Vinuta take care of the household and parents, their contribution is ignored by Gouramma and she constantly picks at Vinuta, but Shamanna cares about them and he is supportive of his daughter-in-law . And more trouble starts for Vinuta when Chandra Shekar marries a rich girl, Jamuna from Bangalore. Jamuna becomes the "Dollar Bahu" for Gouramma and Vinuta is subject to constant comparisons and humiliation.

Gouramma decides to visit her son and daughter-in-law in the United States. Her stay in that country makes her realize the importance of human relationships, and that the love and respect she got back home, cannot be bought by Dollars. The story ends on a positive note with an unexpected twist.

Dollar Bahu definitely qualifies for a good, light and meaningful reading. My rating of "Dollar Bahu" *****

My Ratings:

***** Excellent
**** Good
*** Average
** OK
* Yuck

The Zoya Factor by Anuja Chauhan - Book Review

The first book I read this year is "The Zoya Factor" by Anuja Chauhan. It is the author's first novel, published by Harper Collins, India and priced at Rs. 295/- . Anuja Chauhan is an advertising professional who has penned the famous Pepsi advertisement liner "Yeh Dil Maange More".

The novel is set in the backdrop of the advertising and cricket scenario in India. Anuja has used her knowledge and experience of the advertising world, to perfection. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and found it hilarious, especially the usage of the Rupa Underwear and Banian advertisement's liner " yeh toh bada toinnngg hai" at various contexts. While listening to FM Radio on my way to work everyday, I hear this advertisement and rumble with laughter. Initially, I used to think that I was hearing the word "toinnngg" wrongly or was unable to grasp the word. Now, I know for sure what the word means.

The story revolves around, the young advertising executive, Zoya Singh Solanki who was born the moment India clinched the Prudential World Cup in 1983. During her advertising assignment with the Indian Cricket team, she happens to have her breakfast with them and casually mentions that the Indian team had won a match previously on one such occasion when she had her breakfast with them. The event is recollected by some members of the team and it is prophetically followed by, the Indian team winning that day's match and some of the team players strongly believing in this phenomenon. But the new talented Skipper of the Indian team Nikhil Khoda does not believe in this luck factor. Zoya is now pursued by the IBCC -Indian Board of Cricket Control's eccentric President Jogpal Lohia to accompany the Indian team to Australia for the tenth ICC World Cup . The cricket crazy nation is also in a frenzy over Zoya's luck factor and elevate her to the status of a Goddess.

Zoya's dilema over her 'lucky' status, offers of big money from major companies to advertise their brand, her feelings for the dashing Skipper and manipulations by the IBCC's President form the crux of this well written and easily readable novel, The Zoya Factor.

My rating of The Zoya Factor ***** .


My Ratings:

*****Excellent

****Good

***Average

**OK

*Yuck

The year that was...

The year 2008 has been an eventful year with few ups and lots of down 'moments' for me, personally and professionally. Last year on 31 st December I and my family ushered in the New year at Kolkata with my mom and brothers and their families. Mom was always very enthusiastic about welcoming the New year by cutting a cake at the stroke of midnight and holding us close to her, would wish us with a hug, followed by lighting diyas and saying a small prayer for a healthy and peaceful New Year. We, her children were her world and everything she did was for our well being. I will miss wishing her in person, but memories of her vibrant and enthusiastic spirit brings to me a smile and a tear at the same time.

The last week of this year was eventful for me, as my 8 year old daughter took off on her first week long vacation alone, to Bangalore. Adithi was very keen to visit her paternal cousin, Chinmayi who is 9 months younger to her. They are very fond of each other. Luckily, our family friends who were travelling to Bangalore were happy to take her along and bring her back, and Adithi was more than delighted to travel with them. She was received at the railway station by Arun mama and had a great time in Bangalore playing non stop with Chinmayi and her friends; visiting Wonder La, Bangalore Zoo, a local exhibition, restaurant and shopping malls. She relished all the tasty snacks prepared by her Latha atte.

We spoke to her everyday and she did say she missed us, but I am not too sure about it. We throughly missed her histrionics, but nonetheless had a good time watching "Rab ne bana di jodi ", in a theater. I seem to have come out of my lethargy and suddenly grown fond of the friendly neighbourhood cinema house. Last month saw "Dostana" and liked both the movies. My sister-in-law Suma, a movie and theater buff is very excited about this latest development in my life. I am sure her nephew Aditya, another movie and theater buff will be pleased. He writes great movie reviews.

On a closing note, just before my daughter was leaving for Hyderabad, I called her to give some last minute instructions which obviously disrupted her playing session. I told her to thank her aunt and uncle, and she promptly asked me WHY ? and I began my sermon about them having taken her to visit so many places and got her gifts etc and the fact that she had enjoyed her vacation with them. Her reply was OH ! and as I am still on the phone she yells, " Latha atte, my mom tells me to thank you" and I can overhear my sister-in-law say, Why ? and my daughter yells back " my mom says because you have taken me to Wonder La ... blah...blah..." . I went, " NOT AGAIN Baby" and rumbled with laughter. She returned yesterday morning with lots of goodies which included 2 packets of crayons and a pencil box. She showed them to me and before I could say anything, she proudly stated "See haven't I chosen useful things for gifts". I am mighty pleased by the fact that she understands the word Useful.

So cheers to the child's innocence and the learning process and hope the New Year 2009 will bring peace and happiness to all of us. Have a great year ahead !

India Bleeds

India bleeds, whether terrorists strike in Hyderabad, Jaipur, Bangalore, Delhi, Assam or Mumbai; when a soldier or policeman loses his life for the country; when a woman or child is raped and brutally killed, innocents lynched in the name of honour killings and revenge, and when natural calamities wipe out families.

The recent 26/11 terrorist attacks in Mumbai is an eye opener to all the Indian citizens. Lessons in crisis management is the need of the hour. We seem to have a short term memory, just like the media. When an incident such as this occurs, the media covers it 24x7 and is thrilled with the TRP ratings, as fools like us keep watching it like a TAMASHA . And soon, it fizzles out and the issue is dead; out of sight, out of mind. The 26/11 terrorist attacks has generated momentum amongst us to do something about the situation, because the victims this time were foreigners and people from the upper strata of society, other than the AAM JUNTHA.

But, I want to be positive and give the devil its due. The media is a powerful tool and has done its bit by taking up few issues and facilitating justice to the victims by generating awareness and mobilizing public support . I expect the media to play a vital and responsible role in creating awareness and empower the citizens to manage crisis of any magnitude. We just can't let India bleed.

Reality Sucks

It is over a month since mom's departure and I am back in the ho-hum of my life, but as days go by, the vacuum it has created is more evident. I ponder as to why, it is so difficult coping this loss, having known the outcome from day one of the diagnosis. I had been preparing myself to face the unthinkable , the sole reality of our existence - Death. No doubt, reality sucks !

Thankfully, I feel my mom's presence but miss talking and listening to her. We will miss her even more on her birthday on December 5th. She would have been "Sixty" that day. Time is said to be a great healer and I know for sure it will take hell of a time to heal. My daughter cheers me up and doesn't want to see tears in my eyes. She is convinced that her grandma is living the life of a queen in heaven, riding a chariot with a magic wand in hand. And basically having a great time with new friends. And well, I want to believe her ! Kudos to such imagination.

A small incident that happened a week after mom passed away added momentum to her conviction. My husband wanted to cheer us up, so he suggested we visit the famous Durga Puja Pandal at Secunderabad that evening. We had the darshan of Ma Kali, bumped into many acquaintances and my daughter had a good time. It was past 9 pm and we were unable to get an auto, cab or a bus to get back home. The wait of over 30 minutes started getting on to my nerves and I told her, please pray to God or ask Grandma who is in heaven to send us an auto. My daughter promptly prayed aloud " Grandma please send us an auto", and no sooner she said that, a cab approached us and the driver asked us if we needed a lift to the area where we live. The cab was on its way to pick the BPO employees for night shift. We hopped into the cab and were chauffeur driven home .

I am overwhelmed by the affection and regard people had for my mother and extend my appreciation and gratitude for all their kind thoughts and words. I can't resist myself from sharing a condolence message conveyed to my brother, Ravi by a distant relative, who is a well known "specimen". After lunch on the " Vaikunta Samaradhana cermony" day, as everybody were meeting us and taking leave, this 'specimen" who is about sixty years of age with his father of eighty years alive, walked up to my brother, shook his hand and told him " I am in a better position than you, my father is still alive. You are an orphan now, with both your parents dead". I am not exaggerating, these were the exact words conveyed by this person. My husband and Sister-in-law who overheard it and did not know the person were shocked . Wow, can any condolence message match up to it !

Tribute to Mom

Our beloved mother Smt. Geetha Ramamoorthy, w/o Late Shri. H. Ramamoorthy, passed away peacefully at 6.00 am on Oct 2, 2008, Thursday at Army Command Hospital, Kolkata. A lady of tremendous courage, positive attitude, very spiritual and immensely beautiful and talented. She finally gave up her two years of fight against breast cancer on Gandhi Jayanthi day. She was a wonderful human being who has touched many lives in her own little way. She led her life with great dignity having lost her husband at an young age and raised three children, a daughter and two sons. We, her children are fortunate to have her as our mother and are very proud of her.

Though she is no longer with us in body, her soul and spirit continues to exist with us. She always told us that her childhood aspiration was to become a soldier or a doctor and serve humanity. And interestingly her youngest son, is a pediatrician in the Indian Armed Forces - A doctor and a soldier. She received the best treatment at the Army Command Hospitals, Pune and Kolkata respectively. She lived a dignified life and received a farewell befitting the proud mother of a Soldier.

I thank my family members, relatives, friends and my brother's colleagues at the Army Command Hospital, Kolkata, who have been very supportive and helpful.

Information Galore - 8

Hyderabad & Cyberabad City Police

Hyderabad City Police Our City Our Life Our Safety (http://www.hyderabadpolice.gov.in) is the official Website of Hyderabad Police which was launched yesterday i.e September 29, 2008. It is indeed a very informative and educative website which provides vast information on law and order, crime, traffic, emergency services, Cyber frauds, etc.

The Find Your Police Station, Women's Corner, How Do I and Check Yourself, Permissions & Licences sections on the website are people friendly, as they provide information on "How to report Crime, How to get a Voter's ID, How to get Birth Certificate or Death Certificate, How to obtain permission for public meetings , rallies, dharnas, Arms license etc" ; Helplines to report Domestic Violence, Dowry Harassment, Eve Teasing; and the facility to check the status of Passport verification is fantastic.

A similar website was launched earlier by the Cyberabad Metropolitan Police Partnering for a Safe Community ( http://cyberabadpolice.gov.in) which has all the above mentioned information and is useful for the citizens who come under the Cyberabad Police Jurisdiction, covering Ranga Reddy District.

I hope, the kind of friendly assistance provided by our Police Force on the Website is rigorously implemented in real life situations, thus eliminating fear about the Police, from the law abiding citizen's mind. And let's generate fear in the minds of the culprits and terrorists, by showing then the combined strength of the Police and Public.

Reflective Thoughts

I receive some thought provoking maxims in my mail, which I want to share with my readers. Here are a few of them that fuel my mind and instigate me to introspect. . .

Some people make the world happen;

More watch the world happen;

Most wonder what happened.

Its your choice, which group you want to belong to.


It isn't what you have,

or who you are,

or where you are,

or what you are doing,

or what you are going to do,

that makes you happy or unhappy.

Its what you think about.


No one is beat till he quits,

No one is through till he stops,

No matter how hard Failure hits,

No matter how often he drops,

A fellow's not down till he lies

In the dust and refuses to rise.

Fate can slam him and bang him around,

And batter his frame till he's sore,

But she never can say that he's downed

While he bobs up serenely for more.

A fellow's not dead till he dies, nor beat till no longer he tries.
- Edgar Guest


Whatever you give to life, it gives you back.

Do not hate anybody.

The hatred which comes out from you, will someday come back to you.

Love others. And love will come back to you.


Don't say that you should have not existed.

Without you, there will be a hole in creation.

A missing life to those in your family.

A missing friend to those around you.

A missing role in this World.

Treasure your uniqueness. It is a gift given only to you.
Play your role in life.


Take the whole responsibility on your own shoulders.

Know that you are the creator of your own destiny.

All the strength and succor you want is within yourselves.

Stand up. be Bold. be Strong.
Make your own future.


Life is divided into three terms.

The one which was, which is and which will be.

Learn from the past to profit the present;

And from the present to live better for future.

Its the best way to lead yourself through life.


Realize things before it is too late.

Have lots of friends before you are alone.

Accept things rather than deny them.

Love people before you loose them.

Life comes just once.
Love it while you live it.


If you do not seem to advance, do not be discouraged.

If things don't see right, do not be downhearted.

It does not matter how fast you move ahead in life,

But what matters is the road on which you move ahead.

On the road of life, be true to others.
More importantly be true to yourself.


The World is dangerous not because of those who do harm,

but because of those who look at it without doing anything.

It is up to us to build the world.
To spread light around us.
To make it a better place.

Courtesy: Mails received from Pravsworld...inspiring you for a better tomorrow.

Importance of Human Birth

I have been reading the English adaptation of the original Marathi book, Shri Sai Satcharita - The Wonderful Life and Teachings of Shri Shirdi Sai Baba , by Govind Raghuanath Dabholkar alias 'Hemadpant'.

I found answers to the "Importance of Human Birth" in Chapter VIII of the book and wish to highlight some of the extracts and share related aspects of the wonderful teachings.

"In this wonderful universe, God has created billions of creatures or beings inhabiting heaven, hell, earth, ocean, sky and other intermediate regions. Of these, those creatures or souls whose merits preponderate, go to heaven and live there till they enjoy the fruits of their actions and when this is done, they are cast down; while those souls, whose sins or demerits preponderate, go down to hell and suffer the consequences of their misdeeds for as log as they deserve it. When the merits and demerits of these creatures or beings balance each other, they are born on earth as human beings and are given a chance to work out their salvation. Ultimately, when their merits and demerits both are worked out completely, they get their deliverance and become free. To put the matter in a nutshell, souls get their birth or transmigration according to their deeds and evolvement.

Special Value of the Human Body

As we all know, four things are common to all the creatures, viz., food, sleep, fear and sexual union. In the case of man, he is endowed with a special faculty,viz, knowledge, with the help of which he can attain God-vision, which is impossible in any other birth...

Some say that there is nothing worse than the human body, which is full of filth, mucus, phlegm and dirt and which is subject to decay, disease and death. This is true to a certain extent, but in spite of these drawbacks and defects, the special value of the human body is - that man has got capacity to acquire knowledge. It is only due to the human body or on account of it , that one can think of the perishable and transitory nature of the body itself and of the world, and have an aversion for the sense-enjoyments, and can discriminate between the unreal and real, and thus attain God-vision... The proper course therefore, for us to pursue, is the following; that the body should neither be neglected nor fondled, but should be properly cared for... The body should ever be used or engaged to attain God-vision or self-realization, which is the supreme end of life.

Man's Endeavour

Realizing how precious the human life is and knowing that death is certain and may snatch us at any time, we should be ever alert to achieve the object of our life, we should not make the least delay, but make every possible haste to gain our object... So with all earnestness, we should strive to attain our end, i.e, self-realization. Casting aside laziness, warding off drowsiness, we should day and night meditate on the self. If we fail to do this, we reduce ourselves to the level of beasts.

How to Proceed?

The most effective and speedy way to gain our object is to approach a worthy saint or sage - Sadguru, who has himself attained God-Vision. What cannot be achieved by hearing religious discourses and study of religious texts is easily obtained in the company of such worthy souls. Just as the sun gives light, which all the stars out together cannot do, so the Sadguru alone imparts spiritual wisdom, which all the sacred books and sermons cannot do. His movements and simple talks give us 'silent' advice. The virtues of forgiveness, calmness, disinterstedness, charity, benevolence, control of mind and body, egolessness etc, are observed by the disciples, as they are being practised in such pure and holy company. The enlightens their minds and lifts them up spiritually. Sai Baba was such a Sage or Sadguru.

Allah Maalik - Peace be to all

My Child's Concern

A couple of days back, I suffered a bout of tummy upset and ended up spending a night moaning and groaning in pain. My daughter came to bed after viewing "Ramayan" on the NDTV Imagine Channel. She laid down silently beside me for some time and suddenly I found her tender hands on my brows stroking gently. I was like "wow" my baby feels for me, and then she whispered in my ears , " Mom, will you be OK for my Birthday" . And I burst into laughter, forgetting the pain for a moment, as her birthday is another 12 days away. I said, of course Sweetie, I'll be fine tomorrow. Don't worry!

Well, each one of us have our priorities , isn't it? For a child, Birthday is the ultimate, important day ( for some adults too). The idea of wearing a new colour dress, distributing chocolates in school, party at home, cake and gifts make them excited. It is something that will remain etched in their memories. We as parents, try as much as possible to meet their expectations and make them happy. But sometimes their excitement does get on to the nerves, when every waking moment, a month in advance starts with , "will you do this and that...?"

A few months back, my daughter wanted a quite birthday this year, with the family dining out in a hotel of her choice and of course, cake cutting in the hotel with the Happy Birthday song playing in the background. I was very pleased with her idea, because every year, we had a grand get together for her friends, family friends and family, with cake and clothes of her choice. Though fun, it also meant a back and nerve wrecking week for me and my husband.

But her idea has now taken a twist. She tells me, we should have a grand party like we did on her previous birthdays. And her list of do s is going on and on ... Well, I am listening and what we will ultimately do to celebrate her birthday is left to guessing, including me.

Disturbing Scribbles

This morning I came to my office as usual and was waiting for the elevator. The lobby still has the India independence day decorations with small paper flags pasted around. There were two such flags pasted just above the entrance to one of the two elevators. And I saw some scribblings on them. And this is what was written on one of the Flags - " Mera Bharat Mahaan ...Sau mein se 99 Bemaan" and on the other Flag it said - " We should be proud of our poverty, our un employment, our corruption, our il tracy" (as spelled on the scribblings) . Below the scribblings was the signature of the scribbler.

I do not know why, but I was terribly disturbed. And I keep thinking, who jotted them. Was the Scribbler - a male or a female? old or young person? literate or a semi literate? Hindu, Muslim or Christian, employed or unemployed? intelligent? sadist? pessimist ? sarcastic? dejected? - WHO could it be ?

Information Galore - 7

Hyderabad Transport Information System (HTIS)

I found information on this live traffic portal, launched by the traffic police to provide information on live traffic, directions, auto fares, distance between two places in the city and the route, etc from a relevant post, on the blog Rambling with Bellur. The Transport Information System portals are available for Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi and Pune cities.

HTIS is a useful portal, though with some limitations like not identifying some well known areas while checking out the directions and also an update is required on the auto fares. The minimum auto fare in Hyderabad is Rs. 12/- (For 1.6 km) and Rs.7/- per km . The autos still run with the old meters indicating Rs.10/- as the minimum fare and refer to a revised fare chart which gives the revised fare with reference to the old fare. Do look out for the Auto Rickshaw Driver's & Trolley Union (AITUC) seal on the chart, as fake charts with enhanced auto fare are being used by many auto drivers.

Hotels in Hyderabad

My work involves a lot of interaction with the admissions' officials from US Universities. I facilitate their visits to Hyderabad to meet prospective students interested in studying at their respective Universities. They are keen to stay in a good Hotel in Hyderabad, which is safe and located at closer proximity to their meeting place. I get requests from these guests for suggestion and booking of the accommodation, keeping in view their budget and other requirements.

I have earlier recommended Hotel Green Park, Ameerpet; Taj Krishna, Banjara Hills; Hotel Marriott, Tank Bund (earlier Hotel Viceroy) and Hotel Amrutha Castle, Saifabad. Some of the guests have got hooked to these hotels and prefer to stay in them during their yearly visits. Earlier the airport was centrally located to Hyderabad and Secunderabad and all these hotels were at closer proximity to the airport. But now with the new Rajiv Gandhi International Airport located at Shamshabad, which is about 25 kms from the city of Hyderabad and with more number of visitors coming on business to this IT hub; the hotel industry is experiencing a boom time in Hyderabad. I flew into Hyderabad a couple of days ago from Kolkata and was impressed with the facilities and sleek look of the Hyderabad airport. Though the distance is bugging, the transportation facilities like Aero Express bus, Radio cabs and Taxis are a relief.

Most of the IT companies are located at Hi Tech City and Gachi Bowli, therefore many new hotels like Hotel Novotel, Hi-Tech City ; Ista Hotel & Spa, Gachi Bowli ; Hampshire Plaza Hotel and Hotel Peppermint Lakdi-ka-pul have come up in recent times. There are many web sites which provide information on Hotels in Hyderabad, but I found TravelMasti to be informative and another site which provides comprehensive information on Hotels in different parts of the world and searches multiple hotel reservation websites simultaneously, to help one find the lowest rate instantly is HotelsCombined.

Come enjoy your stay in Hyderabad - the City of Pearls and now famous as Cyberabad, for being the IT hub in India.

Information Galore - 6

Do you want to earn a degree from an educational institution in India?

If yes, always check the institutes' credentials before enrolling, with regard to the Accreditation (official recognition) which includes the validity of the courses offered by the institution, status of degree and other facilities.

For more information, log on to :

Ministry of Human Resource Development

University Grants Commission

All India Council for Technical Education

National Council for Teacher Education

Association of Indian Universities

Medical Council of India

Distance Education Council

Courtesy: Advertisement "Jago Grahak Jago" issued in public interest by Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution in The Telegraph, Calcutta, Aug 7, 2008

My visit to Huvina Hadagali

I and my daughter, had the opportunity to visit Huvina Hadagali, a Taluk in Bellary District, which is about two hours drive from Hospet in Karnataka State. The occasion was the engagement ceremony of my cousin on July 20, 2008. The place has some significance to me as it is located very close to my father's hometown Harpanahalli, from where I get my family name. And my father's cousins live in Huvina Hadagali. I vaguely remember to have met them in my childhood and vice versa. I vividly remember their mother, my paternal grandmother's younger sister who was a lively, affectionate and wonderful human being. She had stayed with us for a month during our childhood and entertained us with her innumerable stories. We kids were very fond of her.

Huvina Hadagli is famous for Jasmine flowers. It is said that the flowers (Huvu in Kannada) from this place were sent in a boat (Hadaga in Kannada) on the River Tungabhadra to Lord Virupaksheshwara, the presiding deity at the famous Virupaksha temple at Hampi, the Capital of Vijayanagara empire in the 12th century. And this is how the place derives its name, Huvina Hadagali.

The engagement ceremony was held in the premises of an old temple dedicated to Lord Chennakeshava. The sculptures in the temple appeared special, but is in a bad state of affairs, due to poor maintenance.

My curiosity to get some historical inputs about the temple led me to understand that it was a 900 year old temple built by Amarashilpi Jakanachari , a legendary sculptor credited with building many fine temples, including the famous sculptures at Belur and Halebidu in Karnataka. Adjacent to this temple was another creation by Jakanachari, a Shiva temple, equally wonderful and in a slightly better condition than its neighbouring temple.

My daughter took the initiative of taking a photograph of Lord Chennakeshava from the entrance of the temple.

We also visited an Anjaneya Swami Temple (called Madalgatti Hanumappa in the local Kannada dialect) situated on the banks of River Tungabhadra at a place called Madalgatti which is about 15 kms from Huvina Hadagali. The ancient temple has been renovated with granite and marble and is well maintained. The three day annual fair is very popular and well attended by localites and people from the neighbouring villages and districts. Here Lord Hanuman is believed to fulfill the prayers and wishes of his devotees.

For me, it was definitely a memorable trip!

My Opinion in the Deccan Chronicle

Just sharing my opinion on the topic " Will the UPA Government survive the no-confidence motion? ", which appeared in the Hyderabad Chronicle, Deccan Chronicle, July 20, 2008, Sunday edition.

"I feel the Government will gain enough support to survive. Even though the Left has withdrawan their support, many other parties like the Samajwadi Party are coming forward to lend support to the Congress. Also, I feel that the nuclear deal will benefit the country and the Congress should go ahead with it."


Tomorrow is the trust vote. Do share your views on this national issue.

Dark and Dry Hyderabad

We Hyderabadis, are facing an extended summer this year. The weather is hot and humid and is getting on to my nerves; a fresh bout of heat prickles are on. Adding to our already existing woes are the power cuts and acute shortage of drinking water. There is a four hours' scheduled power cut and many hours of unscheduled power cuts. We are provided drinking water by the municipality, once a week, for one hour ( at least in the residential area where I live) .

Everyday, I religiously carry my umbrella, hoping it will rain. So the other day, I decided not to carry it, with the anticipation that it will rain at least that day. Some superstition ! And believe me it drizzled for 5 minutes that evening, in the locality where my office is situated. Well ! it only added to the already existing humidity. Whenever it gets cloudy, my optimism rises and fizzles out when I don't see a drop of water falling from the sky. Anyway I am back to carrying my umbrella - rain or no rain.

I am praying hard for the rain God to have mercy on us. Every drop of water is precious. Please do not waste water.

With Love...To Adithi

Jaane Tu...Ya Jaane Na which released today is slated to be the coolest- romantic- musical Hindi movie, directed by Abbas Tyrewala produced by Aamir Khan and Mansoor Khan and music by the inimitable A.R .Rahman. The hero is debutant , Imran Khan (Aamir Khan's nephew) and the heroine is Genelia ( Actress from the Telugu hit film "Bommarillu").

The songs are really cool and peppy. I especially loved "kabhi kabhi Aditi " , because my daughter is "Adithi". So this special A.R. Rahman's musical creation, sung by Rashid Ali, exclusively being played on my blog.

I love you Sweetie Pie !











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